HL Deb 12 July 1805 vol 5 c838

—The Lord Chancellor stated the result of the deliberations of the committee respecting the message sent by the commons, in answer to a message from their lordships, of the 5th instant, desiring that they would communicate the evidence on which the facts stated in the duke of Atholl's compensation bill were founded, and which the commons refused. His lordship moved, in consequence, that a message should be sent to the commons, stating, that the message sent by their lordships on the 5th instant, appeared to them to be conformable to the practice of parliament, such practice having been for the commons to communicate to the lords evidence touching facts stated in any bill sent up from the commons to their lordships house. This mode of proceeding the noble and learned lord conceived to be the best, as it evidently appeared by a precedent in 1786, that the commons then considered that though they could not communicate information generally with respect to the reasons on which they had grounded a bill, that they could and did then communicate evidence relating to the facts stated in such bill. He conceived therefore that the message which he had moved to be sent to the commons would be satisfactory explanation of the opinion of the house upon this subject, whilst it would at the same time save their lordships privileges.—The message was immediately sent to the house of commons.