The Sun.
London, England, 1822-04-18 00:00:00

THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 1822..

PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, APRIL 17.

Mr. MAYNARD, (from the Southwark Court of
Requests) presented a Return pUrsuant to an
order of the House.-,—Ordered to lie on the
table.

The second reading of the Marriage Amendment Bill, was
postponed from Friday next to Friday the 25th instant.
Mr. W. DUNDASPresented a Petition from the Candle-
makers at Edinburgh, praying for relief from the whole or 'I
a part of the present duty on candles.—Ordered to lie on the
table.
Lord STANLEY postponed the second reading of the War-
rant of Attorneys' Bill till Monday next.
Sir F. OMMANNEY presented a Petition. from Samuel-,
Brown, Captain in the Royal Mxy, praying permission to
bring in a Petition for a Bill to erect a flying pier at Brighton.
—Referred to a Committee. •

Mr. P. MOORE presented a Petition-from the Commis-
sioners of Sewers against the Bill for Paving and Lighting
Camden Town.—Ordered to lie on the table.
SCOTCH BURGHS.
. Lord A. HAMILTON presented a Petition from 'certain in-
dividuals belonging to the Corporation of Bakers, in the Royal
'Burgh of Perth, on the subject of the Bill for Regulating
Scotch Burghs, and praying the House to take their situation
into its consideration.—Ordered to be printed.
Mr. KENNEDY presented a Petition on the same subject
from the Conveners of Trades in the Burgh of Ayr.—Ordered
to be printed.
WINDOW TAX IN IRELAND.
Mr. SHAW presented Petitions from the, Parishes of Saint
Andrew and Saint Nicholas Without, in Dublin, stating it to
be their opinion that the proposed Repeal df the Malt Duty
treuld afford little relief in that part of the; United King-
dom, and suggesting instead of the abandonment of the
Malt Duty, a repeal of the Window Tax.—Ordered to lie on
the table.

WELSH JUDICATURE.
➢lr. ALLAN gave notice that on Thursday, May 16, he
would move to refer to a Committee the last Report on the sub-
ject of Welsh Judicature.
_ VORKSHIRE ELECTIONS.

Mr. C. W. WYNN' postponed the second reading of the
Yorkshire Election Polls Bill, till the 9th inst:

-- IRISH CIVIL LIST.
Mr. HUME wished to know whether the Returns in detail
relating to the Irish Civil List were ready to be laid before the
House.

The Marquis of,LONDONDERRY hoped it would be in
his powez to answer that question to-morrow or very shortly,
but at present he 'was riot Ina situation to do so.
BILL TO AMEND THE LAWS . RELATIVE TO

• CERTAIN CASES OF FELONY v
Mr. BENNET, in moving for leave to bring in a Bill to
amend the Law respecting Accessories before the Fact in cer-
tain Felonies, observed, that it might seem to call for an apo-
logy that he had taken on himself to make a proposition which
might seem to come more properly from a Member of the pro-
fession of the Law. He had not, however, brought forward
his motion without consulting Gentlemen of professional expe-
rience, and the evil he proposed to remedy was so obvious that
he had little hesitation in proposing his Bill, In cases of mur-
der and arson accessaries before the fact could be punished as
principals ; but in cases of other felonies, as burglaries, these
accessaries could only be prosecuted for misdemeanour, so that
the persons who had altogether planned and contrived a rob-
bery might escape with a trifling punishment, and in those in-
stances in which the actual perpetrators of the crime could not
be brought to justice without any punishment at all. Cases
were 'thus constantly arising in which the greatest criminals
were suffered to escape. • A. jeweller had recently been robbed
of property to the value of 2,0001. sterling; an apprentice giv-
ing information to the robbers, and affording them the means
of perpetrating thetr crime .;.but two of the robbers escaped,
and the third; liavivieffirned-King,s evidence, this apprentice
was set loose 00.3.heo.ivoild. with merely a lecture from the
Judge, who expressed his regret that theramas no law to punish
him. He proposed in all such cases to give the Court the power
of sentencing the accessary before the fact to transportation.—
Leave given to bring in the Bill.
Mr. BENNET said there was another motion of which.
he had intended to have fortified himself with many cases,
for leave to bring in a Bill to amend the law respecting
the crime of ManslauOter, but in conversation since he
had come into the House, the necessity for a severer punish-
ment in aggravated cases of this crime seemed so ge-
neral, that he should make few observations. Nothing
could be more obvious than the great shades of differ-
ence between the lowest degree of criminality by which death
could be occasioned, and that which bordered on the crime of
murder. Yet, in any of these cases, the highest punishment
that could be inflicted was twelve months imprisonment. A
case had recently occurred, in which a man had been thrown
out of the window of a house of ill fame, and had died, after
languishing some time in the greatest agony, yet the highest
punishment that could be inflicted in this case was twelve
months imprisonment. Be thought the Court in such cases
should have the power of sentencing to so much as fourteen
years transportation. He moved for leave to bring in his Bill.
Mr. W YNN agreed entirely with the Hon. Gentleman, that
there was no part of the law so defective as that relating to
Manslaughter. He should only mention, that the causing of
death by a mere accidental blow in a scuffle, and the deMerate
killing of an officer, who might be executing a warrant in
which there was an illegularity, was just the same offence in
the eye of the law, and. the Judge would be obliged to inflict
just the same punishment, with the exception of branding,
which no one would wish to see resorted to, if there were any
other mode of marking the sense of a crime.
AGRICULTURAL REPORT.
_ _

The Marquis of LONDONDERRY said, when he had
given notice of a motion on, the Report made by the Committee
appointed to inquire info the existing Agricultural Distress, it
was by no means his intention to interfere in any way with the
motion of which notice had been given by the Right Hon.
Baronet opposite. That he might not do so he would now
put off his motion till the Friday following ; but as the great
importance of the subject made it desirable to avoid unneces-
sary delay, he wished it to be understood as peremptorily fixed
for that day.
In answer to a auestion or remark from Mr. Fulmars, the
Noble Marquis stated Friday week to he the latest period to
which he proposed to defer bringing the subject forward._.
The motion was r.ccordingly fixed for Friday, 26th inst.
RECOVERY OF SMALL 'DEBTS.

Lord BELGRAVE presented• a Petition from. certain Land-
dords in the City of Chester, expressing their satisfaction at
finding that a Bill had been lirought in to facilitate the re-
covery of small debts under 151., and praying • that the ....ame
may pass into a law.--Ordered to lie on the table.