Star.
London, England, 1805-07-06 00:00:00

F:OUSR OF COMMONS.

Mr. Dennis. from the Commiffioners of Excife, prefented an
Account of Balances remaining in the hands of the Receiver Ge-
neral on the sth April of each year, from a 793 to 1805 inclufive.
Ordered to lie on the table.
Mr. Staveky. from the Poll Office, prefented an Account of
Balance. in the hands of the Receiver Calm! of Polt Duties on
the sill April of each yar, from 1793 to tBO5 inclufivc. Order-
ed to lie on the Table.
Mr. N. VANMI I TART, in a Committee of the whole Houk,
moved, that the Ira Revenue Bill and the Ira Port Duty BIU,
be taken into cotilidi ration on this day three months.—Ordered.
Mr ALEXANDER brought up the fever.il Reports on the lr:fh
Revenue Collection Bill, Fire Hearth BiU, Spirit Duty Bill, and
Paper Elm), BUt ; the varinui amendments on which were agreed
to, and the Bills orde,,d to be eugroffi d.
Mr. HUsli.'sswit brought up the Report on the Pilot Regula-
tion Bill, the farther contideration of which W.lts adjourned till
this day month.

The'l inen Drawback Bill. the Mill Loan Amendment Bill. the
Sugar Drawback BUI, t,:te Plate GLai Import Duty Bill, the qua-
rantine Ind.w.nity bill, the Hop Duty Bill, the grim M.litary
hurry Sill, Moores Divorce Bill, and Gardncr's Dlvo:ce Bill,
from thr Lord.. were fever-Ally re,,d a third time, palled, and or-
dered to the Loral,.

A Merage from the Lem& informed the Hinge, that the Lords
bad armed to the ento Bill, to the Bill for the purehafing ground
near Palace Yard, Weilminiter ; to the Militia Officers' Bill, to
the DOilin Harhour improvement Bill, ace
Mr. Fowh r, from the Tait office, brought an 'Account of the
films raid to the Clerks, &e. under the Adt for the Redemption
of the land Tag.—Ordered to lie no the Table.
On the motion o: Mr. YANSITT fit I', the Truth Diftillery
Bill, tie hill Paper Duty Bill, the Infii Hearth Duty Dill, bring
engulfed, were fever:4ly read a third time and palled, and order-
ed to the I ends.
Mr SLOANE moved, Oat an humble Addrcfs be prcfented to
Majefty, Fraying hi., Mrj. fty to be pleafed to remunerate, in
the way his Majeity ihoeld be bra p!eafed, Edward Coleman, Efq.
late Deputy Se jeant at Arms, and that the Houfe would make
good the fame.—Ordered.
On the motion of Mr. VANSITTART, the frith Revenue Re-
gulation Continuation Bill was read a third time and palled.
h r. ORMSBY brought up a Report from the Committee ap-
pnioted to confider th. Petition of Collier and others, witneflis
fummoNed on behalf of Mr. Mainwaring before the Committee i
on the Middlefex Elcdiou —.Ordered to be taken into confilera •
Lion on 'cueftlay neat.

TROTTER'S INDEMNITY BILL.

Mr. WHITBREAD moved the Order of the Day
for the third reading, of the Indemnity Bill. The
Houfe having refumed the confederation of the Bill,
Sir W. ELFORD begged leave to propofe uoclaufe
which feemed to fulfil what appeared to be the gene-
ral with of the Houfe. The objea of the Bill, he
obferved, was to place thole perfons who may give
evidence on the impeachment of Lord Melville, in
inch a firuation that they may be under no apprehen-
fion with refpe.R to the tendency or confequenccs of
their evidence, as afieEting thernfelves. The Bill
would alfo probably have the effect of thortening the
proceedings in th: Horde of Lords. There was
cer-
tainly a div.:rfity of r pi ions among our highell legal
authorities on this fubjc.a. While tome maintained
that a perfon cannot give evidence on a criminal pro-
fecution, without bring freed from the civil procefs,
others thought that the former was no bar to the lit-
ter. I 'eller, without this Bill, the time of the Lords
would lircetrai ily he wafted in long difcuflions, and
the ends of jillEce would be much retarded. On thefe
grounds, lie moved various amendments in the Bill,
the general pu port of which was, that all perfons
who may have had any employment in the Navy
Office under Lord Melville, be indemnified, in ref.
peril of all alts done, or money nfed or applied by
them, fn-m .ny criminal profecution or civil fuit in
*okra thereof.
- Li rJ HENRY PETTY obferved, that he cer-
tainly did not rife au oppcfe the amendments (quit- ,

ed by the Honourable Baronet. On the contrary,
they appeared to him calculated to promote the great
ends of public jutlice ; but he did not think, that the
lactific: which the Houfe made on this oceafion was
very great, and cquld only be extorted by the mag-
nitude of the objeft to be attained. He deprecated,
however, the Houle giving their finniou to the gene-
ral principle, that a ptrfon cannot give evidence in a
criminal profecution, without being freed. from the
Attachment of a civil procefs.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER re-
marked, that all that could be colletted from the
condo& of the Haute, on this occafion, was, that
they confidered it effential to the ends of public jurtiee
that, in this inflance, a Bill of Indemnity should pals.
After feveral other obfervations from Mr. GILES
and Mr. STURGES BOURNE, a varietyof amend-
ments were read and agreed to. The Bill was then
read a third time.

Mr. WHITBREAD moved that the Bill do pals.
Lord DE BLAQVIERE faid, he waited till the
laR moment of the lout Rage of the Bill, in hopes
that fome motion would have been made by fome
Hoonurable Member or other, for the omilfion of
Come words in this Bill, which he conceived to be
unneceifary. He was not going at this late
Rage of the hufinefs into any argument on the prin-
ciple of the Bill ; bait he merely wilbed to aik the
Hon. Member who introduced it, whether he thought
it confittent with the honour of Parliament, or with
the liberality of his own feaingr, to take advantage of
words dropt accidentally from a Noble Lord in the
courfe of his addrefs to the Houfe in his vindication,
and to make thole words the ground of a charge for
his Impeachment and crimination; while the words
uttered in his jollification and defence, were not
taken any notice of ? He owned that, however un
willing he was to ore (bong language en the labial,
he could not conceive Inch a mode of proceeding to
be confiftent with honour or fairnefs. Notwithltand-
ing all the amendments made in the Bill, there re-
mained fomething attached to Mr. Trotter, which
left him not a free man ; for the words of the Bill
went to deprive of the benefit of indemnity not only
any perfon sho fhonld give any falfe evidence, but
who fhall fupprefs or refufe fully and truly to dif-
dole all and every tranfaftion to which he may be
privy, touching the criminal condua of Lord Mel-
ville. But who was to be judge whether Mr. Trot-
ter dues or does not reveal and difclofe all he may
know? Goo may learch the heart, but to man this
power is denied. And was it not very poffible that
a weak and timid mind, fuel) as that of Mr. Trotter
evidently was, might not recolleft and precifely Rate,
on one examination, the fame fads, in a'manner to
bear exaftly the fame conftruetion as in a preceding
one ? and the lull prevarication, however uninten
tiona!, might expok him to all the confequences of
being deprived of the indemnities this Bill propofed.
Mr. Trotter was a man extremely weak and nervous,
of which he had exhibited the Rrongell proofs before
the Committee, where he appeared fo terrified as
fcarcely to know what he faid. The Noble Lord
would afk, therefore, if it was not more than pal-
ble thaPthe apprehenfions he would be under in giv.
ing his tellimony might occafion him not only to err
in his teßimony on the fade of the profecution, but
to tranfgrefs unintentionally the bounds of troth, in
accufation againft Lord Melville ? The Noble Lord
himfelf felt, that if he was in Mr. Trotter's fitua- '
tion, under all circumflances, he Ihould be extreme-'
ly liable to loch a predicament, if he was to bring
new matter of accufation againtt him ; and he was'
not athamed to profets his own opinion, that when
all this bufinefs again!' Lord Melville thould be gone
through, that it would appear the Noble Lord was
at this very hour more than fufficiently punifhed for
any thin he had done. Of the honour and intc-
grity of the Honourable Member who brought this
bufinefs forward, however highly he might think,
Rill he had but a very Render opinion of his modera-
tion; and he thould venture to think alto, if it was
not high treafun againtt the Iloufe fo to think, that
Lord Melville had been dealt by in hard meafures.
The SPEAKER informed the Noble Lord that
any objektions againft the whole of the Bill were ad-
miffible, but that the time for Amendments was
gone by, and that, confequently, any obfervarions
leading to amendment were not relevant to the quef-
tion before the Houfe.

Mr. WHITBREAD laid, that it was undoubt•
edly the intention of this Bill that the indemnity
fhould be granted to the witneffes, to enable them to
anfwcr freely in favour of Lord Melville, as well as
againa him : that if in the courfe of the fummer
Mr. Trotter recolleoed any additional cireumitances
which would be favourable to Lord Melville, it
would be his duty to give them in evidence : and if
he did not, Le could hot be I,tid to "have ttild the
truth, the wistma truth, and nothing but the truth,"
which was the condition under which the indemnity
was granted. He would certainly be at liberty to
give any anfwers in addition to his former teitimonn
but it was evident he could fay nothingcontradiEtory
to his former tellimony which would be received as
evidence.

Mr. JOHNSTONE fpnke in very decided terms
ngaina the principle, and denied that the indemnities
in the cafe. of L•:rd M4ccl-:sfield were proper prece-
dents on this occation, as the circumilances of the
two cafes were materially different. Whatever might
be his love for jullice, he dedarc,l, that were it left
to his choice, he would rather that a criminal lhould
pars unpunillied than that the 'ionic should make
fuch legiflative provitiobs at the preterit.
The Bill was then patted and ordered to the Lords.