Star. — London, England, 1813-02-18 00:00:00

Pltog4A4ll+lo.l, r".,Te LORD 4, FEBRUARY ]+l. pore e. Su,ekpok," Sir Sam. Romig Appellapts, and Mr. Hart for the Re length, when furthor prop dings , at eletrep presented a Pet!** from tbg pert gaql of that city. 'dia. Board, presented Japers or Ae t, agreeably to the twigs of their oaths and his seat s THOLIC FILTITIONS I ited from Exeter, and Lord and from Berwick l on.Tweed, tgainst the Roman catholic from Lord HOLLAND to the it was not the desire of the No \th) to have the whole of the loble Lord replied, that it was Aole shopld be read. They were 'hen ltroLx. exrressed a desire to , the intention of the Noble Vis specihc motion or proceeding on ‘UTH was at a loss to discover should particularly be put to uke. In presenting the Petitions "able as he had done, he was fight and duty as a Peer of Pare lether he should deem it proper or other step, he conceived to be 4 sted entirely with himself. )RFOLK disclaimed any )ffence to the Noble Lord, but the question, from observing an le Petitions, which was false. — was stated, that the Catholics in )0 toleration of rights, civil and was a statement contradicted by ivilege of returning Members to Parliament was a civil right, which ijoyed by the Irish Catholics. They for Members to sit in the Lower the representative seats in the UTH thought it was treating the • undue harshness, to scrutinize the terms ip which their lair and At House were couched, They came bet their Lordships with an humble but strnest !4bmissioq of their feelings and opinions ur . . . of . . ... . . [On A sullect i which to them apkared . the greatest importance to the national welfare ; and while so ex. 046'44 their sincere opinions, he could not think it Other decorous towards them, or compatible with the liberality apd justice of their Lordship; to charge them with stating falsehood. Lord HOLLAND perfectly agreed in the pro. rriety of the Noble Duke's observations. When an Allegation so material as that to which they referred, was set forth in a Petition to that Hone, it surely Was incumbent on their Lordships to ascertain whe ther it was true or false. Had the Noble puke pro- Id the rejection of the Petition, there might have en some cause for alarm on the part of the Noble scount, but no such rejection was intimated, It Fi , was, however ) of great importance, while such pains had been taken in every quarter of the country to Excite alarms respecting the situation and claims of the Catholics, that their claims and situation should be fairly represented, and no material fact set down ;hat could not be proved. Lord REDESDALE could not help considering the language and terms of the Noble Duke's obser- Tationk, as 'tending strongly to deter petitioners from exercising their fair and admitted right of submitting thuir opinions to that House on any great national question. Th e Nohle Duke appeared not to have beard distinctly, or accurately attended to the words ets read in the Petition, where a guarded distinction szemed to be made between personal rights and civil privileges, on one hand, and political privileges on the other. The distinction,indeed, was so clearly ;narked, in the language of the Petition itself, that he could not conceive how it should Ire misunderstood, winch less bow the f'etitioners should thereby have incurred, the charge of stating falsehood. lit had frequently, however, fallen to his lot, to hear lap- Fit.aael upon the present subject, within the walls of rliament, which he should very unwillingly have tened to elsewhere, He had as little of narrow preindice as any man,--but be scrupled not to 4ta4e, in conformity with the Petitioners, that he fonceived the concession of the Catholic Claims ancompaLihle with the safety of the constitutional establishments.. The Duke of NORFOLK wished to ask the roble and Learned Lord, what was the distinction he would lay clOwn between civil and plaice; rights ? Lord REDESDALE replied, that the distinction was clearly stated in the language of the Petition.-1 — The civil rights were those which the Catholics al ready enjoyed ; the political were those to which they aspired, and the granting of which the Petition ers deprecated. The Duke of NORFOLK was by no means satis. fed with the clearness of the Noble and Learned Lord's definition, fletween the terms civil and pct . - 4itic a l he knew of no difference, except the complec tion u hich each &lived from the Latin and Greek langu.iges, from which they were adopted. Lord RI.:DESDALE said a few word; in e;plA ! nation, The LORD CHANCELLOR left the Woolsack, and observed, that whatever variety of opinions might be entertained on the subject of the Petitions by the great majority and great minority of the Pubic, the , reaning of the Petitioners could by no means be i Mistaken. They saw a arterial difference between the privilt ges at present enjoyed and the new ones claimed by the Catholics, and to that difference they wished to direct the attention of that House. lie shield not detain their Lordships with many wrrds. The temper and muderaiion which had bee" so con spicuo,usliy displayed dip "About the country in the various discussions which in every part of it had taken pl.ce on the subject of the Catholics,. was, highly er edirible to the public feeling, • 'a,n:d he wak confident that when that most serious and important question came before Parliament, it would be met with suit l‘le. wi-dem and moderation by their 1,..0rd! ibir.—Aclo4,l.l. ttotisr or Mv4461411. The House, at ke muting, Proms In lase bir * ciss- Dame to try the Sudbury peeston Petideo e Mr. BLACK#UENE pessente4 a Petidon from this *d d. tants of Lancaster, against the Catholic Petition. Lord STANLEY wished to know, whether this Peck lan war the result of any public deliberative meeting, or whether it het: not been left at a Stationer's for signatures. Mr; BLACKBURN replied, that the ii ytitlontri ware of a highly respectable class. Mr. AI3ERCROMBIE brought in a Bill, which was read a first time, for improving Govern Garden Market. Mr. CROKER brought tip the Estimates for the Niyal Ser vice, which were ordered to lie on the Table. The House then went into a Committee on the Copper Ix porution Prohibition Bill, when, after some conversed°. be tween Mr. MATHS, Mr. ROBINSON and Mr. D. Gteriv e the several provisions were agreed to, and the Report orderid to be received on Friday. The Call of the House, which stood for this .day, was post poned to this day sennight. The CHANCELLO R of the EXCHEQUER brought in the Bill for repealing the Starch Prohibition Act, which was read a first time. The Hon. Mr. BENNET rose, to ask for some explanation with respect to a deficiency which he had observed in a compari son of the returns of men in the army service for the last year and the present. The whole deficit which remained unaccounted for was about 6QOO men t he wished to know to what cause this apparent deficit was to be ascribed. Lord PALMBRSTON replied, that the returns of casualties always fell short of the real loss ; and that the whole returns, from all the foreign establishments, were not yet received. After a few words from Mr. WHITBREAD, the conversation dropped. The list of Members elected on the Sudbury Election Com mittee were then declared to be the following: Robert Abercrombie, Est John Richardson, Esq. John Hodgson, Esq. Overton Blunden, Est tion. L. Batlyrst. Hon. W. Douglas. Joseph Pitt, sq. John Raine, Esq. R. A. Crickett, Boa. Meron Archdai, Esq. Williim Richardson, Esq, J. Lockhart, Esq. John Browne, Baii, L. Bolsover, Est PRlPttiblei. LAW, Sir SAMUEL ROMILLY observed, that the bill which he was about to move for leave to submit to the consideration of the House had, on two former occasions, received the sanction of the Commons ; and it was out of no disrespect, and proceeded from no other cause than an increased and settled convic tion, that he now rose to bring it before the judg ment of a new Parliament. He had proposed in the year 1810 three Bills, two of which had passed that House. The first of these, and that to which the present objections were made, was to repeal the Act of King William, which made it a capital offence to steal to the value of ss, in warehouses or stables; the second proposed to repeal the Act of Queen Anne, rendering the privately stealing in a dwelling-house to the amount of 40s, capital; and the third went to repeal the Act of Geo. 11. by which stealing to the same amount on board any vessel was likewise made felony without benefit of clergy. The principle of these successive enactments was precisely the same, that of exacting a forfeiture of life for a violation of the right of property, even if committed without vio lence, and attended with no additional circumstances of aggravation. The consequence was, that the pe nalty of death was left dependent, by the letter of the law, in a difference in value the most insignificant. To steal in the one case to the amount of 4s. lid. in the other to that of 695. exempted the offender from all the capital consequence; of the law, and left him liable only to the punishment of transportation. These Statutes, however, it was well known, were never enforced in their literal rigour. His object at present was, to renew only that Bill which he had at first named, and to which the least opposition had been made ; and he would only detain the House by a shat statement of the principle upon which he ven tured tp recommend the measure. He did not know why the order of the House had not been complied with, for returns of the offences tried in the county of Middlesex for the four last years ; but there were, however, returns for the years 1805-6-7-8, and 9. By hese returns, it appeared, that of 188 who had been tried for the crime contemplated by this Act, 18 only had been convicted, not one of whom was executed. The Honourable and Learned Gen tleman then went into some further statements illus. trative•of the fact that the Statute had little practical application.—The House had then to reflect on what, was the probable consequence arising from the non execution of the law. It was obvious that it must soon cease to operate by terror, when few or no ex amples could be produced of its being actually en forced. He did not mean to censure the forbearance which thus disarmed the law of its ferocity; but he condemned the retention of a law which was found too cruel for application, and which was therefore superseded in almost every instance by a discretio nary adoption of that wise and humane principle, that no unnecessary suffering, no useless pan , ought ever to be in fl icted under the sanction of the ida- L I ture. Upon this part of the subject, he coul not more powerfully illustrate his argument than by quo ting the sentiment of a man who bad once been the ornament of that House, and whose opinions would have weight far greater than belonged to any thing 'hat could fall from so humble an individual as him self. In the observations upon our penal laws which were published io the last edition of Mr. Burke's Works, that distinguished person had said, that it was not wise to retain on your books those laws which you do not choose to execute,--Ahat if they were not executed, it was because they were deficient in wis dome or justice, or mercy; and were therefore memo. rials of your own violence or folly ; that although laws themselves were dependent on manners, their execution was not; and that it was a most dissonant thing to exhibit the reason still furious after the pas. , sions were laid asleep. Here, then, continued Sir S. aornilly, was a Statute which be was sure no man who heard could enforce, unless accompanied by the strongest aggravation ;, and there was not, he was happy to say, one single instance within memory, which he heard of, of as being carried into literal execution. The resul t was, that the Judges were in vested with a discretion, which, he knew, they trem bled to exercise—the discretion and responsibility of inflicting death upon the operation of their own pri vate judgment ; ir.fluenced, certainly, by public prin ciple. To bring one example of the feelings excited by this conflict between the letter of the Statute and the sunestion of the Court, he would mention the case of the three persons lately tried under the Act of Geo. 11. for stealing silk on board a vessel. The Jury were so influenced by the circumstances urged in mitigation.-by thg excellent characters given to the prisoners, and the obvious severity of, the law, that they unanimously addre r ssed the Princ e Regent, explituatory of the s cruples they felt, .4 4 dthe ,slut ,tance with which they had brought in theii verdict. ....Another object which he had now in view s was, to amp Common Law pnaislment, in eases 'of_ High reeesou. The Eunishment at present, it was , s-1 horn, was banging, bat not until the delin quent was quite dead, st being ordained, that whilst still living, he shall beset down, his bowels taken out and burnt in his sight, his head cat off, his body quartered, and to be et the King's disposal.- -In point of fact, this horrible sentence was not now exectued, the offender being hanged until dead, and his bead being then cut off and exhibited to the spectator, a spectacle, to his•mind, most exception able, when it was copsidered, that it was calculated to- eecite only disgust in some, compassion in others, and brutal apathy in a third class. Mr. Justice Blackstone had said, that the practice of embowel ing had been discontinued, but that it was well wor thy of consideration, whether so shocking and igno minious an infliction ought to he left to the discretion of the executioner ? The Judges had not the power of remitting any part of this prescribed judgment, for in the case of Colonel Walker, who was convict ed of the Ryehouse plot, the judgment was set aside upon appeal to the House of Lords, because, although the emboweling and burning had been directed, the words, la eoiteireetu ejtu et ipso vivente, had been omitted. These expressions were pronounced by that high tribunal to be an essential part of the judgment, without which it had no legal validity whatever. It was urged that the literal infliction was impossible, which being admitted, it was answered that the words were not the less indispensable. It was, how ever, denied. that the strict execution was impracti cable, and it was urged that Harrison, one of the regicides, after being hanged, whilst his bowels were tearing out, had risen and struck the executioner.— Ought then this punishment to remain to revolt the feelings of mankind, and furnish foreigners with a reproach against our national character ? Ought the terrors of a vain threat to be displayed, in the hour of the offender's fate, to bereave him of his understand ing ? Ought the qttestinn, whether a man shall perish instantaneously, or by slow, bitter, and protracted tor ments, to be left to the decision of the executioner ? Lord Bacon, he knew, had justified, in a work of his, the cruelties to which he now called the attention of an enlightened Parliament, on the ground, that sever ties still greater were exercised in other countries.— Such was the horror, however, inspired by the :salmi perpetration of these judicial enormities upon the.ia dividuals engaged in Babington's conspiracy, that I Queen Elizabeth interposed to prevent the infliction of the sentence on those over whom it still impended. He was sorry to say, that in the last rebellion, in the year 1746, such was the state of inflarnation which men's ri ,sions had attained, that a Mr. Townly was executed in the plenitude of those attending disgust ing barbarities which he had submitted to the repro.' bation of the House. After hanging six minutes lie was taken dawn and laid on the block, but still stewing signs of life, the executioner struck him on the breast, and finding this not sufficient, proceed..., to cut his throat. He was afterwards embowelled according to the letter of the law. The origin of this common law judgment he had not been able to trace higber than the reign of Edward I. when David. Prince of Wales, and the celebrated Wallace, were executed for having bravely and heroically maintained the interests and defended the independence of their native land. The burning, in cases of petty treason and witchcraft, long remained a disgrace on the Sta tute Book ; it had been repealed in the one instance, and 1,1. sed, he said, be the memory of the man who had procured the abrogation of the dreadful edict.— He intended then to move for leave to bring in a Bill to alter the punishment for High Treason ; and also for another Bill, to take away the corruption of blood as one of the consequences of attainder. This cot , ruption of blood, he begged leave to observe, was quite a distinct thing from forfeiture, and was indeed a subject on which great diversity of legal opinion had prevailed. Among others, the Lord chancellor Yorke had written upon it. It consisted in incapa citating the person attainted of devising his property; it left him, in fact, without an heir, or, in technical language, disqualified him from tracing a pedigree. His real property escheated to the Lord of whom he held, and all the lands of which he was seised becaioe then, not the estate of that public whose rites and or dinances had been violated, but of an individual, who never had had any other claim, or indulged any ex pectation of the acquisition. The SOLICITOR-GENERAL did not propose to enter at large into the question in this early stage; but as he was not in parliament when his Hon. and Learned Friend brought this Bill forward last Ses sion, he hoped the House would indulge him while he made some general observations on the principles by which his Hon. and Learned Friend appeared to be actuated, although he certainly did not mean to oppose his mution. He confessed himself totally unprepared to speak on the snhject of punishment in cases of High Treason, as he had not understood be fore that this would form a part of the propositions of his Hon. and Learned Friend, yet he would say, that the barbarous punishment so loudly and pathe tically complained of, was merely nominal ; and as to the cornaption of blood, it had been devised to deter men fiom committing such a heinous crime ; for it was well known that individuals, whom no human or divine law could keep in b ounds, were restrained from crime by the consideration of the fate which awaited their helpless orphans.—(Hear, hear.)--But this was a subject too large to enter into at present. As to the other parts of his Honour able Friend's statements, he maintained that if pu nishment was to be inflicted according to the strict law of the statute, no Judge could be found in Eng land, and the Assizes in this country would be con verted into disgusting shambles. But the taw pro. vided for general points, leaving the various alleviat ing or aggravating circumstances to the discretion of the Judges, with an appeal to Royal Mercy ; and no system in his opinion, could be found more eff i cient or more admirable. The Honourable and Learned. Gentleman then quoted cases which had come within his own experience, and which proved the necessity of that discretion being vested m the Judges. He denied that punishment was regulated by the value of the thing stialen, but maintained that the law went on general pinciples, leaving to tits Judges the ap plication of them, as aggravated entrmity, or the prevalenci of the crime, might require. Such was, for instance, the case of robbers' in gangs in the streets; and he would add, that the case quoted by his Honourable and Learned Friend,, of the fresh water pirates lately convicted, , was set much of that' cniblaantb,MA,i desctiption, *et he would hive quoted it, is sup port of his •wn opinion, had he not been anticipated by his Honourable and Learned Friend. As to the petition presented by the Jurymen after the convic. tion to the Prince Regent, and produced by his Hon. Friend, it proved only the innate humanity of the British character, which prompted Jurymen and pro. secators to intercede for mercy, even for men they knew undeserving of it, at the solicitation of theie wives and children. It was a practice so general, that he was sure, from experience, that the Judges could never leave an assize -town, from the nun:hee of petitioners of that description, who would cling to the wheels of their carriage, did they not run a race with the prosecutor*, by saving themselves all those that could be saved with safety to the state. After acquitting his Hon. and Learned Friend from any improper motives, the Hon. Gentleman concluded by maintaining, that no theory, however plausible or brilliant, should induce us to forego the substantial advantages we enjoyed, and that the duty of the House was to maintain the law as it was. Colonel FR AN K L AND did not oppose the notion, but was against the principles advanced by the mover, nearly on the same grounds with the last speaker. Sir SAMUEL ROMILLY disclaimed having tha intention of enacting that no discretion should be left with the Judge, and that the specific punishment for each specific ffence should be set down, and the Jude be positively hound by it t he bad no such in. tenticm. He wished only to render.the definition of capital punishment (punishment by death) certain. If his Honoorable and Learned Friend the Solieitor. General was right in his argument, it went'ilie length of saying, that all felonies should be punished with death ; and if that were done, he had no doubt but the Judges of the land, if they were left a discretip, nary power, would run the race of mercy with the prosecutors. Sir W, ()ARROW generally e;plained, Mr. BATHURST was sorry to lengthen the oils, cussion, but from the peculiar situation in which ln stood, he hoped to be indulged. in a few observations. He was the only person then present who was an ad r viser of the conduct adopted in the case alluded tCI (the robbery of the Sisters hoy), and he had been in duced to give that advice in consequence of the cir. cumstances of the robbery, and atter the most mature deliberation. The Judge had tot onlyto attend pa hie judicial duties, but to give his opinion on the cases which came before him, and that opinion had been gi yen, —it was not in consequence of the value of thegoods 'stolen that severity was exercikd, but in consequence of the systematic attempt on the part of the p t ions employed, to plunder the vessel committed to their charge. He did not believe the Petition to have been drawn by the persons by whom it was 4 ,e,ped it was not drawn by Gentleman (gist 4. Romilly), but, as he supposed, by an .tum.rcr of ' him, and was in.part an.culogy on the Pi . o now un der discussion, though those parts had not beep read the Hon. Gentleman, Si ft, R01411..LY said, upon ' his honmAr, be did pot know from whom the Petition came ; ha did not know of the Petition until two days before the execti / tion, when one of the Jurors called on him and told him of the fact—and it was only two days ago that he had sent to the person fol. it. He must differ from the Right Hon, Gentleman, in his critical remarks ; he did not think the composition above the level et a tradesman, there was not one finished sentence in it he never saw a more ingrammatical production; and the insinuation of the Right Hon. cientlentan was 4. together unfounded. Mr. BATHURST declared, that he neither said nor insinuated that the Hon. and Learned Gentleman knew any thing of the origin of the Petition, but he understood, front common report, that it was the work of one who thought with tiim on that aubject. Mr. RYDER was happy to him • serrations confirmed by the opinions Garrow) who, in addition to great t. more practical knowletl fr te of t'l Crit any man living. In the case adnt creme by the Hon. Gentleman (Sir Sam it wes-exceedingly salutary to have a punishment could be inflicted on such the result must be beneficial. On the question being put, lea' bring in the Bill, and also to bring the laws respecting high treason, and away corruption of blood in such cases. • On the motion of Mr. H. Aanimeren, Itself into a Committee, to repeal part of the wages of Labourers and artisans. Leave given lu a Committee of Supply the sum of 611.54,000 various purposes.—Report to-snotrew. Certain Exchequer Bills were than referred of Ways and Means. Mr. D. Gloat' gave noti:e, that on Tuesday nt. move for a Committee ' to which motifs Acts plat. Copy-rightCopeieht of Authors should he seterrecl.-•.A10151104- ... EAST INDIA HOUSE. Yesterday a General Court of the East India Stock was held, for the purpose into consideration a Petition to be presented liament, praying for a renewal of the elusive privileges. The Court was niamernusly atteacied. • After the Petition had been read by The CRAIIIMAN said, they had now , tion read ill them ; and, he needed not it was one of no common importance. of at would depend their dearest interests—the rests of all connected with the Company , and happiness of millions—and last, though the good state of the revenue ot this coun the trade to and from India were altered, of this country must be materially the change. It was not the wash ot bar that any precipiyte deteiuitnation come to on this Petition ; yet the sooner with any propriety, come to a decision and important question the better should wish for some detay in the considerm he humbly hoped that it would not ' thing be would remark with regard was, that the blanks, containing the ni outstanding, must be ailed up on Petition was to be presented. Mr. Rock thought an immediate Petition, which was at very great braced such a variety of *topics, should by the Court. He therefore moved, csinkideration of the Petition should be Tuesdiy next. *T. Tsowo said s Oat s for his own . th Ti' be col the yei 1 ar Wei the , Pr-O ; • . ' 1 34 84144.11441'41? 1011 pP LORI ' the Appeel Cause, 't eon • Mr. litO4rde for the Ayr ' • • , were hessd 4 t g r ea t I e • erresl till io-Morrew, ' The . Bishop of OXFOW) p, • -spriltaned for debt in the g ,die, Mae*, from the India nts up tp pecemt l es lest, • rdshipt Lerd a.a..4i:Erti took the oa ANTI-IC.4TH Lord ROLLS present 1 : IDUOUTH from Leeds t retitions, severally, al • Inims, ' Upon a suggestion I Clerk, that probably it i tie Visc.)unt (Sidmoutl Petitions read, that NI his desire that the who' read accordingly, whet ' The puke of NOR )know, whether it was t ' cognt to found any six , . lime Petitions 1 Lord SIDMOUTI \ why such a question 1 ititn.by the Noble Dul at their Lordships' Ts i Oply exercising his rig j liament 1 and whethe 1 put to take any furl) consideration that rest The Duke of NOI rose of the least off i 'gas induced to ask th assertion in one of the .c• `l' 1p that, Petition it wt 4 relansl enjoyed full political, That was 1 the fact, ~.... The privi both Houses of Farb: !gas not fully enjoyed 1 could Too Weed to I' . Lo ti oge se , but of r O d O s t to I Lord FIDMOUT ' . petitiopers with very Isitli such severity th legal petitions to that came before their L 1 ‘' arrest submission of sreq'ientiy, noweser, sa w n w „. 3 , s ,„ w ~.. ... e - COO cruet tor application, ana wnicn was ineretore Ine Ot/L•RA t VIV•UrE.LIKARZ I t .a.zei upon the presdnt subject, within the walls of superseded in almost every instance by a discretio- to enter at large into the questior J. iilament, which he should very unwillingly have nary adoption of that wise and humane principle, but as he was not in Parliament . . i ti o:c " ei Ci vecl to th e e lse c w o h n e c T e ei ssion "e of h4 th d e more powerfully illustrate his argument than by quo_ by which his Hon. and Learned sncompaLible with the safety of the constitutional tins the sentiment of a man who bad ()nee been the be actuated, although he certait as c little atholi o c f narrow ciaims PreiOdice as any man,—but be scrupled not to itace, in conformity with the Petitioners, that he ' • establishments. , that no unnecessary suffering, no useless pan , ought Learned Friend brought this Bi ever to be inflicted under the sanction of the isle- sion, he hoped the House would tune. Upon this part of the subject, he eoul not he made some general observant ornament of that lieuse, and whose opinions would oppose his motion. He confe The Duke of NORFOLK wished to Ask the have weight far greater than belonged to any thing unprepared to speak on the snbje roble and Learned Lord, what was the distinction 'hat could fall from so humble an individual as him- cases of High Treason, as he hac die would lay ciewn between civil and egliticaf rights ? self. In the observations upon our penal laws which fere that this would form a part . Lord REDESDALE replied, that the distinction were published in the last edition of Mr. Burke's of his Hon. and Learned Friend ' was Clearly stated in the language of the petition.r Works, that distinguished person had said, that it that the barbarous punishment s The civil rights were those which the Catholics al- was not wise to retain on your books those laws which tiadly complained of, was mere ready enryed ; the political were those to which you do not choose to execute,.7that if they were not to the corruption of blood, it h they aspired, and the granting of which the Petition- executed, it was because they were deficient in wilt- deter men from committing cu f , lets deprecated. dont * or justice, or mercy; and were therefore memo. fot, it was well known that inc 1 The Duke of NORFOLK was by no means satis- rials of your own violence or folly ; that although human or divine law could ke fed with the clearness of the Noble and Learned laws themselves were dependent on manners, their restrained from crime by the c .• Lord's definition. Between the term s civil and po- e x ecu ti on was no t ; an d t h at i t was a m os t di ssonant f ate w hi c h awa i te d t h e i r h e l p l e .• 4itical he knew of no difference, except the complec- thing to exhibit the reason still furious after the pas. hear.)--But this was a subject 1: tion a hich each ch rived from the Latin and Greek sions were laid asleep. Here, then. continned Sir S. into at present. As to the other sj gi langu.iges, from which they were adopted. aocnilly, was a Statute which be was sure no man able Friend's statements, he nu . 1..0rd 'RI:DESDA4 said a few word; ist mkt. who heard could enforce, unless accompanied by the , nishment was to be infli cted acc station, strongest aggravation ;, and there was not, he was law of the statute, no Judge cou ' The l e OltD CHANCELLOR left the Woolsack, happy to say, one single instance within memory, land, and the Assizes in, this co t ,,.. and observed, that whatever variety of opinions might which he heard of, of its being carried into literal vested into disgusting shambles. l k, be entertained on the subject of the Petitions by the execution. The result was, that the Judgeswere in- vided for general points, leaving tgreat majority and great minority of the Puhlic, the vested with a discretion, which, he knew, they trem. ing or aggravating circumstance peaning of the Petitioners could by no means he bled to exercise—the discretion and responsibility of the Judges, with an appeal to Re xni s taken. They saw a material difference between inflicting death upon the operation of their own pri- system in his opinion, could be the privile gas at present enjoyed and the new ones vale judgmeut 4 influenced, certainly, by public prin. or more admirable. The Hone ; i claimed by the Catholics, and to that difference they lei le. To bring one example of the feelings excited Gentleman then toted cases whi wished to direct the attention of that House. lie by this conflict between the letter of the Statute and his own experience, and which i sh.wnld not detain their Lordships with JAlany %acids. the suggestion of the Court, he would mention the of that discretion being vested i 1 The temper and moderation which h a d heed so con- case of the three persons lately tried under the Act denied that punishment was reg wicuo,usly displayed Os " A bout the country in the of Geo, IL for stealing silk on board a vessel. The of the thing stolen, but maintains 1 various discussions which m every part of it had Jury were so in fl uenced by the circumstances urged .on general pinciples a leaving to takenpl4ce on the subject of the C* . theili css Was, in mitigation by the excellent characters given to plication c•f them, as aggravate flighty cre dirible to the public feeling,, and 4e wa; the prisoners and th e ob v i ous sev e r ity o f t h e l aw , p reva lence of the crime, might r confident that when that most serious and important t h a t t hey unanimou s ly addre r ssed the Prinie Regent, for instance, the cis, of robbe question came before Parliament, it would be met ' eaplanatory of the scruples they felt, turd the reluc . streets;, and he would add, that with suit '‘it. wi-diem and moderation by their 4..0rd- $ Lance with which they had brought in their itgdict. 'his Honourable and Learned F , abits.—Atlou;..!.l. .7-Another object which he had now in view s was 3 water pirates lately com* ic, vr, • • . _ 1 re his I ormtt t 'IA is o(one (Sir W. ba t talents, posselse4 Co r inii kut lf.aw than vas misted to be ex. w ei Samuel &omen') ~'hi a law, by which. It c :h offenders, and not mu IN Was iTea to the in n Billfto altar Prtiin t, 4 another co tak• in tl ksee. the HOWe niched was lie Act regglatiog the °the Ise to bring hi a mu. h 4,000 wee *wed lot 0 ui first, prod to a Coosolicsoo to k tacky nest he woui4 of II Acts Mating to sbi hi -,nololne¢ a bri eras, guar he Propriet , ol.l4 it—f purpose 91 ' , king M Nave TI asi p e re cb sen orm tid r to ymesni, l:ar et t .. was 1 by the Clerk, Sc set beard the Petit Morn mot to stave * that befor zee. On the la te ` mod terests--the into' thie n (any—the relf arg This , though not lel To.n l s country-4w i With 1 geed. chi reTenue *4:Wm r deteriorated by Tu those bellia Lb; 1 191, ation should be Pours ( Doner they Could* HAZA ion on this great at Ort if t he (;ourt Fit , msiderasion of it. Mora Dr be long. One br Br rd to the Petition consist number of bonds tow n . 1 the car th at the Tw( dr awn e decision on this .x.'200 0 length, and en _ l ; tiahth lid not be Pres' em 'mare 6 . this the ' utile the ha be adjoluned Id/ will be O nly PI iria paVt, hi w a I r,