Star.
London, England, 1813-02-01 00:00:00

LAW fitriELNEXTB.

COURT OF KlNoott
Saturday being the Anniversary of thelstartyrdotn
of I(ii:g Charles. the Judges did net sit at use 4 in
Own. Mr. Justice Bann( presided foribout an hour
in justifications of bal.
Mr. READER moved for a writ of Babes to
bring up the body of an impressed map, of the.name
df Power. The affidavit of his father stated, that he
was trepanned bn board the Tender, against hit will ;
that he had net reehleed dr bounty, nor even *dared
on any navigable riVer. ate. and was only 18 years of
age.—Writ granted. •
Mr. ANDREWS moved for a similar.writ on behalf
of a person named Foy, which was also granted.

We have great satisfaction in observing that the re-
port of the Commissioners who were deputed In the
last Sum Mer, to inquire into the truth of certain al-
!edged abuses in the County Gaol at Lancaster, has
been printed by order of the House of Commons, and
that the same in every respect reflects the highest
honour on Mr. Higgins's conduct, and throughout
shews the utter falsehood of the charges preferred.—
In justice to so meritorious an officer, we are autho-
rized to insert the following extracts from that report;
;he whole of which, but for the great length of it, we
should have laid before the public:
" Hieing now exhibited the liatute and cirerenstences of the
several complaints which were either directly preferred, or inci-
dentally suggested in the course of our Investigation, respecting
the management and controul of the debtors in the gaol, and the,
conduct of the gaoler, throughout all the different parts at that
most difficult duty, we feel ourselves bound in justice to declare,
that he his passed through the trial in a manner which cannot
j but confirm the good character be had before acquired; but we
ought not to dismiss the subject with this general expression
only of our approbation. It is our duty snore particularly to
declare, that every circumstance which came under our ob-
servation, his evinced his disposion to administer relief to
those who were suffering under the pressure of sickness,
or extreme indigence; or of that frequent cause of mortification
and misery, among prisoners for debt, the ill.treatment they re- ,
cei re from those with whom they are forced to live; his readi-
ness to give assistance and advice forthe settlement of difflrencec
among them, when there was any likelliho•d that his interpusi-
don would have effect; and the correct and proper application of
such charities as are distributed under his recommendation. We
ought further to add, that a succession of debtors in the gaol,
who, from their appearance and demeanour (so different (rain all
the indications which distinguished some of those agitators whom
the evidence has sufficiently described), as well as from the re-
spectability of their former situation and connections seemed to
merit every degree of attention, presented themselves with great
earnestness to near their testimony to the humane and generous
conduct of their gaoler, whom they represented as the father and
the friend of the indigent debtor. We might have sat a day longer '
in Lancaster Castle, to hear all the evidence which was offered
to this effect.
" Our inspection of the several wards and apartments allotted
to the crown prisoners, brought nothing to our view that was
not creditable to the gaoler and his servants. The yards, st
case, were ail in a eta - s which 'hewed the attention ot the
sneers to the cleanliness, health, and reastinable comforts of the
criminals; nor did the prison vhibit such ail ap;earanre as led us
to suspect that it :tad beets wept and. garni.bedita tlle occasion,
whle .he evidence went to thew that it was always is+ the state
in which we found it. To the credit of the prisoners, it ought
also to be observed, that we uniformly found among then, a
diaposliton to acknowledge this attentioo to their wants,
as already rated. Although we Were quite alone and entirely
out of the hearing of the turnkeys, yet with a s ogle slight excep-
tion, their answer • , every i:iqulry respecting their treatment
was, that Lad nothing Whatever to complain ot."
" In.punuance of our commi.sion, we have stated the result
of our inquiry into the conduct and management of the gad un-
der these difficulties—we Lave stated, that in the criminal wards,
with one inconsiderable exception in the females ward, not a
word of complaint was evi r uttered; and with respect to those
isorvpla;nts which were pet:furled to U 9 by a few of the debtors
who app, ared to be intimately connected with each others many
it not most of them have been found upon examination to have
Seen entirely destitute ot foundation ; some of them having arisen
from causes out of the compass of the c'olor's power to iemetly.
or remove, while these which have in part been made out, cast
no imputation upon his probity, humanity, or fidelity. in sup-
port, indeed, of the high character, which. during a service of 30
years, lie has acquired for thole quali its we have already stied,
that much more evidence was offered as ready to be given, than
we deemed it nece3sary to receive." .