The Sun.
London, England, 1827-02-23 00:00:00

CORN LAWS.

Association,ted in Gloucestershire,
- ~ a Petition
the Petition was ordered to lie on the
praying for an alteration in the. Corn Laws.
member ColOot
of
Colonel Opntiil:
After a few words from Mr. Western, Lord Milton, Mr. Camp-
STap:ese
Table. Anti-Bread
Mr. J. WOOD presented a petition, signed by
bell, and Mr. G. Phillips,
upwards of 4,000 Mechanics, Weavers, and Shopkeepers of the
town of Preston, praying for au alteration of the Coin Laws, yid
for Parliamentary Reform.
Mr. CURTEIS presented petitions from several
Parishes in the County of Kent, against any alteration of the
Cora Laws.
Mr. RUSSELL presented
a petition from Kinsale,
in the County of Cork, praying for protection to the landed in-
terest. _

Lord F. OSBORNE presented a similar petition
from Wisbech, in the County of Cambridge.
Mr. LEYCESTER presented similar petitions
from three Parishes in the County of York.—Ordered to to on
the table.

INTRODUCTION OF THE MILITARY AT AN ELECTION.
Sir J. GRAHAM ostponed his motion relative
to the introduction of the Military into Carlisle during the last
election till Wednesday.
p
PARISH. REGISTERS.
Sir R. WILSON moved for an Account of the

dArint Fees claimed for snrclaing Parish Nes tart, and for fur-
nishing Copies of Certificate's of Parish Registers within the Bills
Mortatity.—Ordered.
PROMISSORY NOTES.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL gave noti°e, that
he should, on Monday next, move for leave to bring in a Bill to
amend the Law relating to Promissory Notes.
TROOPS IN IRELAND.
Mr. S. RICE moved for an Account of the num-
ber of Troops employed in Ireland from the year 1787 to 1799,
the. number Sent from England .o Ireland during the same period.
and the expence of their removal.—Ordered.
ISLE OF MAN.

Mr. HUME moved for an Account of the Claims
of the Duke of Athol, and of the proceedings which had taken
place for ;be purpose of adjusting and bringing them to a close,
previous to-and after the grant of 160,0001.
Mr. HERRIES observed, that the Duke of Athol
had no claims whatever (-1 the public that he was aware of. He
preserned. the HonouzA.,:e Member referred to the proceedings
which bad taken place, with a view to purchase from the Duke of
Athol his interest in the Isle of Man.
Mr. HUME assented, and was ready to make the
necessary verbal amendment in the terms of the motion.
Mr. HUME presented a petition from the Inha-
bitants of St. George's Parish, Glasgow, complaining of distress,
and praying for assistance to emigrate.—Referred to the Commit-
tee on Emigration.
The Hon. Gentleman next presented a petition from the Ro-
man Catholics of the Parish of Kilmaine, in the county of Mayo,
for Emancipation.

THE CORN LAWS.
Mr. WESTERN moved for Returns of the
Freights of Foreign Corn, imported into this country within a
certain period ; and also for Copies of the Regulations subsisting
in other countries relative to the Importation of Corn.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
said, there could be no objection on the part of his Majesty's Go-
vernment to give all the information on this subject in their power.
But he doubted whether it would be possible for them to furnish
all that the Hon. Gentleman required. They might not have
official knowledge of all that might be included under so compre-
hensive a notice.
After a few words in reply from Mr. WESTERN,
the motion was agreed to.
CONSOLIDATION OF THE CRIMINAL LAW.
Mr. PEEL rose to bring forward his promised
motion. He had now, agreeably to that motion, to apply to the
House for leave to bring in four Bills, having for their object the
simplification and consolidation of the statutes relating to the
Criminal Laws.—(Hear, hear.)—The first of those Bills was
intended to consolidate and amend the laws relating to theft, and
for offences connected therewith. The second was to amend the
law relating to another class of offence against the subject, namely,
a wilful and malicious injury of property. The third Bill for
which he should move, would be to consolidate and amend the
laws relating to remedies against the hundred ; and the fourth Bill
which he should submit to the notice of the House would have
the effect of repelling such statutes as would be superseded
by the three first Bills, in order not to encumber the statute
book, by the introduction of separate Acts of Parliament for the
attainment of that objeet. By this means the three Bills which
he had already named would not be impeded in their operation
by clauses and enactments contrary to their spirit. He had
entered last session so fully into the policy and necessity of
see tailing the criminal statutes, that he was not sure whether
it was et all necessary to enforce the reasoning which be then
used, or to tree le the House with a repetition of his views,
Dee:withstanding that some of those Members whom he had
now the honour to address were not in Parliament on that
eeeasiers. Indeed, it required no very powerful reasoning to
show the necessity and policy of consolidating the criminal laws
ot this country, and of simplifying as much as possible those
statutes relating to eeitne and misdemeanor, which had hitherto
created so much error 10 confusion in our courts of justice.
Such a course ar that of raising and consolidating confused and
unintelligible statutes appeared so consistent with reason and com-
mon tense, that he scarcely thought it necessary to enforce any
arguments in its favour, where all whom he had the honour to
address must agree in the necessity of the measure.--(Hear, hear,
laear.)--He was therefore quite satisfied that this House would
sanction the part which he bad taken, and confirm the support
which its predecessor had eieen to the subject. The House,
however, was not called upon m give a blind judgment; on the
ereettrary, he wished and expected that Honourable Gentlemen
weaieLt reserve to themselves the power of expressing an opi-
atop, ;se, a subject of vital import. Although, however, he
had suggested many changes, he had not, after all, pro-
posed any
nee.v important alterations in the criminal sta-
tutes, because he was desirous of proceeding gradually in
and to avoid as much as pos-
the course of improvement,
allele the use of rash e
rite.riruents. What he wished was to
collect all that was valuable from existing statutes, and to
preserve from a mass of contraui;:tion and confusion various
claim* and provisions introduced at ditiferent periods into our
erixeinai lows. lie was desircua of seleetieg all that was wor-
thy of being preserved in order to present to the house a useful
and efficient statute, and thus to place as it were in juxta position
all the law connected with the criminal jurisprudence of the coue-
try.—(Cheers.)—lt was his wish to abolish every part of the cri-
minal statutes that could not with safety he acted on, and to ac-
commodate the laws relating to crime to the present circumstances
of the country and the improved state of society.—'Hear. )—Feel-
'gag, therefore, that the House would agree, in principle at least, to
the measures which he intended to propose, he did not think it
necessary to trouble them with any further arguments, but pro-
ceed at once to explain the present state of the law relating to
theft which was the subject of his first Bill. It was the practice
in criminal courts of justice to distinguish between grand and
patty larceny, and to award different punishments for each crime.
Is appeared, however, that the only difference between them
consisted iii the amount of property stolen ; for thus the law
stood on the subject. If a men was convicted of stealing an
article under the value of one shilling it was simple larceny,
punishable at the optiena of the Magistrate before whom the case
was heard ; but if the uroperty stolen exceeded one shilling
;n amount, the crime was called grand larceny, to which a
capital punishment was attachei!. Now he (Mr. Peel), after
giving to the subject his best consideration, could not see the
necessity of retaining the distiretione which the law 441 down
in these eases.—(Hear, hear.,—Many minor courts had not the
power of trying a ease of wend. larceny, but feeling the
the prisoner to a competent
in-
convenience and expence Si tiding
tribunal, the value of the l'alen article was reduced to one shil-
ling, la order that the culprit wi;•ht be tried and punished ai once
on the lesser charge. In many cases, too, the value of the article
stolen was set down at n sliding only, with this view, that the
ease might not be sent for trial elsewhere. These instancee, it
veal true, were not very creditable to the parties concerned, but
they furnished ample reasons for abolishing all distinctions between
grand and petty larceny. He would unite the different species of
the crime of larceny under one general law, and he would fix, as
the maximum of punishment, a sentence cf transportation for
seven years. It was hitherto the custom to mitigate the sentence
affixed to the crime of grand larceny; but he owned he could not
Nee the reason why, if the power existed, a criminal convicted of
this crime should not he transported for stealing to the value of
„,. There was a material difference between grand and simple
Lamm., when a prisoner was twice convicted. A man who re-
peated the ....rime of grand larceny was liable to a sentence of
death, withoset benefit of clergy. He meant to pro
poet that the cap.'t'd punishment should be dispensed with in
this instance•
lie proposed also to do away with a term
which bad long been reo r UP
with the criminal law of England,
. It was extremely difficult to apply
ed
he meant the benefit of clergy'!
'•
term without benefit ee clergy to any particular crime,
and to say what was a clergyable offence. It appeared to
sad of
that the law in this particular should ins simplified. Inst
saying, therefore, that the man who corneeetts grand lerceny a
Fecund time, was guilty of a capital offence, withae.t benefit of
clergy, he proposed to substitute the punishment of tranegnrta-
tion for life. This would serve to make the law more clear ana
intelligible, and he was sure that the House would go with hina
in every alteration he proposed whereby the number of cap: el
crimes might be lessened.—(Hear, hear, hear !)—Thus the roan
convicted of grand larceny a second time would ?en longer be sub-
jet to death. lu proposing this alteration he was aware, how-
ever, that it was not very material, as it rarely occurred that the
penalty of death was put in force when a man was convicted of
grand larceny a second time; but it was right at the same time,
that the law in this particular should be clear and determinate,
for it was one of the just objections brought by foreigners against
the criminal laws of England, that we condemn men to death
itir crimes who were never executed, and whose sentence was
n fact, never intended to be carried into effect. (Hear,
therefore, a material improvement, if,
hear, hear !)---It was,
in every available insta.nce, we ceuld erase capital pmeishments
from the statute-book and provide milder punishments, and
thereby avoid the mockery of condemning men to death merely
because that penalty was attached to the crimes they had
committed. He proposed oleo to mitigate the penalty fur
Ac-
stealing in a dwelling.house to the value of forty shillings.
A"'"ling to the law, as it now stood, the penalty of death was

attached to that crime. A distinction, however, he conceived
should he made, and there were cases in which the punishment
of death might he considered harsh and unnecessary. He there-
fore meant to propose that the sum of 40s. should be raised to a
higher amount, by which means the number of capital convictions
for this species of crime would be considerable diminished.—
(Cheers.) He was not prepared to say whether or no it might
not be necessary to go farther in the plan of reducing the num •
ber of capital convictions. Much had lately been done, and much
remained to do ; but he thought he might claim some credit to
himself for having done more towards the great and important
object of improving and consolidating the criminal statutes of this
country than any other individual who had gone before him.—
(Cheers.) He never was an advocate for the infliction of capital
punishments, and be thought it would he found, by comparing
the executions for the last five years in which he presided in the
home department, that they had not in,:loased in number, as
compared with those that had taken place in former years. Will-
ing as he felt, however, to reduce the amount of capital convic-
tions, he advised the House not to be led away too far by mistaken
feelings. If Parliament were to proceed too rapidly to overthrow
the existing enactments, a strong prejudice might arise in the
country against measures that were intended fur the public gocd ;
and thus the great object of justice and humanity might be thwart-
ed and defeated. (Hear, hear.) With respect to the law for the
wilful destruction of property, which his second Bill was intended
to embrace, he conceived that it might he beneficially altered and
defined within proper limits. He conceived the punishment at-
tached to the crime of cutting down hop fences, stakes, hedges,
Sac., was neither clearly nor properly defined, and therefore he
proposed to abrogate the law altogether, and try the effects of a
milder punishment. Without entering more fully into the par-
ticular measures of each bill, of which the Committee, whose ap-
pointment he anticipated, could best judge; he would now only
refer to the general principles in which he came forward to claim
the countenance and support of the House. Notwithstanding a
very able assistant, he felt considerable difficulty in drawing up
the Bills which he hoped to be allowed to introduce, owing to the
number of abstruse and unintelligible phrases which lie found it ne-
cessary to use in compliance with the usage of the law in this par-
ticular. The endless repetition of words, the confusion of the sin-
gular and plural number, the frequent use of the words " party or
parties," " defendant or defendants," "corporations" or " person"
had always, he confessed, puzzled him beyond measure whenever he
had occasion to refer to an Act of Parliament.—(Hear.)—He bad
therefore, in the Bills which he had framed avoided as much
as possible the confusion arising from the frequent introduction
of words and phrases ; and at the commencement of each Bill,
he defined, therefore, the precise punishment for each particular
crime, adding to the end of the Bill, in order to remove any
doubt occasioned by the ambiguity of the language, that the word
person, when mentioned in the body of the Bill, should be taken
to mean the party accused, whether man, woman, or child, and
that the same should hold good with regard to owner, defendant,
or defendants, or by whatever term the accused party might be
designated.—(Hear, hear !)—While on the subject of the crimi-
nal laws, he wished to say a few words on a subject which was
intimately connected with the question. It would he in the
recollection of the House, that some years since, a Parliamen-
tary Commission was appointed to inquire into the several
Courts of Law, and also into the fees and emoluments of the
Judges. Thoae venerable and respected individuals submitted
cheerfully to the investigation, yet in the minor Courts of
Justice no inquiry had been made respecting the nature and
amount of fees and other emoluments of the persons offi-
ciating there.—(Hear, hear !)—He had heard and believed
that great abuses existed in those Covets; for instance, the
other day, a demand was made for heavy fees, from persons
who had actually been acquitted of the crimes with which they
had been charged. The House must see the manifest impro-
priety of tolerating such a monstrous anomaly.—(Cheers.)—So
that it would have been mercy to the accused if the Judge hail
found him guilty, because in that case his punishment would
have been less by the amount of fees which, as an acquitted man
lie was called upon to pay.—(Cheers.)—A man acquitted by a
jury of his country, should be free of any such odious impost,
and any attempt to punish him, either in his person or his pocket,
after that acquittal, was a direct libel on our boasted trial by jury.
He was, therefore, strongly inclined to recommend an inquiry into
the fees of officers attached to the minor Courts of Law. The
office of Sub-Sheriff he also considered should be inquired into.
It was on office with which he (Mr. Peel) was very little ac-
quainted. He only knew that in some counties the fees amounted
to 6001. or 700/. a year, and the situations were eagerly sought
for, while the office of Sheriff was considered so much the re-
verse of desirable, that applications were constantly made by gen-
tlemen to be relieved from serving. He would, therefore, should
he see occasion, submit a proposition to the House, to inquire
into the fees and emoluments attached to the office of Sub-Sheriff,
an appointment with regard to which he should wish to he
enlightened.—(Hear, hear !)—The office of coroner was also
one, in which he conceived improvement might be made. The
coroners of England had in a body petitioned Parliament, praying
for an increase of salary, and representing how very inadeqaatelv
they were paid. He (Mr. Peel) found, however, that although
the office of coroner was burdened with so many wants, it
was a situation which somehow gave rise to very considerable com-
petition whenever it became vacant. He, indeed, bad heard in-
stanca:!;: which contests for the situat'cn of Coroner ware as ex-
pensively carried on as in contested elections for the return of
Members of Parliament He should be happy to hear, therefore,
how it was that Coroners were so inadequately paid, and yet the
office was so greedily sought for.—(Cheers. '—The offices of Clerk
of the Peace and Clerk of the Assize should also be investigated,
with a view to ascertain the nature and amount of fees attached to
such appointment. Without throwing out any insinuation against
individuals holding those offices, he wished to know by what au-
thority those fees were demanded.—(Hear, hear !)—Another office
requiring investigation was that of Clerk to Magistrates. It would
also be desirable to ascertain the amount of fees demanded and taken
by such persons, and the authority under which they were demanded.
noWithoutu rabl e pointingaud
independent out
y,
tthe , es instancescountry,
enough of the misconduct of Magistrates' clerks ; and that ho-
nourable there w
magistrates of were
should he careful who they appointed to fill those situations. These
i points, though not immediately connected with the Bills which lie
, meant to move for, were, nevertheless, connected with the due ad-

. .
ministration of justice, and were therefore points to which the at- I
tention of the House should be particularly called. There
might he some individuals who might think that that the altera-
tions which he (Mr. Peel) suggested were founded, after all,
more on theoretical reasoning than practical experience. He
had not as vet found, however, that the propositions he had
already submitted to the House with regard to the improve-
inent of the law had failed of their effect, in proof of which he
might mention the Bill for the better reguition of Juries, which
had lately come into nparation. He knew it was objected to
the measures which he should rosy have the honour to pro-
pose, that if they had passed into a law it would soon be ne-
cessary to cone down to Parliament with fresh lairs to amend the
new ones. He brad not heard, however, any such result from the
acts for the better administration of justice which he introduced
last Sessio. He was not aware that the act giving power to ma-
gistrates to accept of bail in cases of doubtful felony had not been
on the contrary, he had heard it well
aspnoeknednedofb, yangdoloied wefl'a'et3se,therefore, fortified by past experience in
anticipating great practical good from the measures he
was shout to propose. (Hear, hear.) lie certainly had heard of
objections to another of his bills, which, if founded in truth or
justice, would certainly lead him to disparage his own exertions.
The Bill which he alluded to had passed last Session, and its ob-
ject was to facilitate the course of justice, by providing that poor
persons, who were prosecutors in cases of misdemeanor, should
be enabled to see: justice at the public expense. lie was not
prepared to contend that the county rate should not hear the
whole of this burden, but he thought it but just and proper
that prosecutors who had not the means of obtaining justice
themselves, should be enabled to do so at the expense of the
county in which they' lived. It was said that in the county of
Surrey au enormous expense had been incurred in consevence
of the endeavours which were used by the police to discover the
perPetratoa of an atrocious murder, which is still in mystery.—
The whole of tna eipence attending that occurrence was said to
be the effect of his (Mr.' Peel's) But his Bill had nothing
whatever to do with the expence inCtireo or', that occasion ; and
althoi.4.: he paid money on account of the transaction from the
Home-office, yet not a farthing was drawn from the county in
consequence of the-exia,:ence of that Bill.—(Hear.)--To quote
another instance of the spirit with which that Bill was treated by
some : L. was said that the expence incurred by bringing up wit-
nesses for prosecutions in the last Sessions at Westminster, the
Old Bailey, and Clerkenwel,l, were enormous, 'and considerably
dispropc..;:tioned when compared with t4e charges of former years.
He found the folLotying charge in print :—" Last year the expellee
incurred for witnesses to attend Westminster, Old Bailey, and
CierLenwell Sessions amounted to the sum of 2,313/., whereas in
the former year, the expence for witnesses was crib' 1,297/., the ex-
pence this year being nearly double: so muck fof Mr. Peel's bill."
Thi.s statement, however, was as netrue as the inference attempted to
he drawn fsorn it was unfair. The number of felonies tried at
these sessions this year was 521, and the year before, the number
triad was 406, so that there was only an increase of 45 eases, and
those Weis very aggravated cases, in which the prosecutors were
of the lowest order, and were consequently obliged to be supported
during the time occupied by the trials, in which they were called
is 7,eitnessee, and after all, the sum whieli the Court admitted for

their expenses amounted to no more than 145/. So far wee the '
expense from being doubled, that it was only the trifling sum
which he had just mentioned. He hoped that the statement into
which he had just entered would induce gentlemen to pause before
trey came to the conclusion that the alterations which he had
made in the laws had tended to increase the expense of adminis-
tering them. There were some gentlemen, he believed, of
opinion, that the law ought to remain as it now was, on account
of the expense necessarily incurred in altering it ; whilst there
were others, who entirely scouted the question of expense, and
thought that in his alterations of the law, he had by no means
gone far enough. To the latter he would say, that he was not
inclined to proceed hastily in experiments on legislation ; and to
the former, to those lie meant who complained of the expense,
he would observe, that by adopting the course of devolving upon
single individuals the consideration of particular laws, instead of
devolving upon a commission of several individual. ttie con-
sideration of the whole system of our criminal law, the whole
charge to which he had subjected the country by his Jury
Bill, and the other Bills which he had introduced in the five
years during which he had acted as Secretary of State,
did not amount to more than 14001.—(Hear, hear.)--He
declared upon his honour, that he doubted whether so much pro-
gress would have been made in the task of consolidatir's the laws,
or whether the labo..r already performed would have been per-
formed half so well by a commission of individuals with salaries
of 1,5001. a-year, as it had been performed by the individuals
who had assisted him fur a much slighter remuneration.—(Hear,
beer.) One advantage of the quiet and steady course which he
had pursued was this—tat •.t he had been able to procure the as-
sistance of the Judges in the revision of the Bills which he had
submitted to Parliament. They had given the most willing atten-
tion to the various new clauses which had been introduced into
those Bills by the learned gentleman who had prepared them :
and he had received from them all the most valuable assistance,
because he had not overhurthened them with repeated applica-
tions. Some gentlemen might think it an easy task to form a
criminal code; but lie would appeal to the Noble Lord oppo-
site, who had undertaken to consolidate the law upon one
subject only, whether the difficulties in detail of such a mea-
sure were not infinitely greater than would appear at first sight
to any person who was unacquainted with them. He must also
say, that he had another motive for proceeding gradually and slowly
in this matter. It was necessary to carry along with him all the
irstruments engaged in tha adrninioration of justice; for if too
many changes were suddenly made in the lawa of daily and ordi-
nary occurrence, and if what was declared law was not executed
well, no advantage would result to the country. A more splendid
fame might be acquired by attaching his name to the introduction
of a new code of law, as had been done elsewhere ; but greater ad-
vantage to the country would be gained by convincing the people,
who were justly attached to their ancient institutions, that the
circumstances which had given rise to them, were either altered
or gone by, that they could be amended and improved, and
that the rust nod impurity which they had acquired by the
lapse of time and carelessness of legislation, could be removed
without injuring their substance or impairing their strength.—
The House would confer greater benefits on the people by re-
conciling them to the improvements which it sanctioned, and
by showing them that those improvements could be made
without any practical inconvenience, than by attempting too
much at once in the shape of innovation, and by leading them
away by splendid illusions of general improvement. He would
be content, if by his humble effors, a gradual reform could he ef-
fected in our criminal law, without leading to any great practical
inconvenience : and he trusted that so far from dissatisfaction be-
ing excited by the attempts of the House to accommodate ancient
usages to the necessities of modern times, the attachment of the
people to those usages would be increased by their being convinc-
ed that the foundations of those usages were only widened to re-
ceive additional strength, and that it was wiser to amend them
where they were defective, than to maintain them steadily,
because they were antiquated imperfectiona.—(Hear, Lean)._
He therefore asked leave to bring in a Bill to consolidate and
amend the laws relative to larceny and burglary, and the offences
connected therewith.—(Great cheering.)

Lord ALTHORP returned thanks to the Right
Honourable Gentleman who had just sat down, for the great
progress which he had already made in amending the criminal
code of the country. He agreed with the Right Honourable Gen-
tleman, that it was necessary to ptoceed cautiously in the task
which he had undertaken, inasmuch as nothing was more dan-
gerous than inconsiderate legislation upon matters of a criminal
nature. He admitted, that the increasing amount of county rates
for some years past was a subject worthy the most serious consi-
deration of every gentleman who stood in the situation which he
filled as a County Member. The reason why the expences of
prosecutions at the quarter sessions was less than those at the
assizes, was because the first underwent the revision of the magi-
strates who had to pay them. He trusted that the right honour-
able gentleman would consider whether some measure might not
be devised to assimilate the scale of expences at the assizes to that
used at the quarter sessions. He was fully convinced that the
laws relative to malicious injury to property required amendment,
inasmuch as they had filled our gaols with criminals for compa-
ratively trifling and insignificant offences. He also thought that
the laws relative to poaching had been recently applied to many
cases which were not intended to be affected by them. In con-
clusion he entreated the right honourable gentleman to accept hie
tribute of applause for the benefit which be had conferred upon
the country, by bringing these questions fairly under the consi-
deration of Parliament.

Two Members, one on the Ministerial side, and the other on
the Opposition side of the House, both of whom stated them-
s►elses to have long been in the habit of superintending the admi-
nistration of the laws as Magistrates, expressed their gratitude to
Mr. Peel, not only for the improvements which he had already
introduced, but also for those which he was now about to intro-
duce, into our criminal jurisprudence. We eo.ild not learn the
names of either of them.

Mr. HOBHOUSE said, that the present was one
of those occasions in which it wag the duty of all those who felt
strongly, to attempt to give utterance to the feelings under wliich
they laboured. In all the admirable address which the House had
just heard from the lips of the Right Honourable Gentleman,
there was only one part to which he was inclined to make any ex-
ception, and that was the part in which the Right Honourable
Gentleman had told them that it was possible that by pursuing
a different course from that which he had followed, a more splen-
did fame might have been acquired. The Right Honourable
Gentleman was mistaken—a more splendid fame than that which
he had already earned could not be acquired—(loud cheers)—
and the Right Honourable Gentleman must have seen the earnest
of that fame which he would enjoy to the latest posterity, iu the
applauses which he had already received from men of ail parties
in the country—applauses which stamped on his exertions a
glory which nothing cculd destroy.—(lmmense cheering.)—
He was sure that if Sir Samuel Romilly could see seated in the
chair of office an individual with the intentions of the Right Hon.
Secretary, he would be willing to resign into his hands all his
plans for the benefit of his country, and for the reformation of the
criminal code.--(Cheering.)—That the Right Hon. Gentleman
might meet difficulties in the progress of his labours, every man
must allow ; but when he found that he had in his favour the
testimony of the practical men, who knew how his laws worked,
he (Mr. Hobliouse) trusted that he (Mr. Peel) would he encou-
raged to pursue the same honourable course which he had com-
menced, and that nothing would stop him in his career—(Cheers.)
It was often his unfortunate duty
,to convey to the Right Hon.
Gentleman the sentiments of his constituents, when they were
not in approval of the conduct pursued by himself and his col-
leagues. He, therefore, thought it an advantr7e to have to
convey to the Right lion. Gentleman the sentiments of the same
body, when they were loudly expressed in his favour.—( Hear. )
What he was going to mention to the Right Hon. Gentleman
was, perhaps, hardly worth his notice—still he trusted that the
Right Bon. Gentleman would not despise it. It was a custom
in the city which he had the honour to represent, for the con-
stituent body to have an anniversary meeting with their repre-
sentatives—in which the constituent body communicated to their
representatives the sentiments on which they thought that their
representatives ought to act, and which were held up to them as
worthy of admiration. He hoped that the Right Hon. Gentle-
man would not think that he was obtruding an improper fact
upon his attention, when he told him that, upon every such
rent anniversary, his name had been held up among those which
were considered to belong to the benefactors of their country._
(Cheers. )—He saw the Chancellor (Mr. Robinson) smile—he could
not help it—there were certain prejudices which men could easily
overcome. On many questions the Ri.rht Hon. Secretary had
pursued a course which was not very congenial to the feelings of
the electors of Westminster; but on this subject they only
saw in him a reformer of great abuses, and a man who was
doing all he could to benefit his country.—(Hear, hear.)—lle
owed the House an apology for introducing this matter into the
discussion, but he trusted that, insignificant as it might appear to
some Members, it would encourage the Right Hon. Secretary not
to delay in his career. He anticipated for the Right Hon. Gen-
tleman a more splendid fame than the modesty of the Right Hon.
Gentleman would permit him to anticipate for himself; he had
laid the basis for being a great man, by showing that he was a
good one.—(Cheers.)
Mr. D. SYKES next addressed the House, but in
a tone of voice and amidst a confusion which rendered him almost
inaudible in the gallery. We understood him to object to the

power given by certain Bills to convict offenders by summary pro- 1
cess before one magistrate. In conclusion, he applauded the Right i
Hon. Secretary for proceeding, step by step, in his attempts to '
amend the criminal jurisprudence of his country.
Mr. CRIPPS in reply to the observations of the
Hon. Member for Hull, on the impropriety of giving one Magis-
trate a summary power of conviction, observed, that it was neces-
sary that one magistrate should have that power, as there were
many parts of the country in which it would be extremely difficult,
if not impossible, to get two magistrates. The increase in the
county rates was occasioned by two causes very dissimilar, the
increase of crime, and the increase of road-making and bridge-
making throughout the country. He was extremely glad that the
subject had attracted the notice of the Right Hon. Secretary.
Mr. BATLEY returned his thanks to the Right
Hon. Gentleman for the able speech which he had that evening
delivered.
Mr. PEE', said, he would be guilty of great in-
justice to the House, if he did not briefly express the gratitude
which he felt fur the general support which his proposed measures
had received,—(Hear!)—lt was most gratifying to him to ob-
serve, a complete oblivion of all party and personal feeling, when
the object before the House was an endeavour on his part to effect
a great public benefit.—(Hear!)--He would not, on the present
occasion, make any observations on the subject alluded to by an
Hon. Gentleman opposite,—he meant the melancholy increase of
capital crimes. He had, however, caused comparative tables to
be drawn up, and he was sorry to observe, but he wed it to
justice to declare, that the comparison of the present with former
periods was not satisfactory. Perhaps, however, the overgrown
amount of the population might be adduced as one of the reasons
which produced that unfavourable result. That, however, this
subject had not escaped his attention, and that he meant to apply
some remedy for the evil, must be obvious to the Hon. Gentleman,
as he had given notice of a motion as to the state of the police
within 10 miles of the metropolis. When that motion came for-
ward, the whole question could be discussed.
Leave was then given to bring in the Bills mentioned by the
Right Hon. Gentleman in the course of his speech.