The Sun. — London, England, 1841-03-13 00:00:00

ORNIN G • 21- rely wished to lay them on the table, giving the Howe „to consider them. J. PALMER did nct now mean to say anything r pposition to the Right lionourable Gentleman, but he , ught that Eioce 1%15 plenty of opportubity had been ziflrded of roving• the effect of the measure that was tii:e passed. The Right Ilon. Gentleman had taken cteait to himself in every instance to which he had al lude, and among these with respect to shipping. Now be must say, that since that measure passed the loss of property in shipping at Newcastle bad been most disas trous. The Riroat Honourable Gentleman had stated the scale of duties be proposed. Now, the fact was, that the scale of duties th-.t would protect one colony would not hr )tect another. The subject was of vital importance to t-t- interests of this country, and ought tu be fully and fairly inquired into before any further steps were taken. He hoped that the Hon. Gentleman would refer the sub ject to a Select Committee. If free trade would be in every instance a blessing, for God's sake let them all vote fur it; but, if not, let them continue that protection which every Englishman had a right to expect. Mr. E WART earnestly hoped that his Right Hon. Fiend would net follox the advice which bad just been g.ven. He could not but express his sincere gratification .at seeing the Right Hon. Gentleman tread in the foot steps of a man like Mr. Huskisson. He regretted, how cv2r, that the Right Hon. Gentleman had not extended the principle to tobacco, which was now smuggled to a Free, extent. The reduction of the duty on that article - vs • u!l rem:-vs one great cause of demorahation. Having b gar. t . .i: r :form in the cclonies, it would not be povsible 30n , 2: to delay commercial reform in the tariff of our own coiony. He doubted whtt'.e; even the prop sed xe laction to 10 per cent. would be sufficient. The duty of `25 per cent. on fish appeared to him to amount lo a prohibition. The only way of preserving the enn!ction between the mother country and the colonies zees frradually to liberate them from oppressive burdens. 73; : , nadti•l', but bold and constant alterations in the old C: Fern they could preserve that amicable connection v.ll-..h a restrictive system was calculated to destroy. • Be 3ic v:ng that this was the real colonial policy of this.country, • that the colonies, like families, gradually demanded • .-.c;patian, he hailed this measure as a great improve in our ei len , al system; and his belief was that it • . be followed by alterations of equal importance in ,mmercial syEt2m of our own country. r. A. WHITE would not have said a word upon the pre,, rt occasion had it not been f r the remarks which felt ts,-,..m the Right Hon. Gentleman respecting the Re c ty Acts. Ile would assure them that those Acts e:reatly injured the shipping interest. Had it not Ica.n for a very great increase in the trade—(Cheers)- 1, repeated it, had it not been for that increase, the ship 3i',arr interest would haves been greatly distressed. The i ish could not build their ships so cheaply, nor with our 3r7. , !‘r.t Corn-laws—(Cheers)—could we keep them so e;u:lcly, therefore we could not compete with foreigners. AS er a few remarks from Mr. GO ULB URN the de- Lie was adjourned. Tho CHAIRMAN reported progress, and asked leave to fits EAST INDIA RUM Th , Order of the Day being read for the further con tiO.t ; .- iton of the Report of the above Bill. . HAWE S presented a petition from landowners, ma muts.:turers cf sugar, and others, of British India, complain ing, that the Bill hal been so altered that it would fail'im effecting the objects it was intended to carry out, and prr.ying that it should not be so clogged with restrictions ate it at present was. Mr. LABOUCHERE moved that the Report be now eceived. r. GOULBURN suggeoted that as there were seve xel verbal amendments to be made it would be much bet ter to re-commit the Bill. He did not mean it for the purpose of dely, but the amendments would be easier understood. Lord J. RUSSELL had no objection, and if no im portant alterations were made, probably there would be 1130 objection to the Report being brought up that night. The House then went into Committee. On clause 1 being read, Mr. GOULBURN thought it would be;neeessary to teaks some alteration in the wording of the clause in order to render it effective. It repealed all the existing Antics on rum, and substituted a duty of 9s. 4d., 'which was to be paid under certain conditions; but it ap peered to him that where these conditions were not com plied with no provision wbateaer was made by the Bill. Mr. LABOUCHERE contended that the wording of the clause was sufficiently explicit. Sir EDWARD SUGDEN thought the Bill, as it Mod, would meet all difficulties, without any alteration Icing required. Atter a few words from Mr. HOGG, The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said Ile quite approved of the propriety of altering the words, 5S any doubt existed respecting them. The clause was then agreed to. On clause 2 being proposed, Mr. HAWES said he rose to propose an amendment. The former Bill did not require the Queen in Council to approve the regulations, and the effect of the alteration would be to bring about a delay, of which he complained. alat delay was until the Queen in Council here could ap prove cf regulations that were made in India. Again, the eum to oe imported was the produce of sugar. From whatever the sugar was obtained, when it was in a state sof sugar, it would produce rum, and that rum would come 'into this country at the lower rate of duty. Now an attempt lad been made to make a distinction between sugar pro educed from the sugar cane, and sugar produced from any thing else. In the West Indies it was not produced from tanything but the sugar-cane, but in the East Indies it was :produced from two things, the sugar cane and the date, ,sand it would be imposiblo to decide from which the sugar -was made. If no rum, the product of any other sugar ei.en that of the cane, were to be admitted under this Bill, at seould shut out a great quantity of the rum of the East iee.es. It would throw great difficulty in the way of the manufacture of rum, and also of sugar, in the East.— ( 'leer, hear.) In the first Bi 1 introduced on this subject oe his Right Hon. Friend, there was no such distinct:on me .i this; and he believed that the distinctive words were s,7,e:educed at the suggestion of West India merchants, -seithoet giving to those who were connected with the Yaat Indies an opportunity of pointing out the unfair &Net which would be thereby produced upon their late eeets. He would move his amendments, and take the sense sof the House upon them ; and if they were rejected he could, at another stage, take the sense of the House upon whole Bill. He concluded by meting—That, in the clause, all the words after the word "operation," in she second line, down to the word "nor," in the seventh ;tine, be omitted :—After the words " sugar-cane," in the eleventh line, to insert these words, " all other substances 'rem ediich sugar is made, and allowed to be imported, tsdier the Act of 6 and 7 Will. 4, c. 26." Aitcr a few words from Mr. GOULBURN, Is. LABOUCHERE observed, that ha had no wish _he question should not be fairly discussed ; and it s for that purpose he had allowed of the delay in pro. !edicg with the measure. His Hon. Friend the Mem o: for Lambeth seemed to labour under an erroneous eeeeseion with regard to the power of the Governor -4e eel: of India, in making out certain rules and regula his tr. That provision would not confer on the Governor- Gsnera: a-.y undue authority, as it was merely proposed by it teat he should construct such regulations an he might think adaiiable, subject afterwards to the approval of rarliamert The real demand made by the East Indiana vas, that t'ae produce of the sugar-cane, whether rum or sugar, should be admitted on equal terms to the English arket. The Bill was brought in as a sugar Bill and as at rum Bill, but tit tas a spirit B:11, It was true, sugar and spirit might 're made ferns beet-root, or potato, or ie ac, but no one ever called tact spirit rum. He could 7.0 t admit spirit from date, for if he did he did not see where he was to draw the line. The object cf the Bill -wee net to admit all East India spirit, but merely to admit :run!, the produce of the sugar-cane ; and he should be Wc.viLing to depart from that principle. Mr. HOGG had called the attention of the Right Hon. Gentleman to the fact that the Bill would have the effect of ex eluding rum, the produce of the date. He contended everything was runs th at was made from the refuse of isss g r. The manufacturer of sugar in the East Indies es,ii'd not tell whether the goor brought to his ma zrufmtory vat tie produce of the date or the cane, so ;hat it was utterly impossible that any conscienti rus mass could make the declaration required. The Hon. Gentleman must stand upon the broad principle that sugar toot was geed and wholeneme must be admitted. They ea not limit thsreselver to the produce of the sugar wane, I censure, in the W'eat Indies, they might make their sqsgar from what they pleaseJ, and maple sugar might he iwpoitsel from Canada. Rum was riot made from the raw an.; , crla!, but from the refuse of sugar. If the rum from India Was not good, people would not buy it, and that w as their best security.—( Hear , he ar.) The introduction of the manufacture cf sugar from the date Was very recent, nail he trusted the House would not check the i ngenui ty of the Indian manufacturer. Mr. GLADSTONE thought that some delay:ought to take place, as the West Indians had been led to expect thet no change would take place for some time ; t.p.r ,- _ , fcre, he must vote against the first motion. 'Viltn regard to the second motion, be could not iereeine upon what ground it was sought to make eatinction between cane and date sugar. For Let a past the Customs had been in the habit vi admitting spirit the produce of the date, as rum. lie had known rum of the very first quality brought to alga country which had been made from the date. The Eight lion. Geet'eman had announced an alteration of Feat importance, and that was with respect to the dis criminatirg duties on rum in Canada. He thought he was right la that alteration. Mier the statement of his Hon. Friend he could not conceive it possible for the liie s ist Hors. Gentleman t o h es i tate as to t h e course h e cunt to pursue. If the Right Hon. Gentleman suc ceecied in carrying bin proposition through the Committee it was impossible anything so inconsistent could finally form .part of the permanent commercial system of the eo..irrtry. Mr. LABOUCHERE raid if the Committee would ,? t him to consider this question he would on the next s,:eo of the Bill sta e the course he WAS prepared to take. to the first amendment of his Hen. Friend he must's:ye It cis most decided opposition. Mr. WARBURTON hoped his Hon. Friend would witln;raw his first amendment. Sir A. GRANT was of opinion that the advantage of equalizing the duties on East and West India rum had been very much exaggerated. He hoped the Right Hon. Gentleman would conduct the investigation he had rro as:.sed with perfect fairness. Mr. JOHN O'CONNELL regretted that the present A Bill had n o s i ng l e prov i s i on b ear i ng upon human slavery in ' ij-; the East Ind' that Sir JOHN HOBHOUSE thought the question that bad been raised with respect to slavery in the East Indies by the Hon. Gentleman, was of far too great importance to be introduced iato the clause of a Rum Bill, Mr. HAWES had no ohjecti:h to withdraw l,is first amendment. The first amendment Vies then withdrawn. Mr. GO ULBURN would suggest to the Right Hun. Gentleman the propriety of statin g hi s views, in order that fair opportunity might be afforded of considering the provisions of the Bill. Mr. L ABO UC HE RE said be had no objection to re port the Bill on Monday, in order to give ample opportu nityfor consideration. _ . r. GOULBURii said that by, the third clause of the Act it was provided that it should not be lawful to import any foreign Lugar. cr any sugar the growth of any British possession, int) which foreign sugar could be legally im porter?. Ceylon was close to the Indian coast. If they allowed the rum as spirit of Ceylon to be brought into mad exported thence to England, in any sugar grown in Ceylon exported into India, and made into rum to be exported to England, they would violate their own principles. Rum should be put precisely upon the same footing as sugar. Mr. HOGG said that under the third clause rum could not be imported into aly country, hut that from which the importation of foreign sugar was prohibited. Mr. UOULBUKN said the alteration which he pro posed to make h the third clause was this—that instead of " rum and foreign rum shrub," it should read, " that rum and rum-shrub, the produce of any foreign country, or any British possession into which foreign sugar can be legally imported." Mr. L ABO UC HE RE had no objection to the altera tion. The amendment was then agreed to. Mr. GOULBURN then proposed to insert, instead of the words " Until the Governor-General in Council shall have passed an Act contzieing those regulations," the words, " And adequate regulations have been made by law in such British possessions." He had before sawed his views upon this point. His object was to give to the parties who bad grievances the power of obtaining speedy redress. Mr. LABOUCHERE objected to the alteration be cause of the delay which it would rause, and because it was impossible to treat a great empire like India as a srnall colony. There was in India a very excellent revenue establishment, and having la'd down the principle, they might safely leave the details to the Government of India. Mr. HAWES said the excise regulations of India were remarkably stringent—quite as stringent as those of oar own country. Mr. GOULBURN said be objected to the clause, because, it it passed, there would be no power of obtaining redress except tram the Governor-General in Council. They were giving certain advantages to India, and they had a ri 4 hr, to impose an efficient control. Sr J. C. HOBHOUSE observed that if any injury were unre3ressed a final appeal could at any time be made to the British Parliament, who could revise the proceed ings of the Indian Government and correct any error that might have occurred. Of late years great fiscal changes had been left to be made by the Governer-General in Council. They had been well done, and the House might safely !cave all the powers of the Bill to be exercised by bins. He congratulated the House upon an approach to do even tardy justice to India.—(Cries of " Divide.") Mr. LABOUCHERE said a few words, but i❑ canae quence of the confusion caused by the influx of Members consequent on the ringing of the division bell, he was not heard in the gallery. Mr. HOGG did not think that any one would have di. vided the House on such a proposition; but should any one do so, he bad no fear for the result. Why were the au thorities and population of the Ea't Indies to be so dis trusted? Were they not as honest as those of the West Indies? What could the Privy Council know of the ex cise regulations? were they to be raised into a tribunal of appeal upon such a question ? Strangers were then ordered to withdraw, but Mr. GOULBURN withdrew his amendment, and the clause was agreed to. The remaining clauses were then agreed to ; and the Chairman reported ; the Bill . to be further considered on Monday next. COUNTY COURTS' BILL. Mr. F. MAULE moved the second reading of the County Courts' Bill. Sir F. POLLOCK did not rise for the purpose of op posing the Bill, but, at the same time, he thought it was due to the Government and to the House to state that he entertained considerable objection to many of the clauses, and some of them the principal ones. It was necessary, he had almost said, for the honour of Parliament, that a Bill on this subject should be passed. It was so long ago as 1823, when Lord Althorp proposed a Bill, which was read a first time. It was introduced in the next year, and passed, but was thrown out by the Lords, because of the want of compensation clauses. It was intro duced the following year, but died in a Committee. But in 1827 the Right Hon. Member for Tamworth brought ,in a Bill founded upon the same principle as Lord Althorp's, which was read a first time only. Next year it was read a first and second time, but was delayed in consequence of the appointment of a Committee ; it was not further proceeded with. In 1830 it was introduced by Mr. Brougham, but not passed. In 1830 and 1831 they were all too busy with the Reform Bill to care much about it, and in 1832 it was superseded by the Com mission of which he had the honour to be a Member. In 1832 a Bill was introduced into the House of Lords, but it was not successful ; in 1834 he believed nothing was done, and in 1835, when he (Sir F. Pollock) was on the opposite side of the House, he stated, in answer to a question from his Hon. and Learned Friend the Attor ney-General, that it was his intention to bring in a Bill to facilitate the recovery of small debts. In consequence of the appropriation clause having been carried in that Session his Hon. and Learned Friend became At torney-General, but he seemed to have quite for gotten the question he had put to biro (Sir Frederick Pollock) in the early part of the Session, for he brought in no measure on the subject. In 1838 another similar measure was brought forward, but was ultimately withdrawn. All those various Bills concurred in certain points, and it might be taken as the concurrent opinion of various Parliaments and Governments, that something was necessary to be done upon the subject. They concurred ill the extension of the iurisditicn of the County or Local Courts—in the reduction of t expense, and in giving a summary jurisdiction. But they differed a good deal in other details; and, first, with regard to the manner in which the Judge should be appointed. Now, under the present Bill, a power was placed in the hands of the Go vernment to create not less than fifty officers, at an salary cf 1,5001. a year each, and that he thought a most monstrous and uncalled for exercise of Government pa tronage.—( Hear, hear.) The Bill of his Right Hon. Friend, on the contrary, left the Judges of the County Courts as they at present existed, but merely gave them more extensive jurisdiction. It appeared to him that it was much better to improve the existing institution than to introduce an entirely new principle. In all the Bills that had been introduced into that House it was provided that the Judges should be barristers of a certain standing. The Bill of 1839 provided that the barrister should be of seven years' standing. but after the Bill came out of the Select Committee to which it had been referred, a barrister of any standing might be appointed the Judge, and in like manner any attorney of any of the Superior Courts might be selected. These pro visions were embodied in the present Bill, and they ap peared to him very objectionable. There was another clause connected with the examination of the parties to a suit, which he should ray required amendment. There was no ()ejection in cases where there were only small sum!, cf money in dispute to examine the plaintiff and de fendant, but the House would recollect that the present Bill exter!ed the jurisdiction of these Courts to cases of slan der, libel, seduction, and criminal conversation, and in such cases it would be most injudicious and objec tionable to have the parties called forward and put into the witness box to undergo the cross-examination cf the opposite party.—( Hear, hear.) At present he ex press, d no opinion one way or the other, but he enter tained considerable doubt whether the clause with refer ei,ce to cases of seduction would be found to work well. There was also another detail of the me rsure which ap peared to him of rather questionable utility, namely, the power of imprisoning the person, which they all knew was liable to great abuse. Now there was no use in the suit unless the money was recovered, and he confessed lie was decidedly opposed to the principle of imprisoning a party until the debt was paid.—(Hear, hear.) Ho objected also to their extending these Courts to places where they already had local Courts of a concurrent jurisdiction, and he was satisfied the parties in these towns and districts would by no means thank them for interfering with the established and recognised Courts in their localities. He would now draw the attention of the House to another Zhuse, by which the Lord Chancellor would be enabled to appoint 25 more Judges. That power was a most dangerous one, and in that respect the present Bill was, he coneeived,a most dangerous and unconstitutional one. The object of the Bill seemed to be to give to the Crown the power of creating the patronage which it was to exercise. With the exception of the power that was given to the Poor-law Commissioners of making edicts which should have the force of an Act of Parliament, he did not know of a more unconstitusional Bill than the present, which would give to the Crown the power of creating from time t t h o o t u i g m h e t at. place s m i w ni h s i t e e h rs w w c e r re t c o vid Le ent u ly sed ind a u s ce t d he to C b ro ri w ng n in this Bill at the present time with a view to its effects at a general election which was likely soon to occur, for a dissolution of Parliament was im minent. The distribution of these fifty places, at 1,500 1 . a year, gave, ho conceived, more than double the patronage of the bestowal of situations in all t he regiments of cavalry and infantry in the army. He would net consent to any measure of this sort, w hi c h would undoubtedly cast suspicion on the motives of the N E RA G L e n s t a l id n tahnat opposite the c o u w r s a e s G overn ment. adopted Tbe) ATTORNEY -GENERAL say ing that he entirely R I - / N on E . l ant G l LearnedE d to the principle of the Bill, a mutt extraordin ar y ore. lie ( Sir F. Pollock) began by say f this sort, and then be sod brought forward a m easure c and reproached Ministers with not having long :ince denly turned round and did all is his power to show that the motives which actuated the Government in b rin g in g of the Crown. forward that Bill were improper ones, not h avin g in view the public good but the extension of the p atronage With regard to the charge of delay, he (the Ge neral) must appeal to that House and the country Attorney- whether, institu since the year 1835, the Members o f the Government had not exerted themselves to improve the law and the tions of the country. The Hon. and Learned Gentleman, then instanced the Bill with respect to t he execution of will, and several other excellent measures passed since that period. The Bill now before the House was intro duced in the year 1839. It was then referred to a Select Committee of Members, who were taken from both sides of the House. That Committee devoted much time to the consideration of the several clauses of the Bill, which were, as he was informed, unanimously adopted, with the excep tion cf the clause which referred to the manner in which tile Judges should he appointed. That clause was modi fied, are! the Bill was now introduced in its amended state, such as it came from the Committee. A more gratuitous and unfounded charge was never trade than that which was brought against the Government by the Honourable arid Learned Member opposite, in attempting to ire piton the motives which urged thorn to bring in this Bill. It seemed to him, at that stage, to be unuecessary to cuter into the details of the Bill ; but, with respect to the butter of imprisonment,th e clause was inserted out of respect to the Committee, otherwise be (the Attorney- General) was disposed to object to it. He thought the House and the public would be of opinion that it was a ' ,measure calculated to promote the administration of jus tice, and to supply a defect that bad long been felt. He believed that the insinuations which had been thrown out by his Learned Friend would be considered as unfounded, except by those of his own party.—( Hear, hear, hear.) He (the Attorney- General) was sorry to hear them in the speech of his Learned Friend, and he thought if he (Sir F. Pollock) wished to make an attack upon the Government be might have found a more fitting opportunity.—( Hear, hear.) He thought his Learned Friend had little displayed his good taste in se leming this Bill as the ground of a party attack. It was a Bill which embodied all the main principles of the Bill of the Right Hon. Member for Tamwortb, and which had been approved of by all those who had for years past sought to improve our laws. He hoped, therefore, it would go into Committee, when, if there was any objec tion to a particular clause it could be iscussed, and be believed that if it was carried, as he did not doubt it would be, it would be considered as a boon to the country. Sir E. SUDDEN said a Law Bill was always con sidered a party question, and therefore he was surprised at the surprise expressed by the Learned Attorney-Ge neral at what had falleu from his Learned Friend. His Learned Friend (Sir F. Pollock) had said nothing of a party character.—(Laughter.) His Learned Friend had net made charges against the Government, but said he feared the charges he mentioned would be brought against against them by people out cf doors.—(Laughter.) His Hon. and Learned Friend (the Attorney- Ger,e,-al) had a courage in speakieg of the legislative efforts of the Government to which he (Sir E. Sugden) could not pre tend. lie would proceed to discuss this measure, and to show how it would operate, and the abuses to which it was liable ; but he would first advert to another measure before the House, the Administration of Justice Bill. He thought the House ought to know what the Government intended to do with this measure before they were called upon to discuss the one then before them. Her Majesty's Government had also issued a commission to inquire into banks uptcy and insolvency, and the Commissioners, with one exception, made a report. The other Commissioners also made a report, and it was upon the report of that single Commissioner that the Government measure was founded. The majority of the Commissioners had re commended the abolition of arrest for debt under all cir cumstances. But in this Bill, the power of imprisonment was given in an indefinite maniac-. The Bill was one in favour of the middle classes and tradesmen, against the humblest part of the working classes. He was very much disposed to think that in a Small Debts Court, there should only be a means of recovery against the goods without any power over the person of the debtor. Every body was agreed that there should be some general Bill for establishing Courts for the recovery of small debts. In order to Judge of the merits of the Bill now before the House, the pre visions of the other Bill upon a part of the same subject ought to be before the House. He thought that Gentlemen upon his side had a right to complain of the course which Ministers had pursued in respect to the separate advance ment of ti a two Bills. This Bill did not propose to abo lish the Courts of Baron and the Leet Courts, and he did not see why it proposed to abolish the Courts of Request. He did not see why this measure was to be forced upon districts which were already satisfied with the new laws which had so recently been passed for them. There was oe his side of the House every disposition to give every facility to the establishment of Small Debts Courts ; but they objected to this measure as having none of the good principles which the other measures, intended to be superseded by actually contained. The House of Lords had rejected a Bill of much the same nature as the present, which was introduced by Lord Brougham. —( A laugh.) He asked, did Hon. Members opposite laugh at the Bill of their own Lord Chancellor, ?—( Hear, bear, and a laugh.) That Bill contained certainly one phantasy—one folly_( A laugh)—the project of a Court of Reconcilement.—( Hear, and a laugh.) That was a folly, but the Bill, on the whole, was less foolish than this Bill. Let the House look for a moment at what the Go vernment now required. They wanted two additional Equity Judges, with a salary of 5,000/. a-year each, be sides the payment of secretaries, clerks, and other officers. They bad also a Bill before the House for the establish ment of twenty-four new Judges of Appeal, to be ap pointed by the Speaker, if not by the Government itself ; and now they came and asked for the appointment of fifty-four Judges more. The Commissioners whom they had themselves entrusted with the duty of reporting on the subject, had stated that it would be difficult to find twenty three lawyers of eminence at the bar to fill the office of Judges. The object of the Government would seem to have been to find two Judges of great eminence, and twenty-nine Judges of inferior, but high character, while they would have fifty of less consideration, so that they would, in reality, require in all seventy-six Judges.— Teat was a bold experiment, a wholesale system of legislation on the subject. The expenses wltich would attend the proposed system would, he should venture to say, amount to between 300,0001. and 400,0001. a year.— ( Hear, hear.) No doubt this was a time at which it was supposed such an increased expense could be incurred ; this must have been, in the eyes of Government, a season of prosperity, when we were in no danger from foreign aggression, and when all was quiet at home.—( Hear, Leer.) He did not wish to speak harshly of the Govern ment, but he remembered that when they had accepted office, they declared their determination of adopting the no-patronage principle. How painful it must be to them to haw; forced on them, by the necessity of the times, no doubt, a degree of patronage of which the most rapacious Government ;had never dreamt.—(Hear.) The Bill required no standing, no degree of eminence on the part of those who were to act as Judges under it. It also contained many injurious details. The attorney, for instance, who might appear for a party was not allowed to receive more than Roe for his remuneration on the reco very of a sum under 201. Such a remuneration was insuf ficient, and that system would only tend to induce attor neys to make up in the number of cases, by creating litiga tion, for the smallness of the reward allotted to them. In cue WWI, inajurity or cases at present the opinion ol counsel given decided the case without its coming into Court at all, because the law was certain ; but by this Bill there would be fifty different Courts without any appeal to bring about uniformity in their decisions, and however good the Courts might be at their commencement this would infallibly make them bad in the progress of time.— ( Hear.) Was the House aware of the present mode of proceeding in the Courts of Requests. It was impossible that any lawyer could address himself to administer the law in Courts of that sort, and therefore they ought to be left as they were at present. These were not mere Small Debts Courts alone, but they were to have jurisdiction in cases of slander, libel, false imprisonment, seduction, cri minal conversation—cases the most important as inv olving questions of law and charactea, and these were to be de cided in Courts where attorneys and not counsel were to attend. Now, to keep a Judge to his duty, it was neces sary he should have an intelligent bar to watch his conduct, and a Court of Appeal over him. These Courts would to a vast extent encourage actions among the lower orders which they would never have thought of bring ing but for the Bill, and it would create bound less confusion and litigation throughout the country. The second Bill contained powers to a great extent. Those Commissioners and Judges who in the first Bill were merely subordinates, had in the second Bill cast upon them the most important duties. They were made County Commissioners of Bankruptcy, and a power was given to the Lord Chancellor to enable them to transact any bust- Less which the Court of Review now performed ; in fact, there was no question of law that they might not be called upon to decide, however important it might be. A more important jurisdiction could not be given to the highest Judges of the land, than was going to be given to these Judges, these Pic Poudre Courts. Besides that these Judges were to be Comniissioners cf Lunacy. and, inde pendent of that, they were to execute all inquiries directed by the Lord Chancellor. The resu't was, that duties were thrown upon them which they rover could fulfil. A more ill considered measure than the present he had never seen, and he believed it to be a measure that would be repro bated from one end of the country to the other. In fact it was impossible the thing could work. He had much mere to say upon the Bill, but considering the lateness of the hour he would not trouble the House further than to say he would give all the provisions of the Bill his most strenuous opposition. Mr. F. M AUL E said be would not at that late hour enter into any lengthened discussion upon the subject of the Bill then before the House, more especially as the Hon. and Learned Gentlemen 'on the other side of the House had declared their approbation of its princip!e, but whie they did so they endeavoured, as far as was in their power, to overthrow that principle, and they had giten their approbation more from a foaling that they dared not refuse the principle than from any love they bore to that measure. Ti,e Right Hon. and Learned Member seemed to treat with ridicule and de rision the object of the Bill, namely, to bring home to the door of the poor man justice.—(Hear, hear.) The Right Honourable Gentleman bad touched upon many matters which he was not competent to discuss, but several remarks bad fallen from him, to which be felt bound to say something. In talking of the qualification of the Judges, the Honourable Gentleman had drawn the worst possible picture of what might be the operation of tie Bill. lie had supposed the ma chinery to be selected of the worst materials, and had complained of the period of practice required in order to become a Judge. When this Bill was first intro duced the limit fixed was seven years. It went into COM mittro up stairs and came back in the precise form in which it then came before the House. Members of both sides of the House were members of that Committee. It was in entire consonance with the opinion of the Com mittee.s o aa f den J nndi) u i, at d ttt h Judg es n that ad w t a vast Th e H on . G ent l eman h a d sa id that tho num b er eiat administrationwbaosldsnp.ropßosnittiotnh.e evilslle ( t o M r b . F remediede . 3I aul c ) mass of grievances d leere as va s t as t h at proposition was bold. No owe could iev of aneetshee law xisted tb under roug throughout pre sentthe administration. The object o f t h e Bill was to ass i milate whole kingdom. For that purpose, must be made ; and those who pr o po se d a '"rYgreat change be prepared to be attacked for ma ki n g that change must exten sive, and, as the Hon. Gentleman ha g d te r me d a l arg e ard abld change. He (Mr. F. Maule) w as quite r ead y i t, to ta k e his share of the blame. There had been no at tempt to con ceal the numbers proposed — it was stated i s page in the Bill.—(Hear, hear.) The H the very fi rst on. Gentleman said that they had been afraid to state at once, and in one Bill, the whole number of Judges which they contem plated. Tne reason why he had brought in two Bills was this. He was quite aware that if the se cond Bill were mixed up with the first, it would have been objected tribt tue matte rs were perfectly different, and that endeavours would have been made by objections to the second, to throw out the first of his Bills. He had thought it beat to avoid risking such a re 13P1 he suit. Now, by the fi rs t proposed to establish England, Local Courts throughout to the numb er o f 25. The Hon. Member had stated that the expense attendant upon them wou ld be enorrnou F. He ( Mr. F . Maule) again for discussion, prove when the question came prove to the Howe that instead cf bringing a vast expen diturethe country, the Bill would actually . effect a Uf on both with reference considerable saving—( Hear, hear)— and lunacy. the country courts, and to bankruptcy, insolvency, of the Honourable lunacy. As to the complaint Member that the House had been taken by sur prise, he begged to remind him that the Report of the Committee was laid upon the table of the House in the July of last Session ; and the Bill was in troduced on the recommendation contained in that Re port: The Hon. Member had, in speaking of the Small Debts Bills which had been passed within the last two cr three Sessions, referred to the very difficult question of compensation to the present holders of office. He (Mr. F. Maule) believed that that was in fact the rock upon which these Bills mere made to split.—( Hear, hear.) Every year, when a fresh measure was proposed, it was stopped by claims for compensation ; and the Right Honourable Gentleman by the course which be was pursuing did in fact encourage such claims.—( Hear.) He would not follow the Right Hon. Gentleman through the whole of his observations, and it would not be fair to the House to do so, when be was told that the principle of the Bill was not opposed. He was not so wedded to any of the clauses of the Bill as to insist on the retention of arty in particular ; but when they came to discuss the measure in Committee, he trusted they would do so without any party feeling whateve-.=( Hear.) Let them place the patronage in whatever hands they might, he still trusted the measure would he carried through with the consent of all parties; and he would not hesitate to give way and make any amendments which were likely to meet the views of the House. He trusted there would be no objection now to read the Bill a second time. After a few words from Colonel SIBTHORP, Mr. HAWES thought the great principle they should ke-p in v'ew was that they were creating a number of Local Courts, in which justice would be cheaply and speedily administered. He regretted to find that the Hon. and Learned Gentlemen opposite bad confined them selves to finding fault is ith the details of the Bill, although they dared not attack its principle. They had complained of the enormous amount of the patronage which the Go vernment was assuming to itself, but they could not forget that there were at present 700 Commissioners scattered all over the country, and that there acre 140 Courts of vari ous scrts for the recovery of small debts, and if he mistook not there was not a great deal of reliance placed upon the decisions of the majority of these Courts. If the Govern ment was not to appoint the Judges in these Courts, he wished to know in whose hands the appointment was to be placed? Did the opposite party wish to delay the passing of the measure till themselves came into power that they might obtain the patronage which they objected to see exercised by the present Ministers?—(Hear, hear.) Was it, he would ask, a small benefit to the pubic to have a cheap mode of recovering debts? The Right Hon. Gentleman had said that the Bid was a Bill for the middle classes, and not for the poor man. Now he ( Mr. Hawes) was at a loss to know how it could be said that it would not have the effect of bringing home justice to the door of the poor man. Then the Hon. Gentleman had stated that in the recommendation of the Commissioners there was no appeal, that was not the case, because an ap peal was recommended by the Commissioners to the Lord Chancellor. He hoped if the struggle upon the Bill was to be carried on by legal gentlemen, that there were those in that House whe were connected with commerce who would stand up and defend the measure. He hoped also that they would not be led away or frightened by the de nunciations of lawyers. Mr. SHAW considered the great defect of the Bill to be the want of any provision to accure uniformity and cer tainty of decision. Mr. ENNIS VIVIAN wished to know how far the Bill would interfere with the Stannaries Court, which was both a court of law and a court of equity. Mr. FOX MA ULE replied that the Bill would not interfere with the jurisdiction of that Court at all. The Bill was then read a second time, and ordered to be committed, pro forma, on Friday next. The Bankruptcy, Insolvency, and Lunacy Bills were read a second time and ordered to be committed on Friday. The Ordnance Survey Bill was read a second time, and ordered to be committed. Tne House then went into Committee on the Lease and Release Bill, which was ordered to be read a third time on Monday. The Mutiny Bill and the Marine Mutiny Bill passed through Committee, and the Reports were ordered to be received on Monday. The House then Adjourned at a Quarter past One o'Clock. .4 L C 7/ ;, PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS. NOTICES GIVEN AT THE PRIVATE BILL OFFICE. THHRSDAY, MARCH 11. 1. Derby Gas,—Second Reading, March 15. 2. Meerbrook Sough Drainage,—Second Reading, March 16. 3. West Durham Railway,—Second Reading, March 15. 4. York and North Midland Railway Approaches,—Report, March 15. 5. Liverpool and Crosby Road,—Committee on Petition, act. journed till Wednesday, March 17. 6. Tramore and Duckspool Embankment,—Committee on Peti. tion, adjourned till Wednesday, March 17. 7. Harborough and Brampton Road,---Committee on Bill, March 19, at two. 8. Bolckow's Naturalization,—Corn. on Bill, March 19, at two. 9. Birkenhead Gai and Waterworks,—Committee on Bill, March 19, at twelve. 10. Birkenhead Church,—Committee on Bill, March 19, at two. 11. Durham and Sunderland Railway,—Committee on Bill, March 19, at two. 12. Wimborne and Piddletown Road,—Committee on:Petition, March 19, at two. 13. Stafford and Rugby Railway,—Second Reading, March 15. 14. Henley and Dorchester Roads, —Second Reading, March 15. 15. Heyn's Naturaliza lion,— Second Reading, March 15. 16. North Midland Railway,—Second Reading, March 15. 17. Eccicshill Inclosure (No. 2),—Second Reading, March 15. COURT CIRCULAR. Her Majesty had a Dinner Party on ThUrsday evening at Buckingham Palace. The company consisted of his Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex, the Duchess of Suthtri...t. n c Tnuar , folk, Marquis of Northampton, Lady Fanny Howard, Countess of Lichfield, Earl of Radnor, Earl and Coun tess of Roseberry, Lord and Lady Fitzalan, Countess of Charleniont, Hon. Miss Paget, Hon. Miss Anson, Baroness Lehzen, Earl of Listowell, Hon. C. A. Mur ray, Hon. Sir William Lumley, Lord Alfred Paget, Sir Edward Bowater, and Captain Francis Seymour. The Queen, attended by the Countess of Charlemont and the Hon. Miss Paget, took an airing yesterday after noon in an open carriage and four, with outriders. His Roy al Highness Prince Albert, attended by Sir Edward Bowater, and Lord Alfred Paget, rode out on horseback at the same time. Viscount Melbourne had an audience yesterday of her Majesty. His Royal Highness Prince Albert, attended by Sir E. Bowater, visited her Majesty the Queen Dowager yester day, at Marlborough House. The Royal dinner party at Buckingham Palace last evening included her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, the Netherlands Minister, and Madame Dedel, Prince Castelcicela, the Duke and Duchess of Suther land, the Earl of Erroll, Lady Fanny Howard, Earl and Countess of Cawdor, Vi-count Melbourne, and Sir John Pelly. The Band of the Second Regiment of Life Guards was in at'endance at the Palace during dinner. Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, attended by Lady Fanny Howard, took an airing yesterday in an open carriage and four. His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, accompa. nieC by Lord Burghcrsb, and attended by Major Stephens, honored with Lis presence the performance of " Israel in Egypt," by the Sacred Harmonic Society, in Exeter-ball, last evening. The Duke of Sussex took an airing in a carriage yes terday. The Duke of Cambridge, attendei by Major Stephens, honoured the Italian Opera with his presence on Thurs day evening. General Sir Frederick Wetherell, Sir K. Seale, and Mr. W. Holmes, M. P„ had interviews with Lord John Russell at the Colonial Office. Sir James Duke, M. P., had an interview with the Marquis of Normanby yesterday at the Home Office. Despatches from the Governor of Van Diemen's Land were received yesterday at the Colonial Office. Viscount Lismore has arrived at Farranee's Hotel, Belgrave-street, from Shambally Castle, Ireland. ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY.---A highly interesting meeting was held on Monday e v ening, G. B. Grcenhough, Esq., president, in the chair. A communi cation was made from Count Stelinsky, on the discovery of a new and large tract of land in New South Wales, to the north and south of the Australian Alps, not inferior in point of salubrity or fertiliy to any ether part of this vast island, and to which lie gave the name of Gipps's Land. An annou ncement was made from Mr. Brooke, who some time since left this country in his little yacht, the Royalist, and who was then investigating the Indian Archipelago It was satisfactory to know that he had proceeded so far on his route, and his intention was now to return to Borneo and keep the coast urti.l he ennui to Manilla, from whence he purposed to go to China. An interest ing paper was next read, communicated by Lord John Russell, containing an e.ary of a journey of Lieut. Caddy and Mr. Watson from Belize to the celebrated ruins of Palatay, in the province of Yucatan in Guatemala. Notwithstanding their grandeur and immense extent, they were not known to travellers until the latter part of the last century, when it required the aid of 100 Indians to cut down the trees by which they were si!r rounded, so profuse was the vegetation. Tbe !mains were evilently of Egypte-Indian architecture and in them was seen the true Saracenie arch which has not hitherto been met with out of the country of the Saracens. The travellers were 48 days in the ruins, making .sketches, and returned to Belize through a count r y rich in every variety of natural produce, and with which an extensive and advantageous commerce with this country .might be carried on. Mr. Wilshire next gave some detailsin of his recent journeying in Megadore and Morocco, explore the botany of those regions. FRESH ORGANIZATION OF THE CHARTISTS —Another Convention is about to be held in London, i The election of delegates is to take place on the 22d n. stant, and the Convention is to he opened en the 12th of April. The Ct nvcntion will consist of fifteen members— five from the metropolitan districts, an d ten from the pro vincee. Their object is to crevice Wens " for the restora tion of Frost, Williams, and Jones—for the release of all Chartist prisoners—and for making the Charter the law of the land." The Convention will sit for two weeks, and each delegate is to be paid 31. a week; the expenses to be defrayed by a weekly subscription of one -halfpenny from each Chartist. London is to be divi ded into tendis tricts, and a delegate, accompanied by a friend, is to attends a district each night, while the miss ion aries, class leaders, cows vendors, and all friendly shopkeepers , are Pt have in their houses petitions for signature, and those peti tions are to be presented by Mr. Duncombe,i before the 231 of April, who is also to move an address to her Ma jesty, praying the release of all polifcal prisoners. The expense of the Convention is calculated at 601. a week. The Addr ess states t h at t h e ohjecta of the Convention are to release t h e Ch art i st p r i so ners from hells and m ad . houses —to rev i se t h e Ch ar t e r, and present add ress es on behalf of Frost, Williams, and Jones. TO CORRESPONDENTS. "G. A." To the Police Commissioner, we believe, in the first instance. THE CHINA SUN," Which was lately RE-PUBLISHED, IS NOW ON SALE. Price SIXPENCE. Orders received at The Sun Office, No. 112 Strand. IN PROGRESS, rnE R AILWAY SUN. Xitli a MAP of all the RAILWAYS . in the United Kingdom; containing all the STA TIONS on each Railway, and a great variety of Information and other particulars connected with Railways. THE CORONATION SUN, PRIN TED IN LETTERS OF GOLD, WITH A BEAUTIFUL PORTRAIT OF iIER MAJESTY THE QUEEN, Can be sent by post free to all parts of the Em pire. Price SIXPENCE. Sun Office, 112, Strand, London. MR. HORACE SMITH'S NEW NOVEL. Now ready at all the Libraries, in 3 vols., THE MONEYED MAN; JL Or, THE LESSON OF A LIFE. By HORACE SMITH, Esq. , Author of " Brambletye House," "' The Moneyed Nlan ' is incomparably the west thought ful, spirited, and entertaining work that has yet appeared from the pen of Mr. Horace Smith. It is the best novel that the year has produced."—Sun. Henry Colburu, Publisher, 13, Great Marlborough-street. HIS MAJESTY the EMPEROR of AUSTRIA having AUTHORISED and GUA RANTEED several DISTRIBUTIONS of MONEY DIVIDENDS, which (thoo4h they ,are NO LOTTERIES) °Ter many possibilities of obtaining LARGE FORTUNES, HEINE BROTHERS, at HAMBURGH, Are now SELLING BONDS for the said DIST I'tIBU TIONS. Persons desirous to purchase for one of the next Distributions may receive, PREVIOUS to giving any orders, the PROS- PgCTUS and PARTICULARS, upon addressing, WITH OUT DELAY, a line to HEINE, BROTHERS, at HAMBURGH. The NEXT DISTRIBUTION contains FIFTEEN HUN DRED DIVIDENDS, amounting to £137,592, Tne Dividend; being £25,000 £BOO £2OO £9O 5,000 600 150 80 2,000 500 120 • 70 1,500 300 110 64 1,000 250 100 62 THEATRE ROYAL, COVENT GARDEN. UIDER the MANAGEMENT of MADAME VESTRIS. THIS EVENING, MARCH 13, Will be repeated the New Comedy, in Five Acts, entitled LONDON ASSURANCE. Sir Harcourt Courtly, Bait, Mr. W. Farren • Max Hark away, Mr. Bartley ; Mr. Charles Courtly, dr. Anderson ; Mr. Adolphus Spanker, Mr. Keeley ; Mr. Dazzle, Mr. C. Mathews ; Mark Meddle, Mr. Harley ; Grace H arkaway, Madame Vcstris • Lady Gay Spanker, Mrs. Nisbett ; Mrs. Pert, Mrs. Hum bv. After which, the New Farce, in One Act, entitled BROTHER BEN. Commodore Catlass, Mr. Bartiey ; Benjamin Bowles, Mr. Charles Mathews; Mr. Shuffieton, Mr. Harley; Dorothy, C. Jones. On Monday, London Assurance, with the NewlPautomime. Doors to be opened at half-past Six—the performances to co.:traerica at Seven o'Clock. Dress Boxes, 7s. ; Second Price, 3s. 6d. ; First and Second Circles, ss. ; Second Price, 2s. 6d. ; Pit, 3s. ; Second Price, 23. ; Gallery, Is. Tickets and places for the Bona to be taken of Mr. Grogan, at the Box-office, from Ten till Four, where Season Tickets may DC had upon application. Private Boxt.s to be had so'.elv of Mr, Andrews, bookseller, .67. New Bond-street. ROYAL SURREY THEATRE. Triumphant success of " Poor Jack," equal to " My Poll and my Partner Joe." Mr. T. P. Cooke in Two Pieces. Ex traordinary attraction, and crowded houses. THIS EVENING, MARCH 13. Will be acted a Nautical Drama in Four Parts, called POOR JACK ; OR THE WIFE OF A SAILOR. In which Mr. T. P. Cooke, and the entire strength of the Company, will perform. After which, ROBERT MACAIRE. Robert Macaire by Mr. T. P. Cooke. To conclude with THE RIEVER'S RANSOM ; OR, GILDEROY. HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE THIS DAY. Morning 15 minutes after 5. I Evening 33 minutes after 5. LONDON: zat.noll ao, 2042. Amongst the petitions presented last night to the House of Lords, was one from a Mr. CARR, complaining of having been dismissed from a Judgeship in Canada, the answer to which was that he had appropriated money which did not belong to him; and had never accounted for it. The Earl of MOUNTCASHEL gave notice' that after Easter, he would move for a Committee to inquire into the cause of duelling. A brief, but a somewhat personal, conversation took place between the Bishop of EXETER and the Marquis of NORMANBY, about laying on the tabk the opinion of Chief Justice STEWART, when Attorney-General of Canada, relative to San Sulpice, which the Noble Marquis declined to do, as it was contrary to etiquette to lay the opinions of t he law officers of the Crown before Parliament. The Earl of GLENGA LL moved for the attend ance of more persons connected with the admin istration of the Poor4aw in Ireland, which the Marquis of No RM NBY undertook to procure. Their Lordships did no business of importance. In the Commons, the Middlesex Sessions Bill was read a second time ; and the Severn Naviga tion Bill was referred to the Private Business Committee. The consistency of Sir R. INGLIS was illus trated by his presenting a petition for securing protection to the Christians of the Levant, and the Protestants and Jews of Syria, the prayer of which the Hon. Baronet supported. He would shower favours on the Jews in the East, and he would deny justice to the Jews at home. In reply to the Hon. Baronet, Lord PALMER-. STON assured him that the Government had in terfered with the Porte in favour both of the Christians and the Jews of Syria, and if the hatti scheriff which had been issued on the subject could be enforced, the wishes of the Hon. Baronet would be accomplished. _ _ In reply to Lord F. EGERTON, Lord PALMER STON stated that he had received a copy of a fir man conferring on MEHEMET ALI the Govern ment of Egypt, with hereditary succession, on certain conditions, but he could not say whether it was the same as that which had appeared in the papers. Till some question arose concerning this firman amongst the Allied Powers, it was a matter between the SULTAN and his vassal. Sir ROBERT PEEL, not satisfied with this ex planation, demanded whether that part of the airman which reserved to the Porte the right of determining which of the sons of MEHEMET ALI should succeed him, was consistent with the Quadruple Treaty, and whether the Four Powers were parties to it. Lord PALMERSTON said it was impossible for him to say what the Four Powers might think on this particular point. He admitted that the PACHA had remonstrated against the firman, but he was not aware of the SULTAN'S answer. The intention of the Four Powers was that the SuL TAN should grant a bona fide hereditary succes sion to MEHEMET ALI. Some further conversa tion took place on this now interesting question, for which we refer to our report. Mr. KELLY announced that he would not go into Committee with the Punishment of Death Bill till after Easter. In a Committee on the Customs Duties of the West Indies and North American colonies Mr. LADOUCHERE explained the present anomalous and injurious nature of those duties, and gave a brief history of their origin, and of the progress made in improving them. The Right Hon. Gen tleman moved a series of resolutions on which he asked no opinion, but merely laid them on the table for consideration. After a few brief re marks from Mr. J. PALMER and Mr. EWART, the House resumed, and the debate on the subject was adjourned. We shall wait to see the Right Hon. Gentleman's resolutions before we offer any remarks offthem or on the speech, further than to say that the Right Hon. Gentleman has entered a right path, though he goes in it only a very small distance. The East India Rum Bill went through a Committee, after a considerable discussion, but without any important amendments. On the motion to read the County Courts Bill a second time, Sir F. POLLocK. made a speech against the Bill, against the power of treat ng fifty officers given by the Bill to Government, against the power of imprisoning 'given by the Bill, which was liable to abuse, and he declared he would not assent to any measure of the sot t. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL explained the ori.gin of the Bill, and complained of the unnecesrary attack his; Learned Friend had made on the Government. Sir EDWARD SUGDEN defended Sir F. POL LOCK. The Bill, he said, was in favour of the middle classes, and against the humblest classes of society. There was one piece of folly in it-- a Court of Reconcilement—but, on the whole., the Bill was less partial than some former Bills. After a somewhat protracted debate, the bill was read a second time. Some routine matters were - passed, and at a Quarter past One the House adjourned. The postponement of the San Sulpice discussion in the House of Peers till Monday, has given time to lay more information on the question. before Parliament, entrapped into a false belief by the Bishop of EXETER'S carefully prepared state ment; and that information will lead to the re jection of the Right Rev. Prelate's motion. The subject was renewed last night in , the House of Peers, and the Bishop's querulous remarks were indicative of failure. His faithful ally, too, in mischievous bigotry, the Standard, anticipates the result with alarm. "We trust," it said last night—and the passage is worth remembering, as a picture of the bulk of the Conservatives—" we trust that the Protestants of the empire will keep their eyes steadily fixed upon the motion; we own that we are not without a distrust of some of those who call themselves, and are sillily called by others, Conservatives, merely because, forsooth, they would save their own titles, estates, sinecures, pen sions, and influence, though they would freely pay away all that is dear or valuable to the Con servative people, as an insurance upon the things precious to themselves." The distrust and alarm of the Standard are well founded. No statesman of any character in the Hduse of Peers, except his faculties be impaired by age, will be found to support the Bishop of ,EXETER'S motion. At least, all those best acquainted with colonial subjects, from the offices they have held—the Earl of RIPON, the Earl of ABERDEEN, Lord ELLENBOROUGH—WiII, we are assured, discountenance the bigoted at tempt to represent the House of Lords as the determined enemies of all the Catholics of the empire. So great, indeed, are the distrust and alarm of the Standard, that even that truly Conserva tive Nobleman, the late Earl of BATHURST—the last wearer, except the late Lord ARDEN, of a pig-tail—who, in the course of his official duties, appears to have incorporated by letters patent the Romish Seminary of San Nicholai, has in curred the wrath and contempt of the Standard. " He did," that Journal avers, though he was in office with the Tories, " many foolish and many mischievous things as Colonial Minister." But it happens that these foolish and mischievous things are precedents which completely rebut the Bishop of EXETER'S wild assertion that to incorporate n Romish seminary is a thing un heard of—the first violent blow at the Reforma tion, and such a blow as JAMES 11. never dared to strike, and Father PETER never dared to de mand ; and therefore the Standard very coolly and very contemptuously proposes to set them wholly aside as foolish and mischievous. Though our Contemporary in general is a great stickler for forms and precedents, now that he finds them against him, with true Chartist daring he flings them to the winds, and will not have " the national archives ransacked for argu ments before the Houses of Parliament can come to a decision." In a glorious fervour of mockery he says "if this be allowed a reprint of Rymer'g Feeders' may be called for as the preface to discussion, how plain soever shall be the question to be discussed." When the Tories thus treat Tory precedent with contempt it is plain that they are completely in error, and the mischief which the Bishop of EXETER would perpetrate,. wants even the sanction of Tory Ministers of the worst times of Toryism. Since we last adverted to this subject, the House of Uomnions Ifas printed and published a despatch from Lord GODERICH, now Earl of RIPON, to Lord AYLMER, dated Downing-street, Septem ber 13, 1831, which tells so much against all the abusive arguments of the Bishop of EXETER, that we are not surprised at the Tories disliking to have more information laid before Parliament. From this despatch, it appears that so early at least as 1827, the subject of settling the claims of the Seminary of San Sulpice to the seignorial rights of Montreal, had engaged the attention of Government, and been made the object, though unsuccessful, of a bargain. Lord GODERICH was, however, convinced that "it was of the highest importance " to emancipate from the restrictions of the feudal law " the great commercial city of Montreal," and he de scribes the opposition to that measure "as the selfish clamour of men, whose wharves and ware houses needed no enlargement," and who "found their interest in discouraging competi tion." He said, therefore, in 1831, that it would be highly desirable to do what Lord SYDENHAM has now done, and the Noble Lord proceeded to lay down a plan for accomplishing it. He certainly began by stating that he had no doubt that the "legal title to the Seigneurie of Montreal is in the Crown," but in order to pre serve all the rights of the Seminary, and being anxious to " prevent whatever might de rogate from its just claims to esteem and confidence," he instructed the Gpvernor-G e neral to open a friendly negotiation with the members. He stated that he was aware of the legal objection to recognise the corporate character in which they assumed. to act; but he overruled those objections as " misplaced and inconclusive." He so far recognised the previous existence of this Romish Corporation, that he proposed to " declare in due form of law that it is extant;" and he wrote that her MAJESTY " will issue a new charter for their incorporation, and endow them with revenues equal in amount to the income of which they have hitherto been n the receipt." The charter of incorporation was to be granted, too, "in whatever form the Members of the Seminary may think most de sirable." That is the tenor of Lord GODERICH'S despatch ; and the Noble Lord has too high a sense of honour to repudiate a measure completed on his own principles, because his attempt was unfortunately not success ful. But if he do not repudiate the prin- Diples of his despatch, he must tell the Bishop of EXETER on Monday that the Rev. Prelate entirely mis-stated the fact when he asserted that the incorporation of a body of the Romish priests by Lord SYDENHAM is a thing unknown and unheard of. The monstrous assertion that to incorporate the Seminary of San Sulpice is a blow at the Reformation, and a violation of the Constitution, being blown to the winds, let us look at the real merits of the case. For upwards of seventy years that Seminary has been in possession of these signorial feudal rights, which are very mischievous to Montreal. No statesman has dreamed of forcibly ejecting the Seminary, or denying its equitable right, which rests on as good a foundation as the Bishop of EXETER'S claim to the revenue of his see. As the Seminary is not to be forcibly ejected, and its rights are mischievous, it is pro posed to commute them for a reasonable consi deration. The inhabitants of Montreal appear extremely willing to give the small sum pro posed, about one-twentieth of the value of their property, to get rid of these feudal inflictions. But how could that be done, unless the Seminary had a legal existence ? To give it that legal existence is quite as much for the sake of those who are to pay their money, as for the sake of the Seminary which is to be incorporated. At the same time, a clause of the ordinance which incorporates it, and enables the inhabitants to get rid of these feudal claims, limits the whole sum to be paid to the Seminary to 44,0001. If the commutation yields more than that, the ordi nance places all the suv i lius at the dispo&al o de legislative authority of Canc,da. We are no friends to ecclesiastical corpora tions of any kind; we should be glad to see the people of Canada so enlightened as to re quire the dissolution of San Sulpice, and of every other ecclesiastical corporation ; but as long as they regard it with reverence, it is Monstrous fbr a Bishop, a member of an other ecclesiastical corporation, to propose that so equitable an arrangement as this should be set aside, in order that the pro perty may be ,taken away from Catholics and appropriated to. Protestants. The House of Lords must shrink, we presume, from contaminat ing itself by the commission of such an act of in justice; but if it consent to the motion of the Bishop of EXETER, the public, particularly the Catholics, in every part of the empire, will not shrink from branding it as a most unjust and un worthy legislative assembly. Sir ROBERT PEEL'S speech on Thursday even ing must have given great satisfaction to the en lightened friends of popular instruction. It is now, we believe, upwards of seventeen years since the London Mechanics' Institution was esta blished, and since that time the benevolent and zealous men who promoted it have seen similar institutions called into existence in every part Of the country. At present there is scarcely a third rate town of the empire without one, and in the metropolis there are several similar institutions of which it was the parent. Thursday was, how ever, we believe, the first time that the existence of such instituti ons was fbrmally acknowledged in Parliament, and certainly the first time they were thought worthy of a proximate Premier' approbation. We remember that in their origin Mechanics Institutions were opposed by the Clergy, and a high dignitary of the Church attacked the found ers of them for giving instruction in science, in dependent of religion. They were obliged to defend themselves ; but the leader of the Tories, in his place in Parliament, has now avowed and defended their doctrines. Not only at Tam worth, but in the House of Commons, Sir RO BERT PEEL has declared that knowledge makes men better citizens and more religious men ; that it promotes Christianity as well as morality. To Dr. BIRKBECK, who, at the commencement of his benevolent labours, was exposed to much obloquy from the friends of priestcraft ; to Sir BENJAMIN HEYWOOD, who followed in Dr. BIRKBECK'S track ; and to the many other able and philanthropic men, who have established or supported Mechanics' Institutions, Schools Of Arts, and Literary Societies, throughout the em pire, the present testimony of Sir ROBERT PEEL in favour of their labours is a consolation and reward. But though they may be delighted with having so illustrious a convert, and though we record his sentiments with much satisfaction, as a striking proof of the general progress, still we cannot admit that the tardy conversion of the Right Hon. Baronet is an honour to himself, or is the slightest indication that the Tories, as a party, are not still far in the rear of society. Sir ROBERT PEEL has only reached that point in 1841, on which Lord BROUGHAM was firmly seated, and from which he has never descended, in 1820. Sir ROBERT PEEL, however, is far in advance of his friends. His heavy tail, including the rabble of the priesthood throughout the land, keeps him down. In the House he finds no Or port fromilis party, and out of the House he i s bitterly attacked. His speech on Thursday, which will find an echo in every enlightened mind °tit of Parliament, and which was loudly applaude d by the Whigs and Liberals, did not elicit a single cheer from the Tories. His Noble Friend, Lord STANLEY, and his Right Hon. Friend, Si r JAMES GRAHAM, looked at him with amazenieu, t , and vexation, as it the letterS of " CATHouctls in the Times, were their joint production. Th e band of Tory claquers, which usually bray forth their vociferous applause at almost every son' tence uttered by the Right Hon. Baronet, wer e . quite dumb, as if Mr. GLADSTONE, who mus t have thought that Sir ROBERT was speaking treason against the Church, rather than Mr; HoLmEs, were their fugleman. The great gild mighty Thunderer frowns on him, and permits his clerical subs to usurp his thunder, and hurl their bolts at Sir RO BERT f rom t h e f o ot 01, his throne. Far, therefore, as he is in the rear of society, he is prodigiously in a d vanc e of his tail; and as parties, like fishes, are guided an d impelled by their tails, he would be unable, wer e he in office, to act on the sentiments which only the Liberals in the House admired. It must have been satisfactory also to them t° have Sir R. PEEL'S approbation tacitly given t° their efforts to extend education, to promote the success of literary institutions to which they have contributed, and to provide places of re creation for the inhabitants of towns, the plan 0 I a Liberal (Mr. SLANEY), and which a Liberal (Mr. STItUTT) has been the first to carry into ef fect. To all but the priests, who assert that knowlege is valueless, even for this life, and that on Faith alone must men rely, and to all but his own friends and followers, who se strength as a political party depends on pre serving the people in ignorance and the pnw er of the priesthood intact, Sir R. PEEL'S fiPe ec' u has given unalloyed pleasure. We published in our Evening Edition yester day, exclusively, an elaborate and valuable Re port of the Chamber of Commerce of Manches ter, by which that body has added much to tile, many useful services it had previously render ed the public. It contains, in a condensed form, t' vast mass of information relative to our impor t duties, aid we can do nothing better than re" commend it to the perusal of the public. Wel Madrid journals of the 3rd inst. have reache d us. The question of the Regency is likelY t o occupy the early attention of the Cortes. ( - )11 all sides great indisposition is evinced to the e" trusting ESPARTERO with the sole Regency—t he now darling object of all his ambition. T ile Treasury is empty and the Ministry at logger heads. On the Bourse the Fives were on the 3 " at 281 for cash. ine • We have received the whole of the Journals of Wednesday. In the Chamber of Peers on Tuesday the Prince of MosKowA, s °ll of Marshal NEY, made some severe remar ks upon the observations of Count MOLE relative t ° the execution of his father in 1815. It was cer— tainly most unwise on the part of Count 310$ t° have called the attention of the Chamber to s uch T a subject. That Marshal NEY was basely cruelly murdered, is now universally admitt ed by the ablest jurisconsults of Europe. No"c Count MOLE was one of the judges who preside at the mock. trial of the gallant Marshal, it is 35 indecent as it is impolitic to find him cheelci'v°. the current of the filial piety of the noble t ic ; scendant' of the illustrious victim of Boun l3° A vindictiveness. That Count MOLE was influenc.e by honest and conscientious individual convl; tions •in pronouncing sentence of death I.lP° Marshal NET, we do not dispute for an in stant : but surely time enough has elapsed to corree:' this fatal error of judgment. From the h 1 .1 personal character of Count MOLE, we esPeact-, that he would have been one of the first bers of the Peerage to express deep sorrow ae_ for an event which France has never ceas ed tos c plore, and that any motion for reversing the tence pronounced upon the illustrious Mar an would have had his hearty concur rence : udic i a l would have been some reparation fbr the murder of one of the bravest soldi ers to wily' France ever gave birth. • u pon The Firman of the *SULTAN conferring r halis MEHEMET ALI the hereditary Pac st as Egypt, has not excited so lively an intere Tit we expected in the political circles of I:atriilse.oll;t following article from the Quotidienne Is pointed of any written upon the subject :--pacha of The . protection of France had been pro mised totli Egypt, and millions bad been expended with that e 1 W. exchange what has Alehemet Ali obtained ? In n . O blies , what character of sovereignty, and if we ev en e 1118 here to feudal rights, what are the relations between The here and his vassal? These relations are all set aside., of primo ditary government is granted, and it is not by . r is directed ener The Porte reserves to it . elf the ri g ht of choosing ~. 4 hor s, g ge a n i i n t u s t re i , h a r n a d h i i m s i p t a n oh ot a, cl t e h a e r t o h: ly t this n roefs o gt i h e y i e ins cge)s , kpotr ? , and a d w an hy i ? mho te il c o aus t e le chosen. . Lord Palmerston, on the death of tne isnceandsaenratriaonth:urneniesha rapeuit_ltpur ~_~- *4 4 , 4 6 ,pj v c J 4, 4 -7:a7t7.7 , 4 4 A -„ trAfe,V, , tit / LIL THE SUN. LONDON, SA.TURDXY, MARCH 13, 1841. RNI G EDITION. •=.A 1 i