Star.
London, England, 1820-05-10 00:00:00

THE QUEEN.

...---- _
Lord A. HAMILTON wished to learn from the Right Ho-
nourable the ChanceUor of the Exchequer, if it was intended to
make any specific provision for the Queen, and when ?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, it cer-
tainty was intended to make a suitable provision for the Queen,
as well as for the other Members of the Royal Family, not in-
cluded in the sum assigned to his Majesty.

CATO-STREET CONSPIRACY.
Mr. Alderman WOOD assured the House that he
had no object in rising to address them, but to sub-
mit a motion' which required their interference. Pre-
vious to this, he had done all that he could to induce
the Secretary of State to punish the individual whose
conduct he now brought before them. He had laid
before the Noble Lord the documents and evidence
on the case, and had further stated much more to
him which he had ascertained. For this purpose, he
had looked over a number of depositions, and era-
mined not fewer than thirty persons. The whole oft
these papers he would read, if his proposal for
Secret Committee were not assented to—(Laughter).
He had no desire to do so, if Ministers would.agreel
to his motion : if they did not, he must read a great'
many. lint first it would be necessary to say what
his motion was. Its object was generally to ascertain
Edwards's proceedings, and those of his associates,
for the last two years, and particularly as connected
with the late Cato-street Conspiracy. If he coulf)
shew that Edwards had been the sole instigator of
the plot, That he had purchased the swords, tin cases,
and made himself most of the implements of destruc-
tion, he thought it would be impossible for the HoOse
to refuse the Committee; He could bring forward
the evidence of persons who had received good cha-
racters from their employers, and who .stated that
Edwards had done everything in his power to seduce
them ; that he had taken them to various places to
make purchases, and had even sent arms into their
houses. He had traced the conduct of Edwards for
the last five years. He was then living at Windsor,
in the capacity of a modeller, sometimes in prospe-
rity, and at others • in great distress.
•had been
seen walking the streets without shoes and stockings,
and selling bests, when, of a sudden he became rich,
and accounted for it by saying that a German Count
had left him money, and that Lord Castlereagh had
assisted him in recovering it. He had since been
convicted of being connected with a Police Officer,
who assisted Castles during the war in inclacins
French OffiCers to break their parole and effect their
escape, in order to betray them and obtain the re-
ward offered for their apprehension. Upon all these
points, be (Mr. Alderman Wood) had procured the
fullest information, and sought out individuals, as in
a former case, in which he had saved the lives of
three men who stood in nearly the same situation,
though with a different degree of criminality. He had
ascertained that Edwards had invited the conspirators
to Cato-street, and told them, if they were disturbed
by the Military, to meet him at Lord Harrowby's. It
was he who had placed Thistlewood at Harris's.—
He had taken those lodgings himself; but how had
he acted towards his victim ? He had not betrayed
him immediately—No; his avarice had induced him
to wait till the one thousand pounds reward liad been
offered in the Gazette. After escaping from Cato-
street, the conspirators were going off together; it
was he who withdrew Thistlewood from them, and,
in order that he might lay his hand upon him when
he thought proper, lodged him at Harris's—told
!.im that he would call on his wife, and went the
next morning to tell the people of the house to keep
him till the evening, as he would take care that his
friends should then assist in his escape. Previous to
this, he had taken lodgings at Buckingham-gate,
under the name of Ward, and had given a reference
to the porter at Buckingham House. The worthy
Alderman then read the opinion of the Lord Advo-
tate for Scotland against Spies, in a case where a
base informer had been prosecuted even to death for
the atrocity of his 'seductions. He (Mr. Alderman
Wood) did not wish to push the matter against Ed-
wards so far; for he thought that murder alone
should be punished with death. He should now pro..
seed to read the depositions of some of the witnesses
which he intended to bring forward, in case his mo-
tion should be agreed to. Pickhard, a weaver, stated,
that Edwards has made various propositions to
him—had assured him that a number of persons, six
being sufficient, would easily gain admission to the
E gallery of the House of Commons, provided with
'machines of destruction, in the shape of books, con-
taining gun-barrels cut down, to be thrown and fired
in the House at a time when the Members were en-
gaged in debate. 'But his efforts had been unavailing,
and Pickhard had refused to listen to his propositions.
Mr. GRENFELL thought it would be more satisfactory for
the House if it were made acquainted with the authority an
which this statement rested.
BENNETT was surprised at stair an interruption.
Mr. WYNNE said, that nothing coed be read as a separate
Paper in the House without its permission; though it might 'be
done if it formed part of the speech of Sp Honourable Member.
Mr. Alderman WOOD stated, that the paper

Which' ie iota tits signed by She individnald imbo had
.made the depositions, to which• they were ready to
swear—(Neer, her). The rest were copiet of those
depositions; some of which had been swore to, and
to all of which the parties were ready to swear.
William Tunbridge said, that he had been invited by
Edwards to assist in the_murder of his Xaiesty's Mi-
nisters, when.the latter had used that horribre expres-
sion, « the bloody Irish butcher 'must be done away
with." He had known Edwards for four or five
years, and had met him in Holborn
.previous to the
last Smithfield Meeting. Edwards asked him to go
there, saying, that there would be bloody woe k. He
had refused, declaring that he felt no disposition for
such work. He had met Edwards again after the
Meeting, and had asked him what had been done
there ? when Edwards replied, that they had all
been disappointed as the matter had turned out.—
Another man stated that Edwards was always
coming to his house and proposing various plans,
saying, that the best way for getting rid of his Ma-
jesty's Ministers was to employ combustibles, which
were ready to carry into execution any measure re-
Commended by'the Committee. On another indivi-
dual Edwards had, caHed at six o'clock in.the morn-
ing, telling him that Manchester was on fire, that
the New Bailey had been forced, that Mr. Hunt had
made his escape. and that the time had com for the
Metropolis to act. But he had been too wise follow
this advice. Another person stated, that Edwards was
in the habit of calling at his shop, and asking whether
.all the men were Reformers ? That having seen
two swords hanging there, he said that they would
suit their purpose, and had asked for them.--
That they had been given to him, and that in a few
days he had called again, saying that he knew there
were more, and that they were of very cheap work-
manship. The witness then acknowledged, that a
bundle of twenty-four swords had been sent to his
house, which he had put into the cellar, with the ex-
ception of two, and Edwards carried off several of
them under his coat. Edwards had sent to itim from
Cato-street to come and see what he was doing. He
had refused at first, but having afterwards given
way to importunity, had gone, and found Edwards
in a flannel jacket, manufacturing combustibles and
grenades. Having been in the navy, he was alarmed
at seeing so much powder near the fire, and was
about to retire, when two Irishmen came in, but said
they should stay there no longer, as there was a spy
in company. He did not know to whom they meant
to allude, but he retired as soon as they had gone
away. An individual of the name of Chambers gave
_similar evidence with respect to the !twolrishmen.
lie (Mr. Alderman Wood) ought to inform the House,
that he had not been desired by any of the indivi-
duals whose depositions he had received, to keep back
their names, for they were all equally ready to come
forward. Another man stated, that he knew both
Edwards and his brother ; that on the 23d of Fe-
bruary, Edwards had draged him out of his how&
and after locking him up for some time, had taken
him to Cato-street, but on seeing the stable, he ran
away.. It was declared by another, that Edwards
had absolutely stood with an immense stick at the
door of the stable, and had sworn to knock him down
if he attempted to escape. Others said they had
heard him declare, that that was the time of all

others when his Majesty's Ministers ought to be dis-
posed of, and that all was ready for that purpose.—
According to another, Thistlewood and Edwards had
called together on a Gentleman, to whose friend
Thistlewood had sold an estate for £7,000. Edwards
began to explain his plans, but they had met with no
encouragement, 'and had therefore retired. There
was also a very lung and interesting Paper, explain-
ing the whole of this man's infernal conduct, frwn the
commencement till the Conspirators had been taken.
One witness said, that Edwards had been patronized
by Colonel Taylor, at Windsor. Another, who was
in the waggon at the last Smithfield Meeting, stated
that Fdwards had supplied him abundantly with gin,
at the same time telling him, that he must not mince
the matter, but must speak out in stich a manner as
to be understood, as they were well prepared with
fire-balls. He would not fatigue the House with
further details, but it appeared to him, that such a
traitor bad never existed in the country before. In
the whole evidence which he had collected, it was
an extraordinary fact, that there was not one single
instance in which one person had seduced another.
Edwards always appeared to have been he sole se-
ducer. He had asked the-witnesses if they had been
addressed about the plot by any other person pre-
viously to their introduction to Edwards? and their
answer had been uniformly that they had not. He
would probably be told, that those persons had been
guilty of misprision of treason. This might be the
case. But, if they had not immediately communi-
cated the conspiracy revealed to them, did that les-
sen the guil: of Edwards? Certainly not. He could
prove, from respectable authority, that money had
passed through the hands of a Police-officer into those
of Edwards, and the latter stood at a short distance
from the house when Thistlewood was taken. He
had taken lodgings 'under the name of Ward, but
had afterwards admitted that his name was Ed-
wards, and that he had assumed the former in con-
sequence of being a spy of Government—(Hear,
hear, hear, front the Ministerial side). He had re-
ceived this information from a highly creditable
source ; for it came from the Gentleman who kept
the School of St. George's, Hanover-square, and
'who had formerly been one of the first merchants of
'the town of Ipswich. It appeared, that Edwards
had admitted that to be his name at his lodgings, in
case Mr. Sheriff Parkins or any other person should
have called upon him. The person in whose house
Ire lived had then exclaimed, " Good GOD, have I
'had a spy in my house! I shall be ruined if it be
known." To which Edwards had replied, that he
was sorry he had taken him in. The worthy Alder-
man, after a few other observations, concluded by
moving, "That a Secret Committee be appointed to
examine the criminal conduct and proceedings of
George Edwards and his associates, during the last
two years, and especially his connexion with the par-
!ties forming the plot lately discovered in Cato-street!
—(Hear, hear, hear).
Sir ROBERT WILSON supported the motion,
and hoped that his Majesty's Ministers would not
object to the principle of the Committee, as it would
serve to vindicate their conduct from the reports
which had lately been in iirCulation. He was in
Prance when the Cato-street Conspiracy had been
discovered, but at his return had neger heard any