Star.
London, England, 1822-04-25 00:00:00

confined: for attentpting•to sunder his wife and outage ibitterest,soeri
•chen. Mr. Hunt very naturally. objected to thisuenuo Poet Would not be forgotten
pang, and the persons were removed. aubsequelltir I " And hese. oss I forget tie jaw
Sir John Acland called to visit theprisoch and on ea- no. toidecwha Mama woe,
tering Mr. Hunt's room, be found it so damp that he ."'4•111"'" db.
i lted mad
apologised to Mr. Hunt for keeping on his hat, as he -Mo mum asek when:
Was apprehensive of caching cold unless be did. The AM veer rsoiterel;aeleereres en. l
Boor also he found to be so cold that he ordered a While in the Land of Ltherty..i.4l
mat for his feet, and desired that another might be rm.
" eoe7 street and public Me
brought for Mr. Hunt. It was but justice toSir John seine tri utmelbe lean li"
nranes
Miami to state, that he immediately ordered the Tore from cold wintery lifinrobem
stone fl 4rl of Mr. Hunt's mom to be boarded.-- Even robbed them'of the last
Mr. Hunt still suffered many inconveniences ; his The frel&hern 'Brims to the dungeon
eery:nit was lint permitted to see him; but be that as "
At the
tier? Prlre
ith hia“?
it may, so glad was he to get rid of the severe ropers- And auded malt nv,,:by se
cret
lions that he made no complaint. After Sir J. Barn- That for their country would -
-field's retirement from the office of Sheriff, Dr. Coal- 09 great dear. If executed v
stop again renewed his cruel treatment; three se- ;filth patiernt care, and wisdom.eampee,
Neral times did he renew this scandalous, degrading, Drageftrh bier", let resume '-
,cruel, and unmanly treatment. Then followed the Wrench front their hands Oppression
inquiry, which few men would have had the energy And bid the cruel feel the pains
-rand courage to prosecute, circumstanced as Mr. Hunt If those beautiful lines were
avas. The jailer was high in favour with the Magis. Committee of a former H•
trates ; he used to dine at their table ; was rather a greater was the merit of "
friend than one under their controul, in consequence was exposed to every disact
of the hypocrisy with which he threw a veil over his the lock and key of the lit
infamous conduct. Notwithstanding these discou. perpetrated those cruelties
raging circumstances, Mr. Hunt set on foot the in- Magistrates to have contina
quiry, and his charges were substantiated. On the the exposure of his brutality,
third day of the inquiry, the Magistrates were con- to have continued Mr. Hui
vinced of the charges, and offered to compromise the altogether most extraordi_
matter with Mr. Hunt, by dismissing the jailer, if he influence over the witnesses,
would stifle the facts which came out in the inquiry ; investigated, and these enortr•
to which Mr. Hunt indignantly replied, that he would almost miraculous—a Pro,"
make no compromise—he was determined to push it an individual could make.
to the utmost, until some redress were obtained. Im• it to the general satisfaction,
mediately after, he wasserved with an attachment by of being dependent on witnesses liable to other con-
the Under Sheriff to pay EA which had been in- troul, and of whom he could not be one moment se-
curred in legal proceedings. Shortly after this he cure. It Might be of some importance to know what
was sel veil with another process, to pay penalties the opinion of the Committee was, upon the state of
which lie unintentionally incurred, by having been the apartments allotted to Mr. Hunt. Ile would take
fortunate enough in discovering a means of afford- the liberty of reading a few extracts from it. The Re-
port states—" We had the opportunity of examining
ing a cheap and wholesome beverage to the poor,
which ought rather to have entitled him to the thanks these three wards, and consider them improper for
the purposes appointed—that of an infirmary; they
than the punishment of Government—Wear, hear).
However, he was served with a process to pay 1;100 were both objectionable and inconvenient; surrounded
for making, and another 1:100 for selling this article by high walls, excluding the light for the greater part
of his own invention. It was not a little singular, of the day ; they were exposed to the northern air.
that all this occurred immediately after his refusal and in the heat of summer they were liable to had
to enter into any compromise with the Magistrates. and infectious damps. When we visited the wards oc.
This was cruel, he did not care whether it was legal cupied by Mr. Hunt, we found them in the most un-
or nor. The worst specie, of opere,sien was that exec- wholesome state." He considered that Mr. Hunt had
cised under the colour of the law—(Hear, hear), been a victim to the severity of the Rev. Dr. Coniston.
Whatever Mr Hunt did, however beneficial to the However strange it might appear tri one of his pro.
community, was converted into an evil and mis- fession to volunteer in this unchristian conduct, Mr.
chievuus intention. His invention was of great pub- Hunt was the victim to his arbitrary -power. By
lie benefit. particularly when the market for agri. his vindictive spirit, he was deprived of every com-
rural produce was glutted and overstocked ; this was mon care—it was ridiculous to say -of comforts.
a :Inv source of consumption—it created a new de. When the new jailer came down he left a small.
roand and new customers. He should have rather a space far the ventilation of the apartment; when the
premium and reward than be visited with penalties. Commissioners were there they found that it was
bat these were not the only persecutions he suffered, ordered to be shut up. At present, indeed, that door
there were others still more revolting and more se- was open, and the high walls lowered to admit bet-
maim to the feelings of humanity ; when be was ter air and some degree of ventilation. Mr. Hunt
reused to see visitors, amongst these seas a sick and had been the sport of a brutal jailor, and a sufferer
dying sister. Brill it be believed that any man, much under a solitary imprisonment of 2S months—a seve-
les a Ciergyman, much less a Minister of the Gospel rig, not intended by his sentence. It was said, bl-
and a teacher of the religion of Cususr, could have deed, that it was voluntary on his part to render his
had the has d-heartedness, the cruelty, to prevent the confinement solitary. Yet it might be said that he
last farewell between a captive brother and a dying had done so from the necessity of avoiding the asso.
sister ! She died, and perhaps this cruel refusal ac- ciation of felons, in a small yard crowded to excess,
celerated her death. His conduct was atrocious, re. with every description of persons. As he had not
pugnant to every feeling of mercy and humanity. chosen to remain in the felons' cave in a state of
He violated his duties as a Clergyman and as a Ma- physical impurity, exposing •his visitors and friends
gistrate, and spewed himself to be equally regard- to the same annoyance, and danger of infection—
less of the human and divine law. Such scenes as then, indeed, it might be said that it was a voluntary
were developed in that jail could hardly be believed solitary confinement. He considered that such re-
to have taken place in 1821—V/ear, hear), marks were only adding gross insult to cruel injury.
Such en, rniities must revolt all feeling ; but unfortu- Mr. Hunt was even the sport of the most contradic-
nately they have been proved to be true. The inves- tory orders—first he is permitted to see his visitor s—
tigation into the practices of this jail conferred a pub- then comes Mr. Coulston, commands the jailer to
lic benefit, because it would be a check to future forbid that indulgence, and not stiffer him to see them
jailers. Mr. Hunt was unwell, and requested that at all. All these were aggravations to a degree
the physician who was in the habit of avending him beyond imagination of a sentence -disproportioned
might he permitted to see him, but this also he was to the offence, and avowedly too severe—(Hear.)—
refused, and referred to the jail physician, who was a He would ask, what reason was there that Mr.
party to the practices and cruelties carried on in the Hunt alone should be the victim of this sentence?
jail ; but so cruel was the mode of alleviating disease, A Mr. Johnson and a Mr. Wright were included in
that Mr. Hunt preferred trusting himself to Nature. the same verdict, and their nunishment was much
This physician always blistered three persons—Evans, lighter. If there was guilt in the case at all, as there
Hawkins, and Garner ; one because he was trouble- was no infringement of any law, he was not the guilty
some, the other because he was a jockey, and the third person. They were the original planners of the Meet-
because "he shammed!" Was this human treatment? ing—Mr. Ilunt was merely a visitor; and yet they
and was this the man to whom Mr. hunt ought to were only sentenced to one year's imprisonment in
have trusted himself? He wrote to Mr. Justice Bay- Lincoln Jail, where they were treated without any
ley, stating these circumstances, who ordered such severity beyond that sentence, or the spirit of the
changes as in some degree relaxed the severity of his law. A portion of Mr. Hunt's imprisonment was
former treatment. The visiting Magistrates ought more of than all their suffering put together.
not to screen or countenance such wickedness. It Another person, who was also found guilty by the
might be said, because the Magistrates of England same verdict, has never yet been punished. Why
were not paid —( Hear )—they were not responsible. should all fall upon Mr. Hunt? He appeared to be
Then pay them, and let them be responsible. The but the victim of vindictive feeling on the part of the
respectable Magistrates were no parties to this infa- Government. It was thus that the end of all punish-
mous conduct ; they were a set of ignorant, petty- ment was totally lost—that of example. The Public
fogging Magistrates who could take a part in such all look upon Mr. Hunt as having claims on every
abominable proceedings, and were always anxious humane mind in the country; and lie trusted that
to exercise their uncontrouled Magisterial authority. the House would not any longer refuse to participate
Though a river was within a stones throw of the jail, in that feeling. There. was no disguising the fact,
ye: they were obliged to use water contaminated by that the principle of solitary imprisonment had often
the sewers made to take away the filth of the jail. It led to great injustice. However humanely it had
was owing to the investigation of Mr. Hunt, that the been introduced by Mr. Howard, it had, tanfortu-
hors ibleand dreadful sufferings of a wretched woman, nately, been the cause of the greatest sufferings.—
left with her infant in a damp and miserable cell, They often heard of Utopian notions—nothing could
without food or nourishment, were discovered and be more so, than to make every prison a house of re-
proved. With water only for her support for two form ; but he hoped that the adoption of such notions
days, was this poor creature left in a state of misery would not continue to lead to excess of punishment;'
beyond example, through the brutal inhumanity of for Howard never had intendedthat prisoners should
the jailer. The misery of a mother, with her famish- be ironed and suffer every ill treatment in addition
ing infant in a solitary cell, no language was suffici- to solitary confinement. It was bis plan. to have them
curly powerful to depict. If Mr. Hunt did no more divided, cut, off from all contamination, and classed
than bring such infamous conduct on the part of the according to their ages and crimes—to be visited by
jailer to light, and preventing, by a public esposure, magistrates and clergymen--to be reclaimed by care
the probability of such a case ever existing again, he and instruction from habits of wickedness, and to be
did that which should have strong claim on public turned from the paths of vice to thnse of virtue. He
feelings. He might stand on his merits in so doing never wished to have it pushed to its present went—
with much confidence before an English house of to have the sufferers rendered imbseile, and forced,
Commons. He deserved consideration from diem for perhaps, to madness and despair. Such harsh results
exposing such atrocities. lf, nearly a century ago, a were never in his contemplation; it was but a :idiot-
Committee of a House of Comments was celcbated lous mockery to. take advantage of the benevolent
by a distinguished Poet for the inquiries they made plans of Howard, and under the pretence of his re-
into the state of the jails at that time, how -much commendation, to add to imprisonment the suffering
mote would the fine and generous sympathy of that of being loaded with heavy irons. What was tut
Puet hive been exci.ti by the victims of the new necessicy • for such an aggravatioa?—between four
..sy stein of solitary confinement which, since his time, walls there was little chance of escape. Why, then,
had iinioituniitely been established, and which was is a system adopted so repugnant to the English
narked by acts of the greatest atrocity, and scenes 'law, to justice, and to comaxon sense ? Then, on the

, oft' floor Ise/ ~
The intercourse of Mr. Hunt with lk rs.. Vince was no
doubt to be considered scandalous ; but who were the
persons who complained of it? The Magistrates, who
had permitted an improper intercourse to exist be-
tween the male and,female prisoners— (Hear, hear),
and Mr. Bridle, who, their was very good reason to
suspect, had carried on an improper intercourse with
a female prisoner—(Hear, hear). How, then, did the
Hon. Gentleman pour ati the thunders of his morality
on Mr. Hunt alone?—(Hear). The Magistrates,
however, were not so confident in their morality as
the Hon. Gentleman, for they had withdrawn their
prohibition, and Mrs. Vince was now allowed to visit
Mr. Hunt. With regard to Mr. Hunt's charges against
the prison, the Hon. Secretary began by stating, cer.
,tainly in a very a:fist-like way, considering he was
quite new in office, that Mr. Hunt once thought other-
wi,e. But this was a very unfair, even if it could be
called any argument at All ; for at least it only skewed
that he was mistaken, as many Members of that House
had been on the same subject, and it was rendered com-
pletely useless by the Report of the Commissioners.
The Hon. Secretary himself admitted that these
might be a deficiency of sun and air in the chamber
of Mr. Hunt's confinement, and considering what
minor ingredients these were in human happiness,
there certainly was nothing to complain of. He also
admitted that he was the sport of irritating and con-
tradictory orders, which could not but render im-
prisonment much more harassing. In his opinion,
the Hon. Secretary had made concessions enough to
justify the grant which was the subject of his Hon.
Colleague's motion.. The man who had brought to
light the atrocities which Mr. Hunt had exposed to
the world, should not be looked on therefore as a
greater .criminal, but as a public benefactor. The
Hon. Secretary had called upon them to treat the de-
cision of the Judges with respect, amounting to si-
lence. This he could not assent to, as he thought
the representation was formed for the purpose of
watching the conduct of the Judges, as well as every
other part of the Government ; and it was necessary
to shew, that they knew it was possible that the lan-
guage of revenge and malice might come even from
that high quarter, and especially in the case of state
criminals. If there was anything in the conduct, in
the character, or the talents of Mr. Hunt, it .would
acquire force from his continuance in prison contrary
to the feelings of a great portion of the People of this
country. He appealed to the House as men, as Gen-
tlemen, and as Christians, to comply with the motion
of his Honourable Colleague.
Mr. DICKENSON defended the conduct of the Ma-
gistrates of Somerset, who, he said, had discharged
the jailer and surgeon for highly improper conduct,
and without the suggestion of any one. Wyatt, a
misdemeanant in the jail, was Hunt's servant fornine
months ; but, having gone in one day, and found
Miss Vince (Hunt's ward) sitting 'on his knee, Mr.
Hunt and a turnkey got the man 24 hours solitary
confinement. He admitted that Mr. Hunt's room had
the air of a prison, and something of the gloom of it.
If the Magistrates had acted improperly, they were
liable to the animadversion of the highest Court in
the kingdom. Mr. Hunt had been in the habit of
assembling large and tumultuous Meetings, which
had endangered the peace of the country ; and he
was punished for the sake of example, the legitimate
end of all. punishment.
Mr. PEEL had thought the Honourable Baronet,
who had said that that House was dangerously en-
croaching on the prerogative of the Crown. would
have been the last man who would have wished the
House to interfere in any matters of punishment or
mercy, unless there was proof of some overruling ne-
cessity. No such case had been proved,. and he
thought the House would not suffer itself to be
tempted to interfere with the prerogative of the
Crown * the suggestion of the Honourable Baronet.
Nothing could be more fatal than for the House to
establish such a precedent in the case of Mr. Hunt.
The Honourable Baronet had called Mr. Hunt's of-
fence inter minors critnina ; but his crime was, that
he assembled with unlawful banners to excite the
people to hoped and contempt of the Government
and.Constitution—(Hear, hoer). Was it possible that
such a charge Was treated with smiles? then let them
beware how they voted for this motion who regarded
the Constitution of their country—(Bear,
Would those who had seen the proceedings at Lan-
caster lately, permit themselves to be gulled by tit*
assertion that those meetings were harmless. iind
intended peaceably to petition for maress of griev-
ances? The enemy of the Witisb Coirstrtytrort wet
much too conning to attire* it by open. force; hot
he did
thiteb
Amon .belmyesl. Mr.
yttait
htewofofpretstegardiguitiforg;thaen Leterrthyi
c;f
tht hate
corny was the Arse tif
4unt.nammb• immt,dasereed,andesest-the unanimous
acquiescence of. the Rouse f eft rtfseht motion

of law with acquiescence alone. With regard so the
other argument, of the aggravation of the punishment
not intended by the sentence, he would beg the re-
collection of the House to the complaint of Mr. Hunt,
laid on the table on the 24th of March. The whole
of his statement therein was, that he was confined in
a dark, damp, and gloomy cell, and debarred from
intercourse with his friends. On these points the Hon.
Baronet had failed in making out a case, if he (Mr.
Dawson) could prove that Mr. Hunt had absolutely
praised the salubrity of his apartment. With regard
to the exclusion of all female society, it was an order
sanctioned by the Magistrates, and by the Court of
King's Bench. On the 16th of May,lB2o, Mr. Huit
was sentenced to two years imprisonment; in Court
he asked Mr. Justice Bailey, if it was to be solitary
confinement? The Judge answered, certainly not;
and added, if Mr. Hunt found any reason to com-
plain of the manner in which he should be treated,
his application to the Court would be attended to.—
On the 17th of May he arrived at Ilchester Jail ; he
was immediately placed in a comfortable apartment,
one that had been allotted for the purposes of an in-
firmary. It certainly had the appearance of a jail
apartment; it unfortunately did look upon high walls,
which obstructed the light for a part of the day ; but
it was one of.the best apartments in the place. On the
evening of Mr. Hunt's arrival, there were three beds
there; they were suffered to remain in the room that
night, but the next day they were removed, and a
comfortable bed, at the expense of the county, pro-
vided for his use. Beside this apartment there was
lanother adjoining, where two persons, not felons,
were confined, for misdemeanour only, who were
allowed to act as savants to Mr. Hunt and Mr. Kin-
near, who was confined at the same time; even bells
were hung up, and`doors made in the passage; the
room which had been paved was covered with flowing.
He would solicit the permission of the House to read
a part of a letter from Mr. Hunt, which was published
in the Sherborne Mercury, containing the following
expressiens—" No man is happier than I am."--(A
laugh.)-44 My situation is only a cessation from la-
bour; and I shall return from confinement with a
sound constitution. I enjoy tranquillity, serenity, an.
cheerfulness ; and I take as mach exercise as the strict
discipline of the jail will allow of. Cleanliness pre-
dominates in the place, and the duties are performed
very strictly."—(Here there was a cry from the Oppo-
sition for the date elf this letter.)—The date was July,
1820—(Cheers from the Opposition).—lt undoubtedly
was written shortly after the commencement of his
imprisonment. An order was afterwards issued, al-
lowing him to see visitors; and among those who
availed themselves of this permission, was Mrs. Vince,
Mr. Hunt's avowed mistress, the wife of another man,
Mr. Hunt himself having a wife living. This scandal-
ous conduct was certainly put a stop to—(Cheersfrom
the Opposition).—He cared not for the cheers of the
Hon. tientlemen. He would repeat, it was a scan-
dalous proceeding—(Cheel's from the Opposition).—
The visiting Magistrates reported the circumstance
at the Assizes ; and in consequence of their report,
the visits of this female (Mrs. Vince) were restricted
to the visiting-room. From the date of the order
restricting this intercourse, all Mr. Hunt's dissatis-
faction commenced. He applied (upon affidavit) to
the Court of King's Bench, to relieve him from every
thing but the imprisonment. His 'affidavit stated
that, " on. his arrival at the prison, he had been
shewn into a cold, miserable, damp cell, and was
confined, in point of air, to the walls of a small pes-
tilential yard." Now, as this could not be reconciled
with the letter which had appeared in the Sherborne
Mercury, it was evident that he had committed per-
jury, or had written a voluntary falsehood. It should
be recollected that the circumstances on which ,the
Hon. Baronet had enlarged, as to the severity of Mr.
Hunt's treatment and sentence, had been heard by
the Court itself, and been dismissed with marked
reprobation. The whole hardship of which he had
to complain was, his being deprived of the society of
a female—and this female was a woman with whom
he was living in adultery—(Heer, hear, hear !)
His male fnends were admitted, and his medical
attendant was admitted; and the application for
the unrestricted admission into the prison of a wo-
man, for the purposes of open ad , the Court
of King's Bench had refused to look ato.4lhar).--
, It was imperative, tinder en* circumstances, for the
Magistrates to see the rules enforced. and he knew
of no reason why Mr. Hunt should be excused, or rt
ceive more indulgence thaw others--.(Herr,
In Ilchester Jail there wive massy persons comined
for debt who had got diem from miliertone, and art
from misbehaviour. that were not allowed to see their
• friends. Mr. Runt, of all inen, was the last that had
any right to expect indulgence. His career had been
long and slaagarows„ H was a mast ea
considerable talents. which ha had la the

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aunt ..
~..lho eissevailits termini:l,ft the 016,1-1 Where jacigge4l,. the docbines Or fs'itill.l4ll4
le generous band, . =171:07tolotell fie! .that tre deserved some 'mil- Ilene& Ise Was the founder .of a new school for eedi-
i
wee, thdressive started affselea far hrifitisb•wo to thelipla,those deeds ol'i tial and hissp!senjy-42feer, mar they had .
mei it% thlthadies mid cheelted their reps:ahem in future? VI incarcerated sir. Heim. end his-brither incendiaries,
rre Misery moans; , 14120:11114111•011
thirds:lb
subject,
dziswcliialimtheyord On in the mob% Woofer and Guide, the eoentry had returned se a
ere *hut and hunger bits,
the lash 4 Vise,. bet, on the other 11161* sober state; and he hoped the result of thee
rty-i.the bed • band. appear tote part, or, at least, seem to same- night's *hate in ifavour of MT. Huntwould melte
flie meetint tom! ' /ion those atrocities P.—(Harr).—He considers! shot allowed(to go forth to the encouragement of rebels
wants flied, . • ,
_____, • Mr. Hunt bad strong claims to be released from the and blasphemers?-(lieer, hest}
ont the starving neseutp.
lbs the tatter'd weed, • small Portkitt of his sentence that remained. He con. , Mr. HOhHOUSE complained that the Hon.Socea-
aof mauftins, sleep ; , sidered that he, on the three distinct grounds which tary (Mr. Dawson) had acted with more skill than t ;
I dungeon dated, • bad bcea brouxht forward, deserved theindulgence elf fairness, in enising up with Mr. Rent's case, unmet, i
rivaled,
ui Inglorious stamps, thi-.House. Km, that the original sentence was dis• which were unpopular in that House, and which,
wet harborage wnyi, proportioned to the offence; secondly, that the sen- having no connention with the suhiect, cook! on* 1.
I t
id Mve tared or hied. tense was aggravated by the mode of its beir.g car- have the effect of inflaming the mind of the Home.
well, tied into execution, end by the abuse of the local The names of Wocder and Cartile had nothing to do
• .il
i
fonseemper'dch zeal! authorities ;in the third place, that he had some claim with the case 9f Mc. Rent. Ile (Mr. Hoblioaul knew .
aw the sear;
Ti into light, to public gratitude for having detected great public of no impiety, or blasphemy, or infidelity, for which
. ,
~
Ippressiaa's him rod, grlevanCeS." If any Hon. Members agreed with him Mr. Hunt was cskikuld ; for he knew of nothing re-
.., .
mins they giver ' on any of thole points, he .trusted they would not specting him btst what was on the record upon which ,
were a just eulogium on a oppose him in addressing the King, and giving his be was condemned. The Hon. Secretary, too,. bad
louse of Commons, bow far Majesty the opportunity of gratifying the natural, entirely put out of sightoe Report of the Commis- I Mr. Hunt—Mr. Hunt, who bent of his own mind. Under these circumstances sioners, and not one point bf that Report had his Ilan. . i
,
sadvantage—himself under he should conclude by moving that an humble" Colleague exaggerated in his statement. The Hots.t 4
inhuman mcnster who had Address be presented to his Majesty, praying him Secretary had gone out of his way to read them a ;
!s 111? It was shameful of the to be pleased to remit the remaining 1
term of the lecture on adultery and immorality. The friends of t
nued that jailer in office after sentence of imprisonment on Mr. Henry Hunt.lHear). liberty in that House, he thought were called upon ,lili„ 1
ity. It was shameful in them Mr. DAN SON said, that he looked with much re- by the tirade they had heard on that subject, to keep 1
'unt under his power. It was spect to the manner in which the Hon. Baronet had a strict watch on their opponents, seeing with what
linary, with all the jailer's brought forward the present question, and to the mo-` closeness their conduct was sifted, and what mallet ,
truth tesses, that the was tives by which he was influenced in doing so. He was shewn in the operation. He would recommend 1
normitiis discovered. It was hoped that he.should never be insensible to the emo- the Hon. Setretary to be more careful when be - i 4 '
ovidential interference—that buns of compassion ; but he felt that in all cases it, talked about immorality, lest it might reach a little ,
. .
1
itnotsen,
e out such a case, and prove was his duty, and that of every one who respected the higher than the individual be had so unceremoniously
- , I
io under
16h1p tn the circnthumstances jus *
tice of the country, to hear the sentence of a Court dragged on the floor of the House—(Hear, hear).--. 1. - Lt,
t or r rm.. rtf

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would not induce him to advise the Crown to remit
any' part of his sentence. He would reserve what he
had to say on the abuses of Ilchester jail until that
,subject should be brought forward, but he would
not be the Apologist of that. Mr. Hunt, however, was 'I
the only prisoner in the jail who had not the least
reason to complain.—” Was it right to address the
• throne to liberate a convicted offender, on account
of the insalubrity of the jail, and not ask for the
liberation of the debtors, who were the victims of
the presiure of circumstances, and not tif any crime?
It was because the Hon. Baronet had failed in spew-
ing that the conduct of Mr. Hunt had been such as
to deserve a remission of punishment that he resisted
this motion.
Sir JAMES MACKINTOSH knew Mr. Hunt,.
only as an Englishman entitled 'to the consideration
of that House; and though he might disagree with
his opinions, still the rights of Englishmen were. as
sacred in Mr. Hunt's person as in that of any other
man. He had no wish in this instance to say a word
impugning the sentence of the Judges, or of arraign.
ing their conduct, though, if ever the occasion for
doing so should arrive, he should not shrink from in-
vestigating the conduct of any Judge with the
greatest boldness ; no honourable or just Judge would
wish to be screened from such investigation. It was
owing to the freedom of discussion which their con-
duct underwent by the Public Press, and by the Pub-
lic, that our Judges were so great, so pure, and so
much respected. Before such discussion existed, the
Judges were in this, as in other countries, the abject
tools of 'lower. The Hon. Member then proceeded
to exarie the case of Mr. Hunt, and alluded to the
charaCtes of Bridle, the jailer, as had been for-
merly adverted to by an Honourable Member of that
House (Mr. Buxton). It was not, however, of the
-severity of the sentence that he complained ; but that
of which he complained was, a sentence more severe
than that passed on him by the Judges. As to what
had been said by the Right Hon. Secretary of State,
of unprecedented interference with the prerogative
of the Crown, this was not the first time such a course
had been adopted; there were numerous precedents
to justify the present motion ; lint the' Right. Hon.
Secretary had said, even if there-should be a unani-
mous vote of the 11,,use in favour of mercy, he would
not advise his Majesty to accede to that vote !
Would the' Right Hon. en tlernan resign ? his threat
could bear no other construction; for certainly he
would not be so bold as to set up his opinionOnd
judgment against the unanimous opinion of the House
of Commons--(Hear, hear).—The Right lion. Gerx-
tleman talked of precedents, but did he recollect the
Address of the House of Lords in 1716, recommend-
ing the Crown to pardon the Rebel Lords? here
was a recommendation emanating from the Judges
themselves, who condemned them—(Hear, liar, from
il!r. Peel). —The Right Hon. Gentleman assumed a
high tone, hut he must' change his tone, and check
leis 'nide,' for he would find the precedent to which
he had just alluded, did not quite justify so loud
and triumphant a *cheer. He was persuaded that
the Ilotit.e would not,. in its deliberate judgment,
think Mr. Hunt less entitled to protection because
Fe was obnoxious or unpopular—(llear,
ilowev er individual Members of that House might
be lcd away in moments of zeal, the House was too
ju,,t and generous deliberately to sanction such a prin-
ciple. Let them recollect, too, that it was not against
amiable or respectable men that tyranny made its
first expetin.ents. Tyrants were not so shortsighted
as to begin by assailing the rights of those who were
universaily respected and beloved. It was through
the sides of the obnoxious and the unpopular that the
rights of all were first attacked, and would at length
be annihilated, if men were not to be found courageous
and honest enough to defend any man, however un-
popular, while he appeared to be suffering unjustly.
Mr. W YNN said, that, in the case of White, Parliament had
I :-.id a just deference to the prerogative of the Crown. A 3 to the
taw of the Rebel Lords, in 1761, the Lords could not petition
tie Crown to reverse their own judgment; but in recommend.
hg those unfortunate Noblemen to mercy, they had only used
the power which was every day exercised by Juries upon a ver-
dict of conviction. The Right lion. Gentleman read an extract
from a pamphlet just published by Hunt himself, in which he
declared it was all a hoax to suppose his punishment was greater
than the Judges intended, for that 1, Best would have turn his
flesh elf his bones it he could."—(Load laughter.)
Mr. BUXTON said, his sentiments on the case were made up,
and he should not have troubled the House, had it not been that
an Honourable and Learned Friend (Sir J. Mackintosh) had
referred to him as knowing the circumstances, and being able to
describe the character of Mr. Bridle. The evils, however, did
not exist at the time when be (Mr. Buxton) had examined the
gaol, they had been introduced lately. He would not consider
the question with any reference to the character of Mr. Hunt.—
He felt itjo be his duty to consider, not who was confined, but
what bad been done. He had not to look to any extraneous ques-
tion with regard to the man, but to the sentence which had been
put in execution against him. The sentence was made up of two
parts, the nature of it, and the time of its duration. With regard
to the former, the prison to which Mr. Hunt bad been confined
was most unhealthy, and under very improper discipline. In
proof of its unhealthiness, he would mention that James Bryant
had died in it. If, when all that Mr. Hunt had already suffered
was considered, he were to be detained for the whole term of his
sentence, then he would suffer more than the Judge who bad
passed sentence on him intended, which would be both injustice
and cruelty.—Sir J. MACKINTOSH explained.
Mr. ESTCOURT would give no opinion on the case, as he`
had assisted in inspecting the jail ; and though his opinion might
not be of itself entitled to much consideration, that eircumstarsee
might cause it to have undue weight with the House.
Sir FRANCIS BURDBTT rose to reply. Ile thought the
general declamation in which Honourable Gentlemen bad in
dulged was both uncalled for and improper. If the House were
to enter at all into the question, then he must say that that decla-
mation which applied to the general character of Mr. Hunt, and
which had nothing to do with the point at issue, ought to be left
out. The charges which had been thus wantonly and unfairly
brought against Mr. Hunt bad not been proved; and surely the
House would not, upon such grounds, get rid of a subject which
went to subvert the Constitution. The lion. Gentlemen had
passed over all the hardships to which Mr. Hunched been exposed.
He had been enclosed by a high wall, and exposed to damp air and
all the other dangers of a confined and unhealthy situatiou.--,1
Whatever bad been Mr. Hunt's conduct previous to his confine
meet (and with it those charged with the execution of the sea-
once had nothing to do), his conduct during his confinement had
been correct. He bad borne everything to which he was sew
terced, and even more. The charges which he had brought for relative to the prison were founded upon the cases of others,
and rot upon his own. He bad, however, suffered much, width
be ought not to hare suffered. They had excluded part of bis
fay from him, on account of what they were pleased to call
an immoral connexion—on account of his connexion with Mrs,
Vince. Now there was no use whatever for introducing the name
of that Lady. She bad no share in the offense for which Mr. Hunt
' and it did not appear that her introduction could
to the morality of the jaiL It was a farce indeed
;ality of that, for she House would bear in mind
• in the Governor's house—they would bear
4 had been done in the prison—they would
boys had been introduced to sleep in the cells
convicted of unnatural crimes!—(Hear).—He
Use commies of M. Hest with this Lady..ibits

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.4. •

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-711m.prmiriw'

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:

' .

thus prying into men's private matters, _ _
Wen in allowing free intercourse to Mr 'sup spyper.„„
whom he called his family—(Hear).—Wla regard,agako, to the
charge which had been brought against hint (lar p. Burdett), of.
having interfered with the Royal prerogative, he denied it; and
he would at the same time state that the House was not always
thus fearful. In the ease of Sir M. Loren, who had been found
guilty of bribery and corruption, by which the House was de..
graded and the Constitution subverted, part of the sentence had
been remitted rand surely the House had not to be told that the
'attempt of the unfortunate old Gentleman to corrupt the house
Iteelf,was more atrocious than that for which Mr. H.was punished.
Ihrese, if part of the punishment had been omitted in the one
age, he could net see with what propriety it could be augmented
hl the other. The Hon. Baronet recapitulated the three grounds
awe which the necessity for his motion rested, and concluded
by appealing to the House as to the irrelevancy of the declama-
tions which had been indulged in against Mr. Hunt's general
character.
The gallery was cleared for a division, in which the numbers
were—Ayes, 114=—Noes, 223—Majority, 139.
The other Orders o! the Day were then disposed of, after
evida the House adjourced at One o'clock.
_ _ _

THE EVENING STAR.

LONDON..

THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 1822.
It. ssat.—Hdiday at the Bank.

STOCK EXCHANGE, TWELVE O'CLOCK.
Although to-day is a holiday at the Bank, the Stock Exchange
remains open, and but little business doing. Consuls are, up to
this hour, for the Account, and for Money 711 i. No
news on 'Change.—Very little is doing this morning in the Fo-
reign Market.

ONE O'CLOCK.

French 5 per Cents. 87f.—Loan 1821, 2f.—Bank Shares,with
dividend from Ist Jan. 2505.—Eschange on London 24 90—
I Neapolitan 5 per Cent. with dividend from Jan. 67i.

We have received the French Papers of Monday..
The Courier Franrail contains a long article on the
affairs of Greece, extracted from numerous letters, of
various dates, from the Peloponnesus, Thessaly and
Epirus. • One of these gives details of the late vic-
tory gained by the Greek fleet over the Turks, nearly
the same as those already published; but it gives
some additional information, by which it appears,
that 'the Greeks; according to their usual tactics, at-
tacked furiously the centre of the Ottoman fleet,
where the largest vessels are usually stationed, and
among them the Admiral. The vessels forming the
two wings of the Turkish fleet, seeing .the centre
destroyed, fled in different directions, some towards
Cephalonia, and others into the Gulf of Gaumenizza
the latter, being closely pursued, were soon over-
taken, beaten, captured, or destroyed.
One of these Papers contains a letter from Madrid,
dated the 11th last. and is as follows:
" Rumcurs the most improbable succeed each other with
astonishing rapidity, since the arrival of a courier extraordinary
coming from Paris. It has been concluded from thence that a
declaration of war between France and Spain had taken place;
and some have even gone'so far as to announce the return of
the Minister Plenipotentiary of this Ccurt from Paris, and the
departure of M. the Count Lagarde from hence. According to
these rumours, the Spanish Envoy at Paris, having observed
too little delicacy towards the Cabinet of the Thuilleries, on the
subject of the cordon of health; of the factions in Navarre, &c.
the French Government had taken him at his word when he
threatened to quit that capital; which, it is said, he has ulti-
mately done. On the receipt of this news, the Spanish Minis-
ters repaired to Aranjuez, and M. Lagarde has received his
legres de cenz?."

We can readily believe that the French Ultra Minis-
ters are not very favourable to the Liberalparty in
Spain; but we cannot suspect them of the folly of
advising their Master, whose throne is not very
firmly established, to make a crusade against liberty
in Spain.

The Journal des Wats contains a curious article
on the affairs cf Naples, which states, that the seve-
rity of the Neapolitan Government had displeased
Austria, and that a change of Ministry was talked of
as likely to be brought about by that Power.--
a General Fatmosr, Commander-in-Chief of the A us-
trian troops, disapproved of the popular executions
which the Neapolitan Police had favoured. The po-
pulace of Naples, for instance, seized a cock, con-
demned it as a Carbonari, and the executioner con-
veyed it to the place of execution. Whilst the popu-
lace amused themselves in this way, and were them-
selves the victims of the executioner, the great chiefs
of the conspiracy escaped all punishment. General
FRIMONT repeatedly made representations against so
irrational a system, which being unavailing, it is
stated that Austria immediately proposed a total
change in the measures of the Government."
French Funds, April 22, Five per Cent. Consols
opened at rf. highest 87f. 15c. closed at 87f.—Ae-
count of the Bank, 1585 f.

A German Mail, bringing Frankfort and other
Papers to the 18th instant, reached us this forenoon.
The Austrian Observer has at length ventured to
break the silence it has so long observed on the affairs
of Russia and Turkey. In that Journal, of the 12th
inst. there is a long article contradicting the various
rumoers that have been circulated in the Continental
papers on the subject, and stating that the Journalists
who fabricate reports of war from Fetersburgh and
Odessa, and of massacres and disturbances at Con•
stantinople, to give their friends in that capital, and
through them the most important individuals of the
Turkish Ministry, the assurance 44 that the Emperor,
of Russia does not, and cannot think of war ; that
the reports spread on this head are circulated by the
enemies of the Ottoman Government, in order to
induce the Divan tq steps which would injure its

-

R?~as-~'Aer ; . .

• 1
I
_ said 'that to loch report: they Gael to op-
pose immovable firmness." •
The article thus codeludes—e. We are formally
authoriged to declare that the reports which have
been circulated for some weeks past in public papers,
on the state of the negociations with the Porte, are
either entirely false, or represented with data partly
true and partly false, so that they do not merit any
credit whatever."

AUSTAIAW 1111NDI.
April 10—MetillIlques. 73 4-3—Rank,.l44 34. j •- • • •
11—Metalliqueo, 73 Bank, ' •
19—Metalliques, 74f—8eek,159. . •
(After 'Map) hietalliqies,74l—Baelt, 665. •
FROM THE MOLDAVIAN. FRONTIERS, APRIL 1.

In consequence of •tbe news that the Turks continue to be-
come mere and more numerous in Moldavia, the second Attny
will not go into tamp at Winhiosa ; but the reserve of the
second Army, and the heavy artillery, will ga into this camp,
which is now ready : the whole corps of Babaneff remains there-
fore In Bessarabia. The Commander in-Chief draws all the rest

of his forces nearer to this corps : thus the corps of Lieutenant-
General Itudzeiwies is already in a line with that of Sabina.
These two corps, and all the other divisions of the Second Army,
will remain is these positions till the Emperor comes. The Li-
thuanian corps. and the Polish army, follow the movements of
the second Army.

-~

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1

• impertamee tram dietwie • 1.1
eadaty deed k "EiN straight, MOO item tiN eiz
etiosk die demi bear of the Oalte dein *ay asidinght.
The Turkish Meet has bad an action with the Greek is tlat ad(
et Petra'. The Conner seas victorious, and their toadyct h.
be.s highly praised by the (brain of the !Icier doer of war
who saw the whale transaction. The Greeks lest Ise •
and were eeventy.feur in number. The Tkrldsh lieet clamed
them far metal hosts. The squadron, =Wenn of six ,hire
of the lbw, as many frigates, and about 20 ate in restlintis
hem and WM sae as soon as they are azli and wdl Lunn A
)__bore with the others already at sea.*

was punishell ; and ii
have been injurious to
1 1 to talk of the moralit
i what had been dune
i I f In mind, too, what
bear in mind that bo
along with men cm
I •
w 01,44 not shiend the
•

•
ba wild lay, tbai, totiposi ad& Wei seam* mire mature
which ,were reported atm Misted iss thatiali wiretwootesa
Tbe House would boar is mind. too, MO -Mr. Hone bad loss
unfortunate ; be bad bias loos sio sep Mad from bli wife, and
be bad Uved *haat yeas with the Lay questlesa.-(flea).
—Mr. Hunt was sent to the prbara a tketam, he a liortkular
offence, real or supposed. and nee tee the atheatalles of his
' morale; and there was more scandal ad ann banarallty
thus ervinr into men's private matterstilum tier, would have