The Sun.
London, England, 1824-03-17 00:00:00

FOR THE SUN.

GAME LAWS.

Ma. EDITOR.—I have not seen the Bill for the ,1
Repeal of the Game Laws, but I understand that it 1
is meant to do away all manorial rights, and to'
vest the right to the game in the owner of the
land. Now Parliament, on all other occasions,
seems particularly cautious how it interferes with
established rights, insomuch that it scruples to
remove a clerk from a useless office without re-
muneration do not hear that the Lords of
Manors are to have any remuneration on this oc.
casiou ; but their guns and nets, !;ligs and game-
keepers, are, by a swelog eint4to be brushed
at once from the face of the earth. I should
therefore advise, that the said-Lords of Manors
should by some means associate, backed by the
gamekeepers (for their trade will be at an end,
too), petition Parliament against all such innova-
tion, the true motive for which is the longing of
the monied part of the community to partake of
the more delicate produce of the land, at a less
expellee, if not a safer conscience, than they can
do at present, though the ostensible reasons are,
that the laws cannot, because they do not, pi .e.
vent poaching, and that the convictions for selling
game in the great towns have been very few ;
which latter reason, by the bye, accounts for the
alleged incompetency of the laws, and shews, at
the same time, the moderation and forbearance of
the country gentlemen, and that those laws are
by no means so oppressive as the expounders of
our law have been pleased to represent, exciting
thereby in the country (which was very far from
their intention) a spirit of Radicalism beyond
what they were aware of, for that there is a con-
nexion in these points appears from the French
Revolution : one of the first steps they took was
to abolish the Game Laws. But if these laws
are to be here abolished because they are seldom
enforced, and cannot accomplish the purpose ef-
fe for which they were designed, the same
a
ill hold good with respect to almost all
t e ini%al statutes. Petty felons often escape be-
crl'alcustsupjY .rill
is better to put up with the first loss
than to be at the trouble and expellee of a prose-
cution. Hedges and posts and rails are pulled
up and carried away, and the farmer will not
apply to the Magistrate, because, if the offender
should be sent to the House of Correction, he
must help to maintain his family. Vagrants
swarm in some parts of the country, because the
farmer is afraid to offend them, or because the
expellee and trouble of removiti- them is a greater
evil than to let them remain. yet still these
penal laws han,ging over their heads, keep them
g
in some sort of order, for, if they were abolished,
the thief would take away the goods before your
face, and the beggar vrould stare in at your win-
dow, and come in at your doors, if they were
open, and you would have no means of getting
rid of him but by a notice and • •
action, and the old
proverb tells you what you would get by it.
It is not the stripes, it
scrams (as Mr. BURKE
said upon the American Question), that they
complain of, but the Por-'er of inflicting those
stripes ; but who is it that complains of this
grievance but the very people who are bent upon
having a share of their • t
netgabour's property
through the removal of it
It may be said, perhaps, that the Lord of the
Manor has not a right in the game, unless he has
also a grant of free warr *en ; but he has a right,
by himself and deputy, to kill the game, and
apply it to his own use, which nobody else has.
This is a right which has been long established,
and is held in high estimation, and 1 cannot think
that Parliament will venture to violate it, without
giving some fair compensation at least.
Should it be wished to relieve the Statute
Book by repealing unnecessary laws, it would be
scarce worth while to
look back for that purpose
beyond the reign of GEORG E the SECOND, before
which time they were comprised in a small com-
pass, and were clear and intelligible ; but of late
years they have increased in bulk as well as ob-
scurity (thanks for this ti.,Eya xxxoc to the ar-
gutive and refinements of Counsel in their exposi-
tion.) These it might be well to amend and
compress, &c., for if they are continued in like
manner as they have been, we 'must add new
' shelves to our libraries to contain, and send our
children to Mr. OWEN, of Lanark, to enlighten
their understandings to comprehend them ; with
him, perhaps, they may attain knowledge and
Fortunatus's wishing-cap, but what will that
avail when, like poor Mr. PETER SCIILEMIIIL
(see British Critic for February), they shall have
lost their shadows ? G.
• Free warren extends over the lands of other people—how
will this be adjusted ?

HAZARD and Co. have sold, in Shares, another
Twenty Thousand Pound Prize, drawn This
Morning (No. 12,299), and it will be recollected
that, on the first day of the present Lottery,
they sold Both the first-drawn T wenty Thousands.
ST. PATRICK'S DAY.—This morning, at ten
minutes past nine o'clock, the Ticket No. 5,299
was drawn a Prize of 120,9.00., and was shared
by Bun, 4, Cornhill, and 9, Charing-cross, in
One Quarter, Three Eighths, and Six Sixteenth
Shares. The Quarter was sold by his Agent at
Glasgow, One Eighth at Liverpool, One Six-
teenth at Chester ; the other Two Eighths and
Five Sixteenths were sold in London. The for-
tunate Holders may receive the value of their re-
spective Shares on demand, at either of Bisn's
Offices, 4, COllllllll, and 9, Charing-cross.