Star.
London, England, 1830-05-28 00:00:00

to make places and give )I:l.:ties to those whose political
eor.rections had the power of disposing of the income of the people
• f England. These expenses must be paid out of the taxes of the
neople of this kingdom, which was constantly applied to for all de-
,tereli•o. In this way hundreds of thousands annually were lost
to this cluntry, while that house sat three 'nights endeavouring to
()rotor! some abatement in miserable miscellaneous grants, and
the tzecretary of State, with all the gravity that belonged to
him, deplored the expense of six pounds for printing a return!
- (Hear.) The royal commerce of Ceylon should be put an end
to. The Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Attorney-Oe.
ncr.d would no doubt soon find out that the king's cinnamon should
he imported duty free as well as the king's sugar —(Hear, hear.)
The expense of offices in Ceylon was enormous. The Secretary of
Covernment had a salary of 7,0001. a year, and the Chaplain a sa-
lary of upwards of 4,0001. (Cries of name.) The name was not
•rientioned, but in a Committee all the names would come out, and
that was an additional reason for the appointment of the Commit-
tee. The Civil establishment was 111,0001. being eight times what
it cost the East India Company. The judicial establishment was
41,0001. the revenue establishment 85,0001. and the military este-
tiiisliment 170,0001. He was astonished at the indifference with
which the Right Honourable Secretary proposed to wait for
the report of the Commissioners, instead of proceeding to an
imolediate inquiry. (Hear, hear, hear,) It was admitted that
the revenue of Ceylon was much less than the expenditure; but
as long as the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with his grinding
system of taxation, could take money out of the pockets of the
half.starved people of England to nuke good ail deficiencies,
inquiry was refused. Lord Bathurst, the most illiberal minister
that ever governed the colonies, had recommended reform in Ceylon
years ago ; yet now the right honourable gentleman asks for delay
before he enters on inquiry. He warned the House that every year
they delayed reform in Ceylon would take from thiscountry 100,0001.
or 200,0001. to pay for the expenditure of Ceylon, which by reform
could be immediately made not only to pay its full expenditure, but
also in a short time to discharge the debt now incurred. He fully
agreed in every thing that had been said in praise of that
honourable and excellent judge, Sir Alexander Johnstone,
and ho thought a Court of Appeal ought to be formed in this coon.
try, of retired Colonial Judges, instead of having appeals made to
the eriey Coattail, who were ignorant of the usages and languages
of the Colonies. Unless an inquiry took place into the expenditure
of the Colonies, it would be in vain to hope for any relict from taxa.
lion. He thought the appointment of the committee highly neces.
vary, and the motion should have his hearty support.
Lord ALTHORP thought, that although the house might wait
for the Report of the Commissioners before instituting an inquiry
into the revenue and expenditure of Ceylon, that was no reason why
the house should not proceed immediately to inquire into the coin.
coerce of that island, which, it was admitted on all hands, was op.
pressed by a monopoly that no one had attempted to defend, and
that was wholly indefensible.
Mr. TRANT said, the present government of Ceylon was estab.
lished as an experiment, to ascertain how far our possessions in the
East Indies might be governed directly by the Crown, instead of
the East India Company ; and as there was now a Committee sit-
ting on the government and commerce of the East India Company,
he thought it would be highly desirable that an inquiry should at
the same time take place Into the government of Ceylon. Far
from the present time being inconvenient, he thought it most ap-
propriate.
3lr. STEWART replied.
The House divided—
For the motion
Against it
Majority —44
ADMINISTRATION Of JUSTICE.

The SOLICITOR-GENERAL moved the further consideration
of the report of the Administration of Justice Bill. He should
move for leave to bring in two bills—one for the regulation of the
Registrars' Office in the Court of Chancery, the other for the regu-
lation of the Masters' Office ; and if leave were given, he should
bring them in to be read a first time that night, and would move
that the second reading should take place on the 10th of June. Ile
hoped honourable gentlemen would not put down motions for the
10th of June, but would allow that day for the discussion of those
important subjects.
Mr. BROUGHAM thought it was quite necessary that there
should be a full opportunity of discussing those extraordinary re-
medies that were about to be proposed for the abuses in the rt
of Chancery. He believed the more the bills were discussed, the
more their demerits would be apparent.
Mr. FERGUSON hoped a day would be fixed for the considera-
tion of the Lord Advocate of Scotland's bill for the administration
of justice in Scotland, which was equally important to that country
as the bills in question were to England.
Mr E. DAVENPORT objected to the bill, which went to de.
prive the county palatine of Chester of legal rights and privileges,
enjoyed for eight centuries, by which justice was speedily and
cheaply administered. The boa member concluded by moving ,1
that the bill be read that day six months. 1
Mr. WILBRAHAM took the same view of the subject.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said, that as the bill had been,
printed, and placed in the hands of honoutabk members, there was
no occasion for him now going into detail ; he must observe, how.
ever, and he be it to be understood that be could not consent
to abandon the en limiting the arrest for debt to sums above
one hundred pounds. He was led especially to adhere to that
clause, in consequence of a deputation of the traders of London and
Westminster, who bad done him the honour to wait upon him, and
request the insertion of some such clause; he should, however,
in order not to disturb the progress of the present bill,
bring in another bill, or he should -take the liberty of bringing
in the clauses relating to the arrest for debt, and the statute of limi.
tattoos, when the report of the present bill was brought up. He
begged also to direct the attention of hon. members, after passing
over minor details, that great public benefit and convenience would
arise from the combination of small counties; that would afford,
he was satisfied, great relief instead of having, as heretofore, a se.
parate gaol and separate Courts to each county. (Hear, bear.)—
'the hon. and learned gentleman then detailed the intended changes
which he deemed necessary to introduce regarding the county of
Chester.
Sir C. WETHERELL said that the bill, when be first saw it,
was only a skeleton—now the learned Attorney General had co.
vered it with flesh and muscle, but he had taken off the limbs, so
that one hardly knew it again. The learned gentleman's bill
might be clamed into three heads ; the first embraced the greatest
change that had taken place in the jurisprudence of England foe
the last century—he meant the change of the law of arrest; next
cone the abolition of the Welch judicature, and the appointment
of one judge in place thereof. The first of these was one of so
grave a nature, that he (Sir Charles Wetherell) entreated the house
nut to hurry it through parliament this maim, but to ascertain
if it were a substantial improvement. For his own twit, he was
Lot of such an opinion. With respect to the appointment of a
new Judge in Westminster Hall, he did not object to that, assum-
ing that the Welch Judges were to be abolished, and this led him
to consider that abolishment itself, and he did not hesitate to avow,
that he was of opinion the present bill gave a power to the Crown
which it ought not to possess ; he meant the power of disuniting
counties, and appointing one sheriff to one county, or cue to three
counties, as might be thought expedient.—(Hear, hear, hear.)—As
the bill now stood, no man could tell what he was, whether he was
an Englishman or Welshman ;he might be a Cambrian to-day andl
an Englishman to-morrow.—(Laughter.)—He therefore said that
the bill was unconstituilooal, and as such he should oppose it.
Mr. DAVENPORT opposed the bill.
Mr. SADLER said that when It was considered how many pe.
titions had been presented to the house against the bill, it ought to
be received with great suspicion. Such an unlimited control over
counties was not established by the practice of the country. He
entreated the house to pause before it passed such a bill.
An Hon. MEMBER, whose name could not be ascertained In
the gallery, said a few words, as was understood, in support of the
bill.
Mr. J. WILLIAMS regretted that this measure should have
been brought forward at a period of the evening when it was ma
rally impossible to go fairly into the discussion of so important a
bill. He was much surprised at perceiving the opposition which
was raised against this measure, particularly when it was recollected
that ministers were giving up, by this measure, a greater share of
than any which had been given up since the Revolution.
ta believedll the greatest evil of this country was the mixed juris-
diction of courts of law and equity ; and it would be desirable if
the business could be once more brought back to the courts of law,
from which it would never have been removed, had it not been, as
was said by Mr. Justice Blackstone, for the cowardice of the com-
mon law judges, who were afraid to exercise jurisdiction in matters
which were dearly proper for their decision.
Mr. BERNAL thought it would be impossible to proceed farther
with this bill tit's session, there were so many points about it which
were calculated to excite opposition in one quarter or another of the
limps..
Mr. Secretary PEEL said it had been generally supposed that
the greatest difficulty for a government was to oppose reform ; but
his experience convinced him that the most difficult thing for go-
vernment to do was to effect a reform.—(Hear.) A great deal was
said about the necessity of reform until it was tried to be put in
practice, and then up started local interests on every side to prohibit
the projected reformation.
Colonel WOOD said he should vote for the house going into
' committee, though when in committee he should vote for expunging
several classes of the bill
'Dlr. BROUGHAM said that all the objections be bad heard were
not against the principle of the bill, and ought therefore to be re.
served until the house was in committee on the bill. For his own
pact be entertained the most sanguine hopes of the success of the
solawass if they set about it with right good will and corresponding
any.