Star.
London, England, 1807-02-14 00:00:00

Hon. Secretary, and infifted that he had done no
more than what he was juftified in doing.
Mr.-PERCEVAL role, and fpcke as follows :
I, Sir, I cannot but exprefs my furprife, at hearing
Minifters attempt to throw on us the charge of incon-
fiftency• Ine:eed, it muff be acknowledged, this is
of a piece with their ufual conduCt, and comes,with
a peculiar good grace from that virtuous Miniftry,
which was ever exclaiming againft the delay of the
Hampfhire Petition. Now, mark their condo& when
it is produced. They who were to anxious sto excul-
pate themfelves from the charge of undue influence,
now refufe to go into Committee, where their con•
duet would undergo an impartial, though firid ex.
amination. With fuch pri.fellions, we inn often fee
men endeavour to delude and gull the credulous; but
it..linifters may depend upon it, that this evening's
condird, if it does not totally undeceive the country,
t;, long their dupes, will undoubtedly put the leaft
difcerning on their guard in future. As for the
Right Honourable Gentleman accufed, I lenk uprn
him as a mere instrument in the hands of his ftipe•
riors. In this point, the Petitioners alto view his
condud ; for they alledge, that various inflances
of Minifterial interference, have, to their know-
ledge, occurred in different parts of the coun-
try. How then is the Petition to be anneered ?
Not by going into the examination of the prevailing
and general abufe of power, but by patching up a
fort of lame defence, in the only inftance, arnongft
many, fpecified ; and thus this virtuous collation of
Minitters, who were fo clamorous for an opportunity
of difplaying their innocence to the world, are now
content to (mother, in the firfi instance, that inquiry
which alone could have preferved their character
from dude fufpicions of exerting undue influence,
which have fo very generally prevailed ; and of
which to many proofs are offered to be produced.
The Right Honourable Gentleman has laid, this
application was only made in the charader of a
freeholder of the county. But to whom was this
made ?to his tenantry ? No. Was it underftood
to be a private communication by General Hewett ?
No. He immediately, by his Secretary, writes to
Davis this letter, adding, that he had received the
orders contained in it, from (not a freeholder of the
county) but the Secretary of the Treafury. The
fame Gentleman, 1 recoiled, raid, that had the letter
been direded from the private houfe of the Right
Honourable Secretary, all would have been right.—
This I deny. What, are you to fuppofe, becadre it
would not then come diredly from his office, that its
mandates would be lets attended to ? This would
be, indeed, to open an eternal fubterfuge, by which
the Miniftry could, at all times, efcape the wholefome
reftraint provided by the wifdom of the Legiflature.
Let the fyflem laid down by the Right Hon. Gen-
tleman be only carried on with a little ingenuity, and
each Member of Government, poffeffing a freehold
in one or more Counties, may efFeEtuaily, in fpite
of law, controul the fuffrages of that County,
and thus the boated independence of Parliament
will quickly be transformed into the calm fubfervi.
ence of corrupt placemen and penfivners. It was
worth the attention of the Houle to compare the for-
mer conduct of the Gentlemen now in the Miniftry,
with their prefent unwillingnefs to inquire into the
complaint of the petition. They had then affected
there had been corruption and it titmice reforted to.
Of this they could bring no proof ; yet they called
for reform. Now the allure exists, even by their
confeffion, yet they retitle to inquire into it. That is,
in other words, we, who were once fo pure, are, by
the unhappy influence of place, becoepe fo corrupt,
that we dare not permit an inquiry to be inftituted,
left the difeafe fhould be difcovered to have infeded
us all with its malignancy. If there be in Govern•
ment any regard for the frame of the Confliturion,
they muff be convinced there is fufficient grounds to
enter into Committee on this petition. And I hope
that, notwithfianding they have affected this to be a
party queflion, which I think may, with greater jut-
tice, be retorted on them, they will, nevertbelefs, give
us an opportunity of having the matter fairly difcuffed.
'Tis a duty they owe to the magnitude of the queltion,
and the anxiety of the community at large.
Lord HOWICK contended that there had been nn
unconftitutional interference, eizher on the preterit or
any other, occafioo, on the part of Government. If
there was any improper interference, it was on the
other fide of the Houle. The abufe of authority had
been by thole who had attacked Gove:nment. He
adverted to the fignatures to the petition, and re
marked, that among them were a Commitlioper of
Army Accounts, the Clerk of the Commiffioners for
the Redemption of the Land Tax, the Clerk to the
Commiffioners of the Balingfiuke Canal, two fervants
of the Hon. Baronet (Sir H. Mildmay), a tenant of
the Duke of Bolton, and a perfon who was applying
to become a Surveyor of Taxes. This was a pretty
good proof that the influence of Government had not
produced much terror among thole who were in pub
lie employment. As to the enquiry Aced for, there
was no pretence for it ; every thing that could be
known was already before the Houle. General elle
Fations had been made of other :nfrances in which the
influence of Government had been used. He appealed
to the Houfe, whet her fuch a thing we; ever heard of
as perfons arming to the Houfe with a general charge;
and then Paying, if the Houfe would let them have a
Committee they would prove instances, but without
mentioning how or when ? Such never had been the
pradice of Parliament. With regard to •what had
been Paid by an Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Johnflon) re-
Ipeding a letter fent into Yorkfliire, hetwas furprifed
he had not produced that letter. It had been known !
upwards of two months that this ruble& would be
brought before the Houfe, and he certainly would j
have been prepared with the letter, could•he have made
any ufe of ito This charge, like many of the others,
he confidered as. frivolous. Eye unci difce oman. He
was perfuaded the Houfe would not think it right to
go into the enquiry. He had already raid, that if
the charge could be proved; his Majelly's Minifters
deferred the /Wine of the Houfe ; but if not, that
it ought to be ma: ked by the.manner of relating it.
The charge had been brought. forward, and a more
frivolous one he had, never heard of. He called
upon the Houfe, therefore, to difmifs the petition out
tuf C tirt. He was as anxious as the Hon. Gentleman
could be to (ecure the independence of Parliament,
but he could.not confider there wasany impropriety
in a Secietary of State doiok that which had always
been done. It was evident,to the flour*, that the in-
fluence of his hlajefly's Minifters was not that which

;: . : '• ‘'. r . is

was molt formidable, and is a proof, on a motion
for enquiring into the poffibility of a reduEtion of
finecure places, a Committee was inflantly granted.
—He would afk, whether a fairer Committee could
have been granted ? With refpea, to the motives
which actuated fome of the Honourable Gentlemen
on the other fide of the Houfe, it might be perfeftly
natural, that thofe who had been in office 20 years,
fhould with to retain the advantage of their paft pa-
tronage, and it might be convenient for them to de-
prive Government of their fair patronage, though
certainly it would not be very ufeful to the country.
His Lordfhip concluded by afrerting, that nothing
had been fairly laid to the charge of Government,
and he untied that the Houfe would not only ^.almly
and difpaffionately view the fubjed,but would entirely
difmifs the motion.

Mr. PERCEVAL and Sir H. MILDMAY ad.
dreffed a few oblervations to the Houfe in explanation.

Mr. ROSE laid, he had entered the Honk with a
ftrong determination not to offer hirnfelf to its notice,
but after the perfonal allu firms which had been made
to him, the Houfe would not be furprized if he laid
a few words. He adverted to, and jullified, his hay.
ing availed himfelf of the offer of a perfon at Canter.
bury, to promote the eleftion of an Hon. Member
(Mr. Calcraft), who certainly had not made a very
grateful retnrn. He alfo denied a charge of having
fufpended an Excife profecution for election purpofes.
That fahjeft had once been brought before the Houle,
and the Houle had refilled to notice it. The charge
had .been repeated in a newfpaper, and he bad pro-
lecuted the Printer, not by a criminal information,
but an aftion for damages, in which the printer might
have proved the truth of the charge,if it had been well
founded. A libellousaccount of that trial had formerly
been publiffied ; it was now republifhed, and the
publifher had admitted that it was brought to him
by the friend of a Noble Marquis. With regard to the
prefent question, it had been laid, that no threats had
been ufed. He had letters which would (hew that a
Member in the Ordnance Department had gone into
the town which he (Mr. Role) reprefented, the day
heft re an elation of Magiftrates, and had told thrice
who were to cleft them, that if they adhered to Mr.
Role, they would lofe their employments; and when
he late diffolution of Parliament took place, two
Gentlemen, both ftrangers, refpeftable men, he ad-
mitted, and of large fortune, but not known to any
perfon, came forward with letters from the Secretary
f the Treafury, addreffed to the Cultom Houle
Officers, who were difabled by law, and under fevere
penalties, from interfering in Eleftions. They lent
letters to perfons who did not even know Mr. Free-
mantle, and enquired who he was ; they purfued the
liurgeffes from one end of the town to the other,
but could only get a tingle vote. He maintained the
influence of the 'lreafury had been exerted in a way
never heard of before. He defied the proof of an
inftance, in which any man had voted for him, in
consequence of any kindnefs he had done him. He
could alfo mention, that at Southampton, where his
fon had been the candidate, out of 700 votes, there
were only two perfons to whom he had ever done a
perfonal kindnefs. On the other hand, a Gentleman
in a public empinyment of 6001. a year, had promifed
his fon to vote; he afterwards addr effect him in thefe
terms : I write to you with a broken heart, but I
dare not do it, under the apprehenfion of lofing my
employment." He afterwards aficed the Gentleman
whether it was true, and he replied by hanging down
his head and quitting the huttings. Such had been
the conduit of the prefent pure and immaculate Go-
vernment ? He next referred to an inftance of a
perfon in the Dock yard at Portfmouth having been
difrniffel fcr voting againft the intereft of his Majelly's
Mini tiers, and he (olemnly declared, that with regard
to himfelf, he never had put any man to the haft pain
or diffifulty with regard to giving his vote. •
Mr. CALCRAFT protefled that he had never
communicated the affiftance the Honourable Gentle-
man (Mr. Role) had given, till another Honourable
Gentleman informed him he had feen his letter ard
the anfwer to it. He denied having ever fail he was
authorized by the Treafurer of the Navy. He had
heard things as extraordinary of the Honourable
Gentleman (Mr. Rae) from the fame quarter that he
htd derived his information. Amang other things,
be had been told that Mr. Rol': was corinened with
the prefent Adminillration, and that, fo far from
thwarting Government, he affilled the Chancellor of
the Exchequtr. He oblerved that a more ft.volous
charge never was made, and he hoped, that before
fuch a charge was lillened to, it would,be borne out
by fomething more than declamation.
The SOLICITOR GENERAL begged to call to
the rect.lleftion of the Houle, the declaration made
by the Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr, Role), that he
had not intended to fay one word upon the fubjeft.
He begged leave to obferve, that this sun a pre-
famptive proof that the Right Hon. Gentleman
himfelf was not convinced of the truth of his allega-
tions, or he would not have been thus baokwafd to
fuppr.rt them. The Right Hon. ,Gentleman had alto
Rated, that the Reps which lie bad taken on.a former
occafion to vindicate his charafter from thelmputa-
tion of uncontlitutional interference at tbe-Wettmin-
fter Elettion, were by bringing a civil -anion for
damages againft an oblcure printer, who had no way
of defending himfelf hut by producing. thafe waifs
which were Cole!), in the poffellion of the Right' Hon:
Gentleman, confequently out- of his reach, and he
was prevented from m4ing any defence. But the
Right Hon. Gentleman, if the vindication of his
own purity was really his object, fhould have taken
the contrary cnurfe, and have proceeded by criminal
i infarmat ion, in which cafe he would have been bound
to fallify on oath the libellous charge, and , have
thereby placed his conduit beyond aU doubt or quef-
tion.

Mr. ROSE raid he had been advifed by a urfon
as eminent in the proferson.as the Hon. Member.
Mr. GEORGE ROStraccufed Miniiters of hav-
ing ufed their influence to . .
• Mr. ASH TON SMITH diGtvowed every thing
perfonal and noalcvalenr. . . -
• The Houfe became exceedingly clamorous for the
quell ion. _ Strangers were ordered to withdraw,, and
upon a divition there appeared, . . .
• For the Motion , . . 57
Againfl it

Majority againil the Committee In.
Adjourbed at One ,
•

THE EVENING STAR.

LONDON.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14.
Confols, for snoncy, 6211—for Fcbruary 6211.7-.onullem 71.
Exchequer Bills, par to Is. .

Lail night an exprefs arrived at the Admiralty,
with intelligence from Sir S. HOOD, the particulars of
which were not made public when uur Paper went
to prefs.

The Inveterate gun•brig has anchored at Deal,
(torn the coat of France, with difpatches from the
Admiral on that Ration. The French are colleaing
their (mall craft on the whole line of their coat, and
availing themfelves cf every opportunity of flealing
along their !hallows to their more northern depots.
A change of fyftem teems to have lately taken-place
in the French marine. Whatever may be their pur-
pole, they are recovering from their long inallivity.
It appears bj their feveral motions, as if a general
order of fume kind or other had been Med by the
French Admiralty. Immediately upon the arrival
of the Inveterate, all the gun brigs and !loops of
war, at that time at Deal, were difpatched to take
their feveral Rations on the French coaft.