Star.
London, England, 1801-03-12 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Sir H. MILDMAT gave notice, that he fhould to-morrow
mere for an extender, of the time appointed by the Houk for
receivvig private petitions.
- -

. .
The 7, Wine Bill pffed through a committee, the Report
was bm: ..,ht up, and ordered to be received to-morrow.
Sir r. a A NUS BUILDLTT rote to fay, that he fttould lay in a
claim at a future period to contend that the evidence in the cafe
of NIT.. Home Tooke, delivered at the Bar laft night, was not
concluilve, and in the mean time moied that it be printed for
the cafe of the Members of the Houft—Ordered.
Mr. BRAGG& moved, that feveral Aas peed laf Seim of
Parliament in 'Mood, relative to the Duties upon Wine, Rw
ihruld be read.

Mr. Beeoor then moved.'" that this Houfe Mould to-mor-
row rthire Well into a Committee, to confider the faid Ads."
Ordered.

MUTINY SILL.

Mr. STEELE role 'JO to tell the Committee that
there was nothing new in this Bill, or different
from the Mutiny Bill of the laft feffton, fave the
extenfion of the feveral provifions of the Bill to
that part of the United kingdom, called Ireland, as
a meafure necetlarily confequent to the Legifiative
Union between both countries.
Mr. WHIT BREAD role to ftibmit to the confider-
ation of the Committee a matter, which he con-
ceived highly necelfary fnr amendment. It was
generally known, that in bringing out foldiers for
punifhment, uneler the fentences of Court Martial,
it was always cuaomary for the Regimental Sur-
geon to attend the infliClion of filch punifhment, in
order that the degree of infliftion Ihould not ex-
ceed what human nature could bear at one time.
But he undcrflood it was cußomary in fuch cafes
to bring nut the culprit again, and again, until
the fum of punifhment ordered by the Court Mar-
tial in fuch cafes was fully infii.3ed. There was
betide this, another point in the punifhment of lol-
l: •rs, in his mind, equally ohjeaionable on the
.nind of humanity. It was a cuflont eflabliffied
r fume regimentsof Wing twodifferent inflruments
• ornament, calculated for different degrees of
~..verity. Thole were what arc called the cats for
Il ,yellating the foldiers in fenteneed to punilhment,
of which there were ufcd a lighter and a heavier
kind, at the difereti.a of the Commlnding Offi-
ers. By %ilk!: it w.... where the Court
Martial te:-...eneed onl! ~to: li.tnehed lathes, by
the ufe of one fpecies of ~it le :der the punifh-
'Lent much fevere titan it two htindr..d had
iolliaze; with tl e 0:1,c1 ; and (.11 the Ole:
!mad, v live the (,;,.:41c had Icntcoced to too Lon
41:c.l ladles, if Z:1,! ot:;:er farad.' be ilic'iLtd to fa
our the culprit, it aas cal), by the other cat to
render the puiti:hruent 1-fe revere :lean one hundred
:1.: rat. • Bit he conceived it w.ts t f
tile imporrtnce to the fervice„ that in the
f ~ft ti ~ :Ling wi.h 11;) match of the appearance
flri.dl he continocd, as that
mea a :mind and a third time to
•.cive t;;.• rif 6:elt punilhment as ha
in nature w to beat' in the in lance,
•?..I.lfe br %e t, tiOly i.-ri-JAdt:d every en I :anti or
•i;e of pha:l;ini:it. c(.3:trrpl.itcd by the tudiz.ory
cs)de, ustrucly, exarnkle to stem oziters frens farts.

lar delinquent:l,, where deterrence was at all pot&
ble, ”.•ould be fully anfwered by inflicting, in the
firil inftance, fo much of the lenience as human
nature could bear, without the cruelty of complet-
ing that featence by fub:equent portions; and he
was equally well convinced it would be materially
for the good of the public fervicc, if it was geae-
rally underdood that only one fpecies of cats was to
be ufed for indium punilhments, and that no fuch
difcretion as that lie had alluded to, with refpefl
to a choice of cats for the infliction of fuch punifb-
ments, lhould be left to the difcretion or caprice
of Commanding Officers.
Mr. STEELE was ready to admit that in the in-
fliaion of the fentences of Courts Martial upon
delinquent, foldiers, the cuftoni was, as Rated by
the Hon. Member, for a Surgeon to attend during
the operation, in order to prevent the punifhment
from being continued to endanger life. But he
could alftre the Hon. Gentleman there was no
part of the duty of a Commanding Officer per-
formed with more reluftance, or felt with more fe-
verity than that of fuperintending the infliction of
fuch punifhments ; which, he regretted as fincerely
as the Hon. Member, were indifpenfible to the
difcipline and good order of the fervice. But
from every thing he knew, through experience or
hearfay, he was warranted to affert, that the in- ,
fiances of bringing out a military delinquent a fe• '
cond time to inflict upon him the remainder of',
a fentence he was unable to bear, in .the firft in-
fiance, was very rare indeed. It was well known
that men's conftitutions were different; and that,
while one man would fink under the application of
forty or fifty lathes, another would bear five hun-
deed almoft without wincing; and as to the cir-
cumftance of cats for the infliction of punifhment,
the preparation of thofe inftruments was always
left to the Drum-Majors under certain regulations;
and he never heard of two forts being ufed by any
regiment. Bus as to the difcretionary power of
inflicting on delinquents, at a future time, the
whole of the punithment fentenced, and which
they were unable to bear in the firfi inftance, he
thought it would be better both for the good of
the fervice, and the humane ()hied of the Honour-
able Member, not to infert any reltrietion in the
bill, but leave the matter to the difcretion of the
commanding Officers, whofe feelings were by no
means infentible to the dictates of humanity in fuch
cafes, and who would never be inclined to extend
punifliment beyond the neceffary point of feverity.
But if once this difeletion was removed, and that
the delinquent foldier found it was out of the power
of his officer to bring him out a fecond time to re-
ceive more punifhment than he chofe to bear in the
firft inftance, the confequence would be, that the
culprit would prepare himfelf, by reducing his
body to weaknefs, fo as in no inftance to (Whin a
tenth Of his fentence, and the dread of punifhment
would be loft to the good of. its example.
Mr. WHITBREAD, in explanation, maintained,
that it was a thing known in the -world, that fol.
diers have often been brought up a fecond time to
punifhment, and he felt himfelf bound to repeat
that be confidered this pradice as a fpecies of the
moft unjuftifiable flow torture. As to the other
circumftance, he was compelled to fay that he had
received his information trom fuch high authority
that he could not poffibly doubt of its truth. He
did not mean to fubmit any motion on the fubjed,
but he conceived it to be his duty to lay the fads
before the Committee.

General TARLETON deprecated the interference
of the Houfe in this bufinefs. He was forry he
could not agree with his Hon. Friend (Mr. Whit-
bread) in his ideas of the cruelty of bringing
up a prifoner a fecond time to punithment. Con-
fidering, as he did, that difcipline was effential to
the very exiflence of an army, and that an officer
ought to have a hold of his troops, both by fear
and love, he could imagine that it might in many
cafes be of great confequence to keep the feat of
punifhment hanging over the heads of fuch of
them as had been guilty of any dangerous offence.
He thought that if at any time men were brought
up a fecond time to punifhment,the officers would
fiel it neceffary to excrcife their right in fuch a
manner as to fuperfede all interference on the Ran
of the Houfe.

A claufe was then brought up, explaining more
explicitly the operation of the Dill as far as regards
perfons ferving in the artillery, or acting as engi-
neers or military infpeftors, which was agreed to.
The Report was then brought up, and ordered to
be received to-morrow.