Star. — London, England, 1820-05-26 00:00:00

. }:ands. It vas pv.r.g a part of the bounty to foreijil' lions 'of Members, it was the standing Corder of the consumers. At this time of day the system was most House, that the specification should be made within absurd, and he was astonished to see it acted upon. 1 fifteen days after the presenting of the Petitions In Sir JOHN NEWPORT observed,' that the Hon. this instance, however, it turned out that the re Gentleman's remark might be very just, if the system turned Member was in America; and that therefore was a new one; but as it had existed for many years, it was - impossible to comply with it sooner. He :art sudden change in it would be. attended with • should therefore more, " That the personal attend- gi eat inconvenience. ance of the Member be dispensed with, and that Mr. Mr. HUME thought that the whole system ought !Green, his Agent, be permitted to give the necessary i to be inquired into, i n or d er t h at it. might be seen I specification.' whether the bounties could not be abolished. All Mr. DENMAN believed that there was no prece- diet was now wanted in the county of Forfar was, dent for a measure of the nature now proposed. It 1 that the Manufacturers should be put on the same appeared to him of so important a character, that fo:ain.g with those of Ireland. he thought a Committee ought to be appojated to Mr. W. PA ItNELL wished to see the whole system deliberate upon it. 'of bounties abolished. - Mr. BATHURST thought that where there was an Mr. S. WORTLEY said, that in Yorkshire it would impossibility to comply with the requisitions of the tes. considered a great injustice not to grant bounties orders of the House, it would be defeating justice if • to the Menufacturers there, so long as they were the tkrders were not relaxed. •erer ted in Irehind. M r . TIERNEY sa id, t h at t h e M em b er s h ou ld b e .0 • • The Petition was ordered to be printed. called on for his qualification at the time of the Elec- REPRESENTATION IN SCOTLAND. tion, and if he had not been called on at that time, it Lord ARCIHBALD HANIILTON rose to make was provided that the specification should be given the motion :of which he had given notice; and as in at a certain time. Was then the House to fiass he understood that no objection was intended to be by the enactments of the Legislature thus lightly? made to it, he should content himself with merely Was it not possible that deceptions of -a gross nature stating what the document was which he wanted. It might be attempted ? For instance, in the very re v.•as nothing mop 2 than that list of freeholders in Scot- turn of this Member, it was stated that he resided at land which had been annually laid before the House. Hyde Park Corner. He wished to give no peremp lt was not generally known to that House what tory opinion upon the matter, but he thought it de were the right : of voting ie Scotland. The right served the most deliberate consideration of the House. 'chiefly depended upon the Statute. The qualifica- Mr. COURTENAY said, the state of the case was tions therethre Were not known; but he wanted to this—an individual was elected tat serve in Perlia see the taireber of voters by a return to that House. ment for the Borough of Aldhorough—the electors lie wished to state that the qualifications did not at did Lot call upon him for his qualification—they all depend on property ; and that many of the voters had a tight to do so, and if none %%me produced they lad no property. His object in moving for the paper could not elect him. But he was called upon after containing the number et voters, was to spew how wards to supply this information within a stated time, completely detective the system of voting was in and w ith this requisition it was impossible he could Scotland at this time. In whatever proposition he comply. But the Right Hon. Gentleman had said, should make hereafter to the House on this subject, that the house was called` upon to dispense with an it was not his intention in the slightest degree to dis- Act of Parliament.. This was not the case. The tests existing rights, but merely to extend the right measure alluded to was a mere resolution of the of voting to persons of property. lle concluded House. It was true that a specification of qualifi with moving, " That there be laid bele' e the House a cations was directed to be given . in by statute, but copy of the roll of freeholders in each County in then the form of it, and the time allowed for deli eeeoland, es last made up." vexing it, were settled merely by a resolution of the Lord cAs7.I.EItEAGH said be had no objection House. All that the motion would effect was, that to the production of the paper in question. It would the ageet of the Member might be permitted to give. be a defer rut thing v. hen a discutsion should take it in instead of the Member himself. place 0:1 any future measure the fCtible Lord might Mr. ABERCROMBIE said, if the House decided tuead en :het documeet. upon refusing his Motion they would decide this— Mr. IlL,‘lr. conceived it would be a matter of that any Member in the situation of Mr. Antrobus, great imps); taese that the whole question respecting and who was no. in circumstances to comply with the the dela of voting in Scet'iand bho u I d be bought 'orders of the House would be thereby disqualified. heroic the ILeise, le order that it might be seen how The re.. 11 question was, would the House permit its imeeilect the right of voting was there. standing orders to prevail so far as to amount to an .:sir G. CLERKE did not shirk the inquiry could . undisputed frustration of justice ? The Petition de he gone ieto except by an ex:rude:idea of tech indi- meeded a specification of the Member's qualifica 'd ' • rii-Ual v o t er, lions. The Petitioner could have it according to the Mr. ABERCROMBIE expressed Iris conviction, arrangement of the Hon. Member who made the Mo that it was not the intentiou of his Nuale Friend to don, Ile (Mr. Abercrombie) thought o under all the encroach in any degree on the right possessed by the circumstances, that the House would act most pru eresent voters, lie protested aeainst an opinion dently to postpone the discussion of the Petition to es litch he feared might be entertained in dint House. next Session of Parliament. If he (the Petitioner) did It 'Meta be thought by marry, who. were ready to not avail himself of the offer of a specification now oppose any alteration in the existing system of Re- proposed, it would appear that he wanted to use the presentation in England, that the Representation of standing orders of the House as a means of gaining Scotland needed no reformation. He conjured those an ma'am advantage. 'Gentlemen who held such an opinion, to consider the Mr. P. MOORE proposed an adjournment of the moue and extent of the Representation of Scutland• further consideration of the Motion. They should understand, that the latter was directly . Mr. CALCRAFT observed, that if at the time of the reverse of the former. The Representation of the Elections a returned Member, upon being asked England in Counties and Cities, was completely po- (or his qualification, was not able to produce it, the pular. But in Scotland, the Representation for consequence would be, that the Candidate next in Counties was exclusively aristocratical. The People number would be seated. But then the House would had no share in the choiae of Members of Parliament. consider the great advantage which was given to an In England, the possession of a forty shilling free- absent Member, provided that he was not in a capa hold, entitled o. man to vote for Members of Counties; city to comply with the orders of the House. Th e whereas, in Scotland, any individual might have an [louse ought to feel great jealousy in the maintenance iacome of 1:10,000 a year; without the power of of its standing orders, and particularly those which Toting for County MeMbers, or being capable of being alluded to the qualifications of Members of Parlia elected. There might then be very adequate grounds ment. The suggestion co postpone the consideration ie the opinions of ninny, for opposing any alteration of the Petition to next Session, was a procrastination in the system of Representation of England; but it of justice, in his opinion, that would amount to a must be quite apparent to all, that similar objections total denial of it. could not be to against some alteration in that of M r . F. ROBINSON said, that when a reasonable Scotland. The Parliament of Scotland, it should be ground was stated for the dispensation of any of its remembered, consisted only of one House, in which orders, the House was not backward in agreeing to the Pesos aloee set ; and the lesser Barons, so far dispense with them. Ile believed that the case stated from thinking it an honour to have seats in that by the Honourable Member who made the motion, Hon_;.., always regarded it as a great burden to be was as competent a case as could be urged to-incline elected to serve there. In short, the Parliament of the House to infringe its resolutions. 1 Scotland was rather an appendage of the Crown than Th e CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, a protection of the rieles red liberties of the People. that he thought it was advisable to adjourn the de-' The CIIANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER cau- bate in question—(f/ear, heat). timed the House against the impressions which tl e Mr. P. MOORE said he had in his hand a Petition, Honourable and Learned Member seemed desirous stating, that there was no such person as Mr. Antrofi of establishing upon the House, that because the, bus in existence—(A laugh);—and if there was,l English system of Representation might be unexcep- that the description of his residence was wrong. tionable, the reverse of It, as prevailed in Scotland, Mr. ABERCROMBIE would undertake to assure was therefore to be denounced. The fact was, that the House, that there was an individual of that name in theory it was quite possible that each, though op- in existence; that if his residence was to be described polite to the other, might be suitable to the nation by him (Mr. Abercrombie), it would be Hyde Park, where it existed, and he believed 'that experience and that he knew him now to be in America. proved the applicability cf both the systems to the Mr. FINES thought it right to remark, that the two nations respectively. fifteen days allowed by the order of the House would A MEMBER from utid:r the Gallery congratu lated the country on the ser vices which the Noble Lord (Lord A. Hamilton) had rendered to Scotland. lie was ready to support any measure which should :end to remedy the system of Representation now existing in Scotland, "and which he regarded as a most disgraceful anomaly. He felt confident that a reformation of this extraordinary—abuse would do more towards attaching the Scotch people to the Government of this Country than any other measure that could be devised. Sir IL FERGUSSON thanked his Noble Friend Ur the intioduction of this measure, which, he was lefuE.deat, would prove extremely beneficial to the tountry at large. He thought the caution expressed by the Right Honourable the Chancellor of the Ex chequer savoured too much of a party spirit. flat Paper, were then ordered. BOROUGH OF ALDBOROUGH. Mr. FYNES called die attention of the House to the subject of a Petition that had been presented against the return of Mr. Antrobus for Aldborough. e said, that this lientleman having_ been duly elect ed and returned to P ar liam en t, a Petition was pre sented against his return, upon the ground that he belt! a certain office under the Crown, which dis mudifted him limit sitting in the House of Commons. It appears, that upon Pecasions of this nature ' when a Fetiticts prayed for a specification of the qualifies. expire that day. . The SPEAKER said it was true that this was the last day for receiving the specification. At the same time, nothing was more easy for the House to do than to remedy those inconveniences which were im posed on themselves. He therefore should suggest, that the adjournment of a debate was virtually a pro longation of the day on which it commenced, that to whatever length it extended, the parties concerned were precisely in the same state as at the commence ment-Hear, hear). The further debate on the motion was then fixed for to-morroW (this day). BOSTON PETITION. Mr. T. COURTENAY observed, that the Petition against the return of Mr. Ellis for Boston, had been ordered to be taken into consideration on the 6th of June. He begged to observe, that it was quite im possible for this Gentleman to attend on that day.— He (Mr. Courtenay) believed that the ground of ob jection, namely, the holding of a certain office under the Crown, was a valid objection ; at the same time, lie was sure the House would attend only to the cir cumstance of giving an opportunity to all parties di an impartial hearing. He then moved, " That the order for taking the said Petition into consideration' -on the 6th •of June be discharged, and that the Bth of July be substituted." Mr. TIERNEY thought that this was a subject of •• • • • . • • too much importince to be decided upon hastily,— He should therefore . suggest an adjournment to next day of the furthlr debate on the motion.. Mr. WILLIAMS considered that the motion in volved one of the greatest constitutional qnestions that could come before the House. If the Elector% of Boston chose to return an individual to Parliament who could not attend, was the House not to interfere to see that that Borough should be represented ? - The absence of Gentlemen from the country, who are elected to serve as Members in the House, was no ground why the British Parliament should not be filled up. He moved, " That the further debate be adjourned till tu-morrow." Sir ROBERT HERON said, that if the Hon. Member who made the motion agreed to the post• . ponement, he (Sir Robert) should oppose it. There were numbers of witnesses in town, who attended with very great inconvenience. The motion was postponed till to-morrow. MISCELLANIES. The SPEAKER informed the House, that the time for re ceiving Petitions respecting Private Bills was to have expired on the 30th of May, but' as there verb three Election Petitions fixed for that day, it might be expedient to extend the period to Wednesday, the 31st, fur the convenience of the different parties concerned. The time was, therefore, farther enlarged to that day, and an extension was allowed for receiving 'lrish Private Bills to Thurs day, the Mit of June, from the delay of communication betwcen the two countries. Mr. RICE presented a Petition from the principal inhabi tants of tha county of Carnal von, praying fur an alteration in the mode cf administering justice in Wales. Mr. CA MPBELL made some remarks, tending to enforce the necessity of complying with the prayer of this Petition. Ile said, evtry cause of importance in Wales was vied in an Eng lish Cc unty. Mr. COKE presented a Petition from several Agriculturists of Norfolk, praying for Relief..—Ordered to he on the Table. Sir M. RIDI.F.Y presented a Paition frcm the Traders of Newcastle, praying for the removal of all Restrictions on Foreign Trade. He declared that, to his own knowledge, great incon venience arose from those restrictions, and he hoped there would be no objection to let this Petition go before a Committee. Mr. LINDSAY presented a Petition from Forfar, praying for the continuance of the bounties on the linen Trade. Mr. MAXWELL presented a l'etition from the Linen Ma nufacturers and Traders of Paisley, praying to remove the Re strictions on Trade.—Laid on the Table. Sir G. CLERKIC brought up some Papers illative to Sierra Leone and the Gold Coast.—Ordered to be printed. The other Orders of the day were then disposed of, and the House adjourned at Half-past Nine o'clock. PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. SIR THOMAS HISLOP. Our Readers probably remember, that when the thanks of both Houses of Parliament were voted (in March, 1819), to the British Army in India, for its distinguished services during the late war, the parti cular vote which applied to Sir Tilos:as IJI-Lop, was accompanied by a reservatisn of any opinion as to the expulsion of the Killedar from the fort of Tal neir, and his subsequent execution. The ground of this exception was, that Parliament was not then in possession of sufficient information upon the subject to form a collect judgment. The proceeding was sanctioned by Ministers, who undertook to procure from India such particulars as would explain the whole of that transaction, and at the same time, they had no doubt, entirely justify the conduct of Sir THOMAS HISLOP. These documents have just been laid upon the table of the House of Commons, and we feel it to be an act of justice towards a gallant and meritorious Officer not to suffer a moment's delay in communicating such an abstract of them as will suf fice to shew that Sir THONIAS HISLOP, in ordering the Killedar to be hung, acted not only in confor mit), to the established usages of war, but from the dictates of wise and enlarged sentiments of humanity. The first of these documents is the copy of a mi nute by the Marquis of. HASTINGS himself, dated July 7, 1819, in which he announces- that he had written to Sir THOMAS HISLOP for a minute state ment relative to the execution of the Killedar, but till that explanation arrived, he wished to represent what was his own impression from the particulars that bad come before him. This impression is fully expressed in the following sentences: " It appeared to me that the Killedar was thoroughly ap prised of his situation ; first, by the promulgation of the Article of Treaty assigning the territory to the Honourable Company ; and, secondly, by the special order of Holkar for the surrender of the fortress; notwithstanding which he forced S:r Thomas Ili lop to the risk of carrying the place by storm. It was unde niable that the fortress was taken by assault, the defenders of the outer-works having been driven from the rampart by our fire, and entrance being gained through a breach made by our cannonnade against the jambs of the gate. The Killedar then advancing to supplicate mercy, after having resisted till the place was actually carried, and opposition was no longer practicable, could not take him out of tho fatal predicament in which he had wilfully and knowingly placed himself." The application of the penalty lay with Sir THOMAS HISLOP; and the humanity of his Excelleney's cha racter claimed for him credit that nothing but what he deemed a most serious exigency, could urge him to the infliction. The forfeiture of pretension to quarter when troops stand an assault, has been esta blished by the laws of war, to prevent garrisons from wantonly subjecting besiegers to the heavy loss likely to be suffered by troops exposed in advancing to the breach : a garrison would, from false points of honour, always be tempted to indulge in slaughter, if impu nity could be obtained by throwing down their arms when defence proved ineffectual. The next important document is a dispatch from Sir Ttiosies HisLoP himself, addressed to the Go vernor-General, and dated September 10, 1819. In this dispatch, his Excellency enters into a minute de tail of all the circumstances that preceded ancac companied the capture of the Fort of Talneir, and most satisfactorily exculpates himself from the impu tation of cruelty, in ordering the execution of the Kil ledar. He does not, howevet, rest his case upon his own statement. He incloses the Reports of four dis tinguished Officers, who were present on the occa sion, and who knew the whole of the transaction. These are Lieutenant-Colonel BLACKER, Quarter- Master-General of the Army ; Captain BRIGGS, the Political Agent of the Governor-General, -at the head-quartets of Sir THOMAS HISLOP, in Candeish ; Lieutenant-Colonel CONWAY, the Adjutant-General of the Army; and Lieutenant-Colonel M‘GnEcon MCRRAY, the Deputy AdjUtant-General, who ac companied the storming party, and nearly lost his life, from the infamous treachery of the garrison. - These documents contain informati )n, whic,h . very clearly shews that " the Killedar did not surrender him self to Lieut.-Colonel CONWAY, as was inadvertently !stated, and that he never made• any condition of sur irende:ing the fort whatever; that a fair time was. allowed him to discontinue his unlwful hostilities; that he sa not avail himself of It, but carried on tho utmost resistance in his power to the last, to the se .. tious injury. of our troops, and, ultimately reduced Sir THOMAS HISLOP to the necessity of taking his fort by storm ; that in the heat of that operation he fell into our possession, when he Was fully aware that his life had • been forfeited, and when no expectation whatever was held out to him that it would be spared." Sir Tuoltas Htsoop, in his own dispatch, dis tinctly proves, that the Killedar was answerable with his own life for the lives he had caused to be de stroyed among the British troops. Ile was, in fact, " in a state of rebellion to his Sovereign, because HOLKAR was at peace with us, and .had commanded him to obey it. He had committed- hostilities with out any commission from his Sovereign, and was a public marauder, and the consequences he entailed upon himself thereby were similar to those to which a pirate would be exposed." " The Killedar was acting ahogethei independently cf HOLKArt, whom he would not recolnize, and was pursuing his own schemes." "He had entered the fort for that express purpose only fifteen days before it was taken, with all the artificers he could collect, at a time when it was generally known in the town of Talneir that • HOLKAR had made peace wi : h the British, and had by Treaty ceded that fort ; and I will submit," con tinues Sir T. HisooP, " that as the inhabitants acted on this information, it cannot be supposed that the Killedar was ignorant of it." The next consideration is, whether the necessity of the case called for the application of so severe a penalty. Upon this point, the reasoning of Sir T. Hiram , is perfectly conclusive. " Although," says his Excellency, " the deluded man had so completely forfeited his life, and justice to the manes of my brave Officers and men, who had fallen victims to his lawless hostility, called for some atonement, still my anxious desire was to save him from execution, for it is ever the most painful part of an Officer's duty to be driven to an act of severity. Impelled with these feelings of mercy to a reduced being in my possession, a 'struggle supported them for a time, but they were overpowered, by considerations of humanity due to others, which it must have been deemed unpardonable in me to have neglected."— " I had ne alternative, but to make a painful sacri fice of my private feelings to the cause of humanity and my country ; and the necessity of.example being the concurrent opinion of pffc'ers with whom I con sulted, the execution was reluctantly ordered." The lawful right which Sir THOMAS Illsoop possessed to take away the lite of the Ki licdar, and the expediency of doing it being thus cle.rly demonstrated, it only remains to shew that events coiroborated the pro priety of the sacrifice. Here again we borioss , the language of Sir THOMAS HISLfT.IIIMSeIf: " The good effect the examll: presl , .ired in the cause of Int inanity and to the public interest‘, becAne, as it Wtl r, instantly apparent. - The confoleiacy of opposition to our lawful posses sion of Candeish was di solved ; the several kith:dais, till now in resistance, yiekied to Holkar's rater, and, In obedience to it, delivered up the formidable posts in their possession; the Peishwa hovel' himself to Bi;ht ; Rant liven disappeared, and not aneti;rrlje ucs lost, in the assumption of the cessions of Hol kar ; whertrs, had not an example been made at the critical juncture it was, incalct.lable blocalshed would inevitably have ensued." Such were the particular features of this transac tion, and all the statements of his Excellency are confirmed in the most decisive manner, by the una nimous testimony of the Officers whose names we have mentioned, and whose separate narratives of the affair are annexed to his Excellency's own account. COURT OF CLAIMS. Yesterday the Court was again held, for the pur pose of receiving Petitions from the Claimants to attend at the Coronation. Amongst the Coinmi:;- sioners were the Duke of YOEK, the Duke of CLA RENCE, Lord AMHERST, Lord A 11DILN, &c. &C. &C. 'the Common Serjeant, attended by the Ilemembrancer of the City of London, presented a Petition, stating the Claim of the Lord Mayor to serve the King after dinner with wine, from a golden cup, *id to have tile cup at his departure for his fee and reward. This claim was founded upon that of the Chief Magis trate's predecessors, who had exercised it from a time whereof the memory of man was not to the contrary, and it was demanded for George Bridges, Esq. the present Lord Mayor. A Claim was annexed for divers others of the Citizens of London, to serve the office of Butlers, and to have the usual fees. His Lordship claimed, besides, to sit at the table next the large cover at the left side of the hall. This Custom, it was stated, bath been held from the time of William 111. to that of George 111. A Petition was presented by three Clergymen, in their cano nicals, from the Dean and Chapter of Westminster, stating his Claim, by letters patent, to assist in the performance of Divine Worship on the day of the Coronation in Westminster. After which be claimed possession of a quantity of sarsnet and worsted, as well as all the oblations and oft . erings that might he made upon the occasion, together with lour small bells, the third part of a tun of wine, and other things, the bounty of the King. A Claim was made upon the part ti Lord Gwydir, as Here ditary Lord Chamberlain of the King, to be famished with a lodging near the King during the Coronation, and to have for his fees a large quantity of stockings and shirts. forty yards of crimson velvet, the cushions,&c.Sze. within the chamber. The next Claim was from the Barons of the Cinque Ports, who petitioned to have the right of supporting a canopy of purple silk, supported by four stave", at each of which four Batons to be stationed. A Petition was presented from the Rev. Mr. Dymoke, claim ing, as Lord of the Manor of &rivelsby, in Lincolnshire, thu rignt of appearing in Westminster-hail, on the day of Corona tion. as the Champion if the King. It was further stated, that if the Petitioner should not be able to come himself well armed for war, he claimed to send a substitute, who should enter in the person of William• Reader, Esq. into Westminster-hall, in a full suit of armour, on a charger, with the Earl Marshal, the trumpet sounding before the King at dinner, and say, " If any person, whether he be high, or whether he he low, deny that George the Fourth is the rightful King of England, I, as the • Kieg's Champion, am ready to prove him a false traitor." The Champion then shall throw down his gauntlet, and, if nobcdy do deny that George the Fourth is the rightful King, the Cham pion shall drink out of a golden cup to the King,•and, when he has drank his Majesty's health, shall take away the cup, and the charger, and the armour, as his fees. A Petition was presented from the Lord of the Manor of Eyke, in the County of Essex, claiming to hold water to the King, and to have for his fees the basin, towel, and ewer. The Duke of Athol, in person, claimed, as Lord of the Is 'e (if Man, the right to present two falcons to the King. There being some informality iu the Petition, it was withdrawn to be amended. A Petition was presented from the Lord of the Manor of I:::_t ham, in Essex, claiming to act as Caterer and Artnourer to King, and to have all the tees and profits belonging to that service. Mr. Mitchell, of the Vote-Office, claimed to act as Chief Constable of the Verge of Pat hank nt, and to have the fees an nexed to that office. A Petizi , :n was presented upon the part of the Baroness de Ruthven, claiming that a substitute should csrry a gilt spur be fore his Majesty. The last Petition was from a Clergymvn, the Lord of the Ma.. nor of Buckenham, in Norfolk, who disputed the Butlership to his Majesty with the Duke di Norfolk. After these Petitions had been presented, strangers were ordered to withdraw, and the dealoion up on t h e Claims was postponed to•a future day:. . • I ~ `, ~~ -'~