The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1803-05-11 00:00:00

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Mr. t lURST thought thepnly question scas, whe-
ther that useful
,acrd respeaable body of men, the
Magistraes of the counties, should 'have at their dis-
cretion to remunerate such as may deserve it. In
some places and local jurisdictions the allowance of
!.•.. per mile was too much, in others it was too lit-
tle; and the Magistrates would only compensate those
who were entitled to it.
Mr. SHAW LEFEV RV. observed, that the ope-
ration of this Bill would be confined. to England, as
In Ireland the allowance to Coroners was awarded
by grand juries. He highly complimented the Ma-
istrates in general, but observed, that there was so
great a mass of this kind of discretion thrown upon
them already, that they would be very unwilling to
be troubled with any more. In the present instance
he assured the HOLM, that the consequences of load-
ing them with this new incumbrance, would be to
destroy the harmony and good humour which ought
always to be kept up in neighbourhoods. With re-
sped to the necessity of such increased allowance,
be need only mention, that since this Bill had been
in agitation, there was a strong contest for Coroners
in the county of Nottingham ; and that in similar
contests for other counties large sums of money had
been offered to Coroners to resign in favour of other
candidates. The county rate was already so ex-
tremely high, and the stock so I:lathe:led, as to be to
the people in general, particularly in time of war,-
the ...wee of great, and sometimes ahn-ming dis-
content. On these grounds he moved a.; an Amend-
ment, " That the Bill be read a third time On this
tla:• six months."
Mr. DEvr opposed the Amendment. Either,
be said, the office of Coroner was necessary, or it
was not. If unnecessary, why abolish it ? and if ne-
t essary, they, like labourers, were worths- of their
bite. The contest alluded to in Nottinghamshire,
arose from other circumstances, and he was as-
sawed that the office was not worth any thing like the
moiler expended on it.
The House then divided, when the numbers were,
Vet the original motion
For the amendment ti;
Majitity -
The Bill Was accordingly lost.
SOME-KS' ACUFF 121 LL.
The SECRETARY at WAR moved the second
reading of this Bill, the °Ned of which was to pre-
vent discharged soldiers. asking for relief, from be-
ing taken up as rogecs and vagabonds, some "I
them being under the necessity of Applying tor alms
in older to enable them to travel home to their
friends. By this Bill their discharge would be a
security to them for in, 15, or tmo days, as occasion
may require, from being so treated.
ICIRCITDKRIC:IT 1E1.9.T11071.
Mr. BRAC.C.F. 'reported from the Committee,
appointed to try the Merits of the Elettion for this
place, that Patrick Heron, Esq. was not duly
eeded, and that J. Montgomery Stuart, Xsq. was
duly eleded.
YLECTION COMMMETS.

•In. J

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
said, there was a subjed to which he wished, pur-
suant to his notice of yesterday, to draw the pecu-
liar attention of the House, for the purpose of being
acquainted with their determination. Twenty-five
Election Petitions had already been disposed of, and
some were at this time under consideration, so that
:OW Members had either already sat or were now sit-
ting in the discharge cf these sluties. There were .50
Members who had not vet taken their seats, and
were petitionei against, so that there remained only
I SO liable' to serve ; and should the House succeed
in obtaining too Committees on ThOrsday next,
there would remain no more than 105 Members to
supply the ballots. In this situation it remained to
be considered whether any serious obstruCtion was
likely to come in the sm ay of public business, if they
attempted to obtain any more ballots, afterTlmrs-
day next, during the present Session. In order to
obtain the opinion of the House upon this subjeft,
he would move, "that the petition for Radnorshire,
which stood next after the two on Thursday nest,
should be deferred to Thursday, the 2tith May, with
a view to have that and the remainder subsequently
disposed of, so as not to come on in the present Ses-
sion.
Mr. COOPER said, he could not but ohjea to
any measure tending to have such an operation upon
detain petitions. The Minister had some time
since represented that more petitions were disposed
of in the pri.o.nt Session, than had been ever known
in any former Session of Parliament. was not
a question to be decided by retrospe:ts or prece-
dents; hut he fancied the number decided in this Ses-
sion, in proportion to the number of petitions, and the
increased number of Members, is more than in the
Session of 1;oti-7. The importance of the subjesl
'was such as reguired mature consideration, as fresh
delays encourlged the illegal conduit of returning
officers, and gave them a power to send Gentlemen
to sit fist two Sessions in this llouse, who had not a
tittle of right-to it. This was the more grievous,
as there appeared in some Members a disposition to
punish offences of this nature in a very slight man-
ner.
W.W. WYNNE remarked, that great as was
the number of petitions already decided, there yet
remained as great a number to be disposed of, and
there was reason to expea that more petitions would
ise presented before the termination of this Session,
or At the commencement of the next.

Mr. FOX obs.l-ved, that the grout number of
petitions put off at the tirue i.f the vacation, at least
encouraged the idea to be entertained, that a consi-
11.rable part, if not all the rcinainder. would. The
Right HonAurable Gentleman, fowls his own state-
zucnt, that there were 1.1.; members re-

rnaining %,-ho had not yet Fayed; to these were to
he added %% ha had aot hithvrto taken their seats.

Perhaps many of the Gentlemen who had served
upon Commi tees would, tbr the public accommo-
Jackie, be %Ming to forego the exemption given
to then, through the indulgence oldie House. But
he confessed that they would have reason to corn.
plain of 5o Merntses heieg alltneed to stay away,
mad not partake of these pnintul labours with them.
The absentee Gentlemen, and one of them in par-
trader (Mr. Pittj whom they must all pretty well
remember sitting in that /louse, and yet did not
t Ake his beat. had no right to exempt themselves
rum JI the laborious duties, and ncgled the call
ei the !louse. But whatever harthhips those
who had already served might have to esom-
ri.,ta of, it would be better that they s/waild not
be ercire.tel (last that besiness tit ssch invent-
.,Kt should be deferred. They must all be aware
Oa 41 vas alwaya.a great reproach tot ht House of