The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1810-05-05 00:00:00

mouiz OF common.

LONDON ,HWKS.
Mr. H. BROWN K brought up the Report of the
London Dyck Committee.

Mr. Tutioortio rani, he howl many objections to
this Bill, but would decline urging them at this

Mr. W. SMITH 9180 otijeeted to the Ball, as lass
thing had been done, and it was a monopoly iniegignia
to the public.
The Amendments were then agreed to, and or-
dered to be engrossed.
Mr. W. Nix moved • for, and leave being oh-
taiiied, brought up the Tenth Report of the Com-
tainiiotiers of Inquiry into the Gaols of Ireland,
which was ordered to lit ou the table, and to be
printed.
PETITIONS AGAINST PRIVATE RILLS.
On a motion for giving further time fur the
report on a private bill—
The SPRAKUR oiserved, that a very injurious
practice prevai led, of not presenting petitions against
private bills—whieh, perhaps, had been three
mouths before the House---till within three or four
days of the report being received. By this means
the petitioners awl their witnesses were detained
.in
town fur a long Nue, and at d very heavy expense.
To prevent this injustice in future, he begged leave
to teke 64 opportunity ofauggestiog. that it might
be desirable, next seosion, to limit the time for the
presentation of such petitions, previous to the time
far receiving the reports.
A Message from the Lord. aced their
Lordships' assent to the Irish Roads Bill and several
private Bills.
COLLECTION OF TAXES.
Mr. C. Du N DAS ohrerved. that, • in consequence
of shst had fallen from the Right Hon. Vientle-
Man epposite, on a former ocrasices, he had nits-
P"ndeil his design of calling the attention of the
noose to the vexatious mode of collecting the as-
sessed taxes. It was not his wish to burry Minis-
let's bat, al his atrxiety was great to have this Ma-
Portant topic inquired into. and existing grievances
redressed. he wished to know if any measure* had
yet been taken. to alleviate, its•this respect, the die-
tres,es of the tiuhkect
The CnAncitt.t.onnf the Exciattatinit, in reply,
stated, that the bill he had formerly alluded to *as
now in a state of preparition, and he trusted, shorts

ly, to be able to bring it into the Rouse ; the Hon.'
gentleman would thou see if its provisions answered
his idea of what ought to lie done.
Mr. Gmeeress observed, that the property tax
was nearly allied to the assessed taxes, in the
goevences occasioned by their collection. He had
intended to have offered a motion on this subject,
but would now wait till he saw what was the nature
id the Bill about to be introduced.
Mr. M. A. TAYLOR had, early in the course of
the session, mentioned, that if no person, more able
than he was, took np the subject, he would submit
a motion to the House on the subject of the Re-
cords of the House of Lords and Court of Chancery.
Ile now sikonlied his inteution of doing so ou Tues-
day, the epth of the present month.
SPANISH PAPERS.
Mr. SIMIDAN, alter some preliminary obser-
'Aliens nu the state in which the papers relative to
Spain were, at this tuoustet, either produced to the
Howe, or notice given of • motion fur their pro-
duction, by a Right Hon. Fri6scl of his (Mr. Can-
ning) signified his intentiou of laming for such pa-
pers us had been produced to the other House, und
pot to the Ilottse of Commons ; and also for the
Correspondence directed by Government to Mar-
quis Wellesley out firs recall, cud that Nobleman's
consequent cumniunication to the Supreme Junta.
On the question for the production of these PO-
pent tieing put—
The CHAKCICLEOR of the EXCIIFQUER said, that
the former were not delivered to the House in con-
scqueoce of a mere mistake. They were now pee-. ,
paring, and i•Juld be laid before the House, iu
pursuance of the former order, and therefore; new
motion on the stibjeet was unnecessary. With re-
spect to the additional rapers, he wished the Might
Hon. Gent. to give it notice on the sullied,
Mr. SHF.RIDAN, upon this, withdrew the motion
for the first papers, ned fixed on Tuesday for his
motion fur producing the correspondence, • &c. on
the recall of Marquis Welleslei.
EXCHANGE OF PRISONERS.
Mr. SHAPE stated, that it was nut his intention
at pre mot to bring forward the motion of which he
had given uotice, relatii ere the Exchange of Pri-
soners between this country and France. He-was
restrained limn doing so, because 11/vitiations
were going on for the eecomplist iit of this de-
sirable object, which he trusted would be ultimate-
ly successful ; and he would not., by introducing a
question which might gtie rise to discussinti no the
subject, perhaps throw seine obstacle iu the wily of
its being speedily effected.
CRIMINAL LAWS.
Sir SAMUEL ROMILI.Y Auid, a return hail been
produced from the Secretary of Slate's Office,
iu consequence of a motion made by lion last
S..bb our, but it was out so full or particular as
to wise er the purpose for which he wished it. It
only stated the iiiimbera of pers me committed
to gaol, in England and Wale% but tlie most Wiper-
taut part of the information ‘ranted, was the nature
of the offences for which those persons had been
committed; and, of these, how many had been ac-
petted. and how many convicted. For instance,
from the return on the table, it appeared, that up-
wind. of 4000 persons were committed in the year,
for larcenies; but this was not sufficient. It was
of consequence to know of these. how many were
for sterling in dwelling-houses, how manly' in shops,
ho • many on persons. &c. ; how many were ac-
quitted of the capital part of the charge ; and ell
other iaftirmatien connected with their crone and
sentence. Ile could wish to sue from the numbers
thus clearly marked out at daft-relit periods, in
what mauiter alterations cud experiments in the
law had wrought, and them, deduce conclusieus
as to the (elects of these al.eraiions. With this
view, he would move, o That au humble Address
he previewed to lite .Staff-sty, praying that be would
he pleased to order a rehire to be laid before the
House, of all per.,o:lll committed to gaol to take
their trial et the Assist.' in England and Wales,
in the years 1805..6.-7,-8, and o, distinguishing
the crimes with which they were charged at timer
committal, those for which they were indicted,
those of which they were convicted; whether the
conviction was partial or complete, the nimibers
discharged, the numbers exisaited, &c. Ike." lie
did not conceive there would be any difficulty in
procuring such a retern as the Six Clerks in Eng-
land, and the four in Wales. had all the informa-
tion in their possession, in calendars and other re-
cords. His object, iu this 'notion, was, to renew,
early in next tiession, a measure of which lie de-
plored the miscarriage in the present. He would
not trouble the House, with bringing again and
again before them, any measure upon which the
since of Parliament had been sufficiently expressed;
but,he did nut think that had been the case in the
present instance. The Bill had been lost by a ma-
jority of two. and of those who voted, several had
expressed only doubts of its efficacy. Like boine
of the unfortunate criminals, whose cause he plead-
ed, his Bill was condemned, not for any fault, hut
for sonar offence in the person who brought it for-
ward, of which the Judges bad obtained informa-
tion. Doubts, in this institute-, instead of 'Term-
nog in favour of life, lied operated against it. lee
was nut mush surprised. that a Secretary of State, •
Chancellor of the Exchequer. and • Lord of the
Treasuryoshould vote together; but he was surpnsed,
that, a question of this kind, so remote from ell
party-feeling, and of mere speculative opinion, as
it was called, should have been lost, influenced by
party-spirit. He could not also help expressing
his astonishment and regret, that a matter of
so much magnitude and importance, should
have been decided tit so thin a House. Whether
Gentlemen thought well or ill of the ques-
tion, surely a question on which depended the lives
of 7 or 800 men annually, was worthy the attention
of a legislater ? Some Gentlemen had told him,
that they would 111.4Ve attended, but they did not
know the motion would have come on. He had done
all in his power to make it known, and had given
his notice in a very full (louse. A notice, such, as
he had trusted, would have excited iuterest enough
to procure an attendance as numerous as the High-
gate Archway, or Lambeth Waterworks. He now
again gave Donee. that he would bring on the con-
sideration of his other Bill on Monday. and if the
notices which had the precedence occupied too much
time on that day, he would positively move it on Fri-
day. He had heard it said, that even the declaration
of his intention to renew the measure. would ioduce
some of thole who dispensed the law, to inflict the
capital ponistinieut on offenders before the Rest

Session ; but this be could not believe; for he could
not think that auy unto, who sat in the seat of jus-
tice,
could ever think of ausweritig arguments used
'list House, by the staffering4 of ther fellow
mortals. He concluded by egs,u s:uting the Inn-
tuns, and also the nuttstauee of a bri-otid (notion to
the same effect, only substituting Quarter Sessions
for Assizes.

On the question being put,
Mr. Secretary thrusa expressed his acclrdance
with the opinion, that ail the information twit could
be ohtaiued on this subject was desirable and
im-
portant. He avowed this, to L,uatd himself against
uny misconstruction, if he could nut procure all
that his lion. Friend required. He believed this
motion was the cameos one wade in a former Ses-
sioii, to comply with *limb, the Noble Lord, who
was his predecessor in office. had made every ex-
ertion, without being able to succeed. The Clerks
of A,size, &c. had complicit as far as they could,
and he could not tell win titer it was in his power
to procure any thiog further. Ile could assure
his lion. Friend, however, that he would take all
the pains to procure the isforination, though lie
could neither pledge himself as 19 success or time.
regard to the agreement of opinion on his
side of the House, lie could not see any thing
more extraordinary in that, than iii the agreement
of gentlemen upper:Jae with his lion. Friend. His
vcoe lie gave on this simple ground, treatise he did
not think the c 3 would be prevented by the
alteration of the .low, as was supposed by his Hon,
Friried ; and lie could produce many cases, in
which such offetices, from attending circumstances,
deserved more to be capitally punished Oran other
crimes to which his (100. Fria ud would coutioue to
attach that penalty.
Sir THOUAS Tuovia attributed the thinness
of the House on the decision of the question, to
tlrre bring, on that very day, county Sessions all
over England.

The i..stsactu.oa of the Excisrtiusit. alluding
to the asierrations of his L►s►rued soil lion. Friend,
that party-spirit hsil 'nisei in the decision of the
fate of his Hill, could slot see thst ally imputation
of that kn►t could justly be made. Persons not
masters of this subject, would 'morally go with
those, with whose utrislions and Mattes of thinking
they were ill the 'whit of agreeilig. The thin at-
tendance oo both sides of the House was another
proof that tie;t her ht, II in. Friel.ils on hi% side, our
Gentlemen who espoused the oppo.ite opinion. had
been very anxious to exert themselves to have their
party frie►►ds shout them.
After a few words from Sir S. Root LLY, bulb
the motions wer.i port and ogrred to.
Str S. Routi.t.e then gave woke, for Monday,
of a motion Oa the subject of Tr*Mpurts to New
South Wales.

Mr. SHARPE gave notice. that he would. MB
Friday, wove for iiii add 416% tII I lis Maje,ity. pray-
ing for the production of cerium p.titets relt,ttql to
in the ILdt Report of the Conanii-sioners of Naval
Revision.