The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1803-06-03 00:00:00

tered her ports, with whet she deemed contra• band on board. We did the same under our Navi gation Laws, and under oar Hovering Ads. If a ship laden, or even in ballast, having on hoard any aeticle of another country, the import, of which we had prohibited, was liable to seizure and confiscation. Where distress of weather had forced her unavoid able entrance into one of our ports, there the cause would be a sufficient excuse, and if clearly made 'out, would be accepted as sufficient to save her from being condemned. His Lordship, in strong terms, applauded the conduet of his Majesty's Minis ters in the cause of the negotiation, and reprobated the' attacks daily made upon them. He said he knew their ability, their integrity, and their good intention; but-above all hedeprecated the agreeing to the Motion of Adjournment, as the severest and most unjust censure that could be passed, on them. It would be a kind respite, on day-rule as it were, granted to them, in order to send them out into the world loaded with the foulest suspicion, and the heaviest weight of accusation that could be passed upon them. 'I he motions having been once made, he implored the House, in justice and in fairness, to 'decide upon that before they separated ; and under that hope, he said, he must give his negative to the Motion of Adjournment. Lord MELVILLE, in a very animated speech, argued against the adjournment. He was sensible that the objed of the motion, on the part of a Noble Lord of great weight, was the dismissal of his Ma jesty's present Ministers ; but he thought they had concluded themselves in a way to merit the confi dence of the country. From the opinion of the pub lic of the measures of his Majesty's Ministers, and the exertions in consequence of that opinion depend ed at this time perhaps the existence of the country. It was the duty of Parliament to put the country in that state of defence which would ensure its safety, and convince them their representatives were attend ing to their interest, and not scrambling who should become the advisers of the Crown. Our enemies were casting their eyes upon us to see what exertions our armies were making, and what were the objects to Which our fleets were ditteed. It was therefore of the utmost importance that those who were the advisers of public measures, should direct their at tention to what was of real advantage to the public, instead of indulging in political warfare among them selves. It was their duty to prepare the country fof the struggle in which it was likely to be engaged. Those who had inferred the necessity of the removal of his Mesty's Ministers, had not mentioned others who wo tid be more efficient. Was it then meant to say, that during this contest there was to be a cessa tion of the fundions of Government ? Was it cer- tain that their Lordships were agreed as to the persons who ought to succeed the present Ministers, should they be removed ? The noble Lord, after adverting to those topics which have already been the subjeift of much discussion, referred to the in. tetest of this country with regard to the possession of-the Cape of Good Hope. Ile condemned those who bad treated the acquisition of that place with levity ; he considered that it was the result of an un happy fatality ; it had been given out of our hands. It was a most important position both in a naval and commercial point of view, and one which England never ought to suffer to be in the possession of an enemy. We were in a situation in which, by the chance of soar, we were very likely again to obtain possession of it, and he hoped if we did so we should retain it. T-6 via l s ( slanged upon the v itt icrus subjeOs introduced in the course of the debate, he concluded by urging the House not to adjourn the question, but rathet to proceed to business more intimately conne6ted with the security and defence of the kingdom. He deprecated the waste of time in discussions, which had no relation to the real in terests of the country, and which were only eaten lated to impress the common enemy with an idea that we were not atuated by an union of sentiment with regard to the justice and necessity of the war. Lord HOBART rose, and in a firm and manly tone pointed out the great injustice the .muse would manifest in supporting the Motion of Ad journment. Could he on such an occasion be in fluenced by personal motives, he might consent to such a Motion, because he was conscious it would add much to the convenience of the House, as well as to the convenience of Ministers, under the pre sent circumstances of the country.. No such Motions as those moved that day by the Noble Earl were en tertained or brought into discussion, but there was something of higher consequence to be taken into consideration than the personal feelings of himself or any other of his Majesty's servants—the charac ter of the Government existing as it did at pre sent. If the Ministers were to be censured and disgraced under the present circumstances, it would naturally follow, that they ought to be dismissed, or the measures necessary to be pursued for the defence of the country would be enfeebled and rendered inefficient, and of little utility. Considering the ar duous and difficult task that Ministers had to per form ever since they came into office, undoubtedly many of their ads might be highly questionable ; hut so conscious was he, that the more their conduit was examined the more it would be found that every step they had taken had been taken with great anxiety, with great caution, and with a most earnest endeavour te avoid the depriving the country of the eoetinuance of the blessings of peace. So con scious was he of this, and at the same time, that their whole conduit would be scrupulously enqpired into, that whenever enquiry had been talked of and menaced, he had always declared that they wereready to meet it. He had never said he was anxious to court it;but prepared to meet it; now, therefore, mo tions of censure, amcnnting in substance to a desire of the removal of Ministers, if the resolutions were adopted, he earnestly entreated the House not to vote the adjournment proposed, but to go on with tne debate, and decide upon the resolutions, respeft ing which they. had already heard so much this day, ale!, no doubt, would hear much ?mile. With re see4l to what had fallen from the Noble Viscount opposite to him, relative to the Cape of Good Hope, and what had fallen from him respedieg it in a:fur. mer debate, he Mould repeat to the Noble Viscount what he hart said in his absence, that be did not ' think kelf so highly respedinir the value of the Capes as that Noble Viscount did. [The very late hour at which the House roses will not pet net us to pursue the debate farther jai detail ; we can only give a summary of the turn of ., each succeeding Speaker's argument.] Earl SPENCER strenuously supported the =ga metes of Earls Fitzwilliana and Cirlide, is support of the resolutions, and mid, he pt.:frilly sexed with Lord rllenborough and Lord Hobart, in deprecate in the Motion of Adjnortutient. I.ord CARYSFORT'cornplained at some length of the conduEt of Nlinisters in suffering the Isle et Ma to be taken possession of by France. He ended with declaring, that he would support the re solutions moved by his Noble Friend, and oppose the Motion of Adjournment. Lord GRENVILLE, in an elaborate and able speech of great length, went through the whole conduel of Ministers, from the time oftheir signing the Definitive Treaty to the Declaration of his Majesty, prececind by the Message of the Bth of March. He laid great stress upon the unconstitu tional condnet of the King's servants, in having withheld all information of the state of affairs in respect to the foreign relations in which the Crown stood ever since the ratification of the Definitive Treaty, and contended that it was plain, from the dates of the several papers on the table, that the greater part of the grievances stated to the declaration occurred, and must have been known to Ministers before that declaration was ratified, or before the rising of the last Parliament or the pre sent ; and that- therefore it was evident that Minis ters had been guilty of a gross violation of the Con stitution, in not having, conformably to the praCtice of all times, put into his Majesty's Speech, either at the end of the lest or in his speech at the commencement of the present, a communication to Parliament of the injurious, oppressive, and insulting conditet of the First Consul of rance towards this country. Hu referred to the precedents to be found in thereigns of King William, Queen Anne, and in more modern speeches from the I hroee, in which were every information relative to the proha bility of approaching war. His Lordship's speech embraced a variety of important topics, all bearing upon the question, and supporting, in. his'contem plation, the resolutions moved by his Noble Friend. The LORD CHANCELLOR left the Woolsack, and began a speech of great length with reminding the anise. of the tendency of his argument, when the Definitive Treaty was discussed. He had taken the p. the delivered at Lisle as the ground of . justi. Eying the peace Ministers had obtained ; and though he had never held it out as so satisfaCtory and ad vantageouS a peace as the country had a right to wish for, but declared, that under the circumstances of the country, a peace as good as they could ob tain and he owned he had hoped that it might have proved a safe and a permanent peace. With regard to the charge against Ministers on theground of unconstitutional conduit, in not putting Into his Majesty's speeches the information contended for by the Noble Lords who supported the re solutions, he maintained that Ministers were, by the Constitution, to exercise their discretions, whe ther it was thought by them proper to do so or not, according to the situation of affairs then under negotiation ; and he believed, the speech of his Majesty to Parliament, at the time of the Russian armament,- and at the commencement of the late war, contained no such information. His Lord ship added a great deal more argument in defence of the conduit that he in common with :the rest {)i his Majesty's Ministers had followed, and anxiously deprecated . the agreeing to the Motion of Adjourn ment, as the greatest injustice, and the most inju rious of all censures tiro could be passed on the King's servants. Lord MULGRAVE and Lord GRENVILLF. severally explained. The Earl of NVARWICK and Lord GRANT LEY said a few words each. The House divided on the Motion of Adjourn ment— Not Contents for the Adjournment, 106 Contents, Majority —BB The previous question was moved on the first re solution_on which the House also divided— Contents Not Contents Majority Lord FITZWILLUM moved that the Lords be summoned on Monday.--Ordeted. Adjourned, at HALT PAST Foua o'clock this morning, till Monday. HOUSE OF COMMONS. THURSDAY, JUNE Q. A Bill was brought in by Sir Francis Bating for the better regulation and further improvement of the Port of London, which was read a first time. The Report of the Convoy Bill was brought up. General GASCOIGNE desired to know whether the Bill was meant to extend to Ireland ; if it did not, it was his intention to move a clause that it should. Mr. VANSUTART .answered that its provisi ons did extend to Ireland. General GASCOIGNE expressed himself per feal v satisfied. The report was agreed to, and the Bill ordered to be read a third time to-morrow. Markham's Divorce Bill was re:ld a third time, and ordered to the Lords. Mr. CANNING said, he rose in pursuance of the notice he had given yesterday to submit a motion to the House, relative to the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, established at Malta. The motive by which he was aatiated in requiring the produaion of the papers he should call for, was the question having been deemed of sufficient magnitude to in volve this Country and France in the horrors of another war. He understood some objeaions were entertained relative to two of the papers for which he intended to move, and that only one out of the three, with respc to which be bad given notice, would be granted by his Majesty's Ministers. He, however, considered it his duty to submit to the House all the motions of which be had given notice, in order that they might appear upon the records of Parliament, and then his Majesty's Ministers might ad with regard to them as they thought proper. The Honourable Member concluded by stating his three motions. His first rnotien was, that an humble address should be presented to his Majesty, requesting that he would be graciously pleased to order Copies of the Memorials delivered from the Inhabitants of Malta, by the Maltese Deputies to his Maj./oars Government, between the • of the PrWimmaties of Peace and the of the De finitive Trusty, relative to the Dispositien of the I. hAbitaras teetirds the Order of St. Joke of Jam- The ,set t 11111001 411111 far Copies of the Non:- tooth Cl Peetitilket/aWidtted by Lord CorheihNil LONDON, FRIDAY, June 3. It is generally supposed, in the best informed cir cles, that France Intends to over-run ail Italy and Germany.—The war with England is to be the pre text for this condua, France being determined to enforce her new do&rine, that those Powers who are not for her are against her.—lt is observable, that in the course of the late discussions, the FIRST CON SUL takes various opportunities to declare his confi dence in Russia and Prussia, while Austria is never mentioned. This evidently slims that he does not con skier the latter a friendly power, or that he affets to regard her as unworthy of his notice. In either view Austria has reason to fear an hostile spirit on the part of the French Government. It is not there fore improbable, but that the French armies, os tensibly destined against Hanover, may contrive to find a pretext for other business more essentially conneaed with the interests of Austria. Mr. TIER HEY'S promotion to the place of Treasurer of the Navy, in the room of Mr. BRAGGE, is said to be only the forerunner of other ehangesin Administra tion. It is said, that Lord CASTLEREAGH and Mr. STeetA are going out. We have not heard who are to be their successors. 4.-16.---... --...-4 Yesterday morning his Maras r v and the Duke of Cumseataso, attended by General GWYNNE, rode tc) Kew. In the evening their Wittily . bad o! concert and a select party. The intended marriage bet..veen. the Duke of BEDIFORDandLayIy GzaRGINA GGEDoll,llexpeacd to take place on Friday RE 'apigl4t, m i s Our Plymouth Letter informs that seve e4 ca prase4 French and d e tain arch ships. were wockiNg iato tbe 14sg wlip t Oosoo his letter. ' ._::1 LAW tari" ELLIGENCE. COURT OF ? NG'S ~ B,ENCff, WerrsitirsTEß, JUNE 2. Silt*, before Lord ~,itttraeoaotiott and a Staid jury. A RIF V. orcnev. This was an inquiry executed before the Lord Chief Justice to assess damages. The Plaintiff, who is the keeper of the Cold Bath-fields Prison, brought the a4ion to recover a compensation for a slander ous and libellous report, made by the Defendant, to the injury of his charilter, namely. that he was a murderer, and had killed two persons named Sheene and Johnson, who had been placed under hi keeping in the prison, by starving them to death. Judgment had been suffered to go by default, and the question now at issue was, what damages the Plaintiff was entitled to? Mr. GA a Row, as Counsel for Aris, stated to the Jury the high sense he entertained of the enormity of the offence committed by the Defendant, who had not only injured the Plaintiff in his charaiter, but had rendered him criminal in the eyes of the law, and subjeCt to an arraignment for murder. The report which had been propagated was in itself of so horrid a form, that the bare imputation of the same was sufficient to occasion all who heard it to revolt from the unfortunate objets of malice with all that disgust which they could not avoid feeling. By the died of the expressions alluded to, which had been uttered (as it would be proved by evidence) without the least foundation whatever, the life of the Plaintiff WAS endangered, the minds of the public wereworked u pon to a degree ofresentment,whic h appeared likely to occasion the entire des t rat ion oftb epr ison ; and,if such an attempt had been made, the first victim of unre strained fury would have been the unhappy objets of this malicious libel. He had also suffered in the opinion of those who had reposed confidence in him in the execution of his office, was liable to have lost his situation, and to have experienced more evils than it was possible to enumerate. Under such cir cumstances, it was only considerable damages that could atone ; and he trusted the Jury would fael for the sufferings of the Plaintiff, and afford ade quate compensation. The evidence adduced went to prove, that the two men, who were reported to hare been starved to death, James Johnson and Sheene, died by the visi tation of God. It appeared by the evidence or T. Shelton, Esq. Coroner for London, that an i,squest, composed of six of the prisoners bPlonging to the prison, and six tradesmen, were summoned, and, in the presence of the Plaintiff, a minute investigatioq took place, relative to the occasion of th.ir deaths. Dr. Roberts, and several surgeons, who attended at the examination, observed no appearance to be lieve otherwise than they died by the visitation of God. A person, named Stamford, stated, that he met the Defendant, after the inquest had taken place, and, in a discourse upon that subjeft, the hirer said. " the two men were murdered, and he could have brought evidence to prove the fgt. if Mr. Shelton, the Loroner, had permitted him." Mr. Stamford told him, that e hatever passed between them a: that time would not go any further ; but he advie, ed the Defendant not to speak of Mr.. Shelton in the way he did, as that gentleman would certainly take notice of it; he, however persisted in saying the men were murdered, and that the Plaintiff had killed many others. Jane Sheene, who was the Acifc of Sheene that died, said she had known, that he had beer: subjed to tits for long time previous to his death, and the apothecary, who attended the prison, stated his death to have taken place in consequence. Mr. F.PRICINP. said, that many injuries had been stated by his Learned Friend, which the Plaintiff had not met with the Defendant had made an in,. jurious operation ; but at the time the expressions were used, the Defendant was perauailed he was speaking the troth : it, however, had terned out to be otherwise, and the Plaintiff was legally entitled to damages ; but before the Jury determined upon the extent of mil damages, they would consider what injury had actually been sustained. The'Plein. tiff had not suffered any of the losses alluded to by Mr. Garrow ; he had not been brought to a trial, he had not been deprived of his office ; all that had' occurred to him was, the imputation of a crime which he certainly had not been guilty of. The poverty of the Defendant rendered it improblhle to suppose he would be capable of paying great da, magcs ; and the Jury would see, from the lowness of his dircumstancec, that daraages, however small, would prove to him a punishment adequate to his offence. The Learned Counsel, theteeme, left it with them, trusting that they would consider that they had to decide upon the real losses which the Plaintiff had suffered, and not the imaginary ones Lord Eeexeeoitocou observed, that use Plaintiff had been placed in a situation of terror and alarm, in consequence of the report which had been circu lated by the Defendant. His life had also bcea in a state of danger, as he was liable to he indided for murder, in which case, if the crime had been proved against him, he would have suffered death. He must have expetienced, in conseqnerce of the assertions to his prejudice, the greatest anxiety, from the uncertain knowledge of what might be the event. His Lordship summed up the evidence, and stated, that there had not appeared any grounds on which the Defendant appeared to be justified in making use of the expressions which were the sub jet of the present inquiry. The persons who were stated to have been murdered, were proved by the evidence of the Coroner to have died by the visita tion of God. It was, therefore, obvious, that an injury had been done to the Plaintiff, for which the Jury 'alone could compensate, by giving such dam ages as they might consider just and satisfactory. The Jury, after a short deliberation, gave their verdid for the Plaintiff.—Damages 700 L HENUTT V sil IP LEY. This was an adion upon the statute of bribery, to recover the penalty of 5001. for bribery, during an elettion for the city of Durham. Mr. ERSKINE said, that above all other statutes, that on which this action was brought had a minor consideration, as it wet intended to preserve to the Constitution the happiness of free representation, and the true voice of the people in the British Par ! . Lament. The circumstances of the case, he ob. served, were as follows : During the late election ft& the City of Durham, Michael Angelo Taylor, Esq. of that city, became an eleetor, and was strange' lz ee stj en ported by the interest of the gentlemen and reddidg in the city, the whole of whom, with Henry VdaTeMpest's family, were determined to usf their e9ditavpurs to clad him, as he had been so • et , J • • •". I ... I . . -..... .- t 1 10 1 . . 4 "•• .. ~, • 4 : AI I' 1 . Tf: , V : .1' to the said Order , and signed by his Lordship and Citizen Joseph Bonaparte. The next motion was for a OW,' of the NM. de livered by the French Plenipotentiary from the Maltese Inhabitants, fot the same object. Lord HAWKESBUBY said, he should most cer tainly object to the two latter motions, principally beCause they were not entitled to be called official documents. The next ground of objedion was, that they appeared to be Wholly superfluous ; fbr the first motion, which it was not his intention to resist, contained as much information as could be collected from the other two. Nothing farther passed. The first motion was carried, but the two last were negatived. Mr. CANNING moved, that there should be laid before the HouseAnAccount of the Date of the Or der issued for sending Citizen Chepy, a Commercial Agent of France, out of Guernsey. He observed, that a return was on the table, without any note an nexed : the object of the present motion was to re medy that defed. The motion was agreed to. Mr. SHERIDAN moved, that the Lists of the Voters ohjeded to by Mr. itlainwaring and Sir Frances Burdett, the Candidates for Middlesex, should be delivered to the respeaive parties on or before the 30th day-of June instant. Mr. BRAGGE opposed this motion. He said it could not answer any purpose to either party, but rather tend to create expence and troublc. Mr. FOX was of opinion, that it would have pre cisely a contrary effect, and save expence and trou ble. if the time was extended for examining into the validity of the votes, the more advantageous it would be to the parties. The ATTORNEY GF.N ERA L agreed with Mr. Fox, that it would be desirable that time should be given ; but he thought it would be unparliamen tary to hare so long a period intervene. It was agreed that the Lists should be delivered on or before the Ist of November next, and a mo tion to that effect was agreed to. The House went into a Committee on the Ship Burning Bill. Mr. CORRY said, he wished to recommend, on all occasions, the principle of assimilating the laws of the United Kingdom ; but in this instance them were Ads of the Irish Parliament that rendered it inconvenient to extend the provisions of this Bill to Ireland : lie should however move for leave to bring in a separate Bill to that effes<l. The House resumed, and the report was ordered to he received to-morrow. Mr. CORRY gave notice, that he should, on an early day, move for leave to bring in a Bill for the application of a similar law with regard to Ireland. The Bill to settle Disputes between the Masters in the Cotton Manufatiory and their Servants in England, was read a first time, and, upon the mo tion of Mr. Rose, ordered to be read a second time on Wednesday next. The Report of the Committee on the Assessed Taxer, Consolidation Bill, was brought up, agreed to, and a Bill ordered upon the resolutions. The Report of the Committee of Supply wa; also brought up, the revalution agreed to, and a Bill or dered to he brought in. The Medicine Duty Bill was read a second time, and, at the instance of Mr. Alderman Coombe, committed for this day se'nnight, and in the mean time ordered to be Fainted. AnAccount was presented of the Quantity of Spi rits imported into England and Scotland within a certain period. The other Orders of the Day were deferred,and the House adjourned till to-morrow. THE BRITISH PRESS. .r. • .. , 1 ~t.ai BY COMMAND OF THOR MAjESTIEs. THEATRE-R01" AL, HArmARKE7'. THIS EVENING will be presented the Comedy US THE BIRTH DAY. Captain Bertram, Mr. Wiser; Jack Junk, Mr. Hatton ; Harry Bertram, Mr. 1. Palmlr. Mrs. Mural, Mrs. Ward; Ann, Mrs. Kendall; Emma, Mrs. Gibbs. After which the Bailer of OBI; 04 THREE-FINGERED JACK. To which will be added, Mss. WIGGINS. To-morrow, Inkle and talc°. . .