The National Register.
London, England, 1817-02-17 00:00:00

SINECURE.

Lord CocitgAxE said, lie had a Petition to present from
Glasgow., signed by 14,00.1 persons, praying for reform. Ile
read an extract of a letter, which stated, that the poverty in
Scotland nas so great, that the people could not keep their
children at school. The Petitiou hi rathcil language mod. r-
ate and re,ipectfnl; ;nit they attributed all their distress to a
want of reform, and excessive taxation. lie MIA sorry It.
hear a Noble 1,41:d say, that a Marl-113i, had waited nil he No
the example of the Ifrg, ut, b. flare he gave up part of his
.4124 t he received le.

FEBRUARY 17.

oitimately from the people. There was no an-tiogy between
use holder of a sinecure and the person at the head of the
Government. if we had annual ParTainents, we should
have no more selling of •cats iu that Honms.
Mr. WILBERFORCE 010U:tilt the occasion on whirl. this
siii..etire was granted should be considered, otherwise great
injustice would be dear to Lord Camden. When tlrat was
e,ranted, there was no tootle gratniug a retired salary to a
„Lord Cianestlktr. If ever there was a man Atho disl•ttyed
his splendid talents in support of the liberties of his country,
it was the late Lord Camden. In memory of great service,.,
that place was granted; and let that be alwats kept in mind
e. believer this bubjecl,lx4oiludc..l to. lie had Itiolsell vote/
for an enntilry Cato this very sinerare; bin an 111:10 of
generous mind would rwlc.tvuur to run low rare for pope.
tartly, by reflecting on men %Ito could not so easily give up
their sinecures, because a pet son of large property W. 04 ab:e
to do it, •

IttiornlT %;11 /131;(1, flint if Lord Camden, Nvlio reel ivrd
!him sinecure for sem tees witch nothing aiotost could coil-
permit°, had given it up, surely that consideration must .ink
deep in the mind 4 of toe who had recei,, d for ,er-
vices whirls no one had ever heard uf.
The I'etition was then brought up, and ordered to lie on
the table.

GAME LAWS.
Sir S. R•)1111T.T.1( rose to nurse for the repeal of an Act
late in the last Session of Parliament. Considering
this an Act of estranriltnary severity, he was desirous that
the idolise should be made acquainted with the nature of it,
for It put the attempt to destroy game on the footing of a
ft-Imq, which was not so in any nutter ease. The ,tet of Parlia-
ment enacted that any unqualified person being found, at
night, in any inelcise:l or open place, with a net for the pur-
pose of killing game, should be transported for seven years.
fie was as sensible as any man of the (Timers to which the
destrtietion of game loll; but the question Was, whe-
ther the se-verity of !melt laws would not urge persons to go
to the extremes of violence. 'rite pream'ale of-the Act set
forth that it was infended to prevent felonies and murders;
row lie would ask the House If the sulkieetiog men to the
same plinislintent who did not resist as those who resisted,
was likely to prevent the com Mission of violence. All our
Penal Laws, except the Game Lell%Vi, protected the little pro.
pet ty of the poor as Weil as the rich; and sarely they would
nut make such laws more seri re. Besides this Act made
it night three quarters of an Moir after the auto rises on the
Ist of Ootobnr; for even a filialitieJ tears might be transport-
ed, who, with a gum in his hand, entered mustily:: man's close
before seveit o'clock from the Ist October to the Ist-March.
Country Alagistrates were a very useful and re-p% etable
body; but besides not trusting them, he would not trn•l the
dodoes with inch a discretion as this Act gave. He hoped
he should not be accused of a %visit to innovate ; or Le twitted
with the wisdom of his 4111700015, siitcc this LAW was Of butt
seven months standing. He tit a moved fur leave to bring
in a Bill to repeal the said .‘et.
Mr. F. Lewis looked upon lb..- neeeotre 1,14 year,
as merely a part of a system to be carried iti!o r fleet ditrizog
this Session, to make Game be putt tin the ,:taue footia4 aith
other property. Butt he only ron.o-weil to tint part of it
which enacted, that persons found armed by night, for the
purpose of kiliiug game, should be transported. lip thv
former law, they were to he sent to the orals- or navy: but
that was very unequal in its punishment, Its Well outfit hut Fite
service could not he punished.
Col. Wools said, he °Wet-tett to this Bill in the Committee,
becanse he thee considered they were beginning at the wroeg
end; and not going to the root of the evil. He was of ttpi•
titan, that n• iltegal (lame was as notoridn,ly imaght.an,l sold.
in lainulon as every thing else is, it would be much hetterosir
bring in a till to legalize the sale of Game.
Sir E. KNATCIIIIIULL hoibe,l, that there would he no ob.-
jcetion to the repeal of this Act, provided it was understood
another should be brought in its 'toed. 'ibis law had been
acted oil, butt never to the utmost severity.
Mr. Possresunv said, it was not the inteetion of his Hon.
and Learned Ptiend to prevent any gentleman bringing its
atiotiser Act, when the present was repealed.
Mr. itANILE% moved, that the debate be adjourned, with a
view of amending the Act, rather than repeal it.
Mr. Cuiewssi thought it unnecessary to adjourn the de-
bate; for the Hon. and Learned Gentleman had strewn
suffi-
cient reason why the Act should be repealed. The whole
system of the Game Laws were must unjust, and he hoped
some llon. Gentleman would bring its au Act to snake Game
private property.
Mr. G. BANKES said, he had allvisetl with an llou. and
Learned Friend of his (Horner) who had made no objeCtiou
to it.

Sir M. Rint.cst thought that the legalizing the sale of game
woiii.f diminish poaching, by diminishing the profits of the
poacher. He also thought that farming the game licenses
by making the collectors mare alert to the detection of
poachers, would go far towards destroying. tint praetiee.
He was against giving s•i much power to country Magistrates,
who were for the most part .teo much interested in the pre-
servation of the game.
Mr. LOCKHART Was extremely anxious to have the pre-
sent Act amended.
Mr. WILIIIiRTORCE considered that much r:v (;..me
Laws was iii the inzliest d. gree unjust. Bat he oojected to
the leg.tlizing the ode of game ; for if it were punishable to
kill game, it surely should he made also punishable to sell it.
GIL WOOD explained. His ohject was to enable the Ma-
gistrates to liceost. persons to sell game.
Mr. HcsaissoN would not have ;ego eel to the Bill if ii
not had for its object to prevent persons armed from :Issue-
bling at night in large parties, to the iminitient dauger of
those who had the care of the game. It was highly desirable
that this Act should be amended, but lie could not agree to
its being repeaii. d.
Gen. NIITCHI.LL and Sir E. Bitync r.s spoke in favonr of a
Bill making it punishable to carry arms by meld. Leave
was they given to bring in a Bill to repeal the Art.
Sir S. Roe:ILLY moved for an acimout of the number of
persont in confinement since May last, for otleuets against.
ihe Game Laws.— Ordered.

The Exchi Bills Bill having !wen retail a second time,
urtlere:l to be committed tomorrow; Mr. laishington ha; ing
olliained leave to repeal the acts now in tine, re•prl 614
coffee; aid, lastly, the Gibraltar Trade Bill having gone
thr,ingh a Committee, to report to-morrow, the Roast ad-

111UMW 11( FEBRUARY 13

Petitions praying fur a reva;Mr; of the Tithe Laws were
presented from that portion of the city of London which is
subject to the payment of Tithes, and also from the Connote
Cotmed. l'he first was presented by Sir James Shaw, the
stater by (he Sheriff of Londoe. Both Betitious were read
anti laid ou Wt Table.

cf,he Nln'tle Len!, or the Hull. HiitOnet. the tX4mple of the Iteritt, before he gave up pa
1. t;•4 r:vrt.,ArgAt.ii •ail, the Nob!e Lord, and the Hen. sitr:eute. The lie4o ut had giveu up whitt he rec

FL'

atc.r trit U.
TUI CROMPTON, FAIMVORTII, °LOD tM, AND BOLTON,