The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1822-04-25 00:00:00

• •-• l o wl ier it was intended that he should ',offer soli. tern conlinentent?' tlelltsdlee who passed the sentence answered, '6 By no means." When Mr. Hunt, sleet being a short time in the gaol, preferred charges stoniest the •gioler , in, that House. it .ss contended . that it. wee the beePtianaXed gaol in England. Ind That YleiV,Yr i Mt).• *son for 'respel l:lg Mr. Hosit'there. *et were the case, pine! it was afterward. 'friend ptst 'elute it von the worst msosged • poi in the kingdom, he had a right to say that the Court io . peering sentence levee intended, itilset 'en' eye who had ever spoken vie the subject is that flogs* had ever contenaed • that Mr. Hint might to be subjected to an; de gree of severity beyond thejudgnient of the Court. The Members for the comity of Somerset had de. deed' 'dislyerogf st 4ie charges against the c00 k,,, when they were first mode ; but both of them admitted that Mr. Hiint might to have ill the leceostuoriatton that could be allowed consistently with s state of confinement. On that ground alone, therefore, it was incumbent on them to do all that was to their power, as the sufferings of Mr. Hunt bad 'been aggravated in weight beyond the con templation of the Court by which lie was sen tenced, to shorten the term of their duration.— Mr. Hunt was placed in • ward of the gaol where for many months of the year the sun did not shine ; and fur the ahort period al which the light of the gun could be seen, it was Sn such a manner es added not to the comfort, but greatly to the annoy ance of a person in that situation: for it shone oil a whitewashed wall fronting the windows of the ward; and he (Sir F. Burdett) himself must declare, from his own observation, that it was most distressing to asv person's eyes. Mr. Hunt's eyes had suffered from it considerably, and would probably never recover their former strength. At first he found e t that ward two prisoners who slept in the room, their beds lying on the ground, and a truckle bedstead having &ten provided for Mr. Heat. One of those persons wore the prison dope, and one of them had been convicted of an attempt to murder his wife And fatuity. Those pertotta were, however, on • complaint from Mr. Huta, ordered to take op their Distresses, and woo to their own cells. One of the Magistrates, Sir.J. Acland, had paid every attention to the earn - ' , hints of Mr. Hunt, and having in the course of a visit to the prison experienced the coldness mid dui tpness of the. place where he was confined, or der ed the stone floor to be replaced by • boated one, stir I other sdditions to be made to his comfort. It was said that the ward in question had been intended to be seed as an infirmary; but instead of a place Vor the cure of sick prisouers, it was most admirably :i'dopted to sicken those who were in health, and to it rake of the strong fit subjects for an infirmary sae td the fact was, that up to the 'present moment It ,ere was nn place in the gaol of the nature of ao io fismary, for the reCeptiottof sick Klemm. The is At complaint made by Mr. Hunt was the want cl a place for etercise, being only allowed • 'yard el eight feet square; after which •he was sholred tc walk in the large pied. It wits a teMaika e circumstance that in every case where the co mplaints of Mr. Hint bed been addressed to any pt non Relined to alleviate the unnecessary horrors of a gaol, they hod, Ilways been found to be of the PIC.Ott/eaeoitigte atitire,lrtaißMaistely intruded. r hat was the case with Sir C. Bampfylde, the If sett of the county. who ordered his le. t ratty to tit admitted, and other unreasonable re. • trhinte to be removed. Bot before he lent out of I Ace, Or. Coulston hewin g agai n . Ise,cossi elating tdregietrate, restored the former unnocemary, un gentlemanly. and vexation. regulations.—(lieee, hear.)--Thet same person had three severe' times • renewed the scandidoes, dirigraceful, and inhuman restrictions to whiChAlr. Hint( - bid been subject. rigiteritbstOneliag all the obstacles to success which were presented by the high character which the hypocrisy arid deceit of the gaoler had acquired him, by the footing on *Wits he stood with • the ittigistracy, reticiubling that or a *friend and com ?tome rather than of an officer subject to their con. are, by the apporent hopelessness of redress, Mr. Hunt persevered in pressing for an idquiry, and so strong and well-founded were his unit .the Magistrates, after an investigation'of 'three As only, were so convinced at they guilt of the gaoler, that they wanted to compromise by promising Mr. Hunt that the °toter should. be dismissed, he hav ing been glad '' to resign to escape further in quiry! provided he would drop the further pro. secutiou of his charges. Batt' with a correct and manly spirit he refused to accede to the pioposal, lenvitrg . it for them to judge of the propriety of ✓outinsing the gao l er i n hi s o ffi ce , but determined, on public grounds, to probe the charges to the bottom. No sooner was his refusal known than en attachment was issued against him by the Un der Sheriff for 50!. for costs tiseurred in procuring ▪ hearing and examination auto his ccmplaint.. Ou the heel of that Mr. Hunt was served with process for penalties in the Exchequer for en us• conscions viotatiott in the Excise Laws. Hiving discovered a method of preparing front British strain, a wholesoMe, nutritious; aid cheap break. last for the poor, hews* contracted in two penalties-- She one for selling sod flee other for smoking the )iowd er in question, seder st statute meant to pro seet•both the reveisoe anti the public &orb a 11111141a lent and spurioui imitation or Coffee ; although no one ever charged him, tin one for a moment sup. posed that he ever intended to impose either 'a i.he Excise or on the gable.. He (Sir P. Burdett) had certainly understood . 'the Secretary or' the Tressury, when the subject was mentioned by his Hon. Friend the Member fur Southwark (Sir R. to say, that thete was no intention to press fee the payment of 'the penalties; and he had much sdiftlenfty io understanding hair' it' • hap- Petted tbit these petteltiel were called for at the nutmeat which welt selected for the demand. Mr. Hunt fortunately succeeded in raising , the money, and thereby prevented the confiscation of his estate. This hi would ink 'savoured xtroilly of oppression. whether lewd or trot ; sod of all. vier. suers, oppr ess i on glu i er the caret of the 111 w was the worst. It appeased to be thought shot what. ever Mr. Haut 04 most necesiatily be evil s merely become it Wei &netts; Ititfi.'hoditeeiteliteriterioets the 'saline act might •be coiSideredriben Firmed bY etifith•et. . —los • '. it we. • • . '• complaint; were Toed of thlddilrM'bf fl ricul. t irlefzilsheis thin distrns wee uttributiet tire - eat ..dfxisete .iht ritaritet• 'le I ptieduit" Or. • light found out :discovery 7144 teutlid . O •Chats • ' ' ' a demand for various Jkinda of groin, of the semi inks that ft adturtiliteria . to the comforts of the l ' poorest chimes of the people; • Circumstance which, io any ether ease, *held have been considered ye entitling thee /inventor to encouragement and re yinrd ; but insten'a of t hese, he is rendered subj ec t t o henry fi nes, end oppr essed with the demand of pay ment at a period eiliewhe was least prepared to meet it. The lion. Baronet, then proceeded to notice the refund by Dr. Conlaton of permission for Mr. Hoot to see his sister, . who was in a bed ewe of health, and consequent ly di without the astisfac tiorinf seeing Ayi'liPiiill'f i refusal ails° to aUuw hire 10-he visited lij hie meal Attendant, and re ferring Min to the surgeou of the gaol, who had in three different indances applied blisters to persons for the purpose of torture—one to the head of a Man who - was heavili ironed, with hi• hands feet behind Isis, bock, " because he was a trou blesome joker ;." another, " to Pend the man ners" of the party; and the third, " because he thought gni sith wai ill , heiMing;" ind fol. lowed the m ' . tip with severe eniinadversiorls on the conduct of Lk Couleton. as disgracefol t o the the character of a Christian Clergyman and sit English Magistrate; and on that of the surgeon; as revolting to humanity. . it was quite clear that Mr. Hunt had suffered a great deal more that the . Court by its sentence had intended to inflict ; by.. ihterposing, therefore, for the remission of th e irer- , iseinilet,of the term of his sentence, the House would not in any way interfere with the jurisdiction of the Court, nor with the sentence which it had passed, for the Court itself had, as far as depended on interposed to relieve him from a portion of the undue severity with winch he had been assailed. The Hon. Baronet then proceeded to his third topic. the meritorious exertions of Mr. Hunt, and his indefatigable perseverance. in bringing to light the atrocious abuses . of the' geol. When he first saw the names of the CroUrnissioners appointed to conduct the inquiry, he felt the fullest confidence in the sincerity and justice with which that inquiry would be pursued. That confidence had been fully jestified. So far from endeavouring to aggro- . vote a bad case, the Comminiieners had elides. voured, wherever they could consistently with on honest discharge of their duty, to soften down the circumstances which came out before them. This Report, holiest'', represented the gaol as the reverse at what it herd before been clesclibed. The visiting Magistrates, instead of checking, bad served as a shield and a screen to the wickedness of the gaoler. lie tetiliared highly the conduct of thrill( Mors gisttia;Ostl Ofglected 9sit 'iignie of the pocind left t)iis "heti cott6Ol 4i it its the hand, of a few of the worst disposed, the most arbitrary, ' tyraniical, and vexatious spirits in the commiiaien. The HoU t . Baronet then proceeded to reel 'Shin the - *jolt' Ot 'Ot Corti i iirtre' of in .. ivy Vita l ie the state of Ilchester Gaol...event of the uses end malpractices which ails. Hoot had brought to light. and some of the cases of atrocious cruelty on the part 'of the' gaoler. ' When he lOoked at the evidence and the Report. which he entreated gen tlemen, to examine with care sod attention, be was convinced that that ioloiry must lead to the most important consequences, and salutary lot. proven?ltits iti the a dministration of all thh gaols. in thitingilom. ' . trltfr. Hood had done nothing more; if he had no other claim than that of having brought to light the atrocities which, through Ins means, had been discovered, and thereby probably secured the preeriatioe of similar abuses in future, that alone would he sofficient to entitle him to the attention of the Rouse pf Commone, end to their favourable consideration. It bad bten mid in reply. to the complaint of Mr. Hunt, of haying been. kept in so litary confinement, that it was voluntary on his part to make it an, because lie hod refused to appear in a room in coinomou witb feline and prieenem.of every description, to see and converse with his friends, shut in another room with the crowd of visitors to those prisoners, Now he would say, that after the long confinement lie bad endured, subject jto the power and caprice of an arbitrary magistrate and a brutal gooier, to suggest to any decent man such an silternative as • relief from solitary confinement, was to aggravate cruelty by gross and wanton insult. • The capricious and arbitrary exercise of power to which he had so long been subject, was a great lee k, grevation of his senteuce, which was originally suffi ciently seaere, if it Imd.been properly carried into . effect. It should be recollected, that he vim only one of r cumber of persons coloricted on the same indict. went. The others, if any offenCe were committed, were more guilty than he, inasmuch as they were the original framers of the requisition which collect the meeting together, and be was only a visitor oo their invitation. They had been reutenced only to me year's imprisonment, and had not been treated with any severity beyond simple imprisonment. It was impossible for the public to draw any other eoucits sion from all the circumstances of this case, than that Mr. Hunt had been made the victim of vindic tive feeling, which it was most disgraceful on the part of Governmeot to entertain, soil by the indul gence of which, instead of a punished criminal, they had elevated him into the rank of II martyr, and powerfully excited the public feeling in his fa vour. The result of this case proved the necessity of greatly modifying', if not of putting an coil to, the system of solitary confinement, which—however wisely and humanely intended by Mr. Howard. his principles having been adopted in name only, while in practice they were, widely departed from, nay entirely lost sight of altogether—had degenerated into a system of - orbiirory cruelty mid urine. cesiery torture. Wholly repugnant , not only to the prioctilii:o OCEngioli law, but to every feeling of hannitsiiy. lilting,' sale conceived, established, first, that the sentence on Mr. blu n t was in itself ' sallicietitlylettere; secondly, that its 'severity had been geeritly, aggravated, by the manner io which it hid been . executes; and thirdly;' that he had a strong claim to the considera tion of the Hoope and the Government for his . miritorious exertion, in the defection of greet *ebbe grievances Red abases, he thought he had made out n 'stiffi cient ease to can for their interposition in hie be half, and' should therefore misie au Address to his Majesty, which would afford hint an opportunity Of gratifying one of the feeling. most dear, he was sore, to his own mind, by remitting the remeitider of a punishment the continuance of which could not be attended with any piddle britent. He concleded • by moving—"..'ihaenn humble Address he pre sented to his Majesty, praying him to he graciously pleased to remit, tbs, remainder of .111 r. Huid'a isles P r ilatlffilt. 94 . 7 7l/ 11 e, P 4 "isnel sat down amid Inuit Imo 'reprve coeers. Mr. DsWsutt,, after sole prefatory observetions, which the noise In the House prevented 119 from collectieg, proceeded to say, that the chief argu. Menlo which had ,been toted by the Hon. Baronet were, io the p •t)yt, the punishment of Mr. Hunt Was too great. lo which he (.14. 0.) Aimed leave to say, that he hoWed implicitly to the outhp. illy of the Court by which Me.liont was sentenced; and thought it was the dot, of every man to do the settle. The Heat arg,upoeut its, that the sentence hod been siggrevated to the cooysie of its execution, and that in consequeoce of that aggravation, the remainder of the term ought to be remitted ; but lie would tale his argument on that head frosu the statements of Mr. [hunt. himself. and from the Report of the Commisetooers. Mr. Hunt did oat complain of having himself been ironed, or Itlis tered, or in any other way ontrigeoisely Mooed. Ilia whole complaint was, that he had been con fined in a dark. damp, and gloomy cell, &milted of the advantages of the light of the sun, and of the constant presence of faintly and vi s it ors; mad that he had chosen to term solitary confinement. If he could prove that Mr. Hunt himself had op, proved of the apartment in which he was lodged, hr thought that complaint, that part of hie case, was disposed of; if he *hewed that the regulations to which he had been subjected had been approved by the Court of King's Bench, would put an end to the Whole case ss far M hardship was con cerned. On the 15th May. 1820, Mr. Hunt was sentenced to two years and a half's imprisonment in Ilchester gaol. When the sentence was passed, he inquired whether his confinement was to be solitary, and Mr. Justice Bayley mustered him, " Certainly not." adding. that if he had soy rearm) to complain of being harshly treated, he might appeal to the Court. The apartment in which Mr. Hunt was placed was large 'row,' ward Gentlemen were aware that a room in a prison could not be so comfortable as in a private house, but it was the best apartment in 1 the gaol. It was true it way enclosed by a wall which had been found rather higher than was neces sary, and had consequerity been lowered. There were at first two other prisoners' beds in the room,' bat they wire removed, and a comfortable feather bed provided for Mr. Hunt at the county expenie. Those persons were not feloin, as had been stated, bat ;arsons confined for tuisclemeauors, •od those persons hod afterwards been allotted to Mr. Hunt and Mr. Kinnear, confined in the same ward, as ser vants; separate rooms were appointed fur them, and . bells put iu Mr. Hunt's room, and doors in the pas asses. to preveot their unnecessary intrusion. To chew how far Mr.flont's cumpleime were well found ed, he would rend to the (joireem letter from that person after he had been so w time in confine ment, which he had, hicildieusty 1 " 081 4 '0 1 " , Caused to be publiefiefut•tlie Hon. Meinher then proceed d tri read • !else! "film? ay Mr. Hontln the commemmeot of his cofilipetogot, expressing anticipeocro of l ing onion s the apiratioN of his sentence with health, virile, and constitution imp roved, o with a 'cheerful tepp e r and appetite invigorated' by exercise, which he meant to Asks 49 far as the limitsof t prison, which contai ne d a s p ac i ous yard, bo ld *pow ; and concluded by stating. that he. etas as comfortable as • man in prisop amid he." --(Cries' of " Date ! 4 1 1 tl —lt was dated NI. • 18S 0 0.(ilear, hear, and mole month an order was made b 3; 4!.. s i.tretes to allow his family and friends to . vitot In consequence of that order a ouroberof *loos used to go to him in ga o l, among whom was a wo man named Vince, who was notortOusly living in adultery with Mr. Hint, who wife, as well ao the hutband of best woman, were still living. The no. toriety of those circumstances. 'and the scandal which they occatrioned—(Fleirdienr, and laughter) —occasioned an order fat the exclusion bf that per son from the interior of the'roL.:(Hear, hsar4-. After the date of th a t Or der, ...eiery thing changed, andappeared jaundiced I tis:the eye of Mr. Haut, and aft;r using every eodeartour to make the Magis trates rescind it, he moved the Court of King's Bench. And here be begged to call the attention of the House to the affidavit on which his application. was founded; he there stated that nn his arrival he was placed in a cold damp cell, closely adjoining to a pestilential yard. He (Mr. Odium.) begged the House to observe how this agreed with the expressions of Mr. Hunt himself atria former period. In the succeeding part of his affidavit he stated that two .females of his faintly were prevented from seeing „him, nod he was thus exposed to solitary confine ment. This affidavit was read in the Court of Ripest Bench, sod the affidavits of the gaoler and theMngistrates were filed in reply, containing apch •mattslactory answer to the aseertions of Hunt in every respect, that the Court dismissed the case, and to mark its sense of the proceeding in a .st,rouger manner, with costa. Yet this c•ircum spsoce, the Hon. Barooet had with siuguler 8a sit argument iu favour of Mr. Hunt. The circumstances which were now stated as those which exceeded the sentence of the Court, were those which:Were hard and dismissed. The male fes'indi of W . :Hint, his' medical and professional -advisers,' were iodinated ; it was Ins mistress only that was excluded. In one part of the case he arl. united there was an appearance of hardslnp, which arose from the Magistrates and the Sheriffs not met ht( in ilisison, and what was refused by the Magi-. sirateksoukgrsoted by the Sheriff. and thus no al ternation of indulgence and ressorint took place; bat still Mr. Hunt was the gainer by it, and lie enjoyed in an unblushing manner the society . from which he hart been before excluded.— Bot the conduct of the Magistrates ought not to weigh with the House of Commons, arid the acquiescence of the Court of King's Bench satisfied him that there was no ground for the present inittion. The exclusion of his mistress was called for by a sense of decency and decorum, and could not be called solitary confinement. When Sir Charles Bamplylde took the mansgeentott of the 'gaol in December, 18120. into his ownilthads• the system of vacillation arose Mr. Hanning suc ceeded, and when the investigation closed, it be came imperative on the visiting Magistrates team. forces the regulations of the prison ; but.. the High. Sheriff thinking their operation honk took. upon himself .to , allow Mrs sleet's frisoidn .to visit hit° at all hoots of lite day. Such was the hi stoe y, a r th e c ase , slid he (Mr. Dawson) could we notloug in the case for the igterfetance *falba lions.. y • Y By the Act of 32 George 111. the Magistrates wert 111 .tilfotilled to ptiake ruin entrigulatiorn, and he saw no reason why Mr. Hunt should not be bound by them as well as any other prisoner, and he thought the Magistrates would have failed in their duty, and forfeited their characters, if they had permitted the' iinercourie to proceed which he hod Nluded to. Of ell owe. living, he considered Mr. Hunt as theta: entitled to claim i n dulgence ; hit. tenieer hitif lure end dangerous, lie had an pawed every' where, and was to be considered as the foandte tab new school of inherent reformers, whir Opt Sys a cenneut iii the•couutry, though aim* hie inceremetion, and that of the other isicandieties, Waster and Catlike, the country hid remained, in a great measure, its tranquillity, and he trusted the tote of that night would not renew the dangers. Mr. Hoanouss said, from the tune and manner of the Hon. Member in the beginning of his speech, he lied nut at all anticipated the close of it. Hr mut appeal frpm the attempt to excite the passions ear the House and the country, by mixing Mr. Wont up wish individuals with whom lie was in no way connected. What. he would ink, had the houses of Wooler or Carlile to do with the debate ? :%t hat had blasphemy or impiety to do with the question ? He had heard of uo impiety ; on the part of Mr. Hunt, at least, he had heard of none. The Hun. Member seemed by his laughing to be better acquainted with Mr. Hunt's writing.; but all he (Mr. Hubhouse) would say was, that no blasphemy or impiety appeared upon the record. Attending as he had to wind had fallen from the Honourable Member (Mr. Dawson), he could not perceive that he had charged any fact which his Hon. Colleague had stated, was either exag gerated or discoloured. The Hun. Secretary had indeed attempted to impugn Mr. Hunt's evidence, without perceiving that he at the same time called in question the Report of the C omm i ss i oners . Every part of Hunt's charges against the gaoler sod the Magistrates had in the main been made Au t• The Hen. Secretary had gone out of his way in reattittg_e lecture on the scandalou s im morality 'of "Mr. Hunt. He (Mr. Hoblioure) had as much' leaped fur morality as any man. and he thought it behoved the reformers to have au especial care mew their conduct, for he was sure it would be scrutiiiixed_ with m much acrimony, and certainly with more well-paid malice, than that of any other class. But he would recommend the Hon. Secretary to'be cautious how he need such topics. its he did not know how high they might reach—(Hear, hear, hear.)—sod pot consider this unfortunate individual as the only offender against the laws of morality. It wa, under the management of the gentlemen who appeared so shocked at the visits of Mrs. Vince, that the most improper inter course was carried on between the male and female priapeers ; nay, e t treu the moral governor of the gaol wap himself suppycte4 of having an illicit connexien r whip out of the female prisoners. The Magistrates theinserves now seethed to think they had done wrong in their prohibition, for Mrs. Vince was now allowed so visit Mr. Hunt. It seemed that. Mr. .Hunt at first, approved of the gaol, bet whew was his letter dated ? fit July. He arrived there in May. and during the summer months the inconve niences of which Mr.• Hunt complained' were net in such operation as during the winter. r .§att for himself he should not regard the letter of, Mr. Hunt. when he had before him the Report of the Commissioners, which bore him out in all his subsequent ciiiiipiJints. It was acknowledged the cell of Mr. Hunt was deficient iii light and air. tw o small ingredients itt human life; takeaway earth end water, and the Honourable Secretary himself would find it difficult to exist. But then they gave him a feather bed ! and a bell to ring for his ' attendants !—(which was afterwards taken awry)_ but these great indulgences the Commissioners did s not notice, justly coueloding the mode of Mr. Hunt's imprisontneut was not materially improved thereby. It was quite new language to talk as if 4r. Hoist should be subjected to the same rules and regula tions as a common felon. He thought, from the concession of the Hon. Secretary hinted'', there was enough In juelify the Home in acceding to the motion of his W M.. Colleague, He had no more reason than his H on. p Colleague tq regard Mr. Hunt with a partial eye, but he limAted on him as a man who had suffered' a severer punishment than the .Court• which pronounced his seat/nee intended.— Ha would appeal to the. Howse as • men, as gentle mep. and (which ;evolved still higher dun's) as Christians, to agree to the motiou of his Hon. Friend. . - Mr. Dtcwiwsoa defended the conduct of the • Magistrates, who bad theinielveo instituted est•in quiry, and_stiamissed the surgeon sad gaoler,.with out refereeT to.any other pertmo. Ile bad never 'till that evening beard that Mr. Hunt's sister had 'irpplied. and "beeit refused admission to see him. • He called to the iterdlectiou of the Hbust the testi- I meareraf e Wy.ll 4 who, going inset Mr. Hoist's mom (he waited on him), fouled Mrs.Viace einiuglie his hem iFt,yjibieb Mr. Hoot was so displessld. Oat he got the man 44 hours solitary confinement. if the Migistrites had at all exceeded did'. authority, Ow were' ansenable to the highest tribunal of the couptry, tito.Court of King's Bench. Under these circumstance', he was not prepared to support the motion of the Hon. Baronet. Mr. Past. said, the strong impression he had that this was not u fit subject for discussion in that House, would induce him to confine his otoerva twits within very narrow bounds, and indeed.. he might appeal to the speech itself of the. Hon. Baronet as enother reason, for he could not think any sufficient grimiel was there laid to induce the House to interfere with one of the most weed prerogatives of the Crown, and violate • pretence which had prevailed since the Revolution. of - giving any opinion oa the seutences of Courts of Justice. On the propriety of that course he should have thought rid man could be more convinced than the Hon. Baronet himself; considering the peculiar opinions which he entertained with regard to the • cOlratilletion of the House, and its encroachments on the other hspoehes of the Cmuititatiou. If the Motion of the Hon. Batonet were followed. up. 1 • . 'Meth - iii arrogitiOn by that dossa . wield be an '•olictoathinent atone dai.grrous to "the 'Cbustitu, tie... than . soy oilier which could be •imagined. 4j9,lopuOtouribtog coosid be more fatal thee the este blisbotes of sects a precedent in the.caag of Mr. 'hiti;it: He could nut view the offence of which Mr. Hatt( had been Nand guilty in the light that it had , MM attempted to place it. It stood on record that or ir i. ti a 7h v y;ar a r , i s s a ser e a m t kn bi bl i y, i d i rn i ig or es w i i i tif i r p o u tr il a rpos t:fi ll e tl b l i m ai l : e i th s : F: iti : irs a i i .7 : :- liege subject,. to contempt of the Goveriinici s t....-. (Hear.)—And was it possible that such a chirg• could be treated with contempt ? If sueli were the light in which it woo viewed, he cautioned the "lease to regard well she consequences to whirls it would Ind. %Vas there any man who had reed on. pew. endings at Luncoater, and did not seethere • corn plete refutation of what lied hem called the Maws cheater niassacre hear.)-.[lad they nen the evidence which shrived how that ussembiy seas preeimis laud the moisten. in winch it marched to the groeut‘-vend woe.ld Nov after that be gulled with the tittle pretence thee et was for the purpose of penerObly petninnitig.lpi re form ? He could not view the sentence airline,: Hunt at too severe, sod boli e v iu‘ as h e oil the evidence adduced, that it was lolly merited, he, as a servant of the Crown. nee r would consent to edvise any ermissinii of the seietence ; and with all the retie-et posttle for the House, lie must soy that, should they come in all unanimous decision in favour of the Hon. Rironet's motion, he could not, after the tuaturtst constder.ition, give such advice.—(Elesr, hear.) — fie would not now enter on the subject of I Iclies ter gaol, which he had understood the [Jou. Barouet proposed himself to avoid touching on, till the Hon. Alderman's (Wood) motion was byline the Honer ; but aerate of the weakness of the case as regarded Hunt, he had Introdoed mutt that had nothing to do with the motion before the House. He could see no ground to *uproot:lt the Throne with an Address in fas Our of Mr. Hunt, that would not be more applicable to any other person conNned in llehester gaol. Take the debtors, for exaotplev was it on account of the insalubrity of the giott Hoer could they address the Throne en beitelfrof ■ cenvitted of fender, and leave in the onion persons suffering for no fault of their own? Another ground which the Hon. Baronet thought made a distinction •in f avour of flow, woo on inquiry into the &nen of the mins. Bet if ha was do leek at tkit s he must look also to the untittei mild with out fatiguing the House With the Nstails of the Report, he would decide that he tri4 pot Be lieve the co4doct which Wt. kboot Ind purcoed would be • ground for any °thee pinion is which a Secretary or Sate could recomMettil a reminopn of his sentence. He thought• Bero n et had not shewn • that there bad been soy viegiroe tioo of the sentence, and still lees that the stisience itself was ineommensunde with the emotivity of the offenc e► Its objected to tilt motion as interfering witha l) undoubted preirisslite eat tl , c . t . l . oo'lt s and, above ill., becattee 044 titaertereere, 49" the pint of pen to« cowlick:oi tit .mOition weak Nero to he a grossed wbioh the 14one did not see in she case of his innocent fellow-subjects. Sir J. MAcKlitT9Stt said, Wort be stated the resisons on which he meant to ground his vote, be would state those ott which. he did not mean to vote. If it were to be considered that he agreed with Mr. ' Hunt's political opinions in voting foe the motion. then it would be impossible for him to vote fur it. He saw it§ Mr. Hunt only an Etig,lisivan who ask .-ed for justice, and he should despise himself if, to coosidering that demand, he were to be swayed by the disapprobation (he would usetiOstronger word) which he entertained for his onitsiobe, or by' . tiopopularity in diet Hone. Claims for justice were ea sacred in his peens es• ha that of any other man; wither did he thick it necessary to ground his vote on arraigning the verdict or the sec- , ht e d cc , fi e was dot Onergoelnted with the pain• f;il • doter of spportitwing. discretionary puoisb tient, sad whatever might be his opinion, he had no doubt the Honorable Persons who ponied that sentence *ere well satisfied on the iubjeet. Whenever a case of excess in discretionary putiith merit should arite, he ihould not fail to arraign the conduct of the Judg.e with the wind freedom. sod be thought it unwise of any Judge (if such ! there were) to deprecate the fullest discussion end inquiry into their conduct. What• Mis the tharacke of Judges before that House regarded their 'cilia duct, and before the pten subjected them to the ordeal of public opinion ? They were subservient ► venal, and oppreesive. They sanctioned the in.. famous ship-money. and other measure% srhiai would have led to a system of Mire, de cachet. Before that full examination of thole conduct, the Judges were contemptible—since, they had acquired the love of their country and tbe.nei miratiiin of the world. The short ground on•wittela he should vote for the motion was, that Mi. !Eirsiit had, already suffered more thee the Court "high p rono unced judgment intended he sheeld, and he founded his opinion on the Report of the Commits netters. The Rtglu Hon. Genthemsia (Me. Reel) had observed, that there were no precedeeiti +thin the Revolution Of the interference ofirarlieri t 4. He could sties him abundence of such prendento both before, sod since the Revolution, sod win so tM. tie liable to the charge of 'being en encroschisiesst • the prerogative as the present: The Hen. Membhe then cited the ease of Sir Henry Vane, and the Cala of Sayer and Deans, in Charles I I.'s time, uhereihr House addressed the Crown to remit upyetuniery penalty.. Singe the Revolution, in the yree OM% these was a remarkable precedent. It was cm tell• tittOO to liis.Majesty to step the parkin of Thomas White..lie would ask the Heune whether this were not a much stronger precedent, interfertng as it might with the personal feelings of the So vereigo, which no address for mercy ever cony? So that in Dime year, after the Revolution. in the reigu of William, they had a precedent of the spatial interference of the Hone of Commons •to 'intercept the mercy of the Crown. But in those days there was no Minister to declare that he wiltikt resign his office if such a measure way passed; for so lie must uaderstand the Right Honourable .Gentlemso (tie. Peel) when he stated that the en tire • acquiescence of the Imperial Parliament 'of Great Britain and Iretond would not induce bins to address the COMM to remit the remainder of Ma. soutenoeveeiChens.)—There was thou no individual Member of the Administration• who valued - ids' own privatt'llpinion more high', than the collective wisdom of the He did not wish to Misrepresent the - Right Ho nourable .Clerillemen, but • that was the inference se be drawn from his declaration, tar he cooltruut 'seppose him capable of tolding such nneosistitsi- Lionel doctrines as to advise the Crowu to rejeet ,~ :~