The Statesman. — London, England, 1819-06-25 00:00:00

this 'tamp,. would probably i'ot.tat and disappoint the views of us sun•n.s; a , lfluog at the ism time, that if necessars, the C •mpany were prepared is sue . . mein force in the prosecotiun of their objects. H. hid in hi, hind •nether important document writtau hr Mr. Robert Henry, •nd d.t.d •t Fort Willis's. $llOO.l. COI. 541111'11 were about to proceed to the RN! !Lim. 'Io it had tattiness, end that if he smeld 4ure•lrt it. be nimbi loose an rascally cavalry. —(d laugh ) I he intention of storming the settle- . - tarot was donnsocr,l. eud its wool destruction fol iose!. In the letter of another agent of the Gam: pony. Arch. Moelellan. it was obs•rred that they had mane iron poll against the eottleinent, and most marcrod. if they renewed the poll all together. When •II the elreornstancw4 were taken into eon- stoleratton, Ae thosght the lines, woold epee with biro in regarding rho death of Mr. Sample and his enoopenions as a foal and premeditated murder. The Petitioner, Pritchard, was not so (animate as some some of the others; he was separated from his wife, and sent as a prinner to Fort William, whither also a great part of the property taken from Om Red River Company was Jed. When the settlement was destro) ed, Lord Selkirk was at Montreal; Dad on hearing that an attack was meditated, be prevailed ea a hundred men to accompany him for the purpose of protect's& the settler.. His intention was to p by the nearest read, which would not have brought 'scar Fort William; bet before he had proceeded s ) , be receiver! intelligence that the settlemeat was destroyed, that • west part of the properly bad been token to Fort William, and that many of the fellers were there. He accordingly went thither himself, and haviog had a conversation with Mr. Pritchard, and ascertained that this was a fool con spiracy on the part of the North West Company, he elevated that authority with which, as a Magistrate, he conceived he was invested. Wlrat Lord Selkirk did tit:o miles from the place, and many months after the time of this outrage, was an easteiry into which he would not enter at present, nor would be follow those who might be disposed to enter into that flotation. — lie hoped the Secretary for the Colonial Deportment would state why some of the parties bad not been broughtro thb couture, trial. If it seas too arecisto es peel that they should be bresabt ever to this country to Ire tried, why bad sot a Cometissiou been sent not to America to try them, as had bees demo before to Scotland ? The first objection which he had to the proceedings no this trial was the great delay which bad taken ;Aare. Although all the witsessee bad been broacht upwards of MOO miles at Lord Selkirk's espence, and were supported at his ezpence while they remained et Quebec, yet the trial had been pet off repeatedly from Term to Term. His seat objec• tion to this case being triad in America was, that all trials in Lower Canada mast commence at Qtrebec, while there that the trial should take place et Minoru!: for Me greater rut of the witnesses speaking the French lan. sesgeonly, it merest desirable that the trial should come on where that language w as generally understood. There was another point which be thought it mate rial to mention. The Counsel forth@ Crown, accord. log to the praitice of these Covets, would ant allow any person, however interested is the trial, to inter fere in any manner ; itey wield net permit the Counsel fee Lord Selkirk to pet a sink roestion to the witnassee. What would be the feelieg wiled such perces thug in this comity? He mode an application to the °oversaw General on the sob feet, bet to so effect. Sr J. Sherhreke, in the an., ewer which he returned to Ibis application, said, that as it was testiest, for the Crown Officers to use. duet every trial, alley could not snow Lied Selkirk's Counsel to iamelleee, without Me (Sir J. fibuttreke t s) perrnissiors, and be did eat think himself celled es to allow a deviation from tire usual practice. The resell was, es might have been reputed coder SINAI a sys. tern, that the greatest of **criminals were acquitted. Among these was out Cothbert Groot, the principal incendiary, and aesesal odours, of whose wilt somas entertained a doubt. These permee were afterwards carried op into tbe country, for the puppet, no doubt, of giving a coigne of truth to that infamies doctrine which it wag attempted to impair in the natives, that the North West Company had power to screen any one from peeisberent. Guru Campbell, soother of them whose case was so had that be could not be bail. ell, had nevertheless got out of poison on a certi ficate of had health, Merged by the jailer! If the conduct of the Crows Officers towards the North West Company was celpable, still more onjestifiable was the manner in which they acted against the settlers. They included the Petitioner in the indict. meat, for no other purpose, he firmly believed, than to prevent him from appearing as a witness on the trial. There was one part of the conduct of the Attnrney.General for the Colonial Government which particularly demanded investigation. When the indictment was brought before the Grand Jury, he Insisted that he shield remain with them during the rumination of the witnesses; and be actually was closeted with the Grand Jery doting three days. Now, what be (Sir J. Montgomery) wanted to ascer tain was, whether this conduct was justifiable— whether it was allowable in this country for the At. torney•Geuersl to be closeted with a Grand Jary. It should also be recollected, that at the time be did this, he was retained as Counsel for the North West Company. What inference was to be drawn from such cnodset, bet that the Comet for the Crown were hostile to lord Selkirk'. plan of colonisation ? He would ask the Secretary for the Colonies, whe ther, in all these proceedings, the Crowe Officers in America had acted agreeably to the instructions eat from this coun.r). On sore of the trials, a nem. ber of pipers were handed to Lord Selkirk, one of which was • copy of a dispatch from the Colonial. office, dated February, 1817, directing • trial to be instituted against Lord Selkirk iruotedistely ; not leaving the conduct of the trial to the diem titre of the Crows Officers in America, but con taining peremptory orders as to the manner in which his Lordship was to be apprehended, and the trial conducted; and should!, enjoinieg them not to allow the prisoner to escape. It was a question whether the office was authorised to send such an order; in his *nine it was not; and it seemed the Jury ,bought so too, for twin they acquitted Lnid Selkirk. lie should, however, take smother oispor• lenity of ascertaining whether or not the order was right. He thought he had mode out a case that would UMW Lint to MOTO fee copies of the die- THE STATESMAN, lid, refused to surrender it. To prove that the cook try was in a state of war, it was sufficient to state, that, is this wee, there was a regular capitelation.— .These facts prose that the outrages which had takes plaqe, bad not arisen from sordesire •f destroying the colony and Mr. Semple. Mr. A. Macdenell did collect half-breeds of Indians, be admitted, bet it was for the protection of provisioes. He hated it notes. airy to collect force solidest to defied their provi sions from Gapelie to the mouth of the Red liver. It was egress misrepresentation to say that these Inds ass were going to attack the colony ; they were only proceeding with provision's. Mr. Macdoeell bad' sent a party of half-breed ladies' with a cart of pro. visions. Governor Semple. &axioms to preserve the, colony, and seam the natural couseqeences of what bad already been dose, in a foolish manage went oat to pursue them, not to attack them.— Ile lamented the result. He admitted that lushes were introduced into Fort William at the same time, bet this was in consequence of the destruction of the posts. That this was ao unnecessary procastioe was evident, since the Noble Lord afterwards made so scruple of seizing at Fort William 70,0001. or 80,0001. of property. Ile stated these facts to show that it lied not been a wanton and unprovoked at. lack. Those whom the Indians met on their way they made prisoners, to prevent their carrying dis torted reports ; an instance of which bad occurred in the ease of Mr. Macgillivray, • half-breed, who aid that they had knocked the Colony on the head.— Lord Selkirk had himself instructed Mr. Henry to bring Indians to prevent the North West Company from trading from Montreal. lie mentioned this in order to show that Lord Selkirk acted for the perposos of trade, end is the very mode of which he complained. The Honourable Member. recol lected to bare heard the Petitioner asked, who bud fired the first shot, end his answer was, " I don't know." Lord Selkirk was, therefore, not the injured party ; es the contrary, he had carried ea ogres. aims somtampled. Lord Selkirk hod been at the time of Governor Semple's death at St. Mary's. Ile immediately proceeded titmice to Fort William, with TOO soldiers, sad arrested ell whom be chose. He ought to have Kenn to York, which was not far from St. Mary's, sad ritualised regular Oillarn to suppress this nest of murderers; bet, so, he went himself, acting as a Magistrate; be arrested all pre sent, many of whom he knew to be innocent, sad sent them away to Montreal, a dielesee of 1500 miles: among them be sent Mr. William Macgilli• vray, as respectable a Greotlestan as any is that Houk, against whom he some afterwards stated any &cessation. The Noble Earl neat seized all pro perty and applied part to his owe use. One indivi. deal he kept there for • special purpose; and by perpetual intoxicative practised epos him, at least his spot did, till be made a transfer to his Lordship of the property seized. This very person, Mackenzie, his dope end his instrument, recovered 15001. of da mages for his Lordship's conduct towards him.— The lion. Member neat made several observations In vindication of the administratioa of justice in Gouda. The Earl of Selkirk bad himself *spooked his con elegies that Mr. Hume (one of the Judges) was sot guilty of a dereictiou of duty. The Attonsey-Go neral of Upper Catede, as wee as he arrived in that country, retuned the retainer a! the North West Company, and refused to act for them. The Noble Earl had been himself appointing robbers, jedges and sheriffs. Mr. Semple was the only esception. Mr. Miles Macdonell bad been the Chief Judge in trying his prisoners. The Hoe. Member here stated, that ke bad seed every means of informing himself upon the subject, bat he had not ransacked private borealis, or used bribery, to obtain confidential commaoka. lions. Lord Selkirk had stood by, while a clerk transcribed for hiss a private letter from the letter• honk. lie had no doubt, however, that the Noble Earl wished the question to be set at rest by a jedi. dal decision. If his Lordship bad the right which he claimed, in God's name let it be awarded to hies. He wished that • wire facies, or a quo warranto, could be lased. There was, he understood, • dels• coley in submitting the rights of the Crown to common Courts of law. lie had himself an action in We.t. minster.ball against Mr. Macdonell ; he did out know whether this question could be decided as con. 'meted with the case, bat he apprebeeded it could not. Ile wished the felkst stater:mot of facts to be given, and was only sorry that the Hon. Bart. who brought forward the motion for the papers, had, be fore they wore produced, made an ex-parte charge. Mr. SCA Iti.F.T r degraded the conduct of the Earl of SAkirk. The Hon. and learned Gentleman, adverting to the charge of Mr. Ellice, that Lord Set. kirk lied occupied the Red River settlement not for colonization bat for trade, declared, that his Lord. ship's motives and views were entirely weeoniseeted with the object stated. Ile (Mr. Soden) wished enquiry, as he was satisfied of the result. Mr. W. SMITH entered into a detailed defence of the condect of Lord Selkirk, and an enumeration Of the advautages which would have resulted frets an unobstructed esteetion of his Lordship's views. Ile likewise road eatrocts to show, that Lord Selkirk's settlement on the Red River was looked spouts sae of colonisation merely. It was politic to vitalize where colonisation was possible, sad better to cold est* plants there to porno wild beasts. Mr. ELLICE eaplaised. Mr. BENNETT called upon the lion. Gentle man opposite to give so answer to the speech of the lion. Baronet, which was one of the most able and argisesentetive that had ever been delivered within the walls of Parliament. Ile tanned that the stigma which had been thrown upon his Moiety's Government would be satisfactorily refuted. M r. GOU LBURN said. it was not for him to argue or to decide, whether the North West Company, or Lord •lelkirli, bad committed the greatest (menses.— Ilk object was to show, that Government had shown ne undue partiality to either of these parties, and that it had not been supine in potting an NA to the es. erne, committed by both. Lord Selkirk did com municate to Government his intention of establish. ing a eettlernent in the interior of North Ameri ca ; but in that Intimation, there was nothing to show that it was inteoded to alter the usual coons of things in that part of the world; but It was understood that his settlement was to be con. dotted like those which he had previously este. Wished in the islands of the Gulph of St. Laurence. On these grounds Government gate it+ cosiest. lie • • - - ad that Ka i btry force had bent ststionei! in MAID, • who ll deplored loam' I nut bet it was found iniiiiseliostat..— Upes ttf b storming of foils betoeen these pities, the G went of Caned% weed 'eery meows to stop soils proceedings. Lend Selkirk hell resisted the warrant of the Governor of Upper Cans. de, end orders sent Dot to pet him on his trial—a step that coeld not have been avoided without the grossest partiality. But es leech inconvenience would revolt from bringing the witnesses to this country, it was resulted to base the trial at Morarest, and after wards at Que`sec ; end no partiality had been shown to either of the potties by the legal °threes. Sir J. MONTGOMERY replied, and Mr. EL. LICE explabied. The several motions were then carried es amended. TM soucrroa.c ENTERAL obtained less. tit bring in a Bill to amend the Acts respecting the real and personal property of his Majesty. The Heuer, on the sootiest of Mr. WYNN, went into a Committee on the Election Witnesses lode.. city Bill. Mr. MARTIN said. that the object of the Bill was to effect what he had formerly contended should be done in the case of Election Witnesses. He trust ed, however, that the lion. Member would ear press the sus jest further its so thin a Hues.. Mr. WYNN bed no with to peen the &cession, if the lion. Gentleman, or any other Hon. Member, wished it to be postponed. Ile should therefore move that the Chairman report progress, and ask leave to sit again. Th. CHAIRMAN reported progress accordingly, sad obtained leave to sit basin this day. 1111.0 OF 1.1(11A \GI:. Mr. BROGI)EN, in the absents of the lion. Member for Guildford (Mr. Serjeant ()slalom), brought in a Bill for the Isetisss Regulation of Ac alliances of Bills of Elating., which was read a first time. 1.4 iGh OF •'TOCFi Til; Muck SawkYld ?14 CIS j per trot-Re... 13;1 tiojei 3 pez C.lll. per Ceni. 7111 4 per Ceut.&i BM. _ t .tenolt fnr petchts from the prntinciel Goverement in Gene& to lhe Cogerentent in this country ; bet he should I not pies th%t oTtlett at present ; ho tbo•IJ ..tidy hirtgolf with onting.for Copies of ell the Coinunbni. rations seat by the Secretary of !hate fog the Colonial Department, to the preglacial Goierentent its Upper semi Lower C . anode, rospoedog the dosirsedon of the Red River Sediment, and rospretiog dor leg? pro. ceedings Instituted thereon is Upper anduawer Casoad;. The ilow.Datt. after a few other observoiess, concluded by moving that an Address be preseaTod to his (Loyal Highness the Prince itegent, for the pro duction of copies of these communications, and of several other papers connected with the same tries •clinns. Mr. ELLICE socooded theinetion for the prodoc. tion of those papers. The Honourable Baronet had slated the proceedings of Lord Selkirk from the time _ . at which he tiro wria le America up t• the present time. Before the Noble Lord hod entered an this plan of colonization, he (Mr. Ellice) had the honour of being acquainted wide Ms views. The Noble Lord was a considerate. proprietor in the ilodson's Bay Cowpony, and ho meld net help thinking. that if his Lordship's only object was colonization, he should not hare embarked in tied.. Ile was • sitar,. holder in lb. Hudson's Bay Cornpaoy as well as the Honourable Baronet opposi•e; and when the plan of toloolzttion was first proposed, he, at a Inveting of the proprietors entered Ms protest against it. The Honourable ll:meet bad quoted the opinions of . . nest lawyers IN f f • the right which the Com pany had to make the grant of used to Lord Selkirk; be also bad cossetted end applied to ell the eminent lawyers who had not been cossetted by the opposite party, and their opinion wee directly °pp.. site to that which the advisers of the floe. But. bad . given. be opinion of the late Attorney-General, new Chief Baron of F.scheqeer in Scotland, was that Government had no right to grant the land to the flodson's Bay Company, sod consequently that the Company could hate no right to grant it to Lord Selkirk. lie had given entice that he would respect that right. until it was confirmed by the decision of a Court of Law ; and if it was so well.founded as the Honourable Hareem supposed, why bed Not Lord Selkirk appealed to a Coert of Law ? He bad slow Daly stated the objectless which he had t.rged splint the grant to Lord Selkirk long before any of the transactions in gentles bad taken place. It was art possible to *oppose human nature capable of such actioes as the Memorable Baronet bad described, voles, there bad been great preview provocation. The Memorable Baronet had mod several letters velum' by agents of the North West Compaq; he regretted that those let. ten hid been brewed forward, sod particularly est of the letters of an lion. Gentleman; but be would read, In rep'y, a letter written, by the Noble Earl, much earlier than those transactions, to a per. son going to establish a trading post on the Red River. From the statement of the Hon. Baronet ono might have supposed that the Noble !Abed bad not been at all conoected with the proceedings ; but his Lordship thee wrote—" Yoe most give them (the Canadians) solemn warning that the coantry belongs to Ow Hudson's Bay Company, and yes will, so for as you have physical means, prevent them from cultist/ timber or fishing, end treat all who fish with mesas peecbers ; If they resist, they most bear the cons« imams ; bet you are safe oldie yea set in a r - abloom! proper manner:" The House would attend to the rmeammeadatlen to prevent these things, so far as physical mesas permitted. It would be seen how fee these lestryclieas were acted span. In 1811, the colony was for the first tints established. — Hering the lint winter they did prevent the settlers from start*. This impaired from Governor Mae denell's letter. Is the nest season they opposed various ebstreellerns to the for trade. Mr. Cameron, the North West Compsny's agent, foetid it owe« eery le use the best moons of self-defence sit his power. Ile would here mention a particular act of Mr. Miles Macdomil, the Governor of the Co lony. He wrote to Mr. Cameron in these terms:— " Take orifice, I hereby give warning, in the name of the Right Hoe. Thomas Earl of Selkirk, that no provisions are to be carried out of the territory of the Colony."—Another estraordinary step taken by Mr. Miles Maedonell was, to order ill the previ sions to be delivered up to him, while he prohibited any to be token out of the territory. If the Cana dians could not carry provisions with them, they could neither carry on trade that year, nor brine in the supplies of next year. In the winter of 1814, or spring of 1815, Mr. Macdonell sent a company who actually seized 500 begs of wheat, weighing 1 cwt. each. In that post this Petitioner, Pritchard, was the Clerk, end basely allowed the provisions to be seised. Let the Howse see to whet those proceed ings led. Arrangements were made by the North West Company to allow some provisions to be eon veyed up the River. It became evident, ths.t if Lord Selkirk adopted such regulations us had been stated, and could enforce them, their trade was it en end.— Dosing the two succeeding winters verioes conflicts took place. He came now to that unfortunate con flict in which Governor Semple, who wee, be believ ed, all straights sama,aed 17 associates, lost their lives. Such an outrage would not have been committed sin less it had been preceded by a very different series of facts from what the Hon. Bart. bad stated. Ile would now state some of the preceding occerrences. On the 17th of March, 1817, the operations of the Had son's Bly Company for obstructing the trade of the North West Company began. Ile said the Iledsou'a Ray Company, for when the views and interests of the Company end of the Noble Earl were almost inifted, he could make no distinction between them. Mr. Cameron was taken prisoner, end sent down to the Bay. A regular plan was formed, eccording to which a gun-boat was sent to intercept the canoes. There were two posts at the mouth of the ItNl 'tire?, on which the Canadians depended in esrr)ing on their trade. On the 17th of March one of thee. posts was attacked ; all persons found in it were made prisoners, and the provisions were seized. On the 10th the other post was taken, the porter's niggle prisoners, and the provisions seised. — Both posts were burnt and rased to the ground.— Lienteasot Holt, who conducted this affair, wrote an account of his meets to Lord Selkirk, of the 14th of April. and proceeded towards the only ether post be t inging to the North West Company on the Rest Rim - . Mr. Alexander Mactloneell, who command- ATTORN EYS. Mr. BROGDE:4,fur the a.oe nee. Member, breaght in a Bill regelate the adralssioe of Atter aeys.—Read the first time. UOGLING. The CHANCELLOR. of the EXCHEQUER. brought In a Bill for the boner prevention of Smug gling, by rendering foreign (semis containing con- Mahood goods destined for impartation into this country, equally liable to capture as British ships ; nod silo to render it lawful to punish British sob *ls loved on hoard such ',tonic—Road the first lisp: The other Orders of the aty mere then dispowd of, end ibe *loon adjiorned it Ilalfloest Two o'Clock. FitNIVGII P4PhRS. PAM', Juts 2I.—M. Gay Vernon, formerly a Member of the National Cansention, hes been so. 'bodied to return to his Country. Tim 'corn of M. Fells Lkportes is also announced. Muslim JUN& 13 —lt is said that Prince Met. ter/licit is espected about the middle of beat month at the baths of Carlsbad. For a long time the Diplomasis of Europe hawt+ net on the field of battle ; noir they movable at the baths. Will diplomacy take a more srlelscioes cha racter thereby ? Will it be mere soccessfal in !waling the evils of the People and the secret wens& of Go vernment? Hatreseas, Just lf; —The present organiestioa of M-sense Lodges appears to air disquieted* wish the Goverment. If we jedge by what penes at Mussels; the fear of libe►alisme haa worked itself into certain heads, where the calcalasiena of dread have been mistaken for those of prudence. But for what good ? when the Prince Frederick, second sue of the Kinc, is Grand Master of the Order in this kingdom, and th► presemptive heir to the Crown regularly assists at all the meetings. D%V AT O'VE O'CLOCK .• per Cent %n • Iseihm Hood. I dis. Logic Am 171 11.161 Hid. V 1 die. u 5.,.,.. L". THE, STATESMAN. LONDON: MILIDAT. JUICE 25, 1819. Lord Stec Imes establishment on the Red River is said to be increasing in popelstion and prormity.— The subject of Lord Stemma's Traes•Allantic pro cettlinp was also glistened last night in ifle (loosen( Commons, being introduced by Sir J. MONTGIONEItY, who related the proceeding between the two htrk.r log Cowponies, via.:—Hodeetes Bag and the Nei:A West, and qualified the attack of the latter apse Iho agents of the former s by lb, lams of dowarigi.t. murder! GENERAL SUFFRAGE AND ANNUAL PARLIA• ME TS. We adopt the epithet general is prefereoce to mai versal, by which the same thing is understood and does not meet with the same objection. Citifetni cannot be supposed to aver that there should be no exception to the role, as is the case of criminals and idiots : and what in reason can be mnre eatersi, than that a ono, against whole no lateral or fS. does! objection lies, should sot only wish for, bat contrive to obtain, by all the means in his power, the right of choosing his guardian, or rather h;s steward, to watch over big civil rights *latch are t 0 protect his lifeand property ? sod yet a hlisanthrepr, in a Paper of this day, says, " Persons who pro pose the perseit of certain insane ends by means so monstrous as Universal Suffrage and Anneal Par liaments, ought to be restraioed by the power 0 1 6 " law !:" This able, w ise, mad humane or sites, in his woo ducal ratiocination, adds, "that the benevolent gads ,r of 07r 11M21111 has given us social clispot'Co:.., a.,.1