The National Register.
London, England, 1819-07-12 00:00:00

i

THE NATIONAL REGISTER

to notice. rose to call the stte.)tion of the House to the subject of
the SlAve Trade.

110iTSE OF CONIMONS.
mosinAY, JULY 5.
relasxcts.-Sir 11. Pairsr ELI. moved the thriller atOttlil-
inent of the debate on Ids Finance ltellolistiona till Wtdnorday
near.
The CHAN CELLIgIa of the Excitadttoa availed hirisef of '
this opportunity to state. that, es the quarter ended this day. he
had been able to ascertain, though not quite so precisely as he
wished, the returns of die ltevenue made to the. Exchequer under
the heads of Cusiocus and Excise. lie had the setisfaction ar
state, that there baddseen all increase upon the present quarter,
compared with the corresponding quarter of the pree%ling year.
of 14n,000/. This Cwt well the more giatifying. bce4use tile re-
turns fur the corresponding quarter of the preceding. year, dis•
closed a receipt to a very unusual amount . that receipt had ex-
ceeded the corresponding quarter of the year preceding by
1,100.0001. ; so that the returns do the quarter this day capiea
exceeded even that extraordinary receipt lw 44motag. lie might
add, that, although be was not acquainted with the exact state of
the femurs in the other depattnients. lie had no reason to be-
lieve that there haul been any material diminution.
Cha.riirotrwit Butisitty.—lln the motion of Cold .1. lies.
5y.14.; the House went into a Committee ern the tor:impound
Bribery froth:moults,
Mr. Mutilators. was next called. and examined regarding
the money tramactioes to promote the return Of two Members.
Air. Childs was then exam:fled, and to the same tEct, touch-
ing the realuneriaion for ilia votes. Vt'uness produced an ac-
count of the Stllll4 eXpVlldt'll for votes., &c. This sort of C.irrup
tion was extremely prevalent in the Borough.
'flit! House resumed, and the minutes ut evidence were ordered,
presented, and directed to be printed.
Lord J. Rossi: it observed), that as most of the evidence bad
long been be ate the House, he should move his re,olutions t—
his first was, that such a system of corruption existed in t;riun•
pound as to call for the serious interference of the ilottlie ; and
secondly, that early in the next S;:ssiial tile House would take tile
ease inw its serious consideration. (11,or.) The Noble Lord
observed that two evils had arisen since the Revolution, corrup•
tion in the Boroughs ; and, secondly, the existence of large towns
where there were no Itepresentatives. He was not only for
throwid open same of the Bosolvlts, and where eases of noto-
rious corruption occurred. to trati6liar the right of returning
Members to large towns. The reasons which induced him to
think of proposing this course lie would reserve till next Sessio.a.
—Resolutions agreed to nem. con.
A Message from the Lords announced that their Lord.
ships kid agreed to the Friendly Societies' Bill, with Attend.
meets, for which they desired the concurrence of the I lease.
Mr. WYNN called the attention of the /louse to the case of
A. I Annb, st witness examined before that house, he having
Mwtroyed a paper material to the elucidation of the Grampound
Election care. Mr. lamb destroyed the paper in qtie,tion after
he had been fir: examines', and pending the progress of the
enquiry; and such conduct, the Hon. Member thought, could
not escape the notice ant'. cen,ure of the House. (/tear.) lie
moved that in so doing he had been guilty of a WTI/di of privi-
lege, and a contempt of its powers.
Motion agreed to, and Mr. A. Lamb afterwards ordered to be
brought to the liar to morrow to be reprimanded.
The blouse then went into a Committee on theCamelford Wee.
tion.—Briberies--examined :Mr. Hallett, &c. and resort to-
inonow.

The remaining Orders baring been dirrored of, the House
adjouroed.

n;san*v, JULY 6.

Mr. W. SMITIi prescuted Petitions from the Protestant
enteis of Great and Little Houghton, in Cumberland, and roan
Chester, praying an Mteratiim in the marriage
Exctst: I NI*OI)I.VrIONS.—Mr. \V. F.311T11 also laid upon
the table a petition Erten Jeremiah Abell, a prisoner in Nom ich
gcol. The hon. member stted, that this was one of the many
cases where the supposed offender had beet•. induced to consent to
wiwn in fact afterwards no such cirnplomise had
been completed by the Crow n. Tine defendant, a ►mall tanner,
was prosecuted by the Excise, for pznaltics, to the amount of
1,0001.; and notifit'asninildag he leasable to prove most di►;inctly
an ebb, by 17 witnesses, against the single testimony of the
informer, his counsel on t•te 110.1 had conseluvl to a con:promise
thr 3001 , contrary to the mpresi injunctions of the detendant.
Aftetwenla the matter had step' tar mote them a year; the poor
man vas then Lt:ten into custody, and had been now eonflied for
to months in Norwich gaol. 'f he hon. member made several
observations upon tie severity of the case, tmd upon the clear-
ness of the proof of the alibi. It could be established, that the
ialotmer was actually in Norwich at the very time he had sworn
that he was watching-the alenclant and six. °diets engaged in
the mitygling tnuisaetion in qut.•stion. Two of those inutv►duala
had not yet been prosecuted. The prayer was, that some .cups
might be taken by the tioose fur the relief cf the petitioner
CiLtsicE.l.Lott or the Ex0NE41:1:11 did not ohj.:ct to the
petition being laid upon the table, but ate felt a along persuasion
that, unless the Board EACItle hail had reason to bedoe that
the fact:, in the petition were tepee, they *Oulu have owered the
ills:large of t:ie petitioner. lle adiaitted that the ►tatvttyeuts
were extraordir.ary.

Mr. W. SMITLI added, that the cue had been before the
Treasury fora year, utol all possible mains of information had
been aftinded. Tne coutizet originally employed by the peti-
tioner did not conduct his defence, but put his bust into the
handset another basriaer. Tice :mi. member war very much
>urprised that so terious a matter bud been allowed by the 't tot-
tery to sleep so km 4. The hon. nitrnuer read the Widtsvit of a
witness, who saw the inturmer in Norwith twice, and in the mean
trace he could not have travelled 30 miles, t.,e distauce Nom the
city at which the nansaction wok place : M3OIC story sewed
to he an absolute fabi

It was ordered that die petition should be printed.
On the motion of Mr. rN,N, Mr. Altaander,Lambe was
brougl. t to the bar, tepriroandcd, &LAI dmeb-rged, on the p:synnut
of his fem.

LATS.—Sir. J. AIACkINTO6II pillelliod a reroyt
of the Committee appointed to enquire into the state of the Crain
nal Laws. In moving that it be printed, We lion. Alcml,er
adtertisl to the contents of tlit- report and the deliberation with
which the Committee had yreceened. They were Anxious not to
pireecil with levity ; and seeing that they could not make any
reFmt, die opinion* of widen timid not tie duly considered that
Session, they coninad themselves to the collecting of
Tile report was fir from hang to coniFkie and lull as the Com-
mittee desirtil, and as pi rftxt as the !louse would 'meatier ena-
bla tiiem to make it ; but rt wa,, complete as far as re;:a.disl the
timnodi,to objects pees:,atid to the rpetice of the i'citurnittte.—As
to the ‘ootrntb of the repot, its first part consisted of convictions
and Axe nouns, return/ that were wore wapiti,: than any hither-
to uniong3t them was s rttuin .4003 1699 to 1614 fur
London and Nlitlelleivx , and n was expected that many similar
returnb`were being pm-Faired. -'l'i .e City of London had tonitueusl
itself with great liberality lo the prorating of evidence.—lie was
story to bay that no return front ireituat had been nomie ; no
notice had Len taken by the ofiietrs there of the rcquist
of the Committee ; hut tie trusted that these evils %mild
fees reirodi,xl. As to the state of crime, lie Mt cabal/tenon in being
able to °intim! toe srauanent of the Noble Lord that crimes vt
viohnee and atrocity hod greatly ilimiuisired—they had valia-
nt:lied to remarkably that me fart could hardly be credited, if it
were not fains.orteti by the. return,. They had diminished in •
weintr rrnrrtion than limn two to one, as =Drag.(' between
the hut thirty years, and the ittily yzarslollowinkt toe revolution ;

JULY 1,2.

and this too uotwitlisnaniiing the growth ate great City on the
Southwark side of the Tiaunes. There was no instance of
City cot:Wining more thud a million of inhabitants, which at:in-d-
-en so mach security &gable; !muds, ; the chances against being
es :owed to moiler were 5 o,ottl eh:litres in alsie. "pal this tool
a his very partial infringements Olt I lie kb ray of the mittject.
iiistlitithous of fake were baldly Louisa toll our times.
Tiec whose never nos gratifying; and it she-neat that the
people, alt teeter night hvve been their distresses, Ind not
hest any of their national humanity.—(Nere, Near!)
Tho next otojeet of the Committee olio lit e 511!uinc the state
of the renal 1.4 a 111 which were now acted upon and which
were aneless;. to ascertain %%Inch in fain, ereGed tit he acted
oink'. They proposed, nest Session tat bring ht a Bill to
repeal I hose acts; hut others they- proposed tat leave
where the terror would be likely too be mm4o. Iteaardiug
thew• latter they had examined a variety of witnesses,
but -laid abstained from e %omitting the Judges floe' runrl!cr•
atom and delicacy for their tituatitoes, as it would be ninit
and oteheroming to call Olt them to blame IiCIS h tht•v
might he tequired to >;ive,judgmcnts. The had examined
several Counsel, awl !wet me to-inanely of some of the
retired Judges. hey !incense examined several Magistrates.
Sir A. Macdonald also atten.led, mod gave evidence toot a us
deemed of great enitie.luz-nce. Mr. Cuh;uhoun,.a do had beta
Moi.istrate tor ti 7 nolduo ed eataahle testimony ;
they aim here testimuity to the reluctance of persona nl i .
cute a here capital.puoiblenents so ere likelj to result.. The
nest important body of evinence was dereved front the triad tog
class of London nod %testi/nosier ; and they displayed 1111.00.
million and humanity beyond a hut lie hint expected to thin,
a it's all his high respell for thine important portions of
Soria ty. Their intelligmice :tool humauity ems:then. if it did
nut exceed what could he found w any other class of society
iu the world. (//,-air, tear!) They were for mitigated
punishments, id: Mingle iney were cosineepieutly exposeit to
forgeries, bhoplioLing, &e. ; and they did so on the go mend
111111 they print a toe se ills flare eel tautly. As it noes a as,
Thu, fem. of *tyro e punishment made them dread Inprosecule.
Mr. Carr, l he Lacise Solicitor, also gave impurttnt evidence;
nod particularly resulted the good elects foliose hug the chatter
of the law regarding the forging of stamps. Fraoselelent
citaracteci and triune:mei' desired tevi-se penalties, because
they iniaghwd that they a oultl I" enforced but rarely, if at
till—(//ear!) They next examined Mr. J. Banner, what,
during the but tacitly yea, s, had bee•u toner rued in upwards
of 2,000 Crown aunt hi, evidence at once retlecte.l
I 444444 our on himself, and was advantageous Li/ Ilse
of truth. '1 he witness staled. that prosecuil)ll declined
coining forward; that persons feed oili..ers not tat he
named an Juries; ;mot 'that olot t Mese% ilivared ilb he pillilDhed
On the severest pro:ants, because they ealcul,ned on the
known humanity of Jetties.—(llia.!) 't his was evidence
which.vs-as not the result of alertly, it was the lesson of es.-
perience. On the subject of forAery, in particular, they hail
examined many ha/onsets, Mr. J. smith, Mr. Barrett, &c.
and had collected on such sultject important evidence unit
opinionte. They hiadstated tbst many private forgeries were
nut punished on account of the severity of tire penalty; strait
they redden, th-at they should combiner their property nines
secure, if the punislimest were leeeet•l'd. 'Mr. Goldsmith had
said that he could mention many Moulted instances %%Imre
forgeries bad escaped punishment on account of the ssverity
of the law. ale could nod fatigue the House ;sills 'newts de-
tails finial the air tort. Besioles the Ithlh he had previously
mrmion. d, the Comniittee re( oinm, ailed the Itringiag in
Hell to consolidate the Acts imprrisit petal' punishments
The Art, regoiroliug forgeries required peculiar attention.
Change ...Asa requisite accompaniment of that int.:mire to
canine Cash P. 13 own 1., to whirls be deeaten the lions*
and cottony pledged; and it aas desired to restott to
that nschil establisimient, the the charoteter
it had toss, rattier by the badness of the limes Ilion ti ens
the till wishes of iodividuals. To actual forgeries noel
erre fur extending the same 1111 l islioneat as was sews, &it
lot counterfeiting the coin; but lira tittering or poi sesbina
tinged eines. they mere fur less:venlig the punishments,
t tang transportation, or iitsprisonenent and bard tuba's,
at .he discretion of the Judges. This au, agreeing a ith
the opinion of the public, an opinion nut hastily lormed,
slur ilk. ty to subnele with the passing. To that opinion,
when at deliberately formed, it was policy to attend.
SMALL PDX.—Mt. W. SMITLI expressed the rev. t with
which he had lea' nett that vaticionit;on was greatly neg-
lected in the huge county of Norfolk ; that ioneulation for
mite Small-pox was este usi rely adopted,and its Ctill.PtallCl:ne
Ilir B,IIIIIIIOOY wits /aging t extensi►ely. laid unit tile
must alarming et:eels hail begun to make their appeal
ani'e. He mitten that the subject woutel nut oc lost sight.
of I.y GU10111111C1:1; Blot such meatuses a, conk' be
nohow. d amok/ be enforced to presets( the exteusiou oti
that ea it the Sinall.pux.
Sit F. Butturrt, according to notice, brought forward.
the subject Of MI. Mallinsma's Lite-presei se r ; whieb,
after a few observations hoot Mr. W, Stain' allti Sir
Cot ninon, was ueginivett without a division.
Adjourned.