Star. — London, England, 1817-02-22 00:00:00

ILO* f: eril she clite'r It Fl' .t a i ttir vii c ti (mu! „ e t .heir gm 11. , h o uses pl,ict S. GOVrf Ili Em:l'J eta coin b;1 1 d :bs soli. t!:e Iri;,;e; lAA' I 1;e1 tlicr r (sith viT:g I rod.. tlrl lri 1 :rot ea St ircts at coo I floc Ls wre at 01 whet bern tbst tht die saki for coir Id in a fring tl *duet, orraiga never a were gi that th icted conclut Oars The th tab Sir 1 the in't t L es e f lings should ha ve gone on so. long ; that the oil should ever have then to such a height. Ainong tl iter things that had lately come out, was t h e corn of the Mufristrates of one part of the metropo- I„ that they c.nild not check disorderly houses in i ttir vicinity, because such houses being tinder the en iron! of tf•e Board of Green Chili, they catild qt .heir lief-I:+es renewed, in spite of all oppoeition R o m ii.em. This WAS SIIJ to be the case with the h o uses comrlained of in Charinr ) .cross and other H • telt exceedingly interested in knowing if Govertinteltt had any ire Wires in C9lltealplatirl je t u:JeJ on these facts, to endeavour to cot rect the eril complained of i was anzious to know what hut b ; . , 11 d ire. He wi,ited not to take up the time of the but there were One or two points connected with on st hich he h.td touched the state of the to which he was anxious to'ilireet the attention 1!:e Thr. fi st w.c-, the enormous increase of comtitNl by cluidren : this he considered to yttit m itt %arum; attest:ion of Parliament. I.ezt w is. die st storm); rewards giv. n to Police 'jet r, for the apprehensien of off ; n do ffs ; It wu u that all the Magi, rates and Police Officers faith one single ezception) were decid e dly o f n o n i ne officer of punka was ever ar all i n flu ence d id o , :g his evidence by the lope of obtaining the re sod. Thee ohjlczed to rewards being given, because 4,1 tiecriently attached discredit to the evidence g iro) by the ellicer. but all were satisfied that they yrzr n:aJe them come forward agasnst improper hers of prosecution. One individual (the ltecerder) was sn delighted with their conduct ost such occasions tut he wished them to be I urther rewarded than they vile at present. The report, however, was not print. ,J when it came out that some of the officers had km tempted, by the • rewards, to seduce to crime, lbst thi y might betray their victims to pun;slun r o; fo r sake of them; and in the case of the men tried v coining. four persons, it was found, ere concern ! in consptinge to obtain a reward of £l5. by &ten :jog the 4ives of two of their fellow-creatures. He not, when he mentioned this circumstance, ntean to sign the opinion of those who believed the rewards operated on the m;nds of the officers when they ere giving their evidence. Hu was only surprised ,hat the system of the conspirators could have been icted noon s s long, without being more known. He concluded by recomm•nding the prayers of the Peti- Oars to the !avowable consideration of the Hause. The petition was then read, and ordered to lie on aYe. Sir S. ROMILLY next presented a Petition from t'c inlabitants of New' Haggerstnee, in the parish of 8!. Leonard, Shoreditch, complaining of partiality on the part of Sir D. Williama, Mr. Met coots, and other Magistrates, in the licensing of ?oldie houses. They cued, that a licence had been refuskd to a -house, buid for a public-house, Which was much wanted in their neighbourhood, and complained of various pat.s thir conduct in nearly the same terms as the tor ter petitiorers. and prayed relief. Mr. bA.THuxsT contended, that the Petitioners bad their remedy in the Court of King's Bench. He agreed with the Honourable and Learned Gentle min (Sir Samuel Romilly) that the question that :rose on the conduct of the Magistrates was iinpor unt, es! as it affected the persons whtisobscribed to tee Petitions, but as it related to our .general sys tem of Police. The Report of the Committee of lett session had certainly brought strong charges against the Magistrates of the disttict which had been re ferred tot but the Committee not having brought their labours to a satisfactory conclusion, Ole Magis trates complaining that they had not been heard, the course which the Honourable - and Learned Gentle man had proposed to take with these Petitions was, is his opinion the best to pursue. The Honourable Gentledim had wished to know what had been thane by Ministers on the subject of the Report ? The first step had been to lay the proceedings before the .Lord Gilancellor, that he might consider whether there were grounds to remove any, and what Magistrates ? The Lord Chancellor had not thought there were grounds to remove the Magistrates, and the subject was nest submitted to the Attorney-General, that he might see if there were grounds for a prosecution. lies Learned Friend (the Attriney-General) had not wen that there were. Having ststed this, it would be seen that his Noble Relation (Earl Bathurs• ) had done all that it was in his power to do; but he was IlUthnriggd to state, that he was anxious the subject should receive every possible investigation. It had been expected that the Committee would be revived in the present Session, and this it was thought would afford an opportunity of establishing the charges which had been brought foes.att, or of clearing up the conduct of the Magistrates, it they had not been guilty of the mal-exercise of the powers entrusted to them. It was of great importance that it should be ascertained whether they had been properly or im properly exercised, and whether they had or not to guard against the future abuse of them. On these points it would be for the House to determine when the whole of the case was before them. Mr. BENNETT commented on several parts of , the Report, which he, as Chairman of the Committee, laid before the 11-:use, and thought that sufficient reasons appeared to justify proceedings against at ' , least one of the. Magistrates, Mr. Merceron, who had convicted himself by his own evidence. He complained of the conduct of the Magistrates in con tinuing a licence to the Duke of York public-house. The Magiitrates of that quarter assembled since the Report, and having collected all the publicans of the division, the Chairman, Sir Thomas Williams, read them a kind of lecture, warning them to preserve a better chatacter in future than they had previously I , ossessed. But were they improved since ? Was the holder of the public-house under the name of the Duke of York more guarded in his conduct ? Within the last two days thieves were taken us that house, which had been their usual haunt. He contended, that the Lord Chancellor had not done his duty in continuing some of those Magistrates in the Com amitsi n. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL defended the conduct of the Lord Chancellor and of the Law Oflicars of the Crown from the imputation of a dere liction of duty, on the principle that the Police Report had been concluded. It was competent for any per tnit injured by the Magistrates to apply for leave to °le a criminal- information against them but tin Law Officers could net proceed to of in tio un goislied state of the Report, pardeulasly ass iey muss 147 e looked foram(' to the time wino they would • he Caned . nn by the Flou4 to institute iiineeedings. [ - le stated that the subject of rewards was under the odious consideration of the Nsble Lord at the head qj the Home Department. Sir S. ROMILLY said, that neither he nor his Honourable Friend (Mr. Bennett) had imputed any neglect of duty to the Law Officers of the Clown. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL replied, that he had not Misunderstood his Learned Friend, or the Honourable Gentleman near him he merely wished *to inform the House, that the Lord Chancellor was unwilling to remove-any person from the Cc.mmisi.ln :'f the Peace, having first required from the Law Officers of the Crown whether there existed any rea sonsfor proceeding against the Magistrates criminally? Mr. BENNETT said, that suffizient reasons ap peared in Mr. Merceron's own evidence, if not to pro ceed against him at least to deprive him of the Commission of the Peace.' Mr. BROUGHAM wished to know, whether every Mightn't was to be continued on the Com mission, unless a sufficient case cud Isa made out :igainst him to convict him in a Court of ? The ATTORNEY-GENERAL could not pre view to say whist feelings or principles influenced the .Lord Chancellor's conduct with respect tl the coati ' moose or reirival of Magistrates. Mr. BROUG LIAM aektioultdged that he had misunderstood his Learned Friend, in. which, he be lieved, he had trit been singular. He did conceive his Learned Friend to have stated, that the Lord Chancellor hesitated to remove Mr. Merceroo from lie Commission, because the Law -Officers of the ,Crown did not think there existed a sufficient case for his conviction. No one ever held the seals in this country with greater purity than did the present Lord Chancellor—(Near, krar,)—but he regretted that the N ,hli: and Learned Lord had not entered into a con sideration of the conduct of Mercer.m. Mr. LOCKHART thought it incumbent on Mi. nisters to have proceeded to active meartres imme diately on receiving the Report of the Police. He feared that they were in general more influenced by regard for the revenue of the country than the morals of the penple.—(iirar, hear.) The Petition was laid on the table. Mr. BENNETT presented a Petition, signed by 229 persons of tie Town of Brentford, complaining of the Magistrates of that division, for having taken away a licence from Joseph Harding, of that town, without sufficient cause. Harding's house was stated as one of uniform respectability, in which no riots or disorders had ever been suffered. The Petition con cluded by praying for redress. Mr. B. BATHURST and Mr. WOOD severally con tended that the House of Commons was not the proper place for judging, in the'first instance, of the conduct of the Magistrates. Mr. HOLME sumNgß declared his intention of opposing the Petition, and complained of the sys t?rn too prevalent, of attacking Magistrates, where it was impossible for ti.em to defend themselves. Mr. 13Url'ERWORTH expressed his satisfaction that no proceeiings had been instituted against the Magistrates on ex-parte evidence. Mr. BENNET r, in allusion to what had fallen from the Honourable Member for Surrey, said, that he had made no attack on Mr. Merceron, but what was justi fi ed by his own evidence, the whoiof which was one continued system of contradictions. Mr. BROUGHAM lamented that his Honoorable Friend's humanity prevented him from acting as be came him as Chairman of the Committee, and bring ing Mr. Merceron before the House. With respect to the Honourable Member's opposition to the peti tion, he acknowledged that a line should be carefully drawn between petitions fit for the House to enter tain, and those suited only for a Court of Law ; taut the. present petition was not of the latter description, for it did not impute corrupt motives to the Magistrates. • The ATTORNEY -GENERA La-4 4 What then can the House do in the case—what practical mea sure is it expected that we can adopt 1" Mr. BROUGHAM—" The prayer is for redress generally." Dhe ATTORNEY-GENERAL I do not see how the House can entertain the Petition ; for what spec jAc object has it in view;" ifr. BROUGHAM- 1, I call upon you, Sir, to sty, whether a petition is to be rejected, because it prays for relief generally ?" The SPEAKER—" Certainly not on that account. The general nature of the prayer is no technical ob jection to the petition, but the House may consider whether the petition is such as it ought to adopt ?" The petition was laid on the table. - co:swore IN NRIWATI. Mr. BENNETT desired to know why the Re- corder's Report of several unfortunate persons, now lying under sentence of death in Newgate, had not yet been matte It the Prince Regent ? Five persons were condemned to death in July last, and four in the September following. Of these he was aware, that the casts of four persons were submitted to the consideration of the twelve Judges, and he desired to' know why the Judges had not yet determined on them The number of persons under sentence of death at four o'clock yester d a y amounted to one hundred l—(Hear, hear.) —A Noble Rilattve of his had lately come to town, who had never heed' in Newgate, and he had taken him there to :hew hint how the criminal law of the country was dispensed. There he had witnessed a scene of despair and int morality which he wished the House could have seen. Persons under sentence of death evinced the estrente of profligacy and indifference, and some of them had even said, that they looked with pleasure to the arrival of the warrant of execution, as a relief from their dreadful state of suspense. He requested the Noble Lord to say when his Royal Highness would receive the Recorder's Report ut October and De cember last Lord CASTLEREAGH replied, that the Report had been ordered los Wednesday, but had been psi. poned by the pressure of very important business until to-morrow. The ATTO ItNEY- GENERA L said, that the cases refetred, to the Judges had experienced on un necessary delay. After some further conversation fripn Mr. Bre- PIET A the ATiIbaNAIC-GEXZNAL. and Mr. Alderman, SMITH, the Report of the number of convicts in Newgate, presented to the House last Wednesday, was ordered to be printed. The. Army Estimates for the present year was re ferred to a Committee, which was appointed. . . fit it LI4 NiEN . T . taltY . 11111 0 011,11 i: iir . ROBERT HERON pretented a Petition from G:insborough, praying for a Reform in Parliament. The Meeting was conducted with the utmnit order and re.zulatity. Tie Petitioners did not pray fi r Annual Parliaments and Universal Suffrage, but they desired the restoration of Triennial Parliaments, which the Honourable Baronet observed hid been - - establis!led in the best days of the Constitution, and which had been repealed by an unequivocal policy, and less than munpivocal justice. Mr. TIERNEY postpoued his motion, relative to the Third Secretary of State, to the 27th of Marci!, to which dAy Mr. BROUGHAM also p istponed Mr. LA MB- Totes motion relative to the Payinaster-Gcne,ll. Sir RONALD FE GUSSON presented Pte.i!ions from the B )rou ;I of KiiitcaLly, and the viliage of Leuchars, in faitur of Annual Parliaments and Uni versal Sufroage.—Lai.:. on tl - e Table. A Petition in favour of Reform was presented from the B ()ugh of Boston. It stated, that it appeare,t, ircms the annals of the country, that for a thous Ind years before the R:vollition, Annual Parli iments were. ihe Con•titntinn of England.—(l.aughing from all part: of tie —Laid on the Table. Mr. MAURICE FITZGERALD _gave notice, that he would, on Wednesday next, move for leave to bring in a Bill to exempt small portions of land attached to cott4ges in Ireland from the payment of tithes, and to as:ertain the tithe of flax. SUPPLY. The Report of the Committee of Supply WAs brought up, and the Resolutions read and agreed to. Mr. LAW suggested the propriety of increasing the number of men on board ships of the line on foreign stations, to the war complement. If a war suddenly broke out, there would then be no neces sity to strip merchant ships of their hands, by which they were frequently disabled from navigating their sbips home ; and it would also be attended with a saving of at least £lOO,OOO in we.sr and tear, as fewer ships would be in commission. Sir G. WARRENI)ER said, thltt every point of that kind had been already considered by the Lords of the Admiralty, who were anxious to establish every saving. The House then resolved itself into a Committee of Supply; in which a sum of W 500,000 were voted to his Majesty for the pay and support during six lunar months, of his Majesty's land fumes al home and abroad. The House resumed. and the Report was ordered to be brought up on Monday. CoNTIIINU 11 %NS. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved the first reading of the Bill empowering vitri ous Persons in °flit.: to make voluntary Contributions from their Salaries, for the alleviation of the burdens. under the present cli.oresing circumstances of the' cuuntry.—Read a first time. POOR LAWS AND PALIP3R3. Mr. CURWEN rose to draw the attention of the House to the most important topic which had been subraittel to their consideration since the present Session , • .of Parliament—a subject which must be always of the last importance to the country, parti culatly at a time like the present, when the public mind was filled with the worst presages. He re- I gretted the task should have been as it were imposed upon one so incompetent to effect the desired change in the present system, and had hoped the weight of I his Majesty's Ministers would have been added to the already anxious wishes of the people, and occasion an adoption of measures conducive to the restoraCon of our at present depraved national character. Un der the present system of the Poor Laws so many evils had grown up, that he feared it would be found necessary to alter and amend every enactment upon, that most important, yet most delicate subject. It would be necessary to inquire, first into the effects of pauperism upon the colation of the country ; and, secondly, into the remedy et this enormous evil.— The Act ot the 43d of Elizabeth was the first sta. tote, proceeding upon the principle now cornplet.d and improved, under the title of Poor Laws. The institution ot the principle of relieving the poar -he could not object against ; it was the mode of inter preting these Acts he complained of. It w. , s not for the relief of the idle, the improvident, or the dcceit• ill, that this Act, aad the many Acts growing out of this, had been enacted. It was originally inten ded for the laborious, the active, and such as had conducted themselves with that providence and fore sight, which, in the ordinary course of things, it might have been expected would have insured them independence, comfort and happiness. In the event of objects of this description becoming chatgeable, the provisions of these Statutes had been penned. Brat he had to lament this Statute had been misinter preted for nearly the space of 250 years past, and hence the evil increased with every legislative en tct ment, and must continue to increase. Since the pe riod of 1776, %hen this country was almost wholly agricultural, to the present period, when it had be come completely commercial, the Poor Rates had been.gradually increasing from the sum of one mil lion and a hall, until the present year, in which he calculated the amount would not be less than eight' millions and a half, in a period of forty years,— An f even tt.is he should not, nor would the country itself so much regret, provided by the contribution of this vast SUM, the sum of human misery had been lessened; but the contrary was the fact. The poor classes had thus been taught that the present was every thing, the future nothing—independence of sentiment was sacrificed to the grovelling gratifica. non to be derived from eleemosynary assistance. If Parliament did not find for the public some principle which might restore their independence of character, it would be vain shortly t t talk of our past glorious achievements; they would become mere matter of history, and an insult to our future debased and de• Ade.' situAtion in the politicAlwolld—(Hear, luar . Kra_ filere WAS. in tact, at present, more collected t.►r the use of the poor in this kingdom, than was collected throughout wile dominions of, perhaps, any potentate in Enr.lpe fee all the possible purposes ut civil, mi litary, and charitable establistinsents. Yet look, said he, to their situation, and examine if they are more, c omfortable, happy. or gra►eful, for the advantages they enjoy ? Quite the cunt: in y,. never were they less so, river ohne disposed to idleness, to discontent, to mutiny and ingratitude. The jaundiced eye of the lower orders look with peculiar dissatislaction at every thing offered to it for the relief of its complaint.— In a late visit be made to Ireland, he could not help. r . tiistrasting the state of the lower orders of society id that country, and greatly to the prejudice of the lower order of people in this. True it was, the ne , eessaries of life for them appeared few ; but, although their subsistence were potatoes, and their greatest luxury a bit of salt fish and a drlp of butter-milk, still the cheering and einkari,q; comforts of life were there to be found. Ti,e laudet4le spirit of indepen..• dence promoted them to seek their homely tare by their sturdy labour, and by individual est.:al:in. Doling a tour ss hich consisted of nearly a thousand mires in that country, he had visited every where the cottage of the lab. wring poor, and although ot.ett lie found tits cottage itself without a window, tto• stn: ke escaping by the d..or, the furniture compo,ed of the COH! ant MATTI Alb the result of his investi gation wa:i tlee same—still the vigorous and Lit-if tenants :ipproac!,, d him with a mingled ail - of mile pendenc-e and h which reminded him of tht.e.trlierhistoryo• hit own country. (Hear, h:or. LooleEn , ..r . to this contrasted state of things, it was in one part a day of sunshine to a Jay ofgloom - ; iw tazT, no Lingo ige could ptitez the difference of. the rens.- tions excited by the r , llections arising from such a contrast. At home he found earolled for eke...mooy nary support, nearly two millions of pup- ro, and much of this arose from improvident maitiages—a species of misery which, strange as it might appears the. Legislature could not inteimeddle with, from its delicacy.; yet 6nm:thing should be done to teach Oran unhappy sensualists that the offspting t.: , ey were ;laces- . S4rily about to bring into the world wouli .be only heirs to the consequeoceq of their pirtnts' fly and improvidence. Be should propose, in the first place, that the funds which it should be his object to point out or create should be applied by the parishes them selves optionally ; for he was persuaded much of the evils originated in the compulsory enactments for specific relief to almost all who applied for it. This was the great evil. It would be only just to let those distribute-the relief who had themselves ccntributed, and might perchance become themselves objects o 6 relief in their turn. How different would be the mode and the effect of such a distribution of the common, stock of charity from that of an overseer at present I The object to be attained, was simply to restore the Act of the 43J of Elizabeth to its otiginal purpose and destination. Thus the tax would be.:.me much lighter front the re:uctance wLich would be created to resort to those funds when under such super ittie:l4 dance ; funds, too, created Irmo the general stock of the common labour in e.ich 1 ttle community. The criaii had arrived, so much dreaded by the country .t.td by Ministers, when the sources ut prtv.:te con. nibutiun were neatly dried up, and ta,thing 'amber in that way ci;uld be done, let the co.,sequences tur ever so theadful alit! appall•ng. He instanced the town of Sheffield As overwhelmed v id& the cuntritni- Man actu :11y requisite for the relid of the pin,r ; it was expected that to meet these demands, the ter on property is houses and lands wool.' licit he less tilts year than rIL:t10 per cent. even tire thick occasioned by the late esti ai)refinary contribution would, it was said, be exhausted in live or six w.eks, when they nu longer would know what to do.—(Hear, hear).- -In Shropshire, Nottinghamshire, and Lincokshire, most of the assessments were as high as 18s. in the pound, and same exceeded 2./3. Takiirg the !tight Hon. Member's (Mr. G. Ruse's) statement in IS:S, as granted, his opinion of the income of the c .ustt in 1803, amounted to 35 mdtious, while in t'ie year 1815 it had been chimaera at 57 mitilinns, W.A.( t!.n present income might be fairly estimated at tai tome than that of 1803, viz. 55 millions ; yet the count: y was now obliged 'to give eight millions and a half upon the score of the poor's rates, which amounted to not less than £26 per cent. or ss. 3d. in the pound sterling. Ail tanks, therefore, of persons must now be called upon to bear their share in supportii.g their distressed fellow countrymen until some laixatr might be procured for them in the ordinary way tf industry. 'l'he landliolJer bore at present alm,sst t'ie whole burden ; the stockholder, and persons in trade and professions, must also 'bear their part. It was nut just to expect that the burden should be taone thus unequally. From the sources of the stock ot tue East India Company, that of the South S a, the. profits of the Batik of Eigland, ° and money lent Hisao securities at ii.terest, lie conjectured n.. 1•:ss might be 1 a way, • sum than 54,800,000 i i without readying the pionts of trade coatiibutory thereto mote th in in the pr 'portion f4# per cent. The stair of 61cm:tray was too alarming t.. be tiel. stered up by the issue of Parr . Money, Coin Bills, and such expedients. Tne 'evil roust be struck at the rout—temove the burden of tazatioa. Tnis might be June by an equalization date impotts upusi particular - branches of the couiltsy, when it was con.i.tered that the collective income of labour amounted to not lest than 1441 millions. He misted fur a Committee t..) examine into the state of the Poor Laws. Lord CAS rLLREAGH would give leis aceicu• and earnest support to any inquiry into-this 'toper- • tent subject, and any individual exertions wilier* Le or any of his Majesty's Ministers could 'make, would be made—all the time which, colisisten:ly with me ,•due discharge of the public dtifes could lie given, would he devoted to it. And whether they should succeed in attaining that object which the ilaiour able Gentlernan was so sanguine in aoticivning, at least it would not be treated with ; ind i.frrence, much . less would it be coldly abandoned. It was nut any such leant . , as th.tt of avoiding responsibility that prevented llina from cu uiag torwatd to take the lead in this matter. What r.evtutcd lulu trout doing so was the conviction, that all the ILmbers rot Govern ment had engaged in it, and had been able to see their way to some measure which promised to be effizient, towaids which the country might feel much disposed, and wrrild natataly look with strong hopes; and if the measure thus brought forwa;tl by Government roved in practice inefficient, the • disappointment throughout the country wisu,d be greater, and would bring on such despondency as might prevent a.sy Lew tiforts. But it. the pro:smell Committee be did not despair that ore r lhcicgt ateature wrolti b.t &steed. He msurt d the lionour. able Gen 1 Mats that he. took as lOot•tny a view as himself LI the system of the Pont L IWS. He con sidered them as calculated to break down t••e writ of the English people— (Hear, hear). —And t.e was firmly of oainion, that it they could not succeed in 'raising Op that spirit, and •in inculcating those &sr ttiLes which would make tie pecyle deck n I upuh their own labour for snppott—it they could n"t tu‘- , eves! in this. the Englishmen of future ages satiali