The National Register. — London, England, 1812-01-19 00:00:00

,!:tN'. IQ. increase of population within the last ten years, which he said amount ed to upwardb one Million and half more than it was at the period of the last census. In England t'•:r increase vast about 14 per cent.; in 'Vales 13, and in Scotland 12. This increase was as great upon the part of the Males as the fenai.les. •i he means of employing the piko r pie were, of course, increased, which was mama - of considerable extt)- e.tion to the country. He t!►cr adverted to the means of provision, which the country had for the support of so vast a population; and taated, at a great proof of the addition to that population, that the aonsamption of wheat was considerably greater than the consump tien of all other hied% of grain together. He also alluded to the ct►l - of potatoes, which he conceived to be most necessary for the maintenance of the poor, as they were to he had at a much cheaper rate than bread. The encour;,Ltment of fisheries, he considered to be likewise indispensable. Mr. BROUGH Am did not agree with the Right Hon. Gentleman, that the population had increased to so great a degree. It was hls wish, that the law of Census should he extended to Ireland, which was a very important part of the Empire. He hoped that it would receive that ex:ensi n, anti that it might be ascertained how many Catholics grid Protestants there were in that kingdom, distinguishing each sect. lie feared that the population in that country had undergone no in cre • Mr. HERBERT was of opinion, that the population of Ireland was mach larger than probably it was supposed to be. Nlr. Pal ER Nloott expresAed his sur,.rrise that the census did not extend to Ireland. Accoants were then ordered to lie on the table. i\it Account was brought up of the quantity of Corn imported to Gr at Britain within the last eleven years, and ordered to lie on the table. lIIS MA.IFSTY'S HOUSEIIOLD._ Mr. ;, usitiNGTON brought up the Report of the Committce upon his Maj..sty'i houst hold. Mr. Li ohjected to Several observations made yesterday b.! the Cl Aocellor of the e.xchequer with respect to the fund from which the dci;,-te..cy in the Civil List \VAS to be supplied. Mr. BRAND also made some remarks upon the plan of his Ma totv's Household, parts . of which he conceived to be objectionaLle. After some further tleimte, the Report was brought up and agreed to CONINII - I"iT-E OF SUPPLY. In the Committee of Supply, the Navy and Ordnance Estittrates were voted, and the Report was ordtred to be received to-morrow. NIGHTLY WATCH. - _ Mr. RYDER said; that he did not rise to propose any plan by which the Mainly Watch of the Metropulis should be regulated, but for the vurpcee of moving for the appointment of a select Committee, to en gene into its present state, by which means it could be best ascertained waat measures would be most effectual in securing the safety and tren genlity o: the Metropolis. He then made many observations upon the 01: e adful crimes which had been daily committed ; and he particularly alle.lcd to the recent murders w hich had taken place. Upon examining the subject, and comparing the state of Eng;end to that of the nations on the Coetineet with respect to crimes, he could not attribute the increas: which had teken place iu ilegitieus acts, to any negligence of the Police. In many cities on the Continent horrible crimes were committed with more tie qte:ncy, notwithstanding the vigilance and activity of the police under the cote rem! of military despotism. It would be ascertained by the Committee, whether it was expedient to refarm the Police Acts altogether, or to alter and amend them. It appeared to him thatithe present Acts could be so amended, as to answer ail the purposes of a total change. Those which had been framed in the year 1774, were only extended to seventeen parishes, and Trustees and Directors were empowered to act upon them. They had also the appointment of the Patrole Watch and Beadles, and were, moreover, authorised to as,ess rates ie eaeh parish. That the provedons of those Acts had not been attended to was undeniable. He would merely give one instance, which %awl in effect a violation .of a very impertant provision. This provision directed that the Trustees shouid appoint none but able-bodied men to wetch,but he had been informed that it was the custom of Trustees to give to infirm parifhoners, who were incapable of tieing dny thing, the eaarge of watching each parish.- After a few more remarks, he stated, that it wes his intention to move, that all the Members of London, Westminster, Middlesex, and Surrey, should be of the Committee. He concluded by moving for the appointment of a Select Commuter, to inquire into time state of the Nightly Watch in the Metropolis, and the adjacent parts. Sir SAMUEL RoMILLY expressed his surprise that the bounds of the enquiry proposed by his Right I ion. Friend, were so very limited, espe cially a:; crimes were progressively increasing. It was evident that there was a very great increase in enormities since the year 1806. In that year there were 899 convicted. to 1607 the number increased to 1017; in 1803 to 1110; in 1809 to 1214. and in. 1810 to 1424. He depre eau:A the practise of offering rewards to the Police, and concluded by • ureete, the necessity of lot ming a system by which the entire Police of the Metropolis should undergo a radical alteration. • Mr. WyJ.LIAM. Smrra and the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUYII Made some observations upon the motion, and Mr. Altrecßoeillie filuvtd an Amendment, that the Committee tined(' also teke into consideration the state of the Police. To this amendment Mr. Ry Dill said he had no objection. THE NATIONAL REGISTER. 0 37 - , - Lord ( OCHRANE rose to make some pinery:aeons, elucidetory ot t, e causes of the increase of crime. His Lordship ascribed the chief origin of the evil to the Pension List, the lower class being hound to pay the taxes which supported it, and not being able to pay those eliormous taxes; hence they were drivtn to the cotmnissi.n of crime. Sir F. BURDETT expressed his happiness at finding that no pretence had been made, on the present occasion, either from sinister or perhaps honest motives, to propose an extension of the Police. With regard to the Night Watch, if it were made what it ought to be, or what it might be, it would supersede the necessity of a Police—it would s &a ll ay tend to the prevention of crime. 'l'be Hon. Baronet recommended the enacting of some such law as was in existence in the time of Edward the First ; which made each parish answerable for the property lost by any one of the parishioners, or for any outraces committed within their district, and also comptiledthe several parishioners to watch in regular set parties. Mr. SItERIDAN had expected, after the recent progressive,' and alarming increase that had lately taken place in the amount ot crimes, and in the number of murders, that the Secretary of State for the Home Department would have turned his mind to the subject, and would have endeavoured to store it with information on the subject. But to his surprise, the Right Hon. Gentleman had come down to the House with the meekest, and, begging his pardon, with the silliest proposition that he possibly could have imagined ! What was the mighty proposition that had emanated from that Hon. Secretary's powerful mind ? Verily, to examine into the state of the nightly watch / Writ this the measure that was to ensure, in future, secnrity to the inhabit ants of this metropolis ? Why, the Right Hon. Gentleman might as well have proposed to inquire into the state of the parish iumses I—l A langh.)—ln the beginning of the Secretary's speech, he iotormed the House, that there was a law in existence which compelled every pari-h to provide its own nightly watch, coesistire eVe b:illiet! min." He also was communicative enough t inform them that he believed this law was frequently vi)lated—that meny poor, 1;41, decrepid •vi hrlig, were eegaged as NVjtChin , nto prevent tinni fr becomeee; exeensive teethe parish. Well, then, what woes the description of per sun: to be examined ? About whom was the Cerrimittee to make : guides? Why, the culprits themselves ! Did the Hon. Secretary me.oi that these netable sefegnards should be examined as the sureons did recruits to discover whether they were " able-bodied men ?" tVteo could have expected such a propositi ,, n.—who was prepared for such a motion from the Secretary for the Home Department ? Net true it was, that Right Hon. Gentleman bad come down th that ilou-e with his accneomed gravity, for certain it was, that every thing done hy him was psrfurmed with con.iderable pravity and solemnity-64,1 laugh !)—and bad concluded with troposing that inc,uiry should be' made respecting the state of the nightly watch ! Such was his motion, and a most ridiculous one he considered it ! As to the late murders, and most horrible ones they were, much had been said about them ; but what seemed to have occupied much of the attention of some, was to circulate, that the unfortunete Williams was an Iris/mean ! After welds, gre..t pains were taken to show, that those murders originated ,1 in a hop& ss Popish plot to destroy all Protestant publicans—(Laugh ter.) Why. were all these endeavours made to fasten a stigma on any ' I set of men, instead of the' efforts bring coiltined to the grand object of discovering the murderers?—As to the intercourse which the Head of I the Police (bur such he considered the Secretary of State for the Home Department to be) had with the Alagistrates, Sec, many strange and i • almost incredible stories were told. Considering how this comitry is situate with reepect to foreign nations, it would be supposed that Aliens would be the natural objects of some of the Secretary s attention, and that he would have frequent communication with the Head of the !I Alien-Office; bet, if he were rightly informed, the Right Hon. Seen-- tary had not even sren the individual to whom I e had alluded for more 11 than a year and a half: Siv:h way his watchfulness—stich was his in dustry in making inquiries respecting the efficiency of the police at tho 1 fountain head ! But with what surprising facility did he acquiesce in the amendwent—an amendment, too, so different from the original pripo • { sition ! Adding the amendment to the motion, was fastening a boat I upon crust !—(Much laughterj—it was as if a motion had bei - n i to inquire what quantity of pitch and tar was in any one of les jesty s duck-yards, and afterwards tacking to it an amendment " t r ! miqe the state and disposition of the *hole of his Majesty's navy !" (Continued tau titer.) The original motion ought to have been queii as to supersede any such amen:din:mt. In 1780, he (Mr. ti.) made ti011!e • ;notion respecting the police, when be ventueed to assribe the alr.rming i riots of that period to the ill state of the police. He complained at the Lord Lieutenant, charging him with filling the Maeistracy with int proper persons. In rebuttal of this charge, the late Duke ot Northmn- I berand replied, " Well, you, Burgoyne, and Fitz p atrick, shall be made Magistrates—and then we shall have a remedy !" But such v. us not the way to silence such a charge. He then asserted and still ceo tended, that the filling of the Police Magistracy had descended to nu:t . e jobbin; in tile hands of Government. It was a fact those offices wt re mere lobs ! He challenged any one of the M inisters to et .n, that I,er sons had frequently been put into those offices who were unfit. A: to the list of the names which had been suggested, it would he ;in no. dioui task to describe iudividuais ;• but this jabbing ought cot to ck4l - To Mr. Graham the Public we-re munch indebted. The 1:4;!±s Hon. Gentleman then made Some observations respecting the pr-Ar;::e. of (active reward.. 2?1 , 1 ch4erTeci. that nv.vy of the officers beioitjno- - 'll