Star.
London, England, 1821-05-03 00:00:00

.-----qt, -7,7; vv.:
be sent to rison upon somehearsav infOrmation, and
detalne,l d itAthe f4rgon.
s Alt ',l -.. M
gii_r.e,pYy m Lord A. II maiLrows and
44i5
)kiike.-i 4,4o•rtrom the LORD ADVOCA the Peti-
.l4 •4"liio/Iv..is %-,1 ei'eatisi 14 on the table.
lI.CHICIFiItit JAIL.
Mr.'IttNNETT preientvd it Petition from a lad,
aged 'not-teen years, named John Wheeler, now con-
fii ,d in l'enemer Jail. The Petitioner represented
biro:is-1f to he the son of a poacher in the County of
S,lnersei, arid being confined in the Jail of Ilchester
fir some ~ITence against the law, represented that he
was subjected to vaiious acts of excessive rigour on
the pact of the jailor.
Mr. Alderman WOOD said he had reason to know
that certain facts of a most extraordinary nature
would be made known with respect to the jailor of
Ilchester, as soon as the inquiry into the state of that
jail would take place. He wished to know from the
Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Commission of
Inquiry was yet appointed, and if so, of what per-
sons did it consist ?—(No answer was given.)
Sir R. WILSON made it his business to inquire of
the late Under Sheriff of the County of Somerset with
respect to the truth of certain statements which he
had seen, involving heavy charges of unnecessary se-
verity against the jailor. The Under Sheriff informed
him that it was true great seventy had been prac-
tised in that jail, which he had suspended during the
period of his office, but which he understood had
been since revived.—Petition was laid on the table.
HALF-PAY OFFICEIt.

Colonel DAVIES, in rising to bring forward his
promised motion respecting the Officers on Half-pay,
took occasion to call the attention of the House to
the great hardships which these Gentlemen sustained
by their being excluded from promotion and com-
missions in the Army. A great many of them had
purchased their commissions, and it was most unjust
that they should be debarred their right of promo-
tion. If the present system continued to he acted
upon, some of those Half-pay Officers would never
be raised from the condition in which they were placed
at present. No one would deny but that this was a
great hardship on men who had suffered so much
for, and deserved so well of their country. He ad-
mitted that many of them went voluntarily upon
half-pay, but he thought the case was not altered.—
Therefore, what he proposed was, that one-half of
the vacancies at least should be filled from the Half-
pay. List. With that view, he proposed an Address
to his Majesty, stating, i‘ That for the present and
future ease of his subjects, it was expedient that he
should employ in the Army such persons on the
Half-pay List as were qualified to serve his Majesty."
The gallant Colonel added, that this Address was
verbatim the same as one proposed and carried una-
nimously in 1740.
Lord PALMERSTON objected to the Address, as
conveying an imputation upon the Commander-in-
Chief, which his Royal Highness did not deserve.—
He then went on to state, that there were many-Of-
ficers on half-pay who were neither able nor willing
to enter into actual service. If all vacancies were
to be filled up from the Half-pay List, all regimen-
tal promotion must necessarily be put an end to.—
The Commander-in-Chief had no reason to under-
value the services of Officers on half-pay more than
any other class of Officers. In fact, his Royal High-
ness had always shewn a disposition to give commis-
sions to these Officers. No less than 2178 commis-
sions were given to Half-pay Officers in the five years
between 1811 and 1816. This was at the rate of 400
promotions a-year, and computing the number now
on the Half-pay List, in nine years time the whole
would be proMoted.

Sir ROBERT WILSON agreed with the gallant I
Officer near him, that the Officers on half-pay were
entitled to the best consideration of the House and
the Country. But he could not view the motion as
conveying any imputation on the Commander-in.
Chief. He was sure his Honourable Friend did not
intend it should convey any such thing. The gallant
General then stated- that there was another class of
Officers to whose claims sufficient consideration had
not been given, and who were yet most deserving of
notice,—he meant the General Officers ; many of
whom, though the best men in the country, and most
gallant Officers in the Army, were now living upon
so narrow an income, that they were actually in great
distress. He was not for increasing the pay of all
these Officers, but he would suggest that measures
should be taken to let in one General Officer at least
every year to the increased pay of 1812.
Captain O'GRADY contended that the Half-pay
Surgeon ought to be employed in those small stations
where there was but a handful of man. He paid the
tribute of his praise to the strong claims which the
Half-pay List had upon the country.
Mr. HUT stated, that for the last five years, out
of 1,154 promotions, only fifty-four were taken from
the Half-pay Officers. With regard to regimental
promotion, it appeared to him that all promotion
ought to cease until the Half-pay List was exhausted.
He hoped the House would adopt this Address, for
it would serve to shew the Commander-in- Chief the
great anxiety which this House felt to reduce the
burthens of the country.
Mr. HUTCHINSON said; the House had before
them the claims of Half-pay Officers, attested by
years of glorious services—they had the merits of
these Gentlemen, which, "trumpet-tongued," backed
these claims; but what answer made the Noble Lord?
—that a consideration of their claims would be an
insult to the Commander-in-Chief—(Hear, hear).
This could not be the fact, and the Noble Lord, with
all his ingenuity, could not attach such a tendency
to the Address before the House. He (Mr. Hutchin-
son) contended that it was the duty of the House,
when so meritorious a class of men preferred their
claims, to treat them with that consideration to
which they were entitled, and not to be turned aside
from them from motives of delicacy to any indivi-
dual, however exalted his rank—(Hear, hear). This
he would contend for, as an answer, in limine, to
the Noble Lord's objection; but, having this strong
ground, he still denied that the Address would have
the tendency ascribed to it by the Noble Lord. He
would vote for the Address, therefore; first, because
of its importance; and secondly; because he was cer-
tain that it conveyed no imputation on the Comman-
der in-Chief—(Hear).
Colonel UAVIES begged to disclaim all intention
of impiyit% any censure on the Commander-in-Chief.
But equ it this motion had such a tendency, pain-