Star.
London, England, 1815-04-17 00:00:00

LORD COCII 1: Att.

His L'irdship has addressed a Letter " To Air
Comiihreats," in which he explains his motives for
leaving the King's Bench prison, and the objects
he had in view in taking his seat in the House of
Commons. The following are extracts from his
Lordship's letter :
" Gentlemen—lf k had not beet for the commo-
tion excited by that obnoxious, injurious, and arbi-
trary measure, the Corn Bill, which began to evince
itself on the day of my departure from prison (which
was on the anniversary of my escape from similar
oppression at Malta four years before), I should have
lost no time in proceeding to the House of Commons;
but conjecturing that the spirit if disturbance might
derive some encouragement from my unexpeoted ap-
, pearaliee at that time, and having no inclination to
promote tiimnit, i resolved to deter my appearance
at th..l and, it possible, to vinceal niy depar-
ture from th. prison, until the order of the metropolisl
should be restored. I had, however, been oet but a
few days, when I received intimation that a Com-
mittee of the I louse of Commons, appointed to in-
quire into the state of the prison, had discovered that
1 was absent. Conceiving that they wooll commu-
nicate the circumstance, and anxious to obviate any
false impressions as to my motives and intentions, I
immediately addressed the following letter to the
Speaker. which I fully expected he would have read
to the House :

" London, March 9, 1815.
" SlR—('respectfully request that you will brae to the Ho-
nourable the House of Commons, that I ,!could immediately and
personally have counnuoicated to them my departure front the
custo.4 of Lord Ellenhorough, by whom I have been long most
unjustly detained ; but I judged it better t•I endeavour to conceal
my absence, and to defer my appearance in the House until the
public agitation excited by the Corn Bill should subside. And
have further to request, that you will also communicate to the
House, that it is nay intention on an early day to present myself
for the purpose of taking my seat, and moving an inquiry into
the conduct of Lord Ellenborough.—l have the honour to hes
Sir, your most obedient humble servant,
(Signed) " COCIIRANZ
" Gentlemen--It the Right Honourable the
Speaker had thought proper to comply with my re.
quest—if he had read my letter to the House, as he
Afterwards read that which he received from the
Marshal of the King's Bench, relative to my appre-
hension ; the scandalous reports which appeared in
the hireling Journals, attributing nay conduct to cri-
minal or contemplative motives, could not have been
invented or propagated.
4, Gentlemen—When it is considered that my
tention of going to the 1-louse of Commons wis sin
nounc2d as early as the 9th ult. the day on
my absence from the prison was discoveied ; I say,
when it is considered that as sow as it was known
that I had lift the prison, it was also known that I
had left it for the express purpose f.l going to the
House of Commons, to move for .aft luquit y into the
conduct of Lord Ellenborougiv: and when it is con.
sidered that every engine was set to work to tempt
or intimidate me from that purrise ; to frighten me
out of the c,inntry, or allure me back to the custody
of the Marshal; that assurances were given that di...
doors should be kept open for my admission at any
hour of the night, and that 1 should he received with
secrecy, coin tesy, and indemnity ; and when it is
considered that I was afterwards seized in tl:e House
of Commons, in defiance of the privileges of the
House, can there be a doubt that the object of that
apprehetwon was less the accomrlishneut of the
sentence of the Court, than the prelootioa of that
exposure which I was prepared to make of the iojus•
tice of that sentence ? _ _ _

44 Gentlemen, there was a time when 1, ‘cha have
been accused of sacrificing my integrity and
at the shrine of avarice, rejected a splendid
squadron and A regiment,--for the execution of my
own plans in the Mediterranean, at a time wlhit
almost defenceless coasts and ports of the enemy
were swarming with vessels interchanging the valn.,-
ble manufactures of France for uie rich prodtictiousl
of Italy; an iiif.illible opportunity of acquiring riches
not only without reproach, but with applause; of
acquiring incompat ably more than the utmost pit-
tance that cotei possibly have accrued from the
most successful esecutiuu of the artifice attributed
to me. _

6, Gentlemen, I say, that I reected the most
tempting offers, and renounced the blightest pro-
spects, rather than abstain from a painful duty tram
which I anticipated, and was not clibappi:intikl, no-
thing but clamour and opprobilual ; rather than
silentLy acquie....:: in the prostitution of the thanks of
Parliansent—to the prejudice of the interest and the
honour of the country.
" Gentlemen, when I was conveyed to what is
called the strong room of the King's Bench prison,
which has been my abode for these list three weeks,
I was assured by the Marshal that it was only in-
tended to detain me here a vet y short time, until the
apattments over the lobby of the prison could be
made sufficiently comfortable and secure for my re-
ception. I ant now informed that, after much pre-
paration, he has succeeded in rendering the promised
apartments sufficiently comfortable, but nut suilici-
truly strong ; and, therefore, that I can only be per-
mitted to inhabit them on certain conditiors, with
which I cannot honourably comply.
" If the best method of preventing an escape is to
deprive the prisoner of the use of Lis limbs, the damp
and pestikrims cell in which I am now incarcerated,
is undoubtedly constructed on the true principle of
security. In my opinion its situation and climate
, are adequate to the suspension of every muscular
faculty in a perbd of about two months, and of the
vital principle in less than three. Whether my per.
secutors are calculating on this kind of termination
to what they are pleased to call the sentence of the
Law, which has yet more than two months to run;
or whether they would rather reserve me for the con-
sequences of fresh prosecutions, which I am told are
in embryo, I do not know ; but this I know, that an
escape hum this place is not fur Liberty alone, but
for Life.

44 Gentlemen, I have the honour to be, your most
respectful /lid devoted set vAnt,
(Jigncel) CoCHRAWIL
" Strong Rooms, King's brut. , April It, 1815.'

Lord COCHRANE'S Trial, fur breaking prison, will
come oli, iu the course 01 this week, in the Cuurt of
Dvaclu His Lquieliep will attend is petaog.