The Sun.
London, England, 1829-05-13 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE LONDON JOURNALS.

On moving the second reading of the Bill for the
appointment of a new Equity Judge, the Lord
:hancellor last night explained, as well the grounds
upon which that measure is founded, as the general
intention of the Go;;ernment with respect to the
proposed alteration in the administration of justice.
The present object of the Bill is simply to remedy
aa evil, the existence of which has been complained
of almost as long as the Court of Chancery has
been established in this country—the accumulation
of business, and the want of sufficient power to de-
spatch it. An ulterior effect of the Bill will be, to faci-
litate the separation from the Court of Exchequer of
its equitablejurisdiction, in pursuance of the recom-
mendation of the Common Law Commissioners. His
Lordship at the same time announced the intention
of the Government to render the Rolls Court as effi-
cient as the other equity courts for the despatch of
business, by providing for the Judge of the Court
sitting in the morning, although (the state of Sir
John Leach's health having rendered it impossible
to communicate with him) the Bill contains no
enactment to that effect. The other topics in his
Lordsl4's speech are, however, of no less interest,
for tl:e mere acceleration of the despatch of business
in- court will be a very inadequate relicf to the
suitors and the public, unless it shall be accompa-
nied the other alterations which have been so
generally called for. The subject is undoubtedly
dme of difficulty and delicacy, and deserves that
efinsitferation which, according to his Lordship's
intimation, it is proposed to give to it. His Lord-
ship seemed distinctly to feel, what indeed the pub-
intereits require, that the • Government should
Tior pause in the course they have entered upon,
until they should have accomplished all that the
country expects at their hands.—Times.

Tit:. state of the malt trade was brought before
If.: use last night by Mr. Shirley. It seems sin-
k' that though the population in 1787 was only
7.-140,000, while in 1828 it was 13,500,000, the
quaritn v of melt made in 1787 was greater by
nao,floo quarters, than the quantity made in the
year ending 1828. The restraints imposed on the
maker of malt in the conducting the process, which
Yr. Shirley described, could hardly be the cause of
the diminution in the consumption of malt ; because,
as ,vac stated by the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
the same restraints existed in 1787 ehich existed in
1S -.-e,B. There is also much truth le what fell from
the Chancellor of the Exchequer, as to the change
in the state of the country. Tea, in the period al-
luded to, had increased from 6,283,000 to
25,000,0001b5. The consumption of coffee had
greatly increased. " Wine also had increased
in general consumption, and had been adopted as
tie. beverage of a class who formerly indulged in
beer." But one of the most important alterations
in the public taste, the flight Honourable Gentle-
man abstained from noticing—namely, the taste
for spirits in place of malt liquor. " I will
now call the attention of the House (said Mr.
Slaney) to a more serious part of the sub-
ject—the injury to the Revenue, and the
injury to the people. The number of spirit
licenses, as appears by returns, has increased prodi.
gion,iv, while the number of ale licenses has re•
rnained nearly stationary. In 1807, the spirit
licenses granted were 31,997; and in 1827 they
had swelled to 42,590, shewing an increase of
11,000 in twenty years, while the increase of ale
licenses in the same time is only 300.
The augmentation in the quantity of spirits con-
sented was enormous during the same period, rising
from twelve millions of gallons to twenty-four mil-
lions. The fact was that malt liquor, the native
prodece of the country, was undersold in every part
of the country by poison; it had found its way into
every market town, and was making its way into
ev.ery village ; spirit shops were set up where they
=mere before unknown, and the inhabitants of the
erittntry were becoming familiar with the dissemi-
nated poison." When Hon. Members declaim on
the connection bet areen spirits and demoralization
:Ind crime, it is but proper to remind them that
they themselves force the spirits on the people, and
zuv calv,e;,- of the crime. file people think spirits
le;eaese Magistrates, under the dispensatiees of Par-
liament, have jobbed them out of their r.ralt
In all populous districts, where it is worth
weile to make a property of the people, there the
magistrate and brewer contrived to convert the
power of licensing into a monopoly in favour of the
brewer, who laid the price of the monopoly on the
consumers, and presented them with trash which
they could not swallow. "At present (said Mr.
Slaney) the grant of a license depends entirely on
the discretion of the magistrates; they generally re-
fuse, and the exception is compliance." This re-
fusal converts the old licenses into property, and
sa..,s the foundation on which the brewers' monopoly
le built, as every body knows. A man in London
may be as fond of good malt liquor as one of Mr.
Slaeey'e Shropshire men; but the public-house
within his reach is the property of Mr. A, the brewer,
the next of Mr. 13, the brewer, and the next of Mr.
C, the brewer; and he must either drink what
;Messrs. A, B, and C, choose to give him, or drink
nothing. The remedy is obvious enough; but Messrs.
A, B, and C, are rich men, and the magistrates
are on a good understanding with them, and (proh
pudor !), as was proved in the county of. Surrey,
have the meanness to allow themselves on licensing
days to allow the brewers to provide their dinners.
" After an inquiry before a Committee (said Mr.
Showy), that matter might be put upon a fair foot,
ice, for the general mde ought to be to grant the
license, and not lo withhold it. Ido not pretend for
a moment that licenses can be granted without effec-
tual regulations to prevent abuses ; but whelp a re-
spectable man is able and willing to enter into seett,
cities to obey the regulations established, I think
greater facilities ought to be afforded." It fortu-
nately happens that a few districts, from not being
under jobbing Justices, we suppose, have hitherto
obtained en exemption from what is significantly
railed by the lower orders Justices' Juice—the liquid
produced by the combined efforts of Justices and
Brewers ; and the quality of the beer in these dis-
tricts, gives a standard by which to ascertain the
injury caused elsewhere by the monopoly. " I
will now point out (said Mr. Klanley) the dis-
tricts not under the control! of the brewers.—
The first is re:note, extending from Wellington,
through Exeter, to Darneeeple; the second is from
Derby to Leeds ; and the third begins at Coventry,
proceeds to Gloucester, Herefordshire, Stafford-
shire, part of Cheshire, all Wales, and I rejoice to
be able to include the county of Salop, which may
be looked upon as the centre of the genuine ale dia.
trict of this country. There, out of 14,890 pub-
licans, 12,540, or six out of seven, brew at home.
About five millions of people are
supplied by between two and three hundred great
brewing firms in three districts; there are 1,200,000
people in London suppiied by no more than thirty
or forty extensive breweries, enjoying an extensive
monopoly. The bad quality of die malt liquor in
many districts where no competition exists is welt
known ; I do not mention it ad invidiam, but it is a
het which ought to be stated, that in proportion as '
people are poor and defenceless they are overlaid by
multiplied and onerous duties. By the monopoly
the rent of public-houses is thrown upon those who
are not able to brew at home, and yet who cannot
procure a wholesome beverage away from home."
So much for cant about crimes, and so much for
jobbing in licenses—a matter as to which Alagis-
frates are in good earnest.-31:orning Chronicle.
Sir James Graham said the other night—" A
debt qf- 800,000,0001. had been contracted in paper
currency, and ice were attempting to pay it gc .
in
money, according to the ancient standard ;" and Sir
James further said, " This lay at the baton: of all
our difficulties." Now, in the first of these asser-
tions we do not agree with Sir James, for, we are
not attempting to pay off the debt of 800,000,0001.
in money, according to the ancient standard; nor are
we, comparatively speaking, attempting to pay off
the debt at all. IVe do not attempt to pay it off
eeee in nener—for the paying off every year three