The Sun.
London, England, 1835-10-15 00:00:00

REGISTRATION.-(THIS DAY.)

WE STMINSEER.

(Before Mr. CRAIG.)
The Court sat this morning in the No. 2 Committee Room
of the House of Commons, in consequence of the Sessions
being held at the Guildhall.

EXETER HALL CLAIMS.
At the sitting of the Court, Mr. CRAIG gave judgment on
the claims of the proprietors of Exeter Hall, who claimed to
be put on the Register as " scot and lot" voters. He said the
question to be considered was, whether Mr. George Baker
was entitled to the scot and lot franchise on the 7th June
1832, and whether he had preserved that right up to the 31st
of July last, as the Reform Act preserved the right of those
only who were possessed of the scot and lot right when it was
passed into a law ? It was not very clear what constituted the
scot and lot qualification. Before the 42d of Elizabeth there
were no recorded decisions upon the point, and it remained in
obscurity. However, from the time of James, when the
first decision took place, it had been held that a rating to
the poor rate was sufficient evidence of the qualification, as
it was presumed that a person rated to the poor was liable
to, and paid all the burdens of the parish. He came
again to the question. Was Mr. Baker rated to the poor-rate
on the 7th of June, 1832, and had he been free six months
previously, as required by the 26th Geo. 111., chap. 100 ? On
looking at the rating for Exeter Hall, in 1831, and January,
1832, he found it to stand thus—Henry Pownal, Thomas
Walker, William Banks Hudson, and other occupiers of
Exeter Hall; the name of Mr. Baker did not appear in either
of those rates. It was difficult to find out what Committees
of the House of Commons considered to be a sufficient rating
for the purposes of the scot and lot qualification. In the'
Leinster case, where the Christian name was different on the
rate from the one tendered at the poll, the Committee re-
fused to allow evidence to be given of the identity of the
parties; that was very strict, and in these days such evidence
would be received. On the authority of that case, it was laid
down in the books that the rating must be by name. He did
not consider it necessary then to decide that point—it was,
however, clear that it must be a personal rating ; then the
question again arose, was there such a rating in this case as to
entitle Mr. Baker to consider himself as rated to the poor. The
cases most analogous to the present one arose upon the statute
of the 4th of William 111., chap. 11., section 6, regarding
settlement. There it was enacted that all persons who should
be charged with, and had paid the public taxes and charges of
a parish, had gained a legal settlement. There were many
cases : the strongest and most analagous to the present one,
was that of a person who was in the rate-book as " Hosco's
tenant ;" there it was proved that the person so designated
had paid the rates for eleven years, and of course the parish
officers had a perfect knowledge of him, though his name did
not appear in the rate-book. In all the same principle was
clearly laid down, viz., that a settlement was gained only
where there were such circumstances as made it evidently and
notorious that the parish were acquainted with the fact of the
person occupying not being the party in the book. The ques-
tion then arose, was there at the time of the passing of this
Act such a rating as was required, and were there any circum-
stances in the case to bring the facts clearly under the notice
of the parish officers ? After giving the question his fullest
and best consideration, he felt bound to say, that there was no
evidence before him to show that the parish officers could have
the slightest knowledge of
,Mr. Baker as an occupier of Exe-
ter gall. But even supposing that Mr. Baker was taken as
coming under the general designation of an " occupier,"
was there such a rating or paying as to bring the fact
to the notice of the parish officers ? He was of opinion
there was not—there was no evidence of that fact before him.
It was clearly laid down that where a person's name was not
on the rate, Committees would not allow ary evidence to be
given of his having rateable property in the parish, unless he
can show that he has used due diligence to have his name
placed on the rate, or some fraud on the parish-officers—here
there had been something like due diligence ; but it was not
till after the proper time, the 7th of June, 1832. Under all
these circumstances the claim must be disallowed.

The names of the other parties similarly circumstanced
(amounting to near 90) were then expunged.
Both parties returned thanks to the Barrister for his kind-
ness, and his attention to the case. They assured him that
they had appeared in it purely upon public grounds.
Mr. Grane, the Secretary to the Hall, enquired whether it
were necessary for him to take any steps in order to afford
the parties an opportunity of again trying their right if any
fresh evidence could be obtained ?

Mr. CRAIG said he knew of nothing to prevent any of them
from trying their case annually to all eternity, or at all events
so long as they lived.

THE FUNDS.-(THIS DAY.)

CITY, TWELVE O'CLOCK.
Montreal Papers to the 19th of September have been re-
ceived at the North and South American Coffee-house ; also
Halifax to the 23d, and Prince Edward's Island to the 16th of
September.
(From the Montreal Papers.)

. ,
A meeting of the Constitutional Association of the West
Ward of this city, was held at the Shakspeare Tavern on
Tuesday last. A series of Resolutions were proposed and
agreed to ; they embodied some of the grievances which the
people of British and Irish descent labour under. As it is
probable that the Commissioners will speedily enter upon their
duties, it is very desirable that the different Constitutional As-
sociations throughout the province should be on the alert.
The example of the West Ward men must and will be speedily
followed elsewhere.