The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1819-04-02 00:00:00

f . • inertial claims, laotleel rtsims, and chants fur moveables, poi Is as fortottire"—Orth red. SCOTI'IqII BURCIIS. fir firttGitsow Ism Prillinns from the +own of flao4unhos, rinv 1,-.r • reform iu the Muds of (het : M a tiorstrot. Thr Per tttttt rs route forward in run ,..outeore of the slnieniriat 'Haile in stoat Howse by the 1.4.r.1 Advocate of Setiatod, ilott tlw people 01 that country wive "went with the pr...nt Ugh CM Ili the Miro from his b the IN lino.. I . IIIIIP. 1111 . 11 . wr.. Hot ons i 1111 1 6 .1111.1 1. 1 . 4 0.• poor. I %rept ihe l'own Colored and Iligtstrattes, who ma not the rui•tinz ..... TNTAIINS'IFIt ELECTION PETITION. The Srvitott - it issformo.l iloo. Biome, that Socioltro Arlter ro oan wool ado , ' r, lobo, an Ibe 171 h ur f11.or1•h. ...... 1.1 4 •ili.ll 4.1 looolue clorti..ta stool rr lam for the Coy of %Vest. 11841 1141 rittelool itilo 11l orlorct of 1 , ... Po 'Mao, pa l tantoi 110 the Arlo of Ihr 4%111 lino. 111. end Geo. 111. c. 71, fas the rave 116011 of CUP- I , 0 , 11 11:Irct lops lir mdr r for Ming the said nii:iou into eotisulerstort Wli LANA 1:10111IRE ELECTION PETITION. lir. A. nil:perm soured that the to oehlrearloo of Ilse I soarlothire Election PellOw) dionl4l 1 tatsl,ololl4llO. 11 el r pfOCertliPr, POW prodill, nlaUre lu the election, *or dr carol Loll A. HAMILTON said. Ant OW grail rcaoon for Doo - Ilse consideration of the !Petition was, that S;r A. I. d'udismite, who had petitioned ou,tniust the ottani, hod Rho 1 roupcht an actives, relative to *rune or the voters, in the Carol of *osiers. If the Petition were refrtred to a Com. mime. the Howse wriald he placed tos pilioalion—if the Committee derided that neither he nor Sir A I. Coe/wane were daily ekelrel, it might barren not to be a fiind derision, nailer the An of Parliament, sine, that whirl, was rr(nrrrd to the Cowl or SePsi 4444 might Iw can . '" by"I'l"" 1 t o lb ' world II 'tore of Lord.. where • decision direc tl y the perhaps he oloorne , r Ihe I.ODD ADNOCATIr of SCOTLAND wished to know whether the Noble laved Ilealerll the consideration of the I'i - tither In be put air for a definite lime, or mild the ques• lion was derided by the House of lords. Lord A. lIANII.T. *sni t , as fir as lie was coneerne I, the period war nut eery materiel. Ile only wi.lred the Ilunse in he Idinerel in pllssenonis of the farts. 'the (-I.e was a new 41111 e. It MIN 1111.4 whether there had lwen a oltse election— the qui%lioo was, whether an individual was qualified to .11 in the Mast al all. Mr. Naives was of 111110011 that, alien dnua the ('aim. had derided, any objection of tire 4 , 1 I A , ..1.4 Willed be entirely inefficient The Petition might thoref..re It, pest off Gir such immutable lime as would m eet the run - - reuiriire of all parties. The cousideration of tre Petitius irat pert ponea, sine die. PnicoNERS IN ENGLAND AND ITALEs. Mr. W t.s7natv rose to submit a motion, to w h ich etejscitoo, he believed. would be mode. It was b.r *. sis Adams, to the Prince Regent. requestisig tlint he would be pleased to order Gott there should lie laid before the House returns of the ' , umber of Trimmers in the Urea gook in E•tgland and %Vales, on the 61st of October, Tummy, nod NI/arch last." Ilia object was to thew, that if a more frsqaent general gruel delivery look place, ilte total mention of prisoners confined at any one 'time in the g:ols of England sod Wales might be diminished in the pmportion of nearly one-half. 'niece be first mentioned the subject, he bad re .ceired worn, from Kent, Essex, Suffolk, and Sussex, and lee found, in each county, that flee prisoner% between January and him+, very nearly 1100,led the number in gaol on the 14 of the pre- October. In the county of Kent, there were fifty-fear persons in promo on the 14 of 'October. On the bit of Januory, the number had increased to 108—aud, on the 15th of March, to 174 ; c o nsequently, if the gaol delivery took place en tlw 14 of Jonnory, the nomher of persons in gaol would he diminished in that proportion. It was a subject of great importance, sod required the deepest consideration—slid, when the papers were laid on the table, he would rabutit atone 'specific proposition to the Howe. founded on them. Ist lookiog to the documents cm their table, it would be seen that, in 1817 and 1818. the total monlier of persons coiumitted in 'England and *Wales vas 13,000—0 f *Iwo" 2,000 were either nut prosecuted, Of the Bills preferred against thew %erre thrown out--and 2,600 we're acquitted. 'thus, 11.etwteo the month of July and the Lent Assizes, a great m m i l w r o f I,rrsnns, against "%lions no charge was brought, or no hill of indictment was found, 1.4(1 tweet 9milined for three, four, five, or (veil six nineiths. This was n serious .evil, and whatever the difficulties were that stood in the way of s rented they might to he met and overcome. it was the height of cruelty to contne persons for such a length of time between the periods of their com mittal and their atrial. It was dating that interval that their motels see corrupted.—(Hear, hear.) — At first, they viewed their situation with horror, and, therefore, a 'steed confinement might hr salts • toy. But, 'Awn they remained long In gaol , their • minds became familiarised to their situation, their teelimrs were hardened, and their ntoras degraded and corrupted— till at length, the great Pin! of • justice, the dread of offending against the het., was wholly removed. Tt was the prompt eat , - cuton of the law, and the immediate tirlion.i stratinti • jitstuee, that could alone be metal. --111 tor, hear, hear.)' --if there were, to meet this evil, a greater number of gaol deliveries, per -11411. it would be necessary to increase the Humber Et Judges—but the House would recollect, that the C miitee of lest Session, in their Report un this :object, recommended such a measure. The (teittleman concluded by movitig— t. an lossuble Address be presented to his Royal Ili;hnesit tlw hisser. Regent, praying, that he will be era pleased to give Akron'''., that there be Imi.l before this IlUsise a room of the tota l isnmbrr of Prisoners that were confined in Ilse differeut ols of England and Mira, rommitted fur trial at the Lent Assizes, prior to the lst of tscsober, the Ist of January, and the Ist of Mardi last— alien the Lent Assist's shall terminate, a return of the molds. r and ages of she Prisoners, male and female, severally trod in earls Couisty,sprcifying the stairs of each COMDlillat, al.o the crime wills whirls each person was charged, end the in welter passed on those who were found guilty. Al.'., a ietn..l of those diseliaigid fy psocloinstion, and boor list a 11,.0% no bilk had beets found, wills the dates . r nnatuilma ill, in like aeassurr, and the crimes with %hash lilt') visite (Imp 1.11141 CasTLEIMAGtI sold, he had no objection to the motion—wiles was agreed to. Till?. HON. W. 11. W. Qum. The Moo. A. Eti.l4 gave notice, that, on !Monday nest, lie would move that an hurnl.lc Ad. dies* he pei-enticl to the Prince Regent, preying that lie would tar glariou.ly pleased to remove the Hon. Wyndham fjoise from the. office of (* r isks buildup um of the Comity of liiiirrick.—(Hr ie.) Nit J. AIACIOnTOVI suggested that 'rut slay, would lee more 11111Ilt 111114. said, ilie imam') ought to be bolt. posied moil tile !lon. Member was premed. Ile be ter let , town. to. I 100. 1.. .1. t: t. Is earl, he 111'1 is i t,/t.i•A:• ton to lake an early flay :icier the for In, motion. Mr. ASERCTIOSIIIY obseived, that, accordiiq to the usage of the Honse, there was sop necessity for the presence of the I lon. Member. since he could not he heard on the mutp-ct to which the'imlice re ferred. lir concrivol it would be better to dispose of die mutter now, install 'if postponing it till after the holidays. It would lie most non leasant to have such a motion hanging (is cr the 1i ruble' Prlembreo head for t,iy en,,si.lerable time. Mr. I ANKrs said at few words, the purport of which we could mint collect. Mr. PEEL count not s:ly whether Mr. Quin huh eluittrtl London fur lit hoot. If he had tint, lie ctnu•rtved till optima attending iu his place shouhl be given to If Its hail gl , ne to Ireland, it *wild Ire its well. perhaps, to postpone the motion. Lord Ctsri.EttEActs thought the question ought to he speedily decided. Tuesday he conceived would be a propyr day for it on. The notice stands accordingly for Tuesday. sutITII AMERICA. Sir W. Dr. CIIVSPIUNY wits anxious for infor mation, on a subject of considerable importance. It was well known that ships were chartered in this country, for Spain, null that when they arrived there, they took $llllllllll . OlOll and troops on hoard, and sailed for South Ant. near. They were com manded by liritisli Masters, and were navigated by !bilis!' crews. It might be said, that these were rowdy mercantile proceedings—but it was evi dent, that the fitting out tlinse vessels might be looked on by the South Americans us acts of hosti lity, authorised by this country. Ile hoped the policy of such proceedings *mild be well co►ni tlered—and that, at th•' present tune, when hr knew .1 deputation was coining from South America to this coiiiiiiy, in order 111 throw open to Great BA- Ism 11w commerce of that extensive empire, Govern ment would not sutler ut.y thing to be clone that could be looked upon as the olispiing of a hostile feeling. Lord Cas?Li:at:atm said, as for as he under stood Ilse question, there was nothing in the law of this country to prevent person• front engaging in inch transactio;:s, its a mercantile point of view. Of cour,e, they acted at their own peril. Sir W. or. Causs.tr:N IC inquired whether any instructions had been issued nos the subject ? Lord CAsTI.I.ItVAr:III said. instructions were given to British subjects to ',restive the strictest neutra lity, and lie knew of no instance in which they had been brol•en through. SCOTTISH BURGHS. I,nril A. flAsitr.ToN presented two Petitions, loom Pittersweem and the Royal Incorporation of Surgeons of Edinburgh, calling on the House to investigate and reform the present burgh system of Scotlind.—Laid on the table. BURGH OF ABERDEEN. Lord A. Ilairtil.Tort, in rising to bring under the consideration of the House the case of the burgh of Aberdeen, said lie ft It it necessary to apologise to the House for having postponed the question to so late a period. Ille•regretted the delay, which was, however, occasioned by circumstances over which he hail sto control. 'Pile longer lie had considered it. and the some 1w heard on the subject, the deeper was his comiction that it was a question of the utmost importance. to Scotland sod to that Ilouse. IL lore I.e stated precisely what his motion was, in order to obviate all misconstruction, lie would distinctly dechre what it was Ito. It was nut connected with Parliameotary Reform in any settee of the word„—(Csirs of Ikar, hear.) — It wlis not, what it might appear to be, a matter of local interest, confined to the burgh of Aberdeen, but was of immense importance to every burgh, to every burgess, to every town. sod to every person scattered over Scotland, who respected the honour of the country, and was anxious fur the doe admi nistration Of justice. It was cwt altogether intro duced into that House voluntarily. 'the complaint he had to make on behalf of Aberdeen could only Ilie rediessell by Parliament—there was no either competent tribunal to appeal to. The people ef that burgh must either suffer under a serious ; injury, or appeal in that House. It Was neces sary, brfore lie stated the case, that he should lay before the House an outline of the go versituritt of the Scotch burgles, as contradistin guislied front that winds pt evaded in Etiglallii. That government was managed by self-tlected Magistrates, as they were styled. Those persona were elected for one year, and they were then, ipso turbo, out of office—but they elected their successors. They knew from the Petitions Olt the table, that those self-elected Magistrates in Council a ere puramotrin to all authority within the burgle. Whatever wrong they ioilictrl, in that character and enliven)", aas without redress. -Ile meant with resoect to the dilapidation of funds, the over looking of silttstii , , and sill those numerous subjects of complaint to which the Petitions referred. If the appointment of those self-elected Magistrates at the end of the year, was illegal, it was reducible by the Court of Session. This, however, did not invalidate what he affirmed, that redress could not be procured, because, it was only reducible when some of those self-elected Magistrates made an ap plication. lit Michaelmas, 1817, SA election of Magistrates fur Aberdeen took place, winch was irregular, and, tit a certain extent, illegal. A com plaint was made by two of the individuals elected, and thus, by this casual rireunistatice, the case which he was shout to state, gross and injurious as it was to Aberdeen, was brought before Parliament. The Court of Session having decided the elector') to be illegal, the text step to be taken was to make a new appoilitmeot, by applying far a warrant for establishing the legal Magistrates. There were Pe titions presented by the Magistrates, there w e re Petitions by the Burgesses, and Petitions from the Incorporated Trades , . fur a renovation of the burgh. Those Petitions were submitted to the considers. lion of the Law °them of the Crown ; they were in fact Petitions from those who were guilt) of im proper ',metiers, on the one hand, amid those who looked for the renovation of the burgh, on the other. Amid the (T own ordered a warrant to issue to the old ill;igi.itratts to elect, whirl* was virtually to annul the decree of the Court of Session, and to shut the door against reform and redress.— ] Ile did riot know who were the Ministers of the Cure er that advised this measure ; lie was to suppose the Learnt d Lord (the Lord Advocate) 1 tor the other sale. "I Ire I loose would be tortilla! " to jtidge of the APADAtt arildeti by Ministers, when the papers submitted to the Pair., Comiell and the Lsw Officers of the Crown were furnished to the House. The case was one of ii gross and scandalous natter; it was a case of gross intsm4• 11,046•111elil 31111 shore • t the part Of the Magistrates of Aberdeen, which would illustrate the system of Scotch Burghs ; it was a system of iniquity, Irmo& and injostire, whirl' it was difficult to de r-I:rile iii adequate terms to the House ; it was :1 system radically defective, grossly unjust, tool grossly mischievous iu 311 its consequences—milted so t ote!' to, that if any gentlemen were called on to originate a system must likely to generate sots maitagement and abuse, they could not fOral . nist• more completely fi tted for the se purposes. Was it not then, he asked, time to institute some in quiry into these abuses ? But this was not the first time that itemise wets attempted. Thirty years ago complaint* lord heeu made on this subject to the House. The House referred these complaints to a Committee, and that Committee reported, that the evils complained of, the Petitioners proved to have existed. Why no further step had been taken was greatly to be deplored. The wor sotto after broke out, and at that time there was an influence in Scot land, which he might say was almost despotic-.-an influence which ruled with an imperious sway, and which disregarded, anal was able to defeat the Pe titions of Burgesses soul the Reports of Com mittees. 're that influence lie attributed the fort, that no redress had been given. soul no sub sequent measure had teen adopted. The best way to see how the Ministers acted was, first to learn what the Petitions stated. Some of the Council themselves bore testimony to this, that it was impossible to restore the burgh in any re spect, or for ally set of men to do justice in the ad tuitiOration of it, unless the eystem of the govern or it was altogether changed ; yet the 'Minis ters, or the Learned Lord, thought it wise and right to grant n warrant to put into the bands of the very men who committed those abuses the od iniuistrution of the burgh. Ido not, said the No- Isle Lord, ask the House to judge of the eystem by any statement, what he asked the House was, to judge from facts. The burgh system in Aberdeen dissolved in its own rottenness; it was not from power—from influence—it fell not from city cause hut this, that it radically dissolved from the rot teniters of the system itself. The Ministers of the Crown, however, surrendered into the very hands that created those abuses, the administration of the burgh. The burgh, in fact, died of rottenness ; it was found to be in a state of bankruptcy, and fur what sum ? For a sum of no less than two hun dred and thirty thowand pounds!—[llere the Lord Advocate was observed to smile.]—tle (Lord H.) did not know why the Learned Lord 6110111(1 smile ; he saw no come fur levity in the statement ; he could assure the Home that no event within his me mory excited more surprise or indignation in Scot land than that ; and noise was snore likely to lead to mischief. It had been the opinion of many per 1401Ie that the inhabitants of the town were liable to the payment of these debts thus incurred by those self-elccied Magistrates ; he would wish on this sub ject to hear the opinion of the Noble Lord. But what matter was it whether the burgesses, who were :about lieu in 'mother, were liable to the payment of these debts, or whether the creditors, who amount ed to uhout 600 more, were to be defrauded of their money ; its either case the mischief, disgrace, and injustice was the same. But if the Learned Lord would give his opinion, he hoped he would tell the /louse who were to he the ultimate losers— whether the burgesses, or the unfortunate cred.tors who advanced their money. He had stated the :mount of the debt—he would now state that at the last electiou, the corporation were found defi cient in 2,0001. a-year of the interest of their debt. Thus they were situated, without the means of pay ing the interest of their debt, and without the hope of paying the principal. He would not, lie said, trouble the House with going iii i t early into detail; the House would credit his statements, it' not con tradicted at the other side. The fact could not be disputed, that the corporation was indebted in 430,000/. ; they were deficient in the interest of that debt in 2,500/. annually ; end further, that of this debt the burgh lied borrowed a sum of 57,0001. to pay the interest of the debt. But this was not half the mischief. It was the custom of the burgh to call an annual meeting, to whom the state of the accounts should be submitted. The House would hies, with indignation, that before that meeting tint one shilling of the enormous debt of 230,000/. was stated. The existence of this debt was never men tioned at this meeting—(/oar, hour) —and the fact all of a Sudden burst upon the surprised and indignant minds of the people. This debt was contracted under a system, and this frau d ulent conceolment was made by men whose conduct the Learned Lord seemed solicitous to defend. Ile would now state another fact, one which he took much pains to ascertain, which lie was informed of from the best authority, and which, in his heart, he believed to be true. Ile had to state to the House, that of the debt of 230,0001. a greet proportion of it was contracted by those self-elected Magistrates, by means of false, forged, and fradtileist minutes. Gear.)—ln the very odious practices, be elated, the whole junta could not be got to agree-- a select few were found to protest against them. So gross and so oppressive were the frauds that had been committed, that oft some of the Magistrates retiring from office, they recorded their sentitnents. In 1817 nu election fur Aberdeen took place. Nineteen Magistrates were appoiuted, and wily six accepted id (hie office ; and so gross was the mismanagement, that some of the Magistrates put a public declare tutu on record. it stated that they were desirous to express their sentiments loud opinions of the embarrassed state of the city treasury, and on the mode of election ; it complained of the want of prover checks and of itijurious concealments. Such was the substance of their declaration, and if he huh ilo other document, lie thought this retold ulone would be enough to induce the House to accede to the present 'notion. They say that nothing short of a radical divulge could rumor the fair uffinitlistration of the town, sod they recommend to their survivors to promote r rem,. ration of the burgh. It was clear that when they talked of a system of conceelment, they alluded 10 the fact he had already stated tespeeling the Corporation debt. He would now state ouother declaration. At the election, two Gentlemen elects cal were so struck with the gross and iiijotrions this. inamagesnent 01 the burgh, as to hate TISISSrII to oreept of the office, or to hike ,the noir', till they recorded their seritimenta. Ile would state thew, mill he would leave the Learned Local to reconcile them with the Kraioing of the warrant. They refused to reedit alter, unless upon the dwar fism that their • colleague* would concur with them for the rer„,malion air the burgh. 1 helm Groileetten strongly and pointedly expressed their , ',luton on the disgraceful state Ix this burgh. Every candid maxis muss sgree in the view they took; but it ws4 impossible to slide their subs/Tient •estri duet without exciting the highest disgust and in dignation. Tlwse vet y men who refuse-41 to accept (Ave, lint oil the condition or having an effort made for the reformatinit of the hurgh„ were the first for having that odious, corrupt, and dis graceful system continued.-(/tear, hear.) —They lent their names and their authority to defeat the action before the Court of Session—au in ettince of baseness and hypociisy which could riot be exceeded, whi c h went to the disadvantage of the burgh, anal the discredit and dishotiour of theru selves. liViratever might have been the cooduct of individuals, it was the most distressing rif till to state, that all the acts of the Corporation—shut the conduct of those individuals, who by mismanage ment had created an enormous debt—who had im properly concealed that debt—who basal PerPrt" 4lol all the abuses of the system—tel. first effected to re form, and sifterwards promoted tbit,e abuses—could justify their conduct on legal ground.. lie did not know whether, with an effrontery peculi err to guilt, they would, if brought to the lute of that !louse, declare that they were self-elected — that they had coos:refid enormous debts—that they had promoted ewirmous abuses and then, with a bold and daring insolence, say to this f louse, we have been guilty of these practices, hut we defy your authority—you calmest Call 11 , to 31a account for our conduct. The fact was. that as long as the Magistrates agree among themselves, HS 'frog as they continue th e s y s tem with unanimity, the law cannot reach thent ; it was therefore the vieure tie cessaiy to call for the interference of Parliament. The Leasued Lord and the other Mintsters, though they thought it vase and decorous to grant a war rant fur Aberdeen under the circumstances he stated, had the year before taken a directly opposite course with respect to the burgh of Montrose: the Court of Session had disfranchised that burgh, taut a warrant was grouted to the burgesses to elect—wit only was that grouted, hot an additional bow), that was, a change in the set itself—the set means the constitution of the burgh. Ile quarrelled not with this proceeding—he thought it was right in policy— but how could Ministers defend themselves in this, that in the case of Montrose, one differetit indeed, because infinitely weaker, they had granted redress, whilst to Aberdeen they refused that redrew, and confirmed the appointment of men who had been guilty of so much fraud and injustice ? Such sit act IllUbt excite the astonishment of Eugland, and excited the indignation of Scotland. It was a proceeding that could not be defended ; there was not. as single precedent fur it front the Union down to the pre sent hour. Ile did not ask the House to pi donative any censure on 11iiiisters ; all he would ask was the production of certain papers, that the House might see ou what grounds Ministers acted. But perhaps Ministers, looking oil those abuses as unworthy of their attention, would not think it worth while to grant the papers lie asked for. Ile would not be surprised if Nliiitsters resisted the production of those papers. During his txperierice in that House, lie had found that 'Unread!, always refused the production of papers that would he likely to criminate themselves; it Was not unna tural to suppose that Ministers would resist Ins motion—they had already acted in e manner dis creditable to themselves, and must ut t just to the Constitution of Scotland. Ilad the conduct of Ministers, with regard to the burgh of Aberdeen, been confined to that burgh, however usicomititu tional it might he, it eutild still be less aggra vated than when the plitietple extend+. and leare., in fact, all the burghs in Scutlatid at the lett of the Minister. They might as well have fixed upon any other individuals in the conistruitity, howsoever separated from A herded', us those they virtually aopointed by their warrant to the old Magistrates of that burg!). 'Elie conse quences of the proceeding was hi every way itijurious and unconstitutional. There were at that moment two burghs, the burgh, of Edinburgh and Inver ness, which were disfranchised. lie saw indeed a Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Dundee) opposite, who was 111 that blouse as if he were the Repressor tative of one of those burghs ; but it was *or fact disfranchised ; and the Huuse might filial (a dose perhaps trot altogether without precederit), that though there was a Member there were nu elec tors.—(4 laugh./—lle wished, however, to be uu derstuud, that in what lie hail said as tu A her ded', did not ref:r to till the burghs in Scot land—but the system was radically bad ; and where lie found practices differetit, it oar not beessuse the system was better, but because the men were better.—[Here the Noble Lord referred particularly to the burghs of Glasgow and of King. horn, in the latter of which the Magistrates yielded to the feelings of the people] —The miematiege mem of Aberdeen had excited much discord amongst the people. lie would mention one in stance, which gave a melancholy proof that the possession of office there was almost triconsistent with fairness or liberality. It was the Case of two persons who joined in a Petition las,otinst the system, iijo) iirg smell pension% us guild burgesses. The first act of the new Magistrates iris to deprive those turn of their paltry pet:slim.. II - mull state an other fact, to rhea tine soil' dr slate of dm fiddler, of 01111111. OA coidtality. he policy of the Learned Lord established tla 1;:e Low.' of A hi e s. deem A meeting some tittle prior Bail been held to consider of a new rate of asst ssmerit. I t was 8 1 8 4,5 t o be a meeting of the inhabitants, mat that they had ugreed to the mode of assessment. When the principal and most respectable inhabitants heard of that meeting they called Knottier 'meting, and disclaimed havi n g sanctioried such u ptoceeding. He hail, he feared, detained the House. Ile put it to the common sense of the lions', to their cutest'. tutional feelings, whether abuses so gross as those he had mentioned ought not to lie corrected—even to Gentlemen opposite he wiitild uopeal-e-he would address them as jurors, and as men of birth and of honour, he wits convinced they would have repro bated the system. The Noble Lord said, that s i e ve th e It e eelutilio 11.1*11 to the present t:tue, steer, etas sAls there were thirty precesleuit• fur issuing systra l s.. (24 of whirls were for the loom:4 of pull w•rtsso • to the burgs...els to elect, and six to Vie old eis sin ell to elect ts new : bust of throw s it there W 55 un precedent whatever, tinder circurnstativ.. •iinh st attend the present case. The. Noble Lord eon. cludell liv untying fora copy of the warrant it , tu r it fut-the Election of Magidtrates for the burgh 'cif Altertleeo for the year !MIS. The Lou/ nvocATE said, that the conduct of Ministers WWI troth legal and prudent. 111 contended. that if the code wad a t a ll t o he tipster), it wm its a Court of Law. Ile eat I t!, Noble Lord declaimed all idea of Parliatnent. irm ; hot he appealed to the Floury, whethe. the Noble Lord did not go widely into that geed. Lion. fle had taken the dame view th a t 1,1 4 Pre . , decedors had on the same sishject m 1788 out 17, 3. The Noble Lord had gone du for as to awn. thdt I a warrant of the saute 11:411111 as that ' , Matti Litt year to Aberdeen. was not to be tumid to the whole course of Scottish history. But it was rattle; unfurl au ,le that (me precisely similar hut sli•Vil issued to the very same burgh in the year 174, when the Magistrate.: hail been roosted from l i e town by the rebel., and rendered 14 1 their :dorm% incapable to reeelect themselves.—(Cheerirnee The case of the I n tr,:l4 of Montt ~e was t h ine di(. ferent from thst of A berdeeti, fur iu the forms, the whole Nl44444.traey hurl r• knell to commit as act of self44l4sprilitieaiiiin, v 47. vlinto,444g , their *UV. CeSillrti by ballot, a mode alwa3s held Illegal, and which peel, Chides 11. was conspell.d to admit 14 be so in his letter to Parliament. Hut the Maxi.. irides of Aberdeen bad only fallen into it trivial err—. The two cases, theteinte, ttooll oil clearly tlifreteld grounds. The riolite Lord had vallial upon aliun. lets, or rather into Self, to St r on what growls the Crown hail exercised the power in queatioa. li e had ti nt gore the length of ossertiog that Ile exercise was übsetutely illegal—but lie gave his (m a opinion that it w a s. Nor he was really too Merl airs Noble Loid on the ground t it her of strict law, or of the diseretion rerogest.tal by law—and hr hoped the !louse would excuse the neces.orily dry sail tedious emit orgittnentation he felt himself oblegeel to cuter into. fit all the Petitions prelbelit rd to the !loose ou the subject, nod all the ob.etta. boos mode thereon, and the alleged evil. of die burgh system by tint Nolde Lutit. or others who thought wish huu, it was cote:tootle essuined the the right of election of Magistrates had beeti vested in the Crum 'has Council and burgesses, previous to the Act of 1469, which, it was said, first re stricted the right to the latter. But that whole allegation was founded iu the most gross and pays. lute igitoraitee.—fifeur.)-411 a paper lie held in his hand, drawn op mid signed by some gentlonne of tile scotch bar, a hose talent, mid laariong Ile was as ready to udniit as Gentlemen opiassite, 11151 who, lie supposed, had colleeled all the mats/Imes no the subject, it was inferred front some old ii. cords, that the right of electing the Magistracy 'sat been, antecedent to die era he had guesstimate placed in the hutgesses at huge. Now Brady hail laid down, to the great dispute respecting the char ter of the City of London. in the year 1 6 8 1 . the words taken by the gentlemen lie had alluded to, to bigiiify burgesses not to imply the citizeu. generally, but the governing part of the Corpora. tam. The lion. Geittleman then read Rh extract from an Act of Cenincil of the biorgit of A berdera, of the !tear 1591, is Inch stated, that the ciistoin to continue the Istgist rates in office till • the time of their death ;" rod goed, that the Act of 1469 hut been passed with the intent of reale• dying that evil and rendering elect animal, but by the V4111%1 persons as before. TIM, he soul, ap peared from the title of the Act, " An Act pro viding that Common Council. hi' elected :Annually, mid by the Magistrates." it altered the term of continuing iu office from tile to it year, but laft the right to elect in the same persona who had pos. tressed it before. 'mitred of being of a restrieoir, it was of Rh enlarging uature, and extended the right of votiug, instead of contracting The lion. Gendeinan then took a ieview of the po litical circumstances of Scotland in the several reigns, from the year 14(19, to the Revolotioet, sod contended, shot in no port id that interval had the statute of I-169 been complaieed of, as an aboidg ment of popular sighte. At the period of thy Revolution, the state of the Scotch burghs as, brought ali:Tetly under the cmisideration of the Canircution Parliament; and one of the first act. of the new Government was to remedy their Ames, not by abolishing the Act of 1469, but the Stasis , regulations introduced under James 11. (ol Eng. land), and to cull in the whole of the liiirgeatesi I' elect the Common (7ntiiiril—(ifelte, hear, flow the Opposition Betiehes)-11 , 1t 11.,n it was et• pressly limited to that eirt:11011, oust the great and patriotic men who composed that COI , " thw, 11411 virtnally auk nowledgesl the validity of the statute. Theis cause die Uniust, in 1707( when the rights sil the mild Estate, had linen settled ;mil ; and he wialied to lima wht• tier ots that occasion the Act was objected to in alit quarter. The Itebelliosi of 1745 followed when ll.' whole attention of hue Goveruswesit.sma directed to the laws which gave the Nubility ea tanteiwi.laille degree of power sit the expense of the people ; yiii though the Act abolishing lies instate jerrwliehon , let in Ilse whole of the subjeitts the Act of tato was nut once mrs.tioned. 11 lien the great ery Parliamentsly cnin•rienced then it was that the bfireesses tit imported all., roulid out the grievatice• el toe Act. Thews was toots sit,ele itistatice of a poll election 4061 the yea I 1 6 9 to 6131 i-f 16t19. Front the latter year to tie time of the 1 mi ... there were bottle:en tostaiteo ill applications to the Scutt It Privy Council, I' l warrants of u l molottnent, boon burghs whose Caw till hail Item reduced by dectaca of Cow IS. Of these, two variants fur eleeliou liv poll were gout ed, because there we. sio Owned in betiog to s lims they might be directed ; itt the to elve cases, the warrants were for electioo ly -' the 0 Council. Since the yew 1707, their at-se lae}' four instances (71 Vo AI trite , issued, of which 01 ,. eight were duetted to the toirgesses alone, nod .tv teen to the burgesses and inhabilaiits--1 1 "' I hear, hear, irons the Opp .0/hoof—the whalotaio baying scot and lot ; so dust the 'titillating folu l a rule would let an near ;Indy thot.sand I'ci' l 7"' 4 to vote iti Edinhingle tot extemico ineuinpunhe with the ri g hts t.r the bur, , ,e .eg. Now, io Ord cues out of the sixteen, the 'thole oldie old ell hail ceavit so crise s and the variant was 4".