446 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1816. 



The present system of game 

 laws pioduccs the effect of en- 

 couraging its illegal and ii'regular 

 destruction b}' poachers, in whom 

 iin interest is thereby created to 

 obtain a Tnelihood by systematic 

 and habitual infiactions of tbe 

 law. It can iiardly l)e necessary 

 for yoiu' committee to })oint out 

 the mischievous iufiuence of such 

 a state upon the moral conduct of 

 those wlio addict theu^selves to 

 such practices; to them may be 

 readily traced many of tlie irregu- 

 larities, and most of the crimes, 

 ivliich are prevalent among tlie 

 lower orders in agrieultu;al dis- 

 tricts. 



Your committee hesitate to re- 

 commend, at tliiij late )x>riod of 

 tbe sessiiH!, the introduction of 

 an immediate measure upon a 

 subject wliicli afi'cct:? a variety of 

 intercists ; but they cannot ab- 

 stain from expressing a sanguine 

 e\{>ec.tati(m, that by the fuliue 

 adoption of some measure, found- 

 ed upon the principle recognized, 

 as your commrttee conceive, by 

 the common law , much of the 

 evils originating in the present 

 system of the game laMs may be 

 ultimately removed. 



Upon mature consideration of 

 the- prcinifies, your committee 

 have come to the following reso- 

 lution : — 



Resohed — That it is the opi- 

 )vion of this committee, that all 

 game should be the property of 

 tlie person upon whose lands such 

 gau)e shoiild be found. 



Report from the Select Committee 

 of the House of Commons on the 

 Earl of Elgin's Collection of 

 Sculptured Marbles. 



The Select Committee appointed 

 to inquire whether it be expe- 

 dient that the Collection men- 

 tioned in the Earl of Elgin's 

 Petition, presented to the House 

 on the 15th day of February 

 last, should be purchased on 

 behalf of the Public, and if so, ] 

 what Price it may be reasonable 

 to allow for the same, 

 Cfmsider the subject referred 

 to tlieni, as divided into four 

 principal heads ; 



The first of which relates to the 

 authority by whiclv this collection 

 was acquired : 



Tlie second to the circumstances 

 under which that authority wtvs 

 granted : 



The third to the merit of the 

 marbles as works of sculpture, 

 and the importance of making 

 them public property, for the 

 pmpose of promoting tlie study 

 of the fine arts in Great Britain ; 

 — and 



The fourth to their value as ob- 

 jects of sale ; which includes the 

 consideration of the expense which 

 has attended the removing, trans- 

 porting, and bringing them to 

 England. 



To Ihese will be added some 

 general obsenations ujion what 

 is to be found, in various authors, 

 relating to these marbles. 



I. When the Earl of Elgin 

 quitted England upon his mission 

 to tl>e Ottoman Porte, it was his 

 original intention to make that 

 appointment beneficial to the pro- 

 gress of the fine arts in Great 

 Britain, by procuring accurate 

 drav.ings and easts of the valuable 

 remains of sculpture and archi- 

 tecture scattered throughout 

 Greece, and particularly concen- 

 trated at Athens. 



With 



