The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1822-06-06 00:00:00

Lord LONDONDERRY presented • Petition from err-
tale Dealers is Reiner is the port of Dubin'. praying for
protecting duties ea better.—Ordered lobe printed.
STATE OF IRELAND.
Mr. SPRING Rice moved for returns of the
number of Special Sessious held in Ireland, and
the number of persons committed and tried.
slid also the number of cases in which special jn-
ries were sworn since the suspension of the Habeas
CurpretAct,aud in so doing he wished to ask the
Secretary of State for Ireland, whether it was his
ititeatima to move for the renewal of its assepension.
Mr. GOULBURN said that he did not consider the
state of Ireland such as to require exactly the sus-
pension of the Habeas Corpus Act.
Lord A. HAMILTON begged to remind the Right
Honourable Secretary for Ireland, that the Howse
had only given a conditional acquievcence in the
coercive measures which had been extended towards
Ireland. and since that he had only heard the Right
Honourable Gentleman allude once to the state of
that country; mud he begged to impress upon the
Right Honourable Gentleman the necessity of
giving the House adequate information before he
called for the renewal of any of these oppressive
Acts. His Mujeety'si Ministers had promised to
institute a full inquiry into the condition of that
country, and he wished to know whether any such
investigation had taken place?
Mr. GOULBURN said, he should not object to
any observations which the Noble Lord might
choose to make on the subject; but the House
must be aware that he (Mr. Goulburn) had given
noticed • motion for the renewal of the Insurrec-
tion Act, and when that period arrived, he hoped
to be able to give the most satisfactory information
to the House.
After a few words from Lord A. HAMILTON, the
motion was agreed to.
Sir J. NRWPORT complained of the neglect of
the state of Ireland. He had understood that the
renewal of the Insurrection Act at the beginning of
the Session, was a measure intended to give time
for • full inquiry into the grievances of Ireland,
which were supposed not to be ripe for discussion.
He knew the dauber of..eaying any thing which
would tend to agitate the public mind, but he was
also •ware of the peril of neglecting to remedy
that which was the subject of general complaint.
The country was uuw reaping the baneful effect of
such neglect.
The Marquis of LONDONDERRY contended that
the affairs of Ireksid had been frequent subjects of
inquiry with the House, as they were unremittingly
so with the Government. The state of distress,
the state of health, of tithes, and of taxes, had
all been before them. Hardly any point which
toadied their interests had been left unconsidered,
and without having some remedial measure pro-
polled or applied for the specific and admitted griev-
fume. At the same tune he protested against the sup-
position that inquiry by Committee of the House
or tip stairs, was the best or only effectual mode of
finding out awl remedyinr, what was defective. If
the Right Honourable Baronet had any specific
remedy to propose fur any grievance which he
thought had been left without one, he would du
well to bring it forward.
Mr. C. HUTCHINSON said, that if the Noble
Lord suffered the Session to pass over with merely
renewing the Insurrection Act, and pot point
out and redress the particular grievances of Ire-
land, he would be deficient in his duty. Nor
would the Members of the House adequately dis-
charge their duty if they contented themselves so
easily. if something mese not done for the secu-
rity of Ireland, to restore her people to happiness
and enjoyment, the whole military power of Eng-
land would be insufficient to keep them down.
The Marquis of LONDONDERRY observed, that
Government had done what they could in the remis-
sion of taxes, the employment of labour. and .msk-
ing provision fur the poor.
Mr. CURWEN give notice of a motion, on bring-

kg up the Report on Naval and Military Peneions,
ilepecting the Suit Tux.
••• Mr. Bair presented a Petition from James
rater, fisli'-curer. Bristol, praying for the remission
it the whale of the salt tea, which, after • kw
deeds from the Clitiecebboa of the Exceitteuea.
Ina °Mend to be printed.
ILCHESTER GAOL
Sir F. BUltrittr prayed the indulgence of the
House white he troubled them with a few explana.
tory remarks on the motion lie war about to make.
He thought that any documents tending to throw a
light on this subject ought to be gladly furnished;
he was astonished, therefore, when he foiled that the
ournals of tag Magistrates kept iu the gaol bad
VII. nfilited. He thought it wee due to Mr.
Hunt, after all that had been alai t shout him, MA
those journals should be produced. He reminded
the House of the statement which he had ramie, of
the small inconvenient apartment in which' Mr.
Hunt had been confined, with the eloquent air,
which could only be ventilated by opening a door iu
a particular direction. But the remarkable part of
the case was this, that the Magistrates had ad.
muted the unhealthiness of the prison, and especi-
slly of this apartment ; that the door which was
closed had been opened by the gaoler in regard
merely to the salubrity of the prison, and yet
Dr. Colson. when it radie to his turn to act as
visiting Magistrate, ordered the door to be
closed. He had subsequently authorised the
Right Honourable Secretary to state that he
did so because of some supposed danger of
escape arising from the new buildings going on in
that part of the prison. The next circumstance
was, that the Rev. Doctor had refused an interview
to Mr. Hunt with his dying sister; and the Doctor's
reply. through the Right Hon. Secretary. was, that
he did not know Mr. Hunt had a sister. Now he
had been down and seen the prison, and so fir was '
.the first pert of the apology of the Rev. Doctor
to be depended on, that there was no buildrog going
on as he had described. It was impossible that his
reason for closing the door should have bees
owing to that cause. There was indeed no
reason to justify Doctor Colson at all. The
other circumstance was of more importance.
Mr. Hunt had applied to two Magistrates for ad-
mission for his friends, in order to sign a legal in-
strument in their presence, to which he was to be a
party. This was refused ; he was obliged to get •
the turnkeys to witness it. Whether the deed so
attested would be good in law he did not know ;
but the question was, what could be intended by
such trntment but the spite of harassing and af-
flicting the prisoners committed to their charge.
The Rev. Doctor had stated two things as facts; one,
which was wholly untrue, to his certain knowledge,
and he had good reason to disbelieve the other. He
expressed his surprise at the amplifications in a re.
port of the speech of the Right Hon. Secretary,
which appeared in the SAerbern Mercury. There
was a recital of facts respecting Mr. Hunt's treat-
ment of a prisoner, named Wyat, and of this fellow
hiving surprised Mr. Hurt with his own niece, which
the Right Hon. Secretary had never uttered. This
was a very gross and injurious charge In he circu-
lated against Mr. Hunt, when in reality there was
sto ground for it whatever. Miss Grey, Mr. Hunt's
niece, had visited him in company with Mrs. Vince,
with whom Mr. Hunt had lived for many years, aid
his own son. The evidence which Wyat gave of
the affair was, that he saw Miss Grey sitting on
Mr. Hunt's knee; and a hen he was further inter.
replied as to any generally improper conduct, he
gave such incoherent answerv, that the Commis.
sionera perceived that he was a lunatic, and dismissed
him. It was surely too much to refer to the evi-
dence of this half-cracked fellow, who had been
imprisoned for attempting to destroy Ilia wife and
family, for proof of such a charge. There were,
however, some extracts in the Report of the evi-
dence which required to be prosecuted further. A
man of the name of Evans had been committed to
the refractory ward ; the order, dated 24th October,
1815, was signed " Acland." The justification
annexed was, that there was a necessity for sup.
porting the authority of Government. This was
an extraordinary motive for Magistrates to allege
for practising cruelty on those committed to their
charge. It appeared that he remained in solitary
confinement and in irons till April IS, 1816. The
visiting Magistrate, hearing that he had attempted
to escape, thought fit to continue the order.
The question now was, what had become of the
man ? He might still be lingering in solitary con-
finement, and for an imaginary offence. The at-
tempt at escape was not over the prison wall. but
over a paling in the prison yard, winch limited the
space between the cells to the breadth of a door, as
if every thing was done to deprive the prisoners
of the littleadvanteges left within the walls. The
Magistrates were highly blameable, they seemed
in no instance to have examined inio any thing
but what the gaoler put under their noses.
He could not help observing how strongly and
honourably the conduct of the Judges of the
land its their rules for this very prison, con-
twisted with that of the Magistrates, who had quietly
allowed shows which it would shock any Gentleman
to read. He thought that it must be followed up.
and they must know what had become of the man
put into solitary confinement in iron.. The Hott.
Baronet. Member for Somerset, talked of the ie.
propriety of producing the journals, which were
just like the notes of the Magistrate's pocket-book
111 his view. How could they be so considered whet
they were kept by the Clerk of the Peace, in the
county gaol, and were indeed no other than records
belonging to the public, and paid for by 'he public?
It might be said that as the gaoler was to go to trial.
the contents of the journals would preisid:ce his case;
but if he could from the journals prove the orders for
what he had done. that would be his brat defence.— •
There were two acts of his in which the Nlagistrates
were not concerned—that of putting blister• un
head of the gardener; and the treatment of aii unfor-
tunate girl to a soli:ary cell without water, a narra-
tive too horrible to rela!e, but which any Cicutitquan

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• s

ALIEN ACT.
Mr. Secretary PI ‘L then rose to bring forward
the motion of which he had given notice. The suc-
tion with which he should conclude, was a proposi-
tions that the powers conic-led to the Executive Go-
vernmeut by an Act of Parliament, commonly
called the Alien Act, should be further continued
for the term of two years. That motion had at va-
rious periods been submitted to the consideratiou of
Parliament, and if in discussing it. in complireuce
with the wishes of an Hou. Gentleman opposite. he
made use of arguments whirl; had before been
urged, he hoped he should not be toward with in-
dulging in an endless repetition of exhausted topics.
To make perfectly clear and intelligible what he
was about to say, he would mention in the outset,
as the points which he proposed to discuss, the mag-
nitude and importance of the danger against which
this Act was intended to provide, and the objections
to it, which might probably be fouuded, tint on its
departure from the ancient law of the land, and siest
on the liability of the powers confided by the Act
to abuse. He was perfectly aware that the period
in whir h he wee proposing this measure, we.
seventh year of peace. and that its the Speech
from the Throne, at the commencement of Ust
the Session, his Majesty stated to both flosses
of Parliament that he continued to receive al-
surances of the continued friendly dispositions of
foreign Powers. But whoever conodered the
length of the war which preceded the present peace,
the piinciples which gave rise to that war. the
changes which those principles had produced in the
subversion of many of the old, and the creation of
new dynasties, and the variety of new and cot.flio.
ing interests that were consequently awakened.
must feel convinced that the niece signature of a
treaty of peace could not possibly have eutirely
eradicated those principles to which he had al-
luded, nor thoroughly consolidated the new rote•
rests he had mentioned. Experience, indeed,
proved that it had not had thut effect. For withla
the last three years they had seen a large portion of
the world convulsed, revolutions against the pre-
existing goverismenu effected in souse conutries,
similar revolutions attempted iu other., and (poly
defeated by the armed interference of • thud
power. and conspiracies for similar objets U
in many places detected and overthrown. He
meant- not to express any opinion on the chanc•
ter of the events which lie had enumerated. sil 1•1
the parties reigned in them ; but he must say it
was impossible that such things could have takes.
place without reviving those principle's, aid en-
kindling that spirit in which first originated the
danger against which this Act was intended to pee-
vide. Iu consequence of the events which hr Aid
described, there were great nuniaers of intlarrawala
who by the part they hail taken rendered themselves
°litations to prosecution in the countries Alchemic
the scene of such transactions. and led so two
country for refuge.—(Hear, he.r.)-.ll‘d that re.
fuge in any one instance been Waved to dame wirer
'alight it ? If it had in any one instance been dos.
vied, it was only in that of on tudividu.l who wire
hither not for the purpose of refuge from versa-cramp.
but in order to convert the asylum which hr expect-
ed, into the scene of political intrigues and can.
spirscies. In IBIS the number of aliens brag vin
this country under this Act was 22.000; at prestos
it was 25.000. In 1820, the mere-ate Ni the bast.
bet' of foreigners arriving in this country, over that
of the departures, was 317 ; in 1811, n was tigs,
and ie all present year, of which only tiro miasma
had yet espied. it was 635. The phew iafireetice
from these uternbeis was that the extetence of the
Al-en Act hull not operated in any way to prevent
the resort to tbis country, of any persons *Who.; t,

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the Right Honourable Baronet had any specific allowed abuses which it would shock any Gentleman who by the part they had token rendered themselves
aO. remedy to propose fur any grievance which he to read. He thought that it must be followed up, obnoxious to prosecution in the countries which were
Lleaased , thought had been left without one, he would du
11)11
and they must know what had become of the man the scene of such transactions, and fled to this
ninny., well to bring it forward. put into solitary confinement in irons. The Hon. country for refuge.—(Harr, hear.)-...find that re-
wowed. Mr. C. liuxesirnson said, that if the Noble Baronet, Member for Somerset, talked of the im- ruge ;II any one instance been refused to dome who
i certain Lord suffered the Session to pass over with merely propriety of producing the journals, which were sought it ? If it had in any ooh instance been &-
Me that
renewing the lusurrection Act, and Dot point just like the notes of the Megtstrste's pocket-book Hied, it was only in that of an ludividu•l who came
oaths:
out and redress the particular grievances of Ire- to his view. How could they be so considered whet hither not for the purpose of refuge from tierwcia mu.
certain laud, he would be deficient in his duty. Nor they were kept by the Clerk of the Peace, in the but inorder to convert tne asylum cinch he rapeci•
fur pre- would the Members of the House adequately din- county gaol, and were indeed no other than recorda ed, into the scene of political intrigues and con.
dither of charge their duty if they contented themselves so belonging to the public, and paid for by the public? &piracies. la 181 e the number of aliens Itsilig in
easily. if something weie not done for the sects- It might be said that as the gaoler was to go 10 trial, this country under this Act was g 2,01.00; at prestos
um.. is city of Ireland, to restore her people to happiness the contents of the journals would prrjod.ce his case; it was 45.000. In 1820, the increase to the oars. l
.4. 1
novel of
id to the I and enjoyment, the whole military power of Eng- but if he could from the journals prove tite orders for bee of foreigners arriving let this country, over that t
land would be insufficient to keep them down. what he had done. that would be his beet defeuee.— of the departures, was 317 ;in 1821, at way 1345, lit
Ili" of The Marquis of LONDONDERRY observed, that There were two acts of his iii which the Magistrates and iti ill present year, of which only tiro months
%
d. /
l
Governsnent bad done what they could in the acmes-- were not concerned—that of putting blisters on this had yet e itpsed„ it was 635. The plena tofirience
.1.", in a 'ion of taxes, 'lie employment of labour, and .mak- head of the gardener ;and the treatment of an unfor. front these uunsbeis was that the exlstence of the
„snits in tog provision fur the poor. tunate girl is, a solitary cell without water, a 'sorra- Alen Act had not operated in any way to preireot
'mired I Mr. Cuawciir gave rstics: of a motion, on bring- live too horrible to relate, but which any Lieutleinso the r.stirt to this ecuutry, of any petsous ',fistulas., t,
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