Star.
London, England, 1820-05-03 00:00:00

state, would explode with great violence, Mitt cause'
much destruction." Tho deposition wept on to iihow,,
that lwards on one occasion said, " Thistlewood is
ti
y for us; he's the one to do our work : he will
very soon be out of Horsham jail.* Now the trvi-.
deuce next shewed, that two days after, Tbistlewoot
did come out of Horsham jail, and be was intro..]
duced to this Edwards at the house of Preston the
cobbler. And that which was the strongest con-
firmation of the whole statements, and in his (Mr.
Alderman Wood's) mind proved it beyond all doubt,
was, that Edwards did getthese very books made for
the purpose ; that he procured the gun-barrels, and
had them cut up. At that time, too, he was sup-
plied with money all of a sudden, although, just be-
lore, be bad not enough to buy a pot of beer ! All
at once, however, lie got supplied with cash, and
was enabled to purchase several other weapons of
defence, and arms, which the deponents spoke of.—
Now this was the general substance of the deposi-
tions as they regarded that House; as to the other
parts, which related to the intended taking off of cer-
tain individuals, he bad hardly satisfied himself what
might be the best mode of proceeding; or whether,
from the nature of the case, he might be justified in
asking the House to indulge him with a Commit-
tee of Secrecy ? in which case it would not be neces-
sary for him to proceed with the present observation.
The other details, however, which he did not at pre-
sent feel it his duty to hting before the House, were
of a most terrible description, and unfolded plots of
the most dreadful character. The persons who had
made the depositions were respectable persons, and
not at all implicated in the late legal proceedings, as
having been evidence either for the Crown or for the
prisoners. He (Mr. Alderman Wood) had had seve-1
ral other persons with him that same morning, who
.were all ready to swear that they knew Edwards to
have been engaged in these plots, from time to time.
He had been asked by several individuals, how he
intended to proceed in this case? and he could now
declare,_ that his mind was mach up to call that per-
son (Edwards) before the Bar of the House. Whe-
ther, however, he should ask fora Committee of Se-
crecy, or proceed in any other way, he was ready to
bring this important business before them, and he
thought that he discharged his duty in so doing. He
had not thought it proper to swear those deponents
to the troth of their allegations, because all the acts
charged against Edwards were stated to have occur-
red either in the County of Middlesex or the City of
Westminster. As he never interfered in such a case,
he told the parties that they must go before a Ma-
gistrate either of Westminster or of the County ; or
else that they must apply for a warrant to Lord Sid-
mouth. He directed them to go to his Lordship ; and
promised that, upon procuring the warrant, he would
get it immediately backed, so as to make it operative
within the City of London. He thought the thing a
matter of such importance that be took the deposi-
tions in charge himself, and ordered the witnesses to,
attend him at Lord Sidrnouth's immediately. When
he arrived at the Office, it so happened that his Lord-
ship was not there, having left the place only a few
minutes before. fie left the depositions with a per-
son whom he had now in his eye, and bad received
an answer; but he did not think proper now to give
it.—The existence of such a man as this Edwards it
was almost impossible to conceive : it was difficult
to imagine a man, going about with all this boldness,
from public-house to public-house, nay, even from
one private-house to another, framing and discours-
ing of all these plots. For his own part, however,
when he looked at all the facts, he thought it clear,
that Edwards had become connected with all those
men (the conspirators) at a very early period of their
meeting together • and he pledged himself, that if
the House should proper to adopt any question
upon the subject, be would bring forward such evi-
dence as must convict the man—( Hear, hsar). It
was only to be apprehended that he was not, perhaps,
in the country, which he might have quitted by this
time; otherwise no doubt there were Hon. Gentlemen
who were in possession of him, so that he might be
produced. He therefore felt it his duty, under all the
circumstances, before be sat down, to move—" That
George Edwards be immediately brought to the Bar
of this blouse."
Mr. BATHURST.—The only question for the
consideration of the. House was, whether the state-
ment of the Honourable Alderman was such as to
establish a sufficient ground upon which to call for
their interference in -this business, as in a matter of
privilege? Be begged to be understood, in saying
this, as yeaking only to a point of form, viz. the;
calling of this individual to the Bar of the House.—
He entreated the House to consider the impropriety,
and inconvenience of so calling before them a person,
who was, according to the flortuura.ble Alderman s
own statement, charged with being an accomplice in
plots—who was accused of intending, with othets,l
the ,murder all the Members of that House. Why,
surely, upon this shewing, he could not well be less'
criminal than -those unfortunate men who had scr
lately forfeited their lives for High Treason. Yet
this was the' individual who was to be brought to the
Bar of the House upon a question of privilege. Whe-
ther the acts charged were, or were not, overt acts
of treason, it was not material to consider; what the
House were called on now to determine was, whether
this was a matter of privilege? If the business were
brought before the blouse in a.proper shape, and
after proper notice, no doubt they would entertain it
in a proper manner. lint could anything be more
111-advised than to call before them an individual
who bad intended the perpetration of such dread-
ful .criauss•?
Mr. Alderman WOOD said, he certainly set out
with intimating, that he saw great difficulties in this
question ; and from his inexperience in that Houseot,
it was very naturally to be expected that he shouldl
feel that uncertainty, in a case of this kind, which+
those of greater Parliamentary knowledge would not'
experience. He was, indeed, quite happy .to hear
the Right Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Bathurst) ob-
serve, that if the business were brought before the
House properly, the House would properly entertain
-it. He thought it right to state, that he had applied
to another quarter, to get the individual in question
prosecuted, km in that application be had been dis-
appointed—(Hear, hear, hear). Be had already ob-
served, .that he did not think proper to state what
'that answer was. He now spoke of it generally; and
.)so far, the inquiry, after this answer, had not pro-
ceeded so rapidly as it might have done. When he
first read over the depositions, which were of a nit-