Star. — 1820-02-26 (London, England)

BRITISII PRISONERS IN TENERITIPII.  Mr. HUME rose to move for certain Papers rela. tive to the case of the Captain and crew of the ship Charles, of Aberdeen, who have, for two and twenty months, been immured in a Spanish prison, at fort. 9t. Philippe, in the Island of Tenerife. The Hon. Member stated, that he had abstained from any premature introduction of the subject, with the expectation that some satisfactory result might, before now, have followed from certain steps taken in the matter by the Secretary of State, and the British Ainbassador at the Court of Madrid. He had, therefore, deferred calling the attention of the House to the subject, although he had in his possession a letter, received seven months ago, from the Captain of the vessel and his fellow-sutferers, complaining of au unjust and cruel confinement of fourteen months, un• der an accusation of the atrocious clime of murder, without any prospect of obtaining a fair trial, or of being liberated. They also complained of the loss of all their property, without any cause of seizure, and prayed, through the intervention of the British Parliament, for justice and redress. He then went,', at some length, into the narrative cf the case, the principal facts of which wore the following :—The vessel in, question had taken in a cargo of wines at Teneriffe, in the month of March, 1818. The Spa-• nish pilot, who was taken on hoard for the purpose of clearing out of the harbour, became ill soon after, and, finally, threw himself overboard in a fit of insanity. The ship came to her moorings ; the Captain informed the Governor of the fatality. Ile was im 'mediately apprehended, and thrown into priSou ; and afterwards the Mate and crew were also arrested.— The ship was taken forcible possession of. She af• terwards left her moorings, was wrecked, and the property seized as Dloits of the Admiralty. In the meantime the prisoners were kept in close confinement. The examinations were secret, and even the • British Consul, Sir Stewart Bruce, was, for a long time, refused access to them. ,The property lost was. valued at more than nineteen hundred pounds, to which five hundre4 were to be added for loss of time, making the whole upwards of . two thousand four hundred pounds. The Hon. Nlember took occasion to compliment the British Consul for the humane and zealous part which he had acted in this melancholy affair, and read a letter fions him to the Secretary. Of State on the transaction, which letter. contaiostd an allusion to the case of a Captain Clarke, of the City of Dublin, who had been fourteen :moths imprisoned in the same Island. He (Mr. Hume) understood that this was not the first or second instance of similar acts of rigour and oppression committed by the Governor of Tenerife, upon British subjects.— lie spoke in terms of approbation of the conduct of the Secretary if State, who had sent a very strong dispatch, relative to the transaction, to the Court of Madrid, and concluded by moving—." That ast humble Address be presented to his Majesty, prayAng that he would order to be laid before the House Copiesof Pretests which had been model?), the Captain and crew of the Charles. in 1815, and by the British Consul '; and also Copies of all the Letters addressed by him, or the Captain, to the Secretary of State ; and the Instructions to the British Ambassa dor at the Court 'of Madrid, relative to the seizure and imprisonment." Lord CASTLEREAGH was of opinion that the lien. Gentleman had done no more than his duty in mentioning the subject in the House, under the circumstances in which he was placed. He was willing to give him credit for the laudable forbearance which he had shown, haying the letter so long in his possession ; but he objected to the motion, be cause the proceedings were yetincomplete. He had received a reply from the Court of. Madrid to the dispatch upset the subject, which gave a distinct assurance of the anxiety whkh that Court entertained to do ample justice. He..(Lord Castlereagh) felt that the case was one in which there was much hardship;   •s T.,