Star. — London, England, 1817-06-18 00:00:00

TRIAL OF WATSON. la the Press, and rpeeddy will be published, in Two Vob aro. THE TRIAL of JA MES WATSON for HIGH TREASON. Taken in Short-hand by lAM BRODIE GURNEY, Shit-hated Writer to bock Houbes of Parliament. Sold by Butterworth and Son, Fleet-street; and Fenner, Pa ternoster row• TO BE SOLD BY AUCTION, Ot Motiaaiv, th:• 23d in*rant, at the Packet Boat Inn, Dover, at Two o'Clock in the Afternoon, TWELVE THOUSAND MEMEL CROWN PIPE SrAYES, being part of the cargo of the galliot Nl t:OLA, lccou Bitiht Matter, bound on a voyage front Memel to Opqrtt.. The Staves maybe viewed on thr morning of the day of Sale, art Catalogues bad, by application to the Captain on board; or of lessrs. Vector an I Co. Diori-r. P.1RL1447.EN1 AR7 PROCEEDINGS. ROT:SS OF LORFw. JI/NE 17. Evidence was heard in hiillar's Divorce Bill. '1 he Edinburgh and (;Low Cuial Bill was, after some calmer. vritufs from the Earl ot Ado tTOn, objecting to it, and the Earl ot LIIOULKDALL and Lord Viscount' Marx! td.x, in favour ot it, read a second time, yid committed .or Thursday. The East India and Mediterranean Trade Bill, and the Agent Cet.crai of Vuitton/eta Bills ;:assed through Com-natters, and were reported. Jr. Committee on the C./A:ices Wages Bill (for extending .0 them the pi iseisiotts us forting A: - .tf of Parliament, compeliidg the payment of tlit.ir wages or. money instead of goods). Lord Dn.:aeon, on the ground that the workmen in general wtrked by the pica, and that the ainount due to them was only calcutaled occe a month; moved a clause to :canapel the payment to them every well in moues, of two-thirds ot what was due to them fur that week, to under that hey might have money to purchase the *isles they wanted, at free shops, instead of being obliged to resort to the shop. eftAlished by their employers. - 1 his clause e - as opposed by the Earl of 1 AUDEILOW i as being foreign to the purpose of the Bill, and as being founded on a vicious pritic.p!e. that of intersering in the contracts between indiVidUair. Ate r some conversation between these two Noble Lords, the Earl of Rosalyn, load Redesdale, and the Lord Chancellor, Lord Dyne vor agreed to withdraw the clause. The Bill pawed through eke Colaunittee, with anrcodmants. —Report on Thursday. MUTINY DILL. The Mutiny Bill having been committed, The Earl of LAUDERDALE stated, that he had asked the Noble Earl (Liverpool) opposite, on a former day, whether dune was any imports tt al. teration in this Bill? The Not)le Earl, with his usual caution, had said, that he could give no reply to that question till he got farther information on the eubkct. Having consulted the proper persons in office, the Noble Earl had stated to him that there was no alteraii.m consequence. Now he had looked into the bill, and found that there had been a very material alteration with respect to the authority by which orders or directions were to be given to agents. Till 1812 the order was to be under the sign.manual. At that time an alteration was introduced, providing that the order should be under the sign -manual, er by the Secretary at War, or Lords of the Treasury, by his Majesty's command. Now the words "by his Majesty's command" were left out, so that thr direction of the Secretary at War and the Lords of the Treasury was put oil an equal footing with the detection under the sign-manual. Now this was a rinst important alteration, and ought to g ave been eutnnitlnieatiA to the house, that it might sitter whether it was decent or fitting that the di rection of a S.cietary at War, without a special com mand: shoul.: he put eh a footing with an order under the sign-manual. The Earl of LIVERPOOL admitted, that the can:mein of the Noble Earl was correct, as to his (the Larl of Liverpool's . ; having said that there was no alteration of consequence, and he concetved that he (the Earl of Liverpool) was completely warranted 1111WhAt be had said. Tile state of tile case was this, he did not think himself called upon now, to argue wlie- cher the alteration made in 1812 was proper or not ; but it was clearly the meaning of those who, in ad dition to the words a under the sign manual," in. troduccd es or by the Secretary at War or Lords of the . Treasury by his Majesty's command," that the S.. cletary at War, and Lords of the Treasury, should act cm their responsiliality in the ordinary course of their offices, without being bound to prove any spe. vial command. All these acts were done by his Ma jesty'a command, and the officers were responsible ; but whether there was a command or not, was a qu, s- Lion to be settled between the officer and his Sove reign. If the officer had been bound to thew a spe cial command, the alteration in 1812 would have been nugatory. However, it, had occurred to the Solicitor of the Treasury, that under these words in the get, in case of a prosecution in a Court of Justice, he might be called upon to prove a special com mand ; and it was upon this suggestion that the . scores 4'14 his Majesty'► command" bad been lett out, leaving the matter on the footing on which it was intended to be placed in 1812, so that there was Do alteration of consequence. Lord HOLLAND thought that the question was perfectly open now, whether the order of the Secre• tary at War and the Lords of the Treasury ought to be placed on.a footiug with .. the sign manual ? TUe 'iteration, as it stood in 1812, was, he admitted, nu. &acerb and that might be tl:e reason why no notice Lad been taken of it. I, was true that the officer was supposed to act by his Majesty's command, and was revonsibie ; but when the words,“ by his Majesty's command," occurred in an Act of Parliament, a special command must be proved, and therefore the alteration in Ibl 2 was nugatory. But now, when the alteration was made in a way which rendered it effective, the question, whether that alteration was proper or not, was perfectly open. The Earl of LIVERPOOL contended that the alteration was proper, and that in those details of of. Ece it would be better that the sign manual should Dot be held to be necessary. Earl 13ATHUR:a said that the alteration was nothing more than an explanation of. the meaning of Vie alteration made in 1812. The Earl of LAUDERDALE Moved, that the words" by .his Majesty's command" be inserted. The amendmisit was, atter a few words fr,m the Earl of ItossLYN, nept:ved, and the Bill reported without amendment. li ANBAS CORPUS susrzwszoN. Earl GROoVENOR presented a Petition from the City of Chester against the continuance of the Habeas Corpus Suspension, which his Lordship sta ted to have been pi•oposed at a very nuescrota meet: ing, regularly convened in the Town liall, and agreed to by a large majori..y of the persons assembled. The Petition having been read at the table, The Bishop of C HESTE R, kst this Petition should be considered the sense of the inhabitants of Chester generally, which it was not, was desirous of st a ti n g, that a c.,unter Petition had been very numerously signed, and would shortly he presented to the House. Earl GROSVENOR could only say, that he had been informed, with regard to the Petition he had presented, that it was agreed to by a large majority, at a very numerous meeting, regularly called in the Town Hall, in pursuance of a requisition, at which the Mayor presided, and at which persons of diffe rent sentiments attended, and from the regularity ob served, had the opportunity of delivering their senti ments. Lord HOLLAND asked, whether he was to un derstand from the Learned and Reverend Prelate. that a Petition was actually to he presented from Chester in favour of the Suspension of the Habeas Corpus? The Bishop of CHESTER said, the Petition would probably be presented to.rnorrew, and the House would then be enabled to ascertain its object. The Petition was ordered to lie on the Table. Earl GROSVENOR moved for an Address to the Prince Regent, praying there might be laid be fore the House an account of the times, ages, and descriptions of thg persons arreste4 under the powers given by the Suspension of the Habeas Corpus, spe cifying those who had been discharged, and those who still remained in custody. Lord Viscount SID MOUTH objected to give the names, as it might operate against the persons so de t.i;ned. The timber of personir detained he was willing to produce, nor did be object to the ages being stated, particularly as there had been upon this point much misrepresentation. Earl GROSVENOR was anxious to have the de scription of the individual.. Lord Viscount siDmuuTH could not agree to give the description. The Duke of SUSSEX observed, he did not sup. pose his Noble Friend meant a description of their hair and eyebrows, but whether they were married or unmarried, &c. Earl GROSVENOR wished to have at least their situations in life, as it would skew that there were amongst them no persons of any consideration in the country, and therefore that there was no danger ex isting to call for the measures which the Ministers were now proposing. Lord HOLLAND deeply risgretted hearing from the Noble Viscount the osjectian to disclosing the names of the persons detai.led, as it thus appeared that the Ministers nct only had ordered, but that they intended to order the arrest of ind;viduals, without an y intention whatever or briiii-ing them to trial. Lord Viscount hIDMOUTH said, the Noble Lord might put what construction he pleased upon the coLduct of Ministers, but he ( Lord Sidmouth) should feel it his duty to abstain from giving any fur ther explanation. It must be evident that it would be highly improper to di..cicse the names. ' The Earl of DONOUGHMORE regretted that there should be any warmth displayed by the Nehle Viscouht, the charge made being not against the Noble Viscount, but a g a i ns t the measure of the Sus pension of the Habeas Corpus. Were there soy proof of persons of rank. or iii high station, beipg implicated in a conspiracy against the Government, he would most readily concur in giving every power to the Government that the security of the country night require ; but when there were no persons con cerned, but individuals without rank or property, or without any name derived frum their talents, what was to be apprehended ; what was the danger that could call for the measures proposed by Ministers ? Lord Viscount SI DMOUTH said he could only agree to a part of the motion, and he therefore moved to _leave out the words after those respecting the Ad dress, and to insert merely an account of the number and ages of the 'persons detained. Earl GROSVENOR urged the propriety of agree. 1 , ing to the original motion, but, under the circum stances, he was disposed to obtain what he could, and therefore he would withdraw his motion. The motion being withdrawn, Lord Sidmouth's amended motion was agreed to. Lord Viscount SIDMOUTH then moved the Order of the Day, and the House resolved itself into a Committee on :he Habeas Corpus Suspen►ion Bill. On his Lordship's motion, the blank for the dura tion of the Bill was filled up with N until the expira• tion at six weeks after the commencement of the next Session of Parliament." EarI . GKOSVENOIt gave notice of his intention to move an Amendment in a subsequent stage of the Bill, to the effect, that the sill should expire in case of a dissolution ut Parhatnent. ' Lord HOLLAND said he did not mean to dis cuss the Bill now ; he merely wished it to be under stood that) Noble Lords were not precluded from moving Amendments in a subsequent stage of the Yell. His Noble Friend (Lord Grosvenor) had al rrady given notice of one Amendment, and another WAS intended to be proposed to limit the duration of the B:11 to a still shorter period. The Earl of DONOUGH MO R E intimated an intention of proposing an Amendment, which would 'have the effect of producing the meeting of Parlia ment at an earlier period than it had been of late cus tomary to commence the Session, by limiting the duration of the Bill to a certain day, unless Parlia ment should assemble in the interval. • The Dill then passed through the Committee, with the Amendments proposed by Lord Sider:natl., .tr..: the House having resumed, the Report was ordered to be received to-marrow. It was understood the third reading would be nn Thursday.—Adjcurced. HOUSE OF COMMONS. A call of the House having Linn ordered for this day, the gal. lery wis not opened till Bye o'clock. Before the admission of strangers a division toog place on the motion of Mr. 17. - ;!..LiAst Du NDAF, for discharging the .order of the day, when the num bers were—Ayes 126—Noes 45—Majority IS. Mr. DICKENSON presented a Petition from certain Inha bitants of the City of Batts against the custom of using Climbing boys to Sweep ellmnies.--Laid on the table. • WILIVFOUNDLAND TRADE. Mr. M. A. TAYLOR rose to call the attention of the House to a subject of the uunost importance, deeply connected with the trade and revenue of this country. In the Newfoundland trade there were employed 800 vessels, navigated from this country by no less than 6000 men. All the supplies of New. fotifOland were derived from this country and Ire land, and the fish caught there amounted in two year: to two million. sterling ; the whole of which sum was brought to this country in specie, or bills of exchange, being the only description of trade which made similar returns. The Honourable Member, in proposing an inquiry into the present state of this trade, disclaimed any hostility to the Board of Trade, but somesteps, he observed, were necessary to be taken to redeem Newfoundland from its present distress.— By the last accounts, it appeared that 5000 persons, nut of a population of 60,000, wert in absolute beg gary; and such wets the situation of the country, that houses were ransacked and plundered, and the most violent acts were perpetrated. By a recent treaty the French were allowed to fish on the Banks of Newfoundland, which, he conceived, was extremely injurioes to the rights and interests of the British Merchant, rind to the revenue of the British Govern ment. This was one of the most efficacious trades that could engage the attention of the country, and I he lamented to find that France was carrying it on with the greatest eagerness. The present state of Newfoundland was a state of misery and distress.— There were various modes, however, by which the Newfoundland Merchant ought to be relieved, and by which he might be relieved ; and certainly, unless something were immediately adopted, this important branch of our commerce would be annihilated. Mr. Pitt and Mr. Perceval had thought it necessary to make sonic provisions for the security and welfare of this trade, and had actually granied bounties. If a , Committee were appoiwel, evidence would' be brought before them t hew the importance of protecting this branch of i,er commerce ; and the subject was so obvious, and confined to so narrow a compass, that very little time would be occupied in its discussion. He therefore begged leave to move, that a Select Committee be appointed to inquire into the Trade with Newhindland, and to take into con sideration the state of that country, and to report the result, ti%etlier with their opinions thereon, to the House. Mr. PROTHEROF. -'cnnJt•J the Motion; eulo gized the clear and impressive Matiricr in which the Honnut able and Learned Gi-toktian had represented the distressed state of the Colony 01 Newfoundland, and urged the expediency of taking vigorous duo prompt means to relieve it. Mr. lIART DAVIS also supported the Motion, Aid' was agreed to. hiR. nrxxorms. Sir FRANCIS BURD FT gave notice, that he should make a motion to-morrow night on the sub ject of the pension granted by Government to Mr. Reynolds, of whom 1:e had spoken last night. Seeing the Noble Lord (the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs) in his place, he begged to ask whether there was any truth in the revrt, that Mr. Reynolds had been appointed to a public situation under the Go vernment ? Mr. LONG was plad to hear that the Honourable Baronet intended to brine this matter more generally under the notice of the ilouse. He had mAcir some inquiries on the subject, and he was now tnabled to say that the statement: which had been made relative to Mt. Reynolds were totally unfounded. BANK Arr Ala. Mr. GRENFELL, after stating that he thought it necessary to call the attention of the House to the last transactions with the Bank, moved for an account of the number of Bank-notes in citculavon on the Ist and 15th of each month, from June, 1815, to June, 1817, and other papers.—Ordered. XF. GifirJL. Mr. BENNETT prerented a Petition from several Debtors in the London side of the New Prison, in Whitecross-street, complaining of the very limited time allowed them to receive their friends, being only during four hours on week days, and two henry ori Sundays. The Petitioners complained also of the monopoly that was established against them in the hale of provisions; of the extreme severity of the rules imposvd on them by the Board of Aldermen ; and preying for the interference and protection of the House. A similar Petition was presented from the Debtors in the Middlesex side of the same prison. They were both ordered to be printed. The LORD MAYOR considered he was rather awkwardly placed in having to address the House for the first time, in defence ot the conduct of the Court of Aldermen. His Lordship stated, that since he had the honour of serving Sheriff much arrangement had taken place, and that the prisoners had from Newgate Iwo removed to this prison, for the purpose of quashing, if possible, even the name of Newgate to a debtor. Every attention had been paid by himself and the succeeding Sheriffs to accommodate the debtors in this prison, and the Committee on that pri son had made every exertion of which they were ca pable. True it was that certain rep,ulations had been adoi•ted, but they had been so adopted, as he could assure the House, from a cons iction of their indispen sible necessity. In the Petition some allusion had been made to the place whence the prisoners got their beer. hives the House must see it was impossible the Court of Aldermen cot:ld interfere here; and he should only farther acid., that he spoke the sentiments of all his Ccnstitecnts and the public, when be said there was nut a City in the kingdom which was more burdened w.th the expense of supporting prisoners, and which at the same time did there prisoners so much justice—(Hear, hear.)—He had to regret that this unpleasant topic should have been the cause of his having bad the honour for the first time to ad d:css the House, but the rights of the City of Lon don, the rights of human nature, were, and he hoped ever should be, dear to him and all who sat in that Huse— (Loud crier cf Hear, hear, hear.) It was thus only the House could maintain that respect it ought tc receive from the country—(Hear, hear.) Mr. BENNETT understood that although the prisoners were admit:tql to see their friends, it Seas only through a grating, and not within the walls of the prison. Indeed, as far as he could learn, it was one of the worst regulated prisons in the kingdom. The LORD MAYOR explained, and again de clared that the Corporation of London had thewn in every instance the most liberal attention to prisoners— (Hear, hear.) The'Petit►on was then ordered to lie on the table. PETITIONS OZ THI COVENTRY WATCH•MAYSRS AND SI ANUIPACTUREIts. Mr. PETER MOORE said he presented three Petitions from his very much distressed constituents, the inst.:lion: and skilful artisans in the watch busi 'nem of Coventry, describing their distresses (if cha r be described) in terms rending the beaus af mankind with their sufferings —the result of the pre. sent times—the decay of general trade—and the w ar; of employment, whereby to obtain bread for then. selves and families; and praying relief from th e w;,. dom and humanity ef the House. He (Mr. Miaor-I would reserve his general sentiments for a future op . . portunity, save now briefly to state, that the rhea. tion of the Petitioners was little thort4 destitutier; that after most honourably sustaining each other at a fraternity, as long as C.ey could find the means, th::r necessities had so grown that they were at ler ztj compelled to resort to parish relief, and the hear'' :: : of menial offices, as 44y-tabourer', carriers rf bur. dens, sweepers of the tartlets, and even the erni-yri g of night soil. " I n s h ort , So," said t/-• Moors, whose feelini?,s appeared in unison with t; air r•PFer ings, st the art is in danger of being I.ist, ti, e petitioners of being the fact of those art r.ar, hitherto maintained themselves, their tanii:lei. 31 even their fraternity, in lienistre and credit, aerially contributed to support the state." Mr. BUTTERWORTH conthmed the statena: t of his Honourable colleague respecting :Iv: (3+,::. : . s of the people of Coventry. —The retitrun was J... 1 on the Table. HAIM %!, Sir JOHN C. EGI4',ItTON presented a ret;t7ess from the Cast of Chester Ag!tni: the crenira4i.c. : o f the Habeas Corpus Sus;seution Act, very num. viri t , 7 sign. d. Sir Jtfin also presented a :emu! n tram the City at Chester. depseesmig the coi.d, nation of a measure be:ore the evi.fchee u..ich i t i s founded can be kniswn, and ne cessity of strengthening the hawk of G f r., , ten; . In the prayer et tin, last Peti,ion Sir Jot L. uric's!. SC 11.11 Z'i'!CES. Mr. GILDER V, on movin g rha •,• H ow should resolve itself into a Cons,, i. Office Re,gulation bill, stated that • creasy to introduce some alteration; in the B.: It wt,: lound on inquiry that the otriee cit Justice , Scotland could not b e abolished witho u t cautirg some very considerable inconvenience in the :Wawa. stration or law in that country. The krivy Seal and Sigiict Offices alsa undergl some i;a4ticu.s in respect of the salaries attached to (turn. Lord CASTLEREAGH, confirmin g the state ment of the Hon. Gentleman, said, that in can: a va cancy should meta in the office or Justice General, no appointment should b: nl it!e to preveht the psi per regulatinn of it. Mr. TIE R NE Y alluded to the offiee of Vice Mini sal of Scotland, to uhich a salary of ‘lllOOO or 41.1290 a-year was attached. No one could, however, in form him from what fund this salary was paid I bet he understood it was comprised within the v. to ter the Nay:- Estimates. He thou ;ht that of • and that of Muster Master Genera,, mipht Lord CAiTLEREAGF. said that the vas founded altogether on the principle of uphuldil vet.. ted interests. Mr. TIERNEY . observed, that a eonsideral.:e eir ference existed between vested and merely eisting interests. Wile re places were held tar hie, the reward of civil or military service., he should r.ct touch them ; but where they were held at v oat such claim, he saw no fCAii:nr, if suet, paces west useless, 'shy the principle of tiv r a should net he ' once enforced by their abolition. Mr. GILBER r--It did not belong to the 7finme Committee to recommend Parliament to deprive per sons of offices—their object was to regulate or abo.i:ll them on the termination of present interests. Such a measure would appear to him a great hardship. Mr. TIEItNLY—The hardship was such as all persons holding offices at pleasure were liable tn. The 13.11 dech.rcd that the office of Muster-Planet. General WaS unnecessary. and oug!it to be at, , iiisl,ed on the expiration of the vested interest. New, It !:r could :hew that there was no vester! interest, tM office should be abolished at once. The mere cir cumstance of its being hilt, by a persen, d.d no: create a vested interest. As well might the Ikeitilt Lord fancy himself possessed of a reared interest is his office of Secretary of State, b. cause he was ^lli fortuuate enough to possess it; but still the :suble Lord would not consider himself Secretary for If a change of Ministry tor.k place, the Muster- Master-General was likely to Joie .11.. a; and d were abolished, it would constitute a t:oii.g to the Public of four or sEiXiilo a year. Mr. GILLERT—" Tin Lill did no . . strcapihee such offices, it merely left theru in the unit: state as It no such hill were enacted." Mr. TIERNEY hopedthe case of ti.e Ma.-ter•General's office would be inquired into. ee then gave notice, that he E:kotild take the 'else of the Holy.e on the bringtng up of the Report of tl;fr HG could not d.signate the me.sure in any !ems but as au indecent attempt of Ministers, atter repeated professions of economy, to .secore to ther friends large sums of money. He was surprised .v sear the Honourable Chairman of the Coancittet (Mr. Gilbert) support such a Bill, now that ::c sri.d an opportunity of understanding its nature. The hill was then committed, and tbe keport 0!- dried to be brought up on l'huridJi. A9It.CELLANF.OI. On the motion of Mr. GI Li3Lkr, the {it: c 5. ces Regulation 8.11 was read the: d time and passed. , Au account was ordered to be laid on the Libre c: the receipts at the Post.office Irow the po.tage et !el tets t 9 and from the E.!st Indies, the Mauritius, and the Cape of Good H. Fe, since tt:w Act a the of the King. On the ni3tion of Mr. LUSHINGTON, the Ccr. solidated Fund AccouLt Bill was read the third titre, and passed. Mr. BROODEN brou g ht up the Itep:rt of thr Committee of Supply, r•Licil "as ;Treed to. Mr. BROGLEN brought up the Report of (ler"' ral Thornton's Bill for preventing the Public ping of Female Otren&rs, and the Pill sv.as ordered to be read the third time to-morrow. On the motion of Mr. LUSHINGTON. Lord Colchester's Annuity Bill was read the third tint. and passed. On the motion of Si- T. ACLAND, the Court! Rates Repeal Bill was read second time, and et dered to be committed en Friday next. On the motion of Mr. c. LONG, the Arm! psi-: Money Bill was read .t second and erdeTel to be committed to.morrori. Mr. DOMINICK 8itt..) , , , , , Nr. ;;;:vca * el Cl I=, Cl