The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-08-31 00:00:00

EGHAM RACES.

SECOND DAY-WEDNESDAY.

The sport to-day was excellent, and fully justified e
expectations entertained by all who were present. The
company was equally numerous as yesterday, and included
most of those who were then present ; in fact, every
thing was favourable to the running, which will be found
correct as under.

[ln our account of the match between Crockery and
Ilderim, the former should have been stated as the
winner.]
The Surrey and Middlesex stakes of 25 son. each, 13 ft. and only
live. if declared, &c. Two miles and a distance.
Duke of Richmond's Linkboy, 3 yrs. fist. 11b. - . I
Lord Mountcharles names Crockery, 4. yrs. List. 91b. _ - 2

.
Eight paid, 16 ft., and ten'cletlared. &c., U. each.
Betting-3 and 4tol on Linkboy. This was a curious and
novel race to many of the spectators, who knew not of the differen
msnwuvres resorted to, to make an inferior horse beat a good one.
It was very evident to the knowing ones that Crockery had no
chance with Linkboy, sinless he could make him bolt, a. trick he its
in the habit of frequently pitying off. Dockery, whose skill in
country races is well known, was the jockey allotted,to ride Crockey,
and he tried his utmost to succeed, but without effect. At starting
both horses came off together at a very slow canter, keeping
abreast, and so they continued for a little way ; Crockery then took
the lead at a brisk rate, closely followed by Linkboy for some dis-
tance; but all of a !sudden pulled up to a walk; his adversary did
the same; they then walked at as slow apace as the could for about
100 yards, and at last off' they went at good speed, each jockey, of
course, having had his orders how to make the race—Crockery in
front, and so they continued, Linkhoy giving a sharp 100k-out,
unto the roads at top of the Course, in this position; Crockery here
made another alteration in running by slacking his pace, in conse-
quence of which Linkboy was forced to goup, and that he luckily did
without the looked-for bole. Being now come to the straight running
about a mile from home, nothing was to be done but to go it at the
.isterit speed, and the race the remaining part was most beauti-
My disputed unto tit: Betting Stand, when it was evident it was
no go with Crockery, and Linkboy showed himself first at the
lithos' Stand by several lengths.
The town plate of fifty pounds, for three years olds, 70.; four,
fist. 71b. ; five, 9st. ; six and aged. 9st. 41b.; mares and geldings
allowed 31b.; two miles and a half heats; the winner to be sold,
under the usual regulations, for 150 son.
Mr. S. Smith's hr. It. Charmwood, 6 yrs. old 1 1
Captain Locke's Little Driver, aged 2 2
Mr. Smith's bl. e. Tamar, 4 yrs. old 3 3
Two drawn.

Betting-6 to 4on Chartnwiw;rlra42 to I agst. Little Driver.
At starting Little Driver took the lead, and kept it at a strong
pace, closely followed by Charmwood, with Tamar at hand, and
kept the lead unto the roads, when up came the where. Here cam.
menced a neck-and-neck race between the three, end so continued
until home, when Charmwood won the first heat by a head only.
Ileat—Betting even, and 5 to 4on Charmwood. The running
in this heat was prechwly as last, and won by a I-ngth ; the winner
rode by F. Boyce, Little Driver by Dockery, and Tamar by young
Buckle.

The Egham Sweepstakes of 5 Ross. each, and 35 added. Heats
one mile.
Lord I)unwiell'a Dream - - - 4 1 1

His Royal Highness the Duke of York's Dahlia . 1 2 2
Mr. Hornsby's Agnes 3 3 3
Mr. Jones's Crockery 2 dr
Betting-5 to 4 aril Dream, 7to 4 eget Dahlia, 10 to 1 aget
Crotkety--atter the Ist heat, $1 to 4 on Dream-3l best, 2 to 1 on
Dream.
Ist heat—Dahlia went off at a slashing rate, followed closely by
Crockery and Agnes; she kept the lead all the way, and made a
most admirable best. winning by two kiwi's.
2d Heat—They all went off as first heat, and made the running
precisely the same unto the Betting Stand, when Dream shot ahead,
and won by half a neck only.
3d Heat—Dream and DAhlia went off together, and so continued
for some time, when Dahlia took the lead. and kept it unto the
roads; then came up Agnes and Dream, and all made pretty close
running unto the distance, when Dream got in front, and won the
I race cleverly by a length.

EXTRACT PROM THE FOURTEENTH REPORT
OF 7HE COMMISSIONERS •
roes reructetteict INTO THE ntvextic •flistwo IN fItRILANDe
AND INTO CERTAIN DEPARTMENTS OT THE itEvexce
ARISING IX AAAAA PRITAIst.
Ewe have illetrazs advocated publicity, and we do not rove
shrink from it. 'rile principal fact menthmel in the truha
joined extract is not now correct; and, if it were, the pre.
sent conductors of the British Press wrrild not considet
themselves justified in withholding a Parliamentary docu-
ment on that account. There is no sacrifice Which we will
not make to impartiality.]
In addition to the obeervattone which have been eirgstevecl by our
inquiries icto the manner of conducting the butane* of the Regis,.
tear of Newspapers and Pamphlets, we bare to call your. Lord.
ships* further attention to thin part of the 'abject. in coneequeeoe
of the circumstance (to which Me have already adverted in our pre.
ceding Report) of the Chairman of the Board being individuals
' brought into contact with this branch of the department, in his
character as principal Proprietor of one of the London Newepa-wes„
During the regrets of our Inquiries we had receive 'hem
various quarters. representation!' on this subject, of such • ease
racier as to render it in our opinion incumbent upon us to Invest:.
gate the fees to which they referred, not only as being Importara
to the general administration of the department. but alien as sn set
of justice to the individual who was the object of thew ntresente.
don.. The substance of this infonnation, at lease of that pert .1
it which relates to the subject now under consideratlents Was, th it
the Chairman of the Board of Stamps was well knotrn to be t' e
proprietor of the British Press newmpepee although other persors
were unduly. and for purposes of concealment, registered at
the Stamp Office as the proprietors of diet paper, under the Sta-
tute to which we have above referred.
The title and dames of the Act point out with so ree' clemment
and precision the objects and provisimis of the law which the Corn.
milestones of Starnes are thus ivecially deputed to enforce, th t
we feel it to be unnecessary to oiler any exploratory obaervetions on
the subject. A reference to this statute could not fail to iecreese •ie
surprise, with which we had received information of the fact, that
the Chairman of the Baud of Stamps was a concealed proitistor
of s public newspaper.
Independently-of the objection arising from any peculiar Afield
duty which may be intrusted to hint, there are various grounds on
which, in our opinion, the proprietorship, or even • prominent
share in the conduct of' a newspaper, mutt be considered as
properly compatible with the Situation of a head of one of the
principal Government departments. In the present case, however,
it is sufficient to advert to thine reasons which render such an en.
(clement peculiarly objectionable with reference to the specie
duties of the office now under consideration.
That the Commissioners of Stamps are tee functionaries eperietty
deputed on the part of the public to carry into effect the provisia s
of this Act according to their strict and true intent (which are so
clearly intimated in the title) is sufficiently apparent from the re.
ference made to them in the clauses above extracted, and more par.
titularly horn their being empowered to require new affidavits. to be
made as to proprietorship, as often ae they shall see reasonable Cattle.
After • consideration of the nature and objec is of the duty thus impor-
ed upon the Commissioners, it was equally apparent to us, that ro
one of them could become privy to any ease of coesccalniem of the
real proprietor of a newspaper, and still less that he email become
a principal agent or contriver ir. effecting any such concealment,
without • direct violation of that duty. Under this impression, we
felt ourselves ealled,upon to put the questions to Mr. bedgwick on
this subject which are contained in his examination of the 31st
January, 1825, annexed to our Thirteenth Report. By reference
to this examination, your Lordship' will see that Mr. Stentwick
does nor deny the fact of his being the principal proprietor of th t
• British Press newspaper, and admits the accuracy of the following
statement as to the circumstances attending that property t—" Thet
he and another gentleman are the two chief proprieters, but that it
has been assigned to Mr. Haines; and under that assignment,
which is a legal title, he holding the equitable title. Mr. Haines
swears that he as the proprietor of the paper." In a preceding part
of the examination, Mr. Sedgwick gives the following account of
this transaction :—" When I was originally connected with the
British Press, I had certainly every intention of parting with it. I
never intended to keep it ; but having embarked a property in it,
I was obliged so to do. and therefore I made • conveyance he
equil, assigning the whole of my right to Mr. Haines; and cer.
tainly if he could take advantage of that, I might lose the property
in it,"
Your Lordships will observe that this extract does not agree with
the preceding one in regard to the description of the conveyance
mete to lllr. Haines ; and we think it right to add, that we hare
had reason to doubt whether any legal assignment on a sufficient
stamp was ever executed on this occasion ' • and we are the more
disposed to entertain this doubt, from the fact stated to us on oath,
that Air. Haines is a person employed as a reporter in the office of
the paper.
11'e annex In the Appendix topics of the affidavit made by Mr.
Haines, dated the 7th November, 1023, and of three preceding
affidavits. On all thew occasions, except the first, it will be actee
that the parties swearing represent themselves to be the sole pew.
prietors of the paper in question. At the time these several affi.
davits were taken, Mr. Sedgwick must have been fully apprized of.
the real state of the property to which they related ; and we are at
a loss to discover on what principle he could reconcile it, eiders to
I. e sense of deity as • Commissioner of Stamps, or to his general
feeling of propriety, to permit affidavits so inconsistent with the
fact to be tendered on the pert of the proprietors, or to be accel•tesl
by his colleagues, and to remain on the hles of the office.
Your Lordship' will observe that in the examination before re.
ferred to Mr. Sedgwick appears to consider that the statute Ia suf
ficiently complied with by the production of any person willing to
swear to the affidavit, and to to e upon himself the consequent re.
eponsibility as proprietor. We o not think it necessary to offer any
additional reasons foe our total dissent from such an interpretatioe
of the law, which, although the Chairman is supported in it by
the opinion of one at least of his colleagues, we are satisfied rine
Lor'shipe emair with us in rejecting as beng wholly inadmle-
sib'el and mere peculiarly so, when urged by one of those Com.
minis:osiers who are specially charged with the execution of that law
according to its full intent and purport. We are aware that CAM
frequently occur in which the legal ownership of newspapers, like
that of other personal property, is cast upon persons rot taking any
beneficial interest, such as executors, trustees, or assignees of bank.
rupts ; and that tin these occasions it has iii some instances been
found difficult to fix upon the parties from whom, under the pro.
visions of the Act, the affidavits of ownership should be taken. It
is, however, obvious that cases of this description are wholly alit.
tinguisltable from those in which a division of the ownership into
legal and equitable titles is made for any purpose of concealment,
and that the affidavits taken tinder the ciicuinstances of those cases
cannot in any respect be h ld to sanction the admission of an affi.
davit of ownership by a person set up merely for the purpose of
making it.
We annex in the Appendix the copy of a case, with a joint
opinion given by the Attorney and Solicitor-Generel, oa ;his sub.
ject, in which the distinction above alluded to is dearly admitted,
and in which also the conduct of the parties concerned in melting
the affidavit on the foundation of a colourable ownership only, Is
adverted to in ternis which show that the persons so swearing ars
considered as liable to an indictment fur perjury, although a pro.
ceeding for the penalty under the seventh section of the Act is
recommended as a more advisable coulee. Various other rircum.
stances respecting the connexion of Mr. Sedgwick and other parties
with the British Press newspaper have been laid before us. t
which we refrain from calling
•your Lordships' attention, both be.
cause these particulars relate in a great measure to matters wholly
of a private character, and also because we ere given to understand
that a suit is now pending in the Court of Chancery on the sub.
ject of the ownership of that paper during the period tq which we
have alluded.
In the observations and details into which we have been ltd on
this part of our subject, we have considered the transaction which
has given rise to them wholly in a public view, and es emineeted
' with the due administration of that branch of the law which is
under the immediate superintendence of the commissioners of
Stamps, and we do not doubt that your Lordships will coeeider
what we have thus submitted as sufficient to justify the opinion
expressed in our preceding Report, that the proprietorship of a
public newspaper is a situation wholly incompatible with that of
• Chairman of the Board of Stamm, and that l'y no !towable toe-
, tingeney should the private interests and official duty of Cole.
miesioners of' Revenue Boards be allowed to be brought into
collision. In the course of our inquiries we ascertained the face,
that it was considered natotious throughout the department that
the Chairman was the proprietor of the paper in question ; and we
cannot but feel that there is w row, ground for believing that this
knowledge must have had some influence on the mode in which the
several subordinate offieers have executed the various dutit; in.
trusted to them, both with rest ect to the objects of ascertaining and
recording the names of the real proprietors, and also of enforcing
the collection of the duties incurred for atlverti-emente.
, We have already referred to the evidence of Mr. Mattison, as
ehowieg a want of activity and regularity in enforcing the provt.
siuns of the statute under which these duties are collected ; an t
your Lonlships will observe, that in alluding to the Newspapers
which are generally in atrear, this officer states " that he dote rot
think there is any daily Paper which is worse than the British
Press."
We are not prepared to show distinctly that the reason; for the
indulgence granted to this Paper can be traced to the knowledge ex-
isting in the office s; to its real pmt rietor ; we are however sattsfr,. t
that a statement of the fact; tow' it,. •-a tve adverted would very
generally give Tire to such an he eenee, 'nu •• 'a 'Mind grounds
for imputations materially affecting ch. ..•-thteheet mu. public sten.
' 'natio.) towards this department which it is or net'. importance
to maintain. The state of proprietorship to which we have alluded
, must also place the Commissioners to whom the periodical returns
of arrears ought to be made in the situation either of being reed
upon to enforce the law against defaulters under eircumsbrwes
which must render that duty a painful one, or by the permission
slowed to this perticuiar paper, of habitually withholding its pa;
one its beyond the appointed periods, they must in some degree tel
I
themselves precluded from enforcing • strict collection of the duties
team any other.

Ilitattonays, Auc. Vt.—This fashionable wate►inp;
place is now remarkably gay, the various lodgings being
respectably filled. There was a grand ball, at the Crown,
on Wednesday last, which was the most spirited that has
taken place this season. The quadrilles and waltzes were
elegantly danced, and the music was particularly admired
for its superiority and precision.

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