The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-05-25

saiu 10 nave Regarded the Cn2ngetul events
OF that epoch, as they would strike the eve
ct AN uninterested spectator. rather than
with the Alteration of politician The ex
act period Of his return from the Continep-
IS not stated. but in the year 1896. he was
through the interest ofthe Duke of Newcas
tie, returned a member of Parliament from
Borougbbri1ge in Yorkshire. From tina,
period, he has been interchangeable in the dis
charge Of ell those duties which bind a mem.
Der of the British Parliament. He has not
merely filled his place on all great occasions.
but he has himself, and some times almos,
! alone. agitated questions, which involved
| the dearest interests of his fcNo7v citizens.
| This Is what, Chee.ham and the "British
party" aud al the nnions of monarchy in
| his country, NAV call the Jacohin Language
but in their dic,innary the enemy of o.,
preston is always a JacohG.
One OF the tirst acts of Burdett's political
life was manly and unreserved annuncia
non OF his sentiments, as a friend 10 Re
| form in the cor,Gp: system of Parliamentary
! Representation At one of the most nup,c-
rous and respectable meetings ever held in
London, Sir L. very readily took the chair
and in an animated speech declared his obi
Mons and ayowed his resolution to prosecute
Reform by every legal expedient.
| His Parliamentary-car short as it has
| been, is iu,l of interest; but we must con
dense It. He had not been long seated in
| st Stephens Chapel. before he most uueo,i
vncaliy avowed himself friend to the rights
fthe people. lie enlisted under the ban
ners of freedom. Upon almost every ones.
ton, relative to the war with France, he
joined issue with the ministry, exposed the
weakness OF their measures the fuyiljtv Of
| their attempts to snbugate France, and the
| inevitable disgrace which must attend the
prosecution of their schemes The speech
which he delivered on the Sd January. l7eS
on the assessed taxes, is said to have been
| replete with sound reasoning; and to have
shown, that notwithstanding the youth of the
orator, 1t was the result of deep thought and
sound political principles.
| In the following June, he had an opportu
nifty OF standing forward the avowed friend
of the liberty of the press. A bill was bro't
into the ii of G. for regulating the publicati.
on ct Newspapers, &c. which was opposed
bv the leading members of opposition as a
| dangerous innovation. Sir F. regarded il
only as plan which had been going on for
| many years. and which would efTtctually
undermine all that was valuable in the Prj
| tish Constitution as it was settled at the
Revolution.
A good and free government" said
he, had nothing to apprehend. and every
thing to hope from the Liberty of he press -
| What say the advocates OF the Sedi,icn Ac,
IN this country? @ But despotism courted
shade and obscurity it dreaded the scru
tinizing eye of liberty; and if an arbitrary.
disposed prince, supported by an unprinci
pied minister, and backed by corrupt par.
| lament, were to cast about for means 10 Sc
cure suCi1 triple tyranny, no means better
could be devised than the bill OH the table 81
! he present ministers were themselves the
| greatest revolutioGists. They had alrea div
! completed great revolution, not in favor of
but against liberty. He then reminded the.
| house OF the unconstitutional measures daily
introduced, one of which he could not for
bear mentioning, the Infamous practice, by
which the whole La7o of Imprisonment was
changed, of sending men to those Bastile.
which disgraced the country those private
prisons, where. under pretence of reeulat;
ons, punishments were inflicted upon mer
/ as Illegal as they were cruel. Ard wha
| there those regulations so called? To keer
men In dismal heart sickening solitude, to
feed them on bread and water, and tina,
scanty too: to sentence them to hard labor
executed by stripes, at the will, perhaps, of
a merciess jailcr. 1t was natural for such
a governmental complain of The press"
From this period, ays his bograDher, we
may date the commcncement IF Sir T. 81.
ment which seems tn have been unknown II
British land ill within thes e few wears. II.
was not contented with reports that might b,
exaggerated; me himself visited and scan
ned the internal economy of those prisons
lie saw the suiierings of many and compass
sionated their distresses He invited severa
respectable gentlemen, both in and out o
parliament, 10 visit with him the prison il
Cold Bath Fi,ds. Being thus satisfied, tina
the treatment of prisoners ia that place was
accompanied by severity, which neihe
humanity nor policy could justify, he calIet
the attention of parliament to the subject .
gain and again.
In the debate on renewing the suspensioi
OF the Habeas Corpus Act, after having ami
madverted upon it as unnecessary in the s.;
isting state OF public affairs as measure
to which no wise administra alton would re
sort, but on the most urgent occasions h,
called the attention of the house to a case O
great hardship, which was too well authen
ticated to admit even of doubt He assur
ed the house, that " a number of person,
were brought ep to town from Manchestct
loaded with irons, and thrown into the house
OF correction, IN rooms upprepared for the
reception (; and on the next day, when ex
hausted with fatigue, with hands and leg
swollen, and severely CALLED with the weigh
and friction OF the letters, they were sent be
fore the Privy-Council, to be examined, OF
Charges of which they were ignorant, and
as lt has since appeared, completely limo
Ece6t lie asked whether this was fit an,
proper treatment for persons apprehende,
on suspicion only, whose accasers we're pro