The National Register.
London, England, 1821-03-04 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER

iot geueral shonldsucceed,and he t►ereby encouraged to ►ring
suits iota hit Court. Al the same lime that the remuneratioa
provided for the Judge is not seffielenl to set him above these
templatioes, nor ►ach as to make it worth the while of uuy
person Inwood of competent talent to accept the office ;
because the compensation to the attorney is 40 ludicrously
inadequate, that, with full amployment, he could not tuns a
decent subsistence, nod retain his rank io society, And
the result must Is., either that the practice of th se Courts
would be confined to At tornies of no repute or responsibility
(such us it has berm the anxious endeavours of the legillature
for a series of years to discourage told exclude), who would
elude the law as to the prescribed fees, and dare its penalties;
or that parties being disabled from purciouting legal advice
nod insistence ut a fair sate, would have to manage their own
causes, at great trouble, great risk of success, and at lunch
unnecessary expetive to themselves r and because the bill
seeks to establish One law for the rich and another fur the
poor,---and would put snore cases which are most numerous,
nod relate to the great bulk of the people, and wherein there
is likely to he must knavery, ander the most imperfect and
inequitable code."

CATHOLIC EMANCIPATION.

Mr. Plunkett's motion upon this subject induces
us to take a short review of the different divisions
which have taken place upon it during the last ten
years.
In 1812 the bill for Catholic Emancipation was
lost, alter several divisions in its favour, by the ce-
lebrated opposition of Mr. Abbot, the Speaker. A
motion having been carried by that gentleman, that
Catholics should not be allowed to sit in either
House of Parliament, by a majority of 251 to 247,
Mr. Ponsonby declared the bill with this clause to
be nugatory, and gave it up.
In 1816 Lord Castlereagh supported the bill
brought in for the relief of the Catholics ; Mr. Peel
the Secretary fiir Ireland, opposed it, and the
qUestion in the Commons by 172 to 141 ; in the
Lords by only 73 to 69.
Mr. Grattan's motion the ensuing year, in the
House of Commons, was negatived by a majority of
24; and that of Lord Donoughmore, in the Upper
House, by 142. to 90.

On the'3d of May, 1819, the motion for a com-
mittee was negatived in the Commons by a majority
of two; the numbers being 243 to 241: in the
Lord► the numbers were 147 to 10(1.

From this abstract of the several divisions, it ap-
pears that the fiiirest prospect of succeeding with the
bill was in the year 1813, when, in fact, petitions
were most numerous against it but when there
wcre two or three divisions in its favour, and when
it was read a first time, and second time, and com-
mitted- At present, we believe that even those of
the ministers who arc most adverse to the measure,
namely, Lord Liverpool and the Lord Chancellor,
allow that the circumstances of an unpledged Par-
liament, and an unpledged Sovereign, are good
omens. The King u.so is said to be about to visit
Ireland. W'c know it is not constitutional to speak
of the King's wishes respecting a pending bill ; the
inclinations of his lute Majesty upon the subject
were, however, well known ; and we should suspect
that the inten royal excursion to Ireland will
either be defer ~ or the pleasure of it considerably
abated, if it should have been learned in the inter-
vening time that the King is hostile to what is
termed Catholic Emancipation.

ST. DA►IL'S DAY.

Thursday last being the 107th anniversary fes-
tival of the most honourable and loyal society of
Ancient Britons was celebrated with more than
usual festive pomp and parade. The school was
founded fur the benevolent purpose of clothing
educating, and maintaining 127 boys and girls, the
children of Welch parents, who have not gained a
legal parochial settlement in London, or within ten
miles of the Royal Exchange.
At half-past eleven o'clock the children were
called out to form into procession; the whole were
neatly and cleanly dressed, and health, the 'conse-
quence of attention and good government, appeared
in every face. The procession proceeded along
Guildford-street, and to the parish church of St.
George, Hanover-square, where the church service
was read in the ancient British language, by the
Rev. Thomas Alban, A. M. Vicar of Llandrillo,
Denbighshire, and Chaplain to the Society. The
church was extremely full, and the collection at the
door was considerable.

After divine service the procession took the same
order as before, and proceeded down Bond-street and
Pall Mall, to St. James's-square, where they halted
at the front of the Duke of Norfolk's, and Sir W.
W. Wynn's, giving three hurxa's at each ; and
thence proceeding to Carlton-palace, they paid the
like testimony of respect.
Their next stage was to the Freemasons' Tavern,
in Great Queen Street, Lincoln's Inn-fields, where,
about six o'clock nearly six hundred persons sot
down to dinner.

Ills Royal Highness Prince Lcupohl took the
chair, in which he was supported by Sir Watkin
Wynn and Sir Charles Morgan. Af er
the cloth was removed Alm Vutir Duovne was ad-

mitably sung by Messrs. John Smith, Master Smith,
George Smith, and Mr. John Parry.
The Royal President then gave " The King, the
patron of the institution," with three times threep
which was followed by reiterated bursts of applause.
Song—" God save the King."
The next toast was—" The Duke of York and
the rest of the Royal Family."
." The Principality of Wales," and several other
standing toasts were given, all of which were drank
with enthusiasm.

The Royal Chairman stood up, and made a very
neat but short speech, in which he stated that that
was the first public meeting at which he ever pre.
sided in his life, and not being very fluent in the
English language, he hoped they would excuse his
not giving them his sentiments as he felt them, and
as he could wish. The conclusion was received
with thunders of applause.
The children were then introduced by the Stew.
ards; they were led round the room in procession,
expressing by their looks and deportment the warm-
est gratitude to their benefactors.
The healths of several of the persons of distinction,
the Vice-Presidents. Stewards, &c. were drunk with
enthusiasm.

From the Secretary's account it appears, that
1281 boys, and 250 girls have ,been entered upon
the foundation, and wholly maintained in the house ;
of the former 7(31 have been apprenticed with a foe;
175 had gone to sea, and 255 gone into service, and
90 remain on the establishment. Of the latter 162
are gone to service, 51 put out apprentices, and ST
are on the present establishment.
The subscriptions received during the day were
very liberal, considerably exceeding one thousand
pounds. The King gives 100 guineas annually.—.
One hundred guineas were subscribed by his Royal
Highness the Chairman.
The company continued to a late hour, and the
utmost conviviality and good humour prevailed.

On Monday evening, at about half-paast five
o'clock, a most furious fire broke out at the shop of
Mr. Butler, chemist, in Gutter-lane, a few doors
from Cheapside, on the left hand side The fire,
we were informed, was occasioned by an highly
inflammable chemical prepr"ation taking tire. The
combustible was so violent, that in a few minutes
the whole of the house was in flames, and the two
adjoining houses belonging to a gentleman named
Langston, and that belonging to Messrs. Thompson
and Jackson, the engravers, also caught tire, but
not before a considerable portion of the furniture
had been rescuttl ....era the flames: they were, how..
ever, hi a short time totally consumed. 'the tiro
threatened incalculable destruction all around, not-
withstanding the immediate exertions of a number
of tire engines, seconded by most a plentiful supply
of water. The flames raged in a direction towards
Foster-lane, and did considerabla injury to the boa
part of Sealers' Hall and severs' of the adjoining
houses. The whole neighbourhood was in the
greatest alarm and contusion until about nine
o'clock, when the flames were in some measure got
under. The City Police were prompt in their at
tendance, and by their judicious at eangements much
depredation, by the thieves who mustered in great
numbers, on the property removed for safety was
prevented. From the great bustle and confusion
going forward, we were unable to collect any eel..
fair account of the damage done, but we understand
that a considerable portion of the property destroyed
is insured.

Two officers belonging to the Rottingdoan Prc-
ventive Guard, boarded a French smuggling lugger
with contraband spirits on Wednesday night near
Brighton. The crew consisting of six Frenchmen
and one English sailor, refused to surrender, and
stood out to sea. When 20 miles ftom the coest,
the smugglers compelled the officers to get into the
large tub-boat of the lugger, anti to return to the
shore. At three o'clock the following mottling,
about 120 tubs (supposed to have been part of the
cargo of the above lugger) were landed opposite
Regency Square; 46 of which were seised by the
Brighton officers, and deposited in the store in Black
Lion-street.

RECORDER6WIP 0/ LONDON.-1t is said that Sir
J. Sylvester, in consequence of his age and ilicreas.
inp infirmities not permitting him to discharge the
du .ies of his important situation, without consider.
able assistance, had procured the coasent of a ser-
jeant of well-known legal acquirements, in West-
minster Hall, to act as his deputy, but that this
arrangement has been frustrated, on the ground of
its intertbring injuriously with the claims of others
on the Corporation.
Insolvent Drblurs.—lt was ruled last week, in
the Court of King's Bench, that the release of a
debtor under the Insolvent Act dues not disqualify
any creditors inserted in his schedule from proca.i&
ing against him under a commission of bankruptcy,
for rmovery of property 11.1 may have emit: led or
subsequently become entitled to.