Star.
London, England, 1824-02-12 00:00:00

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croachment upon the principles on which it had always i
been maintained by our ancestors.
Mr. Secretary PEEL said he rose not at all to oppose.
the motion, 'fo'r he fully concurred with the Honourable
Member in thinking it a subject worthy of considera-
tion, whether some alteration, such as that now pro-
posed, migh: not advantageously be introduced. But ;
he could not but agree with his Honourable Friend be.
hind him (Mr. Lockhart) in regarding it as an alteration
not to be made without the gravest consideration. The
main object of the Bill proposed by the Honourable
Member, was to qualify persons who were in the pos-
session of personal property to a certain amount, to
serve on Juries for counties. In cities and large towns,
and other corporate jurisdictions, it was stated by the
Honourable Member that already the possession of a
certain portion of personal property qualified. the holder
to serve as a juror; the principle therefore had already
been admitted, and upon that he had no objection to
offer. He must, however, submit it to the considera-
tion of the Honourable Member, whether it might not
be difficult to fir the amount of personal property to be
considered as a qsalification, without admitting too
large a class of persons who might not be in other re-
spects well fitted for the office? It was also necessary to be
considered how far the officer whose duty it would be
to make the return of persons qualified to serve on Ju-
ries would have it in his power to ascertain with suffi-
cient accuracy the amount of personal property pos-
sessed by the individuals residing in his district, to
enanable him to make a pi oper return; and whether, in
the event of a challenge or objection being made to the
q valification of any person returned as qualified by the
officer, it would ;lot be extremely difficult; if not im-
possible, to decide upon the validity of the objection,
without subjecting the individual to an examination
touching his possession of personal property to the re-
quited amount of 4001. anu instituting an inquisition
into the state of the property of individuals, to which
theyteuld not be subjected ..vithout great inconvenience.
lle would silts fll it 0110 as a subject for consideration, whe-
ther it might not he better to take the qualification on
account of personal property iron) some more certain
and known test than the report of the returning officer,
such as the payment of taxes or assessment to the
county rates to a certain amount, which could at
once be ascertained by referring to the books?—
There were many other points also that would require
very serious consideration, but which he should not
then advert to particulArly, as he was unwilling to de-
tain the house by going into the details of the Bill,
which could not conveniently be gone into until they
came regularly before the House; and which he was
the less 1. repared to discuss at that moment in the ab-
sence of his Honourable and Learned Friends the At-
torney and Salicitor-General. In answer to the obsei.,
station of the Honourable Member on the hinder bench
(Captain Moberly) as to the inconvenience of the course
which be (Mr. Peel) had adopted, he should suggest
that the Bill of the Honourable Member should be
allowed to go into a Committee, for the purpose of hav-
ing the particular provisions discussed ; and when the
House had agreed upon the details which it should
think proper to adopt, instead of being carried on
through the ulterior stages as a separate Bill, it might
be worked into the Consolidating Bill, which he had
given notice of his intention to move the leave of the
House to bring in.
After a few words from Mr.WEsTERN in explanation,
leave was gis en to bring in the Bill.
Mr. WESTERN then moved for a Return of the
persons tried at the Home Circuit at the General Jail
Delivery in December 1822 and 1823, distinguishing
those convicted, acquitted, and discharged.—Ordered.

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