The Sun. — London, England, 1847-06-19 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIANIEN T HOUSE OF LORDS, June 18. The LORD CHANCELLOR took his set en the WoulstLk •t Five o'clock. BILLS FROM THE COMMONS. Several Bills were brought up an 3 recd a fir!t Cale. COPYHOLD COMMISSION BILL. - - - - _ On the motion of Lord CAMPBELL this Bill was read a second time. TURNPIKES CONTINUANCE BILL. On the motion emotion of the same NOBLE LORD this Bill was tetd a second time. GREAT BRITAIN STEAM-SHIP. Tie Earl of RODEN stated that the Great Britain !team-ship h a d b een ru n aground in the Bay of Dun "rill; within sight of his own residence. Up to the Preent time numerous unsuccessful efforts had been Wade, by means of breakwaters, to preserve the vessel t inlng the storm, and through the exertions of Captain vlaxton, he hoped that that splendid vessel would restored to its owners. He had been struck with the great services rendered by the use of faggots as a breakwater, and he wished to ask the Noble Lord den the h ea d o f t h e Ad m i ra lty w h e ther any steps had °nen taken by the Government with a view to ascertain ing the value of this kind of material as a breakwater? The Earl of AUCKLAND was understood to say that the Government had sent an officer to inspect the Position of this vessel, and they had made an offer to Pie Proprietors of the use of a powerful steamer should I t be required to aid in getting the vessel off. BATHS AND WASHHOUSES. _ On the second reading of this Bill being moved, Lord MONTEAGLE wished to call the attention of their Lordships to the importance of providing suitable „ec,_ oromodation for the public in baths and washhouses. kte Noble Lord also presented a petition suggesting the adoption of baths in every parish, and that they should be n s-Pported by rates. FEES AT ST. PAUL'S. Earl FITZWILLIAM complained of the practice of ,bar• ging fees for viewing the cathedral of St. Paul's. 'Dse attended there yesterday, and a charge of 21. was made upon him for inspecting the structure. He thought it was high time that the system was put an end to. MESSAGE FROM THE COMMONS. Messengers from the Commons brought in several ' 41 ', which were ordered to lie on the table. MASTERS IN CHANCERY BILL. On the motion of the LORD CHANCELLOR, the Masters in Chancery Bill and the Masters in Chancery 4 -fadavit Office Bill were read a third time and passed. JUVENILE OFFENDERS' BILL. The E ar l o f DEVON moved the Committee on this 411 1, and briefly entered into its details. Lord BROUGHAM thought that something must be thine to remedy the present defective state of the law With respect to the punishment of juvenile offenders here were many cases in which the services of a jut.) ftight be dispensed with, p,rticularly in dealing witt very young persons. He entirely approved of that par! of the Bi'l which made parents responsible for the good conduct of their children. Lord DEN\IAN had long thought it expediet and necessary for the ends of justice that all petty cases 16o uld be submitted to a jury, bec use he never cou!d Mink that an Englishman should be tried without a jury; s till the ev il s inherent in the mode of trying Juvenile and pe:ty offences were great ; for instance, Per,ons were tried for staling such things as eggs, _teres, and They were incarcerated for so oe !Atte bef ore their trial, and when at list the time arrived Juries considered that the parties had en sutli ;tently pueished ; and even when they were a t:ln d guilty, the judge could only inflict th fine of one shilling in consequence of T h e punishment which the p r isoner had received. -e consequence wos, that petty offences were e ntornitt e 1 with impunity, and the lower classes, who Were the persons guilty of them, were demoralised. Ile bat the m j p ury might re e be dispensed wit l h in such cases Where a good and responsible tribunal could be obtained. A , did not see any reason why any question which in 45"ecl expense should not be subintt• d to the tribunal e t - 1 1 ' which his Noble and Learned Friend presided. If is Bill were then to go forward, he thought that some c lauses should be inserted with a view to rendering the t lnishm en t ava il a bl e f or th' purpose. Then, again, there was a c l ause th a t required that imprisonment for three months; now, it was very well known that short ti7Prisonments did no good whatever. They often made i t , i ,eves for lif e , an d he therefore thought that the pun ,"inent should be more particularly specified, and that, mo reover, there ought to be a clause to oblige resti:u stop ; for, although the law required that the t s °Peng should be restored, yet it might, in a eri eiY of cases, not be forthcoming; and if theac tu sed possessed the means, he ought to be h_n;Pelled to make good the amount to the person who an lost it. For instance, take a case of forgery, in t w he h_ colonies, proceeds of the fraud had been transmitted to t c e ()lollies, where the receiver might set up for a gen to mall on the results of successful villany. Who was holder had b een un j us tly deprived, unless there was some cl ause to oblige its realisation out of the property of the • 'neer? A restitution clause ought, therefore, to be Inserted to obtain that object. • ord BROUGHAM begged then to suggest that a rse should be inserted in the Bill by which the often -1)!ks should be made responsible, under the Insolvent I.'"ters' Act, for the amount which had been fraudu , o i.nilY abst rac t e d, as we ll as li a bl e t o th e a djudication the Crimin a l C our t . Lord CAMPBELL was reioieed that the Noble Lord °clPiosite, as well as his Noble and Learned Friend the e, n o ef Justice, concurred in the principle of the Bill. but It it might be greatly amended in Committee, ti,t e si as a great point to have made a progress thus far. Marquis of WESTMINSTER said, that it was 611.3 his to move some amendments in Committee on ..ue Bat ing some having for their object the necessity of provid- Juverdrperi s g o e n n e e r r s a! system of classification among the Lord The House then wen t into Committee on the Bill. Coe i n tt I i jE NMAN thought there should be no distinc . th ough e the re Bill with r e gard to the age of the offenders, howe ver . ought to be with regard to the offence. If, _,ould ,it was the opinion of their Lordships that there Press it. be no am en d men t of this kind, he would not After a short discussion, in which Lord Campbell, Lord Portman, Lord Denman, and the Earl of Devon to ok part, the amendment was withdrawn. The several clauses of the Bill were then, with some verbal amendments, agreed to. Their Lordships resumed, and the Chairman brought I ll ) the leport. SOAP ALLOWANCES BILL. This Bill passed through Committee. STAGE CARRIAGES DUTIES BILL. . This Bill also passed through Committee. BURGH POLICE (SCOTLAND) BILL. This Bill was read a third time and passed. Their Lordships then adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS, June 18. The SPEAKER took the Chair at Four o'clock. NEW MEMBER. The Hon. Frederick Leveson Gower took the oaths and his seat for Derby. The Hon. Gentleman was in troducedby Mr. Strutt and Mr. W. Entvvisle. LIMERICK DOCKS AND HARBOUR BILL. This Bill was read a third time and passed. EAST LANCASHIRE RAILWAY BILL. This Bill, for maki ng deviations in the East Lanca shire Railway and the Rawtenstall Canal branch, was read a third time and passed. MANCHESTER, SHEFFIELD, AND LINCOLN SHIRE RAILWAY (ASHTON CANAL PUR CHASE). This Bill was read a third time and passed. REPORTS. The reports on the following Bills were brought up and ordered to lie t n the table : Chester and Holyhead Railway Extension. Crowl an d an d Cowbit Washes, &e.. Drainage. Manchester Corporation Waterworks (Power to sell to Manchester and Salford Waterworks). THIRD READINGS, The following Bills were read a third time and passed Manchester, Slid&ld, and Lincolnshire Railway - . Northern Counties Union Railway Deviation. York and North Midland Railway (linottingley Branch). Midland Railway (Extension of the Nottingham and Lincoln Branch at Lincoln). Midlands Railway (Masbrough and Normanton Station Enlargement). Paisley, Barrh,'ad, and llurlet Railway. Lincoln Town Rating. Limerick Docks and ll;rbour. Leeds Central Railway Station. Guildford Extension and Portsmouth and Fareham Railway. East of Fife R iilway (Markinch afvli:tior.). Edinburgh and Northern Railway, St. Andrew's and Newburgh Harbour, Branches, and Road Crossi•r:gs (Newport R iilway Extension). CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS. The reports on the following Bills were further con sidered and agreed to telfast Improvement. Caledonian Railway (Edinburgh Station and Branches to Granton, and to the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway). Clarence Railway:, and Leeds and Thirsk Railway .„Amal gamation. Eastern Un on Railway (Branch from Manningtree to Harwich). Exeter and Exmouth Railway. Great Northern Railway (Deviations between Grantham and York). Inve rness Harbour and Naviga tion. ! nve rness Municipal and police, &c. Leeds and Thirsk Railway (Eaglescliffe and Stillington cottenlion). Leeds and Thirsk Railway (Branch from Melmerby to N orthallerton &c.) weds and Thirsk Railway (Harrogate and Pateley &c.) I .4 eiceste r Waterworks. o don (Ci ty) Improvements. htnines Impr ovement . 4 a w :Vale Railway and Dock (Deviations and Bideford " k rr.ld Southmolton Branchks). and North Midland Railwa B ranches) y (Hull Station and STOCKPORT MANORIAL '.LOLLS AND BRIDGES. Oa the,motion f or th e t hi r d rea di n g of this Bill, M r• B. ESCOTT oosed the third reading, on the ground th at the Bill would interfere N•tith the interest of Ina_ lice nsed victuallers, wh o h a d been refused a hearing uefore the Committee on the Bill. i n Mr- TATTON E GERTOON supporte d t h e t hi r d read alleging t h at the inhabitants of Stoc k port were relialcula Fl y anxious that the Bill should pass. T he Bill w as t h en read a third tinge. CHESTER AND HOLYHEAD RAILWAY LX TENSION. Mr. WARD moved that the evidence taken before the Committee be printed before the Bill was further pro ceeded with.—Agreed to. REGULATION OF PRIVATE BILLS. Mr. GREENE said, that in the absence of tee Hon. Member for Montrose (Mr. Hume), he begged to move the order of the day for the adjourned debate on the question, that it is expedient that the constitution and practice of all Committees on private Bills, in future sessions of Parliament, should be assimilated as nearly as may be to those of Committees on railway Bills; and that it he an instruction to the Committee of Revision of Stand ing Orders, to make provision accordingly. In doing this he could not but regret that the duty had not fallen into more able hands. But as he had nine years ago entered fully into the subject, and as he had participated in the construction of one of the first reports that had ever been made, he was anxious to see the recommendation which had 13, , en then thrown out. The House some time afterwards adopted the principle of placing Members on the Committee who had no interest in the places to which private Bills had reference; but it had not been commonly adopted, and it was now necessary that some further regulations should be made. He did not think that Hon. Members, who were locally interested in any Private Bills which came before them in their Committees, should be allowed to vote upon the decision of such Bills ; and he certainly thought that some change was needed for in the constitution of the Committees of the House of Commons. Mr. BERNAL thought that the motion ought not to have been brought forward in the absence of the Hon. Member for Montrose, whose offspring this motion really was. He was convinced from the enormous increase of private business annually brought before the House that a time was not far distant when the House would completely throw overboard all the private business, and leave the adjudication of such subjects entirely in the hands of another tribunal. He would oppose the motion by every possible mode the rules of the House afforded. Sir R. H. INGLIS thought that the principle of con ducting the private business ought to partake more of the nature, and be influenced more by the principles, of the public bush - less of this ilouse. In the management of railway Bills there was a great error committed in plachig tee business which affected a local district before a Committee of that House, the Members of which were completely ignorant of the local wants of that district. Why, in such a case the decision depended not so much on the merits of a case as on the atolities of the counsel. He thought that no reason had been assigned for reversing the necision which the House had come to on the 20th of January, and he should, therefore, give his opposition to the motion. Sir W. 1-IEA'PHCOTE supported the motion, and crud •ered that the Hen. Gelid men who opposed it had n. 4 stated suffieient grounds for its rejection. They nad stated in opposition to it that Members would be burdened with more work than at present; but the very contrary would be the case, be ceuse, under the new system, five would often be enabled to oerfosm the task now assigned to fifteen. the present system was bad, because it overworked Metneet s—(Hear, heer)—but the plan proposed would mike that lehour less. As Chairman of the Como:titles of Selection, he had found great difficulty in the elecdon of uemb• rs, but he apprehended that Lae plan o' his Honourable Friend would remove it. !de considered that it was greatly necessary to alter s ome part of the present system, and he believed that if they adopted the plan proposed by the Hon. Member they would effect a great public benefit. They would advance the dispatch of business, and he was quite sure, at all events, they would consult the convenience of the Members of the House. (The lion. Member, owing to the noise in the House, was but indistinctly heard.) Mr. BROTHERTON hoped that the House would pause before it attempted to carry out this resolution. With regard to the constitution of Committees on former occasions, he remembered when 60 or 70 Members were entitled to sit up ‘n the Committee, and were, without being interested in the question, induced to come and give their votes. lie thought that in those Com mittees whieh sat to decide upon subjects of a heal nature, that local Members ought to be allowed to sit upon them. He conceived that such a plan would be much better than the present one, by which two or three Members were put upon a railway Com mittee when they were actually interested in the passing of the Bill before them. If they could not use direct influence, still they would have weight enough with the chairman to affect the Bill in its clauses. If the pro position was open to modification, he should .give his support to it. Mr. BANICES said he was quite ready to view this question in respect to the parties more immediately con cerned. In that view he was obliged to support the Hon. Member for Salford. His experience lately on a Railway Committee, where the want of local information was severely felt, strengthened his conviction. lie be lieved the system pursued, in respect to the rail ways was, perhaps the best that could be adopted with regard to them ; but only in regard to them for the qualification for this tribunal was ignorance. Mr. STRUTT begged to remind the House that they had already expressed an opinion on the very subject which was now under consideration. A motion on it was made by the Hon. Member for Dumfries, which, because it was somewhat prematurely brought on, was negatived by many in the House. No final decision, there fore, was given. In reference to what had fallen from the Hon. Member about ignotance as a qualification, it was enought for him to say that, not ignorance, but im partiality, was the qualification which was looked tor in a Committee, as in a jury ; and he thought that was the more satisfactory principle on which to constitute a tribunal. Lord SANDON said he should like that the members of the St...a - ling Orders Committee should come b...fore the House instead of bring contented with general in structions. All questions that were brought before the Committees were in some degree local ones, sod when the House ordered no local representative she uld sit upon that Committee, it praciicaily denied the district to be affected by the BR the means of making its opinions known to Parliament. He h , ped the House would pause before they came to any decision up , n the subject. lie was of opinion that local Members should be placed on these Committees. The ruse might have been quite right to exclude them on railway Bills, but it cl! d not loll:ivy that they should be excluded from Committees on Bills, which wet , - merely local in their nature ; in fact, he was ef °omen) that. none but local Members should be placed thee, and he was per• fectly convinced that, strict justice had ever heel. done. —(Laughter.) At all events, place them on the Com mittee, do not give a vote if they felt so disposed, but at least allow them to be present and to be heard. Sir J. GRAHAM said that he disclaimed altogether the propriety of considering ahat might be the conveni ence of M , tubers of that House with regard to sitting upon these Committees. He thought that when a Member undertook the representation of any place, he undertook it under the implied, if not the expressed condition, that his convenience was to be sacrificed, and his time devoted to the public service. He could not say that it was for the public good, with reference to what they were then discussing, that local Members should be excluded. He must say that he could not conceal his opinion that it was due to the interest of the people that, in the discussion of private business in that House. and which might in different localities affect interests of vast importance, the representatives of those localities should not be alto gether excluded. He thought that what his Noble Friend said was most true with regard to the case of the Vverpool docks. That was from the Corporation of L: verpool, and from the Dock Company of Liver pool. The rival contending parties alone paid the wit nesses and incurred the extenses of fighting a Bill in which these- corporate bodies might not alone be in. terested. The people at large might not have a pecu tnoiairiyive m s o o t m iv e eby atn i counsel, interest e s t but in they tb by their meansto appear ofhaving Members, by whom they would be represented without expense. He thought that the question was one which materially affected the principle upon widch the people were repro: ent,d.--(Hear, hear.) lie would hear it with very touch regretthat the nal • should have surrendered at any time any of these im portant functions, the discharge of which is the object of its existence. At the same time they ought to be pre pared to enter upon the consideration of the subject. In the Committee to which he had alluded the question was mooted and sustained even by an authority' such as the Hon. Chairman of Committees, that the I,lcal interests should be carefully excluded. It wee cons': dered by the Committee, and they decided tle.it the local interests should b represented. and that private m ene n e tre should to ad led. lie (Sir James Graham) su ppe t sted that decision. He thought their attendance was L ost important; it might be a question ia considering this subject whether their attendance which at pre attent was voluntary, ought not • to be made' c. taeptilsory, and a large proportion The subject, however, • of private Menehees adde d. deserved consitlmati on, and the resolution es p ecialll y which had been broug,ht before the House, containing some words of a questionable and almost neutralising effect. The : tubject deserved the cons ideration of the Govern meat and of the new Parliament, when they should come to deal with the standing orders in detail. But Ito was surprised that this resolution should have been ;broue-ht forward now, at the last ours of of an expiring PI irik.uaent. If it went to a vote, he divide against it. Sir G. GREY said that when the motion was brought forward in the earlier part of the session, he objected to the alteration so meently made in the ma tter of railway business being at:earn so soon changed, but since that period a Co re'rn - 'awe had reported upon the subject, and they almost uemennou-ly supported the resolution proposecd by the :lien. Mem ber for Montrososee. They ud in did not mention ny s;. stein to be pr p stead, but the v of the question. of Standing order s the . d •ntile p e ,posed to leave to the Commi t tee To this sug4estroe h.e would offer no o bjection. e Members inclination on the part of lionoureble Mr. ES fCOI..TRT said that th ere was no dis to serve on the reit , ces of the House, and he should not, therefore, eXpect that any reluctance would b-- exhibited under the new resolu tions, the plan had worked admirably since and he was sure that the extens ion of it would not disappoint the expectations of the House. This was the la,t ti me, probably, that he would have the honour to addre:ts t hem before he retired into private i hfe ; he saw the utneost necessity for their adopting the reso !ution, which would not only save the public time, but also' After the conveniet tee of the Members. few words ,from Mr. ESTCOURT, whic h did not reach . they gallery, LALIOUCHERE said he must say that he could not agree wi 'th the Right Hon. Gen leman the Member for Iforchese in conceiving that any great constitu tional princit. 'le was involved in the question brought before the Hot 'so. The only question for the House to consider was w. eat was the best way of constituting ho partial tribunals for the intil 9f these private Bills. He foun 1 that under the present system the House endea voured entirely to separate from the consideration of these railway Bills any local interest, and he did not sce why they should not pursue the same course with regard to other Bills that they pursued with re spect to railway Bills. He could only say that his opinion had become more and more strong in favour of having a simila:ity between the Committee on Railway end other Bills, as the public were much satisfied with the way in which these Railway Committees had dis charged their delicate functions. He did not think that Members representing a local interest should be excluded from the proceedings in the Committee, but he thought that they should not vote upon the question.—(Hear, hear) He said he would give it his consideration, in order to the system being improved at a future time. Mr. SHAW said, from his experience, although there might be difficulties, the preponderance was certainly in favour of assimilating. He should, therefore, support the motion. Mr. EWART said that it was objected to the present system of conducting railway business, that the repre sentative of a local interest could not attend the Com mittee which had that interest under consideration, in the character of a judge, but lie might certainly appear as a witness, and in that way attend to his duties, and to his clients, in an equal degree. The House then divided, when there appeared— For the resolution Against it Majority Lord H. VANE moved " That the Wear Valley, Bishop Auckland and Weardale, Weardale Extension, and Wear and Derwent Railways, and Shildon Tunnel Amalgamation Bill, be read the third time this day." The Bill was then read a third time and passed. CLARENCE RAILWAY AND LEEDS AND TIIIRSK AMALGAMATION. Lord H. VANE moved the further consideration of the report on this Bill. Mr. HUDSON resisted the motion, on the ground that the Bill contained a clause empowering the amal gamated company to raise money upon bonds and gua rantees before the shares were fully paid up. The galleries were then cleared for a division but none took place, and the report was agreed to, and ordered to be engrossed. HUDDERSFIELD AND MANCHESTER RAIL- WAY (DEVIATIONS AND ALTERATIONS.) This Bill was read a third titne and passed. MESSAGE FROM THE LORDS. Messengers from the Lords brought up several Bills which were read a first time. BUSINESS OF TILE HOUSE. Lord JOHN RUSSELL said it was not his intention to move the adjournment of the House over to-morrow, in order that the House might meet to-morrow to have several Bills sent up to the Lords. He had now to move the order of the d for going into Committee on th:, Health of Towni' Bill. He perceived that his Noble Friend, the Member fur Bath, had given notice of an amendment, but he trusted that his Noble Friend, for the sake of facilitating the business of the House, would not persevere in it. Lord DUNCAN said no one was more anxious to promote sanatory measures than himself. He had given notice of his amendment, because the Health of Towns' Bill did not embrace the window tax. He had, how ever, no intention to go lu!ly into that subject, but he had given notice of his amendment, merely for the sake of having an opportunity to mention the remark able fact, that within the last three or four years the lower class of assessed houses were getting fewer and fewer. No less than 7,000 of them had fallen off since the tax was increased by Mr. Baring's Act. He had no desire to impede the Noble Lord, nor had he any wish, unnecessarily, to take up the time of the House, and he would therefore withdraw his motion.—(Hear, hear.) Lord G. BENTINCK said, going on with the business to-morrow would be a great inconvenience to many Hon. Gentlemen. Saturday had always been a holiday, and as no notice had been given that the House would meet to-morrow, no doubt many of them had made en gagements for to-morrow. L'A.,l JOHN RUSSELL said he did not propose to proceed to-morrow with any Bill that was likely to give rise to discussion. He simply proposed that the House should sit to enable certain Bills to be advanced that had come down from the Lords. _ _ Mr. ROEBUCK. suggested that the Noble Lord might facilitate the advancement of public business by retraining from wasting time upon Bills that were not likely to pass this session.—(clear, hear.) The Rail way Bill, also, was another Bill which he thought there was no chance of passing this session, and at this period neither of them should have been brought forward to oc cupy the attention of Parliament. The Poor-laws Amendment Bill, however, must be carried, and he was of opinion that the Noble Lord should consider the time of the House, and only deal with those measures which he intended should be passed, and not take up their time unnecessarily. LUNATIC ASYLUM (No. 2) BILL. On the motion of Lord J. RUSSELL, this Bill was read a third time and passed. HEALTH OF TOWNS' BILL. Lord JOHN RUSSELL, in moving the order of the day for going into Committee on this Bill, said that he could not concirie in the observations which had been ;list made by the Hon. and Learned Member for Bath. He was of opinion that it would not be acting fairly, either to the Government or to the House, to presume that there was a host of objections to this Bill, when no notice whatever had been given of them, and to forthwith proceed on that presumption in the manner he suggested. The Hon. and Learned Gen tleman also said that the Poor-law Amendment Bill must be passed. There had been a great many objec tions to this Bill, but this ought not to deter them from proceeding with the measure, and endeavouring to pass it into a law. He should now, therefore, move that the House do go into Committee on the Health of Towns Bill, that he might have an opportunity of hearing what those formidable objections were which Hon. Members had to propose agiinst ir. Mr. ROEBUCK said that the Noble Lord had misunderstood him. He did not want the Noble Lord to withdraw this or any other Bill, but only not to occupy their time unnecessarily. or bring under their consideration Bills which he had no intention of passing into a law this session. The very circumstance of the Noble Lord saying that he wished o hear what formidable objections there were to the measure, showed the,: he had no intention of carrying it mute a law this session. Mr. MACK' NNON thought the Hon. and Learned Member for Bath was rather severe upon the Noble Lord, and that with regard to the Bill before the House, an ample opportunity should be given for discussing its merits. Mr. WAKLEY wished to know whether the House was to sit to-morrow to proceed with unopposed Bills ? Lord JOHN RUSSELL—BiIIs in their unopposed stages Mr. WAKLEY said that he was unable to distin• guise between tho.,e Bills which were opposed, and those which were unopposed. With regard to one Bill —the House of Commons Cost Taxation Bill—the re port on which stood for further consideration, it had not, as far as he understood, been opposed in any shape it had yet gone through, but neither the Govern ment nor the House were aware whether that would be an unopposed Bill or not. He thought if the Govern ment would take a review of the various Bills before the House, and tell them on Monday what those were which they were going to abandon, and what they in tended to proceed with, it would be a great convenience to the House, and of great advantage to the public. They would then see what business they had before them, and what the intentions of the Government were with respect to the Bills. He wished to ask the Hon. Member for Lancashire what his intentions were with regard to the measure to which he had referred, as a great number of solicitors were anxious to know whether it was to be proceeded with this session. He would be glad to know, therefore, whether it was in tended to be proceeded with before the evidence on which it professed to be founded was laid before the House. With regard to the Health of Towns' Bill, he felt in debted to the Government for bringing on the measure, as it was of great public importance, and he hoped no thing would induce them to abandon it. Mr. GrIEE NIL said that, with regard to the question put to him by the Hon. Member for Finsbury, be did not wish to give an answer in the absence of the Hon. Member for Montrose, as it emanated from a Committee of which he was the chairman. On Thursday next, however, he would acquaint the Hon. Gentleman whe ther it should be proceeded with or not. After a few words from Mr. G. PALMER, Mr. HUDSON said that it was unfair to ask the nuse to sit to-morrow, as no notice had been given o that intention, and many Hon. Gentlemen had made en gagements which would necessarily-prevent them from attending. Mr. DIVETT said that he considered that the pre sent was a most ill considered Bill, and he was of opi nion that it should be withdrawn from the House. Mr. PROT lIEROE said that he would consider it his duty to give it his most strenuous support through all its stages. His only complaint against the Noble Lord was that he did not include the city of Westminster in its provisions, for it wanted it as sadly as any other. Mr. BURKE was opposed to the Bill, and he called upon the landed interest to oppose it in every possible manner. They should do so on one principle, as the lists would subject the rural districts to the town corpo • rations. It was a notorious fact that the poor were now subsistisg on either a voluntary rate or the benevolence of individual charity, and he would ask the Noble Lord was this a time when a new liability should be placed upon the landed proprietary ? Lord MORPETH—I do not rise to stop the discus sion on this question, but merely to state that it is by no means intenued to include the rural districts within the jurisdiction of the corporations; it is true that there are provisions for widening the boundaries of towns, but there are none which would operate in the manner de scribed by the lion. Gentleman. Mr. BItO MERTON said that he weuld support the Bill which was most beneficial, and lie did trust that the Government world persevere with it against every op position. Mr. BORTHWICK supported the Bill, and took oc casion to defend himself from certain expressions of Mr. Macaulay on the debate with reference to Portugal. That Honourable Member said that his (Mr. Borthwick's) statements could never have been made by a person who was acquainted with the state of facts, or made conscientiously. The Hon. Member then read a letter from the brother of General Sa La Dandiera, which bore out the statement made to the House by him on that occasion. Ile therefore would repeat every: thing which he had then stated in' the fullest anti most peremptory manner. It had been said that a fciendly assurance had been given to the fleet that thy were not to leave the Douro. Was th a t a f r i en dl y assura nce? —was it a friendly assurance to tell a man that he would be shot it he attempted to leave his house? Ho would not enter any further upon that part of the . 1 : a question. din g w. eluieofwtahs,e loloppxoesvietri;nsorry who t o o ug se h e t t t h o at b e a l m l tohset materially interested in this question had left the House without any attempt to enter up:m its merits. Ho thought that he had clef rk , established the fact Zvi h which he started, viz., that the Junta had no positive or categorical declaration of war made to them. Ile lished to ask t o questions from the Noble L..rd, which, if at,sw fed, would perhaps ,atis%otorily end the discussion of the question. He wished to know it en the Nohie 1, - }rd whether the Portuguese Govern ment had sent any ships to take back the Count Bomfin, and those who were sent away with him, or at least all those who were capable or being removed. lie wished also to know whether the allied Powers had agr eed to withdraw the forces which were ad vanc i ng i nto P o rtugal, and if those forces had received a command to return into Spain, and whether they w ere i n a state of sufficient discipline to obey the command ? Lord PALMERSTON said that the Right lion. Gentleman had asked these questions in the absence of his Right Hon. Friend, and the notice which he had given seemed to him (Lord Palmerston) to be rather a discussion upon the meaning of the words than any dis pute as to the f ac t s . The lion. Gentleman also entirely omitted the fact of an announcement being made to the Junta, and that announcement having been made, the question was, whether it was not sufficient to have convinced any r easona bl e man t h at t here was danger in their vessels leaving the Douro. He (Lord Palmerston) entirely differed from the view taken by bis Hon. Friend, and thought that the notice was quite sufficient. The Hon. Gentl eman sa id t h at t h ere was no declaration of war. A formal declaration of war from the three Powers to the Junta was not to be expected in the or dinary technicaliti es o f diplomatic communications, The lion. Gentlem an f orgot the letter of the 15th of May, in which it was stated that Colonel Wylde and the Marquis of Saldanha having gone to Oporto, in order to . propose to th e J un t a certa i n art i c l es upon the part of the Queen, received the refusal of the Junta, to agree to those articles, and th e y d em anded the concession of further arti c l es , w hi c h wer e utterly inadmis sible.—(Hear, hear.) C o lonel Wylde then mad e a formal announ cement to t h e J un t a , in which he stated that he had n o o th er a l ternat i ve but to declare to them that the British Government, in concert with the allies of her Most, Faithful Majesty, would thereupon take such steps as they thought most proper for affording effectual assistance to the Q ueen o f P or tugal, to re-establish tran quillity in her dominions. That was the declaration which was made ; it was a d ec laration announcing the fact that effectual steps would be taken to restore tran quillity in Portugal, and the Junta having refused to accept the conditions offered, the only effectual step which remained was the employment of force. The letter of the 25th of May referred to the seizure of the vessels ; it stated that Sir T. Maitland, knowing the probability of the ship's of the Junta being stopped, in the event of their continuing to carry on warlike prepara tions, and perceiving that both the vessels had their steam on, and were over the bar, sent a message to the commanding officer, in a friendly way, requesting that they would not proceed to sea, and stating that they had better re-enter the Douro, and remain there for a few days. The message, or communication, was not in writing, but in words, as it was merely a friendly mes• sage, sent with the design of preventing disagreeable consequences. He thought that when the commander of a British ship stated to those who had the command of other ships, in the most friendly way, that to avoid disagreeable consequences which might occur, that if they went out of the river, they would most probably be taken, that was an an nouncement that any man, of common understand ing, was merely, through courtesy, to suppose as likely to precede a hostile proceeding between the two parties. Supposing that any two gentlemen in private life were at issue upon say particular point, and the one said, " My dear Sir, if you do so and so, the great probability is that I shall knock you down, though in the most friendly manner, I give you this notice, in order to avoid disagreeable consequences." He (Lord Palmerston) thought that if the gentleman happened to be knocked down, he could not pretend to say that it was done without some preparation as to the conse quences which had ensued.—(Laughter.) With regard to the question of his Hon. Friend as to whether there had been any information received as to the Portuguese Government navigation shies bringing back the exile; of Torres Vedras, no such information had, as yet, been received. lie (Lord Palmerston) supposed that, at the time when the last dispatches came off, they had, as yet, no means of sending for them. He had, however, great satisfaction in stating, that he had been informed that afternoon, by the Minister of Portugal, that he had re ceived information from Paris, that upon the 10th of the month, the Portuguese Government had issued a full and complete amnesty, which was one of the conditions stipulated for.—(Hear, hear.) That had been issued at a time when the Queen's Government in Portugal had not received any eommunicatiim as to the intended stipu lation, or of the intention of the Government of Lisbon. Mr. BORTHWICK—Have the prisoners left Fort St. jullien. Lord PALMERSTON could not sa y . With regard to the Spanish troops, with respect t o which the Hon. Gentleman had asked a question, they had no informa tion. He believed that none of them had entered the territory of Portugal with the exception of a very small detachment who, in conjunction with the garrison of Valencia, went to remove the guerrillas in that neigh bourhood. Up to the time of the 10th of this month no account had been received of their having entered into the territories of Portugal. In a very few days from that time they would hear of the turn which things had taken at Oporto, and that of course would check their progress at once, and they would, in all probability, return to Spain. Mr. VILLIERS said, as the House had entered upon a subject somewhat personal in its character, he hoped he might be forgiven for entering upon a subject of a somewhat similar nature. Yesterday evening, on going into Committee, the Hon. Member for Weymouth had asserted that a statement was untrue and quite a mistake. He was anxious to clear up the matter, and therefore he would take that opportunity of explaining to the House. The circumstanc es arose ou t o f the procoedingi in the Committee upon the A n dover Union, on which the Hon. Member for Wey mout h h a d as k e d a question of Sir F. Lewis, as to whether, on his resigning office, he had not done so i n regar d to au arrangement with his son. On his stating that fact to the House last evening, the Honourable Member for Weymouth denied the fact. If, in answer to him, he (Mr. Villiers) had expressed himself with more warmth than was b ecom i ng , h e a p o l og ised to the House. hear.) H e wou ld re f er to a letter, which he received from Sir F. L ew i s hi mse lf, s t a ting the fact the , the question had been asked by the Hon. Member for Weymouth, and h e a l so re f erre d to the report in the Times, and the report of the Committee which was pre sented to the Hou se . H e t h oug h t th a t these aathorities concurring, in his statement were strong proofs of his accuracy in stating th e f act . H e h a d only to set him self right in saying th a t h e did no t make any statement to the House on th a t occas i on w hich was not strictly true ; and that he was sorry if he might have expressed himself somewhat w arm l y on th e occasion. HEALTH OF TOWNS' BILL. On the order of the day for going into Committee on ;his Bill. Lord G. BENTINCK presented a petition from the Sewerage Commissioners of King's Lynn against the Bill, especially complaining of the centralization prin• ciple and the expensive machinery proposed by the Bill, and praying to be excluded from its effects. Petitions of a similar spirit and prayer were pre sented by Mr. SPOONER—From a parish in Birmingham. Mr. HORS %lAN—Two from associations in London. Mr. EWART—From Surrey. Mr. DIVETT—From Devon. Sir G. GREY presented a petition signed by 640 of the working men of Devonport in favour of the Bill, praying the House to pass it into a law. Petitions of a similar nature were presented by Lord EBRINGTON—Eight from Marylebone. Mr. C. BULLER—From Stafford. Lord MORPE I'll—From a meeting of the working classes at Bradford, in Yorkshire, and from the clergy of Sutton. Colonel SIBTHORP said he rose to move that th e House should res o lv e itself into Committee on this . that day six months. He objected to the Bill because it created commissioners ; it thereby increased the pa tronage which the Government already posseAsed. The Bill proposed to g i ve sa l ar ies to two of those commis sioners. If these i n di v iduals had not patriotism or feeling enough to disdain taking salary they were not worthy of the trust. He found that inspectors were also to be paid. That was another opportunity of cor ruption at elections ; Filch corruption as they saw practised every day. The BM, too, proposed to invade the present municipal government of towns, which, to this day, had managed pretty we ll. That, to him, was a sufficient reason for opposing it. But why, he asked, was London—was the metropolis excluded—why St. Giles's, their immaculate St. Giles's—why was that ex cluded? He knew many towns as pure, aye, purer than the metropolis—why then was it to be left out? 0, the Corporation, what) municipal matters were meddled with by the Government, rose up, and by the Lord Mayor they said, " If you meddle with the city, if you interfere with us ; ydu shall never again come into our city ; you shall never sit at our bench, and e a t our turtle— (Laughter)—aud drink our champagn e , an d a ll t h ose ewxoculel,lie expectnt t hi things a Government gs woulda t be impa r ti a l, an d feast." Why, one above suspicion. For these reasons, besides others, he moved that the Bill should be committed that day six months. Mr. WILLIAMS was surprised at th e course t a ken by certain country towns in reference t o thi s Bill. He admitted he was also surprised that the m e t ropo li s , w hich as any oth er p l ace, per h a p s v e ll as be in en uc le h ft Out. H o pi ng t h at that wou ld an other time, an d considering t oat some ar ts of the Bill h ad been - excluded, n ibon e beo e j rre n eec e mtdi should(el t dt h i e ebdl B e ah i namely, the appointment of the Commissioners by the Government, he would support the Bill in its progress through the IL use. were ind e fi n i te an d muc h too Mr. NEWDEGATE complained that certain words as Bill, e ll w to wh a t property it was to "town" and "district" used frequently in the first The effect o f i t would be to subject districts to tax e s w hich they did not now pay, c lbv l e it d u e s . e a s n pNi o ioe f d .o t h n e e and from which, when they did pay them, they would re ceive no benefit. The people would be subjected to taxation for what immediately concerned others and others only, a proceeding which was quite opposed to the coinnon law (]." the country. But it was not merely because of the injustice done to outlying districts that he objected to this Bill. He objected to it on the broad principle that local go vernments should be independent of any Government in that House. Ile objected to it as the Corporation of Birmingham objected to it. He objected to this policy because, step by step, they were departing from the principles of the British constitution. He objected to the interference with the municipal corporations of the country; he objected 19 the doing away at "one fell swoop" with refractory Toe n Councils; he obj:cted to the giving of such extended powers to any Government C re..i:eiion.-rs; and he ohketed the more, because they sought ta introduce this Bill ct so advanced a period of the sesiion,—(ll, ar, hear.) This e, es an attempt, under the guise of eanatory regulations, to break up the insti tutions of the cout , t,y. These institutions might be Fool or bad; he objected, at all events, to their destroy ing tbese at the beck of Parliament. Ile felt very waraily on this subject, and he trusted the lions° would not be induced to adopt a course of policy which, if con tinued, must irretrievably lead to mischief and confusion. Mr. ROEBUCK said he very much suspected some thing when an appeal was made to his popular feelings by Gentlemen on the opposite side. He was exceedingly jealous of such new born appeals ; it looked as if Hon. Members were bidding a high price for popularity. But this law was a most important one, and ought to be treated with that gravity it deserved. The Hon. Gen tleman had objected to the centralizing principle of this Bill, hut by centralization he (Mr. Roebuck) understood a,body, or individual, accountable to Government for the carrying into effect the principles and provisions of any Bill. What did the Noble Lord who brought forward the Bill propose to do ? He saw a vast variety of inte rests laying scattered abroad, and waste, which, if ga thered together, might be rendered useful to the publie good. The Noble Lord deserved the thanks of the country for his effort t) render these interests useful. But there was one district which had not been con templated in the Noble Lord's Bill, which, more than any other, required the cleansing influence of this measure ; and if he wished to draw a circle around this district, he would place, as on the centre of it, his finger on St. Paul's Cathedral. Here, within a circle of 30 miles, he found upwards of 2,000,000. Bath was to be attacked, Chester was to be improved, and Birmingham was to be cleansed of all its abominations, however vile these might be, by the operation of this Bill. But when the Noble Lord came to London, although he found there a mass of monstrosities sufficient to frighten Milton's Satan, the Noble Lord was not at liberty to touch London, and the evils of the district around St. Paul's flourished in as rank luxuriance as ever. Why was the corpora tion of London to be permitted to perpetuate every physical impurity within their jurisdiction? but above all, why did it strike terror into the heart of the Trea sury bench, when an Hun. Member of that House got up to complain of the injustice. They had Noble Lord after Noble Lord, and Learned Gentleman after Learned Gentleman, getting up in their places and protesting that the Corporation of London were a most praise worthy, upright, straightforward body, when in their very minds they believed them to be just the reverse. What influence was it then that enabled the City of London to be excluded from the operation of this Bill? (Hear, Hear.) Again, there was Westminster, Mary lebone, and Southwark ; why were these places to be exempted from experiencing the purifying influences of this Bill. Time was when the city of London was the centre of all that was great, and liberal, and good, but it did not stand now in that enviable po sition. It was now a mere mass of parties, who being closely bound together by their individual interests, had great influence and power in their possession ; but they wanted the generosity to use it with discretion and humanity. Mr. HORSMAN regretted that this question hed been so delayed and procrastinated. A similar Bill to the one now under discussion had been long wanting, and Government ought to have run all risks to get it passed. It was not a question of cone fort, but of protecting the lives of the people, for the reports and returns upon the table proved, that thousands upon thousands annually fell victims to the want of due and proper sanatory regula tions in Manchester and Liverpool. In no place were these regulations more required than within the bills of mortality. The burial-grounds within that boundary were terribly crowded, and yet day after day the number of graves was being added to. This question had now been before the House for the last seven years, and he thought the House and the public ought to be put in possession of the difficulties which prevented Govern ment from carrying it out. It had excited a good deal of interest throughout the country, and he thought the fact, that while an exceedingly large Humber of peti tions had been presented in its favour, but a very few indeed had been presented against it sufficiently proved, that the public felt that a time had arrived when a measure of this sort ought to be passed into a law. — (Hear.) That difficulties did stand in the way of carry ing this Bill he entertained no doubt whatever, but he felt sincerely, that if Government would proceed by slow and sure steps, to carry out the principles of sanatory regulations they muss ultimately succeed in carrying out the measure to the fullest extent.—(llear, hear.) He was afraid the Noble Lord at the head of the Woods and Forests, in his endeavours to carry out his plan had not met with the sympathies of all his col leagues, but still do not let that make the Noble Lord despair of ultimatQly succeeding in his benevolent and charitable design. In the next Parliament he would venture to prophecy the opinions of the Noble Lord's friends upon this subject would have undergone a consi derable change, and therefore he urged upon the Noble Lord to carry out as much of his plan now, and leave the rest to be achieved in a future session.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. BANKES thought that, after the large promises that were made, and expectations which were raised by this Bill, it was very unsatisfactory to find a measure proposed that was neither just nor general in its prin ciples, and was also entirely different from such a mea sure as had been prayed for in the numerous petitions presented to the House on the subject. The Govern ment were bound, before they ventured to proceed fur ther with the Bill, to account for the omission of the metropolis from the provisions of the Act. Not one of the Members for the city of London had been present during the speech of the Hon. and Learned Member for Bath—not one of its aldermen were present on the occa sion; perhaps the-absence of the latter Hon. Gentlemen might be ascribed to its being dinner hour.—(Laughter.) Taking St. Paul's church as the centre of a circle, it would be found that within its circumference upwards of 2,000,000 of inhabitants were congregated together, making the strongest possible case to irduce the Go vernment to extend the provisions of the Bill to that im mense population. If the city of London and its Lord Mayor were to be exempt from the operation of the Bill, why was it that his Right Hon. Friend the Lord Mayor of York, and the city of York itself, were to be included under its provisions ? Was it to be said that the city of York required more purification than London ? It had been well said that the Bill was either a benefit or a charge ; and in either of these points of view it was unfair to make a particular choice of London to the ex clu,ion of all the other towns and cities of England. The present Bill proposed to create a large number of commissioners, inspectors, and other officers, and it was a complete waste of time for the House to spend night after night in the discussion of this and similar measures proved a num ber of commissionships under the patronage of the Government. The exception of London was most decidedly unjust, and unless the House were assured that the city of Londou and the other metropolitan boroughs should be included in the Bill, he should feel it his duty to oppose the Bill to the utmost of his ability. Lord MORPETH thought that the Government had not been treated quite fairly in the attacks which had been made up - in it by Hon. Members on both sides of the House with respect to this BiE. He was first attacked for including the metropolis, and then he was copiously attacked for omitting it.—(Hear.) The Hon. Member for Dorsetshire asked him if he was not pledged to the exemption of the metropolis from the Bill ? Now, after what he had long since stated from his leftlt .i L n ( i e e tu n i tr t , a? h rl e b( t te hi er a t . i )i g ., h h t lei t ae li r e .m) r g c b o t o l t d b b e n e n b o e d a s o k u e b had to say that pi why e y t e h i i i t s n v, p l3 , a a i a s n r d it had been left out because—(The Noble Lord here made a short pause, which caused great laughter.)—lie had only to appeal to the recollection of Hon. Members themselves as to what had taken place in the House re sp-cting it, and to the important and urgent measures re quired for the sister country, said which wholly absorbfd the attention of the Government and the House, as his justification for the omission of the metropolis. Had the necessary time been at his disposal, he would not have t h oug ht of omitting it, but this not being the case, he was reluctantly obliged to defer the application of the measure to the metropolis for the present session.— (Laughter.) He said, therefore, that it was want of time to deal with a measure so complicated and so ex tt-nsive which induce] him to alter his determination, and to confine his attention for the present to that part of it which there was a probability of carrying into a law this session. The Hon. Member for Bath taunted him with having cut his stick.—(Mr. Roebuck—" No, I did the observation has been made by some though ol o a i s t lion. Gentleman, and the Member for Cockermouth had ualint w er r n a t: e n r t ti, had u t he y metropolis reproached him for not introducing a measure respecting not he were able to accomplish what he proposed with regard i t r o lte th rm e present r included, he should consider that he had performed no mean achievement.—(Hear, hear.) He felt, how ever, that he should not be influenced by the attacks that had been made upon him, and that he ought rather to invite reproaches than otherwise. as this would agitate the question, and induce him, or whoever might afterwards fill his situation, to follow the matter up, and complete what he had left undone. — (Hear, hear.) Those who represented that he had been induced to omit the metropolis f rom a re g ard to his own leisure and convenience—(Cries of "No, no ")—had little idea of the kind of life he had led since Easter — (Hear, hear) —or they would not entertain such an idea. However, he had one abiding resolve that he would con tinue to do what he could, when he could, and how he could, to promote sanatory improvement, lie could assure lion. Members, that if they had the opportunity of see ing the number of letters which ho had received upon the subject, and of the increasing extent of fever and dis ease—which was aggravated, if not caused by the ab sence of all sanatory regulations—the absence of those provisions which it was the object of the present Bill to introduce —if they cJiistd: rod that the mortality which was the consequence, and which pervaded all classes of society, the wealthy and the indigent portion of society, he felt sure they would not be insensible to the great necessity which existed for a measure of sanatory regula tions. If they postponed all legislation on this subject, during the present session and postponed all plans and surveys, they should have to defer the measure for two years more, and do nothing to stay the evils which at present existed throughout the country. When he last addressed the House upon the subject, he referred to some returns from the Registrar-General, to show the mortality which prevailed in sonic districts. The Noble Lord then read extracts from the last return. In the summer quarter of IS-16 the mortality, it appeared, had been greater than it had been for any similar period during the precious six years. In the winter quarter, 56,105 persons had died in those distrlcts, feotu which the returns had been made up. And it a ppeared that the annual mortality for England and Wales amounted to 120,000. The health of towns generally had been stationary, if not retrograding. Now, t h ou gh London bad becu omitted from the Dill, a i trusted the House would not omit the oppcirtunity to adopt means to rcd_.ce the mortality of England to as great an extent as it was possible to effect. The peti tions from various places in England had been referr , d and the Hon. Member for ar+rsetsliire to :d them that these did not refer to the Bill as it at present stood, iota to the orhd,inal rr alorre. lie (Lord Morpetli)dd not think that these petitions, coming. as they did from difT% rert places in England, could refer to the Bill as it applied to London, but to themselves and to general advantage,— (Hear, hear)—and none of the provisions of the Bill, as far as it applied to the towns of England, were altered at all from the original Bill.—(Hear, hear.) These peti tions, therefore, could only refer to the present Bill. There were thirteen presented from corporations and public bodies, twenty-eight from clergymen, magistrates, &c., forty-seven from the inhabitants of towns, thirty from medical men, fifty-six from operative and working classes, and thirteen from associations and societies, making altogether 187 in favour of the Bill. This was the number up to the end of May, but there had been a con siderable number sicce. There had been presented against the Bill two petitions from societies, six from water companies, seven from paving boards, and five from landowners—altogether against the Bill 22. The account, therefore, stood thus-220 petitions in favour of the Bill, and 22 against it. He trusted this preponde rance showed at least to what side public opinion in Eng land manifestly pointed. A resolution had been forwarded to him from the Health of Towns Association of the me tropolis, in favour of the Bill, and this association was composed of cler g y men , mem b ers of the medical pro fession, and others well qualified to judge of the effects of sanatory regulations. He knew it was sometimes said that those who were foremost in supporting and giving opinions in favour of any g rea t pu b lic question were sometimes influenced by inte res t e d motives, but ' as this association was composed of m em b ers of the College of Physicians, and the College of Surgeons, &c he thought it would be admitted suc h an imputation would not be applied in the present case.—(Hear, hear.) He did not then propose to enter into the details of the clauses, but he trusted, when the time came for doing so he should be able to show that, though the Bill did merit a special central superintendence, it did not in any way seek to supersede or paralyse local agencies. That it was the great object now to employ local agencies, not to fetter them, but only to give to them assistance by the aid of central wisdom and experience. lie trusted that it would also be showa that all the necessary functions for carrying on sanatory improvement were entertained in the Bill, associated with it a central body, because it was manifest that superintendence could only be satisfactorily entertained by one central superintendence and management—that with respect to waterwork companies, though he admitted that the Bill allowed a compulsory pur chase of them, satisfactory arrangements could be made. The insertion of such a power was he thought based on good reasons, but as it was a part which might be objected to in its details, and the way in which the purchase was to be regulated with a view to a proper considera tion of their claims, he should be ready in Committee to discuss all its provisions, to give due consideration to all special clauses and provisions, to see if they have been wisely and rightly proposed, to see if they could he properly amended. He hoped, therefore, that the House would not refuse the Government the pre liminary step of going into Committee upon it ; but that they would proceed to the consideration of it with an anxious hope to w or k out t h at good from it of which it might be rendered capabl e; and be would a dd that he did feel an anxi e ty on the subject —an anx i e t y ' not grounded on any party considerations, still less on any personal considerations—an anxiety not derived from any fear of its results, either on the part of the Government with whom it bad originated, or on the part of the Member of Parliament who had introduced it; but an anxiety grounded upon the affecting and appalling accounts which he daily received from all parts of the country. and which, lie confessed, had had that effect upon his mind as almost to induce him to mix an actual entreaty with the appeal which he now made to the House, not to refuse to go into Committee, where any alterations could be made, and not to delay any longer the prog•ress of the great work of sanatory ref.rm. Mr. lIORSMAN said if anything had fallen from him at all disrespectful to the Government, or to the Noble Lord, who had introduced the Bill, he had to ex press his regret. Ile thought, however, that he had treated the Bill simply as a Government measure, and as one which would affect a vast num ber of the people. If anything had fallen from him imputing blame to the Noble Lord, ho could assure him that it gave him great pain. Mr. MILES opposed the further progress of the Bill, and in the abstract agreed with the Hon. Gentleman the Member for Cockermouth (Mr. Horsman) that no one in that House wished to impute improper or unworthy motives to the Noble Lord.—(Hear, hear.) Some time ago it was stated that the Government intended to in troduce a measure to improve the sanatory condition of all large towns; but no one ever thought that the po pulous city of London would be exempted from its ope ration, especially when so many eminent medical autho rities and others connected with the City had urged the necessity of such a measure. He asked the Government, in the name of humanity, how they could think of leaving out the city of London, with its 2,000,000 in habitants? Why, they were suffering from the want of water—from the want of proper drainage, and, in fact from the want of every necessary.—(Loud laughter.) No later than the 26th of last May, a deputation from the parish of Farringdon Without, headed by Dr. Lynch, waited upon the Lord Mayor, and pointed out to him the frightful sanatory condition of that ward, which they stated was one of the most neglected districts in this respect in the City. Ile did not complain of the general principle of the Bill ; but he complained of it because it was partial.—(Hear, hear.) Still, if they went into Committee upon it, it would have to be de bated clause by clause, because it contained many ob jectionable provisions. He believed that the intentions of the Noble Lord were most sincere and praiseworthy; but the Bill, as it at present stood, was deficient. He besought him to withdraw it for the present session, and bring it forward in an amended state during the en suing session, when he promised him his support. He should, unless the Noble Lord gave an assurance of this kind, feel it his duty to vote against going into Com mittee with the Bill. Lord LINCOLN was unwilling to delay the progress of the Bill by any observations not pertinent to the sub ject with which it was connected, but as he had been pointed at as the individual who had advised the Noble Lord to exempt the city of London from its provisions, he thought it right that he should enter into some ex planation. He advised the Noble Lord to exempt the city of London, because of the length of time which would be necessary to bring the cumbersome machinery which would be necessary into play, and from the facility with which it could be carried out in other towns less densely populated. By any observations which he had made, he did not mean to imply that he approved of the machinery intro duced by the Noble Lord, and he was bound to say that his former objections to that machinery were strength ened rather than diminished.—(Hear, hear.) He would not now enter into any discus ion upon it, as he thought that the proper place to do so was when the Bill went into Committee. He was of opinion that the Noble Lord went far beyond the very sound principle which he had laid down, namely, " that the proper course was to have local authority and local superin tendence, only assisted by a central authority." Whereas he had greatly exeeded that object, and had provided a central authority which would control and supersede all local authority. lie was anxious to explain to the house his opinions, and what were the grounds of his objection to the measure of the Noble Lord, as he stated before, he should vote with the Noble Lord, for going into Committee, and against the Gallant Colonel, if he intended to divide the House upon his amendment. because he should be unwilling that it should be considered that he was ad verse to the object sought to be attained by the Bill. Perhaps he might be allowed to remark that if the Noble Lord did not intend to proceed with this Bill until a future session, and if he found that he was unable to do so, he should al a idon it for this session so' Parliamet t It would be wise for him to introduce a single clause, by which a great many important objects of the present Bill might be obtained, such a clause would not take more than a week to pass. It would be simply to enable the Town Council and the Commissioners of Paving and Lighting to carry into effect the provisions of the Towns Improvement Consolidation Bill, giving them an optional power to do so would confer a real and practical benefit; without such a clause the Bill would be perfectly inoperative, whereas by passing it they would give life at d vitality to its very important provisions. lie should vote for going into Committee. Sir J. lIANMER said that he happened to represent one of those to wns which were worst circumstanced (Hull), as far as regarded sanatory regulations ; and he, ther,- fore could not avoid saying that he hoped that the Go vernment would carry into operation some portion 01 this measure, although they might not be able to reach every thing which might be desired by carrying out the present suggestion, a step would be made in a right di rection, and a signal benefit would be conferred on the country before they returned to their constituents. Mr. HENLEY said he did not intend to vote for going into Committee, especially as this Bill extended its provisions to the rural districts ; he did not i know what the Government intended, but he could tell them that, according to its present construc tion, it was applicable to every acre of land in England. They shrank from dealing with a great evil when it existed under their noses, and yet they travelled over the country to find out plans on which they might exer- C . 113 their ingenuity. He thought the measure a had mea sure, intended to be carried out by bad means. Ile did not think that the framers of the Bill knew very well what they were about. Did they know that, after seven years, by the operation of the Bill, no houses would remain untaxed ? Did,they mean also to enforce party walls on ail houses built in small villages ? The thing was absurd, and yet such was the case under the Towns' Improvement Bill, which was incorporated with this Bill in one small clause. He should give his decided oppo sition to this measure. Mr. HUDSON comphined that the Governm en t dealt out one measure to the City of London, and another and very different measure to the provinces. Some Hon. Members did indeed say that the country districts of England—and one li on. M ember had par ticularly referred to the inhabitants of Yotk . —were H particularly partial t o th e measure. e dented that that was the case. Th e y were desirous of some sanatory regulations, but they were decidedly averse to this measure. But now the matter of sanatory regulations had been pressed to an unreasonable degree. He hoped that the House would resist the measure pass ing through the llouse this session. The country. was perfectly sick of the system of centralization, they wished to attend to their own business themselves. Lord J. RUSSELL said, that if the lion. Member for Sunderland were right, that all the corporations were able to conduct their own business themselves, then there was no necessity for any legislative interference what ever, Lie thought tbat the most consistent course for those. lion. llembors who objected to tUA...c..tel ij it , , , ,,,r ! &_ _ LoT3on from the Bill, would be to go i.rifo_Q\ithmittee, and propose to add Lor . . :lon ito - E ti: t ;* - 7--- jiwi i A With respect to the exclusion oft 'Lcatdon>, th 6 -,- - -!`" Government took the slime view of the\ tnittr. - * - thz,....._ - / .. 4 . j Noble Lord opposite (1.4-. rd Lincoln) l'iali.:".aiiikvii s ta's., I such attention to the subject, viz , that ch glifpflvtiOi l l is i ta , was necessary for Lonn. lie (Lord J. ii::,-, i c i ~7 b. certainly no party to the exclusion of London from the Bill, for he thought that there was much need of some measure of this nature to apply to the city of London. He hoped that the House would so far approve of the principle of the Bill as to allow the House to go into Committee on the subject. After a few words from Mr. HUDSON in expla nation, Mr. B. DENISON said that the feeling of the West Riding of Yorkshire was decidedly in favour of the Bill. Mr. MUNTZ thought that the Bill was a bad Bill, a vexatious Bill, and a very long and anomalous Bill. The Bill proposed to exclude a place which needed the most interference, and included those towns which did not need it. The people of Birmingham were fully able to attend to their own sewering and cleansing without the assistance of a London commissioner. Ile did not like the idea of those commissions, and the more he saw of them the less he liked them. How easy it was to mis place matters connected with sanatory statistics ! Mr. Chadwick, in 1841, compared Derrittend with Birming ham, in order to show that the mortality of the former place was much greater, but there was no comparison between the two places. He should give his strenuous opposition to the measure. Mr. REDHEAD YORKE said that the exclusion of the metropolis was sufficient reason for him to vote against it. Strangers were then ordered to withdraw, and the House divided, when there appeared— For going into Committee l9l Against it Majority The Bill then went through Committee pro forma. POOR-LAW ADMINISTRATION BILL. The report on this Bill was brought up, and on the motion of the Attorney General, the following clause was added to the Bill :—" And be it' enacted, that in any civil or criminal proceeding it shall not be necessary to prove the sending of the original order of tho Poor-law Commis sioners, or of the Commissioners constituting any board of guardians, in any case in which any persons profess ing to form a board in obedience to such order shall have taken upon themselves to act, and shall have continued for three years to act in the execution of the laws for the relief of the Poor ; and in no proceeding shall it be lawful to question the qualification or validity of the election of any person as a guardian after the end of twelve months next following the election, or the time when the alleged disqualification or want of qualification of the person against whom such proceeding shall be directed, shall have arisen." Mr. SPOONER moved the insertion of the following clauses:—Clause 19. Provided always, and be it declared and enacted, that no rule, order, or regul a ti on o f t h e Poor-law Commissioners heretofore made, or hereafter to be made, prohibiting the granting of relief to any able-bodied person, except within the workhouse of the union, shall remain or continue in force or effect from and after the passing of this Act. Clause 20. And be it declared and enacted, that it shall not be lawful for the Commissioners appointed under this Act to make or issue any rule, order, or regulation, prohibiting the granting of relief to any able- bodied person requiring the same, except within the workhouses of the union. Clause 21. And be it de clared and enacted, that from and after the passing of this Act, it shall be lawful for every board of guardians of the poor, and they are hereby respectively empowered and required to set to work, out of the workhouse of the union, all such able-bodied persons as shill lawfully re quire relief from any pariah within such union ; and to grant such relief as to the said guardians of the poor shall seem fit, out of the workhouse of the union, to all such able-bodied persons so set to work as aforesaid. Sir GEORGE GREY resisted the adoption of the clauses, on the ground that they proposed to make an alteration in the law and not in its administration. After a short discussion, Mr. SPOONER consented to withdraw the clauses, and the report was agreed to. TITHES COMMUTATION BILL . This Bill went through Committee, and the report was ordered to be brought up on Monday next. THE REPRESENTATIVE PEERS (SCOTLAND) BILL. This Bill was read a third time anti passed. POLICE CLAUSES BILL. This Bill was read a third time and passed. Mr. STUART WORTLEY gave notice, that on Monday next he would put a question to the Secretary for the Home Department whether the Government would take any means to insure the employment of Counsel in cases of prosecution for felonies and misde meanours, under this Act ? JOINT STOCK COMPANIES (No. 2) BILL. This Bill went through Committee, and the report was ordered to be brought up on Monday. THREATENING LETTERS BILL. This Bill passed through Committee, with the addi tion of some verbal amendments, and the addition of the following clause, on the motion of Mr. BODKIN:— "And in order to prevent justice from being defeated by clerical or verbal inaccuracies, be it enacted, that in all informations or indictments for sending, delivering, or uttering any letter, or writing, the sending, delivering or uttering of which is made an offence by either of the before recited Acts, or by this Act, it shall not be neces sary to set forth any copy or fac simile thereof, any law or custom to the contrary notwithstanding." TRADE EXEMPTION BILL. This Bill was read a second time. ECCLESIASTICAL COMMISSION. Mr. E. DENISON moved the appointment of the following Select Committee on the Ecclesiastical Com mission :—Mr. Evelyn Denison, Sir George Grey, Sir James Graham, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Goulburn, Lord Seymour, Mr. Nichol!, Mr. Baring, Mr. Acland, Mr. Vernon Smith, Earl of March, Mr. Aglionby, Sir John Yarde Buller. Mr. FOSTER complained that the Members of the Committee did not represent any important or extensive constituencies ; and considering this and the importance of !the subject, he begged to suggest the propriety of the Hon. Gentleman postponing his motion until Mon day, when it would come under the attention of a full House. Mr. DENISON explained that many of the Hon. Gentlemen whom he had nominated represented large constituencies. He was anxious that no time should be lost in investigating the matter. Mr. HORSM AN considered that more unexception able names could not have been selected. After some further consideration, the motion was agreed to. ROYAL MARINE SERVICE BILL. This Bill was read a third time and passed. On the motion of Mr. PARKER, the House at its rising was ordered to adjourn until Monday. The House then adjourned at a' Quarter to One o'clock. Mr. Sotheron, M.P., had an inte rv i ew y es t er d ay w i t h . he Right Hon. Strutt. CALIFORNIAN CAVALIERS.--The men are generally tall and handsome, while their dress is far more showy and elaborate than that of the women. Round a broad brimmed hat is tied a parti-coloured cord or handkerchief; a shirt, which is usually of the finest linen, displays on the breast a profusion of lace and embroidery ; and over the shirt is thrown a cotton or silk jacket of the gayest hues, with frogs on the back, and a regiment of buttons on the breasts and cuffs. To come next to the nether man, the pantaloons are split on the outside frcm the Lip to the foot, with a row of buttons on either edge of the opening, which is laced together nearly down to the knee ; round the waist is a silken belt, whioh, to say nothing of its value as an ornament, serves the utili tarian purpose of bracing up the inexpressibles ; and underneath, through the gaps aforesaid, there peer out a pair of full linen drawers, and a boot of untanned deerskin, the boot cn the right leg invariably forming the scabbard for that constant companion, the knife. But our dashing friend, to be appreciated by the reader, must be placed on horseback—the quadruped being generally as gay as his mater. Tile saddle, which is encumbered with trappings, rises both before and behind, while at either side their swings a olden shovel by way of stirrup. Thus comfortably deposited on his easy chair and pair of footstools, the human half of the centaur propels the whole machine by means of enormous spurs, with rowels to match, setting rain at defiance from head to heel, without the help of any of your patent waterproofs. To say nothing of the broad-brimmed hat, his legs are protected by a pair of goat-skins, which are attached to the saddte-boy,, and tied round the waist, while his body is covered by a blanket of about eight feet by five, with a hole in the centre for the head. This blanket, or "serape" appears to be to the vanity of the men what the bed is to that of the women. It varies in price, from five dollars to a hundred, sixty dollars ' being the ordinary rate for a fine one ; it is made of cloth of the most showy colours, sometimes trimmed with velvet and embroidered with gold. With such painted and gilded horsemen, anything like industry is of course out of the question ; and, accordingly, they spend their time from morning to night in billiard-play ing and horse-racing, aggravating the evil of idleness by ruinously heavy bets.—Simpson's Overland Journey B: and the World. A TRAP FOR TRADESMEN, &C.—Satan, in the shape of an " accommodating" fi rm, h as been sending circulars among our neighbours, offering the " temporary assistance" for a " moderate per centage." " Money or bills, to speculate or trade with," may be had to any rea sonable amount ; and borrowers may rely, with the most perfect cunfiderr..T, upon every transaction being kept snug. The arch-fiend recounts every possible emergency in which a " merchant, manufacturer, tradesman, or private gentleman of respectability" may stand in need of a " bilk" and off ers t o t a k e goods from his victims f or convers i on into money. A m ore nefarious circular was never issued. There is roguery in . every line of it. No honest man cld ommunication With with its contrivers ;—to The first truly and to " sell himself to the d ae I be the beginningof a do h :vi o lo. ld ,, action with such a gang woLl e - v . ew. miserable end. —Nottingham A splendid take of sa.rn I vs as GI Saturday, the sth instant, brought a shore on the south s id e o f P o l- Marstaig, by Mr. Mackenzie and a party from Aviemore Inn. The part where the net was hauled is we ll k nown as the best situation in the neighbourhood. There have been: no extraordinary takes of salmon in the river Beauly this season, but they have been uniformly pro ductive, and the fish have run larger than in general ; so thut the season may be considered, on the whole, an excellent one. Grilse are now making their appearance in large numbers ; end as many as from thirty to forty are taken daily. It is expected that as the year ad vances they will continue to increase in numbers. The same remarks apply to the Conan, where the grilse have also made a very promising commencement. —lnverness , Courier. T. n; THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDA V _MORNI NG, JUN. 19, 1847. '\ , It i * ( • • ./"