The National Register.
London, England, 1823-02-03 00:00:00

iL .NAIIONAL REGISTtn

.• - COMET OF IXONMON COUNCIL.
44114..
PARbIAMIINTARY REFORM.
A Cost of Common Council was held on Wednesday last,
for the purpose of taking into consideration the propriety Of
petitioning Parliament on the subject of Reform: •
Mr. Alderman WAITHIIAN, addressing the Ceert said, is
the observations he was about to make, he should not ly
censure the Ministry for conduct which it was in the nature of
the present represeutaitiou of the people to prompt—nay more,
to render almost necessary. In the time at 'Sing William the
peace establishment of Ole country consisted of only 10,000
sues—and then too, there was a Pretender to the Thione. is GAME LAWS.
t•e British nation so in,ensilile to the blessings of'its inesti-
mable Constitution as to need the meta of its adnithistretien to
" Though the Forest Laws are now mitigated, and by
he eoforeed by 80,090 bayonets We cannot meet for the
consideration of public grievances without having a n.ilitery t ?grecs le -it entirely obiolete, yet trout this root has
force under oar Doses—as at Manchester—and in all these acts sprung a ludard slip, known by the name of the Chine
they are under the orders of the British Ministry. Can such laaW,now earrord to and w outfitting in its highest vigour,
Ministers then be considered as acting for the benefit of the loth founded on the same unreasonable rwtions of permanent
nation t Ceti they be supporting the stability of the throne ? I property in wild c-natures, nod boat prodaake of the tame
sin afraid not—awl being fearful upon that point, I think lam tyranny to the COMIXOPf; but with thus ditletence, that
perfectly justified in raising my-humble voice in favour of a the Forest Lanni established one mighty hooter through-
radical Morin in the Administration of our boasted Coastitu- I out the land, the Game Laws hate raised a little NritiriKl
lion ; aad the more so, seeing, as I do, that those very men, in every manor, and, in one respect, the ancient law
whose conduct is thus averse to the dearest interests of the was 'h less tinreesontble than the modern, for the
people, profess to be actuated in their innovations of our rights, King's Grantee of a chase or free warren isiLlit kill
by that very Constitution, whose very features they have rev- •
• game is every pan of his franchise, but DOW, tlim.gh
tiered it seurcel) possible to Arecognioe. The worthy Alder- .
freeholder of less than 1001, a year is forbidden to kill a
mast then entered at length into a cuseideration at the mswoer
in which the Members of the House of Commons are returned partridge on his own estate, yet nobody else, not even
—it would be found on en examination of Government dove- the Lord of the Manor, unless he hid, a gram of a free
intents, that eighty-nine of those Members shared among them warren cannot do it without committing a trespass."—
the immense sum of jii3,3721, es. suieh, the produce of the Blackslone's Commentaries, vol. 4, page 416.
taxes, wrung from those whom they are said to represent. It As tile evil Of which the illustrious Commentator on
was worthy of remark, that this information was collected from on the Laws of Empand complains, is not confined 111
Government papers, end be could not but admire the pinatast any county i I particular, it is desirable that the nation
reltitittal fur fractions ; it would further be learnt front the at large snould be awakened to a sense of its exist-
same source, that ply other Members were brothers, sons, or , eise,
eepbews of the first worthy number of eighty-nine. The in- Poiceedings under the Game Laws, have been carried
thience of these Representatives (of somebody, it must be sup-
to such a length, that they have txcited general dositii,t,
posed), will necessarily be exerted in support of a system upon , , . ,
and have ten the mitiomig entities of society no alierita-
which they thrive. In the comity of Cornwall 1200 in-
tsve, but of standing up manfully again's' oppression and
dividuala return. d 16 members. There were three paltry
iiijustice, or of crouching at the feet of -those who seem places (Cation, Blechiagly, and Reigate, we believe) over
ertieli a blanket might utmost he thrown, returned sic teem- i w expect Iron their inferiors the most abject submission,
hen, and yet there were but four electors. In Wiltshire 21 the blindest and most uinpial,fied concession.
persons only vote for the appointment of those who are sup- I Affiliations with us are positively become a trade,
fussed to represent the whole twenty. This being the manner which has changed the coaracter of English rustics—
in which the people of Great Britaiu are represented in Path- created a most odious system of espionage, slid turned
amen , was it sarprising that that people should be weighed pessanis lino informer, and hunters for penalties.
down by excessive tssation ! and were we now to be told that such an extent shies the cupidity of these myrmidons
ma change was neetassati in the constitution of the House of carry them, teal smite of them have bet it known to put
Common ? The advocates of no chinge—" and, least of all, .
ham and pheasants into wires, es baits to decoy wielcit.s
seals change as we would bring thon"—had the boldness to
for vs hose conviction they have art aiipetite.
tors wend ulnae those who called for Reform, and ask them
Magistrates seinoin noel, hut several convictions take
" What is it you Redittals want! Do you require the Re-
place ; in souse instances deservedly, in tither. gine die
presentative, of the People of Great Britain to ' boo and cringe'
for the support of tag, rag, and bob tail'" He world enawor , whet) proceedings are taken, hot for the pro-
Nial Reformers of England demand only that the property [cation of any right of property, mu for the restraint or
of the country should be fairly represented—that those who correction art the midnight depred.itor, but lot presenting
pay the taxes should be allowed to have a voice in tbedisborst- respectable ai.d lair sportsmen Irons sliootitsa on their
I eats of those taxes--aad sooner or later must be the case.— own land, nod on that of other persons who have given
The cry for Ilefona was now the general voice of the great them pe ttttt
body of the people, add sooner or later the few must yield to Mr. Burke announced 30 years ago that civ:valry was
the real interests of the army. lie had occupied the time of gone to the tomb of its fathers-4ml an ilif -r in the
the Doan thus at length, in order to give them and the public vestitt etilighiened age is a very reputable charucter t—
o full end and ,correct view of the existence of an actual no- •iliwidettett by the really cut sable indikierence with
cessity for Reform in the milliner which the British Coati- y.
which the ,ing classes have eurveyed the gradual
tondo was administered. The worthy Alderman concluded by
tooting the following resolution:— advancer of the arrueracy in tyratmicat measures, some
That it appears to this Court, that the present „memo" , landed propeirtura hate sopped b. rod the limits which
burthwes sad distresses of the country have not arisen from their down dear statutes prescribe. raftdring a "vigour
unfurewsen or unavoidable eircumalanoes, bat have been the beyond the Law," they Ih.ve claimed the Ito( oar *cod-
nee tttttt result of a long course of corrupt influence, estate.- log their satin-keepers into the lands of weir eopyliolders,
ganoe sad toistele—of wars, rashly end enneeeaserily ender- collaring the tenant's servants, and skiing assay game
taken—aad of enormous establislinienta—a profusion of the intended for their masters. Such illegal tdviceedings,
public money in useless places and siateessie--end of on inn such humiliating insults are quite intolerable f and il
nesse stead* army during eight yew of profound prams, we- Englishmen submit to them tamely, let them Ito louger
known in Weser times—all "WI kw"; "is". and have grows talk of " the Mettle of their Pasture."
op to their prudent portentous ciapartrao, from the want of that
Our priantft are crowded with peasants who have been
constitutioaal °admit which ear only be found is a free and .
convicted tattler the Game Laws. the cases of many of
uuctirrapted representation of the people ia Parliament.
wl are.exceerlinfly hard..
" That a Petition be therefore presented to the Hoene of
Commons, praying that they will take all these Isms and air- Not litany days "teesu f.rtoer s servant was reaunit-
eniustances into their consideration, and iMmediately cause all led tor thtee months, who had picked tip a hare which
practicable reductions to be made in tint public stpeaditere. he found in a wire at he goat deioin,s, his 'trans across his
and adopt such measures as may effectually restore to the masteeklield —lie held at about titer ttttttt 1104 anti nu
people their fair and jest there in the Legislature, by a fall, , scrim& she gamekeeper, tvarew it down—this act the
fair, and free representation in Parliament. Irate was ()Witted, as the law 1110 W stands, to con-

Kr. SLADE' rod Mr. TAYLOR supported itit great length.
hir GALLOWAY said he shoutd he a reformer upon principle.
if there were nut a single grievance in the country. It was the
best evidence that the reformers were not revolutionists, that
they proposed to submit to the body that occasioned their
grievances, to say what We remedy or those grievances
should be.

Mr. CROCKER opposed the motion ; and Mr. PATTRN sup•
ported it.
Aldenean WAlTHeise replied '
•, when the Isestion teas pst,
end the resolutiun carried.

Mr. FAWELL rose to second it. He said, that this was just
the hotidredth time in the bourse did yeses on which be had
addressed the Court or the public upon this momentous ques-
tion. He congratulated the Court upon the progress made in
the public opinion, and after some prefatory obaertutious upon
the state of the repteaenintion of the city. when only one of
their representatives (Allennan Wood) could be brought to
give attention to his constituents upon the question, Mr. Eavell
proceeded to reply to the position held by Mr. Comtism recently,
that it would endanger the Dlonarrity to give a greater number
of representatives to the people. Surely the people incest be
greatly divalrecteil with Monarchy Haley wore in a state ready
to get rid Olt on the first opportunity. But he denied that the
people were ylisalfected, end said, that the ni;:jority were and
always would be isealoile ftdVometes of the reasonable prerog --
lives of the Sovereign, and were well .aware of the necessity of
notintaining them, iu order to keep the doostitution in a health-
ful state. After some observations on the state of the lepre-
sentatiun, and the growing uecessity for a Wilful, lie concluded
by moving resolutions, expressive of the opinion of Ike Coma
on the necessity of a pailiantentary reform., a reduction ,of the
expend lure, Ste. Sic.
The Recorder was about to pct the question, when
Alderman t Fxsouls rose and said, that, idtboe,,b he came
Isetore the Court under great disatlvansa4es, after the two very
aisle and experienced speakers, yet he could not resist she up •
'tortuosity of declaring hitt sentiments upon this important ques-
tion. He declared that it was his deliberate opinioe, that a
reform in Parlitinent was absolutely necessary to the safety of
She Constitution. Ile concluded, by saying it was impossiblk
net to perceive that a spirit of inquiry was abroad, and front
the efforts of the nation• of Europe, it was evident that they
most ultimately gain representation in Government. In short.
those who advocated all old institutions in their worst state,
would find that they might as wet! attempt to stop the dawn of
light in the morning, as to check the progress of public opinion
on this great subject,—(Loud and conlirmeil applause.)
Mr. Dittlist thought that the extension of the right of ma-
fine would endanger the safety of the ODA istry. Could those
who set the east machine, the public, in mutton, say where it
would stop r
Air. JAMI.II was against the motion.

inagim._ _Anted, . ~ ..
strut. czposing the harefor golf.
The isle Mr. 111/(l,Cr 3i141 in the House of Commons
that " there were no two animals/oat malutea trayuirg au
s mug an antipathy against cacti tattier as a Justice of the
' Peace and 61 Pow:tier."
If this be true as A general axiom, it admits of many
t ezreptionsi &mitt itasnee* of the Peace are lint for•
mottir.r—Ate liberal and cmiltd, and it they were to de-
-1 dare their *continents, often feel a if mignatice II) carry
1 into ektedtion me inconsistent and sesations laws rclat.
1 i•IF to game.
1 It is high tithe m appeal to the legi.laiiire for a mnili.
fication of vittie of these statutes, which ?tot wily 'militates
against rights of plain-rig, but are injurious to the r.dc-
is tie, as Lucy mutt many permits hum taking out tern-
; ficaies.
Justice and common sense demiud that nn man hat.
Mg a caulk:tie. and spotting tin :Ars own land, or Mai 0/
! his nrightwite with consent, should be liable to a hue.—
' And tile Ireehdooers on theist Britain should speak
ireely to their representatives oil tins subject at the 'text
gerseial election, or sonner it opportunities should caner.
lit the IIIC•lIl time lA/Co-ors might to he formed Ga iii
! .lefeircr of per 301.5 imploperly prosecuted illlthr the
1 Guise Laws, whicn would its etery 111C111/Cl.ll tile word_,
be Cinutiti.tional Societies. s.,

--- • - -
We rejoice to learn that meetings have bean held
in the different Hundreds through Norfolk, fhr the
purpose oldisowning any participation in the vil-
lainous principles contained in the Petition which
wns recently, ainl almost unresistediy, allowed to
disgrace the county by its adoption.
Dr. Jentier, the discoverer of vaccination, expired
on Sunday last, after a very short illness. at his
bolls,: at Berkeley, in the 74th year of his ay.