Star.
London, England, 1819-03-02 00:00:00

and as the petitioner had not supposed that this ob-
jection would be staved, he applied to the Committee
for time to send for the poll-clerk. This tine, how-
ever, had not been granted by the Committee, and
he thought their conduct to the petitioner was rather
harsh. It was evident that, in future, whenever a
petition was presented against an election in Ireland,
it would be necessary for the petitioner to bring over
the poll-clerk, in order to prove the poll. This he
conceived to be a very great hardship, as it would be
attended with considerable additional expense to the
petitioner, and as in many cases the poll-clerks were
not in so high a rank in_life as to afford'the loss of
so much time. Yet such must be the inevitable con-
sequence, if the decision of this Committee were to
become a precedent in future petitions from Ireland.
Be should therefore Move, that the inintites of the.
Committee be laid before the House, in order to con-
sider the propriety of amending the law on this subject.
Sir THOMAS BARING said, that the documents
en which the petitioner founded his defence were con-
tained in a sealed parcel which had been given to
him after the election, without his knowing what the
parcel contained. He cer,.ainly thought it a case of
extreme hardship that the petitioner should be ob-
liged to authenticate the poll' in this way. The hard-
ship of which the Honourable Gentleman complained
would certaii.r►' exist, for in future it would be ne-
cessary to bring over the clerk of the poll. He wil-
lingly.seconded the motion for the production of the
minutes of the Committee.
Mr. STURGES BOURNE asked if the poll-book
Lad been produced by the proper officer ?
Mr. WYNNE cited two cases in which a copy of
tl.e poll, returned by the proper officer, had been con-
sidered proper evidence.
Mr. ABERCROMBY was aware that there was
great inconvenience in discussing such a question
before the House. All must think, that a case of
greater hardship than the present had never occurred.
Ile had inquired into the particulars of this case, be-
cause a similar one, in which he had been a Member
of the Committee, had been, he understood, relied on
as a precedent for the present decision. If th.tt was
the case, it was impossible that there could be a
greater perversion, for the former case was totally
inapplicable to the present, as every man, in the
slightest manlier acquainted with law, would pro-
nounce. He thought that there never was a decision
more unjust, more contrary both to reason and pre-
cedent, than the present.
It was then ordered that the Minutes of the Com-
mittee be laid on the table. _ _ _

Mr. E.ILITTLETON presented a Petition from
Wolverhampton, against the lusolvent Debtors' Act.
Laid on the taSle.

Lord WORCESTER presented a Petition from
Monmouth, against any alteration in the Coal Tax.
Laid on the table.

Mr. HUNTER BLAlltyresented a Petition from
the Incorporated Trades of Edinburgh, praying for
a more liberal and constitutional system of Burgh
Government to Edinburgh, and all the other Scotch
Burghs.
Mr. MAXWELL said, it was not his intention to
trouble the House with arguments on a subject which
. embraced so many topics relating to the Royal Burghs
of Scotland. He would only state one circumstance,
and that he stated on the authority of.the most emi-
nent Lawyers or Scotland,. that theiMagistrates of
the Scotch Burghs had the power of contracting
debts to any amount on the Funds of the Burgesses,
while the Corporation had no control over the funds,
nor any share in the administration of the Burgh.—,
'This was an important point, because the highest
legal Authority in Scotland, the Lord Advocate, had
announced his intention of bringing in a Bill, such
as he had proposed last year ; but it was evident
that such a measure was inadequate, and, in fact, did
not extend to that part of the subject which was of
the greatest importance.
The Petition was ordered to be printed.
Colonel WOOD presented three Petitions from the
County of Brecon, against the equalizatiou of the
Duties on Coals. Ile said, that the Press had-been
active in stating that the promoters of the measure
for the equalization of the duties were anxious to re-
move the operation of the Local Act from themselves,
and throw them -equally on the whole Public. For
his own part, he would oppose any alteration in the
'existing laws en that subject.
Mr. METHUEN stated the hardships which any
additional Tax on Ccials, would prove to Manufac-
turers, who already had great difficulties to surmount
in bringing their goods to a foreign market.
Mr. Alderman WOOD said, that those who prayed
for the equalization of the duties did not desire,to
throw the weight of local taxes on the public. The
tax chargeable on London and its vicinity was not a
local tax, but a Government tax. It the Honourable
Member looked into the Act, he would find that it
applied to coals that were -..--iter-Lorne, not sea-
borne ; and he believed, if the Act were properly
construed, it would extend to coals carried by canals,
as well as those carried by sea.
The Petitions were ordered to he on the table.
My. CHARLES CALVERT said, he held in his
hand a Petition, signed by a great number of most
respectable persons in the parish of Saint George,
Southwark, against-the present lielvy Duties which
they paid on Coals. The Petitioners did not pretend
to say what should b 6 done ; they. only prayed fhe
House to take such nieasures for their relief as it
might think proper.—Laid on the table.
Mr. CHARLES CALVERT presented another
Petition from the same persons against the Insolvent
Debtors' Act. The petition stated, that for one rigid
creditor, there were ten fraudulent debtors.—Laid
on the table.
A MEMBNR moved for an Account of Ladd pur-
chased for the erection of the new Post Office ; and
also an account of the progress of the work.—Ordered.
The Sheriff; of London presented at the Bar a Pe-
tition from the Lord Utyl,r, Aldermen; and Corn-
mon Council of the City of London, representing the
Right of Appeal in cases of murdei.' to have imme-
morrilly belonged to the City, while the Vager of
Battle was quite unknown there, and praying that
they should not be deprived of their= ancient right.—
After some conversation, the petition was read, laid
ou the table, and ordered to be printed.
Lora (ASTLEREAGII moved, that the names
pj •the dtifaulters at the ballot on Thursday should
bq *cad over..
704 tbc niuucof Lord Var.ozuzut DeNriNtz being