The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-04-09 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDAh

TUE LONDON' PRESS.

(FROM THE MORNING HERALD.)
We have occasionally called the attention of the public
to the oppressive and unconstitutional system of arrest and
imprisonment for debt. We say unconstitutional, because
the present system o 1 arrest and imprisonment is of corn-
paritively recent origin. By the common law, in order
to recover a debt, (no matter the amount,) a summons
was first taken out, and if the ;defendant could not be
served, or, if served, did not appear, a writ of Capias is-
sued, by which the sheriffcould take the defendant where-
ever he might find him ; butthis caption was cured by en-
tering an appearance, and was only in the nature of a
contempt of court. No doubt this system gave rise to
much vexation ; in consequence of which, in 1725, the
common law was abandoned, and an act (12th Geo. 1., c.
29), commonly called Lord Beauchamp's Act, was passed
" to prevent trivolous and vexatious arrests," by which
no one could be arrested for any sum under £lO, or with-
out making an affidavit of such debt. This act, which
was only temporary, was made perpetual by the 21st Geo.
11., cap. 3. In the year 1811 (51st George 111., cap. 124)
the sum was raised to £l5, with the exception of bills of
exchange; and in the year 1827 (7th and Bth Geo. IV.,
cap. 71) the sum was increased to £2O, without any ex-
ception whatever; and thus stands the law at present. It
was said by Mr. Bearcroft, one of the ablest lawyers of
the day, that he scarcely knew an instance where the sta-
tute law had been called in to aid supposed evils in the
common law, but the remedy was generally worse than
the disease—many persons may think Lord Beauchamp's
act gives proof of this assertion ; but the situation of the
unfortunate debtor has been rendered much more griev-
ous by recent enactments.
The Currency, or Peel's Bill, undoubtedly reduced the
means of all debtors having any effects whatever to dis-
charge their obligations, while the amount of the obliga-
tion itself continued the same. But the legislature, -in-
stead of viewing the matter in this light, have, since the
alterationin the currency, actually increased the severity
of the statute law as regards the relative situation..of
debtor and creditor.

Many an unfortunate debtor, at a great sacrifice and
risk, has been induced to appear to process and go to
trial, in the hope that, during the vacation, and before
execution could issue, he might be enabled, by his own
exertions, through the medium of friends, or some other
clinging anticipation, to satisfy the demands of his credi-
tor. This resource is now cut off, for, by the act (1 'Will.
IV., c. 7,) the judge is enabled, immediately after ver-
dict, to certify his opinion, so that a writ of immediate
execution may issue ; and by a subsequent statute (2 Will.
IV., c. 39) proceedings go on at all times, whether in
term or vacation, except between the 12th of August and
the 24th of October ; so that the unfortunate debtor has
now no resting-•place. All hope of resources is destroyed,
for time, which was the essence of that hope, is now ut-
terly denied him.
It. is the boast of Englishmen that our laws and insti-
tutions are founded upon the principles of freedom and
equality; but we cannot help thinking it would puzzle
some of these persons, after perambulating our extensive
prisons, to prove the truth of their assertions. We have
been for some time. of opinion that it was impossible, in
the present depressed state of the country, that the cruel-
ty, oppression, and injustice of these laws could be suffered
to continue in their present state. It has, therefore, af-
forded us great satisfaction to find that a notice was given
on Friday last, by the Solicitor-General, of his intention,
the first open day after the Easter holy clays, to introduce
a bill " touching the imprisonment for debt, and the law
of debtor and creditor." This proposition, having the
aid and support of the 'Government, founded also in jus-
tice and humanity, must be acceptable to the people, and
is a measure that will tend greatly to raise the reformed
Parliament in public estimation.

establishment. The Belgian question was to be settled-
-the Protocol-grinding is still hard at work. • Poland—
noble, glorious, magnificent, &c. &c. &c.—Poland was to
be freed from the gripe of the Emperor of Russia—it is
firmer in his clutch than ever. We may thank the inter-
minable Irish question that the Bank and India Company
have not been attacked. Nothing will be more perni-
cious to all interests concerned, than the accomplishment
of Whig promises in either of these cases. But still, the
promises were made to the gaping, wide-mouthed, wad-
dling frog, whose croakings had carried Reform—and
there has not been a single step towards fulfilling them.
To be sure, we are to have a shower of blessings when
the Budget comes.—We shall see.
And is Althorp the man to bring in the Budget ? We
doubt it. We confess that we scarcely believe in his
illness—it must have come on in a great hurry—for there
he was, as stout and chuckle-headed on Wednesday
morning, in the early part of the business; and the sick-
ness seized him, and Poulett Thomson too, just in time
to save them from giving a vote on the factory system.
We are, therefore, strongly of opinion, that the illness
is political, and intended as a pretext for giving up office.
We are quite certain he would have done so long ago, if
they could have found anybody to fill his place—but where
is the man ? Look through all the Whig ranks, and he
is not to be found. Heavens! what a satire on any
party, that it does not contain in it a successor to Althorp !
It is true, nevertheless; and what is more, if the man
were found, is his return to Parliament sure ? Not the
least. The practice has always been that one Under-
Secretary of State for the Colonies should be in the
House—there was Howick, our friend Twiss, &c. &c.—
but the case is altered now. There is not a constituency
in England which a ministerial man could now face with
any probability of success—and accordingly M. Lefebvre
—(who the duce is he ? A great arithmetician, we un-
derstand, like Michael Cassio ; but where was he picked
up ? What has he done ? Who knows anything about
him ?)—and accordingly, we say, M. Lefebvre does not
aspire to parliamentary honours. We hope that they
will push Ellice out of Coventry—and if he does not get
in for that place, where else can he get in ? "Itis a
remarkable fact," said the Times, a few days ago, " that
all the elections since the reform bill have been against
the ministeral candidates ;" but it is not more remarkable
than true. The fact is, that the country is sick of the
grasping, quacking, jobbing, griping set, and go they
must. Having once gone, the old Whigs, as a body, will
never return; there may be modification, and dovetail-
ings, but the Brookes's gang will never again enter
office en masse.

(FROM THE JOHN BULL.)
In these days of retrenchment and reform, the slightest
indication of ministerial attention to the wants and wishes
of the people ought to be regarded with admiration, and
received with gratitude—we are to-day enabled to record
three instances of carefulness and economy, which will
no doubt elicit the applause and command the approbation
of all our readers. ,

The first is this :—Upon the anniversary of the acces-
sion of our KINGS, it has been, from time immemorial,
customary, at Pendennis Castle in Cornwall, to fire a
Royal salute ; it so happened, on the 26th of June, last
year, that the government of the Castle, owing to the
death of Mr. FENWICE, was vacant, and the senior officer
in rank was a veteran artilleryman of the name of Ru. s-
SELL—this old soldier had been for many years on duty
at Pendennis, and conceiving it to be his duty to do as
ever had been done before, he fired the customary salute
in honour of the birth-day of his SOVEREIGN.
When he made his report to the Ordnance Office in
London of what he had done, he received a reprimand for
his conduct, and notice, that unless the amount of expense
incurred for the salute (31..85.) was paid to Mr. GREEN-
SLADE, the store-keeper At Falmouth, he would forthwith
be dismissed. Remonstrance was vain ; and although
the poor old man had the advantage of being both Rus-
sELL—which he is by name—and GREY—which he is by
nature—it availed him nothing, and the three pounds
eight shillings were paid. This circumstance, besides
marking the rigid care of our Government in taking care
of the pence, has also the merit of punishing a loyal sol-
dier for doing what he thought his duty, and for exhibit-
ing his loyalty and respect for his SOVEREIGN.
The second instance, which, as faras loyalty and respect
to the SOVEREIGN are concerned, is rather more particular
(because an omission was ordered), occurred on the same
day at Plymouth, where, although a salute was fired from
the battery, the customary feu de joie of the troops was
dispensed with, as a matter of economy. •
The third instance which we shall cite occurred also
in the ordnance department at the same place. It ap-
pears that, upon a principle of carefulness, two cats have
always been kept in the storehouses in he citadel, for
the purpose of protecting His Majesty's stores from the
depredations of rats and mice and such small deer. Cats
—although they have nine lives, and, in garrisons, some-
times nine tails—cannot maintain their lives without
eating, and—this is all serious and true, reader—the
storekeeper has been in the habit of charging in his ac-
counts the sum of ninepence per week for cats'.meat—
which, according to Cocker, amounts, when divided be-
tween the two watchful animals, to no more than one
halfpenny per day each—will it be believed that when the
storekeeper's estimates were this year returned to him,
lie was informed that " the allowance for cats'-meat must
be reduced to sixpence per week, every economy being
requisite ;" and, accordingly, Tom and. Tabby of H. M.
Royal Artillery at Plymouth, have been put upon the
reduced allowance. It is, perhaps, natural that, under
Lord Grey's government, when so many favours are
heaped upon rats, that the cats should be thus abridged ;
but it seems hard, that while thebipeds of Downing-street,
are benefitting so materially by the acquirement of new
lights, that the quadrupeds at Plymouth should be so
rigidly curtailed of their old ones.
For the veracity of these statements we are able to
vouch, as will no doubt the storeiceepers at the places
named ; and, above all, the ill-used bombardier at Pen-
dennis.

EFFECTS OF KISSING A YOUNG LADY.—Our legislature have
had quite an animated debate upon the legal consequences of a
married man kissing an unmarried lady. As the same question
appears to have engaged a co-ordinate branch of our govern-
ment—the Supreme judicial tribunal of OhiO—and as there are
a great many married men and 'unmarried women within the.
limits of this State, we deem it advisable to notice this ease
with some particularity, especially, as it must be borne in mind
that ignorantta legts neminem excusat. It appears that in 1822,
Mr. Jeremiah Moore married Miss Polly Prough. In 1825
they began to grow tired of each other, and thetr chains gradu-
ally losing their silken lustre, he husband soon afterwards,
very ungallantly, solicited the Supreme Court to grant him a
divorce from his said wife Polly. 'prom the legislative debate,
to which we are referring, we learn that the application was re-
fused on the following ground:—While the parties were living
together in a state of amicable indifference, they attended a
party in a neighbour's house, which had assembled to boil ap-
ple butter. In the course of the evening, •' Mr. Moore laid
his sleeves around the shoulders of a young woman, while sit-
ting at the fire-side •in company with others, and, drawing her
up in his arms, gore her a kiss." This fact being made known
to the Supreme Court, they refused to loosen Mr. Moore's ma-
trimonial chains. From this it is to be inferred, that there is
in Ohio neither statute nor common law authorising married
men to kiss unmarried women. Mr. Moore not satisfied with
the. Supreme Court, has made his appeal to the legislature, and
at our last dates the question was pending before that body.
:the speakers were discussing the ethics of kissing, and censur-
ing the Supreme Court for their decision. As the.matter is one
of vast importance, and as it affords a fine field foriine speeches,
it is altogether uncertain when our august 'legislators will re-
turn to the body of their constituents.---Cincinnati Chrortiele.