Star.
London, England, 1817-09-16 00:00:00

_
NEW PaLIVE REPORT

The Second Report from the Committee of the
House of Commons on the P.slice of the Meiropoli.,
on the subject of Rewards for the conviction of
off mders, atter referrirg to the different Acts of 134 r.
Lament siren this strisject, observe as follows:
" These various Acts form a part of the !ate of
the Intd at the present 'noniron; and the sums of
money which are thus paid in the way of eticien.ege-
mete is the nKreheltion and conviction or olitmders
hss risen firm Grin, which was the amossat ct
to tli:•I 1,218,000, which rus raid it r the
Fess.pnle in I 8! S. Your Committee rite of orinion
that thi; sysit nr rsf Parliamentary reseal-ft 101 the
convicsion v. ofte,siler s, is of most cpres:tionable
Tlis.y fl9V^ :eh it (lei/. duly to ex.snfose, not
tslagistratts of the unions Pact: ("Aces is; she Ale•
tropelis, but the Ofristrs of Om Poiice trieme_lves;—
aoif the testiniony of s.any of these pc; st.n., as wsll
as of those, with the exception of tie: Rvsorder of
Ler-clon, s..ho kr: had most opportunities of witn. v-
ie?, the creets of this ;Tecate, is, that the system is
most p,vtra;:, in itself ; that it has prositice.l the
wort c.- litNW:r.LeSt And that it cannot lie ton speedily
ithandonetl. It hex brew smted to your Committee,
that it has the tendency, and in sonic is.atances has
produced the practice of inducing persons to forse•tar
themselves for the lucre of the reward; that, while
sometimes the innocent have forfeited their lsv-s,
from tho cupidity of those who swore ti,ent away, to
obtain the money which he was to he paid ter the
conviction of the accused; in other cases, su4e.ssiti sl
• •
pistsce has not been had, from the supicion
'Juries have entertained that the real truth was it .t
sp.sken, and that the prosecutor or witness en Lie
trial forswore himself tot the value of the rew.„l—
odious appellation blood-mtsney has been
given to these rewards; and your Committee have
found in all quarters An abhorrince to exist against
them, which constantly operates as impediments to
public justice. .

" Your Committee have :might with great anxiety
to learn from the various Magistrates wham they
have examined. if to flair knowledge or befef the
system was productive aat carelessness and inattention
on the part of the Officers of the P•nce to the con-
viction of minor offenders ? The answer has been
from all, that they diJ not conceive any such ca,;:se-
iieence had toll:wed ; but with due deference to the
opinion of these roams, your Committee cannot
avoid remarking, that estimating the coliiii.:t of the
Police Officers to be guided by the common interest
and motives that ;-overn the actions rat mankind, it is
impossible that they should not be sdniul.:ted into
greater activity in cases v..here that ::cti7;ty %a.; to
be rewarded, than in those where it r.at cox; besides,
it has been allowed that the peruniai y reward! offer-
ed by individuals are great srimul.:nts to the exertions
of officers; and it seems reasonable to conclude, that
the absence of th.:so rewards. woold operate in a
direct opposite ratio. There can also be tro doubt
that offenders have hero snffered to be trained (A in
their care.e- rrinv, from the fatt.t oir:ece which
made them amenable to the l.ttn, thangh not yet
obj.:cts of prat, CD, stela by step, they have been
t„,d to the eomini•..ion rn ot%ereies 1,7 T which, en their
conviction, the Parham altary Reward ecuUl be
obt4;neJ.

" I'lttr Committee hove ire,nired into the mnde
in which Parliamen!ary Rewards are eist:"nrated.—.
At the County Assizes they
tai::
eexpienseortis of ae
ortrdlbyptrlo:e
Judge who tries the risoner, l
secution being first deducted; and though contrary
Ito the express words of the various Acts of Parlia-
ment, considerable demands are made in the ie.ture
of fees. In the Midland Circuit, the practice 15 to
deduct first 15s. 6d. for procuring the sign& ure of
the Judge to the certiicate of the cor:viction, besides
a fee taken for the Under-Sheriff of two guineas, tf
the reward is paid within a month. Yoar Committee
have reason to believe, that even larger demands
than these are Iris& in the nature of tre,, and that
Ibr the prompt• payment the Under-Sheriff chugs s
for the lour weeks advance of the money above sixty
per cent.
Your Cotnmittee have inquired as to the practice
which takes place in the Metropolis and in the County
of Middlesex upon this subject. The Recorder, Sir
John Sylvester, distributes tile rewards, and :appor-
tions them according to the merits of respective
claimants. They examined Mr. Thomas Watson, the
Clerk to the Recorder, whia.has told them, t! :t prior
to receiving that situation., he had leaint from the
Clerk to Mr. Serjeant Adair, that in his time, as well
as lit that a Serjeant Glyn. there seas considerable
emolument ari...ing limn the parnmit 01 the rewards;
thet tie took that situation witiitalc having ally thing
mentioned by the Recerd.:r concerning those rewai
but that making an application to iity.ther person, lie
received the iiiinrinaion that there was eighteen.
pence in the pound to be asked for, for the Sheriff,
and a compieneat to Idieselt fc.r his trouble. in
'respect to tolt eimrptienenr, it is sometimes more and
sometimes less; brit the witness stated, he was per.
fectly satisfitd with wh.d was itiecn to him, even
under the suppiisition that he was to pay the one
shilling and sixpence in the pound ever to the Uwe,.
Sheriff ; upon taking the Richey to the Under. Sheriff,
that officer rook sixpence in the pound, and mimed
rite witaess one slinfing.

‘, Your Cortina:tee tim.erstiusd, the propriety of
takati: this poundage money rests upon custom, and
that this witnPs tec,ived no more than his predeces.
„or. The w;tne3. delivered in a paper, which parr.
ports to be an account of the rewards which have
ts-oi vai.l every SerdSiollt, from the month of February
ISI:% to February, 1817, and which amount to
1.1.10, 60 that this witness has received the sect
svi.;o out cf which he has paid the stamps, which
are due upon the. to c.lipts that are Lam from the
different pet sons w.oreceive their share ot the rewards.
64 The Committee led it but just se the Recorder to
declare, thAt the witness deoiei that be is at 41 privy
to this irre6ula..ity, .riat he ever l'ad any co2vets.4.