The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-03-27 00:00:00

BREAM OF PRIVILEGE.

Lord AtAtioap rose in call the attention of the
Huitse to a circumstance which he conceived to he
a high breach of their privileges. On Saturday
lasi, as William Stior, a soldier in the Ist regi-
ment of Font Guards, was in the lobby, after
tiring (rain the IVorcester Committee, before which
lie had been summoned, he was arrested by a
io &elisn of the Gum.ls for being absent from his
parade. The circumstance was souti known to some
of the Members of the Committee, and it was
thought uonecessrav to snake it the subj...et .of
formal complanit, from a conviction, that alien
the cause of the soldier's absence was knows'.
the matter watthl be dropped by his Officers.—
Since that, however, hr had been tried, it was said,
by Court Niariial. He (Lord Althorn) had not
had time to make minute inquiry into the matter;
bust lie wascertinitly informed the man was either
tried or mill kept in duress. lie thought it right
to put the House without delay in Fir:session of this
circumstance, that if tiled the man might be saved
/fan a I•tittb.latietit incurred for an obedience of
their summons ; ur if not tried, that he should be
released fruit any colifitiement in which he may
happen at {peseta tr. lie placed. lie trusted the
Hosier would excuse his having mentioned this sub-
irrt.—( Hear, hear.)
(;eileral I iottaTio TowNsHFists said he had heard
something of this circumstance. The 111511 might
hare htrie tried by Court Martial ; but if punish-
went followed, in could MOW; r the House that it
would not he for las obedience of the FUln 111011 S of
the Committee. Oiie of the etilllidaiiits against the
man was, lie believed, grills misbehaviour to the
serjeinit who went after luw, and attempts to 11111
away from his custody.
Lord A I.THORP said, the hreach of privilege
was the arresting the man in the lobby of the
House, while in attendance in obediroce to the
summons of (roe of their Committers ; what lie had
subsequently dour had uo releretne to the question
before them.—(Hear.)
Geneial HORATIO TOWNAREND said, he believed
the man was released from attendance upon the
Committee—lie had some notion that one of the
Counsel of the. Committee told the serjeant that
they were done with hint, and might take him.away.

Sir 31. \V. IttplAY the House must feel
considerably iiidebted to the Noble Lord for bring.
*log thi• emitter before them ; and now that notice
wua taken of it, they could not let it pass without a
[nark of their censure.—(l/ear.)
General IlitiPPs said, that no puiii,itnent could
be inertia or intended for the man's obeying the
sumo 1111 l of the Coniniittee. . It must be for a die
tinct offence.

Mr. Tit:ashy said, the question wiei not for
what the man aa. to be punished, :Jilt whether a
witness, sumnimwd before a Coniiiiiitee of the
:loom., was entitled to free I of arrest both going
rind coining, sod while 111 attendance.—///ear.)—
While here the man was arrested. He did tint see
how they could get ►id of this matter without ex-
pre.sing a decided opinion upon it.
Mr. BECK ITT said, the serjeaiit might be rd cd
to state gloat had passed between lour and the
soldier.

Mr. TtEnNI.Y said, the seriennt must he called,
and if lie could make a satisfactory explanation or
apology, their would be an end ol the bu►iness.
Ifni in it soinething roust certainly be done—.the
matter emill not drop as it now stood.—/!lens./
Mr. II•r SETT said, the House wits bound to take
care t'..t trussoldier was not punished for his attend-
ance upon one of their own Committees, to that in
any part his absence was censured while obeying
their summons. The uriest was prima facie Ole.
gal ; and thereftire the Wales riimitiig away after.
welds, could not be said to he an escape, or an act
which ought to expose him to punishment.
Mr. F. LEWD raid he was present when the man
was arrested, and lie did not see any appearance of
impropriety iu las demeanour at the time.
Sir C. MuNCK said, that the arrest of this man
Wt iiolitton or the privileges tali:wed to • wit-
tiers in every Court of Justice in tl'e kirlduru.

.%.

The violation of so notorious a privilege should be
at once visited with their censure.

Sir J. MACIIINTONM said, i1;:t this was °rpees-
tiseably a gross breech of privilege, and its rani.
pltsion became the more serious front the cir-
cumstance that the arrest hod been made by
lacy authority and by a military officer.—fllcar.)
—lf the mere threat to a witness in attend-
ance was deemed bind justly deemed) a tit
subject fur their censure, surely this more grits,
and wanton violation of their privileges could out
he passed w ithout the struogest atitonarlversin.,
lie condemned the hit t:rose of ...e H
icai
Learned Gentleman opposite (%ir. nerkett).
could not conceive soy thing nh,:e improper 6)143
au Iliaintlatluil, and to rust Ivry men too, than that
all ignorance of the privileges of the tionsw would
shelter them from the consequences of tow isdrac-
tow'. lie admitted that on d variety of rietsaatia,*
igliermice would extenuate, hut it could not jusuly
acts of this kind. It would be alarin;tig nirlred,
a constitutional point of view, if nulii.,iy perso;,.,
under pretext of ignorance, could trifle with the
privileges of that House. The arrest was in t..e
first ',lace a breach of privilege, and theii
charge or pitoislnnetit which subsequently fulhrw
became a !,,rtimil breach. lie thought the lin.tse
should tali for a copy of the charge.
Mr. BEI:NETT Said, thus arrest not in ino:
shape intruded as a disobedience of the privileges
of the House. lie was not swine that the luau
bedibe.r."AlliairClKl INI
V'•t.
Sr 0 Sit explained.
Mr. BENNETT observed, that either the man was
tried or lie w.r• not ; if lie was tried, the House
'night usk, fur what offence, and then it would lee
seen whether the charge against that shhher load
any cotiatextun with his attendance upon the Cum-

Lord ALTHORP then moved, that the serail
of the Ist Regiment of Foot Guards, who was
ordered to arrest Win. Stiut on Saturdit last, within
the precincts of that flou.e, be ordered to attend
the House on Tuesday next.
Mr. ‘STVISiN had an extreme objeviou to post.
poning this business until Tuesdny ►.ext. fie
soldier should. ►f possible, be ordered to attend
forthwith.—/Hear.)—lf the House had nut al-
ready agreed to adjourn over to-morrow, he clKrultl
have thought it right to have had a special meeting
for this purpose.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER ctn.-
curred in the propriety of f►aviq; the attendunee
of the witness forthwith; ut all events, if this titre
inspnieticarble, he might be u► attendative 0.1
Monday.
Lord ALTHORP amended his motion according-
ly, and .•_forthwith" was substituted for •' Tu,..
day," ►n the motion.
011 the so zgestion of Colonel BARRY, the wool
“enll4:4lrd" was also omitted, as there Was 110 tt ;-
deuce At present to support its insertion.
Mr. FRIXMANTLE said, that the serjeant's n iiiie
being unknown, created a difficulty in the descrip-
tion for insuring his attendance.
Mr. BELKETT said, that his Hon. Friend thought
he knew the serjeant, and would go now in the
hope of finding and bringing hum before tile
House.

General HORATIO TOWNSHEND said, he knew
the person of the verjeant, but nut his name. Ile
would, however, lingually endeavour to find him.

Mr. WY NN suggested that the soldier,
should be also examined on this occasion.

This suggestion was also adopted.
Mr. BENNETT then moved for Copies of the
Minutes taken on the Court Martial of Stint.
Mr. BECKETT said, that from what he had heart'
the charge had no reference to the matter now be-
fore the House.

Mr. WAI. SMITH said, that the-e was then the
less difficulty in producing a copy of it.
At the suggestion of Mr. WYNN, and after a
few words front Mr. BECKETT, Mr. HENN ETT
agreed to withdraw his motion fur the present, and
the serjeaut and %Vat. Stint were ordered to attend
forthwith.
The SPEAKER informed the (louse that the ser-
jeant of the Goulds, who had beta ordered to attend
at the bar, was now in attendance. The sol.firr,
for whom a similar order hail been 111411 r, war i.i.t
yet arrived, but on his way 111 the House. it 110 W
remained for the House to dettriniiie whether it
would proceed immediately with the examination,
or wait till the arrival of the soldier.
Mr. WYNN conceived that the (louse must he
regulated by the length of time which was lik.df
to elap.e before the arrival of the soldier.

The SPEAKER was informed that both the ser-
jeant and the private were on duty at Chelsea when
the orders had been issued. As they had been made
i.eparattly, and sent one after the other, the same
time would probably elapse between the arrival of
the individuals culled for, as had passed between
the issuing of the two orders.
'After a few words from General ToWKSTIEND,
which were not audible in the gallery,
Lord ALT OUP, who did not conceive the exa-
mination of the soldier necessary, but thought the
evidence of the verjealit would be sufficient, moved
that he be called to the bar.

The serjeant having been called on, stated in his
examination, that his name was John Harvey, and
that he belonged to the ist regiment of Guards.
tie admitted ►hat on Saturday last he had came m
veareli of William Stint, and found him in t.e
lobby of the House of Commons. He was taking
111111 In his quarters, when the said William Stint
ran away from bun. In a quarter of an hour.
however, he regained possession of his prisoner,
and took him before the Orderly Officer. In
all he had done. he had acted bt• the orders of
Seijeatit-Major Thomas Sutton, and ou the ground
that Witham Stint had absented himself froiu
the defaulter's drill, at ten o'clock in the morn-
ing. William Stint had since been tried by a
Court-martial on the charge of having absented
himself, disobeyed orders, efiec►ed his escape, and
made away with a piece of cloth belonging to the
witness. We (the witness) had no kronledge that Wm.
Stint bud received a summons to attend an Election
Committee; neither did he know that it was a breach
of piivilege to arm him in the lobby of• the Com-
mons. He had only thought of obeying his orders.
The defaulter's drill took place at nine o'clock in
the morning, and lasted at least one hour, and
when William Stint was seized he accounted for his
absence by saying, that lie must attend the House
of Commons by half-past eight iu the morning. He •

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