Star.
London, England, 1820-06-01 00:00:00

,•

the Courts of La. in Scotland: He Wished-to k..
1160py of that. CoMmission, in to-spew itebwo
jecit„ and.a copy of the,Correspondeme which had
taken place between the Conimulsioners ant the
House, in order to ascertain the causes of its termina-
tion. If the papers were granted, he should name
some early day for taking th into consideration.—,
If they were refused, he shd state to the House
the nature of the Copt mission; and should, he trusted,
be able to prove theimpropriety of its termination.
Lo'rd CASTLF AGH stated, that the Commis- I
sion in question el terminated in consequence oft
the demise of the Crown, and that it was required
that a fresh one should be issued to restore its acti-
vity. Now as only two branches of the inquiry re-
mained to be completed, it was• intended to issue
another Commission for a twelvemonth only. As the
Correspondence was called fOr with the view of rais-
Commie-. should be

•
rd etas Tani hod
Ted 10544. Uri Ar la **OA
...lei-He wished his Nnble #rien bad in Ni'
itituation which would have given ifitn, a caritrsol
'toyer the Magistrates at the time this order Was made,
for in that case he was sure that such a proceeding
would never have taken place!_
Mr. %V; BOOTLE, till lately, was not aware of
the existence of that order. It had been made twenty
years ago, and he had no hesitation in saying that
he disapprovyd of ki--(lfear, Near).--rßut• a strong
proof that that order had not borne hard upon pri-
soners was, its beingnew complained of for the first
time in twenty yeas.. He -then paid a tribute of
praise to.the merits of the individual at the head d
the Lancaster jail, _"
The Petition was ordered to lie on the table, and
on the Motion that it be printed, - •
Mr. SCARLETT said, that there did not.eril

ing the question whether the , iission . , _ ail •.. -
.
renewed, its production would, probably, no longer man in the kingdom who deserved better of therlrob-1
be deemed necessary, after the explanation given. Tic, and of prisoners themselves, than theleilor‘Of
Sir J. NEWPORT could take upon himself to Lancaster Castle. 'As to Dewhurst, he had.heenc7on-
say, that the Commission for an Inquit y into the victed, to the full satisfaction of the Court, of having
Courts of Justice in Ireland had not expired in con- attended..a Meeting where the people had come with
sequence of the deMise of the-Crown, but was acting arms, and where, on hearing that the _ soldiers ap-
at the present moment. proached, pike-heads had been fixed upon staves,
• Lord CASTLEREAGH said, that if that Corn- from which they had been afterwards removed on
mission was still acting, as the Right Hon. Baronet, finding that it was a false alarm. . .
stated, it eras acting illegally. Mr. BLACKBURN•E also added his testimony to
/LOYAL FANIILL the meritorious services of the Gentleman who had
Mn TIERNEY reminded. •the Noble Lord'oppo- the management of Lancaster Castle.
-site, that the. Royal Family stood in an unprecedented Lord FOLKESTONE thought, that general testi-
situation. He did not wish to raise a debate on the mony to character could not prevail against particu-
subject at present, but he could not refrain from ex- lar charges. When the. Petition shiauld be printed,
pressing his surprise at the slight which had been he trusted that it would again attract the notice of
thrown upon them. Her Majesty's arrival nas not the House. It appearedthat Dewhurst had been con,
now far distant, tint he should have expected that his fined two months under an accusation of High Trea-
Majesty's Ministers would have, ere now, come down son. He had afterwards been tried .on an
.inferior
to the House with a proposition on the subject. He charge. He comitained that, although bail to the
wished to know why such a Message had not yet amount of £lOOO had been accepted by one Magis-
been received, and when it was likely to be brought trate, the jailor had refused to let him go, In this,
down to the House? as in other cases, the Lancaster Magistrates seemed
Lord CASTLEREAGH apprehended, that the to him to set the law entirely at defiancet!—(Hear,
Right Hon. Gentleman's own mind might suggest to' hear)—for he believed that one Justice of the Peace
him satisfactory reasons why such a Message had not could not commit for High Treason. If so, the Pe-
yet been conveyed to the House, and that no slight' titioner had been illegally committed originally. .
had been cast on the illustrious personage to whom The ATTORNEY-GENERAL had heard with
he bad alluded. The Bill for regulatiug'the Civil much surprise the assertion of the Noble Lord, that
List had not yet been presented to receive the Royal Magistrates had no power to commit for High Trea-
Assent, and it was not till that had been done, that son. The Noble Lord would find in Burit's Justice,
the Crown would be in ksituation to judge whether, that such a power existed' On the trial of this very
out of die Civil List so granted, it might provide for man,. the Judge had stated that he entertained seri-
the Itoy'al Family, or whetherit should be Compelled ous doubts whether he had not been guilty of High
to apply to Parliament. • Treason. This proved- the strength of the grounds
Mr. TIERNEY observed, that there was not in. on which he had. originally been committed.
the Civil List a single word about the Royal Family, . Lord FOLKESTONE said, he would not dispute
and yet the Noble Lord knew not whether they were on legal points With . the Honourable and Learned
not included within its provisions! lts ,fslajey Gentleman s-but.he had thought it was explicitly de-
alone was provided. (or, and all the Mercibers of the aired. in the book* which the Learned Gentleman
:Reyal.Family stood for their incomes on the Canso-. had referred, that a Magistrate or Justice could not
lidated Fund. for though the Civil List Bill hid commit for High Treason, and that felony was the
not.yet received the Royal Assent, it was to. all put; highest crime within the Commission of the Peace.
!poses; as good as passed,. and could afford a fair The Petition was ordered to be printed.
~,roond for ascertaining- the point. which the Noble - A. Pelson from. the Penitentiary at Milbank appeared at the
(Lonfrepreseoted as a matter of doubt. Bar, and presented certain Accounts.
LOrd GASTLERtAoII said, that whatever indi- CORN LAWS.
i ',l44,tpti ac,quaintaneehe mighthave,with the measure, On the Motion of Mr. HOLUE SUMNER, the Order
- of the Day for resuming the adjourned debate hay-
his Majesty's. Government could have no constitu
tional knowledge of it, until it should have passed ink been read, the following names were -given in
through both Houses, and should have received the by.the same Honourable Gentleman, as the names of
!Royal- Assent.
-Till then it could, therefore, afford no the Members whom he wished should compose his
ground for proceeding upon, . . 'Committee :
GRORGE DEWHURST. ' 'Right Hon. J. Foster
Mr. S. WHITBREAD presented a Petition from' Right Hon. G. Conning
Btg4t.xion. F. Robinson
George Dewherst, confined in his Majesty's jail of Right now V. Fitzgerald
Lancaster; stating that-he had innocently attended Right Hon.. W. Huskisson
the Meeting of the 15th. of Nr.vember, and corn- Ike Lord Mayor
plaining of having been ptie•to hard labour, and L!'rd Mikan
Sir J. Newport
clothed in a prison dress since his confinement. • Mr. Westsrn
Lord STANLEY did not intend to' Opfloo. the Mr. t. Dundu .
bringing up and receiving of the Petitien; but 'sashed Mr. Bright •
LO do justice to the, character of the individtiarto The first ten nameshavL
•
whom the management of Lancaster Castle was en-
and agreed to,
misted, and who had been hardly dealt with in the Mr.-BARING did not object to the ronoation of
the Committee, but he could not allow all the names Petition. All thatthat individual had done was an-
tifa- piss without expressing his Conviction that the
therised by an order issued by the Magistrates. a
copy of which the Noble Committee iras iormed in a manner which left no
gave a discretionary power to the
Lord produced, and which
doubt respecting the nature of the Report that would
he jailor of imposing
be made..--(1-lear, hear).—.He. therefore entered his
soli tai-y confinement, and other restrictions, on those
•
prisoners who refused to work, or comply with the Protest against such a Committee being thought
other regnlations of the prison. - . , likely. to produce anything fair towards the country.
Mr. BENNETT contended, that no set of M'agis-
The formation of a CoMmittee of that description
grea
traces bad it in their power to make an order iitHict-
could nick fail to excite t alirm—(Hear).
ing the penalty of hard labour on any individual Sir JOHN NEWPO tT stated, that he should'
go
into the Committee with the conviction that it was
whose sentence did not order that it should be done.;
his duty sievepout suds. Measutes alone as, while.
To compel him to wear the prison dress was equally'
imPrep• ere, in his opinion. they.iiniuld're Agricultirists, ' ivotild not throw
the Within upon othei-branches of the community.
~. .Dr. LUSHIN'GTON stated, that the, grievance
if he 'did not conceive that tosbe the sole object in
i‘timplained din the Petition was an offence-tit which
all the Magistrates who were parties to that. order nom', he iiopid not go into such a Committee.
Mr. HOLME SUMNER sontended, that the Ho=
participated. What did the order Stlich the Noble
,
Lord. had brought in, justification of the jailor say ? pourable Member far Taunton had no right, in ob-
itr said, that, A' as it appeared that certain persons jetting to the fOrmation of the Committee, to endea-
had refuSed to labour, and therefore given bad ex-
your to stigmatize its proposed Members, and to re-
ample,".present them as a mire -for alarm to the country.
sc. ' Now, were these persons individuals
He -believed, that among • the.iiidividuals whom he
i.who hid been convicted for'offences Or. crimes? Nol
they were only charged with them, and yet they were had proposed, there were some as honourable as the
treated as men on whose criminality the vertykt of .a Honourable Member himself. As far as he had' an
Opporttinity of knowing, he had only taken care to
Jury had Been passed ! Here was an order Which
_ obtain for himself, what he thought any man pro-
applied to all of they% whether political or cifof
Posing a .CoMmittee would be very foOlish if he did
pro-
fenders. Could any bbmber of that House say that Pr'
he might not be committed to jail himself ; aye,• and not, a fair majority—(6enerai 'weeder, mixed with
on the most trifling pretexts ? . How would •he -ap.. cries of
O
".Name, nainer)—Whatt.was a man to Pro-
prove of such treatment towards himself? The pose a Committee to provide a mej rityigainsthim-
iunwisely. In-
jailor was directed to punish neglect either by soli-
self? If he did so, be would act very
unwisely.
confinement, that worst of all inflictions, from deed, if this mode was unreasonable, it was consistent
which the human understanding could hardly escape, With the practice of the House; for, both oh his side
and that not for a fortnight, a, week, or a-clay, but and oil that of the Honourable Gentleman Opposite,
for the time which .he might think proper, or he he never recollected to have seen a different course
adopted—(Hear! • and laughter).
Mr. W. SMITH declared, that, though he had on
might do it by withdrawing his provisibns, and scary-.
night voted in favour of a Committee
ing.the uefortonate prisoner. And, this was the or-
der which had been brought forward by his Noble the preceding
still, that he never intended to sanction any measureI
Friend in defence of the Lancaster jailor !—(Hear;
hear).—He could not repress his indignation. He beyond an inquiry into the state of •Agricultural dis-
knew nothing of the merits of the Petitioner, but he tress which he thought due to so important and
re-
knew that the humblest subject of his Majesty ought sped able a body as the Petitioners.
there ivete some Gentlemen in the House who were
to be protected—(Hear, keor).—Let it not be thought
Mi.IOLME SUMNER, in explanation, said
that he was hostile to the, system of employing pea- t
'
sonersz. far from it ; he wished them to be employed
diverted. to any inquiry. being instituted ;others were
in a manner which would add to their comforts whilst willing to believe that distress did exist whichcalled
_confined, and he regretted, on looking_ at the system for the attention of the Honk, though they were not
of our jails, that a provision to that effect was but determined'upon any particular mode of relief. It
. _ was of these he had formed the majority of his Com:
fib.iinion.vas confident thete would be.
• dif-
toolaoroftdenbaneleiegN,ed.in adeeetiaz to the
.arbitror mime; •en the question,. as to what relief should be
degrading treatment to whrcl
the prisoners were a
subjected by this order; expressed a. with that if (cream of opinion.
he
p

Sir T. Aeland
Sir J. Payne•
Mr. Bantus
Mr. Brougham
Mr. J. Beams
Mr. Irving
Mr. Coke
Mr. Gooch
Mr. F. Lewis
hir. Irolme Sumner.

lg been put from the Chair