The Sun.
London, England, 1812-04-09 00:00:00

TROPOLIS

[Concluded from-our Paper ofTesterday.]

Your Conamitte'e feel that much would be done
by merely extending the provisions of the i 4 Geo-
o the adjacent parishes in and net the metro-
. • polis, which would be. particularly described, ,pro-
vided it were duly executed; but they are,cohwinC=
ed, that it may receive very beneficial amendments,
for the dettls of which they wetild iefer -to the Aps
peediXratatipg here only, that, in many instances, it
may, pe absolutely necessary to give. powers for levy-
itig a higher rate- than is .now allowed, in order to
defray the expence arising from 'an increase of the
nninb rs or ra ages of the persons employed in dif-
feren, capacities-in the NighlyWatch. Your Com-
mittee- being strobgly, impressed witty the opinion of
the expediency, if 'not necessity, of relieving
,the
Watch Once at least in the night,
But tile main improvement of this Law would
consist in 'creating a Superintending power, to whose
discretion should be e,strusted, the dismissal of the
per,,004 apeoioted by the parochial aut'eorities
cases of Misconduel,• negligence or inability, and to
whom it should l-loeg to enfOrce generally,. if ne-
cessary, the d!,e execution of this Att; for, with all
the-Other proposed amendments,.' it cat-not escape-
ohsertizeionethat. the system would still remain itn-
perfeet, and t ery inferior in efficacy to that -which
subsists within the City of London (properly so call-
ed) ; there "still would remain that want of unity,
that want of dependence Of parts on each ot her, that
avant of a :ganeral. superintendance and • controul,
without. which, esery system of government must
• be imperfect.
Your Committee, considering, with this. view
whether there are any public bodies or individuals
already known to.the laws, and vested with judicial
anti administrative powers, and on whom might con-
veniently be imposed the duty of connecting in some
degree the scattered, parochial authorities, hare oa-
t orally forbid, their attention dire:Jed to the several
bcardsof Magistracy which\have been created by'. the
32 6eo:lft.c.-L-3. This Alit, reciting that a regular
attendauce of tit Magistrates at certain known places,
and at sta-ed hocoer, was Mitch wanted, establishes
seven Boards. of Magistracy in various parts of the
These Boards 'of Magistracy have in common par-
lance obtained the name of Police Offices„ although
neither by the provisions of this Act, nor by the
nature of their duties as Justices of the Peace, have
they any superintendence whatever in matters of
preventive and parochial P,oltce, or any necessary
finowledge of the pienciples on which the several,
'independent unconnected pAishes ad, or of the de-
tails by which the peace and good order of the me-
tropolis are endeavoured. o be maiiitamed ; nor have
thei any means of obtaining this. knowledge,
e.xcept incidentally, in consequence of persons
being
..brought betore them, charged with dis-
, orderly conduct-, or suspected of having Corn-
- 'mined crimes. They merely constitute the first
stage in the adminislialion of general jurisprudence.
It would seem' to be. extraordinary, Unit in such a
Metropolis, as London, there should be no office. in
whichi • fordeation is o'lleeted-, from which intelli-
geece can be obtained. as to the state of the
line Secretary ot State. fhr the Home. Department
bas not, necessJriy, any knowledge on this subject,
not has he the means of *obtaining any such know-
ledee, except with reference to crimes committed, or
ot disturbances which have arisen;or of the nuniher
of informations or.commituls which hat Oaken place
during an; giv. n period.
Your Committee are therefore persuaded, that
the greatest advantages would arise from-making use
of these 1303145 of Magistracy, even if it were for
no oilier purpose, than as constituting centres to
sthich information might habitually and constantly
be communicated, and daily reports made from the
several parishes situated within the :distriet, which,,
for tire sake of mutual convenience, is considered as
ast.igned to each of these seven Police Offices.
• •
By nn _ans of this system of, daily report,:detailing
the number and description of the persons employ-
ed on the watch daring the preceding night,
,and the
occurrences which may have taken place while they
were so on,duty, the Magistrates would be informed
as, to the mariner in which 'the proposed Act of
Parliament. had been complied with; amid also of the
state .of order or disorder which might prevail in the
various parishes within their district.
.But your
CoMmitiee further propose, as a Means of suparin-
ten3ance and centroul; and for the purpose of veri-
fying in some degree. the correctness of such re-
ports, and of ascertaining the.fitbess as -well ets good
conduct of the persons so ediployed,,• that it should
be the duty of seine, of the principal Officers At-
-tackled to the several Boards of Magistracy (ge-

nerally kno,sn by the name of Police..Officers)to.
golounds according to some rotation, to be settled
during the night, and .to _ visit the. several Watch-
houses within their district, and report in the morn-
ing to the Office to which they are attached, as to
the vigilance, good cOnduEt, and fitness of the Con-
stables, Beadles, Parrules,• and Watchmen, on duty
during the.night. It is also proposed, that it should
be tire duty ot the High Constable within the seve.-
ral divisions, occasionally to make similar visitations
and reports, and with this view, it might'Perhaps
be advisable to attach to them a certain number ot
who might be stipendiary -Officers, to be
• paid 'Out of the County-rate, -or out of some rate to
be levied within each respective division to which
they belong.,
Nor are these the only tittans by Which it is pro-
posed to titraish the Boards of Mai:jstrates with. in-
formationiespecting the state of the Metropolis as
to its Police, and as to the manner in which the pa-
kOdlial authorities execute
_the powers entrusted to
them ; but it is further recommended, that the ex-
cellent provisions of the statuteol 14 Geo. M. c.gU.
t,hould be extended.
'nix: is the statute Which your Committee have
before alluded to as applicable to the City and Liber-
Jic-. of Westminster,. and certain other parishes
tli:xeiti named, and which, atter having prescribed
n,•:t general outline ot the manner in which watch is
;0 t)..--• kept, direils that the several parochial audio-

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