ceived, and the bill ordered to be read a third time the next day. Mr. John Smith accompanied by Mr. Pitt, Mr. Ryder, Mr. Long, and a great number of members from the House of Commons, brought up the Income Bill. The bill was then read a first time, and ordered to be printed. Adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS. WEDNESDAY, JAN. 2. The Chancellor of the Exchequer faid that having obferved a notice was given that a motion would be made after the holidays to take into confideration the statements made refpecting the prifon at Cold Bath Fields, it would be neceffary to lay before the House fuch documents as would give it information upon that fubject, and prepare it for difcuffion. He therefore moved "That an humble addrefs be presented ta his Majefty, praying he will be graciously pleased to give directions for laying before the Houfe a copy of an affidavit of the keeper of the prifon in Cold Bath Fields, taken before Richard Ford, Efq. on the 31st of December last, and also the letter written by his Grace the Duke of Portland by his Majefty's command, in confequence thereof."-Ordered. A meflage from the Lords informed the Houfe their Lordfhips had agreed to the Cape of Good Hope Trade Regulating Bill, the Armorial Bearing Bill, and to feveral private bills. The Chancellor of the Exchequer moved the order of the day, to take into further confideration the Income Bill, which being read, feveral verbal amendments were agreed to; and there being not a fingle claufe offered as a rider to the engrofsment; the queftion was put that this bill do país. Ordered. 1 And that Mr. John Smith do carry it to the Lords, and defire their concurrence.-Ordered. Adjourned. HOUSE OF LORDS. THURSDAY, JAN. 3. A commiffion under the King's Sign Manual had been prepared to give the royal affent to the bills that have passed both Houfes, but the Houfe of Commons having rifen before the Ufher of the Black Rod was fent to defire their attendance, dance, the bufinefs was obliged to be deferred till the next day. Mr. Rickett's Divorce Bill was read a third time, and having paffed the Houfe of Lords, was ordered to be fent to the Commons. The Newfoundland Judicature Bill, and the Habeas Corpus Sufpenfion Bill were reported, and ordered to be read a third time the next day. The Indemnity Bill, with amendments, was read a third time. The Lords were ordered to be fummoned for the next day, when the Income Bill is to be read a fecond time. Adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS. THURSDAY, JAN. 3. The Speaker counted the Houfe at 4 o'clock, and there being prefent only 17 members, an adjournment took place of courfe. HOUSE OF LORDS. FRIDAY, JAN. 4. The Royal Affent was given by commiffion to the Small Note Bill, and to feveral other public and private bills. HABEAS CORPUS ACT. Lord Grenville moved the third reading of the bill for sufpending the Habeas Corpus A&t, which being read, The Earl of Suffolk faid, it appeared to him highly neceffary that minifters fhould have affigned fome reafon for the renewal of this bill before they propofed it to the House; he wanted to know what they had to alledge in that particular? To bring forward a measure, at all times grievous, and an infringement of the constitution, without any necessity for it, was highly unjuft, and of the neceffity of it there was no proof given by his Majefty's minifters. At the fatne time he acknowledged that these were times of difficulty and danger, and if the state was in danger the prefent measure ought to be adopted; his opinion of the neceflity of it was however to be guided by the evidence that might be adduced, or arguments urged in its favour; but he rofe chiefly to obferve that if minifters were to be entrusted with fuch an extraordinary power as this bill would confer upon them, they ought, at all events, and in all cafes, to use it with lenity, moderation and humanity. His Lordship faid, he was led to reflect on the cafe of a Gentleman whom he had not feen for 17 years; a man, he would venture to say, of as amiable manners and worthy difpofition, as any he ever knew. The Gentleman to whom he alluded was Colonel Defpard. He knew that Gentleman when he ferved in America laft war, and having fucceeded General Mathews on his promotion, as commander of the first brigade, he had frequent occafion to refort to the public officers, and a man easier of accefs, or of more amiable manners, he never knew, the unfortunate Colonel André excepted, whofe fate was lamented not only by the army, but he might fay, by all Europe. It was not till very lately that he knew that Colonel Defpard was in the fituation in which he is, and he only happened to learn it a few days ago in converfation. He really knew very little of the fituation of that Gentleman, and that little he derived from the information of others. If, therefore, he fhould happen to state any thing that was not correct, he hoped he should be excufed, and that his Majesty's minifters would fet him right. Indeed he hoped fome of the information he had received was not true. The information was, that Colonel Defpard was very feverely treated in the prifon in which he is now confined: that he was kept in a cell of feven feet fquare, without fire, without any other light than came from the top of the cell, and without a chair, a table, or any thing to reft upon but a truckle bed; this was a hard and trying fituation for a Gentleman who, at the time to which he had alluded, lived in the enjoyment of luxuries far beyond his reach. He did not, however, know this to be true; he only stated it upon the information of others. If true, it was a very hard case -a Gentleman of such rank and character to be thus treated was that which could not be juftified. He understood that there was no fpecified charge against him; and it was faid that he had been fo confined for fix months. He would appeal to the humanity of the noble Secretary of State; and he would alfo appeal to the humanity of all their Lordships, and ask whether this was a fituation in which a Gentleman of the rank and character of Colonel Defpard should be placed? He wished to know whether this was a species of confinement fit for a Gentleman of fuch a character, and against whom there was no crime fpecifically alledged? His Lordship faid he understood that the brother of Colonel Des pard 'pard was fome time ago taken up and kept in confinement for about fix weeks. He infifted that he had not been guilty of any crime, and that he was entitled to be fet at liberty, after which he was told there was no charge against him, for that it was his brother Government wanted. These hints, the Earl faid, he mentioned only on the information of others, and he hoped they were not true to the extent they had been related to him; and if they were, he hoped that care would be taken to moderate them in future, as well as to make a mild ufe of the power which government poffeffed in these particulars. Having faid this, he would venture to introduce another matter before their Lordships, not indeed immediately connected with the fubject before the House, but of fuch a nature as to come naturally into view when any meafure was confidered that had any reference to confpiracy for treafon. Perhaps he might again be mifreprefented and abused for what he was about to do, as he had been for what he did, in fome of the newspapers; he alluded to the evidence he gave on the trial of O'Connor at Maidstone. He wished to clear himself from any imputation that had been caft upon him upon that fubject. He had indeed been wantonly and cruelly abufed for the evidence he gave upon that occafion. He was in Scotland three or four months ago; and at Hopetoun Houfe he faw a character of the Earl of Suffolk as one of the witneffes for O'Connor, in which he was wantonly and grofsly libelled, it being made to appear as if he had been the intimate acquaintance of O'Connor. He did upon his honour most folemnly declare that he never had any political converfation with Mr. O'Connor in his life. His acquaintance with that Gentleman must be dated eleven years back, when his military duty called him over to Ireland. He accidentally fell in company with Mr. O'Connor at a friend's in Dublin, and was ftrongly impreffed with his converfation and manners, which were extremely intelligent, engaging, and agreeable. In fact, he never met with a more Gentlemanlike man in his life, and he never heard from him a fentiment that would not do honour to any man in England. Having occafion foon after to go to Cork to join his regiment, he offered Mr. O'Conner half his poft-chaise, and they were four days together upon the road. At that time Mr. O'Connor was not above 21 years of age. He had not feen him fince till about two years ago, he met Mr. O'Connor in London, and invited him to dine with him, and when he named the perfons prefent, their Lordships would scarcely fuppofe fuppofe that if he had been aware of Mr. O'Connor's political principles, he should have introduced him to fuch a company. The perfons prefent were the Duke of Norfolk, the Earl of Moira, the Bishop of Landaff, and another Gentleman now no more, the late Mr. Serjeant Adair, who had, he believed, at that time changed his political principles, but that never made the fmalleft alteration in his friendship and regard for fo worthy, and truly refpectable, a man. His evidence was afterwards tortured and mifreprefented in fome of the papers devoted to the intereft of Government, and he was treated in a manner of which his Majefty's minifters, he hoped, were afhamed, So much was he from having any defire to overstate any thing on that trial, that when the prifoner's attorney fent to afk him what would be the fubftance of his evidence, he felt himfelf hurt, and refufed to ftate it, but on the attorney's explaining to him that it was always ufual to put into the briefs of counfel a ftatement of the points to which each witnefs was competent to fpeak, he gave him the defired information. He afterwards fent for the brief, and not liking the manner in which his intended evidence was ftated, he croffed it out, and wrote what he had already mentioned. Indeed he knew fo little of Mr. Connor, that he was furprifed to find himfelf called upon as a witnefs in his behalf. The Earl faid he ftated these things because he thought it neceffary to contradict the libels which had gone abroad against him on account of the evidence which he gave at Maidstone. He flated to Lord Hopetoun what he had now ftated to their Lordships; and that noble Lord had faid he was much obliged to him, for that the libels which had gone abroad upon this fubject had made an unfavourable impreffion even upon his mind. If that were the cafe with a man fo well informed as Lord Hopetoun, what must have been their effect on those who did not know him, and had not the fame liberality of mind? He would not, however, trouble the Houfe any further upon the fubject: what he had faid he conceived to be neceifary for the vindication of his own honour. He begged only to make one more obfervation on the cafe of Colonel Defpard: it was not to the confinement only of Colonel Defpard that he obje&ted (although that was hard, if there was no fpecific charge againit him), but also to the manner of his confinement: fuch a meafure was grievous to the fubject: it might be the cafe of any other man in the kingdom. If these things were to be done without any reafon for them, no man can be fafe. Lord |