The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-03-15 00:00:00

SPANISH AFFAIRS.

The Marquis of Lori;WEar;;ga,;enotice of a motion for
Monday (Yesterday) respecting the detention of 27 British sub-
jects as prisoners in Spain.—Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, THURSDAY.
LONDON AND DOVER RAILWAY.
This bill was read a second time, and ordered to be referred
to a committee.
ECCLESIASTICAL COMMISSIONER'S REPORT.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL brought up the report of the ecclesias-
tical commissioners. The statements of his lordship were nearly
the same as those made by Lord Melbourne in the upper house.
Lord John Russell at the close of the conversation gave notice
of a motion for Monday, yesterday, for leave to bring in a bill
for the regulation of certain matte's connected with the prin-
cipality of Durham, arising out of the proposed alteration with
respect to the ecclesiastical and lay duties hitherto performed
by the bishop of thatdiocese.
ADDITIONAL DUTY ON SPIRIT LICENSES.
Petitions were presented from several places praying for the
repeal of the additional duty on spirit licenses.
Mr. DIYETT, pursuant to notice, moved for a committee of
the whole Louse on so much of the act 4th and sth of William
IV., e. 75, as imposes an additional duty of 50 per cent. on spi-
rit licenses.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER concluded a long speech
on this subject, in which he defended the tax on general grounds,
and deprecate the motion as calculated to embarrass the go-
verment, by saving, that in the course of a month he should
lav able to submit to the house the financial statement of the
country, and if they would wait till then they would see the va-
rious propositions which he should have to make. If, indeed,
his hon. friend should object to postpone his motion until that
time, then he hoped the house would acknowledge that he (the
Chancellor of the Exchequer) had not been fairly dealt with,
and that they would join with him in resisting it.
Mr. LIEATHCOTE thought that gin palaces were fair subjects
for taxation,- and he hoped that his hon. friend the member for
Exeter would consent to postpone his motion for a month, and
thus meet the views of the Might hon. gentleman the Chancellor
of the Exchequer.
Lord Viscount SAN DON said he could not regard this addi-
tional duty on spirits as a tax upon the consumer. If, indeed,
he could bring his mind to think that this was a tax upon ardent
spirits, he, for one, Would be very far from objecting to its con-
tiuuance.
After some further discussion the house divided. For the
amendment 16.5; for the original motion 155. -Majority in fa,
Tour of ministers 10.
LANDLORDS AND TENANTS' BILL (IRELAND.)
Mr. J. CRAW F. q icgoon9YOSor.leAve to bring in.a bill to alter
and amend the laws respecting landlord and tenant in Ireland.
Leave given.—Adjourned.
HOUSE OF LORDS, FRIDAY. ' "
The Duke of CUMBERLAND, in the absence of Lord Wyn-
ford, moved for an account of the Annual issue of stamps to
country bankers from 1819 to 1836 inclusive.—Ordered.
The slave compensation bill was read a third time and passed.
MEDICAL WITNESSES ATTENDING CORONER'S INQUESTS.
..The Duke of Nawcasau presented S petition from the me-
dical practitioners of the town of Nottingham, praying that me-
medical men might be remunerated for their attendance on
coroner's inquests.
ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE (WEST INDIES) RILL.
Lord GLENELG moved the second reading of a bill for the
better administration of justice in the West Indies. - The evils
of the existing system his lordship said might be traced to a
twofold cause—the origin of the courts of justice and the man-
ner in which situations in them had been filled up. The ma-
jority of these colonies was under the direction of a local legis-
lature, and to all those legislative colonies the whole frame of
English judicature had been extended. One material reason
for the bill was the want of qualification in the judges who now
presided over the courts in these islands. The judges were al-
meet invariably connected with the suitors, and not unfrequently
bore a part in the quarrels upon which they afterwards adjudi-.
cated. The court of criminal jurisdiction was constituted under
a commission from the governor, and in that respect professed
to follow the system adopted in this country. But there was
this essential 'difference between them; here the members of
the commission were ruostlyconnected with the legal profe'ssion,
while in the West Indies they were composed of the members of
council, members of the assembly, and justices of the peace, but
there were no lawyers on these commissions. In consequence
of the great number of gentlemen included in the commission a
very small number remained to act as jurors, and that situation
was often tilled by individuals who were not eligible by law,
and were often connected with the . parties whose cases came
before them. If this were continued the consequence would be
the total disregard of all law. His lordship went into a great
variety of details to sho* the necessity fur the proposed altera-
tion. The principle of the measure was. that these islands
should be divided into two districts. To. each district there
should be appointed a chief justice and a senior judge, who were,
at stated times, to go-.the circuit, throughout the islands. Be-
sides these, it was proposed that there should be a puisne judge
resident on each island, who should assist the other judges when
they arrived on circuit; but who, at other seasons, might tran-
sact business as the judges did in chambers at home, and per-
haps preside at the quarter sessions. He trusted that compe-
tent judges would thus be obtained, and that the evils which at-
tended the present system would he removed. Under this bill,
which proceeded on the principle of non-interference with the
authOrity of the local legislatures, it would be competent for
them to effect this change. If this plan were adopted, the ex-
penditure under the old system would be found-amplyssufficieht
to meetthe exigencies of the new. The extent of the circuits
would be about 850 miles, which, in consequence of the facility,
afforded by steam navigation, could easily be effected. Such
was the bill which he now proposed; and it would naturally be
asked, how it happened that, so sanctioned, so recommended,
so earnestly desired, it had nevertheless been so long delayed?
The fact was, that many difficulties were connected with the
subject. So long as the question of the abolition of the slave
trade was pending, so long did it present a very great difficulty
to the consideration and'lettlement of this subject. (Hear.)
The very question of slavery itself was enough to impede the
course of justice, in consequence of the strong and angry feel-
ings which it excited. (Hear, hear.) It was impossible to try
the experiment so long as that sort of feeling prevailed. But
there was another reason why this measure was not sooner pro-
posed. For some time past a strong suspicion had prevailed in
the colonies with respect to the intentions of the government,
and while that existed it would have been very difficult to in-
duce the interference of the local legislatures to effect a mea-
sure of this nature. Those difficulties were now removed; aotl
this bill, which he thought• would provide a b.,;ter system—a
system founded on solid and liberal principles—which would re-
move all possible suspicion from the administration of justice,
and from the local governments, was introduced. He believed
that it would receive the concurrence of the colonies, because
he thought that it held out to them the assurance of great and
permanent advantages. ( Hear, hear.) It would, in his opinion,
give security to property; but it would, above all, give that se-
curity for a *due administration of the law, upon which the rights
and happiness of so many of their fellow-subjects, now placeri
in a new situation, mainly depended. (Hear, hear.)
The Earl of RIPON expressed his satisfaction at the course
pursueii by the noble secretary far the colonies. The bill was
read a second time.—Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—FRIDAY.
On the motion of Sir W. GEARY, the Gravesend pier bill was
read a first time.