The Sun.
London, England, 1835-03-25 00:00:00

ECCLESIASTICAL COURTS' BILL.

Colonel SIBTHORP presented a petition from Lincoln
against the Ecclesiastical Courts' Bill, signed by several dig-
nitaries of the' Church and eminent barristers, who viewed
with very great alarm the proposition for transferring the
register of all wills and probates to Doctors Commons.
So convinced was he of the public injury and inconvenience
which this Bill would occasion, that he would give notice of a
motion for a Select Committee to inquire into the subject, and
he was determined to persevere in it, unless the Attorney-
General would consent to modify the provisions of his bill on
its second reading. Ile moved that the petition be printed.
Mr. M. F. BERKELEY presented a petition from the
city of Gloucester and other places, against the Ecclesiastical
Courts Bill.
Mr. A. TREVOR was able to state, that in the part of the
country to which he belonged, he believed great objections
existed to the bill of the Attorney-General. Amongst these,
the first was the necessity of a general registration required by
the bill ; and the next was, the extreme expense and incon-
venience which must take place in effecting the registration,
by sending witnesses a great distance for that purpose ; and
lastly, the public Was •quite satisfied to have their wills regis-
tered in their respective dioceses, and dissatisfied with being
compelled to register them at a distance. Ho was determined
to oppose the bill unless some justice was done to the people.
Mr. WILK S was also opposed to central registration, as
required by the provitur of the Ecclesiastical Courts Bill.
He admitted that small courts had a tendency to create litiga-
tion that ought to be done away with, but the evils of them
could be remedied, witliout necessarily adopting centralization
of them in the Metropolis.
The petitions were ordered to lie on the table.
SPIRIT LICENSES.
_ _

Mr. A. L AWSON Ncsented a petition from the licensed
victuallers of Knaresborough, praying for a repeal of the Act
of last Session, for altering the duty on spirit licenses.
Mr. GA SKE LL presented a similar petition from the inn-
keepers of Wakefield.
Mr. H. BARE presented a petition to the same effect from
the licensed victuallers: of Rumford, in Essex. They com-
plained that the duty upon spirits was now levied not in pro-
portion to the amount of spirits sold, but to the value of the
premises.

Sir. G. STRICKLAND supported the prayer of the peti-
tioners, and expressed a,,hope that the subject would soon be
brought under the con:ideration of the House.
LORD'S DAY OBSERVANCE BILL.
Sir M. S. STEWART presented a petition from a parish
in Reufrewshire in support of the Sabbath Observance Bill;
also two petitions from th^ same County in support of the Es.
tablished Church of Scotland.
EQUITABLE ADJUSTMENT

•
Sir G. STRICKLAND presented a petition from an indi.
lidual of the name of Wynne, residing in Halifax, praying for
an equitable adjiistment between man and man, and that the
rich and the poor mi,,ht be compelled to bear an equal pro-
portion of the national expenses.
Mr. ANGERSTEIN presented a petition from Deptford,
for the better observance of the Sabbath.
PUBLIC CHARITY.

Mr. WILK S presented a petition from the inhabitants of
Frampton, in Ihe county of Lincoln, complaining of charity
property being misapplied in that parish, and praying for in-
vestigation. The Hon. Member gave notice, that on Friday
next it was his intention to inquire of his Majesty's Govern-
ment, as to the measures they intended to adopt for the pur-
pose of completing the examination into charity estates.
Mr. GRANTLEY BERKELEYpresented a petition from
the licensed victu'allers of Cheltenham against the increased
duty on spirit licenses.

IRISH CORN.
Mr. W. ROCHE presented a petition from the Chamber
of Commerce of Limerick, complaining of the disadvantages
the corn trade sustained in Ireland, from the adoption of mea-
surement instead of weight in the port of London, in the un-
shipping and sale of grain in Ireland.
Mr. H AWE S said that the Committee on weights and
measures confined their attention to that subject, and could not
be expected to go into the question of whether corn should be
measured by weight or measure.
Sir S. WHALLEY presented a petition from the market
gardeners near the metropolis, against the Bill for the obser-
vance of the Lord's Day, complaining that, if passed, it would
do them the most serious injury in their occupations.