§ Mr. Fox presented a petition from Mr. Todd Jones, confined in Cork gaol, complaining of various hardships. The petition is as follow:—'To the honourable the commons in parliament assembled, the humble petition of William Todd Jones,—Shewth that your petitioner was arrested in the county of Cork, in his bed, early in the morning of the 20th of July, 1803, by the rev. William Stewart, lieut. Douglass, and a numerous body of soldiery, upon a warrant, as alleged, of gen. W. Myers, but which warrant petitioner never saw. That he was detained one night in the military guard house of Bandon, and next day under a strong escort, was lodged in the south gaol of the city of Cork, upon the warrant of the mayor of Cork, which warrant your petitioner saw; that after a detainer there of 4 days, he was conveyed to the provost prison of the same city, and lodged in the close custody of the provost martial.—That petitioner was utterly denied the opportunity of seeing his friends, and that such as sought to see him were repelled with insult and ill treatment. That his sister made repeated applications in vain for admission to the prison; and a Mr. Goold, a gentleman of respectable character, property, and unimpeached loyalty, who hearing that petitioner was severely indisposed, called to visit him, was in consequence of his visit arrested, and detained in custody during the period of sixteen days.—That some time after the committal of petitioner, he received from the right hon. William Wickham, then principal secretary to his excellency the earl of Hardwicke, lord lieutenant of Ireland, a tender of liberation, provided he would go to England and remain there at large.—That your petitioner conscious of the most perfect innocence, and considering that acquiescence in such a proposal would imply guilt, respectfully declined it; at the same time tending to Mr. Wickham the most ample satisfaction that an unreserved examination on oath could afford, and intreating a speedy trial.—That you petitioner has remained ever since in close custody, now for 20 months, sustaining all the rigour of a military provost, and added to them, the unwholesome dampness of a new, undried and unfinished edifice, to the material injury of his health.—That the creditors of your petitioner, induced by the conclusion they drew of his danger or guilt, from so rigorous an imprisonment, and his total seclusion, by order of the general, from them and all his friends, came down upon him at once with their demands—to satisfy which he relinquished to them his moderate income; 642 and has ever since been confined for subsistance to the mere gaol allowances.—That your petitioner is now very infirm, and of the age of 52 years, thus oppressed, untried, the unheard.—That your petitioner humbly prays this honourable house would be pleased to take his case into its consideration, and grant him such redress for the heavy calamity he has sustained in the loss of liberty and time, of health, reputation, and pecuniary credit, as to its judgement and benevolence may seem meet.—Your petitioner will ever pray.
§ Mr. Fox was sure if the facts alledged in the petition were true, and he had every reason to believe them so, that no good disposition towards the people of Ireland, no character of humanity in the Irish government, could secure individuals from hardships arising from the exercise of the unlimited power with which that government was invested. It was not necessary at this time to go into the case at large, nor was it necessary that the facts alledged in the petition should be true in their full extent (though he believed them to be true in their full extent,) to shew the extreme hardship the petitioner endured, it was generally stated, and he believed it was not denied any where, that an offer had been made to this gentleman to be at large in England if he pleased to accept his release on that condition. This offer was a proof that nothing could be urged against him amounting even to the presumption of a grave offence. It was hopeless to propose to the house to go into any inquiry into the circumstances of this case. He should only move, that the petition do lie on the table, and he recommended to his majesty's government, and if he could he would recommend it also to the lord lieutenant of Ireland, to look into this gentleman's case and situation; and even though the allegations of the petition should not be accurate, to consider whether it was warrantable to continue the hardships under which he laboured. He understood that Mr. Jone's health had suffered material injury, and whatever offence might be imputed to him, that was deserving of material consideration. He hoped those who had it in their power to give redress would give attention to this as well as to the other circumstances of the case.
§ Mr. Sheridan declared that the case now submitted to the house was one of the most extraordinary hardships and oppression under which he ever knew an individuals to labour in this empire. He knew that a great part of the allegations were true, and therefore he could safely take upon him to recommend it 643 to the right hon. gent. opposite (Mr. Pitt) to take it under consideration. That right. hon. gent. would feel himself called on, particularly in this instance, as the transaction had originated during another administration.
§ Mr. Vansittart declared, that he knew nothing of the particular hardships that were complained of in the present case—But he had no doubt that when the whole matter came to be fairly investigated, the Irish government would stand acquitted of any charge of severity or oppression.—The petition was then ordered to be laid on the table.