Star.
London, England, 1818-03-12 00:00:00

be found which bad given more general so-
ds= that memorable one of the late Lord
..epcin this subject. There were before the
Petitions from persons, who stated that their
had been broken into and ransacked by the
ity of Magistrates to search them for libels—
hear) ;—that the Petitioners themselves had
erried to the House of Correction loaded with
and compelled to hard labour.., Such was the
luence of the celebrated Circulat Letter issued
by Lord Sidmouth—(heardrear.)—Could
ig be more monstrously illegal than that a
ithout trial, should be loaded with irons and
rood to hard labour in a House of Correction,
ime of which, even if he had been feund
the law would have awarded no such pu-
'? He particularly referred to the state-
the Petitioner (hitherto uncontradicted)
Charles Swindon, who had suffered such
.; nay, worse, his house broken open at the
might—his wife, far advanced in pregnancy,
from her bed—the house ransacked, and the
itioner himself carried to prison—(hear, hear.)—
-aansequences were, the premature labour of his
death of his child, and the most revolting
exercised upon the man himself, and all
use he was suspected of having in his pos.
..ertain libellous papers. This at least re-
The House might pass this Bill—they
pass Bills to suspend or destroy the liberties
people, but they could not suspend the laws
and Nature—they could not deliver the per-
of such acts from the torments of a guilty
ice—(hear, hear).—He contended that the
imstances on which the Indemnity Bill of 1801
een founded were very different from the pre-
Then there had been supposed and real con-
- with a foreign enemy, and the pretence was,
discover the names of the persons who had
ne information, would be to expose them to
trance. Now it was, that they would have
the fury of the populace, and the actions of
persons whose confinement they had occasioned
hear.)—But was it not known that witnesses
forward in Courts of Law were perfectly
id had any of those who had given evidence
,y manifested any apprehension of ill-treat-
'—The House were called upon to embody in
declaration that such was the situation of the
", that persons giving information of conspi-
dangerous to the State could not do it safely
the protection of Parliament—(Hear, hear.)
would not give his sanction to such a false-
A new system was thus attempted to be esta-
Persons were employed to sustain charac-
tich did not belong to them, to go among the
ted and excite them to insurrection, and then
were to be protected by the House !—(hear,
.)--Notwithstanding the rim i .ule to which he had
lered himself obnoxious, he should still contend,
lie employment of spies in the manner in which
had been employed, could not be justified.—
this man not appeared among the disaffected asi
,mbassador from London, they would not have
a hand. No one could read the Derby trials
it seeing that those deluded men relied en-
on
his statements and promises hear, hear.)
it was said those men were disaffected, other-
the supposed representations of Oliver could
had no effect upon them, and, consequently,
did not deserve the blame cast upon him.—
Ministers aware, that in saying this they
taking exactly the same ground of defence as
ighan, the execration of mankind ?--(hear, hear.)
did not speak of Brock and his accomplices, for
had attempted to betray innocent men into
But Vaughan had engaged thieves by trade
:ommit an easy burglary, in order to seize them,
obtain the miserable reward given as the
.price
lood. It was to sanction a similar conduct in his
jesty's Ministers that the House were called upon
lass the present Bill. But even its importance
\lc into nothing, when the higher consideration
!mbraced, and it was viewed as part of an op-
me system, to deprive individuals of their most
ble liberties, and then indemnify Magistrates
acts which they had done (even those not
the Suspension of the Habeas Corpus) in open
ince of justice. And the House were told that
was a necessary consequence of the Suspension
! So that in future, Magistrates would know
as soon as the Habeas Corpus should be sus-
led they might commit every illegal and unjust
ley pleased, and be sure that they must, of ne-
.y, be protected by a Bill like the present !
, hear, hear.) He knew that this melancholy
dent would be established, and that it would
id in future times, that the House had refused
iry, whilst its Journals recorded cases of the
flagrant injustice and cruelty. His only conso-
on was, that when these proceedings should be
when these precedents should be turned against
people, and all constitutional, freedom destroyed
all justice, it would be known that there had
a few individuals who, quite conscious that
would be. overpowered by numbers, and
the downfall of the public liberties would be
Led by the acclamations of majorities, had pro-
Led against such acts of violence, and endeavoured
lead back their country to a system of laws and
ice, which had been its own boast, and the envy
surrounding nations—(hear, hear.) His Majesty's
ign had been distinguished by many brilliant vic-
Aes, but Ministers would end by a melancholy
mph over the liberties of their country, and in
words of its immortal Bard—
" Ta.a England, wont to conquer other nations,
liAth gaited a bhanaeful conquest o'er hersdf."
Whatever be the fate (said Sir Samuel) which these
'asures will entail upon the country, I feel that I
re discharged my duty in thus earnestly protesting
tint them, and implore the House to consider the
twful responsibility they are about to incur."—(Loudl
mud continued cheers.)
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL contended that his
lonnurable and Learned Friend had kept out of
..fight, with consummate skill, the circumstances
which led to the measures adopted last Session, and
ultimately to the proposal of the present Bill. He
thee took a view of, the conspiracies on which the
'teports of the Committees and the Suspension Acts
1817 had been founded. After having obtained
.xtraordinary powers on the ground of necessity
lone; his Majesty's Ministers had surrendered them
soon as that necessity had ceased, though the time

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