The Sun.
London, England, 1801-02-13 00:00:00

COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY.

Mr. RosE moved, that on Monday next,
the llotis.c resolve itself into- a Committee of
Supply.
COLD BATH FIELDS PRISON.

Sir. IV. ELPORD said, he took the present
opportunity of mentioning, that in consequence
of the statement which had been made the other
evening, in the House, by an Hon. Baronet, re_
speEting the treatment of one of the Prisoners, he
had gone himself to the Prison, for the purpose of
making inquiry, which went materially to alter
the statement which had then been made by the
Hon. Baronet.

The SPEAKER said, that the Hon. Member
had no right, according to the usage of the House,
to answer any thing which fell from the Hon.
Baronet in the Speech of a former night, unless
he meant to conclude with a Motion.
Sir IV. ELFORD said, that if so, he should
make a Motion on the subject, for the sake of in-
. trodueing what he mean% to say in his Speech,
and of answering the 'observations which had
fallen from the Hon. Baronet,

Sir FRANCIS BURDE7T said, he Was ready -
tOiattend to any Motion or Speech of the Hon.
Bardnek on the subjca.
IVlf. RYD ER moved, that the House, on rising,
do'adjourn to Monday' next.
Sir Pr. ELFORIY.then reilimett'• and said,
that the Motion with which he meant to con-
chide his speech was, " That the Governor of
Cold Bath-Fields Prison be called before the
House." He then stated, that in consequence
of the Report made by the Honourable Baronet,_
he had gone to the Prison, and had found-ti Cat
the Report proceeded from the ex-parte evidence
Of a man who had been confined fur a most noto-
rious crime. He thought that before the Hon.
Baronet had laid before the House and the
lie a Report so refleCting upon the Judicial Ad-
ministration of the Country, he ought first to
have ascertained the truth of 1114 charge. He
acknowledged, at the same time, that he thought
the Governor (Aril) had misconduEled himself in
Various instances. The Report of the Com,
Mittee of that House, had stated fa&s which he
thought were sufficient for his dismissal. But as
to the fa& stated by the Hon. Baronet, he had
taken pains to examine several persons, particu-
larly the person himself on whom the complain_
ant Hudson had made the attack, and Hudson
also. The result' of his Inquiry was, that
Price, a Turnkey, having heard a cry of " mur-
der" amon*st the mutineers, who had vowed ven-
geance against the man who had informed of the
plot of these mutineers, to break through the
Prison, found that they had beaten this sailor
very much ; Hudson in particular,' had. got the
man down ;. Davis, Painter,. and others threat-
ened to murder him.—The Governor having,
in consequence of this uproar, added these des-
peradoes to be locked up; they resisted, but were
at last secured. liddSon, however, having been
the chief aggressor, the Governors' arderect him
into confinemeorrand irols. lihidson. struck, the
Assistants several bloWs, upon, which the Go-
vernor struck him, _and he sleds with difteulty
confined: He had also examined Hudson himself.
He likewise learned that after Fhlifsdir had been
put into hircell; he went to bed,:and. continued
there from Sunday' till TUesday sennighi'e'tliat
he bad been'asked . if he Was 'riot well, or would
have the Do for to visit hilt, but that hitleply
was, he thought that it would, he Of no use..'--At
last Mr. Birch came, .and gave hiM some' powder
for a feverish cold the man had, but found his
indisposition was not occasioned
,by any blow
he had received in his head. would seem'
then, that the Hon. Baronet's compassion had
been wrought upon by 'complaints' of blow's which
Hudson had not received, and .that the Hon, Ba.•
ronet had been too hasty. in bringing such a
matter before the Public. He wished' the Nib- •
lic to know the.real state of the matter,, from
which he :thought it would appear, that the Pri-,
toner Hudson's cOMplaints had originated iii fac:
tious motives, and that he had not received any
serious injury whatever. He concluded with
moving " That the Governtir of Cold Bath.Mettis
Prison be called before the House." -
Lord,IMWKESBURY cacti; he belies, edit. was
very unusual to make a Motion of, this nature,
without giving previous notice. Iftthe House
judged it proper to institute an investigation in.
to the Prison, they should do it upon a wide
scale, and not merely examine one person.

Mr. DUNDAS agreed in opinion with the
Noble Lord, and remarked, that a Commission
of Inquiry into the State of the Prison had actual-
ly been appointed in the course of last Autumn.
It was his intention at first to have seconded the
present Motion, but as he agreed with the Noble
Lord that' it was improper, he wished now to
give his reasons for not seconding it.
The SPEAKER observed, that there certain-
ly was a propriety in giving previous notice of
an intention of bringing forward any Motion of
importance, although this was not absolutely ne.
cessary. If the Honourable Member did not
mean to second the Motion, it could not be
put.
S;r F. BURDETT said, he rose to second the
Motion, for he was as anxious to promote exa-
mination on the subject, as the Hon. Gentleman,
who had made it. The Hon. Gentleman had
only examined two men, who were kept by Go-
vernor Aris for the purpose of informing against
their fellow Prisonets. He, for one, objected to
the method adopted by the Magistrates of exa-
mining the Prisoners in the Committee Room.—
The Governors ought to go in person, and to
visit the Cells. Sir FRANCIS complained that
he had been attempted to be calumniated by the
SECRETARY OfSTATE,. throughout the Country ;
and for what ? because he thought it his duty to
investigate atrocious abuses: but although he did
not attempt to contradict the prohibitory order,
he did not think the SECRETARY Of STATE had
any power, in this manner, to interpose his in-
terdia. It appeared from the Hon. Gentleman's
own statement, that Governor Aris had struck
his Prisoners. He himself had seen a bloody
handkerchief, whiCh had been applied to the
head of this wounded Prisoner, and he had wit-
nessed the emaciated state of 'other Prisoners. He
did not think that hearing the Governor, was
the way to investigate the matter to the bottom,
but it was his opinion, that it became the House
to enter into an examination upon the subject, and
to forward such examination, he had strenuously
laboured for these two years past.

The SPEAKER f,uggested, that the Motion
should be amended, specifying the particular pur-
pose for which the Goveinor of the Prison should
be ordered to attend. He would also submit to
the opinion of the House, Whether it would not
be better that Gentlemen should be allowed some
more time to consider the subjea.
Sir W. ELFORD explained, and expressed bis
willingness, with the consent of the House, to
withdraw his Motion.

S;r F. BURDETT was averse to the Mo.
tion's being withdrawn.
Mr. RYDER wished that the Hon. Gentleman
had. had leave to withdraw his Motion. Its dis-
cussion, at present, would be attended with many

neon veniene

Motions of i.
notice. To this he
see the necessity why the House should, at its
Bar, go through a similar inquiry with that
which a Committee of that House, and the Ma-
gistrates had already made. Ork these grounds,
he moved the previous Question.

/10111/01,7SZ.said, he
,should oppose the_
previous Question, and support the original Mo.. •
tion:. Hi wished to see this matter properly. in-
-vestigttett, and he: thought,. that- if this_Motion...,
were earvied, it w.wld•be proper to follow it up
with another,. for hinging the various other-7
Parties before the-Houte.

The SPEAKER said; he wished to submit it to
the Hon. Baronet to give his consent to the with-
drawing of the original Motion, in .order that
the matter might be brought more regularly for..
ward.

Sir FRANCIS BURDETTsaid, he must per-
sist in his refusing his consent to the Motion'b
being withdrawn: • i

Sir W. GEARY complained of the Hon. Baro.
net's pertinacity.

Mr. MARTIN expressed his astonishment that
a man- whose cOndlitt- had been so much. disap.
proved,. as that of the Governor of this Priion,
and who had behaved most scandalously, should-, -
he continued in his present situation.
Mr. PERCIPAL opposed' the Motion for call.
ing Mr. Aris before the House, on the groend
that even if he appeared, and was examined, hiti
evidence would only' be ex-prle, and' would by'--
no means be satisfaaory to those Centlemen.who
wished. most for the investigation' of the' vondnit
of the prison ; nor indeed cbuid 'he proie what:
Some Gentlemen had alledged against- the conduit
of that Prison, without eliminating himself.
• Mr. 11011110UST explained, by saying,l that '
he did not estpeet mdoh -from the,_examination of
such a man as Ads,. but.hc.. thought it might lead
to some othir evidence mote 'to be relied uponr
and thereforele.was. for having:A.4s exaMtitait,,,,,
Mr. liiofrif -111) spokes .in•faquer of. the ark:4-
ginal Motion, aM nausea 'OCtitietnen 'on 'di*/
other side' with having t reared .the..;iilijeft onfiti
ly. He
.applauded his Hon. Friendpir Ftt'it4atiwl
BUR Dryr)ifiir his 'persderaned in this butiOsii
in which he alledged there. was:much. iniquity.: .
Lord HAWITIESOURY asSird .his reasons '
. . .
for having moved the Previous: uestion.. He
approved of taking:up3his..subjeEl in the parilar
manner here pioposed,l because it. cidtdd
produce riothmg but partiai information ; and if
any in-quirk was necessary, 'off "he .wo4e
say.. nothing at. preseot,' bucanse. that would 134:'
more regular when the subjeet came on in that
Shape, certainly, nothing short of a general one_
could be satisfatiotY..
.L/NJ As' justified the part. hi had
takeo in this• Debate, before• the PreVsous'Que'S-
tion was' moved, and which Motion, togethek
with the aigtithents which had beret) urged qn
suppnrt ofie, had-changed his mind as to the
'diets '.of the original. Motion. He thought
;the 'principle
.on which the
..Hon. Baronet had
made the Motion was correct, for it -was to do
away an impression which had been falsely made
by the Hon. Baronet over the way, upon a hasty:
credit which he gave to reports against the con_
.dui} of this Prison. As that false impression had
been niatle by the. speech of the Hon. Baronet (Sir
F. BUR urn) it was fair it should be done away
by another speech.
Mr, PIERREPOINT.—." If I 'understand
rightly the Hon. Gentleman who made the origi.
nal Motion, he admits the conduel of the Keeper
of the GQhi Bath Prison has been exceptionable-
Good God! Exceptionable 'I say it has, been.
most seandslous and infamous. Has it not been
proved, beyond dispute, that he has borrowed
money of his Prisoners ?--Sir, 1 support this
Motion in the confidence that it is to be followed
up by measwes by 'which this wretch may be held
up to public view, and to public execration."
The House divided,
For the Previous Question .
For the Original Motion

- 40
. 21

A new Writ was ordered for Portarlington in
Ireland, in the room of Sir F. FRENCH, now
Baron ASFITOWN.

An Account of Applications -for condemning
Ships claiMing the Right of Neutrality, Bte. and
Decrees pronounced on them in the course of the
present War, was ordered to be laid before the
House.

Mr. RYDER brought up the Report of the Com-
mittee on the High Prtce of Provisions. The
Report stated, that the Committee had proceeded
to take the subjel entrusted to them Into their
most serious consideration, and had come to the
following Resolution :
Resolved, That it is the opinion of this Committee,
that so much of an ACI made in the last Session of Parli a- 4
intituled, " An Aa to prevent, until' the 6th day
" November, one thousand eight hundred and one, and
" from thence to the end of six weeks from the commence-
" most of the then next Session of Parliament, the
" maitufanuring of' any fine Flour, from Wheat or
‘l* other Grain, and the making of any Bread solely front
" the Pine Flour of Wheat ;.and to repeal an A& passed
" in the 36th year of the reign of His present Majesty, for •
" permitting Bakers to make and sell certain sorts of
" Bread, and to make more elftaual provision for the
" same," as prohitalti the making of Flour hild Bread finer
than is therein ditecled, should be repealed.
Mr. RYD•ER- said, he silo* move no more
now than that this Report --should he taken into
consideration on Monday, intimating at the same
time, that he should then move for leave to bring
in another Bill upon .that subjed.—Report 'or-
dered to betaken into consideration on Monday
next.

. Sir W. ELLIOT brought up a Copy.of the Re-
port of theComMittee Of the Admiralty, made to
the Privy CoUneil, on the subj+cft of the Dock-
yards.—Ordered to be laid on the Table.
At six o'clock; adjourned to Monday next.

•_ . -
as, nor 3vas it usua to )ring orwar.
importance without giving previous
this he would add, that he did not

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THE sUiscre

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101.1112 QUIS DICUL I'ALSUM AUDILAT ?