The Express. — London, England, 1853-03-15 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT ROUSE OF LORI/S.—MO:MAT, MARCII 14. The LUND CNANCIILT ott. took his sat at 6 o'cleck. PRTITIOWS PRESENTED. ATUISSION or JOWL TO fatudioln;v.--13y the Bishop Sf EXETBM, feast Use Dean and Chapter of Wells. and several plasm la Isis abeam ; the Earl of SHAFTESBURY, hem several places; mud Earl CAWDOII, from places in Cileaergenektie ; what. TR- i • to I.lmtvesmilinc—By the Marquis of BREAD ALBAN E, from a place in Scotland, Vaunt. CRY 41 L PALM:B.-11 tl.e Marquis of BREADAL BANE, from a place in Scotland, against Netting on Sun days. ASSAULTS ON WOMEN. ST. LEONAIWS bast noticed a bill which had been introduced in another place, to give greater power in eases ut assault by hus'ianils on their wires, with a view to put a stop to offences of that ileusiption, which ware • dis grace to the age. lie bcgued to move far returns of the number of conviaiocs in Enalc:.l. in 18-50, 11451, and 1852, fur monies and ananslaughtcr, and astaulta ou wives by their hushsnil.; and a similar return fur the years 1810, 1841, and 1842. Vie LUX!, CHANCIILLOR lid ntt sea any otjectioa to the returns, but he did not think many indictments would shoe the rela•ionship erase parties. MEIICAN CI LE LAW. Lora 1.1110 , . • G11 A5l wished to ask the noble earl opposite rprstion. Great anxiety prevailed among the mercantile cli—es in this country, Scotland, and Ire and, upon the sieloct of tne difference between the mercantile law of the three countries ; anti a meeting was Laid in Landon in litsvemLer last, attended by deleg..tes from all tile great trading towns in the kina , lotn. The result of that confer etc was a deputation to the reih:e earl, who seemed dis powil t accede to ..he desire of the conference by appoint ing t riamiaion to examine th • whole of that moat IIM• pertain subject with a view to the assimilation of the met candle lee. The opinions of thd trading mica:, in the pro vinces were supported by the great mercantile body nt the C.ty, evidence of which he had furnished his nob:, friend by the signature. o 221 of et-. largest nrreantile brine in the City. There was gale adviety that the English sys tem Ph ,vild he extended t s P,otlancl, and not the Sc.teh system to England. lie wished to know whether it was the ii.tention of the gov..rnarnt to appoint a commission ? The Earl of ABERDEEN (who spoke in a low tone across thu table) was understood to say that a commission wool! be appointed in conformity with the recommenda tions as commiaee of the House of Commons, which sat is 1841. BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE. Lord REDEeD.ILE meted that this house will receive petitions for private bills ou the first sitting after the recess at Easter, provided such petitions shall be lodged at the Private Bill-office on or before Mond .y, the 21st March, to whi.b timo the reception of such petitions was limited for the pe..ent ses ion by the order of the Dlt December last. Agreed to. THE MERCANTILE MARINE. Lord cou - aEsilitt reeved for a return of the number of pent us who pessed their examination for masters and mates if merchant ships between Jen. 1. 18.12, and Jan. I, 1953 ; elm soy correspondence between the B sited of Trade and the Committee of Council on Education relative to the establishment of schools f n merchant seamen and appren time. The noble lord (who was very indistinctly heard) said that his object was to inquire into the different laws regulating the rights and duties of offers and seamen of the British merchant service. The question bed been much under the ceeeitierateen of the late Beard of Trade last summer, and he was anxious to know what course the perm government intended to adopt on the subject. Among the grievances of which the shipowners complained, was the multiplicity of seas to regu la te the rights and dutice of shipowner-, officers, and seamen. There were ten different acts of parliament relating to persons employed in the merchant service, independent of the different laws to regulate navigation. Mr. Lindsay, the ehipnwner, in a pamphlet on the subject, had promi nently pointed est the evils arising from this state of things. lie mid there were altogether fourteen acts of par liament, formiug quite a hbrary, which it was necessary every shipowner, toaster, and seaman, should have in his Casion, if be would know the laws by which he was to p e rretrned. Moat of them, however, considered these acts beyond their compreheneion. It was a question well wroth the censidermion of the government whether they would not feliow up the intentions of their predecessors and iutroduee • bill to consolidate all the 'eliding aces into one; and also to introduce certain amendments which bad been found necessary into such bill. There was a great variety of subj. eta that required amendment which be would not then attempt to expletn; hut he could not help referring to the prevent system of registration, which was most unsatisfactory. The noble lord, after a few other observation', concluded by moving for the returns specified in his motion. Lord STANLEY of ALDERLEY concurred in the pre piety (Atli. object. sought to be effected by the noble lord, but the whole 'eject was under consideration in the other Louie of parliament, and would shortly undergo a thorough aced careful revision. Ile admitted that the system of et:alai:cis registry tickets had turned out to be vexatioas in some cases but then it should be recollected that that system had b een introduced as much for Admiralty as for mercantile porpoise, a purpose for which he hoped to re claim it. subject to certain important alterations. It was now under consideration by the First Lord of the Admiralty. With regard to naval courts, he was as sexious as the noble lord to extend their powers, hut It mast be considered that men; of them were within foreign jurisdiction, and must therefore be handled with the greatest delicacy. By the bill now before the other house, it was not proposed to de prive the B ' ' h sailor of the right he at present possessed of volunteerine into one of her Majesty's ships, but it was not proposed that the captain should be obliged to pay all his waters at once, as at present, nor until the ship's return, when also • claim might be made for compensation for any lose which the ship might have sustained from the removal of the sailor. Of many other questions—lights, pilotage, salvage, rile.—it will be impossible to speak positively notil a later period, but of the system of examining masters for the merchant service, lie could say that 1 it had worked extremely well, and trusted that it would be strees.ful in making our shipmasters as superior to those of other countries in the higher branches of education eel they were now in the more practical part of their prolession. As to the subject of naval school., it was now under the consideration of the Board of Trade, by whom ho hoped it would receive a favourable solution. The noble lord, after 000 or two further observations, expressed his willingness to grant the returns. In answer to the Duke of :siosernonerZaLLND, the Noble Lord said that an application had been received from Shields respecting the establishment of • nautical school there, but that no answer bad as yet been returned. The Earl of ELLENBOR01.:011 suggested that returns should be made from time to time of the number of seamen at the home:, in order that it might be known how many would be available when wanted. These numbers would ao doubt fluctuate according to the season of the year. He hoped it was not the frteatiaa of her kleicatf; government to take (MO men of war their right of melange. Lord STANLEY of ALDERLEY had not itard of any nelt intention. Motion agreed to. REVISION OF THE STATUTES. Lord LYNDHURST said he had learned from the usual sources of intelligence that one of the legal measures con templated by the government was one for the revision of the statutes, by which a great variety of acts were to he altogether struck out, and the remainder were to be classi fied and purified from the confusion in which they were now placed. He highly approved of the learned gentleman who had been selected for the work, nor did he envy him the task he had undertaken, but as far as he (Lord Lynd hurst) could collect from his noble and learned friend on the woolsack, that task was only to eatend to the revision of put blunder", and not to prevent the chance of their re currence in future. If that was to be the course adopted, it was one which would satisfy neither the profession nor the public. Every one who was in the habit of attending our courts of justice, could bear testimony to the complaints constantly made by our leaned judges, as to the de fective and carless conducted. Hours and sometimes days were frequently consumed in endeavour:llg to understand obscure p in statutes, and generally with very unsatisfactory results. Lord Langdale had brought the subject before their lord ships same years since, stating that some statutes were so framed as almost to defy interpretation. Another learned lord had brought forward the subject in 1848, also citing various instances, but unfortunately neither of these efforts had been attended with any practical result. He himself, on recently looking over a collection of judgments, had been struck with the frequent complaints of learned judges as to the ambiguity of enactments. If ha were asked what was the principal e .use of all this mischief he would say it menthe eaMme way in which amendments were intro &wed. Thom eneendene nts were generally introduced by noble lords mr members of the other house of parliament who had not taken the trouble to read the bill, and therefore often framed their amendments in opposition to its general scope and intention. Nay, more, their amendments were often not in harmony with the particular clause which they wen intended to amend. Who could be surprised, then, that under such circumstance frequent ambiguities and errors occurred ? Another cause was the careless manner in which bills were often originally framed. He begged to ask his noble eel learned friend on the woolsack whether in his measure for the revision of the statutes it was his intention to introduce any provision to remedy the evils he had mentioned. The LORD CHANCELLOR felt as anzinus as his noble and learned friend to have their legislation as perfect as possible, and he had stated his view at the commencement of the preftent sitting of parliament. His object was not only to provide for the consolidation of past statutes, but for their better construction in future. At the same time he did not wish the house to believe that he had any definite plan in view to wards tarrying out the latter object at present. "lie had already awed that, in his opinion, the best plan would In not to lose time in speculating as to what would be the lest cosine of proceeding, but to proceed at once to do gogasthiag. With that view he had se , ured the servicea of a learned gentleman, who in addition to the general qualifi cations to which his noble and learned friend had done jus tice, poresled the peculiar qualification of being the only sing one of the commis s io ners w h o h a d f rame d the statute law report.. He (Lord Cranworth) did not hope for much remit until after the Easter recce', bet then the veuis would be commenced, Yd tho hest step would be to eactrtain of what thou statutes actually consisted. for he bet ieve.l that the .1i quarto volumes of whi , h the vtatutea at lame con•itto d might family a colaprowl law us cc tam, la Which On alias be made more inte:ligible than at present, and expressed in batter language. When that work war achieved As would lay the improved addition before the house as a spa• dawn of what might be done. and then they might proceed to consider what might be done towards ttfecting reform for the future. The Eirl of ELLENBOROUGH suggested that bills should be printed in every stage. Hs had tried that plan, and Ciuud it most efficacious. Lord IILUESDALE thought that after the conflict of d eisions on the subjixt it was most desirable that it should be clearly settled, by set of parliament, that " may" war permission and '• shall" imperative. Lord LYNDHURST said for the last 100 years there had been con%tant arguments upon the meaning of the word tt may," whether it waste be considered permissive or im perative. Lord ST. LEONARD'S said he confessed that it was with some storm that he had heard the noble and learned lord declare tuet he proposed to alter the language and forms ot the statutes. An immense number of titles de pended upon old acts of parliament, and if there was to be • new construction it must be settled by law ; the difficulty of which seit:,,neut would be very considerable. The mo ment they attempted to alter the form and language of ems of parliament, it would no longer he a digest or a mere ciao sifleation, but • code which would have to be dealt with. 'Vito committee on the criminal law had been cuneidering what would be the operation of a rode ; end their lordships could scarcely conceive the difficulties of codifleition. After days and days had been open!. on the bill, no one mild venture to say that there were not many errors which nothing but the careful perusal of a compe tent person, looking at the bill as a whole, could idiftice to detect. One step towards remedying the evil complained of would be not to permit bills to be prepared by any but comeotent persons, and after they had been prepared to have every alteration which was made submitted to the framer, before its final adoption. Without some arrangemeet of that kind, bills could never be free from errors. Their lordships must take some blame to themselves fur out giving roil. the attention w hich they deserved ia committee. They had it in their power to take care that alterations and amendments were mentioned openly, and discussed re gularly and properly before they were allowed to pass. While such a number of bills were brought up, however, at a hits pi lied ot the session, it was impossilde for that house to know what they contained. The E srl of ABERDEEN said for more than forty years he had beard these comtilaints. Every government had ',drained the evil, but he did not remember one which had proposed a remedy ; bur, on behalf of her Majesty's prisent government, he begged to say that their attc nylon was directed to the subject, and be hoped that some useful steps weeld be taken towards the accomplishmeut of the object. - - - Lord BROT:GHAM was glad that the attention of the government was directed to the important subjzct of the making of the laws. Ile agreed with his noble and learned friend (Lord St. Leonard's) that great difficulty attended en alteration of the language of the law, and he thought that great care must be taken that the new law was so framed as to suit previous judicial interpretations. But though the task. was difficult, the experience of other countries, and to a certain extent even that of our own le gislature, showed that it was not impossible. It would not be enough to pt., vent gross errors Irons getting into the eta tut, a. Its agreed with his noble and learned friend that great cue should be taken in the original framing of bills, and with regard to the subsequent alterations. But this object could not be secured by the supetintending care et any one individual: neither did he expect to live long enough to see their lordships bestow the requisite attention on the details of bills daring the next critical half-hour —(it was now nearly seven o'clock] —much less during the succeeding four or five hours. (Laughter.) Ile bad no doubt, however, that a board under his noble and learned friend on the woolsack, or his successor, acting as Minister of Justice, would bo able to do ali that was re quired to secure the wise and safe preparation of acts of parliament, and enable the legislature to come as near as possible to perfection. It had often been remarked that the establishment of a Ministry of Justice was highly expe dient, and many who objected to the term had no objection to the thing. (Hear, hear.) fie would only add that he thought the prejudices on this subject were not powerful enough to prevent ultimate success. Ile would here take le eve to read to their lordships the words of a most dear, lamented, rind truly-venerated friend of his, the late Sir Samuel Rennin., es applicable in some measure to the matter under consideration. Ou failing for the third or fourth time to obtain the swat of parliament to his enlightened measures for the amendment of the law, he said—" I am not so unacquainted with the nature of prejudice as not to have observed that at strikes deep root, and flourishes in all soils, and spreads its branches in every direction ; but I have observed also, that flourish as it may, it must, by laws sacred and immutable, wither and decay after the powerful and repeated touch of truth. And," he added, tt whatever, may be my fate, the seed which is scattered has not fallen on stony ground." It had not fallen on stony ground ; for every one of his measures—and let every judi cious, and prudent, and moderate amender of the law take comfort from this fact--every one of the measures w nich that illustrious man propounded, though unhappily he did not live to see his triumph, had now become part of the law of the land, together with a number of other im provements which even he, sanguine as he was, hardly dared to expect. The subject then dropped. COUNTY ELECTIONS POLL BILL. On this bill going into committee— Lord BROUGHAM said ho could not help expressing his gratitude to his noble friend for introducing a measure which was so likely to prove beneficial, especially by dimi nishing the expense of elections. As to the prevention of serruption he felt quite sure that the extension of the auslar of voters would not have that effect. Corruption might just as well take place in a great city—for example is a city which was not far from that spot--(laughter)—as is a place of more limited population. Neither did he think that corruption could be prevented by secret voting. He knew that he differed from many able and escelleat men, who, having devoted much time to the sub ject, considered secret voting the true remedy for the evil. He confessed, however, that he could set see bow taking away the means of de ia a mime would prevent its commission. Moreot e r t ,& ugs, were made u secret as possible, that would set pa resit $ bargain from being made by the candidate_ throne' bit tent, with the voters, to this effect: "Let Mr. So and Seim returned, and you shall each of you have 61.;" every welter being thereby turned into an active agent for the re tarn of that individual. He hoped their lordships would beer from the noble earl opposite (the Earl of Aberdeen) that the government were prepared to take some NNW wares for the purpose of extirpating, if possible, this great evil from our electoral system, whether by enacting some new mode of prosecuting offenders, or by Increasing the peealty of the offence, not of the unhappy voter, hut of the party bribing hint, who was, in his opinion, the worst cri minal of the two. (Hear, hear.) He hoped they would at least hear that the attention of the government was being directed to the subject. The Earl of ABERDEEN said—l can assure 'my noble and learned friend that it is impossible that he should be more desirous, inure anxious, to check bribery and corrup tion than her Majesty's government are. (ttter, hear.) This being the ease, et course the subject occupies their most serious consideratien—(hear, hear) ;—and Ide trust that something may be done. I think that already ley noble friend the memberjor the City of London has given, if not notice of a measure, yet an intimation that the sub jut occupies his attention, with the view and in the hope of meeting the evil to which my noble and learned friend has alluded, and which, if it continue u it exists at present, will go far to bring our whole representative system into contempt. lam not prepared to say that any measure is ready at this moment for introduction either in this or the ether house of parliament ; but that something will be at tempted I think I may confidently assert, and I do hope that this beau will give its active co-operation in promot ing anemia me see seeeive it with indifference, or show may relaelasee le give east to that which has really be moan a matter of reeestity. (Hear, hear.) Lord BROUGHAM said he hoped and trusted that not only that, but the other house of parliament also, would show that it was in good earnest. (Hear, hear.) Lord WHARNCLIFFE thought there was scarcely any difference in either house of parliament with regard to the imperative necessity of taking steps to repress bribery. It was, however, but justice to the country to say that they ought not to lay too much stress on the exposures which were now being made. Speaking from experience, he should say that he believed there was warmly a single member of the other house of parliament who, if all the transactions of his election were submitted to a test of that kind, would not be liable to be unseated, without the slightest participation on his own part in bribery. He did not mean in any degree to excuse or to palliate these practices, which sti ll existed to too great an extent, and it was their duty to ap ply their best energies in order to repress the evil. (Hear, hear.) The Earl of CARLISLE was glad that this discussion had taken place, though perhaps it wu not strictly con nected with the present bill. He fully concurred in the spirit of the remarks of the noble lord who had just spoken, whose experience of elections had been analogous to and concurrent with his own. Not yielding to any man in his wish to prevent bribery, he thought it would not be fur the benefit of even virtue itself to run down the vicious course with such a want of discrimination as to include within it what the general feeling of the country did not Kreider reprehensible. For instance, the giving of a glue dime, to a voter who came a long way to vote for a can didate ought not, and would not, be regarded in the same light as an act of direct and systematic bribery. (Hear, hear.) He hoped that the present bill, though not of large scope, would be found serviceable. It would save the expense of a day's polling to the candidates, and would diminish the opportunity which sometimes led parties to have recourse to bribery, or other discreditable courses, which it was new more than ever desirable to put an end to. (Hear, hear.) The bill then passed through committee. INLAND REVENUE OFFICES BILL. On the motion of Lord STANLEY of ALDERLEY , this hill passed through committee. COMMONS INCLOSURE BILL. This bill pared through committee. OFFICE OF EXAMINER (COURT OF CHANCERY) BILL On the motion for committing this bill, The LORD CHANCELLOR said, in reference to a pe tition which had been presented by the Metropolitan and Provincial Law Association against the clause in this bill, whi• h confined the appointments to the ffiee of o:mint r to the clam of barristers, that the reason why the meat was so confined was, that the duties of the office had become so important and extensive, that they could only be adaptstely danbarged by banisters. Then was se In. THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, MARCH 15, 1953 tention of casting any slur on solicitors. It was true that the appointment was previously open to all persons, but the claw of solicitors had no more reason to complain of its being restricted to barristers than any other class of her Majesty's subjects. The bill then passed through committee. MUTINY BILLS. The Mutiny and Marine Mutiny Bills were read a third time and passed. Their lordships then adjourned at half-past 7. HOUSE OF COHMONS.—MoNpaY, MAUR 14. The Sramtia Wok the chair at the usual hoer. PRIVATE BUSINESS. CRYSTAL PALACE COMPANY BILL. . . On the order of the day being read for confirming the report of the select committee or. this bill. Mr. srooNER objected that this billpropered to con firm an agreement between the Crystal Palace Company and the Bri„hton Railway Company, which agreement was nut Pet forth in the bill itself. The purport of that egrre meet, a copy or which he had obtained from the parlia mentary agent, was to allow the frighten Railway Com pany to issue ticktts at the Loodon•bridge and New Cruse stations, which should entitle the holders to admission, as well as conveyance to the Crystal Palace, the amount re ceived for which, after deducting ninepence per ticket for the railway company. was to be handed over to the Crystal Palace Company. The effect of this would he to allow the opening of the palace en the Sunday, and thus indirectly to defeat the conditions of the Royal eharter,which prohibited the admission of the public to that building on the Sabbath except and r the express sanction of parliament. He had no desire to open a discuuion the Sabbath question on the present occasion ; it would be sufficient to justify his motion, that as a general principle the house ought of to confirm any agreement without having it before them. He moved that the bill be recom mitted, for the purpose of inserting the object, nature, and ' terms of the agreement entered into on the 22nd slay of June, 18.52. between the Crystal Palace and the London and Brightun Railway Companies, referred to in the said biil ; and that it be un instruction to the committee that they have power to make provis'on accordingly. Mr. 0 EACH assured the hon. gentleman that the directors of the Crystal Palace had no desire, by indirect means, to evade the obiiption of their charter in reference to Sunday opening. The object of the present bill was merely to enable them to divert a road, and it was most important as regarded the progressof their works that there should not be ,a day's delay in their obtaining the necessary power. (Hear, hear.) If the hots. gentleman would al:ow the reporter the bill to be considered now, he (Mr. Oeach) would undertake that the clause relating to the agreement with the Brighton Company, should be struck oat on the third reading. (Year, hear.) Mr. DEEDES, on that condition, was willing, as far as h. was concerned, to withdraw the opposition to tho bill. Mr. W. PATTEN observed that the agreement in ques tion had been brought under the notice of the committee on the bill, and he had felt it his duty to take counsel's opinion upon it ; and the effect was that there was, nothing in the agreement which would enable the palace to be opcoed on Sundays. (Hear, hear.) At the same time he entirely agreed with the hon. member fur North Warwick shire, that no agreement ought to be confirmed in o bill of this kind which was not in some way set forth or deposited in some place where the public could have access to it. (Hear, hear.) lie recommended the adoption of the pro posal of the hon. member for Covent -. Sir R. INGLIS alas thought the proposal of the hon. member (Kr. tlerth) would meet the objeetion. Mr. LAING, as chairman of the Crystal Palace Com. puny, assured the house that they, as the promoters of this bill, had no idea that the agreemeut which had been alluded to could in any on! effect the question of Sunday opening, and he wished distinctly to disclaim, on the part of the di rectors, any iitteation to introduce a clause into this bill which should affect that question. He did not believe it would do so, but if there was any doubt upon the matter he be was quite willing that it should struck out. (Hear.) Mr. WIGRAK considered that the offer to withdraw the danse relating to the agreenvint quite exonerated the direc- Ism of the Crystal Palace Company from the imputation of asehring. by means of that agrcemeat, to avoid the obliga- Ilea which the charter imposed upon them. Mr. SPOONER, upon the understanding that the clause la question should ba struck out of the bill at the third seeding, withdrew his amendment. The report wee then agreed to, and the bill was ordered W be read a third time. — Theiiioris;tti;;elect committees on the Liverpool Borough Court Bill and the Lyndon liwuraoce Bill were severally agreed to, end the bills ordered to be read a third time. Dills read a second time and ordered to be committed : The Carlisle Canal and Port Carlisle Railway, the East Anglian Railway, the East Kent Railway, the Edin burgh, Perth, ani Dundee Railway ; the South Shields Improvement, and the West London and Crystal Palace Railway. LONDON AND WESTMINSTER THAMES RAIL- WAY BILL, The second reading wu postponed to the 4th of April. PU riLIC BUSINESS. PETITIONS PRESENTED. Jrwrsit DISABILITIES —B Capt. JONES, from Lon donderry Mr. OOULBUR N, from the University of Cambridge; Mr. BARROW, from South Notts ; Ad miral WALCOTT, from the incumbent and certain parishioners of Christ Church, Hants ; Mr. DEEDES, from Fordwieh, and Canterbury; Lord HOTHAM, from Hull; Sir G. TYLER, from Peterstone-super-Ely, Olamorganshire ; Mr. R. MOORE, from Eglish, Armagh ; Mr. CHILD, from Christ Church District, Burton on-Trent; against the removal of. Col. CLIFFORD, from Hereford, in favour of the admission of Jews, OPINING OP THE CRYSTAL PALACE ON SUNDAYS.—By Mr. HINDLEY, from a place not beard ; Sir R. INGLIS, from chaplains of various gaols and convict establishments; Mr. TOMLINE, from the congregation of the Castle Gate Chapel, Shrewsbury ; Mr. P. BENNET, from Cockfield ; Mr. DEEDES, from Fordwich, and Canterbury ; Mr. CHILD, from Wortley Rocks, Stafford ; Mr. KINNAIRD, from the members and congregation of St. Matthew's, Islington; against. Mr. MIALL, from working men at Sheerness, for the repeal of any law preventing the open ing of. CASE or EDWARD Mvaaay.—By Mr. COBDEN, from inhabitants of the metropolis; Mr. EWART, from places not heard ; Mr. PHINN, from Plymouth ; in favour of. Seurrisit UNIVERSITY Tr.sre.—By Mr. HUME, from Arbroath, and from Forfar ; Mr. &tit. SHEE, from places in Scotland ; Sir J. ANDERSON, from the United Pres byterian Church, Dunfermline; Mr. KINNAIRD, from the Lord Provost, Magistrates, and Town Council of Perth ; Mr. CRAUFURD, from lnverary ; for repeal of. flngrurre COURTS . —By Mr. HUME, from Forfar, for reform of ; Mr. A. BUSTLE, from the Merchants' House of Glasgow; Mr. DUNLOP. from the faculty of Pro curators of Greenock ; for a select committee to inquire into the whole procedure connected with the Sheriffs' Courts, Scotland, and objecting to the perpetuation of sheriff depute and sheriff substitute in each county. TENANT RIGHT IRELAND.—By Mr. Serjt. SHEE, front Holywood, County Down, in favour of his own, and against Mr. Napier's bill. Mr. SWIFT, from the inhabitants of the parishes of Kilfree and Kellartaht, in the count of Sligo; from the inhabitants of the parishes of Cloonog hie, Chore, and Bilker, in the county of Sligo ; in favour of Mr. Serjeant Shae's bill. ATTORNIEA' CERTIFICATE DUTY.—By Mr. P. BENNET, from the attornies and solicitors of Sudbury ; Mr. WHIT MORE, from the attornies and solicitors of Bridgenorth ; Mr. DAVISON, from Attorneys practising in Belfast; against. BALLOT.—By Mr. Serjesnt SHER, from Down, com plaining of corruption and intimidation at the late election, and praying for the protection of the ballst. REPRESENTATION OF THE LONDON UNIVERSITY.—By Mr. MIALL, from the congregational church, Kneesworth street, Royston; Mr. LEVESON GOWER, from the con ofßaptists of New.street Chapel, Hanley, Staf rortlati° shire n , in favour of. CONSOLIDATED ANNUITIES, IRELAND.—By Mr. SerjeaTlE SHEE, from Kilkenny ; Mr. SADLEIR, from the poor law guardians of Carrick-on-Suir Union ; for a remission of. WEST INDIA MAILIL—By Mr. HUME, from Glasgow; Mr. DUNLOP, from certain merchants and shipowners of Greenock ; complaining of the irregularity of. RATING MINES.—By Mr. BAINES, from St. Beth, Cornwall, for an improvement in the law of. GOVRELIMENT Or INDIA.—By Mr. HUME, from the Christian and other inhabitants of Bengal Lower, signed by 406 Mofusail residents, indigo planters, Zemindius, and others ; 141 commercial men and houses in Calcutta ; 183 tradespeople ; 29 members of the legal profession ; 99 un covenanted assistants and others in the public offices, and 132 other periods, including those whose occupations are not given, atta ched to it, making in the whole 1,235 sig natures. The petitions prayed that if the East India Com pany's chatter were renewed, it should be for a limited perid only. Tile Boatieoff OF Rya.—By Sir J. PAKINGTON from a number of electors at Rye, complaining of bribery, intimidation, and other corrupt practices, at the late and previous elections—declaring that a large number of the electoral body . were free from such practices, and praying for investigation. UNSTAMPRD NEWSPAPER/I.—By Mr. RICARDO, front the proprietor and publisher of a publication, celled " the Potteries Free Press," stating that a bookseller in the Strand had been summoned to Bowoltreet, :by the authori ties of the Sump Office fur selling a copy of that publica tion, and complaining that they had proceeded by summary process against • mere vendor, instead of as in the case of " the Household Narrative," in the Court of Exchequer, against the publisher, where the protection of a jury would , have been afforded. The hon. member gave notice that to-morrow he would move that the petition be printed with , the votes. MAYNOOTII GRANT.—Mr. KINNAIRD, from Free Church congregation of Newtyle, Scotland, against. PARLIAMENTARY REpoall.—By Sir C. 11. COOTS, from the Mountmellick Queen's County Mutual Institu tion Society, praying for delivery of. filietaretta' MONEY.—By Mr. MEAGHEIt, from the Grand Jury of the city of Waterford and St. l'atricks, end other parishes of Waterford, for the abolition ot. Eterowsfaxr or PoPERV.—By Mr. COWAN, from the Scottish Reformation Society, praying for the withdrawal of all endowment of popery, and in particular the May nooth Endowment Act. SABBATH ORSERTANCE.—By Mr. PARTEL, lions the inhabitants of Old Alresford, in Hampshire, for the better observance of the Sabbath. D.:TY ON CalculAGre.—By Mr. DEEDES, frost oa makers and others in Kent, for modification of. TILE FACTORY ACT.—By Mr. G. DUFFY, from the in habitants of Droyhden, in Lancashire, complaining that the acts intended to limit the boars of labour of tweaks and young persons in factories is evaded, and praying the house may pus a law restricting such labour to ten hours per day, or fifty-seven and a halt per week, the labour on Saturday being limited to seven and a half hours, and to prohibit the moving power being employed for a longer period than that at which females and young persons may be legally working in such factory. THE ST. ALBANS' ELECTION AND MR. COPPOCK - -- Mr. PEACOCKS nave notice that no Thursday he should move that Mr. James Coppock be celled to the bar of the house to give an explanation of words used by him on 14th November, 18,51, before the commission of inquiry into elcation practices at St. Albano, to the effect : " I know something of most places in England ; and if instead of go ing through the register of voters, as Mr. Edwards has done here, I see by the paper, and marking down ' sold his vote,' I were to go through the list of boroughs, beginning with the first in the list, sayAbingdon to Sta ff ord, and to the last letter of the alpha bet, end put opposite the names of members ' bought his seat,' I should make quite as extraor dinary a list as Mr. Edwards has mado of this borough." BOROUGH OF BRIDGENORTH. Mr. WHITMORE gave notice, that to-morrow (this day) he should present a petition from the inhabitan:s of Bridge north, to the effect that, as nu case of bribery or corruption had been made out against them, a new writ for the hmough should issue. KILMAINHAII HOSPITAL. Mr. G. A. HAMILTON, on the part of Mr. 1. Butt, postponed a motion on the suhjsct of lidmainhatu, which stood on the paper fur to-morrow (this day). GENERAL BOARD OF HEALTH. ._ _ ....... Mr. rEiciffm - on7cllo7;Wtini;;lihedebtor and creditor acmunt of ad moneys rezeived by the General Board of Health from any source, and of the moneys paid by them since the creation of the board in 1948 ; and of the unpaid debts and liabilities of the General Board of Health, made up to the 31st day of December, 1892 ; toge ther with a return of the amounts of money repayable from local boards ; and the net expenses of the Board of Health closing each year, apart from the expense of any service specified as extraordinary ; and of the number of letters and documents received, and of the several descriptions of business transacted, and of the number of boards held." DOCKYARD OFFICERS. Mr. HUTCHINS moved for a " copy of all correspon dence between the Board of Admiralty and Sir Baldwin W.dker, relative to the withdrawal from him of the ap• pointments of master smi•hs and other officers in the dock yards." COUNTY RATES AND EXPENDITURE BILL. Sir J. PAKINOTON having moved for an unopposed return in connexion with the duties of justices in England, begged to put a question to the right hon. gentleman with reference to the County Rates and Expenditure Bill, of which the right hon. gentleman had charge. As many members who were justices were now attending the as sizes and the quarter seisioni, would the right hon. gentle man object to postpoLing the further progress of the bill until atter Easter . Mr. M. GIBSON said he was afraid he should be consi dered as not exerci.ing a wise discretion if he was to postpone the neat stage of the bill. A member who was not in office had great difficulty in passing a bill, and if he was So firego the opportunity now within his reach he should hardly be doing justice to the measure of which ho had charge. The Quarter Sessions and the justices had had the measure before them for four years—(hear, hear)—and had had plenty of time to consider it. He hoped the right hon. gentleman would not press the subject as he must respect fully decline to make any further postponement. DOCKYARD PROMOTIONS. Mr. STAFFORD moved for copies of the Admiralty order of the 27th of February, 1847, on the subject of dock yard promotions (in continuation of parliamentary paper, No. 67, of analog 1852-3). of the Admiralty circular of the 26th of September, 1849, directing that all reports and correspondence on the subject of vacancies, promotions, or chances of the officers and workmen of the dockyards should be forwarded through the surveyor's department : and of all correspondence during the year 1852, between the Board of Admiralty and the Surveyor of the Navy, in refer ence to the resignation of his office. RANSOATE HARBOUR. _____ Mr. BTAFF(iiirS;;;;liiraCOWOftbe report of Capt. Vtitch to the Board of Admiralty on the aubjeet of Rams gate harbour. SHERIFFS' COURTS, SCOTLAND. Mr. HUME said that in December last, three months ago, he had moved for some returns relative to the Sheriffs' Courts in Scotland, which had not been furnished. As the Lord Advocate was not in his place, perhaps some member of the government would give him an answer. Lord PALMERSTON spoke a few words to the hon. member in reply, which were quite inaudible. BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE. Sir R. INGLIS, referring to two notices which stood on the paper for that evening, begged to ask the noble lord, the member for London, whether ho intended to go into com mittee both on the Canada Clergy Reserves Bill and the Jewish Disabilities Bill ; and if he persuaded the house to go into committee on either of them, whether he would yield to the growing feeling in the country, and postpone the third reading of the Jewish Disabilities Bill until after Easter. Lord 7. RUSSELL said that he proposed to postpone the committee on the Canada Clergy Raserves Bill until Friday ; and on that evening he intended to Dropofie to leave out the third clause relating to the consolidated fund, and he would then state his reasons for doing so. With regard to the Jewish Disabilities Bill, he proposed to go into committee that evening, and certainly he should not postpone the further progress of the bill until after Easter seeing the ample discussion it had already received. COSTS OF REPORTS IN PARLIAMENT. Sir R. INGLIS moved for a return of the costs of print ing reports of commissioners, and of papers presented by command, delivered to the two Houses of Parliament in each year 1816 to 1852, inclusive; showing the total num ber of copies of each report or paper printed ; the number delivered to the two Houses of Parliament; the number reserved for sale ; the number of additional copies of each circulated (distinguishing the expense of printing such ad ditional copies) ; and the number remaining in store (in continuation of returns contained in the Appendix to the Report of the Select Committee on Printing of session 1847.48.) - POOR LAWS. - ---- —.- .. -. Mr. C. FORSTER moved ter a copy of so much of the correspondence which has recently taken place between V. J. Budgett, medical officer of the Reigate Union, and the Board of Guardians of that Union, as relates to the alleged prevalence of the truck system in the Union. JUDICIAL EXCLUSION BILL. Lord DOTHAN postponed the next reading of the bill he had introduced for the exclusion of judicial officers from parliament until Wednesday, 13th April. RECEIPT STAMPS. Mr. BROWN moved for a return of the number of stamps for receipts, at each rate, issued to the public by the office of Inland Revenue, and its distribution throughout the United Kingdom (in continuation of a return made on the sth of April, 1850) up to the present period, or to the latest period to which the accounts have been made up ; showing the gross amount of revenue derived front such stamps, the expense of distributing the same, and the amount allowed thereon ea discount to purchasers. INCORPORATED TOWNS. Sir G. PECRELL moved for an address for return of all the towns or boroughs which have petitioned to be incor porated according to the provisions of the act 5 & 8 Will. IV., c. 76; stating the date of the petition, whether such petition was opposed or not, the result, and whether, in cue of the charter being granted, the district oompristd in such charter was either larger or smaller than the precinct of the petitioning town or borough (in continuation of Par liamentary Paper, No. 610, of session 1840). PATENT LAW AMENDMENT ACT. Mr. COWAN postponed a question of which he had given notice, with regard to the Commissioners of Patents under the recent Patent Law Amendment Act, until Thursday week. REPORT OF THE NAVAL COMMITTEE. Captain SCOBELL begged to uk Sir James Graham when it was probable that the report of the naval committee, appointed by the late Board of Admiralty, would be laid on the table of the house. Bir J. GRAHAM Paid that the report of the officers to whom the question of suggesting an improved mode of man ning the navy had been entrusted by the late government, rested on very voluminous evidence, and which he and his colleagues had had no opportunity of reading. It would be ready in a few days, end he hoped to lay it on the table after Easter. THE IRISH LEVEES. Mr. F. FREN6iibeggeriioasii the of the Treasury if directions have been sent to Ireland by any government authority of this country, to discontinue the expense of inserting in the Dublin newspapers the usual notices of levees about to be held by the Lord Lieutenant. He asked this question, because all parties in Ireland had taken it as an intimation of the government that they were about to abolish the office of Lord Lieutenant. Mr. J. WILSON said that the order was issued by the late government. The last bill which had been received by the Treasury from Dublin for advertisements contained three specific items--one fur advertisements relating to acts of parliament, the second for advertisements relating to matters of public interest, and the third for advertisements relating to levees and balls at the Castle. The amount was 3301. Of this 71. 3s. 4d. was charged for advertisements re lating to acts of parliament, 41. be. 10d. for advertisements for public purposes, and the balance, 3181. lls. 10d., was ' for advertisements of balls and levees. Upon inquiry it was found that the advertisements for one levee were in num ber 17,and the amount charged 331.145.; and a ball which took place soon after was advertised 61 times, at a charge of 491. Upon this the late government very properly thought that the practice in Dublin should be assimilated to that in London, and that the advertisements should be confined to the Gwette. (hear, hear.) COPPER COINAGE.' Mr. GLYN begged to ask the Secretary of the Treasury whether any steps have been taken to secure a sufficient supply of the copper coinage. Mr. WILSON was aware that great inconvenience had been caused by the deficiency of coin issued from the Mint in the last few months. With regard to the issue :of gold and silver he had spoken last week : the pressure in that respect had been so great, that it was impossible to issue any copper coin. The Muter of the Mint, however, had arranged that tenders should be sent in by private indivi duals for the coining of five tops of copper coin. Some ten ders had bceu received, but he should be ((lad to have it known th.a. the MO wan still ready to ream any tenders 'Kohl Ihrmiaglain or elsewhere. INSPECTORS OF COAL MINES. _ _ Mr. SANDAILS begged to Loh the Secretary of State for the Uvula Dayaztaacial, v.i.ai,L4 it waa illO AUti31:1011 of Ler Majesty's government to increase the number of inspectors in coal mines, or to take any other steps for the prevention of accidents therein ? said that the whole subject o coal mints was one of great difficulty and importance, and he had nut yet been able to come to any decision on the subject. POST-OFFICE (GLASGOW.) Mr. lIASTIE begged to ask the Secretary of the Treasury when It was intended to proceed with the erection of the new Post•ottice at Glagow, for which ground was bought about three years ago, in consequence of the present build ing being pronounced unsuitable for the extent of husinese, and in a ruinous and unsafe condition for the inmates ? Lord P. Mr. WILSON said that the hon. gentleman must be aware that some months ago land was purchased tor the erection of a Post office at Glasgow. The Board of Works was ready to proceed with the building when a represntation was made from Glasgow wish reference to the purchase of an additional piece of land, and the building was suspended until the arrangements with regard to that purchase of land were completed. AUSTRIA AND TURKEY. Mr. DISRAELI said—l wish to make an inquiry of her Majesty's government of some importance with reference to the relations between Austria and the Porte. I have oh served in a morning journal, which is a jourual of great authority, that an ultiinatum has been presented by Austria to the Porte containing nine requirements. I have thou reqairerdenta hem. I will not trouble ti_a !lease with them ; but I will only say that they are all requisitions of a painful nature and perilous to the independence of Turkey. , Two of them I must notice in asking the question I tun about to put. One of them requires the immediate evacua tion of Montenegro by the Turkish army, and the other that Kleck and S uterrina, the only two ports in the Adriatic by means of which British commerce, owing to the low rates of the Turkish tariff, can pour her cargoes and her trade into that part of the world, are to be closed against her enterprise. The same journal stases that unfortunately the alternative was not only presented but accepted. I wish to enquire whe ther her Majesty's government have received official in telligence of this fact; and I also wish to ask whether if the transactions between Austria and the Sublime Porte are concluded, as appears to be the case, the government has received information of a similar character to that con tained in that morning journal ; and if so, whether the noble lord will lay on toe table any papers illustrative of the relations between Austria and the Porto with regard to those proceedings? Lord J. RUSSELL—The government has received offi cial information from Constantinople of the final arrange ment of the difficulties which existed between Austria and the Porte. The demands made by Count Leiningen on the part of Austria were chi. fly five. 1 will only refer to those to which the right bon. gentleman has referred. It was I demanded on the part of Austria that the former I status of Montenegro should be resumed, sod that that tumor , should be evacuated by the Turkish troops. That I demand has been complied with, Count Leiningen undertaking that they should not be molested as they passed out. Another demand was that the " status quo ' of Kleck and Souterrina, which had existed for some years, should not be disturbed, and that also was acceded to by the Porte. Colonel nose, our Charge d'Affaires at Con stantinople, with respect to the last condition, asked that no proposition of Austria as to any change in those two territories should be acceded to without the knowlAge of her Mskoity's government. With respect to other condi tions which deeply concern refugees holding service in the' Turkish army, Austria wished those persons to be coufined in the interim. That demand was modified, and Austria was satisfied by the removal of the Turkish army from Montenegro. There was also a stipulation with regard to the Christians in Bosnia, and that demand was complied with, but it was also modified. Another demand with rapt et to the losses of some Austrian subjects was complied with by the pa . cent of a sum of money by the Porte. With regard to :the production of papers which would show the course of these negotiations, I must say, in the first place, that it is not usual when negotia tions have been going on between two foreign countries in which we are not immediately concerned, and which have ended satisfactorily, and when no hostilities have taken place, I say it is nut usual to lay papers relating to them on the table of the house. Some public inconvenience might be caused by such a course, for the negotiations may eon tain demands which were made but afterwards modified, and the production of papers might cause difficulties in fu ture negotiations. I will only add, that her Majesty's go vernment entirely approve of the conduct of Colonel Rose, our Chargé d'Affaires, Mr. DISRAELI begged to ask if the ports of Klock and Souterrina were closed? L,rd J. RUSSELL—That was their former condition, and I suppose for the pr. tent they are. PILOTAGE BILL. Mr. DEEDES asked whether the second reading of the Pilotage Bill would be postponed till after Easter ? Lord J. RUSSELL was understood to say that he would state to-morrow at what time after Easter the second read ing would be taken. THE LORD WARDEN OF THE CINQUE PORTS. Mr. lIUME begged to ask the noble lord (J. Russell) whe ther ho would have any objection to a committee to inquire into what were the duties of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. It was a sinecure ; and the committee of that house on official salaries had stated it to be one, and agreed that it ought to be dealt with whenever it was vacant. There ought to he some inquiry into the duties and emoluments of the office. Lord J. RUSSELL said that in the ennui) of the pro ceedings on the Pilotage Bill there would be no objection to the production of papers, to show the nature of the office. Ai to the salary, it was formerly 4,0001. a year, it was now about 4001. LIMITED LIABILITY. Mr. CAYLEY begged to a-k the President of the Board of Trade whether any progress was being made to. wards the appointment of a commission to inquire into the question of limited liability in partnerships. Mr. CARDWELL said the subject was under the anxious consideration of the government, and ho hoped was steps would soon be takeEtowards an inquiry. THE MERCANTILE MARINE. Mr. ILlC:tifiTOT;igc4to ii;kllielcesidii;iof the Board of Trade whether he meant to legislate on all the subjects on which he had spoken when he introduced the Pilotage Bill, and if he intended to bring in bills on each subject ? Mr. CARDWELL said that when he gave notice that he should introduce the Pilotage Bill, he also gave notice that he should make a general statement of the views of the gc- yernment with regard to the mercantile marine. He had made that statement, and to hoped before Easter to bring in a bill which would include all those subjects. (Hear.) On the question that the house proceed to the orders of the day, Mr. NEWDEGATE observed that the course in which the noble lord was conducting public business was most un fair. He had completely altered the course of business by declaring that he was not going to proceed to-night with the Canada Clergy Reserves Bill, but that he was about to proceed with the Jewish Disabilities Bill. This was a great inconvenience. The noble lord had made the change with the sole view of taking the third reading of the Jewish 1:14- abilities Bill before the recess. There were many petitions against it being prepared, and the consequence of this course would be, that they could not be presented till the bill was disposed of in that house. He trusted the noble lord would not oblige them to take • position which he, for one, should deprecate, bat it was their duty to do everything they could to prevent the attempt now made to pass this bill in despite of the feeling in the country against it. Sir J. PAR [ROTOR having sat for many years opposite the noble lord, while the noble lord was leader of the house, was bound to say he had always found him evince a great desire to consult the convenience of the house, but he must say the house had some reason to complain in the present instance. The postponement of the Clergy Reserves Bill was no inconvenience to him, but several friends of his had remained in town on purpose to be present at the discussion, and he submitted that a bill of that magnitude ought not to be postponed on the very day for which it had been fixed; and with regard to the Jewish Disabilities Bill, he submitted whether it was not unusual to take the committee and:the third reading of such a bill in the same week. Lord J. RUSSELL said the change he had made in the order of business this evening was in order to act with the utmost fairness to the house. He meant to propose, which he had already given notice of, an alteration of considerable importance in the Clergy Reserves Bill, and he thought that if he proposed it without notice, hon. members opposite would have reason to complain. Therefore as soon as her Majesty's government had determined that the alteration which he suggested should be made he proposed that the bill should be postponed, in order that he might give notice of it. With regard to the Jewish Disabilities Bill, the hon. member for North Warwickshire complained very much that that bill was not postponed for a consider able time in order to allow the petitions to come up. Now the house had been aware, and the country had been aware, for a long time that that subject would be brought for ward, and he believed that it was more than a month ago that be gave notice of it, and there had been sufficient time even before be introduced the bill to presrst petitions on the subject. No great number of petitions, however, were presented until the bill approached the second reeding, and then the industry and the pains which had been taken in order to introduce petitions had certainly produced some, though not a considerable, number. The subject itself was one net new to the house, and the only difficulty was to find a new argument on it. He saw no sufficient reason for postponing at this time a bill on which hon. members had generally made up their minds. Mr. CAYLEY suggested that the Clergy Reserves Bill should not be brought on tilt after Easter, and said he should be disposed to agree to it if it had a prospective, and not a retrospective effect. THE PROSECUTION OF THE " HOUSEHOLD NARRATIVE." Mr. T. M. GIBSON said he wished to call the attention of the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the unsatisfactory state in which the law now was in reference to the taxes imposed on news and intelligence. The late Attorney-Ge neral (Sir F. Thesiger), on the 6th December last, stated that immediate legislation was necessary, and he moved for leave to bring iu a bill, and an order was made to that effect. Since that time, however, no further proceedings had been taken in the matter. In November,lBa, ■ suit for penal , ties was brought against Messrs. Bradbury and Evans, the publishers of the " Household Narrative of Current Events." edited by Mr. Dickens. The matter was brought into the Court of Exchequer, and a majority of the judges decided in favour of the defendants. The - Board of Inland Reve nue, however, declined to acquiesce in that decision. The parties who had defended the action had done so at consi derable expense, and they were informed that further pro ceedings would be taken to set aside the decision of the Court of Exchequer. The law officers of the crown were required to report on the case, and they advised that it be procoedcd Subscp.nt to :hot there was great grievance topttiesibP:rdilat:tcht T i b b e e i""facer question, and •Itte;ral considered of 'lied, he believed, that the decision of the Court of Esche government v e e h r a n n m ge en t o f quer was contrary to law; but subsequently, on the ground then further litigation should take place, a bill was brought into that house. Then Lord Derby's government went out, and they were now arrived at the middl e that it would be a of March, 1853, and this siinp:e matter, wt.ith any ' gentleman could have settled in half-anshour still re. meined in suspense. Now this Wall not only ineenvenient, but somewhat oppressive. lle asked the right hon. gentles to man bring twhetherho matter he e wo t u o l would promisedetermination to use all The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER se'd if any weight were due to these legal authorities with whom he hid had the opportuhity of consulting ou this questffin it was cue nut altogether so simple as the right hon. pia:li mas supposed, for there were other points icy 4,0 be sides the point that he bad adverted to; namely, that of the number of days which constituted the interval to bring the publication within the statute. At the QM: time he entirely agreed that it was highly unsatisfactory to all parties that a matter of this Lind should be kept in suspense for a day longer than was absolutely requisite. lle believed the opinion of the law officers of the crown wouto be iu the possession of the government in a day or two, and no time should he lost in coming to a decision. Mr. HUME said he had suggested a very simple masker putting the matter torest, and that was by repealine vie tax. (Cheers and laughter.) There were sixty pobleeitiot t e of this kind, of which thirty were charged tine thirty not ; and the chairman of the Beard of Inland Deveuue mold not draw the distinction between what was a newspaper and what was not. The only plait was to repel! the tax, and if he were in a condition to do so, he would Ehnen guarantee that in one twelvemonth the Chancellor of the Exchequer would teceive an equal amount in postag e t o that he now received tar the tax en newspapers. Sir F. THESIGER said the house was familiar with the state of the question at the time the late government came into power. At that time the law officers of the crown were dissatisfied with the decision of the Court of Etches , quer ; and certainly if it had come before him crigivally, he should have entertained the e nne opinion, and shuula have recommended an appeal. Great difficulties, however, erase as to the way in weich the case should ba brought before the Exchequer Chamber, and ultimately his right hon. friend the lute Chaueellor of the Exchequer was of opinion that, without any detriment to the revenue, he might introduce a bill by which publications of this sort might bo exempt; but there was great difficulty in framing a bill of that kind, because unless they were extremely careful they would exempt those publications which deal, as the law mashie were liable to be charged. Ab' l was prepared, and he ohtaiucd leave to bring it an ; but it was the right hon. gentleman himself who prevented that bill being gone on with. It was necessary to declare that these publications were liable to duty, and he took the objection that by the decision of the Court of Exchequer, that was at least a d uu btf u l matter, and that the bill could only be introduced by a re solution in committee of the house. Ile felt the force of the objection. The right hon. gentleman knew what after wards occurred, and that he (Sir F. Thesiger) hosi no oppor tunity of introducing the bill. The more ho looked into tee subject the more he saw the difficulty. Mr. COBDEN said he must add his entreaty to that of his hon. friend the member for Montroso to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to abolish tle.i tax. h realle appeared to him that they were placed in a most humiliating position. Here they were in ISe3 discussing how the irgennity of lawyers could be brought to bear to prevent the free ciente lation of news. That was what they wsre aiming at, and that at a time when Oil parties were agreed that they were going to extend the rights of the people in the matter of political franchise. lie would tell them what the difficulty in their way was, for he sat on a committee en the newspaper stamp laws, and no one could define what news was. He had the honour of cross-examining the Chairman of the Board of Inland Revenue and the Secretary, and neither of them could define what news was. They were asked if a Queen's speech at the beginning of the session was news, sea they said—Tes ; and that any one puleishing it without a vamp was liable to be prosecuted for penalties. Then they were asked if the speech of the Chancellor of the Exch«mer on !introducing the Budget was news, and they said—No; and that it might be published without a stamp. New could anybody ter a moment doubt that the speech of the Chan. I cellor of the Exchequer un introducing the Budget was far more important than the Queen's speech? The only way of getting rid of this absurdity was, as his hon. Lend s lid, to abolish the stamp altogether. They had forty or fifty publications, some of which, like the Atheneeirei and the Builder, published news, and took the option of having a stamp or not. lie said, give every newspaper the same option, and let Mr. 'Rowland Hill else absolute control as to the cost of transmission by post. He told them before the committee that he cool manage it, and if they would let Lim manage it, he (Mr. Cobden) had no doubt that the Chancellor of the!Exchequer would lose very little, and ultimately lose nothing at all, by abolishing the stamp. While • country lips Sardinia, and every one of our colonies, without exception, had newspapers without stamps, no newspaper coups be pub lished in this country without the me:sem/as mark upon it. He trusted the present Chancellor of the Exchequer would signalise his reign by abolishing the stamp. Mr. BRIGHT asked if it was the intention to reimburse Messrs. Bradbury and Evans the costs to which they had been put. They were right and the government were de ' tested, and there seemed to be no reasou why they should j not have their costs. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that subject was entirely new to Lim, and with ail respect to the hon. gentleman he must decline to make any pledge. Any application which might be made would of evuno be considered. Mr. BRIGHT said ho understood an intimation was made, that where the government was defeated in its appeal to the law, the defendant should he reimbursed. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER was aware that the subject at large was under causideration, bat it would require an alteration of the law. THE "POTTERIES FREE PRESS." - Mr. RICARDO said, he hoped lie might be more fortu nate than the right hon. member fur Manchester had been in obtaining an answer to his question. This subject, it seemed, was so difficult that the law officers of three succes sive ar.ministrations had been unable to decide upon it. The government having Lilted to get a judiment frees the Court of Exchequer against the " household Narrative" had taken another course with regard to the " Potteries Free Press." They . had handed over the editor of that paper to a police magistrate, having summoned him to appear on I Thursday next and show 'why he should not forfeit 201. a copy for every copy published. he wished to know I whether that was with the knowledge of the law officers of the crown ? The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said the hon. member was mistaken in supposing that the two cases were at all similar. The " Household Narrative " was published at intervals of not less than 26 days. The "Potteries Free Press," he understood, was published every week, and con tained regular Mitten:tents of news, and therefore was not at all within the principle of the decision with regard to the "Household Narrative." It was a clear infraction of the law, and without entering into the policy or impolicy of the law, it was the duty of the law officers of the crown to carry the law out, and therefore this proceeding wu taken with their sanction. _ Mr. EWART expressed a hope that the stamp would be atolished ; if it were not, government might depend upai it numerous modes of evading the law would he adopted. The Metropolian Improvements Bill pawed through com mittee, and was read a third time. In committee upon the Jewish Disabilities Bill, A conversation took place in reference to the alleged pressure of the bill through the house, to which objection Lird J. RUSSELL replied by pointing out the many occasions on which the house had already discussed the question, and the ample oppoitunities which members had enjoyed for its mature consideration. Under those circum stances he declined a postp inement until after Easter, and would bring forward the third reading on Friday. The bill passed through committee after some further conversation. . _ . The Land Improvement (Ireland) Bill was read a turd time, and agreed to with some slight alterations. The Oaths in Chancery Bill passed through committee with some formal amendments. _ . Mr. H. BROWN moved a resolution expressive of the necessity of introducing some measure for the protection of the public against railway accidents ; but withdrew his pro position for the present, on the recommendation of 'Mr- Cardwell, who said the subject was under investigation by the committee. . . . - 1111 other business was divosed of, and the house ad journed. SCOTCH UNIVEIISITIES. The LORD ADVOCATE moved that the house should this day resolve itself into a committee of the whole house, for the purpose of introducing a bill to regulate the admis sion of professors to the lay chairs in the universities of Scotland. He did not think it necessary to ea into the question further than to say that the bill he proposed to in troduce would abolish entirely the subscription of tests now required by the statutes as far as regarded the lay chairs in the Scotch universities, bat it would not extend to the chairs which belonged to the theological departments of study. Under its provisions the professors would be re quired to subscribe a declaration almost in terms the same as that introduced into the Test and Corporation Act of 1825, namely, that he would not exercise any of the func tions or influence of his office to the subversion or prejudice of the establishment. The motion was agreed to. RETURNS ORDERED. On the motion of Sir G. FEctiELL—Address fy cc; .e of the report made by William Forsyth, Esq., to lice Moji , ty in Council, in or about the montliot November la't, on the subject of a petition of the inhabitant householders of the town of Brighton, praying for a municipal charter. On the motion of Mr. Kiltli.—Return of the number of vessels, distinguishing British from foreign, wrecked or lost on the coast of Ireland during the live years ending the sth day of January, 1853; stating the names ct the places where each wrecks took place, the number of liro 1014 and the amount of tonnage and value of the caro of the ships lost. The house adjourned at S o'clock. CONVEYANCE OF MAILS IN GREAT BRITAIN.—The Post-office authlritics have, at the present time, to oil fat ma: being eouvey .1 over Learly 20,090 miles 1..:.,733l io West Britain daily ; and in addition to this they have to pay for the conveyance of mails over common roadt in mad ;.:achtt and mail carts a diatance of nearly 4, 1 100 links (11.17. I