Star.
London, England, 1812-09-04 00:00:00

CapIONCWOO/10.•
A Court biComnitmCboocalloit lotifillabartyi
4NA:lra-dot very fully.Vittemej. • • •
- ..••••
• CITY •1'1t1Y1411141141 • •
Aft* di, Lord Mayor. had ukeh rise Chair, and
-sorb. *tine .business was gone through,
• Mrs;Bl*st BARCH rose tor' the purpose .of Making
a, statement to the Court, which, by the unavoidable,
Absence Of his colleague, dsiris*d.upon him,. and.
.which implicated an important.tisestion, relative tee
the rights and privileges possessed by the City, with
sydßeet to the fines imposed to.. Courts Justicein
1,4144-cpses. The worthy • Shelia then proceeded
tirsrates4l4 Williain Porter,
,g.iptain of the -ship"
Tiger, Or Liverpool, bad been ,tried at. the Admi-
t 01.ty lisscr9as, held at the Old bailey in No 'ember
hest, on.a charge of seducingseantnti from their Rae,
glance, and having been loam& guiliyorits sentenced
to •be imprisoned one year, and to pay a fine of
4500. Some favourable circumstances having since
appeared, a pardon had been granted to the said
lians Porter, which had been signified to the Sheriffs,
by the Secretary of State for the Home Department,
under date of the 21. th July, 1812. As this was not,
a free pardon, but went simply io the remission of
the imprisonment, the Sheriffs did not feel themselves,
sauthorised to liberate the prisoner until the payment
Olthe tine, and they were also desirous of ascertain.,
ing whether the City of London was not entitled to
the (toe inflicted in this %se?? They had taken a so-
ienrmpath.nst entering o ce, that they would frotcct
the rights, privileges, •and immunities of the City,. I
and they therefore communicated to his Majesty's
Government the circumstances of their claim to the
fine. Tlwru had been in consequence ac( rrespon-
dence upon the subject, between the Secretary of the
'Treasury
.and tie Solicitor of the City, ssli;ch he
shouldleave to that :Gentleman to detail. lie had
only further to state, that a letter haiikeen received
only last night fiy the Sheriff, signed " What ton,"
in which the Loral of the Treasury desired an 'at-
tested copy C the grant by which, the City of Lon-,
don are entitled to the fines inficted, in casts similar
to the oresent ; and* their ,Lorthilips also signify
their disposition to remit.the fine in this case, unless,
it 6119014. be shewn on ,legal authority, that such:
right is-not vested in them. This letter was well
worth the considerativn of the Court and the worthy.
Sheriff' eipressed a hope, that it would .lead,.to a.
full investigation. He concluded by, saying, that he
lyd a Petition from .Williant,Porter to presect,pray..
ing for a rernissiou of the fine (which however he
paid last night) and he (Mr. Sheriff. Birch)'
should.therefare recommend that the fine be remitted
as if not paid' at all ;,and moved, that the whole case,
AS set downs in the pennon, be referred to the Com-
mittee of General Purposes.
Mr. 5A1.11161. DIXON hoped, that the prayer of the
petition, so far• as regarded the MlD:Salon of the
tine, would be complied with in the fit st instance,
and the 'right of the City settled atter. He sag.
}vested the propriety of dividing the motion ter this
purpote. • •
• Mr.. WAITIIMAN agreed in' the propriety of remit-
. .
ang the fine, and shapuig the motion according to
thessussestion of the worthy Gentleman. He wi4ed
to .knose, however, whether die.de,cumenthad been
prodticed, and tile right of the City determined r
his: utius cAinceived,- that; the first 'notion would
leadloa wavipg of the claim of the City, and wished,
fur the Opinion of the ,Itecorder, whether there were
precedents or not, by • whkh the Court could be
guided in this instances
Mr. ti,,thaiszi said, in explanation, that the remis-
siiiii.Of thefitie; instead of impairing the right of the
City, established it. . •• -
After some .futther discussion
.bbtween Mr. gill-
Adis. Mr. Hearn, Mr. Box,*lr. &c. the
motion fdr the remission of the fine was agreed to;
and the question was then put, fur referiiiig tie se•
vcr:ll papers to the Committee of General etuvoses,
which was also agreed to.