The Sun.
London, England, 1819-06-04 00:00:00

GAME LAWS.

Lord CRANBOURNE thought the regulations
made for the preservation of g.,,nie had served but
to increase the number of poachers, win) were
found more numerous in the last than they- had
been in any preceding year. It was proved that
severe penalties were useless,. and he therefore
thought- nothing re;paitjed hut to take away the.
tempation to commit the crime against which this
measure had been directed ; 'and this he flattered
himself would be accomplished' by the Bill which'
be wished to bring in. He moved for leave'to
bring in a Bill to authorize the sale pf ()Oder.
cell ain't est rict ions

Sir J. SHELLEY and Lord LowTt-tett opposed
the motion.

%ir. CU LiWEN di3lpproved of a:4 system

[PRICE SEVENPENCF.

.
of our Game Laws,.and should therefore vote fur
the bringing in of the Bill.
Mr. Gour.BuitN, Lord BINNING, and. Mr. Lustr-
INGTON, thought in common courtesy the Bill
ought to be allowed to be bronglit in.
. Sir J. SHELLEY acc:ined offering further opPo-
sition to,jt on the present oecas.ion, and alter a
few words front :Lord Low-rn ER, which were re-
"plied to by Lord CEANBourtNe, leave wds given to
bring in the Bill.

• CAPTAIN HANCHETT'S PETITION.
Mr. LUsHINGION said, Ire held in his hand a
Petition to which tae must solicit'the attention of
the House, and especially that of the Hon. Mem-
ber frtitu Shrewsbury. It proceeded from three
gallant officers of the navy, who complain-ell that
their characters had been grossly and -unjustly
aspersed, by statements made in a Petition pre-
sented from Captain Hanchett, and sohsegnently
reported to the public through the medium of the
daily Journ4s, It reptesented, that against lumi-
nous allegations of this kind they .had no means
of defending; themselves, and that no charge could
be brought forwatd against them. which they were
not prepared to meet if an opportunity were al-
, lowed. With regard to the report of the debate
upon this occasion, he bad himself 'some reason
to complain, as a most egregious misterpresen-
tation had.been published ; what had been said
having been omitted,, and much that had nor:
been said having been introduced. Upon 't he
point of privilege, he should Dave been justified
in bringing the matter under the immediate notice
of the House. But in The Times newspaper re-
marks had been added of a nature that clearly in,
dicated the pollOted source from which they
spruttg ; ond he hoped this observation tvonid
serve as a caution in restraining the publication
of similar :calumnies in future. He would now
read the Petition- itself, which lie held in his
hand, and which was signed by Ca) rain Knight,
flaw.,%and Lieut. Dombrain. The Hon.
Gentleman.then moved, that it do die on the
table.

Mr. RENNET agreed with .most of what had
alien from the ann. Gentleman. He was not
answerable for the incorrectness of account's pub-
lished in the.daily journals, nor did he know who
the author was of the article which had appeared
in The Times. Undoubtedly, however, the debate
bad beep reported in a way that made the repre-
sentation of what had passed too favourable to
the case of Captain Hanchett. He should be glad
of further information on this subject, and until
he received it, should.abirain front stating what
was the impression on his mind respecting it. He
had presented Ihe petition upon a principle of
duty, considering that the House was not neces-
sarily called upon to come to any Vote wi,h regard
to It, and that a geueral right of petitioning be-
longed to every individual.
Mr. LUSITINGTON would not admit that the
House was bound to allow the late petition to re-
, main on the table, and if that point had been in•
sisted on, he should have felt,it his duty to move
that it he rejected as a false and scatidalous libel.
lie should most willingly bullish the documents
' necessary for fully uudeistanding this case, and it
would be seen by one very important paper, that,
a case of greater profligacy had seldom occurred.
It would appear ffont that paper, that there tV4S
not -one word of truth in the suny told by Ca!,'.
Hanchett relative to the 6,9001. He hi'o
possession a letter in Clptain Hanchett's nand-
writing, that certainly falsified the stmetn,Att
in the petition. By this it appeared :hat he had
been engaged in a elatolestioe correspondence
for resigning his appointinent to Lieut. DorObtyitt,
on receiving the sum of 6,0001., and retaining
two-thirds of his salary. 0a the discovery of
these circumstances, it was the opinion of the
Lords of the Treasury, that Captain Hanchett
should be dismissed ; but at his (Mr. Lusl.ing-
ton's) instance, he had been permitted to resign.
So far front Captain lianchett having any claim
upon the Government, he had now a balance of
public money in his hands, and had been in the
practice of making charges, the amonnt of which

he put inio his nVITI) pucker. 1-1 e (sJr. I,lsl:rig-
ton) had never,•in the coup se Of his experience,
met with a case of more flagrant falsehood and
atrocity.

Mr. RENNET admitted, that after the produc.
tion of Captain Hanchett's letter, and a statement
coming with the authority that belonged to the
lion. Gentleman's situation, Ile could 'not' ht,itate

to say, that lie agreed with all that had fallen front
hint, and that Government was bound to act as it
had done. He confessed there were some points
_connected with the stthject which. he did not com-
prehend so clettr!y as this. The only two points
Which he thou4ht of importance were the conduct
of the Administration in the appointment of the
officers, and the conduct of the officers in the
discharge of their duty. The concluding obsera
,vations of the Honourable Gentleman were very
indistinctly heard in the Gallery :.bat he was be-
lieved to say, that he should determine before Mon.
day what course he was to adopt.
Mr. LustutiGTorq s.titl, there was one point to
which he would call the attention of the Hon.
Member—the alleged abase of . patronage : and
trom the tact which he was about to state, the
Hoti Member would see how the matter. S;otHI
Hod would be convinced that he ( Lushington)
had not made au impropvr use of the power put
into. his hands by applying it to political
pur-
poses. The fact he had to state w.s, th,it where
lie had recommended one Canterbury man to the
Admiralty; be lead recononeuded- two of C.ptain
Hattchert's torn. lie added, that it a similar case

.vere ag,tiii to occhr, again act in the
sane n►mnner.—`l'he i►etiiit+n was then laid on the
tab!e.

AIMOUICOIENT 01,111 E HOUSE.
The cIiANCti,LLOU or EXCHEQUER, the

Lott! Castlereagh, moved that the
14'"'‘c, at ifs ri\itig this night, do adjourn till
'Alon,hy nvxt.—The ',notion was agreed to wiih-
our any reinAt ks.