The Sun. — London, England, 1812-07-09 00:00:00

. . . . value of the silvet, did the greatest be-; -4 4t.lit to the public : he thought it-very hard that they should be the greatest losers, as they cer tainly would be, if the circulation of these 'Tokens should be stopped at the time-specified in the Bill J ., he therefore moved,as an amendment, that the term be extendedfrom the 25th of Mara, 1813, till the 25th of March, 1814. Mr. BANKS thought, that although Some in dividuals ' m i ght be injuied by the stopping of the circulation of these Tokens, vet it was a mea sure so necessary, that the sooner it took place the better: Mr. ROSE observed, that in some prices the tokens were not of half their nominal value, and that in others their 'issue was accompnied by a ntiti Ce, that if they v.-ere brought back in eight and forty hours they Avould- he paid—not in money, bat in goods to their amok t. .after . a few m o re observations from Mr: P. Gat4y, Mr. Hiu.kisson, and Mr.' Hume, the 4.mendment was negatived without a division. The Bill was th en re-committed,. for the pur- Pos of introducing into it several new clauses proposed by the Chancellor. of the Exchequer,. and the House having resumed, the report was brought up and agreed to, and the Bill was-order ed to i)e read a third time to-morrow. A Message from the Lords announced their raships assent to a number of public and private Lord JOCELYN brought in a Bill to amend the 'laws rekting to tin-zit:oe roads in Ireland. Read a first, and ordered to be read a second time on . / . 1 .. 01 1‘.. 4 -y, and to be printed. NIGHTLY WATCH. I Mr: BYNG presented a Petition from the Parish of 8 t: Leopard Shoreditcli, against the Nightly Watch Bill. - Ordered to lie on the table. • tr. WIIITUE.E,ID presented a Petition from the Urisla of St. Luke, against the. Nightly Watch ./%11: k-t the motion that it do lie on the table, Mr. BROUGHAM having heard the agreeable 'dl that the further proceedings in the said ' lll were to be dropped for the present Session, U'ished to know how the fact stood. Mr. GOULDBOURNE denied having cireulated . a nY such rumour as that mentioned by the Hon. 4 nd Learned Gentleman. Mr. EaouGßAm observed, .that he did not im- Pute the circulation to the Honourable Gentle -1"- The perkin who told the rumour to him, .certainly believed it, a n d hi s obj ec t‘i n r i s i ng Was, t appeal from that ill-informed person to the b r ' e tter informed persons on the other side of the , WHITBREAD declared, that 'the.general im vr-g.sion made on the minds: of the London public 1„;'lth resp ect to t h e merits of- the Nightly Watch - . ' lll . was, that it wthilcl encumber them with a great pene additional ex • without in the least con ducing_ , to th e i r secur ity. Th e i ncreas ed expense Which this Bill would - occasion if it .were.passed,. t i "Id be 74,0001. a year.; he hoped it, would be ' 6 l , ped, a t f east f or t h e present Session. tr Sir S. ROMILLY trusted that the would not j7Passed; it had arrived' at its last Stage without , 1 1 explanationdd the principles- on which it I " r oceeded. which, hi his - opinion, !, t !' i ve undue power to the Police, and . ' it was ° 6 gly objected to by those whom it, professed protect' but who disclaimed any wish to,be so . Pr °t . eeted. a „t- 1 -r• W. SMITH was persuaded, that a skilf u l I' . l vigilant execution or the existing police ‘‘vs would be sufficient f or th e piotcclion of tile public. GOLDBOURNE observed, the Nightly Watch Was founded on th e Report of a Committee e xpressly appointed by that Muse, to inquire i n t° the subject, and -in whose opinion the present ti "e of guarding the public from depredation and olence was insufficient. lal, e F . BURDE T T- said, that if blame was attach, he to any persons in tlie late disgraceful pro teedings in which th e Bill originated, it, was to Police, to which body there was nothing ap tueible in the report of the Committee. He ~ed th e Housewould seriously pause before they adopted 'a measure w hi c h went to. increase ' l( ation to an extent of which the country was no t aware. • , 11 '. ABERCROMBIE concurred in urging the pro . .z s 'Y'ety of p ostpon i ng t h e Bill until - the next Sei °ll• He characterised th e r eport on whi c h the dill was founded as defective in two points. In iZe first pl ace , i n no t furnishing any evidence ;in 4 — Le second place, in not touching on the conduct n &syst em of the police. RUME wished the Bill might go no fur tr- Its t en d ency was to double the present ex , ; e f tle e of the parishes; and it would be productive nut earthly good. • 1 . BATHURST did not think it would be satis e`esrY-to th e c o u nt r y if P ar li amen t w ' ere to se parate, with ou t p ass i ng some me a sure o f t hi s sort. • I, A 4 r:'III(NG asserted, that those parishes who ail local acts were .as well watched as this Bill Posed at half the expellee. 4ti .41. • HELLISH di'l net consider the present Ad . 6i stration as at all responsible for the defects ti post ills Bill, which, in his opinion, had better be honed until next year. BROUGHM addressed the Speaker by the sit e 6 f " Mr. President,". which occasioned con-• 4'elable l aug ht er . Wh en th e m i rt h ' o f t h e H ouse , Otl subsided, the Hon. and Learned Gentleman °( teded t o suite his objections to the Bill,which b,t t• e directed not against any particular clause, agOavrist the measure in toto, \which he describ as hing Originated in the heat of the ino egleat, und er th e i n fl uence o f t emporary a la rm an d (1 3c . a sperati on . If t hi s 'Bill were a gree d to, t h e di Aeration. parishes which had obtained.local,Acts ).. 11 ` 1 , 11 ,Y of them only dufing• the last Session of ti,T"aftient), wou ld b e d e pri ve d o f the benefit re-, fro m them., Since the Bill was recom „tieltted, a clause hi slipped in, vesting 'a in Power in the Police-offices—that of appoint- , t,p,a superintending constable in each parish, at • a year, w h ose d u ty it s h ou ld b e -t o ' go •rourid te ' ,l B ee if the constables ,of the night were in at- c T.' a nc - e, and to report such as were not to the ' ( ..-office s lie objected to the principle of -• at llg respectable householders (which the con -4dhl11.1" of the night were), subj e ct t o th e mere - 4ilee of the Police-offices. . '`i e k )c the i'etition ivitS the ordered to lie on ti!e table, avid the third reading of the Nightly Watch Bill appointed for Monday neat. Mr. "WHITBREAD said, that before he brought: forward the • motion,' . of whiCh he had given :io tice,. on the subject - of the ToleratiOn Acts, he wished to be informed by the Gentlemen on the Treasury Bench, whether there was, any'inten- , tiOn on the part of Government to bring forward such a motion ? TheCHANcE.Li.oa of the EXCHEQUER said, he understood it to be the intention of a Noble Friend of his, not now in the House, - to bring the subject under considerition. . Mr. WHITBREAD declared, that in consequence of that statement, he should wave his motion for the present. , SECRET COMMITTEE. LEltitst-iit brought up the Reporfof thit i Secret Committee appointed to inquire into the. state of the existing Disturbances in the Counties. The Report being received,was read by the Clerk; in substance nearly as follows : •1 It declared, that the Compaittee having examin ed the documents referred to them, regretted to State, ,that disturbances had existed for some months' in Lancaster, and the West Riding of Yorkshire, a,nd part of Cheshire, alarming - to the safety of the country. That they appeared to have commenced in .February last, but. tlifat no infor mation could be obtained until she 23d of May.--!- That the rioters were in the habit of assembling in the night time with armed weapons,- breaking open houses, plundering the inhabitants, and, - in some instances, burning the houses they h'ad so` attacked. That they wrote threat - ening letters to those who. assisted in the attempts to quell their disorder, and even proceeded to the commis sion of murder, as was the Case in the instance of the murder of Mr. FostCr," .. which 'prochiced the greatest alarm in the district, he being fired at in consequence of his exertions to suppress their vio lence. The Committee declined entering into a detail of the outrages that Were perpetrated, and proceeded to state that the object rir these ex .cesses seemed to be the destruction of machinery, but that latterly it had assumed a more serious as , pect. That various honses were since - broke open, and entered in the night time, and the arms de.. manded and taken away, and •that in most in stances the property was left untouched. That in the neighbourhoOd of Huddersfield, all the arms were taken away. That the whole of these pro ceedings appeared to the Committee to be tile re sult of system, that they acted under the controul of leaders, that rolls were regularly called over, distinguishing the individuals, not by,nanie, but by numbers ; that sky-rockets were let off at night; and other Signals concerted, by which the secret committees kept up a communication with 1 each, other ; that delegates were Appointed, and an oath prescribed, pledging them not :to diS closethe persons who 'composed the private com mittees; tither by name, by description, or by any other act which might lead to their detection, on the penalty of being put out gf the World by the first brother who should meet him, .and .of having his name - blotted out frOm natiire. It also *bound them individually to pursue any traitor to the cause -with unceasing vengeance. 'lt appeared from the evidence - that they agreed to . pay 2d. a week each as a general fand, and that- some disa- . greernents•arose in consequence_of the delegate? , omitting to make good the money so obtained. It did not appear that any money was distributed . among th.e rioters. The report pro i ceeded to state, that intimations were made representing London and parts of Ireland as likely to follow -their ex ample, and affirming that several respectable per sons would in short time declare themselves in fa vour of their proceedings, but the Committee were happy to be able to :al that there was no evi dence whatever to that effect. They did not know the object- in contemplation ; but whether it was.for French purposes, and against our trade or not, the system bf terror was so great, and the eagerness to procure arms so apparent, .as to im press upon the minds a the Committee a strong sense of the danger of such proceedings to the,, security of the Country. - The. CHANCELLOR Of the EXCHEQUER moved that the report should lie on the table. Mr. PONSONBY wished to know at what time it was the intention that it should betaken into con sideration. The .CILINCELLOR Of theDtCligo.lJEß named Fri day next. Mr. PONSONBY said he did not wish to -impri!ss 4ny improper disclosure, but he i thougin it would be for the conyan:trice of the ..douse; to know what the nature of the Bill or Bills, intended to be" founded on the Report would be ? _ _ _ . The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQEUR had no objection to state, that the object of the proceed ings would be to put - down nocturnal meetings, and defeat the purposes of the rioters. Mr. WHITBREAD declared he was surprised that the Right Honourable Gentleman was unprepared to state the measures. distincly. The only- evi dence laid before the Committee was the - papers communicated by Government. He was on that Committee, and had voted with the minority .on a .motion for not excluding. other witnesses from giving information. He_did, not know that Go vernment could bring forward any enactment for which he should vote, conceiving that the law as it stood,combined with the improvement of triide in the manufacturing. districts, would meet the exi gencies of the case. Mr. BATHURST deprecated • any premature dis cussion of the subject. • Mr. PONSONBY repeated his assertion, that it Ivorild be for the convenience. of the House to state the nature of the intended measures. • Mr. WHITBREAD could ouly ascribe the silence of Ministers to their ignorance, He sincerely quitted their any knowledge of the ineasures they Would adopt: After some, further observations from Mr. Ba thurst and' Sir Francis Burdett, the Report was Ordered to be taken into consideration on Friday next. CUMNIII7Ef; OF SUPPLY. Mr. IITiIARTo.N prOpesed a grant of 2701. to Mr. Corp, to cover the expellees of au application to Parliament. . Mr. ABERCROMEY and Mr. TIERNEY opposed it. Mr. WHARTON and Mr. DAVIS GIX support ed the grant. The Conimittee was 'about to divide, when if was sugtre , ted by Mr. Tonsdnby that• there were riot 40 Members present, and the motion was al lowed' to be withdrai;vn. Mr. Wwirrto . N moved the grant of 1.5,553 . 1. far -the Expences• - of the Mint. Mr. It. MARTI:4 said, that no lecs a sum than 225,000 . /. had been expended - on the Mint, since it haliceased to coin for the public Mr. WHARToN stated that the turn in question was due for building's ' • and he was confident the estimate would cover the expence. After some further discussion between Mr. Tierney, Mr: Abercrombie, Mr. Rose, Mr. Pon 7 sonby,' and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Resolution was agreed tO, and the Report ordered to be received to-morrow. Lord CASTLEREAGH hoped it would be conve nient for his Right Hon. Friend to postpone his Mdtion on the case of Mr. St. John Mason to Friday nest.. Mr. SHERIDAN agreed to the postponement. Sir F. BURDETT proposed that there should be no additional. charge on, double letters from Sol diers and Sailors remitting money to their friends. Mr. LONG opposed - it on the ground that such a regulation would be liable to great abuse. The Report was ultimately ordered .t o be taken into further _consideration to-morrow. Lord CASTLEREAGH gave notice, that he would on Friday move for leave to bring in a Bill to amend the Toleration /la.—Adjourned. ~ REPORT FROM= THE •cOMMITTEE -OF SECRECY. The Committee of Seerecy, to whom Copies of the Infor mation which has been. received, relative'to certain vio lent Proceedings, which, in .defiance• of the Laws, - have taken place, - and continue to be carried on, in several, Counties of England (sealed up); were referred, haVe, pursuant to the Order of the House; examined the mat ters thereof, and haVe agreed to the following Report. Your Committee having examined the papers 'and documents referred to them, are concerned to state, that from the several sources of information therein contained, it • appears, that for some' months past serious and alarming disturbances, destructive to property, arid highly dangerous 'to private safety and the public peace, have prevail ed in a wry extensive and populous manufactur ing district, comprising certain parts of Lanca shire and of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and certain parts of Cheshire bordering upon Lanca shire.. • That the outrages in the above- district, brought to the notice of your Committee, commenced about , the end of February last, and continued . (though not without •occasional 'variation and temporary .abate!nent) to-. the latest period (the 23d of,dune) at,witich any information has been. received. During this period, Rioters .in large numbers .have assembled in the night time ; • some of them, diguised by blackened, faces, some armed with guns and pistolS, and others with the implements of their,trade, to.be used as offensive weapons, have broken into various houses, parti cularly.those of the rnanufabtuters who made use of shearing ftiames, have destroyed the machinery, sometimes plundered the inhabitants, and burnt their honses and; factories, 'exciting and keeping up perpetual terror in the country, by threaten ing' letters and -other means of intimidation, oc casionally executing their threats against prO prietoFs and others, not only by the destinotion. Of the property, but by firing into the houses. It appears HISA)„ that in some :instances attempts have been ni4de on the lives of those who had been, actively employed in enkaVouring to sup press the tumults ; and the atrocious murder of Mr. HOrsfall, 'a very respectable manufacturer in, the neighbourhood of Fluddersfield, in the, month of April, by four men, Who fired, at him with slugs in the public road, iu broad day, together with the other acts of violence, caused agreat and general consternation all over the district. . . - It may be proper to add, that parties - of the Rioters assembled; have, in Several instances de manded and obiained_ money from individuals by threats and terror. . . . Your Committee•do not think it necessary to describe the numerous acts of outrage that have been committed, conceiving. it sufficient for the purposes of the Report, to inform the House of the general state of the •disturbed 'pa r ts, without any particular detail of:specific facts The object of these lawless proceedingS 4 at the commencement of them, appears to have been, the destruction of machinery : But very early in their progress, another object, still more fo,rinidabl, to the. public security, has• been developed ; large bodies of men having assembled in the night, breaking open houses, and demanding arms. with threats and violence. This practice has' been actively persevered in ;, and though in some cases the plunder of property has, accompanied both. the destruction of machinery . and the demanding of arms, yet It is material to observe, that in general these Ovo' objects seem exclOsively to have been aimed at ; and when these had been attaincd;ever - y 'other species 'of •property, though - within their reach, has, inmost instances, remained untouched. It is stated, that in the neighbourhood of Hudders field, all the arms have been taken ; and that in other parts the seizure oftthem has been • consi derable ; and 'there is reason to appiehendi that the Rioterg have different sorts of arms concealed. It appears evident to your. Committee, that these outrages have not been committed from any sud den impulse of unconnected individuals, but have been the result of. organised systems of unlawful violence ; that language of the most mischievous nature has been . used among the rioters,' and sort of military 'training and discipline has been established. In making attacks upon houses, they sometimes appear to have been under the . controul a leaders, and to have acted upon signals. Rolls have been called over, distinguishing every man, not by his name, but by a number ; rockets and blue lights 'have been seen aenight, which are stated, by the persons making the communications; to have been signals made use of. by the Rioters. It - is also represented; that there are establishments of Committees, under the name, of Local Com- , mittees, Secret, Committees; and Ricecutive Com mittees, that they use signs and countersigns,. to guard them against the intrusion of informers ; and that they carry on their proceedings with the greatest secrecy and caution. It appears also that delegates for various Pla.ce r fi have been appointed, and meetings of those dile:- gates oneationally held; - that there is.• g freiluez±i communication between the severdl 'conirnittees alid towns, not thi . cugh the ordinary-conveyance of the•Post-Oft ce, but through the mediuth of de.;. legates ; and that the following oath has been ek tensively administered : "I A. B. of my own voluntary will, do decire " and solemnly swear, that I will never reveal to " any peison or persons, in ally place or plaees " under the, canopy of Heaven, the names .of the " persons who compose the secret committee; ei " ther by word, deed, or sign ; their proceedings, " meeting place, abode, dress, features, marks, " complexion, conneetious, or any thing else that may lead to the discovery of the same; on " the penalty of being put out of :he world by the " first brother that shall ;neet me, my name and •‘ character blotted out of existence, and never be' " remembered but with contempt and abhorrence: further swear, that I will use my best enda '":.Vours to punish by death any traitors, should ."..any,risvr up amongst ' us, he or them ; and " though he should fly to the verge of nature,. I " will pursue him with unceasing vengeance.— So help me God, to keep this oath inviolable." It appears that they who' were sworn in were to . pay the weekly sum of tWopence ; and that in the meetings of delegates at Manchester, frthri the neighbouring towns, discord has occasionally arisen, frOm some of the delegates , not bringing from their' 'respective di s t r i c t s th e contributions that were, due,. NO evidence or information that has been laid before your ComMittee justifies the supposition that any sums Of. money have been' distributed among the rioters. It appears also, that attempts have been made to •create a persuasion aniongst the persons en gaged in these disturbances, tha t their proceedings are - likely to- be supported by similar combi n ati on s in London-and in other parts of Great-Britain, al well as in Ireland.; and that they areeoun tenanced -by individuals of a higher - class and description, who arc to-declare themselves at a future time. But no evidence has been laid before your Com.: mittee to sanction any. suchreports, It appears to your Committee, that even in the cases in which the outrages have teen most clearly ascertained, it has been found extremely difficult, and in some instances impossible, to obtain evi dence as to the persons by whom they were cum mitted. .Of the numbers associated in the different parts parts of the disturbed district, your Committee have not any information that c an b e sa ti s f ac t or il y re li e d upon ; but that it is considerable, the Papers laid before them give sufficient ground to think. Neither can they presume to state, what is the ultimate object, the persons thus associated have in view, nor for what precise purpose it is that these ex tensive combinations have been formed. But whatever maybe the object, or whoever may 1 ) e th e secret movers,whether these combinations are con• tined to purposes'relating exclusively to trade, or - whateveradta.ntage has been taken of the distresses of the times to drew together, under that pre tence, all disontented persons, with views here after to be developed; yet the secrecy and method apparent in the whole arrangement, the sys teen of terror so industriously enforced by . threats, a”assinatica, and attempts at, assassii ation; the the Oath administered, the eagerness _and'activity in prolCuring arms . , and the training, before men; tioned, are all circumstances Which have not failed . to impress upon- the minds o f y our COM.- mitta a strong sense of the danger arising from such combinations, to the peace and secu rity of the Country. .Bth y, 1812. We have received Barbadoes Papers to the 20th, from= which we have made the following • extract . . , his Excellency the Governor, with that hu-, mane and generous attention Which marks his put ic and private character, having received a communication from the President Oi St. Vincent, stating the distresses to which the ' inhabionts were likely to - become subjett, in consequence of the de s t ruc ti on of most of their negrO provision grounds by the late dis aster which befel that Island, immediately called a meeting of the Legislature, with a view of de vising the best mode of contributing to their re lief; and his summons,being fully attended to, and - the President's letter laid before them, the Mem , bers came to the very laudable resolution of ap propriating, out of the funds of this Treasdry, the sum of 2000 pounds currency; to be laid out in flour, rice, corn, and corn ideal, as being the articles of which they were likely to be Most essentially in need. The Treasurer of the Island, C.A.IIOwELi., Esq. very readily undertook the manag . ement of this vote; and indefatigably attended to its com-' .pletion, a vessel having been dispatched yesterday with 50 barrels superfine flour, 20 tierces rice, and 1300 bushels of corn ; which, it is to be hoped, will reach them in time to meet any exi- , gericy that may exist: _s The' treaty between Russia and Turkey, is said, to consist of seven articles, of .which only the follow - ink have transpired :--- , That Russia_ Nt'kfS to abandon all her corrquests on the south of the Pruth, 'and to make that river her. boundary;-- that the Porte was , to cede 'Choctim to the Rug- , sians that in case of Austria - furnishing troops in the war with Russia, the Porte was to send 40 ; 000 men fully equipped, to her assist- , ance. - Advices from St, Domingo; to the 2d MO', state, that Christophe had sustained three several defeats before Port-au-Prince, on the two last days of April, and the Ist of May. His whole army, with which he presented himself at the gates of that city, amounted only to 11,000 men-r -that of PETION was 16,000. Captain the -Earl of - TVRCOINEL, of the Ist Foot Guards, and one of the Aides-de-Camp to his Royal Highness the Cominander _in thief, left town on Saturday last,. it is understood, to pro ceed on a mission, to the hea&quarters of the Russian army. The American ship' ronquin, Thorn, was at. tacked in September last near Nootka Sound, by the Indians, who murdered all the crew except the Captain and ()tie tnan, who seeing no proba bility in escaping, blew themselves up with the ship.