The National Register.
London, England, 1815-02-05 00:00:00

F En. 5.

W. Broadbant, of Kingstou-npon•Hull, merchant, March 6,7, and
13, at eleven, at the Neptune Inn, Kingston-upon Hull. Attornies,
;Messrs. Exley, Stocker, and Dawson, Furnivars-Inn, London ; and
Cotsworth, Kingston upoli•Hilll.
•
J. Out" in, of Doncaster, grocer. Feb. 15, at seven, 14, at ten, and
Mardi 18, at eleven, at the 0:d George, Doncaster. Attornies,
Mr. Fret well.Tborne, orksll e; and Messrs. Bleasdale, Alexander,
Diibue. New Inn, London.
T. Beooe of Reading, painter, Feb. 15, 16, and March 18, at
twelve, at the Broad Fa-to Inn, Reading, Berk'. Attornies, Mr.
Bias, Reading '••and Mr. Evre, Gray's Inn square, London.
W. Allen, of Castle.street, Leicester-field., carpenter, Feb. 15,
18, and March 18, at ten, at Guildhall. Attorney, Mr. Wood,
Richmond-buildings, Soh..
W. Spurden, of Londi.u-street, merchant, Feb. 11, 18, and March
-1;;, at eleven, at Guildhall. Attornies, Messrs. Kearney and Spurr,
iiishopsgate•sti eet• i thin.

THE HIGH PRICE OF BEER.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NATION:4. nrcliTrn.

!4IR—As the public is now on the alert by the continued
high price of malt liquors, and instead of their encreasing
in strength as the Brewers had promised at their general
nieeting, as a reason for keeping up the present prices, yet,
it is a fact, the quality i s worse : this calls for a fair and im-
oartial investigation into the defects of the first principle of
action, as all sy,tetns, either good or bad, have a principle
of action. Accot ditto() the present laws, tke persons retail-
ing malt liquors have their licences granted by the Magis-
trates every September to sell porter, &c. in the house they
inhabit, and Ito where else. This, Sir, in my opinion, is a
defect which has raised this great monopoly of Brewers both
in town and country : the licence being granted to the house
holds out temntations to Porter' Brewers, with large capitals,
to purchase these licensed houses for selling Alalt Liquor,
and through this the public is left without any remedy or
channel for redress. To rectify this defect the present law
should be iepealed, the Magistrates should in future grant all
licences to persons of good mot al character, according to the
population of the difterent parishes, not to any ',articular
house, only to the street and parish. This would check
the present rage for purchasing licenc( d houses, as the vic-
tualler could sell in any other house in the same street, and
in the end would benefit the Brewer, as well as the public,
because the great capital the Brewers have employed in pur-
chasing leases for thetnselves would be withdrawn, and they
would be enabled. to put chase the materials at a cheaper rate
for ready money, and thus to brew a superior commodity.
The trade being thrown open. the best quality and the lowest
price would naturally be the favourite with John 8011. It is
a 'veil known fact that licensed houses within the last twenty
years have advanced double and treble in their value by the
oppositions of the B.ewers, to the great injury of their res-
pective tenants, who bad much difficulty to pay the heavy
rents laid on their houses. The next defect is, that numbers
of licences are annually stopped, some for a real cause and
some for no cause at all, It may happen that the Bench of
Magistrates may he mostly composed of Brewers, Distillers,
Wine or Brandy Merchants, and that a Victualler may not
el'ange his Brewer, to obtain a better commodity, out of the
cwinection of the Magistrates, without running the risk of
having his licence stopped in tag. or a suspense hanging over
his head for 20 days, for the heinous crime of procuring a
good beverage for his customers.
Now, Mr. Editor, as justice should be administered im-
pay flatly, to guard against this practice, and at the same time
to make our civil Magistrates appear both honourable and
to pectable in the exercise of their duties, all complaints
of Misconduct against licensed Victuallers should be regu-

F 7

laxly brought before the sessions any time ptivious to h
general licencing day, that the accused may have the oppor.
(unity of meeting his opponents in open Court, with his wit
nesses to prove either his guilt or innocence before a jury of
his Peers. If they pronounce him guilty of infringing the
laws, Scc. the Bench, at the licencing day, shall have the
power of taking away or suspending the said licence ; and in
case any Victualler should be suspended, he or she should
not exercise the profession of a Licensed-Victualler fur two
years, in England or Wales, although they might have re-
moved to a distant part, and procured a licence. If on the
oath of two respectable persons that any Licensed Victualler
has been suspended, and his or her time has not expired, the
Magistrates at their session should have full power to stop or
suspend the said licence by giving him or her thirty days no-
tice to sell their stock, and for this breech of the law, they
'hall be suspended for two years from the list date.
This, Sir, is what strikes me as compatible with impartial
justice; the Victualler will have no reason to complain of
acts of injustice, when the fault is his own, having the
liberty to do right ;if wrong he must suffer. Probably the
Brewers may complain, that they have. advanced large sums
in the purchase of public houses, which may he tree; should
this plea be started, it will only discover the drift of the mo-
nopoly and its injurious effects on the public. In this case it
would be but justice to the Brewers to allow two or three years
before the operation of removing any licence from the pre-
sent lion a's should commence : this would give diem time to
dispose of their houses at a fair !mice, or at a fair rent.
Other benefits may still arise out of these regulations—
the more malt liquor consumed, the more productive time
revenue on malt and beer would be to the public purse; ard
by throwing the trade open, a stimulus of competition would
rise who should brew the best commodity.
It is probable, Sir, that some of your Correspondents, hav-
ing tit( it aftention drawn to this stihjecW niaj► improve or
suggest a better plan.
I am you►'s, Mr. Editor,
IMPARTIALITY.

Jan. 26, 1315.

In Ireland, as well as in England, we are happy to end, the
Lind-owners are adopting the most etrectual means of ren-
dering unnecessary any alteration in the Corn Laws. The
following paragraphs are copied froru the Leinster Journal:
" Colonel lefroy, of the county of Limerick, has reduced
hi:; rents at the rate of 20s. an acre.

" We are glad to be able to announce that the Fail of Or-
tuende has determined on reducing the rents of all those of
his tenants to Ishom leases have been recently granted."
At the late audit of Sir IL B. Neale, Bart. holden at
Corsham„ his numerous tenantry, who had taken leases on
advanced rents, were unexpectedly informed, that on ac-
count of the great fall in the price of grain, the former rents
only would be exacted. If this laudable example be gene-
rally followed, all the evils complained of by the farmer will
be effectually remedied.
Last day of drawing, No. 1 :SO, drawn a prize of Ten
Thousand Pounds, was sold and registered by Ho arrsay
and Co. who shared and sold in the last twelve months, up-
wards of One Hundred Thousand Pounds in Capital Prizes;
namely, three of 20,0001. three of 10,0001: besides Prizes of
2,0001. 1,0001. 5001. &c.
The Ticket No. 10,488, drawn on Tuesday last a Prize cf
10001. was shared iu one Quarter, one Eighth, and ten Six-
teenths i also No. 1999, a Prize of 4001. in one quarter, one
Eighth, and ten Sixteenths. Both sold by Perry, at the
Lucky Office, No. 1, Ilolborg Bats, the coiner house.