§ The Duke of Richmondpresented a petition from the clerk of the peace for the county of Sussex, complaining, and as he thought very justly, of the expenses which were sometimes occasioned by making returns to this and the other House of Parliament. He wished to call the particular attention of his noble Friend the Lord Privy Seal, whom he saw in his place, to this subject. The expense of certain returns which the clerk of the peace had been compelled to make, amounted to above 70l., and when that sum was charged in the items of the accounts of the clerk of the peace, the Magistrates at Sessions had decided that they had nothing to do with the matter, so as to be able to burthen the county-rates with the expense thereby incurred; and they had therefore refused to allow that item in the accounts. He thought that the Magistrates were right in their decision. At the same time, he was of opinion that it was very hard, and indeed unjust, to throw the expense of these returns on the clerk of the peace. He did not like to say, that the expense ought to be thrown on the persons who moved for the returns, for many of them might be of great public importance; but as the benefit was to the public, he thought that the public ought to pay for them. He moved, that the petition should be laid on the Table, and he hoped that some means would be adopted to prevent this expense from falling in future on the county-rates.