The National Register. — London, England, 1811-03-03 00:00:00

-. - 134 • ..."• . w•........ • , THE NATIONAL REGISTER iMPERIAL PARLIAMENT, . . HOUSE OP LORDS. ; , , • lki P. , 1 , r....._ .. • MONDAY, Fee. 4..5._ • • On the motion of Lord Grenville, the, Revenue Laws' Amendment Bill was. read a • second time, and ordered to be referred to' the Committee on the Revenue Laws. On. the motion of Lord keedesdale, the Bill for the Relief of Insolvent Debtors, was read a second time, and ordered to be committed on the sth of March.—Adjoumed to Thursday. •••••• • • THURSDAY, FEB. es. The Ilia for ascertaining the Population of the United King dom was read a first time.. Lord HOLLAND said he felt it imperiously his duty- to call their Lordships attention to a case of singular calamity and .wretchedness, which terminated fatally in a case of an unhappy ,•: rhatt - centintd for debt in January last, and which was a pro .x‘tineteeinstance of the wretched state, in somepoints of view, of his. Mejney's prisons in.:ehis kingdom. I-le alluded to the vardiet of. a,Coroner's Jury .in January last, on the body .of a persondeceased in the Marsbalsea prison, and who was stated to have died-from, want. The particulars of. this case were pe culiarlyaiiiictit}g. The unfortunate individual was immured in t 1 a MarehiVide 'Prison in November last, for a debt of only' sever: pounds. It appeared that. he was in the greatest distress, and trad'no other means of subsistence than the charity of his , unhappy fellow-sufferers in the same prison. lie was reduced even to gnaw - the bones which were thrown into the yard ; lie had 'neither bed net - clothing.; the Miserable room which be in hahited'had no window ; and when Jury viewed the body ' it wa's in • a state which it was impossible to desetibe. The Oortiner's Jury had actually returned a verdict of—" starved to death;"ei-htte.' upon reconsideration,. they.. Iluelly returned the =ideated - verdict of 4 letlieVe tleat the decea.seci's deetli*as tended by wane' of - food 'and ncitliing, and of prOper attention in his illness." The facts which he stated could be • proved in !evidence if thought necessary, at their. Lorile4ips' bar. Two shilling , it was tree, W . C!ee found in his p.ocleetee het the money se:foun t d was conveyed there atter his death ;. or if before, it was so near his end that it t ante too late, to do hine any good. His Lordship then made' a number of appropriate remarks on the wretched case he bad just • narrated, and con cluded with moving, that a copy cif the. proceedings before the - Coroners Inquest be laid before the Honse.—Orderedee . , and altheugh many rumours were afloat upon this subject, the people turned a deaf ear to the tale, ina . npt until, the malady .was proved beyond a doubt could they lie inclnefill to believe it. The moment it was announCed by the auttidtity 'of 'the Lord Chancellor, however, th3t his Majesty was resto.red.to his men., tal health, and that he - Would shortly be able to testnite',the ex• ercise of his Royal Function, both Houses of Patliartient evin• ced such delicacy, that they instantly stopped the measure; which they were. proceeding to adopt, and, wailed with anxiety for the arrival of that happy moment, which created a Semis ment.of extacy from one end of the kingdom to.the other, and on the assurance of whiclievery eye ' glistened with joy. From that time, tWelVe years elapsed before any return of the disorder was observeable, and In 1801 his. Majesty .was again announced by the Physicians, in official Bulletins, to be indisposed. These Bulletins, however, were couched in terms so ambiguous, that had it not been for the former illness of his Majesty, no person Could have supposed that there was any thing in the King's malady which could make him Incapable of exercising his Royal, Authority, It was now well understood, however, that during that illness, the first account of which was received on the 21st of Febrhary, hii Majesty was not in a sound state of mind; a;-, •to use the words of the Physicians, “his jadgMent was in eclipse." Nevertheless, two days afterwards,' namely, on the. 24th of February, a Commission was signed by the King.—At the period of 1801, a very remarkable political event occurred : Mr. Pitt thought it necessary to resign into his Majesty's handi those Seals which. he had, for so may years; the 'charge of, and which were subsequently delivercdto a Right Hon. Gentleman, then a Member of that House, but since made a Viscount, and called up to:x6e Lords. It was not, however, till the 11th of March that Mr. Addington took his seat as first Lord of the Treasury, and Chancellor of the Exchequer, at Which time also the Bulletin of his Majesty's health ceased to be publlshed, from which circumstance it was meant to be inferred, that the King had recovered ; when it ths•perfectly well known that his Ma jesty was .not SO recovered, and afterwards had a serious relapse, during which the Royal' Authority was • exercised, although it ; could not have the sanction of the King, syho was not of sound mind. On thel4th of February, 1804, the King was again taken ill,.and on the 15th. his illness was published •in a Billed() frc the Physicians. On this occasion, too, was the delicady and fOr bearanceofthe HOuSe again observable, except in one instance, wherd an Hon. Gentleman signified his intention of making a.• motion upon the subject, when a R ighz . Hon. Gentleman depre cated any inquiry . , and Mr."Pftt•said,• Minister, would give no- : tice of any material change of his Majesty's health: Froth that time it was taken or granted the - King was well. The .Bulletins ceased on the 22d of March. So that Altholfgh the people were to understand from the publication of theliulletins having ceased his. Majesty was perfectly well, yet he was rot declared welt enough to take his scat in Council till sheAptil.. With regard to 1801—that was gone by, and he ( WalfV - . . Inbreed) did not think it necessary to carry theitilaniry so Par But when he foundnd in an *A ct for the appointment - of the.lt t, 7. person named es the civil adviser of the Queen,"whO, in mill,. wa9 - the Lati:l, High Chancellor of England, who in 1444 was in,the fame office, and who was still in that high situation ;"where' be %asy Litird Sidraouth in the Upper Ficnise, a Right lion. Gentkrnan i • • opposite to him (Mr. Yorke,) and a Noble Lord under'thel,al lery(Lord Castlereagh.) within the reach'cif those LAWS er4artit which they had offended, he trttsted the House would put!Pra in•a situation to prove his assertions,!. rd to gie'theisi. in °nor tunity cstivinclicatir4 their Coricttret. Whatever triune tnightte ;imputable to theSecrethry hi' the' Admiralty, :-.ltl the Ntble 'Lord to whom he alluded, would tat;itte out in the inquiry ; but with respect to Lord Eldon and laord Sidirtoutii 'be - Was pre- Oared to prove, that Whichlie s as 'now prepared to assert.--. On the 10th of Mirch' Lord Eritni was striellY questioned is kkqat. state Flia, Majesty wai,..i thl that irigeitiPtss Lord, by a .figure pretty common with him, applied his *hand to his lita.-., hnd declared on his conscience, which 'that -Noble Lord, he dassood i vas pretty familiar with his: OsVii• •retponsibility of ituation andof character, and, tool all the protestations hi his. lijc i tsty.'s well-being upon hivaself. ' He would 'call the H(-:.. oaasoto the recollection Of his Majesty, 'on that day havit.4. •beeireMployed to sign certain ‘ ipapers, when, to speak in the words:of an intelligent gentlensan, his indgMent was' under the darkness bf an eclipse. And it would be further recolletted, thavon the 26th .of March, 'fjord Sidmo'uth came to the House With a message, signed by his Illajelay'S name, and by his atitho rity ;—teen atthat time his Maje sty was struggling through an awful dlstemner,andSwas not'recovered to he seen' by his sub jects in private. He wished that; the Ministers implicated in that most disgraceful businesswo aid wit themsebies in a situa tion to answer to his statements, : tnd dispro;re them should they 'be able. He considered it as ;sow iat material thing that the pub cli should he informed of ap.. the , particulars, . than they might know who they could repese irt tst and 'confidence in. Lord L Liacoll Was employed in the Que Sn's prett , nt Coancil, and again • FRIDAY, MARCII 1. PETITION POR A DIVORCE. • Lord EltsKuvE preseuted a petition from a Lady, whoa ' maiden name . . was Palmer, but who • intertnarried sortie yea+s • ago with a per,,on of the vame cf Thornits Reid.. The prayer of the petition scklicited for leave for a. Bill tote'bronglit in for the " purpose of dissolving .the. said marriage. It stated the .incin tatency, adultery, angl.• cruelty of the husband,' and set forth thton comeque.nee of a suit instituted aggitist him in the Con historial Court, a.. divor c e a ine)isa et flora was obtained', and aihnony allowed her ;. but:that he .1111Ong 'since ceased to pay the aliinolq, and she tiow resides with Tier fatliir. Ordered the t.1?1e.-1-Adjourned. ROUSE OP eOMII4ON. ,)... • ; • -.'• 111dunAv, Fes. Sr. • • • 3ut4CrloN CANAL,, • • Mr. La : 9 ! s moved the second • reading of the Western .C.r3nd . Ataiva.lon . • : • • ' • ' . 011 the Motion beipg read from the Chair, Sir W. SCOTT, and many other 11.1ernbers, opposed the Bill, and ono -division 444,1 g, piaci:, dap ; Bill was -thrown °tit . s -I VY a majolity pi 10. • • •• • ' CI7IAAGE . , Mt isisTs. or iiis '.4r.isTv IN *lBO4. • • tire.:ll . *FiwrsittAn stis'e,. , in consequence •of *the motion, of d gave notiee.aifew days *singe to caltthoottention Of the cc to 4.rnatter . a : the tinto4t itriportdnee-- lithe people of'' 7.4lintrtook. pleasure in the health of their . So‘icreign, and )nourned.Ovei his sickness,.they.boidat luaita right to be assured that no foul trick had been played, by. his Majesty's Ministers, either towards himself or his subjects.. If he (Mr.' Whitbtead) was a b le to chew that the King had not had fair play, he trusted the ~f the House would be roused, and that they together wit . A.` • j would Call for inquiry ; and if the 114rase would agree toUtsreliminary motion, he would soon bq cm- . bled to prOve this fact. It was well known that the first - cola- ' tasty tcWA, wheat his Majesty was 4fi3icted wasiriiiie year In, V