The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-03-06 00:00:00

iJ fARLIAMENT.

On March 1, the Hones of Lords did not assemble for bust-
see, owing to the proceedings in the House of c0mm0,,,,
aid ninny of the peers occupied tele seats assigned for then;
iu the House of Commons.
In the House of Commons, Mr. Pemberton asked the
President of the Breda of Trade whether it was true that
11. WS. the BUZZOTti wan recently ordered to llerne Bay by
the Admiralty. actieg under the advice of the Presideut for
Om purpose 44 protecting the Herne Bay ti ster CotuParty
from a threetene I attack by some fishermen upm their
oyster grounds.
Mr. Bright sail the Buzeard was ordered there, and at the
present moment he believed there was a gunboat in the Firth
of Forth for • similar purpose. What would be the further
action, of comae, depended upon circumstance..
mr. Gladstone, who was received with cheers, moved that
the Acts relating to the Established Church, Ireland, the
Acta relating to Maynooth, and the first resolution of the
Hoe, of Commons in the Session of 1808. relating to the
Fetabliehed Church, Ireland, he read like Acts were
accordingly read]. That this House will immediately re-
solve itself into a committee to colander the said Acta, and
Itesolutioes.
The Home then went into committee.
Mr. Gladstone then moved" that the Chairman be directed
to move the House, that leave be given to bring In a Bill to
put an end to the Establishment of the Church in Ireland,
and to make provision in respect of the temporaldies
thereof, and in respect of the Royal College of Maynooth."
Mr. Otadstone, proceeding to unfold his plan, prefaced it
be a lone exordium, in which he glanced rapidly at the
ireeteite gimea of the question, and answered by &MOT,.
the, some of the principal objections to his policy. Recal-
ling then the pledges givet, by those who had taken up the
question, he predicated of the Bill that it should put an imme-
diate end to the Estsbli-hruent and the public widow/nem of
the Irish Church, that It should be thorough, hut at the same
time liberal and indulgent, prompt in its operation, and
final in every respect Ile divided his deacription of the
Bill into three parts--its Immediate effect, its t Boot at •
certain time. fixed but not unalterably), at January 1,
1871, and its operation when what he called the
price's of winding up the affairs of the Irish Church
was brought to a close. On the first head the
Bill provided that the present Ecclesiastical Commission
should be at once wound up, and • new Commission
appointed for ten years, in which the property of the Irish
Church, eubject to life interests, would be vested trots the
time of the passing of the Bill. So that. technically and
legally. there would be an immediate disendowment if the
Dish Ouch. Dieestablishment would be postponed until
the Ist of January, 1871. At that date the union between
the churches of &Wand and Ireland would be dissolved,
all Ecclesiastical Corporations would be abolished the
Reciesastical Courts would cease, and the SeelealasticafLaws
would no longer be landing as !ewe ; except that they would
be understood to mist as the terms of the voluntary con-
tract between clergy and laity, until they were altered by
the governing hotly of the Disestablished Church. In the
bitervid between the passing of the Act and this date of
January 1, 1871, and during the reorganisation of the Church
it we, proposed that utpoititnients should tie made to
spiritual offices, but that they should not carry with them
the freehold or confer vested interests. Appointments also
would be made In the same provisional and temporary
manner to vacant bishoprics, but only on the prayer of the
bishops to consecrate a particular person to a vacancy ; but
these apptintments, too, would carry with them no vested
interests and no rights of peerage. Crown livings, also. in '
the interval between the two periods would be tilled up on
the sante principles. To assist in the reorganisatii et of the
('hurch, and to favour the creation of a body which could
negotiate on behalf of the Church with the Commiesionerithe
Convention Act, which prevented the assembling of the clergy
and laity of the Church, would be at once repealed ; and power
would he taken to the queen in Council to recognise any
governing body which the clergy and laity of the lie-
Wald lied Church might agree on, and which actually
represented both; and that body would be incorporated.
Assnming that by January Ist, 1671, or some other date to
be othetituted in the Bill, this governing body would have
been ceestituted, Mr. Gledstone spent more than an hour in
explaining the complicated details of the arrangements for
dealing with the Church and its property in its disestablished
condition. And first he explained how vested interests would
be met. A vested interest he den ned to be the title of an
incumbeet including in this term bishops and dignitaries as
well as betieficed clergy) to receive a certain annuity out of
the property of the Church „fees, pew rents, tbc., being put
out of the question) in consideration et the performance of a
certain dully. The Commiseioners would ascertain the Foucault
of each iiicumbent'e Bourne, deducting what he paid for
curates; ad, so long &she continued to discharge his duties
that income would be paid him; but he might apply to have
this eientbuted into an atinulty for life. It was not proposed
to interfere compulsorily with the position if the incumbent
in relation to his freeheld or the incidents of his landlord-
ship, with three exceptions—that his title to the tithe rent
elieree would he vested immediately in the Commission ers:
that the f“ehold of chuiches whi illy in ruins would be taken
Scum the incumbent ; and that the peerage rights of the Irish
Bishops would cease at once The compensation to citrates
will hoof two kit us, What Mr Gladstone called "transitory
curates" will be dealt with on a principle borrowed from the
Civil Service Superannuation Act, mid will be dismissed with
e gratuity, hut permanent curates—i.e., those who have been
etupleyed in the same parish from January 1, 1669, to Janu-
ary 1. 1871—or have lett their employment not from their
own tree will or miamtiduct, will be entitled to compensa-
tion on the same principle as the incumbents. Mr. Glad-
stone wan also careful to point out that this would be paid
by the incumbents. Private endowments would not be
ouched, and these Mr Gladstone said would be the only
" marketable property" conveyed to the Church. But be
limited the term to money contributed from private sources
since the heir 1660, and pointed out that it would not in-
clude churches and glebe h),uses. As to the churches,
wherever the "governing body" made an application,
aceompanied by a declaration that they meant either to
maimed, the church for public worship, or to remove it to
some mere convenient position, it would be handed
Over to them; but in the case of St. Patrick's Cadheeral,
and about a dozen other churches partaking of the
character of national memorials, the Comruissiotiers would
be empower d to allot a moderate sum for their main-
lons , ce. Churches not in um, and not capable of being
resod d for purposes of worship would be handed over to I
the Board of Works, with an allocation of funds sufficient
for their maintenance. On the knotty point of glebe homes
Sir. Gladstone said he had seen reason to modify his views of I
last year They were not marketable property, for though
sit expenditure on them of £1,200a00 could be traced
distinctly, their annual value was only £18,600, and there
was • quarter of a million of building charges on them which
the State would have to pay on condi& into possession. It
was, therefore, proposed to hood over the glebe houses to
the governing body on their paying the building charges, and
they would be allowed to purchase a certain amount of
glebe land round the houses at a fair valuation.
The bnrial grounds adjacent to churches would go with
the churches, all existing rights being preserved, and other
burial grounds would he handed over to the guardians of
the peor. Passing to the mede in which he proposed to
deal with the Begium Donum arid the Maynooth Grent.
amounting together to about £70,000, Mr. GlailstOne said
that the Presbyterian mintsters. recipients of the
BeTitllll DOIMIA, would 1* compensated on the saute
p ..nciples as the incumbents of the Disestablished
Church and lit regard both to the grant to May-
'tooth and the grants to Presbyterian Colleges--in
order to give ample time for the necessery arrangements and
to avoid the sudden stock and disappitintment to halivi.)uals
--there wool . be a valuation of all the interests in these
grants at 14 years purchase of the capital amount annually
Toted. This portion of his speech he concluded by
in elaborate explanation of a scheme for the final extinction
of the Tithe Rent Charge in 45 years. Landlords would be
allowed, if they chose, to pure-see it at 22i years' purchase,
and if they did not accept the offer they would come under
another and a general operation There would be a COM-
pulsory sale It them of the tithe rent charge, at a rate which
would j held 4} per gent.; and, on the other side. they would
be credited with a loan at 31 per cent., payable in instal-
ments in forty-five year. The power of purchase would re-
main in the hands of the tenants for three years ante the
paasieg of the act, and it was also propmed that the tenants
should have a right of pre-e nption of all lands sold ty the
Commission and that three-fourths of the purchase-
oieney might be lett on the eccurity of the land.
The ithancial reau.ts of these operations, Mr. Glad-
stone stated, thus ) —The tithe rent charge would
yield £9,090,000 ; Lands and Perpetuity Rents, £6,250,000;
Money, £7*Boo—total, £16,000,000 ; the present value of
the property of the Irish Unurch. Of this the Bill would
dispose id 18,06)000—viz. :--Vested interests of incumbents,
£4,9. 0,000; curates, £BOO,O 0; lay compensation, £900.000;
private endowment a, £500.000 bulhdiug charges, Win 000
cemmutation of Mayneeth Grant and the RegiuM
Dreamt £1,100,000, and the expenses of the Commisisou
£200,000. Comemiently, there would remain a surplus
of between £7,600,000 or £8,000,000 ; and Mr.
Gladstone roused the Bagging attention of the House
by the interesting questi. n, What shall we do with
It? The indispensable conditions he held to be that the
purposes to which the surplus was applied should he Irish,
that they should not be religions, that they should be final.
and open the door to no new controversy. He discussed
at length the various auggeatiets which had been made, die-
mtssine them all as impossible or radically wrong; and,
after keeping the House some time in tusPen.e, he an-
nounced, quothig the words of the preamble of the
Bill, that the GOverninent hail conclnded to apply
the surplus to the relief of "unavoidable calamities
and eenering" not provided for by the Poor Law.
Proceeding to details he allocated £186,000 for lunatic
asylums, £20,000 syear to idiot asylums, £30,600 to training
Kneels for the deaf, dumb, and blind, £15,000 a year for the
training of nurses, £lO,OOO for reformatories, and £51,000 to
county infirmaries--in all £311,000 a year. Mr. G adstone
eimeluded his epeech, which occupied upwards of three
hours, in a powerful peroration, which was cheered loudly
and long, riming which, he said :—" I will not venture to
ahticipate the jUdginent of the House, but I trust the com-
mittee is of opinion that it is a plan at any rate loyal to the
expectations we beta out but estlion—•cheers —loyal to the
peeks if England who ii dieved In our preoniees—renewed
cheers —. and I hope &leo they may think that the bet pains
we could give have bee., implied in order to prepate and
mettle° this measure ; hut while I say that, I say with
great submission to gentlemen on this side and gentle-
men on that side of the House, that in a matter of
leuielation so exceedingly complexed and varied I have no
itioPit there must be errors, there must be ontisdotis, there
may be na,ny improvements, and we shall welccme from
any . aide all suggestions which, when those outlines
are (Melded upon, may tend to secure a more beneflcial
application of these funds to the benefit of the people of
. , . We are undoubtedly askieg a set of educated
and highly reapectahle men—of generally pious and educated
men—to undergo a great transition. YOU are expecting and
asking the powerful awl intelli_ent minority, the laity in
Collimunion with the Irish Church in Ireland, not only to
abate, bet altogether to part from the exceptional privileges
which they have enjoyed. Ido not feel that in making this
demand upon them we are seeking to inflict an iiijury. Ido
not believe that they are exclusively or mainly respomible
for the errors if English policy tewards Ireland, and I
am quite certain that in many and vital respects they have
antlered from it. I believe the free air we breathe under a
ertenu if equality and justice, giving fell scope to the deve-
lopment of their great ediergies, witn all the powers of pre
peity and inteiligence which they will bring to bear, will
make that Ireland which they love a country for them not
less enviable and not less renowned in the future than it has
Iseen it the put. As respect. the Church, t admit that this
tea case almost without precedent. I Iho not know in what
country so great a change, so great a transition has been
enthralled in legislative lintels'. ot for the mii 'eters if a
relielous communion that bus mile) ed for so many agee the
favoured poeition of an Ditablirhed Chilmil I can well
understand that to many—to too many if them—such a
change may be looked upon as nothing less ttian the ruin
and destruution from the height on which they now stand
to the apparent abyss ii.to which they think they will have
to etescemi. There is sum' titing which recalls the won,'
itsoul in 'King Lear," when E leer endeavoided to persuade
Welt. ester that he had fallen from the cliff of Dover, lie
alys—

Ten masts at civil make not the altitude
Which thou hut perpeodlculerly fell;
Thy Ine's a miracle'
Art yet hot a little after the old nine rallies from his delusion
and hod, that he has not falleo at all. And so, I venture to
tinst, that when stripped of the factious and adventitious
eid on which we have too long taught the Irish Establish-
ment to lean, it will come to place its trust Oh its Own
',entrees, on its own sacred 111i6M011, in all that it draws
floin the energies of its mit,lsters and niembers, and the
hopes and purposes of the Gospel It teaches, and will find
that it has ev.tered upon a new era of Its existence--an era
bright with hope and promise. I think the day Is certainly
coming when an end is finally tube put to that union, not
I.,.tween the Church, hut between the Establishnient and the
elate, which was commenced under circumstances a little
a.,spicinum, and which have endured to bear fruits of un-
happiness to Ireland and discredit and scandal to England.
'lhis measure is in every sense great—great in its Prinellidek
great in the multitude, not merely of its dry and technical,
but of its details. It is not only a great measure, but Ills
a testing mea-nre. ills a meneure which will show to one
and all of an of what metal we are mails. Upon us all it brings
great responsibility. First nod foremost, we who occupy
thee benches—we are deeply chargeable, we are deeply
guilty, if we Mive the dishonesty, or, so some think, even If ,
prematurely or 1111,01,fiy. ehltilefilre IV, gigantic an Issue.
I know well the punishnient due to rashness ,0 nien,
• id what might to folMw upon those men who, with hati Is
unequal to the task attempt to guile the chariot of the
sun Our resipnnsibility, thomh heavy, Is not, however,
exclusive. It pitmen from as to every man who Is to take
a pet in the disi and de.dsion of this ,Ineso,,n.
r.v.ry man who approaches the discuientai is under
the tenet solemn nbliga,... to ruse LI,o level of his
vision, and to expand i c in proportion to the
greatness of the object. The working of our oonstita-

tion and government itself is on its trial ; but I do not be.:-
lieve there ever was a time when the wheela of the legis-
lative machinery were set in motion, under conditions of
peace, order, and constituthmal regularity, to deal with a
graver or more profound question. And more especially is
the credit of this great assembly involved. This assembly,
which has inherited in so ninny ages accumulated hour
from numberless triumphs of peaceful but courageous legis-
lation is 'tow called upon to &dares, itself to a no asure which
would indeed have demanded all the best energies o the
best among ycur fathers and ancestors. I believe it will prove
to he worthy of the task. Should It fail, even the fame of
the House of Commons will suffer disparagement. Should
it succeed, even that fame will receive no entail, no
sensible addition. I must not ask gentlemen oppo-
site to concur in these few sentiments, grateful sal am for
the kindness with which they have heard the statement I
have made : bull beg and pray that they will bear with me
for a moment, when, for myeelf and my colleagues, I say
that we are sanguine of the issue. We believe this contro-
versy Is near its end, and, for my part, lam deeply convinced
that when the day of its final consummation &ball arrive,
and when the words are spoken In the force of law to the
work embodied In this measure—a work of peace and
justice—those words will he echoed from every shore where
the name of Ireland or the name of Great Britain have been
heard, and the answer to them will come back with the ap-
proving verdict of civilised mankind."
Mr. Disraeli followed immediately and declared, with
Much emphasie, that the opinion of the Opposition remained
Unchanged, that Disestablishment was a political error, and
Disendowment--especially when accompanied with Seculari-
sation—mere and sheer confiscation. Under ordinary
circumstances he should have opposed the introduction
of the bill, toil, looking to the verdict of the country
at the general election, which he interpreted to mean
that Mr 01.distone should have an opportunity of deal-
ing with the question of the Irish Church, anti to the
action of the late Govenunent on that verdict, Mr. Glad-
stone ought not, in fairness, to be precluded from submitting
his policy to the House. Ile advised his friends, therefore,
not to oppose the motion, but he pressed for a delay of
three weeks before the second reading.
Mr. Gladstone declined to postpone it so long, and ul-
timately the second reading waa fixed for Thursday fort-
night, with which arrangement Mr. Disraeli expressed him-
self satisfied . . .

Leave was then given to introduce the Bill, and it was
read a first time. .

-
Some unimportant Bills were brought in, and the House
afterwards adjourned.
In the House of Lords, March 2, after several private Bills
had been read a second time,
on the motion of the Lord Chancellor, Bruce's Restiution
Bill wlut also read a second time.

The Earl of Clarendon moved the second reading of a
bill to pot a check upon the Brazilian slave trede. The
noble Earl traced the action of the British Government on
this subject, and said that idler the Treaty of 1845 the Brazi-
lian Government took no steps whatever to check slavery. In
1948 the Government authorised the British vessels to seize
Brazilian traders, and the effect of that was s • great that there
had beet) no record if slaves being imported into Brazil since
1e53. The noble Earl said he thought as that trade br slaves
had ceased, and as the tendency of Brazilian policy watt now
to abolish slavery altogether, the time hall come far the repeal
of the Act of 1e45, which was a standing affront to the
Brazilian Government.
Lord Chelmsford said, although he was Attorney-General
when the Bill of 1845 was passed, he was never consulted on
the subject ; and he believed the Act ought never to have
been passed, and that this country really had no power or
right to pass such a measure. He therefore quite approved
of the repeal of the Act.
The Bishop of Oxford said the most unpleasant feature in
the case was that there was a freluiig hostile to us growling
up in Brazil and in Cuba, and he hoped that her slajesty's
Government would adopt energetic measures to put a stop
to slavery on the east coast.
Lord Cairns, while approving of the repeal of the Act,
objected to the wording of the preamble of the Bill. He
thought the Act ought never to have been passed, because
it attempted to inter ere with the aubjeets of an bidependent
State.
Lord Grey pronounced his utter and total dissent from the
arguments of Lords Chelmsford and Cairns. The measure
was one of the best ever passed by the British Parliament,
anti one, too, of the most successful.
Lord Granville agreed with Lord Grey', dissent from the
long legal anzument of the no`nle and learned lords, which
might lead Brail to fancy it had some cause of grievance
against this country for all the years during which this Act
had remained unrepealed. But he was of opinion that it WU
time now to repeal it.
Lord Duff min moved very shortly the second reading of
the Common Law Courts . Ireland: Bill.
After some observations by Lord Clanricarde, the Bill WU
reads second time, anti their Lordships adjourned.
In the House of Commons, Mr. Gladstone, adverting to a
question whieh Sir Thomas Bateson had placed upon
the paper, but (lid not put, stated that the living of
Valentia, in the couuty of Kerry, was now vacant
The population of Valentia Wag 1,000, but only 70, or
about 1-40th part, belonged to the communion of the
Establiehed Church, The Government had not presumed to
come to an annwnlute and final conclusion in the case of livings
falling vacant between the time of their coming into office
and the time the judgment of Parliament would be
given on the Irish Church Bid. They would take care, how-
ever, that the wants of every parish where there was a con-
siderable congregation were adequately supplied. Ile thought
the Lord-Ltentetrant had exercised a sound judgment in
making in this case a temporary provision rather than in
making a new appointment which would create a vested
interest for life.
Mr. Lusk asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if his
attention had been directed to the reports in the public
journals of the large quantities of Australian and other
preserved meats that were efferent for sale at about sixpence
per pound if he had seen the favourable statement of his
Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh in regard to the
Au tralian preserved meat published in The Time of end
November, 1868; and, whether, seeing that the preserved
meats produced at the Deptford Dockyard (according to
Parliamentary return, No. 353, of last session) cost eleven-
pence per pound, he intended to continue to supply the
Navy with that manufactured by Government, or to buy in
the open market?
Mr. Childers s eid in 1865 the Government had their atten-
tion called to these preserved meats, and inquiries on the
subject were made in Australia but at that time they did
not result in any satisfactory atemgement being made. The
tmestion again arose last year, and some of the preserved
meats were served out to several of Her Majesty's ships, and
reports had been received from the officers of these ships
very satisfactory. The Admiralty were now preparing fur
tenders for supplies of preser, ed meats.
Mr. Acland moven', fires Select Committee to inquire into
the expediency of ennumnitting to seine one department the ;
duty of dealing with administrative arid legislative questions
affecting agriculture. The great objects which Mr. Acland
professed to hove in view were the removal of all obstacles
to the employment of capital in agriculture either in the law
or its administration, the prevention of improvident work.,
and the (Mutter, of accurate informationt ; and, among ether
suejects for this department, he hellcat d the transfer arid
improvement of land, including cottages the internal com-
munications of the country the regetation of the cattle
trent, ; the water -ripply, loth ce town and country and the
appointment it official arbitrators for valuing the intereets
ot outgoing tenants Disclaiming strongly the creatinei of a
separate Ministry of Agnicalture, he preferred the refereece
of these matters to a separate department in some existing
public office intended over by a permanent officer. And,
after discussing the qualifications of the various effiees
suggested, sitch an the Home-office, Privy Councilentlice, En-
closure Commissioners, and so on, he leaned decidedly to-
wards the Board of Trede, and created tome merriment by
exuding Mr. Bright tied at a farmers' Parliament he had
just attended, the strongest desire was expressed by the
farmers present to place themselves iu his hands.
Mr. Goldney preferred that each case of agricultural grie-
vance should he dealt with as it was proved; but, on the
other hand, Sir S. Northcote thought that a good prima
facie case had been made out foe an inquiry whether one
department of the State shottiol not be charged with all
matters relating to agriculture.
The motion for an inquiry was supported by Mr. Pell, who
thought the sewage rtuestion of itself justified it by Lord
llenley, whin laid principal stress on the road queston; and
by Mr. Corrance and Lord F. Cavend.sh ; but Mr. Newde-
gate, on the other hand, treated it as entirely unnecessary.
Mr Bright, in reply, pointed out that agriculture and trade
were pretty much in the same condition of having their
intereAs looked after by different Mikes. This was not a
very deteneilde thing, but he doubted whether a Committee
would discover so satisfactory a remedy as a consultation of
the heads of departments among themselves. Sun and
shower and industry would do snore for agriculture than
Government or Leiria:it ore, and his advice to faretere was to
come as little as possible to any Government offi,e ; hut if
anything could he done in furtherance of the objects of the
mention it ebouln I be carried out.
Satisfied with this assurance, Mr. Acland withdrew his
motion.
Mr. H. B. Sheridan brought in a scheme for remedying the
ratepaying grievance by repealing altogether section 7 of
the Reform Act, which extintuished the compounder.
A first reading was given to Bills brought in by Mr. Had-
field, to amend the law regulating the burials of Dissenters,
and try Mr. M'Lagan te amend the Game Laws in Scotland,
and the House adjourned.
- --- • -

•
In the House of Commons, March 3, several Bills relat-
ing to local matters were read a SeCOlal tinte,
On the motion that The Metropolis Street Tramway Bill be
read a second time,
Air. Pease moved as an amendment that it be read a second
time that day six months lie objected to the public roads
being so employed by public companies, and considered
tramways to be utterly unsuit. d to the metropolis, and
where they had been tried had utterly failed.
Mr. Locke seconded the amendment.
Captain Grosvenor supported the bill, considering the for-
mation of trarnwa)s mo t advantage°'ia to the public in
general. Taking into consideration the peculiar circum-
stances at the case, he trusted the house would give the
matter a fair and candi,l considerai ion
Mr Locke said it would interfere with the borough of
Southwark, and on behalf of the inhabitants of that part of
the metropolis he gave the proposition his most strenuous
opposition, insomuch as it would give a private company the
complete rum dipoly of a portion of the roads over which the
tramways would pass.
Mr. Maguire, tram his own personal experience, bore tes-
timony to the value of tramways in ?sew York, New
Orleans, and Philadelphia, more e•peciatly to the working
classes.
Mr. Laird said that the establishment of tramways at
Birkenhead hail given the greatest satin, ctlon to the public,
and nothing would calla, them greater annoyance than the
removal if these tramways.
After Immo remarks from Mr. Shaw-Lefevre, Lord G.
Hamilton, Sir. Whitbread, and other hon. members, the
second reading was carried by a majority of 131.
Mr. T. Hughes moved the second reading of the Sunday
Trailing Bill, and, in doing so, said the Bill was similar,
with the exception of very minor details, to that of last
year. He knew that the Governmen• were of opinion that
it was time to legislate upon the subject, and he proposed
that it should be referred to a select committee.
Mr. Peter Taylor moved that the bill be read • second time
that day six months.
Dr. Brady seconded the amendment.
Mr. Ayrtan expressed a hope that the House would agree
to the bill being read a second time.
Mr. P. Taylor withdrew his amendment, and the bill was
roads second time.
Mr. Fawcett moved the second reading of the Election
Expenses Bill. lie said the bill proposed td throw the neces-
sary expenses of a contested election upon the Inc ii rat,s.
He should strongly object to the hill being referred to the
select committee armed to he moved by the Government, be-
lieving that it omtained a clear and intelligible principle
which the House could rejeiA or adopt without further in-
vestigalon.
Mr Brines seconded the motion, and said he was anxious
to see working men in the House, but it was impoil.le that
could he done unless the expenses of a contested electlon
were reduced.
Colonel Barttelot strongly objected to the bill.
Mr. P. H tsite z supported the hill, and sabl it was unwise
and nut ,ir that men caulk not be returned without tlie ex-
penditure of a very large sum of money.
Atter remarks from several hot, members, both for and
against the hill, Mr. Moyer moved that the hill he read a
second time that day six months.
Lord Bury opposed the bill, because he considered that it
was only nibbling at and meddling with a great question.
The subject ought to be taken up by the Government, and
not to be brought into the House by a private member.
Mr. Welkin Williams also opposed the Bill.
Mr. Ayrton referred to the paragraph which sppeared in
the Queen's Speet., and which stated that a committee of
inquiry should be made into the subject of elections, and a
committee Was to be moved for to-morrow. Ile thought that
the House might with propriety allow the Bill to pass this
steno so that it might be referred with any other to the
committee.
Mr. Baxley obtained leave to bring in a Bill to amend the
Lamle' clauses Consolidation Act, so far as relates to the
settlement of the costs of arbitration.
Mr. S. Cave obtained leave to bring in a Bill to amend the
law relating to life assurance companies.
lord Eleho oldamed leave to bring in a Bill to amend the
game laws In Scotland, and the House afterwards adjourned.

The bill for the further amendment of the law of
evidence, brought in by Mr. Denman, provides that parties
to actions tor breach of promise of marriage, and parties to
divorce stilts instituted in consequence of adultery, and
their Imslmnils and whet, shall 10, competent and compel!.
she to give evidence. Persons who object to, take an oath
are to be allowed to make a declaration, and to lie liab:e to
[ indicted for perjury. The Act In not to extend to
' Scotland.