The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-03-06 00:00:00

•,

ee sane._ sheer• there' were 440' grains, but in
Spouieb dalam •he tied been given to understand
thiekireVe 110 grates biore of elluy than in standard
`silrers Making a diterenee he. prier of 2 pet
sent% while ib fart On shdeld *Nit a due luG•
Pectien. He, Wleted, therefore, last lu the account
there should 'be sisee.ided the needier of, grains of
alloy llist,.enteted two the compeaitien of the
-ellisidatd *Reef as eapoard to sato, and of the Spe•
hist dollars. '
Lotdebip wm ales desitimis that the !foam
shoed be poiseistd of asiiireargite lefessionou e.
Pessible. resopeciipt the state.. of the twining of
the country since the amemeseemeut of ski Bank
trettietilm .lictiwniste aired diem be laid
utt the table, an Ateottet. et the number of Beek
Notes in eireelatissi Witty half year, from the 14
tst I*,4llllrit 1197. tie the tat .fitiiiiery. ISM
Tbileettantslare sevepaity ordentd.
• GA fn.
On the 'potion of the Marquis of Leastrows..
the 000 i Chopleinsilitkwas ordered or be repdea .
areeis4 time day three reesillti.. His LortMtif'
expressed a. hope that a Bill meek effilieet in WO
nature might be brotqllit in next Smaiatt. •
• Tat /14111QUIS OF RAIITMCIII.
The Loan Catascas.t.oa informed their Lt;rd-
ships 'thmehe had received a letter frost the Mar-
quis of Hewitsgs, its answer to one Wherein he had
ementweisated. to the Noble Marquis the Thanks
of the Home. for his able adatinistretion(silts war
of Nereid.
The Letter was then read : it was in substahce
as follows:

.
a Csiropore Sept.* 1111?..z "
" My Loan.—At slits piste I low- jest rseeisid la"
Luesiship's utter, coosisuilesslise Os of *hi Noels
or Lords Air gay arrsageisests Airing the law oak is Ne-
pal. • Generosity, say Lord, is the suss esemplasy. Wan
fist “starsi ever-sstes the service; but so w r as an earnest

seal•tur enweeried activity cee retitle their pesserer to
their Lartiobips' favour, I ma; retort to assert my metes-
roes to It. My exertions bre bees earnestly, aad I Inset
wog easuceessfully directed towards the coldramition of the
British Empire in India • and perswingthie object I ar-
rive that have beat ;mooted the interests of humanity.
rear, my Lord, ateciette ibis letter, wirer expreeeirt
to your Lordship my @rare aetteowiejausioss for the veil
liatterieg reamer is whirls yeti were pleased to express per
seuliesesta towards re on this occasion.
" I here the honour to be, &e.
14 HASTINGS." '

BILL OF INDEMNITY. •
The Order of the Day being read for the third
reading of the 13111 of Indemnity— . •
Lord AUCKLAND rose and said. that *etch&
standing the great alterations and low/teeniest',
which had been made in this Bill, he could not
silent to its third reading. After the various topics
that had been urged in former discussions he
should coullue his observations within so abed a
space as possible. premising that he did no mesh
to give an absolute negative to the meteor', but
only to propose that it may be recommitted, for
the purpose of having it divided into to distinct
branches. The only cues he could imagine *here
an indemnity should be granted, were. where a
Magistrate had. through ignorance, without a bed
intention, transgressed the laws, and where he
had willingly disregarded its provisions for the
mtbriutneot of the general good.--(Neer, bear.)—
In both cases it would be wise in Parliament to ex-
tend over them the shield 6f its protection. To
such persons he should have no objection to grant
an indemnity ;* but he lamented that an small s por-
tion of information WA been laid before the House
on this subject, so that every thing proposed to be
done was founded ou the supposition of something
unknown that mist have happened. The Noble
Lord.on the Woolsack had on a previous night sup-
posed a cue where a Magistrate having. in the
exercise of his duty, and for the preservation of the
general tranquillity of the country. dispersed an
assembly of 10.000 persons, in which case he must
be exposed subsequently to 10,000 actions ; but a
Magistrate so acting did not require this Bill of
Indemnity. He hid bees already protected by an
Act of George 11. Titer Noble Lord remarked
that the preamble of this 'proposed BB of Indem-
nity did not recite the suspension* Habeas
Corpus Act. of which it was ;aid to be earsillery.
The Report on which it was founded ' niedpo
circumstance to justify it ; it contained but , a
newspaper extract of the trials at Derby. and a
panegyric on the conduct of Ministers. The Mi-
nisters Isso were not said to have acted illegally. and
therefore were in no want of an' ndemnity Bill.
What then was the real object of it ? Wai it to
protect informers ? To protect them not from vio-
lence, but from infamy.--:(Hear, hew, hear.t—
So that if an unfortunate individual, endangered in
life and property by the wicked conduct of .111‘,„
11, Rea mutinous till cletieltie lune by se rp-
• to public
jastice, he will lind that Parlisetetit. nos
in its equity degavred him from pursuing it,
-mid has thereby in fact compelled. the innocent
coati to bear the brood that of right belonged to
the guilty. The Bill hid many objections; .:.byt
he believed it passible to obviate some of tbenis if
the Bill were recommitted; and particularly the
preamble might. he hoped, bvultogetter. changed'
in character.' He, therefore. should conclude by
moving. that the Bill be reconiutitted. '
The question was 'put, sail none 'of ilre'iorati
on the Treeing' Bench rsiocing o deeirp. to speak.
.Lord Kum rose andebeervert..thiit the StilyOW.
ject he could .discern in' the eleomore was .the pro!
tection of inforeiers; and that for this purpose epic,
Bill:was most extensive. Minh as he feared could
present tiveri injurious suedel to all future mea-
sures of this nature. As a consequence of the
Suspension Act, 110 thought himself justified iii
remarking, that the Act of Sitspension had been
altogether founded on er ;role evidence. It *hew-
ed great 'sant of judgment in &boasters to proceed
to such an extremity on the information °Espies and
secret informers; but having once received it, he
could. see no circumstance to justify its sub-
sequent concealment. It might,' indeed. become
the inquisition, the Holy 011ie?. to encourage
' secret itiforniatioti, and it might be their lute-

. . ...
rest not to • give such iuformittion publicity ; but
Such proceedingeswere; in, his mind, foreign to
the genius of this cauutryi and stimuli' never be
tolerated in its Minister,. The suppuri 01 such it
eat necessarily exposed the (lola-rut:leo to the
feat
of receiving false aCcusatiosi ; it fostered
Mob wretches .sir Fitzgerald, and weakens the tel
that unite imailisty. . The public lia.l been lately •
distialited by. the mrpostire of a systen, prictised by
assAiiperimes who iirstigeted others to criiiteN that
they aiwild gain a w•eichest putt 'ode by Reding the,
blood of their viciiins. Was . their crane less ressij' •
ialtiug,thast taxi of those who iristigisted to acts of
Jammu Mid iehr(hoo?—bul, duribtls.ss, as the one
Piety 'have been pardoned, the ethers may ex-
pect ins indemnity —(Near, hear, hear.)-1-le .
.contended taut the jots haunt. ell„OrIS at-fu siotilitig
. mom than *ma, hatetution of the system of Lad.
diem, which nOt loagenuce had mended the_ coustirys
am, at the Cuttimeocement of that tystcin the :cu..
„-pension of the Habeas Corpus was past us smell
,rtptivtd as it was during the !wit Ss ssissii. Ile
idusoldseety fit the re-suitiontmesit of the Bill, fur
the !surprise oeditiding.itit provi,ions. Ile had no
, . ...
abjection tergive indemnity to Magistrates who may
have eiceerfettheie powers, hut he sl Id certainly
refuse it to the itifuriners.-1 lime, hear.)
Earl BATiluttlf said, the Noble Lord,i, in mov.
. nigthat the • Bill should be recomitinted, had
*stated. 'that they had no objection' to granting an
indemnity tit the Magistrates, to the Ministers, and .
those who acted under them, bid that they %mild
not grant indemnity to, their who had furnished iii-
formation to Gbvernmeut. They thus desired to
reducenoVernineut to the dilemma, either of I„ivitig
op the names of those persons, or of depraving itself
of the means of fisture itiformation. lie stated, that
airily Bills off ntlemnity had easiest without any pre-
vioballiquiry. in ..cissisequettee of the notoriety of the
conduct of Ministers in executierg the power intrust.
ed to then,. lit 1804 indeed, there had heeti.an
inquiry. but that arose from the peculiarity of .
the Mreuutiteuee..-..for the Bill of liffitVility 0111
that °reassess followed. not one euspeeSiett or the
Act of Habeas 10. _peptise. but repeated suspensions,
and morel persons had then been arrested ..iii:.
out information on oath, which s.ureig the late For-
pension had never once take.. piece. ithisling he
that Hilt, the Secretary of State had fortunately
Wm enabled to maintain the tranquillity of the
emaiitty. Comments had been unTaringly lavished
on the dissociate of the inform: its, and it sea's fur-
the, desired that they should be inv-estigated._-
(liter. hear, frail the tOppositiun.)—lint did the
Noble Lords perceive the drift of their argument.
and Mutt if the characters of the inform/tuts were
subdititt.,..4 to their erimination, their 1141111 S could
not be withheld, and that the very thing would be
at Gate done, on the propriety of which the House
was then debating ? Another argument splint the
Bill was, that no treason hall.Verie comitsitte,l; lint
that was not the questiou. Their erg ttttt ruts, is:-
deed, had throughout been moat contradictory ft ..
*peeling the whole measure. If disturbances .ast
taken phice subsequent to the Sinuiensiiiii Act, tlie.•
liked where was the necessity of the Bill ? It coedit
not prevent insurrection; and if the country was
tranquil, they said thit the pre-retailing leas were
sufgeiegt. it nit' a trial for looses., the prisoners
were convicted, "'See," they excleimed, " your
neir law did notubtain this conviction!" anal if 111. y
*ere sequined, they then declared there laud been
'lOO • treason mituntitted. But this latter assertion
jest is correct as if a man, being accused of
'murder, *ere acquitted, it should be asserted that
PO stibnite had been committed. it Noble Lunt
"had said, that in this country sin 'writen had eAti,e
" to fetir who had faithfully discharged his duty; but
was there ne apprehension to be felt in wide, goiii4
the examination of the Noble Lords opposite? Was
it nothing'for'in individual of retired habits to be
delivered iris to the comment's of a party oho would
,Itiold him forth to the nutlet' as an object of hatred
'Mad contempt ? The 'Noble Earl asserted, that
Ministers had in their conduct evinced • per fret
Oaro of their high responsibility; but they lilt
Ottediselves responsible to l'arlieme.n alone, where
they might look for protection, and expect ceitsupre
in proportion to the character of their actions. lie
should oppose the amendment.
Earl Gamtectioa observed, that the Noble Vie.
count opposite (Lord Sidinotith), 'teal on a runner
night exerted himself with great pains to defend
the employment of spies, said to induce tte
House to look with respect upon el iaracts ra
whom every good mind ought to bold in iih.
horrente; but the Noble Earl who Lail just
spoken had gone even further, and had, in his d,-
fence of juror:Dere, effected the character of our
tritri Iliwk ll'hen an informer was brought before -
:et Court of Law" to give evidence, his testitinnOpf
Illtas 'vett op to be sifted and canvassed, and t
*e
11
to every species of suspicion ; if he cams
,Forward with a view_ to.gain, his evidence, as a SilS.
rpectill person, WAS ever received cam groat molls.
l'he informer, hoverer, was protected, bust kill tea..
; iimeny , wits nut kept back.—(Hears heir.)—(.sal
illrbid it should; fur, in such a case, what. wound
lbeeome of justice of the country? The Noble
* ail had said, that no arrests had taken place
%eider the late suspension, except by information
on oath, and had booted that such • practice
had not beau usual *Wee former tassiwientam;
hut he had remember's.' one of the Munster".
sin IbOt, Rieke a
_Similar !past; bet seen if
such were the case, what ' authority li.nl the
House for it but ct-perle >n tenant, I For ties
present; he should support the amendment, al-
_ though he dill not think that he could ba ever in-
duced to support the measure in any shape. Fie
;should euttle his solemn protest against it. because
he felt that the whole connected amateurs was. les
tended for a deep wound en the freedom eh h*
Cutistitusiou.. tie regarded its consequences with ,
feelings of unfeigned alarm, tircause it was eelett-
lated to form a dangerous' precedent on future,
orki,:vebatliele
preeocie,advaithet
Omer assiongL.Tlsiesnrii Ltinierthvise
' end he Shuddered ou considering what the wows

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