The Sun.
London, England, 1827-02-27 00:00:00

FLEET PRISON.

Mr. HUME said he held in his hand a petition
from a person of the mune of Pullen, who had been 18 or 20
months confined iu the Fleet Prison for debt. The petitioner
stated that be had opportunities of knowing the great inconve-
nience resulting from the practice of confining persons for debt .
(A laugh. )—The effect of it was to harden them and prevent them
for ever after from making any effort to forward themselves in life.
had no hesitation in saying, that the returns for
tHvletil3llhel.. i.
hadi) moved, when produced would prove that the greatest
mischief had arisen from the law as it affected debtors at pre-
sent. The petitioner stated that in three of the United States of
America, and in some parts of Europe also, the practice for impri-
soning for debt had been abolished. The only persons benefitted
were the attornies and lawyers. He hoped the attention of the
Lad been called to a case which
Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Peel)
occurred a few days back in the Fleet Prison. It was that of
a namedPeriortw Devenish. He as committed to prison for debt,
and died, aa
it appeared, actually from want of proper attendance.
This
called for
the ipterposition of Government. He thought
the Right Hon. Gentleman woad have taken up so important a
subject. The consequence of the present. system was, that three
creditors out of fonr relinquished their claims, sooner than vbject
a debtor to incarceration, or run the risk of the expenses that' must !I
be incurred.

Mr. Secretary PEEL said, he had heard of the case
alluded to by the Hon. Gentleman. He was not prepated at
present to give any opinion on it. He had, however, transmitted
the complaint to the keeper of the Fleet prison, and begged his
attention to it.—(Hear, hear !)—The petition was read, and
ordered to be printed.
Mr. HUIVIE presented a petition from Brigg, in
fora five trade in Corn. Ordered to be printed.
Perthshire, praying

CATHOLIC GRIEVANCES.
Mr. ABERCROMBY begged the particular at-
tention of the House, and especlally of the Members of Goverd-
ment, on the subject of a petition which he had the honour of
presenting. The petition was signed by the Earl of Shrewsbury,
Lord Stafford, Sir Richard Bedingfield, and several other Catholic
'gentlemen. He was. sure that many persons in that House were

not aware that the Roman Catholic
.inhabitants of this country
were subject to a double Land Tax.—(Hear, hear.)—That where
they themselves paid four shillings per acre, Roman Catholics paid
eight shillings.—(Hear, hear. )—This unequal tax, imposed on the
Catholics in the reign of William the Third, continued to be impe-
rative on them till the year 1794, when it was repealed. So many
Acts, however, bad been passed on the subject of Catholics, and the
Land Tax, and so much confusion prevailed through them as
through other Acts of Parliament, that it was hard to say whether
or not the Catholics 'were still lialile to this double demand.
But a proceeding which was tried lately in the Court of Ex-
chequer, put the matter beyond a doubt. There the Attorney-
General and Solicitor-General—he did not say this in blame of
their conduct, for they only did their duty as Officers of the
Crown—completely succeeded in establishing this double Land
Tax in a cause in which the Earl of Shrewsbury, one of these
petitioners, was concerned. Now it was clear that no man ought
to be subjected to a double Land Tax, merely because he did not
submit to the acts of the Established Church. (Hear, hear.) He
saw the. Attorney-General anxious to rise. He assured his
Learned Friend that neither he nor the petitioners imputed any
blame to him or to his colleague, the Solicitor-General—on the
contrary, he knew that he would have the support of both in re-
commending the prayer of the petition to the consideration of the
House. He begged leave to bring up the petition.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said it was true
that he was opposed in the Court of Exchequer to some of these
petitioners, when they moved that Court that they might be al-
lowed to redeem their land tax, on the calculation of the single tax.
He perfectly agreed with the Hon. and Learned Gentleman in
the principle'that no person should be subject to a double tax,
because he did not hold certain religious opinions.—(Hear!)—
He, however, reserved to himself to doubt whether the estates of
Sir Richard Bedingfield came within the scope of the Act of 1794,
as he had one estate which paid no land tax, and another which
paid a double tax.
_ _

- Mr. Secretary PEEL said, that maintaining in all
their strength his opinions as to the political demands of the Ro-
man Catholics, he would riot be thereby prevented from giving
his fullest concurrence in the doctrine promulgated by the Ho-
nourable and Learned Gentleman, that no direct pecuniary burden
should be imposed on the Catholics by reason of their religious
opinions.—(Hear, hear.)
The petition was then ordered to be printed.
Sir G. NOEL presented a petition from Rutland,
praying that no alteration might be made in the Corn Laws.
Sir G. HEATHCOTE presented a petition, from
a town in Perth, praying that the agricultural interests might be
protected.

Mr. J. WILSON presented a petition from York
praying the House to take into consideration the burning of wi-
dows in India at the piles of their husbands. The Hon. Mem-
ber said that the House would probably be astonished to learn, that
in the space of four years nearly 3,000 unfortunate natives had
been thus sacrificed.

Sir J. NEWPORT moved, that an humble ad-
dress be presented to his Majesty, that the annual amount of the
tolls of the respective roads, from Milford-haven by Carmarthen,
during the last three years, be laid before that House.
Mr. BROWNLOW presented a petition from a
parish in Ireland, praying for Catholic emancipation.
Mr. E. DAVENPORT moved, that a commis-
sion be appointed to inquire into the causes of the commercial dis-
tresses which had prevailed in the country for some time past ;
also for the contracts of Greenwich Hospital for beef, butter, flour,
cheese, from ISIS to 1827 inclusive.

Captain WEMYSS presented a petition from Fife,
against any alteration in the Corn Laws ; also a petition from
certain inhabitants of the same place, praying for a free trade
in Corn.

Mr. W. HORTON brought up a report from the
Emigration Committee.—Ordered to be printed.
Mr. W. HORTON presented a petition from
some place, the name of which we could not hear, against any
further concessions to the Roman Catholics.—Ordered to lie on
the table.

Mr. STANLEY presented a petition from a re-
spectable body of Agriculturists at Wellington, Sornersetshire,who
prayed, not that there might be no alteration in the Corn Laws,
but for a proper protection.—Ordered to lie on the table.
Mr. SCOTT presented a petition from the owners
of land in the Jedburgh and Kelso districts of the county of Rox-
burgh, against any alteration in the Corn Laws.—Ordered to-lie
on the table.