The Sun.
London, England, 1819-04-02 00:00:00

SPANISH TRANSPORTS.

Sir WILLIAM Da CRESPIGNY, in a tone of voce
Which was not distinctly audible in the Gallery,
wished to be iotormed (if he was understood cor-
rectly) by a Noble Lord (Castlereagh), whether
the hiring of Transports by the.SpaniSh Govern-,
meat in this country for the conveyance of troops
to South America, was consistent with the neu-
trality Which Ministers had professed in the con-
test between Spain and South America ? He
trusted Ministers would do nothing Aid) could
he construed into an act of hostility.against South
'America.

Lord CASTLEREAGH said, as far aS lie tinder-
stood the transaction in cpiestion, there wis no-
thing to prevent merchants engaging in it as in
any other commercial transactiOn. It was quite
Clear the individuals who chartered the Trans-
ports did so at their own peril.
Lord EBRINGTON presented a petition from a
Town in Devonshire, the name of which could not
be learnt, praying for a revision of the Criminal
Law.

SCOTTISH BOROUGHS.
General' R. FELiGUSSON, after a few observa-
tions in vindication of the prayer of the petition

which he then held in hi, hands, fur the retOttit
of the internal government of the Scottish 80.
rouhs, begged leave to present it. , The peti-
ttioneis were respectable inhabitants-of Dunferm-
line, who, having the interest and independence
of their country at heart, prayed that they might
be released front- the despotism under which they
laboured by a self-elected junto of Magistrates,
and tt at all the inhabitants of the Boroughs Of
Scotland might have their plivileges as British
subjects.—The petition was received, read, and
ordered to lie on -the table.

Lord ARCHIBALD HAMILTON held in his hand
two petitions, the prayers of which were of the
same tendency. The first was from the Royal
Corporation of Surgeons _ of Edinburgh, stating
the many grievances which they, as well as their
fellow-subjeCts of Scot land, experienced by the
despotism (of the self-elected Magistrates. The
system which had too long been endured had de-
rived the burgesses
.f theii clearest rights and
liberties. The self-elected junto had lavished
away the public money, and coosamed all the
botough-revennes, without any: responsibility to
their fellow-subjects. They were their Own 'reit;
sitters and their own auditors ;, and if any com-
plaints were made against their public conduct,
the parties aggrieved could obtain DO redress..
'fifty considered the public monies as their own
private property—with this difference, that they
were lavishly prodigal of the former,' while the
latter was consequently much accumulated. The
petitioners had been itifiirmed that the private
iproprrty of the Magistrates was liable for any
deficlencies. But they begged that the House
would take their grievances into its serious consi-
deration, and grant them such relief as in its wis-
dol)) ;E'en], tit. The petition' was of consi-
derable length, acid appeared to be a learned dis-
sertatitm on the subject.
The Petition frean the Borough of Aberdeen to
the same effect was also presented.
Both Petitions were read, and ordered to lie-
on the table. They were also ordered to be
printed.
Lord ARCHIBALD HAMILTON, before he entered
folly icito the subject of his intended motion,
thought it incumbent upon him to apologize to
:be House for the time which he would neccs-
,sarily occupy. He was Obliged to go into a wide
field of particulars ; btft he hoped that the ac-
count which he was about to give of his investi-
gation would meet with the indulgence and ap-
probation of the House. A reform of the ititetuai
government of the Sc;ottish Boroughs was of the
greatest importance not on-ly to Scotland, but to
the people of England also, iuteresied in the wela
fare and happiness
.of their fellow-subjects. His
Lordship remarked, that it was necessary for him
to say what was meant and what was tint meant
by.the,reform of the Scottish Boroughs. It had
no connexion with a Reform in Parliament, and
• therefore the advocates against. that. measure
woold be, under no apprehensions or fears. The
inhabitants of every borough or town in Samland
were tinder the despotism of the Magistrates, and
liable to. many inconeeniencies and grievsnces,
hitherto unknown. in Logicod. lhe Ma;:intratcs.
or-Corporation of Aberdeen, as a public body,
had -been ao prodigal of the re,eiltits of the
borough, that they. were next to astate of bank-
ruptcy, if not actually so. In order that the
Members for England and Ireland might cinder-
stand the question, it was requisite for his Lout-
ship to mention, that, as the petitions had reprea
sewed, the Magistrates of all the boroughs in
Scotland were a selt•elected
_junto ; that they re-
mained in office one year; that, they
.appointed
their successors ; and that these successors again
re-appointed the former party. 'Phis one set of
men, self elected, bad been known to govern
four Boroughs for twenty or thirty years, and
leave what they considered their..rights or pro-
perty, through this medium, to IlSeir sons or heirs.
These self-elected Magistrates, or juntos, were
paramount to every authority. Whatever trespass
they committed, or whatever injury, so far as re-
garded their natural rights, or the expenditure
of their revenues, they could obtain
.no redress.
If any misunderstanding took place among them-,
selves, which was very rare, as they were too
Much interested in
.the public spoils, a reference
was .-made to the Court of Session, who always -des,
terminedin favour of the sante rotten system.—
The case of Aberdeen was _ton. _notorious to he
passed over with criminal indifference. Com-
plaints had been made against the system by seve-
ral of their constituent membets. A relerence
was made to the Court of Session, and its deci-
sion was, as-usual, in favour of the borough-
system. But his Lordship hoped that Parliament
would remove these grievances, and afford the
people of Scotland the enjoyment of their rights
and privileges. The next step had been to peti-
tion the King for the renovation of the regular
Magistrates, in consequence of which a Crown
Warrant had been issued? appointing the old
Magistrates to elect the new, thus virtually an-
hilating the verdict of the Court of Session. The
petitions had been referred to the Law Officers of
the Crown, who therefore must have given advice
inconsistent, either with the state of the case, or
the interests which-they were called upon to pro-
tect. He shoold.move for the production of the
papers which had been laic! before the Privy Coun-
cil and Lass' Officers of the Crown, when the lat-
ter had advised the issuing of the warrant of
which he complained. This was one of the re-
sults of the system of fraud, injustice, and ini-
quity which prevailed in the administration of
Scotch Boroughs. This was not the first ap-
plication which had been made for an in-
quiry into the subject. Thirty years ago it
had been referred to, a Cominittee, who had
reported that the abuses complained, of did
exist ; but the breaking out of the war, and
the ,prevalence of an influence which ruled
with imperious sway, had prevented any redress
from bring obtained. The burgesses of Aberdren
had recorded it as their opinion in their petitions,
thacit- was•impossible to remove .ribUSes, intless
the whole system should- be chanted. Yet in
defiance of" that declaration, the Noble Lord op-.
posite (the Lord Advocate for.Scritland) had ad-
vised the-granting of a new warrant, putting the
whole aothority into the bands of . the nothots of
those very abuses ! The system bad broken up at
Aberdeen through. its own rottenness. It wan hut
a few months since that borough bad declared it-.

'sett bankrupt For 230,6d1. At the last Elec!iOn
the funds had been tonnd deficient by DO ICS3
suns than 2500!. to pay the mere juiciest of the
' debt. This had been going oe for °O vears. A
large portion of the debt itself, to ;he sonitunt oft
fifty-seven thousand pounds, consisted of sums
borrowed for the payment of its interest. It veld
an annual customi in the borough to call a head
Meeting to hear the public accounts stated, yet,:'
at these meetings, not a single shilling bad ever
been mentioned of the debt of 230,0001. It List'
come out of a sudden, am! the burgesses had then:
found that they; had been deluded for tweritl
years.by the men who had been entrusted with
the administratiots of the burgh, and when.' Oil
Noble Lord teemed solicitous to retain. He hail
also ais( himreet t o
ainedpe
eln:ige his own
rt tm, rfactfroim authority which
ei
at that debt of 230,000/ , so contracted 110 s
tel
concealed, a great portion had been contlectea
o
•by forged and false mime ! As the whole junto
of Magistrate might not have consented to Ca'
lain expences, a select few had occasionally bee"
called together to authorize those depredatioes on,
'the public ! With respect to the constitutiou of
\
the burgh, he react the recorded opinion of 11'6
, a7dot sd
e
i
Megistrates who went outOf office, 811(1 Who ,
dared that
tillatlwlab:die7l Cleeit'itivsyus, system
ed a system of concealment ; that it was oecee:
eery to give tile citizens a more effectual control ,
over the expenditure of the funds ; and that it 'vas'
to the absence of some sitch cheek the eeavY.c3,-;
lemity which had fallen on the B
go;f Election and Go
attributed, It he bad no Other grottos! for -11-:
anlf,:iyity)Ds
übffillctiesolltetlto a
esctioacbtliirsnienF, would it not ,
1110140 nineteen individuals had been. elect''. "1
serve as Magistrates its Aberdeen, only six ha"
eepted the office, awl two of those on ,he expfeisi
anti recorded condition that their"colleagues n•t:
concur in making an application to Governmeei
og
renovating t he Constitution of the boiough• Y.et n:
sooner were those very nien in office than theYint,l,
et! in a petition to have that
,Yery system con'in
whieh'they had so publicly reprobated ! I:Wt
was still worse than all, was, that the iat4l4-
tit
wlsisia had been committed was legal. and i.,,njlst le
brow ht to the Bar, tee Magistrates wig"
•is true that we have done all this, and ruin". th
r,
borough, but we defy you to esti us to l'r:Znre,
In case, the I-louse alone could 'n'e„,.„ ills,
He then compared the course adopted t"'"--,:an;
Aberdeen with thet pursued towards the I)°,rn,,-od
of which had been distranceise", 11,,
a poll warrant granted, whilst at Ahe'deci; cot
election of new Magistrates had' been rel
ttv he
into the hands of the old. lie wished to krit'w is
reason of the difference which prevailed
those two cases. In COOSetiOtOCe v in
franchisement of Aberdeen, and the "en;te'sette
granting a warrant, that borough was, et whet
without any Member in that Httose• if"s watt
Scotch boroughs, Edinburgh and JO%'ernTh' ditg
its the same situation. (Here Mr. Vi• u.!' for
was understood Lo say that he was '.1;:!Iot'
Edinburgh.) Then the lion. Gentleman h heerl
elected since the disfranchisement of that bo-
rough, and was sitting in the Hanse wit ons-
electors,---(Latighter.)—lle did not mean to ap
ply every thing he had said to every borough
Scotland, but lie contended, that if any wet e het'
ter governed, it was not because the :system was
improved, but because the individuals- were tui)l.°
respectable. since the new warrant for A'her;
teen two occurrences had taken place, tellien
(5;l
revived the anxielv and discord which hail pree
ed throughout the town under the former .Milgt'ile
Crates. The two persons who had joined its 113„'
application to the Court of Session for the
en"
frenchisement of the borough were in 11 ;1.1
joyment of pensions from tile public 10)(5', ins
the right of bring Guild-borgesses• 13,nt,hate
stioner Were the new Magistrates appointet4",r•ced
they avenged the cause of the old, 00 "". !fee
those two individuals of their pensi4".,l,,,i
other case was this ;---The Provost had c,"a'. nee
meeting of the inhabitants to consider °' pub.
mode of assessment. He had oftelviardsoireette
lished a letter, in which lie stated, that the
s
ing had. acquiesced Mahe proposal. .13" t thgtoo,
been positively denied hy the inhebitents,tt ose
in a meeting of their own, had declare?' t cvesa
proposal for a new taude of assessateet h r.oot
beers made or discussed at the former Inect!nt.
lie called on the House as men to do jostle:waft
the people of Scotland. The existing Wile,"
so replete with fraud and iniquity, that , -re sides
convinced no twelve Members of the other wove
of the House, if they were placed in the '
time of jurymen, would give it their ova;
It they did not wish to perpetuate a sc°°rg ore
Scotland, they would.at least assent to leer
&legion of the papers for which he Ovoid no 'of
Among these, he ehould call for the j-i'Pn„l-11,0
the Officers of the Crown as to the 4'ool-, de"
warrant, which he himself conceived,.
Lei
ridedly iilegal, to have been very doobt;'ses
the Revolistiou there had beets thirtet `-;(.1.1 24
which the Crown warrants had been issu-e ,lece
-
of those were pull warrants ; six placed t
only,
do, the hands of the Magistrates, bll traleh
one of those entrusted it to the. old 1110,V6, !dress
He then concluded, by moving that an '..( 000
be presented to his Royal Highness the be
Regent, humbly requesting, that lie woli)efore
pleased to order that the, e should he laid Wit
the How e a copy of the Warrant of the ego ow.
issued for the Election of Magistr:ites in the
rough of Aberdeen for the year ISIS.
The Loan ADVOCATE haVillg been so
alluded to by the Noble Lord, though surrountlbeg-
by alder colleagues than should "'kJ
-ether
fitst opportunity of meeting the charge ot
Noble -Lord. He felt no disposition on the gr°‘.
0 shrine.
of legality, of expediency, or disCretion,
from the responsibility which wes "V".nt-e.
shnuhlert• He eu,iteoded that the personsll
red,
rusty d to. set the warrant aside had a 4.gli for
dress by the law of Scotland. He there to
trusted that Parliament Ayoubl not interfere
the
judge the question, hut would lessee. it I° le,
Courts of Law to detertnine the point of jrs
pers'nnaclelT:
it ld'the"
;;alley. If it Were deemed illegal,VirOtt
be time to visit the offence on those who had
eow-
Yised the MetiSure. He maintained, that —.cy •
ever the Noble Lord wielit Movediselaiieed.,!l_.
connexion of the subject with ParliaMentary,T..
form, Ite„bad completely disptovca his osyn

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