Star.
London, England, 1813-04-06 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Mr. Law withdrew, till after the recess, his notioe which
stood for Thursday next, relative I. the employment of RussLm
forces in Spain. _ _

- A Message from the Lords desired the attendance of Mr. S.
R. LusuluoTom, Mr. VANDIERHADIN, Mr. C. BULLLK, and
Mr. J. Daustssart, on their Lordships' Committee upon the
East India Question to-morrow. The three former having as-
sented, and obtained permitsion of the House, the Messengers
were called in and informed that they would attend the Com-
mittee, and that with respect to Mr. Drumman (he not being
present), the House would send an answer to the Lards, by mes-
rengersof their own.

On the Order of the Day for the second reading of the North
Wilts Canal Bill, a discuwion of some length ensued. Mr.
Joni% PITT, Mr. FRRS►MANTLR, Mr. A. Baown, Mr. W.
LYTTLICTON, and Colonel EctisnN, spoke in favour of the Bill.
—Mr. SUAVI LE►&VRI moved an amendment, for the second
reading this day six months, and was supported by Mr. Suelon
and Mr. HART DAVIS.
The House having divided, the numbers were—For the second
reading 153—For the amendment 56--Majority in favour of the
Bill 97—which wa; accordingly read a second time, and corn.
nutted.

The House then went into a Cosnmitte on the East Indi4
Company'saffars. _ _

cionl Sir Joan Mat,cot m was called to the Bar, awil 44-

ambled by Mr. AlOl6l. He bad been in the militoer conk,
the Company singe 17$S; had many opportunities of observice
the manners and habits of the natives of India, and conceived
that an unrestricted interoosne would be mischievous and ruin.
ous. He was examined, forlpseards of two hours, on various
points respecting the good will of the fvfalsometans and Hindthi;
towards the British Government;—to which be answered, that
from their being generally peaceable, he supposed they were
satisfied with it. He did Dot think, that by t►rowing open dm
trade to India the use of British manufactures would be muc►
increased.

Sir S. ROMILLY rose and said, that when the Committer
was first instituted, the arrangement made was, that it was t•
close at half-past seven ;it was new past eight, and he thought
the basiness which stood for the evening ought to proceed.
After a few words from LordediSTLrliAoll and Mr.Yosst,
the House wu resumed, the Chairman reported progress, aug
asked leave to sit again to-morrow, which was granted.
ATTAINDER OF TREASON BILL.
The question for the cqmmittment of the Bill
being put, Mr.YORKE said that as it was his inten-
tion to oppose the Bill, he wished the Honourable
and Learned Gentleman with whom it had origins.
ted would fix some day for the discussion of the va-
rious subjects it involved, and which he conceived to
be of high importance. He should then have an op..
portunity of stating his objections, and he might per.
haps think it proper to move for the recommitment
of the Bill, with a view of proposing such amend.
menu as might appear necessary.
Sir SAMUEL ROMILLY could not help ex.
pressing his regret that the Right Hon. Gentleman
had not taken the opportunity of discussing the me-
rits of the Bill upon its second reading, which was
unquestionably the proper and more regular time for
bringing forward the objections which he deemed
material. It was, he would say, rather singular that
the Right Hon. Gentleman should have suffered that
stair of the Bill to pass by unnoticed, an now ex.
press his wish to have a day fixed for discussion. He
had also to remark, that no specific objection had
been advanced which could. justify the opposition thus
attempted to be raised against the measure.
Mr. YORKE contended, that in opposing the Bill
he merely exercised the right which every Gentleman
possessed, of objecting to any Bill, in any stage what-
ever before the House. He should not, however,
persist in his opposition on the present occasion, but
would reserve himself for a full and fair discussion in
the further progress of the measure.
The question was then put, that the Report be re.
ceived torinorrow,

Sir SAMUEL ROMILLY said, that without
wishing to trouble the House at any length, he felt
himself called upon to make a few observations on
the nature of the Bill. It should not be forgotten,
that corruption of blood by attainder of treason was
introduced into England by the Norman Kings, And
that it was never designed to operate as a punishment
of offences and crimes. It it were indeed to be con-
sidered as a punishment, it could affect the innocent
only ; and what was worse, and deplorable, it went
to affect them at the very distant period of a coo.
tury, a century and an half, and even two centuries!
It was absolutely impossible that a person *minted
of treason could be a link in the great chain of de.
scent and pedigree, for not only his immediate de.
scendants, but his most remote posterity, were all
equally guilty. It could not be maintained, that at,
tainder of felony working corruption of blood was the
law of England, because it was evidently not the law
of the county of Kent. Was it, he would ask, con.
sistent or just that the same crime should be punish.
ed differently in all other parts of the kingdom from
what it was in the county of Kent ? After *hewing
the justice and wisdom of the measure by various
other arguments, he concluded with the expression of
his earnest hope that Gentlemen would condescend
to state their objections to the Bill before they formed
the determination of opposing it.
Mr. YORKE contended that the Hog. a.nd Learn.
ed Member had not said a single word, nor advanced
one argument, to convince the House that the Re.
port ought to be received tomorrow; and he felt
himself almost induced to move that the Report be
received that day six months, or rejected altogether.
I'he Hon. and Learned Gentleman had stated no
actual grievance, no substantial cause for altering
what appeared to him to be one of the most important
and ancient branches of the common law of the land.
It was a question with him, whether the proposed
alteration might not affect the prerogative of the
Crown ? and he felt himself bound to oppose Oche
innovations, lately attempted in the penal code of
the country, which militated against all establish-
ments sanctioned and rendered venerable by the test
of ages. He certainly felt no veneration for those
new lights which seemed to dazzle the minds if some
Gentlemen, who were fond of alteration and amend-
ment, where no specific complaint, no actual grievance
existed. There seemed to be no difficulty in applying
to the mercy of the Crown, or of Parliament, for the
restoration of blood in cases where there were suffi-
cient reasons to make such an application : but was
this a time to relax laws against treason, atter the
rebellion in Ireland, the object of which, and, as it
was confessed of many, yet existing, was, the sepa.
ration of the two countries ? He telt it his duty to
move, that instead of " to-morrow," the report
should be brought up on that day 4, six months."
Mr. PRESTON defended the Bill, described cases
of extreme hardship likely to result from the opera-
tion of the law as it at present stood, and contended,
that as the law had been founded on the principles of
the feudal tenure, when the latter was done away
the former ought to have been abolished.
Mr. C. WYNNE, though in favour of the Report
of the Bill being brought up, was not yet prepared to
approve of the Bill altogether. He knew no reason
why corruption of blood in felony should not be taken
away ; but the considerations which made him fa-
vourable to the Bill in this instance, did not apply to
that part of it which went to do away corruption of
blood in cases of High Treason. In cases of felony,
he was of opinion, the punishment of corruption of
blood did not tend to prevent the commission of crime,
as he thought it did with respect to High Treason.
He should support the present motion, but could not
promise to vote for the Bid in a future stage, unless •
the word •" Treason" were omitted.

Mr. WETHEItALL admitted, that corruption
of blood, as far as it affected the immediate descen-
dants of a man found guilty of high treason, might
have the effect of preventing the commission of that
crime; but its effect oft his collateral rel•itions could
not have tne sam: tendency. He disapproved of the
system of general innovation on the law of the land,
which appeared practically to develope itself iu the
maims intrycluccd by the Honourable and Learned.

I

Gentleman, Endowaged, >t soma likely te. go on
step by step, till the whole System of our present
laws was changed. He supported the Amendment.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL considered cor-
ruption of blood in cases of High Treason to be one ,
of the great safeguards of the State, in its tendency
to prevent the commission of the crime.
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL followed on the
same side. He contended that the law as it stood
was excellent, in so far as it acted upon the feelings
and affections of mankind ; and that there was no
adequate necessity shewn for any alteration, nor any
practical good likely to result from it.
Sir SAMUEL ROMILLY, in reply, said that he
really should wonder if the Honourable Member who
moved the amendment persisted in his intention of
dividing the House upon it. Most of the Gentlemen
who had spoken against the Bill had confined their
arguments to the case of high treason, whereas the
Bill included other felonies. They had generally
appeared to agree, that for other felonies it was not
right that the corruption of blood should be suffered
to exist. If this was their opinion, why should the
hill be thrown out altogether, when there was a part
of it to which nobody objected ? If the Honourable
Gentleman should divide the House upon it, his vote
.vould be at variance with his speech. Was it con-
kistent that corruption of blood should still attach to
felonies, when it was now by law excluded from
tnany kinds of high treason—for example, with re-
spect to the coin ? Some Honourable Gentlemen
had objected to his plan, for being part of a system,
and conceived they were saying something severe to
him, in stating that he was pursuing a regular sys-
tem.—lf by charging him with acting on a regular
System, they only meant to say that he did not act
capriciously or without thought, but that he had
Considered the consequences and the bearings of
ti.rery measure which he proposed, this did not ap-
pear to hin't to be a very serious charge, nor was he
very Anxious to refute it. It wAs not, however, more
than 48 hours since it was objected to him in another
place that he did not introduce his Bills as parts of a
general comprehensive system for the amelioration
of the laws. Some objected to him for not stating
general principles in the preambles of the Bills ; and
when he had done so, it was said in that House—
t' Let us have the Bill without the preamble." An
Gentleman had talked of new lights, and new
systems of philosophy ; but he was happy to say, that
in the principles of those Bills which he had submitted
to the House, he was supported by the opinions of the
preatest men who had ever ornamented this country.
Pe then read several passages from Blackstone, high-
ly disapproving of the principle of corruption, of blood.
lie also read a letter from the late Mr. Charles Yorke
to Judge Blackstone, stating, that in his juvenile pro-
duction he only intended to lay down the grounds of
the law as it stood, but to give no opinion about the
propriety of altering it. The authority of the late
Mr. Yorke could not, therefore, be set up-on this point
against that of Blackstone. Independent, however,
of authorities, reason would shew that this corruption
of blood ants most unequally, as while it attaches to
freehold land, it does not operate on leasehold or on
chattels ; and, in feet, the corruption of blood never
acted, except as to the person in possession of an
estate, unless upon the accidental circumstance of an
ancestor dying intestate; for the father of a person
attainted might certainly devise his estate by will to
his grandson in spite of the attainder. After a variety
of other observations, he concluding by hoping that
the tiouse would not reject the whole Bill, merely
froth disapproving of a part of it. If he had heard
the objections sooner, he might have left out that part
before the Bill had gone into a Committee; and even
now, if that was all they objected to, the Bill might
be re-committed, and the case of High Treason left
oat. The House then divided, when there appeared,
Against receiving the Report, 55—For it, 43. The
till is therefore lost.

NISCRLLAICEOUS.
The Sinecure Bill was read a third time and passed:
The National Debt Bil,b went through a Cbmmittee. Report
to be received to-morrow.

Mr. LUSHINPTON brought up the Resolutions imposing an
addiduntl duty on Frenck Wincs, which were ordered to be re-
ferred to the Committee for preparing the Excise Bill.

In the Committee of Way; and Means, an error was correc-
ted in the Resolutions respecing Debentures, and these Deben-
tures were declared to be entitled to the same di count as Loans.

The LORD ADVOCATE obtained leave to bring in a Bill
for renderiog more expeditious the payment of Creditors in Scot,
land.

Mt. ATKINS obtained leave to bring in a Bill to provide for
the distribution of a sum of tnoituy given in compensation for
certain goods seque.tra:ed in Sweden during hostilities with that
Country.
Mr. FITZGERALD obtained leave to bring in a Bill for the
better regulation of the Irish Better Trade.
The Committee on India Affairs was postponed to Wednes-
day.—Adjourned.

THE EVENING STAR

LONDON:

TUESDAT, APRIL 6, 1513.
PRICE OF STOCKS THIS DAY AT ONE O'CLOCK
kedUced 571 ex. div.—Cons. 5811—for ac. 531
4 per Ct. 72 73 ex. div.-5 per Cent. 87i—fonds 2s. 4s. &I.
/3ank I.g. Anns. l 4 li-ltiths ex. &v.—State I.ot. lick. £22 91.
Exclwntier Bills IN. 12i. pre.—Ontn.—

To-day we give some further extracts from the
American Papers received yesterday. The most im-
portant ui these is a document, purporting to be a
Message from the PRIaIDENT to the Ilouse of It epre.
aentatives. It is, like every other production with
Mr. MAoisoN's signature, a most intemperate and
nnstatilman-like composition. It accuses, in lan-
guage not at all usual even among the Diplomatists
of the modern French School, the British Govern.
meat of undermining. by torgery and perjury, the
principles of morality and religion ;" and this mighty
accusation-is further embodied into a sweeping charge
of attempting to separate the Union, by our exempt-
ing the Eastern States from some of the calamities of
fipar. The agony under which MArnsoN is writhing,
as vented in his malignant Message to his Consti-
tuents, is the best proof which can be afforded of the
wisdom and efficacy of the measure which has given
him so much offence. _ _

The fact is, that the States of New York, Massa-
thusets, and we believe, Virginia, have never cor-
iially givta their' assent to the war, nay they have

openly fictive ! thett• abhor:eau et die. ihouittest
principles upon ychtc.h their executive Gtrierntnent
has acted: It is but fair, therefore, that Sortie grad-
tude should be :hewn them by Gre*t Britain—their
ports are therefore exempted from blockade—their
ships are still allowed to carry lumber and provisions
to the West Indies, and there is consequently a par-
tial activity among the American traders. Mr.
MADISON, in his holy zeal for the Continental System,
for this is the mad. project with which he has been in-
furiated, wishes to starve our West India Colonies;
but, like a staunch Republican, he cares not at what
expence he gratifies his revenge. Ruih, misery, and
starvation are therefore awarded to the unhappy
States who have incurred his displeasure, and forth
comes a Proclamation, in which he invites the Legis-
lature to accede to a most unreasonable proposition :
namely, to blockade all their ships in their own har-
bours, and to condemn all the produce of his unhappy I
country to rot upon the soil : for to this his projected
prOhibition of all exportation, even in foreign tallow,
would amount. Surely the American Congress is
not composed of idiots and madmen, like their Pre.
sident

As a set-off against this Indum fidmen, the House
of Representatives haVe passed laws permitting the
importation of British goods, and prohibiting the
employment of British seamen. There was a period
when these measures might have been hailed as con-
ciliatory. But we cannot augur any thing favourable
from them at the present crisis.
The PRINCE Rzurit's Declaration reached Wash.
ington on the Ist ult.; but there had not been time
to know what effect it had produced. The blockade
of the Delaware appears to have been kept up with
great strictness, and to have excited no inconsiderable
degree of alarm on the coast. Two American fri-
gates and eighteen gun-boats were stationed so as to
be ready to act on the defensive, or even to cut off
any part of our force that might be accidentally sepa-
rated from the main body. Such an accident was not
unlikely- to have occurred on the 20th of February,
when a violent gale came on in the Delaware ; but
fortunately our ships rode it out, with the loss only of
a tender and twelve men, who were driven ashore
and made prisoners. A corvette had reached Ame-
rica with news, that a fleet from the French ports
would quickly follow. Rumour had stated that the
American frigate Essex was Captured ; but there was
no authentic account of the fact, and the story may
probably have grown out of the capture of the Lot-
tery privateer, of Baltimore, by the BELVIDERE, after
some considerable resistance.

ARRIVAL OF A DEPUTY FROM
HOLLAND.

We stated yesterday the arrival of a Flag of Truce
from the opposite Coast. It now appears that the
report originated from the arrival at Deal of a Gen-
tleman from Holland : the object of his journey may
be easily guessed, although nothing circumstantial
has been allowed to transpire. The following is out
Port letter on the subject :
DEAL, APRIL 5.

it Yesterday evening, after post, a Foreigner of
Consequence was landed here from one of the armet
cutters attached to the Downs station. From the in-1
quiries I have most particularly made, I learn tha.
the Gentleman in question came from the Dutcl
coast in an open boat, which he had procured at a
very great price, and was put on board his Majesty's
ship NYMPHEN) Captain HANCOCK, crnizing ofl
Blackenburg, and was immediately dispatched for
the Downs in the BADGER cutter.

" An express was sent off last night to London I
to inform Ministers of the circumstance, and also to
procure the necessary passports for his going to the
Metropolis. Conjecture is very busy as to the object
of the stranger's mission, but it is generally believed
that he is deputed by some of the Dutch provinces,
that are in a state of revolt against their tyrannical
French Governors, and this he is sent to England
for aid."

Numerous convoys of light transports continue daily
to arrive at Yarmouth, destined to take on board a
small Expedition for Germany, of which the Duke
of CUMBERLAND will take the command. His Royal
Highness will be accompanied by several military
men of distinction, chiefly foreigners. The furce
which will embark will consist entirely of what may
be termed skeletons of regiments, viz. Officers, Non-
commissioned Officers, and such privates as may be
be deemed worthy of promotion. Hanover, Hesse,
and even North Holland, are mentioned as the places
where these useful men will be employed. Almost
all the counting-houses in London have been stripped
of their foreign clerks, in consequeace of their eager-
ness to enrol themselves in the service of their coun-
try. Some of them have abandoned situations of
great profit, to enrol themselves as volunteers.

Out columns of to-day contain some further ex-
tracts from the Paris Papers. On the subject of the
state of the North of Germany they speak with much
apparent hesitation. Alarm and consternation are
evidently every where the order of the day with the
scattered French troops—Witness the precautions said
to be taken at Dresden.

Yesterday Lord SIDNIOUTII had an audience of the
PRINCE REGENT, at Carlton-house, as had Count
MuNsratt and Lord MOIRA.

NAPA INIELLMENCE,

The foiltswitag Notice %Its this daty posted at
LLOYD'S i

4` ADMIRALTY-011110E, APRII, S.
Liz—l have It in command front my Lordt Commissioners
of the Admiralty, to acquaint you, in return to your letter of the
Sd (skint, respecting protettion for ships to the Elbe, that no
Convoy is to gb further than Heligoland, whither Convoys will
proceed once a fortnight.-1 am, &c. (Signed)

" J. W. CROW.

" To Robert Taylor, kel. Cnitched Friars"

FALMOUTH, APRIL 31
Nothing arrived or sailed but two coasters. Th
Nymph packet• with mails for Cddiz, has had a sig-
nal flying for sea this afternoon, and it is supptised
will sail in the course of the night.—Wind N.N.W.