The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-08-14 00:00:00

BREACH OF PRIVILEGE

Mr. PEASE► prelented a petition from William Prentice, then
in Newgate, for refusing to answer questions put to him by the
Yarmouth election committee, praying that he might be al-
lowed to appear before the committee to be examined in all
matters not criminating himself.
The petition was received, and on the motion of Mr. PEASE,
Mr. Prentice was ordered to be brought before the committee
on the following day,
THE SPANISH EXPEDITION.

Mr. GOULBUNN wished to put a question to the noble secre- ,
tary for foreign affairs. He bad heard that a large number of
soldiers had deserted from the garrison of Portsmouth, and had
entered the service of the Queen of Spain. They bad been
tempted t0..d0 so, iu consequence of the expectation of great
advantage to-. be obtained by those who entered the Spanish
service. When attempts were made by the authorities of Ports-
mouth to recover these deserters, great impediments were
thrown in their way by those who were intrusted with the
management of the recruiting. In some instances it could ho
proved that false information had been given to enable the de-
serters to escape. The commander of one of the vessels in the
service of the Queen of Spain was asked whether certain de-
serters who were named to him were in his ship; and he replied
that they bad been on board, but that they had gone on chose.
After this they were seen in the vessel, and were enabled to
make their escape in consequence of the false statement made.
These persons were known subsequently to have joined the ex-
pedition. He wished to know whether his Alajesty's govern-
ment bad appointed a ship at Portsmouth to receive the recruits
for the service of the Queen of Spain ? He wished also to
know, whether those persons who had secreted deserters from
the garrison would not be brought to justice for such a serious
offence. He would not enter further into the question, but
wished to know whether the government was aware of these
proceedings ? and whether any steps had been taken on the
subject ? The conduct of those men who deserted was not
nearly so blameable as that of those who encouraged them to do
so, an protected them from the pursuit of justice.
Viscount PALMERSTON said that the facts of the case were
shortly these. The Spanish ambassador had applied to the go-
' vernment to allow depots to be formed at the outports for the
reception of recruits for the Spanish service until they could be
embarked for the Peninsula. The government thought that it
would be better, both for the recruits and for the inhabitants of
the places from whence they were to embark, that they should
not be allowed to wander about or assemble in large numbers
on shore, but that they, should he kept on shipboard until their
final embarkation. On these grounds it was that the hulk had
been allotted for the temporary use of those parties who
managed the enlistment for the service of the Queen of Spain.
These persons not only allowed a constant search of the vessel
for deserters, but they. manifested great anxiety that no vessel
should be allowed to aepart from Portsmouth, or any other
port, with Spanish troops on board, s;ntil it had been strictly
searched by the proper authorities. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. GOULRURN observed that he was in a situation to give an
unqualified contradiction to the statement of the noble viscount,
that lie commanders of vessels in the Spanish service afforded
any facilities for the search of their ships. On one occasion,
when some deserters from the garrison were on board a vessel,
the officer in command said that it was true that such men had
been on board, but that they had left it ; they were afterwards
put on shore, and subsequently went out to the Peninsula.
Viscount PA 131ERSTON stated that he had beets informed last
week that matters were in a very different state to what they
were described to be by the right lion. gentleman. What was
the date of the transaction alluded to by the right honourable
gentleman?
Mr. Gout.ev aN replied the 18th of July.
Lord Bowleg admitted that some subordinate persons em-
ploNed in enlisting troops for the Queen of Spain had induced
some of the soldiers of the garrison of Portsmouth to desert and
enter the Spanish service (but this was done not only contrary
to the desire of the officer in command of the Spanish auxiliary
force, but against his express orders. Lord 1-Idl had issued an
order for the trial of the ipdividuals who had deserted, and pro-
ceedings had been instituted againft those who had encouraged
them to desert if the parties guilty of this conduct were not
. .in...the British army; they would ba -Oroccuscled against fur the
penalties. •