The Sun.
London, England, 1820-02-25 00:00:00

The Amendment was then carried without a di-

vision.

BARNSTAPLE PETITION.
The Earl of LAUDERDALE presented a Petition from the
Mayor and Corporation of the Borough of Barnstaple, against
that part of the Writs' Suspension Bill, as affected the said
Borough ; and praying to be heard by their-Counsel against
the same. •
Along, and in, snnae respects desnitory and_ rather irregu-
lar, conversation took place on this proposition : in the course
of, which the Earl of. Carnarvan, Earl Grosvenor, the Mar-
quessuf •Lansdovne, asd Lord nacre, (in a first Address),
opposed acquiescing in the prayer of the Petition to he
heard by Conmsel'; and especially on the qnestion of its
second reading, which chiefly went to involve the principle
of the, Bill,

. .
The Earl of LAUDERDALE and the LORD CHANCE!,
LOR. argued, at some. length, in favour of hearing.the Peti-
tioners by Counsel, Some of their Lordships spoke repeat-
edly in explanation ; at length, the discussion was terminated
by a dive inn, when there appeared
F.tir. lworing Counsel - - li
Against it - - - 11 -
Majority - - ---1
The question-for the second reading stands far to-morrow.
Adjourned.

THE LATE CONSPIRACY.

PUBLIC OFFICE, BOW-STREET.

The communication of the existence of a con-
'piracy to destroy some of the Cabinet Ministers
watt only made on. Wednesday morning to the Se-
cretary of State for the Home Department,hy the
Earl of liarrowby, who, it it said, was stopped by a
plan when tiding in St. James's Park, who delivered
to him a letter, the contents of which were, that
a.gang of assassins were to assassinate his Lord-
ship and the rest of the Cabinet Ministers, when
assembled at his house on the evening of that day
at a. Cabinet dinner. The Earl of IJarrowby, al-
thongh he (lid not know the man, listened to his
representation, in addition to the contents of the
Letter, and afterwards consulted his brother
isli-
nisters upon the subject ; and the result of their
determination, in the first place, was to post-
pone the Cabinet dinner. Precautions were in:-
ru, 'timely taken at the Secretary of State's Office
or the discovery and apprehension of -th-e
The first intimation that was given of the- affair
at the office. in BOW-street. was at past seven,
o'clock, when it was mode known .that .a -number
of officers, constables, and, patrol. would, be want •
ed. Ellis, who is a conductor of ,a party of pe-
tiole, was ordered to leave his division, and re-
pair to the
.offiee with the men 'miler his direction.
The expedition upon which,t hey were to be sent
wAts kept a secret till they started, which. was be-
tweet) half past 8 o'clock and 9. The place of
rendrzvons Of the 'assassins Was in Cato-street,
John•street, en the EagwOre7road, where the
neighbours' had become alarmed by a
_number of
strange men assembling iii a Stable, and a loft
over it, otter dark' ; sacks being 'hung up on the
inside of the windows lei iirereot detection:
In the -course of 'the day inquiries had been
made, and-the result wase. that some desperate act
was expected to take place. The Minister's ser,
vows: were armed h pistols, and two officers or
constables appointed to each re•idence„ The Earl
of Harrowby and Viscount Castlereagh. dined
with the Earl of Liverpool; and at 9 o'clock they
went! tot he Secretary of State's Office for the
Home Department, at_ which time all the Cabinet
Ministers assembled, Mr..Bilnie, the Magistrate,
was directed by Viscount Sidmouth to he in Cato-
street, and in
_readiness to act in case of emer-
gency. A party of the Guards, under the com-
mand of Captain Fitzclarence, was ordered to
march to • Cato-street,- to assist the Police, if ne-
cessary. Unfortunately, however, they were not
dearly directed, or they did not understand where
the place was, as they mere at the contrary end
of the' street when the' assassins commenced
their murderous attack upon the officers, and it
Was only by the discharge of 'pistols that they
found out where •the building -was.. When the
police-officers • arrived, they found two sentinels
at the door armed with guns and swords. These
opposed -their admittance without the pass-word.
The officers, however, soon overpowered and se-
cured them. They then gave an .alarm, anti the
officers beard by the noise in the loft that several
persons were up stairs. They -ascended to the
loft by a ladder which the conspirators themselves
bad used. BUthven went first ; he was followed
by Ellis and Smithers. The villains were armed

with blunderbusses, musket's, pistols, v pikes,
swords, &c., dressed with belts, and appeared in
every respect ready to march upon 'their mur-
derous attack. Ruthven informed., then) that
he and his companions were officers, that they
had a warrant to apprehend them, and de-
sired them to disarm and surrender, which they
refused. Snitchers courageously stepped for-.
ward, and by this act lost his life; as Arthur
Thistlewood thrust a sabre at him, which enter-
ed a short distance below his right breast,—
Smit hers e %claimed " Oh God !" staggered, and
fell- As he was in the act of fishing,. Ellis, seeing.
his brolher officer butchered, discharged a pistol
at Thistlewood, the contents of which missed
hint, and lodgssi in the wall; the gang then
knocked out the lights,when most of them escaped;
the remainder of the gang then ate-acke'd the Officers
most furiously, and their numbers far exceeded
what was expected ; they were 2 to I against the
Officers, and, being desperate, there is every rea-
son to believe they would have massacred all the
Police .officers, had it not been for the timely ar.
rival of the military: Ellis received a slight wound
tinder his right knee. W. Westcott was shot
at by Arthur Thisdewood, and.afterwards had a
most loarrt,w escape ; three other shots baying
passed through the crown otitis hat, arid thelianrth
shot through the thick part of his rightihumb.—
Chillies Brooks was shot at three times, and only
one of them hit him, which pissed thwegh all the
clothes on his should,r. JohnAVright received a
stab on his right side, from a sword or sabre;
hut, owing to his braces being very thick, the
point of the deadly weapon came in contact with
;hero, which saved his life. John `Starnnti '(riot
Salmou, as reported yesterday) recei.ved a set iOILS
WOulld 00 his head.

The hand-greoaries found wirk.thein are aboot
ibe sire of It large orttoge, tnarle of cast iron, 6:1-,
eat With coodtostibles ; they tilre,tr roittict bole, in
which is placed .F 1 fose, which., on: being sec fire
to, is tbrown by the band, and vrlitu it tails it