Star.
London, England, 1824-06-25 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

The Sezawra took the chair at half-past three o'clock ; soon after I
which the House was summoned in the usual manner to the House
of Lords, to hear the Royal Assent given by Commission to seve-
ral Bills. The terries, on his return, stated that the Royal As-
sent had been given to several Acts, which he enumerated.—(See
House of Lords).
Mr. HART DAVIS presented a Petition from the Retail
Brewers of Bristol, against the clause of the last Beer MU, which
prevented their selling table beer in quantities less than nine gallons.
Mr. HUME brought up the report of the Committee on the
standing orders relating to Private Bills. The Hon. Gentleman
said there were but twelve Committee-reems, exclusive of the
smoking-room, and there had, during the Session, been thirty-six
private Committees and eight public Committee4appointed to sit
on one day.—The Report was ordered to be prWed.
Sir JOHN NEWPORT said, he had a Petition to present from
the Roman Catholics of the City and County of Waterford, signed
by 2700 persons—he would take upon himself to say, as well enti-
tled to regard, for property and Intelligence, as any equal number
of petitioners that ever approached that Houle. The Petition
stated, that a proad line of demarcation was drawn between the
Catholics and Protestants by the penal laws, which was the great
source of discord in Ireland, and prayed hat harmony might be
restored by therepeil of all partial laWa.—The Petition was read,
ordered to lie on the table, and be printed.
Mr. BROUGHAM moved for a Return df the Corporation Of:
kers in Ireland, distinguishing residents from non-residents.
Mr. GO UL BURN made some objection; he was not prepared
for the m6tion, and was afraid it would be difficult to make the re-

turn pr used.
Mr. lIU ME hoped the motion would be agteed to. A similar
return had Igen moved for Scotland, and, after some difficulty, had
been granted;. and the return *as now on the,tible of the House.
Mr. GOULDURN refuted ids assent, and the motion was ne-
gatived without a division. '_
Mr. HUME moved the ie;feral Resolutions contained in the
Report of die Committee sin Private BilG, which were agreed to._
Sir JOSEPH YORK(; asked whether, as part of the new bidid-
ing adjoining Weatmlnster Hall was now taking down, it was in-
tended to provide any more accommodation fur that House, by in-
creasing the number of Committee.roonis
Mr. HERRIKS said the alterations were making %hider the re-
commendation of s Committee of the House'.
Mr. CA LCR AFT said, he thought the subject would be brought
before the House, or he would have propoied the adoption of a
plan for the new buildings, which had been drawn by a Member
of that, House.
Sir FRANCIS BURDETT said the new buildings at West-
minster would be a disgrace to the country as long as they were al-
lowed to .land. Every one whokad seen the planproposed by the
Honourable Member of that House must regret that it had not
been adopted.
Sir JAMES MACKINTOSH said, he would be glad to see a
disposition in the House to carry into execution a plan suited to the
magnificence of the surrounding buildings, and the greatness of the
country.

THE SURREY MAGISTRATES.
Mr. HOBHOUSE said, he held in his hand 3 Ficti
tion from all the Debtors confined in the Surrey jail,
complaining of the power given by the Jail Act to the
Visiting Magistrates ; and from the manner in which
the unpaid Magistrates eiercised the powers given to
them by that Act, he thought it would appear to the
House to be imperative on them to take care that these
powers were not increased. By that Act, as it now
stood, the Visiting Magistrates had the power of con-
fining every Debtor to breai and water. This Petitidn
relatcd principally to the Surrey Magistrates, and
highly as he respetteal many of thaws imilopicsalig. 1.•
must say, that their treatment of an individual now in
their custody, a Mr. O'Callaghan. was most unjustifiable.
Generally speaking, the prisoners in the Surrey Jail
were treated with great severity. They were allowed
only one hour in the day on the week day, and half an
hour on the Sunday, to see their friends, and receive
aid of food, &c. and so strict was the order on this
subject, that lately a little child going into the prison
to see her mother, and having a piece of a bun in her
hand, it was taken from her, lest she should give it to
her mother. And who were the persons who were thus
treated? Why Debtors, persons not convicted of any
crime. In the King's Bench, the Fleet, and even the
Marshalsea prisons, the rules were very different. The
prisoners in these prisons were at full liberty to see their
friends until nine or ten at night, and to get themselves
all the comforts they could in the prison ; whilst in the
Surrey Jail the prisoners were not allowed to see any
friend after five o'clock, and they were all locked in the
cells at six o'clock, and there was no possibility of their
obtaining any comforts within the prison—these prison
regulations were, in fact, cruel and ridiculous, and
ought to be put an end to. It would appear that the
Magistrates in Session had no power to alter them;
this had been stated in the extraordinary case of Mr.
O'Callaghan. The power was in the Visiting Magis-
trates, and he did not know that even the Secretary of
State had the power of interfering. This Petition was
couched in the most respectful terms, and asked to have
the measures of the Jail Act put an end to.
Mr. DENISON said it was unjust to blame the Ma-
gistrates for these regulations. The law was alone to
blame. He certainly did not agree with many of the
provisions of the Jail Act. He thought, in many re-
spects, they were too severe. He thought the time al-
lowed for obtaining provisions was too short, or ought
to be three hours at least, instead of one ; -and he also
considered that the time of admitting their friends ought
to be extended to six o'clock instead of five. As to Mr.'
O'Callaghan, he did not know that individual, he was
not present at the Session, but he certainly did think
that he had been treated with unmerited severity. He
(Mr. Denison) had this morning a letter from Lord
Eastnor, the Noble Chairman who presided at this trial,
expressing his regret that that Gentleman should, by
mistake, have been subjected to such inconvenience,
and he (Mr. Denison) must confess, that he did hope
the Right Hon. Secretary of State would take an op-
portunity of recommending to his Majesty to remit the
remaining part of his sentence. Mr. O'Callaghan had,
in fact, himself laboured under a mistake; he considered
himself secure of an acquittal. He thought the Ladies
under his protection had been insulted, and that he had
been justified in resenting that insult. He looked for-
ward confidently to an acquittal, and, therefore, did not,
as he might have done, remove the proceeding from the
Court of Sessions to the Court of King's Bench. He was
convicted of the assault, and the Magistrates had no
course to adopt but to send him to the County Jail.
Mr. MABERLY censured the provisions of (Wail
Act, to which, he said, he would next Session call the
attention of the House.
Mr. Secretary PEEL thought the Magistrates should
suggest what alterations should be made in the Act in
question, and the House would then take those sugges-
tions into consideration. As to the case of Mr. O'Cal.

--

Pe9r7re. •

khan, he bad see* Lord Eastnoi this turning on
Ise subject, and his Lordship had submitted all the
seridence in this ease to his consideration. He could not
enter into the private feelings of individuals ; itt his si-
tuation be could only look to facts. Mr. O'Callaghan
was charged with an offence against the law, and on the
evidence the Jury found him guilty ; the Court pro=
flounced a sentence, according to the magnitude of the
offence; he (Mr. Peel) inquired whether the Court had
taken into consideration the recommendation of the
Jury? the Noble Lord said they bad. Under these cir.
cumstances, he (Mr. Peel) did not consider this see.
tence as unnecessarily severe, nor did he consider this a
case which called on him to recommend to his Majesty
to interpose to suspend the sentence. He bad made
inquiries this day, and now found, that in consequence
of the orders given by the Member for Surrey (Mr. De-
nison) Mr. O'Callaghan had now more liberty ; lle w„s
allowed to supply himself with provisions, had News-
papers, &c. and all the comforts which a prison would
allow of.

Sir W. DR CRESPIGNY condemned the provisions of the
Jail Act.
Sir IL WILSON observed on the severe treatment which Mr.
O'Callaghan had received, as well as the severity of his sentence.
Lord EAST NOR had been absent from town until within a
few hours, and would postpone the observations he had co mike un
this case.
Sir FRANCIS BURDETT commented in strong
terms on the treatment Mr. O'Callaghan had received.
As an Englishman, he declared he would rather have
been hanged than subjected to such insult as this Gen-
tleman had been. He trusted he should soon see this
Jail Act done away, atid-the old system of placing the
Jail under the care and controul of that Constitutional
officer, the Sheriff, revived. . --
Mr. HOBHOUSE again adverted to the sentence of
Mr. O'Callaghan, which, he contended, was most cruel
and unjust. He must call the attention of the Right
Honourable Secretary of State to the case of his brother,
who, for an offence similar to that imputed to Mr.
O'Callaghan, namely, holding a horsewhip over the
head of a man who had insulted a Lady under his pro-
tection, and which he (Mr. Hobhouse) contended, was
committing no offence at all. The Right Honourable
,Gentleman's brother was sentenced to one months im-
prisonment in the King's Bench Prison, where he had
liberty to see his friends and enjoy himselE Under these
circumstances, he thought the Right Honourable Secre-
tary was imperatively called on to take Mr. O'Callag-
han's case into consideration.
Mr. Secretary PEEL said, he had the very case al-
luded to in his consideration. But let it be recollected
that the individual in question was not only sentenced
to one month's imprisonment, but to pay,a fine of 5001.
and to find sureties to the amount of 80001. for three
years.—The Petition was then brought up,
Mr. DENISON again defended the Magistrates of
the county of Surrey. A more humane set of indivi-
duals did not exist ; but all mortals were liable to err ;
and he would say to those who now were so ready to
censure, " Let him who is without sin throw the first
stone."—The Petition was read,and ordered to be pi inted.
Mr. ABERCROMBY then rose to present a Petition
from Mr. O'Callaghan. This case had made a great
sensation in the mind of the public, and when the facts
of the case, the recommendation of the Jury, the sentence,
and the subsequent treatment which Mr. O'Callaghan
bad received were remembered, no one would be sur-
prised that all the sympathies of the public were in
favour of the person condemned to suffer; and when the
Right Honourable Gentleman cconildered the case, and
the statements which had already been made to-night,
he could not but see that Mr. O'Ciiiiskhan had already
been subjectedlo a punishment much More severe than
either the July who found him guilty, or the Court who
sentenced him, intended or anticipated.—(The Honour-
able Member then read the Petition, whiCh contained a
detail of the circumstances connected with Mr.O'Callag-
han's case, which have already been before the, public).
—Thus it appeared that for the last week the Petitioner
had been subjected to an unmerited degree of punish-
ment. Mr. O'Callaghan did not, however, wish so
much to draw attention to his own case as he did to in:
duce the House to look into the subject generally.
Lord EASTNOR said, the Magistrates had given
their most serious attention to Mr. O'Callaghan's easel
The provocation, of which se much had been said, did
not appear to them to be so great as was now repre-
sented. The assault was clearly made out, and the
Court felt it to be their painful duty, as far as in thetas
lay, to protect the peace of the public ; and even now,
when he reflected upon the sentence, he could not con-
sider the sentence as severe, whatever might be the case as
regarded the severity of treatment be had since received.
Mr. MABERLY thought it was the duty of the Surrey Magis-
trates (Mr. O'Callaghan having been subjected to such an excess of
severe treatment) to conic forward and strongly solicit the Right
Honourable Secretary of State to recommend to his Majesty to
remit what remained of his sentence.
Lord EASTNOR said, Mr. O'Callaghan's treatment bad been
mush mere severe than was intended. There certainly must have
been Min Mistake in that respect.
Arses *or words from Mr. AMMAMOT, the Petition was re-
edy...pad. and ordered to be printed.
fah secretary PEEL brought up the Repot of the Commis-
sionsalpotnted tis enquire into the state of Education id Ireland.
to be printed.

HUSH

ACT.

Mr.HUTCHINSON then rose to move,that the evi-
dence taken before the Irish Insurrection Committee.
should be laid before the House. The Hon. Gentleman
observed, he was at a loss to know on what ground this
motion was to be opposed. There was 'nothing in the
evidence which reflected on Lord Wellesley, or his Go.
mamma ; a garbled statement of the evidence bad gone
abroad, and he could not but consider it most desirable
that a correct copy of it should go'forth to the Public.
He contended that there were many instances of re-
being printed, before the whole of the evidence of
re-
ports
had been laid before the House. In this
case be could see no objection that could be offered
against the printing of this evidence, or the injury to be
apprehended to the public from it. The only reason
must be to keep the British Public ignorant of the insult
and oppression under which Ireland was kept. The
House of Commons would not do its duty, finless is
came to a vote to publish this evidence as far as it had
gone. If it was given to the public. much would be
done towards probing the wounds of Ireland to the very
bottom. He wished it done for the sake of the Com-
mittee, because it would no doubt show to Ireland the
extensive enquiries that it had made into the evils that
oppressed her. Without that, garbled statements would
go forth to the public, and Ireland would only perceive
that she owed to the Committee the hateful measure of
the Insurrection Act. Ile wished to know what had
been done as to the labouring poor in Ireland, half a
million of which was supported by the beads of fa-
milies on sd. or 6d. a-day ? Those unfortunate creatures,
who committed outrages so destructive to themselves,
And disgraceful to humanity, could not do any other-

(suifering es they did) Instil !rope relief was given!
tathem. He was sorry the Right Hon. Gentleman did
not take up the matter with more energy. The state of
fiend could not be long concealed. -He then moved,
that the evidence, taken before the Select Committee on
the State of Ireland, be printed.
Mr. GRATTAN agreed with ail that had fallen from his Bo-
Deurabk.lPriiind. It was hard upon the people and Representa-
tive of freknd to conceal the evidence take. before this Committee.
Lord PALMERSTON, Chairman of the Committee, regretted
the charges of the Honourable Gentleman. that they had put forth
, garbled statement of the evidence. Nothing of she kind could be
wee haphft. The selection of the evidence that had been printed
wa, oh& by two Members, one from each side of the House. If
the rest were printed, k would be found* that it related to matters
which the Committee had not had due tOSSalldne thoroughly into,
'hat would tactic more uneasiness and irritation than even now
reined; and be was aware that whets the Committee bad finished
;Aeon, it would publish all the material puts of the evidence.
me. 7. SMITH recollected many instances in which partial ed-
am:e taken before Committees had been published. He outs sure
if it were done in this case, it would calm, instead of create, agitation.
Sir 3. NEWPORT always thought that the evidence as far as it
went, should be published up to the dose of the Session,:
taod-
pled by a shordleport. The publication would spew to Ireland that
her grievances were under a careful examination and inquiry. He
therefore lamented the course that had been pursued in tekabg to
print this evidence.
Mr. GOULBU RN said, the Committee was willing to report as
much of the evidenee as was complete; but they thought there were
perftof it which required farther inquiry before it was given to the
public. If the Honourable Derelict's suggestion were adopted, ft
would alter the whole proceedings of their Committees. It was felt
by the Committee that they could not have a fair picture of the
gate of Ireland without evidence from every part of it. That was
gill incomplete; and charges and statements of cases had been
made which they bad not yet bad time properly to inquire into.
Colonel FRENCH moved that the House be now counted.
There being only thirty-six Members present, the House neces-
sarily Adjourned.

THE EVENING STAR.

LONDON.

FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 1824.
THE FUNDS.
STOCK EXCHANGE. TWELVE O'CLOCK.

Comols opened this morning at 95j, ‘, for the Sammy at which
price they remain steady. In the earl, part of the morning a good
deal of business was done.
FOREIGN FUNDS.
The most business doing this morning in the Foreign Market is
in Cohombian and Mexican Scrip.

Current Prices vs—Old Spanish 901 to 21, New 19 to 4, Russian
951, Alliance Shares 144 to 15, Mexican Scrip 11, Austrian 95,
Colombian Scrip 11. Colombian 961, French Scrip 16, New Pros-
sun 991, OW Del, Portuguese 91, Chilian 76 to 1.

PRICE OF STOCKS AT ONE O'CLOCK.
Bank Stock 298% %
3 per Cent. Reduced 94% 95 94%
3 per Cent. Cons. shut-91 per Cents. 101%
4 per Cents. Old 101-4 per Cents. New shut
4 per Cents. Assented 1011,(1 %
Bank Long Anns. 22 15.16 %—lndia Bonds 82 4.
Each. Bills of £l,OOO (2d.) 9026 30 32'27
(114d.)27 5 6
Do. Small (2d.) 26 32 ; (114 d.) 26-80 28
Bank for Acct. 23914
Conbols for Acct. 96 955,4 4

PROROGATION OF PARLIAMENT.
THE KING'S SPEECH.

This day his MAJESTY prorogued the Imperial Par•'i
liament in person. For some days the workmen bad
been employed in making the necessary alterations in
the ante-rooms and approaches to the House of Lords,
which were completed yesterday.
_ _ _

. _
His Grace the Duke Of NORFOLK, who arrived last
night at his house in St. James's-square, from Arundel
Castle, was in attendance in the House of Lords, as
Earl Marshal of England, in consequence of the Act
passed this week, enabling his Grace to exercise the
duties of that high hereditary office in person.
About ten minutes past two o'clock his MAJUTT left
Calton Palace, in his state carriage, drawn by eight
cream•coloured horses, and proceeded to the Royal
entrance to the House of Lords, attended by the usual
Officers of State, and amidst the joyful acclamatidas
of assembled thousands.

His MAJESTY was escorted by a squadron of the
Ist Regiment of Horse Guards ; another division flanked
the Procession from Carlton House to Palace-yard.—

Two troops of the 17th Light Dragoons, or Lancers,
were drawn up in front of the Horse Guards, and saluted
his MAJZSTiI with the usual honours as the Royal
carriage pisiect.
His MAtalrric, on bis arrival at the House of Lords,
was conducted to the Robing-room, when, having been
clothed with the Royal Robes and the other insignia
worn by the British Monarch on such occasions, his
M♦JZST: proceeded to the House and took his seat on
the throne.

The Gentleman titiaer of the Black Bod was then
ordered to summon the attendance of the House Of
Commons, when the Snafus, attended by several
Members, appeared at the bar of the House. His MA.
JESTI then, in a distinct and audible voice, delivered. the
following Speech :

44 My Lords and Gentlemen,
" I cannot close this Session of Parliament without
returning to you my warmest acknowledgments for
the diligence and assiduity with which you have ap-'
plied to the several objects of public interest that have
been submitted to your consideration.
" I deeply regret the painful necessity Under which
you have found yourselves, of renewing, for a further
period, measures of extraordinary precaution inlreland•
" I entirely approve of the inquiries which yon have
thought proper to institute as to the nature and extent
of the evilsunhappily existing in the disturbed districts
of that country t and I have no doubt that you will see