The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1822-03-06 00:00:00

HOVSE Or COMMONS, Toupin, Maw= S.

The SPEAKER teak ihr Cedar at lisse o'clock.
Mr. CURTEIS veered for rehires of the quastisy of ask
bark imported Asia Great 'Nihau le dm years ISUI.Jf, SO,
aid It, matiog the average prices ape** sod Riese wilt.
sad specifying the prrieda at labia% MO pita *Re jam!
soma Ma iaapartailos.—Ordered.- u•-• •

AGRICULTURAL DIIITKIIIIIL
Mr. LOCKILIIIT !marmot • Potitiue from certain
Olose.s sad Occupiers of Lase Is oho Coowl •eperials
',Min verse rclid to oCricolhoto.-Uideffd la pr goosed.
CRIIIIINALLAW.
Mr. CURWEN poocated • Potitio• from erri•Wirliabi.
toots of Wives, it tip Closet, of Combuto•4l. pro*/ a
wawa ado viumb•l low.-.-Ortieroil is Ito or ,l 'auk.
Mr. LOCILHART sarcsaiev, aim o• ills 161, Illste• he
should msbeiteo 'wawa so .sbe Mow. for tlis Wu 's. rect.-
' v.', a( sioastdabos..,......
• on the sotto' e Ilk.i.LlSHlNG4rOkliii kilts; Datita

P*

BPI, time timisaper Nth Sill, anti tlbe Transfer Aide ilkll,
were read tle third akar, sad peeved.
LONDON 11111 DOE.
Wr. Alderman WOOD Named fur leave to beieg L4:l
. .

Roe removing Ore water works at London 15.idge.
Mr. HOLM E SUMNER was sorprlsed the worthy Alder•
rasa had not snowed for leave to bring in a aid for building

Bill.

starillegraii-lIIRS-116.=11114
Ars it probable Omit be should be instructed to am
far a 11111,' sod Ise hoped be should sot be prevented
-
Lome eras 'ken
Sir CU rris

VAGRANTS.
Mr-CHIETWYND gave umbra bb isteadow •to move
en Tuesday next for lea,* te-briair is $ Bill to consulidale
ft Asa" eimpretiag ragman; and aloe tier a Bill to fecal-
. sate smbeisary peamsediage before Magistrates.
aIPERANNUATION ACT.
Lord LONDONDERRY postponed the motion of the
Mikellor of the Exetritrer Molise to the Snperannosition
Aet. is Thursday, is comexpreace of the iudispositiois of
for Right Hoe. Friend. Xad el the same time he expressed
lama that Its Member fbr Aberdeen (Mr. (tome) should
*mews* his assign as %tech of the information which
*we assitims was proposed rer °beats would be evatairsed in
the maismeat of Isteßiglit Hors. /riled.
Iv. CURWEN said be should reserve the observations
he had to make rpm' the qdealioo to that period.
Mt. HUME unmated' to Postpone Ms motto..
SUPPLY.
On the motion of Mr. CROR ER
Mr. BROODER brought opt's** Report of the Committee
of Simply. The Beselatiosie were rhea reed.
GIerENWICH HOSPITAL.
Sir M. W. ReDLEY moved for certain retires%
stating the gross rental of the esWtes belonging to
Vferentrich Hospital in the toonties of Narrlitrasa
Nyland, Durham,fcre. and the net produce arising
from lands mid mintso—Ordered.
INDBSINIFICATION OF INJOKIES DONE BY
ItIODERS.
Mt. Denison rose in pursuance of a notice he
-had given, to move for leave Yo bring in a Bill 'to
-amend the 59th Geo. 111. which was a Bilt for the
'more effectually prrventing sedittous•rneetings and
assemblies. The object of his motion was to lessen
the estraordirteryexpenses incurred by applying for
Yeriress to the 'higher 'Courts ; and, with the per-
misaiots of the'lloule, he should state briefly a few
instances which hid 'lately-occurred in the county
he had the honour to represent, which would sum-
' creittly demonstrate the necessity of the ioesvore;
-and from his confidence io the }louse, he had uo
doubt they could lend every assistance to remove
'the evil. In one case en action was brought to re-
cover deinages to the mount of 1391 7s. 6.1. sod the
iaxedCostsamoanted to no less than 1,1061 gr.loil.!
In another inetehce. the damages were 71. 6s. sd.
and the taxed•costs amounted to 5311. I d.l—
(Hear, hear.).But a still stronger instance was to
I •et case -where the damages amounted to eighteen
3 'shillings. and 'the taxed costs to 11 EL 9'. 6d..
"I'Hit•reuld ask the House then, if that were not a
.`eels* Calling for Inquiry ? (Hear, hear.)—But the
one was not confined to the county of Surrey.
6 ketir'in hit hand a letter fie had received from
- a .elect ',retry in the town of Liverpool, stating,
•-'4"hat in Detember lest an action had been brought
• against the hondred to recover damages dune by
sv''rroters to the amount of 214/. Bs. Id.; and the
I, taxed costs upon the action amounted to fourteen
'brandsiiel pounds and upwards He had now stated
,111se grievances complained of, and would beg leave
• - state the remedies proposed. ‘v hen an injury
e.liteat *lammed the party aggrieved should apply to
vuthis aterseers of the parish and the Magistrates,
':Mho should have the power of examining witnesses
-1 pop oath, and of awarding the damages. That
."derision might be referred to the next Quarter

• Sessions, when ■ smaller or • larger sum might be
gnat. dv and the treasurer of the county should
then levy an additional rate upon the hundred.
That ass the proposition he hod to submit to the
considerstion of the House, and he should there-
' fore move.— •

4714 For leave to bring is s Rill to emend the 57th Geo.
,(,_'winch war as Act-for the more effectually preventing eediii•
one meetings sal Assemblies"
Mr. B. WiLSRAHAH said he should give every
assistance to the Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Denison)
•
ID the accomplishment of the proposed object. The
evil seemed, in his opinion, to arise from the par.
ties being compelled to seek redress iu the higher
Courts.
Mr. SCARLET? thought it extremely desirable
that some less expensive should be devised of
4rcovering compensation for the injuries received in
cases. Some alteration should be made in the
sr, whereby an investigation into the extent of the
10,jury might be had without imposition, and that
the Magistrates should be invested with the power
• of assessing the damages.
Mr. LOCKHA KT said, it was a misfortune that
auch grievances should exist in a well-regulated
country, as that in a certain class of actions the
costs should amount to upwards of twenty times
• the damages. He hoped that the measure won ldelford
a precedent to others, and that the people would
pot be lorded over, and their Wood sucked tiorn
them by the vampire system at present in existence.
• The House were bound tisinterfere and enable the
people to receive damages fur any loss they might
sustain on the moat reasonable terms.
Leave was then granted.
SCOTCH JURIES.
. .

Mr. KSxxkDY said, that to moving for leave to
bring in a Bill, of which he had given notice, he
was aware that them were two courses open to hum
to pursue. The one was to enter at length iuto the
details of the measure, the other to confine himself
to the principle upon which his motion was found-

. .
ed. If he were to consult his own inclinations he
should choose the farmer; but as he wished to con-
sider the convenience of the House, he should
occupy as little of their time as possible. His ob-
ject was to reintroduce a" Bill, which was read a
second time last year and stood fur committal, sod
if the Learned Lord opposite (the Lord Advocate)
would have the kindness to intimate whether he
• meant to accede to its introduction, it would save
considerably the time of the House.
The LORD ADVOCATE could not give an opinion
upon that subject uutil he was in possession of the
• irrimeiple upon which the measure was' founded.
• •• • ain KEINNIDY then proceeded to state the
•••-:.•docionds upon which be made the motion ; and first
. it vs necessary to state the mode in which the cri-
-ssilisal'law was administered in Scotland. The
:,,tCrsisst of Session sat in Edinburgh, except when
• thivilodges wens on .ciscost, I el CO a year. It was
• • •sretessety also-iostexerthat the Sheriffs of counties
were chffereut from Slteritli in this part of the

peracess...
was iriii-111re.iice-Qiesea them and the oT
this cooutry, that it was not necessary they
;.awasonsous,.tbe verdict was derided by the msjoily.
sod upow the day of trial, when as individual was
arraigned. 45 persons appeared in Court. from
whom the Jiuy was selected. He was now going to
state a fret with which, perhaps, the House was sot
familiar. The Jury of 13 were selected frees the
-45 by the presiding Judge. These 13 versos' en
selected sat in use box to try the ease. From this
*linemen' it would appear. that it could be scarcely
proper for Couusel to idler any objections to the
telectioo; for it could not be dour without approach.
ing at least to sousethirig like a contempt of the
judicial authorities. One thistly only was reserved
to the prisoner, and that eat, to make some legal
objections. These were nut objections that might
occur to the prisoner, arising out of the circum-
stances of the case. They were strictly defined by
the law. The objections were these :—Either it
must appear that a person objected to had suffered
conviction of • ttttt e crime, or that he here ill-will or
malice to the ohjecting vurty, or that he was (led,
dumb, or a mirror. Now from this it would ap-
pear, that the power of challenge was extremely
litnited indeed, and that the circumstances which
would disqualify a 'man IO iry rt awe 1484 vely
rarely occur, and therefore the practice was seldom
resorted to. The remedies 'Moshe should proirose
to Inert the evil would be them : that the Jury
of 15, instead of being selected by the presiding
Judge from amongst the 45, should be chosen by
ballot, sod • peremptory power of challenge
should be given to the prosecutor as well
as the prisoner. Ile should feel considerable be.
citation in submitting this proposition to the
House, if it had been • speculstion of his own. But
by the 55th of Geo. 111, the experiment had been
made, and by the 59th Gro. 111, it was continued
for four years, and found to be successful ; so that
the House had the authority of experience in sup.
poi tof the practicability of the plan. lie had now
stated the principal grounds upon which he found-
ed his motion. He forbore, fur the present, to en-
ter into any details, althoogh he confessed lie wish-
ed to do it, for much odium, both general and in-
' &tidos!, bad been eacited against himself in con-
sequeoce of the immure. He should, however, re-
serve any further observations be had to make to
the usual time, on the second reading of the Bill.
At the 'same time, if any discussion arose upon the
present occasion, and he should hope no such dis-
cussion would take place, he should claim the in-
dulgence of the Home while he offered some obser-
vations in reply. He should therefore wove for
leave to bi:lig in a Bill to alter the mode of elect-
ing_Juries to serve on criminal trials in Scotland.
The LORD AovocaTa said, lie should abstain
from any remarks for the present that would create
discussiew, reserving the right of reaserking upon
it on the second reading. He must, however, ob-
serve, that there never was a measure more uncalled
for or more unwise thou that proposed by the Hou.
Gentleman.
Leave was then ;rioted.
HENRY HUNT.

Mr. Howe presented a petition from some place
in Lancashire (the uame of which we could not
heal, praying the attention of the House to the
sufferings of Mr. Huut.—Ordered to lie upon the
table.
Mr. Howe said, as the Noble Marquis (Lon_
donderry) had postponed the motion of the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer to Thursday, he should
postpone his motion until after that period ; and if
the statements of the Chancellor of the Exchequer
did not appear satisfactory to him, he should call
the attention of the House to the subject uu a lu-
ture day.