The Sun. — London, England, 1824-02-20 00:00:00

Pr•- 0 • c s) oifv- _ !i! \4;;;;;,47 . "X. • , "4 4 7-4 1 ,7 „w• - - 1 la t c~J ,:;qtr .I'l, SUN. orj H z4/4) c wt., /7,g 1 4 (?) Aid.; larf to The chiefly 0 aria atlas oo ar' the °- w hich t We , truths , draw Isiah leg 0 C s from dab!! ldit to Power i fi o ite :ulty r well ►rope r 1. 10 onlff ma d most and p the as to' ming 00/ . sly re' unt of ming' s, ,~ a n 3 :ceiti' 0 0 (I)er to It hi 'bout i the coo' raY ler. • for f (4 as o. 1 las ..0°_..... --- ° d m 06 N I 'II , IB ER 9827. EAST INDIA HOUSE, Feb. 18, 1824. RE COURT of DIRECTORS of the , UNITED COMPANY of MERCHANTS of ENG" TRADING !si "LI r to the EAST INDIES, do hereby give Mee, T h.‘t a GENERAL COURT of the said Company will ; held at th e i r H ouse i n L ea d en b a ll- s t ree t o n WEDNES 41', the 3d March next, at Eleven o'Clock in the forenoon, ' t the desire of Nine Proprietors, agreeably to the following L etter, v i z T° the Honourable the Court of Directors of the East India Company. " London, Feb. 113, 199.4. G entlenten,—We, the undersigned Prop, ietors, duly craiified, request you will call a Court of Proprietors of East Stock, at the earliest convenient day, for taking into consideration the Services of the late Governor-General Abe Marquis of Hastings. Your obedient servants, " James Shaw " Douglas Kinnaird C. Flower Joseph Hume J. C. Villiers - Randle Jackson Edw. Codrington Thomas Murdoch Alex. Johnston." JOSEPH DART, Secretary. GREEK LOAN OF ,CBOO,OOO STOCK. AFTER. a struggle of three years, distin p,„ guished by a series of triumphant success, the inde- d r e nce of the Greek Nation has been established, an t ) e ,,••'' is every probability of its speedy recognition by the dif h"el Powers o f E uro p e . The Public, therefore, will not niit - t o n a tt4h ed that the Senate of Greece should bay . e deter o raise a Loan, to assist in bringing the pendia,. con ks, 1 .,`„ ) a just and happy conclusion. The Executive Power Mea s e , ( Hietittence, by virtue of their authority, appointed llS, ' e - „" t /ANNES ORLANDOS and ANDREAS LURID I - ant ' n i;: n 'osissioners, with full powers to carry this import rity,,are C t into effect, and the terms, conditions, and secu - L : as und e rmentioned., the -an ' not exceeding £BOO,OOO Stock, is to. he raised for h Per s erv ice s o f the Greek G overnmen t, a t an i n terest of five 0 . Per annum to e paid half-early in London, free Aid ett h ouse f Messrs . LOUGHNAN, SON, lantAr i d 0 , 0 Pence, a. the o uRIEN, and to commence from the Ist of January tst • ullsing Fund, of £B,OOO Sterling per annum , will be thlished, under the controui of the following Gentlemen, ~missioners, viz.—EDWARD ELLICE, Es.. L e3)l- 1 HUME, Es and ANDREW LOU G UNAN, . 0: The numbers q of . the Bonds cencelled will be duly ad "tised - Th,, l " the London Gazette. ~ e netally, and the Cu,.. ..ational Property of Greece,_.._ r _ ~!1 )- tiouse Revenues, the produce of the hal yk, and Fish '''„est specially, are pledged for the payment of this Loan. • 't Ile Pow ers , a nd other official Documents , will be deposit e d 41 the B an k of England, and fint;sl they are so d eposited, th ey M4y he s „ n by any of the h older, o L f o S u e g ri h p i , la t i t i r s t e t r aj a p n l c n at • j Oit at- the Counting-house of Messrs. s / liri en No. 19, Coleman-street. S Deeia. 1 Bo nds will be issued in the f o ll ow i ng proportiOns, 2,000 of £lOO .......... £i.oo 000 j,OOO 0f...... .£2OO 50 0 of .... £3OO £loo,ooo 500 o f • • • • ,• • X4OO .f.ep,o6o' 4,000 Xsbo,ooo - • 11 ,h forty half-yearly Dividend -warrants, payable on the lit l anuary and .Ist of July in each year. • 10 he Subscriptions for the Loan are to be paid in the fol • "'nig In.italesents, viz.:- - £lO per cent, on the 2d March 10 10 10 10 ~. 20th August £59 per cent. . . 4 A. vis count o f . 1 per cent. per annum veil!. be Alb:ivred on rkti cipatect payments. N,.. DANIEL MOCATTA. 1 , W , rnford-Court, Th*omortouastreet, i 2th February, 1325. -..--- ' HE SOMERSET HOUSE GAZEI . „ 'see! The Proprietors of this wid e ly- c i rc ulating Literary th,„ l anY, beg to inf orm 'th e ir Friend s an d th e Subscribers. ti , "Y new arrangement, they have been enabled t• avail se l j;;Z I " 8 of a great accession o f talent,- and flatter them their Number published to-morrow will give general satisfaction. PiiliV v‘ "-ed by NV. %Vetton, , '2l Fleet-street .: Price 6d. T IT nny was published, price lc E PRAcTicA RELIT Y and b:y up D E I A E L N / C N Y G : i f n A ti ll , ISH DIRET EXPE, TAx4TioN t Year the Remaining Moiety ' , I the ASSESSED T AXE resen Considered, ' in a Letter to the tight Hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and to the .emuers of the noose of C ommons., Jy A MAGISTRATE of th e COUNTY of —7— * 0 r s worth, 18, St. Pan l's Church-yard. PARLIA3IE NT. ROUSE OF LORDS FRB. 19. LORD GIFFORD'S COMtMISSION. ,At ten o'clock this morning, Lord GIFFORD appeared Ile use, in robes similar to those worn by the Lord Chancellor. Thein the ~_ re were also present the Bishop of LIMERICK, Lords. -asp TESBURY, GRANTHAM, LANSDOWN, &C. ,3 he Earl of SHAFTESBURY moved that the Commission be - 41 4, aPpointing Lord Grwronn Deputy. Speaker of that °use to hear appeals. l'keharies Rose, Esq. the new reading clerk at the table, (ne ir,"e'w of the late George Rose,) accordingly read his Majesty's ttlission signed yesterday by the King at Carlton Palace. llih e C 9rilniission set forth, that his late Majesty, on the °t Harsh, in the 59th year of his reign, app:int sti c; . tte fir ~„, C• Abbott, Chief Justice of the Court of King's a tid - -41,. , to act in the House of. Lords, as Lord Chancellor th e ; "'II Keeper, in the absence of the Lord Chancellor. It late-V,Levoed that appointment. It also mentioned, that the th -m,.`lief Baron Richards was at the same time invested with ea: . ,“`e aPpointment. The Commission, after such revo bs;t°, L a nd recital, proceeded to command and appoint Ro- At 1, - " 11 Gifford to act in the House of Peers, in all respects p 4 , 4l 'd an and Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, for the th -I ' ° le of hearing appeals, &c., in the absence of the Lord steelier . Th Ea ; 1,, te the r ° l l. e t ' " SHAFTESBURY then introduced Lord Gif °olsack, and afterwards moved that the mace be T i n e the woolsack before his Lordship.—Motion agreed o, be llie "--•..y!enntujealithet. ttalliCiler.((aptain The Bishop Seymour) accordingly laid Foil d s '' ° P of Li Arta x baying read prayers, Lord GIF 1, D esireu the appeals be' tailed on. ~_ . he first appeal was that of the Duke of Roxburghe v. J. 'Cinton, Writer to the Signet. Mr. Wetherell, the Solicitor fonotral, opened the case on the part of the appellant, and he was Af te v elon the the same side, at great length, by Mr. Jeffrey. lle4 the a P i relds their Lordships adjoured ; and the house wooltr_,rn_e ~th:LOIID CHANCELLORIOOk his place on the 147.,Ft at 5 o clock. 1 4 8 0 ' 4 XING uresented petitions from Minehead and Watchet, wed ersetshi e, praying for relief from the duty on Coals coastwise. ttul I GAME LAWS. it j:ect of the II.OSVENOR said that he h e ld a petition on the sa did Game Laws, which be should not present, because l l'Avev ilat appear to him worded in aproper manner. He trusted, r oncesub w had bme of so much _pu e would attract j the ect full hich attention of eco their Lordships. im On - third of the individuals who filled the gaols of the country were confined for offences under the Game Laws. It was his inten tion to have proposed some alteration of the system, had not the matter been taken up in the other House by an individual (Mr. Stuart Wortley) most calculated by his influence, his large property, his knowledge, and his connection with the Government of the country, to do it justice. He trusted, therefore, that the subject would come before their Lord ships in a proper form, and from what he had seen of the proposed measure, he conceived that it was-most likely to get rid of that intolerable nuisance. There were persons who thought that to authorise the sale of game would tend to its di minution ; he was convinced, on the contrary, that it would increase. Others contended that it would destroy field sports, and decrease the inducement for landed proprietors to reside in the country. But supposing, what would not be the case, that field sports should be injured, there were many more im portant avocations and duties to induce Gentlemen to fix their residence in the country. One objection would be, that it would lower the value of game, and proportionably the aristo cratic pride of game proprietors. But those who had so far lowered their aristocratic pride as to sell their own game, could feel no great delicacy on the subject. The Noble Earl con cluded by recommending their Lordships to bestow a degree of attention proportionate to the magnitude of the question when it should come before them. The Lombard-street House Bill was read a second time.-- Adjourned.- HOUSE OF COMMONS. NEW DOCK. Mr. GRENFELL presented a petition from several Ship. owners in the City of London, praying leave to bring in a Bill for Building a New Dock in .St. Cathanne's.—Referred to a Committee. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1824. the Exchequer would not listen to a renewal of the Charter, but whenever the Three per Cents. were at par, which would be the case before long, he would pay off the debt due to the Bank of England, and take the management into the hands of .Governmant. He wished to impress upon the minds of the country Gentlemen, that, contrary to the principles of banking, the Bank had become mortgagees upon theirland, and that the 15 millions which the Government owed being once paid, they would stand in a much better situation. He thought it right that the accounts of the Bank, with its circulation and discounts, should be brought regularly before Parliament. The Bank returned no advantages to the country that could be compared to the privileges and profits allowed them. The system was now so changed that the commercial and other affairs would go on as completely without the Bank as with it, and it ought to enter the market upon the same footing as other trading Companies. At present it was of no use whatever to the com mercial world, its discount being at four per cent., whereas it could be obtained any where else in the m ar k e t a t th re e. If country Gentlemen found the Government debt of fifteen mil lions discharged, the Bank would be ready enough to lend them money at two and a half or three per cent. The Right Hon. Chancellor of the Exchequer had said, that the last bar gain with the Bank ought to be kept until the Charter expired. But the regulation of 1808 stated, that in consequence of the increase in the debt it was reasonable to alter the charge.— He contended that the same thing which made it reasonable in 1808, would he a sufficient reason for a further alteration now. Sir H. PARNELL was of opinion, that when the Charter expired, the sense of the House should be taken upon its re newal. The trade of Banking ought to be freer than all other trades, and it was extremely injurious that any monopoly should exist unless particular circumstances required it. Mr. MANNING addressed the House in defence of the Bank, but he was generally inaudible in the . Gallery. He did not object to the returns, and hoped that those which had been abandoned would not be proposed again without some such case as the Chancellor of the Exchequer had alluded to. The Hon. Member (Mr. Hume) .had said, that an account of the discounts of the Bank ought always to be laid before the House. The consequence of that would be, that every Gentleman's affairs, who borrowed money of the Bank, would b e r a id b e f ore the publiC. The Bank were also charged with having lent assistance to the landed interest, contrary to the intention and principles of their Charter. But he supposed the. Hon. Mem ber was ignorant that the Charter granter to the Bank in the reign of -William and Mary empowered them to hold land in their own possession, and that another Act of William was passed expressly to encourage them to lend money upon land. The remainder of the Honourable Member's observations were inaudible. Mr. ELLIS said that the argument of his Honourable Friend, the Member for Aberdeen, was not that the Bank should not lend-money at all upon land, but that the Govern ment by repaying the advances of the Bank would enable them to lend it at a less rat e o f i n terest. The case of th e B a nk could not be compared to' that .of a private banker, be-', \ cause its charter conferred advantages which no other cor porate body could possess, and rendered it .a complete mo nopoly. The conduct of the Bank had latterly been quite eontrary to the interests of the Commercial Community. By their rates of discount the market was regulated, and a man of moderate credit in the Commercial world, who went to his bankers to discount bills, found that, instead of two and a half sr three per cent., which had been the rate for the last few days, he had to pay four, because that was the rate charged by the Bank. He believed that the discounts of the Bank of England were almost excluded from Commercial transactions, in conse quence; and that not more than half a million of Commercial Bills would be found in their possession at the present moment, and those the very Worst bills in the world. Supposing any change of circu mstances to take Nate, and that the Commercial Interest wanted relief from the, Bank. It Must then either dis tress the Government or the landed Gentry hy , preasing for re payment. He should like to know why . the Bank were not to produce their accounts to the public. Was it expected that their credit would be injured by it ? Then let them, look at the Bank of France, who not only gave an unnual account of their discounts, but of the quantity of bullion in their coffers, the amount of paper in circulation, and a statement of their profits. Yet could it be said that the credit of the Bank of France was less in that country than that of the Bank of Eng land in this ? He was sorry to hear the Chancellor of the Exchequer talk of straining the law to the prejudice of the Bank, when it was known that they had made the most mon strous profits that ever was heard of under their regidations. Could it be said that the law was strained to their prejudice, when Bank Stock had increased, within his recollection, from 130 to 238 per cent. 'The lion. Itlember 'then read from Mr. Percival's letter, relating to the bargain of 1808, a . passage which stated th e a rrangement to be that temporary. He concluded ' by arguing that although 7d. for the annual management of a hundred pound stock might not ' a ppear too .0-rent a chae vetexorbitant when e xten d ed to six or eight hun-' II l t i o w ns s . Mr. PIERSE addressed the - an a l t il i a onse from under the Gallery, and in so low a tone of voice as Seldo m to be audible. He con tended that the conduct of the Ralik had not deserved the cen sure passed upon it, and that its character Might be justified by the 'credit which it always maintained. They.had not been induced to refuse the accounts because they were afra d to produce them, but because they did not conceive it fair, or warranted by the occasion With regard to the balances, four millions sounded high in a round sum ; but the House was mis taken if it supposed that the Bank derived such an advantage - . The sum was made up of various small sums under sixty dif ferent heads of account, and therefore could not be productive of very great profits: Mr BARING observed that the House would have enough to do throughout the Session, if it were to employ itself in discussing every question of arraneement respecting the af fairs of the Bank of England. But in the present case they really had been discussing the question of the renewal of the . Bank Charter, when no such subject was before them. He should be very happy to try that question when it came fairly before them ; and he had doubt it would then receive that deliberation which so immenselyi important a subject demanded at the hands of the House. e would however observe, that itlvas a great mistake to Suppose, that because they were at peace, and the income happened to meet the expenditure, therefore a country like this could do without some such esta blishment as the tank of England. On the subject of com pensation which the Bank ought to have, it was unnecessary at prasent to enter. It had been discussed over and over again, and notwithstanding his honourable Friend had been so frequently told, he always left out of sight the fair expla nation of the matter, viz.—that these balances of the Bank, to the amount of four millions, were taken into consideration at 'the time of granting their charter. It would be found in , the correspondence of that period on the subject, with Mr. Pitt; and it would be there seen that the average of the balances was six millions, whereas they now only amounted to four millions. It might be said that the public derived no ad vantage from this ; 'but it should be remembered that the case was different when the Bank lent their capital for the public use.—(Hear!)—With respect to the Bank lending money on mortgage, there could be no doubt it was a thing highly beneficial to the country ; for there were many distant parts whiCh could never participate the fall in interest on mort gages, without some such Company as the Bank, ready and able to render them. But with reference to the principle of this lending on mortgage, that was another question, and one which he thought deserving of attention. It was a practice which might lead to very dangerous results ; and if the coun try were suddenly engaged in war, it was by no means clear. to him that the consequences might not be a return to that Miserable state of paper money in _which they had once seen themselves, by an over issue of' the Bank. For by so much as its capital should be locked up in mortgages, would its power to assist be cirumscribed. In addition to this, there was the large engagement with respect to the pensions. If it were ne cessary for them to be in a state of preparation for war, they ought to have a National Bank in a state of efficiency as much as an army and Navy.—(Hear !)—He hoped the House would not shut its eyes to the danger of this practice, from the benefit which the country derived from the loan of Bank capital on mortgage. Upon the question of Five per Cents, he would remind the Chancellor of the Exchequer 'that he had not received encouragement from any part of the 'House in executing that unfortunate scheme. At the same time he believed he was betrayed into it by the tramnielti in which his predecessor left him. It was no concession to the Bank; but' a clear loss to the country of a million and a half. At that time the Three per Cents. were at 74, and the contract was made for five years. Now the same stock was at 94, and probably they would have to repay it at 100.= In any way it could be taken, it was had ; for if war had therhad by so much destroyed the means of carrying it on ; and if peace were to continue, then a million and a half was thrown away. He hoped the Right Honourable Gentleman would upon no account renew any such scheme. As to the ac counts laid on the table, they were so complicated that few county Members he was sure could make out from them the financial state of the nation. He hoped, too, that the Chan cellor of the Exchequer would entertain no.thoughts of paying off the Three per Cents. at par. If there were any Surplus revenue, let it be applied to the, liquidation of outstanding claim—let it rather be applied to the reduction of the float ing debt. Mr. H. GURNEY thought it was very requisite . for the wel fare of the country that the quantity of Bank paper afloat should be known. For if they were to depend upon the Bank for as sistance in the event of any emergency, it was certainly proper that they should keep a strict eye over its operations, in order to know that it was in an efficient state. Mr. MABERLY wished for a Committee to declare what the Bank ought to recive for managing the public debt. The dead weight bargain he had always deprecated ; but as he had moved for papers on the subject, he should forbear to carry his view of it any farther at present. In his opinion the Commis sioners of the Sinking Fund might have had,. and ought to have had, the bargain. As it was, they had been left to bUy annuities at the highest possible price, while Government was selling them absolutely at the lowest. Mr. MONCK thought an account of the discounts most ex pedient, and objected strongly to the principle of the Bank lending money on mortgage. Mr PIERSE explained.—The motions were then put, end agreed to. PRISON DISCIPLINE. _ _ _ Mr. Secretary PEEL said, the House would remember that last year a Bill had passed for the Regulation of Prison Dis cipline ; and it was now his object to move for leave to bring in a Bill to amend that Bill in one or two patticulars. Amongst other things it had been provided by it that certain things should be done by the Quarter. Sessions of the different coun ties. Now it happened that there were no Quarter Sessions either in York or Lincoln, and therefore.. the Act did not apply to those counties. In his Bill, therefore, he should propose amendment of the old Bill applying to these coun ties. There would be two other amendments—one was to en able the Magistrates of small jurisdictions to contract with the county to send their prisoners to the county gaol. This would get rid of many inconveniences attending the care of prisoners in small jurisdictions, and it would also ensure an uniformity of discipline and the removal of many abuses. To this propo sition, therefore, he expected general concurrence. To the other amendment he thought there would be no objection. The Act of last Session contained a provisiOn for the employment of prisoners committed for trial. In his view the spirit of the Act did not indicate hard labour to be the meaning of the em ployment contemplated. But there had been a difference of opinion on the interpretation of that part of the Act ; and it was his intention to propose a clause forbidding the employ ment of the tread-mill before trial. The • Hon. Member for Shrewsbury had given a couditional notice upon this subject. BLit as it would be better for them not to have two Bina where one would do, he would probably be satisfied with the remedy' being contained in the Bill for which he was about . to move.— These were the princip a l objects of the Bill, upon which he would reserve himself for greater detail till.sonee future stage of the measure. The Right Hon. Gentleman concluded by moving for leave to bring in a Bill to amend the Gaol Act. Sir E. KNATCHBULL gave his entire concurrence to the motion of the Right Hon. Secretary, and he had no doubt it would receive general approbation. It was to be' observed, that there was a necessity for putting prisoners to work before trial, in order to their gaining their subsistence, as it rarely happened they had any other means. In doing away, therefore, with one means, 'he hoped another would he : provided. Sir T. LETHBRIDGE approval of the intentions of the Right Honourable Secretary. He took this opportunity to im press upon him the considerable in&ctise-of expence which had been brought upon the country, i nco nsequence of the improve ment in the jail-system.' Anthis expence fell upon the land, from being levied by means of a county rate: It was a prac tice which had arisen of late to place every thing upon this rate; and he was convinced the Magistrates; - at Quarter Ses sions, had not sufficient controul over t. Upon referring to the history of that rate in this county, it would be found to have risen 300/. to 8,0001., and'upon 'the whole the extent of thirteen or fourteen ' t i h n e s c o o some county was particularsb burdened e fr n o e m d thousand pounds, in consequence of the practice of the Legis lature, which had of late prevailed of saddling fees upon the county rate. All the weight of criminal justice was on that rate, and no other bore any part o f it. He hoped the Right 'Hon. Gentleman, in this Bill, would recognise the principle . of placing these expences on the nation at large, and not bearing on the land alone. Colonel WOOD said he had also reason to complain for the county re which lie belonged, of the expence of the present Gaol Act. It was the classification part of that Act which had been found so.hurdeneome, and in the case of his own county, which was very small, three or four thousand pounds had been laid out, which would never be made available. He should certainly move for the introduction of a clause into the Bill of the Right Hon. Gentleman, to exempt the PrinciPality of Woks from the Classification Clauses of the Act: Mr. HOBHOUSE thought there was great reason to corn-. plain'of the unrestricted' application of the tread-mill. One main objection to this instrument of punishment was, that it was a far greater degree of punishment to a weak man than it was to one who was of a 'robust frame 'and in good health.— Another objection to the tread-mill was, that it could be made an instrument of petty oppression. If the Magistrates were to co on as they had lately, instead of being, as they had rather hastily been deemed the blessing, they would prove themselves to be the curse of the . country. They were too apt to conceive themselves to be a part of the Government, and he was glad to see the Right Hon. Gentleman give them such a leissim as he was about to give them by this Bill. Mr. Alderman WOOD. .assured the }Tense that the tread mill was nothing new, as they had had it in'the City of London for nearly a century fbr commercial purposes. Solar fiom its being bard work, lie would say it was the lightest they could put a 'man to who was condemned to hard labour. - If they would da him the honour to visit some of the gaols . of the City of London, he would show them something like hard labour. . Sir C. COLE thought w ith the Hon. Member oppOsite, that the Welch counties ought to be exempted from the Classifica tion Clauses of the Gaol Act. But with regard to the tread mill, he did not see any reasonable objection to it as an instru ment of punishment. It appeared to him to be a perfect mode of punishment, because it was capable of being proportioned to the power of every individual; and to every degree in crime, at the discretion of the M agistrates. Mr. Secretary PEEL said, he was sorry the Hon. Baronet, the Member for Somersetshire, was not present, 'as he should have addressed a few more observations to him in answer to his complaint relative to the burdens of prison improvement than-he could in his absence do. At the same time lie ad mitted his representations respecting the county rate were de serving of inquiry; but he must observe that the county could not, in his opinion, better spend their money than in the im provement of their prisons. With respect to Wales it might afford a case of exception worthy of consideration at a future stage. He could not, however agree to part with the principle cf classification as applied to Wales. The expence might be met by three or four counties joining together and hav ing one common gaol. .He wished the Honourable •Mem ber for Westminster would read the Returni on the table, which would shortly be printed, relative to the operation of the tread-mill in every gaol in the Kingdom. Ile had caused the most minute inquiry op this subject to be esta blished, and by the satisfactory evidence of these Returns, it would appear that in almost every instance each individual, upon being weighed after some months at the tread-mill, shewed an increase in weight. This lie apprehended must be taken as an indication of an improved state of health ; and the_ source of information was most complete and authentic. It came from medical authority, and applied to every case in every gaol. , It was to be observed that the tread-mill was worked by weight, and not by labour or personal exertion, so that each prisoner contributed only according to his powers. The ad vantage of the instrument he took to be, that it enabled them to graduate punishments according to the offences and capabi lities of the offenders. He wished, before the next discussisn, the Hon. Member for Westminster would inspect one of the tread-mills in the neighboUrhood of London, and also consult the papers on the table. He had always been of opinion that the tread-mill was .an admirable instrument of punishment, since it was open in its operation, and equal to all. He con sidered that he need not defend the Magistrates from the obser vations made upon them. - They had acted from misconcep tion, and not from the unworthy motives attributed to them. -Leave was then granted to brin in the Bill. JURIES. Mr. PEEL then rose to move for leave to bring in a Bill to cersolidete the laws relating to the empanelling of Juries.--, PRICE SEVENPA.k.HCE: He said, it was . unnecessary for him to attempt 'ally eulogiuna on the system Of trial byjurY, and he hoped it . vtas equally unnecessary for him to say, that it was not his 'intention, in any part of the ptoposed•BilL; to introduce a word that would - tend to weaken the efficieney of that admirable . totem His intention was to consolidate the lewd;. when 'bs:stated that there were no less than 80 statutes on that eubjeci, it would at once be seen how desirable it was that a consolidation should ' take - place. There were 20 different statutes to shew who might be a juror in England. The nuinber alone was a suffi- - cient reason for his measure; but from the.titles of some of the Acts, no one could be led to believe that they related to juries: He would defy any man to guess that he should-.. find a regetla• tion on that subject in an 'Act folthe more spe edy.recovery of small tithes. One Act was entitled, " for preventing the ex portation of Leather;" another, " for the - better payment of Seamen's Wages;" and another " for exempting.Apothecae ries from serving the office of Scavengers;" in all which there were elauieS relating to juries. which he riropoi - ed to consoli date. As to any amendment 'of the law which wonid of course provoke discussion, it would be better to postpone them to a future stage of the Bill. On the subject of the qualification, he should propose some enactment, and a l so for the more effec tually, compelling the attendance of jurors. On the subject of . subordinate of fi cers nominating th e p ersons w h o W ere to serve on juries, he should also propose some regulation : he thought the magistrates in petty sessions might he usefully, employed in checking the returns of the tithingman or constable, and pu nishing any omission of a qualified person. Sir JOHN 'NEWPORT hoped that a separate measure of the same nature would be brought forward applying to Ire land, where the present practice amounted to a surrender of iustice into the hands of individuals very ill qualified, from the operations of jealousy and party spirit, for such a trust. Mr. WODEHOUSE disclaimed the intention of casting any reflection on any of the learned persons presiding or prac- tilling in the Courts of Law; kit in some of them the Court of Exchequer particularly, there was a laiity of proceeding with regard, co prosecutions, and an array of Counsel, wifteli must cenmel every one to enter a protest against both in a moral and. constitutional point of view. He recommended to the Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Peel) a quiet and .steady attention to the amelioratiOn of such abuses, by which (though no. noisy fame. was attached to it) he would confer the greatest benefit, and one which the great body of the people would duly appreciate. Mr. H LIME had on a former occasion expressed his opinion in favour of choosing the Jury by ballot, 'and he bad since had an opportunity of conversing with the officer whose duty it was 'at present to strike the special Juries, and he (Mr: Hume) was convinced that nothing would be more pleasine to bins than to be divested of diet power ; and this he (Mr. IP.) thought might easily be done. He hoped the Right Hon. Gentleman would save the House the trouble of going through two bills, as it would be much more convenient to have the whole subject em braced in one statute. Indeed,_ lie considered the si m plification . of the statute-book as an object well worthy. of the:attention of Government. He instanced The zase of an act for recovering of tithes, which contained a clause, tb e e ff ect of whic h limited the number of proctors in the Prerogative Court, and the. charges were in consequence very high. Mr. G. LAMB said he could not but feel jealous of come, lidating Acts, as he lied seldom known them to „o through the . House without some new clause being introduced. -The Hon. Member for Aberdeen, on the proposal for amending the JUry system, was at once for simplifying the whole of. the statute law of England, and also regulating the Pierogatire Court.— He (Mr. Lamb) would rather have had one single Bill, as pro- . posed by the Hon. M em b er f or Essex (Mr. Weste r n). fha had occasion, he would rather refer to 'the .old' statutes on any . point respecting the Jury system, tbanhave to hunt. it out in - , the wordy labyrinth of a mo de rn Act of Parliament. Much 'rat*as said to have be en d one recent l y by the repeal of abso oppressive statutes; but there was a principle in opera.. .tion, which did good by leaving thein in disuse, whilst many of these consolidation - Acts revived, and put them again into baneful operation. . Dr. 11, 1 S H GTON considered ,the. present state-of the law. to IT a very great . eiil. It was altnott;itnpossible to say on any. one subject Alm was the statute la w . Th ere was no l awyer in that Rouse Who could,toor be.believed in the other, not even the Lord Chancellor himself. His Von. and Learned Friend. objected to the ineasure proposed, because somethingprejudicial might creep in, but it was the duty of that House to watch over and prevent .such results. It had been said, that they would lose the benefit ofdecisions ;- but was there ever a case in which the COunsel.on both sides did not produce a number of cases which each contended were exactly in point ! He would appeal incountry Oentlemen whether it was not desirable to have in one State. ' the law which . otherwise they m us t look- tar in new editions of. Burn's Justice, where the vario us S tatutes were pointeitout. The Statutes at Law. must. be procured ; then, at the trifling expence of about, 60 - guineas ; after that they must have the Report.; in short, The whole of the lawyer's library, - whichh. costa about 1,0001. .Ile was satisfied that the more the system was.exatnined, the more necessary it •would be found to resort to the system of consolidation. • Sir.EDWARD KNATCHBULL was friendly to the con., colidation of the law, though he was not prepared to admit them . necessity of extending the qualification of jurymen: Leave was given to bringin the bill; - • • • •-- '" THE IRISIei, CHURCH.. Sir J. NEWPORT, puramaa4 to notice, after some prefatory observations ' moved for leave. to bring . in a -Bill' to 'repeal so much of the Act of the 21st of Om •11 - .4"cap. 6; as prohibited the diminution . of E cclesiasti cal .Dignities. by se reringfrom any deanery or canonry, any parish,.except on the conditmn ofadd.. ing another parish -of equal value to it 31r. GRATTAN, expressed, his intention *of givin g no op• position to the Bill, though he saw•that it was liable to some objections. . ~ . Mr. GOULBURN opposed the repeal of the Art, on the ground that it would not forward .the objects which the 11913. Baronet had in view. , - . Mr. DAWSON opposed the motion on the same ground as taken by his Right lion. Friend.(Mr. Goulburn). Dr..LIJSHINGTON was desirous that a clause - should be introduced into the statute, by which the Archbishop, with the consent of the Lord Lieutenant, .might be einpowered.tcr exchange any. benefice attached- to a deanery, canenry,•or other dignity of the Established Church .in..ireland, for some other. benefice (not theretofore annexed to such deanery or•othcr dig.. " nity), even if it should beiof inferior value .to the Benefice so_ exchanged for it; .previded.the exchange should be desiruble for the more general and effectual celebration of the iervice of the church. . • Mr. GOULBURN, who had formerly felt an ohjfction this proposition, had now, no difficulty in saying that he would consider it. Sir JOHN NEWPORT, in reply, observed that he was little surprised at the course which had been taken by the Hon. Gentleman (Mr. ,Dawson) who sat behind the IfikLit Hon: Secretary for Ireland. • He had too .often differed, anti on some. most important particulars, from that Hon. GentletAn to ex perience any astonishment at finding that his object' still ap peared to be to maintain the value and condition of ecclesiastical preferments in Ireland at their present settle, regardless of all other considerations whatever. His (Sir • J.•Newptirt's) object was to provide for. the better and more extensive celebration of religious worship, within the Church of. England communion. At present, Iwshould crave leave to withdraw hit illation. The motion was accordingly withdrawn. IRISH RETURNS; Mr. GRATTAN rose to submit a motion to whiCh he could not anticipate any `asonable objection. It was merely for some returns as to theisames and religious profession of certain" individuals filling-particular offices in Ireland ; and hig motion ; was, in effect, coneurrentavith that of which ; a Noble Lord hal recently given notice. - • The House were well aware that. in 1793, an Act was passed declaring Roman Catholics as well as Protestants eligible to all offices and posts in Ireland, With the exception of such as were therein by name excepted: Now the immediate object he had in view, was to chew how this statute had been acted on, and. who had been omitted Out of its opera tion since 1793. And he really did believe, that these returns would go far. to dennonstrate_what was the real cause o f t h e many political evils which had ;so long afflicted Ireland : for they would prove, that out of tl e many offices which the Act declared Homan Catholics competent to fill, .these Were hardly one to which a Roman Catholic had, been admitted. (Hear !) If it had not been for this most unjust and invidious sort vf.exelti sion, Ireland would,not ,have 'been 'agitits4 by half tile troubles which had befallen her ; and such an evagionnf - the act of 1793 was productive of more harm than all th'C' penal atattites that oppressed her. At all events, if Parliament ; were to : repeal the latter to-morrow, the .repeal ; would not effect greater . benefi t _th that unfortunate - country, than the due observance of ihis equit able act would ensnre. to her.—(Hear, hear !)-,The :Honour able Gentleman thartmoved,,i‘ That; there belaid fiefore• .House a return of the names crAill, individuals elk fol. lowing offices and appointm6f4l4n, Ir eland, ..• LEGACY DUTIES. Mr. DUGDALE presented a petition from Birmingham, relating to the Legacy Duties.—Laid on the table. SLAVERY. . - - A Petition was presented from King's Lynn, praying the Abolition of Slavery.—Laid on the table. WINE. Mr. T. WILSON presented a Petition from Thomas James Wadd, Wine-merchant of the City of London, praying a re duction of the Duty on Wines. He stated that the Duties had been increased to the diminution of Revenue, and that it was well worth the attention of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether a reduction of the Duty would not increase the com forts of the people without injuring the Revenue. Mr HUME said, he hoped the Chancellor of the Exchequer would include some measures of this nature in his state ment on the 23d ; if not, he trusted that the Honourable Member who presented the Petition, would bring the subject before the House as soon after as convenient.—The Petition was laid on the table. COM LIINA TION LA WS.—(PRINTE RS.) Mr. HLT.IIE presented a Petition from the journeymen Printers, of the City of London, against the combination Laws.—Referred to the Committee. __ TRIAL OF FELON'S. Mr. G. L%AlB•.withdrew his Notice relative to a bill for enabling persons accused of Felony, to be defended by Coun cil, and renewed it for Wednesday, the 3d of March. COAL DUTIES. Sir C. COLE presented .a Petition from certain Coal Pro prietors in the County of Glamorgan, praying fora repeal of the duties on Coals. Sir T. LETHBRIDGE said, he thought the Chancellor of the Exchequer would do better to turn his attention to the re peal of the taxes in preference to this. Many large Capitalists had embarked their property in Coal Mines on the faith of this being a perpetual tax, and it could not be repealed without in flicting a large measure of injustice upon that body.—The Pe tition was ordered to be printed. Similar Petitions were presented from St. Colornb, Brizham, Tonbridge Wells, Eddington, and Launceston.—Ordered to be printed. LICENCES. Petitions were presented from the Lic,enced Victuallers of Worksop and Nottingham, praying a reduction of the Excise Duties upon Licences,_,and other articles.—Ordered to be printed. DISTILLERIES. Mr. CI:RIVEN moved fora series of complicated returns, relating to the Spirits Distilled in Scotland and Ireland, from the years 1815 downwards, The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the re turns were so numerous and so complex that he could not un derstand their extent. The Hon. Member had better with draw them until they could be inspected, in order to ascertain their nature, and how far It maybe practicable to make them up. Mr. CURWEN withdrew his motion accordingly. BANK OF ENGLAND. Mr. GRENFELL said, that since the notice he had given to the Molise last week, he had abandoned the intention of moving for the account relating to the issue of Bank Notes. He was not then aware that any objection would be made by 'the Bank to such a return. An Honourable Friend of his had since told him, that he understood the Bank Directors had very . con siderable objections to such a measure. The reason assigned was this. It was said the House might as well call for the ac counts of a Merchant, or of a Company of private Bankers. Be did not at all agree in this view; on the contrary, when he looked at the trust and confidence plaeed in that body, and when he considered all the great privileges they enjoyed, he could by no means hold them to stand in the same situation in reference to the public as a private Banking Company. But as the accounts for which he had intended to move would have brought the issues of the Bank down to the present time,. It perhaps would not be convenient to press for them, and he should therefore confine himself to the annual ac counts, to the production of which, on the part of the Bank, he understood there was no objection. The first related to the deposits of public money paid to the Bank of England, and the next to the charge for the management of the debt. — The balances in the hands of the Bank had formerly amounted to from, ten to twelve millions a year, but now they were re duced to four millions, the profit from which he believed to be infinitely above what the services of the Bank justly deserved. The amount paid to the Bank last year, for the management of the public debt, was upwards of 250,0001. ' He was ready to admit that no service could be better performed to the country than this was by the Bank ; but from every information he could acquire upon the subject, that service would be auffi 'ciently well paid, if instead of nearly 260,0001. the Bank re ceived 160,0001. He knew that legal opinions had been taken, which were unfavourable to the right of changing the condi tions before the Bank Charter expired. But when a legal man gave an opinion of that nature, a great deal depended upon the manner in which the case was stated to him ; and if he (Mr. Grenfell) had the putting of the case, he should have no doubt of the opinion being different. The Hon. Member concluded, by moving for a return of the aggregate amount of all deposits of public money paid into the hands of the Bank, with details of the different heads under which they were deposited, for the year 1823, with an account of all sums received for the manage ment of the Public Debt. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, he was glad the Hon. Member had not maintained his intention of calling for the account of the issues of notes, because he thought it would be a hard case if, as a matter of course, the Bank were to be called upon to expose its affairs in such a manner. He did not mean to as that no case would justify such a request on the part of the House, but as the case now stood between the Bank and the public, when there were no longer restric tions on their cash payments, he did not think it right to be done as a matter of course. He had no objection to the present motions, and it was not necessary for him to trouble the House at any length upon them. The Hon. Gentleman had stated very accurately that the balances in the hands of the Bank had been reduced, and the difference applied bene ficially to the public service. It. was fit and proper for Par liament to make such an arrangement, and the Bank readily acquiesced in it. With regard to the charges for the manage ment of the debt, he did not know whether a practical vote of the House to diminish them could be come to. He differed with the Hon. Member, and confessed he thought the opinions of the Law-Officers founded upon most solid and substantial grounds. He therefore thought the House would not be justi fied at present in calling upon the Bank forcibly to consent to such a measure, whether they would or not. A compromise had been made upon the last regulation, and as long as the charter lasted, he thought that compromise ought to be re spected. Considering the services which the Bank had upon several occasions rendered to the country, they ought not to be looking out for every point of law which could 'be strained to its lye.] udice. expressed his wish to see the Government out of the trammels of the Bank, and said he hoped the Chancellor of