Star.
London, England, 1819-05-07 00:00:00

radical Reformers.
don of a
Trustees,

4s, to Overturn

_

~,'.

r. -^_~

selves even

record that

system was
been said

to touch

by two
bettering
already recei
objection
_ _

14:69- to.

against the .
1793 stated

sometimes

He would

,

Surgeons
the Petitioners,. _ _ system
liable to the whole amount of their private property
for the' debts contracted by the Magistrates, over
whose-conduct they had no conttoul. He (Mr. J. P.
Grant) would be ' glad to hear the opinion of the
,earned Lord Advocate on this subject, as lit had
beard that the Learned Lord, being consulted in the
rapacity of Counsel, had given his opinion that the
Burgesses were liable for the debts of the Council—
(No, no, from the Lord Advocate.)—Then he knew
that lawyers ,with whom it would be no disparage-
ment to the Learned Lord. to be compared, had de-
livered such an opinion—(Hear, hear).—Was not this
sufficient to justify the Petitioners for their applica-
tion to the House, without exposing them to the im-
putation of entertaining speculative opinions on Par.
liamentary Reform? Ile Petitioners of the Corpo-
ration abQvementioned stated, that the income of
the City of Edinburgh was £40,000 per annum, and
that its expenditure was €15,000 mote. Now when
the expenditure of the capital so much exceeded its
income, when it was going, on adding to its debts,
and when the Burgesses, without any will of their
own, became liable for these debts in the whole
amount of their private property, was it not treating
them harshly and, unjustly to deny that they had any
, gmun& for grievance, any foundation for, alarm; but
they employed an application for a remedy of this
evil, to cover attempts at Pai liamentary, Reform?
Lord BINNING said, the question was, whether
they would refer 'the whole of those Petitions to a
Committee, referring, at the same time, the general
inquiry, how far it was desirable that the principle
of Parliamentary. Reftrnt should be applied to the
Scots Burghs?, It was true that the Petitioners did
not avow the principle but there .were reasons why
they should not avov.- it,. and he was• satisfied that a
great number of the persons who were, most active
s Petitions -- -•for 1).- •

to right of electing Magistrates, whertigam
elect a Membrif of Parliament. And. this
~.. to introduce the Westminster Election into
ghl--(Msieh lamgkter.) What the Petitioner,
was, that each Corporation should elect its
cers, and those Officers elect th,,Ntagistrates.'-:
1 not conceive how any man Gould elmfound
h radical reform, by which: ,be and
stoef
l suffrage and annual Parhipents.-. .0
confidence h his Mejea.M.itsister, that !
o suspicion tbat4hey would' .stilt lota% t$
teformers. .Aberdeen had. beeurio the ahOid
Bankrupt, and was put into thihaeds kit '
, and the Ma*strates had divested. *ow;
.en of their jail. -.(A laugh.) They ieshronei
that it was all the fault of the system. •Mthil
vas now universally complained of. ,it- 40$
1 that the Union had stopped every aidlioi.
the system. Surely it was ;sever inteiged
great Nations to debar themselves Istaoo.,
their condition. But the question had.ll•
100
received by the Legislature, and 'stir
i could not therefore be now urged... )
1793, complaints continued to be.
he system. The Report of the CommitypOk
ated, that the property of the Burghs 440
es alienated by the self-elected Counells.."
Id read a passage from the Petitiph of that
and respectable body, the Collimation of
s of Edinburgh, which stated the belief of
:loners,. that by the present system they were

rned Lord that these Petitions came ,run' au* uc km, sausa•
4. SCOTI,INI). then orgeasei Meniselves only, and not from the country DR. W. DOUGLAS hoped to give a sufficient es- an procuring the Petitions were advocates for Pariia-
ition in what he had at large, was an objection equally frivolous and un-
.planation for voting differently from the Right lion. mentary Reforro..—(No, //e, jives the Oppozetiot
disgraceful reflectimi sneartiag. What did the Noble Lard require? If tientkcinan who had spoken second in rhe..tlei ate. ilenthes).—There were some to whom this descrip-
• All he had said, and. theP were punii.tout, he disputedthejr respectabilitr Be Wns anxious to go into a ColOitteet hetaaSt the tioudid not apply; but tlx grcaternumber were etch
that neither in the Ca- :kud if .tbej.wore but fevi,• he contended thg th objects had excited great irritation, which could.not as he had stated. He had. no doubt but that griev.
1
oyal Burgin were the wets of oil. sufficient inhere:L.4p rtquire.the HOaie iniary. other risantier be satisfied. Scotch subjects maces had occurred under the existing system, but
k, their wealthortheir ' erenie, Oe.evOia $041; thel._hfil.COnl.P.44le .- d &Pugh vie little understood in ttgland, .to the. extent alledged. The Lord Advocate had
vain
respectaifility than she ad a.fo,
_lf* ofnasiolt 111.41. OW°, 4044.: -, .44 :thcr4Prga dliPiAc.ll. Petitions4m;this subject were introduced .a B 41: for the purpose of correcting the
they_ enqed,-,16e eq. 4:.*,1414,0„..., reP.fra . , .04 JAG *0
_.,._1 41,*Stting:of ins]. algence an,diaiip4paon. The subject evils, • and tbe.Biltio,ipttocioced rendered aver • other
Weals': 4:... ft. sithaa .49 :, ,M, 94* ' „or OM, ~ , at` .14.,11.1. 1 *a!je,doilvville Rt Agotlapd LAlimofore th.:lteilise proceed ing nimetessary. The Constitutink.of tii.
or ,2414
TS. .in iinowlifige and ' glitAftrtilK4 0 4ipt." ~l'eV,Mceilf 1.. '': .:
_ P ;dam, attention. There-ody n.o_publje Scots Burghs had existed for threnhundred and6fty
in'''whkh he hiff:Werikr . .id 40 rtoditlilif....'" ' ' 5lO A'.
. , "' i 112'MIIMIV. ' be•llkivsYs rogonfible Wrbut Korot ; Iroupi.: It id drat Oe.;4rdritiity-of a4ivh-
iid riiiit Oft 'dft tk,cs.. ' o•oirrptii suit .i4b. fbe 0 .
5, .I. , .. • • .40,Attgradod.govAstiushotwitro: palemibiemaimingd.filias4o,lo.ground.rakvzhih.
He belleved-diat..thet uip.,414 d. o:other,. flit ,ho Was it , .'
94000/11 Cifrn*f!JkskaAd.,lmoso9lllld„„gtii9cl94l tati*ltyldmvsheNAPald ,Atiject..taikairitteipia4
titiii in the municipal theßrpthelabillti ;stifle PetitittUisit. - Thit ' d taii into }lieu Petitions. lo the Burgh a rdontrose a electing Nlagistrate% by poll. Ili: chief motive la
ighs w4s. to overturn Noble Lord, or any of his fricUds, stand UP and new set had been given, and he would read part of opposing the question wAs, ho would admit, becAre