The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-02-14 00:00:00

PARLIAMENTAIt l' INTELLIGENCE.

HOUSE OF LORDS, FRIDAY, Fsz. 13.

Mr.Maatia, from the India House, presented the annual accounts
of all penalties, salaries, and gratuities, presented by the Company,
together with on account of allowances made to certain ships ir. the
service.
The Earl of SHAFTESBURY, by his Majesty's command,
laid on the table the returns of the number olitonvicts ?.elllCflrl7i to
transportation, confined on board prison ships, which were (milted
to be printed. The Noble Earl also laid on the table. a return of
the state of appeals and writs of error, at present before the llottse.

('()AL DUTIES.
Earl GROSVF:NOIt presented a petition from the Mayor,
RRonler, and Burger.sea of the Borough of Shaftesbury, praying a
Repeal of the Duties on Coals, tarried coastwise.--Onlc.-esi to be
laid. on the table,

OFFICES IN REVERSION.
Earl GROSVENOII stated that he should take that opportunity
of moving for a return of all offices in the reversion, front January
1824, to Janhery 1824. It was a motion precisely similar to the
one tie made Lott Session, with the exception of dates. The motion
beingread and agreed to, the Noble Earl remarked, that the Clerk
eaf Parliament and the Chief Justice General of Scotland were ex-
ceptions to the rule laid down, and the Noble Earl oppesite (Liver-
pool) last year wished to refer the place of Clerk of Parliament to a
Committee of the House. But all desire of referring these places
to the consideration of the House seemed now to he abandoned, and
the recommendation respecting them to be disregarded. We
understood the Noble Earl, who spoke in a very low tone across the
table, particularly alluded to the appointment to the Clerkship of
the Pella and the office of Remembrancer of the Exchequer.
The Earl of LIVERPOOL, in reply, said two othc.s had be-
come vacant, the Clerkship of the Pell* and the Remembrancer of
the Exchequer. The duties of the Clerk of the Pella had been
performed by deputy, and the deputy was responsible ; but it was
now proposed to make the principal perthrm the duties of the
office. The office of Remembrancer of the Exchequer was one of
great importance, and executed by deputy also. It was intended
that the person holding that office should in future perform the
duties it imposes in person. That branch of the Exchequer was
about to be revised before any permanent arrangement was made.
The appointments that had been made were merely temporary,
until plans could be finally settled, and until it could be ascertained
what permanent arrangement could best be made. It was desir-
able that a new arrangement should take place with regard to the
Clerk in Parliament . • and he thought it would be of service that a
Committee should be appointed on the subject at a future period.
The Marquis of LANSDOWN said that there certainly was
an understanding that a Bill should be brought in to abolish such
places as had been recommended for abolition.
The Earl of LIVERPOOL (across the table) replied, that the
whole system was undergoing revision.
THE TREAD-MILL.
• • •• •

The Marquis of LAKlibilliilat;;;;d7that whilst he was on
hit legs he would take the opportunity of saying a few words on a
sti!sjsiil that had of late caused a great sensation, and one that re-
quired their Lordships' early investigation ; he alluded to the re-
:l36cm of prisons, more especially with reference to labour. A
misunderstanding had taken place regarding a Bill that had been
introduced last Session, inflicting punishment on prisoners, which
is was mat desirable and important should no longer exist. The
pen ishment of the tread-mill ought in no case to be enforced, but
against prisoners convicted of crime. When the question was mooted
in the Committee, the clause he war about to reel was specially in-
serted as a guide to Magistrates, and nothing could be clearer than
that clause was. After reading it, he considered it impossible that
a doubt could be lei on the mind of any man as to its application;
but as it would seem doubts had arisen, and misunderstandings
had gone forth on this question, so vitally important to Englishmen,
he could recommend that a positive penal enactment should re-
strain any Magistrate from punishing prisoners previous to their
conviction. He remembered perfectly well when the Bill went
through the committee, there were twenty Peers present, many of
whom were Magistrates themselves; and the clause he referred to
was specifically framed to prevent the possibility of mistakes on
the subject. The Noble Marquis here read the clause that he had
alluded to, which stated that due provision should be made in every
prison for the punishment at the tread-mill toe such prisoners as
were sentenced thereto, and for the employment of others. His
Lordship, in continuation, remarked that in his view nothing
could be more clear than that the clause was only intended
to apply to convicted prisoners. lie did not know if any
correspondence had taken place with the Secretary of State fur the
Home Department on the subject ; but he was quite sure there
could be but one opinion as to the application of the clause in both
branches of the Legislature. It was lamentable to reflect on the
use that had been made of a clause which he was convinced their
Lordships on passing it thought it impossible could lead to misin-
terpretsuon. The Legislature hail been in search of a punishment
that might in some instances supersede that of transportation, the
ignominious stamp of which should attach to guilt, and guilt ex.
elusively. But persons in authority had frustrated the intention of
Parliament, by inflicting a punishment intended for prisoners
really tonvieW of crime, on those who, by we law of England,
were considered innocent, they not having been proved guilty. If
say doubt could exist as to tic wording of it, no time should be
lost in mailing the clause which had been thus
~ misunderstood,
and wh was only intended to apply to persons senesced to hard
labour, and certainly not to prisoners before trial.
The Earl of LIVERPOOL said, that where punishment had
been inflicted previous to sentence being passed on a prisoner, he
should be inclined to think it a violation of the letter, but err-
taint), it was a violation of the spirit of the Act. (Hear.) The
employment of prisoners at hard labour before and after conviction
were very different ; in the one instance it might be done with the
best effect, but in the other it ought not to take place. The words
were certainly ambiguous, and had been misunderstood by Ma-
gistrates. He thought the evil ought to be remedied altogether.