Star.
London, England, 1816-06-26 00:00:00

AT:IMIS OF IMPRISONMENT.

Mr. BENNETT rose, to move for an account of
the persons confined in the King's Bench Prison. It
was to be remembered, that in the last Session, a
Committee of the House had sat to examine into the
state of the prisons, which Committee had teem.
mended that a commission sh-mtd be appointed to
inquire into the state of the blArshalsea and fleet,

wia that it should be recommended to the Judges to.
investigate and remove the abuses existing in teat
prison. At the beginning of the Stnion, when he
had made inquiries as to this commis:inn, it was said
that k had been appointed, but that it had not tile;
proceeded with its investigation. Since that, though
the Session was so near its termination, he had heard
no more of it. As to the King's lkirch, it was said
that much had been done to reined the abases.
Now, though, something had hoea (!tn;e, ycz n•ithing
effectual had been done. It wouid hardly be he,
lieved, that the Marshal had derived £BOO a year
from a per tentage on the beer drank in the prison,
in defiance of the Act of Parliament ; and £2510 a
year from the rules ; that was to say, this sum of
money was taken trona the pockets of debtors, to
the injury of their creditors, for the benefit of the
Marshal. He could not imagine that those abuses
could continue, unless the Marshal was suppartel
by some person of high authority.—(llear,
The paper which he had moved for respecting the
Petworth Hou-,e of Correction, would shell that
the abuse of the system of solitary confinement, had
exceeded any thing which could have b.-en imagined.
For the crime of vagrancy a person had been subject
to this terrible punishment for thirteen months, ole
for seven months, and several for four months. As
to the wretched woman, whose case he bad before
mentioned, he had no doubt that her insanity had hen
produced by the solitary confinement, as she was rear
declared to be not insane. Among the cases men.
tioned in the Return was, that of a man who had bete
kept in solitary confinement tree menths fox oe.
'tidying a pheasant's egg ! That is to say, the
mis:aal.le being who fell under the sentence, was kept
23 hozaa out tit the 24 within four small walls, %vita-
' out ;soy kind of. employmeat, eit..:er entirely opea to
the air, or quite excluded from light, aed the crime
for which this punishment was iniiicted, was t'.7:
breaking of a pheasant's egg. He thought it seas
the duty of the person with whom the power resided,
to stn i;ce out of the Commission the Magistrates who
hid so concurred is this sentence. The Honourele
4;entlenian then moved for an account of the number
of persons centined in the King's Bench Prison on
' 24th of Jun), 18i3, and of the greatest number
confined in Coat Prison, between the 21th ut j*,:et's
1815, and the 21th of June, 18iti.
Mr. H. ADDING TON said, the C,rnm:ss',l
wisich lel been appointed had not yet made its Re-
port, but considerable progress had been ma;le is :':e
investigation. When the Report of the Committee
had heNl laid on the table last Session, no motion
had been made on the subject, but the Secretary of
State for the Hume Depattment had thought it his
duty to recommend the appointment of a Committee,
and ne had also laid a copy of the Committee's Re-
port bcfore the Chief Justice of the King's Bonzlr,
who, it was presumed, would titre the steps which
were necessary with respect to the prison mere imme-
diately under his jurisdiction.
Mr. BURRELL hoped he should be allowed to
say a few worth to do etiN oy the impression

. .7
• .
loograbh Move} bad mat!, on ;he, House..
.As
to WC firsr case of Isaic Francis, who bad been con
At4d for thirtee.n months es a vagrant,. his confine-
ment was An act of charity When he was, taken up
helves unable to give an accouirt who he was —all
be could say was the word .. Newpor•." Inquiry
was made at Newport in the Isle of Wight, but no
soh person was known there. At last a woman 'hap
need to come into the neighbourhood from Newport
in Monmouthshire, from whom it was learnt that the
Aesop belonged to that town, and he was restored to
his parents. As to the female nho bad been men-
tioned, she was still supposed to be insane, but it se-
curity was given for her, the Magistrates would wil.
hogly'liberate her. The case of the man who was
confined for destroying a pheasant's egg, he was not
acquainted with. The cause of complaint which had
been given by solitary confinement would soon be
Moved, as two rooms were to be built for the corn
non use of the,prisoners.
Sir C. BURRELL defended the Magistrates of
the District alluded to, whom he could state to be
attentive and humane. The female alluded to had,
then brought before the Magistrates, in the first in-
stance, coitusitted such acts of violence that he had
ctwoidered her insane. Tile incormmience ari.ii.g
from the want of windows, in the cells had beau re-
moved, by introducing a pane of glass into the. slim_
feu, so that even when they were closed there. was
light enough to read by.
Sir F. *URDETT thought two years and eight
fceoths' solitary confinement was sufficient to calls,
ointment in the sufferer of such a punishinens,
„hooch no predisposition to insanity already existed.
vesoderstood that the case of the unfortunate wo-
am referred to was one, not of insanity;but of violent
age, arising from seduction and subsequent ill-treat-
,ln such circumstances paroxysms of violence
4,t.ht be expected ; and for such, this poor woman
sit sentenced to two years' solitary confinement.
lyre system established of awarding solitary confine.
mast for certain offences had been vetj much abused.
wolf been entirely diverted from the spirit and in-
fection with which it had been recommended by Mr.
Iforard. It'was distinguished now by undue and
frisproportioned rigour. Only one haur was allowed
I the twenty-four for air and exercise. This was
indicative of its severity. With what surprise must
k strike every one to hear that this was the punish-
sent awarded for the most trilling offences; An
act et v %Taney exposed him who committed it to six
ee seven months of such confinement, and the re-
ceiving of alc•.s was an act of vagrancy. But coming
lithe subject, to deliver his sentiments on which w as
his o'oject in rising, be was obliged to ex' rests his
sepriseuthat the-abuses pointed out in the King's
Mach prison by the CJusolittre of last year were not
ctrected, and that no rurnedy at all had beta ap-
Ord. ' The reason why. such remedy was delayed
as still more retro rdinary. No farther investiga.
tics vie requisite. Gross and scandalous abuses had

bees discovered. -stated. and denounced ; and whtn
the reason *was asked why they were not corrected,
the House wa% told that further investigations werr
going forward. The system 1,441 Inch declared c•-r•
rupt, and yet no remedy had been attet:lpted. The
dicers whose conduct was cornplair.ed oi were Ill<JE
removed.

Mr. HUSKISSON concurred with what had been
stated respecting the disagreeable state of that prison.
le was enough to secure the person of a prison•:r,
without Adding unnecessarily to his punishment. He
us glad, however, to inform the House, that consi-
derable alterations were at present making in the
piton, by order of the Magistracy. The conduct of
taros woman shewed her to be insane, aad every
tendon had been shewn her in that unfortunate con-

aim. He did not wish the punishment of s litary
aininenyent to be abolished. It gave the individual
time, as bad justly been observed, to review his
maduct and endeavour to form good principles,
while, on the contrary, unlimited intercourse with
prisoncrs actually vitiated the morals and led to bar.,
dened incorrigible impenitence. It was unnecessary
for him to add that the character of Mr. Sergeant,
Chairman of that County, for humanity and attention
13 the interests of justice, was too well known to re..
quire any eulogium from him—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. BENNET considered the treatment which
this Woman had received bad caused her insanity,
and trusted the House would not overlook her case.
After a few words from Sir CHARLES MONCE, Sis
C. Bimini., and Lord COCHRAN 4 the Motion was
agteed to.

INTENDED MONUMENTS.
General THORNTON rose, agreeably to the
%nice he had give'', to move that a humble Address
he presented to his Royal Highness the Prince Re.
Pot, praying his Royal Highness to give orders for
the erection of several Free Churches, in commemo.
mice of the Battles of Trafalgar and Waterloo.
This he considered the most acceptable manner of '
expressing our gratitude to our gallant defenders, and
to the Geese of all Victory. He had received sere-
ratters, upproving of his motion, from two of which
he read exttucts.
re CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER,
;arising oppose the motion, begged not to be tin-,
destood as thinking the present number of Esta-
blished Churches in the City and suburbs to be suffi-
cient- He admitted there was a very great call for
better accommodation of all classes, in the Churches,.
and he trusted there would be some provision made
Cl 5 this head next Session. At East it was intended
to propose to Parliament nett Session to grant a
'Pecific sum for erecting a nurrber of Churches, on a
moderate plan. He did not think, however, that the
erecting of Churches as a monument to our gallant
defenders was proper. He cculd not see in what light
tuvy could be considered as a monument, and he
therefore should move the previous question.
Mr. WM. SMITH concurred with the Chancellor
of the Exchequer.
After a few words from Lord COCHRANE, Mr.
14NG, and General Tnortutorr, the latter of whom
expressed his high satisfaction at the intormation,now
oentinueicated to the House by the Right Hon.
Gentleman, the motion* was put and negatived with-
out a division.

SAYING WANKS. _
Mr. ROSE expressed his wish that the Bill for
oling Banks be now read a third time. He was
!riiic‘d from the information he had received on
`a's subject from the highest authorities. that the Bill
togld, _be of essential service. It had already pro-
`lced I spirit of economy in Ireland, formal,' un-

. • ' - • • . .
knnirn in that cA;unry. and Enid, ha kid no doghte
be productive of beneficial consequenceak., He had
heard from the Lord Lieuten4nt and two.or three
hundred persons whO concurred in considering the,
13,i1 .Isenlotely railed for.
Sir C. MONCK repeated_ his former objection; to
the Bill. am, moved that it be read a third time this
clay tortniOrt. "•
Mr. ROSE had male all the incoiry he possibly
cevld, 411 d found not the smallest objection stated
to it.

The 'House divided—For the.third reading 28—
Against it B—Mahrity 20.
'rhe Bill was accordingly read a third time and
p3s,ed.

Mr. WILBIR FORCE gave notice of a motion ter to-morrow,
founded on the papers which bad been presented to the Home
respecting the Slave Trade.

Mr. H. ADDINGTON presented an Account of the Amount
and Application of Sheriffs Fees.
Sir F. iIUR DE rr moved far an account of the lives lost In
the Navy and Transport Service, by shipwreck, since January 1,
1814, and of the lives preserved out of wrecks. He stated, that
he had been informed that 4000 lives had been lost by shipwreck
in the transport service. He wished the retarn to be made; in
ord.r f,r illusttate the extent of mischief which might be pre-
vewed, by the use of the Invention of Mr. Mailison.

hir.( lOU I.BUR N said, the lives lost in the transport service,
within the time speciih.d iir the motion, fell very much short of
tioun. Indeed, with the exception of some transports wrecked
MI the coat of Ireland, the bOaS by shipwreck bad been very
small. the motion was agree) to.
The Carlisle and Glasgow Road Bill was read a third time,
and passed.
. The Oil and Blul ber Bill, the Irish Tetwn Lands Fine Bill, the
Irish Spirits D!it!es Bill, th Spirit 4ntercourse Bill, the Vagrants'
Bill, the ChancLry Court Bill, the Irish Cierk of the Pleas 13ill,
were reported and ordered to be read &third time to-morrow. .
The `tamp Duties Amendment Dill was committed. Report
to-morrow..
Ilium the Report of the Leather Trade Regtdation Bill belag
brought up,
Lott COMPTON proposed a clause to exempt from Stamp
Duty upon drawback, any quantity of Leather exported below
the value of Lin.
The CHANCELLOR of the FXCHEQUER thought the
princip:e of the propositions submitted by the Noble Lord de-
serving ..f consideration as a erneral measure, with respect to
dra's hacks, Gut that such a clatve could nut be consistently in-
sert. d in tht. poetic Bill.
After a conversation between Mr. Benson, Mr. Luau I moron,
and the CHANCKLLUIt of the Exculevea, with regard to certain
allowances to Fanners, (which Mr. BLS II ul4 alleicti to have been
strongly :I:ea:lntended by the Committee upon this measure,)
the Report was agreed to, and the Bill ordered to be read a third
time to-morrow.
Mr. V. VI IZGERALD gave notice or a Motion for the next
Session, fur leave to bring in a Bill to estend the Jurisdiction of
the Asst,t alit Barristers in Ireland, with regard to the recovery of
Small Drbts.--m-Adjourned.


EV

LONDON.

It.

. WEDNESDAY, JUNE le, 1816.
PRICE OF STOCKS THIS DAY AT 'f*FT,vr O'CLOCK&
Reduced 1130—Cons. shut—for ()punkin 641 65
4 per Cent. Tnif—S per Oita. Navy shun—liondt Ss. Ss. pr. •
Omnium pay. 11.31—F.schequer Bills, Ss. tlis.2s. pr.

In the House of Commons last night, the Report
of the Committee en the regulations made by Foreign
Courts, in respect to their Catholic subjects, Iva!
brought forward by Sir Jont4 Cox HIPPISLEY.
Report was commended by Mr. CANNING, the New
Minister, who stated the practice adopted in France
which tolerated the return to Parliament of Protes-
tants—admitted them into the Executive Councils—
.
tecogntsed them in Catholic proc•ts.ion—confeired
the order of Nobility—and, In short, according to
Mr. CANNING'S rigvv, the. Governl.:nt proceede4
upon that amiable and fraternal footing of' sociable
friendship and intercourse which reconciles religious
animosities, and makes a State happy and tm:ted.
The Report was ordered to be printed.

The French Papers of Saturday arrived after cur
Paper was at press yesterday, and to-day we give
such extracts from them as appear to be interating.
The private letteri dwell upon the marked attention
which continues to be paid bj the KING of France to
the Duke of WELLINGTON. At the entertainment
on the Duke of Benaa's marriage, none of the Fo-
reign Ambassadors were so much noticed as our
gallant Countryman; and, en the other hand, his
Majesty evinced much coolness towards T A LLICYRAND,
who attended officially as Grand Chamberlain.

A Mail from Hamburg!' arrived to•dap. The
German Papers contain minute details of the cele-
bration of the Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo
in various parts of the Continent. The Plague still
rages with great violence in the Egyptiau Provinces
of the Turkish Empire.