Star. — London, England, 1814-11-24 00:00:00

.is one single 'syllable which is not established by the ? As to what passed between the gallant Colonel and the Prince Regent. there can be no other testi ' moray but his own. With respect to the Officernren fusing to deliv.T up the letter in the mess-room, I evy adduce every Officer 'sho was present; but waist call upon the HoneurableColonel to state is, tvbetlien. he, by desire of the Officers of the 10th Hussars, had put the letter into the possession of the Ptitici Regent, and whether his Royal Highness did not avail him self of his situation to furnish the prisoner with evi dence against the Officers by giving up.that letter, which was made the foundation of their punishment ? Colonel PALMER :wed that he came down to the House inconsequence of a note from his Right Hon. Friend teas morning, and after what i.e had said, latent: it necessary to enter into an explanation, which he should have wished to have avoided, until he eetered into the whole of the Circumstances. With respect to the letter in question, he knew nothing of it until it was delivered to him by the offi cers of the regiment, to be used at his diseletion., He had felt it right, in the first instance, in point of fairness and honour, as any Gentleman present would have done under such circumstances, to communicate it to Colonel Quentin ; but considered that it was a matter of confidence between that officer and him self, nor did he conceive himself further bound to Colonel Qtaentin than to communicate the com plaints of the OfficersAo his Royal Highness, which be did instnedisitely afterwards, as Commanding Officet, in the 'absence of Colonel Quentin, when he thought :it' his duty to wait upon the Prince Regent to inform his Royal Highness of the state of the regiment, but did not say any thing regarding the letter. Colonel Quentin was at that time absent, but he unexpectedly returned, and WAS present during the rest of the conversat:on. Colonel Palmer was desired to go to the officers of the regiment, and de liver the commands of the Prince Regent, that they should prefer charges against Colonel Quentin. While the officers were considering the subject, Colonel Quentin came to he mess-rqem, and demanded the letter. The officers refused, asserting that the letter had not been delivered, and was in effect cancelled. Colonel Quentin then said, that he had the order of the Prince Regent that they should deliver it up, and stated his intention of inclosing it to his Royal High ness. The officers replied, that they would not dis obey the Prince Regent's command', nut requested Colonel Palmer to go with the letter, and learn ex ceessly from the Regent whether.his Royal Highness had in truth authotized Colonel Quentin to demand it ? Colonel Palmer went in consequence, and told his Royal Highness the exact circumstances under which the officers had been induced to give it up, and added, that if his Royal Highness demanded the let ter, it was at his service. His Royal Highness de nied over and over again having authorized Colonel Quentin to demand the letter, nor would Colonel Palmer have parted with it it the Prince Regent had not asked fer it ; and it was not to be supposed that he (Colonel Palmer) could make a condition with his Royal Highness the Prince Regent in present.' ing it to him, though lie should have done so, if he could have enicrefined the slightest idea that it was to be used to the prejudice of the Officers.— This letterwas certainly ve:id in the 'presence of Co.' lonel Quentin, bar not the letter• signed ley Cclonel Robarts, es stated in the newspaper, forit was not even written at the time, 'sad that was itinnsmer to the Regent's commands to bring forward. charges; .neither were the whole sent tti ihs-Cemnsander in -Chief by the Regent, as he modeistcbd Colbnel Ro burrs afterwards sate she first letter in tie possession. .of Colonel Quentin, and felt inclined to throw it is the tire, consider ing tile means by which it had been obtained. That, with respect to the Regent's not laving interfered in any shape in making him (Co lonel Palmer) ti:e Prcsecutnr, the Honourable Mem ber stated, that if lie was not absolutely command ed, that the Regent had expressed his sentiments and wishes in a way that was tantamount to a command. —He had waited on his Ltslal Highness espressly say, that he would not undertake the prosecution I though commanded ley the Mike of York, as he did not conceive his Royal Hizhness cenfid insist on it, as he (Colonel Palmer) having been in so way cited in the business, bet that the Regent, in a con versation of nearly two lours, pressed him to it in a may that be could not refuse, by saying, that his de clining it would be considered as a desertion of their cause by his brother Officers, and in consenting to uneberteke it, Colonel Palmer told his Royal High pegs that he should consider it his duty to exert him selr to tke utmost to bring home the charges against Colonel Qisentin, entrusted to him by the Officers— The necessity of which the Regent admitted. Colonel Palmer concluded with regretting that his Right Honourable Friend did not approve of postponing the motion on the subject till after the recess ; but conceived that the object he had in view would be best obtained by the delay, as it would give him time to circulate the papers, and enable him to lay the case fully and fairly before the public, whom he trusted he should satisfy, that his brother 'officers had: been most harshly and unjustly dealt by. Mr. TIERNEY. —lt is unnecessary to confirm the statement of the Honourable Officer, and I .hope the House is now satisfied that I was warranted in making the assertions of a former night. (Hear, hear.) The Honourable Colonel was not desired by the Officers to deliver the letter to the Prince, on the contrary, it was strongly resisted by them. So that the state ;nent in the paper is a direct falsehood. It now ap pears distinctly that Colonel Palmer was not desired to deliver the letter to the Prince Regent, but that it was obtained by his Royal Highness, solely by the in fluence of his high station—by his command that the letter should be delivered up. (Bear, Lear.) Mr. M. 5i TT ON said, that he could of course know nothing it the letters in question until they offi cielly came be;cse him on the Court-martial. He did, no: esen know of their existence. On the trial the, letters were put in, aud were authenticated by Colonel Palmer, who aecorni.s iiied 1.4 evidence with a state ment that he should tit' it necessary to apprise the Court of the circureetanons belonging to these letters, as to the a ode in which they came into the: possession pf Colonel Quentin. As Ear as he could recollect, his evidence then Wdli perfectly coincident with the szate trent made by the llonoutable Celesta now,—it was net the same in words, but in substance. The letters therefore being produced with this explanation, the toutf e in forminivio .dolaion * was fully possessed of all the facts that had just now been detailed. the letters came into the hands of the Adjutant-Gene ral, he (Mr. M. Sutton) of coarse, knew nothing of the transactions relating to them. He regretted that the statement made by bim on a former night had not been satisfactory to the Honourable Colonel ; it was not from a wish to pass over any part of the accusa tion of the Honourable Colonel without reply. The SPEAKER inquired whether any motion was to be proposed ? Mr. TIERNEY was not aware that any was ne cessary : had the statement of which he had com plained come only from the other side of the House, he should not have thought it necessary to make any remarks upon it; but purporting to be given from such high authority, it required some reply. That reply, he believed, was satisfactory—( Hear, hear, hear.) The subject was then dropped. COURTS OF JUSTICE. Sir J. NEWPORT complained of the delays in making the Returns to the Resolutions of the House. for Accounts of the Fees and Emoluments of Officers and Clerks in Courts of Justice ; and that no Royal Commission had been appointed to make the return, as requested by the House, and promised by the Prince Regent. It had been stated to him, that Mi. nisters hid been debating for four or five months on the appointment of this Commission, so that the doors of Courts of Justice remained shut to the Public as much as before. It had been stated that a Commis. sion had been appointed to examine the state of the Courts in England, three of whom were Masters in Chancery, appointed ti look into the abuses of their own Courts. This was treating the Resolutions of that House with perfect contempt—but he trusted the House would shew that no combination of Law Offi cers, or others, would counteract the Resolutions of that House. He then moved, that a Copy of the Royal, Commission appointed to enquire into the state of Fees and Emoluments in Courts of Justice in England and Ireland, with a similar Account of its Proceedings, be laid before the House. Mr. BATHURST denied that there was any wish 'on the part of Government, or the Judges, to shut the doe's of Courts of Justice to the Public, either in England or in Ireland. He denied that there was in England any increase of fees to warrant this enquiry. The Right Hon. Baronet had not informed the House who were the fit persons to execute this office, nor had he stated what salaries he would apportion, sup posing proper persons were selected. He assured the Right Honourable Baronet that the Commission is ready, and waits only for the selection to carry it into effect. Sir S. ROMILLY thought the House were treat ed with disrespect, in not issuing the Commission sooler. He denied there was any difficulty in finding proper persons to execute the office. Barristers were the persons best calculated to fill the situation, and there was no want of Learned Gentlemen ; many of them would with pleasure execute the duties. The SOLICITOR-GENERAL defended the conduct of Government, but admitted that many Gentlemen at the Bar were competent to fill tke office, though objections might be raised in some quarters on account (unjustly raised, he would con fess) of the supposed interest they might take upon the subject of fees. Mr. ABERCROMBIE contended that Govern ment, in delaying the Commission, had violated the Order of the House ; fur in the resolution passed, it was the intention cf the House, that au early report should be laid on the table. Mr. H. ADDINGTON declared, that much of the difficulty had arisen in finding proper persons; dicte WAS required such a conv;ivati , n of qualifica tions, rarely to be met w.tli in the same person—such as integrity, talents and application. Mr. PONSONBY thought Ministers had :hewn a peculiar degree of ilidiffetence to the subject. it:tr J. NEWPORT rciqie,l; when the motion an Address was agmed to. The Right Honourable Baronet then moved for an Account of the Fees in the Office of the Register of Deeds; also for the Number of Writs of Lathe:4 un der and over 4e20, issued within the last seven years out of the Law Courts of Ireland.—Ordered. Mr. WHITBREAD brought in a Bill for extend ing th.? provisions of the 35th and 37th of the King, le,pezting False Weights, to Measures also.—Read a first time ; second reading to-morrow, and to be printed. • • • MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCE REGENT. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER brought up a similar Message to that in the Lords, recommending the grant of an Annuity of x• 3000 to Lord Walsingham.—The Message was referred to a .Committee of the House to-morrow. IRISH EXPORTS. A Resolution was moved by Mr. FITZGERALD for instructions to the Committee, in respect to the Custom Duties. Sir JOHN NEWPORT took occasion to notice the situation of the peasantry in Ireland, and recom mended to Government to allow them timber att a cheaper rate. The Right Honourable Baronet then contended, that exports furnished a material inicre diem in producing the comforts to the people of Ire land he t.o much desired they should have—he aljsi. ded to timber. The rise of duty on the article of staves was from 7s. to 255. He hoped Government would attend lathe subject. He recommended de )lay and consideration in f orwar di ng an y measures which relate to Ireland or Scotland. Mr. FITZGERALD vindicated his conduct; and assured the House, that he was not iikoosed - to lay unnecessary burthens on the people of I-eland. He had stated, on a former evening, his ssish to assimi late the duties with those of England ; and denied that the duties were so much increased as some per sons, interested, described. The price of timber is less now than it was for the last five years. The Right Honourable Gentleman admitted, that incon-' ven►encies might arise in not allowing more time for. discussing topics connected with Ireland ; but in some instances it was necessary to avoid delay, particu larly on the subject of measures aft:sting the Duties on Customs. Mr. PONSONBY contended, that there was ro country in which the bad effects of imposing Duties on Timber would be so severely felt. Ireland afforded but very little limber. To shew the partiality of the natives for kiteign timber, the Right Hon. Gentle man related a story of a Gentleman who had some Irish fir for sale. The timber-meraanti wool i not gi,e him s price, assigning as a reason, tbat it was not foreign fir. On this the Go an= edt lowa his trees, and shipped them for the port of Corks and from thence the timber was brought back, and ao• wally sold for foreign fir. For the permanent good of Ireland, it was expedient to introduce timber as cheap as possible. Mr. PEELE maintained, that in some parts of England the peasantry were much worse situated than those in Ireland. He deprecated the idea of holding out the miserable state of the lower orders of the people of Ireland, when, in point of fact, another part of the Empire were similarly circumstanced. The motion was then agreed in. On the question for the House going into a Commit. tee en the Peace Preservation Bill for Ireland, Sir J. NEWPORT made some obsevations. The Bill afterwards went through the Committee.—Report on Friday. The Glass Bill was passed.—Adjourned. • AMERICAN PAPERS. COPY OF A LETTER FROM BRIGADIER GENERAL MACOMB TO THE SECRETARY OF WAR, DATED HEADQUARTERS, PLATTSBURGH, SEPTEMBER 15, 1814. •4 Sin-I have the honour to communicate, for the information of the war department, the particulars of the advance of the enemy into the territory of the United States, the circumstances attending die siege of Plattsburgh, and the defence of the posts entrust ed to my charge. 41 The Governor-General of the Canadas, Sir George Prevost, having collected the disposable force to Lower Canada, with a view of conquering the country as far as Crown Point and Ticonderog♦, entered the territories of the United States on the Lit of the month, and occupied the village of Chs.tn plain ; there he avowed his intentions, and iriued orders and proclamations, tending to dissuade the people from their allegiance, and inviting them to. furnish his army with provisions. He immediately began to impress the waggons and teams in the vici nity, and loaded them with his heavy baggage and stores. From this I was persuaded he intended to attack this place. I had but just returned from the lines, where I had commanded a fine brigade, which was broken up to form the division under Major-Ge neral Izard, and ordered to the westward. Being senior Officer, he left me in command ; and, except the four companies of the Gilt regiment, I had not an organized battalion :among those remaining. The garrison was compelsed of convalescents and recruits of the new regiments, all in the greatest confusion, as well as the: ordnance and stores, and the works ist no state of defence. " To create an emulation and zeal among the offi cers and men in completing the works, I divided thrm into detachments, and placed them near the several forts; declaring in orders, that each detach ment was the garrison of its own work, and bound to defend icto the last extremity. 44 The enemy advanced cautjously and by short marches, and our soldiers worked day and night ; so that by the time he made his appearance before the place, we were prepared to receive him. " General Izard named the principal work Fort Moreau : a,ld to remind the troops of the actions of their brave countrymen, I called the redoubt on the right Fort Brown, and that on the left Fort Scott.— Besides these three works, .we have t.vo blockhouses strougly fortified. 46 Finding, on examining the returns of the garei. son, that our force did not exceed 1500 effective men' for duty, and well informed that the enemy had as many thousands, I called on General Mooers, of the New Yot k militia, and arranged with him plans for. brir•.ginif forth the militia en matte. The inhabitants of the village fled with their families and effects, ex cept a few worthy citizens and some boys, who form ed themselves into a party, received rifles, and wens exceedingly useful. " By the 4th of the month, General Mooers col lected about 700 militia, and advanced seven miles on the Beekman Town road, to watch the motions of the enemy, and to skirmish with him as he ad vanced ; also to obstruct the roads with fallen trees, and to break up the bridges. '6 On the Lake road, at Dead Creek Bridge, I posted 200 men, under Captain Sproul of the 130 re githent, with orders to abbatis the woods, to place obstructions in the road, and to fortify himselt to this party I added two field pieces. In advance of that position was Lieutenant• Colonel Appling, with 110 riflemen, watching the movements of the enemy, and procuring intelligence. 66 It was ascertained, that before day-light on the 6th, the enemy would advance in two columns. on the two roads before mentioned, dividing at Sempson's, a little below Chazy village. The column on the Beekman town road proceeded most rapidly ; the militia skirmished with his advanced parties, and, except a few brave men, fell back most precipitately in the greatest disorder, notwithstanding the British troops did not deign to fire on them, except by their Bankers and advanced patroles. 66 The night previous, I ordered Major Wool to advance with a detachment of 250 men to support the militia, and set them an example of firmness.— Also Captain Leonard, of the light artillery, was di rected to proceed with two pieces to be On the ground before day; yet he did not make his appearance until eight o'clock, when the enemy had approached within two miles of the village. With ' his conduct, there fore, I am not well pleased. Major Wool, with his party, disputed the road with great obstinacy, but \!he militia could not be prevailed nn to stand, not withstanding the exertions of their General and Staff C'fficers ; although the fields were divided by strong stone walls, and they were told that the enemy could not possibly cut them off. The state dragoons of New York wear red coats, and they being on the heights to watch the enemy, gave constant alarm to Olt: militia, who mistook 'them for the enemy, and fused his getting in their rear. 46 Finding the enemy's columns had penetrated within a mile of Plattsburgh, I dispatched my Aide de-Camp, Lieutenant Root, to bring off the detach ment at Dead Creek, and to inform Lieutenant-Co. lane' Appling that I wished him to fall on the enemy's riglit flank. The Colonel fortunately arrived just in time to save his retreat, and to fall in with the head of a column debauching from the woods. I-lere he poured in a destructive fire from his riflemen 4 rest, and continued to annoy the enemy until he formed a junction with Major Wool. The field-pieces Sid con siderable execution among the enemy's cnljmns. So undaunted, however, was the enemy, that he nev tr deployed in his whole march, always pressing on i cohtmo. Finding that every toad was fall dE trool. crowding on us on all sid es , I ordered the 6eld-piecr. to retire across the bridge and form battery for it protection, and to cover the retreat of dae infantri, `which was accordingly done, and the pa r t ies of Ap . pling and Wool, as well as chat of Sproul, retin a l alternately, keeping up a brisk &re 144 they go: under cover of the works. 44 The enemy's light troops occupied the hoeus near the bridge, and kept up a constant firing hot; the windows and balconies, aryl annoyed .ds much. I ordered them to be driven ont with hot shot, soon put the hou.es in Hones, and obliged thew sharp-shooters to retire. The whole day, until it was too late to see, the enemy's light troops endeavoured to drive our guards from. the bridge, but they suffer,: dearly for their perseverance. An attempt was wade to cross the upper bridge, where the militia i,a,. handsomely drove tloem back. 44 The column which marched by the Lake road was much impeded by the obstructions, and the re . moral of the bridges at. Dead Creek, and, as it passed the creek and beach, the gallies kept up a lively arc galling fire. 44 Our uoops being now all on tle south side o: the Saranac, I directed the planks to be takea off the bridges and piled up in the form of breast-works to cover 'our parties intended for disputing the passage, whicti afterwards enabled us to hold the bridges aga.Mst very superior numbers. u From the 7th to the 14th, the enemy was ens coloyed in getting on his battering train, and erecting his batteries and approaches, and constantly skirmi.h. ing at the bridges and fords. By this time the mill. tia of Ncw York, and the volunteers of Vermont were pouring in from all quarters. I advised General Mooers to keep his force along the Saranac to pre. vent the enemy's crossing the river and to send a strong body in his rear to harass him day and night, and keep him in continual :.farm. 44 The militia behaved with great spirit after the first day, and the volunteers of Vermont were es ceedingly serviceable. Our regular trolps, notwith. standing the constant skirmishing, and repeated en deavours of the enemy to cross the giver, kept at their work day and night strengthening the defences, and evinced a determination to hold out to the last extremity. 64 It V; as reported that the enemy only waited the arrival of his fl ailla to make a general attack. About eight in the evening of the 11th, as was expected, the flotilla appeared in sight round Cumberland Head, and at nine bore down and engaged at anchor in the, Bay off the town. At the same instant the batteries were opened on us, and continued throwing bomb. shells, sharpnells, balis, and Congreve rockets, until sun -set, when the bombardment ceased, every battery of the enemy being silenced by the superiority of our fire. The naval engagement lasted but two hours in full view of both armies. Three efforts were made by the enemy to pass the river at the commencement of the cannonade and bombardment, with a view of assaulting the works, and had prepared for that One an immense number of scaling ladders. One attempt to cross was made at the village bridge, ano ther at the tipper bridge, and a third at a ford about three miles from the works. At the two first he was , repul-ed by the regulars—at the bird by the brava volunteers and militia, where he suffered severely in killed, wounded and prisoners : a considerable body baying crossed the stream, but were either killed. taken or Driven back. The woods at this place were very favourable to the operations of the militia. whole company of th... 76th regiment was here de, strayed, the three Lieutenants and twenty-seven men prisoners, the Captain and the rest killed. 44 I cannot forego the pleasure of here stating the gallant conduct of Captain IstGlassin, of the 15th regiment, who was ordered to ford the river, and at tack a party constructing a battery on the right of the enemy's line, within five hundred yards of Fort Brown, which he handsomely executed at midnight with 50 men ; drove off the working party, consist. ingot one hundred and fifty. and defeated a coverieg party of the same number—killing one officer aal :six men in the charge and wounding many. " At dusk the enemy withdrew his artillery from the batteries, and raised the siege ; and at nine, ue der cover of the night, sent off, in a great hurry, all, the baggage he could find transport for. and also ha artilles y. At two the next morning the whole army precipitately retreated, leaving the sick and wounded to our generosity—and the Governor left a note with a surgeon, requesting the humane attentron of th: Commanding General. 4 . Vast quantities of provision were left behind and destroyed, also an immense quantity of bomb-shells, cannon-balls, grape-shot, ammunition, flints, :tc.lo. trenching tools of all sorts, also tents and marquees. A great deal has been found concealed in ponds and creeks, and buried in the ground, and a vast quantity carried off by the inhaoitants. Such was the preci pitance of his retreat, that he arrived at Cttazy, a dis tance cf eight miles, before we discovered he hail gone. The light troops, volunteers, and militia, pur sued immediately on learning of his flight, and some . of the mounted men made prisoners five di agoons ot the 19th regiment, and several others of the rear guard. A continual fall of rain and a violent storm prevented further pursuit. Upwards of three hundred deserters have come in, and many arc hourly arriving. 46 We have buried the British officers of the army and navy, with the honours of war, and shewn every' attention and kindness to those who have fallen lute our hands. 44 The conduct of the officers, non-commissictia officers, and soldiers of my command, during th: trying occasion cannot be represented in too hit's terms, and I feel it my duty to recommend to de particular notice of Government, Lieutenant-Color 3 App,ing of the Ist Rifle corps, Majur Wool of I 1 29th, Major Totten or the corps of eligineers, Caro Brook - sof the artillery, Captain M.Glasen of the 15rnt . Lieutenants de. Russy and 'nese t: ot the c-rps d engineers, Lieutenants Smyth, Mounriord, and Corn well of the artillery ; also my Aid-de-Camp, Lieute nant Root, who have all distinguished themselves by their uncommon zeal and activity, and have berg greatly instrumental in producing the happy 4. 1 glorious result of the siege. " 1 nave the i:puour to be, with sentiments of pm found respect, Sir, your most obedient humbi. servant, (Signed) 4 ! ALEX. MACO)I S ° 44 The loss of the enemy in killed, *Condole Pri soners, and deserters, since his first appearana t cal 1 2 0: , fall short of two thousand five hundred."