The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1822-09-17
from late Londop pape,s.

Legisfdtire bulls The Parish Registry
Aei 80 Geo. III. c. ilC) provides that any
person or persons willully making. or cals-
lng To be made false returns i'm In, hooks of
haphsms, burials, or marriages, "being
thereof lawfully convicted, shall be deemed
ana adllihged 10 be guilty of felony, aud
snail be transported for The term af foure
teen years Aud the succeeding cl,usc
enaets, that one half of al fines or pennl.
t's 70 be levied IN pursuance OF this Act
shaii 20 To the person who shall INFORM, or
sue Tor the same, and the remainder of sucb
iines ms shall be Imposed on any church
warden, shall go TO the poor of The parish;
ahd the remainder Of such fines ~ shall be
imposed on any Rector, &c. shall he applied
TO such charitable purposes rs shall be ap-
pointed add directed by the Bishop Of the
a'oeese'' The only punishment imposed
ny lie Act Is transportation for fourteen
years, and that is TO be- equally divided be-
tween the lnlormer and the poor of the pa
fish There was originally named Il llne---
thai MAS struck ont, and the transportation
vas substituted. The other parts of the
blli was not altered so that the Statute
Book contains this extraordinary Act a.
lnongst the laws ofthc land. The Act 81
eeo. Ill c. 90, for repeating the duties Of
customs on Nader, and granting other du-
lies IN heu thereof, enacted "that from and
alter the passing ofthis act the several du-
lles oil Customs, shall cease aud determine.
Here was complete repeal of all the du-
tes on Customs Here was legislation
with vengeance The root and branch re-
formers, according 20 the worst description
gwen OF them, could not have legisated
more ssecpingly Luckily the act con
tanned clause enacting, that il might be
altered or amended Ia the then present ses~
son OF parliament. SO bill was brought
IN three days afterwards, "to rcclify q i,
mistake" which INN, dately passed thro'
all IFS stages and The following day il re
eelved the royal assent. II enacted, that
"by mistake, The words on madder" (the
several duties Of customs on maddrr) were
omitted IN the preceding Act, Now to
rcctiiy such mistake. be il enacted, SIc. that
The duties of customs on maddcr, aud no o.
lher dulles ol customs, shall be deemed and
taken To be repealed" This was mis-
take indeed AS there WAS no less than
repeal of all the several duties Of Customs
Another instance shall close these illustra-
tons. In new gaoI BILL passed 3 or 4
years since, IL was ennrtcd that the county
prisoners should remain in the old prison
while the new prison was building but
subsequent clause provides that the mate
rails of the old prison should be used in
building the new gaol.--lt forgets 10 state
where the prisoners are to be kept in the
mean time.
Legidohre Hunders--I In the new marriage
act, which has undergone such engthened
aud anxious discussions in both houses,
mere is The following passages-" And In
such case both parties shall also make oath
That The person or persons whose CONSENT
shall he required by law 10 the marriage Of
such parties, has been given ;"-i. e. that
lhe person or persons has been Civ en- -
The Trainer, ofcourse, means, the consent
oil such person or persons, but .ie gets it
enacted that " the person or persons" shall
be gwen But there is another enactment
truly marvellous And be il further en-
acted" says the omended bill, that such
banns shall not be published until the true
christian and Surnnmcs Of the said persons,
ana me muse ar hosses of their respective
aooaes' shall be fixed on the principal door
OF me church orcbapel and in some con-
apicuous place within the said church or
ehapei = Parliament is omnipotent, truly
nnt Row house could be stuck on church
Door IS problem that remains to be solved.
The difficulty, we apprchend, is increas-
ed, when two houses hre TO be stuck on
the said door But we must say, with re-
serence, that their L0rdships intend to car
ry Their omnipotcnce to the highest pitch,
when they enact that the same house or
houses must be stuck on tire church door,
and also placed in some conspicuous place
within the said church