The Sun.
London, England, 1832-02-02 00:00:00

GENERAL REGISTRATION BILL.

The NOBLE LORD then rose to present a great number
of petitions against the General Registration Bill. He had
given notice of his intention to present these petitions, and
was consequently sorry that the Hon. Member for
Stafford (Mr. Campbell) was not in his seat. When the
inhabitants of Yorkshire first petitioned upon this sub-
ject, they confi ied themselves to praying to be excluded
from the operation of the Bill; but finding that the lion.
Member would not grant them that boon, they were
opposed to the measure altogether. The lion. Member
(Mr. Campbell) had, on one occasion, stated that he had
received communications from various persons in Yorkshire
in favour of the Bill, but lie, Lord Alorpeth, must say,
that not only had those persons escaped detection, but they
defied all conjecture. It had also been said, that the
meetings at which these petitions were agreed to were got
up by attornies and others interested in opposing the Bill.
There was no doubt that the country attornies disliked the
Bill, because it would withdraw some business from them,
but he denied the assertion. His Hon. Friend (Mr. C.)
would have a better chance of success if he introduced a
system of local registration instead of having a general and
Metropolitan Office of Registration. The Noble Lord
then presented petitions from the owners of real property
in the North and West Ridings in Yorkshire ; also from
the Magistrates of the quarter sessions of the North Riding,
from Leeds, Huddersfield, Selby, Tadcaster, Doncaster,
Skipten, and various other places.
Mr. STRICKLAND supported the prayer of the peti-
tion. The General Registry Bill, or as it should be
called a Bill for the deposit of title deeds, proceeded front
the Law Commissioners, which had already cost the
country the enormous sum of 30,000/.—(Hear.) It was
now 180 years since that great and eminent Judge, Sir
Matthew Hale, brought forward a similar plan, but he,
Mr. Strickland, believed that the Law Commissioners
had tout sight of the caution of that Learned Judge, be-
cause he said " if upon inquiry you find that such a plan
will be attended with greater inconveniences than benefits,
it ought to be wholly rejected." The Hon. and Learned
Member (Mr. Campbell) might have considered that the
plan bad been brought forward in every reign since then,
and this was the sixteenth time it had been attempted.
The last time was in the year 1816, when a General Re-
gistration Bill was introduced by Mr. Serjeant Onslow,
but it never reached a second reading. On reference to
the petitions now presented, it would he seen that the
greatest portion of Yorkshire was opposed to the Bill. He
(Mr. S.) could hardly have believed that the Hon. Member
(Mr. Campbell) would have been the person to propose it,
seeing that only three years ago he signed his name to a
report, stating that a plan of general registration was dan-
gerous to commercial credit. It certainly would be dan-
gerous to commercial credit, and still more dangerous to
persons of landed property. The disadvantages of
such an establishment would so greatly overbalance the
advantages that hr should give it his decided opposiiion.
Mr. HUME put it to the House, whether, when such
charges were being made egainst the Hon. and Learned
Member (Mr. Campbell) and ',the Law Commissioners, in
their absence, it would not have been much better to wait
until they, or some person who could answer the
charges, were present. The gentlemen were high legal
characters, who having been appointed to do a certain
duty bad acquitted themselves honourably, and it would

Mr. SADLER concurred entirely with the prayer of
the petition which had been presented from Leeds. He
had never soen an instance of a more strong feeling of op-
position to any measure than that which had been given
by the people of Yorkshire to this Bill.
Mr, CAMPBELL understood that during his absence
the Hon. Member for Yorkshire (Lord Morpeth) had
stated that the Real Property Commissioners had totally
condemned the measure now brought forward. He
begged leave, with all due deference to that Hon.
Member, most positively to contradict that statement.
instead of condemning it, they had strongly recommended
it. He had received letters from many respectable indivi-
duals, stating that several solicitors and many interested
parties had actually hawked about petitions for signature
against the Bill. He (Mr. C.) looked with surprise.
upon the apposition that had been made to the Bill by
country gentlemen. Feeling convinced, as he did, chat
they were the persons who would be must benefitted by the
measure. The object of the Bill was, to relieve the landed
proprietors of the country from those burthens under wilieb
they laboured, and he (Mr. C.) pledged himself when the
opporttmity arrived to prove that the plan instead of
being injurious to the landed proprietors of the country
would be a very great benefit—no person would be in•
jured by it, except the lawyers.—(A laugh.)
Mr. TREVOR declared that there was not a land-
owner in the county of Durham who was not unanimous
in their objections to the measure, being convinced it
would be productive of a great inconvenience, and would
be the cause of most vexatious delays. He felt con-
vinced that he should be borne out by the Honour-
able Gentleman opposite, in stating that if Members
representing places in the north of England, wished to act
up to the feelings of their constituents, they would feel it
their duty to oppose this measure in every stage ; and he
begged of the Hon. Member for Stafford to be aware, that
he for one had no hesitation in saying, that the petitions
against this Bill had not been got up by interested parties,
as he had stated.

Mr. STEPHENSON made a few observations, which
were inaudable in the gallery.
An HON. MEMBER said be came from a part of the
country from which a considerable number of those peti-
tions proceeded, and from the information he bad re-
ceived from persons residing there, he certainly could
not subscribe to their plan. He by no means thought a
General Registry establishment would be acceptable to
country gentlemen.
Mr. J. WOOD was decidedly in favour of this mea-
sure. The expense incurred by:the present system of regis-
tering throughout the country was cnormous,and nine-tenths
of it would be saved by the proposed measure. He was
quite confident, if the pi inciple of this Registry Bill were
better known, a great part of the clamour—for clamour it
was, proceeding from ignorance—which had been raised
against this Bill would pass away. If gentlemen would
only take the trouble to look into the reports made
by the Law Commissioners, a considerable portion of
the prejudice now existing against the Bill would fall to
the ground. Besides these considerations, there was the
satisfactory reflection that if this Bill only passed, there
would be a place of perfect safety for the must important
documents.
Lord MILTON had always understood that the division
of opinion throughout Yorkshire, was on the question
whether there should he any registration at all, or not.
W ith respect to the Bill now under consideration, he was
certainly fir from saving reasons might not be adduced
to turn his opinion in favour of it, but certainly at pre-
sent his feeling was decidedly against the measure. One
great proof of its not being in accordance with the feeling
of the country was, that two of the largest counties had
petitioned against it.
Mr. SANDFORD acknowledged that evils attended
the present system of registration, but he was persuaded
still greater mischiefs would result from the passing of
the present measure. It would be well for the House to
pause, before it legislated on that which was mainly to
affect people of property, and which such persons were
decidedly averse to Parliament interfering upon.
Lord MORPETH said that many of the petitions which
lie hail presented were signed by persons of indisputable
respectability and intelligence, and who were not likely to
be hoodwinked, or led away by any representation that
was not sound in principle.
Colonel TRENCH assured the House that this measure
was decidedly against the feeling of the country. He had
had communications on the subject from the ship-
owners and other respected persons of Scarborough,
as well as from well-informed persons in various
other parts in the north of England, who thought the Bill
most inquisitorial. It was described as a job and a mea-
sure that ought not to be sanctioned by the House.
Mr. CAMPBELL stated that from his communications,
some of the petitions had been hawked about from town
to town, from village to village, throughout Yorkshire,
and then they bad the modesty to represent that nine-
tenths of the best informed persons throughout
that county were against the measure. Now le could
assure the House that nine-tenths of the most intelligent
men in Yorkshire were in favour of the Bill. Again,
as to the Judges of the land, ho believed every one of
them was in favour of a General Registry Bill. The
late Lord Chancellor was a decided friend to it, and
so was the present. He knew it was exceedingly difficult
to force a good on the country, but he only wished persons
to pause and consider, and he was sure that their minds
must be turned in favour of this Bill.
Mr. STRICKLAND deprecated the attempt of the
Hon. and Learned Gentleman to make it appear that un-
fair means had been used to get those petitions signed. It
was only necessary to state in contradiction of this, that
one of them was not signed by not less tha❑ forty-nine
Magistrates. Was Lord Harewood, Lord Mexhorough,
Lord Howden, Sir J. Ramsden, Sir Was. Cooke, and
many others of high character, who might be named,
likely to act under the influence of any improper
representations made by ignorant country attornies ?
The Hon. Member for Ripon had stated that he could
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would be sufficient, if he had time to refer to them, to in-
duce the House to pause before it sanctioned in any way
the measure which the country did not desire, and
which would be exceedingly detrimental to the interests of
individuals of property.

. .
Mr. HUNT considered that the country had come to a
strange state, when, as the Hon. and Learned Gentle-
man had stated that no neasure should be forced
upon a country, the lawy Ts were anxious to palm
this measure upon the land:d interests, while objections
from every quarter were poured in against it. It was in-