The National Register. — London, England, 1819-02-14 00:00:00

TED.I 4 the roomy tiers under which the puniaiment of heath was in. Ink-red. —The same Hotly, acting with that sobriety, temper anti moderation, by which they were dist ingnielted; had been tin 111,0rP °erasion& than nue the first to point oat and to rept,— bate the existence of voile of the bielteet magnitude. He coal , ' tilt fo get, for to forget it wonld he the height of i n . gratilsti!e, that tile Quakers were aiming the earliest t3r Mote who hail Haien II that the Slave Trade should be abolished, and had nes , r been Is kwatal in promming any reuse fa v.itualile to tic: interests of humanity. The Petition, Mier ever, deserved the must serious attention, not inertly on at-remit of the inclivilloals be whom it was signed, but on amulet of the impertance of lb qrteetion to which it related. To that qoestion it was In un.,ibte to advert, witlitett ex pressing faintly hie , deep regret, in cominnn with the whole Howie; and Country, that it erns lIPW left for him to raise his feeble voice in that cause which had been so often. Anil so ably advocated by one whose name would be recni d, d none the benefeelors of mankind, and whose memory would be fondly eartielied by all who reverereed either public or private virtite—a man whose ceneral knowledge was only equalled by his ordeseimini ettaininents, and who brought th to th e sobject all the bruits of the understalitling, and all e advantages of experience. The obligations of the country to the nue ceded labours of that most distinguishett and 'lamentable indisi,iunl were acknowletteed by friends and enemies — `. f, indeed, the term friends could be applied to those who loved him with devoted entlinsiannt, or enemies to these who, while they resisted his propositions, had admitted the be:leen:rime of their object, and the admirable intentions of him who intredneeil Skein. He was a man in whom public and private excellence were an united, ansl so equally ballaticed, that it was aliffirodt to say which hod the pre. duminanee : those who knew him only as a Member of Par liament would probably hold that his public priuMple had the predominance ; while those who had enjoyed his friend ship wonid feel satisfied that the general benevolence of his views and projects was exceeded by the endearing qualities of his dustiest itt life. The country had been deprived of his assistance when most it was Heeded, and when he had pro ceeded but afew stews towards the completion of his object; those steps had been made with esetinn though witliont hesi• laden and if his progress at first was resisted, opposition in the end was disarmed by the persmraott of his eloquence, and eouvietiou compelled by the force of his talents. —Although deprived of its chief advocate, it seas still to be haped that many supporters of the comae yet remained, who, at least in earnestness ail zeal were not behind the distinguished individual of who he had speken ; it 1% sg, however, most sincerely to be lamented, that after all that h a d been said and written upon the subject of crimes and pnuishinents, sinee the days of Howard, so little had yet been done to remedy the increasing evil against which the Petition was directed. 'flue Hon. hlesnuer strongly commented on the present ex isting practice of committing punishment ; a practice which, lie said, arose out of the severity of our Cs Cutle ---a severity which frequently prevented punishment being carried into effe:q, rendered it Illteellain, and made the coin• mission ut offences a kind of game of chance, and encoureged offenders as it were to game away their lives. The Honour. Member concluded by strongly rectittinicuiling the Petition to the consideration of the House. The Petition was then brought up and read. owl prayed that Parliament would, at as early a period as possible, take the subject into con sideretion. Sir J. M.teerserosit then gave notice that be would, on this day three weeks, bring forward a motion tilt the subject. THE POOR LAWS. Mr. S. liourtste, after AAIIIP preliminary observations as to the proceedings of the Committee on the Poor Laws, which sat daring the last Session, said, he should propose to re appoint that Committee ; lie was fully impressed with the importance of the subject to which he was alluding; and the Committee had felt it in an equal degree. So overwhelming had the evil appeared to them, that they had been at a loss what remedy to propose: at the same time it was impossible to disguise, from ourselves, that the evil great as it was, was •Ir ill inereaslug ; and in a little time, in many districts, tailless checked, it would leave to the owner nothing but the soil. Ile conelnded by moving fur the appointment of a Committee. Me. Cuitwen's speech on this subject, is considered as requiring perticnlar notice ; awl we have, therefore, given it as a separate article in one 6th Page. Lord CAWI'LEREAtiII thotialli it wolllll be better to discuss the general question of the Pane Laws when his Right Hon. Esieed brought in his Bill. It would be deceiving the House if he was to say that Government had yet seen any mode of relieving the lower orders by throwing the burden of them on any one class im the state. It might kink 111. e coercion for Oovernment to impose any regelations on this subject ; when the community would hike as a boon aey regulation which the Idolise generally might agree to adopt. The Committee had already gone a great length towards ameliorating the Poor La,vs. Ile would dot encoorage false hopes to the country; and although some classes in the communits were still suffering, as in a great country there must at all times be. there never was an example a a more rapid amelioration of general, commercial, and manufacturing interests. Mr. BuRRELI. instanced the case of Brighten parish, which lately paid 70001. foi Poor-rates, and last year they unwonted to 16,0J01. file popalatiuu being IS,OJU. of Last Grinstead paid at the rate of 41. a year a man to the Poor-rates. The reason was, that there was more of popolatioli in the parish than they could find work fir. The same pre% dile,' aft through the sate of So-s: c. Fie consegiteuce would lie, that thy firmer' would be rained, the I lie waste, and the country itself be tiltilitetely ruined. MI the yousig, able-bodied Single men had been obliged to he sent to the worklionse fur want of employment. Lord CASTLEItEIfIII atlonrd that this pressure prevailed in Sussex, bat In few whet places. Mr. V ETIIVEN said, it %mita boa delusion to think that any legislative measure could be found to meet this evil, except by a diminution of lave, The labourer *as the real sufferer though the fa , mer and the land-owner were struggling with the pressnie unite flints. Aldermen W A ITIINA N could not agree with the Noble Lord on the increasing prosperity .f the country. lie had found in his ow,l parisis the distress of the poor increasing op to this moment. The great distress of the poor arose front the want of gardens to their eon:sees. Many It:closure BMs had passed the lionsc, on pretence of elf mg employment to the poor; they were fat extending NOIlle1114;f1 and Gentlemen's parks, and not one foot of land was given to the poor. In one of the parishes of his Ward, now arils of UM persons were sumiuuned for uompayroetit of their poucrates, and timed incapable. Nothing would r, ne.sly this evil butt a [dial . flea& the taxes Whit+ Utia apiattt , 4 the cosmos. 'lke Committee was Ikea urelereil to be appointed. The ATTORNEE.GENEIiaI. rosy to Haw/friar leafs to bring is a Bill to abolish tke trial of Wager by Rattle. The NATIONAL 111",GISITR. I had several time* been brought before Parliatnent, but not with a view to obtain Re abolitina. The proceeding by Appeal, in eases of murder, and other fellouies, May very ancient, and proem:sled front a want of eivilis ition. In some itinancee it had been carried into effect, contrary to all justice. The Appeal for Murder was of this deseription ; because no tuna °nein to he pnt upon his trial again, after having been ac• Joined by a competent tribunal. The earliest alteration made in this Appeal was by Magna Chao ta, in which no woman can Appeal, except the widow of she murdered man. The next alteration was, that a min actpitteil of murder, might Le Appealed within a year and a day sifter; and with this manifest rilissirdity, that a man stied for murder, and con victed of tnanshingliter, could plead that conviction, in bar for au Appeal of the minder. So II: it an Appeal to the Trial by Battle, is in mans instances the only mode in which a man may prevent himself from brine 111.1112 a sacrifice, by being exposed to a second trial. The trial by Wages' of Battle file Arson, or Robbery, was, in modern fiestas, never resorted to. Another reason for the repeal of ti's bat harlot's custom was, that if a man wore convicted, time King bail no power to pardon him ; the appelior alone being able to do so ; and it rested on his forgiving or vindicative spirit to determine the fate of his adversary. lute then moved for leave to bring its a Bill to abolish Tilat by and Appeals for Mulder. Mr. DEN II 19 entirely concurred in every observation that had been made. It was almost impossible to send a moan to trial asecond time before any unprejudiced Jury. Hs ti listed the spirit of reform would follow this up will: otl.er alter ations which were equally necessary. The motion was then agreed to. The Report of the Committee of Ways and itteanc wa bronglit up and agreed to. The ATTORNICV-GLNEIIAL brought up the Trial by Battle Abolition Bill, which was read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time on Friday next, and to be printed. WEDNESDAY. USURY LAWS. Mr. Serjeant ONSLOW, pnrsnant to his notice, molted for leave to bring in a Bill to repeal the laws at present existing, for regulating and restraining the rate of interest to lie paid fur the use of money. Having on repeated occasions, for. merly brought this subject before the House, Iseshonld not at present enter emelt at length into Isis former He was happy to find, that his opinions oa the subject were those whirls prevailed now, tint only in the most enlightened eutintries in Europe, but else in Aniertca. He was eertain those who first proposed oar present Usury Laws, were by no means friends to good polioy. lie believed they had their origin in a pervetadm of a text of Scriptnrc, which stated that all interest was tmlavrrol. The Miaow able and Learned Menerstr then proceeded to enter, as formerly, into a rt. view of the lava upon the subject of interest, from the lime of Henry VIII. to the present time ; and alluded to the opinion of Mr. Bentbatumn this subject, who considered the Usury Laws as initorions ; to wine), opinion, Ito said, 1)r. Adam Smith lattetly declared Mines-If a convert. A Cosa. mittee had tortnerly been appointed to enquire into the effect of the Usury Laws ; and it appeared lis!fore that Commit' a, that to avoid the laws against Usury, ;inanities had its sehue instances been granted fur four lives, at Clue rate of 1,411, and 15 per cent. interest. The Hots. Member concluAd by moving for leave to briag in Isis Bill. Ms. ]piste, seconded the motion, which he considered as our which would be productive of great public benefit. He could not but consider it a most extraordinary circumstance, that whilst one individual was at liberty to employ his money its the purchase of land or houses, and to make all the pretlt he could upon it, another individual having money, slims'd not be allowed to snake the hest interest he could of his pro. perty. Leave was given to bring in the Bill, which was brought tip, read a first time, and ordered to be read a. second time on Monday next. Mr. Alderman Wont) moved for a Return of the Annual Expense of the transport of Convicts to Nvi South Wales, and of the total Annual Expence of those Colonies aline 1815. —Ordered. . Mr. Lt:SHINGTON brought in a Bill for raising 20,000,0004. by Exchequer Bills, towards the service of the present year. —Read a. first, stud ordered to lee read asecumi time to-mor row —adjoarned. THURSDAY. The SPEAKER acqnainted the Honse,`thattortiPtiliteston, who had been elected for two Boroughs. hail chosen to sit for New Sarum, one of the Boroughs for which be was elected. Mr. CURWEN, in presenting a Petition trout 14 ith in Yorkshire against the Poor Laws, took the opportunity of saying, that though the Noble Lord hail asset ted his disbelief of the distress said to prevail in the manufacturing and agri cultural districts, yet such was the fact. Lord CASTLEREAGH said, he had not etpresseil any such disbelief. He had only said, it was not so great as had been represented. The Petition was then ordered to lie oa the table. Mr. Moone obtained leave to bring in a Bill to light with Gass the parishes of St. Alartio's.in-tln-!'fields, St. Pam's, Covent Garden, St. Mary's.in-the•Strand, St. Cleineut.Daurs, St. James's, Stv. Mr. NI ittlIVS-N brought in a Bill for the better Recovery of Small Dents in different Parts. Sir J. JACKSON moved for a Caminittee to eaquirr. Vale; her Cu liifeetiou was incident ti• Epidemic lOWe.iscs. Mr• IV. W YNN thought this was a suoject more tit fur the enquiry of medical men, than a Committee of the House of Commons, \II. Itoninsuts said, the qaestion arose out of the Cumin:s lim. . ..Ans. as they now stood. Discoveries li.ka laly hel) bi.tdc, which tended to sloe w titit the Wawa , : itselfte n 4.1 00l con;agams; and sot cly, it was estremely impos butt, to know wile:her It wilts so or uot. 'Flits sittemlluit had been btodght before the Departincett to which he belonged ; :tad, as it was A Matter of great moment to CollillttlCe, consitierlog the state of the Qaarentine Laws, it was Jest' ante to aseei titin the truth. The question had been referred to the College ot illyalCiAlls. Upon whose recommendation, the Qtf.rentiuc Laws had beets established ; and their Separt was, that the ori4inal doctrine, on which these 111% , 13 Miele folliitltA, was, lit then . (Titbit:in, sound. Still it tuts important to ascertain the fact ; and some of the evidence respecting the e r t,loolit: 11141 prevailed last year, had thtown doubts on that doctrine. If it was once estaulislied that Ike plague uN.lsepislemic, and not conta;iour , it would be of the greatest benefit to ciotonerce„ Fur these I Ca' oils, he saw uo difficulty in submit. lug tilts miestion to il Committee or the Hume, which would be aded Nits inquiry:, by 11. t• to rocioatiott Aiol 155,411'111 s Of silellittic men. Mr. W. %V rust said, that after what had ban said h.: would not oppose the illation ; bat he hoped the bat opinions that ruld be pocared would be soughtfor b . ; Ow Committee; as without dispa• ta;ent.....it to toe Wi140171 of the lions!, he thought they was Mem• vett:lt to brut utly judgcmce.t cu t'oc subject. Sir J. JACKSON said, that if th ,e hal not been stmts.; doing s ~n this question, he would not have broindit it f.wward. Dr. Rob,rts. who had been V, years at St. Bartholomew's !Introit:J.lmi stat.ri, that ha scarcely tow knew an instance offerer being contagious.. Mr. BENNE!t rose to bring in a Bill to abolish the use ulC;in!'.. ing Boys in sweeping chitanim The evidence before the Ito .e, and the appearance of these unhappy children in every one's t I mmu convince us of the nece.4 ty of abolAting this pea: It had been aicertained by the Surveyor General's Report. that th. v aas only one in a hitadred of t'ie chimnies in LonJoa which csvald not be swept by inacliin. Lard Spencer's chimnics were v. fw difficult to be swept : but he recommend. I a person who. he bediertti. had stteceedod in sweeping them. liesilvs. the chimnies na• t difficult to be ewcpt htfonged to the rich. One cfdruney in the Toina was 28 11 luri in is:ing swept by one paur boy.—Leave was tht.i girtn to bring in the Bill. Sir J. NEwroat complained that G. Lambert. F. 61. bad h - r' continued in his situation of Collector of Excise for the Comity of Dahlia. after the Report of a Coaanittee had recommended t :c abolition of his office. He moved for a copy of his re.appoint.r.e.a. Ordered to be laid on the table. Mr. littler, said, the Rigid Honourable Gentleman oprosite had said on a farmer wession, that out of the eight millions du: to. the Bank, five millions had been paid. Now he (Mr. C.) wished to know whether the Bank had not stained Erehernor Bills in its possession after the day on whieli Vol , were advertised to be tiat!„ which would make up the sum said to be paid to them. Mr. VANBIT T ART said, that if the Bank did hold these L'- chequer Bills after the day of parment, there was always a note zt the bottom of the account, sperffying th :q. The five millions al luded to by the Honourable Gentleman had been paid to the Ba.d. —.Adjourned. FRIDAY. . - - The House was summoned to the 'louse of Peers, to hear Or Royal Assent given to the Westminster Hustings Bill, aad the il,il for the future (.arc of his Maje,ty's Person. Mr. MAN.fril/ELD presented a Petition from certain 31anufact o re!" of Leiceitershire, complaining of the hardships they at present labour under, en account of the want of employment in the wtxdry.- manufactories ; and also from the Frame-work.knittem The Peti tioners also complained of the introduction of a spurious article, by certain persons, into the manufacture of the articles in qmitioa ; by which the value of their commodity generally was very much dc:( - riorated. The Hon. Gentleman stated, that the patience with whit h the persons employed in the manufactories at Leicester had b. , rre the hardships to which they had been subjected, was deserving of tl!e most serious consideration of the House ; and he now wished carat*, that, should this Petition row be allowed to lie on the table. he ' thoithl, on an early day, move, that ii be referred to the consideration of ee. ;f FA C r. M Xle itt seconded the motion for the Petition being received ; and observed, when the motion fur referring the Petition to a Com mittee should be brought forward, he should have an opportunity of stating his opinion more at large. The Petition was then orticrul to iie on the table. Mr. CvitwEs: presented a Petition from Workington, praying a revision of the Poor Laws. A new Writ was moved for the County of Tipperary, in il..s room of Lord Celli?. now Elul of Glengall. Mr. ISE.ZIN ET brought in a Bill to regulate the mode of Sweep ing Cliiintiies. and 0 prevent the future employment of -Climbing Boys. Read a first, and ordered to be read a second time on Mon day.—Aatjutinsed. BOSTON SESSIONS. APP F AT. SY TIRE PARISH OT SPALDING AGAINST AN oNnI.S. KEMOYAL Or THREE CHILDREN PROM THE TARIIt set:tut:ex. This case hail very singular features. John Former, the legal father of the children, proved, what was lint disputed, Ins having gained a settlement in Spalding ; and further de posed, that the reputed mother of these children, Prudence Forman (whose maiden name was Sharp), was his wife ; that lie sold her, shout 17 years ago, to a man of the name of J. Holmes, for fire / pineal (a tolsold beerable prime for such a COSI' lucidity ; but perhaps wives tter then than they do now l) and that he had not since cohabited with her, or hardly seen her. The three children were all in Court ; the eldest was little more than 12 years of age. Authenticated registers of hal:distil of these children were produced ; from it appeared, that they had been hubtised by dale' eat names ; the eldest, At Bestou Church, a the son et Joseph and Prudence Holmes, aiial Forman ; s • the secouskat the saute Church, as the son of Prudence Forman ; aud the third, at Skirheck Church, as the son of Joseph and Pt ndence Holmes. Evidence was adduced of these children living with, and being considered from their infancy, as the chil dren of the said Prudence Forman ; and of their also living with, and frequently being called. liolinev, as well as their being milled Sharp. These (without ;dog formally into the evidence) were the leading facts of the case ; and Mr. Carter, of Spalding, who appeared fur the appellants, insisted, that Furman having sold his wife, and ceased to have intercourse with her, lung antecedent to the birth of any of these children, coupled with the other circumstances of the case, there entild be tto pretence for considering them has his children ; but that they must rather he takem to tie the children of Holmes, the purchaser of the wife, by wheat crime they were babtiseil and frequently went. The Learned Advocate, dough lie talked of calling evidence that would very much ttreagfisett the case, concluded ny saying, that he felt it siilticidely strung without doing. so ; and, therefore would nut take up the time of the Court by calling any. On the part of the respondents, the Outer Mr. Hallway. appeared, and ably argued their case. He quoted from Btackstone, from oilier established authorities, and from the dicta IX Judges in cases that had come before thein, to skew that ehildreit been in wedlock must be taken to be those of their legal ' , Arent., unless cirennuaances could be shewu that rendered that impossible to he the case ; that the law pre sumes access bi t ween 'flatland wife ; that the sale of the wile by the husband was a scandalous action, and detiimental to the OlOtiliS of Society, and could not be set up as a bar against the childrens' right of settlement; and that it would be 111011411•011,6 to admit of a huslistrid's cowing &Fmk: d to bastard' lee the ism's, of his own wife. Order of removal confirmed. At the Derby Sessions, Elisabeth Wood, convicted of being the mother ut mix bacind children, was ordered to the 114)114C of Correction, to NO labour for twelve months. HORRIBLE DeisnAvlTY.—The following paragrapl!, from a lath Paper, refrrs to atrocities. the recital of winch, a. it' is truly reitiall.ed, must ntakt• liontia&ty shudder:—" A monster, in female shape, ha:, been committed, for want of bail. to answer an intlictineut, charging her with keeping a Inoiltel of the %v.' st description. 'rids Norman condi , in a uit.tge, situate in a gardoo, in the Parish of Wideombe, nearly opposite the South PJIMIC Fern whets 3o.eral hoary li».itled w retches ii,ttc been iii time habit of bikini female children ut tender 3 cat. fur the roost diabolical practices ! i'his iniquity owes its diseot•ery to the parent. of two of the cltildrcu arriing to I h Magistrate forrctitc.s." c