The Press. — London, England, 1857-07-25 00:00:00

718 proposed to be taken by Lord J. Russell, though he should support his motion. Mr. Palk, Mr. Newdegate, Mr. Packe, "and Mr. Liddell opposed the motion. Mr. Gilpin, Mr.:Cox, and Mr. Ayrton supported it. Lord PALMERSTON said : I think it is well to speak frankly on the subject, and therefore, though I concur entirely in the object of the bill which my noble friend desires to bring in, I must reserve, till we see more clearly what its provisions are, expressing any more decided opinion, assuming at the same time that the bill shall be such as f and my colleagues may feel It consistent with our views of the case to support at the other stages. Yet, in the present state of the session, with many important bills pending, and considering the short period which we have to give attention to these bills, I could not undertake to postpone Government business for the purpose stated by the hon. member below the gang way (Mr. Ayrton), that of pressing this measure forward. With that explanation of my intentions I beg to say that I , cordially concur with my noble friend iu his motion for bringing in this bill. Mr. GLADSTONE said he was not prepared to forego confidence in the House of Lords, and if that house withheld its assent from any particular measure nothing hut the highest necessity should induce the House of Commons to interfere. As to proceeding by resolution, very great objections offered themselves to this course, which might render a bill of indemnity necessary. With respect to the bill of Lord John Russell, he did not consider it as a substantial repe tition of a proposition already carried up to the other house. It did not propose to confer upon Jews a right of admission to either House of Parliament by I a modification of the oath, but to give a discretion to the authority called upon to administer the oath to do BO in a form binding upon the conscience of the party taking it. Mr. WHITESIDE observed that if the exposition given of the bill by Mr. Gladstone was correct members would be admitted to that house, not according to the fixed law of the land, but according to the particular order which the house at) any par ticular time might give its officers as to the administration of the oath. He deprecated pro ceeding by resolution, which would, he said, bring the house into direct collision with the courts of justice. Lord J. RUSSELL repeated the statement ho had given on Friday of the general purport of the bill ; and, adverting to the remarks of Lord Palmerston with reference to the state of public business, ob served that he could hold out no hope that it would be in his power to carry the measure through Parliament this session, but he had done his duty. Upon a division, the motion was carried by:246 to 151, and leave was given to introduce the bill. AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS. Mr. CAIRD, in moving for leave to bring in a bill to provide for the collection of agricultural statistics in England and Wales, observed that it differed materially from the measure of Government ; that it was not compulsory, and that its machinery would be not that of the poor law, but of the Registrar- General. Leave was given. Mr. J. A. Slum moved for leave to bring in a bill for discharging claims of the New Zealand Company on the proceeds of sales of waste lands in New Zealand. Sir J. TRELAWNY objected ; but, upon explana tions given by Mr. LADOUCHERE and Mr. Shunt, the motion was agreed to. Upon the motion of Sir J. RAMSDEN, the Select Committee to prepare Estimates of the Charge of the Disembodied Militiaot Great Britain and Ireland for the year ending 31st ➢March, 1858, was nomi nated. The Oxford University Bill was read a second time ; other bills were forwarded a stage, and the house adjourned at ten minutes past one. HOUSE OF COMMONS-WEDNESDAY. A largo portion of the time appropriated to private business was occupied in the discussion of a clause inserted by the House of Lords in the Great Northern Railway (Capital) Bill, declaring the liability of the dividends of the preference shareholders equally with those of the ordinary shareholders for the losses arising from the frauds of Itedpath. It was urged among other grounds of objection to this clause, especially by Mr. Lowe, that its insertion was beyond the jurisdiction of the committees of both houses, and that the courts of law should be left to decide the question of liability upon a construction of the legal instruments by which each class of shareholders held their rights. The house ultimately resolved to disagree with this amendment of the Lords. THE PRISS, JUL! 25,1857.• —and the means proposed for attaining those objects. Mr. EVANS seconded the motion. Sir J. TROLLOPE opposed the motion. He had, he said, numerous objections to the bill, which involved a very large principle. It entirely ignored the Charity Commission, and created a new and expen sive Government Board. He moved to deter the second reading for three months. Mr. MASSEY, on the part of the Government, like wise urged various objections to the measure, in particular the expensive and complicated machinery it proposed. The amendment was agreed to ; the bill is there fore lost. Sir Erskine Perry's Married Women Bill was ordered to be referred to a select committee. On the motion of Mr. MAGUIRE, the order for the second reading of the Tenant Right (Ireland) Bill, which had been introduced by the late member for Mayo, was discharged. The house then went into committee upon the new clauses of the Burial Acts Amendment Bill. A clause proposed by Mr. MASSEY, in order to remedy an alleged grievance arising from the refusal of bishops to consecrate burial grounds which pro vided that in any burial-ground certified by the Secretary of State it shall be lawful for the incum bent of the parish or his curate to bury prior to its consecration, underwent a very long discussion, the second reading of the clause being carried upon a division by 108 to 09. The remaining clauses were gone through. The SPEAKER announced that the Clare election petition would not be proceeded with. COUNTY CONSTABLES. Mr. MASSEY, on behalf of Sir G. Grey, obtained leave to bring in a bill to amend the law concerning detached parts of counties, so far as respects the establishment of county constables. WEYMOUTH ELECTION. Mr. EOERTON brought up the report from this election committee, confirming the return of Mr. Campbell and Col. Freestun, the sitting members. The house then adjourned at five minutes to six o'clock. PUBLIC CHARITIES BILL. Mr. HARDCASTLE, in moving the second reading of the Public Charities Bill, explained its objects— to diminish the expense upon the appointment of fresh trustees of charity property, and to afford to trustees an opportunity of incorporating themselves HOUSE OF LORDS-THURSDAY. The Marquis of BREADALBANE read the gracious reply of the Queen to the address on the subjects of the African slave trade and the maritime survey. BANKRUPTCY LAWS. Lord BROUGHAM called attention to the present state and working of the bankruptcy laws, and stated not only the grounds of complaint but the remedies he proposed. In the first place, the expense attend ing the administration of the bankruptcy law was excessive. He objected, also, to the manner in which pensions were paid. No less than 25,000/. a year continued to be paid as compensation for the loss of salaries to commissioners of bankruptcy, 'bolished in 1831 and these whose offices were ; payments were made out of fees levied upon the suitors, who were in fact the present creditors en gaged in present suits. He proposed to, transfer that burden from the creditors to the Conso'idated Fund. With respect to the messengers, accountants, and brokers of the bankruptcy courts, although the bill which he proposed to introduce would abolish their offices, he was inclined to think that the office of messenger ought still to continue, subject to tho authority of the commissioners, who should decide in every case when they should be employed. He thought the official assignees ought to be paid a certain proportion by salary and the rest by fees, the maximum to be received from both sources being fixed and settled Another complaint was as to the irregtilarily of the attendance of some of the commissioners, and he strongly recommended the Lord Chancellor to look at the returns made on this subject. Some of the commissioners lived at a distance from the places where they held their courts, and the consequence was that for the last hour they would, it was said • sit with their watches in their hands, and pre. cisely at five minutes to five, or within a few minutes of the railwaytrain starting, they would, at whatever incon venience to the parties concerned and the witnesses in attendance, adjourn their courts, instead of sitting until six or seven o'clock, and disposing of the business before them. It appeared from the returns that in one town there were 130 sittings of the commissioners during the year, in another there were 185, in a third 151, and in a fourth 705. He certainly was very much surprised when he saw that there were 705 sittings in one year ; but it turned out that each different matter was called a sitting, and that on an average the commissioners had only sat fiftyfuur days in the year, or a little more than one day in the week. There were other points, too, connected with bank ruptcy which needed amendment; such as the arrangement clauses in the Bankruptcy Act, the decision against assignments, and the present system of appeals, all required careful consideration. Their lordships then adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS—THURSDAY. At the morning sitting, Lord NAAS moved the second reading of the Su perannuation Act Amendment Bill. The discussion was prolonged till ten minutes to four o'clock, when the speaking was brought to a sudden close without any result. Mr. WilsoN opposed the bill, maintaining that there had been no breach of faith on the part of the Government, and that no injustice had been done to the civil servants by the course pursued, although he admitted there were many anomalies which required to be rectified. The civil servants were quite aware of the nature of their engagements, and that their salaries had been largely increased since entering the service. Mr. Wilson moved as an amendment that the bill be read a second time that day three months. Mr. CLIVE, Mr. WEGUELIN, and Mr. SEYMOug FITZGERALD supported the opposite view, urging that the civil servants were in fairness entitled to ho relieved from the deductions of which they coin plained. Sir FRANCIS BARING, Mr. WILLIAM WILLIAMS, and Mr. RICH supported the course taken by Mr. Wilson. Mr. Rich had not concluded when the time for ad journing the debate occurred. The CHANCELLOR Of the EKCHEQUER stated that as the Government were anxious to ascertain the opinion of the house upon the question, he should suggest to Lord Naas that Wednesday next be named for resuming the debate. Should no division take place upon that day, the Government would endea vour to give a morning sitting, upon the under standing that the decision of the house should then be given. Lord NAAS, with an allusion to the tactics adopted to prevent a division upon that occasion, assented to Wednesday next for resuming the debate. At the evening sitting, On the question that the house go into committee of supply, Lord HOTHAM called attention to the existing practice of exacting from officers appointed to be members of the Military Division of the Most Honcurable Order of the Bath an engagement that the insignia of the Order, after their death, be re turned. He suggested that the decorations (except ing the collar) should be allowed to be retained for transmission to their descendants. He likewise commented upon the miserable tinsel of which the star was composed. Lord PAI.MERSTON could not agree that there was anything unseemly or improper in requiring the return of the insignia. As to the material of the star, ho thought it might be expedient to reconsider the practice. Sir J. RAMSDEN, in reply to Mr. Noel, stated that the Court of Directors had announced their inten tion to defray the expense of the passage to India of officers ordered to rejoin their regiments there before the expiration of their leave. • Mr. V. SMITH, in answer to an inquiry by Sir J. Elphinstone, said no intelligence respecting the state of affairs in India had been received by the Australian mail. The house then went into a committee of supply, when The CHANCELLOR Of the EXCHEQUER moved the supplementary estimate of 400,000/. towards reim bursing the East India Company a moiety of the ex traordinary expense of the Persian war. The vote was agreed to. Mr. WILSON, in moving the estimate of 590,0001. for adjusting the account with the East India Com pany of the expense of the late China war, ex plained that there was a set-off against the Company amounting to 560,0001., so that by the ultimate ad justment the vote would be reduced eventually to 30.0001. This vote was agreed to. The committee then took up the consideration of the remaining civil service estimates, and various votes were agreed to after discussion, and ordered to be reported. The house then went into committee upon the Ecclesiastical Commission, &c., Bill, but before all the clauses had been gone through the Chairman was ordered to report progress. Other bills were forwarded a stage, and, after some further business, the house adjourned at a quarter to two o'clock. NOTICES OF MOTION. TUESDAY. .... Lord PALMERRTON said it might be convenient for the house to know that the Probates Hill, which had been fixed for pro gress on Thursday :.e‘t, would not be proceeded with uu7-1 Thursday next. THE LAST WAR IN CHINA.—The estimate of the sum required to he voted in the year 185 7 , ending March, 1858, for the adjustment of the account With the Hon. East India Company, for the expedition in connection with the last war in China (from 1840 to 1813), is fixed at 500,6931.