The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-05-20 00:00:00

VAGRANT ACT.

Sir T. ACLAND nnovetl f n leave to I ring in a Bill to em-
ptier Magistrate,. of Quarter Sessions to regnlate expenses for the
apprehension of nlfenders order the Vagrant Act.
Mr. ESTCOURT considered the measure was unnecessary, as
the statute of the 14th of the late King had regulated the expenses
for eor.veying vagrants.
After a few words front Mr. S. BOURNE and Mr. STIRS, the
incion was withdrawn.
COUNTY COURTS BILL.

Lord ALTIIORP moved the third reading of the County
Courts fill. . _

......
Culotte] TREN('}I complained of the measure being carried too
hastily through the llourc. It was his intention to move for the
iorroduction of a clause to prevent attorneys from practising in the
county courts. In Cambridge much evil arose from the mai-prat.
of attorneys, who encouraged litigation, and multiplied
sum lie was desirous or protecting the poorcr part of the comma-
n:ty from the depredations of inferior practitioners.
Lord A LTHOK P was of opinion that the exclusion of attorneys
from the county courts would be of great public inconvenience. If
they were excluded a more ohjectinnable class of practitioners would
Le introduced, to represent clients who could not attend personally.
The Bill was then read a third time.
Air. Alderman WOOD moved for the introduction of a clause to
except the Courts in the City of London and the Borough of South-
wink from the operation of the Bill.
Lord A LTIIORP said that the City of London was not in.
tended to be included in the Bill.

The &assess% then added to the Bill, by way of rider.
Mr. BRIGHT moved a similar clause with respect to Bristol.
The clause ass agreed to.
Colonrl TRENCH declined moving the clause for the exclusion
of attorneys. although he continued to be convinced of the expedi-
ency of introducing I: into the Bill.
The Bill was then passed.
Thu LORD ADVOCATE moved the Order of the Day for
tete...rine the Report on Scotch Judges Salaries Bill.
The Report was then brought up, and ordered to be printed.
Mr. J. P. GRANT thought the manner in which the Scotch
Judges were now paid was most obiectionable. He suggested that
ter Judges' salaries should be equalised, and was desirous that they
be placed on the same footing as the English Judges.
After a short conversation between the LoaD ADVOCATE, Mr.
A lISHCROII sr, Mr. R. MARTIN', and Mr. li. Dat:113101ID, the
Itzport was agreed to.
LEASING-MAKING.

The House went into a Committee upon the Scotch Leasing
Itaztk:ng Bill.—The Report was brought up, and ordered to be re-
ed to.rnorrow.
ALIMENT OF PRISONERS.

The House resolved itself into a Committee on the Scotch
Aliment of Prisoners fill, and the Report was ordered to be re-
ceived to-morrow.

QUARANTINE LAWS.
Loan the motion that the Report of the Quarantine Bill be
brought up,
Sir I. COFFIN said, since he had the Lonsur of • seat In that
House, he had acquired some information on the subject of the
plague, which he thought it his duty to mention. It would be re-
collected that the plsgue raged at Malta some time ago with great
violence. Every exertion was made by Sir T. Maitland and the
Local Government to arrest Its progress. A eorduis solsirsire was
drawn around the tillages, and every precaution was taken; but it
was rot got under for a considerable time, and until 3,000 Maltese
died from its ravages. All this time the little island of Goza re-
mained untouched, and not one of its inhabitants died of plague.
Sane time afterwards, when plague was no longer known at Malta,
the clothes of a person of distinction (a Maltese) were taken up
and brought to Coza, and by this means the plague was intro-
duced into that island, and no less than 600 persons died of it. An '
instance was known, atti well attested, where, by means of a skein
of thread, which hal been about the person of an infected indivi.
dna!, a fonng lady took home the plague, and she and her whole
family perished. In all the towns in the Mediterranean, the Franks
or Christians shut themselves up in their houses. receiVing their
food through vinegar, and by this precaution they preserve them.
selves from the plegue. Ile knew it was the opinion of some Hon.
Members that the plague was not contagious, and could not be
catornunieated by apparel. (I leer, hear.) He believed it may not
infect some Illyperhoreans, with hides like a rhinoceros, but he had
little doubt that it would infect ordinary men. Our indifference
upon the subject had already reached the Continent. He (Sir I.
Collin) when be weht in a man-of-war to Leghorn, was put under
quarantine for twenty days. If the cotton grown in Delta should
be introduced in this country, he thought it very likely It wouhl
bring the plague alor.g with it. He mentioned those facts, not for
his owe sake ; it mattered little whether his head should be blown
sway by a cannon ball, or whether he should die of the plague; but
the the sake of posterity, and the well-being of the country, he
thought it his duty to state his opinions.
Lord BELGRAVE thought the circumstance mentioned by the
lion. Member (Sir I. Coffin) of the security of the Frank, was suf-
ficient to overturn the doctrine of non.contagion. The Franks take
the proper precautions to avoid the contagion, and they escape; on
the contrary, the Mahometazis consider the plague a sacred disease;
tl'y take no pains to resist its progress, and conceive that when
they die from it they are taken to the arms of Mahomet, nr, what
is better, that they enjoy constant fruition in the seine of the Hon-
ries. This fact should induce the House to consider before the
system of precaution was given up. Our opinions on this subject
had already reached Marseilles, Leghorn, and other ports, and the
consequences were likely to prove most prejudicial to our trade. At
several ports the period of quarantine for English ships was extended,
end some species of goods perished before they were brought ashore.
These considerations ought not to be overlooked. Indeed, he (lard
lielgrave) found it impossible to imagine why the lion. Gentleman
( Mr. C.firatt) should have introduced such a Bill. He knew it was
improper to impute motives to Hon. Members, but he must say,
that he believed the lion. Gentleman had it in view to establish a
joint stork company for the extension of burial grounds. There
was no other reason why he should have introduced such a Bill. In
toceJusion, he thought it the serious duty of the House to pause
before they run the hazard of introducing a dreadful disease, upon
the interested recommendation of some Manchester manufacturers.
lie called upon them, like the ancient prophet. " to stand between
the dead and the living, and to stay the plague."
Mr. BERNAL said it was the opinion of many medical men
that apparel taken from the living conveys contagion, but that
clothes taken frorn a dead subject are not an likely to communicate
i:. Medical men were much divided, and therefore the House
should proceed with caution. The subject was one which deserved
synch consideration. . . . . . . .

Mr. C. GRANT said, that the Noble Lord who bad indulged in
rattier jocular reniarks on the subject, had impaired what motives
influenced him in bringing in the present Bill. These he would
shortly state. In the last year the Committee of Foreign Trade sat
the Quarantine Laws. They had received many representations
on the subject of the injuries sustained by the dunes and delays to
which they gave rise; but in their deliberations they did not Mad-
tme any inquiries as to whether or not the plague was cantagious;
t!IIV at once :.seamed that it was so, sunissainined no physicians,
except those who maintained the doctrine of contagion, and their
examination sena confined, not to the abstract question so much
discussed ; but on the assumption that contagion did exist, they
were examined as to the best means of giving relief from the incon.
`nitersit complained of, it being taken for granted that plague was
"4"3Rattlts end in the present Lill no reli..f was proposed that had
1.,/t the sanethin of medical men who were decided contagioniats.
12 his of!trial situation on the Committee, it became his duty to
,traduce the gilt. The considerations which had been stated
weer be dm:lglu necessary sue tit:, purpose of preventivg misrepre.

DRURY-LANE THEATRE.
Tills Evening, FRIDAY, Mar 10. win Do performed
WILLIAM TELL.

The Principal Characters by Messrs. 11;ereidy, Wallsek, Archer, and
Knight; Mesdames Bunn, Yates, Pmrey, and Clara Fisher.
After which. ABON HASSAN.
The Caliph, Mr. Bedford; Abon Hassan, Mr. Horn; Z►boue, Mr
Harley. Zulima, Miss Graddon.
To-morrow, A Grand Selection of Music.

DRURY-LANE THEATRE.
WHITSUN.EVE.

To-morrow. MATURDAV, May • under the dire.ltion of Mr. H. R.
Hislop, who will preside at the Onran and Piano Forte, a GRAND and
Pt/PULA It SELF.CTION of MUSIC, from the Works of Handel,
Haydn, klorart, Rossini. Weber, &c.: Handers Grand Com-
nation Anthem—a Selection from The Messish—the March In Judas
Macenbeus-•-a Grand gene 'tern Israel in Egypt—the Overture to
Der Freischutz—Mourt's Mottetto—a Selection from Weber's Precloas
—Winter's Grand battle :Milton's—a Concerto on the Trumpet, by Mr.
Norton—the Emperor Alexander's favourite March, with Variations,
on the Grind Piano FOrtt, by Mr. Mosehetes, &c. &e. &e.
Principal Vocal Performers :—Madame Pasta; Misses Stephens,
Grioldon. Cooke, and Love; a young Lady (her grit appearance lo
public): and Wlldanie Caradori Messrs. Graham, hiunto liedtord.
Robinson. T 'Duey, and Bellamy t and Master Edmunds.