The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-05-14 00:00:00

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sou* by tioinsotis, iramtgemy, triis.
Patin lib s ties=dl two
lassesola wore read is up We she .elerlt,
Miabiktosiiwerleara divielewyer
a tiehmo mat:
.•
■MisdielMans preseased • Mess lbws entails,
mesh. i• eskidt :wept, sibs testast iliellest is laserrhiwt`'
=II.IMM Ilit Meal* will set adept Ibe pespolid wipe-
-I:ar Whist lis *edifiers* Tea es their Mei% Se weirs*
Alp foripsd MINS Masolitelawns.
.11114 ,tribbotrevisrimi le be rioted.
Ld hi the Weyer*" the Light
'lllO, WWI bee pod ailiVetilms
Ur. esearesid is Militias taws the Ohartliane .1
0* Atm /die MOM That 4birt_gaot "
.tet et Alitilitelleuwel owe figbegfi&.
U. •
.111, Wiles wairesieted to be
1101111•14 orewaseil two ig:tre f.'. a owasher
• ledlsilliale al aright's. ageing She NI Ow Lisps's,
Marie limo wish Gas The Petitioner% Meson who. were
. 11416 Cossetaile east same Idastrtsakno declared. that
'the bill had set their easetias. Tits s.ly mesa be kaew
'As Itsviag two Petitions is the mare Abet was, that they
1.101 haw hers both eat op sad doted by fadesidaal. art-
less we the own peed*, wialswit say istereeineanies-
Stew tali) she barium was dose.
The Petit Ines was laid ea the table.
Mr. Coma Lewiston orreateed • Pedalos trees the Teas
of Wattled avails. the Coal Metier—Laid •• the table.
• the the teethes, 'MMus. eitsuam, Me UMW Cies Light
itsll, war read the shied this., and paw&
Lard LaesessAte psi iar, •fridey out, the sesesd
emboli of the Cutlery NIL
ItSPOIMIL
Mr. Alderama WOOD filet to preneat eighteen
Portions from individeala is the weighbearboad tot
Rochdale, in the county or Lancaster, royal foe
: a rad:cal Itrfoesi is Parliament. The wrathy Al-
. Armen, afire carrying the Petitions up to the
rehle, withdrew them, owing to some informality
"Muted out by the Clerk.

COMPENSATION FOR LOSSES.
Sir JiMlll SHAW presented a Petition from err.
• twin British tinders, puling for compensation fur
. the Were sustained during the attack by Lord
that bier on Dearnark. in 1807.
• -The CsitscaLuis of the Examining would
not °vase the reception of the Petition. though
the *abject might gum rise to inquiry on • future
• occasion.

Lord Larrent.t.es said. he recollected having
been owne applied to by the Petitioner.* en the sub.
,act of their claims, but it was so ion ego that he
Aid not recollect particulars, though he thought
the nature of their awe deserved inquiry,
The Petition was laid on the table.

MT INDIA SHIPPING.
Mr. Canning • postponed •ntil to.t•onoet hie
motion for the conaplination and amendment of the
Acts relative to East India Shipping.

COPYRIGHT.
Mn J. &ITT' presented s Petities from the
Felton* of Trinity College, Cambridge, airiest the
Copyright Bill. lately istrodseed in that House.
The Petitioners stated their belief, is •trltieli he
concurred, that the.grieninees complaised of soder
the raisin% low were greatly esagorreterl.
The Petition was referred to the Copyright Com-
-aline,. • I' •
MARRIAGE ACT.
Dr. Pm 1.1.1M0R1 rose to make his promised mn.

lion fur leave to bring iu a Bill to amend the Art
4 Gee. 1. commonly called the Marriage Act.—
The object he had in view was. first, to amend the
mode at pesseat treed in marriages by license; and.
Ily in these by bannr. By the Ilth section of the
Act. all marriages were imperatively declared null
nod void. where the pa►ty or parties married tinder
age. without the consent of parents or guardians.
The words were su broad mod unequivocal. dud the
`Courts cuold take cognisance of nothing but the
' *ere violation e the law. no matter at what di.-

'time of time. after the inhabitation, the applies-
t ton shoellil be made, and though the parties 'Mold
'hove been fur years tieing es man and wife after
either of them bad enabled their twenty-first year.
'Now his object would be to amend this part of the
Act, and prevent theocential of the husband coin-
ing forward for yours after be had married. and tak-
ing advantage of Nome wrong, and his intention
'was therefore to propose, Mot the usavviage should •
he heW solid *Mess the compliment entered Court
'durint the utietwity of the patty, et within a year
sifter the party's coming of ar. He was also
pressed to engraft upon hie Bill a modification to
alter the itfeonvesiimee and evils now atteudant•
upon marripges by Imam As the law stood,
though the parties were required to swear that they
weer residents in the parish where the banns are
4oroclainird, yet they wore not called spoo to prow
. any particular dwelling. This left an opening fur
various frauds in large and populous parishes,
uttich au actual precision on this point would pre-
vent—aud to this mode of marriage it was also his
. intention to apply the principle of limiting the
time of complaining as under the licenses. There
. were the two leading points of the Bill which he
oreant to iutroduce—at would embrace no limber
. alteration in the 1aw„...-Losee was thew given to
bring iu the Bill.

COURT! IN WALES.
Mr. Joules ruse to make ht. promised Sofia
fur leave to bring iu a Bill to aseud the practices
of the Courts of Great Sessions in Wales, and to
utter and regulste their plan of duiug business.—
The fiou. Gentleman lusted, that it was his nitra-
tion to propose, that parties not actually within the
jurisdiction of Courts of Session in Wales, should
ne untenable to subpreaas under certain circuits-
stiincee. He meant also to obviate time practice of
moving fur writs of certiorari in Westmiu►ter
Hall, which were graated as a wetter of course, to
remove causes from Wales. This sort .1 proceed,
mg lie uu•sut to propose should not be allowed,
specisl affidlvit, and notice to the op-
-he mit alteration be otelint to pro•

puss we. taut Ces of recovery should k levieli
as was the practice in Eogl ad, four dimes justeitti
of twice • yees ; and also to visimilate dolt►
easeiant of espouse with that paid in the Comet of
Cosarana Mess in this country. Thht, of smarm,
etionki be on the 'alteration of the present patents.
—These were sten iutended alienations so to the
otanents for which actions should be brotight 'lndcattalo arrangements fur the mishits of Sesked
Judges.
_The him. Gestleniso here snarled to the

Report or a former Committee so this subject. and
oneerved, that the Cesnosithke bad alluded to cer-
tain smatters of wide% the peas& in Wales had
lassie nn complaint, sod which be thqacht it was
tlwret re swipedinll tw enilletaio. The Hon.
Mconher coacledettly iativiag Toe leave to bring in
his ,
Mr. Weab otrsetbed, that the Committee had
thought proper. in the ',port atladed to, to cow.
lbw their reesswiwesdosion to the psis* ass which
. .

They bad all trteed.sad test chilli those oo which
there bad hero some dill:Neste of opinion.
Leave was then gives to bring its the Bill.
AZNOSAL OW THOMAS vtaanox FROM MIS
thrHOL
Or. W'tww rose to move—
s That so isetebte &lbws Sol pressaeril se his Royal
Mlgbassatbe Peirre• Regret, porta, too be weeld reasove
Thermo Itworreso fro* the MO of • Sess. of Team,
IN time ..salt of Lama& sets bad bees peamA (sift of S.
sat to subvert the freedom Mod todeprodeost of Hketlart,
sad bad lima drelared by that Souse guilty of a high bread
of i*privilirgea.•
The Hon.end Learned Gentleman said, that the
Rouse could not, without the greatest danger to
the freedom of election, omit to take such steps so
would shew their ahhoeseace of the act of which
Thomas Ferguson had been proved guilty. Tie
evidence before the Committee' had been now,
he trusted, read by every Metnher of that House.
On Ferguson's owls statement; it appeared, that
without aoy authority from any other pence, he had
presumed to take soon himself the took of elides-
wearing to corrupt Mr. Dykes, an elector. and to
' promise him a plaice for givlArbls trots 1b favese of
• particular Casididode. Tne attempt carried sortie
force or iufinesoce from the pergola who Made it
holding an office solder Lord Douglas, fur whole.
interest the vote was lobe obtained. It became the
Hoes to follow up their proceeding* by an Ad-
dress for the removal of the offender from that office
which give him some inSuence in attempting
the commis/ion of his offloce.—filisk, A..,.)—
He would quote precedents to shew that the (purse
he recommended bad been the *awns prnetice of
the House. In the case of the Bishop of Worces-
ter, lu 1703. for intyrfering et an election. the
"Heusi addressed the Crown for the Biihrot's re-
moval from the office of Lord Almoner.. lot the
some year. Edward Martin, Mayor of Winchelsea,
foe using threats at an election. was by address
taken into custody, and also removed from the
office of Surverr of Customs. In 1705, Willies
Burstead woos in the same manner removed front
his office of Receiver-Geoieral fur the comet)! of
Statfu In 1741-51, one of the Sheriffs of Devon
was oved from the office of Receiver-Ge-
neral a that county. la 1717. Wm. Phelan' on
Inspector of Costae., was also discharged fur*
similar °Luce. lo feet, there were a great unto-
her of precedents for this course of proceediug.
The Howe had also its ekew the difilerest Acts
.r Puritanical which excluded eerbims oaken its
his Majesty's service from partieipatiog in the
holiness of an election. B 7 the Sth of William
and Mary. all officers of Excise were prohibited
from interfering, in. any matinee, with an election.
The penalties locum(' by aim infractios of this
Act were numerous sod harry ; the of eeder
lost the situation, was declared tot ecer incapable
of serving his Majesty, and also Awed 1001. By
the 9th of Anne, this Act was ezten4ed to all
officers of the Past-office. stamps, arc.: by'doalogy,
then. it endowed the department hold by Fer•
gluon, which being the Window Tax division, the
Act could not of course have named, that Tau
not being in existence when the Art was (=met),
He (Mr. Wynn) was aware that there were some
Gentlemen who thought that enough of punietioseot
had already been inflicted on that offeider—
(Hear, hew, from the Treanor, Bettehes,i—ie
this opinion lie did not concur. fur be the•ght the
man who had acted as Ferguson had dome, was
unfit to hold any situation under the Crown.
It was not more than two or three years ago that,
for a fraud on the Stock Exchange, a Member .of
that House had superadded to the berry puisish-
went indicted by Court of Law, and by that
HOuse, a deprivation of all the prates siuond honours
he previously enjoyed, because it wd• deemed
iru-
prup that a man so publicly stigotatix,d should
hold any commission under the Crown. Whether
the case alluded to, nod which happened seves
years-ago (we presume that of Lord Caotleeeagh
and Mr. Perceval), had escaped with impunity or
not, was not now the question, for then the Ruse
raise to no derision • now they hod, and their Jour.
nets furnished a record of Fergosou's guilt, mud it
lio4 also, stood es the evidence' that be held a
sensation under the Ciegre.-6.11/ear.p.-Seeiv so
office. if not the reward of service, must at least be
filled by a man ant guilty of crime. The Hoot.
end Learned Gentleman, after moving that the Re-
Widget of the House, in di* case, should be en-
tered as read, concluded by moving the Address to
the Prince Regent for the removal of Thomas Fer.
peon from the office or a Surveyor of Taxes its the
county of Lanark.
Sir FRANCIS BURDETT immediately Mlle and
moved, that the Prtilion presented iii I/98 by Mr.
Orey (How Earl Grej), from the Society of the
Frieolls of the People, he now read.
Mr. WYNN did out rise to oppose the lion. Ba-
ronet's motion, but merely to state, that the Reso-
lutions of the House acknowledging the reception
of Petitions were mere declaratory of the simple
fact that they were so received, and by no means as
recorotiog any participation in the sentiments con.
tained in such Fetitions.—(Heer.)-sWhat object
then could be accomplolied by the Remlutiou be-
ing read 1--(Hear./
Sir FRANCIS BURDETT said, that a. the Hon.
and Learued Gentleman had declared he did toot
mean to oppose the motion, it was unnecessary her
bun to enter into any argument in support of it,
except to say, that ohm the Hamlet**, end an-
other record he meant to move fur. itenvisod. the
House would see the inconsistency of del present
course of proceeding.
The l'etition presented io 1793 from the Primed*

‘N%k.:\
.1-4)

,•
of the People was then resil.—rthie Molested do-
cement has been so often re-publisholi and is so
generally known. that we need only repeat, that it
described in 's minute and detailed moaner, the
constitution of the Noose of Commas as originally
intended, and contrasted it with its modern state—
it enumerated the toeless of the proprietors of
boroughs., and the minims plans which had no
representation whstseever, mid painted out the li-
mited number of electors anjiMhpited to the adult
popolatiew of the empires' •r- .
The Hon. Saran thee tellimid OW the Reeele-
' Coss of the Home be read on the Arpin of the
Committee s_ppeinted to try the merits elf the 'Elec.
ti" foe the wash of Great Grimsby. ,
This Resolotion. which Wm ass follows, sum ot-
endisigly rood by the Clerk :
* It appease to as, the Me Poe. William Welledity. Pete
has barn payof bribery to delete 'Denim for a Maher
Vs) gene IN the pressen Partial/am tor the Illswerigh It Griot
OrMsby."—e Lead hxyliter entail oppnetninefee.)
Sir 'salmis Bonnier—" My only object in
Swing these records reed, ill 10 sheet the ire*
of the present proceeding towards Thomas ergu-
son. wil you have allowed the weighty and mess
capital enders in ercupo."—(Hear, fuer.)
Mr. iiroiesea Buuus rose. not so much to Mr
peel this nintien; as to abject to the mode of in- ,
quiry which hail beets been adopted in the Car
metre, though he hod no doubt that that made
was coefonunble to preredest. It appetin.d from
the evitteitee that the delinquent was brought be-
fore the Committee, sod Immediately converted into
a witness egrusiet himself, to the length of au-
ewers which filled up 1$ folio peke.. It did not
appear that the delinquent was cationed, as he
would have been la our Courts of Justice, alpinist
giving answers illicit would criminate himself.
He had been brought before the House, and treat-
ed with the onsuat erverity. He was, in the first
pie* Cotionehhod to the custody of the &violet at
Anife--oo trilling pnnishrnent • when the expense
attendant Upon it was considered. • and he had
afterwards hewn sent to the most nproniinions
prison in the kingdom.—(Hear, hear, hear. i
It is .tee pre)toted to take from this individual. n
a farther Megan* .. of peurshment. the trilling
tact which he holds. He by no mesas wished to
be understood as thinking that this person should
' be aliment to fro itritltOnt adequate punishnient, but
he cittainly regretted that the practice of the
House. in the Mode of eicaraining a witness before
a Committee, was so different from the coarse per-
used in Cones of Law. .if it had been (which he.
hoped en not die ewe) the original intention of the
Hasse to ;sortie this course towards, Ferguson, it
would have been bet candid in the first instance to
have wanted him es to he answers. This surely
might have been done, hi the Committee could
have gorse elseerherefor evidence pine the indivi-
dual.=( Hear./
Mr. Bseonacreould not exactly agree with some
°terminus's that had (alien from his Right Hon.
Friend who had last spoken. The delinquency of.
Ferguson did not arise from Ins answers. but from
the letter he had previously written. The exadii-
wition was conducted in the sisal form. not with
soy view to aggravate the guilt of the intio,eidital.
bat to oscettatst whittle others were e.inneeted
wigs him in the emendition of the offence,:-(iriconi
—He felt fully aware that a severe pudisliment had
bent already inflicted, but he did B.Bii know how he
could disagree to the motion after the precedents
cited in favour of the present course.—(beer.j
Mr. Daxts Bao*Ve, in a low tone of voice,
thought the motion,cestColeetTB
Mr. Joule nts of .npiaiost that if the motion were
carried, it we'.,141 infirl *greater punishment than
the case resluired. Ole thought that Ferguson had
already warred enough. without losing the sole pro.
vision "tyleieh remained to him sifter his imprison-
met.tt. It also took away the constitutional right of
tee subject to Isis trial by jury, for that mode of
proceeding was open in following up the punish.
matt of the individual. As the matter stood, the
House bed, by an set of authority. extorted from
the individual the 'eidetic* on which they grounded
their punishment ; •ud, in'fsct, the present coarse
went to inflict a two-fold punishment for one sod
the same offence...4f/eer.)
• Mr. hlrrinan was of opinion that the penia6
meat already inflicted was entiolt for the offence
—( Hen j—and he thought the loner would gain ,
little credit in theeyes of the public by thus prem.! ,
ing on an humble individual, when it was noto•
rious that they allowed the Noble Lord opposite
(Lord Castlereagh) to escape for an offence mot very
disiSinoilar.— (Neer. heer.)
Mr. LICTTELTax said, he hoped he would gain
credence when he affirmed. that he would be the
last man in the codaattnity to countenance the
commission of crime. 00 this subject he must
my. that he was at a loss to see on what sound
practical principle this motion rested. Did the
Hon. and Learned Mover imagine that, by carrying
this question. he would either reform the deliti-
genii or prevent a future violation of the freedom
of election ?—(lleort from Mr. ifjam.)—Nnt I.e
thought diffevantly..aml felt convinced that a mem
equal and certain punishment fur all offenders
would have a mach better effect. Occasional in.
stances of rigoor towards huuthle individuals would
rather turn the people spinet the House, by the
extreme disproportion and inequality of the pusishe
nisat—it would rather disgust them. than fix their
tniiiils with the salutary force of an example. He
was convinced that it would neither prevent a repo.
Wien of the offence, nor strengthen or exalt the
character of the House with the people at large.
If the prevent motion were to be followed by any ,
general measure, there might be au argumest for
it; bet if the molter were intended to rest after
the House had visited its whole wrath upon Fergu-
son. then he thought the present course highly int.
politic. —(Hers.) 1

Lord FOLMITON2 ►eplied to the argentin= of
his Hon. Friends near him. He could uot agree
with thea that it followed, because great offenders
escaped, entailer ones should be allowed to plead
this escape to secure their own impunity....fibir.)
—4lle fully agreed that the larger offender ought
to have beep pnuished, but he could uot come to
the concla.ion, that the souther one ought now be
permitted to escape. It was also contraded, that
the present offetider had been already set!e►ely pu-
nished. Now this argument should have bees
forged a little earlier is this business. The clues•
Lieu uow was .imply, whether the guilty man
should not be dealt trith iirtbeitune =saner, as by

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'V the fleetly 1' the misty et DaraPti
%which elated that the is
had been in the
ltebit ef weities is the silk far twelve hours a
frestslwhiris they bed never idt aoy inennwr.
anit the, if the hewn of lahwar were Avid*.
t swipe and teinhtfts *WA be proportioir
11641 he Piitilissis Wire vehmteil tsaideentsittes.
The iambs Deets and tbe due Ueda
join viaodlegght sent! * Woes erctritesie.
The Watt Isola Ttade Wdl, the Smolt cuter.
'gloom 13111, t Great NedPtindbile Bali, were
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tile. tian% sad pelhini.

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