The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-04-21 00:00:00

the Colonial Legislatures ; and his Lordship was reneged to prove
that assertion by a reference to the documents on their Lordship's i
table. Parliament had given them an opportunity of retracing ,
their steps ; and it only remained for them to do so. All their
Lordships could do was, to call upon the Colonial Legislatures to I
produce a remedy for the evil which, had been complaintxl of. I
Their Lordships. so far from being open to any accusation for in- I
juring V.'est India property, had interfered for the protection of i
that property. Emancipation, to be of any permanent benefit,
must be preceded by the moral improvement of the slaves. His
Lordship then presented a petition from Barnard Castle, praying
for the abolition of slavery.—llia Lordship also presented a petition
from the parish of All Faints, Poplar, praying for the repeal of
the Corn Laws; and another from the Roman Catholics of the
Queen's County, praying for a repeal of the penal laws.
Their Lordships adjourned at a quarter past Sin o'clock.

HOUSE OF COM3IONS, TuuasDAr, APRIL 20.

Mr. HOBIIOGSE presented a petition from the High Bailiff
of Westminster and the Commissioners of the Court of Requests,
against the Bill for building a new gaol, and praying to be heard
by Counsel against that part of the Bill which affected at& pri-
vileges.—Ordeted to lie on the table. - -
General GASCOYNE presented a petition trona the Mayor,
Buryosses, and Bailiff's of Livernool, against the Bill to regulate
the licensing of alehouses, and praying that the Justices of the
Peace might not be deprived of the privileges, respecting licenses.
with which they were at present inverted.—Ordered to lie on
the table.

Sir JOHN SEBRIGHT presented a petition from the Ferry.
men and Watermen plying on the Thames, praying the Ilmise to
take into consideration the hardship of their situation. and to repeal
so much of the present law as prevented them from earning an ho-
nest livelihood on Sandays.
Mr. SPRING RICE presented a petition from the baronies of
Condon and Cloogibboum in the county of Cork. complaining that
the Peace Preservation Act remained still it; lane, alitaptyeit she
county was in a state of perfect tranquillity. The Honourable 3lem.
bee said that this was a case of great hardship : the application of
the Act had been carried beyond the intentions of Parliament ; it
was one instance among many of the nnnecessary rigour with
which Ireland was treatetL—Ordered to be printed.
The Hose. MEMBER then moved for returns of the amount
of duties paid in Ireland for stamps on advertisements,
between the years BM and 1826 ; and also for several returns re-
lative to the quantity of spitits and malt which had paid duty in
Scotland during the same period—Ordered.
Mr. SPRING RICE also moved for the appointment of a Com-
mittee, to take into consideration the best means of finding better
accommodation for the Committees, and of procuring an easier ac-
cess for the witnesses and Alembers.—A greed to.
ABOLITION OF NEGRO SLAVERY.
Petitions for the abolition of negro slavery in the West Indies,
were presented—from Baldock, by sirJ. Sebright ; from Guildford.
praying also for a reduction of the duties on sugar, by Mr. Ser.
geant Onslow ; from Bridgwater, by 31r. Tynte ; from Bridport,
by Sir J. Scott • from Truro, by Str 11. Vivian ; from Keswick,
by Sir J. Lowther ; from Bowes, in York, by Mr. S. Wortley;
from Holywell, in Flintahire, by Sir E. Lloyd ; front a town in
Tipperary, by Colonel Bagwell ; from three parishes in Northamp-
tonshire, by Lord A Ithorpe ; from the Ministers and Elders of
the United Association Church of hlenteitb, by Mr. H. Drum-
mond ; from Stewartstown, in Tyrone, by Mr. Knox; from Gip.
borough, and from Loftus and its vicinity, in the county of York,
by Mr. Dundas ; from Moffat, in Dumfries, by Mr. Keith Doug.
laa ; from Morden, in Kent, by Sir E. Knutchbull ; and from
Thornbury, by Sir W. Guise.
SCOTCH AND IRISH CURRENCY.
Mr. S. RICE presented a petition from the merchants and leaden
of Limerick, against any alteration in the currency of Ireland.
Mr. FITZGIBBON presented a similar petition from the
noblemen and gentry of the county of Limerick.
The LORD ADVOCATE presenteJ a petition from Pitten-
weem, in Fife, against any alteration in the currency of Scotland.
A similar petition was presented from a parish in Kirkcudbright,
by General DUNLOP.
These petitions were referred to the Committee on Irish and
Scotch Cutrency.
COUNTY ELECTIONS, YORKSHIRE.
Mr. S. WORTLEY moved for leave to bring in a Bill, to regu.
late the taking the poll at county elections for Yorkshire.
111 r. HUME wished to know why the provisions of the Bill, if
good, should not be extended to other counties. He thought it
would be advisable to take the poll at the same time in different
places, so as to save the trouble of bringing the electors together,
and the disreputable scenes which resulted from that system ; the
present Bill seemed totpresent an opportunity for making such an
experiment.
AILS. WORTLEY said, that the sole object of his Bill was to
obviate a local inconvenience ; by the present law, only fifteen
booths were allowed to be erected ; but in Yorkshire, white the
electors were so numerous, that number was found to be not suf-
ficient, and he wished to increase it to thirty.
Mr. HUhIE said the only object of his proposition was to save
trouble and expense ; if the Hon. Gentleman would make trial or
it, he was sure the measure could not be in better hands.
Mr. SYKES thought the proposition made by the Hon. Gentle-
man (Mr. Hume) deserved consideration, nor had he heard any
objection to it on the other side ; but although he approved of the
principle, yet he did not think this was the fittest time for making
experiments when Parliament was on the eve of dissolution. As
the law at present stood, it was impossible to poll all the electors of
Yorkshire within the limited time, and the inconvenience ought to
be obviated now, as he expected that the next election for that
county would be contested. (Laughtcy and hear.) He would sup-
port the measure.
Lord STANLEY thought the proposition made by the Member
for Aberdeen was highly objectionable. He could not conceive how
elections could be carried on at the same time in every hundred.
Leave granted.
Colonel BAG WELL presented a petition from the Earl of Glen. ,
gall, praying that the Bill to prevent the use of spring guns might
not be extended to Ireland-.

Mr. Sergeant ONSLOW observed that. if the Noble Lord had
looked at the Bill, he might bave seen that it was not intended to
extend to Ireland.

111 r. Sergeant ONSLOW presented a petition from the Attor-
neys and Solicitors practising in the Courts at Wesaniuster, against
a clause in the Clerks' Articles Bill.

GAME LAWS.

hlr. BLACKUURNifpresented a petition from the Grand Jury
of the county of Lancaster, praying tor a revision of the Game
Laws.

Lord STANLEY supported the prayer of the petition. It
might be remembered that he formerly voted against a similar
measure. There was no man alive more aware of the defects of
the system than he; but yet he did not wish to see those laws
wholly abrogated without some collateral measure to supply their
place. The question had hitherto been only partially argued ; but
be was aware of the inconvenience of entering heartily into the dis.
cession at present. He hoped that at a future period some measure
would be brought forward conformable to the wishes of the peti.
Boners, and which would efilict such a general amelioration in the
system of the Game Laws as the present state of society demanded,
without invalidating the security or the enjoyment of property.
Mr. H. SUMNER said it was hardly credible that a state of
things, such as fell under the cognizance of the petitioners, could be
permitted to exist in the present age. In the county of Lancaster
a petty warfare was carried on, in patties sometimes of 20 or 30, in
the dead of night. Muskets and ammunition were imported
largely from Birmingham, the hospitals were filled with wounded
men, and that state of lawless confusion had now continued three
winters; nor was it surprising that it continued; a large and
wealthy interest on the one hand wished to be supplied with game,
and on the other side was a population poor enough to risk their
lives for the smallest remuneration, a remuneration not exceeding
perhaps four pence per night. The petition was signed by the
whole Grand .Jury, respeetable persons, who were themselves land.
holders and interested in the preservation of game. Ile trusted that
the Member for Yorkshire would not be deterred front bringing for.
ward at a future day some measure on the subject, accommodated
to the increasing wealth of the country, and to the increasing line-
ality of the age.
Mr. S. WORTLEY said that every hour increased the evil, and
unless a speedy alteration were made in the Game Laws, future at-
tempts to eradicate the traces they would leave in the character of
the people might prove ineffectual.
Mr. B. WILBRAHAM exculpated the country gentlemen from
any blame.
Lord MILTON said that the House should take some step to
render game of no estimation in the eyes of the public. (A laugh.)
Gentlemen might laugh ; but the fact was, that it was not the
goodness of game, bugthe difficulty of getting it, which caused it to
be sought after. If once the preservation of game ceased to be a
privilege, there would be an end to poaching.
A MEMBER, whose name we could not learn, said that the ef-
fect of making game saleable would be, that it would he allowed to
fatten upon the land of some individuals, and subsequently be sold
for the benefit of others ; and that which was now reared for the
amusement of the gentry, would become a sordid object of gain.
The petition was then brought up, and ordered to be printed.
Mr. STUART WORTLEY said, that he should bring in a
Bill early in the next Session of Parliament, of the same nature
with respect to game, as that introduced by him in the course of
the last Session.
CORN LAWS.

Mr. BROUGHAM pTe;enn;d7lpetitinn from the inhabitants of
Tandermorden, signed by two thousand one hundred persons, re-
presenting to the House their great satisfaction at the System
of foreign trade winch had recently been adopted by his Majesty's
Government; and suggesting that the same principle should be ap-
plied to that branch of trade which was the most important of
all others—the trade in grain. Most beneficial improvements had
been effected, but they hoped that his Majesty's Ministers
would not stop short at that, which, of all others, was the most
important. The Hon. Member also presented a similar petition
from Skipton, in Yorkshire.
ABOLITION OF SLAVERY.

Petitions praying for the abolition of slavery in the West India
Colonies, were presented by Mr. Brougham from the inhabitants of
Old Dean, in Aberdeen ; from the ministers and churchwardens of
Belford, Linlithgow : from the ministers, elders, and members of