The Statesman.
London, England, 1822-07-13 00:00:00

ZXCITAXGIZ STITH INDIA.,

Mr. FORCES presented a Petition from Certain per-
sons interested in the state of exchange betwixt 'adios
sad tb is country. complaining that what'hithetto bad
been worth 2s. toel. was now worth only 2.0. in corc.e-
!pence of certain loans, which used formerly to be paid
in this country, beiuF now paid in Bengal, and praying
also that the restrictions on East India produce may be
mitigated. 'The Hon. Member represented the state of
East Wien property being in a state of great deprecia•
Lion, in consequence of the monopoly now possessed by
the West Indies of the English market for sugar. This
property would fall into a worse state if something was
not done to relieve it. The Petitioners particularly
prayed for the removal of the duty of lOs. per cent. on
East India pew.
Mr. BERNAL thought the Honourable Gentleman
dealt in fallacies, and raised apprehension that had no
foundation in reality. The West India Proprietors
stood in much greater need of assistance than those of
the But.
Mr. MONEY assured the Hon. Member who stoke
last, that It was sad reality and not Whew that his "0".
Friend had represented te the house. This cons;:y was
forcing its own manufactures on India, and refused to
allow her to export her raw produce in return.
Mr. BRIGHT said it was idle clamour to talk abbot
monopoly assails India. Let India look at for own
monopoly, and the encouragement her policy was afford-
ing to the American shipping which now traded
nage, that she refused to permit. When they talked of
freemen, they talked of what did Dot exist in the East.
it was a system of slavery and depredation that prevailed
in that pert of the world.
Mr. HUME declined at that time detaining the
House, but rose to give a pledge that be would at
future periool prove to be unfounded, every one of the
statements of the Honoarable Member for Bristol (Mr.
Bright.) •
The eetition was then ordered to be printed.
Mr. BENNET presented a Petition from the Inhabit-
ants of the Parish of Tindal in Sonsersetshire, complain.
ing that a Publican io the parish has had his license
taken away.
Mr. Secretary PEEL stated the circumstances under
which the license had been refused in this case. The
Magistrates who were two of the most respectable in
the county, had been obliged to do so, upon the man's
being convicted of haring permitted a pauper of the
workhouse to be in his boose drinking from Monday
morning to Tuesday night, a period of 36 boars con-
stant drinking; and also keeping a disorderly house
upon Sunday mornings. It was not, however, toll after
frequent admonitions, that the course complained of
was taken, and even the milder of the two modes had
been chosen.

The Petition wu then read, and ordered to be laid on
the table.

LiCZNSING RILL.
Mr. DENISON presented a Petition from the Licensed
rictuallers of Croydon, against the Licensing Hill, and
praying to he heard by Counsel. He (&lr. Denison)
thought, that where so much was said about *Nordin?
the vested interests of the middle and upper classes of
society, some care ought to be takes of the vested inter-
ests of the lower classes.

Mr. BROUUHAM entirely concurring :o 'he last
statement altered by the lion. Member, begged to inform
him that it wee with that precisi ►iew that the Bill in
question was brought io. it was to enable the lows.:
classes to obtain provisions at the lowest rates that vi.•.
taallen could sell them at; and he believed it would
not be disputed, that to brink up any monopoly to
maintain provisions at high prices mint he consonant
with the vested cad the best interests of the lower classes.
—(Hear.)—He believed also that to oblige persona t..
sell good beer would be productive of no harm to them
or their customers.

Mr. DENISON obser►ed, that the Pvtitionvrs wit
understand their own in better than the rion..m.l
Learned Gentleman.
The Petition was laid on the table.
Mr. LENNARD postponed a motion of wlt:ch he hal
gi►en notice, for the production of Niters relati►e to
Cie Independence of South America, from the 17th to
23t1 instant. _

The Hon. ►Member then presented a Petition from 1p•-
wiab against the Alien Bill. Laid on the table.

PRISON DISCIPLINt.

Mr. HUME presented a Petition from a Person, hy
the same of West and his wife, complaining of cruelties
practised towards their sort, in Swims Hall's Heel.
the Petitioners stated that tneir son was committed to
Prison for having sot a wire to catch a hare. upon bit
committal be had his hair rut off. and saltjected to very
severe discipline, and, amongst other things, waw washed
with cold water. He, in contripteace of this, -aught a
severe cosgh and cold, from which be was nit able for
thirty days out of thirty.three, to fret admission to not
forgers,. lie was finally discharged, and died in a few
days after he was liberated. A Coroner's ItNaest er .4
I•nsanded, bet refused becalm. the Coroner was a hier
tot the Uaokr. He hoped the Right lieu. Seen :ail t.r

•i

the Home Department would be able to snake some Wis•
factory statement on this subject.
Mr. Secretary PEEL said he had mad* some inqui-
ries ion this case which bad been satisfactory. He had
a certificate from the surgeon who admitted this man
'after his dismissal. from which it clearly appeared that
the immediate canse of his death was immoderate drink-
ing on the day of Isis leaving gaol, bet his death did not
occur till s fortnight afterwards. He believed there
was another charge in the petition of his having received
as husk money prior to his resitting the gaol. Upon
inquiry into this, he found that this was a sum given
him in consideration of service regniarly performed in
the kitchen, and in corroboration he found that an en.
try had bees made of it in the books. With regard to
his being washed with cold water, he learned that it
was the custom to wash all the prisoners upon their
coining iota the gaol, and that the water used was warm.
After a few words from Mr. Dawson and Mr. Btu-
NET, the Petition was ordered to be laid on the table.
THE DON/GALL ESTATES.
The SOLICITOR GENERAL presented a Petition
from an individual of the name of Arthur Chichester,
setting forth, that by the will of his grandfather lie was
entitled to inherit the estates of the Donegal' family, in
consequence of Anna May, silted the Marchioness of
Donegal!, not having been legitimately married to the
hfarqoess, by which it happened that there could be no
lawful heir male from that union; and that is eons.-
quence of a clause introduced into the Marriage Act
Amendment Bill he should be deprived of his just right,
isa the marriage between Anna Mar and the Marqness
of Donigsll, which would otherwise have been soli and
void, would be rendered valid. He complained of her-
- lug been involved in expensive litigation to maintain
hie jest rights, and stated that the case was at present
P ia course of judicial investigation, and it would there-
fore lie doing what was unprecedented in the annals of
British Legislatioa to pass this Bill, which was an ex
peel feet. law to deprive him of his vested rights, and
strip him of property to which by the bequest of his
grandfather he was entitled by law. Per these reasons,
therefore, he prayed to be heard by Counsel against the
particular clause at the Bar of the House. The Hon.
and leaned Gentlemen observed that if the allegations
were true, end .11.2 believed they were matter of notoriety,
this Gentleman bad the same right to the estates In
question as tin,. by which Member of that house
enjoyed his property, viz. the right given him by the
laws of the land. this Bill went to strip him of valua-
ble estates, which he had the fullest title at the present
moment to convey by will, or fee, and under such cir-
cumstances he apprehended the lionse would not refuse
to allow him to be heard by Counsel at the Bar. He
would refer to a precedent which had been talked of.
He alluded to the case of Mr. Wright, who had brought
three or four hundred actions against clergymen for
non-residence, at a time that • Bill was pending to
change that part of the law. It was conceived at that
time that he had a vested right in the penalties which
the law ordained should he levied for non•residence, and
safely this petitioner's right was much stronger. He
was heard with great. patience by the House of Lords
noon that occasion, in support of Mr. Wright's claim,
and although it was decidedly against him, it-was con-
eitlered saint to do that which would go to deprive an
individual of his vested rights without bearing him.—
Mr. Chichnter thought that if the house resolved upon
depriving him of valuable property, they ought to de-
vise some means of compensation, and he Impel the
boasts would allow him to be heard by Counsel.
Mr. SCARLETT thought it impossible to grant the
prayer of the petition at this stage of the m . It
was net now their business to alter the form of the Bill,
but to entisider the Amendments sent down to them from
the Lords; he must say that it was rather remarkable
this petition was not preferred before.—(Hear!)—He
could not but consider that the object of it was to pro-
cure delay, at the lame time that he thought they coed
not non entertain inch a prayer.
Dr. LUSHINGTON observed, that the first Amos&
meat which he had to consider was one which went to
affect property in the way complained of by this rd.
tiooer.
Sir JAMES MACKINTOSH hoped the house would
not suffer its coarse to be impeded by the late applies-
, lien, when there had been ample time to present it be-
fore both to that House and to the House of Lords. said
',untainly this was not a more fitting time than before.
state all the Amendments of the Lords went to narrow
Ibileetrospective operation of the Bill. • There had been
• Tedtine presented to the Lords but it did not pray to
be heard by Counsel at the Bar. What then could be
the meaning of this application but to delay the Bill
that it might eventually be lost for this Sessiou at least,
against the deliberate determination of both houses of
Parliament? Above all things this was a Bill which,
out of regard fur the peace of families, and their dearest
interests ought not to be delayed. It was, therefore,
from the same sense of public duly, that bad caused him
to vote for the Bill, that lie opposed Counsel deing heard
upon it, !wing convinced that it was only an expedient
to defeat the intention of the Legislature by delay.—
(Hear, hear.)
Mr. B. BATHUItST agreed with the Honourable
Members on the other side, that it 'wu too late now to
he heard by Petition against the Bill in its present
state. He believed also that the Petition was directed
against some of the amendments which had been sent
down to them, from the House of Lords, and in that case
be believed the Chair would inform them that such a
course could not be taken as that prayed for by the Peti-
tioner. He rather thought too that it was too late for
a Petition to he received sow.
The SPEAKER said it was inconsistent with the
practice of the hone to receive Petitions against mew
sores whirls hail ' been passed. With regard to
the prayer of this Petition, he apprehended that tho
house could not hear Counsel against measures of which
they were not masters. That house bed passed the Bill.
If the Petitioner, therefore, directed Isis complaints
against the amendments of the Lords, lie believed it
was nithout arceetletst for the home to bear Counsel fur
'nett a purpole.—(Hear, hear )
:dr. BERNAL presented a Petition from William
Pi reharti. Fem. Proctor, on behalf of Samuel Blithe, at
present in Paris, praying that the Marriage. Act Amend-
ment Bill might nut be passed into a law in its prescu.
state.--Laid on the table.
Dr. PHILLIMORE presented a similar Petition on
behalf of Sarah Blithe. Her Proctor stated that she
was 'carried on the false oath of her husband, by licen.e,
that she was pregnant by him at the time, and wot gum
pregn int, and out of tier scenes, from the conduct of
her linahand's father.
Dr. LUSHINGTON having been Counsel in this ease,
felt himself called upon to put the house in possession
of the real facia. This Sarah Blithe was maid servant
in the family of the father she complained of, when she
married the young man. They were married at Dover
epos his false oath, he being IS. and she 2t. The fa-
ther had caned the marriage to be set aside, but an ap-
peal bad been made, and be was very much inclined tp
think, that as this had suspended the Jedgitieut declaring
the marriage null and void, it was one of those eases
which the clause complained of would make a valid mar-
riage.
Tt 4 Petition was then read and laid on the table.
OJANCIDY Mims.
Mr. BROUGHAM presented a Petition from Thome.
Flanagan, Gent. of Paley-place. The situation of this
Geniuses of which. he came to complain to the house
was wet • peculiar sae; for it was a case of ruin from
being 'evolved in a Chancery suit.—(Laughter.) He
lied Wee reined by the decision in his ease, but he was

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