The consequence of this is obvious, that the poor children committed to his care must be sadly neglected, whilst the teacher is exercising his skill in several other professions. In those returns, many complaints occur against the conduct of the Roman Catholic priests in persuading their flocks to withdraw the children from those parochial schools. In one return it is stated, "that a great diminution of the number of children attending Protestant schools had taken place, owing to the interference of the Roman Catholic priests,

who, though every precaution is taken against any interference in the religious principles of their persuasion, have succeeded in withdrawing many of them from the schools.' In the return from another parish in the parish of Dublin it is stated, that "in one school 120 Roman Catholic children attended until the reading of the Holy Scriptures was introduced last month." It is to be deeply regretted that such bigotry should exist, and particularly amongst an order of men, who from education ought to know better.

RETURNS OF THE INCREASE AND DIMINUTION OF SALARIES IN PUBLIC OFFICES.

By an act, the 50th George 3rd, c. 117, it was enacted, "that between the 1st of February and the 25th of March in every year, if parliament should be sitting during any part of such period, or if parliament should not be sitting, then within 40 days after the commencement of the sessions of Parliament in such year, there should be laid before both Houses of Parliament, an account of every increase and diminution which shall have taken place within the preceding year, ending on the 1st day of January, in the number of persons employed in all public offices or departments; or in the salaries, emoluments, allowances, and expenses, which may have taken place, or been paid, granted, received, or incurred, for, and in respect to, all officers and persons belonging to, or employed in, or by, or in the service of, all public offices or departments, specifying the amount and nature thereof; and distinguishing every increase or diminution in the amount of all allowances or compensations grant

ed or allowed as retired allowances or superannuations, to any person or persons having held any office, place, or employment, in any such public office or department, or having been employed in any manner in any public services under any such office or department; and specifying in every such account the time and length of service of every such person, and the amount of salary and allowances received by such person immediately preceding his superannuation, and the nature of his services; and also specifying the grounds upon which every such increase or diminution in the establishment of any public office or department, or any salary, emolument, allowance, or compen sation, or superannuation, as afore❤ said, shall have been made, granted, or allowed." Pursuant to this act, an account, as above described, has been laid before parliament every year. The following is an abstract of that presented in the present session, for the year ending the 5th of January, 1823 :—

(We give the several items without the odd shillings and pence.})

Of the persons reduced in this department, twenty six have been from the Commissariat branch.

The increase in this office is thus explained in the return :-" This increase arises from the appointment of a special agent at the port of London, for the accu modation of alien passengers on board the steam-vessels." The accommodation of alien passengers! Many of the alien passengers, would be very glad to dispense with the attentions of this special agent.

The sum saved last year in this board was 1,3307., "by the abolition of the office of precis-writer; by the discontinuance of one messenger, and by reductions and suspensions of salaries of some of the clerks :" but this was overbalanced by the assignment of a salary to the president, by his majesty's warrant of 25th of February, 1822; and by an increase on account of length of service, to the salaries of the secretary and some of the clerks. These, together, made an increase of 5,5001.

§ The saving, for which we must give ministers any credit, is, in this department, not more than 6307. per annum, of which 2907. is by reduction in the establishment from April 12th, 1822; and 3401. from salaries at less rates being allowed to the clerks appointed to fill up the vacancies occasioned by the appointment of a clerk of the first class of the secretary to the Victualling Board. From the 2,9301. abovementioned, we must deduct 2,000/., the salaries of the two Admiralty lords, whom the House of Commons, voted useless: and also of 3007, the salary of secretary to the first lord of the Admiralty, the gentleman holding the situation having declined to receive it.

(Continued.)

Navy-office (Foreign Establishment for 1821)......

Office of Comptroller of Army Accounts....

National Debt-office .....

Lottery-office..........

Hackney Coaches, Hawkers, &c. office

Office of Auditor of the Receipt of the Exchequer

The increase in this department proceeds from allowances to officers retired on the reduction of the victualling establishments in several dock-yards the sum saved thereby is not stated.

+ The actual increase in the number of persons employed in the customs in the last year was 513; the actual decrease, 389; the difference is 124. In the increase are included 245 officers and men belonging to seven cruisers, formerly paid by the Excise, and transfered to the Customs in the last year; and the remainder, with the exception of 26, consists of persons added to the preventive coast guard. In the increase in salaries and emoluments also are included, the salaries and allowances of the cutters so transferred, amounting to 14,4631, 5s. 3d.

The diminution in this department is explained by the preceding note. || The increase in the number of persons is 15 letter-carriers and three supernumeraries in the two-penny post department, "rendered necessary," it is stated, "by the increase of buildings in and round the metropolis."

§ The diminution in this department proceeds partly from the reduction of some officers, partly from the reduction of the salaries of others, but chiefly by the

reduction of the poundage from 4 per cent, allowed to the distributors of stamps in England, and at Glasgow, on all sums above 10,0007. remitted by them respectively. The scale of poundage is now regulated as follows:-Pursuant to a treasury minute, dated March 5, 1822, for every sum after the first 10,0001. and under 20,000., 3 per cent.: for every sum above 20,000l. and under 30,0001., 24 per cent., for every sum above 30,000l., 2 per cent. The saving effected last year by this reduction was 9,4377. 15s. 7d.

No more of the savings can there fore appear in the present account than the difference between the full pay and the retired allowance,

for the remainder of the year, or, where no allowance was given, the amount of pay saved.

SUBSTANCE OF THE REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS ON THE APPELLATE JURISDICTION.

The Committee of the House of Lords, appointed "to consider of the best means of facilitating the administration of justice, as connected with the hearing of appeals, writs of error, and other judicial proceedings," after having consulted the various returns respecting the business before the House of Lords, the appeals, &c. disposed of, and those remaining undisposed of, have made a report, in which they state, that they proceeded to consider

First-The causes which appeared to have produced the accumulation of judicial business now depending before the House of Lords.

Secondly-The best means of preventing its future growth; and Thirdly-The urgent necessity of disposing of the present arrears. On the first head of inquiry-the "Causes" of the increase of business their lordships say,

"Amongst the various causes which have produced the present accumulation of business, it is apparent, upon the accounts referred to the committee, that the great number of appeals from Scotland is the most prominent; there being at this time 151 Scotch appeals out of the total number of 225 appeals remaining unheard, which, according to the average number annually heard upon three days in the week during each session since 1813, could not be disposed of in five years from this time, exclusive of the additional number of appeals

which may be presented annually during the same period; and it is to be remarked, that the appeals from Scotland are not only more numerous than other appeals, but that they generally occupy a much larger portion of the time of the house.

"Ireland also has furnished a considerable accession to the general mass of business in the supreme court of appeal.

"And in England, the increased business of the court of Chancery, in which the property of the suitors has, within the course of the last reign, risen from 4,700,000l. to above 33,000,000l. sterling, has not only increased of necessity the number of appeals, but has also occupied so much larger a portion of the time and labour of the lord chancellor in his own Court, as to preclude him from bestowing an adequate degree of attendance for the decision of all the appeals which come from England, Scotland, and Ireland, to the House of Lords."

On the second head of Inquirythe best means of preventing the future growth of the business-their lordships report, that, with respect to Scotland, according to the most competent authorities on such subjects, many improvements in the forms and modes of conducting suits might be there introduced with great benefit to the suitors, and to the general administration of justice. First, the forms of