Star.
London, England, 1802-12-28 00:00:00

were eminently in the habits of obliging Men, not
indeed to acknowledge themfelves guilty of felo.
nies, but to difclofe their frauds. The Britifh
Courts knew the fpirir of the adage, and they ap-
plied it in its true meaning, but not according to
the conftrudion of the Hon. Gentleman. But that
any thing like Parliamentary or Conaitutional
jealoufy could arife upon the proceeding of a Board
of Enquiry, inflituted by Parliament itfelf, and
authorized to do nothing more than merely to en-
quire into fads, and to report the refnit of fuch
enquiry to Parliament, was to him utterly unin-
telligible. The Hon. Gentleman had argued, that-
the powers already vetted in the Admiralty and
Navy Boards, were amply fufficient for all the
purpofes avowed in this Bill ; and therefore that it
was *holly unneceffary. But did the Hon. Mem-
ber recoiled that the condud of thofe boards them-,
(elves was to be fubjel to the controul and invef-
tigation of thetommiffioners appointed - by this
Bill ; that refpontibility might be extended-to every
department, the h'igh as well as the low, and error
and mifconduCt checked wherever it thould appear
to reft ? Would the Hon. Gentleman with a thing
' fo abfurd, as that the Admiralty and Navy Boards
thould be the only judges to inveftigate and con-
troul their own condud ? With a fpirit and fenti.
ment infinitely more Honourable, thofe Boards had
folicited the prefent Bill ; and fo far were they
from withing to thrink from invetligation and con-
troul, that they courted both. It was the duty of,
Parliament to infped, with a vigilant eye, the
whole machine of the State, and to corral error
wherever it was found ; and it was of the very
effence of the jurifdittion, conveyed by this Bill,
that it gave power merely to enquire, but by no
means tcronvid or punifh. With refped to the
amendments made by the Lords in the prefent
Bill, it was not his with to oppofe them ; on the
contrary, he would give them his cordial affent,
knowing as he did by the terms of the Bill, that
if the powers it conveyed in its-amended form,
thould be found inadequate to the purpofes of
checking the frauds and abufes to which it was di-
reded, the Houfe had the power of amending the
Bill at any time within the Seffion, and arming
the Commiffioners with fuch additional authorities,
as effeetually to reach and cruth the evils complain-
ed of ; and in any powers which Parliament thould
think proper to convey to thole Commiffioners, he
had no fears for the flight& abut": or
injuftice at N
• •
their hancts,
The ATTORARY Galizzat. would not have
thought it neceffary to refume the debate upon a
Bill, already fo amply and repeatedly difcuffed,
had it not been for what. had fallen in the courfe
of this night from an Hon, and Learned Friend Of
1 his (Mr. Fontblanc), who,had he been prefent on
the former diftuffions which had taken place,
would have known that this was not the Rage
molt proper for his obkrvations. For his own
part, the principal difficulty he thould feel in re;
concilins . the friends of the Bill, who had fup-
ported it in its original form, to the amendments
ft received in another Houfe, would be, to con-
vince them that the fpirit of the Bil Twas not in-
jured or defeated by thofe amendments, or its
purpofes rendered ingatory. He, however, did
not think the amendment in anywife likely to de-
feat the objects of the Bill, relying that the powers
Rill conveyed by it to the Commitfioners would be
*dual ; but.if not and that Rill their enquiries
were defeated, the Houfe, as his Hon. Friend near
' hint juftly obferied, would have an opportunity,
at any time in'the condi of the Seffion, of amend-
ing the Bill, and fupplyiag. any powers, in which
experienee thould prove it inefficient for its great.
objeds, _namely, to deted and check frauds, rather
more With a view to prevent them for the future,
than to punifh the pail. Upon the reprefentation
of the Commiffioners to tMs purpofe, the Houfe
would form its judgment as to the neceffity of en-
larging. their powers, with the aid of granting
indemnity to thole who thould acknowledge their
own guilt, in difclofing that of their •accomplices,
fo as to remove all impediments to the full difco-
very of the truth. With. Zifped to the objeftion
of his Hon. and Learned' Friend, that no man
thould be liable to inteirtigation, the anfweis to
which might criminate hinifelf, he would ebfers'e,
that it was the ordinary pradice of every Court of
Jultice to put queftions to men, the anfwers to
which might tent, to criminate themfelves'; with
this fair caution? however, that they were not
bound to anfwer qiießions of that tendency.—
Neverthelefs, if after fuch fair precaution, men
chufe to acknowledge their crimes, they were cer-
tainly liable to have their confeffiens taken down,
and profecutions direded againft them, at any
time afterwards, for felonies acknowledged in
fuch a way 44 nor could* he conceive any great
grievance arifing to fociety from the predicament
in which fuch men chofe to place themfelves. The
Commiffioners in the prefect cafe Would form only
a Court of Enquiry, without powers to convict or
punifh. He did not with to give them gratui-
count,' or unneeeffarily, the power to extort from
men, upon their oaths, confeffions of their own
guilt. He would rather the obje&s of the Bill,
(-which was to prevent future, rather than to pu-
nith pall tranfgreffions) could be effected without
filch ; power ; but if it thould appear uecetFary,
he-would give it without reludance. To the ar-
guments of an Hon. Member who opened the de-
bate (Mr. Sinnaird), as they were directed not
againft the amendments, but aria the Bill alto-
gether, the ample difcuffion which the fubjed had
before received, made it unnecelary for him to
reply on that ground ; nor did he exped to find
Inch arguments again revived. Lie had. only to
übferve, that the Admiralty Board did not before
pads any thing nearly fo eatenfive ai the powers
conveyed by this Bill, which -not only gave con-
tronl over the Admiralty and Navy Boards them-
aloes, but over Prize Agents too, which lei was
a favourite principle, not only in the generajfenfe
of the . Houfe, but acceptable to many wbrthy
charnders in the country at large. •.
Lord Gi.anasev az fupported the Amendments.
Mr. A7IEIIOOII rofe to claim the indulgence of
the
.fionfe, in a few words of 'reply to an ezpref-
fion which had fallen from the Hon. Member who
opened this debate, in alluding to the expiation of