The Sun.
London, England, 1822-07-31 00:00:00

miralty -had read a dispatch which did bins much credit. A
mistake, he (Mr. Marryatt) believed, had prevailed among
some Gentlemen who had spoken : they supposed the petition
to be ft petition from the underwriters. The petition did not
come from the (underwriters, but from the shipowners. The
underwriters, indeed, presented no petition to the House, and.
for the best of all possible reasons—they were able to protect
thermelves : Whenever they found any particular voyage be-
come dangerous, they raisLd their premiums in -proportion ;
anti the consequence was, that the risk from Jamaica to the
Havannah.,. which, under ordinary circumstances, did not ex-
ceed les. per cent., was now charged at 10 guineas.
The Petition was then read, and laid on the table.
AMENDED BILLS.
Mr. WETHERELL gave notice of a motion next Session,
that it might be allowable, when Bills came amended from the
House of Lords, for Members of the House of Commons to
move for Committees upon them. The propriety of this mea-
sure suggested itself to him (Mr. Wetherell), upon noticing the
amendments attached to the marriage act bill.

PR ESONERS IN INDIA.
Mr. HUME rose to move for a return of the number of
prisoners taken at Benaboralbai ; stating the number of prison-
ers given up by 31aj.-Gen. Smith to Imaum Musehat ; the num-
ber carried to Bombay, and the inanner in which the latter class
had been disposed of by the Biimbay Government. He made this
motion, the lion. ( lent. said, with a view to some late proceedings
in India, which demanded explanation. An expedition had
been undertaken up the Persian Gulf against certain Arabs
who had committed acts of piracy. The commanding-officer
had attacked a village, and carried off the whole male popula-
tion as prisoners. The boys from five to fourteen years of age
bad been delivered over to one of the native authorities ; the
men had been taken to Bombay with an intention that they
should remain prisoners for life : and many had already died in
consequence of the severities they endured.
Mr. C. W. WYNN said, that there was no intention that the
prisoners should remain in bondage for life, although the ag-
gression of the Arabs had been marked by the most atrocious
features of piracy. The Court of Directors did not approve of
the measures which had been taken, and had directed that the
prisoners should be restored to liberty, and compensation, as
far as possible, made to them.
Air. MONEY quOted an order from the government of Bom-
bay to prove that the imprisonment had not been contemplated
as perpetual.
Mr. H. G. BENNET wished it to be explained why the
children had been given up.
Mr. W. S3IITH said a few words which did not reach the
gallery.
Mr. FORBES objected to the bringing on of matter involv-
ing accusations against individuals at the close of a Session.
The return' was then ordered to be furnished, and
Mr. HUME desired to be distinctly understood as making
accusations at such a time against no one. He would forbear
from entering farther into the subject until the papers moved
for should be furnished. The Hon. Gentleman then made a
second motion, for a list of all persons confined by order of the
Governors of the East India Company in the several presi-
dencies (except those persons committed for trial before civil or
military tribunals), the list to state the name of the supposed
offender, the nature of the offence, by whom committed, and in
what place confined.
Mr. C. W. WYNN said that the return could not be made
without first communicating with India. If the Hon. Gentle-
man would withdraw the motion, he (Mr. Wynn) would take
every step during the vacation towards procuring the informa-
tion desired.

Mr. HUME withdrew his motion.
CANADA.
Mr. WILMOT moved for leave to bring in a Bill to unite
the Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada. The Bill was read
a ,first time, and ordered to be read a second time to-morrow, in
order to being printed before the close of the Session.

POOR LAWS.
Colonel WOOD, seeing the very thin state of the House,
deferred his motion upon this subject until next Session.
The Stamp Duties (Ireland) Bill, the Barilla Duties Bill,
and the Deeds' Registry Bill, were reported, and the amend-
ments to each being agreed to, they were ordered to be read a
third time to-morrow.

The Militia Pay Lill (Ireland) was read a third time, and
passed.

SESSIONAL ADDRESSES.

On the motion of Mr. Ix SHINGTON, the House went into a
Committee, when the usual Sessional Addesses for remunera-
tion to the Officers of the House were agreed to. Report to-
morrow.

PRINTING AND STATIONERY COMMITTEE.
Lord PALMERSTON brought up the Report of the Print-
ing and Stationery Committee.
Mr. HUME took that opportunity of protesting against the
conduct of this Committee with regard to witnesses. Instead
of confining themselves to the inquiry for which they were ap-
pointed, they actually put witnesses who came before them on
their trial, touching matters past and gone. He particularly-
alluded to the case of Mr. Jennings, who was examined as to
previous evidence.

Lord PALMERSTON did not understand -what the Hon:
Member meant by saving that witnesses
.were. put upon their
trial. It was impossible for any Coriiiittee...tojieUnore fairly
formed then this was, as it,was.impartially selected from both
sides of the House. •
Mr. BENNET said the,House might judge how impartially
the Committee was selected when they knew that: it was com-
posed of eighteen of the Noble Lord's (Lord Palmerston's)
friends and adherents, and only three.from his (Mr. Bennet's)
side of the House, of which three his Hon. Friend (Mr. Hume)
wa's the only one that attended, the other two, no doubt, not
liking their company.
Mr. HUME said, that as a specimen of the way in which
business was conducted in the Committee, all papers that came
into it were locked up in a box, whereas they ought to be
left within the power of any Member to chew to any Member
of the House to take his opinion. The object of the Commit-
tee was to elicit truth, and such a course militated against that
object.
Mr. WYNN said, that the object of a Committee was to
obtain information to lay before the House, and he appealed
to the Chair to know, whether any Member had authority to
spew any paper whatever, laid before any Committee.
The SPEAKER thought there could be no difference of
opinion on this subject. All information, whether evidence or
not, was laid before a Committee as a select body, and for its
use alone. This was pointed out in every day's practice, when
motions were made for certain evidence and papers to be print-
ed for the use of the Committee alone.

Mr. LUSH INGTON did not rise to prolong the discussion,
but merely to point out to the Hon. Member for Shrewsbury,
how much in error he was in saying that there were only three
Members from his side of the House in the Committee in ques-
tion. The Hon. Gentleman then proceeded to read the names
of Lord John Russell, Mr. Brougham, Sir 11. Iktrnell, Mr.
Ricardo, Mr. Monk, Mr. M. A. Taylor, Mr. Maxwell, Mr.
Chetwynd, and Mr. Hume. - These were nine of the Hon.
Member's friends, besides which, on the neutral ground, were
Mr. Bankes, Mr. Smith, Mr. Lamb, and one other. He hoped
the generality of the Hon. Member's statements were more cor-
rect than the one he had made on this subject, for he defied
him to appoint a more impartial Committee —(hear!)
Mr. MONEY cited a case in illmo ration of what had fallen
from the Chair, in which a paper got into the daily prints, be-
fore it appeared in the printed minutes of the Committee on
Trade.

Mr. LUSHINGTON presented Papers from the Excise and
Tax Offices.—Ordered to lie on the Table.

Mr. PRENDERGAST complained of certain insinuations
which had been thrown out against him by the lion. Members
for Aberdeen and Coventry. He should look over the papers
which had been presented, and move for the printing of any
that affected him. lie hoped. the Hon. Gentlemen to whom he
had alluded would do the same, and if they found a single
paper that appeared to make against him, he trusted they
would move that it should be printed.—Adjourned at Eight
o'Clock.