The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-03-26 00:00:00

Nnwerial Paritantatt.
HOUSE OF LORDS.

- WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20.
The Earl of Rosebery presented petitions from Dysart, Fife-
shire, for an alteration of the church lay patronage system in
Scotland.—Lord Segrave presented petitions from Rodborough
and Woodchester, in Gloucestershire, and from the Baptist con-
gregation of Painswick and Kingstanley, in the same county,
for the abolition of negro slavery, and an equalization of the
sugar duties.—Adjourned.
THURSDAY, MARCH 2L
Petitions for the better observance of the Sabbath were pre-
sented from Rochester by the Bishop of that name ; from the
Protestant Dissenters of Aldermanbilry by Lord King; from
Kincardine by the Duke of Sutherland ; from Exeter by its
Bishop, and from Wooton by Lord Suffield.
Lord KING presented a petition from Steyning, in favour of
a removal of the disabilities of the Jews.
The Earl of ROSEBERRY presented a petition from Mr. Hope
Johastone., praying that an early day might he fixed for examin-
ing into his claims to the Annandale peerage.
JURIES (IRELAND) BILL.
Lord PLUNKETT rose to move the first reading of the hill for
amending the law respecting juries in Ireland, which had a few
evenings ago been laid upon the table. The bill was in prin-
ciple similar to that which had been brought up last session
*out the Commons, and which had been at an early stage re-
ferred to a select committee of their lordships. In that com-
mittee many alterations had been suggested, among others, one
for referring it to the consideration of the Irish judges. That
suggestion had been adopted, and he found that there was not
that universality of approval of all its provisions which lie had
ventured to assert. Many of the provisions had, however, been
approved by the judges in Ireland, and their suggestions had
been duly attended to in framing the present measure. Re-
serving till the second reading a minute statement of the pro-
visions of the bill, he would then confine hi.alself to its leading
features. Its first object was the consolidating and simplifying
the several statutes relating to the qualifications and returning
of jurors in Ireland; and its next was the assimilating the Irish
jury laws to those of England, as much as the difference of the
tivo countries permitted. With reified to the qualification fox
jurors, there would be little or no difference between the two
countries, the Irish judges agreeing with the framers of the bill
that property was the most suitable qualification. On this pro-
perty basis, then, the bill proposed that the qualification for a
county juror should be a £l5 annual property, either as estate
fee-simple or entail, or as a 21 years' leasehold. In the bill of
• last session it was provided that 15 years out of the 21 should
remain unexpired; by the present bill no terminable restriction
was imposed, and the 21 years' lease would qualify, even though
• Vet one year remained unexpired. In towns or boroughs not
• counties in themselves a house or tenement of the value
(yearly, we presume) of £2O, would be a qualification ; in
Cities and towns, counties in themselves, a £lOO household
Troperty, (entire value,) would qualify its owner to be a juror.
hese being the qualifications, the next point was whence they
were to ascertain their existence. In England the returns were
Made by the parochial overseers; but as there was no such au-
thority in Ireland, he took the next best substitute—the barony
tollectors. The Irish judges, it iyas true, rather objected to
the barony collectors being. made the returning officers of jury
rank, property, and qualification, on the ground that the ar-
rangement would tend to embarrass the sheriff in the exercise
of his functions; but as they had not proposed any other person
in whom they would place the trust, and as their apprehensions
were, as it appeared to him, made under a misunderstanding,
he was convinced there would be no valid objection to the power
being vested in the hands of the barony collector. The list
furnished by the barony collector would be liable to the revision
of the justices of the peace, assembled, in sessions for the pur-
pose, and their revised and corrected list would be kept by the
clerk of the peace as the material from which the sheriff would
strike his panel. In striking his panel the sheriff should pessess
the discretion be at present exercised, the only restriction
being that his exercise would be confined to the clerk of
the peace's list. Witll respect to special jurors, a very im-
portant alteration in the law, as it stood, was proposed.—.
By the bill introduced by Sir It. Peel, when Home Secretary,
for amending the law respecting special juries in England, in
every criminal case-shoit of felony the prosecuted and the pro-
itecutor might have the case tried before a special jury. This
_principle was adopted in the present measure, with a qualifica-
chstinctly specifying the material—that is, who should, or
who should not, be members of a.qiecial jury. The term "spe-
cial jury" evidently implied a select jury,—select on account
of superiority of education, rank, property, and fitness : so that
the bill declared that the materials should be composed only of
ions of peers, baronets, knights, magistrates, merchants not
retailers, and persons of a certain amount of property. Iu
'England a special jury was struck out of 48 persons on the
sheriff's grand panel ; in the present bill it was proposed they
tiould be ballotted for from the names of persons of the rank
he had stated ; the deficiency, if such a deficiency should
• etist, from which a special jury could be struck, to be previ-
ously made up'from the most respectable names on the clerk of
Elie peace's orilin.Ary jury list. These were the chief alterations
and features of ; its particular pro Visions he would spe-
cif on the second reading.
The Earl of Wicstow conceived the alterations just speci-
fied by the learned lord to he great improvements; and felt
the more disposed to co-operate with the learned lord from the
attention which he had paid to the suggestions of the Irish
' judges.
The bill was then read a first time, and ordered to be read a
second time on Monday se'nnight.
On the motion of Earl Fitzwilliam a return' was ordered of
Cle average price's of foreign corn in the several ports in which
British consuls reside.—Adjourned.
FRIDAY.
The Earl of Courtown took the oaths and subscribed the rolls
• et Parliament.
Several private Bills, chiefly Road and Railway Bills, were
brought up from the Commons, and severally read a first time.
OBSERVANCE OF THE SABBATH.
The Bishop of LINCOLN presented petitions from the Minister,
-Churchwardens, and inhabitants of the parish of All Saints,
Leicester, and other parishes in his diocese, for the better
observance of the Lord's Day.
The Bishop of LONDON presented a petition from St.
iiridgett's, Dublin (in the absence of the Archbishop of Dublin)
praying a more rigid observance of the Sabbath ; also a similar
petition from Paddington, and further petition, signed by 120
eheesemongers and grocers of Westminster, against Sunday
trading. The petitioners suggested that a penalty should be
attached to those who bought on that day, as well as those who
sold.
Lord ELLENBORObox thought it would 'be well would some
noble lord introduce a bill upon the subject.
The Bishop of LONDON said that a bill lid been introduced
into the other house.
Lord Eaerseoitoucti was of opinion that a committee should
be appointed to inquire what the law was before their lordships
proceed to legislate.
The Bishop of LONDON said that a report which was now
being printed, and which had come from the other House of
Parliament; contained all the information necessary upon the
iseltject.
The Bislicip •of LONDON then laid on the table several other
petitions against the profanation of the Sabbath, from a parish
an Essex ; froin the nifiabitants• of, Hammersmith; from St.
James, Westminster; and other places.
The Earl Of RossLisi presented, from the minister, congre-
gation, and inhabitants of Dysart, a petition praying an altera-
tion in the chilichpatronage of that place.
The Earl of ROSEBERY presented, a similar petition from
Forfar.
The Earl of CAWDOR laid on the tal4 a similar petition from
a parish in Scotland; and a petition from Cardigan, for the
abolition of negro slavery.
Earl RODEN laid on the table several petitions from parishes
in the counties of Antrim, Kilkenny, and Cork, against any al-
*ration of the church property in that country. One of the
retitions stated, " that the proposed alteration was contrary to
fie articles of the union, and appeared calculated to be striking
a blow at the Protestant church of Ireland."
The Bishop of LICHFIELD and COVENTRY presented petitions
from Stafford Burton-on-Trent, and parishes in Warwichshire,
against the beer bill; likewise a petition from the *inhabitants
of Stafford, praying the immediate abolition of negro slavery.
A PEER presented several petitions, but neither the subjects-.
to which they referred, nor the places from whence they came,
were heard in the gallery.
LAW AMENDMENT BILL.
On the motion of the LORD CHANCELLOR the order of the
day :or the house going into committee on the above-named
bill was discharged, and Tuesday next fixed. This was crone,
the noble and learned lord stated, for the accommodation of a
noble and learned lord who was desirous of being present when
the discussion took place in the committee.
Earl-FITZWILLIAM presented a petition from Braybrooke for
$ ie abolition of negio slavery.
IRISH CHURCH.
On the motion of Earl FITZWILLIAM a return relating to the
several dioceses in Ireland was ordered
CORN LAWS.
Earl FITZWILLIAM then gate notice " that on the 30th of

April he should call their lordships' attention to the state of
the laws respecting the introduction of foreign corn, and he'
Moved that their lordships be summoned."
Adjourned till Monday.