The Sun.
London, England, 1812-03-26 00:00:00

MARGATE PIER BI LL.

On the second reading of the Margate Pier Bill,
Sit W. CURTIS objected to it as being a plan set
on foot by certain individuals, to convert that work
into a private property, on which account he moved
to postpone it to that day six months.
Mr. P..MOOltB said, that all the money granted
for the completion of the Pier was gone from mis-
management,. and consequently the work was stop-
ped. There was. a' provision in the present; Bill for
creating a joint stock company„ as tbe best means
of conduaing it successfully ; • but as he,was hostile
to such a provision, he would yOte for. the Hon.
Bironet's Amendment if he pressed it to a division.
Should the Atnendmeot be withdrawn, he would
allow it to' go into CoMmittee for the -purpose
of objedling theft: to the clause of which he
com pia ned _
Mr. MARRIOTT said the Pier would be a great
benefit to Margate, by enlarging the harbour, and.
atfotding shelter to many .valuatile vessels. It was
arso• neces-.dry to the protection of the town itself,
and being much higher than the old one, was mit
so li;,ble to be shook by the sca. The money,grant-
ed by Parliament was. not expended, for. it could
not be raised, the terms on which they should bor-
row having been limited to five per cent. ton small
a remuneration for money subject-msvich casualties.
His objection,- therefore, was not io the principle
of the Bill, btit to,the provision, which could be got
rid of in the Committee, and he should ohjeet
much as any man against any unfair advantage being
taken of the inhabitants by a joint Stock Company.
Sir E. KNATenouLL said they would have full
power in the Committee to free the Bill from airy
objectionable part. He wished to have. it discussed
upon its real merits, and' did not pledge himself
either to support or to oppose the clause alluded to.
Sir W. CURTIS agreed to the second reading,
with a view to oppose it in the Committee. The
Bill was then read s second time.

The Regent's Canal 13111 was read a third time, and
pissed.
Mr. PONSONBY moved for an account of the total
value of Forged Notes preset-Iced tor payment irons'
the Ist of January, 180 1, to the '2 Ist Of Decerritier,
181 I .—Ordered.
He also moved for an account of the nrlmber of
persops, prosecute,' for Forgery by the Bank of Eng-
bitti, fruit) 1110 litst sospQn4tott Qi cab paywcws

an to the Ist of January, in tT4c; prosent
Ordered.

He also moved for an account of the persons pro.
secuted for the same .erit-ne d ting the t 4 3 ears pre.
ceding the su-pension, mid, on the suge:stion of Mr.
i►anning, added a motion for an account of the
titimber of persons proecti;ed for co,inteifeiting the
current Coin and Bank toktns durin the same pe-
tiod.--,Ordered:

In a Coromittw on the Pilots Bill,
Mr. JAckSoN propos,ed 3 Clause, entprAverng the:
Pilots w cruise withi,, et.riaiti exreat tri,rn Dover,
WII,Ch was rtj, Hed divislort.
Alter some fut:ller i;I::t1.1.5i6I1 1110 House resurn.
ed. T', Report was rec.-!ived agre'-d to, anil
the Bill was ordet:-d to be read a third time to,.
morro‘9,

BREACH OF PRIVILEGE.-ARREST OF MR.

CAM

On the motion of Mr. Er EN, Mr: Dann was
callA to the b Ir, and examined by the Sp 4er.
Mr. Dann starCd that be Was an Attorney, that in
consequence of his orders; Hinson. the 'Sheriff's
Officer, had been instruCled•to arr,-st ibl,. Carnp;)ell,
that after the arrest, firtiesc!n cam:- to him with a.
paper,, which he said, Campbell offered as his pro-
tettion from arrest ; that the paper sbewn to him by
the clerk (the order of the ~Committee for Mr.
Campbell's attendance as a witness) was that paper
that he conceived it was a trick to facilitate escape ;
that !leak) doubted, if iuthentic, whether it was
an essential proteCtion, because Mr. Campbell was
arrested, not in going to the Committee, but on his
return hOme ; that the Committee was nor de-
scribed in the paper as a Committee of the House
of Commons, and that the residence of Mr. Camp-
bell was not specified. The •witness Tathceeded at
considerable length to state the motives upon which
be had.aeled,' but he spoke in so low a tone of ,oice
that we were unable to coned the tendency of his
observations.
Having withdrawn,

Mr. EDEN said, that Mr. Dann's statement bad
been so satisfadory, that he was sure the House
would agree to his motion for discharging that .Gen-
dernan from any further attendance.
Mr. Dann was accordingly discharged, as was also
Hineson, the Sheriff's Officer.

ARREST OF MR. PALMER.

On the motion of Mr. EDEN, Mr. Palmer was
called to the Bar, and examined by the Speaker.
Mr. Palmer Mated that he wa4 ordered to attend "
the Committee on Monday ; that he was arrested
little after fOur in the afternoon of that dat, hav-
ing left the Colornittee a little before four ; that he
lived a! Limehouse; that he was arrested in Black.
friars .11Pad, going to call on his bro.her-in-law, Mr.
Campbell; that Grad, the Sheriff's Officer, arrest-
ed him ; that he showed Grace. the ()Tier for his
attendance on the Committee; that Groee said he
was obliged to take him, although he expressed no
doubt of the authenticity of the order ; that he toll
Grace he was goi,,g back to the House of CQrnmons
for a later &Om the Chairman .of the Committee ;
that he had been instretted tfy.th, Committee to go
to-Mr. Campbell, who was in custody in !he neigh-
bourhood of Blackfriats' Road, and to return to, t.he
House, where he would find either the Chairman
of the Committee or a note from him ; that while
acting under these directions, and returning from
Mr. Campbell, he was'arrested ; and that he had in
vain stated all these circumstances to the officer.

- The witness having hdrawn,-
Mr. EDEN observed, that before he moved to call
in (.4race, he would state to the- House the objett of
the Committee, in sending Mr. Palmer to Mr.
Campbell. During the examination of Mr. Palmet
before the Committee, that Gentleman. recrived.
formation, that his brother-in-law, Mr. Campbell,
had been arrested on his way to attend the Commit.
tee as a witness. They conceiving it to be their
ditty, in maintenance of the privileges of Parliament,
to bring the lad before the House, requested Mr.
Palmer to go to Mr. Campbell, and to ptevent
him from endeavouring to procure his discharge
by.b;til.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, on this
statement, was inclined to think that Mr. Pahnrq-,
when arrested, could not be considered as a wit-
ness, -but as a Messenger, and doubted wi‘el her
under -those circumstances he was entitled to pro-
te ion.

Mr. EDEN argued by analogy, from -the praaice
of Courts of Law, that Mr. Palmer was en ikd to
proteEtion, and stated two cases in support of his ar-
gument. The one was of a person whose cause
was put off early in the morning, but who, .nbt re-
turning home until evening, was on his set urn ar-
rested the other was of a woman whose cause was
decided on a Friday, but who waiting until Saturday
for a stage in which to return home, Was atrested
in getting lot°, the stage. In both those cases the
Courts decided that the individuals -were entitled to
proteel ion.
Mr. W 1 NNE said that this was a novel case ; but
the inclination of his :mind was, that Mr. Paltocc
ought to be prcteded. He had been otdeied by
the Committee to do a particular at before, his re-
turn home, and was, therefore not released from his
attendance at the time of his arrest.

The CHANCELLoR of the EXCHEQUER, doubted, -
in the first place, the power of a, Committee to ap-
point a Messenpr. If, however,_ they had that
power, hisrprotedion ought to describe him as a
N.l.ssenger, not as a Withrss. Otherwise a She..
riff's Qtlicer might be involved in oldies-. perplexi-
ties: -For suppose (seid he) that a She: 41's OfficA,
met a man against whom he had a writ going to
Hampstead,. and that man were to tell him, that
he was'. sent on a measrige, by a Committee of the
House of Commons, although the litter, which:he
might shew as, his proteoion, wa, merely a stun.
mons as a witness 6efore that Committee, it would
be hard to itupo..e on the Sheriff's Offit.cr the ;ie.:
cessny of believing 'such a stwernt•nt. - It might
perhaps by expedient to postpone me fort i,er c• n,i-
s:deration of this case, in oiti.et so affOtti ti.t,e /fir
deliberation.

The,SPF,Auitt observed, that if the were to
stand ON CT, it must be on the principle alone. Na
new circuawant!es could, aPpear. 1:1 old times,
even before the Revolution, it had 4.6;ays been held.
to be,the up-donbk-d right 'Of the House el Com-
mons to Proted (torn arrest, wi-nesSts suinmontd
either to jhe Horse; or to a Comiintfee,-itt coining,
stayin<, and returning. In. his view of the ;,reseng
qu•!stion, tie cka.-i,..let• of Mr. Palaier 'as a
senger, seemed to be a secondary con,,ideration.—
Tne House must tirSt dispose
.of his quality as 4

witness that he hal been in: attenclanCe as a wit-
ness uefore the CoMmitiee,
,WAS clear. That he
was not to return ru ihe Commi!tre in the capacity,
of a witness wa• also clear. The rrics,ion for the
House ,0 constiler was, ~,tietlier Mr. Palmer was
bon-afide on his return home when -he was arrested.
If ti had not taken a more than lawful latitude—
if his departure from tie direct line of- his ri•turn
was satistaCtorilk aLcoUntrd for by the intenening
gct which had been described—the House would
have to decide whether in that case they would cot
short his protection, and by doing so forbid their
witnesses fro,' returning home by any other than

. ,
the 'straight course,
Mr. STEPHEN '4ES of 01311110 H, that had the sus-
pension of Mr. Paliner's return home been his own
choice, lie would not have been entitled to the pri-
vilege of protection ; but it was evidently the aa
of the Committee.
Mr. EDEN also trusted that the House would
consid-r the deviation of Mr. Palmer from the
straight line- of his return sufficiently accounted fur,
and that they would give him the benefit of pro-
teation.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, if such
were the wish of the House, expressed his entire
acquiescence in tt. •
Sir JOHN NEWPORT thought it enigmatical that
two brothers, summoned to attend the same Com-
mittee„ should be arrested on the same day, and
on writs issued by two different attornies !
Mr. WILBERE"RCE bore testimony to the clia-
character of Mr. Cairipbt:ll was a man of great worth,
end considerable property. He had been a settler in
New South Wales, but had been compelled, about
eight ye irs ago, to come over to. this country to
give evidence on a trial, and had since been in-
volved in ditficul,ies by the cond'itl of his Agent.
1-le repeated that he had undoubted authority for
stating that Mr. Campbell was a man of most un-
blemished character.
Sir. ARTHUR PIGOTT thinking it desirable that
Grace, the Sheriff's Officer, should be called in,
He was accordingly called to the Bar, and being
examined bv the SPEAKF,R, stated—That on Mon-
day, al about half pail four 'o'clock, he arrested-Mr.
Painter io Chariotteitreet, Biackfiiars-road ; that-
Mr. Palmier carae to his (Grace's) hour io icquire
for Mr. Campbv li ; that he directe hun to Hine-
son's; that he .followed him to Hitieson's ; and
that, oil coming out he served him with a writ; that
Mr. Palmer chewed him a letter, requiring his at-
tendance as a miners netore a Committee of the
House of Commons, but that never having seen
such a thing tieforr:, and the writ being of such a
twine as to expose him to the greatest risk, in the
event of Mr. Palmer's escape upon a false pretext,
be had been compelled, with a view to his own se-
curity, not to allow Mr. Palmer to go.
Tie sheriff's Officer having withdrawn,
Mr. EDEN moved, that the privileges of the
H be granted to Mr. Palmer, and that he be
discriarged from arrest.—Oidered.
Mr. EDEN then incited, that Grace, the Sheriff's
°dicer, be discharged from further attendance.
Ater a short conversation, in which Mr. Wynne,
Mr. Eden, Mr. Marine's Sutton, &c. participated,
the -motion was, agreed to.