Star.
London, England, 1817-02-05 00:00:00

MR. HUNT'S PCIITION.

Lori COCHRANE rose to present a Petiti. r.
from a Gentleman who complained of boior ttre
ject of much oppression an .1 misrepreaentation it
the petition contairted ailagations that were ono ue,
let tlivm be cararovertrd ; ce the contrary, tl.ey
w: re true, let the Wield:tat ItAre tvi oprr unity of.
m iinnouing them. Weer.) The Noble Lord then
stand, that the in titior w!ich he 11.. id, wa, I ram rvlr.
Henry Hunt, who coniolained of a libel having be-n
sent forth upon his character. He s:ated, that he
coaid prove it to have been vtinted at the office of
hr police printer ; to have ittrn i• sued from a police
otßce ; ire have been, when of iced to thif:rent walls
of vie melt polls, watched by officers of the police,.
stationed for vie purpose; .tn..!, I.istly, that copies of
t' e paper so placarded, were deposited at a police
QS ;es far the purpose of enabling the parties who
detected othats %emu% town the bills to identity the
torn part from the whole copy so deposited. He
(Lord Cochrane) hoped, that if such facts woe
proved a: the Bar e,f that House, they would feel the
necessity of addressing his Royal Highness the Prince
Regent, entreating that he would dismiss from the
Cnnvuissioa nf the Pence, and from his employment.
a Magistrate itri.o would be found to have so violated
his duty. He concluded by moving, that the petition
ire brought
Mr. Fierjeaut BEST felt it right to object to the
extraordinary court.: nhich was atsout to be taken ,a;
this occasion. Let the Hoest: reflect for a moment
ori the sitnatton i,i nitich it would be placed, by re-
ceivirtg this P.l•tion. It would stand in a situation
to pronounce upon an inquiry, without having the
power of investigating or.fiscertaining *pots oath the
truth or falseitreni of tee allegation at issue—(lleer,
L:cr)..—The Peti6or.er hal tptite using's his course.
5r01.4) papers had' it appearesl, stuck up, re.
fleeting upon his 'char, teter, counterparts of which
were found at a P,:itce Office. They might have
',been there without the koowledge or privity of the
bisgistratez but if they were with his consent. then
the remedy lay in a judicial proceeding against the
Magistrate ifs due course Of Inw, where the whole
evirience on facts may
.be* taken upon otth. The
lioisseluennistnot surely 'convert inlet! into it Court
t .king clignizence iq the outset of charges brought
agaima infant r Officers.--(firar,imar).—He would,
thertitote,.oppose this Pet;tron, as it prayed nothing
which mild not be put in a regular coarse of redress
me the ordinary way of ,roceedirg.—(lleer, bear).
Lord COCUR.ANE, in reply to Vie course of ja-
dicial inquiry pointed,.ont by the Learned Sarjeant,
begged to say, that he 40 no intention of inn oducing 1
into the Manse of Commons the practice of the Court
of King's Bench, where petitions were rejected un-
heard.
Sir FRANCIS BURDETT begged to observe,
that the Noble Lord had stated the coptenti of the pe-
tition, and, Is so doing, had satisfied all the forms con-
tended for in the_ priortation of petitions—(Hrer.)
Mr. PONSONBT would not conceive a worse
ground of objection 'to the reception of a petition,
titan the prob ibility that its prayer would, in an ulte-
rior stage, be rej.,cted —( Year, hear.)
Mr. Serjeant BEST disclaimed any wish to oh.
eruct the presentation of the petition, or that it should
lie on the table. His obiervattons applied to the in-
troduction of an measure upon it—(flear.)
Mr. CANNING was certainly of opinion that no
objection could he iaterpoied to prevent the petition
being laid on the table. It as ulterior measure were
intrUdeced, it would then be competent for the:n to
take their own course.
The Petition was then brought up and read :
it set forth, that Henry Hunt lead the brut means of knowing
that a conspiracy hail been formed against him : That he bad
ever been 4 true Li.,l loyal rutiee:—(4 laugh)—and when his
country wa4 thrrLteriel wi.ti invasion in 1;97, he had embarked
his whole inluer:y it: deknee of his country. On that occa-
sion, he wrote to the Earl of Pembroke (the Lord Lieutenant of
the county in wt.:di be re,:led), a letter, containing an offer of a
very large quat.iity of elk-cc., Jaen, waggons, driver, and ids
own person beside— (if the pubic service. In tens,
he was equally Itrom!neat with a tenda tar the public service,
and had received the achnowLdgeracrts of the Lord Lieutenant
for leis efficiency. The Petitioner then proceeded to sate the et.
*Mons be had been la ely makftig at politic meetings, In a consti-
tutional, le„-al, and liia.zeable manner—(A lough)--to serve his
country. He &wined the Meeting at Bristol ; the posting-lA,
which lesely stated, that Ise bad been blued out of that town;
and the circumstance of the boy, llontas Dugood, being corn-
io dunyeuo, fur tearing it from a wall, and prayed fur
redress from the House under such 'imam:enc.'.
Lord COCHRANE then moved, that the Petition
do lie on the table.
Lord CASTLEREAGH observed, that the same
course had oolv been pursued which was aced upon
by the Noble I.o:.1 opposite last night (Lord Folk-
ston*). It was now evident that the House could
not allow itself to be made the instrument of deciding
and investigating matters en Voir early stage, which
more properly belonged to other tribunals —(1-fear.)
There could certain.y he no obj-:ctinn to receive, in
the I,st instattce, a Petition properly couched, al-
though the matter would assume quite a diffe,ent
'complexion, if a formal inqutty were afterwards
*ought for, merely because the House consented to
allow the Petition to remain on its table—(istar, hear.)
If a Petitioner hui acy gri 'v.inces to complain o', for
which the due course of the administration of jusbce
afforded no redress, then. indeed. the House might
eotnider itself as not impropedy called upon to inter-
poo. 'He ( Lord Castlereagh) would net oijecl to
the t...ins Liu pp the table but he webld

• 1 ; t_
cert.:a:ll7 rti po A inA oritrotiOrtor4 of Say iurtn•r ,_2•
pos.it.on the
COCIAR:1.•; t.': repred, that 17e wa nit pr--
!Are ; iss'd 9W t!i) the te:e.2.l.ltt of the
w, vs.; I E.,e- Its •ticst•

('c..t;•.n w.r. 01. L :40 crt 11P.

1.,' CIOH,

i•Fl.'F.Str:.:, IC:.

f;:r F. LC; .t l'T intse.:suti a • rettnan frnm t!..*
'Film of I..ice-ter. and anots,t:r
11071 i tit? I:ol.lb:MitS L.e;ze.:, in Laccashir% in Id-
von, of I'm liannitary itrftnm, which were Ifia
(14,1 un!e.

Au.ccen GINTRUCTV4/ TO TIIR RtGIIT OF PrITTIOtt.

Mr. BROUGHetni rose to present a Petition to
the House, am! to make stuue ohmvations, which
arose out of the peoienlar subject, that would. he
%.:t perstreded, in iihe them with no snt oil degree ef
aonmishmeet. B.fore he entered ern a st iternect
of Itch. which, ii seleetittiethi, celled for the
oesehten eve; inn I ne.heled expre.sion ie hid; minion,
he w.>.11.1 sty, t'..t In Ohosiem had berg treesmitted
tr, hint, aecornpaeied by :so effeneeits virifyiiig the
facts i: disclosed. I irre he w !;,::.1 f rV, rant: it senold
ne weil tor the Chre.nrat!e of :hen:co i.e.-metros; to
look into such facts ae this Petinen ‘. e fir h, and
se:tidier uiethio• act. of thet campli eine wine not
stroeoly calculezed to create the stein a remedy fir
whicli they were eheet to consider? He Nell it tulle
perfectly indulihebi-. th a if, on the oae hand, it was
the buttiaden duty of the Erern:tire Goshrument to
see that the peace ni the country e.,:s 'let broken,
Ann as well the die), af brat H.0.:.e LA Stlrpnr: the
elovercraent is the eontervetion ut :ha: pe..ce ; so. as
the ruder hand, the i:hlse was more peculi 'fly call ...I
open (and niched es a poeurou.it duty) to see the
real grievances of the rhos!? redressed, before they
were driven into acts of violente mot euirage, which
when committed. were not easily to he remedied.
—lf at a time eih.:n a sufficiency of universal stiffer.
lug prevailed ha eulliout the comitty, the Kids
wine to be prevented tram exercising their undoubted
tight, what coot tie die consequence?. Nothing but
Oneontent, nisonien„ it not something worse....
(Hear, Herr).—Were the House even determined to
enact rigid measures at such a crisis, and to reject
the opinion that overwhelming distress prevailed out
of dotes, be (Mr. Brougham) would still conjure
them at least to :mat the statement of those grievances
which they would runt believe, and if they would sot
'throw their doors widely open to receive Petition),
and to protect the legal right of the subject, in to
exercise 4.1 his privilege, he hoped, at all events, they
wettld prevent any open obstruction being given to
hiarin the progrios of petitioning.—(Hear. hear).
In the present chie (if the statement merle to nitre
were true) this subj-ct had been most grossly and
unjustifiably ohstsucted rit the perforinence of nis
legal right. The fut. were these :-- A Petition had
been prepared at the town of Wartiogion, in Lerma-
shite, and it was quickly signed by fat or 9Y) persona.
Tire subjdet matter of it was fer a Reform in Pailie-
two, not one dictated in the spirit el some Petitions,
but homed' in guarded at: temperate lenguage, such
t as tee most too:h.:hue Pnioriner could not of te.
—lt stated, with forboatence and caution, the grie.
trances of the people ; it accompanied that stetenieet
with no specific plea, but merely itnri!nred the emo-
tion and consideration of Parliament to such urn:-
sures of retrenchment and Constitutional Reform as
the House, in its wisdom, might deem expedient at
this• important crisis. Such a petition, he sheen
have thought, would have raised free from chstret-
-1:311 in its cot Ti. a instead cf which, however, a o r.
sou named Richard Berrowr forcibly seized it in if,.
while it wes convce•so,
puiAic street of Warrington,
About for signatures ($6O tiaving then siened it) and
carried it to a person named Edward Coates, wih
•delivered it over to Thomas Lyda, junior, a oeueo
pan Gentlemandiogirree saindyinpg withchitisheruwncalyeo. t.lfrileaccliNia.priticir.ii
Magistrate of the town. (Hear, hear.) The peti-
romise
tioners, after in vein attempting to recover their pe-
tition, at length a edressed a respectful letter (a copy
of which he hid) to the untie of Mr. Lyall, stating
the circumstances that had occurred, and deman-
ding back their peution, which, they understood,
was deposited in Lis house. (Hear.) Alter waiting
a reasonable time, they received no answer, and two
days after were under the necessity of framing another
petition of a similar nature with the former one.—
'Of the former he was not, of course, possessed, for it
had never been recovered, but he was tarnished wit
an attestectcopy of it. and with one sheet notitainieo
560 signatures that was to be attached to the het et
signatures on the Petition sheet, together with two
effidavhs explenatory. of the whole affair, It the
result of an inquiry into this matter should prove un.
nleas:int to those concerned in provoking it, the rent
•
would attach to their unjustifiable obstruction of el
undoubted legal right, and not to the conduct oi
etiose who were necessarily coMpelled to seek redress
a grievous wrong inflicted upon them. He cop-
eluded by moving, that the Petition he held in ho
hand be brought up.
The SPEA K ER.—re Has it any signatures;"
Mr. BROUG hi A 4.—" CertailAy."
The Petition was therf brought up and read.
Mr. BROUGHAM stated, that in the present
stage of the business, he conceives it to be of greet
importance that the Petition should merely lie on the
table—not with a view of allowing it to rest there,
but that the parties affected by it should talus hare
an opportunity of preparing themselves to meet tee
inquiry which the i'etitioners had a right to demrd
, from that House. (Hear, hear.)—He would cell
for this inquiry in about ten days, when he hoped
the House would possess some (other information
upon the subject.—( Hear, hear.)
Mr. WILBRAHAM BOOTLE suggested to tne
Hon. and Learned Member the propriety of out ha. -
thy pressing the matter beyond where it now to J.
lestead ol being, perhaps, what he deemed a vien :e.
outrage, it might turn out, if hut eer steps, oee e
taken, to be nothing more than a stupid mad j,liCe lif
acme boy in the country— (lieeedieer, from Me VA4cii-
five: Bender)—by which the petitioner, lost het t a sket.t
of paper— (Crier of hear.) He begged not to be :a-
dela n,d as insinuating that if the act were nelioe.
rately committed, it ought not to be lolked on as a
deliberate ouirage, and the party committing it pro
i nished ; but if it were a silly freak the case would be
different It would, ptiltaps, be as we:l if the lion.
and Learned Gentleman would not pledge himself to
teeny the rii tutee tuition
Mr.
M
Mr. BROUGHA replied, that he was not pre.'
ut
I cell, mild the facts came full] before him, lit Quell

.

irde the blame may attach. Tke facts, as communi-
e :red to him, may perhaps, from the statement of the
:scented in their defence, tarn oat to he exalzgerated,
eiren fahticatcd ; or, er. the contrary, what the
Honourable Gentle's:al. looked upon as only a bad
j ,ke. may prove to have been a gross outrar.—
(fie or, lear.-)
hlr.W I L Lia..l;rlA.Zel BOOTLE explained that he
Ai,! nut wact to pr,:nounce a prematute cyinion I but
iennrant persons in a country town may do an act of
C.is kind, without slaw i,susdiag '" ccimeidtlin its
uoti.eqcet.ce+.
Mr. I'ONSON3I" mild not suffer this matter to
pass w;theat makhe eae Or two remarks. And these,
t e mos: express t..e extreme satisfactlon which he felt
at tl.e 'mei:rate and moderate language in which
Honourable and Learned Friend had stated this
ri.ost extraordinary occurrence to its House. *The
I nourrible Member opposite had been pleased to
call it only a bad inke ; taut tn him (Mr. Ponsosiby)
it appeared sne of the most gross and :levant viola-
tion. et the privilege; of the People and ot that Howie,
that h4d ever occurred. In the preheat situation of
tee counti y, nodii -.g could he crier dengeroos than
to give the Pens an o..porunity of stating that
their Petitions were not suffered to reach that House.
(Near, hear.)—T:be• distresses of all classes of the,
c• normally tier.. unparalleled in the history of the
et:awry ; ant City should be permitted at least to
state their ;vire:me:4 in order that the Hc.uae might
ad,pt e most effectual means of administering re-
-la,:.—(Hear, hear.)—His Honourable and Leatned
Fr cad had very properly suggested, that ether infor-
matiim might be afforded on the facts of this Pen-
ti .n; but it that infarmation were net presented, to
the H give, he lineed noiliiag would prevent his Ho-
rmrable and Learned Friend from shewing to the
People that their sacred and indubitable tight of pe•
sitiotting would be ;reserved, at least by the faithful
Representatives of the Coontry.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. C. W YNN could cot but regret to hear so se-
rious and solemn a subject lead to any such degree
of levity as the Honourable Member opposite had
manifested. It was the paramount duty of the House
to protect the subject in his right of presenting peti-
linos. This was one of the principal anicles in the
Lill of Rights. which most be always reverenced
protected by every sincere liver of his country.
lie was utterly astonished at' the planner in which
tie flonoarahle Gentleman had endeavoured to ex-
cr.ie this sliamelul and flagrant violation of one ot
the best privileges of the people. Such a gross and
dat :rig act could hardly have been perpetrated, ex-
cept by some low person set on by others. lie did
r.nt mean to say that this was the case in the present
instance g but he most sin&ely trusted, that it would
he traced to its source, and that the House of Corn-
s:eons would always thew its jealousy on this subject.
(lie.er, int).
Mr. WILBRAHAM BOOTLE was far from'
being inclined to treat the subject with levity, it it
shred] appear that the obstruction were intentional.
The Petition was then laid on the Table.
INCREASE OF PUBLIC SALARIES.

Mr. BROUGHAM begged to ask the Right Ho-
rourable Gentleman opposite, whether any, and what
increase of salary had been given during the last
summer to an Otßurr in the Customs, called the Re-
ceiver of the Fines and Forfeitures
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
replied, that he would inquire into the tact. He was
not at present aware of any increase of salary in the
Department selludeci to.
Mr. BROUGHAM then said, he hoped there
would be t,o objection to a motion which he ml ant io
submit, " fir an account of the salary to the Officer
in qiiestic,n, 'since the Ist January, 1816, and for the
variant regulating or alining that salary ; together
with an acconnt at the amount of that salaty before
such alteration touk place ; and also for a return of
the names .of any Receivers sn appointed, with the
dates of Cie said appointments."
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
am no objection. to these retUrns, which were then
ordered.

On the motion of Mr, ROBINSON, the House
went into a Committee on the Bill for the exportation
of naval stores. In'the Committee a Resolution was
adopted, and legve given to bring in a Bill to amend
the former Actg.—The House then adjourned.

THE EVENING STAR.

140 NOON.

TO-MORROW THE LOTTERY F;NISHES, AND ALL
THE I WRNTY CAPITALS NOW IN THE WHEEL,
MST HE. DRAWN.
WEDNESDAY. FEBRUARY 5, 1817.

!RICE OF SMOCKS THIS DAY AT T WE INE-O'CLOCK
Method ISl—Coss.mo. 6411--Coos. for a= Sift
4 per Coot. SI ft-5 per CURL Navy NH
lie18•111er alb, 111s.pr.—Iodla Scads, 308. 31.. pre.

Last night Committees were voted in both Houses'
of Parliament, to examine and report opon the Papers
relative to secret lawless assemblages—the number
: for the Peers 11, and fur the Commons 21. They are
to sit in private. Lord Casmaazasm stated, that
the Committees were not proposed in consequence of
• the late atrocious attack on the PRINCE RitGENT••-•
but to repress illegal associations which existed long
beture 'Litt event.

In consequence of the Lottery fir.ithing entirely
To-moltow, the Lotiery Ot.l-Jews will he open, till
Twelve This Night, and horn Eight till Nine To.
mottos:; as the Drawing begins at Nine—Twenty
Capitals, including One of Twenty l'houband Gui-
nea., One of Five Thousand Guineas, &c. &c. must
Lien all be drawn.

GLN FAIAL PBNITENTJARY, MlLBANK.Yesterday
mnriiing the Gus Dims. accompanied by Sir Was.
Covonsys anJ suite, went to view this.natioual esta-
blishment. The Right Hon. CHARLgS L#ONO.
Houma% Esq. and the several officers of the Insti-
tuion, attended them through the different parts of
the building, chapel, flcc. He afterwards inspected
in the committee-room the respective books of the
establishments, and espressed himself much gratified
at the general demeanour of the prisoners, and the
genera arrangement and management of the prison.
On leaving, the Secretary, hfr. 'racists, presented his
lilkihness with a copy of the Rules and Regulations;
and he afterwards proceeded to Mr. PIWNEfeli ma-
puirastory at Battersea.