The Statesman.
London, England, 1822-04-18 00:00:00

:

IMP ul~r~ P.4ll6l.cum.ntr.
HOUSE OF COMMONS, AViu 17.

The Hoarse met rMs day, pastime to adjournment.'
)tr. MAT/CARP (from the Southwark Cows of iii‘
• stolpremeated a Return pursuant to au ileeduri-lir
Hnn+e.-: (Merest to lie on the table.
On IN.' motion of Dr. PHILLI/HORB. the Aprolut.
remlipo of the Hill for the amendment of the Illardir
A. es filed for Fritts,' the Stith last.
Mr. W. DUNDAS presented a petition from the Coe-
pnratina of Caatile-makers in iMinbargb, praying a re-
peal ash* Tam nn Candle'.

The wend reading Of the Warrant of Attoroefs Bill
was postponed to Monday next.
Me, LER presented a petition from the town of New
Poe., in the county of Wexford, praying for the repeal
of the Window Tat.
Mr. ROHARTS presented a petition from the Unita-
te...eten, praying for an sites-sties the Mar-1
riapvAct. to
are. POULETT presented a petitionnfpus Rammed
t' -.le, in favour of the Hill for the Recovery of Small
Debts.
s similar petition we. p tad from Rerrowgate.—
Ordered to lie nn the table.
lewd A. HAMILTON presented a petitier from the
Corporation of Perth against the Hill hefiire the House
far the Reform of Royal Scottish Burghs.
Mr. KENNEDY presented a petition front the Coe'
poratinn of the town of Ayr, to the same effect.—Onlst,
ed to lie on the table.
Sir R. SHAW presented s petition from &peek*
St. Andrew, in the city of Wake. praying Met the
on Windows might he repealed. isatead of the Tat os
Malt. He also p tad a petition from the parish of
St. Nichol**, in the same city, to the same effeet.—Or•
dered to lie on the table.
Mr. ALLAN gave notice that on Thursday. May
16, he would move to refer to a Committee the lest Re-
port on the subject of Welsh Judieatare.
Mr C..W. WYNN postponed the seemed reading of
the Yorkshire Election Poll Hill to the 29th inst.
Mr. HUME, seeing the Nohle Martians (Loodoa-
derry) In his place. wished to know if he bad any ols-
jection to the production of certain papers relative to
the Irish Civil List.
The Marquess of LONDONDERRY was not pre- I
rated at the moment to give the Hon. lientleman a &d-
-tin answer.
entMl2l tL Law. . •
Mt. 11. dENNET said that be rout. pursuant to ,
tice he had given, to call the attention of the House to
certain parts of the Criminal Law, relative to accessa-
ries before the fart in cases of felony. He would not
detain the House by many obserrations on the subject.
as file teecesaity of a revision of the law was overally
admitted, not only by the voice of the public, bat by
persons who had passed all their lives In the admiaiir
twine of justice. The punisionest at present was at-
seri? di.propbrtioned to the offence of an accessary be-
fore the fact, in cases of murder and of larceny. The
utmost extent of punishment in such cases allowed, was
th it of twelve months imprisonment. He proposed to
tier to the Courts time power of sentencing to a longer
inmerisonnsest, or to transportation. The offence of
wincing others to commit crime was not sufficiently
marked. or an adequate punishment recognised. From
the inefficiency of the law is this respect. the offenders
in a late case were suffered to escape. He alluded to a
jeweller in Arundel-street in the Strand, being lately
ro..bell of property to the amount of NW A
had let in the thieves, had assisted is the robbery. and
saes Hulas in removing the property. but from the
for es of evidence, no proofs could be sufficiently given
of these facts, on which the principals could be con-
victed, and they and the servant were all let loose upon
society again. lie would conclude, by moving for leave
to !trios in a Bill to amend the laws against accessories
before time fart in certain frlonies.—Lesve was greeted.
Time Hon. Gentleman then said, that he considered
the laws respecting the crime of manslaughter to be
equally defective. The punishment was not in many
cases proportioned to the magnitude of the offence. He
alluded to the persons who were lately convicted of
throwing a man from a window of a honse of ill-fame,
and who were sentenced to twelve months imprisonment.
Ile concluded, by moving for leave to bring in a Bill to
emend the laws respecting the punishment in cases of
Dl mnslaughter.
3lr. C. W. WYNN agreed io the propriety of a revi-
sion of time law : there was no offence an ill defined as
that of massleughter. There was no equality of crime
in the ease of a wan being accidentally killed in a
scuffle, and that of a deliberate murder of an officer in
case of , where the least informality took place;
' and vet fur both these offences so disproportioned, there
v..* only time same measure of punishment—that of 12
moths. He cordially agreed in the principle of the
motion. Lean was granted.
REP,IIIIT OP Tile AGRICULTURAL COMMITTEE.
The 51arquess of LONDONDERRY postponed his
motion on this Report until Friday the 26th inst.
Lord BELGRAVE presented a petition from the town
of Chester, in favour of the Bill before the House for
the Recovery of Debts under Fifteen Pounds.—Ordered
to be printed.
AGRICULTURAL DISTRESS.
Sir THOMAS LETHBRIDGE said that it was hie
painful duty to present a petition complaining of severe
distress, and praying for the attention of the house to
their relief, from time occupiers of land in a parish in the
county of Somerset. The petitioners prayed for the les-
seni-g of the burdens of taxation as far as it was prac-
ticable. They stated that they had read the printed re-
port of time Agricultural Committee with much disap-
pointment. They disapproved of the scale of imports-
tine prices recommended in that Report; if adopted, it
would be more detrimental than beneficial to them.
They trusted that inquiry would lead the house to see
the necessity of adopting further prohibitory measures
with respect to the importation of grain. 'I hey stated,
from a calculation winch they ha,' made, that a varia-
tion in time price of corn of one shilling the bushel, was
meal to the total rental of all time arable land in time
kingdom. They considered the average produce per
acre to be 21t hmishelr, an.l on the calculation of one shil•
ling on each bushel, they adopted time conclusion that its
swoon. was equal to time rental of all the arable land.
which was about 12 per cent. lie could not vouch fur
time accuracy et this statement, as he had not goneinto its
examination ; but he considered it a strong proof how
deeply the people thought on these subjects. and how
outdo their minds were interested in them. They stated,
that unless the soil was protected in proportion to the
taxes, both Parliamentary and local, they would be un-
able to go on any longer in its Winter. *They attributed
a great proportion of the present distress to the altera-
lion in the value of the currency. an-I complained that
in their part of the country they suffered a great deal
by the want of a sufficient circulating medium. He
found it moat painful to call the attention of the lonise
so frequently to this subject, but the necessity of time
case furred I • to do so. He contended that something
should be done, and that immediately, to lessen the
bulk of time dis•ress which now existedlroin one end of
the empire to the other. He had heard it said, that over
prodnetinn was the cause of the pressure on the Agri-
cultural interests ; he did not hear at the same time ac-
hoowledged, that, which he believed to be the cause,
over importation, not only from Ireland, which he
viewed only as a county, but from
militant. Ile viewed the importation of bodes, tallow,
hemp, and other articles, equally injurious to the landed