§ Lord Nugentpresented a Petition from John Goodwin, of St. Ives, in the county of Huntingdon, complaining that he had been refused a license for the retail of exciseable liquors, and that his appeal to the Quarter Sessions had given him no redress; he therefore prayed against the continuance of a monopoly in the sale of Beer, and also against the existence of this arbitrary power. The hon. Member said, he would only observe, that the mode of appeal was little better than a mockery; being an appeal from the magistrates at their own 390 houses, to the same magistrates assembled at the Quarter Sessions. The petitioner made no complaint of the individuals by whose refusal he suffered, but of the system by which they were allowed to have the power of giving or withholding licenses at their pleasure.
§ Mr. Fellowesread a letter in justification of the refusal, on the ground that, there was already a sufficient number of public-houses in proportion to the population of St. Ives. It only amounted to 2,800, and there were already thirty-eight public houses in the place. Moreover, the house the petitioner wished to have licensed was situated in the Market-place, where there were already no less than six public-houses. These appeared to the magistrates justifiable grounds for the refusal.