The National Register. — London, England, 1818-06-07 00:00:00

1111 that some of melt Game stipphed the Royal 'I aide. lie could sat aerre to the going into a Committee. :4ensve.sion argued on the same side, and thought it (stet ot•:y herd that the Ga'ne Lawip front their rigour, pressed hard upon !he Gamekeepers, exposing them often to danger,nnil sometimes depriving them of life. The Earl of LIM Lnielt rooetiderell the system of the Game Laws to be founded in error, gs well as in cruelty and jujus. tiee. Thonglo a friend to the sports of the field, he had relish for sporting with the liberties of the people. He should there fore vote against the Committee. Lord HoLLAN o said be should vote for the Bill on precise. ly the saute grounds and principles on which it had by some Noble Lords been opposed. To the general tystem uf = Genie Laws be was decidedly adverse, but while they were suffered to exist, he thought it tight that they should operate alike on all. The LORD CHANCELLOR, with the best attention he was able to bestow on the Bill, felt much difficulty in giving his assent to it. He could not but perceive that it was a crime to kill or sell game, it Was a crime el equal, if not greater magnitude, to hny it; and when he heard of a person's being scut to Dorchester gaol for the former offence, be could not suppress a wish that the buyer of the game had been scut to keep hint company. Earl Ilx.rtitesT justified the Bill ; end after a few words front Lord Holland, and Lord Carnarvon, the House divided on the question for going, into a Committee, vt hieh Way agreed to by a majority of t, there being 33 for, and '1) against the Committee. • The Alien woe read a third time and passed.—Ad journed. WEDNESDAY. The Royal :s•ent was given by Coinmission to the Chancery Clerks' Fees ; the Ease India Marriages, the Negociable Se curity, the Lottery, and to several private Bills. Sir V. Gums delivered the opinion of the :ridges on the question of the Itirly Peerage, which vvas unfavourable to thr claimant. The second reading of the Privately Stealing in Shops Bill being moved by Lord Holland, the Lord Chancellor declared himself hostile to the Bill; •and it was thrown act without a • ROYAL MARRIAGE. Lord LIVER:9OOI. moved an Address of Congratulation to her Majesty on the marriage of his Royal Highness the Doke of Cambridge. The Address was arced to, At were similar Add' eases to his Royal Highness the Prince Regent, and to the Royal Pair. The Game Laws Amendment Bill wu read a third tiwe and passed. STATE OF PRISONS. laird LANSDOWNE called the attention of the Heine to the increase of mime. ants said lie should have the painful task of calling their Lordships' attention to the relefois on the table of the Boise, from which it appeared that clime bad • increased .1 thee.-fold degree in the last lit years; the number of emivictions in I 1a,16, and 17, being 19,736 ; and in 160.1, 6, and 7. only :SO. This increase of crime might be imputed to different causes by different poisons: Some might impute it to a long continued war; some to the state of our revenue laws, anti some to a large/paper currency. — Indeed, it might be the result of all these amuses united ; hut %%liatever might be the cause of crime, every one would agree that the fact of their increase or diminution depended touch on the state of our prisons; and here he would only state shortly the variety of crime and charges of clime which ;night be found in one prison; namely, charge% of felony, petty then, manslaughter, ti and, offences against the Excise, Came Laws, proceedingsaii the Feclrsi Cour ts, einirees of bastardy, and varrons other descei p nous of ei hue. Now, when it was eon/deleted that there movie upwards of 11,000 persons coalmine(' in the course of the year, 13,000 of whom at least were again returned to society, the House would not fail to see that t 111,1 practice of mixing offenders, without considering the different shades of their offence, was an evi! of the greatest mrienitn(le. From all the works publishes! on this subject, it week! appear that the system prevailing in the prisons of the metropolis, was the very opposite of that which north' produce reform. To prove this, he nerd only read an extract from Mr. Buxton's book, who, speaking of the Borough Compter, says, " every sort of profligacy pre vailed there, the tried and the untried, the chained and those at liberty, all mingle together in one common herd." And the keeper of that prison, a most humane men, stated, that in nine years he had never known a single instance of raformation take place in the prison. And further, that if he were to discharge too prisoners, he was persuaded he should in a few walks nee yet of thou hack again. I.:yen the !vireo of Newgate was not free from objec tion on this head. In that prison there was areerninodation for only ti persons when under sentence of death. In this prisrn, profligacy ormanners prevailed till very lately here however an extraordinary refomisition laid been brearelit about by a most eau:um/Unary and amiable female, who, notwithstanding the disadvantages she had to s:ruggle with, hail done mach to introduce morality into the priien; and what might not her progress have been. had the proper regula tions existed an the prisons, and had it buca possible to have aided tier in her good work, as she deserved to be. To,put the House in possession of information or the subject was the object of his present :cotton, and to sdnain that okcet, lie would muve an humble Ad. areas to the Prince Regent, preying that his Royal Highness would be graciously pleased to direct an inquiry to be entered into on the rave of the different Miens in the kingdom, and a report thereon to be laid before the I louse. The Noble Lord concluded by mewing an Address to that effect. Lord SIOSIOUTH expressed his eatisfactien at the motion of the Noble Marquis, to which he would give his support. The measure s' crime in this country, in the 6 - pace of the last eight or nine years. 'awl indeed been alarming ; .and that increase certainly Reese out of various combined cireumstatices. It was, however, a consolatory ellectinn, that the increase of crime had not been proportionably great within the last titer years as it was in the preceding, though, in that palm ], we had had distress at it highest. provision at its high eat price, and we had had a transition from war tb peace, and a re duction beyond precedent, both in our army and navy. Another circumstance of a most consoling nature also, was, that though the (umber of offf neas had increased, the nuniberof capital punishments hal decreased. The Noble Lord then went into a entnnaratiee view et' the number of capital punishments in d;Tercit periods, from 1760 1- the present time, by which it appearol :hat ;he executions we re 'such ramie numerous in the early part than in the . later years of that period. Only two means of remedying the evil rematneo, one of which must be adopted, either to introduce reaer severity of pulishmcat, or to adopt such a system in our prisons, by classifica tion, tusDuctiort„ and other means, as might produce reformation. and tints decrease crime. Ile was happy the Noble Marquis had brought this subject forward ; the result would be. most probably, taeappointment of a Committer, from whoeelaboursand recominen deems Po e aw l the greatest beneßt. Th. Poe.l.twe Amendowat Bill was returned from the Dome of T 1 /E NATIONAL REGISTER Lord LIVERPOOL agreed ill this opinion, but expressed his fears that any alteration now made iu the Bill might risk its being lost tot the present Sessicn. Lord CARNARVON. 03 this suggestion, withdrew his amend nur.u.—Adjoumtd to Friday. FRIDAY. PLACES IN REVERSION, AND SINECURES. Earl tittOSVENOR rose to make that tooter,. of which he had given early notice, respecting the abolition of -Sinecures and Places lahl in Reversion. it was by no means his intension to take up touch of their Lordships' time; the subject had so often been dis cussed, that little remained to he said upon it. lie should, therclore, with the utmost brevity. submit to their Is.rclships the aostract o: his orinion. Ile thought it radically wrong, and peculiarly so under the circumstances of the present times, ground and oppressed with enormous hurthens as the people were, that toaless tit ic., nr. , l idle officers should be rid nut of the public purse. There was, howev-r, one case which might very naturak be supposed to stand as an ob jection to Ins prooortion, he meant the reversion try grant to the Duchess of Gloucester, of the II angersbip of hagshot limb. Nothing could be more plausible, nothing! more trite, than thatif bight cluse ter and exemplary virtue could cm:enure a claim of-anrch a nature, that claim would be substantiate-1 in behalf of the Illustrious Per sonage alluded to. But he ccr.ddered those very virtues of the Illus trious intli6lu4 as strongly supporting his argument, because it set r:wth very dangerous n t. The Noble Earl then, after some further cursory remarks, made three successive motions; fast. for the abolition of all offices in reversion ; secondly, for the diecontinu anee of sinecure placer; and lastly, for a plan of general practical ceenotny. The motions were severally put from the Woolsack, antleewli was rejected without observation. rite Bills on the table were forwarded in their ReVtral tage:, thur Lerdthips adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS. Mennav,3unc 1. Mr. J. SMITH hrotr,zitt up the Report of the Bankrupt Cum. missioners' Salukis. The Resolutimis were agar ett to. Lord LASCELLES moved the third reading of the Cutlery Bill. • • Mr. WHARTOIZ apposed the 2tl Claim., which prevented the manufacturers of hammered steel, from stamping the word " steel" on their goods. Mr. Entrags wished to see ell these fraudulent marks on different species of goods prohibited. Mr. BROUGHAM Said, the Heinen, as to the tampeting with f:e Assessment of tile Lanti-tax in Westmoreland, had now brew made; and Irons it, it appears-Ai that all his statements were perfectly true. This pave: showed that the assessment could not be wade till Jane, am!, therefore, could not he amended in time for Ile. pie, !.ott, if a dissolution shoutd soon take place. The water to &lay the Assessment was signed 4 two persons, one of whom was Chairman of the principal Electioneering Committee in ‘Vectinurelaitd. He trusted the proceedings would have the elect. of preventing a -recuerenee of such improper runduct. Lord LOWTHER said, several persons lately in Westmore land came forward solemn', ily, and desired to be taxed for the Land tax, certainly a novel proceeding. Information was re qttired by the Tax Office in London as to it, and that caused the delay in the Assessineut. The Host. Gent. (Mr: Brottgliatu) bad made a meet unjustifiable use of Lord LeirsiOde's neer, , as a matter with which he was unconnected. Mr. BROUGHAM said, it was an indecent thing to see an Election Agent corresponding, as such, with the Commission ers oldie Tax Office. Mr. W. Wxase. aaid, that if aninterference wills Elections .hould take place by Commissioners of Taxes, they would be liable to severe punistunealt by the House. Sir J. GRAHAM said, thasAssesstuents for the Land-tax lied gone en quicker in Westmoreland, than in any other county. Here the conecrsation drorned. The itegurcy Bill was read a Recand time, and committed, after some observations front Mr. Tierney, who proposed il reduction of the expellees of the Windsor Establishment; and expressed his surprise that a provision hid not been made for the demise of the Prince Iteaent ; and from Mr. Canning, who contended that flatcar, should withhold the Bosse front making any alteration •in the Windsor F.stoblisktaent.—Atl journed. TUINIIAY. Mr. J. SMITH moved the second reading of the Bankrupt Laws Amendment Lill. Mr. kVaorre.sLev said, that the sum of 30,0001. had been judged sufficient for the erection of a proper building for the Commissioners of Bankrupts; should a Committee be appoint ed, the accommodation would probably be better and at hs f the expense. The Bill was then, after a few words from Mr. SMITH, read a second time, committed, repored, anti the Report ordered to be taken into further consideration that day three months, and to be printed. Sir F. 13unnrur presented a Pctition :rom Loughborough, in favour of Annual Parliaments and Universal Suffrage. The Petitioners, he stated, to be chiefly old people; the age of one being 79, of another lit, and of the youngest 54. He. also pre. sented 12 Petitions from Lancashire, eight from Edinburgh, 20 from Birmingham:, eight from Dundee, 30 from Middlesex, one from London, 25 from Westminster, three from Warwick, and 54 from Mary-la-bonne ; containing the same prayer. .Lord COCHRA sin then presented 39 Petitions from Leeds, 43 from Bridgewater, and 39 from Purtscanth, praying for a radical Reform, Annual Parliaments, and Universal Suf frage.—Laid on the Table. Mr. La viler° N stated, that not being in his place when the Petition from the City of. London bad been presented upon the subject of the equalization of the Duty on Coals, he gave notice that next session he should move that the Duty on Coals, whether carried by canals or by sea, should be equal. ised. ..s.„. REFORM OF PARLIAMEIaiT. Sir. P. BURDETT stated, that in rising pursuant to the no. lice he had given, hi should submit. a Motion to the House, in itself agreeable to all the. notions of common justice, and coo nected with all those principles of the Constitution that had exalted this country to so MO a rank atnatm the nations of Europe. He would indeed wiliincly suppose that the Motion was of such a nature that it could hardy be objected to by any man, who was capable of compt ehentheg ite object. The pi in_iples upon winch the Motion was founded, were not drawn from the actual reavonera, nor from Mil political writers but be had limited himself to one source,. and that was the authority of the person fillies r: the high( at official station in the country, as appeared in the spveche3 from the Throne, professing those prioeipb.,:i that he wished rarnrst ly to impress upon the House. It lead always appeared to him that the in terest of the King and the people, when uropetly '.uiderstood, • •own forAeo it' N E S. --- meta. The resohetions he intended to move wield beahooght long, but they would not he found too long, not hell My been ally attired itlo a due consideration of the sim j itel, dial, as far as t ltlhol ity we'd, %vomit be foetid uutletneillt., a lilt sub. jeet appeared to him to be so plain, that lie w at at a loss what wens of illustre:ton to employ, as the subject scented to hici to call fur universal assent. The Han. Iterunet, in a long or , nuniellt. halving proved that mint el Pat itanients were no inuo ' vation, tied suffrage was, and ought to lie more universal, having *tried the subject upon the eqiiit.iti.e principle ut the tilli VW al In that week' result tiom ref elm, hoped it would not be nlb ji etc.! to him that lie advocated pi inciples of anarchy, or oleo unattainable and v WI/1401V pet ttetiOU.-- If tilt It was the emir, at least he supported (mill pi isiciples in good company, in come:thy with men whose Integrity and ta lent onela to be suffiei eta to protect him at least against the imputation of evil designs. Hat Menu either woh but to place this iptestion on the ground of reasoti, he would now proceed to 'der-eottie resolutions upon it. The Huuuertible Jimmied having then read a string of* resolutions, Lord Cocoons g rose to second the resolutions. After what he had seen take plate., on su many ceeasioue, iu the House. on the subject uf Retie in. he could nut have any sanguine eeitectations as to the t t snit of the resolutioni hal' Isis Hum Friend had submitted. 'They would, how'tte f, hat e this good effect, that they would ttat It the people whet it am for which they eerie to petition. He would not on the present occaidese say, that the House was influenced iu its decisioas by particular motitem,such as the power of Ministers, or that interest which they possessed, of smikipe places the reward of votes in a certain way that would not be parliamentary for hint to express I but, if Hon. llembers dunked te whet was done in former times. if they looked beef., not ouly to the abuses of pewee - which had been committed under the sane. tiuu of the Rouen' Senate, but even to those acts which had been authorised by the bodies canine themselves representa tive in this come ry, at other put Audi, and compared them with the acts of the present representative b eiy, they would out t believe that our encestois nor their ancient predecessors were the only persons who - were to be /keened fur their acts. They would, on the contrary, think that tile smaller faith lay with the former ; fur the greater the trust reposed in any bo dy, the greater was their crime in aliesieg that trust, as the willing 'Minister* of a despotic government haul less to answer fur their conduct than they %oho pretended to net as the agents of a free peoyle. He rave cis geoerel and unequie vocal assent-to lie resolutions proposed by the Hun. Baronet. They' were, in his opinion,'such as the lloese oneht to re ceive and agree to ;and here. as probably it might be the last (hue he .hood] ever have elle honour of addressing the Home oil any suleject—(Here thr Noble Lord ailed tears and ap peared so oe erpowered by • his feelings as not to be able to proceed ha some beconals.l—As this, he contireted, might be the 14st time he eliwild have the honour of addressing the House, he was anxious to state to them what his opinions were of their conduct. It was now nearly eleven yen's since Ise Lad the houour of a seat tu the House, and :Once then there were very fed net:. of tie its in which lie could ;serer with the opinions of the neijuitty. To say that these .Acts se voted wet ecoutrare to jutseee, nook! slot be partialtieutery in him. Ile would not eta it go into the inquire whether they-tended to the national reed or not ; but he would merely appeal to the feelings of the landholder; present--he would appeal to the knowledge of those alemhers who were enlisted in COW_ hit lel', WWI ask them, ie 'tether the Acts of the Legisletivit Body were rut of it description, during the late war, that would, it not for the timely intervention of the use of machi nery, have bent tine nation to total ruin? 'file country was hurtle nod to a mate, which, but for that ieterventieu, it would have been impossible fur the people to hear. The cause of these measuree having such an efiect upon the coun try, was examined, and the ce gone into by the resolu tions of his Hon. LIIIIC3 411 C. They wide to he traced, as had been so well observed, to dial patronage and influence which a number of powerful indlviiiiiatiepossessed over the nomi nation of a great number of the Members of that House ; a powerahsich,devolving on a few, became thereby the niore liable to be elected by the itifluence of the Crown; and whit:lilted, in fact, been rendered almost entirely snb'ervicnt to that influence. To reform the abases which arose out of thin system was the object of his Hon. Friend's Motion. He would not, he could not anticipate the sneeess of that Motiou; but lie should say, as had been betore eaia by the great Chatham, the father of Mr. Pitt, that if the House did not re form itself from within ; It would be reformed with a vengeance from without. The people would take the subject up, anal a reform would take place which would make many Mem bers regret their apathy in refusing that reform which Might be rendered efficient and permanent. But uufertuuately is the' present state of the House, in its present formation, it appeared to him, that from wit hin no returns could be expect ed ; and for the truths of this he appealed to the experience of nearly 100 Members who were then present, nearly edo being absent ; he appealed to their experience, whether they ever knew of any .one instance where :tile , petition of din people tOr reform was taken into consideration, or any re dress afforded in consequence of such petition? This he regretted, because lie foresaw the consequence which woald necessarily result from it. He trusted and hoped, that Mem bers would see in time the necessity of adopting some step towards regaining the confidence of the people, which they hail, he conueived, entirely lost, for unless they did so, they would have, he believed, occasion to repent it when it would be too late. L Here the Noble Lord's- utterance wet *treat eltoaked for a time, and lie again gave way to tears.] He Liao, he observed ; no interest in making time observations, But that of the country. What -lie said was dictated by cousei entions feeling. He was filly convinced of a great evil in the State, and lie wished to ere it remedied, in order that the consequences which be believed would result from its cool nuance might be avoided. He had for mote than ten years the honour of a seat in the House, and he felt do rely tile confidence which was reposed in bins by the electors of Westminster, not only in giving him a seat in the Huuse, but, because on a late occasion it sewed their feelings of abhor rence of the foul and horrible conspiracy which had beets raised against him. [acre again the Noble Lord was pre vented front going on for some seconds by an etineion of tears.]—He begged to be undeistood as not wishing on the present occasion to cast any aspersions upon his Majesty's Ministers. he was unwilling now to speak with awes ay of any of them; but he begged that they might take warning in time. He hoped they would see the impropliety of the coarse they had so long pursued, and give it up, before it wee too late fur themselves and the country. They yet had it In their power to do away a part of the evil which they had created e his caution to them was, that they should do it In time. • .• m thiezhair.