The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-04-08 00:00:00

THE STATESMAN;

PO LICE.

The Report of the Committee of the House of
Commons on the Nightly IVatch,and Police of the
Metropolis ordered.to be printed, was delivered yes-
terday morning.
The Committee first directed their enquiries to the
state of the Nightly Watch, conceiving this branch
of the service, in consequence of the late occur-
lrences, to be pressed upon their attention with more
urgency than any other. Had they found the defects
in this part of our Police to have been each as to have
I demanded the immediate interposition of the Legisla-
'tire, they would have made an earlier Report; but'
they observed, that the apprehensions which had been '
excited had produced such a degree of activity and
!vigilance in many parishes and districts, and such a
Conviction that the former means of security were in-
sufficient, that all immediate alarm on this head had
• been in a great measure removed. In some parishes
the inhabituts heed taken upon themselves the duties
of superintendauto of the nightls, watch—and such a
system has been so effectual, that the Committee
!think it necesshry only to recommend le4islative
measures to give an uniformity and permanence to it.
I No immediate danger being to be apprehended, the
Committee proceeded to a more detailed and compre.
hensire view of the circumstances, influencing and
affecting the state of the metropolis as to its Police.
~, iThe Metropolis is divided into three parts.
The .City of London. City of Westminster, and
the several parishes which ate neither within the City '
off Letwiew nor iho -City of Westminster. - -
t. - The City of London is governed by particular .
'Charters and Statutes—it hat its System of watch,
and ward, and the Marshals of the City, with their
a.sistauts, visit nightly the different wards, take.
care that the Constables do their duty—make morn.'
ing reports to the Lord Mayor, and notice any defi-
ficiencies or neglect.
i ' The City of Westminster never having been incor-
porated, has not the same means, or the same grads.-
: tion of its Public Officers. But powers are given by
127th of Eliz. to the Dean and Chapter, and to the.
High Steward, to make regulations. Lord Burl&gh,
the first High Steward, made regulations, and divid-
ed the City into twelve Wards. The 2.9 th of Geo. 11.
enlarges that of Elizabeth, and directs the High
Constable to obey the High Steward, and the
Petty. Constables the high Constable. The 14th
Geo. 111. prescribes the duties of constables,'
&C.. more particularly, and referring to thn an-
-1 cient statute of Watch and Ward, recognises
the principle, that the protection of every dis-
trict is compulsory on the inhabitants. But upon
, the whole, no uniform system prevails. The I ith i
1 Gee. 111. has been little known ; it might be amend-1
ed, and higher rates allowed to defray the expence
of an increase "of the numbers or wages of persons
in the nightly watch. The Committee recommend
strongly that the Watchs?be relieved once at least in
the night. But the main improvement will be to
have a superintending power over the persons ap- !
pointed by parochial authorities in cases of raiscon- '
duct or neglect. -
, . The Committee then touch upon the Police Offices,l
`Which they consider to be defective, inasmuch as 1
they hive not any superinteudance whatever iii mat-1
Mrs—of preventive and parochial Police. Tbey
Merely constitute the first stage in the administra.
tion of criminal jurisprudence, stud it seems extraor;
(finery that iii such a Metropolis as 'London, there
should be no office in which information is collected,
from which intelligence cau be obtained as to the state
of the Police.

Bat great advantages might be derived from mak-.
Ing these Police Offices, points to which informa-
tion might be habitually communicated, and daily re-
ports from the parishes within the district.
. Some of the principal Volice Officers to go round,
according to some rotation, and to visit the watch-
houses, and report upon the constables, patroles,
and watchmen. The High Constable N$ ;thin the se-
vend divisions occasionally to snake similar visits.
Parochial aiithoritier-to meet sad make more detailed
rules for the constables and watchmen.

A great mass of information being thus collected
at each respective Police Office, it ought to be accu-
Mulaied at some central point, in order to have a ge-
neral liew of the Police, lied to be able, from the
comparison of the different facts, to devise means
for the prevention of crimes, or for the detection of
criminals.

llow-street is recommended as the proper central
point ; and some person to be appointed to compare
and digest the intonation, for the purpose of com-
municating it to the flow-street Magistrates, and the
Home Secretary of State.
The Thames Police Office to have additional funds,
and to have more. boats applicable to that part of the
, river above London-bridge.
Green% ich requires another Police Office on that
!'tide of the river, but the Thames Police Office is to
'l9:removed to the Surrey side for that purpose.
The 3itd Geo. 111. is stated as' defective, because
it does not authorise Police Officers to apprehend
pick-pockets and reputed thieves, but under certain
' circumstances. If further powers were given, the
apprehension of these offenders would be greatly fa-
cilitated, 'but the Committee do not see how the
powers already given could be enlarged cousisteatll
trial the general liberty of 'the subject. It seems
desirable that the 51st Geo. 111. should be amended,
I doubts having arisen on the construction of that and
the 3•241 Geo. 111. whether they extend to the city,
properly so called, which is stated to be at present
the resort of many reputed thieves.
• It is'cliticult to prosecute to conviction receivers of
stolen goods. To check this evil, the law respecting
search-warrants to be amended, and to be put in force
by night as well as by day.
Ilackuey-coaches, the plates of which ar: often
taken off when stolen property is conveyed) mall
have the proper number painted on the passel of the
coach.
Magistrates to have further means of rewarding
Police Officers, whose reward should then nBt depend
upon or grow out of the conviction of any oftender.
Increasing expenoe of criminal progerutions is a
source of the increase of crimes. It is therefore .ng-'
gested,, Whether the expences to a limited extent
might not be defrayed out of the parish rates.
There Is a great incongruity in the system for go-
verning the Metropolis, owing to the Magistrates of
th City of London net beinj able to perm) by

their warrants; beyond the local limits of the 'City,
goods stolen within the limits of the City. The Cons-
mittee conceive that the warrant of the City Magis-
trates should operate, without being backed by any
other Magistrate, within a circle of five miles of the
Royal Eachaugs, and the warrautaof County 'Ma-
gistrates, within five milestoociessßosal Exchange,
should operate within the 'limits of the City,
without being backed by the City Magistrates. '
There are many other parts connected with the sub.
ject of Police; periods for which offenders are con-
fined, places where they are confined, nriti-the man-
ner of their being returned upon the community, &c.
but these have been referred to other Committees ;
and.the Committee, therefore, have confined them-
selves to those leading principles of superintendance
and controul', and to that system of provident vigi-
lance, which, by watching assiduously over the in-
terests of the community, may maintain without in-
terruption its good order and security.
There is a very long Appendix to the Report, con-
sisting of extracts from former Acts, Reports, &c.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.
COURT OF KING'S BENCIK

NISBET? V. SWIFT AND CO.

This morning the long expected cause between
these parties, which has excited so much interest in
; the public mind, came on to be tried. The Attor-
iney-Generul and Mr. Garrow were for the Plaintiff;
4 and Messrs. Park, Jervoiso, and Marriott, for the
Defendants. •
The AITORNET-GENZRAT, opened the proceedings
lby stating, that this was an action for the sum of
1 1C,0001.1 being the pioceeds of the half-share of
(Ns. 27, which was drawn a Prize of 20,000% and.
; which Mr. Nesbett had directed Swift and Co. to
bespeak for him, by paying ss. to the Clerks of the
I
• Cashier's Office at the Bank ; and that however ridi-
i
1, culous it might appear, it was nevertheless common
for persons, either from dr4ams or calculation, to take
. a fancy to particular Tickets, which had hem the
case with the Plaintiff in the present instance, %AO
i was strongly impressed with the idea that this No.
t
127 would be diawn a great prize. The Defendants'
answer to the 13111 in Chancery was then put in
rand read, which sheaved sati4actorily that they,
Swift and Co. had taken the usual steps to procure
i the Ticket in question, but by some accident it never
came into their possession, and consequently they
; Could not sell it to the Plaintiff. .

The ArroaNEY-Gcncam. then called his first wit-
ness at the commencemetit of whose examination
Lord ELLENBOROUGU stopped the proceedings, and
directed a nonsuit—saying, that Swift and Co. had
done all that could be required of them, and ought'
not to be made liable for any accident that might
prevent the delivery of the Ticket to them. Greg
onand Dickson were the attornies for the Plaintiff;
and Mr. Grove, of ftathbone-place, fof the De-
fendants.

NAPA I, INT ELLIGENCE.

PORTSMOUTH, Apart. 7.

Arrived the Sprightly from a eruice, and the Leyden frigate.
with the following tramports from the Ilediterranean, as per
numbers and letten, their names we have not bees able to ewer-
tabt:—Nes. 310, 71, 6ti, (211, 171, VS, WI, 164, 251. 431, 145,
19t1, 27-I:ettery A. ill. BF. CH. NM. OK. M. IT. 0. CF.
and

Sailed his Majesty's ships Snine, rreya, and Romulus, with.:
the ltieginsent, fur Lisbon ; North Star and Spitfire on a ;
cruise 4 Porcupine. for Quehe- ; Vulture, for Guernsey ; and
the Spitfire fur the Downs, have hauled down their signals, and
the Phoebe is appointed it the rums of the Porcupine. No
other convoy is appointed at pressiit.
• Inv,Lt7dcu is under quarantine. .
PLYNIOUTII, Arms. S. •
A: rim, the Poictiers man of war. from the enstwrini ; Acorn
Ploop of war, from the hlediterratean ; Fervent gun-brig, with
a fleet of tr.:wspurts, from Lisbon; the Speedy gun-brig, from
Falmouth; and the Intviligeut gun-brig, from a e. vise.
Sailed the Alert .loop of w ar, with toe convoy for Newfound-
land ; the 1% hitiug, Bramble, Maciservi, and Alp %ea sLhoutiers,
un a cruise.

The Montague, of 74 guns, is hoorl) expected at this port;
on her arrival, Admiral Bison will hoist iliF nag on hoard her,
and proceed to the Brazils, to relieve Admiral De Courcy on
that station.

FALMOUTH, Aran. 5.
Arrived the Lord Hubert Packet, from Cadiz, io 10 day.;
soava frigate belonging to Admiral Durham's sqviatirob, in
lat. 45. lout. 10.91).
Sailed his Majesty's skip Pelorus, with the Portugal and Me-
! diterraneao -convoy ; Marlborough packet, with a Mail for Lis-
bon; ChestertieN do. with for Jeanette. We klajesty's !hip
Seraph, from Plymuedi, with part of the Pelona convoy,
waned lids port to-dsy.
• DEAL, Aran 7.
Arrived hie Medestfs ship Mars, from Portsmouth; ead.Cor-
I deli* entiverletes, from a enlist. •
Lirepailterlilkean the River the General Wellesley, Brew.,
' tic OitaNl Isdneg.
r •

Fart CUOLKONDBLEY possesses an estate of forty.
thousand a.year, besides 1.00,0001. in the funds.—
Poor loan, bow much he stood in need of a place ! !
The Dividends began this day to be paid to the
Public, at the Hanle; and on the ist of neat month,
the Commissioners for liquidating the Public Debt
. _ _

will begin buying daily nearly 14-6,0001. in the three
per Cent. Consols, or Reduced, which will trtke.otf
the market, in the mouth of May alone, nearly two
million and a-half of stork.
Coat-ExcuaNal, APRIL 6.—Thia day we have
lawyers! further arrivals of Wheat, with tolerable sup-
! plies on hand, and Wes fully suppek Jag prices
quoted. Rye somewhat dearer. FM. Barley higher
prices are asked. Malt likewise. Irtite and Grey
Peas may be noted at little variation.. As also Beans
a each chs!scriptiou. There are tolerable supplies of.
Oats, bat from a continuance of ,the demand sales
thereof are awned rather. lighttr...pAed prices of
Flour at the late quotation.
Wheat 946 15ts'i TleL ra. Caret .. 60 64
Flaedir • 1.16 140 Mitring. OW) .. 65 41 '
71 73 1 Oats • 10 44 46j
Wiry - es 79 Pultunieln. • t,, 47 4t4
Malt 96 104, Pointer 4a. ' 49 90
WWI, Peas (boilers) 144 90 I Have need ' "9 .ebb
Ons do.
Skim

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