The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-05-08 00:00:00

NORTH ERN CIRCUIT.

Mr. M. A . wished to know Crow the Noble !Ara
(Castlereagh), wheeler,. any thing had yid 6(.11 d oir oo the
subject of the Northern Circuits' tie slated, that veal in-
couvrnience was oecasionted by the prevent system, ;Ind that
it would be absolutely necessary to have Assites held ht the
Nurtbecu Counties twice a year, nut nieiely fur retinal
delivery, but situ for trials at Nisi /'rive. He wiglseil to
ask, whether any arrang, silent had hero made oh this sub-
ject by his Majesty', Monsters?
Lord CASTLLNEAGH said, ke was not just now prepared
to satisfy the Hues. Gentleman He could not csatoly sny
what bad beets dune, but would direct iiiipiiries to he made
ua the subject.
THE DUKE OF isAur.N.

!Ur. SINCLAIR. in a very low tone of voice, said (IN Null
Os we could understand), that he had a to not to
the Noble Lord.riou a point which nom i.t luiporiailee mit
out, to this country, but to the affairs of Europe. A si piat
ass a considerable lime in circulatiou that it Arita in
contensplatinn of the great Allied Pil.ers disitirenliti-
the territories of our old and faithful ally, the Giaisil Dot,.
of Baden. • He ovivhed to ask the Noble laud *lit:Our 11,14
report was founded in truth, sod if so, wh,thei this sub-
ject, or muy point relating to it, had come under consiosoa-
lion at the Congress at Aix.la-Chsimile
Lord CASTLFRICAGH, in answer, said, that if the lino.
Gentleman would wait till the Treaties entered into at the
Congress to which he alluded were laid hrfore the NOUS., lea
would thew And that the rumour was unfonnilcd.

Mr. Go Don prevented a Petition from ceitain Freehold.
ere reeirliog in the 11111 i kern pirts of tllUshirr, eionphie ~,,
of the great inconvenience that they w.•rr ler in allesollme
general elections, having to travel stone fill and sonic in
miles, the distance from their residence to the place of tle•
lion ; and prayhig that the Sheriff nay be empowered to
receive their votes nearer home:
Mr. M /THUM, said, that to the county chink he reprt•.
Nested, great inconvenience. sorb as the Pstusnu • I reams-
' plairied of, was felt. He hoped that the law en Ibis 4111*.Ci
would be speedily altered.
ELECTORS OATHS HILL.
r. Wri.Lissts said. dent the direct object of
t ill did not comprehend whet was called
I liatfientury Rtrorm, because it did nut go to us.shil

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nay alteration in the mode of wading Members to
that House; for his own part he professed himself
ti decided friend to Parliamentary Reform, taking
it it its genuine and moderate sense. and in pro-
posing this Bill be only sought to do that which
was sanctioned by the common law of the land.
He wished to abolish • system—he meant the
..plitting of freeholds, which was not less injurious
than it was illegal and unconstitutional ; it is a
•ractice unknown to the common law of Eng.
old, and was so declared by a high judicial autho-
✓ity. the reign of Charles 11. that practice was
▪ eportedts, and was cdrrivd to such en extent, that
an one'occasion, in one place, 500 freeholders were
made (he 'night before the election. He entered
somewhat *t large into an histotieal detail, and said,
`tSoet it was remarkable that the system was created
niorstipported on the one hand by the party who op.
posed,andilie other who wished to establish a Popish
king. He Wished to !place, he said, burgesses in the
aline situation with the freeholders of counties; he
wished the same oath 'should be administered to ea -h.

As to burgage tenor*, he had to dont a strong objec.
Jinn ; but others might have different opinions. If
the Legislature thought that it ought to be upheld,
let it be so publicly and fairly declared. He look-
•e41 upon it as noiconstitutiontil—as ro subversion of
she rights of the people—but still, if it were openly
•sleclareol, the people would then know on what
principle they stood. As to •freemeti, what lie
would propose respecting them wa', that if a person
claimed the right of voting. he should swear where
he becam- a freeman by birth, marriage. or servitiort,
—that lie was ion d of that right for 11, months
before ; if lie was entitled to vote by a holding, then
that lie was in posse•siinl for six months before. There
conthl be no objection as to this oath, there could
• be no objection to name distinctly the qualification
of Ihr voter. The subject lie considered Ince of
g est iti,prlttSl We, and lie hoped the House would
into the cioisideraoion of it; it was of importance
to inntv that the public mind was at rtat moment

grew agitated upon subjects relating to a fair and
riot reform of that blouse: for hirmelf, he gloried
in living a fiend to l'orlianteutory Reform, to that
reform which would give a fair influence of the
.prople over their Representatives. The Him.
Member coneltuled by mating the Order of the
Thy for the Horne to resolve itself into a Com-
mittee to lake into consideration the Electors
°()atliti Bill.
Mr. I). (It I.IIEnT said, the 1141 purported not
an make any alteration in the existing law of the
land, lost wily to render it more effectuel. To
.e provision of it, indeed, he saw no objection,
totody, that which required every proprietor of
house or other property coming to vote et elections,
In state the particulars of his right, the nature of
she tenements on which it was (minded, the hew
sa fro. •.“1 so froth. Bat his objections to other
ports of it were most decided, for the Bill in fact
went to an entire subversion of one essential part
. f the Constitution (tithe kiugdown. lie alluded
-to the most material end radical alteration it intend.
..d to make in the rights of voters in homage tenure
boroughs. It was knownthot according to the present
timbre. any nue possessed or burgage tenure pro•
p-rty to a sufficient extent, was permitted to give
%is rote without the qualification of having been in
posses/soil a certain time before. Now the Bill
-‘sire to make that qualification necessary. The
11011. Gentleman said, very candidly, he had a dis-
like to that mode of exercising the elective fran-
chise. He (sir. Gilbert), however, undoubtedly
itsulterl upon it IN one of the essentials of our ex-
cellent Constitution. He contended, that that
Assembly did virtually represent the people of
Itiogldiod. and that the interests of all classes were
'there effectually protected. Bat he thought it
sine of I. principle! excellencies. that, while it re-
presented the ieeople, it never yet consisted of a
direct delegation from the whole body of the pro-
tile. It was not possible that such a (louse—a
House riouposesd of delegates from all the
na-
tinn—could en-exist with the remainiog, branches
of the CansiltatiOn. unless it were to he kept
in awe and order by • military force. He was
perimioled either that the exerutirm would pre-
vail by means of a military force, or that the
eleb.guted lowly would overthrow the monarchy.
forciithers and theoretical writers were fiend of
imagining that there was a balance in our Consti-
tution t;l* isirts opposite iii views and interests.
.1411C11 a balance he esteemed wholly visionary, or
theist* there was any balance, it was to he found
.i the el, torsos of the House itself ; and he asserted,
chat ttwbalatiee was effected through that part of
the re:orientation which came from the boroughs in
finernino. He supposed that after the strong manner
to wliOt the Hon. Gentleman hod expressed him-
self of burger insures, as that they were a scan-
dal and di,grace to the country. he would scarcely
goy up the provisions of his Bill which respected
them. Unless the Hon. Gentleman would consent
to take sway the provisions to which he referred.
lie thought lie should best discharge his duty by
taking the settee of the House on the motion.
Ile begged leave to repeat, he did not ob-
ject to that clause of the Bill which called on
an elector to explain the foundation of the right
on which his. wished to vote, though, perhaps,
it would be difficult to say how far it was applies-
ble to horgage tenures ; and certainly it would be
embarrassitig for the tenant in all capes to say whe-
ther he tendered his vote in right of freehold or bur-
gage tenure trilements. Ttudoubtedly all the ob-
j..cticioable parts to which lie had adverted, might
be removed in the Committee, and he therefore
tru,ted the lain. Member would declare whether,
if the I Irmo- a,,reed to the niotion„ lie would con.
rent to intioduce such atneudments as he had hint.
ril
WILIIAMS mid, it could not be expected
111111, Wilt it Wrlttld be uncarolid in him to de-
clare. that he would introduce any amendments in
the Committee. If be found the reuse of the
Mouse agaiiist it as it stood, he should he sorry to
lose it un account of it clause to save hurgage te-
nures. flit the introduction of such a clause
oould nece-sanly depend on the sense of the
!louse—awl must proceed, nut from hits, but sonic
other :klettilier.
Air. AKAN° hoped the House would suffer the
Bill to go to a Committee ; he highly approved
..1 it, though, perhaps, his Hon. Friend (.Ir.
Williams) would have done better had lie made it

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OfeCiariliOry because he believed the common law
ejected all oreasionality of voting. Ile thht
at the they of the House to allow the BM to Ito

a Committee, as it was declaratory of the general
law; and there it might be stated why any parti-
cular exceptions should he allowed thereto. lie
would cordially support the Bill, thinking one of
its objects was to do away the system of nomina-
tion, which was most hostile to, and aubversive of,
the rights of representation.
Mr. T. COURTENAT said, that if the Bill was
to pass, they were to assume a defect existing in
the law, which it was not at all clear was so. At
common law, occasionality, if ....re out, was deci-
sive against the right of voting. His objection was,
that that being so, it was not prudent to introduce
a doubt respecting it, and, by • ride-wind, to make
material alteration in the existing law regarding
the exercise of the elective franchise. The Bill
enacted, that a person claiming to vote in right of a
freehold, should not be permitted to do on, unless
he made n declaration that be had been in posses-
sion a certain time before. lie objected to that
enactment. because he thought it was law already.
The tinestion was, was it prudent to make that law
in the case of burgage tenure, which was law in the
case of freehold ? lie thought the Bill unne-
cessary. When it was said that occasionality was
against the general law of the land, lie was aware
it might he urged, that that was not so. as the Le-
gislature had. at no very distant period, interfered,
and enacted laws against it. But all the Legisla-
ture did was to explain the law, and supply certain
deficiencies. Voting on burgage tenure property,
in the mode referred to, had been so long acquiesced
in, that it now formei • part of the law of the land.
The lion. Member then moved, as an amendment,
" That the Bill he committed this day six months."
Scrjeant ONsi.ow said, that by the existing law
it was difficult to determine what occasionality was
—the present law laid down certain criteria of it,
and therefore it should have Isis support.
Mr. COUKTENAY explained.
A Member on the ministerial side, whose name
we could not learn, said it had been determined by
a Committee, in the case of a Petition against the
return for (we believe) W. yinouth, that the objec-
tion of occasionality slid hut apply to burgage
tenure votes.

The question on the original motion was then put,
and the gallery cleared fur a divisinii. The num-
bers were— _

Ayes ls
hO4ll ll7

M3jurity against Iht Bill
SrPPI.Y.

The CHANCEI.I.OIt or the EXCHEQUER then
moved the order of the day fur the House going into
a Committee of Supply.
Mr. R. Guano's said, he was desirous, before
the Speaker's leaving the Chair, to offer some ob-
servations on the subject of the new Post-office, to
the returns relative to which, on the tattle, lie
bad made some allusion before. From these it
appeared that already a sum of 2.38,000/. had been
expended in making preparations for the site of the
new building. The project of erecting
a new
Post-office had beet. brought forward ut the year
twelve months unfortunately before the spirit
of economy had been excited in that Hoarse. Ile
believed his Right Hon. Friend now holy regret.
ted ever having counteualiced the design. But it
appeared that a sum of ,238,000/. had hero laid nut
as he said. lie hoped the edifice would he a record
in such a manner as to do honour to the national
taste. Of the sum he had mentioned, and the far.
ther charge for the building itself. they were told
the City was to repay a considerable part ; but that
was all a farce. The only mode the City of ion.
dun had to discharge it was, by continuing the duty
on coals and wine, and borrowing from the Orphans'
Fund. In order to repay it. they would be com-
pelled to keep up two years longer a duty, similar
to what they themselves so much complained of.
%%lien the measure was first spoken of, the Chan-
cellor of the F.schequer and the lion. Secretary
(Mr. Lushingtoti), repeatedly dee•lared that no
favouritism would he exercised, that the business
should not be made a job—and it appeared from
the Report of the Committee, that the fullest com-
petition of architects was recommended by them,
anal that all time plans sent iii sl Id undergo the
amplest inspection and comparison It turned nit
that the plaits had been submitted only to the
Treasury, and sent from thence to the Board of
Works, which he thought diet not come up to the
recornmendatiou of the Committee. Ile hoped,
therefore, that no further progress would lie at-
tempted iii the work till all the plans Flumill have
beet' exhibited for the examination of the public at
Somerset-house, or mune similar place.
Mr. LUSHINGTON diet not at all mean to deny,
that he had given frequent assurances of compe-
tition being encouraged iii the providing a plan.
Ile had been in the highest degree desirous of oh.
serving those pledges; every encouragement had
been held out to architects, and those artists who
were desirous of giving in plains had liven attarded
every facility. ‘Vhen the lion. Gentleman re
lected, that the building was to give sicerminnals-
Bon to 7 or son persons. he must see that the com-
pletion of it would be a mutter of great expense.
He could assure him it was no job, it was under-
taketi for the arc, dation of the City of Loudon.
Alderman WOOD said. the new ro.t.offiee was
a public concern, and a large space of grostoil was
necessary for conducting the execution of it, like
that of every other extensive cork. The City, or
rather the Corporation of London, were nearly
12,000/. a-year out of pocket by the concerti. lie
thought that the parsons superititending the execu-
tionofthe work were the best judges of the plats.

Sir JOHN INIEwPoue desired to know wlt;ther •
competition of plans IA been really allowed ?
Mr. LUSHINGTON made a reply, which was not
audible to us.

Sir JOHN NEwroa, said, the best mode of pro.
diming a good plan would be by exciting u frte
and fair competition of artists.
Mr. I.UIHINGTON had no hesitation in promising
that that would be (lone.

After i‘cone further olnervations from I.lr. Gippo,
?4r. LushinKtnii, 111 r. Lung, mot Mr. Gorda'', the
Speaker left the Chair.

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