476 Poliliccd Affu 



lowed anil signed by any of his Majesty's jiis- 

 (Itos of lliu peace, such justices are liereby 

 iiiilliorised and required (o inquire into the 

 amount ol' the rale or r;ilps already made for 

 the current year, and iiscertain that the same 

 lOKelher with the amount of the rate so to be 

 allowed, and signed, does not exceed the 

 amount limiled by this act, provided always, 

 that in case it shall be made to a|)pearto such 

 justices, that 1here is any increased ih;irge in 

 the county rates, which are payable out of the 

 poor-rates, which may require an additional 

 assessment lieyond the assessment for the re- 

 lief of the poor for the jear last past as afore- 

 said, it shall be lawful for such justices, in that 

 case, to allow of such excess only as shall be 

 equal to such increase of the county rates. 



" And that it shall not he lawful for any 

 churchwarden, overseer, or guanlian of the 

 poor, or any other pei-son having authority to 

 administer relief t) the poor, to allow or give, 

 or for any justice of the p'.-ace to order any 

 relief to any male person whatsoever, being 

 single and unmarried at the for 



himself or any part of his f imily, unless such 

 poor person shall be acli:all}, at the time of 

 asking such relief, by reason of age, sickness, 

 or bodil}- infirmity, unable to obtain his liveli- 

 hood, and to support his family- by work. 



" And that from and after the it 



shall not be lawful lor any justice of the peare, 

 or other person, to remove, or cause to i)e re- 

 moved, an)- poor person or persons, against 

 the will ol such person or persons, from any 

 parish, township, or jilace, to any other, by 

 reason of such person or persons being charge- 

 able to such parish, townshij), or place, or 

 being unable to maintain him or themselves, 

 or under colour of such person or persons being 

 settled in any other parisli, toviiiship, or place, 

 — any law or statute to the contraiy notv.ith- 

 standing: Providetl always, that nothing in 

 this act shall in anyvise he deemed to alter 

 nnj' law now in force for the jjunishment of 

 vagrants. 



Some shocking al)nses in Ilchcstcr 

 Gaol have hceu hroiii:;ht hefore the 

 House hy the intrepidity of Mr. Hunt, 

 who ill defiance of tlie power to which 

 he is subject, has proclaimed its delin- 

 <juency in terms (oo clear to resist 

 en(juiry, and lie has] thus, though a 

 prisoner, rendered further service to 

 humanity. A commission of enquiry 

 has been instituted, and the local au- 

 thorities have deigned to give liberal 

 countenance to his complaints. 



In the House of Lords we are sorry 

 to say (hat the bill which (he House of 

 Commons so patriotically passed for 

 transferring the Elective Franchise 

 from the corrupt Borough of (iram- 

 poiuid to the populous and opulent 

 (own of Leeds, isaiioiit (o undergo mo- 

 difications, which will disappoint (lie 

 hopes of the nation, ^\'e wiihcil to see 



irs in May. [June I, 



Leeds rej)rescn(ed, but (he jMinister 

 (Liverpool) has carried an amendment 

 for giving two extra members (o VorU- 

 shire, and the aristocratic and land d 

 in(erests will thus acquire an addition 

 of influence which was more wanted 

 by the manufacturers and householders. 

 ^Ve, however, hail the recognition of 

 (lie princij)le of thus disfi-anchisiug cor- 

 rupt borougiis, and transferring their 

 right even to counties as pregnant 

 with .advantages, and as a germ of re- 

 form which, expanded, will remove 

 many discontents. 



The cosdy pageant of (he Corona- 

 tioji is again talked of, as well as vari- 

 ous foreign voyages of the King, and 

 some interest has been excited in re- 

 gard to (he Queen's j)art in the corona- 

 tion. — The distressed state of trade in 

 all its blanches — the impossibility of 

 paying r(!nts at the low market price of 

 produc(' — and (he interesting circum- 

 stance that the Bank of England has 

 begun to pay its no(es in gold sove- 

 reigns, of which soti^e millions have 

 already hven issued, ccmstifute the 

 other subjects whicli have interested 

 (i:e public Avi:liiu tiie month. 



Tlie lasl measnn^ lias necessarily 

 narrowtMl the discounts at the IJank, 

 and created an exjicctatiou which has 

 increased (he scarcity of money, and 

 led to extensive commercial failures. 

 AVhether the new system can be main- 

 tained is quest ionabl(>, for as (he gold 

 has been receudy accumulated (hi-ough 

 the agency of Jews from the Continent, 

 so the ])ayineut of the bills and the 

 foreign debts incurred, can in tlie pre- 

 sent low state of our export trade, be 

 met with only in gold, and re-exporta- 

 tion, now free, seems inevitable, On 

 this subject Pitt and all our financiers 

 seem to have been playing with edged 

 tools. Stocks anfl public credit are, 

 however, in no degree depressed. 



On the state of agriculture and com- 

 merce, parliamentary committees have 

 been formed, and reports made by the 

 commercial committees, of which we 

 present the principal one beneath. That 

 on agriculture is anxiously expect- 

 ed ; but as the interests of monopoly 

 are powerful, liftlecanbe done without 

 self-sacrifices beyond the virtue of hu- 

 man nature, and there is, therefore, 

 little to be expected. A parish com- 

 mittee, composed of six poor men, six 

 farmers, and six landlords, would pro- 

 bably elVect more (ban any commi((ee 

 of mere laudloids in piuliaincnt. 



Second 



