Star. — London, England, 1826-03-08 00:00:00

I. ~ • . 1 0 - - - • ~~ \ s o tarsi t he mars beickre Sir R. Bienie, or I& beat hirri•yotitm/f,rePty'vrell ; but tsstell him 'had no eff ct - then would be - absurd folly." eoursewhich the Noble Secretary was now rece ing to thellouse. As to the Planters, he (Lore rough) did not consider them as Englishmen, residing in thilcoutim . They wete not Engli s t. by edireition, Manners, interests, or - property. Their allay's: in the West Indies and they were incapable to :rapier-late ert•ets eare•for • the general' feeling of this ennotii. He had heard it mentioned that if they cOn t:tiued..toresi,t, it was intended to lay a ditty on sugar as an appeal to their•interesto. But this would be un just to the islands which had :hewn a more Christian spirit. Were- Parliament to legislate - qua ad hoc, and to itrike the masters in the presence of their slaves, they • would destroy that public opinion on which all the authority of the Colonial Assemblies rested. Who also would be found to administer laws enacted by Parlia ment; contrary to the feelings of the Colon;es ? That 4i4utd he found Impossible. The Noble Lord then asserted that It will rt,trta to remove the Whip, and to give slates the enjoyment of the Sunday, when their lives were left *holly at the dhposal of their masters. it would be impossible to do any good, unless a • - :y‘teut !este eitabilshed' to administer justice in the Colonies Indepetatuilfsaic isissters. He' should be sorry by a division, hdirevai"sitt 4 4l',. teNv 'iken the little effect which his Majesty's M idgets might expect from the Resolutions, hut he feared they would chiral . Parliament without producing any effect. The beat toy would Iv perhaps to propose that the I'etitioas presented te tho House le referred to a Committee of the whole House, though he should :tot make a special motion to that effect. 'Lori LIVERFOOL—My Lords, I feel anxious to say a 'ew words, in consequence r f the speech which ydor Lni dships have heard from the Noblelaird whit has jast sat down; for if the argument of that Noble Lord means anything, it means this: that your Lord.l ships ought to do nothing at all—(Hear).—That al though your Lordships, in common with all descrip- , dons of persons in this country, agree in condemning slavery in•the abstract, agree in opinion that something' ought to be dose to mitigate the evils endured by the slavet - A long as slavery exists; and that slavery ought to be ultimately abolished : yet that Parliament ought not to take a single step to accomplish that object. (Hear.) The first question, which every man, in con sidering this question, must put to himself . ; is this—ls' icalesirable that the present state of the slave in our West India' Colonies should be ameliorated, and that by such a course of measures as will n'timately lead to tl/04iilictinti Of slavery itself? (Hear.) The first duty is to state fairly to the Colonial Legis latures- our opinions respecting the slaves, to recom mend to the Colonies to carry our wishes into effect, and forthil reason, because, the Colonial authorities cfld ,hetAir 'tarty them into effect than the Briti Par iament, and because it must be the desire of all parties, whatever boons and blessings ought to be conferred i:fon the slaves, the slavesshould owe them to coq, Colon* legislatures, and not to the British Pasha *etas actusg in opposition to the British Colonies. We ought to say to the Colonial Assemblies, " This is our tbret, this Is the object of _the British nation; it is a.tnes.essary fats your own interests: , as for the honour of the British nation, but we will give you the first oppbrinaity of affecting that object ; do it in your own 'jot- wtho! no . wish 'irtand un nice points in Yegislairf us e'paeases,, tipMfauattert o ft his kind, but we should rather the slaves should.owe tbose boons to the Colonial Legislatures, thanara any act of .peremptory authority by the British Pirliamene—(Cheers). I say, lrefil7tirCearrietice .which we pave had - of what base been done by several of the Colonial Assemblies, according to the principles of justice, which ought to kgovern the conduct of your L-irdships in matters of this ind, we ought to adopt the course whinla his Majesty'sr - Gotytiaitienthas:pursttel, and your Lordships mad not; teilutPited is the passions, theinterestsf in my opitrionl 4 41411.1.hollitiothe.prejudiees of the Colonial . Authorities, *Via prevent them from travelling quite so fast as wes Whores* io the same predicament, an—but we have a sighs:to expeetithat they - will do what is right . ; and`we, rabo are ourselves subject to hnfirian iufirniities, ought t 6 snake all due allowances for the passons and preju dice: of the colonist, and to give them a reasonable time, for. carrying icto - effect those measures against w,lasels their passions and their prejudices are enlisted. kage,amtiousithat your Lordships should wait for the result, and having done our duty by ascertaining whether or not A be Co. 1904 Legidattires are disposed to recognize the principl e of those Pesointiptia, sod to act upon the recommendations of the Bri t i s h arliarount.—then, I trust, that the British Parliament wilt dolts duty; if,,torfornmately, the necessity shall exist by asserting its jolt anilitltitj re _that way in which that authority can be beg as set teti— . (l..oud elieeks 'Mfe DuketitgiLOUCESTER. said, in consequence of the turn which this debate had taken, he was anxious to say a few words. Although he regretted that the other House of Parliament had' not sent up those Re solutions at an earlier period, still he must give them his cordial suppose, because he was convinced that his Majesty's Government" would not call upon their Lord ships tOadoptibose Resolutions, if they were not deter mined to carry them into effect by a strong measure, in case of refusal• by the Colonial Legislatures. He would therefore•rearrnmend to their Lordships to come to an tgariltii#Sycite s in gi jer to she w to the country that their Lerdships Placed confidence in his Majesty's Govern /11W- W.hen he considered that only twelve months wp,u4l,,,elapse before their Lordships would be fully acquainted with the intentions of the Colonial Legis latures, he was disposed to request his Noble Friend (l_or,d 41Ienboreu g h) would not offer any opposition. 114'441x-satisfied that his Majesty's'Government would not. do *heir duty to the country, whose feelings against slavery wage so universal, and, he would add, that they woul.l not do their duty to: their Gon, if, Id case of refusal on the part of the Colonial Legiaiatuses, they should not come down to Parliament, and de 'naid to tarry their measures into effect. The LORD CHANCELLOR considered that the effe4t oftheSe resolutions would amount to nothing.l-te".)eaS ail anxious as any man for the amelioration of the.;alaper.and the abolition of slavery, if that aboliti couW•beasctornp!ished consistently wilh time well-being of the stares diemsOves, with the safety of the colony, and With'wtat is fair ancl•equitable with respect to the intemtsof privateroperty. it was his humble opinion —he, gave iii .not because it was his opinion, but because it was his fiked opinion —tact the cause of the al ayes had bean' More injured by the indiscreet zeal of its advoc a te s itiatt by. ,tlie Apposition of its adversaries. If their Lord: ships, ioelead at the h;story of the last century, tley would 'be able to judge squally and fairly between 11 1(4'.*ho hold the present opinions anal. the persons wk l y. enctanargia. this system Of slavery. in the - last centiir? some glands proposed theni4lvei to li mit the Limp' er of slaves; and this country would not allow them to do soo Why, then, should we lay the whole blame upon them? The Legislature had encouraged men to embark their propettp jar the West India colt:nits; This country was as nrsentent;aged as any ir, the.,slav-;Fide;- *la 'this was "clattieff to such An valeta s awe thtise‘ win)) or' thas4 from thetr.esyl.rgr*4l6%.? %,ty .sivrded _ expediency • believe, and he would act on Ins incredulity—he - d id not b^rive, he said, that the resolutions of Parliament would be finally opposel by the Colonial Assemblies; and if some of the rerlutions were opposed, others would be adopted. It would then be for the wisdom of Parliament to take the measures which wouldbe proper. ,The House must not be paralysed and prevented from taking a single step in recommending such measures as their Lordships might deem necessary, merely from the possibility that their recommendations might be fruit. less. As far as their Lordships, could go he would go. If the Colonies seceded to the measures proposed, they would have nothing more to do; if they agreed to some and not to all of them, would then be for the wisdom of the Legislature to deteiniine Whit they should do with reference to the benefit of the slaves themselves, to the safety of the Colonies, and to the rights of tbbse who had embarked their property in the West Indies upon the re commendation, with the sanction, and at the instigation of Govern ment. In that case he would give his full consent to the resolution. Lord REDESDALE perfectly assented to the revs lotion. The experience which the plan pursued would allow them to have, might tend to remove the pre judices of the colonists. It had been said that the co lonists hai adopted the means of instructing - the slaves, for the purpose ( f making them better slates. If they had found out that it was their interest to make their slaves better, an important step had been made. Why was Jamaica so backward ? Because the sudden eman cipation of the blacks led to massacre and to the de struction of property. All hasty measures must be ultimately injurious to the slaves themselves, as well as to the proprietors. If any system could be adopted by which the slave could emancipate himself by his own industry and conduct, it would be desirable. The slave who kis property feels himself superior to the one who has not ; he feels an elevation of character, and was likely to become a better member of society. If any sudden measure for liberating the slaves were adopted, the consequence would be a separation from the whites. The blacks being more numerous, would seize upon the property of the whites, and perhaps massacre them. Lord DUD LEY and WA RD said his connection with West India property bad for some time drawn his at tention to the state of the slaves in the Colonies. He was quite aware of the strong feeling which prevailed throughout England on the subject ;•but much of that feeling was to be ascribed to the present period of profound tranquillity, when the most illustrious states• man and the itinerant philanthropist were alike active in giving an excitement to the public mind. His Lordship would not attempt to justify the obstina:y of the Colonists; but he must be permitted to say that the ordeal through which they were compelled to pass was too severe. ~ It would not be fair, in judging of the English character, to enter into an examination of all the domestic relations of private` life.. Nor even if much scrutiny were adopted toward. the Colonists did he think it would present such a practice of relentless cruelty as had been represented. It wotild not be fair to cotnpare the slaves in the West Indies with the labourer in England; bittlet the situation of the slaves in 'the West Indies be compared with their situation at Congo or Ashantee. It had been said that slavery was inconsistent with the Christian religion. He would not venture upon theological subjects in the presence of the+ bench of Bishops, but he thought it was foircing Chris tiinity to press it into such a subject—it was a perversion: of religion forcitil purposes. He would not be charged wilh.ssny part i i4lity ibr 'slavery, after he had stated his ert-h,that it had never existed , . He did not desire that tWilifisent system should continue; on the contrary, he thought it ought not and could not continue. It was most unfortunate that the Colonists did not obey the resolutions of Parliament. But though the disobey diepce could not be justified, it might be palliated..... It would be in the recollection of the House, that on former occasions the discussions were not upon slavery but neon the slave trade, and however unpalatable the ital‘ject. might be at the present time, Noble and Illus trious Individuals had advocated the slave trade. The Colonists were in the same situation with respect to slavery that this country was thirty years ago with respect to the slave trade. The Colonists were not so hasty in changing their opinions as the mother country, nor were they in the better humour to receive the re commendations of Patliament, when those resolutions were accompanied with a censure reflecting upon the character of the West India Colonists; and in addition to trais, they chink they see their enemies behind the scene. It ought to be rocollected, that the . Colonists have lost severely by the changes in the laws respecting slavery ; and they are materially , alarmed for the future. His Lordship did not wish to inquire . into the power of i Parliament, but he intreated of the House to reflect upon the danger of enforcing measures which might lead to serious consequences. If the Colonists dare re sist them, they must lead to rebellion; and if they dart not resist they must lead to discontent. If negroes see power taken from the hamls in which they were in the habit of seeing it placed, It would have the most dangerous effect. Tate Marquis of LANSDOWN said he wished the same eloquence which had been employed by the Noble Lord to defend the conduct of the• West India Colonists, had been employed to induce the Colonial Legislatures_ to act upon, and to adopt the Resolutions of Parlia ment. It would appear that there d•d not exist the proper determination to put down that contumacious spirit which prevailed in the Colonies. He was willing to in 'ulge 3 hope that the colonists, from a regard to their own interests, would yield to the determination of Parliament, and he could not help indulging a lingering hope that even yet they might adopt the suggestions ot Government. He had k.eard, land would be glad if the Noble Earl opposite could contradict it, that up to the present moment no step had been taken by either of the Ced total Legislatures to give legality to marriages be.' t• eon the blacks, except in the 13 ihamas ; and his Lord- Ship considered this a most important omission. In no instance did any of the Legislatures consent to that regulation by which the slave would be entitled to the purchase ot his manumission ; and he would ask, what could be safer sloe the planter than to xu .w the slave the privilege of buying his own free.lorn? %Vitt' respect to the exempting females tram exposure to put•ishme.u, no steps had been taken. licore he sat down he wished to ask the Noble Earl at the head of the Colonial Department, whether the Colo• nial Legislatures will meet in time to have their deli.' betations before the next Session of Parliament, or whether the Noble Earl has any objectiorftn the meet ings of the• Colonial Legislatures at • an e irlier period that; asual , Vlt would be essiential that the pi oceetlings til the Colonial Legislattstes thOktld be laid before rah. . early attention of the Colonial Legislature earlier season than usual. It was his (Lord Bathurst's) intention to take all the necessary measures for an early veering of the Colonial Legislatures, and it was therefore the intention of Government to give directions for an early meeting of the Wear India Legislatures. Earl St. VINCENT recommended a serious consideratlost• et the 4ssixesto treaty (which secured a monopoly of the slave trade ,for Great Britain) to the abolitionists, and advised that a Learned and Honourable Member of the other House should append it as a note to his next brief upon the subject of emancipation. lie felt, ,obliged to the Government on the part of the colonists for the tuo deraticm and good spirit which characterized those resolutions. The Bishop of BATH luid WELLS had presented many Peti thns, a great number of which had been from the Church. He could assure the Noble Lord (Dudley) that slavery was against the laws of Christianity. He was fully aware that free labour was better than that which was extorted by the whip. &c. and he should therefore support the Resolutions. He had always been for the emancipation of the mind before that of the body. It was there fore with feelings of gratification that he had seen the authorization of the building of Chapels, schools, &c. at the different Colonies. Lord SUFFIEI.D wished t• knew if there was any definite period at which the Colonists were likely to meet ? lie hoped it would be soon, because two years might elapse, instead of one, before the opinion of the Colonists could give their opinion on the resolutions. Lord BATHURST explained—he had given orders that the meeting should take place as soon as possible, hut he could not exactly indicate the period. The Bishop of FERNS was afraid that the House would Ima gine, from the lack of Petitions from Ireland, that it had no com miseration for the unfortunate slaves. lie could assure tho House, however, that it had. He entirely concurred in the principle of :he Resolutions. The Resolutions were adopted by their Lordships; and the other Orders of the Day being disposed of, tho House adjourned at TcN o'CLocc. • M'... ,•••••....•••••• Mated to deal with foreigners fcireetres,bast were com- liamenteirly is the nett Session, het Rua tkare b' Itlartin, or pelled-to4surthase them.ol3the BrAtilb merchants.—if.it abrrehlttMidk on the part of the reload :Laelstaturto a Parliament tin again what could be done without it to the abode e 11* .. 5 ... 144 1" )ttb . . e catinttztt arouldbbe fa Ike ra v er. 1 ot wout *pure tu- I nch wasthir :derations, what Heart been 20 bositm that wsould , ta forward an reilo . ecommetia- snot the conditionV thcen slaves whom „our Terf,l3/VIHURSTIOIt MOS • to the Itrobteitilannts ,ui o t tltra p r e b i e t L l Zo t n a ili t bsil na " " " 41 1 ;" i tr. rd El . ltteb97 .4 pwn eolicfhadjslacedin that WittChed . condition ?Be iiibe opportunity kagitCh 41 as • ,rienr afOgave'his hiartyNoncurrence to the so far as *jog the wi,hes of Gover n m en t on the subject of calling ! , nglishmen relprded the expediency of the-measure. He did not th e early attention of the Colonial Legislature at an sn tdectisiM at et m HOUSE OF COMMONS. Mr. Tosetuas, from . the Treasury, presented an Account of the Average Prices of Sugars in Ireland. Alderman WOOD moved for a Return of all the Penalties under the 13th Geo. 111. the Amount of such Penalties, by whom received, and to what use they' , had been appropriated. Ord. Mr. NEWMAN presented a Petition from the town of Exeter, signed by upwards of twelve hundred of its inhabitants, praying for a repeal of the House and IVindow Tax.—Ord. to be printed. Sir R. FERG USSON presented a Petition from the Provost and Magistrates of the Burgh of Dundee against the Tay Salmon Fishery Bill.—Referred to the Committee of the Bill. Mr. CROKER brought up a Bill for regulating the service of the Royal Marine Land Forces, whilst on sbore.—Read a first time, and ordered for a second reading to morrow, and in the interim to be printed. The Report of the Fisheries Act was read a first time. Mr. LOCKHART presented a Petition from an individual of the name of Edward Ward, who had been confined in prison as a vagabond. This individual's case, he contended, was a very bard one ; he was by trade a sand carrier, and had been appre hended under the Act 50 of Geo. 111. which authorized a Magis trate to levy a fine of ten pounds upon every one found hawking without a licence. There was, however, a clause to this Act, and he thought this individual came particularly under its protection. This clauae went to authorise any person who manufactured wooden wares, Sec. himself, to sal them without a licence. The Petitioner was, as he had before stated, a sand carrier, he pro cured this sand front a pit In the neighbourhood, from whence he dug it, and It might, therefore, be fairly said this he manufac tured it himself. Upon his exposing it for sale, he was seised and fined ten pounds, which he c ou ld n ot p a y, and ae was accordingly cast into prison as a vagabond. The Petition •was brought ar and laid on the table. Mr. R. MARTIN brought in a Bill to amend the Act for the Return and Election of Members of Patfiament in Ireland.— Read a first time, and a second reading appointed on the ilQth April. Mr. S. RICE moved that his motion of yesterday should be - discharged, and moved bliss ell its theta return of in the Pru lesory Net.. and Post Bills of 51. and under, Issued by die Bank of Ireland during the last six yeast, should be laid before the House. •Theword Post-818 was omitted by the Hon. Member In his modem yesterdiy,—Ordered. Mr. J SMITH presented a Petition from the Magistrates and Town Council of the Borough of Ayr, in Scotland, against any alter ation in the Currency of that Coant:ty.--Ordered to 6e printed. A Petition Was presented from the Royal Burgh of Ayr against extending the CurrencT,Bill" to Scotland; Which, after some ob servations front Lord A. Hamilton, gr. Abercrombie, Sir Alex. Hope, Mr. Calcr*ft, and Mr. Hume, was ordered to be printed. • Mr. HUME presented two Petlilom one from the Magistrates and Town Council of the City of Brecon, and the other from the Borough of Arbroath praying the House not to interfere in the present Banking System of Scotland, and also praying that the 11. notes should not be withdrawn from the circulation of the kingdoib. The Hon. Member heartily concurred in the prayer of the petitioners, and hoped the house would not interfere with the system.—Ordered to be printed. Sir W. I N GEL BY presented Petitions from Hardcastk, and two other places, against Slavery.—Ordered to be printed. Mr. S. WORTLEY presented a Petition from the principal inhabitants of the town of Bradford, in Yorkshire, against Slavery. The Hon. Member also presented Petitions from the village of , Shipley and Grainge, in the vicinity of Bradford, to the same effect. The Petitions were ordered to be printed. 'Petitions were presented from two towns in Aberdeenshire, by Mr. HUME, praying for the gradual abolition of Slavery in the Colonies. Mr. W. SMITH presented a Petition from the Protestant Di's , senters residing in the viciuity of the Cities of London and West tninster, praying for a gradual Abolition of Slavery.—Laid on the table and ordered to be printed. EDUCATION IN IRELAND. Sir J. NEWPORT in introducing the motion of which he had given notice, after a few prefatory obser vations, called the attention of the House to the Report of 1812, of the Commissioners of Education in Ireland, as far es it related to the School at Middleton. The Report stated, that School to have been endowed with 2,ooo'acres of land, which the trustees had let upon leases renewable for ever at a rent of 2001. per annum, the value of the land being now at least 2,0001. per annum. The Report further stated the manner in which the 2001. per annum was at that time appropriated, viz. 1004 to the Master, 401. to an Usher, And to four exhibi;ions to Trinity of 101. per annum each, 40/. He would read part of a letter from a relative of hisJ which had rectmtly called his attention to the subject of, this school. The letter stated that the writer had re-, cently passed through the own of Middleton, and ha..l naturally gone to visit the school in which he had himself been educated. It expressed his great surprise in finding the fine old building, in which he remembered eighty four boarders to have been accommodated, now without roof, and in • ruins.— The master had been residing for the last ten years in Dublin, where he received not only his own salary, but . the whole fund of 1601. per annum, and did,not educate any body. Toe o: ly part of the. schoJl•house which remained tenantable was now occupied by a sergrantof po!ice. If the ancient founda t ions were thus suffered to go to decay, whilst at the same time applications were ;continually made to that House, to supply funds for the purposes of education in Leland, it was obvious that no satisfactory progress could ever be made. He had visited the spot, and the situation was in every respect ,most suitable for a seminary of education. Two out of the four present trustees were the Bishop of Cork and the S nrereign of Middleton. It was monstrous that two thousand acres of land, in the best Fait of the county of Cork, and not more than ten Wes from the city, should be let for 2001. a year. And it . was still more so that this 300 f. a year should be so misapplied. He boord whenever the Illuse should be called wpon for grants of money fur som t d i o b e n i a n d o i r pt e l e a ; t t h h c at t rye mightfixe , n l O t et t c l o e a n He concluded by moving far " An Account o f th e a pp lication of all dou4l6dile sy s te m furthe r anc e t o h r r frustrate olfa w niti i t iv h uoc su o n l band what they did with the other. sums of money, granted during the last Session, for the furtberanca Education in Ireland." Mr. GOLILHUHN was not able to state at that rno. ment the ultimate determination of Government on the subject of education in Ireland. It must.necetisrily be influenced by the reports which the commissioners might make, and the plans they might recommend.— 'As far as the Irish Government had vet had the plans of the commissioners before ito , it had not been back ward in carrying them into effect. 0-dens had been given to refuse all admissions into the charered schools which had fallen under the reprehension of the com missioners. Ott this head the House would observe that there was a considerable reduction in the estimates of this year, and he trusted that this reduction would gradually increase in each succeeding year. With re gard to the school at Modd!eton, it was never under his cognizance. He was aware that at the time the com missioners of education made their report, that school did not receive their approbation; but as it was Grind to be under the direction of private trustees and special governors, they considered it not to fall within the scope of their jurisdiction. With regard to the decay into which the school had fallen, he had to observe that the sum necessary to repair it wis 2,00)1. Now, the surplus of the revenue of the school was 10?. a year; and how was it possible that an advance of 2,0001. out of the Con. solidated Fund could be made upon the security of such a sum The school was a private foundation, the master was appointed by the governors, the power of visiting it was in the governors, and they alone were responsible for any slerelicdon M duty committed by the officers whom they appointed. Mr. S. RlCEsupported the motion. Mr. F. LEWIS assured the House that the reports of the Commissioners of Education would all be presented by the time appointed, with the exception of the report on the College of Alaynootb, which would be postponed for a year. Great, but he trusted not insuperable, difficulties opposed themselves to the plans which the Commissioners had hitherto recommeuded. Mr. PLUNKETT said. that the Board ot Commis sioners thought the school of Middleton to be without their juris diction, as it was a private foundation, having governors of its own. He had known one master of the school, who was a gentle man of great ability, and under his direction the soh 01, he under stood, was in a very flourishing condition. Mr. PEEL said, he thought that if the school did not fall within the purview nt the Act which had been men. tioned, the powers of that Act ought to be extended, and the institution placed on the same footing as similar ones in England. It was obviously not the intention of the founder that, with a stipend of 1501. a ) ear, there should be no scholars; and it was equally clear, that if the cause of there being no scholars was the insufficiency of the school house, that another ought to be built. There could be no question but that it abuses 'hf one sort or another should be proved to exist, they ought to be remedied; and this might be done either by an extension of the Act of 1813, or by an inquiry into the subject by the Commis sioners who had been appointed to examine the Belfast and May nooth schools. After a few words from Sir J. Newroat and Mr. Goutattax, the motion was agreed us. IMPRISONMENT POE CONTEMPT OP CURT. Mr. HUME said, that his object in rising was to move for a return of those persons who had been con fined in the Fleet or other prisons for contempt in the Court of Chancery. The House would recollect, chat on the 11th of July, 1820, he had moved for a simelar =turn, from which it appeared that thirty-two unfor tunate beings had been confined in the Fleet prison from periods of from ten months to thirtl-.wo years— (Hear)—it appeared further, that most of those persons were in a state of poverty, and unist./. -h fr o a c copy of the bill, for the not answering of which they were in contempt. It was impossible for any man to say what a bill in Chancery might contain ; but he would now proceed to facts: On the 12th of Jaouiry. 1818, Mr. Dawson ; and on the Ist of May, 1819, Eli zabeth, fiis wife, were sent to the I , l:et for contempt; they had been in prison now eight years, and neither of them knew, u yet, why they were sent there. There were others also who had been confined on va;ue allegations, but all of them were iginrant in what man ner they had been guilty of a contempt of Court. lle wished that the Right Hon. anuleman opposite (Mr. Peel) would give his attenti n to that part of the ad ministration of our laws, as he was convi ced, if he would, stitch grievances would very speedily beremed ed. He (Mr. Hume) had taken the trouble to send a person to the Fleet, to inquire what had become of the thirty , two perstans who had been bonfined there up to the lltli July, 1820; but the warden declined to furl ish t':e man with any information. There was one person, Anna Barber, who had been committed in the ytar 1789 (hear)—fOr rebellion, as it was called, far the terms were as absurd as Ve rules of the Court seemed to be oppressive—this rebellion then, consisted in not paying into Court a sum of 4601. and far which refusal she had suffered neatly forty years' imprisonment.—r Another hardship was, that the insolvent debtors' act, which, while it might relieve parties in contempt for not paying money, did not relieve them from the costs accruing in c curt; so that, in fact, the act, as it stood, furnished little or no relief to parties in Con , tempt. Another case was that of George Pigot, who had been imprisoned since the }ear 1890. He wai committed on an attachnient for not putting in an an'. sorer to an amended bill, of which ht had un the mean, of obtaining a copy, owing to his extreme povert y . He had been informed, that in two instances the Lor d Chancellor had paid the expenses of parties who had been committed for contempt, and bad thus rescued them from prison. After a few further observations, in which he stated his wishes that the Attorney-General Would" come forward with some measure embracing the object he had in view, the Hon. Member concluded, by moving for a return of those persons who were confined in the Fleet Prison for contempt, os the 11th of July, 1820, and bow many of them had since beta Os posed of; and also of all who had been confined since the 11th 01 July,lB2o, up to the present time. The ATTORNEY GENERAL said, to the produc tion of the accounts moved fpr by the Hon. Member, he would have no objectioh ; but he could not but express his surprise, on heating the Hon. Member attack' the whole system of the Court of Chancery. As to the case of persons being confined for the non-payment of money, by the Court of Chancery, he could nn state [that there were not any regulations in the Bill for the 'relief of insolvents, but he thought that the spirit of the act at least extended to the liberation of persona confined for costs. As for the propriety of confining persons for contempt, and other offences, against the Court, he believed that no individual in the country, and much less any Member of the House, would deny ' it. What other remedy had the Court than compulsion, by imprisonment, to oblige a man, refuting to pot in ". his answer to a B 11, to obey its orders ? That curs individual suffering or hit dships might arise, he dki not. ~ doubt, but he still chiubted more the truth or thew. allegations of the Hon. Member, and that chose person s , whose imprisonment he had related, had been ignorane of the causes of their confinement. There was no act I i ■