The Sun.
London, England, 1829-02-25 00:00:00

The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Weo:sack
at ten minutes past Five o'clock.
Mr. Crafer, from the Treasury, presen'ed an Accouut
of the Assessed Taxes received during last year.
Leal ELDON presented several petitions from different
parts in England. Ireland, and Wei a, and among the rest,
one from the city of Bristol, praying for no further
concessions to the Catholics. The Noble Lord, with re-
ference to the last petition, observed that the title of it
included
was
Tssigned
Dukee •
of
sb several al
upwardsupassis lEnoei SUSSEX—My
swithin,ioyo o
Lords,
mileshe
eorsolns.
beg of Bristol. It
leave to make
an observation, and I think very properly, with a view
of showing how petitions of this nature come to be so
very numerously signed. On a former evenine I ad-
verted to this petition which was coming np, and I
then stated that when it did Come up I should make
some observations upon it. I understand the Noble and
Learned Lord (Eldon) received the petition yesterday,
and with his usual courtesy mentioned that he should
bring it here to-day, and therefore I am much obliged
to hint for permitting me to discharge my duty. I ob-
ject te the wording of this petition, it is headed the
Magistrates ; now I understand the Mayor, several Al-
dermen, and Magistrates refused to sign it. Therefore it
cannot be called the petition of the Magistrates. Though
it is signed by so many persons, there has been a good
deal of opposition to it. It is stated, there are 35,000 per-
sons who have signed it. Now in the last census taken
in 1821, the number of inhabitants in Bristol and its
neighbourhood, was 57,000 and-a fraction. The piton(
1111(1 most coalition way of calculation is to take a fair die
vision, in the first instance, of the adults, and thus
those that are not so. This would reduce the number to
44,000, and if that number was divided e(lually again for
chilli-en, it would then stand at about .22,000. Now he
had the honour of presenting to their Lordships a petition
signed by 1,700. I do not, my Lords, pretend to deny
the fact which the Rev. Prelate stated the other de),
that the majority were in favour of the Noble Earl'.,
opinions, but I think when a great fuss is be made about
numbers, some attention should be paid to this. I bare heard,
my Lords, that whole schools were sent up to sign
this petition, and many placards were posted, and 01
such a nature that I will not disgust your Lordships or
offend your ears by stating them. I have seen them, and
I believe proceedings have been taken to prosecute both
publisher and printer. Several persons have signed them
over and over again. I hare a letter in my pocket state
ing that a person was at the Guildhell, going
from table to table, signing two names to the petitions.
I give the Noble Lord full credit for the manner in whicis
he presents that petition; and I am sure be would not
state any thing he does rot know himself, therefore,
what I state is only from what I have been informed.
When this petition was getting up, the word " under-
signed" was written upon it, and that had been
erased, and the word " Magistrate" put in its place.
There was undoubtedly a great number of Clergy and Ma-
gistrates' names affixed to it, but if it was meant to be gahl
that it was the petition of the whole of the Clergy mid the:
Magistrates it was not correct. I have dune my duty,
continued the Royal Duke, for the purpose of Jetting the
public know the manner in which petitions of this sort
are got up, feeling assured that it is of great importance
that it should be known.
Lord ELDON had been distinctly informed that tot
person had signed this petition more than once. He
had seen the printed petition, which was dated" the
6th of February. Oa the 3th, the day on which
Parliament opened, it was intended that peti-
tions from a few of the parishes should ie
presented on the subject, hut after the opening of Parlia-
ment it was deemed expedient that the opinions of the in-
habitants for ten miles round the city should be ex-
pressed upon this important subject. He considered his
duty in presenting a petition
•to consist in faithfully
representing the contents of that petition. Ile felt bound
not to decline presenting petitions, even that did not accord
with his own sentiments on this momentous subject, pro-
vided they were respectfully worded. As to the word un-
dersigned, he for a time entertained some difficulty
in seeing his way clearly to present this petition. Upon
the parchment there distinctly appeared at one time to
have been the word undersigned. He had therefore
enquired how it happened that that word had net been
permitted to remain, and the reason assigned was
that the draft of the petition presented to the
meeting had not such a word upon it ; in the mean
time this petition had been engrossed with this word, and
the petitioners subsequently thought that as it was not
upon the draft, the petitien with it would hot he
the petition of the meeting, and it was, therefore,
altered. On looking into precedents, he could not find
that this vitiated the petition, nor was it usual to say—
" the inhabitants who have signed this petition "—but
"the inhabitants," and which was to be taken as the
petition of the inhabitants of the part front whence the
petition came.
The Duke of SUSSEX wished to make one observation
more. He had no doubt whatever that the statement en-
tered into by the Noble and Learned Earl had been made
to him ; but he (the Duke of Sussex) would take upon
himself positively to assert (and he could, if necessary,
produce to the House the individual from whom lie had
derived his information) that many persons had signed
their names several times. That individual was on the
hustings, and he heard the words " undersigned" Clergy
and Magistrates read. This he was ready, if necessary, to
verify. The petition was read, and laid on the table.
The Earl of ELDON observed, that he had some peti-
tions to present from parishes in Wales, and he lied dis-
covered several of the signatures avers in the same charec-
ber ; but this he attributed to the circumstance of many of
the petitioners not knowing how to write, and being there-
fore obliged to employ an agent. His Lordship then pre-
sented a petition front the inhabitants of Brixlettn, against
further concessions to the Roman Catholics.
Lord GODERICII understood that a petition had beets
presented last night from the county of Devon upon the
Catholic Question ; he lamented that that petition Lad
been brought forward in the absence of a Noble Friend of
his (Lord Morley), who if he had known of the intention
to present this petition would even at considerable per-
sonal risk have attended to have presented another petition
most numerously signed, containing sentiments diametri-
cally opposed to those in the petition laid on their Lord-
ships' table.
Lord ROLLE said, if the Noble Lord alluded to had
given him any idea that he intended to present his petition
on the same day that he (Lord Rolle) thought proper to
introduce his, he certainly would have afforded the Noble
Lord the necessary information. But lie had not re-
ceived the petition until past 10 o'clock on the day when
it was presented, and he was not aware of the Noble Lord's
intention.
Lord GODERICII said it was the intention of Lie
Noble Friend to have come to town the moment he learned
when the petition was to be presented ; but he had received
no communication on the subject.
Lord ROLLE said the Noble Lord knew wheie he
lived, and might have sent some communication to him on
the subject. The petition which be had presented was
signed by a great number of very respectable inhabitants
of the county, though not perhaps by peers; and he he-
Hewed that the majority of the people of Devon saw the
danger of making further concession, and were opposed to
any measure of the kinde-„-The petition was laid on the