The Sun.
London, England, 1818-03-11 00:00:00

INDEMNITY BILL.

The ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the Order of
the Day tor the sec:odd reading of the Indemnity

Bill.
Mr. LAMBTON made some objection to proceed-
ing to this Order of the Day before that for the
adjourned debate on the papers relative to the In-
ciime 'fax, which stood first on the paper.
The-SPeAKER said, that as he understood the
forms of the House, when an Order of the Day
was moved, the Speaker might -take it before any
other which stood in the paper, and go on with'
the business in any order that might seem conve-
nient. It be were right in this, of course the
Hon. and Learned Gentleman was, at liberty to
.proceed with the Order which he moved,
After a few words from. Mr. LAMBTON and
Lord CASTLERBAQH, across the table;
Sir NVILLIANI BURROUGHS said, he wished to
submit to the House what appeared to him an un-
answerable reason why the House ought nut to
proceed with the second reading of. the Indemnity '
Bill to-night. On examining the Bill, as printed,
it appeared that there were three new heads on
which it went to give indemnity, to which the
attention of the ft•use bad not hitherto been in
any way called—namely, the seizing of persons
concerned 'in tumultuous assemblies ; the seizure
of arms iii'privatelrouses-; awl the seizure of
private papers..,-.lt was - certainly' the general
rt.otion,thrit.thretibieet of tlie Bill now before the
House'svai solely-:o indemnify those persons who
had acted under the Suspension Act. Instead of
-which it also went to protect all persons who had
been engaged in the three acts which he had men-
tioned. It was therefore highly neces-ary that the
House should inquire and have information as to
what had been done as, to the seizure of persons
at tomultnous Meetings—the seizure of arms and
papers ; for with respect to such proceedings,the
House was quite in the aril ; and was taken by
surprise in .beiog called upon to indemnify those
who bail been concerned in them. He had last
year moved for a Return of the names of the per-
Sons arrested under' the Suspension Act. That
'notion was rejected, and yet the Noble-Lord; this
Session, almost of his own accord, conceded ail
that was wished to he obtained by the motion
of • last year. -But the- Return before the House
related only to persOns arrested for treason, SOS-
picioir of treason, or tre-asouahle practices. No-
-thing was staled qtr it that related to the
seizure of arms or 'papers ; and' as he con-
ceived it to be absolutely necessary:that the Iloirse
Should be in possession of a Return upoo the
three heads ivl;ich he had mentioned, it was his
intention to move that such should be laid before
them. He therefore hoped the second reading
would not now be pressed under such circum-
stances.
Lord CASTLEREAGH said, that all that fell front
the Hon. Gentleman who spoke last might apply
very well whet) the clauses of the Bill came to be
considered in the Committee, and lie would sub-
unit whether it would not be better•to bring it for-
ward then. But really it was no argument against
the second readiOg of the Bill.
Mr. TIERNEY said, that by what his Hon.
Friend had said, it was obviously meant that the
Bill should be postponed in whatever stage it
might happen to he till the Return which he in-
tended to move for was pi oduced. Rut the Noble
Lord seemed to say, that the question about that
iteinrn Might as well be discussed on any other
(lay:. Against this he must positively protest.
The Noble Lord, however, seemed so elated with
his former suct•ess as to be resolved to go on.
'What was ' now said against proceeding imme-
diately was this—that as it had been already salt
that no man had fit en arrested under the Sospen,
iion Act brit upon a charge substauijated.by oath.
it was desirable nbev to know whether the searches
which it appeared had been made for arms and
papers had taken place in consequence of charges
•itpon Oath For his own part he doubte,l the fact.
He -believed that the power had been capriciously
arid notliciously exercised- It not, let it be strewn
upon proper grousth, and then, indeed, there

would be something like an argument in favour of
the Bill.
Sir C. MoNcK said it was no light thing to hive
houses searched for arms, and referred to the de-
hates ±thich had formerly taken place on this sub-
ject relative to Ireland. It was every man's duty
to have arms in his house for the protection of
himself and his family, especially in troublesome
times. In fact, every man was supposed to have
arms in his house ; and therefore there was no
saying what abuses might have been committed
tinder the searches for arms which might be very
innocently kept in houses tor purposes of defence.
Surely the house would pause before it passed this
Bill, since it appeared that this Irratsch of the
subject had not been taken into consideration by
the Committee on whose recommendation this
Bill was introduced. If time was not allowed for
inquiry on this, it mattered little what the House
did with the Bill, whether it was passed' with pre-
cipitation or not, since it was equally to be passed
without any just ground.
'Mr. B. BATHURST maintained that it was ne-
cessary that the pa otection of the Bill should ex-
tend as much to Magistrates who had searched
houses frir arms and papers, as to those who had
arrested • persons for-treasonable practices. The
question was, whether tbose,whofelt the danger
were not prepared to protect those who had, per-
haps, in some degree, overstepped the law, in
searching for arms and papers.
The Order of the Day for the second reading
of the Indemnity Bill 14as then read, and the
question being put that the Bill be now read a
second time,

Mr. GIZENVELL said, be could not allow the op.
pot trinity to pass of saying a few words in justifi-
cation of the vote which he felt it his ditty to
give in favour of this Bill. His opinion, as to
the state of the country last year, was founded
on the Report of the Committee, which was sane"-
tioned by no less an authority than that o the
late Mr. Ponsonhy: Satisfied on that subject he
had felt it his duty to vote in .favour of the mea-
sures adopted last Session for the.preservation
of
the public safety ; and he now felt it equally his
duty to vote in favour of the Bill now before the
House.
Lord LASCELLES rose merely for the purposed
communicating some circumstances to prove that
the allegations contained in a petition, presented
to the House some days ago, from a person of the
name of Richard Lee, who hail been confined in
York Castle,'" were totally unfounded. Tie was
the more anxious to make these statements to the
House, because the character of a very respecta-
ble person, who filled the office of gaoler to York
Castle, was implicated in the story of the petitioner
whom he had named. The petitioner stated that
lie had, dUring his confinement, been treated with
the utmost cruelty, loaded with fetters, placed
aniong felons, stinted of food, and that when the
unfortunate person of the name of Riley confined
along with him, driven to phrenzy by the hard-
ships to which he was exposed in the prison, had
put an end to his existence by cutting his throat,
he had been obliged with his own hands to lift and
"arry. out the congealetUblood from the floor of
the cell. To refute those statements he would
read to the House a letter from a most respect-
able person, (whose name could not 13e heard) and
also an affidavit. The letter stated that Lee, in the
presence of the writer, had acknowledged with con-
trition that he had been guilty of the offence for
which he had been arrested ; that in consequence
of his contrition anti promises of amendment he
had been discharged. That after his discharge lie
had, in' presence of the Rev: Dawtry,
the visiting Magistrate, stated, that he was per-
fectly satisfied with the treatment be had expe-
rienced during his confinement. • That instead of
being loaded with fetters he had only a single iron
on his left code, which was usual in such cases.
That during his confinement, in addition to the
usual prison allowance of !mead, and sixpence a
week, and coals,, he was, by order of Lord Sid-
mouth, supplied with seven shillings and six-
pence a-week. That lie bad only 'been confined
five days in the same room with a felon. That
Riley, who committed suicide,
,was not driven to
phrenzy by the hardships which he suffered in
jail, but had been deranged, And attempted to
commit suicide before his
,confinement in York
Castle. The affidavit was made by William Charl-
ton, and stated that the deponent Was confined,
in company with the Petitioner, Lee. for three
weeks
,previous to the suicide of Riley. That after
Riley had cut his throat, the Petitioner, Lee,
asked the Deponent to clean up the blood which
was on the floor previous to the Coroner anti Jury
viewing the body ; and that in compliance with
Lee's request, the Deponent cleaned out the blood
with his own hands, without any assistance from
the said Richard Lee. The Noble Lord said,.that
he only troubled the House with these facts to
slim how unfounded the statements in the Peti-
tion were, and beeatise it. was due to the respect-
able persons complained against by the Petitio
that the House shonlil.know the truth.
Sir- F. BURDETT said, that the sort of tes'

moray which the. Noble Lord (Lasedles) had
brought for Ward was such as the [louse ought
not to receive. Nothing was more unsatisfactory
than to have letters produced, and read in con-
tradiction to statements contained in
If the facts stated in the Petition were, fit to be
objects of debate, a proper inquiry ought to be
instituted, that so the truth or falsehood of them
might be satisfactorily proved. With respect to•
the Bill before the House,. he was surprised to.
hear an Hon. Gentleman say he voted in favour
of it on the authority of Mr. Ponsonby, when it
was well known that Mr. Ponsonhy voted against
the suspension of the Habeas Cot Pus. But. indeed
some strange things had come out during the de-.
bates on this Bill. Amongst. other things it had
been said that Mr. Cobbett was the cause of the
disturbances last year, which brought on the sus-
pension of the liberty of the subject. If this were
true, it was very strange that with all the boasted
talent of the present day the arguments of Cob-
belt had not been refuted.. Ministers said that
those who talked of reform meant revolution.—
The truth was, that this was said for the purpose
of opposing Parliamentary Reform, and continn-
ing the corruptions of . this House. It seemed to
him almost impossible that the House should pass
this 841, but he should-reserve his. arviments,till

Noes
Alajority
- • PROPFAITY TAX.
Mr. LANBTON having, moved the Order of the
Day for resuming the adjourned. debate on the
Papers relative to the Property-Tax, some conver-
sation ensued between Lord Castlereagh, the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer, and sir. Brougham, as
to the wording of the motiou, which .ended ill Mr.
Bic/tight:to withdrawing his motion, and'. the fol-
lowing motion substituted by the Chancellor of
the Exchequer was agreed to," That .there be
laid before the House a statement of the ,measures
adopted tor the destruction,qt hooks anti Tapers
relating to the Property-Tax unch r schedule DP
no longer nece,sary for the collection of arrears,
or for the hearing of appeals, or otlir proceed..
lugs now pending."
Mr. BaouGnam gave notice, that on Tuesday
next he.w.ould submit to the House a motion re-
specting the orders issued to the Collectors of.
Taxes, referring .particularly -to the circular trans
the Tax-Office, dated the Ist of December last.
The 'Bank Tokens Bill was read a third time,
and passed. •
The House resolved itself into a Committee on
the Irish Customs Act.—Report to-morrow..
The Marine Mutiny Bill was,reada third tjuic•
and passed.
Mr. LoexuAwr obtained leave to bring in a Bill
to regulate.the Election of Coroners for Counties-
-Adjourned.

A dreadful event happened at Priorsfield Cot-
liery, near Lane End, on the morning of Thus--
day, about six o'clock, occasioned by the•hroakil
of the main chain immediately after the wags igl
was, drawn off the pit, by which acc-ident tbre4
men and three boys, all fastened together io
chain, were precipitated to the bottom of the Pit?
and literally dashed to pieces.