The Statesman.
London, England, 1815-02-24 00:00:00

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LONDC": ,FRll,l4r, iw

1:
• ...Ail .SIRCA, MAYOR. • .
`ln a MRETTNO or ASSEMBLY of the.MAYOR, A hDt R-
M EN, and LI VERYNI EN of the several Companies of the•
City of London, in COMMON WALL reisentlited, at the
CiIUILDHALL of the said Clty, on TftURSDA Y, the 23d
Day et Febrility, 1813,
Resolved unanimously, •
THAT we 'cpetereplate, with the most serious
apprehensions, the measures now before Parliament,
for laying Duties upon the importation of Coin ; the obvious
tendency of which i., by upholding the present entirtarmsly
increased Rent of Land, to keep up the price of all the most
necessary articles of haman sustenance, which ennnat hut roars
highly iujuriuu, to the Trade and Matinfactorts of the Coml
try, and oppressive Id the great muss of the populitilm.
That during a calitmitous and protracted War of more than
'2O years, the people leave been culled upon t' pi give a part of
their property to secure the rent/tinder 1" tient:the niahafactura
ing and trading interests have been compelled to make aner.•
autpleilstcrifiees, which, in thousands of instances, have
productive of total win. They, have not only sebmilled
grievou; find unequal Tate; upon their industry, but huvo MAP'
'trali.real by a continued series of losses and inisfortuues isms.
sioaed by the tsar—nearly nil the usual channels of commerce
hove been ;nut agailist them—they hove esgerleaced n gel
'.weret siugUation or vade„, nod sicprec.atiog,in lbw, vitae
their prolterty and Inrechandises, besides having to maniend
against the enormous advance in all the necessary article.
of life, whereby the Gazettes have been filled with Bank.
nip% the tritons wish Debtors, and the Workhonses with
Patipms.
That daring this period of commercial cli4ress. Land, and
the produce of Laud, hots been more than doubled in value;
the owners of land have, consequently, been wholly exempt
from those losses, and that depreciation of property, which
have so grievously affected other parts of the community.—
Their permanent incomes have been mused only at the sine
rate as the temporary and Uncertain profits of trade ; and they
h.:ve, by the increased rent of Land, been more than reiin,.urs-
ed all the Taxes they base, paid in aid of n wur, avowedly
curried on for the preservation of property.
That while the manufactures and commerce of the country
are still latiouriug under the greatest depression, and when Land
and its produce w .111.1. i naturally t to its fair and just level,
which would also reduce the price of labour, nod the expences
of husluindry, it would, in the opinion of this Meeting, be most
unjmt, impolitic, mid ruinous, to attempt to Cr/Miter:lCl the Da-
-lui al progress of things, by raising the price of all the acces-
sories of life to a fictitious and delusive standard, merely for the
purpose of securing to the Landlord the present enormously ad-
vancement of rent..

That from the progress which other notions have made in va-
rious ether manufactures, ns well as front the clientoi-ss of food
and labour, this country will have in contend with most formi-
dable rivals, and it will he impossible to maintaiti IL competi-
tion, if a measure so ruinous be adopted.
That the termination of the Property Tax at once relieves
the Agricuttural Interests to the extent of 17i per cent. when
Several millions of War Taxes will he still remaining, and
while,with the most painful emotions we observe, flint the
projected Taxes to be substituted will fall with accumulated
weight upon those classes of society already most oppressed.
That it is our decided conviction, that it is not by such expe-
dients that the present difficulties can be removed ; hut, that
it is only by reforming the deep rooted abuses of the State, by
abolishing all useless Places, Pensions, Appointments, and Esta-
blishments, and adopting a system of rigid economy and re-
trenchment, that the country can be relieved from its present
pressure.
That Petitions be presented to both Houses of Parliament,
praying them to reject any proposition that may he Hindi' for
laying an additional Duty upon the Importation of Corn,
and that they will seriously apply themselves jll forming
those great measures of reformation and retrenchment, a here-
by our uational burtbeni may be lessened, and the peace,
liberty, and happiness 01 the people best promoted nod esta-
blished.

That the Petitions now read. be the Petitions to he presented
to the Right Honourable the House of Lords nud the Honour-
able the House of Commons.

That the said Petatio 0. he signed by the Lord Mayor, three
Aldermen, and twelve Liverymen.
That the Sheriffs, attended by the Remembraneer, do wait
upon and request some Li.rd in Parliament to pre-ent the Peti-
tion to the [tight Honourable thesilouse of Lords.

That the Representatives of this City in Parliament he re-
quested to present the Petition to the Honourable the /louse of
Commons.
That the Thanks of this Common Hall he given to the Right
Honourable ,the Lord Dilasor, for the promptitude he has
evinced in convening this Meeting, for the purpose of inking into
consideration the proposed alteration in the eakting Corn Laws.
sod the propriety of petitioning Parliament against the same I
and far his impartial and upright conduct io presiding over the
debates of this day.

. -
Resolved, That the Representatives of this City in Pat
mem he instructed to support the Prayer of the said Petition in
the Honourable the Home of Commons.
WOODTHORPE.

diRY 24, 1815.

.7...wts to.s! •1414/ :
'IMPNRIAL PARLIAMEN7.

HOUSE OF LORDS, FE8.13.
1111%, Irving, fruns the Custom-house. presented a return
of the quantity and prices of Vitro and Grain imported durin4
n given period; and a perum front the Stamp:office presented
an account of Notes of the Country R•inks in England and
Writes yi circulation during the year, ending January, LW.—
Laid ois the table.

Lt
00
proposel D CAt
oN C
theirE LIOA)Rr
d. h Ipfse,
JURY TRIAL IN SCOTLANI). 1
hadfor
an o:evcotnlitel
holjobber
reading, the Bill for farther extending the system of
Jury Trial in Scotland. Their Lordships would re-
collect, that he had before presented a Bill, which
he 'had with leave of the House withdrawn, and
then presented this Bill, which he considered as a
very hnaterial improvement. lie felt great satisfac-
*tion $n stating, that .the measure was likely to he
imgreiable to those for whose benefit it was designed.
Tito ttstsystem of Jury Trial had gone so much into
tide in Scotland,' be did not know ; but whets
tbe Court of Session was established, the process of
brl.ves out of Chancery had given way to the pro-
cess by summons. That Court acted both as a Court
of Law and Equity, but whether this had or had
not been attended with advantage to Scotland, it
was now probably of little use to enquire. After
that system had been so long established, however, ;
he was persuaded that it would be felt to be a desir-
able object that nothing should be done except what
was agreeable to the people of Scotland. He him-
' sett wished that the measure could be carried further;
butet the same time he was aware of the importance.
of effecting the change gradually, and in a manner
' the most satisfactory to those chiefly concerned.—
Theie was matter, however, for a great deal of dis-
cussion in the Committe ; but the question now was
merely this,—whether their Lordships would consent
to introduce the principle to this extent. If their
1o:4c/ships agreed to this as the first step, and adopt-
ed the measure now, even to this partial extent, he was
satisfied that at no distant period those Noble Lords
who thought that the matter ought to be carried fur-
that, would have their wishes gratified, and that the
feelings of the country would go along with them.—
It was enough for him to state this much now.—
Though this measure did not go the length which
some thought desirable, he thought it a great deal
better even to do this than to do nothing. He would
not, therefore, by endeavouring to carry the matter
to the extent to which, in his own opinion, it might
be usefully carried, risk the loss of that utility with
which the measure, in its present state, would be
attended if if pleased their Lordships to adopt it.
The Earl of MORTON.—This Bill contained
great many excellent regulations for the conduct of
Jury Trial, but there was one thing which the Bill
could not do. It could not make and prepare the
minds of men for the reception and exercise of this
species of trial to its full extent, and it was necessary
that the experiment should be made in this manner
for the present, since the plan could only be consi-
dered as an experiment. It had arisen out of the
vast arrear of Scotch causes in their Lordships' House.-
There was one great source of the number of appeals
brought, which he had not heard noticed by any one
who had spoken on the subject ; he meant what was
called the nobile officiuni of the Court of Session.—
He did not mean to cast any imputation on the
Judges of the Court of Session, who only did what
their predecessors had done, and exercised the power
with great discretion. This power was that of inter-
posing to give relief where the law bore too hard
upon an individual. The consequence of this was,
that a great number of persons who knew the law to
be against them, began to exercise the nobile officium,
and brought actions in the hope that they might
succeed by the means of this nobile officium
of the Court of Session. This was therefore a great
encouragement to litigation in the Court below, and
consequently brought a number of additional appeals
to their Lordships' House.
Earl STANHOPE.—He agreed that it was highly
desirable that Jury Trial in Civil cases should be fur-
ther extended in Scotland, and if the Noble and
Learned Lord on the Woolsack had proposed that in
the shape of a Resolution, there was no man in the
House who would not willingly have concurred in it:
but when a Bill was introduced, the principle must
be looked at with reference to what was contained.in
that Bill. Looking at the Bill in this point of view,
be must say, that he was hostile to the principle of
this Bill. His first objection to the measure was,
that it was optional with the Court whether to order
the Jury Trial or not ; whereas, in his opinion, in
• questions of damages, it ought to be imperative upon
them to allow this mode of trial at the requisition of
the pursuer or defender. This was what had been
proposed by the Writers to the Signet, and was by
far the most sensible plan. His next objection to
the Bill was, that the Jury were only to decide on
the facts instead of deciding on the facts.and the law,
on general issues, as in England. Yet notwithstanding
this limitition of the powers of Juries, the Judge was
' ; to give them directions in matters of law. For what pur-
pose give them directions as to the law if they were
I not to consider and decide upon it ? This must mean
one of two things : it most mean that the Jury were
merely to report the facts to the Judge, or that they
I were to take his law and not their own, and that too,
Ile contended, in violation of the oath which they
' were required to take. It Would have been desirable
I that the Noble and Learned Lord should have set.
himself to reconcile these contradictions in this curious
, Bill which he had disclaimed as he had the former
Bill. This Constitution depended upon two great
and leading principles: Ist, that the laws were to
be made with the consent of the people, by their,
. Representatives ; Id, that the laws were also on gr..'
neral issues to be interpreted by the country ;' and
hence the Trial by Jury was emphatically and even
technically called, trial by the country. The priuci.

PRICE If D.

DR. SYNTAX.

11% ACKERMANN thinks it his duty to inform
.a.ati the Publie, that the Work advertised tinder the title of
the Life of Napoleon, a liudibrastic Poem, published by Tho-
mas Tegz. Cheapside, is not written by the Author of the Poem
entitled " Dr. Syntax's Tour is search of the Picturesque."

, . .
plot! vshiokoaght to regulate the' Powers of Jun I
with, respect I. their 'indicts had been' clearly stated
by one of the greatest lawyers that this countryfied
ever produced. Chief Justice Vaughan, that-•emi-
tient judge, had stated, that on general issues, Juries
must decide on the law, and the reit of the Judges
of the Common Pleas concurred with him. Stippose
a Juryman understood the law better than the Judge,
was he to give up his own law and adopt that of the
Judge? The Noble and Learned Lord on the Wool-
sack had done well to reject the expression of the
Scotch junto, that this -was a Bill for the introdactids
of Jury Trial in civil cases into Scotland. It had
been introduced in revenue causes at the time ofalie
Union, and the Jury was required to be unanimous
as iii England. When, then, the 'way had been al-
ready prepared, and the experiment already tesed
and found to answer go aomplately, swire they to
sutler themselves to be led by a weal of Scotch law.
yers ? •It sias said, that -the minds' .of the people
were not prepared fur a measure that should carry
the matter farther, and that nothing farther would be
acceptable. - What evidence had they for this ? It
did not appear that there was any thing like unani-
mity among the lawyers for confining the measure in
this manner. It was only carried in its present-state
by 51 against 29, a rnaionty of ahout 20, composed,
perhaps, of a number of boys, who knew little about
the matter. There was another rereirkable dowse iu
this Bill for which it'was impossible for any Esiglilli-
man or any impartial Scotchman to vote, a clause
which enabled the Judge to pack the Jury, which.in
cases where a View .teas requlred, enabled him to
choose whom he pleased out of. the panne ' • a thing
which was monstrous and infamous ; a thing up-
i heard of before, and a thing which it was impossible
to support by any plausible argument. He rernem.
I bered a story which was in circulation about 40 years
ago, about a man of great property who wanted a wife,
and went to the Opera and Playhouse, and whenever he
saw a fashionable woman whom he thought unmarried,
I he went to her and said, " marry or not, or would
you rather not." This' address coming from one who
was a total stranger, constantly produced' the answer,
'4, I had rather not." In the same manner, this junto
-of Scotch lawyers might probably have disgusted
many by the manner in which they proposed this
I measure. It was with them 64 Jury or not, or had
you rather not." Another curious feature in this
Bill was, that it was only to continue in operation
I.for seven years, while the Judge was appointed for .
Are. , He was aware that an eminent-man couldlitir4.
lybe found to accept the situation, unless it was So:-
l'for life. But why not introduce a puniest-10W
sure, and make it perpetual ? And after all,
Judge might have nothing to do, for it might piohip
the Court of Session to refer nothing to this tu
..
decision. He hoped at any rate that a clause waS°-,-
be introduced providing, that an annual account
should be sent to this House of the proceedings uncle'
the Bill. He objected to this Bill, therefore, as un-
constitutional. The language was 46 wait for some
time—try this first, and you may have a more per.
feet measure afterwards." Suppose, a Colonel of an
English regiment wished to teach his troops the Eng-
lish exercise, would he send for a Turkish' Janissary
in order first to teach them the Turkish exercise ?
Was a man to be bound apprentice to a blacksmith its
order to teach him to be a carpenter? Was he to
become a stone-mason in order to learn the art and'
mystery of watch-making ? Was he to become w
cordwaiuer in order to understand how to plaster.
houses ? It was an insult to the people of Scotland,
to say that they were not prepared for Jug, Trial- its
the manner in which it had so long prevailed in Eng-
land. He was not, strictly speaking, a Scotchman,
but he had too much honest Scotch blood in his veins
to suffer this insult to pass upon them, And he must.
oppose the Bill even in this stage of it.
Lord GRENYILLE said, that the only objection
at which he should hint for the present, was at the
power given to the Judges of fixing what:causes
should or should not come under the Jury Trial. It
was to be dreaded, that the two courts might take
opposite lines. It might, therefore, be of essential
service that Parliament should point out the general
rule es far as it was practicable, and, in short, leave
as little as possible to error or change.
Lord LAUDERDALE rejoiced to see the prin.
ciple of Juries at last recognised in civil actions in
Scotland. This was at least a point gained which he
would not waste by any present spirit of stipulation.
As to `the idea that there was an inaptitude in the
Scotch people for the business of Juries, as thrown
I out by the Noble Lord (Stanhope), if he rightly
comprehended his meaning, nothing could be more
unfounded : the Scotch were now for a long time ier
the habit of Jury Trials in cases of murder, and.when
they settled in England they took their share in the ,
Jury Vial without any appearance of peculiar reluct-
ance
or inability. As to taking the choice of Jury ,
Trial or not out of the hands of the Judges, it was to ,
be observed that this liberty of choice formed a pro.
minent feature of the Bill, and that it had met tine
full opinion and approbation of the Writers .to the ,
Signet; and the 'Advocates. The mitigations or at-
,
terations- of law to which allusion was made, he be-
, lieved never ocourred. . _ _ _

Lord MORTON briefly' replied; that, the &Wit .
Lord's (Stanhope) speech altogether reminded him of
the•stery of the boys with Meshed coat and the Wog
coat in the Cyropadid.
Lord MELVILLE approved of the Bill, and
'thought It ought to hive its trial In its present state. ,
Ile did not much ariprOie of interferences with the
regular and ancient forms of jurisdiction is the coun-
try.. Tbe.Court of Session had been once proposed
to be alvidedinto tree; that was oppoced, bet the
Court Tat divided intotwo,and he had undersfoo‘t that
no benefiCiil effect was derived after all. But he was
dispond Wryly e 4 ;he wisdom of the Scotchi or;
1 •
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• _kr,.

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