Provincial Occurrences : Essex, Kent, Wales, Sfc: 



,092 



ESSEX.— At the recent sessions held at Clielms- 

 foid, the Clerk of the Peace read the report de- 

 livered in by the visiting magistrates, respecting 

 the state of the gaols, by which it appeared tliat 

 crime has so alarmingly increased that there is no 

 accommodation for the prisoners. Inconsequence, 

 it was contended by Jlr. Western, that the only 

 remedy was a more frequent gaol delivery ; it was 

 therefore resolved, that the court, at its rising, do 

 aJjourn to November 2.'), for the trial of prisoners. 



KENT. — Now the berring fishery has com- 

 menced, 'the harbour of Ramsgate contains an 

 enormous quantity of fishing vessels from Bou- 

 logne, and other parts of the French coast ; there 

 are above a thousand fishermen, who do not be- 

 liave in the most decorous manner. The boys beg 

 with the most annoying importunity, and the men 

 either walk or lie in groups on the pier, uttering 

 the most disgusting oaths, and conducting them- 

 selves in the most filthy manner. Quere — why is 

 it that French fishing-boats are allowed to enter 

 our ports free of any sort of toll or port duty, 

 while English boats and vessels are obliged to pay 

 duty every time they even send a small boat into a 

 French harbour to buy provisions ? Is this Free 

 Trade ? 



WALES. — At the Denbigh county meeting, re- 

 cently held at Ruthin Town Hall, for the purpose 

 of taking into consideration the proposed change 

 in Welsh judicature, it was resolved — That as it 

 is the intention of the legislature to modify, if not 

 to abolish, the jurisdiction of the existing courts 

 of the principality, it is our duty carefully to 

 ascertain to what extent our posterity will be 

 benefitted or injured by our concessions. — That it 

 appears to this meeting, if any abuses have crept 

 into the practice of our courts, or defects become 

 Apparent, that by legislative aid they may be cor- 

 rected, or supplied, without the destruction of the 

 fabric on which our constitutional privileges are 

 founded. — That it would be highly beneficial to 

 Ihe interests of the principality that justice should 

 be administered by the judges of the realm, pro- 

 vided the ancient jurisdiction of our courts could 

 1)8 preserved. — Several other resolutions were 

 proposed and negatived, particularly one signed 

 ■fay noblemen and gentlemen connected with the 

 principality, at the house of Sir W. W.Wynne, 

 *' If," said Mr. G. Griffiths, "these great men 

 \vould go and sign a paper like this without con- 

 sulting the PooK who are most interested, and 

 who alone will be injured by its operation, I think 

 that no reason why we should acquiesce in their 

 act. The rich man may go to law where he pleases 

 regardless of the expense. He may have his cause 

 tried at Shrewsbury or at Herefor J ; but, if a poor 

 man cannot have his cause tried at home, and at 

 little expense, it amounts to a denial of justice to 

 liim!!!'' At this meeting an anecdote was related 

 by Mr. C. W. Wynne, relating to that blessed 

 Court of Equity, the Chancery : "As to the evil of a 

 common law bar in proceedings in Equity, he (Mr. 

 Wynn) was himself a living instance of it. During 

 his time at the bar, he happened to be engaged as 

 counsel in an Equity cause, and was absolutely 

 unable to draw the pleadings. Well, what did do 

 in this emergency ? Why he applied to his friend, 

 Mr. Bennion, who was on the other side in the 

 question, and actually got him to draw his plead- 

 ings; so that his learned friend was literally 

 aounsel on both sides." 



[Nov. 



SCOTLAND.— Mr. Yeats, a native of Glasgoir, 

 and afterwards residing in Devonshire, has be- 

 queathed the island of Shuna, of which the an- 

 nual income is about ^500, to be vested in the 

 magistrates of Glasgow as trustees, for the pur- 

 pose of the yearly produce being applied as fol- 

 lows : — One fifth for public improvements or chari- 

 ties in Glasgow ; two-tifths for the benefit of the 

 Professorships' of Natural Philosophy, Moral 

 Philosophy, Mathematics, and Botany, in the 

 University of Glasgow ; one-fifth to the trustees 

 of the Andersonian University; andone-fifth to the 

 Glasgow Infirmary. 



IRELAND. — An important meeting took place 

 lately at Cork, Earl of Mountcashel in the chair, 

 to consider the state of the Irish Protestant 

 church, and the propriety of petitioning the king 

 and the legislature to reform the church esta- 

 blishment of Ireland, by enforcing a more exem- 

 plary conduct among the clergy, and particularly 

 a more equitable distribution of its revenues. 

 Lord Mountcashel, in opening the business of the 

 day, expressed that nothing but a speedy purifi- 

 cation of the abuses which had crept into the dis- 

 cipline of the Protestant church of England and 

 Ireland, could prevent " the glorious frabric o| 

 England's pride from .soon becoming a shadow.*" 

 He attributed to three causes the present deplor- 

 able state of the church : — The government of the 

 country were, in the first instance, blameable ; 

 the second cause was the neglect of the perform- 

 ance of their duties by the generality of the 

 clergy ; and the third cause was the consequent 

 supineness of the laity. The resolutions were 

 unanimously adopted ; and it was agreed that a 

 petition, in conformity with them, should bedrawn 

 up by a committee, and transmitted to the Right 

 Hon. Robert Peel for presentation to the king ; 

 that a copy of the petition should be presented tei 

 the House of Lords by Lord Mountcashel, and 

 one to the House of Commons by the Hon. Mr. 

 King. 



At a meeting of the corporation of weavers, held 

 at Dublin, Oct. 9, it appeared that starvation oi 

 their numerous and helpless families is so alarm- 

 ingly pravalent from a want of employment occa- 

 sioned by the great influx of French and othet' 

 foreign goods, that they thought it necessary to 

 pass several resolutions to that effect, and to 

 bring their melancholy case before the king and 

 the parliament. The following is the 4th ; — " Re- 

 solved, That it is our solemn and deliberate opi- 

 nion, that the system of ' Free Trade,' now pur- 

 sued, falsely so called, being without ' Reci- 

 procity,' is a mere delusive theory, impracticable 

 and incompatible with the present state of the 

 country, as respects its trade with France, and 

 other foreign countries, inasmuch us the opera- 

 tives in France, and those other parts, have food 

 considerably cheaper than our operatives ; there 

 being no Corn Laws in France to keep the price of 

 corn up to a certain height, to enable farmers to 

 pay Landlords Rack-rents ; nor are there in 

 France the heavy burdens of Excise and other 

 Taxes that are in this country ; nor have the 

 French the heavy National Debt to labour under 

 that we have ; and, above all, t!ie French are no{ 

 cursed with an Absentee Landed ProjTletary, 

 like unfortunate Ireland, who take the produce 

 of the industry of the country, and squander it 

 abroad !I'." 



