Lords Sitting of 26 March 1827

BREACH OF PRIVILEGE.
The Lord Chancellorsaid, he thought it his duty to call their lordships' attention to what he

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conceived to be a breach of privilege. By an order of their lordships, strangers were not permitted to appear below the bar. The officers of their lordships' House had thought proper to disobey that order, and to admit strangers, upon which he would say nothing at present, but did not allow them to come in with sticks and umbrellas. A person, presenting himself for admittance, had therefore been desired to leave his umbrella behind, which he did, and which was afterwards taken away. That person had thought proper to bring an action against the officer of the House, to recover the value of the umbrella; and had, moreover taken upon himself to serve him with the process in their lordships House. That he conceived to be a breach of privilege. He thought that the regular course for their lordships to pursue would be to call the officer to the bar, to state the circumstances of the case, which he must depose to on oath. Their lordships would then decide whether a breach of privilege had been committed.
The Earl of Rosslynsaid, that the individual had no right to bring an action at all; and that bringing an action would of itself have constituted a breach of privilege.
Strangers were then ordered to withdraw. The officer of the bar desposed to the fact, and the person who had brought the action was ordered to appear at their lordships' bar to-morrow.

PETITION OF THE VAUXHALL COINERS.
The Earl of Carnarvon roseto present a curious Petition to their lordships. It was the Petition of Shadrach Walker and Jeremiah Andrews, who had been committed to prison on a charge of coining. The petitions represented to their lordships, that they had only been manufacturing money, and that this manufacture was allowed by the 59th of Geo. 3rd. The prayer of the petitioners was even more strange than what he had already stated; for they prayed that the offence of coining might in future be made capital against all those who should follow their example. The petition was read as follows:
"To the Right Honourable the Lords Spiritual and Temporal of Great Britain and Ireland, in Parliament assembled. The Petition of the undersigned Prisoners, arrested near Vauxhall, on a charge of forgery of money,
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"Humbly sheweth; That in the act of parliament entitled 59 Geo. 3rd, cap. 49, date 2nd July, 1819, the 10th and 13th sections use the word coin instead of money, which term is employed in the 11th section.
"That after permitting money to be melted into bullion, the 10th section allows bullion to be manufactured namely, without limitation in respect to the money of the realm; indeed, there is subjoined, 'any thing in any act or acts in force in Great Britain or Ireland, to the contrary thereof in any wise notwithstanding.'
"That the 13th section prohibits a debasement of money after its manufacture; but not during that operation.
"That, with reference to the 10th section, your lordships will be pleased, for the words 'and to manufacture or export, or otherwise dispose of the gold or silver bullion produced thereby,' meaning from melted money, to substitute 'and except counterfeiting or imitating the money of the realm, to manufacture or export, or otherwise dispose of the gold or silver bullion produced thereby;' as well as for the words 'and it is expedient that the traffic in gold and silver bullion should be unrestrained,' to say 'and it is expedient that the traffic in gold and silver bullion should be restrained,' are the humble requests of your petitioners, who, as in duty bound, shall ever pray, &c."