The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1863-02-17 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

lIIINDAT.-Mr. H. B. Sheridan maid be would intro.
duce his bill for the abolition of the lire inmwance dntv
on the 10th March. —Sir Ccorac Grey introduced • bill
for the purpo,e of amending the law relating to corrupt
prscticesat elections,by which all paid employees are lobe
Incapacitated from voting, the electionauditor abolished,
and several other changes effected tending to make
corruption somewhat more inconvenient. Sir Robert
Peel got leave to bring in a bill for the registration of
births and deaths in Ireland. Sir G. C. Lewis moved
• resolution that it is expedient to diecontione the
;treatise of appointing a select committee to prepare the
militia estimates, and that such estimates be prepared
on the reaponsibilitv of the ministers of the crown. Ile
briefly explained the reasons of this singular practice,
and showed that it had only become a mere form, for
the estiniates were really prepared by government and
nominally endorsed by the committee. The govern-
ment, thervfore, thought it desirable that the militia
estimates for the yeommay, the volunteers, and the
embodied militia be included in the regular estimates.
The resolution was agreed to. On the motion of lir.
D. Seymour the select committee of last session to
inquire into the state and wanagenient of the Eccle-
siastical Commiaaion was re-appointed. The hon.
gentleman atated that it hail nearly completed its
inquires, and its report might be looked fur at an early
date.

TVEMDAT.—Sir Trelawney obtained leave to bring
in a bill to allow certain persona to make •ffirtu tives
in all cases were oaths are required; and Mr. Aback
obtain...l leave to bring a Bill for voluntary redemption
of Church-rates. Sir. G. Bowyer also obtained leave
to bring in • Bill to amend the law regarding the juris-
diction and authority exerciseJ by the Benclieni in Inns
of Court.—Lord Palmeraton, in reply to Mr. Henneasy
said no propowil was made during the Crimean war by
Austria to England and France to combine with her to
ettailtlish the separate independent kingdom in Poland.
On the contrary, the Government were informed that
Austria never would content to such an arrangement.
In anima to Mr. Peacock anti Mr. Griflith, hi a lord-
ship said the lonian Islands were not • poaseaeion of
the Briti,h Crown ; but that they formed an inde-
pendent republic, which was placed under the pro-
tection of the British Crown. The British Government
had nierely offered, on certain conditions, to take steps
forth. annexation of the island. to Greece.

WEDMISDAT. —The Ealroon Fisheries (Ireland) Bill
wa.s read a second time ; and Mr. Neadipste obtained
leave to bring in • Bill to establish a charge in lieu of
Church-rates for the commutation thereof. mil to
afford facilities for the provision of other funds
applicable to the purposes of !Church-am...a—Lord
Itayolum obtaiued leave to bring in • Bill for the
better prevention of aggravated moults upon wonien
and children.

THUIteIDAY.- -COI. Patten, in reply to Mr. Hodgson,
stated that he hoped he should be able to induce
Government to consider the question of fees on private
bale wit& a view to • more equitable adjustment of the
chargee.—Mr. U. Gibson stated it was not the inten-
tion of the Government during the present year to in-
terfere, by legislation, with the management of railways.
He was glad to ray, however, that there had been •
decrease last year in the number of railway accident.,
as compared with previous years. Only one pasaenger
was killed in every 3.600.000 eon veyed, and one in 22,000
injure.l.—ln reply to Mr. Butler. Sir G. Grey stated
that the return ordered by the House on the 3rd of last
July, n-lative to tiekedodleave prisoners, had already
been laid before Parliament. It would be inconvenient
to lay upon the table • list of the cases in which the
conditions of the ticket-of-leave had been dispensed
with. With regard to the convict Redpath, he believed
that he bed received a ticket-of-leave is the colony to
which be had been transported, but as his sentence wan
transportation for life he could not return to this country
until lie had received a free pardon, which lie was not
likely to obtain.—Sir Robert Peel iroved the emend
reading of the Illegitimate Children (Ireland) hill—Mr.
Hennessy objected to the Bill, as he said that after it
had passed it would he easy to apply the whole .4 the
English bastard laws to Ireland. Illtimately the Bill
was read a second time.-11r. Villiers moved for leave
to bring in a bill to extend for a further period of 12
months the provisions of the Union Aid Act of list
Sessiou.—Col. Patten approved of the continuance of
Rill. He stated that the rates in tbe localities where
the pressure was heaviest had been increased 10, 17, cad
seen 19 times, and that the total amount spent in relief
of the prior since lime Act passed had been C 908,000, of
which 1:656.,000 had been contributed by public charity.
Contributions had been received of £46,630 from Aus-
tralia, Madeira, Bowie, Spain, Holland, Egypt. Brasil,
Turkey, dnacla, Buenos Ayres, China, India, New
Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.—The Lord Mayor said
the time was •pproachiug when voluntsry contribution
could not be depended upon, and selliedthat the auhaerip-
tions raised had esereiised a prejudicial influence over
other charities.—Lord Stanley suggested that the Bill
should be continues] for six instead of 12 mouths, tith
a view of further considering the question before the
recess—Mr. Cobden thought that, assuming the war in
America to be continued, the condition of the cotton
districts would be touch more serious than it had been
already. They could not rely upon • repetition of the
munificent generosity which had been displayed by the
public during the winter. The districts themselves
would be less able to contribute. He found that by far
, tbe largest contribution towards the relief of the distress'
bad been raised in the manufacturing distrieta, and
I amounted to £245,000. Two nsillowners alone were
contributing to the summit of their vrorkpeople at the
rata of between £20,000 and £30,000 a year, and to
I arrive at a correct estimate no less than 1150.000, which
had •ppeared in no subscription list at all—but which
had nevertheless heed given by the millowners—woul I
have to be added to the £160,000 which did appear in
the subscription lists. Without including the loss of
profit, he estimated the logs on fixed capital at £5,000.000
• year, of increased poor rams at £600,000 a year, of in.
creased poor rates at £lOO,OOO. and of wages at
£6,000.000. The contributions of the general publics,
therefore, only amounted to 5 per cent, upon the con.
tributions and loss of the mill owners. He epproved of
the proposition of Lord Stanley that the bill should be
for ais instead of twelve months, as it was impossible to
sey what might be the requirement& before they
separated for the recess if in the meantime the American

war ware not brought to • close.—After some further
remarks leave was given to bring in the Bill.—Mr. IL
Gibson obtained leave to bring in a Bill to regulate the
exercise of powers, under special Acts, for the con-
struction and maintenanoe of telegraphs.