The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-07-29 00:00:00

It

4

seititooteisi the
received

the Assent,. tl
oj of
beliefs' Relieftlill, areesents.
The Following were aped to with amendloseets:—Prisossers
of War leapt Bill. Public Peace Preservation Bill, Dissen-
epn' Bill, Debtors' Relief Bill, Local Tokens' Bill, London
New Prises 5i11,.. George's Fields' Improvement Bill, aid
Weeds sad Forests' Bill.
Ilse Amendments *ere severally taken Into consideration on
Ike section of Lord CASTLEREAGH and allowed.

BRISTOL ELECTION. .
Sir F. BURDETT brought op a Petition rem Henry If net,
711 sq, of Hook ham-hall, Susses, Candidate fur Bristol, complain-
ing of Hart Davis, Esq. the other Candidate, at the late Election
for Bristol. It stated, that tt great number of °oasis and fe-
loaf had been employed by him, under the name of bludgeon-
men, or constables; that large sums of money were given to those
mamas, to induce them to heat and Intimidate the frieods.of the
Petitioner; that various assault., and murder, had hien, coin-
mitted by these persons; that great part of the Guildhall, at
Bristol, was blockaded, and free ingress and egress allowed to
the friends,of Ilan Davis, Esq. while the friends°, the Petitioner
had to run the ganutlet through these ruffians, and were frequent-
ly knocked down by them ; that the Petitioner daily protested
jo the Sheriff against these proceedings; that these rolhans
'threatened to set fire to a pawner:nag:tame near the town, which
threat was made use of as a pretext for calling in the military,
contrary to law; that the mo bs were Illegally administered to
the electors, and various arts of bribery were committed hy /tart
Davis, Esq. and his fri‘mtli; nod that the Poll was elowd a day
before the proper time. The Petition prayed that these matters
be taken into consideration.
The SPEAKER desired Sir Francis Burdett to fiv a day no-
minally, which would enable him to renew the mutioa neat
Sexism.
Sir F. BURDETT named (his day three weeks.
Sir F. BURDETT presented also a Petition from Thomas
Daley and William Longwell, freeholders°, Bristol, to the same
effect as the Petition of Mr. Hunt.—Referred to the sum day as
the other.
Sir F. BE if Durr moved for a Copy of a written Statement
Made by James Panic. Esq. Deputy Inspector of the Foreign
Corps, to the late Right Hon. Spencer Perceval, and by him re-
ferred to the Bight lion. W. Elliott.
The CH AN CEL 101: of tit.- EXCHEQUER asked the Hon.
Banwet to defer his motion till to-morrow, as he knew pot at
present any thing of the paper.
Str F. MIRDErr agreed.

STATE. OF THE NATION.
Sir F. BURDE TT, in consequence of his notice
upon this subject rose, and observed, that since pub-
lic grievances required public remedies, and since
those grievances noser prevailed to a greater extent
than at the present moment, lie felt it his duty, even
at this late period of the Sess' ,to state his opinion,
and to endeavour to persuade the Prince Regent to
apply the only remedy that could afford permament
and effectual relief. Although the probability of
suceess in the conflict on the Peninsula might be
greater than in the commencement of the campaign,
be could not help thinkiug that the country was sue.
rounded by more imminent dangers, foreign and do.
anestic, than had threatened it at any former period.
It would be utterly impossible for him to do more than
to give a slight and imperfect sketch of the actual state
of our affairs, which menaced extensive disaffection
and the most aggravated calamities by which a nation
could be afflicted. The dangers mere of various
kinds; but among the moot alarming were the in-
roads that had of late years been made upon the
Constitution, and which had actually's° incorporated
themselves with it, that to a superficial observer the
one appeared even to form a part of the other. The
Invasions of the Common Law had been frequent,
and the most dangerous symptom was the hostile
manner iii which the Judges construed that law to
the detriment of the subject. The danger was pecu-
liarly great where the Liberty of the Press was con-
cerned ; and it was increased by that usurpation of
power by the Attorney-General, by Ex.oj/icio In-
formations, whereby an innocent man was placed in
a situation of peril, unauthorized by the Constitution.
In waiters of lesser importance, this assumption had
been tolerated on the 'maxim De minimis nen carat
kr ; hut it had been raised to a height even in the
time of Sirll'. Mackstone, which alarmed that Learned
Judge, who maintained that Er-oificio Informations
wese not legal, excepting in cases where immediate
Interposition was necessary, to prevent turtling' dafiger
by delay. It had now been carried to an extent
which disgusted every man of common understand
lag. Not contented with the authority already cot:-
ferret), the LCgislature had recet:tly passed an Act,
alloaing the Attorney-General the additions; power ,
of lioluing*to bail. In prosecutions by the Crown it
now appeared that the Attorney-General was en-
tirely master of the Court, and for the first time is.
any pi oceeding for au offence lesi than high treason,
in the case of the unfortunate Bellingham, the Crown i
bad challenged. no Isis than eight out of twelve jorors I
by law the sight of the prisoner to challenge was re.;
etricted, but the right of the Attorney-General was!
unlimited; this abuse was the corruption of. justice ;
at its very source, and, if not restraitud, would in
time destroy what had h:•en of late years rawly called
thepulladion. of British liberty.. The intervention
of the Master of the Crown Odiee farther aggravated
the esil. The House and the country had been lately
threatened with some violent exertiett to support the
labouriug finances. Such a measure was, after the
experience of firmer extortions and exactions, indeed
formidable. The 'loll. Baronet would recommend,
that the exertions made should not be to raise but to
save money ; exertions of economy, and not of taxa-
tion. lie recollected three former great exertions of a
similar kind to tkat lately alluded to: the first was the
119POkaaos of dm 41‘0411 Taxi the Woad QM Warm*

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, IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
HOME OE LORDS. Jett. W.
i . The Royal Astral was notified by Commission to the Appre- i
i ; prlation BM, the Amused Tavel' Alton sums 11111, t*.e Privy
t • Parse Rill. the Cofer Bill, the Medicine Bill, the Parish Regis-
' ter BPI, the Half Pay Bill, the Agent General of Volunteers'
Bill, sad the White Herring Fishery Bill.
The Commissianert were the Lord Chancellor, the Earl of
▪ . Rarritwhy, and LewdWablegham.
The Vote of Credit Bill was reed a third time and parsed.
1 The Peace Preeervatiou Bill, the Toleration Bill, the Prisms-
ers of War Escape Bill, the Poor Debtors' Relief Bill, the
. Weeds and Forests' Bill, the Loral Tokens' Bill,the fiLtleorge's
Fields' Improvement Bill, and the London Prisons' Bill, were
1
retorted from tl.e Commons ty Mr. Lnshinguri, Sir ./arses
I Maw and other Members, w kb the Amendments agreed to.
A Thefts's. resulvd itsedliato a Committee se the Curates'
"111111.
Some further Amendments were made on the motion of tae
a E4rl of HARROW BY, who stated, that it was intended to
1 postpone the 13111 tillers( Srimiess; and the House having re-
mind, the Bill was ordered to be printed as amended.
- INSOLVENT DEBTORS.
1 The Amendments made by tbe Common in the Easqlish Howl-
meet Debtors' Bill, were agreed to, with the eteeptsoir of One,
respecting which a Message was sent to the Cempuses, desiring 2
!I conference.
The Atneeduessts in the Irish Insolvent Deafen' Bill were
' i greed i•-
Atairsed till tomorrow (this day).
I'
..
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BOUSE OF COMMONS.
The SPEAK ER attended in the Lords to bar the Cam-
Maslow read, and the*Royat Ateeet gives to several pub-
lietjl:lll"BiAr.l6.iningsWinAtheeiLltit.tAheiaCkatE.rbwhroisedicrltth:receponigithev:Reieyispo:hr:who7f:ttdthewearsailags:efedtteetbato:
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$ be 2 ristesi.
eosseTwasrrescrille"lesof thawtereHoreceese wiviedth ftrhoelaverfilienesi"deßill's asliestrbierspereceiajottbe;
,!
' :.i'l the Royal Amino, and with the V of Credit Bill and Stock-
i.beliefs_ Belief Bill, wittiest strsendmenla