21 JULY 1838, Page 10

By a return recently presented to the House of Commons,

it appears that in the past year (1837) the number of liceuces taken out for beer. houses was forty-five thousand three hundred and ninety. lour. If we take the average of families nt five, we shall find about two hundred mid twenty-seven thousand persons dependent, according to this return, upon the sale of beer. '1' o say nothing of the many thole-ends who collaterally derive the greater porn iii of their means of support from the same source. Naas we ask the Roilicals whether it lie just—the Whigs whether it be expedient—the Tories whether it be in itcrordanee with their own genet al conduet towel ds their own order. that this sweeping down of the livelihoods of two hundred and twenty. seven thousand persons be persevered in 7 Neither the Radical portion of the people, nor either of the two despicable factions opposed to them —although the hitter are sufficiently experienced in impudence—will venture to give an answer in the affirmative to the question when

brought before them in this shape. That IVhigs and Tories will do so virtually when misrepreseotation and sophistry have well got to work in the law laboratory, is more than probable ; for they are the ever- ready engines of popular mischief.—Leeds

We have questioned the correctness of the &weeping condemnation cast tipon the beer houses ; and we believe it to be exeeedingly unjust. Durhatn county at least, is here they are tolerably numerous, we are ignorant of their establishment having been attended with any such mis- chief as is attributed to them in other quarters, perhaps with no greater reason. It were expedient and proper to visit with the penalties of the law those keepers of them guilty of infringing it ; but there would be neither sense nor fairness in punishing the innocent for the guilty, as Lord Brougham and his abettors propose to do, by their contemplated scheme of universal suppression. In this point of view, particularly, the question has a general interest, independently of its mural charae. teristics; and the noble and erratic Peer may find himself estopped at the very commencement of his crusade, by the force of circumstances which, however strongly he may feel inclined to disregard them, will probably have some weight with Parliament. —Darhata Chronicle.