The Sun.
London, England, 1801-09-07 00:00:00

REPORTS

FROM THE EF:LECT 'COMMITTEE C)! THE HOUSE
or -CoMmaNs APPOINTED TO INQUIRE INTO
THE STATE OF THE PUEI,IC.ILECor-Ds .Of THE

KINGDOM.

(Continuctifrcr( ostr 14,.)

Sucb.have been the proceedings of your Commit-
tee, and such are the measures which they have
thought it adviseable to submit to the House, with
respea to the. Public Records of the Realm.
How these measures may be carried into execu-
iion, if they should receive the sanetion of the
House, is also a consideration to 'which they
,have
'not failed to direft their attention.
The precedents of former times point out the
propriety of addressing His Majesty, that he will
. be graciously pleased to give directions for the put.
.pose. Those directions have not unfrequently been
given to Commissioners, specially appointed to exe.
cute theta accordingly ; a method very desirable
in itself. as it ensures dispatch in the execution,
.and uniformity in the result. If such a proceeding
should be adopted on the present occasion, it is
obvious, that a plan so ektensive in its compass
*ill require a considerable expence to accomplish it
in all its parts; but',. nevertheless, there will be no
-need of any large, advances at any one time, as the
'work must necessarily be slow and gradual ;;and
for the purpose of insuring a constant attegtion to
its progress, At may not be inexpedient that an an-
-nual account of "it should be laid before Parliament.
• Such was the proceeding recomniended -by the
Lords Committees in the Reign of His late Ma-
jesty ; and by reference to the same authority, -it
appears, not io have been unusual to appoint Com-
mittees, to make • occasional inguiries. as to what
bad been done in pursuance of such Addresses. - •
• That measures, of the• nature suggested by your
Committee, or other measures to the same eilcd,
ought to be executed, your Committee cannot en.
terrain any reasonable doubt ; and,. whilst they
are recommending them, for adoption,. they wish
the House to bear in -mind the
followinP-ccnsidera"
tions, namely, The acknowledgement of all times,
that our general Histories spew abundant marks of
ignorance and incorrectness; with regard to the ex-,
tstence_and contents of our Public Records, a faa to
which. there is uniform testimony, from fhe days of
Isprd.Bacon and Lord Coke to our own times and
to this we• inay add the manifeSt impotlance; of our
• having the most ready knowledge of the Records of
the Country, in the daily concerns aGoverrinient,
Legislation, and Jurisprudence. -; • •
With respect to Legislation, it-is cleaittlat Many
of our 'Public Statures ,and Parlitimenta#y
'were unknown AO tli.! most learned mar
times, as we now finci\hy reference7to,,4ll6Farliatrilit
Rolls ; and many oft hose Lavitit6 %!.' rioW -17 pr
engrafted into the ore ti nary Colltftions in the printed
Statute Books.- Upon the celebrated cbriferenceS of
this House with the Hciuse of .Peersin the-last cell.
fury, ,when the exeltisi‘ re Privilege of the Gammons
respeiting Money Bills was discussed and itSta.
blished, the important uses. to:. be tleriited from a
knowledge of. Parliamen taryitecoids were signally
and successfully displave, i on the part of 'the CoM-
irons, by Sir iienelgai, tch, (then Attorney-Gene.
ral, and .afterwards Lord 1, Ncittingharn), for whiCh
he-received their ritiatnitn 'pus :thanks :.40 -when the
Constitution of the Exel, cquer -came into question
upOn the Bankers' Case i n the reign of ,King Wil.
liatn, it was by the test of Public ReCords alone,
that Lordi Somers
.was ec sided to' settle ittliiTlits ;
and, again, when theri& it of manning the Navy
by pressing was disputed, the legality of .that prac-
tice was established by. Sit Michael Foster, on the
authority of recorded Prectalerits : and' to obis same
Standard of authority have both Houses of Pariix.
merit found it expedient to, resort at no Very Ills-
rant period, and upon occas boas of the most solemn
concern, for the safest guide ' to their joint proceed-

ings.
In concluding this Report , your Committee feel
it also to-he their duty, to call the attention of the
Haase to the policy of establishing 'hereafter some
system (f Cittieral Registraciou- for all Public Re-
cords and Instruments whate‘ier, or at least for
such as affea Landed Property. 'The whole details
of such a system, its struEture, 'and its operations,
are exemplified in the Returns cc ileac& in the pro-
gress of these Inquiries. And your Committee de-
sire to suggest, for the future con i.ideration of Par-
liament, --whether it may not he it measure of the
soundest wisdom, to extend thr,)ughout all Eng.
land that plan which has been tried so 'satisfaabrily
in the populous counties 6f Middlesex and York for
nearly a 'century past ;—tried also ‘vith signal ad-
vantage- for an equal period throughout the whole
kingdom of Ireland, with whose laws, on this point
at least, it, must he pecttliarly desirable to establish
a similarity---and tried or 'ages, upon a" still more
puled and extensive plar„'throughout Scotland With
the most complete success and the most;salutary
consequences.
• ' •

Among many valuable Articl4 ApperidiK to this
Report,, we :shai I make• some few s,SeleOic,ns,which we con—
ceive will be. deemed generally inte\eting.