33S 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1812. 



rewards are usually divided be- 

 tween the prosecutor and all the 

 witnesses ; the police officer has 

 only a small share ; but this cir- 

 cumstance sometimes operates 

 against his credit as a witness, and 

 to the defeat of public justice. It 

 seems desirable, therefore, that as 

 a public officer, he should be 

 free from any such imputation, and 

 that his services would be best re- 

 warded by the magistrates, without 

 dejjending on the conviction of the 

 off'ender. The increasing expense 

 of criminal prosecutions has been 

 truly stated to be a great source of 

 the impunity and increase of 

 crimes; and it seems highly de- 

 serving attention, whether the ex- 

 penses of prosecution to a limited 

 extent, and in particular cases, 

 which may be specified, might not 

 with propriety be defrayed out of 

 the parish rates, or some other ge- 

 neral fund. Such a regulation 

 would tend to an increased acti- 

 vity in the prevention and prosecu- 

 tion of off"enders, and the great re- 

 lief of individuals on whom these 

 depredations are committed. 



The petitions from the licensed 

 publicans, with regard to the steal- 

 ing of pewter pots, have been re- 

 ferred to your committee; but it 

 does not occur to them, that the 

 interest of the petitioners can be so 

 well guarded by any new act, as 

 by regulations they can make 

 among themselves. 



The committee add, that they 

 cannot conclude, without mention- 

 ing the incongruity in the system 

 for the government of the metro- 

 polis, owing to the magistrates of 

 the city of London, in the centre 

 of the metropolis, being unable to 

 pursue, by their warrants, beyond 

 the local limits of the city (pro- 



perly so called), goods which may 

 have been stolen within the limits 

 of the city, and may have been re- 

 moved beyond these limits. They 

 conceive, that the warrant of the 

 citj' magistrates should have opera- 

 tion, without being backed by any 

 other magistrate, within a circle of 

 tive miles from the Royal Ex- 

 change; and that warrants, signed 

 by county magistrates within five 

 miles of the Royal Exchange, 

 should operate within the local li- 

 mits of the city, without being 

 backed by the city magistrates. 

 They are aware that there are 

 many other points which may be 

 considered as intimately connected 

 with the subject of police, and to 

 which they might have directed 

 their attention; but as these sub- 

 jects have been referred to other 

 committees, they have conceived it 

 to be their duty to confine their 

 investigations and their observa- 

 tions to those leading principles of 

 preventive snperintendance and 

 control, and to that system of pro- 

 vident vigilance, which, by watch- 

 ing assiduously over the interests 

 of the community, may maintain, 

 without interruption, its good or- 

 der and security. 



Declaration on the Orders of 

 Council. 



The government of France hav- 

 ing by an official report, commu- 

 nicated by its minister for foreign 

 affairs to the conservative senate on 

 the 10th day of March last, re- 

 moved all doubts as to the perse- 

 verance of that government in the 

 assertion of principles, and in the 

 maintenance of a system, not more 

 hostiU to the maritime rights and 

 commercial 



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