356 DRUNKENNESS. 



committee, will they advocate the repeal of the malt-tax? We find 

 that they have been suspiciously silent upon this important point in 

 their report ; and we strongly suspect that the landed interest has 

 exercised its accustomed influence on this occasion; and that the 

 feelings of these select committee gentlemen, in this matter, are " OL 

 the earth, earthy." 



But now let us look at the immediate remedies, legislative and 

 moral, proposed by the committee ; and first let us attend to the 

 legislative. 



" 25. The remedies which appear to your committee to be desirable, and 

 practicable to be put into immediate operation, may be thus enumerated : 



" 26. The separation of the houses in which intoxicating drinks are sold, 

 into four distinct classes : 1. houses for the sale of beer only, not to be con- 

 sumed on the premises ; 2. houses for the sale of beer only, to be consumed 

 on the premises, and in which refreshments of food may also be obtained ; 



3. houses for the sale of spirits only, not to be consumed on the premises ; 



4. houses for the accommodation of strangers and travellers, where bed and 

 board may be obtained, and in which spirits, wine, and beer may all be 

 sold. 



" 27. The limiting the number of such houses of each class, in propor- 

 tion to population in towns, and to distance and population in country dis- 

 tricts; the licences for each to be annual, and granted by magistrates and 

 municipal authorities, rather than by the excise ; to be chargeable with 

 larger sums annually than are now paid for them, especially for the sale of 

 spirits; and the keepers of such houses to be subject to progressively in- 

 creasing fines for disorderly conduct, and forfeiture of licence, and closing 

 up of the houses for repeated offences. 



" 28. The closing of all such houses at earlier hours in the evening than 

 at present, and uniformly with each other, excepting only in the last class 

 of houses for travellers, which may be opened at any hour for persons re- 

 quiring food or beds in the dwelling. 



" 29. The first and second class of houses, in which beer only is sold, to 

 be closed on the Sabbath-day, except for one hour in the afternoon, and 

 one hour in the evening, to admit of families being supplied with beer at 

 those periods : the third class of houses, where spirits only are sold, to 

 be entirely closed during the whole of the Sabbath-day : and the fourth 

 class, as inns or hotels, to be closed to all visiters on that day, excepting 

 only to travellers, and the inmates of the dwelling. 



"30. The making all retail beer shops as open to public view as other 

 shops where wholesome provisions are sold, such as those of the baker, the 

 butcher, and the fishmonger; in order that the interior of such spirit shops 

 may be seen from without, and be constantly exposed to public inspection 

 in every part. 



" 31. The refusal of retail spirit licences to all but those who would en- 

 gage to confine themselves exclusively to dealing in that article, and con- 

 sequently the entire separation, in England, Scotland, and Ireland, of the 

 retail sale of spirits from groceries, provisions, wine or beer; excepting 

 only in the fourth class of houses (as inns or hotels) for travellers and in- 

 mates, or lodgers, as before described. 



" 32. The discontinuance of all ardent spirits (except as medicine) under 

 the direction of the medical officers) to the navy and army, on all stations, and 

 to every other body of men employed by, or under the control of the go- 

 vernment, and the substitution of other articles of wholesome nutriment 

 and refreshment instead. The abolition of all garrison and barrack can- 

 teens at home and abroad, and the substitution of some other and better 

 mode of filling up the leisure of men confined within military forts and 



