Star.
London, England, 1831-06-28 00:00:00

COMMON LAW COMMISSIONS.

It seems right that the public should be apprized
of the effect which has been already given to the
recommendations of the Common Law Commis-
sioners. The following is an accurate general
account of the principal reforms hitherto resulting
from their labours. It is to be observed that they
are the produce of the original commission only, as
appointed in May, 1828, and that they amount but
to a very small portion of the general plans of im-
provement developed in the two reports of that
commission. The introduction of the bills by
which they have been carried into effect is a set-
vice that has been divided between Lord Tenteiden
and Sir J. Scarlett. Of the acts hereunder men-
tioned, the Ist Will. IV. sera. 1, c. 70, and 1
Will. IV. seas. 2, c. 3, were the work of the
latter gentleman, the others of the noble lord :
1. The abolition of the separate judicature of Wales and
the admission of the principality to the benefits of the
general judicial system ; by which the complete consoli-
dation of England and Wales is at length, for the first
time, cffectel-1 NVill. IV. less. I, c. 70.
2. The I, trengthming of the judicial establishment of West-
minister-hall, by the appointment of three additional
judges. by which the Welsh circuit is provided for, and
great despatch given in various ways to the general Masi-
res. of he courts.—lbid.
3. The better regulation of the terms, the fixing of Easter
term, and the substitution of a simple method of returns,
in lieu of essoign or general return days.—lbis. and 1
Will. IV. seas. 2, c. 3.
4. The establishment of a more reasonable and convenient

system of appellate jurisdiction among the courts at West.
minster. by which the writ of error from the Common
Pleas to the King's Bench Is taken away, and a writ of
error given from each of the three courts to the other two.
—1 Will. IV. seas. 1, e. 70.
5. Power given to the judge to pronounce %entente (in case
of misdemeanours, &c.) at the trial, in lieu of the former
Inconvenient system, by which judgment was postponed
till the full court met in bank.—lbid.
6. The breaking up the monopoly of the officers of the
Court of Exchequer, the admission of all attornie, to prac-
tise therein, and its consequent establishment upon an
equal footing with the other courts in Westminster-hon.—
/bid.
7. A provision by which rules of practice ate required to be
made by all the judges of the three courts jointly, or by 0
of them at lent,whereby foundation is laid for the future
uniformity of their practice. —lbid.
& Provisions for giving immediate judgment and execution
upon a verdict in lieu of the former system, by which
judgment and execution were postponed till the next term,
and the plaintiff often subjected to the ruinous delay of
sevcial months.—lbid. and 1 Will. 4. seas. 2. c. 7.
9. Provisions, giving increased facility to landlords as to the
time of bringing an action of ejectment, and protecting
them from the inconvenient and prejudicial delay to which
they were formerly exposed when the right of entry oc-
curred at certain pctiods of the year.-1 William IV.

ACSS. 1, C. 70.
10. The improvement of the tour-e of pmceeding in prold.
bition and mandamus, by which some unnecessary ex-
pence* is saved and some unmeaning forms rescinded, and
proper provision made for payment of costs to the success-
ful party. 1 Will. IV. seas. 2, c. 21.
11. Power given to the courts of common law to order
the examination of witnesses upon interrogatories, and
to order a commission to issue for examination of wit-
nesses abroad, the want of which power .has hitherto
been poductive of Feat difficull, delay, and expet:se,

TUESDAY EVENING, JUNE 28, 1831.

and sometimes of an absolute failure of jestice.—l Will
IV. seas. 2, c. 22.
12. Various provisions with respect to bail, tending to the
material diminution of difficulty and expense, to the abo.
litiun of the disgraceful system of sham bail, to the beta
security of the plaintiff against insufficient bail, and to
the greater facility of the defendant in procuring bail.
—I %Will IV. sess. 1, c. 70, leola rienera!es of Trinity
Term last.
13. The retrenchment and simplification of the technical
forms of demand in certain actions of the most ordi.
nary occurrence. by which considerable expense is saved,
and tiro foundation laid for still more important reforms
of the saint description.—Regulte Generates, of Trinity
term last.
With respect to future operatiois, we understand
the arrangement to be, that the original commis-
stoners are separately, from their colleagues, to
make a further report upon various matters of
pleading and practice, upon which they had en-
tered before the appointment of the latter gentle-
men, and that the whole commission (as lately re-
newed and enlarged) are to report on the important
subjects of arrest for debt and the law of evidence.
—Morning Paper.

DISAPPEARANCE 010 MR. MATHEWS.
FURTHER P RTICULA RS.

Yesterday being the tlay appointed for the further investi-
gation of the mysterious disappearance of Mr. Mathews, of
the Comptroller's-office, at Queen-square police-office a
number of the young gentleman's friends were in attendance,
anxious to hear the result of the proceedings, on account of
some disclosures which have been made in private to Mr.
Oregorie, by William Davis, the waterman, after the last
examination, which it was supposed had completely cleared
up the mystery.
Mr. Maberly, of &Alford-row, solicitor, attended on be-
half of the father of Mr. Mathews.

Viscount Chetwynd took his scat on the bench, and ap-
peared much interested in the inquiry.
After the bench had consulted for some time,
Mr. GREGORIE addressed the prisoner' and said that no
further witnesses would be examined that day, but he wished
to know if he had any thing further to say.
Orisoner—l have nothing more to add than what I told
you in private, on Thursday afternoon.
Mr. Gazooars.—Do you wish it taken down is writ-
ing, that it may be public before all the world ?
Prisoner.—l have no objection whatever to its being
made public, for it is the heath.
Mr. Devious ordered the clerk to be called in. when
Davis stated, that on the evening of Tuesday, the 14th
inst. when Mr. Mathews disappeared, he told hint that he
was obliged to go into the country, and requested him to
keep it a secret from his friends.
Mr. Gasooatz.—Where was this?
Prisoner.—On the river, in his boat ; and be bound me
by an oath not to disclose.
Mr. GREGOMIE.—Did he tell you where he was going?
Prisoner.—He did not., neither did he give me any reason
why he was going away, nor did I ask him. He merely
said that he was obliged to go, and I did not think proper to
ask him any further. This is the whole truth.
Mr. OREGOILIE asked the prisoner if lie wished to ex-
plain how it was that he was enabled to find Mr. Ma-
thews's boat in the manner described on the former ex-
aminations.
The prisoner said, that he knew where to go for the boat.
Mr. GAZOORIE desired him to explain that circumstance.
The prisoner said that Mr. Mathews told him where he
would find the boat.

It appeared on the former examination that the boat was
not found in the dock, at Battersea, until Thursday morn-
ing, anti it was in evidence that no boat was there on the
Wednesday, the day after Mr. Mathews's disappearance, and
Mr. Gregorie asked the prisoner if he could account for that
circumstance.

The prisoner said he could not. The boat might have
been them, and no person aware of it.
Mr. GREGOILIZ told the prisoner that it was in evidence
that he had gone up the river, on Wednesday morning, with
Evans, the waterman, in search of Mr. Mathews and the
boat, and he wished to know why he had not then gone to
the dock to look for it.

The prisoner replied, that he considered himself bound
by the oath he had taken ; but Mr. Mathews ought to
have come forward by this time, and all would have been
explained ?
Mr. ClisEcorare —Do you think that oath binding now?
Prisoner.—No; I have broken that oath by what I have
stated.

Mr. GREOOIIIIL—Are you aware that a reward of 501. is
offered by the friends of Mr. Mathews to any person who
will discover where he is, or what has become of him?
Prisoner-1 am, Sir; one of the bills was put into my
hands this morning.
Mr.G nano a 1 e.—Do you know where At r.Mathews is now ?
Prisoner.—l do not, Sir; l have told you the truth, and
all I know about it.

Several other questions were put to the prisoner, but he
persisted in denying any further knowledge of Mr. Mathews
than what he had stated.

Mr. Git EGO RIE, after consulting with the bench, said, that
it was a perfect mystery to him what had become of the boat
on the AVednesday. Mr. Mathews was well known upon the
river ; yet, alter all the inquiries, note single person had seen
hint since half-past nine o'clock on the Tuesday evening.
except the prisoner. Urder the circumstances of the case, it
would be useless to remand him from day to day, and he
should therefore remand him for a fortnight. If, in the
mean time, he had any communication to make to him, either
in public or in private, he onfld send him an intimation to
that effect, which should instantly be attended to.
The prisoner was then removed, and on his departure in
custody to Cold Bath-fields prison, was strongly urged by
his father and Mends to divulge every thing he knew, but
the only answer he gave was that he had told every thing,
and that Mr. Mathews was alive.

Since the examination on Thursday the police-officers have
been dispatched into the country in all directions, but no
trace could be found of him. Mr. Mathews's father, i
highly respectable gentleman, is in the greatest distress of
mind possible on occount of his disappearance, and we un-
derstand that nose of his friends or connexions can by any
possibility guess his motive if he has absconded.

The source of the complaints against the Beer
bill are perfectly well understood. The Magistrates
say that the unlicensed houses favour immorality.
They do not mean by this that drunkenness has in-
creased, for that is the last thing of which Justices
would complain, but that they have no longer the
power of directing what shall be read in the houses.
During the licensing system, it was perfectly well
known that if a publican allowed a paper to be read
in his house, of which the politics were not palatable
to tke neighbouring Squires, Lis licence would not
be continued. This is changed. Cheap publica-
tions, of a very inflammatory description, are
read in the unlicensed houses. But the way to
meet this evil is to allow publications, of a better
tendency, to be circulated on equal terms. At pre-
sent tho advocate of disorder and anarchy has the
market to himself. But to revive the licensing
system, merely to put down licentious publications,
is not to be tolerated. The evidence of Magis-
trates on this subject is absolutely worthless. All
men love power ; and we all know that the li-
censing system was the main-stay of the rural ty-
rants of England.

PRICE SEVENPENCE.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, Just 27.
Mr. Parker presenteti the 20th Report of the Tanjore
Commissioners.
The sth Report of the Commissioners of Metropolis Roads
Ism also presented.

MAGISTRATES. INDEMNITY SILL.

Lori NIELBOURNE brought in a bill to indemnify
certain justices of peace in Ireland, which was read the first
time.

On the motion of the tame noble lord. the standing orders
of the House, which require that a bill shall not go through
more than one stage in on* day. were suspended..
The Bill was then read a second time, and advanced to the
third reading.

CROLIMA 11101111115. _ •

Lord WALPOLE vim to ask a few questions of •
Noble Marquis, with a view of moving for returns. His
object was to obtain a list of the medical persons appointed
Members.of the Board of Health for consideration of the
nature and character of the Cholera blorhus. He under.
stood that in the list of the said Beard of Health there was
not one medical person to whom the Cholera Morbus had
been known. The Noble Lord had been informed that a
person had been sent abroad to investigate the disease; still
as It was so near our shores, it might arrive before any good
could be derived from the information to be obtained abroad.
It was desirable, under such circumstances, that additional
medical persons he added to the Board, and more cm scially
those who know something of the disease. Th.• Noble Lord
concluded by moving for a list of the Board to which he had
alluded.

The Marquis of LANSDOWN said there was no objec-
tion to the noble lords' motion ; commissioners had been
sent to Riga for the purpose of ascertaining whether the
disease existing there was the same as that known as the
Indian cholera. The Noble Marquis concluded by moving
as an addition, that extratts from all correspondence,
relative to the present state of that disorder, be laid on the
table.

Lord WALPOLE said. he had not the slightest objection
to t;:e members of the Board of Health, but was desirous of
having it us competent as possible.
The motion made by Lord ‘l7sr.rout was then given up,
and that of the noble marquis agreed to.