The Sun.
London, England, 1813-05-05 00:00:00

I 311-'1.13.1,:i PAR LIAM EN T

• HOUSE OF
.LORDS.
TUESDAY, MY 4.,
. On the .suggestion of the Lord CHAN.CELLOR,
the ConiMittee of FavilegeS; to whom thfi.-consi.
deration of the Ably Peerage was referred, was':
appointed to sit orrThursdqy; ,
Petiti:lns were presented from the, following;
places, praying that in' the regulations about to
be. adopted by the Legislatnre fur the future go-
vernment of the British Territories in India, due
provision should .be 'made the further intro-
duction
and propagation of Christian Knowleege
and Moral Improvement therein, ' viz. ::---
From Froure, in. Soinersets!iire.,, by the Earl of
CORK. • •
From certain Parishes in the same County, by
Earl ST4Nl.lOl'l'., who observed these applications
lidd his cordial concurrence, as he thought it.
should be- one of the first Objects to the mind
of mar. to diffuse every specids of light and know-
ledge as far as was .practicable..
From Ripon and its vicinity, by Lord GRAN-
THAM.
From Milhorne Port, in the County of Somer-
set, by the Earl of Uxuturnln. •
FrOm fluilderStield, Hull, Pati-ington; Bever-
ley, Bridlington, Leeds; and a few other places in
the County of York, some of whibh were from
the Baptist Missionary Societies established at
thoSe places, by Earl Fri-zwttki,ot. •
Froth the Town of Stafford, by the "Earl of
I-Ixattow•By. '
From Royston, in Cambridgeshire, by the Earl
of HARDWICKE, who alsO presented '•a Petition
from the Friends of the Baptist lqlssiortaries now
in India, resident in and near Canibridge, in he-
IMlf of -tht i r objects. •
These documents being read in the usual way,
'were srerally ordered 'to lie on the table.
The Irish Spirits Sugar 11i4 was brought up
frotn.the Commons by Mr. LUSHINGTON, which,
with several Private, Bills, brought up
,by Mr.
ELLISON, f..4.GEORCI: Cr..Ouse,.and other Mem-
bers, were respectively read a *first time.-
On the motion tg• the Earl of 11.knitownY,, the
present order for the farther consideration of the
Curates Bill was postponed to. a future day, with
a view. to the •eouvenience of some Noble Lords,
who wished to take_ part in the discussion.
The remaining- • 13ilis upon the table were Ve-
speetively forwarded,' and the House 'adjourned
till to...morrow. ,

. HOUSE OF COMMONS.
TUESDAY, NI 1Y
Sir cv. SbarT postponed the i.;ointnittee on :the
Ecclesiastical Courts,Bill, from Friday to Monday
next.

• Several Petitions were presented, praying, that
in the new' Charter to be .grant'ed' to the East In-
dia Company, such provisions May be made, as
will facilitate Cie admission into India of such be-
nevolent persons as may be disposed to go thither
to coin►nuuicate to the' natives. Christian know.-
ledge, and instruct il►etu iu the arts of civilised

Sir F. BußDETT'gare n tice, that he would, to-,
Morrow, Move tor the Minutes of the Gintrt of In
quirt', instituted to investigate the &induct of
Capt, Pliillimore, of the Diadem.
Mr. LYTTLETON fixed the motion of which he
had given notice, respecting the conduct of the
American, War, for the 19th of May. ,
On the motion of Nr.-Ahlerman Ark:INS, it was
Ordered thy the Speaker do not issue .114 writ for
the election of :Members to serve for 'time Boroiigh
of Weymouth and Nelcombe Regis till after this
t'iay sennight.'
The Irish Parish Church Bill went through a
Committee, the Report of which was ordered to
be received, to-morrow.
The Merchants Mates' Bonds Bill, and the Ma-
rine Officers Wine Drawback Bill, were read a
third time, and passed. • " •
Mr. H:SUMNER KIONed that the House should
resolve itself Into ii Counnittee on the County
Records Bill. •

Mr. WESTERN opposed the motion. He thought
iio reaions had been brought forw;:rd 'l%llOl- jus-
tified the measnre'. If passed, it would have the
effect of-increasing the county rates ; and feeling.
this, and that the Bill was miLecessary, he shbuld
oppose the Speaker's leaving the chair.
Mr. H. SIMINCII defended the Bill. The great
increase of 'County Records 'tnetdr, such a measure
desirable....He •did not say it might he necessary
for every Comity, but for that which he had the
honour to representit was necessary.
The ,question was put and carried, and the
House resolved itself into a Committee.
On one of the clauses of the. Bill, in which a
provision was proposed for building a rei,illence
for the Clerk of the Peace, a discussion of some
length took place, after which the Contnittee:li-
vide& when. we understood the numbevs were
from GS to in favour of the clause.

Sir S. liomtt.t,Y proposed, to introdurc two new
clause:4.. The first Wevi,t, to require the Clerk of
the Peace (whose situation ,was one of con;iitlet-
able Value and emolument, 11,5 was 4:fear:from the
strong eatiVasS always set on foot by various .par-
ties when that office . was to be filled un), twin.;
ally to 'forward to the SecretarY of State for the.
Home Department returns of all the Prisoners
committed to the County 'Jail for- trial, and
dieted at the Quarter Sessions, distingui3hing the
oifenees with which they were charged,:the ntn-
ber acquitted and convicted, specifying the sen-
tences of the latter, and the number discharged in
consecittence of tro bill being found'against them,
and also the ,number discharged by proclamation.
The second. clause went to enact, that it_ should
be. unlawful for any Clerk of the Peace' appointed
pas-sing of this Aet, to Tewive-fees front'
1
11%)ie'itis s:lo6tn o the
d7l:, a great
Inotgulitlatryd' The object of this
vship which had tlong
been much complained of. .At present, men
feeheatrigyci(iilt‘ivci)ct
eltneto,ll‘l,l,le)lrtetlifirgegautet
lan;lsyau it; thongh per-
obliged to pleail
to escape. tbe. emmice of asserting their
innocence. If a charge Were perfeetly .nufounded;
a ppoman frequently advised to ple:td guilty,
as In could not pit!ad not guilty Without incur-
ring au eXpellPe of'•about'9l. ; itht.l he was there;
fore obliged to submit to the scandal of being

guitty, to avoic the ; pcnally on establishing 11-14
innocence, The Hon. Gentlenian here read his
clauses, and moved that the lirSt shauittbe added
to the Bill. -
Mr. H. Susth'utt , thought the provisions con-
tained in the proposed clauses were of a very sa-
lutary nature, but irrelevant to the present
lie was, against throwing the
avrk of the :Peace, without thereasiog his I emu-
neration, and therefore was of opinion,, that if the
addiional duty were imposed On lrirll, which was
set forth in the first clause of_ the.Holf. Gentle.-
man, means shonk ,be tcl 't Id to his einolu-
rnentS. The situation' of Town
.Clerk, lie coo.:
tended, was,not of such value-as the Hon. Gen.-
tleman supposed from thearong.eanvass osnally, •
made for it when a vacancy occurred. . This
strong canvass a was occasioned by its being
sought . by persons to thong ht
it ought not Lever to be given Attor-
nies. . • These persons desired it !less for the
emoluments Which belonged to it, than for the
grist which (to use their 99.:1-phrase) it, was the
means of bringing.to their mill in the practice
to which it introduced them. It certainty gaVe
acs Auorney a • great deal of pra'etice in • the
county, but he Was of opinion an Attorney ought
never to.hold -it. It might: to be held by persons
in, a higher situation,
.aoci these could not be ah
tained unless higher' emoluments were ettached to
it. With respeet to the second-clause, he admit-
ted that which it proposed to relieve was a great
hardship which ought to be. done away, but he
did not think the Clerk of the Peace should be
made. a loser by the clittoge% The expellees of
pleading ought in his opinion to be thrown on the
Comity. Upon the whole, he thought au express
legislative 'enactment ought to be made to. early
the wishes of the Hon. Gentleman into effect-; but
he did not think the provisions which the case
Might demand would be properly introduced, as
was proposed- in a Bill which had nothing to do
With the subject. .'
Mr. ADDING-tOS concurred with the last
in
Speaker, thinking a specific legislative provi-
sion ought to be made to carry into effect the
wishes of the Honourable Gentleman. This ob-
ject would he but, very imperfectly attained, if the
clauses proposed were agreed to, as the same re-
' iodations would be desirable with respect to Clerks
of the Assizes, as were proposed to-be applied to
'Clerks of the Peace. This 'could not be accom-
plished by-the measure before the Honse, and
theref4re the evil complained of would-be but im-
perfectly-removed.:
Sir S. llostito.v denied -that the proyisions he
hid proposed were irrelevant to the Bill, and con-
tended- similar regulations ,Were not 'so loudly
called for in the case of the Clerks of the Assizes,
as-in that of Clerks of the Peace. He stronglypiit,
to the Committee the, necessity of supplying a re-
medy to the• evils lie had pointed out, and coin-
-merited on the very Wipe:l-ea administration of
justice. in a case where a poor man might be well
advised.t6 plead guilty to a charge of which he
.Wos innocent, When it might be said CO 'him,
plead guilty, acid , you will only be fined a shil-
ling,' but if you assert you: innocence,- it will cost
you. nine or ten locntods." The Han: Cenilenian
(Mr. If .Sumner) seemed to think that if the.einolu,..
melds of the Clerk of the Peace were increased,
attornie's would no longer till that &lice. This be
(Sir Samnel ltomilly) did not think likely. He
did not think the expence of persons pleading ,
could properly be thrown on the county as in Ire-
land.- He thought the fees of the',Clerk of the
Peace ought to he reduced. ..He quoted-two:in:-
stances in whieh2ol. was received by two Clerks
of the Peace in the courz;e of a year, from. per-
. Sons who were acquitted of the charges preferred
against them, 1;1 one case a Cleth of the Pestice
received in this way 1701. in the year, the salary
of his office being forty pounds per annum ; in
the other a Ckrk of the Peace:received uinety-
feint- pound's, his 'regular 'salary being twenty
pounds. That these sums should be levied on
innocent persons was a _great hardship. A per.;
son ought rather to receive compensaion for the
confinement be; had. unjustly endured, and the
losses he had in consequenv sustained. • ,
BATUVRsT thought, his Right,Hon.,
Friend, that a specific remedy ought to be applied
to the evils in questicin, hut did not approve of at-
' tempting to redress them thrOngh -the medium of
a' Bill which had no immediate caldera with
' them,
After a few obse-.'vations 'froth C6L-Bar6r,' Sir'
F. Hood; Mr. Herbert, Mr. kI. Addington, and
Sir S: Hominy, the Gallery AYeis cleared for a
when we understand the firit clause propos-
ed was rejected; the numbers being—
.4o I Again'gt it.. .49 i Majority,...9.
and the second elausercipecting the fe6 carried ;
the numbers beityr
Fcir AOir.st [Mujoriti.....t% •
The ,RePort. 'Was:. in-' tiered to be received to-
morrow.