The Sun.
London, England, 1820-02-17 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE St.7ti•

SlR—Allow me through the medium of your
Journal to call the attention of the Magistracy of.
the Metropolis to the judicious decision of the
Sitting Alderman, on Friday last, in refosing tui
convict, 'you the application of a common in-
former, where an offence against the words of
the Act was alleged ; but " no nnisaaee or oh.
stroction" was proved.- Such is the comprehen-
siveness of this new Acf, that if the clauses are to
'be carried into effect literally, l venture to say,
that there, is no existing use of the streets of the
metropolis which may not be called illegal, and
that no inhabitant can pass- his .threshold
with-
;out being subject to the attacts of informers.
By way of example, let us examine a small part
iof one or two clauses out of 148. In the 64th
'clause, it is enacted, that if " any person shall
cause, permit, or suffer to he run, rolled, driven,
/drawn, or placed upon any foot-way, any car-
iriage, or any wheel, wheelbarrow, hand-hat row,
or truck, or any hogshead, cask, or barrel!'
'he may be seized by any other person at plea-
sure, dragged before a Justice of the Peace,
land subjected to heavy .penalties. Now I will
!ask how is any coach-maker, grocer, cheese-
monger, oilman, tallow-chandler, or almost
lany other tradesman, to carry on his business
iwithout occasionally passing a wheel, or truck,
or cask, from bis shop door over the foot
'way to the carriage-way) He-cannot. But then
it is said such trades may be colled on in stable-1
yards, where there is no toot paventeot. Even ;DI
;this refuge, however, the Paving Act pursues them.
The new street-making,; projects are breaking up a
;great many stable-yards, and the Commissioners of
;Pavement in one parish, at least, by virtue of
their authority, prohibit the re-establishment of
'new stables, or coach-liouses,, on the site of, or
in lieu of the old ones—thus, while one opera-
tion of the Act increases the demand, another
narrows the supply. The consequence of this
already is, and will be much more to enhance
the rents of places' where carriages may be de-
imited. The owners of the remaining stable-
'yards will thus be enabled to exact oxorbitan'
rents, to exclude compethitM, and consequently
to combine, monopolize, and impose their own
lettus on the public. The stabling trade, like thr
beer trade, drawn within the vowel-,of licensing
;Justices, will thus fall under the grasp of favoured
connections, and the tradesman requiring room
for his trucks and carts, and the gentleman fat
his horses or carriages, will alike be subjected to
inconvenience and expence.

But these injuries affect only a part of the po-,
!pplation of the metropolis. The next clause ens
;braces the whole ; it enacts, that it, " any person
(shall cause to be set or placed in or upon, or °Vet,
:any carriage or foot-way, any timber, stones, &c
or any other matters or things whatsoever," tiel
111011 be subject to a penalty of forty shillings to'
'he first offence, and five pounds for every subse-1
quent offence. Now our umbrellas are matter►
or things, our walking•sticks are matters or things,
our feet are matters or things—and if to s,iye the
expellee of 51. whenever they have occasion t(
" set" a foot upon the " foot-way," the inge-
nious inhabitants of the metropolis were to

device means of carrying on their atrairs with-
out touching the " root-way," as by flos'iog.
Wrong') the air in balloons, or otherwise,
the Act would still follow them, for plttcing
matter or thing "orer" the " foot-way." I think
'urther extracts from this precious specimen ol
monern legislation are unnecessary to sliew ;liar
its anises most Writ be taken literally, nor with.
out the context " ouissinces nr obstructions."
I am, Sir, &c.
A MAGISTRATE FOR NIIDDLESEX.

On Sonday last some hundreds, of children frorn
the Radical Union &hoot, paraded through
ral ot Our principal streets; the greatest part ot;
the boys having- white hats on, and headed by
lionse ivell7l nown characters. Thus it appears the
bn2ke is not killed, only scotched ; ,tor whilst thej
children are purposely trytined up in defiance
the existing lows, i►o good Can be expected.
(Manchester Mercury).

The 55th Regiment of Foot passed through
Exeter lost week, on theii route to Shropshire.