Star. — London, England, 1814-06-22 00:00:00

4_ In the press, and speedily will be published, THE TRIAL of Lord COCHRANE, the Hon. ANDREW COCHRANE' JOHNSTON!, CHARLES RANDOM DE BERENGER, and •then, for a Conspiracy. Taken in Sbort-hand by Mr. GURNEY, Sold by Butterworth and Son, Fleet.street; and Gale, Curtis, and Fenner. Paternoster-row. PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS. HOUSE OF LORDS, JUNE si. The Earl of LAUDERDALE moved to postpone the consi deration of the Borthwick Peerage Bill till Thursday next. The proper Officer attended with the Account of Provisions for Greenwich Hospital, from Jan. 1, 1811, to June 11, 1814. GLOVIIII.STRIt GAOL. Earl STANHOPE rose to make his motion rela tive to the Petition of John Perrin, a prisoner con fined in Gloucester Gaol. Their. Lordships would recollect; he said, that they had, already agreed to the 1 Petition lying on the tahlei They had also founded a proceeding upon it, for they had ordered the Rules and Regulations hung up in the prison to be laid be fore the House, a proof that they intended to go into the matter of the Petition. One of the allegations in it was, that all letters sent to or from persons con fieed.in Atte gaol (debtors not excepted) were opened, tend sometimes detained by order of the gaoler. The prisoner (Perrin) also stated himself to be debarred free intercourse with his legal advisers. Now, in such a situation, he would be glad to know how the prisoner in this free country could have his remedy at common law ; and he should be glad if any Noble Lord, who thought it possible, would inform the House how that remedy could reach him through this interruption of correspondence with his friends, and privation of legal advice. It was his (Lord Stanhope's) intention to move for a Committee to in quire into the truth of the allegations in the Petition, and also for witnesses to establish their truth or false hood, for without witnesses, it was impossible to know whether they were true or false. And the first wit ness he should move for was a very respectable Jus tice of the Peace, Mr. Cooper, who was a friend of the gaoler, Mr. Cunningham. in the case of a letter addressed to him (Lord Stanhope) which the gaoler had been defied to open at his peril, Cooper had said it was the invariable practice of the gaol to open let. ters, but advised Cunningham not to open it. He therefore thought this Justice of the Peacea very pro per person to prove this part of the allegation. His Lordship here quoted the 9th of Queen Anne, to show that the opening, or detaining of letters, either at the Post Office, or by any other persons employed to deliver them, was illegal, and contrary to Act of Parliament. .He need not, however, have appealed to any Act of Parliament, for he believed that no Member ot that House, whether he was a lawyer or not a lawyer, would contend that the gaoler had any authority to open or detain the letters of the prisoners. His Lordship said, that the first order be had moved, the laying the Petition on the -table, bad been com plied with; he should maw move that the case of John Perrin be referred to a Committee of Members of the lion,e, who had attended this Session. 'Tae Earl of LIVERPOOL conceived that any Petition of this nature ought to be received with great caution and delicacy by me House, as other wise their Lordships' time might be wholly taken up wi;h eliquidei into complaints of individual griev ance. To 'sliew how very groundless such complaints often were, he might refer to the cases ot the Lincoln and Lancaster Gaols, the Report on which, by most respectable Commission appointed for the.pur. pose, contained a complete refutation of every charge brought forward by the Petitioners. As far as their Lordships could rely on general reputation, no gaol was patter conducted than the one against which the present accusation was preferred -; it was considered as a model for institutiaes of this sort, and was under the direction of some highly respectable Magistrates, who paid the most humane attention to the treatment and comfort of the prisoners. He should not give any Opinion on the legality of the conduct charged on the gaOler •by the Petition, but he had no doubt that if proper application were made to the Execu tive. Government, which he thought was always the first step to be adopted, the subject would undergo a thorough examination at the Secretary of State's Office, and 01 this were done, or some stronger ground laid than that coetaiaed in the Petition, he should resist the motion of the Noble Lord for far hamentary Inquiry. Zarl GREY thought it not right to exclude any it4vidual who might possibly be aggrieved from the redress which it was in the power ot that House to afford them, because it might sometimes be attended evita inconvenience, nor could he subscribe to the cl.t4trine of the Noble Lord opposite, that it was al- Nears proper to refer such complaints, in the first in stance, to the Executive Gove: nment. 'He did not, therefore, ibink the objections which had been stated -suf4fierit to prevent their Lordships from going into ;be enquiry. Now what was the question before the House ? It was not whether the prison at Gloeceatcr Was in general Well or ill regulated ; but a paiticu lar'caie was brohght forward of an individual ; ,teho stated himself to lee unjustly and aibitraray depriaed Of the intercourse his fiienda, as well as debarred froMaccess to professional advice. Now be did ex pect that some Noble Lord, possessing a local know. ledge of the transactions, would have come forward sti - sat4fy their Lordships' minds, by contradicting allegationi of the Petition, or explaining theirs in such a manner as to do away any serious ground of complaint. Till such contradiction or explanation Were offered, he should not•think himself justified iu not voting for themOtion for inquiry ; or it anything were .wanting to confirm him in this opinion, it would be the statement of the Noble Earl (Liverpool) with respect to the result of the enquiries into the state of the Lanc4ster and Lincoln prisons, a most satisfac torr'ind excalent result, which it would, however, have been impossible' to have obtained without a re gular enipiiTy into those pretended abuses which were thus 009 Rat to oast. The I.OItD . CEIANCELLOR said, that many • • • ~ . • othet ebartee. l o,- A ssmplaints Were, eery improperly, I:up • its. thaTetitiest, , with the two which the Lord had &hewn his judgMent selecting the' rest. ' He•eficl neap* , of arty better mode ascertaining go:truth Of:such complaints, when rought t ,'befoie, - .:theif ;14=, .than by the' "ap ‘ r • y.tiotfiti of a oleo& c oa to inquire into .t%:•-• 4 . • • • a . 1 the facts. But Parliament would not be warranted in proceeding to so solemn a step, without having very solid grounds of injustice and oppression laid before them. He agreed with the Noble Earl, that it did not require any reference to a particular Act of Parliament to prove the illegality of detaining the prisoner's letters. He had also an undoubted right to have flee access to legal advice. But then there were cases in which it often happened that persons were admitted, under this pretext, for a very -diffe rent and improper purpose. His Lordship then read some of the other allegations in the Petition—asihat the prisoners were locked up from five in the evening to eight next day—that they had no firing—that knives and forks were not allowed them, 44 whereby man, the image of Gon, is compelled to gnaw his fond like the dogs." His Lordship concluded with observing, that he believed any Noble Lord who read the whole of the Petition through would have little doubt, from its style and manner, that Parlia ment ought to have farther grounds before they con sented to a Committee. Lord HOLLAND was of opinion, that if any matter of petition was brought before their Lordships, the proper mode was to go into a Committee. lf, indeed, any Noble Lord stood up to contradict the facts stated in the Petition—or it; admitting those facts, they were, denied to be improper or illegal— then, but mot otherwise, there might be ground to deliberate. before they granted a Committee. But the Noble Lord opposite had stated cases in which inquiry had been instituted, and in which it had ap peared that the complaints were unfounded, or greatly exaggerated. Was this a sufficient ground for sus. pending all inquiry in future ? If so, the right of in dividuals to petition that House was a mere mockery. He should certainly consider it as a shrinking from their duty, it they suffered any such complaints to be referred to any other tribti4l. lie remembered the time when the Petitions from the Coldbath-fields were presented. They were told then by the Secretary of State, as they were told now, that it would be better to leave it to the Executive Government to inquire into, and coirect the evil. They waited two or three years, and then found that greater abuses existed than had ever been complained of. He did not apprehend that the general good management of the .gaol at Gloucester was a sufficient ground for resisting in quiry into the specific abuses which were alleged. It was like what he had read in a Comedy ••• " that a man's havi.ig a good character only ena bled him to commit bad actions with impunity."— The style of the petition had been severely com— mented on by the Noble Lord on the Woolsack. He (Lord Holland) had no doubt that if the Petitioner had had the assistance of the langtiage,atia eloquence of the Noble Lord, he would hay,: presented a much more unexceptionable petition. But were their Lord ships to reject. a petition because it had mixed up with a real grievance a great 'deal of imaginary grkvance, ill expressed ? He knew of but two wounds for re sisting such a motion as the present :-1. That the facts are greatly exaggerated, and that the abuses do not exist ; 2. That what is complained of as an abuse is not really such. Neither of these- applied to die present case. There was some inconveniepce attend ing the calling of witnesses, but this in his judgment was greatly overbalanced by the general satisfaction and security afforded to the country by the know-, ledge that Parliament was already ready to incptire into, and redress the grievances of individuals, who appealed to its justice and its humanity. Lord BATHURST had not heard of this petition in sufficient time to enable him to 'make those enqui ries which he otherwise should have done; but the fact was, that these charges had been" already en quired into ; first by the ma;istrates, ac7d then by the sheriff, and t had been found by them, 'who mos: have had the. best opportunities, that these complaints were unfounded. The charge of refusal to admit legal advisers had been completely disproved—and as to the charge of opening letters, that was no new regulation, but one which had prevailed from the conunesicernent.- Earl STANHOPE said that the Noble Lord who spoke last was entirely out of court, for he had ad mitted the existence of the regulation for opening let ters, though he had not said that it was a regulation of justice. The complaints of this man had not been examined into by the magistrates and sheriffs, though the complaints of another man had been examined. The logic was this—that because A's complaints had been enquired into, therefore B's must have been exa mined ; and that because the complaints of the one had been found to be groundless; so the complaints of the - other must be without foundation. But the Noble Lord had been misinformed. His Lordship then adverted to abuses that had been committed in the Fleet prison, for which the gaokr, Mi. Nixon, had accounted, by stating that they had been com mitted in his absence, and he was happy that he had such a good excuse to make. But this, too, spewed the necessity of a vigilant attention to these things on the pat t of their Lordships. The LORD CHANCELLOR put the question, and said that the Not Contents had it. Eat' STANHOPE.—The Contour must certainly have it. The House divided—For the motion 6—Against it 24-IViajot ity against it 18. Earl STANHOPE then moved that Mr. Cooper, a justjce of peace, and another, should be brought up as wituesses. Lord HOLLAND asked whether it was intended that any inquiry or investigation should be made by the Secretary of State ? It wuuld be satisfactory that this should be done, as the motion had been rejected. . Lord LIVERPOOL did not pledge himself to any solemn investigation ; but as soon as be could com municate with his Noble Friend, to whose depart ment the matter belonged, he bad no doubt that en- Aiiries would be made to ascertain whether there existed any grounds for further proceedings. The motion for witnesses was also negatived. An Account of the Contract Prices for Cloathing, ,Provisions, &c. of Greenwich Hospital, from the Ist of January, 1800, to the Ist of June, 1814, was fire sented at the Bar, and ordered to lie On the table. p t her Bills were then respectively forwarded, and the House adjourned till to-morrow. " HOUSE OF COMMONS. . • , • 'Thg pPEAKER . took the chair at (our o'glecit, and there heing 4414. 25 Members present, an Ad- Adrument, of cotine, ioo.k Ow. • • FRENCH P4FiRS HANOVER, JUNE 3. It is said that four Protectorates will be established in Germany. Eaeh will watch over the older and tranquillity of the countries placed under their pro tection. Austria, Prussia, Bavaria, and Hanover, are mentioned as the fonr. The Elector of Hanover will have under his protection Hesse, the Duchy of Brunswick, and some other Principalities. It would appear as if the peace of the North would not be disturbed, as was apprehended. • Ottler co miztd 't Vobie.l fioni thi of aice . rt brou'Atl MADRID, JUNE B. By a Decree of the King, all Lodges of Free masons are abolished in Spain. By another decree the Nunneries have been re-established. IIERLIN, JUNY. 9._ _ _ Count Constantine de Stolberg Wernigerode, who left Paris on the night of the 31st May, art ived here on the 7th, with the official news of the signature of Peace. He was preceded by 24. postillion, blowing their horns, and escorted by different detachments of the city guard both horse and toot. The Ministry then published a Proclamation, of which the follow ing is the concluding paragraph : • Thus the Allied Sovereigns have attained the important object of their glorious efforts, of those of their faithful people, and of their armies. The Treaty does not indeed yet contain the definitive arrange ments wLich concern Prussia and Germany ; they will be s ettled at Vienna by a new treaty. The bases already established give us, however, the ceitainty, that Prussia, who is raised to so high a pitch of glory, will receive an increase of power proportioned to her dignity. • Let us return thanks to DIVIIE PROVIDENCE, and put up prayers for the ssehare of our beloved Monarch." CASSEL, JUNE it. The Elector of Hesse.CAssel, our sovereign, is dangerously ill—his lite is despaired of. PRIVATE LETTER. " Pmt.'s, Jame IR, Isl 4. - - - " This town is full of rumours--which usually suc ceed to a period full of events—rumours that often rise and perish in an hour. Others, again, are re vived with mach asstaluity, and persisted in with headstrong obstinacy. We are told, for instance, that on Friday the Sd instant, a corps of French, on their way to Paris, met a body of the Allies (Bavarians they say) in full march for the frontier—that the French officers could not or did not restrain their sol diers, who attacked the Germans, putting many hun dreds of them to the sword. We are likewise inform ed, that a regiment of chasseurs of the old Imperial Guard, quartered in Beauvay, have been for some days in a state of open mutiny, moving off with their arms and horses, and levying contributions in all directions. • It is one of thi, blessings of a free press to check the circulation of falsehood. The French press having lost all character under Bonaparte, and being stiil conducted unfortunately on the same system both of invention and restraint, no one credits isliat he reads in the newspapers—nor wiLltholds his credit from any tale, merely because they fail to notice it. • .. We are thus the spott of *every imposition, and die evil is aggravated by the means adopted to pre vent t ; but the favourite romance of last week has been the assassination of the. Duke of V , 4 •ington, wl.ich I believe you h a s+ lon g a g o qu isl., .! in Eng-, land, but which has been the chosen topic of all circles, sexes, and ages here; described with so Many of its incidents, varied so ingeniously, from a stab w4h a sm ill sword, to a bullet in the thorax," but insisted on as to its event, with so much eagerness Mat it is probable his Grace's arrival in Paris, this morn ing, will be considered a libel on the dexterity of the Spanish murderer—and his appearance in the streets, should he have time to walk about, as no better than an optical illusion. He is, however, safe at Sir Charles Stewart's. In the mean while, you perhaps expect that the new French Constitution should begin to act. If so, you are mistaken. The choice of a, President in M. L'Aii:ee, indeed, is an indication of a temper at present very favourable to the Court, M. L'Aiihis., you recollect,' being the person who made so bold a stand last winter against the mad war policy of Bonaparte. But the tact is. and we shall, I believe, have frequent opportunities of re verting to it hereafter,—the fact is, that for several years to come, France will be governed, and must be governed, without regarding this theory of a Consti tution, which time, however, may bring into some thing more effective. .. The great landed properties were destroyed by the revolution ; and most astonishingly subdivided, or rather minced up, to a degree highly favourable to individual industry—il industry had been allowed to act for itself—or if commerce, the nurse of agri cultural industry, had been fostered by the military government ; but combined as it has been with a sys tem of force and rapine, the subdivision of landed property has produced a state of almost universal po verty. Again, as the great landed properties have been rained by the revolution, the" great commercial trapitali have been gradually destroyed, by the perpe tual wars which have followed the revolution. There is no concentrated wealth, in the shape either of land or money. There are nor, as in England, two bo dies of natural representatives 4 for the landed and mo nied property—looked up to by the nation as the sure depositaries of enlarged intelligence and corrected feeling 7 and as the grand moral stick out of which an efficient and powerful legislative assembly can be at all times formed. No such thingthe Peers of France, with the exception of a very few military men, or people lately in office, are a band of well dressed paupers—uholly destitute of any sort of au thority over the nation, and alike incapable of ever, acting as a . check or a support to either Prince or people. i; The Deputies must be elected from amongst men of moderate fortunes,—for in truth there are none other ;—.and moreover they are not above one- third as numerous ns the Members of our House of Commons :—it is pretty certain, therefore, that we shall cot find the ..ower Assembly an atom more important with regard to this vast and populous Empire, than the Peers lately nominated by the Court. Hence it Wows, that since the nation can not be go'verned 'through the medium of its property, which is only another word for its governing itself, — arid Silt* filbreofer, there does not exist, in the pre. .sent conclifioa of Fuller, a field of civil pationage, • V 0011..- or of infittenee if. yoti.avill; the Monarch mast rule toy will alone. The actual state of France with regard to property. would be convenient enough in a bmall republic, but is wholly unnatural and dispeoportion e d to the interests of an extensive monarchy—which re. quires the support of an efiient aristocrary,—or uit;,t take refuge in despotism, or be ovetthrown. Thi. atistocr4cy :oust be formed by peace and commercial prosperity. As for the rest, a large body of tree];, 1 believe 12 battalions, and three regiments of ca valry, have arrived in Paris: the men have tl.e ap. pearance of veterans, and are strongly inflamed with the spirit of war aid vengeance. " Par:s, hich was the strength .of Bonaparte', Governmvitt, is the weak point of the Bourbons. 1 , the provinces they are powerful beyond all icar disturbance, and growieg in pax er every day. T!. exclusion of Soulr, Massena, &c. from the How: .• Peers, however gratifying to many people:,i, 4 6 11;:'.1 sure of doubtful proc:nce. buchet has hem f.ti.t.4 upon the ruins-of ietult " Bonaparte, it seems, is ir. high favour with thc- Elbese. 1 seen a letter from an Leglish office: there, dated the 22.1 ult. which stairs hu t u, be. in perfect health—up every morning and on holselx: . cl-. at four o'clock—building palaces, projecting works &c.—in short, the same ,had ttatt as ever, and net ill denominated' l'Etiperesir " Exchange more in favour of Engl Ind ever? boor. Yesterday, 2! francs the pound sterling—ao 'improvement of more than It pet cent. in lea.s ,sir weeks." • DUTCH PAPERS. VtIYSSELS, JUNE 11. The corps of General Kleist broke up from Muns on the llth, 12th, and 13th. We bear it is to occupy for the present Au .la-Chapelle, duhers, and the whole Duchy of that came. and a part of the Clectorate o. Cologne, on the lett bank cf the Rhine. A change appears to hare taken place in the des., tination of the corps of.De Yorck, which is actually matching through the +rdenues to occupy tbp pro vince of Luxemburgh.. The important fortress of Luxemburgh is to have a numerous Prussian garri• son, and the Hessians now there are to go home. There seems to he same difficulty about the fur ther march of the corps of Bulow, of which the first column is arrived here. These airangements, which we state from good authority, seem to chew that the Prussi.in Monarchy is to confine with France at least from the Moselle to the httese. All the French property at Antwerp, which is not move.thle, will be sold by auction ; among this, is the Hotel of the Marine Preflcture. French Commissioners are employed respectiit the partition of the fleet and naval stores. All the Artillery on the walls of the town and for. tress remain at die disposal df the Allies. It seems Thai the Austrian General, Baron Vinc,enr, who is still Governor of the Netherlands, will hhortly leave. us, and reports say he will be succeeded either by. General Graham, or by Vonder Copelkr, Commis sioner General from the Prince of the Netherlands to the Belgian Government. Many Frenchmen had here considerable posts,.who. !rid committed the greatest crimes during the Revo lution. Ragmei, Vice Pi esident of the Tribunal which condenined Maria Antoinette, was at the head of the Imperial Manufactory of Tobacco; but he has now; by order of the Government, been conducted over the frontie►s. We expect 10,000 English troops from Lord Wel lington's army. The States General have resumed their Sittings. THE EVENING STAR. IkON 00N. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 1814. We mentioned yesterday the arrival of dispatches from our Minister at Paris. 'ley were, brought by the Right lion. •Wtu.LtsLEY POLE, who arrived at Lover on Monday night from Boulogne. It Wag stated at Dover, that had not the wind blown .so strong from the N. W. the Duke of WEI.LINGTON would have been there, as his Gracs was expected at Dover yesterday morning, and a ship was prepared . . for his reception. V Letters have been received from Madrid of the 6th instant, by which we learn that the - new Government, under FERDINAND, had carried its indignation to such an extent against the late Regency, that the order of exile hid been issued to the three Members - which composed it. The Cardinal of Btu:Knox, Archbishop . of Toledo, who was at the head of it, and who is nearly r elated to the Sovereign of Spain,' has been banished. to Rome ; AGAR, to Carthagena ; APCI CISCAIN ta.a north-eastern fortress. It was reported that A ROVlrtj .) LEs, a hikhly distinguished Member of the Extra*: Binary Cortes, %Ns to be tried fbi a capital offence I:1 7 : but we believt 1i Court his 'riot come to any such .. determination. • • 41/4 We have some satisfaction, however, in hearing, that the eminent services of the Dake of WeLams.. Toll have not been forgotten by FEltniwitt4l).• Ishe rank of Generalissimo i s o f a temporary nature, and t, therefore the title of Captain-General of the Kin dom, as a permanent distinction, has been conferred on his Grace ; and his honours havf been confirmed to him, as a Grandee of Spain, and a Knight Com panion of the Golden Fleece, which title and honour would have been void under the D.:cree of the KING, abrogating the Grants of the Regency, had it nut thus receivedthe Royal sanction and authority. 't is stated. in accounts from Hanover, that there will be four Prefectorates established in Germany ; each of those• Ptotcetorates will watch ever the tran quillity of the countries which will be made subordi nate wit. It is said•that Austria, rrus4ii, B•tvaria. and Hanover, are to be the chief: of these Protecto.