Lords Sitting of 15 December 1837

MINUTES.
Petitions presented. By Lord BROUGHAM, from the city of London, for extending the working of the Municipal Officers' Bill to the Jews, and all other persuasions.

POST-OFFICE.
The Earl of Radnorpresented a petition from the principal London booksellers, praying for a general reduction in the present rates of postage. A very general interest was felt upon this subject, and great anxiety prevailed among all classes that considerable alteration should be made in the charges of both the general and twopenny post. The petitioners complained that they were obliged under a severe penalty to have their letters transmitted through the post at an enormous rate of charge, while they could despatch them by other modes of conveyance as safely, regularly, and with a great saving of expense. They might send by the steam boat from London a packet of 1,000 letters to Edinburgh at the cost of 1s., whereas the postage charged on them singly would amount to upwards of 50 l. There was another fact mentioned in the petition which went far to illustrate the hardship of the present system: the expense of the conveyance of a newspaper from London to Edinburgh amounted to only four-fifths of the penny stamp charged on the paper itself, the other one-fifth being profit to the post-office; and yet a single letter, very much smaller in bulk, and of course more easily transmitted, was charged for the same distance at the rate of 1s. 1½d. The petitioners further stated, that carry-

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ing on their trade principally through the medium of letters, if the postage were reduced the increased correspondence between one part of the country and another would very soon indemnify the public for any immediate and temporary loss of revenue; they would themselves despatch and receive between 50,000 and 100,000 letters in the course of the year more than at present.
Lord Broughamsupported the prayer of the petition. He was convinced the greatest possible advantage would arise to the community from the adoption of an uniform and low rate of postage. He should himself present a petition from the corporation of the city of London on the same subject on Monday next, when he hoped his noble Friend (Lord Radnor) would move a Committee for the purpose of considering this matter.
Petition laid on the table.

IMPRISONMENT FOR DEBT.
Lord Broughampresented a petition from certain prisoners in the Fleet, some of them clergymen, comprising many names highly respectable in themselves, and equally so from their professions, praying their Lordships to pass with all convenient speed the bill for abolishing imprisonment for debt. He begged leave to avail himself of this opportunity to correct a mistake made the other night when the subject of imprisonment for debt was under discussion. He understood it was not consistent with fact to suppose the bill now before the House had been drawn up by the law commissioners, or even that they had any great hand in the preparation of it. They had in the former bill, but not in the present.
Lord Abingerwas perfectly satisfied the majority of the commissioners had no hand in the preparation of the bill. He knew one considerable authority among them who did not approve of it. With respect to the petitioners in this case, of whom there were 105, there was hardly one, he believed, who was not able to obtain his discharge under the Insolvent Debtors' Act before the abolition of Imprisonment for Debt Bill could pass the Legislature, if they consented to make a full disclosure and assignment of their property for the benefit of creditors. He was afraid, however, that the vast majority of them would derive no relief from the bill if it should pass, because they were likely to prefer the imprisonment they now endured rather than submit to the rigid inquiries
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the bill would establish for the discovery of their property.
Petition laid on the table.