Star.
London, England, 1807-02-07 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

The Kentifh Diitridt Small Debt Recovery Bill was, nn the
motion of Lord WM. etUda2LL, read the fecond time, and com-
mitted for to morrow.

Several Petitions were prefented by I ord WM. RUSSELL, Mr,
WILBERFORCE, and other Members, from the Tanners of
Surrey, Chelter, Neweaftle under-line, and other places, againft
the Oak Bark Regulaion Bill, now pending.
Ordered to lie on the able.

Ordered, on the motion of Mr. BATHURST, that the Corn•
mittee appointed to feareh for Precedents of Expulfion, have li•
berty to fend for perfom, papers, and records.
Sir RALPH MILBANXE reported from the Sa7tafla Commit-
tee that George Grams:lla Venable% Vrrnon,E:q. a 'lember of the
fad Committee, had not attended in place; aid that the Com-
mittee, having wait, d an hour without procecein; tu Mainers, ad-
journed 00 account of his abince.
Ordered, that Mr. Vernon do atteml in his place on Monday
neat.

A new Writ was ordered for the EledUon of a Member for Wm.-
cettcr, in the room of Brom I,y, kis who fi,;ce his dedion
had accepted the Chiltern Hundrtd3.

Lord TEMPLE prtfentrd the Bill for regulating the Trade to
and horn the Cape of Good Hope. Read the fiat time, and or-
dered for the fecend reading on Monday.

D.ferred till Motolay the committal of the Turkillx Tobacco
Import Regulathn Bill.
The Houfc went into a Committee of Supply.
•

Mr. Vi NSITTART moved for a Grant of 1,200,cr0l to defray
the triter. 4 on kith I: :chequer Bills as may have been paid off in
sge6.—Motion adopted, and ordered to be reported on Monday.
FREEDOM °F ELECTION.

Mr. ASHTON SMITH role, and, in a low tone
c.f voice, obferved, that he held in his hand a Peti-
tion on the pa!, t:f cettain Eleftors of the County of
Hants, complair.ing of an unconltitutional violation
of their EieCtive Ftanchife.

Mr. SPEAKER. repeatedly defired the Honottra-
Isle Member to proceed to hate the fubttance of the
Petition. lc, in his own judgment, he thought he
had already Hated fufficitnt, it was well ; if not, it was
his duty to go on.—(Here was an unufual clamour of
Bear ! Hear ! Hear I—Mr. 7 ierriey exclaimed, " Let the
iJon. Alen:Ler 'peak out, that he may It heard)."
Mr. ABIIION SMITH.—" The Petition com-
plains of the tarjatifiabie and uncontlitutional inter-
ference of the Officers (4. the Crown at the late Elec-
tion for the (;:ttoty of Hants."—(7 he acclamation: of
Hear ! became ger.eral throughout the Honfe )._

Mr. IV IL CI AMS W Y-NN E.— " The Honourable
Member Ihould (late the player (1 the Petition."
Mr. CANNING.—" A Petition may be received
by the H, use, which does not contain any chilind
prayer. It is enough to induce the Houfe to enter-
tain it, if it contains an Allegation of a grievance."
Mr. SPEAKER.—" Every Paper prefented is a
Petition to this Honk, mutt contain fornething of a
prayer. It is not every toile Itatenlent thumb into
the Honle, that can he received and read." •
Mi. BRDERICK.—" It is a question of privi.
lege. Tim Petition complains of the undue, improper,
and ttncontlitutiunal interference of the Officeri of
the Crown in an Eleftion, and therefore it i;ught to
be received."— jenerd cly of Redd, iread I
Mr. SPEAKER. 'flue Honour.ole Member
mull (late, that the Petition contains a prayer which
calls for the interference of the Houle. II he thi.iks
it does contain Inch a prayer, 1 t (Tear that it is .4is
duty to Itate,it." . .

.

Mr. A. SMITH.—" I move that the Petition
brought up."
The quellion was put and carried.
" That the Petition be now reed."
This was al:u put and agreed to. The Petition
was :4 ddreffed to the Tioncturabk the Commons ci
Great Britain, &c. and was to this effi.,9 :

" 'I hat the underfigred Gentlemen, Clergy, and Freda*, et
the County of Hants thoug!,t it their duty to reprefent to the
Honourable the Houfe of Commons, that,previoue to the eletStibe
of two Knights for the County, rocatures of a moll tuteetiftit;
tional nature had' been retorted to by perfons in different oseee•
under the Crown. for the purpofe of promoting by undue me
the return of Mr. Thitllewzire and the Hon. William her.ans
,
bert, whole elcdion was favoured 1y bit Majefty's Mindere,
violation of the rights of the tied Jrs. That W. H. Fremantle, •
Efq. one of the Secretaries of the Treafitry, a perfoo who had
ec,
property in the County, apilied to the Barrack Mailer at South,
ampton, recomm ading the above Candidates, and defiring him to
mention him to other Gentlemen in the Barrack Department,
That means were ufed, under pretence of carrying on his Majeki
fcrvice, to promote the elenion of the Ministerial Candidates..
The Petitioners then Rated, that thcfe allegauons they were p„.
pared to prove, and they hoped that means w,uld be taken to
prevent the recurrence of pradlices, which. with tnbmilfiontothe
Houle, they ventured to dcicri!.ie arc alculated.to bring the Govern.
went into difcredit with the country, and to (hake the confidence
of the
,people in the lwaour and intlependence of the Mule of
Commons : That the Petitioners therefore had deemed it thee
duty to bring under the notice of the Houfe thole outraiges agaite
the liberty of the country ; and they were the more eitourageche
do fo, by obferving the Refolution on the Journals of the Hock.
which declared, that it was highly criminal in any Minifter, orate
Servant of the Crown. to ufc the power of his office in the detain
of any Member of the Houle ; and that Inch an attempt would*:
all times be relented, as aimed at the honour, dignity, and inde-
pendence of the Commons, and an infringement of the rights es
every Su‘yet in the Empire, and as calculated to lap the lolanda.
tion of our happy Conffitution."
Lord 'TEMPLE Let the names of the Peti.
ticners be read." The Clerk r -ad. •
William Chute,Thomas Mather, lion St John Mildmay,jde
Dent (a load/alight Nathaniel Atchefon Geo.ge Ward, Chan*
Jenkinfon, H. I) Eitsharris, with about thirty other names.
Mr. A. SMITH....-0 I move that the petition do
lie upon the table, and I give notice that I (hall malt
a motion trpOn the firbjeet this day fe'onight."
Lord TEMPLE—" I rife to give my fulleft con.
fent, as far as my vote can Rive it, to the petition
lying on the table. I have only to beg leave to call
to the recolledion of the Houfe, that previous to the
Meeting of Parliament, a petition, I know not wire.
then this petition, was dire led to be laid before tht
Houfe. Now, ek.is.is a quellion of privilege, and
of the fir a importance. Ir remains, therefore to be
accounted for, how a quellion .of privilege (Hear,
bear, hear,) Ihottid have been delayed till this day."
Mr. CANNING—" There was an obje&ion to any
petition at all." (ho, ho, No, exc!aimed many.)
Mr. TIERNEY—" It the Gentlemen on the other
fide mean to make this a party quellion, they have
done very right in exciting public attention, by keep.
log back the petition ; but if they mean to treat kat
a quellion of privilege, then the perfons who have
figntdhave placedthemfelvesin an tinple-tfant Iltuation.
What niuil thole Members of Parliament, who hare
ligned the petition, C.ink of themfelves ? (A wis.
went cry of Bear, Bear.) What mutt they thick of
themtelve4. for having allowed thefe unworthy Mi.
fitters to fit fa long oppofite them, withcut their con-
fidering it right, knowing what they did, to complain
of their conditet ? They cannot view it as a breach
of privilege r‘f a very alarming nature, when they
have kept the petition back upwards of two attohihs.
The Houfe ought to know the teafou why they have
done fo."

Mr. PERCEVAL-.-4t I have no doubt the Gen.
tleman who fpoke lan has a good motive for what he
ha,faid, and I dare fay not a party one (a laugh).—
Thofe who bring forward a matter of great public
importance, do not, I think, deferve to have it aged
as a matter of cenfure, that they Idea what appears
to them the mon proper time for bringing it forward. ,
The Honourable Gentleman might have preferred
the Petition on the fit ft day rf the Seffion. If he had
done In, or even before the time limited for petitioning
aipCnlt the return, it might have been a ground of
eljeftion. The Houle will confider, if any one of
the falls hated in the petition is capable of p roof, that
it is a matter of comparative infignificance whether
the fubjea is brought forward on one day or another.
—The Hon. Gentlemen oppofite may endeavour to
excite what degree of prejudice they pleafe as to the
manner of prefenting a Petition, or the matter (lit ; '
but if there is truth in the petition, they may exereife
their wit or their talents, if they choofe, but I am
lure they never will prevail upon this Houle or the
country to think lightly of the conduit it difclofes.'
Mr. W. WYNNE—" It is impoffible for any man
to rife and hate, that on this tide of the Houfe the
petition has been treated as irlight import. I appeal
to the Houle, whether it was not treated by tbo
Noble Lord as of the first importance, and that the
only thing that recurred to him was to exprefs his
annnithment at the long delay upon a fubjea, that
ought to have been brought forward the very fiat
moment it could. That it is a cafe of great import.
ante there can be no doubt. The charges are
certainly important—important if they are proved—
important if they are difprnved ; for if they are dif•
proved, they will unqiiettionably fall hack on the
heads of thole who preferred them."—( Violent aakk
mations andl27outs of Bear, hear, hear .1)
Mr. HURST—" I do not think it material what
the motives of the Petitioners are. I am glad that
the Petition has found its way to this Howe. Rto
mours upon rumours have been whifpered. Some-
times at one door, fometimes at another ; they ought
to be enquired into. The charge is, that there has
been a breach of the privileges of the Houfe by thole
who thould be the fir it to protea the privileges of the
Honfe. (Lxtreme agitation and much clamour.) I have
the molt per fea confidence that every .:Ilufion in Ile
Petition will be found not to bear, whether with mil
foe& to the Hoo. Gentleman who is particularly., •
named in the Petition, or any other. I am perfuaded
it will end in loch a way as to reflea honour on the
parties concerned."
Mr. ROSE.—I have no doubt of the partiality of
the Honourable Gentleman who fpoke lali, and on
not furprited at his being an advocate fur every put
of the condo& of which the Petition complains. As
to the time of prefenting the Petition, 1 conceive that
when a Petition is put into the hands of a Member,
the diforetion as to the time of prefenting it is left
with him. It is not very difficult to find a rational
motive for the delay. The Parliament met at an.
unufnattime of the year, and the attendance of the
Country Gentlemen has till now been extremely thin.
This I confider a fuflicient realm)."
Mr. STURGE'S BOURN .—c It was the With,
of the Petitioners that this Petition fhould be plc:
fenced when there wm the fullet attcoclani;iii

. . • . • . • .
mart?e fierneel t* *Verve the flaufi, at if be did nut thhek
41; .r.L.ndance very full.) I wills to know what the
;.tttlemen on the other fide would have thought if
r. had been prefented earlier. Would they have
'iforfijered it honourable or candid to have had it
1 on the table at the beginning of the Seflions, and
confideration of it deferred till the prefent time ?
It was thought better to prefent it when it could be
t7.lten into confideration."
Mr. FREEMANTLE.—" The Petitioners are
ecttainly to judge for themfelves. I can 'only fay,
'hat I am extremely gratified that the moment has
A length arrived at which this fishjed has been
i ,a,lght forward. (Near, hear, hear Ido molt
ordially afrent to the produCtion of this Petition. I
• have the means of completely anfwering it. I
4ve 0017 one thing to add, I wilh to make this oh-
,"„tion. lam told that it is ufual to give infor-
ation to the oppofite patty when a petition is about
tte piefented, which is of a pet conal nature. That
h:rtation I have not received. When I'came to
Houle I was wholly ignorant of it, except from
.1. or. I now am ready to anfwer the Petition."
STURGES BOURNE—" The [-lon. Gen
.etnan appeared to look round the IlLufe, to fee whe-
.',cr it was a hill attendance. The ohjed of the
ketitioners is to have their Petition confidered in a
fci, Houle. It is not.matarial that the lioufe (horrid
be full when the Petition is prelente,:. I Rated, that
it would have been unpleafant to the Gentlemen on
the other fide to have had fuch a Petition laying a
long time upon the table."
Lordt HOIVICK.—" It is hardly necefrary fur
me to make a fingle obfervatior, whether it was
right or wrong to delay the Petition ; the charge is
undoubtedly of a very fet ions nature. It is no light
Matter that thofe who are entrulled with the powers
of Government, fhould tire dolt: powers to influence
an elehion ; but when you confi ler what the nature
of the charge is, and that it involves a Breach of the
privilege of Padiament ; when }too confider that it
is the pradice of this Houle to podpone every otl,er
confideration to the vindication of its privileges, and
that, if a charge of this nature can be fupported, tt:e
Houle will always enter into it previous to the confft.
deration of any other public butincfs. I
under dude circusnllances, conceive that it is the
dirty of a Member, having filch a charge to make,
to bring it forward at the earliefl time pflible.—
The Learned and Honourable Gentleman has told
us, that it was the with of the Pctitionets to have
the Petition prefented as early as [wattle ; hot he
silks whether it would have hen lair and honour-
able to have laid it on the table b.fore the Peti-
tioners were- prepared to proceed. He thinks,
however, that there w.,s neit;rer a want cf candour,
fairnefs, hollow, or liberal feeling, in circi:iating
throughout the county rumours of the moll fcanda-
louts nature, witlvr.ut putti,.g it in the power of any
of their patties charged, to ktriw what il,. charge
was. Was it a fair and cand;J, proceeding, not to
acquaint the Hots. Gentleman who was the objed cf
this perfonal a; tack, that it was intended to be
brought forward ? ( Heir, afar! repealed acciamatir;ns)
I leave the Houle to form is judgment upon loch
condud. When the fobjed comes to be confidered,
I unit the privileges of the Houle will, if they have
been violated, be, in the firil place, vindicated ; but
if it (hall be found to be a light and frivol:pis charge,
I alto ti till the H ute will expr?fs its fenfe of it."
The notice of motion was entered for this day
fe'nn:ght.

MUTINY IN INDIA.

Mr. HOWORTH rife, and beggel leave to put
a quefllsn to the Rig!-or Haltom able Gentleat In at
the head of the Board of Controtil, rela,ive to the
mutiay which was 114:ed to have taken place at ore
of the Britilh lilt:en-es in the Eaii Indies. It had heen
confidently alferted, and nut contradieted, that this
mutiny had broken out at one of our garri.ons in
Arcot, and that, in cor.fequence diet col, above a
thoufand lives of natives and English had been Intl
in ruppreffing the tumult. To what this dreadful
eitcumfla: ce owed its origin, or whether it was the
lefult of any at-hit:at y, unneceffary, filly, or unkil-
t;fiable mealme, was not now his pnrp fe to invelli-
gate : he would only ohferve, that if it was impulahle
t" the cattle% he had heard, it was lufticient to excite
alarms for our vet y exillence in India, and ce; thinly
ought to undergo the moll ferious emptily ; more
especially as we were now fending alit a new Chief
Governor, and a new• Commander in Chierta
upon whom it wacof the utmoil importance to itn-
prefs the necelfary iollruNions for the cord•te9 to be
adopted towards the natives. He, therefore, v. ilfrcd
to know whether any difpatches had been received by
the Dirceorr, explanatory of the caufe and extent of
the unhappy occiunence to which he alluded.
Mr. TI.E.RNLY anfwered,that he was tt;a Inquired
at the anxiety entertained hy the Hon. Metuf:cr anon
this point ; but he was fotry not to have it in his
powr to give him any information ti pan the fubjeCt.
No difpatches had yet been received by the Cow t 4
Direelors upon this topic ; and whenever any fluaild
arrive, he would take the earließ oppottani!y of lay-
ing them beloie the Honk. But as the new Govertwr
General and Conanay.der in Chief were appointed
for India, and about to proceed on their dettination.
the biota. Gentleman would hardly dern it realbnaLle
to detain thcm in this country, until the very uncer-
tain time at which difpatches might arrive. Reliance
multi therefore be placed upon their difcre:ion, for
adopting, on their arrival, the bell meafures their
jadgment fintll it;rett under cu lling circuroltances.

FoRFir:V PRoPtit.TY 14 THE FUNDS.

iIANK Es gave not;ce that he thiuld nr,ve
• ihv for an Account of Ihe Q2antity of Sto,..k hold
I,..c;gner• in our Fi:ids.

• -
1 he Si, CRP: I'ARV prerotted fume Acc-tunts tetra.
log rhP Nnnaber of Nieti railed by tl.e urdur.ri y Rr cruhing Service.
..--Ordrral to he printed.
Rr‘,l a (cecina time the Barrack CommifTiontrs' BilL—Cont-
tiittcd tor Morday.

Curnrnittr4 the •I!lmes P.lice .vac crrriel through,
Witt fcvtral amcmhnentil. he trportc4.l nu Mo.n.lAy.

The Iri% F.lcetiou Bill was re eomillitte..l for I`.lt.r.lor.
I.eave was given to liti. gin a bill fur t.ne better Liicoutagement
of ihe Newfoundland rah. ry.

Fir JOHN NEM'POWI rote and flared, thlt purfu nt to his
route in tlie bit St inn he h.ol intende.l tobri,g ia, :.hot.t this
time, a Bill to regulate the Admitlien tit Free —et, is Ci!ies
Corporate Towns in Ireland, and thereby to extend the elective
frenchife; hot he was induced to defer the introe:us`lion nt iucli a
HI till the Ingitioing of the next month, in c,niii,lerati,lo nt the
rites don Hen. Member (Colonel Verdict) who had cxprdled
*4l; be p,,..!.a.t it any difc;Alon upon the Fill; but who, on
wiNs to ~ rerl his eltit:e. iu Parliament. 'net with a felmrc a"; i
its r ts) t !act horn his b lek.‘-,Atijouracd tit. Monday.

~_

. _ _ .. ,

THE EVENING STAR.

LONDON.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARV 7.

PRr2F. OF STOCKS THIS DAY AT ONO. O'CLOCK:
Coniols, money. 6i 62—for F...t) 6:ii—Oninium 6} prim.
Extlityner Bills, par to is. dd..
PRICF OF S roclis YESTFR DAY.
3 p. Ct. Red. Ann. 62 ti I ong Ann. 17 x r :61
3 Per C. Conf. An. Ott 021 6i Inip 3 per C. 611
Deferred 3 per C Cunt Sy; Irnh 5 per Cent.
4 per Colt. 8: Exch. Bills. par is. dlr.
.5 per Cont. Navy, 91 I:it Cunfuls for acc. 641

At a I,te hour hat right two Gentlemen arrived
in town ; one of tkent with difpatches f,,r Lord
Howicx, the other with difpa7ches for the Ruffian
Milliner. They bring ate official accounts of the
ha tie c•f the 2.6. h, in which the French are flared to
have 101 l Eighty-one Pieces of Cannon, Four Thou-
land Kllltd, and Six Tboufand Prifoners.

'Fhefe Gentlemen have had a very tedifats pottage.
It was reported when they failed, that Entirer fuc-
ceFes had been ilrtaincii by the Ruffians : The par-
tici:lars, however, had not been received.
The above intelligence collies molt fearonably, to
prevent the public from attaching too much impt,r-
tance to accounts received yefierday from the French
coalt. A letter to a tefireetable houfe in the City,
c,,ftains the following abilraft from the

FORTY NINTH BULLETIN.

" Vearfaw, January R.

" Brefl iw has furrendered. Brieg, Schwtidnitz,
Knit', Cullizrg, and Dantzic will be immediately
befieged. Oar light cavalry is in the titighb”url.ool
of Konigfberg. The Ruffians c:mtinue to retreat
towards Gr,idno. Baron De Vincent has hr, tight
letters from rlie Emperor of Authia to l.is
at Warfaw."

On this Bulletin we may ol'etve that excepting
the altrtic,n that the Ruffians are tetreativ, upon
Grodno, it contains nor info' mation relpthing the
operations er pofitions of the two armies. It is
fcatctly pctlible that fome imp. rtant occurrences
tly:uld not have taken place between the ill of Janu-
ary (when, it may be -ecolleaed, General Cum
NFAV, at the head of fome light cavalry, fee nut in
purfuit of the Ruffians.% and the date of this laft
Bulletin : and yet, with refped to any fuch events,
the Fmty Ninth Bulletin is wholly filent. As to the
tlatement of the light cavalry approaching Konigf-
berg, it it too 'note to merit obfetvation. The mist:-
bourbccd r.f Kon;gfberg, according to the Ft ench made '
of jumping over fpace and time, may mean arty diC
Wee within fifty or fixty miles of that fortrefs. But
on the other hand, we may prefume, that had any
new hat•lt r f importance taken ph:ce in Pr,lland,
fome notice would have been taken cf it in the Bulle-
tin—even it it had been adverfe to the French ; for
according to their ufual policy, it'wnuld have been
mentioned as a feint—a flcitm4h—or lime unfuccefs-
ful attempt of the Ruffians.