The Sun.
London, England, 1839-05-31 00:00:00

HOUSE OF LORDS-MAY 30.

The LORD CHANCELLOR took his scat on the Woolsack
at Five o'Clock.
THE MEDEA COLLISION.

Lord STR ANGFO RD wished to know from the Noble
Lord at the hrzd of the Admiralty whether he had received
any official information regarding the collision that had
taken place between her Majesty's steam ship the Medea
and a French sloop of war.

Lord M INTO was extremely indebted to the Noble
Lord opposite for affording him this opportunity of ex-
plaining a circumstance which had attracted a good deal of
attention, and which had been the subject of a good deal of
misrepresentation. It was very true that a collision
had taken place between her Majesty's steam-ship the
Medea and a French sloop-of-war, but which was wholly
accidental. As soon as the circumstances were made
known the French officer made every apology that could
be possibly due for the consequences of the accident. He
( Lord M.) was more fortunate on this occasion than on
the last, because he was now in possession of a full detail
of the circumstances from the commanding officer.
He had both a private and a public letter on the subject,
dated on board the Medea, at Bermuda, on the 20th of
April, which stated the circumstances, and from which it
appeared that the Flfench sloop had mistaken the British
steamer for a Mexican cruizer, and that when she
ran across the French sloop, the French officer directed
one shot to be fired, although by some unaccountable
circumstance six shots were fired into the Medea, by
which one man was wounded, and his leg imme-
diately afterwards obliged to be amputated. Alto-
gether it was one of those unforseen accidents which
would at times happen, and on account of which nothing
culpable was to be attributed to either side. If there
was any aggression it must have arisen from our
ship running across the French sloop. The Noble
Lord trusted that this explanation would be satisfactory
both to the House and to the country; and he regretted
to have seen statements on this subject circulated which
were calculated certainly to excite an unnecessary feeling
and high-mindedness in sensitive people.
Lord ST RANG FO RD was very glad to have heard this
explanation given ; but he must say that these mistakes
seemed to occur much more frequently now than they did
in former times. _ _

....
Lord MINTO was quite sure that this had not
arisen from any original error on the part of the French
officers.

The Marquis of WESTMINSTER presented several
petitions, praying for the adoption of a penny postage.
The Marquis of ANGLESE A presented petitions to
the same effect. _ .

Lord D ACRE presented petitions to the same effect.
Lord ROSEI3E RY, in the absence of the Duke of
Sutherland, presented a petition from Sutherland in favour
of an extension of Church endowment in Scotland.
The Marquis of BUTE presented a petition from seve-
ral parts in Ayrshire and other Counties in Scotland, to
the same effect.
Lord SEGRAVE presented petitions from Bristol
and other places, praying for a penny postage.
Lord HILL presented a petition from the Mayor
Aldermen, Burgesses, and others of Shrewsbury, to the
same effect.
Lord SLIGO presented a variety of petitions to the
same effect.
Lord M ALM ESBUR Y presented a petition from the
Wesleyan Congregation of St. John's (as we understood)
Bradford, against the intended plan of education.
The Bishop of LONDON presented a petition against
the proposed scheme of National Education ; and also pe-
titions from several places in Staffordshire for the better
observance of the Sabbath-day.
The Bishop of WINCHESTER presented several pe-
titions, praying for the adoption of a penny postage.
The Bishop of EXETER presented petitions from
Rutland and other places, against the proposed scheme of
National Education.
resented a great number
The Earl of ABERDEEN p
of petitions from places in Scotland, praying for increased
means of edueation.
The Bishop of RIPON presented a petition against
the Ministerial system of education from Bung-ay.
Lord LORTON presented ses4tal petitions from
places in the county of Roscommon, in favour of Mr.
Rowland Hill's plan of penny postage.
The Earl of WINC HIL SEA presented a petition
from the Clergy of Athersole, to the same effect;
also petitions from Chard in Somersetshire, and from some
place in the county of Derby, against any further grant to
the College of Maynooth ; also petitions from various
places in the county of Kent against the proposed scheme
of National Education.
BEER BILL,

In reply to a question from the Marquis of WEST-
MINSTER,
Lord BROUGEIAM said that nothing should induce
him to postpone the consideration of the Beer Bill beyond
Monday next.
Lord DENMAN presented several petitions from places
in the counties of Nottingham and Derby, praying for a
penny postage.
COLONEL PRINCE.

LorrROUG HAM said that in giving notice of
a motion on this subject for to-day, his intention
was to give his Noble Friend opposite an oppor-
tunity of stating whatever he might have to lay before their
Lordships in vindication of Colonel Prince, and therefore,
in bringing forward the motion he should not make any
statement, but reserve himself for a reply to the Noble
Lord's defence of Colonel Prince, should such be neces-
sary. The Noble Marquis had stated that he had no ob.
jection to lay before the House a copy of the minutes of
the Court of Inquiry on Colonel Prince.
Lord EL L ENBOROUG 11 said, that as the papers
moved for would not contain the whole of the evidence,
which it appeared the Noble Marquis had an objection to
lay before the House, it would be necessary, in
justice to Colonel Prince, and in justice to the great
body of the Colonists, who sided with him, and also in
justice to the Court of Inquiry, that he should state to the
House the circumstances under which these events took
place. Before he read to the House the statement of
Col. Prince, it was necessary that he should bring before the
House a few facts which had taken place previously to this-
occurrence. Colonel Prince was a Member of the Colonial
Parliament of Upper Canada, for Essex County, and also
a Magistrate, and at a meeting of the inhabitants held in
June, 1838, certain resolutions were agreed to all
most strongly condemnatory of the course which the
Government had pursued respecting certain prisoners
who had been taken during the preceding winter, and sent
before Courts of Justice for trial. The Noble Lord
then read extracts from the resolutions strongly con-
demnatory of the course the Government had pursued,
and stating the dreadful state to which they had been
reduced during the winter in consequence of these
incursions—that they had spared no trouble or ex-
pense to bring to trial these brigands, and that
they were deeply hurt to find that instead of being
tried as brigands, they were detained as prisoners of
war. They went on further to state their opinion that
the conduct of the Government had been unwise,
impolitic, and unjust, and demonstrated that they
were not sufficiently aware of the value of the Colonies,
and unless a different policy were adopted they could not
be answerable for the consequences ; and concluded with
these remarkable expressions " That the Colonies could not
be answerable, if, in consequence of their conduct in any
future warfare for the protection of their lives and properties,
a thirst for vengeance should take the place of that forbearance
and temper by which they had hitherto been distinguished."
These resolutions were unanimously adopted, and Sir
George Arthur, on the 19th June, transmitted these reso-
lutions to Lord Glenelg, and inclosing also the opinion of
the Attorney-General, that these men might have been put
to death by their captors as outlaws who had invaded the
soil. The Secretary of State acknowledged these de-
spatches, but made no remark or observation upon the
opinion of the Attorney- General. The event which had
been anticipated actually took place. The attack was
made on the 4th December, 1838, about six months after
these resolutions had been adopted. The Noble and
Learned Lord then detailed the circumstances of the land-
ing of the insurgents and the burning of the steam-boat,
barracks, and adjoining houses—the burning to death of
two militia men, and of Staff-surgeon Hume. The militia
were commanded by Col. Prince, and when the insurgents
were defeated, four of those taken prisoners were ordered
to be shot. The next circumstance he had to place before
their Lordships was the defence of Col. Prince by himself,
which he made on the 9th of April last. After the result
of the militia Court of Inquiry, a:public dinner was given to
Col. Prince in the city of Toronto; the Mayor presided,
and several members of the House of Assembly attended.
It appeared that the opinion given by the Attorney-
General, as to the right to put to death par-
ties taken as outlaws invading the territory, was
participated in and adopted by the meeting, for the Chair-
man said the objects of the festivity was two-fold—to do
honour to the brave defender of their country Colonel
Prince, and secondly, to proclaim to their blood-thirsty
assailants that on British ground and from British hands
they could expect nothing but the fitting doom of outlaws
and murderers. It was impossible for him to read the
whole of the statement of Colonel Prince, and some por-
tions of it were of a somewhat personal character. -Co.
lonel Prince did not disguise from the meeting that many
friends of his questioned the propriety of his having done
what he conceived to be his duty. The Noble and Learned
Lord then read several extracts from the speech of
Colonel Prince, detailing the circumstances which had led
to the execution of these four men. When he saw
murder and arson perpetrated by these ruffians—when
he saw his fellow-subjects lying around him in all
the deformities of a cruel death—and when he saw
how frequently they had escaped
the punishment
civilised
ofd
of their heinous crimes easppheaeled
asked
the the
wholepeo
ivldise Great Britain, and
world whether the time had not arrived when the utmost
severity of the penal laws should not be enforced against
"d
Neither hi
s
these men, and summary- justiced executed upon them. The
otsivi ne Ikema retr
iteoal
od
ofoehishics duty.onuct,
country approved
him that he had do
people nor the American press had questioned it--it was
an extreme case, and he had ordered these men to be exe-
cuted during the anxious period when they were expecting
the attack of the enemy. _He ( Lord Ellenborough) had
given the statement in Colonel Prince's own words, and
he thought it useless to add any observations from him-
self.--( Hear. )
Lord BROUGHAM was exceedingly glad that his
Noble Friend had pursued the course he had most judi-
ciously adopted on the present occasion. He was quite
certain that none could better serve the object he had in
view and the ends of justice. Colonel Prince had been at-
tacked by him (Lord B.) in that House on grounds, as be
should presently show their Lordships, which were not in
the slightest degree affected by any thing that had been
stated by his Noble Friend, and in language as he deemed
not more forcible than the occasion required. It was
fitting, therefore, that all should be heard or. the other side
that could be said, and a better course could not have
been taken by his Noble Friend than that of reading Col.