Star.
London, England, 1814-06-17 00:00:00

GLOUCESTER GAOL.

Lord SiTANHOPE said, that he felt great pain,
and he said so without affectation, at being obliged
to present any Petition complaining of gross oppres-
von. The only alleviation of that regret arose from
the hope Nat much good might be done by investi-
gation. He had now a Petition to present complain-
ink; (+oppression in the G ioler of Gloucester from a
ptisoi.ei for debt e 1 the name of Perry (or Perrin).
—"File ptititi alledg,ed that the gaoler had denied
access to his -iegal .adviser. He had informed the
gaoler that he wished to consult a•solicitot about the
wording of a pttitinn xhich he intended to have pre-
sented to :heir Lor:lihips' house. The gaoler rc;used
to all •w tl:e :.olieitor access to the prisoner. This
was so strange an allegation that he had doubts at
tirst isitt.ther it was correct. He enquired from the
pet on who brought the petition, who was the legal
adviser ? but the person was very unwilling to state
this, on account of wh:t was called the system of
terror in the' gaol. But he had contrived to get the
proper information. he fund that it was a respect.
able Attorney at Gloucester, and wrote to him, de-
siring him to call again dt tile prison and request to
be admitted to see the debtor. The Attorney wrote
in reply, that he had called; and had, as had often
happened befote, been refused admission. By what
authority did the gaoler refuse ? It was impossible
to even as the law now stood, that such conduct
was legal, The Petition stated another fact, that the
whole of the must privAte correspondence of the pri-
soners, debtors as well as others, was examined by
the gaoler, who took upon him to open all their let-
ters. This was another circumstance so strange, tart
one could not but have some doubts about the 'cor-
rectness of this allegation. But he had it under the
hand of one of the Magistrates, writing about an-
porition. thnt ctirh teams Pornmon •clicrom
the gaol, although it had been dispensed with in one
instance, when a prisoner wrote a. letter to him (Lord
Stanhope), as a Member of their Lordship•S' House',
and dared the gaoler to open it. This was clearly
illegal. Though one who presented a petition was
not
,answerable for the allegations, yet he should
be sorry to present one of which the allegations
were unfounded, as the Petition, when received,
was (ltered on the journals for ever, and the indivi.
dual might be injured. Bot two of the allegations
here were-made out to his satisfaction. The petition
aas then presented and read. •

The LORD CHANCELLOR said that it might
be fitting, considering the impression which such a
statement was calculated to in .ke, to say that he
understood the Magistrates of Gloucester deserved
great credit for the cof.dition of their gaol, and that
the gau:er was one of the best officers in his situation
Great Britain. There might be a regulation of
••tke ,v-lagis:rati.s al:out letters which might possibly
be wrong, but the blame could not at any rate•attach
to the gao:er.
• Lord STANHOPE quoted a letter which he had
received from one of the most respectable Magistrates
at Gloucester, conveying an ol)posite impression to
that stated l y the Learned Lord. This Magistrate,
•indeed, in vain advised the Gaoler to let the Peti-
tioner's letter to him (Lord Stanhope) be sent with-
out examination or interruption. It was also to be
observed, that there was no rule or autl.ority from
the Magi•Arates relative• to the opening or intercep..
tior of te.tcrs to or from prisoners. In tact, no such
rule could be ItTal. Therefore the Gaolr.r did that
which was contrary to law, and which the Magi.
strafes never sanctioned.

The Pe:iticu was ordered to lie on the Table.—
Ajourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

' The Registrars attended from the Six Clerks Office, the Cur-
altor and Petty Bag Office, and other Offices, to give in their re-
turns of Fees.—Laid on ;he 'fable.
'l.llx Deeds Attestation 1341 WAS read a second time, and order-
ed to be committed to-morrow,

Several Petit.oita were rectivid :Isaias! the Corn Bill.
:in. JOHN NEWPOIt gave notice of a motion for to-mor-
row, that the King's Remetittrancer of the Court of Exchequer
should be oidtred to attend at rue liar of the House.
On the motion of Mr. LUsHINGTON the Loan Bill was
read a seCul:titlLie, in order to be Contmitted.
'life Resolutions of the Committee of Supply and of the Cont-
slit tee of Ways and Meatis, were read and agreed to.
• Mr. M ci.ttsu, and Messrs. H. and R. Isttoits;ToN, were ap-
pointed as Members of the Commons, to be examined before the
fit.uie of Lords on the Corn Bill.

In coos' flutnce of a question from Lord A. H AMILTON,
the zecovtl reading of the llighlaod !toads Bill was tired for to•

morrow.

A:r WILBERFORCE moved for
.a Return of the quantity.
of Good, imported Tutu pt. Domingo in the la.!t five yedus.—
Ordavd.

POOll SETTLFMRNT DILL

Sir EGERTON BR 1' DOES moved-the Order of
the Day for taking' the Itepdrt of the Poor Settlement
Bin into further consideratuin. ' .

Mr. LEIGH KECK wibbed the•Honlifrable Er:
Tenet t pr..tpone the farther cortsiderAtion of the Ed:
01 neat S.-sskn,. %set to the whole law n!
s.-•i•••• yet•it w ts rldetiiorifing thit r
, !. 10, ,:t M. utier, A more impel.

feet Bill hi had never "geol. It went materially to
affect the agricultural labourer, and wis fraught
with inhumanity to the poorer classes in general.—
Theie were two or three good clauses in the Bill, but
these, though without the direct sanction of the Le-
gislature, were already .carried into effect by the
county Magistrates. He wished the Bill to be cir-
culated for their inspection and approbation.' Time
was absolutely necessary for a further consideration
of its provisions. He should therefore move that
it be taken into farther consideration this day three
months.

Mr. THOMSON approved of going into the dis-
cussion of the Bill. He thought if the last speaker
had had more time to examine its contents, he would
have entertained a better opinion of it. _

Mr. ATKINS WRIGI-iT objected to several of
the provisions of the Bill.
•
Mr. DAVENPORT was for the postponement.

Mr. JOHN SMITH did not think it necessary
to ?et the Bill stand over till next Session, but he
thought some farther time for consideration would be
advantageous.
Mr. SHAW LE FEVRE was for postponing the
consideration of the Bill altogether till next Sessions.
In two or three weeks most of the country gentle-
men, who generally took the onus of such questions
upon them, would be out of town. He thought the
Honourable Gentleman's Bill had met great lenity
from the House, it had been so often altered as to
be scarcely known for the same Bill, and in its pre-
sent state it had not been twelve hours in the posses-
sion of the Hbme.

Sir SAMUEL ROMILLY thought the term
66 lenity".shad been exceeding ill applied to the treat-
ment of she Honourable Baronet's Bill. He was well
entitled to Ike gratitude of the House. Though all
the clauses in it might not be equally beneficial, yet
the good so. far preponderated over that .which was
doubtful, as to induce him to vote for it in its present
state. There were two clauses in the Bill, of which
he entirely approved, that which prevented the re-
moval of paupers as soon as they b4!came chargeable
to the parish, and also the provision for affording
medical assistance. The clause which raised the
rate of settlement from ten to twenty pounds-; ap-
peared to him the most objectionable, as wen as
contrary to the general spirit of the Bill, every thing
in which. tended •to facilitate the settlement of
the poor.
Mr. STEWART• WORTLEY objected to the
double clause :elating to settlement, whirl[ he thought
would lead to much litig ition. He agreed in what
had fallen from the last speaker respecting the in-
creased rate of settlement.
Mr. PAI ; I. sari a f,:w words.

Lord M I,LTON agi eed with the Hon ilurahle and
Learned Gentlenon (Sir S. Rornillyl in his objec-
tions to the clause altering the rate tf hettleniclit. He
approved of the B:11, vi•hicii he t:ionght %you'd mate-
rially diminish the pours rates of the country.
Mr. WI-lITBR EAD r :se for the purpose of ex-
pressing- his general of the Bill. He
was surpiized it thins in which it h,id been
sr!lcf.,n I.:y an Honrlttrit!)le Member. He. sug
gt the propriety of hi iriging forward the different
provisions of the by point, as there were
several, he Nvis confident,.. which would meet the
unanim.ee col:etirrynce 1, the House. One in parti-
cular was that relh:ing aid. If, however,
the Honourable Bari)net pressed the general question
to a I (Mr. Whithicad) should curt:Linty
divide with him.

Mr.. W. SMITH did ntt see why those parts of
the Bill which seemed to be universally approved of,
-should not now pass into► a law.

Sir EGERTbN BR YDGES confessed that he
should have felt overwhelmed by the many objec•
tions which were at first made to his Bill, it be had.
not been cheered by the encouragement and approba-
tion of other Gentlemen, who had spt•lcen later in the
debate, and for whose opinions he felt the Inghest
deference. He'was liy their colictuienee convinced
that his Bill was not quite so stupid or abscrd as it
had been represented, and that he was not guilty i f
the precipitation, or of something worse than pre-
cipitation, of which he had been accused in bring-
ing. it forward. He was indeed induced to hope
that he might tie indulged in going into the Com-
mittee on the Bill. If there were objectionable parts
in it, they might there be thrown out. There were
two features in. it which he thought highly inapor-
tanf--I. The Clause which ordered temporary relief'
without removal ; and 2. That which made the real
parish of the pauper responsible for the reimburse-
ment of the expences incurred by that in which he
immediately resided. These two Clauses alone would
prevent a great deal of sulfuring to the poor, and a
great deal of expence to the Parishes in litigation and
removals, and he could not consent to deter the be-
nefits which he prrlmised himself in these respects for
nine or ten montht longer. The frequent alteratims
in the Bill, 'of which an' Honourable Member .had
complained rather haishly, did not go to affect any
one of its objects or principles, but were merely tech-
nical. After the struggle he had made, after the
time and pains which he had bestowed upon the sub-
ject, which had occupied his mind night and day, he
trusted he should not h.. thought guilty of stupid per-
tinacity in adhering to his original motion; or even
if he fail _'d in that to-night, he should never lose sight
of his object as long as he had the honour of a seat in
that House—( Hear, !mar.)
Atter a few words from Mr. SflAtv EEFEVRIC, in
the way of explanation, disclaiming any intentional
severity in What he had said, Sir E. Brydges con-
sented to withdraw all. those clauses from the Bill to
which any oLjection had been made.
Mr. LEIGH KECK, upon the understanding
that the objectionable clauses were to be omitted,
withdrew his amendnieut. The originhl questien was
then put and cattied in the affirmative, upon which,
Sir J. NEWPOR 1' moved that the Bill should be I
recommitted. •

Lord MILTON thought that before they went
into the Committee, the House should be informed
what clauses it was intended to retain and what tt,
dispense with. It worth] be better, he apprehended,
to leave out every chute to which any ohjoction had
Been made. The last 'clause, beinN entitely inreign
to the Bill, world of course be omitted.

Sir E. YDGES said that he certainly meant tr
withdraw 'all the clauses whith Lad been deemed ex-
ceptionohle, but reset ring to himself the iqilit.to pros:
e o :iitted clauses at ally future palm', upon the at.
claim of Parli'ameat.

The House Lbw resolved it►elf into a C• tninittet.,

• • .••
when the several objectionable clause* were with-
drawn. and various amendments suggested, with re-
spect to the remait.ing ones, some of which were
adopted. The Report was forthwith received;the
further consideration of it fixed for Friday se'nnight,
and the Bill ordered to be printed.
Mr. TIERNEY presented a Petition from the in-
habitants of Wapping againt the Bill which had just
passed through the Committee, but observed, that
the provisions of the Bill had been so altered, that he
scarcely knew whether or not to submit it .to the
House.—Ordered to lie on the Table.