The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-02-12 00:00:00

Unglue, must have ten pounds a year of freehold or.eopy-,
hold lands, or ancient demesne, or in rents in fee or for
life; and by the 3d of George 11., in civil cases, twenty
pounds a year leasehold, over and above the reserved rent*
is a qualification, the lease being for the absolute term of
five hundred years or more, or for any other term deter-
minsble upon lives. Mr. Western instanced strongly the
inequality and injustice of the existing system as regards
juries. From the humble qualification required in eyelid'
places, where individuals possessing a freehold of only ten
pounds annual profit are summoned on juries, persons.
not at all eligible or competent to discharge the im-
portant duties of jurymen are selected, while others of
much greater competency and respectability are excluded.
The jury panel, in consequence, is often filled with igno-
rant and needy persons, to the exclusion of numbers of
affluence and education. In civil cases originally, at corn-
mon law, the issue was tried in the Court where the suit
was depending ; but this being attended with great incon-
venience and expense, the statute of WestminskT, 2, c. 30,
ordained that all pleas in either bench, which required
only an easy examination, shall be determined in the county,
before the Judges of Assize. This was the origin of trials
at Nisi Prins. The 42d Edward 111. c. 11, afterwards re_
gulated the process of the Venire, and put them on the
footing they now are. Before the statute of 3d Geo. 11.
e. 25, the Sheriff used to return a separate Jury in every
civil cause. But that Act ordains, that he shall return
only one panel for the trial of all causes, such panel not
to consist of less than forty-eight, nor more than seventy.
two (without the particular order of the Judges who go
the circuit), and their names are to be put into a box and
drawn as we now see. A challenge may be made to the
array if the names of the Jurors in the Distringss differ
from those in the Venire. Before the 4th and sth Anne,
the want of liundredors used to be a frequent cause of chal-
lenge; but by that Act, and the 23d Geo. 11., tie Venire r
is always to be de Corp. comitates. But all this extends
only to civil cases, and not to appeals of felony, indictment,
&c., to which the arguments of Mr. Western respecting
juries applied. The principal statutes regulating the for-
mation of juries in these cases are the 4th and 6th of Wil-
liam and Mary, and the 4th of George 111. Elder these
Acts, in London, the qualification for a juror is a hundred
pounds; in some boroughs forty pounds; and in other
places much less. Mr. Western proposed to extend the
qualification to personal property; four hundred pounis
was the sum he named ; and to consolidate the Acts before
mentioned on the subject. Mr. Peel declared himself
friendly to the principle of Mr. Western; but suggested
whether it would not be better to regulate the qhalification,
either by the payment of poor's rateeidir some other mode
under Parliamentary regulation. 'Pik antiquated enact-
ments of a past age, taking their rise from the feudal
system, and making freeholders aline competent to be
jurors, ought, in this advanced period of wealth and
.4
civilization, to be exploded. The justice of the coun-
try, as Mr. Littleton properly remarked, would be best
administered by placing each member of the community
under an equal share of liability. We must do Mr. .
Peel the justice to say, that he seems anxious, on every
question of this description, to receive every useful sug-
gestion, and afford the readiest facility to progressive im-
provement in the laws and justice of the country. He
does not, like hit predecessor in office, tenaciously cling to
antiquated usages and enactments, merely because they
are so. Under such auspices, wc trust the measures sug-
gested by Mr. Western will in a great degree be adopted,
and render the juries of this country more discristinafing,
respectable, and independent.

THE KlNG.—ButorroN, FEB. 10.—The Kitig conti-
nues well. Though no official notification has been issued
on the subject, the appearance of things about the Palace
tends to show that the departure of his Majesty and the
Royal Establishment is near at hand ; indeed, it k under-
stood that his Majesty purposes leaving this place on
Thursday.
Yesterday his Majesty had a numerous party la dinner
at his Palace at Brighton, previous to his leaving that place.
On the evening of this day the King is expected tom ive at
his Castle at Windsor.

Yesterday the Duke of York visited the Princess Sophia.
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester had a DUIIItIOUi
party to dinner yesterday.
Yesterday Lord Viscount Granville had a long intavitit
with Mr. Secretary Canning.
The Attorney and Solicitor Generals transacted business
yesterday at the Secretary of State's Office for the Colonial
Departtncnt, where Colonel Dathuist was busily engaged
for the whole of the day.
Yesterday the Cabinet Ministers dined with the Earl of
Westmorland, at his house in Grosvenor-square, for the
first time this season.

Private letters from Paris state that the King of France
is dangerously indisposed, which had created some sensa-
tion, and had checked the rapid rise of the French Funds.
Nothing is more probable than a dangerous crisis in the
health of the King of France.
George Dashwood, Esq. of Kirtlington Park, Woad•
stock, has declared himself a Candidate for Oxfordshire, in
the room of the late Mr. Fanc.

The election of a Member for Eve, in the room of de
late Attorney-General, will take place on Friday. Mr.
Wells, we believe, perseveres in his intention to Ufa him-
self.—Bury Pest.
The case of Smith, the Missionary. has been laid before
the Privy Council by the Ministers, who wish to reheve
themselves from individual responsibility, and to fe ve the
decision taken on it (whatever it may be) a judicial and
solemn character.
There were arrivals festerday from Demerara, bnt they
bring no news of interest. Elliott, the Missionary, wl,O
was ordered home, is expected by the next vessel.
The general bond of the Mexican loan has bee‘ depo-
sited in the Bank of England with the usual formiilitiev.

The works for lighting the the towns of Margate and flaics-
gate with gas are commencing.

•
An experiment is begun of a new mode of sowing fullest
in the vicinity of Chirnside. Instead of waiting till the
field be cleared of turnips before the seed of the eusuing
crop is put into the ground, two ebb furrows are drawn is
each interstice between the rows of turnips, which aS. soma
with wheat from a drill machine. and covered in; tile tur-
nips to be afterwards eaten by sheep upon the ground.--Inverness (Angrier.

In some statements that have anneared in this an# ether
Papers, respecting the case of Margaret Rice, a .yount
woman now in St. Sepulchre's workhouse, the peril w vit°
is charged with the seduction is mentioned as a Quaker.
This, we are now assured, is erroneous, the imVvidnat
alluded to not having been for many years past a Volt°
of that Society.—Ercoing Paper. .

CAPTAIN Je'st's.—ln the year 1739, one J,mtini.
Captain of a v..ssel that traded to the Spanish cold :lies to
South America, presented himself at the bar of the FlO. ,use
of Commons. He was a plain downright man, If ho had
never been concerned in any illicit trade, but bad heett
met by a Spanish guards-costa in that part of the Ame-
rican seas which was prohibited the Englislx. The
Spanish Captain had seized the ship, put the crew to
irons, slit the nose and cut off the ears of the motet'
In this condition Captain Jenkins appeared Wfore the
Parliament ; he informed them of his misfortil 00 with
that simplicity and openness which distinguish a Width
sailor;—" Gentlemen, said he, " when they had this
disfigured me 1 was threatened with death: 1 Cl pocted it'
land recommended my soul to God, and my magi le,
to 01
country." These words, expressed so naturally, excitttll
general cry of compassion and indignation ; the • ,f 1"e
nor determined the King and Parliament to 4 vkitv leer
against Spain a month after.

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