Star.
London, England, 1817-05-30 00:00:00

British bosom, was releced to roiseey by ti e e;fi
adopted by the last speaker, merely went to show,
that war generally made a nation poorer, but that tresses of the times; he cot:ld net sntiere to remain
though the Habeas Corpus had been suspended, we in London, and see the faces of those who had made
nu.tht to be thanktul we could still breathe and walk millions from his pockets, and thoo• ef perm, s I,ke.
oon : he retired to Maitchester, and there lilted op
about and enjoy social comforts, &t. 'role all these
were objects of gratitude, but the Constitution gave his voice in behalf of his country and tt:e Constitn-
us a right to expect more. It entitled us to demand tion. For having thus lifted ti his v iice be was
as our -free barn right, as the sacred legacy be. thrown into a dungeon. The hands that were raised
queathed to us by out forefathers, and hallowed by to the Governmetit for redress were loaded with %no-
their blood, that not a single Briton should be ar- minious chains. He Was tern Irons his family by
rested, that he should not be for a single moment de- ruthless hands, that se, mod unconnected is itle the
prived of his liberty till a sufficient cause had been common pulsetiens of bernanny. His enly clime
&hewn by his conduct that his liberty was dangerous, was to have petitioned ter what were the righcsof all.
and even then lie could only be committed on OA h. Mr. Jam was aaare, that no observations that he
He trusted the spirit which animated our ancestors could make would have the smallest effect on the
would not forsake us, their children. He trusted that Court, but at the same time, he would on nu account
at a moment so interesting in 'eery view as the pre. shrink from his duty. He trusted there was no man
sent, those who revered the Constitution would rally actuated by a stronger attachment than be was to the
around her,, and spew their love to her by preventing Constitution, and on that account he was determined
her destruction. It had been foolishly said, "if you to stand to his post. Had he consulted his wan fed.
don't like the country you may leave her," Such an ings, he perhaps should not ha‘e spolien, but there
asserti-n, perhaps, deserved to be treated with con. were two or three poi:its in the speech ot the Honour.
tempt, but he would notice it only by saying, that it able Mover, which be could not hop noticing. It
was I, ve, trite love to the country, which kept her WAS, in a tree country like this, impossible for any
friends here. It was love to the clintry which led one rationally to expect unity of sentiment in every
the friends of Reform to wish for the coriection of thing, tor, on the contrary, in every free country there
public abuse& and thus to skew Europe the true ex- necessarily esistesi a diversity of opMioa. He could
cellence of the Constitutions The Cuinstitutson re. not concur in the opinion. of the Habeas Corpus Att
quired only to be shewn in all its purity. in order to being o the Lite's blood of the Constitution," yet no
be adMired, and he certainly was t..e best friend of man could value that Act more highik than be did.
bis country. who manfully resisted aggressions on the At the time, however, when it passed into a law,
public rights, and demanded what the Constitution there appeared to have existed a difference of opinion
gave him, whjfe, on the contrary. be .544 S his coml. respecting it, as Bishop Burnett had told us in his
try's for, who wished ahoises to exist. and branded history, that it passed the Lords by a very small ma-
With the epithets of revolutionary enthusiasts, all who j oity indeed. The Suspension of the Act was not
'sincerely desired to see her restiaed to her 'anginal the entire Suspension of the Constitution, but he
purity—(l/car, hear, hear.) Acting as be had Ulii. firmly believed it had been the m st eff:ctual means
formly done on these views, and sincerely desirous ot restoring the public peace, and the public credit.
whilst he lived to advocate the legitimate rights of Prior to its being suspended, we had seta meetings
British subjects, he should most I eartily support the of the most tumultuous and unprincipled nature eon-
measure of hie worthy Friend, and he could only add, veiled, but happily those had been prevented by this
that he most cordially approved of every sentiment ',Allll4ly measure. We had seen public confidence
*lace had been so forcibly and eloquently stated by restored,itir since it bad taken place, Stocks had risen
the I-I ,nourab:e Mover—(/clear, hear, hear.) 10 or IL per cent.—(Hear, and putted lausherr) --
Sir Wtraaast Curtis defended the Committee em- The Stock brokers, who err the best judg,s, Si) se—
ployed oil t'.. Grin Bag Plot (a bush), who had (A laugh; and No, no, no).—This was the first time
acted. In: .a. 'is conscience beli• ved. arum the purest he had eve, iiearal me present Stinist.rs charged with
tatetis as anti die b. at intentions.. Only one rito ii i 4 is 4 aiming at despotic measures, and he could not, and
rusted among the Committee, namely. that strong would not believe that they were men capable of he.
measures were' necessary, though -he believed two of ill actuated by such motives. No mau posses,ad of
the twenty-one Members did nit think ouch measures etimnorn sense or reason would wish to see his taunt.
were called tor, as Ministers load adopted—(A emia. try revolved in the miseries naturally attending a des-
arid He Zr, &Jr, !sear.) " I an, (said Sir Willi to ) tho potic government. He had. when tae question was
staunch 'nand of heeded:, and love. nee r •uniry, and last Let Ore them, given his vote :against the Petition,
the Constitution of my country, but I .sw such cite bec use be was persuaded, from a hat be lead heard,
necessity for the. Suspension that I was obliged in my a, ii train whist the worthy Baronet had stated to
conscience, obliged to vote for it (.4 ketch.) Yes, I speetina the opinion of the Committee, that there was
did a". I assure you. after having read alt ihe I,4per, 311 absolute necessity for the measiuc. He thought
aver most carefully, and laithiully. and impartially. just sow that it was rash in the Court to proceed to
We are called together to-day. I think, rather prem.,. tto Houses f Parliament so soon, and he thougot it
turely, and I
believe it 86 all owtoo to a qua stn n thereone better that they should trust to the wisdom
being put by a Member et the HOObe to the Minister, ot the Legislature. He should ti.erefore move the pre.
vious question, d an, parson appealed to second him.
Who Answered that it was Ms intention to move tor
the revival of the Committee who had formerly sat Mr. Alderman Heroare.-- l'he question now oe-
on the business. Perhaps I may be one of the mino tore the Court lay in a narrow compass, and conse-
ber on the Committee, and if I am, I'll assure you, I quently rendered it unnecesary for him to detain them
shall do my duty. But why der T. ugo to the H oise by many observations. That the Habeas Corpus wets
With a Petition, before you know what the House tie great bulwark of English liberty, no man could
means to do I You are, I think, doing very wrong, doubt ; and certainly it ought not to be suspended,
and should wait to see what will be diaie before you except on occasions of the greatest importance, as in-
'go to the House. I shall vote agai '.t the Amalie• roads on the Constitut,on_ were at all times to be
eons—they are very premature."—(Ceneraliari ker ) dreaded on account of their baneful consequences.—
Mr. Pxansox had given way to the Honourable He was at a loss to perceive on what grounds it was
Baronet in hopes that he was to throw some new light possible for Ministers to justify the measure they had
on the subject, but he had only professed himself a now in contemplation. Viewing our domestic situa-
mourner at the 'Minal of the Habeas Corpus. A non, every where we saw tranquillity prevailing—no
worthy Gentleman had said, that we arrogated a meeting of any outrageous nature now held, and we
greater degreb of wisdom than WIT ancestors; yet his had the gratification of seeing a check put to that
oon speech had contradicted the imputation. The torrent of blasphemy which threatened in its progress
Habeas Corpus was obtained to prevent prosecutions to overturn the venerable institutions of our civil and
on mere suspicion. Suspicion was the only ground ecclesiastical polity. Looking abroad, we beheld
alleged now for suspending this bulwark against sus- Peace established in every quarter, and, if we might
picion. Our ancestors saw the necessity of suffering credit Ministers, built on a foundation not likely to
no man to be apprehended that was not charged upon tee shaken. We were engaged in a firm alliance with
oath ;no man to be committed that was not furnished the Powers of Europe, and, in truth, he might say,
with the charge, in order to be prepared for his de- with ' every State in the world. The arguments,
fence; and no man to be severed from his friends and therefore, of former Ministers, respecting our foreign
family, and immured in a dungeon, without an situation, could not be adopted by the present Admi-
avowed and adequate reason. We were now surely nistratinn ; and they were alike inapplic ible to our
wiser than our Ancestors, for we could now find sut- domestic state. But we were gravely told, that to foie
ficient justification for the suspension in the very going to the House it was our duty to wait and see
causes which had urged them to enact the Habeas what the Committee would do.• In answer he would
Corpus. But leaving this part of the Gentleman's say, that we had only to examine our widerstaadings
charge, he would say, that we might pretend to be and to open our eyes, and we would then be as able'
wiser than our ancestors without pretending to a to judge of the state of the country as any Committee
greater degree of intellect than they possessed. A which any Ministry could adopt. Since the first sus-
pigmy on the shoulders of a giant could see farther pension he had expected that some extraordinary din
than the giant. Although we should not, therefore, coveries would have been made, to justify that truly
have the hardihood to claim the Habeas Corpus, un- extraordinary step, but he had waited sonic mouths
leis our ancestors had before claimed it, we surely in vain ; and he could only say, that his decided and
should not be guilty of great folly, it we endeavoured heartfelt conviction was, that them existed no neces-
to prevent the suspension of what their wisdom had sity whatever for this measure, and no solid grounds
obtained. Nothing could be more absurd and dan. to support it ; for had there been any solid grounds,
gerous than to allow Ministers, because forsooth they one was naturally led to ask what had the Attorney-
were so good, so wise. and so sure not to abuse their General been doing, and why had lie, instead of eno
power, to arm themselves with powers contrary to ploying those powers with which the law invested
the Constitution, and capable of being used to the flint ler the protection of the public peace and public
destruction of the last vestiges of lieechana He morals, allowed such libels to go abroad and such
might be told that it signified little to saddle and proceedings to take place as had, in the opinion of
bridle a horse ; but he could not help thinking, that Ministers, called for this Act being suspended ? It
the rider would soon take bisoseat booted and spu:red was absurd to argue that Ministers knew nothing of
—(Applaere).-1-le would refute the principles on the proceedings, because every one knew that they
which blinisters rested the suspension, out of their must have been acquainted with therm We had
own mouths. The Attorney-General declared, that experienced the blessings of a free Constitution, and
there were many seditious and dangerouk publics- we theirture more keenly felt thee privations of them.
titans abroad; but that they were written with so much Magna Charm was the first step of our liberties, and
cratt and cunning that he could not prosecute : yet it recognised the principle of the Habeas Corpus Act,
no sooner was the suspension obtained, than the though as one Honourable Gentleman observed, that
pigmy swells into a giant, and stalks into the King's principle had not been acted on for four hundred'
lknch to prosecute what he had said could not be years. No man could too deeply regret that it had
prosecuted. These prosecutions ought to have pre. been so long neglected, as this right had produced
ceded the Bill for Suspending the Habeas Corpus, many and painful quarrels between King arid people.
and then there would not have been • pretence tor it. He regretted the worthy Mover of the Resolutions
Where were the dangers that made it necessary to, had imputed to his Majesty's Ministers the design of
enable Ministers to go into every man's house, and to wishing to ruin the country by the introduction of A
confine him at their arbitrary discretion ? The laws system of despotism. Perhaps he might be called a
were quite sufficient for all that had occurred (aft. milk and water reformer; or a s' wisheyowashy ore.
/dam) : if not, they should have been altered or moil- tor," fur saying so; but though lie did tot approve,
upliecl to suit emergencies, rather than that Minis. and could not approve of the system ot policy which
tcrs might be authorised to do whatever they chose. the Administration of the present day bad, unhappio
But the lows ware sufficient; for the Attorney-Gene. for the country, followed, yet he really could net
ral was now prosecuting for libels which he had de. think them capable of 'ruining the country deliberately
Glared to be beyond the reach of the law. It was raid He was persuaded of this when lie considered he.
Ministers would not abuse the power given them; private characters, and he would here adopt a lat.
they had already abused it. A man of the highest known adage, oan injudicious advocate is the'eneni%
respectabilitY, and as loyal a heart as lodged tu any .of his came." He believed it his loudly Frond (Mr.