Star.
London, England, 1831-09-01 00:00:00

the granting of license,' to thou who could show
v hall some character to lose, and that the house which
th y applied to have licensed was necessary for the con.
venience and accornmodatign of the public. We would have
both beer-shops and the ordinary public-houses put under the
'tame restraints, both as to unseasonable hours and gambling.
It was because the Beer Bill proposed to allow an unlimited
it amber of houses for the consumption of an inebriating be-
verage to be opened, without any of the salutary and needful
restraints to c arch the ordinary public-houses were liable,
tti.4 we originatiy denounced the measure as one fraught with
e:: convt quencea to public order and morals. The sup-
.,,,rtors of the measure, who are now endeavouring to neutralize
their own work by severe restrictions, and by novel penal-
ties. admit that they are only enlightened by events which
h-rs foresaw. We have stated over and over again that
an increase of drunkenness, licentiousness, and crime, arose
from the Government having lowered the price of e.in If
gin-shops are to he discouraged, let it be raised c:ain by an
additional duty, and let the poor man be enabled to brew
cheap and good beer at home, by a repeal of the malt tax.
Thus will consumption of gin he really discouraged.
POST.—The declaration of Mr. Hunt, that the opi-
nion of the country has undergone a considerable change
with respect to the merits of the reform bill, and that
this measure hat become the object of indifference, if not
of hostility, among the lower orders of society, produced
a great manifestation of wrath, and drew forth manifold
contradictions from its pledged supporters. We would
back the Member for Preston against the whole of those
who, with so much shew of indignatior, hastened to con-
tradict him, even if the comparative opportunities of the
two parties to form a judgment as to the fact were lees de-
cidedly in his favour; and this not front any higher opinion
of his veracity than of theirs; for in point of veracity, or of
any other of the qualities which constitute personal respects-
bulky, we mord them all as pretty much upon a level,
but because his statement is more probable than that of
the persona who contradict him, because it corresponds
better with other notorious and undeniable facts, and
brcauaa he is under less temptation than they, so far
as this subject is concerned, to utter what he knows to 'be
untrue. It w.-uld be saying but little for the personal
respectability of the Member for Preston to claim for him
en unequivocal superiority in this respect over any one of the
mob delegates in the House of Commons, who are degraded
before men, by the hypocrisy of pretending to deliberate,
when they know that their votes are pledged, when they
'crow that they have descended to barter their honour and
their consciene a for a seat in Parliament. This claim of

superiority, however, we forbear to urge, and arc content
that the relative credibility of the two parties should be de-
termined upon lens personal grounds.

IkeP F. Et A L PA It L AAI ENT.
DOUSE OF LORDS, Ave. 31.
TILE DUCHESS OF KENT'S ANNUITY BILL.
The Duchess of Kent's Annuity Bill was read a third
time. In eons:pence of the inability of the judges to
e•tentl the house, the bill could not be carried to the Cont.
Those learned functionaries will not be in attendance
to-marrow.

•
t
•
t
. ,