LON 
sfiftrriftly communicated to the colonel, by his royal high- 
rtefs’s command, that, confidering the circumftances un¬ 
der which the office flood, he was to hold it as fubjeft to 
any view that the parliament might take of it.—After 
fome other members had given their remarks on fubjeft, 
the houfe divided: for Mr. Creevey’s amendment, 115 
again ft it, 54. 
The fame fubjedt was afterwards taken up by Mr. 
Bankes, in a debate on the army eftimates; and, a mo¬ 
tion being made, the houfe divided upon it, when the 
minifters were iupported by a majority of 54 to 3S. Mr. 
Bankes, however, renewed the attack in a different mo¬ 
tion on another day, and in a fuller houfe; when the ar¬ 
guments againft the appointment, with its extreme unpo¬ 
pularity in the nation, outweighed the efforts of govern¬ 
ment; and a refolutio.n paffed for the abolition of colonel 
M'Mahon’s finecure by 115 votes againft m. 
Several refolutions were paffed at this period concern¬ 
ing the diftilleries; but, as their effect was limited to 
a certain lapfe of time, and made no Handing part of the 
conftitutional laws, we fliall not enter into them. 
The next objects which engroffed the attention of the 
houfe of commons, were bills relative to the king’s hou fe¬ 
ll old ; but the debates upon them will not be interefting 
at the prefent day. The whole arrangement was finally 
diftributed into three bills, viz. the king’s-houfehold bill, 
the houfehold-offic-ers’ bill, and the regency-expenfes bill. 
At the third reading, January 31, Mr. Bennet propofed a 
claufe for incapacitating fuch officers as held places in the 
houfehold from fitting in parliament, which was negatived, 
and the bill was paffed. On its third reading in the houfe 
of lords, February the 7th, fome obfervations were made 
upon it by lord Grenville, but no debate enfuecl; and the 
royal affent was foon after given. 
The horror impreffed by the murders committed in the 
metropolis at the clofe of the laft year, had occafioned 
many voluntary affociations for improving the nocturnal 
fecurity of the inhabitants, which in general appeared to 
be inadequately provided for by the exifting regulations 
of the poljce; and government at length thought it ex¬ 
pedient to take up the matter. On January 18th, Mr. 
Secretary Ryder rofe in the houfe of commons to move 
for a committee “ to examine into the ftate of the nightly 
watch of the metropolis.” After adverting to the alarm¬ 
ing faft of the late murders, and to the unprecedented 
multiplication of offences of a lefs horrid defcription 
during the laft three or four months, he obferved, that in 
former times each pariffi provided for its own watch; and 
it was not till the year 1774 that an aft paffed, which ap¬ 
plied only to fifteen of the moft populous parifhes, and 
which appointed direftors and truftees under vyhofe con- 
troul the watch, patrole, and beadles, were placed. It 
could be no wonder that this was found inefficient fince 
the vaft increafe of the metropolis; and many inftances 
might likewife be mentioned in which the provifions of 
the aft were evaded or neglefted. If the houfe ffiould 
agree to the appointment of the committee, it would be 
for that to decide whether it were advifable to alter the 
fyftem entirely, or whether it would be fufficient to enforce 
the prefent aft. For his own part, he rather inclined to 
enforcing the prefent fyftem by adequate provifions, than 
to eftablifhing a new one. He concluded with making 
the motion above Hated. 
Sir Samuel Romilly expreffed himfelf much furprifed 
at the confined terms of the motion. Confidering the 
great alarm that had been excited, he ffiould have thought 
that a committee appointed on the occafion would have 
found it neceffary to inquire not only into the Hate of 
the nightly watch, but into the caufes of the alarming in¬ 
creafe of felonies and crimes. That fuch an increafe exified 
was proved by the returns lying upon the table, which he 
had moved for, and which fhowed a regular progrefs of 
ci'imes in London and Wefiminfier for fome years paft. 
There had been committed to take their trial at the Old 
l^ailey for felonies of various kinds-- 
v Vol, XIII. No. 906. 
DON. £77 
In the year 180S ----- 899 
1807 ----- 1017 
1808 - mo 
1809 - - 12.4s 
1810 - 1207 
It would furely be right to inquire into the caufes of 
this augmentation, of which many might be mentioned ; 
but at prefent be would only notice a few. The honour¬ 
able member then adverted to the fyftem of puniffrment 
by promifeuous imprifonmenf, which affoeiated together 
the moft hardened offenders with thole convifted ot com¬ 
paratively flight crimes; to the conftitution of the police 
itfelf, in giving rewards to the officers for the deteftion of 
offenders of a certain defcription, of which the effeft was, 
fuffering a growth and multiplication of crimes inftead of 
their prevention; and to the depravation of morals by the 
encouragement of lotteries. After dwelling at length upon 
thefe topics, he concluded with hoping that the motion 
of his right honourable friend would be withdrawn, and 
fubmitted in a much more comprehenfive form. 
Mr. W. Smith followed in confirmation of the neceffitv 
of fuch an extenfion of objeft as that propofed by the laft 
fpeaker. The late murders, he faid, originated in a let 
of villains about the town whofe exiftence was not impu¬ 
table to any deficiency in the nightly watch; and, unlefs 
fome change could be produced in their difpofition, the 
only effeft of a more vigilant watch in the metropo¬ 
lis would be to drive them into the furrounding vil¬ 
lages. 
Mr. Abercromby moved, as an amendment to the ori¬ 
ginal motion, the addition of the following words; “and 
alfo into the ftate of the police of the metropolis.” 
Mr. Ryder acquiefeed in the amendment of the learned 
gentleman, provided he would confenc to f'ubftitute the 
word “further’’ for “alfo,” in order that the primary ob¬ 
jeft of the committee might be that which he thought of 
great praftical benefit. (To this alteration Mr. A. con¬ 
tented.) He proceeded to take notice of the accufation 
brought againft the police-officers as being never dif- 
pofed to deteft offenders unlefs when ftimulated by a 
great reward. This, from the bell: information, he Hated 
to be unfounded ; and he was convinced that greater ef¬ 
forts had never been made to deteft offenders than thofe 
in the metropolis during the two laft months. 
Sir S. Romilly reminded the right honourable fecretary, 
that a reward of 700I. had been offered on the late occa- 
fions for exciting their aftivity-; a confequence of which 
had been the apprehenfion of a great number of perfons 
upon bare fufpicion, one of whom was the brother of one 
of the murdered perfons. 
Mr. Sheridan began a fpeech of far-calm and humour 
united, by pronouncing the propofition of the right ho¬ 
nourable fecretnry the fillieft that could poffibly have 
been made. After fupporting this affertion by ridiculing 
the notion of a grave inquiry into the ftate of the nightly 
watch, he digreffed to the conduft of the Shadwell ma- 
giftrates on the late atrocities in that quarter; to the fuf- 
picions thrown on foreigners and Iriffimen, and the harffi 
treatment of the latter; to the negleft in fuffering Wil¬ 
liams to commit filicide, and the unfeemly parade of his 
funeral. He concluded with recommending to the right 
honourable fecretary, that, fince he had fnown to-night that 
lie had not as yet thought at all on the fubjeft of the po¬ 
lice, he would begin to think of it with all poffible dif- 
patch. Other members joined in the debate, of which it is 
unneceffary to relate any further particulars. The queftiou 
was then put and carried, and the Committee was named, in 
which were the members for London, Weltminfter, Mid- 
lefex, and Surry. On the 24th of March, the committee 
prefented an elaborate report, in which they fuggefted a va¬ 
riety of regulations and improvements. A bill was framed 
upon thefe fnggeftions; but on the 4th of July, upon the 
prefentingof a petition againft it from one of the London 
parifhes, feveral members expreffed their difapprobation 
of its provifions, on account of the expenfe, and the new 
4- B an® 
