The National Register.
London, England, 1817-07-07 00:00:00

FIUME BMX X G.

The ATTOIINEV-C EN Ell At moved for Imre to bring in a Bill to
repeal the precut Act relative to Ow offence of Fraitie-heaking, and
to ilitroditee other provisions in lieu tlivrcol.
Mr. Aatnt nottur thouteit the noose had rot been fairly treated
by his Nlkiesty's Mini-Avra this measure shuisld have beer huts-
duced t.t the same time as the Bill for the Suspensiint of the 11.:L.:,
corpus Art; Gentlemen might then have choien which ot ti.e two
they thought best calculated to restore the peace the countre ; but
instead of doing this, they by a strong reprocnitation to the ilonie,
fprocure the Suspension of Habeas Corpus, and inunediateiy being
orth a second restrictive ineanire placing thelivus and liberties of tire
subject completely a ithin their coo:with
11. Anlvi au: oer begged leave to state, that early in the Sea-
sin he had stated the probability of his Maie,tr's Government be-
ing obliged to submit some local remilly to part of the public g iev-
a::ca of the time!. Lea: e was given to bring in a Dill, which was
rend a first time.
A ate-suits from the I.ords announced their reoient is the Bill for
tran..ferring the Irish Stock to l'aglish, and other private Bills.
Sir F. liti:lnmer presented a petition from the parishes of St.
l'star;.• and St. Luke. Chdsea, for shortening the duration of Paella-
ulent, and abolishing the abuses usual in elections.—Laid on theta.
ble, gild ordered to be printed.
Me. V. Fit znnn.st-D morel for leave to bring in a Bill to pro-
vide Lunatic Asyltur.s in !rehire., pursnant to the Report ofa (inn.
mittee appointed to inveitig-ate the subject. Report recommend-
ed the establishment of DiArict Asylums in the different counties of
Ireland. as the:eat present existed none except in the cities of Dublin
and Cork.
Mr. ItAnt•;r. asked, at whose expense these Asylums were to be
Mr. Finzu said, that in the pment instance the expense
was cnnsiderably inerc.o:ed, from the circumAtance of these tritor'u.
nate persons being sent to these principal cities from all parts of the
country. It vas now intemied to distribute them, so that curb
eatery should support its mm—though, in the first instance. there
w. uhl perhaps be granted a sum of means by Parliament towards
the erectidn of the Asylum, as in the pri.aerit state of thing: that
tleie caiinuy we. ill able V) bear any inercan of expense.
Lea:.: was ti.en given to bring in the Bill.
Inf.:ATM:MT OF wrATE TRIMMERS

Mr. 137.NN1.TT, seeing a Right Honourable. Gentleman
(Mr. 11. .Ithlington) in his place wished to receive from hen
an explanatien, teurhiag the allegations contained in the pe-
tition of a per-nit of the name of Evans now confined in
lorsereougi r•latie Ginal.
Mr. 11. Altman-tits said, he was ready to give the ex-
planation retpsireil, relative to varioLs complaints con-
tained in the me bit of Mr. Evans, n Lirb had been pre-
sewed to the Heine nit Friday last, by the Ilocourable
Rem in who had just sat down. Vht, is the petition was in-
troduced, he stated his titrer disbelief of most of the rilliga-
tians cotitillill.ll in it. Sums of than he knew were fitise—
and very few of them, lie helieved, had any degree of fuun-
dation w itatever. 'fit it part of the petition, especially he
was convinced nag untrue, whieli alledged that o Secretary
of State had been guilty of so gross an ahnse of pewee, as to
prevent the rept esentatittee of a prisoner. which he intended
to be laid regularly before Ps 'limited, from fading their
way into that I louse. He was ratite sure, that, since Easter,
no petition had been sent to the See-teary of States Otiice,
by Mi. luaus—for, from that time up to the present, e% ety
letter sent to the office bid been opened by hire. Mr. Evans,
on or about the 21st of February last, did semi n petition, by
the hauls of Mr. Adkins called the gaoler of the Coltlaath-
fields prison, to the Other. Tile very next morning, It hell it
was going to be sent to the Mere her for Westminster (Sir F.
llordett), the gaoler arrived isn't a special request that it
should not be eiven to that I lonourable Bat inlet, but that it
should be handed over to Mr. Harmer, the Solicitor of Mr.
Evans. This request was complied with, and Mr. Adkins
called on Me. Harmer to let Iffitt know that lie might get the
petition at the Secretary of State's Office, Wier pleased. lie
did not send for it—but the next day Sir N. Conant trans-
mitted it to Mr. Harmer—and be had in his possessiuti that
it ntlemetes note, dated the 'Ltd of February, acknowledging
the receipt of tinst petition. I)n Saturday last he had con-
sulted the votes of the House, and its found that this very
petitiunhallbeenpresented by an Honourable Gentleman (Mr.
'Sennett) on the 27th of Vebruaty. This being the case, lie
felt consitleiiiiilti surprise, if the Honourable Member re-
collected the cite stance, tint he could sit in his place, and
hear without notice, the ohser% atioas that had becu unjustly
directed 4.43iiisi the secretary of State. As to the statement
that Mr. E.stns oat put hi is MIS, it was undoubtedly true. But
the gaoler declared that Lid> had always been the practice in
I larsenee.ger lane gaol. Ile had inquired of his predecessor,
who informed 14111 that it %vas CliSiomary to put persons so
charged in single irons. ;Mr Es ;ins had stated that lie was
confined in e dungeon. 'The dimensions of the room were as
follow :—Length, g:, tied- liteadth, IS feet—height II feet.
Each routs hail tyre windows, which the prisoner might open
when be pleased ; there was abet a lire place, and a person
attended to li4llt the tire, if item scary. The room in which
the chit r Evitus was confined, commanded a beautiful view
of the Surrey hills—(.t lough}—the room iu which the
younger Evans was imprismied, was precisely the same di-
mensions, and contained the state conveniences which were
to be found in his father's tip:witness,. it was alledged that
the state prisoners could take no exercise. But what was time
fate —They euald walk in a spacious arcade, which was
fifty-five feet long, and which had seventeen w indows.
Mr. Deese: said, that undoubtedly a petition from Mr.
l'xects was presented by him, on the 27th of February—but
h.! did not know at the time, nor was lie ;Mare at present,
thnt it was the iden;ical petition that had been sent iruw
aoililhath fields to the Itimle-office. 'fie petition, like the
elle which lie presented on Friday last. was put into lls hands
iii the lobby of that Maisie It'ith respect to the other puts
tit' the case, it appeared to hint, that alinest all the complaints
made he mfr. Evans were effinitted, either by the silt nee of
the Rigid 'lieu. Gentleman, or by his ex; Tess words. Ile
would state the allegations, and he could not help thinking
that the Messrs. Evans's had been very hardly treated. They
were first sent to Celtlhath field's prison, Where Mr. Es ails•
jen. was utilized to sit vp with a common felon ; and his Me
flier was placed in the hospital with several felons. Ott the
lath of A ptil, lie (Mr. Bennett) went to liorsemonger-lane,
prison—bet he veldt" not see the rules directing the mode in
which State prisoners %vele to be treated. lie again event
l'lrre a few days since, and he requested to see the arcade in
which the prisoners were allowed to walk. One would sup.
pose, foam the tritimpliaat manner in which it had been men.
toted, that the arcade was something like the piazza,
vrat-gat 'lvo. lie, however, went talon:tit it, and it was
nothing but a stone passage, three or four feet broad—just
spacious enough to Inc the communicating passage between
the cells where the felons sleep. Over each cell there was an
ir:ai gritting dint looked into the passage—and this was the
whole histbry of the arcade. With respect to irons, thorn ielit
lion. Gentleman must know, that it %vas contrary to taw, Ili
f--tier n man in this way, unless a ease of absolute necessity
% etled for it. :vine years aca, Lozil Chancellor Iting

TIIII NATIONT4kL nromrr,n,

p:•eued lair opinion decidedly ou Ilse of su.is.e
before is man 5144 tried. A gaoler told Hie Lordship that he
could not keep retools' prisoner, without irons. The Chan-
cellar, however, !sold, on Ind no right to pot irons on him.
lie num he routi.lt red innocent till he it proved godly. It'
you wont to prevent an vsraise, you must raise )ussr rtally
higher."

llasitxm expressed timself ilissatisfu Id with the ex-
planation of the Hight Him. Centlernati--nod declared his
intention of bringing forward the motion, of which lie bail
given entire.
Mr. It AnnitYOrtx said, the gaoler informed him that no
description of seveiity was exercised towards those indivi.
duals, beyond what lie had always been given to no:del-stand,
was esimily adopted in the•prison.
Ilttocim suit, he was bound to believe almost all
the allegations cantultir d in the prtiti 1111 l and he was ex-
treniciy glad, rhat his Ilun. Friend (Mr. Barham) intended to
bt lug ferwaid 1/1,1 motion—became they must all feel that the
House was bound to perform one of its most important duties,
in taking care that no tinilint severity should be letlieted by
any persons on those individuals. As to the arcade it was is
inure rearkery—it was a gross and wilful deception tor the
part of the person who cle-c Mier; it.
Sir E. IIsiYLMLi moved—`• That there be laid heron! the
House a return from like Universities and other puLlic bo-
dies, stating whirl) of the bunks claimed under the Copyright
Act of ilio:,tilt of the ere placed in timer :iltrartes, ur
how thvy are ()thaw i-e ef."—Agered to.
The w atelinink ors' petition, ea., on the motion of Mr.
I', Moons ordered to be referred to a Secret Cotnivilter.
Thu Irish Election Bill, on the motion of Sir 11. PA 11 N ETA,
was, wrier a tow Vet Lia alneLd.llVl..th redid the third time and
passcd.