§ On the motion for going into a committee on the duke of Atholl's Annuity bill,
§ The Marquis of Buckingham put it to the candour of noble lords, whether in the exhausted state in which they were, it would be proper or decorous to go into a committee on the bill at that late hour of the night. The papers which had been moved for, had not been printed, or, if they had, he had not been fortunate enough to procure a copy of them, and consequently he, and he presumed many other noble lords were in the same state, was but ill prepared to enter at that hour upon the consideration of the bill. It was also impossible that the counsel, who could only have known early this morning, or late last night, that they would be heard at the bar against the bill, could have had sufficient time to prepare themselves. For those reasons he trusted the bill would not he proceeded in to night. He moved that the house should now adjourn,
§ The Earl of Westmoreland was of opinion the bill had undergone as ample a discussion as was necessary. He objected to the adjournment proposed by the noble marquis.—On a division, the motion for adjournment was rejected by a majority of 45 to 12, proxies included.
§ The house having at length resolved itself into a committee on the bill, Mr. Romilly was heard on the part of the Keys, or Representatives of the people of the Isle of Man, as to the interest which they had in the passing of the bill. Counsel having withdrawn,
§ The Earl of Westmoreland observed, that he thought the petitioners had no more right to come to the bar to oppose the bill, than any other of his majesty's subjects.
§ The Lord Chancellor stated, that the learned counsel, in his opinion, had not made out that species of interest in his clients, the house of Keys, which would entitle them to be heard, or to bring evidence to the bar against the bill.
§ The Marquis of Buckingham expressed himself 806 against further proceeding in the bill in the present session. The allegations in the bill were proved at the bar, by the counsel for the duke of Atholl. The preamble of the bill was postponed. On the motion, by the duke of Norfolk, that the Annuity clause should be postponed, the house divided, when it was rejected by a majority of 19 to 5. The several clauses of the bill were afterwards gone through, the bill was reported without amendments, and ordered to be read a third time to-morrow—Adjourned.