The Sun.
London, England, 1804-05-10 00:00:00

PRIZE AGENTS.

Mr. JERVIS observed, that the 4th Report of
the Commissioners of Naval Il.quiry bad stated, that
there was great impropriety in the condudt of cer-
tain Prize Agent, in soul-. instances. To rismledy
this evil as much as possible, by preventing:t. h
tension of such radices,- w:lta the object of the Mo-
tion of which he Ltd given notice to the House.
When money lay unclaimed in the hands of these
Gentlemen for any considerable length of time,
there might possibly.be a temptation to them to aft
against their duty. He thought, therefore, that it
ct ould be advisable to establish one General Office
where the money should be deposited ; that the pro.
fiis of 5 ler cent, upon the net proceeds should be
divided between that Office; and their Agents, in
a given proportion ; aHd that the interest for the
use of large sums, which were known to be so fre-
quently in the hands of Prize Agents, shouid not
be suffered to go ioto their pockets, but should be
accounted for to the Ctptors, in order that they
might be benefited as much as possible in the re-
ciri;,t of the well earned reward of their gallant ex-
picn,s. He should also wish that the time of pay-
ment shouid be in3de an objecli of more general no-
torieiy than it at present is. He then moved, that
leave be given to brtog in a Bill to secure the speedy
Distribuii-In of Prize-Money, and to reguLtte the
practice of Prize Agents.
Mr. DENT stated, that the irregularities to
Which the Hon. Nltinber alluded, at ere only the
practice of certain West India Agents. If the ope-
ration of tie Bill was confined to them only, be

should give it his support ; but he saw no necessity
for the introduEtion of any general measure on the
subjea.
Dr. LAWRENCE spoke nearly to the same. eWt&.

Mr. Fh ANC IS approved very much of fl -e
tention of the Hon. Member to expedite the Pay-
ment of Prizes, and to give the net proceeds to the
Captors, only deduaing a regular per centage. He
also thought it was extremely proper that the Ptize.
Agents should not have the use of money, which
might encourage them to protraa the time of pay.
ment beyond what was absolutely necessary. But
he thought it fit that the House should understand
►vhether any additional expence was to be created to
the Public, by tile regulation which the Hon. Mem-
ber proposed.
Mr. jE R PIS explained, by declaring, that it was
not only his own opinion, but was also that of seve-
ral Gentlemen who had been engaged in the Inqui-
ry, that the Funds arising from the net proceeds of
the Sale of Prizes, under the proposed Regulations,
would he amply sufficient, and that it would not
be necessary to, throw any burthen upon the State,
to defray the expenccs of carrying the plan into
execut ion.

After some further conversation, leave was given
to bring in the Bill.

AYLESBURY ELECTION.

Mr. ROSE moved, that the ATTORNEY.GFNE-
RAL be instructed to prosecute Mr. Robert Bent,
for bribery at the late RleClion at Aylesbury. He
bore no personal enmity whatever to that Gentle-
man ; :in the contrary, he believed that, indepen_
dent of the present case, he was a man of a most re.
spetlable and upright charaCter. His respeet for the
regulations of that Heuse, however, and above all,
.the Resolution which was read at the beginning of
every Session, stating, that that House would order
all cases of bribery to be prosecuted with the utmost
rigour, induced him to submit the Motion to the
House, which he now proposed.
Mr. FOX declared, that after the HOLM had gone
so far as to deprive the Electors of their franchise,
to superadd a criminal prosecution against the par.
ties, was, in his opinion, a rigour altogether unne-
cessary. There were other cases which were much
stronger than the present, and yet the House had
not insisted on a prosecution. He therefore must,
in justice, feel himself bound to oppose the Motion.
The MASTER of the ROLLS said, that to order
the person tpnken of to be prosecuted, w bile others
were suffered to pass unnoticed, would subject i the
House to such a charge of partiality, as he hoped
there never would he any foundation for.
Mr. BANKES stated, that
,the pradice of bri-
bery seem,ll to he growing upon the people, and,
from the general tendency of the times, he thought
it necessary that the House should interpose its au-
thor ty, to put a stop to such proceedings in future.
Mr. WARD and Mr. WY NNE opposed the Motion.
Sir J. NEWPORT supported it.
Mr.SHERIDAN observed, that the case appear-
ed to him to be made out much stronger against the.
Eleaors than against the Gentleman mentioned in
the Motion. He therefore moved, that the other
Orders should be then read.

The different Hon. Members who had -alremay
spoken, upon the question being put re—state:. S'e-
vgr:a cf. their former arguments. But the ibmend-
ment of Mr. SHIRIDAN wHs at length c.ftleclit wit%.
ollt a division, by which the original Motion was
abandoned.

Several Orders were then read and postponed.
Mr. Wzt.B ERFOR C a postponed his Motion on the
Slave Trade, to Monday next, with leave of the
House.

Mr. ROSE moved, that the llchester Eleftion
titions be referred to a Committee of the whole
House to-morrow.--Ordered. Adjourned.

TO THE EDITOR OF ‘THE SUN.

SIR,

• •. .
HAVING had occasion to walk. along Berwick.
street, Soho, a few nights ago, I observed that the
Lamps in that Street diffuse more than a double por-
tion of light, when compared' with those in almost
any other quarter of the West End of the Town.—
They are like comets in respea of far- distant; faint
glimmering stars. This superiority is chiefly owing
to Reflettors. The common Lamps in most parts of
the town, from their construction, as well as from
t! niggardly allowance of Oil with which they are
supplied by Contraaors, only serve to light tite
midnight passenger into a kennel. Is it creditah:e
to the most renowned and opulent City in the
world, that its rdice, in this particular, should he
s? egreginusly negleaed ? ContraUors for public
and parochial services have in too mmy instances
been accustomed to fat ten on peculat ton.—The com-
mon adage is—" What is cruet), man's business is
nobody's."—But every member of the community,
who perceives what the public at large contri-
bute to the maintenance of internal police, must
feel indignant against many of those ind-..Y.tials,
who enter into contras of this descriptio,t:, with
the sole view Ce:-.! E-Z-,witlaiotts one it is), of pocket-
ing the money of their fellow-citizens, without do-
ing any thing for it, at least what they are, in good
faith, bound to do. The cry is now exaaly what
it was in the days of the intelligent and elegant
Horace :

O ! Cives ! Cives ! clo.:renda pecunia primum,
Unde habes nemo queritL-Sed oportet habere,
Virtus post nurnmos.

Added to this consideration, what man of com-
mon refleffion can refrain from contemptuously smil-
ing on the midnight pretended guardians of the lives
and properties of the inhabitants of this Metropolis!
Most of them beings, who hardly possess a loco-
motive faculty, deaf, blind, aged and feeble, more
fit to be rocked in a cradle, than to carry a staff
and lothorn, or to oppose the wanton assaults of
drunkenness and licentiousness upon the orderly,
quiet and inoffensive, who may unfortunately fall
lir their way.
These are grievances which call aloud for correc-
tion.—Bur, alas ! to what purpose is it to give this
hint, unless some public spirit could be awakened to
take the proper rneaures for effedually redressing
these glaring (ideas in the internal police of this
immense and in which every inhabitant of
it is so nearly conceroed ?
am, Sir, your humble Servant,
• VIATOIt•

MAILS.

DUI. AARIVID.
tiarriburgh I . _

THE SUN.

SOLEM QUIS DICERI PALSUM AUDIAT ?

' LONDON, MAY to, 1504.!

THE difficult situation of the Country, has cer-
tainly led many persons to think that an Admini-
stration, formed from the Members of the different
Parties in the State, would, under all circumstances,
be the most advantagecus for the Country, and we
have stated our wish that there should be no exclu-
sion. But, on the one hand, if there should be no
exclusion, on the other, there ought to be no dia.ation.
The Public, upon this occasion, cannot approve of
men forcing themselves into the KING'S Closet.—
Mr. PITT has tried every means to form a Govern-
ment on the broadest basis, consistently with due
respeft to the opinions of the SOVEREIGN. It is
very certain, that out of all the different Parties,
only one Person was excluded ; and if we are right.
ly informed, that exclusion applied only to a Cabi-
net- Office. We doubt, indeed, whether it be the
wish of the Gentleman to whom we allude, to hold
such an Office.

Under such circumstances, surely the Public can.
not think that the basis of the New Administration
has been improperly narrowed, in that quarter to
which its limitation has been ascribed. Mr. PITT,
as a man of honour, must feel himself bound,
after stating and urging his opinion upon this
subjeCt, to form the best Administration in his
power : we have no doubt but that he will
form such a one as will be fully competent to meet
the difficulties of the present awful situation of Public
Affairs, and that be will have the approbation and
support of the Country, for his most disinterested
and patriotic exertions.

IT was with the highest degree of satisfailion
that we informed our Readers of the airing which
His MAJESTY took with his Family yester.
day, in the sight of the Public, and it is with
very great pleasure that we add, that Hr.) MAJES-
TY appeared on this occasion to be pettedly
restored to himself and his airedionate' People.
—Our amiable Sovereign appealed indeed very
anxious to testify his entire rccovery, by looking/
out of his carriage frequentlys in order to gratify
ENGLISHMEN with one of the most agreeable spec-
tacles they can enjoy., which is to be found in wit-
nessing the health and happiness of A GOOD KING.

Yesterday, at half past one o'clock, a Cabinet
Council was held at Lord Hawkesbury's Office,
which was attended by Mr. ADDINGTON, Lords
HAWKESBURY and ,EIOBART, iris CHATHAM and
WESTNIORLAND,ViSCOUIIi CASTLEREAGH, and se.
veral others.

Yesterday morning the Second Thittalion of the
ist Regiment of Foot Guards, commanded by Col.
WHITE, had a grand f&ld.day in Hyde Park.—
Generals BURRARb and PHIPPS, and several other
Field Officers, were present.
Yesterday a Court a Directors was held at the
East India H use, when a number of tenders were
opened, and referred to the C:,mmittee of Shipping.
The Court adjourned at six o'clock tib this day.
Dispatches for Almiral DUCKWORTH were last
night forwarded to Faim ,uth, to be put on board
the Amelia Frigate, b >und to ihe West Indies.
• Yesterday a Court of C,,mm in Council was held
at Guildhall, at which were present the Lord
Mayor, five Aldermen, Recorder, Sheriffs, and a
great number of Commoners. The Court passed an
unanimous v,,te of ap robation of the public virtues
of Mr. Alderman BOYDELL. Several leases were
sealed. The 13ill pending in Parliament, for the re-
lief of the London Clergy, was referred to a Comr
mittee to examine and report. The Thanks of the
Court were voted to the Lord Mayor's Chaplain,
for his Sermon at St. P4ul's the first Sunday in Term,
and he desired to print the same, and send a copy
-thereof to every Member of the Court.

Letters reached Town yesterday, from the Medi-
terriinean, which mention, that the plagix has bro.
ken out at Madrid, and that numbers were carried
off daily. Letters dated the latter end of March,
from Barcelona and other,Spanish ports, are silent
on the subjet ; but they all appear to have been
immersed in vinegJr.
The ELECTOR of BADEN, it appears, did not
meanly submit to the tyrannical intrusion of the
French into his territories, for the purpose of arrest-
ing the unfortunate Duke D'ENGHIEN. The
Eleaor, on the contrary, manifested more spirit on
the occasion than was to be expeded from any of
the dismayed Members of the Germanic 13Jily. He
remonstrated against this infrattion of the Law of
Nations, by a Protest sent to his Ambassador at
Paris, and he sent another Protest to be delivered
to the EMPEROR of GERMANY by the Eleaoral
Minister at the Court of Vienna. We are glad to
record this aft of an insulted Prince, who even
hazarded much by a Protest against Consular tyranny.
It is somewhat extraordinary, that a Letter to
Lord ST. VINCENT, on the Naval Administration
of this Country, was recently announced for publi.
cation,, but, on inquiry at the Bookseller's appoint-
ed for the sale, nor a cupy could be procured, and
the answer signified that the work was .withdran.vn
It may be possible to buy up information by private
contras, but it will be Wfficult to prevent truth from
being given to the Public, in due time.