The Sun.
London, England, 1818-02-14 00:00:00

BOARD OF AGRICULTURE.

Mr. D. GIDDY Presented a Petition from the
President and Members of the Board of Agricul-
ture, praying for the grant of a sum of n.oney iu
aid‘of their tends, in the present year.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER stated the
Petition to be recommended by the Crown.
• Ordered to lie on the table.

On the motion of Mr. GoßcoN, Accounts of the
Sums expended within the last year on Plymouth
Dock and Liues, were ordered to be laid before
the House.
CHIMNEY-SWEEPERS.

The Chimney-sweepers' Regulation Bill was
read a second time, and committed for Monday.

PETITIONS.
Mr. BENNET presented, a Petition from Joseph
Mitchell, of Liverpool, one of the nntortunate
persons lately confined under the Habeas Cor-
pus Suspension Act. Whether this person was or
was not entitled to credit, he must leave to those
who knew" him better than be (Mr. Bennet) Alid:
He, however, had no reason to believe his state,:
ment other than correct ; the hardships he had
suffered were great, and to him it appeared he
had a claim to the protection of the House. As
the petition 'as very long, and only stated what
had been previously brought before the House.,
he did not wish the ‘vlsole of it to be read.

The prayer of the petition, which celled upon

tbe'House not to grant Ministers a BM of In-
demnity to ,preclude the petitioner front set king
that redress to which he was entitled, was then
read, and the petition was ordered to lie on the
table.

On its being moved by Mr. BaNNIST that it
should be printed,

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER asked if
there were nothing offensive in its language ?
Mr. BENNET said, the petitioner complained of
the ha-rdsbips he bad endured, but the Liuguage of
the petition was not disrespectful to the House.
The petition was ordered to be printed.
Mr. BENNET then presented a- petition from
Thomas Evans, another of the persons who had
been Confined tinder the Suspension of the liabe,is
Corpns Act. • This he did not desire to have read,
as it only .recapitulated various petitioni which
had been presented to the Home before. But he
bad to state, the petitioner expressed much asto-
nishment at some of the allegations of his former
petitions having been denied.. lie had stated no-
thing that he was not prepared to prove at their
bar, and he prayed lor an i,,quiry into the whole
of the late proceedings.—Ordered to lie on the
table.

Mr. BENNET having moved that the petition
should be printed,

Sir M. %V. RIDLEY rose to notice the conduct
of the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the last
petition. The Right lion. Gentleman, after it
had been ordered to lie on the table, had askeciit
it, contained any thing offensive, on its being
'Moved that it should be printed'. He submitted to
the House, that. any thing that was fit to lie on
their table was tit to lae printed.
Mr. WY N N could not agree that because -a pe-
tition was suffered to lie on the table, that it fol-
lowed a matter of course it was fit to be print-
ed. Petitions were printed for the use of the
Members, and therefore he thought the House
might be safely and properly allowed to use their
discretion as to whether they should or should not
be printed. In many cases they might be dis-
posed to bear a complaint, though not to give it
currency by printing it.
Lord FoutesToNE thought the strongest argu-
ment that could be used for printing petitions was
the s(wernent that they were printed for the use
of the MeMbers of that House. How could the
Members noderstand what these petitions wereom-
less they were printed Would it be said that the
Members might go one at a time and read them
at the table Was this the way they were to be-
come acquainted with them ? Till within the last
nine months,. all petitions had been regularly
printed. Since be had been in Parliament, it was
common to print all petitions at full length. Since
it had become usual to abbreviate them, and now
it was a question whether they should be printed
at all. He thought a great insult to the peopl,,
whose servants and whose representatives they
were, for them to _say that what they thought fit
to .lie on their table ought not to.be printed. ,He
should be sorry to see that time arrive- when a mo-
tion for pi int ing a petition should be negatived by
the House. . •

The periOon was ordered to,be.printed.

SUFFERIN(S UNDER THE SUSPENSION ACT.
sir.BBNNET next jor(:spuittd a petition from
another person who had been confined under. the
['Meat Corpus Suspension Act, of the name of
William Ogden, a man 74. years of age. He
complained of having been, heavily ironed, and
otherwise most harshly treated during his confile-
went, in consequence of which he feared he
should never be able to follow his employment
again. He had been thus punished because he
had been an Advocate for Parliamentaty Reform ;
though he had, paid taxes many Years,and brought
up 17 children by his two wives.. He declated to
God that he had
.done no wrong, and prayed the
House not to pass a Bill tit Indemnity to screen
Niinisters, and preclinle him tiout obtaining that
redress to which he was entitled.

`l';►e petition was, ordered to. lie on the table,
and to be pi inted.

Un tke motion of Mr. RENNET, the petition of
Benbow, presented.on a former night, was ordered
to be printed.

Sir F. BUDETT said he had a netition to present,
and from the scenes which had lately been dis-
closed, he could almost fancy himself, un-
der- the (government of the Dey of Algiers. The
petition be held in his hand was from one of
those persons who had been so -illegally impri-
soned, and not less illegally set at liberty, with-
out being first brought before any tribunal where
the parties might establish their innocence.. He
_hoped these petitions would not lie idly on the
table ; but this he knew they would not, as one
notice had already been given of a motion on the
subject.. The petition he now presented was from
John- Stewart, a-weaver in Glasgow, who had
been apprehended by the Sheriff of Lanark in Fe-
bruary last, and confined for seven weeks and
three days. The petitioner described himself to
have been subjected to great hardships while in
prison, and to have sustained much injury in his
circumstances from the expenceS which the pro-
ceedings - had thrown on . him.. He prayed the
House to afford him relief.

The petition was ordered to lie on the table.
REFORM IN PARLIAMENT.

. Sir F. BURDETT presented a petition from cer-
tain of the parish' of; St. George's,
Hanover-square, signed by 20 names. The pe-
tition prayed for Reform in 'Parliament, cen-
sured the present Government, • condenuied the
Suspensinn, of the Habeas Corpus Act, and de-
ekred if their .prayer were not attended to, they
would resist by not paying the taxes:
LUrd CASTLEREAGH- thought 'at- first the word
rt-sist"--had been used but in a" constitutional
sense by the petitioner's.. But when they:letiared
-they; would not pay taxes, a queition arose 'quite
distinct (ruin' that of Parliamentary Reform, and
be should now move that thiS petition be' re-
jectee •'•

Srr '.'BURDETTwas of opinion the parties only
threrlientii to refuse to pay taxes as the conse-
Ttertee of 'their nut 'being represented in Par-
liament. The manner in which the word ", resist"
was used did not necessarily imply unconstitution-
al resistance; •

. -
Lord, GA.STLEREAGH referred to the words of the
petition; which ran thus :—" If your Houour4ble
House will not itike into' your most serious eon-
t,ideratiuu, and comply with our prayer, by grant_

ing a Ilvforrn in Parliament, your petitioners
mnst errantly resist by not payirig loxes."
The petition was II en rejected.

-- -
Sir F. IieRDETT piesented five petitions from
Bath, each signed by 20 names,- praying for a
lieform in Paitiiimrnt.—Ortiered to lie on the
table.