The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1820-02-25 00:00:00

BOROUGH OF BARNSTAPLE. The Earl of Livearoot. presented a Petition from the Mayor and Corporation of the Borntsgi of Barnstaple, praying that the Bill to suspend the Issuing of the writ for the election of Members for Barnstaple, Penryn, Grampound, sod Cimelforil, sn•glit tiot be passed into a law, and that they might be heard by their Counsel at the bar against the Bill. Lord CARNARVON said, the petitioners requested to be heard by Counsel against the Bill, nut only with respect to themselves hut to the other bo. roughs. Their Lordships must see at the present snomeist the inconvenience of hearing Counsel, which would consume the remainder of the Sea. 8 , 91). Their Lordships had an important duty to perform; the four boroughs in question returned eight Members to Parliament ; those boroughs were ruarged with acts of corruption, and their Lord ships would certainly not gyve them the opportu nity, at the approaching election, of repeating those sets. They would respect the vital princi pb• of the constitution which the question involved. .Lord LAUDERDALZ said, that two days since a Petition had been presented to their Lordships by an individual, praying' that Counsel might be heard sit the bar against the present Bill; on that Petition their Lordships made an order. What objection, he would ark, emild thereise togsnunny, the same privilege to the Corporation of Barii,tin:le, whose *esti were so stitch affected The objection that was nrged was, perfectly new to hint. lie had sat im tbAt liollse for a number of years. sad never belied the objection .urged before. • Lwed OROSVENoessid that the case was different bere from a Bill to disfranchise the borongls; hero it ass Doh to • suspend the right for a tome. Tato hearseg of • Counsel Mow would only tongues, their' Lordship" , time without promoting the 'ends of .Inatice. Hi brooder • theirtLerglokipo turetiollact that this' wee waif- earegies attach iavetved the iik -tirtrats-af theitettutey. The 1.0111) CMANCIILLOS said, that the 13111 114 F, BRITISH PRESS. LON DON. MDAY, FEBRVARY 25, 1820. THE TREASONABLE CONSPIRACY. ARREST OF THISTLE WOOD. It is a ►emarkable circumstance that the nation of the Duke De BERRY should have been followed 'So soon by an attempt to perpetrate a crime of the same class, but upon a broader scale, in England. The one probably incited a kindred sod depraved spirit, already p►epared for any act of desperation, to the other. To the hastily collected details which we gave yesterday, we have now to odd a snore psrticular account of the operations on the scene of action, the arrest of THISTLEWOOD, and other circumstances connected with this bu•i. nese, which yesterday threw the town into a state of extreme anxiety and alarm. The communication of this affair was only made, we understand, on Weditesrlsy morning to the Se cretin), of State's Office for the Home Department by the Earl of Ha►rowby, the Lord President or the Council, who, it is said, was stopped by a man when he WJI riding on horseback in St. James's park, who delivered to him a letter, the contents of which were to inform the Noble Earl that a gong of asssa•ins were funned, who were to slaw. shone his Lordship and the rest of the Cabinet Ministers when assembled at his house on the even ing of that day, at the Cabinet dinner which the Noble Earl was to give. The Earl of Harrowby, although he "did not . know the man, stopped to Num to his representations in a.ltliiioss to the con tents of the letter, and afterwards consulted his brother Miuiaters.upon the subject, and the s result of:thrir . .determination io the first !Agee was to protpette the Cabinet dinner, the residence of the itahle - Earl 'ben well calcalaect far mope. GAM. nuor.equare, in which ills situate, Wilt skit a • S wide open space, pith so many streets lesdiug oat of it. The most predeot preemption. were 'token at the office of the Secretary of State for the Home De pliftlitellt, bah 'a to The slam of The sevoorocto • be adopted, as efril as an excellently well regu lated plan for the discovery and apprehension of the parties. The first intimatiou received at the office was put .eves o'clock, wheh it gime made known that a teetain timber of officer., constables, and patroles would be wanted. Elba. who is a con ductor of • party of the patrol, was ordered to leave his division, and to repair to the office with the party of patrol under his direction. They with others, to the Dumber of twelve, includ ing the unfortunate murdered Smithers, who wee taken off the office duty by Ruthven the officer, who was intrusted with the warrant, had no other weapon except his truncheon staff. The expe dition upon which they were intrusted war kept • secret until they started, which was between eight and nine o'clock. The place of rendezvous of the assassins was in Caton-street, John -street, Ed g e. ware-road, where the neighbours had become alarm ' ed by a oumber of strange men assembling in stable, and a loft over it, after dark, and sacks being hung up on the inside of the windows to conceal what was doing within. Lr the course of the day inquiries had beets made, and the result was, that some des perste ma or acts were expected to take place. The Ministers' male servants were armed with pistols, and two officers, or constables, appointed to each residence. The Earl of Harrow by sod Viscount Castlereagh dined with the Earl of Liver pool, and at nine o'clock they went to the Secretary of State's Office for the Home Department, at which time all the Cabinet Ministers assembled, to he in readiness to give directions in cue of any des perate attempt. Mr. Birnie, the Magistrate, was directed by Viscount Sidmouth to be in Caton-street to direct the officers, and to be iu readiness to act in case of emergency. A linty of the Guards, under the commend of Captriu Fitaclarence, was directed to march to Caton-street, to be its readiness to assist the Police, if oecessary ; but, unfoituoutely, they were not clearly directed, as they were at the opposite end of the street when the assassins commenced their mur derous attack upon the officers, and it was only by the discharge of pistols that they found out where the building was, and they then hastened there with all possible speed. In the Brit onset Captain Fits clarence would have been shot dead on the spot, as one of the blood-thirsty villains presented a pistol at him, but the oetkent on duty with him at the instant struck the fellow's arm, whose name is Richard Tidtl, which caused the contents of the pistol to lodge in the serjeant's cap. The officers proceeded to the .tables as they were directed, belonging to Mr. Firth, • cow-keeper, which they found to be regulated similar to a mili tary depot or barracks, two sentinels being at ►he door of the 'tilde, armed with fusils and swords, who misted their admittance without the pass-word, but the officers soon overpowered and secured them ; however, they gave an alarm, and the offi cers heard by the noise in the loft that there were • number up stairs (and there is every retool' to be lieve there were 45), they therefore made their way to the loft with all due speed, proceeding up an upright balder, such as is generally used for a communication between stables and lofts. Ruth ven, the officer, wended first, he was followed by Ellis, who entered the loft the second, and the unfortunate Smithers the third. The villains were armed with blunderbusses, muskets, pistols, Neils pikes, swords, sabres, &c. dressed with belts, and appeared in every respect ready to march upon their murderous attack upon the Cabinet Mi nisters. ltutliven, the officer, informed them that he and his companions were officers, that they had a warrant to apprehend them, and desired them to disarm and sorretider, which they refused to do. —Stilithers, who hail entered the loft third, coura geously stepped forward, mod made himself second, and by this act lost his life : es then Arthur Thistle wood stood forward tra-Caproin of the prig, and thrust a sabre at him, which entered a short distance below his right breast, and the thrust was given with so much violence that the incision which it made was of about three inches long. Smithers exclaimed. " Oh Gad !" staggered and fell, and as he war in theact of falling Ellis, seeing his brother officer butchered, discharged a pistol at Thistle wood, the contents of which missed him, and lodged in the wall. The villainous gang then knocktd out the lights, when it is to be regretted most of the villains moped out of the window, but not by a rope-ladder as reported yesterday. The gang then attacked tne officers most furiously, and their numbers' far 'exceeding what was expected, being two to one against the officers, there is every reason to believe they would have massacred all the police officers, bad it not been for the timely sr rival of the military to their assistance. Ellis re ceived a slight wound antler his right knee. Wil liam Westeute was shot at by Arthur Thistiewood, and afterwards three other shots were fired al him, from all of which ha had a most narrow escape of his life ; three of tire shots passed through the crown of his hat, and the foutth through the•thick pert of his right thumb. Charles Brooks was shot at three times; bat or.l . . me of them hit him, which pissed Arose' hie clothes on his shoulder. John IVright received a stab on his right Ale from a sword or sabre, but owing to his braces being gory thick, the poiot of she deadly weapon cams in contact with them, which saved his life. John Surman (not Salmon, as mentioned yester day) received a serious wound on his head. Mr. Fisher, the Surgeon of the Police, was sent ' for with sii speed, and we ■re happy to say he found none OT the officers' grounds *Moue, except that of John Sermon, whom he remained with till two o'clock yesterday morning. Yesterday at noon, Mr. Fisher attended at the Office, and reported that a ball had struck the temporel bone, obliquely poised under the scalp, about three inches in length, and had come out above his ear. lie entertained great litipes of his recovery. The unfortunate Smithers expired almost in. st.intly after he was stabbed. The first information that was received at Bow street 'Office of the transaction, was the arrival of Mr. Ju.tice Birnie, about ten o'clock, who an nounced the murder of Sinithers, and that he nar rowly escaped with his life, as artful shots had pas.ed close to his head. Nine belonging to the gang were secured, viz.— James Jngs, James Wilson, Richard Brndliiirn, James Gilchrist, Charles Cooper, Richard Tidd, John Monument. John Shale, and William David son. After undergoing an examination before Mr. Birnie, they were committed to the House of Cor rection, Cold Bath-fields, under a military escort. Mr. Birnie having reported to the Cabinet Conn cil the result of the proceedings, and the regretted escape of Thistlewood, Ministers adopted the mo►t vigorous measures for hi' apprehension. Mr. Itu!lrston, the writer of 'flu Ga:elle, was sent for to publish the Proclamation agreed upon, offering 1,0001. reward for his apprehension in an Extraordinary Gazette, which was accordingly done. The Earl of Liverpool sent for the Com mander of the Life Guards no duty, who was call ed up out of bed to hold himself in readiness to act with his gourd, if called upon. 'Viscount Melville sent off two Messengers to dose the ports of Dover and Harwich. Ministers continued sitting till three o'clock yes tindery morning. In addition to the fire-arms, swords, sabres, cut lasses. &c. found in the stable and loft where the conspirators were assembled, there were found up wards of 100 ball cartridges, a great number of new manufactured pikes of three sides, with a worm at the end, and japanned with black—a colour best suited to their dark and black ,surpose. In the place where the conspirators met there were never any choirs or seats, and they generally stood to conduct their business. Davidson, the black. was an active person amongst them, and resided in the neighbourhood ; he was formerly a man in re spectable circumstances, and an extensive way of business as a cabinet-maker, but in cons. (pence of his political principles his cu%tomers deprived him of their support, and from repeated losses lie was driven to extreme poverty. Smithery has left a wife and three children. The horrible 1111111 was, it is said, to have been executed in the following almoner :—Thistlewood ova to have knocked at Lo►d Harrowby's door, with a letter, purporting to be a dispatch, or with ■ red box, as is used in all the public offices, desiring it to be delivered immediately to the Cabinet M inisters at dinner, without delay. The servant, it was sup posed, would immediately proceed with the dispatch, while Thistlewood, with another of the couspirittor, entered the ball us if to wait—they were immediately to open the street door—others were to come iu with hand-grenader, which were to be thrown into the house, sod in the confusion produced by ►hem, all the rest of the conspirators were to rush into the dining-room, where the Ministers were at dinner, and the work of . assasaination was to have been in stantly begun. The following is the relation of their proceeding, as detailed by one of the soldiers:— " The military consisted of the picket guard of the 2.1 Coldstream regiment, which was stationed in Portman-street barracks. It consisted of thirty men iticlisdiog • oedema and corporal, and com manded by Captain Frederick Fiteclarence, who happened to be oo duty at the time. They were called out about • quarter to eight o'clock, each man provided with twenty rounds of ball cartridge. The detachment immediately pro ceeded in the direction of the Edgeware-road. The men were not acquainted with the business on which they were called out. They supposed a fire had taken place, and they had been sent for to pro. tect the property. On their arrival within about 60 yards of the house in Ceton.street, John-street, the place of the meeting. they were halted for a few tni siutes,durisig which they were ordered by Capt. Fitz clarence to fix bayonets and shoulder arms. They were also enjoined to observe the strictest silence. The det , tchment then marched on, but bad not proceeded mote than a few ye/de-when they heard the noise of fire-arms. They were then ordered to advance in double quirk time. and instantly same in junction with the civil officers. who had arrived previously on 'the ground, and were en gorged with the party in the Insist. The place of meeting was a long low waste building, that bad been word as a stable. with a easseb-bustassolliain. ing. One of the first objects that rameated itself to the rigid of the military *as One of the ;Arty running out of the stable, apparently with listen.. lion to make his escape. Fie was seised by atie of the soldiers, and finding himself taken, he in. stonily levelled a pistol at Captain Fit:dames, but Serjesnt Legge dashed ft ■ride. The pist o l went off, and the ball from it wounded the seq.:sat in the right arm. A black main was The nest vtr3t bolted; be was armed with a cutlass. He also mused a blow at Captain Fituclarence, but was wined and secured by one of the soldiers, James Bury, with' out any injury to the latter but • slight cut ors thn finger. Theo addressing himself to his friends ot the house, lie est:Wined, "Fight on while you have a drop of blond in you—yaw may as well die mow se at another time." The deltic-brow was tbeo ordered to rush into the home, which they did, headed by their Captain, who on entering, darted into a stall, and seised by the collar a fellow who attending in it, awl who grappled with hint will, cure hand, while he attempted to fire a pistol at him, with the other, which did not go off, the powder Mashing in the pan. The miscreant still luddiog firmly by the coat, the Captain called out to Ins men to disengage him. Two of them, James Revel and James Bailey, immediately seised and he surrendered himself, saying, " Do nut kill me, and tell you all."—This scene tco k place in the stable on the ground floor. It was a three-stalled stable, with a hay-loft ever it, with which it coinnsuiricated by a ladder placed at one end. The detachment then imb ed up the ladder, led by Captain Fitacles rence. ‘Ve should have observed that on the ar rival of the military, the constables, at the desire of Captain Fit:clarence, held back for the pur pose of surrounding the house and preventing escape, while he and his men went forward. On entering the hayloft, they discovered that the constables had been there before them. The hist object that pre►ented itself was the dead lad, of Sandier., the constable, and a roman l3ing at lIIa side all covered with the blood of the dead The fellow rose, and did trot Hppeor to have sustained any hurt or Hwy. Addressing him self to the soldiers, lie said, " I hope they will make a difference between the innocent sod the guilty." Three others were next Wren together ; they were huddled to a corner 11M1)11K MUM! ►hrv ings. One of them jumping out, said, " I resign myself; there is iso harm ; 1 was brought iu here innocent this afternoon." Three four were all of them found by the stddiers in ►he rosin), making, with the man taken below iii the stall and the two outside, seven remitters. — The constables had previously taken two, one of whom made his escape down the street, but was pursued and retaken. The momeot lie was caught lie fired a pistol, which he hail concealed no his person. It went off, but did tio injury. He is a butcher, and supposed to lie the nuts who with bra SMITIIERS; he had a desperate black eye, and his hands were much cut. The military, on searching the loft, found a great quantity of pistols, blunderbusses, swords, awd.pik es, shout 16 inches long, made to screw into a handle. They alms found a great many com.non tills. sharp ened to a point at the roils, sod made to he us.sl as pikes. They also found 11 large- trtaintiry of ammunition, consisting of 11.111 cartrittles, powder flasks, slugs wrapped up in piper, and .. sack full o f haml. g rapades The niiit:e,y, accompanied try the constables, then wit!tdr.w, nod ilinerriki l to Bow-street (Ace with tluir Nnllrrr , siol the arms and ammunition which they Iwd taken The primmers were divided iota. to n rirsies, and handcuffed together. They were held by the con stables and escorted by the soldhlrs. The soldiers were laden with the arms and ammunition whicls they found in the stable. Having then delivered their prisoners and booty, four of the soldiers were examiued briefly by the Alagistnites, viz. .1 is. Re vel, Jas. Bailey, Wm. Curtis, and John Muttock. They iJentified the Prisoners who were then 'taint ing at the bar, as the persona whom they hail taken ill the stable. The fire arms and ammunition were then 'hewn to them, which they Awn identified. Captain Fitzclsrence, with his detachment, then marched beck to Portman barracks, to which also they conveyed the arms and ammunition taken, and deposited them in Captain Fitzclaretice's room. Another detachment of the satne regiment in the mean time arrived at Bow-street, to escort the Pri soners to Coldbash•fields Prison." APPREHENSION OF THISTLEWOOO. Snort sifter ten o'clock lam tuorititig Arthir Thiellesoiod was apprehended in a small house Chiswell-street. Finsbury. Information of tOr place in which he was concealed having heel) obtained in the course of the morning at Now street. 'Lavender and StMIMI, accompinied I.y Ralhaen and [tramp, impaired to Chievrellpsrprvi, entered the house where they had information tie object of their 61141,01 was concealed. went .directly to the room in which they understood he lay in bed. The officers gave no intimation cif' their objeet to the people of the boast, but ran to the room ibor, which was locked.; 'they iustantly knocked it in, and seised Thietievarepst. who was seated in a chair ; he ILtil no IiON Satisake reeistaNce v aor.doesiteip.mart4at Fee wsieeep•red 10 offer •ny, except • *tic► whielrisy in the ream wee instantly grasped him by each inn, el the Homo. Common,. He hid not thileast ob. jection to the first Rs's°lotion, as it merely recited the votes of the Committee of Supply of the other House; but after it, instead of the two othet Itemlotions, he should beg leave to suggest Olk SS 44 ft VS cht rolleair4 caret I. is eowereptenre of the 4 110111Ribel11141111*lo ompsimetiv vete* of MO whaiolite• me_srplicatios of the soon treeusiotwei, diets 'whet oflhirtirateuet bad brio 'rased for tire appro. • jittiliiiefir of the sold saws." The gaesto!it on 4)te amendment having been put, ' The alinqui, of LA NIEDOWN 944 1 , tbat the ithible. Lord opposite losol opposed Nohk Ilftelessd''s Revelations, on the ground of their east ittig •Temure on tlee Muer of Common.. But he • lasokl not view them in that light ; they did not *test on the House of Commons any ranee t h an em the Ministers who had advised the King to (be ndy, the Parliement in such an unprecedented manner. By the terms of the Message from his Majesty. this House had been called upon to tumor with the other House in such measures as were in dispensably necessary. But had they concurred in the very important measures tinder consideration ? lo; notwithstanding this invitation, this question hid been looked upon as one not fit for their Lord ship.' consideration, as one not proper to he discuss.. rd here. Way there ever a Minister who would 'have dared to bring down a Message to this House, requiring them to give up their functions, and resign Wm into the hands of the House of Commons ? Not one; yet such, it was urgued, ought to he the effect of the late one. He (the Noble Marquis) had been greatly surprised to hear the construction put by the Noble Lord, on the declaration of 1784. Their Lordships had for several years wisely 'di sdained from originating any grants of the public money in that House ; without formally • aban doning their right of melting such grunts, they fish. lowed the wise principle that the grants of the public money ought to originate in the other Hone of Parliament. Whilst they acted thus, iltey should at the same time watch with jealousy, ansi oppose with vigour, any attempt to deprive them of the power of rejecting any grant passed in another place. Ills Noble Friend had properly said, that if ever any sentiment unfavourable to the Constitution should field its way into the house of Common% it would first manifest itself in un attempt to d e prive their Lordships of their right of regulating the grants fur the public service. It was therefore their Lordships peculiar duty to guard ao.iitist any such encroachmenls. The Noble Earl (Liverpool) in his speech h.d (iverlrooked an etnerveliou made by his Noble Friend. which he (ihe Marquis of Lestidown) thought worthy of reply. His Noble Friend, as well as himself, might be in error ; if they were, it was in consequence of the proceeding adopted on this occasion. His Noble Friend sand, that iu consequeisce of the course *dine ed, the continuance of the allowance out of the Con welidated Fund wanted to his Majesty, when Prince of Wales, would still remain concurrent with the grant to leis Nlejestv as Kong—for certainly as the matter stood, the effect of the grind, as King. did not unnul the grant us Prince of Wales. It was not in the view of Parliament that the ellowance to his Majesty, as King of England, should remain conctirteut with the allowance formerly granted to Min as Prince of Wales. He hoped the Noble lord would explotin the matter. As to the Resolu tion of Lis Noble Friend. he thought it was not More thin the occasion warranted; but he would not oppose the amendment of the Noble Lord. The Earl of LIVERPOOL said, that the inten tion of Government was to contnitie all peyinetits , for the current quarter. It was an act of liberality to pay up all annuities and plovisiottos to the quar ter-day after the death of his Majesty. There (wild not he an act more outrageous to the claims of individuals than that all allowances to the indi viduals should crone on the day o f his M a j es ty's death, Matead of being carried up to the quarter. day. which prevented much inconvenience to a number of individual.. The question with respect to the allowances of all the branches of the ltuyal Fa- Wily would go under the islet-46point' of the Par liament, it a time when they could give it more consideration than Ist present. Lord DONOUGIIIIORE said, he thought enough was dour by the Amendment of the Noble Earl (Liverpne) to vindicate doe privileges of the House. After his Lordship sat down, the question was put on the Amendment, and carried without a division. . . • went to disfrinthise the borough pko lento, sad could they do jostle, if they prevented Counsel from being heard egsinst it ? Should their Lord. ships refuse to make an order on the present Poi slop, they should discharge the order made on a I;f4W4 iftWetWell TIM othe lileht lit VOW the pre sent Bill. Surely their Lordships were not pre. pared to say that the electors of Bartedople ought but to be heard by Counsel against the Bilk be cruse their rights happened to be mixed top with the rights of others. If this were admitted, no thing could be more easy than to lump six or wren boroughs together, and then contend that none should he beard against the principle of the Bill. The present Bill went to direct the Sheriff not to obey the King's writ in electing members— and thereby, pro Santo, to take away the right of the electors. Their Lordships might recollect. that formerly they hall deprived boroughs of franchises which they were afterwards obliged to acknowledge ; and if ever there was'., case where the parties were entitled to a heuring, it was in the rise of the borough of Barnstaple, *hick had been already partly heard, and *here so much might be urged as to whether that borough ought to be ins chided in the Bill or not. Earl Gaosvetiost said that this was a case in. volvierg the privileges of the other I louse. It would be paying them • irry bid compliment indeed, to throw any impediment lit the ley of a measure which respected those privileges. The LORD Cu ANC EL LOR explained. The Marquis of Lauswowti—The House most see that there was a wide difference between the suspension of right's and absolutely taking them away ; yet every word uttered by the Noble and Learned Lord went to establish that the suspen. mon and the abolition of the right was the same. The suspension of a right was certainly a great evil; it wail also sin evil to suspend the rights of property iii a Court of Law, but the ends of justice in both cases required it. Lord DACRE said, that at any other time it might be desirable to hear Counsel against the Bill, at the present moment it was impossible; the ques tion then was, whether they would pass this tempo rary measure, or whether they would give soother opportunity to those boroughs, whose practices were so notorious, to introduce Members into the new Parliament. Their Lordships must le anxious to prevent that ; they must know that much of the diessti.faction of the country arose from the noto riety of the mode by which Members get into the oilier flouse of Parliament. There would be rio injustice clime in passing the present Bill, as another noportunity would be affiriled to the electors of Barnstaple to oppose the disfranchisement of that borough. Wish respect to the order made on the other petition, lie did nut see that their Lordships would have airy difficulty in rewinding it. The Earl of LIVERPOOL said, there were two Members at present in the other House, fur the borough of Grampouud. He did not know of more honourable men, or better Members of Par liament. With respect to the notorious practices of those boroughs, he could point out other bo roughs, known to friends of his, fist might share the same blame. That was not the time to go into that consideration ; when the time arrived he could talk of the practices of other boroughs, as well as those included in the Bill. If the rights of all the boroughs were to be suspended for acts of corruption, he did not know which of them would remain. Their Lordvhips then divided, when the numbers were— COlllenia l2 Not-Contents Majority 1 Counsel will therrfore he heard to-morrow (this do') against the Baal.—Adjourned. ! -