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PROCEEDINGS OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS, AND REPORT 

 OF A SELECT COMMITTEE THEREON. 



Lord Cranbourne having presented a petition to the House, 

 complaining of the present state of the laws respecting the pre- 

 servation of game, and deprecating the harsh, inefficacious penal- 

 ties of those laws involving alike life, liberty, and character, 

 and praying the House to take into consideration the propriety 

 of permitting of the sale of game, under certain restrictions ; the 

 same was referred to the consideration of a select committee to 

 report thereon, with the usual powers to call before them and 

 examine any persons whose evidence might elucidate their in- 

 quiries : they sat accordingly, and, after several days' investiga- 

 tion, reported as follows : 



The select committee of this honourable House appointed 

 to take into consideration the laws relating to game, and 

 to report their observations thereon to the House, and 

 who were empowered to report the minutes of evidence 

 taken before them, have, pursuant to the orders of the 

 House, examined the matters referred to them, and 

 report to the House as follows : 



Your committee, in considering the subject referred to them, 

 have turned their attention principally to those laws which relate 

 to the purchase and sale of game, conceiving that the morals of 

 the lower classes of the community were most materially affected 

 by their operation ; and they have ascertained, by evidence, 



points which appeared to them essential to be inquired into, with 

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