of those who, perhaps, had
particular reasons for countenancing the present mysterious forms
of conveyancing. Such a bill must also have been disagreeable and
mortifying to the pride of those landholders whose estates were
incumbered, because, in consequence of such a register, every mortgage
under which they laboured would be exactly known.--The next object
to which the house converted its attention, was a bill explaining
and amending a late act for establishing a fish-market in the city of
Westminster, and preventing scandalous monopolies of a few engrossing
fishmongers, who imposed exorbitant prices on their fish, and, in this
particular branch of traffic, gave law to above six hundred thousand of
their fellow-citizens. Abundance of pains were taken to render this bill
effectual, for putting an end to such flagrant impositions. Inquiries
were made, petitions read, counsel heard, and alterations proposed; at
length the bill, having passed through the lower house, was conveyed to
the lords, among whom it was suffered to expire, on pretence that there
was not time sufficient to deliberate maturely on the subject.

HABEAS-CORPUS ACT AMENDED.

The occasion that produced the next bill which miscarried we shall
explain, as an incident equally extraordinary and interesting. By an
act passed in the preceding session, for recruiting his majesty's
land-forces and marines, we have already observed, that the
commissioners thereby appointed were vested with a power of judging
ultimately, whether the persons brought before them were such as ought,
by the rules prescribed in the act, to be impressed into the service;
for it was expressly provided, that no person, so impressed by those
commissioners, should be taken out of his majesty's service by any
process, other than for some criminal accusation. During the recess of
parliament, a gentleman having been impressed before the commissioners,
and confined in the Savoy, his friends made application for a
_habeas-corpus_, which produced some hesitation, and indeed
an insurmountable difficulty; for, according to the writ of
_habeas-corpus_, passed in the reign of Charles the Second, this
privilege relates only to persons committed for criminal or supposed
criminal matters, and the gentleman did not stand in that predicament.
Before the question could be determined he was discharged, in
consequence of an application to the secretary at war; but the nature of
the case plainly poin