The Sun.
London, England, 1826-11-30 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF TILE PUIILIC JOURNALS.

The praise due to Mr. Littleton .for his attempt to
prove, the comtitution of Committees on private bills, and
to purify their proceedings, cannot be questioned, even on
the acknowledgment that the pi oposed reformation of the
Hon. Gentleman may not be altogether complete. -. We
doubt whether it would be practicable to find an expedient.
free from all shadow or objection, for deterrpining ques-
tions
involve many personal interests, when, from
the Outwit of things, there Milo he, • among the general
body, of the :fudges, a number of individuals either -sub-
stantially, ieterested in the result, or, indirectly biassed by
friends or prejudices with regard to it. All that can
:be
reasonably looked for ib, that regulations should be esteL
Wished, excluding,. as carefully as possible, the parties in-
terested- front the exercise of a paramount influence
upon the fate of a private bill, either by restraints im-
posed upon them, .or•• by an obligation imposed upon
other, and impartial, members, to watch over and
control 'their manoeuvres. That 'no Such salutary
means have been hitherto employed by the House
of Coinnions fur the prevention of abuse in these
local emictments, which so poWerfully affect the rights
of property •in every part of the kmgdom, has been
pretty manifest from the predominant feeling of the
House itself, during several sessions, including more
especially the last. " What exclaims
Mr. Littleton, " could there be of a just or satisfac-
tory decision upon a Private Bill, when the majority of
MeMbers on the Committee had each of them a direct
pectiniary interest in the success of it ?" What chance,
`indeed
I That numereuainstanceS of grog's wrong have
occurred in the Course of thiS Private Bill'history We be-
lieve there is link doubt. ,On some occasions, moreover,
of open committee, a few Members, most anxious in favour
of the Bill, have sat on snugly front week to week, with uS
much (head of alarming or awakening the neighbourhood,
as if they had been a gang of house-breakers; nay, as quietly
as a hen upon her eggs, until the hatching wtotaccom-
plished, and outstalked thei young animal, nobody know-
ing whence it Caine. -Again, when local party, on such
questions,' ran high, it' has been notorious, that'the evi-
dence, however voluminous or important, was never
listened to by more than half a dozen 'MeMbers ; but
that when the hpur for votitir ,drew near, the
rival factions, have each headed len• mob of senators,
dragging them up to the Committee-room, like so many
regiments of Irish 40s. .voters, and marshalling them
for " Aye" or " No," without asking them to, hear the
teetirneny Of a single Witness, or communicating to
them one fact 'of importance to the Merits of the case.
These' are shocking abUsete Mr: Littleton's plan for cur-
ing a system sa vicious, though liable. to some objections on
the score of convenieuen,...appears, in principle at least, an
approximation to the thing required, as near„ as on a first
attempt at amendment, could have been reasonably hoped
for: Tile ComMittee not being in any case open to the
capricious interference of the whole House, after only a
handful of membern have been. at the trouble of reading the
evitienee, will get, rid ,at once of that which has been the
most crying of the evils attendant on the former system.—
The Hon. Cilentleman very properly includes the members
for " adjoining counties.," among'thoie who are to deCide
on each bill introduced to Parliament, since it seldem hap-
pens that a change of much consequence in the worki or
communications of .one county does not, in some way or
other, involve the interests of others in its vicinity. But
to counteract the overpowering force of a party, the ma.
jority of whom might feel an undue bias upon the point
refetted to them, an equal number of (60) members from
dketeet confide* are joined in the commission, and also en-
titled to vote. Thus we have a perfect knowledge of lo-
calities on one side, and on the other a freedmit from lOcal
prnjudice anti engagement as full its can will be conceived.
The Conwiittee of, Appeal (seven members)--a eelect
eommittee,to revisnand overturn the decision of the first 7
mentioned, conunittee,if .necessary---we are likewise dis-
posed to consider an experiment worth trying, as the
knowledge that such a controlling, power hangs over them,
may, by •poseibility, render the members of the original
tribunal More cautious of the manner in which they decide.
Vire- repel what. we ,set out with, remarkin
ticga,l t
ahvanta dat infane
t
ionehiai are; of necessity, without the pracg
which experience always brings with it, and that a well-
intended measure ought not . to be disdained as a whole,
because acute minds may allege, partial faults iuits construe-

The two following paragraphs we find close to mu
other in last Monday's Hampshire 'Ow
°nick
During a late visit of Prince Esterhasy to Mr. 11. Baring, I.lxl
Son 6 tarley, 1,0 houi of game were killed by four gOos 11!..
sly ix. 842 pheasants, 334 bares, 2'22 rabbits, 58 partridges,
b wooticovlo, and snipes. The parties were, Prince Esterl iazy,
Mon. tleorge Au.m, Hoe. if. De. Roos, and Mr. Henry Baling.
Potwar of 50 prisotters are now in the County Britlewell for
ntreuees under the tisane Laws, and we regret to observe that the
number is daily ineressing—no lento than nine young men 1136ig
been committed froru the neighbourhood of ltomsey alone during
the. pretest week. Several persons are also in the County' Gaol
fur trial, on charges of having bean found armed for the destruc-
*GU of game, contrary to the statute.
here we, have, if we mistake not, both the cause and the
effect ; mid a striking spuritnen of the'advantage and result
of our precious system Of , Game Laws. , Romsey is ,very
near to Somerley. We do not say, because we do not
know, that the nine young men committed from, the one
place were for poaching at the other : but it is not impro-
bable ; and if it be true, we hope it'is not libellous to ask
the princely, honourable, and noble sportsmen .above-
named, wlotther they have hearts that can really enjoy
pleastiras, it they really be such, purchased at so dear a
rate ? At any rate, we a.A. the country gentlemen of
England, while they endeaveuring.to gain the public
opioion to their side, ciit another
.question of vital, import-
mice to them used their peatenty, whether they thiult
they can expect to acquire one utom of spritsail-
-7 from the
generality of their countrymen, while for their ovsn selfish
gratifications (and those of the most eireurnaeribott and
contemptible nature) they are fillittg the giiols with the
victims of their own temptation. the absurd extent to
which game must be preserved when such 'biome as this
can ratesove in six days, requii'es no comment. To
cockney sporisrrien it may be sport. Lo common sense it
apnet s. to lie mere slaughter—a mere wish to exterminate
lift ;,„,,t0 cart imagine that persons who delight in
seinleless hotigs, as they are called, would take quite us
much pleasure, it they would only give their minds to it,
in killing fliers in a grocer's shop, or in slaughtering the
tribe of ants which their pheasants feed tipon. We re-
mendien the time when such shooters would have been
called poti.huntei's, and laughed at, or "scut to. Coventry, by
.every' real opottetnen, who ate tna, umeh,pleasure in find-
, ling his, game es in killing it. ?int this would be a mere
matter of taste, and of little or no consequence to the
orld, were it hut for< the fearful results which it entails
upon the peasantry Ole 0. bold Peasantry," we bray Wl*
fortunately saY), who are thus enticed and ensnared into
• practick which have entailed ruin upon so Many—and
even ignominious death upon not n few. Surety it is- high
. time for,
~omething lei be done to arrest the progress Of
this growing evil. To talk of the advriotages of landlords
hying t upou n-ir 0,4att.,, and of the sports of the
When the' lives of the vommon people heant's of no more.
Value in their eyes, than those of hares and Pllv"autep.i4
shocking and preposterow. Let a man be absurd enough,
he pleases, to have his game ten times es 11140E10o8
'he s ' fowls; but do Tim,
in. i.
stet,* space rui bon7dOorof teiiroo
left out' taking of the wild animal he ernn'and ii(„Ct
greater ellernity than stealing the turne "e;
iet the'sporting :Justice in the One ease posses.
th
which belongs to a ;Ivry in the other.r.,friortling
e p
desribed i the
Hera/ ower
A,Meeting. of the County of Norfolk P
res . ,hat
"
Report as one of the most numermis: and pceetainen
e
ever took place in that County,bee
of
e
Islorwieht °ll Saturday hut,
„in portina.ti it, Pllttult.
rurpose of ceri4nleting the propriety cif
first,
.ftn" t tiot4 in progress; calculated to increase the
iii WI"
namely, the appointment ,of District. Sur7
County /Intel- • h s • and secondly, for tlte purose
r the Ilig.w4Y which
veybri ° their o#lltanenti to the pracoce
of esprelSing