The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-02-26 00:00:00

SCOTCH COMMISSARIKS' COURTS.

Lard A. HA MILTON wished to know if the report on the
ranch Commissary Courts had been yet permeated ? He feared that
many of the local Courts in the country were st a 'Mad-still at this
tourney'. in coyeequenee ot• its hetr.g nrclected.
Mr. PEEL said that a copy of the :let of SNlerunt was now in
hi• office, and "afar the Noble Lard's apprehensions were groundless.

ENCISE Lk EXCKS.
Mr. TENNISON prirsrmtcd a Petition from the Licensee
Victeallera of Newcastle-urder-Line, praying the repeal of the
cerise licence.—Ordered to be primed.
Mr. S. 11'(/RTI.I.1. presented a rctition (corn the iicensed vie.
tuullera of Beverley, and one from the i:.nholders of IVetherhy,
praying for a repeal of the excise licencea--They were a.ncrally
read and ordered to he printed.
ui:(.I3IAL COINAGE.
Slr J. WII()TTi.SI. El' rose, pursuant to notice, to bring
OM el his motion rilativ• to an alteration of the pri rent system
e coinage, and for the porpose of introduchig whet he would be
hest understood in calling a decimal coinage. According to the
'onatittititm of this country fke denomination of our coin was to
It? sietl^d by the Kirg, avid if alterations took place, they were,
valued by computation, to whi .11 the King might, as he bail often I
dorm, rive his royal sanction. Ile was ..:are nothisg in the I
nature of a change could take place without first carrying up an
.nidress to the King, which he would this trnting conclude by
ii.ovier. The object he had in vitk was, to have a uniformity in
the coin of the whole kimnioni; wid his plan fur ch'ecting such au
object thought so simple as not be oiistindencieol. Hr wits
aware that sotnethiag of the tame description had been incidentally
brouet befoto the House on a homer occasion; tie panicularly
alluded to the discussions wlich to ilt place when they to wisely ve-
t:met to a metallic currency. The ounce of gold, which was then
WOTI:I 99 shillings, was trot used to he coined into live pieces of
each,while the Mint price of gold was only 31. 17s. likt,
and the statidarcl of value was alter..d•,:dper ceat. He had now no
wish to alter tbat borat MCAMlrv,nor did he wish to alter t niter the gold
cr silver coinage, except. the latter, in merely one particular. This
Ilan had been acted on in France tor the last thirty years. In
America it was also adopted. and in the ancient empire of China;
and it could be carried on by simple arithmetic, Si:! t any com-
pound or :oniplex tables oilstone) being at all tra.:saaary. Fractions

were to be avoided as much as pug Ws, because of. thejaktendeney.
to confuse the less informed portion of die . enounuiiity. In-.
deed, if his plan. wens fnnaght with such a vice, or li to such
an objection, he would never have thought of submitting it to the
consideraticm of the House. All the knowledge necessary to the
thorough underetandiughis plan would be addition, subtraction,
P multiplication, and division. According to the existing system,
they had pounds, shillings, pence, anti farthings; and he proposed
to have only three, namely; pot, ids, shillings. nod farthings, each
shilling to he the tenth part of the pound, and Itloo farthings as
remelting the pound. But then the value of the farthitige, by his
plan, would lit increased 4 per cent. above their present worth or
' currency. The on le objection to this might Firmad from the
merchants ; but if the measure passed. they ini.,ht make up their
' books till January next on the old plan, and then, when they ha.
lanced them, proceed with the yew ; and as this plan :night be
carried into operation very tresily, by all persona refusing to pay
' their I:adenoma s or others' tills, unless they were utade out OO
'the new plan. If once they were sent away unpaid for each a
' cause, be would venture to nay it would not be repeated. He con.
sidered the principle of tens the best method of rearming; Bed
' though the labnar at first night be vi re great. he was satisfied it
would hereafter be moot amply repaid. The 1 10., alenther concluded
by ire. :rig. That an humble aiddress he petrel tell to has filajeety,
praying that he would direct pa inquiry to be suede into the best
method of adapting the coinage of the realm to a decimal scale.
Sir. IVA ',LACE was tint disposed to deny that some advantages
might he derived front adopting the decimal scale, but at the satr.e,
time he was not satisfied of there being such a deficiency in the pre -1
sent system as to render any alteration necessary. The Hon. Bart 1
had (dieted ro fair ground for alteration, or for repaying the ineon.
venience which might result from it. Nothing could be more tin-
!
exceptionable than the course taken by hint ; but then, if the House
adopted the Address, it would be an admission of the expediency
of an alteration, which he was by no means prepared to admit. The
decimal system might be a proper subject fur inquiry, but no ne-
cessity was pointrl out to act upon it at present. This question
was discussed on a titmice ocestiion. and venous opinions were given
upon it, but the weight of authority on such a difficult subject was
hostile to it. As to the prevalence of the decimal system in France,
it should be recollected that it occurred a hen that country was in •
state of anarchy—when the Revolution was in all the ferocity of its
career, and when every species of propeity was transferred from
its rightful owners as essay as the denomination of the cur-
-1 rency was altered. The lion. Bart. proposed to have only three
. denominations of pounds, double shillings, and farthings ; but he
(Mr. Wallace) thought he would be driven to the adoption of
another coin, namely, half-farthings, and, in that case, we should
have four columns as we bosh now, so that the change would do no
good. It s! ould be remetchemi that habit created a facility, and
as the people had a p.irfect facility with the present circulation, by
any change in the circulation that facility would be lost. The
Honourable Baronet said that his motion would rot interfere with
' gold or silver, but only refuted to copper. Now that 'teethe most
' objectionable species of coin to meddle with, both as regarded the
number and description of the people who would be affected by it.
In the first place it would be necessary to call in all the copper at
present in circulation amongst that class of society, who, after the
change had been introduced, would not understand it. (Hear.)
Anoth.ir operation of the change would be to affect, and to affect
1 injutiottely, the pliers of every thing in the market. Then let it
• be considered how inconvenient this tractional calculation would be
lin the various duties on tolls and other small duties. As an in-
stance of the disadvantages arising front decrepancies of coining,
he would mention the embarrassments created in the commercial
intercourse between this country and Ireland from a difference in
the currency. However, he hoped that an approximation in the
current., would be soon effected by the currency cf Irtland being
siseirnalited to that of England, and that thus one obstacle would be
removed which tended in some degree to retard the friendly feeling
I that was daily growing between the two countries. (1 leer, hear).
Innovation and change were at all times objectionable ; they could
only be justified by some great rational advantage, which, in his
opinion, the adoption of the suggestions of the Honourable Baronet
did not promise.
I 3lr. lIIM E bogged to ask if any evidence had been given be-
! fore the Committee appointed as he believed to inquire into it, as
well as to report upon the weights and measures.
Alr. GILBERT replied that the Cammittee was appointed sole-
ly to report upon the weights and measures.
Sir HENRY PARNELL expressed great satisfaction with that
part of the observations of the Right HUM Gentleman, which re-
ferred to the cuner.cy between this Country and Ireland. He
could bear testimony to the iojorious effect it had, particularly upon
Ireland, in the intercourse of the two countries. He had intimated
last Seesion his intention of introducing a motion upon the subject ;
it was his intention to have brought it forward in the present ; but
he was glad to see the Right lion. Gentleman bad taken up the
subject, and he would leave it in his hands.
Sir J. IV ROTTMSLEY bristly replied. He would not press the
;motion to a decision, but he hoped ere lung to see the adoption of
the change he had suggested, as he was convinced that it was cal-
culated to contribute to the convenience and advantage of the
country.
The motion was then put from the Chair, and negatived without
a division.
e'o3l 31ISSION OF INQUIRY.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER asked leave to
bring in a Bill for the continuance of the lommission appointed
to inquire into the Revenue. Great benefit had already been felt
in Ireland by the appointment of this Commission, and their
labours there had been attended with great success. The Right
Hon. Gent. eulogized the efforts of the Commissioners, and re-
ferred to the Report which was before the House, as evidence of
the zeal and intelligence with which it was prepared, and of the
many improvements effected by their labours.
Mr. HUME wished to know it' it were intended to extend this
Commission to inquire into the Customs of this country.
Sir C. LONG replied that the Customs of this country had been
already fully ineeettgated, and the whole arrangements in that de-
partment were highly satisfactory.
POOR LAWS. . .

NOLAN moved for leave to bring In a Bill to amend the
Poor Laws. lie would for the 'resent confine himself to ask per-
mission to bring in the Rill, and that a suitable period might be
selected tor the second reading of it, in order to give opportunity
to those who !night be disposed to take part in the discussion of the
Bill.—Leave granted.
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.

Sir G. CLERK brou!tht up a Bill, pursuant to a Report of
a Committee of last Session, to accomplish a uniformity of weights
and measures. The B ill had been introduced last Session, and
would hare passed • but, from the late period of the Session in
which it was interior: 11, it could not pow through the House of
Lords; and he therefore brought it fcrward early in the present
Session, in unit r to emote its progress through both Houses of the
Le;;islature. The most important alteration which the Committee
lornpostst was, to reduce the weights to the standard of the Ex-
chequer.
Mr. GILBERT seconded the motion of his lion. Friend for
bringing up the Bill. The change' which were suggested by the
Committee referred rather to mathematical niceties than to any al-
tentituca that might be productive of much practical utility. The
Exchequer standard had been selected as the one likely to give
inert satisfaction, and as being the fairest standard 'he Committee
con!ti find determit e a uniformity of weights. As to measure,
they were found perfect, and no change was proposed by the Com.
mittee on them. 'fhe 111:1 did not introduce the mention of penal.
tics: he hoped it would recommend itself to the general observance
of the country by its own merits. However, if it were found not
to do so, and that an ibtringement on the standard, as stated in the
provisions of the Bill, were made, it would he an easy matter to in-
troduce such penalties as would ensure the observance of tits Bill.
Leave granted.
SCOTCH JURIES.

Air. KENNEDY moved for leave to bring m a Bill to alter the
mcdc in which juries were 'elected in the administration of the cri-
minal law of Scotlantt —Leave granted.

IRELAND.
Sir. 11. PARNELL moved for certain papers !Amin to the In-
tercourse Acta between England and Ireland. Ile was induced to
move fur these papers from certain measures which had been re-
cently ii.troduced into Ireland, at the suggestion of the Commis-
siomrs of Ir.quiry, to the efficiency of whose services was ready
to bear the strongeA testimony. The consolidation of the Boards
of Reienue was a measure fraught with great adrantages; Indeed
the tendency of all the plans and improvements which they pro-
posed was calculated to promote the prosperity of the country, and
rer.tkr the people happy, as far as the accession of wealth could
rer.der them so.—Agreed to.