The Connecticut courant — Hartford, Conn., 1774-05-03 00:00:00, page 1

Further Proceedings on tie Affair ts Mr Herne
and Mr. Woodfall\ in the House of Commons.
LO ND 0 N, February 18
A7ESTERD.IY, after debate of about tws
% bouts, oo appointing a Committee to cbn
rfiler of the present fhte of the linen trade in
'.Great.Baltin and Ireland, Mr. Horne attended
in the Lobby of the Heufe of Commons, and af
ter the nfoil forms, was called unto the Bar.
He entered into a long difculpation of himfelf,
' relative to the charge of his difobeyirg the sum
mons feryed on him by the Meffeoger, which,
when be had foifhed, Mr^)lTver made a motion
that he might be difeharged out of the coftodyof
the Serjeant at Arms ; which, after undergoing
a difenffion of two hours, p ffed in the negative,
without a division. He Was then called* upofi
by the Speaker to make his defence, which, af
ter a great deal of time fpeot in adjusting the
proper mode rs proceeding, it was at length a
greed, that H. S. Woodfall should be called to
the bar, ^nd examined in evidence es the charge.
As soon as he finifhed his testimony a debate
arofc concerning the competency of b,s evidence,
and whether it was Efficient to bring home the
charge to the culprit. It was at length mov
. cd, that on account of the iufcffiriency of the
evidence, that three of Woodall's fervOTs
should be summoned this day to corroborate the
teflimpsy of their mafler. Tlfs produced a
very loo&and wril formicd debate, which rem
tinned till a few minutes after ten ; when the
quedion being put the House divided ; for the
adjournment 132, agaioft it 44. It is remark
able that Mr Horne put in hit plea of Not Guil
ty, in the usual mode of defending crimiail pro
fecutwa.
Feb. 21. It is very rematkab'e, that rot es
§SB Members, there cou'd be only two found
who contended that the press required- further
refiraints to be laid on it ; namely. Sir William
Meredith and Mr. Charles Fex, while on the
other hand, the Attorney arid Solicitor General,
and Lord -North, maintained a different opinion.
His Lordship's words were nearly to thefollow*
fog purport oofholiday l^ft : " Thrive, it seems
been charged iri.au evening paper of faying, hft
Friday, that it was necessary the press should be
retrained on-accouat of its present liceotiouf.
pefs. lam fate ^h^e, keen unji^y charged,
as I caoaffirm wuh'^ty, such an idea never en
tered my head, for which afcrtibnl appeal to
the recollection a^d'gaodaur of the House. On
the contrary, my featfants always ' were, arid
ever will be, that the psis ffioald erer be free
and open to all ; but that the authors, publish
ess, &c. should write or public at their peril.
I know there,is a power in the laws to ibfl;&
an adequate and exemplify puniltni^ot ; and it
rauft be people's own fault, if they do not re
sort to them when they find themselves injured.
And I contend, that the ori'y true farce of the
licentioufaefs now complained of iseairely ow
ring to a want of that,&ivity arid fyirit fb ne
ecffsry in the profecu^iun and ©oAviffioo of foch
darieg offenders
Feb 23. Mr. Charles Fox is exceedingly
outrageous, in cookqueries of Lord North's ge
ncrous moderation, to the Press, and the Bed^
ford party are playing upon the vanity of this
i^hbkiug young man, with a view of turning
him to their owo parpofes. — Theyw^nj to bring
in the Duke of Grafton a second time ; and if
they effect this. Charles is flattered with the heps
of feing the m^tyog Miniver in the Howfe of
[May, Mocc.lxx;.: Jff&^at^L NUMBER 4 c 9 g
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Chaining thejretoejt and most impel tans jfl^^ffi&^&t^^; ' ~°
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From TUESDAY, May 3, to." U ESD AY, May 10, 177/
Commons —.'This idea has ^uMd him up so
excessively that he is a're^ y-oppoilrig Lord
North upon every occaGoo, ,od lad Friday par
ticularly told the House, bo ? much they had
erred in not adopting bis (C brio's) advice to
make tn example of the Fu,Acrs !—The ridi
culous flights however, of th. political Icarus,
will probably terminate so a weedy fall, and the
youth may recover the ufc ei his undcrfland ; ng,
when he has broken his neck in climbing after
the highest offices of Govern cat,
•Feb. 15 Mr. Phipps p^ferued a Petition
from H 8. Woodfall, *' praying to be retafed
from his confinement." He Gid it was couch
ed io fuch.refpe&able terms, and appealed to
the humanity ofthe Hpufe if. so proper a mao
nor, that he imagined,no perha would oppok
it. He added, that be did o^. mean toexcul
pate the prifooer, nor didte t.'Ci that this might
be looked on as an adcq%c f^niffimpot for the
offence ; but as the prisoner had behaved with
propriety, he hoped the House would re'eafe
him and eafi aside their refer,ment for the of
fence he bad committed. Ml Phipps conced
ed by moving. " tb,t H ^ Whodfal: be brought
to the bar of the House and there receive his
final difebarge from thri coftQ of the Serjeau#
at Arms.—Mr. bempHer fecenred the motion.
Mr. Herbert find, he had be a the person who
6rft moved this bufineft, and I could not thick
of sffeniir, to thc.wninr, ^m had pie "'
himfelf to have the Printer prosecuted after his
rclesfement ; that he by no means looked upon
this as a fuffiekut puniihmeor, for which reafoo
be fhou d be for the prifocer being detained
longer.
Mr. Dempfler ag ted, that it was not an tide:
quate pumifhweot tor the offence, but it would
Ihow otters what power the Houfehad, and, be
hops), won id have a good est& upon Liberties
for the future ; if not, it should be the last time
he would interfere, he fa:u ! d therefore give his
affeot to the motion.
Lord George Germane in a very pointed
fpeech/ail,he had not troubled theHoufe before
on this fobjeft, but he thought the.prifaner de
served thetromey, that it was Gogulary hard
Upon that man to be pundhsd for a crime, es
which others had btea repeatedly more guilty,
and fuffcred to go on with impunity , that eve
ry day, he (the Speaker) fgeed at the bottom
of his Votes, that 61 No prrloo do presume tc'
print or publish soyproccedirigr of that House,
but such as he ffiould appoint," yet he daily saw
those tbisi^s dofie, and if the House punished for
crie offence, they might for another.
Lord North acknowledged that great praise
was due to- Mr Herbert for the attention and
judgment he had ihewn during the whole es tbit
business, and his Lor^fhip thought it would be
doing, him a pi^e of injustice to desert him on'
the present occasion, avhe teemed averse to the
prisoner's being released ; for himfelf, h<sLord
fhip'confeffd, that he thought the prisoner had
dot Offered Efficient for the offence. His Lord
fliip Concluded by laying, even if the prifooerf
deferred lenity he thought the time for fliew
ibg it was riot yet come.
Colon.TO, flow Aid h:fliord wish to bate
tfe Printer re dafed, as he had rifted io contra
dialed 10 the advice of fonie Members ofih^R
Houfe.'whofe n^rnes he should forbear to men
tion ; tbit he hid beep credibly informed two
Members desired Ivni by no means to obey the
Soaker'/ f&mffiorifrf he Gid, fio^e dm bufioe^
had began the News Papers bad bectfull of Li
bels ; that there was a most infamous Libel co
— his Majesty & both Hcufes of P rli^hent, print
' cd a few days ago, at the bottom of what writ
cabled An Heroic Epiflie ; that no perfeo was a
greater enemy to Libellers than himfelf, for they
had not only abused and diflorbed us at home,i
but they had occafi^ned a Rebellion in America &,
end he plainly forefaw, uolefs some flop
put to the prefect mode of libelling; that bah
Hoofes would be obliged to make a PriOTege
Bill, however difigreeable./
On the Qoeftien being put, “ whether the
Printer should be called to the Ear and dflcharg.
cd ?" It was carried agairfl the Motion with
out a dirifieo.
Capt. Phipps feid be bad a petition in bis'
hand from H. S. Woodfall, praying to 6c releaf
cd from bis present cor fincmeot, othetwrfe it
•would end in the rum of himfelf andtmily.
He laid, be did not ,ifh this to be noderftood
as a fufficieot punifhmeot for the offence, but
that the House would t^ kci to consideration thg
deplorable date to which this would render an
innocent family :he laid, the Hoo. tvoflroaa
(Mr. Herbert, whe firft proofed the confines
meet (tho' not prefect) had cothmifSomte tins
to declare tothc House his approbltino, he
therefore desired leave to present it.
Mr. Phipps then ptefcnted the petition, and
moved " that H S Windfall be hrc%ht to th,
bar, and finally discharged on paying his fees."
Mr. F—r moved that an amendment of,
" after being fererely reprimanded on his knecc
by the Speaker." ; ,
The queflion was put, Whether the amend'
ment should Rand part of the motion and carri
ed agafoft it without a division. The queflioa
was then put without the amendment, and car
ried almost unanimonfly. The Serjeant was or
&rc,3 to bring H.'S. Woedfall io, when being
placed at the bar) the Speaker recapitulated to
him the whole of the proceedings fiom the letter
which Speared being deemed a libel, his bring
fommoned, his attending giving up the Auhor,
&c and told him, that when the House cleared
him he (Sir Fletcher) was entirely fatisfied ;
that whatever else the House bad done, was on
their own account ; that he owed neither him
nor the Rev. Mr Horne, any animrifiiy, but af #
fared him, haforgave them both, and acquaint.
eJ him, that he was entirely diftharged on pay
ing his feci. He accordingly withdrew;
„ UN away from Elihu Hyde of Spencer-
Town on the 17th day of infant April,
a Negro Man about 26 years of age, had on
when be went away a mix'd colour'd short coat,
black and bbl ah under double breasted waifc
coat, one fide of it plaid; ditty leather breeches,
blue flocking? arid double foal'd Aider bis hair
corn'd out and tied up. an old brown wool hat,
about f feet 8 inches high round /bou^dered,
carries hi: head (looping for ward. Whoever
fhalltake up bid negro and deliver him to faid'
Hyde, fhali hire Seven Dbllara reward and alf
necessary charges paid, by
April 18 1774. " ECTHU HYDE.
^ ^z^^ .#. — ■ —■— —.lTU
TO BE LET
^MD ZNTRRED UPON IMMEDIATELY,
'"rHE one half of , good convenient Dwelling'
A House, a few Rods South of the South
Meriting House in Hartford. For terms enquire
of B^Wamix Payne, Elq; of Hartford.