The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1868-08-04 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

MONDAY. —Sir Stafford Northeote brought forward
his Indisn budget. He explained at some length the
financial position of tbe country, whieh, on the whole,
Ins not sexy satisfactory. The revenues and the receipts
for the year showed an improvement a nearly one sad
• half millions, but on the other hand the espenditure
bed alao increased £744,000. The result was that
whereas • deficit of £1,827,000 had been expected, it
would only amount to E 1,160,000. Tbe hon. baronet's
statement was severely critictsed, bet ultimately a MAY
of resolutions respecting the 6nanelsl condition and the
requirements of India were agreed to.

TOISDAT.—The Publio Schools Bill, es brought down
from the Lords, waa oonsiderod. Sir Stafford North.
cote moved that the amendments mad. by their lord-
ships should be disarms& with, and, atter a brief dismis-
sion, this was salad by • majority of 28 to I& no
Poor Relief Bill was read a third time and passed, end
then the house resumed the oonswisration of Mr.
Russell Gorney's motion to grant £l,BOO out of Us
Consolidated Fund for tho benefit of the Arehdosooa of
Middles's, who bid been appointed coadjutor Bishop of
J11111.i61. The proposal was rejected by the narrow
major.ty of oiso-80 to 29. A propositioas by Mr. Bear-
den for a select committal to inquire into the imprison-
ment of Mr. Train in Duhlinifell to:the:ground for want
of a sooonder.

WZONLSDAT.—The ChimeDor of the Exchequer
stated, in reply to Mr. M'Laren, that the propriety of
allowing the Post-office to carry an ounce of printed
matter for • halfpenny was under rionsideration, and
that a case had been stated for the opinion of • court
of law in the matter of the prosecution of the Ciremier
Delivery Companies. Mr. Boehm called attention to
the inamorata state of the standard of weight end
measure, and to the presect system of enforcing**
law, whereby half the penalties were paid to the in-
former. He thought the standards required more fir !
quent veritlestion : the names of the offenders should
be published, but the exact nature of the offence should
be stated. It would also be well to have some mode of I
marking dishonest tradesmen—(obeers.) Mr. Oave
said that experience had shown that where part of the
penalty was not given to the informer the law was ves7
often allowed to elninher.'simply because It wee nobody's
heathens to put it in foros—(hear, brit.) It wee esey
remarkable to nee bow the poor submitted to the daily
bands of rascally tradesmen ; but the fact was they were
aomotholy in debt to the shop—the shopkeeper, there-
fore, had them under his hand, and very bear/ they
commonly found it. As to the proposal of the ben.
gentleman to set some mark upon persons marrteted of
i this offence, he entirely went with t. In France it was
the custom to make franduknt shopkeepers who gee*
short weight post the offence of which they had boss
platy, and their senteme, outside their own shop doors
for a certain period of time; and perbape some such
regulation in Ugland would prove more beneficial than
anything else, unless it was considered too strong a
measure—(hem, bear.) Mr. Sedans+ Gambit thought
the exhibition of the mown of the shopkeepers who
gave short weight at their own shop doors would beta*
lenient, and might be attended with some difficulty, lie
pointed out that • practice often existed among shop-
keepers of giving short weight to the poor which was
exesedingly difficult to detect namely, that of within
• piece of lead, or something heavy, in the sealea and
taking it out again after the article was served. For his
pert be should wish such rogues to be branded with the
letter R in their forehead--(chters.) Colonel Sykes
hoped that the time was not fir distant when the coe-
Omuta' system of weights and meamos woeld be intro-
duced into this country. Mr. Cavendish Sentinels next
moved for a oopy of the proceedings in Chancery in the
case of Mr. Leonard Edmunds, but the Attorney.
General °bloated to the motion, and it was withdrawn.
The Lords amendment, to the Corrupt Practices at
Sketioas Bill were considered, and egreed to. The
house considered the Lords' reasons for disagreeing with
004 of the amendments to the Commutation of Cherish
Tithes dots Bill, and ocrocurred in them.
FILIDAT.—The third session of the nineteenth parlia-
ment, and virtually the perhament itself, was brought
to an end by Royal Commiseion. There were all the
usual accessories of • dimolation and members looked
and spoke and moved about so though they were assist-
lag at a funeral ceremony. The Sprite: took the chair
about hairpasli one. Lard Stanley arramd Mr. Otway
that the Foreign-allos hada* informatioe of a projsMed
effensiwe end deleaeles alliance between Franee,Beiginto,
and Holland. Mr. Rambo proceeded to move for
leave to bring in • bill to amend the AM of Union
between Great Britain and Ireland. He wan promeding
to argue for • separate eationaUty for Ireland, when
the doorkeeper shoot/et " Bleck Rod I" the door WS4
slammed in that functionary's face, and the member for
Athlone dropped into hie seat, having had the last
word in the Beams of Commons deleted under the
franchisee granted by the sot of 1832. Thee three
mysterious taps were heard, and as the silent M.P.•
within liatened, the sounds esemed to fall upon the
ear as the death knell of the parliament The atteedanes
of Mr. Speaker and the Rouse was commanded in the
House of Peers, and thither the right hoc. res"."
gred. attended by the Premier, Lord Stanley,
er,lLord Jobe Manama, end a few other membees,
the whole mum formkg a strange econtrast to that im-
petuoas rush to the bar which tharaeterbed the opening
of the lest 1144WO• of the dying parliament. On return.
lag to the H 011144 the Royal 4•00 h was reed by the
Speaker at the table, Um few members present standing
nomad hint Mt In hand. The ceremony of lenve-takiag
ma thin performed, the Speaker sbakieg each member
by the bead es be passed set before him' and when**
beak of Mr. Camedish &Otis& had turned lapoci 0'
Home it tom be said that the Bel wm sem of 0
'seabed iiit

....i•Parilir." 1