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friend of your country, and have acquired the character of being so, without having had resort to your powers of oratory to give credit to loud sounding and delusive profess sions. You have left your character to rest upon your actions; and circumstances have

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that all his professions, all' his dissimulation, and all his misconduct form an aggregate, placing you in a situation, that renders you competent to be that reformer of abuse and prodigality, which he professed, and, per haps, at one time, wished to be And you hold this situation, not as a young ministero trying to gain popularity, and forcing untried and speculative measures upon the country; but as the acknowledged friend of your country, and called upon by the people to carry into effect that reformation which was promised to them by Mr. Pitt.I have the honour to be, &c.- -VERAX.August 1, 1805.

SHERIFF'S JURISDICTION AND POWER.

SIR,-Amongst the many discussions · that at various times have taken place in`. your paper, the Political Register, I can find none on the subject of a Sheriff's jurisdie-? tion and power.This may appear, Sir? to you, a matter too trivial for consideration at a moment like the present, when things of much greater importance find places in your paper; but, at any leasure time when you can give this attention, and favour me with your opinion, I shall feel greatly oblig ed by your information.The election of a Sheriff is made by the Chancellor, Trea

for the last sixteen years, have been paid by the Lords of the Treasury! But there is this further reason why an inquiry into the Treasury department is peculiarly indispensible, and this is, the perplexed and delusive nature of the accounts annually presented by it to parliament. I have been able, in forgiven you this great advantage over Mr Pitt, mer letters to establish this fact,`at least to the satisfaction of one, particularly well acquainted with these accounts, and eminently qualified to judge of my reasoning upon of my reasoning upon them, I mean the author of this Register. With then, Sif, at least a rational proof before you, **that the accounts, as now submitted to parliament, are useless for any purpose of checking the minister in his disposal of the public money," and the notorious fact, that the conduct of the Treasury is directed by the minister; how is it possible, that the claims of the petitioners can be satisfied, except by the appointment of a parliamentary commission to inquire into the management of the Treasury department, and the system there adopted of stating the public accounts? You may, Sir, have felt reason to complain of the backwardness of the people, on some occasions during your political life, in declining to support your parliamentary measures, when calculated to secure them from the dangers preparing for them by the intemperance of your political rival, and all the distresses present and to come, of an unnecessary and most expensive, war. But, in the instance now before you, you have the voice of the whole nation, a very few interested individuals excepted, not merely following your measures with appro- surer, Barons of the Exchequer, and the bation, but pointing out to you the way to "Justice of the two Courts of Common' secure the country from the corruption of "Law." This power of election was vested ministers. You therefore, Sir, are even in them by the 9th Edw. II. st. 2. Upon his more than bound to be the advocate of those, being elected by them and approved of by who have so much extended the character of the King, he receives his Majesty's letters Englishmen, by their manly expression of patent, empowering him to act in his county! indignation at the malversation of Lord as the King's minister of law and justice;" Melville; and you cannot well permit the and, amongst other functions imposed upon petitions of the people, upon this occasion, him by those letters patent, he is to at to rot as waste paper upon the table of the "tend the courts, execute their process, and House of Commons, and the opportunity to "make due returns thereof." Hence it pass by and be lost, of effecting a great and is, that he is termed in the language of the real reformation of abuse, and that upon the law, a patent officer of the Crown."HD_6 substantial authority of the declared and Viewing him in this light, I have always anxious expectations of the people-Mr. considered him as bound to pay the most imPitt commenced his political career, and ac- plicit obedience to the commands of the quired the confidence of the nation, by the court; and, more particularly, as they are earnestness he expressed to attain a frugal strengthened by always being issued in the management of the public revenues, and to King's name.- -But circumstances having correct abuses. But the nation have yet to occurred, that have rendered the rectitude learn the method by which Mr. Pitt intend-of this opinion rather doubifal, I have ta ed to carry his professions into practice. Ken the liberty to address you on the subYou, Sir, have been the true and steadyject.In a case where a man recovers in' a court of law ten acres of land, and afterwards issues what in the law is stiled a Writ

* Vide Register, Vol. VIII. p, 6s.

of Possession, grounded upon that verdict,
when he attends the Sherid on the day fixed
for the execution of that writ, to receive the
Jands
his hands, the Sheriff refuses to
give him possession, alleging, as a reason
for so doing, that a counter-claim has been
made of one-half; and, upon inquiry by
what new opponent his claim is now to be
disputed, he finds it to be that very identical
being against whom he has just recovered
what he now justly claims as his right.-
Neither the judgment of the court, in this
case, on the King's mandate itself, are docu-
ments worthy the Sheriff's attention; and
to shew his power, and as it were, sove-`
reign contempt of them, he gives possession
of only one-half: then, in order to fulfil
his duty like a faithful" Minister," he re-
turns to the court, that he has executed the
writ as he was commanded!!!An ac-
tión, then, is brought for a false return
against the Sheriff for damages. But, alas!
here again, the unhappy plaintiff is foiled,
for this is not held to be a false return, prima
facie, until it has been ascertained whether
the party claiming is entitled to the land in
question or not; so that the very same pro-
cess may be gone through, toties quoties, with-
-I should be
out ever attaining any end.-

the 24th of July; and dated Berlin, July 15, 1905,

M. Novoziltzoff left this capital yesHe had terday for Saint Petersburgh, a long conferrence with Mr. Jackson, the British Envoy at Berlin.-His mission was announced throughout all Europe several months before it was undertaken, which circumstance alone had a tendency to defeat its object. It very naturally furnished a topic for much discussion, conjecture, and intrigue. After having represented M. Novoziltzoff rather as the bearer of orders than a negotiator, pains were taken to set forth his mission under aspect, in order to render it no less odious. He was to treat, said report, only with the Emperor himself. Those who circulated these absurd reports, knew very well that every sort of pretension that should deviate from that line of attention and respect which is due to a great power, would of itself have frustrated a mission, the object of which besides was. far from appearing very clear, And that there was somewhat in it indefinite and obscure, is manifestly obvious from it having been successively the object of orders and counter-orders. But upon due consideration of every circumstance, the counter-order which recalls M.. Novozilizoff to Peters burgh, is probably more conducive to peace than the order which sent him to Paris.If it was the object of his mission to remove the coolness which had taken place between, France and Russia, most likely it would. u have succeeded; and, indeed, what, is there in common between France and Russia? Independent of each other, they are respectively unable to do one another any injury, while they are all powerful mutually to benefit each other. If the Emperor of the French exerts a powerful degree of influence in Italy, the Emperor of Russia wields a still greater Or, if the law on this subject influence over the Ottoman Porte and over cannot now be altered, I should be greatly Persia. One has a circumscribed influence obliged by your advice how a man can pos- which does not extend beyond discussions sibly proceed in the courts at Westminster, respecting his limits, and which makes, no so as to attain any end; and how the poor considerable addition to his strength. The man, in, such a case, can attempt to retrieve other, on the contrary, exerts his full ina family inheritance, without, in the end, fluence over two powers of the first order, being obliged to leave the bone of conten-who for a length of time held the same polition to his subtle adversary, and all his trouble and angiety being crowned with the enviable prospect of being immured in a gaol for life to satisfy the costs of suit.-I am, Sir, your obedient humble Servant, J. W. G.

glad therefore, Sir, if you can explain to me the law on this subject. By law, I mean ouly, how we are to look on these two powers the Sheriff, and the united courts of law. And I should recommend in future, to persons who wish to recover any landed property, to prosecute their suits in the Sheriff's court, where its decision would not be subject to the opinion and controul of a superior jurisdiction; and to those, who have debts owing them under forty shillings, the most adviseable mode of recovering such debts, would be, to commence their actions in the courts of King's Bench and Common Pleas

PUBLIC PAPER.
RUSSIA AND FRANCE, The following
Observations on the Dispute between
France and Russia, are taken from the
French Official Paper, the Moniteur, of

tical rank as France and Russia, and who extend their domination over the Arabias, the Caspian and the Black Sea. If the cabinet of Russia pretends to have a right to fix the precise limits that are to bound France on all sides, it is no doubt also disposed to allow, the Emperor of the French to prescribe the limits within which Russia is to remain. When with Herschell's telescope they observe from the terrace of the palace Tauris what passes between the Emperor of the

of intestine wars and calamities. It is easy to understand what would be the effect of such language, and although most assuredly we are not in the secrets of the cabinet of the Thuilleries, we do not hesitate to say, the Emperor of the French would be ready prepared for that noble transaction; he would yield, not to threats, but ad the desire of establishing the independence of nations, and the happiness of the human race. Whatever sacrifices it might make for the inde pendence of the Porte and of Fersia, he should still be a gainer by them. Posterity, for whom he labours, would acknowledge him for their benefactor, and would remark that sagacity that enabled him to foresce the Russians oppressing one day the whole world, as they now oppress the North, and arriving at that universal monarchy with which Europe has been so much alarmed, and which has so long been represented to be the ambition of the French people, who have every thing at home, who can see nothing preferable to what they enjoy at home, and who can never be dangerous to the inde pendence of other countries.—If the Russian plenipotentiary came as bearer of propositions from England, who but sees the difficulties, the inextricable embarrassments which the new instructions, the new pietensions of Kussia must introduce into the negotiation? Whatever may be the nature of the objects respecting which France and England are divided, can these two nations be so reduced as to await the decision of their differences from a distent country, to whom the interess of both are so inte known?When the British cabinet smiled upon the mission of M. Novozůltzofi, her joy arose from the hope not only of engaging Russia in their quarrel, but also of drawing over,

French and some petty states bordering on the Appenines, they doubtless do not require that the Emperor of the French should not see what becomes of Persia, or what becomes of the ancient and illustrious empire of Solyman; that the Emperor of the French should not observe that within these two years the whole of the Caucasees, at the mere request of a few families of the country, has been annexed to Russia; that the whole of Wallachia and Moldavia are made dependant on Russia; that Russia has seized upon the Months of the Phasis; that she has established and erected fortresses on that river, and that by thus obliging the Porte to suffer her usurpations, she derives great advantages for prosecuting her conquests into the heart of Persia.Is then the Emperor of the French reduced to such a degree of weakness that he must coolly listen to a Russian commissary, who calls him to account for what he does in countries unknown to Russia, and with whom he has no connexion, no intercourse; that he must shut his eyes that he may not sce, and restrain himself that he may not answer; when the Sultan Selim reigns less at Constantinople than the mere envoy of Russia; wiren the Bosphorus has been violated; when the effects of the occupation of the Crimea and of the Months of the Phasis, are already felt in their full extent; when the cries of the Seraglio, though restrained by fear, give the signal to Europe: and where there is not a Pacha in the Morea, or a Mussulman in Constantinople, that does not daily expect to see a squadron from the Black Sea cast anchor under the wails of the Seraglio, a herald proclaim a declaration of war, and a discharge of musquetry resound through the gardens of the Grand Seignior. But if a Russian commissary, while he came to Paris to re-through her means, Austria or Prassia. For

quire a diminution of influence in Italy, said at the same time that a guarantee would be given for Persia and the Porte; that the Bosphorus shall not be violated, that agreeably to the usages of all times, it shall be shut against the ships of all nations; that the treaty of 1798 shall not be renewed; that the subjects of the Porte shall no longer sail under Russian colours; that the regiments raised at a great expense in Albannia for the Russian service, shall be disbanded; that the number of ships in the Black Sea shall never be so considerable as to expose the Porte to the danger of being overpowered in her capital before the powers of Europe could be apprised of her situation; that the Phasis shall be evacuated, that the Caucasus shall be restored to the Scah of Persia, and that that extensive Empire will at length be allowed to enjoy repose, after so many years

the British cabinet is well aware that the concurrence of Russia alone wonka not cmbolden them to dwell upon those frantic projects of partition which they do not cease to dream of in their delirium. When the British government wish for peace, they will feel that a French note must be answered by an English note. These two languages are more easily translated than any other, and the introduction of a third idiom would only perplex the negotiation.Can M. Novoziltzoff be supposed so entertain precise and accurate notions of such complicated affairs? Did he know that at the conclusion of the treaty of Amiens, that the Mysore empire was not yet entirely annexed to the British power; that since that period, the Mahratta empire has been destroyed; that England has doubled her dominion in India; that no European vessel can henceforward appear in

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