Star.
London, England, 1824-05-25 00:00:00

For the Bill, 99 ( For the Amendment, 32 I Majority,67

The House then went into a Committee on the Report.
Mr. MA I3ERLY moved an amendment to a clause, to the
effect that Licenses to Publicans be discontinued.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said he must
oppose this motion, because he could not agord to give up two
hundred thousand pounds.
Mr. MA BE It LI said he only wished to place the Publican
upon the sane footing at all other trades.
The gallery Wiia then cleared for a division, but no division took
place. The Amendment wai withdrawn, and the clause adopted.
'rile other clause; of the Bill were then agreed to, with certaii

,Trbal amgAJments7 the Rouse resumed, and the Rtort was or-
dered to be received to-morrow.

COUNTY COURTS.

land ALTHORP moved the third reading of the
County Courts Bill.
Mr. SCA RLETT thought the Noble Lord deserved
thethanks of the country, for the pains he had taken with
the all. Still he thought the Bill was liable to strong
objections, and it would have been enough to have ex.
tended the jurisdiction of the County Courts to debts of
tl.e amount of £5. The main objettion was, that this
('Curt was do be a Court of Conscience, as the pat ties
vie to be examined on oath ; that made the difference
fetween a Court of Conscience and Common Law. He
t;,o„ight such a practice held out a strong temptation
to perjury. The common law of England prevented a
party from giving evidence on oath, and that was the
foundation of the whole law of evidences. The Bill
went to introduce twenty new Jurisdictions and twenty
new Judges. Should the Bill pass, and twenty new
Judges be appointed with a salary of £BOO each, the
Bill would be perpetual. He objected to the Bill also
from the additional patronage it vested in the Crown.
already quite sufficient for the independence of the Bar,
He should feel it his duty to take the sense of the House
upon the Bill passing into a law. He thought the pa-
tronage should be vested in the Sheriff, who might also
hare the tight to appoint an assessor. The Honourable
Member concluded by moving that the Bill be read a
third time that day six months.
Mr. SYKES was ready to agree in many of the ob-
jections made to this Bill by his Hon. and Learned
friend, especially to the extraordinary patronage which
it was proposed to give to the Crown. Still when he
considered the evils of the present system; when he
considered that a man had better give up a debt of 251.
or SOL than run the risk of incurring the expense ne-
cessary to recover it; when he considered the number
of Petitions. which had been presented on the subject
from all parts of the country, he could not give his
support to the Amendment now proposed by his Ho-
nourable Friend.
Mr. J. WILLIAMS strongly objected to the appoint-
ment of the Assessors being vested in the Crown ; such
a measure was calculated to destroy, to a great extent,
the independence of the Bar. He considered this so
great an objection to the Bill that he should support the
Amendment.—Mr. R. SMITH supported the Bill.
. .

Lord ALTHORP did not consider the appointment
of the Assessors as giving any material increase of in:
fluence to the Crown over the Bar. As for the evils of
the present system they were such as called imperatively
for revision. He would stare one instance of many
which had come to his knowledge recently; a poor wo-
man in Worcestershire had a debt of 41. due to her;
she employed a Solicitor to recover it for her. He ac-
cordingly commenced proceedings against the debtor
and obtained a verdict for the creditor. Soon after he
deliveted his bill of costs to the woman; it amounted to
901. ss. The poor woman was unable to pay this sum,
and was in July last arrested for the amount of the bill,
and was still in prison. Was it not imperative on the
Legislature to put an end to such a system as this?
The Amendment of Mr. Scaaturr was then put and negatived
without a division, and the Bill read a third time. Several addi.
tioual clauses were proposed, amongst them Colonel Pasties pro-
posed a clause for giving compensation to the Town Clerk of Cam.
bridge. Upon this clause the gallery was cleared for a division.
}or the Clause, 31—Against it, 112.—Majority against it, 81.
On the Compensation Clause being brought up,
Lord ALTHORP proposed as an amendment, to leave out a
number of the names inserted. He thought if compensation was
gives at all, it should he given upon future enquiry and investigation.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL defended the clause. In its
present state all the Assessors, whose names he had introduced,
held freehold offices rated to the land-tax, having votes ut elections,
Ind some of them having given as much as £lO,OOO for their offices.
These persons were, he contended, entitled to compensation.
After a few words from Mr. N.CALVILILT, the gallery was cleared
for a division. For the Clause, 47—Against it, 41.—Majority, 6.
The Bill was then passed.
Mr. KENNEDY moved the Order of the day for receiving the
Report of the Scotch Juries' Bill.
Lord BINNING moved that the Bill be recommitted.,
The gallery was cleared for a division.—For the recommitment,
22—For receiving the Report, %S.—Majority, 3.
The Report was then received.
The Tithes Composition Bill was read a third time and passed.
The other Orders were disposed of, and the House adjourned.