Star.
London, England, 1805-04-26 00:00:00

PITITIONS.

Mr. H. THORNTON prefented a petition from
the Eleeors of the Borough of Southwark, voted
this day; which, after being read, he moved, that it
fhnuld lie on the table.

Str W. CURTIS prefented the petition lately
agreed to at the Common Hall. Read, and ordered
to lie on the table.

MIDDLSS!X ILECTIOW.

Mr. CALCRAF r Paid, that he held in his hand a
declaration of Sir Francis Burdett, Bart. which he
was entitled to prefent, by the atith of the King,
which aft containi..l provifiona for enabling Members,
whole eleSion and return were petitioned againft, to
decline defending them.
The SPEAKER informed the Hon. Member, that
if he conceived the declaration lie held in his hand
fell within the meaning of the at, he was cerminly
entitled to prefent it.
Mr. CALC RAF C conceived it did.

The SPEAKER withed to call the attention of
the Houfe to the fubjea at prefent, in order that the
point may be fettled. The proper quellion for their
eontideration was,. whether the declaration amount-
ed to a total or partial abandonment, or, in other
words, whether it was intended to decline defence as
to certain points, and maintain it as to others.

Mr. CACRAFT wilhed to be allowed to read
the declaration ; the foilniance of it was. that Sir
Francis Burden did not intend to defend the votes
complained of, but that he was anxious to defend
himfelf againft the charges of combination and
bribery.
The SECRETARY at W4R was of opinion the
declaration could not be received ; while

Sir J. NEWPORT maintained k might, as the
Hon. Baronet, according to the manner in which he
tinderflond the declaration, ezprelled hi► inclination
to withdraw from the jurifdiEtion of the liner, but to
abide the civil confequences of the charges brought
againtl him.
Mr. ROSE contended, that the declaration did not
amount to a complete waver.
Mr. GREY faid, that he mulerflood it was the
with of the Hon. Baronet not to defend hi► feat. If
the manner in which he had conveyed that inclina-
tion was not faiisfadory, he was of opinion there
could be no objeftion to allow him farther time to
make a more precife declaration.
Mr. CALCRAFT withed to withdraw the dtcla-
ration, and faid he hoped that he would be able to
produce it in a more curreci form by Munday.

Mr. KINNAIRD Paid, he held in his hand a Pe.
titian from Benjamin Tucker, Efq. formerly a Corn-
miflioner cf the Navy, complaining of certain groft,
falfe, and fcandalous imputations upon his chars ter.
inferted, as he underltood, in a Report prefented by
the Navy-Board to that Houfe, and praying that a
copy of his letter to the Secretary of the Admiralty
might be laid before the Houle.
Mr. KINNAIRD moved, that a copy of Mr.
Tucker's Letter to the Secretary of the Admiralty
fhould be laid before the Houle --Agreed to.

FLFVENTH RIPORT.

Sir A. HAMMOND gave notice, that he wt uld,
on to-morrow, move for copies of cettAin papers con.
need with the Eleventh Report of the Commie:xi
of Naval Enquiry.
Lord FOLKESTONE prefented a Petition front
the Borough of New Sarum, approving of the Refo.
lutinns of the Houle of the Bth initant, and praying
it to perfevere in the vigorous determination it had
come to.

NOTION AGAINST THR PRINTIR OF THt esacts.
Mr. GREY faW, it was not ufital with him to
draw the attention of the Houle to what he read in
the public prints, but he could not, confitlent with
the refped which he owed to the Houle, avoid direct-
ing their notice to the infuking and offmfive obfer..
rations which appeared in a Paper of that mr.
The Paper to which he alluded was The Oracle, and
a more fcandalous libel, he would venture to allert,,
was never publilhed upon the proceedings of that
Houle. than that contained in an article which ap-
peared in it on that morning. The Honourable
Member then read the following paragraph from the
Oracle of yeflerday. The article is prefaced by a flat&
ment that Sir Charles Middleton was appointed Pirtt
Lord of the Admiralty, and is as follows:

- -
While we announce this arrangement as the proper reward of
public and private virtue, we cannot help fincereiy regretting, that
Party Rancour and Popular Clamour have at this time deprived
our King and Country of the great and powerful abilities of Lord
Melville. In no period of our political hiftory can we find foeh an
inflatice of the ftrong effrAs of prejudice. With all our profound
refpedt for the motives which influerecei the Majority of the Houfe
of Commons—with all our admiration of that ipirit which aroufes
and animates the People in their exprefhons of indignation at the
fuppofed malverfations of an Individual---with all our regard for
Town and Counry Meetings when properly diredted in fupport-
ins the Caufe of Independence, Freedom, and Public Virtue—w.
cannot help again and again declaring, that Lord Melville has fal-
len a vidlim to confidence mifplaccd, to prejudice misjudged, and
to indignation milipplied. HE MASHY:EN CON Dt V.NED Wirt:tot'?
A ratat..—When an appeal has Arai offered to his intemperate
judges—when a'requeß has been made to put him on his defence
..-when it has been eamealy ("licked to give him a lair and a can-
did hearing, and then to come to a decifroo on the merits of the
cafe—a (bung and a prefumptuous negative has been given, &-
reeled and enforced by the violence of the times,
. ._ _

The Paper complained of having been delivered ,g
the table, the Civic, after reading the title and the
imprint, read that part of the article alinded to of
which Mr. Grey had complained, and which that
Gentleman had alto previonfly read.
Mr. GREY then moved," That Peter Stuart, the
Printer and Pnblither of the raid Parr, do attend
at the Bar of this Fictife-to.mot row."

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCH EQIJER did
not rife tl.r the purpofe of defendilT the observations
which had been OR read, which pally may be
blond to be leoellous, but to cell the Attention of the
Houfe to *hat had been its pradice in that reipeft
for a cmfiderable number of years. In the courfe of
that time reflections had often appeared in the Newf.
papers upon the proceedings and motives of Parlia.
ment, and yet no notice had been taken of them. If
they were now to begin, he trolled that they would
not confine themfelves to the ilitarylnliance brought
forward by the Honourable Gentleman, but that they
would recoiled no proceedings had been taken by
Parliament for many years, with relped to limiter
offences; and that if they once thought proper to
aft in the manner propofed, they would apply the
rule impartially and fairly, and not fele& one indivi.
dual as the ohjed of punithment, when fo many were
to be found who had been guilty of the like offence.
He again imprefied the Honfe,how neceffary it was that
fome principles of impartiality Ihould be ellablithed
to guide their determination, as to the courfe which
it would be proper to follow, either in the relent or
any limiter inflarce.
Mr. GREY did not comprehend what the object
was for which the Right Hon. Gentleman addreffed
the Houfe. The Right Hon. Gentleman admitted
that the pafiage which had been read, amounted to
a libel, and yet he recommended that the Houfe:
fhould ad with candour and impartiality. For hilt
own part, in making the motion which he had fob.
mitted to the Kole, he only did what he conceived
to be neceffery for maintaining and duly aliening
the privileges of Parliament. If that Right Hon.
Gentleman had been guilty of a derelidion of his
duty, and Jid not think proper to bring thofe perfons
under the cenfure of the Houfe who had libelled its
proceedings, that was no rule for the guide of his
condo& Indeed, when he recolleded the conduct
of that Right Honourable Gentleman for the lift
ten years, when he called to mind the different Afts
which had paged under his adminittration, he could
not perceive any per difputitlan in him to exercife
any extraordinary (hire of forbearance. He t t
done what he cemccived was incumbent on hint i