The Press. — London, England, 1853-08-06 00:00:00

AUGUST 6, 1853. parties in securing particular arrangements for their advantage." The subject then dropped, the petition being merely " laid on the table." BARON DE BODE. The claims of the Bartel de Bode were on Monday once again submitted to the House of Lords by Lord Lviontuasr. The claim arose, as the noble lord stated, out of the losses which the predecessor of the present petitioner had suffered through the confisca tion of some extensive property in Alsace, at the period of the first French revolution ; and the equity of his demand for compensation against the British Government followed from the function which that Government had voluntarily assumed, namely, to provide fair restitution for all damages suffered by British subjects in regard to their pos sessions in France, through the troubles and con fiscations which were so rife at that period. Lord Lyndhurst then recapitulated the vicissitudes that had attended preceding claimants during their many and various endeavours to obtain compensation by different appeals to the English law and Legislature ; and showed that the steps taken had left the appeal under these conditions : " That the house had referred the petition of the baron to a select committee, which committee hail reported that the following facts were established—namely, that the claimant was a British subject within the meaning of the treaty and conventions ; that he was the bomi tide posses sor of a valuable property in Alsace ; that the property was unduly confiscated by the French revolutionary authorities; that the late baron presented his claim for compensation within the time limited by the convention ; that after the payment of all other claims presented within the time limited there remained a surplus more than sufficient to satisfy the baron's claim ; and that the rejection of the claim originated principally in a mistake of the commis sioners." Contending that the case was one of great hard ship and injustice, though admitting that the absence of any legal power of compulsion left them altogether at the mercy of the Government, the noble lord con cluded by an energetic appeal to their sense of equity and moral justice as the most powerful inducement upon the house and the Ministry to see right done to the present petitioner. The Loan CHANCELLOR contended that the claim, which was now urged in the name of equity, ori ginated solely in a fiction of law. By a point of law only was the former Baron de Bode entitled to call himself a British subject : his property was held by him altogether in the character of a Frenchman ; and under the denomination of a French emigrant was the decree by which it was confiscated pro nounced against him. The tribunals formally appointed at the time had decided that the deceased baron had no claim on the " compensation fund." That decision was confirmed on appeal by the Privy Council ; and the residue of the fund had long since been distributed in what had been considered the most equitable manner. Before all legal tribunals, therefore, the claim of the baron's successor wag completely barred ; and, if it were now to be urged through the Legislature, he inquired where the system was to stop, and what other disappointed claimant could in that case be refused a rehearing? The case had also now been brought forward in a most indefinite manner. They were asked to give the case a "favourable consideration;" but, if that meant " fair consideration," he urged that the case had already been fairly considered. If the claim were just, their lordships should have been asked to pass an act at once for its full satisfaction. His own conviction was that the claim at the beginning rested on an error, and had never a basis either in law nor equity. Lord Tnt:ito having supported the petition, whose rejection, he said, would be a " disgrace to the country," and after a few remarks from Lord MONT MOLE in opposition, of the Earl of HARROWBY in favour of it, The Earl of ABERDEEN briefly declared his resolve " not to disturb the previous decision" in this case. Their lordships then divided, and Lord Lyndhurst's motion was negatived by a majority of 16 votes to 6. EXPENSES AT ELECTIONS. The motion for committing this bill, moved on Wednesday by Mr. C. BERKELEY, was resisted by Colonel starnonr, who said he had carefully coma dered the measure, " and ventured to designate it as a mean, low, dirty bill —( laughter )—daagenatm and delusive, and a trap set for the unwary man, who might be knulty of that which he had no intention of committing. When they talked of bribery, let them (141 away with the patronage of the Treasury bench; there was bribery enough there ; and if a man in Ports mouth, or Chatham, and other places did not vote accord ing to the wishes of ministers and their satellites, he would get a broad hint that he would lose his plsiee, or that none of his relations should succeed him. ( Hint, hear.) He proposed that the further consideration of the bill should be postponed to that day three months." Mr. W. Mums supported the bill. The house divided : For the motion Against it Majority for the motion THE PRESS. The house accordingly went into► committee. On the first clause, which pr►vided that any mem ber who should employ a band during his election should forfeit the seat, Mr. Cowemt urged a com plaint of its extreme severity, and moved an amend ment modifying the penalty to a tine of 100/. This amendment was carried by a majority of 73 to 4s. In the course of a desultory discussion on the suc cessive clauses, Sir J. tiItAHAN expressed an opinion that, on the whole, it was better not to proceed with the bill:— "He acknowledged that very great abuses arose from the system of flagmen at electi ons , and that thi s was our of those modes of exercising an influence which constantly led to breaches of the peace and open violence. But the question of Monett was altogether distinct from that of allowing parties to have bands of music. ( Hear, heur.) He should be sorry to are a prohibition of bell•ringing and bands of music, and he thought that in legislating on such subjects they were descending to very small matters indeed —(h ear, hear)—but, if there should be a measure dealing with the larger question of the representation of the people generally, it would be impossible to overlook the question of flagmen. As the principle of constructive agency had been carried so far by eommittees of that house, the gene. rid doctrine of agency would certainly be applied to this clause, and under it he hardly knew how any candidate would be safe ; for it would not be always possible for him to prevent that which wall a Matter of loeal triumph fr o m being celebrated as such. (Hear, heur.)" Several divisions were taken uposipamendments, and on motions for reporting progress, which were several times made and negatived. AClength one of them, proposed by Mr. W. F. Must:, was carried, and Colonel SIBTHORP congratulated the country upon the good riddance that had been made of such trash as the bill just thrown out. BRIBERY AT CANTERBURY. The commissioners (Messrs. Slade, Chisholm Anstey, and Burcham) appointed to inquire into the corrupt practices prevalent at the late and fo►mer elections for the borough of Canterbury have pre sented a voluminous report, extending over 470 pages, and embracing a mass of curious evidence. Their conclusions from this accumulation of testimony may be summed up as follows : "We B u d that at the general election which took place in 147 Lord Albert Conytigham and the lion. George 1 , . S. !Smythe were returned members to nerve in Parliament for the city of Canterbury, and that their return was obtained by direct money bribery to a large extent having been practised in their Windt We find also that such direct bribery was practiried with the knowledge and consent of the said lion. P. S. Smythe, hut we have no evidence of the wine having been done with the knowledge and contain of Lord Albert Conyngliam. " tind that at the general election which took place in 1517 direct money bribery to a large extent was ptaetised a n d had re. "or" to by the agents of Lord Thome% Pelham Clinton and Mr. John Vance, for the purpose of securing the return of those gentlemen to serve in Parlitunent for the city of Canterbury ; but that no evidence was adduced before 1111 to show that such bribery was practised with the knowledge or consent of lord T. I'. Clinton or of Mr. Vance, or of either of them. " We find that at the election which took place in 1850, in con sequence of the elevation of Lord A. I►. Conyngloun to the peer age, a aunt of 371. los. was paid by Aldennim Brent to Charles Goodwin, for the purpose of corruptly inducing bins to give his vote and influence, in the event of a eutitest, to Col .1 Hominy; but which was done without the knowledge or comicial of Colonel Hominy. " We find that at the general election which took place in 1854 Henry P. Hipps, Esq., and the Hon. Henry 11. JIOIIIII4iIIIIN were returned members to serve in Parliament for the city of Canter bury, and that their return was obtained by direct money bribery to a large extent having been practised upon their behalf. We also Hod that such direct money bribery was practised with the knowledge and consent of the said H. P. Gipps but we have no evidence of the same having been dune with the knowledge or consent of the said lion. 11. lt. Johnstone. • " And, finally, we find that corrupt praetiees have extensively prevailed in the city of Canterbury at the host election of meur berg to Nerve ht Parliament fur the raid city, and at proiuuu elections." GE(X;RAPHICAL SOCIETY. Mr. HUME on Tuesday called attention to a peti tion from this society praying for some Government provision of rooms, &c., for its accommodation. Eulogising the objects and services of the society, and declaring that geography was the science of most importance to Englishmen, but of which they were generally and remarkably ignorant, the hon. member supported the petition, and recommended the Ministry to aid, by every official assistance in their power, an association whose agency promised to be so beneficial. The CHANctaikii of the ExcitEguEn admitted the merits of the society, and, while promising careful consideration to their request, observed that the chief obstacle to granting it lay in the difficulty of separating the claims of the Ge.waphical from those of other cognate societies, organised for scientific purposes. 11 AC U.( 'ABS. The Hackney-Carriages Duties Bill was recom mitted on Monday, in order to discuss and introduce the new clauses designed to settle the great " cab question." _ _ The first of these was brought up by the CHAN cEmon of the I.:mitt:Qum and consisted of a clause preventing common informers from suing for penalties under the act. This was added to the bill. Mr. LowE brought up a clause at the desire, as he believed, of the cabowners themselves, and also for the benefit of the public. It provided that, where a cab was hired for time, after the first hour the cab- 319 man should only charge Od. for a quarter of an hour, instead of 25., as at present. The clause was agreed to. Mr. F. Scums moved a clause authorising the commissioners of pollee to withdraw the licence of sucl► hackney-carriage proprietors as should abstain from sending out their carriages for two consecutivo days, with the addition of a fine. After some discussion the consideration of this► clause was postponed.. Mr. FuE -ed an amendment designed to get rid of the radius proposed by the bill, and to make the limit of the parliamentary boroughs that of the sixpenny fare. This amendment tilts nega tived, but Mr. LOWE consented to substitute Temple-bar for Charing-eross as the centre of the radius. This was agreed to. Mr. FitEwEN proposed that a person using a cab should have his servant carried on the box without extra charge. . . _ This clause, being opposed by Mr. Lover., was negatived with t a division. The report was then received. DIVISIoNs. The SPEAKER, on Monday evening, intimated to the house that he had prepared the following series of regulations with regard to the new mode of taking divisions, which he hoped would be satisfactory When the house is shunt to proceed to • division, the Speaker will three!. • strangers to withdraw upon Which the sergeant will see that the Nests below the gallery, a n d In the front gallery, are clear; and the clerk will turn the sanil.glass. AN POOH as the sand is nth out, the clerk will inform the Speaker, who will call 'Order' preparatory to putting the question. The eregemat will , upon the van of order, half OWN , OW 11111,r, and keep it half e 1014 4 ,11 KM long as there are ineintwrs in sight, appsstehing the door of the house. When ineinlwrs are no longer in sight, the sergeant will close the door, end will lock it upon the Speaker puttlug the question." The rules were agreed to. 1•111.: SPEAKER. Sir It. H. 'MIL'S, ml Thitraday, moved a aeries of resolutions enabling the Chairman of Wiwi and Means to preside over the dlw'llNNletla of the house whenever the Speaker might be un avoidably absent. lu the course of conversation on the Nubject, Mr. lima and Sir Jolts l'itatsovos strongly urged the lICCOIMit) of romadering 1101110 means of improving the nuale of conducting the bulginess of the houw•. The limner denounced tho hum 's auna s , a nd th e latter was in favour of a different arrangement of the neraion, and the mappointment of the committer on puddle toughie'. to take the question into emiableratiosi. The resolutions were agreed to. Till: ELECTION LAW. Mr. T. Itt•Ncoutts, on •Tuesday, eallett the attention of the I 1111 l se to the defective state or t h e law for the trial of rootro• vorteil election petttions, and entered into s long eo •u 1 Igwal the circumstances connected with the withdrawal of the Norwich electhot petitions. Lord .1. Ituses3.l. admitted that the system of altltdrawing petitions was ellillt)101111111 , with great abuses, and ttetdertook that It should receive the attention of limo - muffin, and that a mea sure should be introduced on the subJeet nest session. Tin.: futurist! musEum. A vote of :ifi,s4ol. being 'reposed, ou Thursday, for the British Museum. Sir It. 11. Inoue explained that the MIINeIIIII had no space for the accession of Issoks it was constantly receiving, awl that It was physical') insissosible to increase the accousuesiation for readers. 'Else object slow In view was to snake such ample provision as would suffice for the neat I 'red years. Sir W. Mot.►:Mwoaru slated that a plan fur this purpose was under the consideration "ftloven iiiii ost. The vote was agreed to. ( foreign an Colonial llntelligence. [From our own Correspondent.] Ems, August 4. A grand dinner was given by their Imperial Ma jesties at St. Cloud on Saturday last ; after which the actors of Le Francais° performed the play of Le Mari el /a rompagne, in the theatre of the palace, before the distinguished audience. All the ministers of state and high public functionaries assisted. M. Drouyn de although suffering from ophthal mia, and Marshal St. Arnaud, still in a state of con• valeseence, though his energy enables him to con tinue his inspections of the troops in the provinces, were present. The places were filled as billows : The Emperor had on his right hand the Queen Christina, and next to her Spanish Majesty sat the Prince Napoleon; the Princess blathilde was next to the Empress and the ex-King Jerome Bonaparte. The Duchess d'Albe was placed with the l'riuce of Hesse, and then came the beautiful and graceful daughters of Christina. The Duke d'Albe wore the grand cordon of the Legion of Honour given him by Napoleon 111. The star of the order in brilliants VMS the gift of the Emperor to the brother-in-law of the Empress. Many remarks were made as to the ru moured journey of the Queen Christina to Claremont, on a visit to her royal aunt, ex-Queen of the French. A supper-room was thrown open after the play, and many presentat . took e lare. There was an afflu ence of foreigners, especially of English. We re marked the Comtesse de Kalerdji, niece of M. le Comte de Nesselrode, the Duke de Itianzares, Gene ral Minim, all the corps diplometique, including