The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-05-04 00:00:00

THE DAY'S NEWS.

In the House of Lords, yesterday, the Customs
and Common Lodging Houses (Ireland) Bills were
read a first time. Lord Chelmsford moved that
the House go into committee on the Selling and
Hawking Goods on Sunday Bill, the object was
to put a stop to Sunday trading after nine o'clock,
which, after some discussion and a division, was
affirmed by 54 to 25. The House went into com-
mittee, ititer:Which the further consideration of
the clauses was postponed till Monday. A select
committee was appointed to inquire into the
regulation of Salmon Fisheries in Scotland.
In the Houe of Commons yesterday, Mr. Hors-
fall presented a petition from the vestry of
Liverpool against the Poor-law Medical Relief
Bill. Lord C. Paget said that the gunboats
would be properly put in order, but no additional
change would be made in the estimates. In
reply to Mr. E. James, the Attorney-General
said that he had issued orders for the prosecution
by criminal information of the parties alleged to
have been guilty of corrupt practices at the late
Wakefield election, including the two principal
delinquents, Mr. Leatham and Mr. Charlesworth.
As to the present position of the negotiations
between this country and the United States, with
regard to the island of San Juan, Lord J. Russell
said that a proposition had been made to the
American Government and declined ; but he
understood that Gen. Cass had received instruc-
tions to reply to the despatch of the British
Government, and all further proceedings would
depend on that reply. The adjourned de-
bate on the Reform Bill was resumed by
Mr. Macauly, who opposed the bill. Mr.
Gregory viewed with alarm a bill which would
sacrifice property and intelligence to num-
bers. Mr. Longfield dilated upon the mischief of
mob rule. Another and, we think the third,
nearly successful attempt was made during this
speech to count out the House, at a time when
there were not above 22 or 23' members present.
In a short time, however, a stream of members
poured in, and the debate proceeded. Mr.
Digby Seymour protested against introducing
AmeriCan arguments into the debate. :Mr.
Kendall denied that • the Conservatives. at-
tempted to delay the prcigress of the bill ; mem-
bers on the Liberal side seemed still more anxious
to find' an opportunity- of talking about it. Sir J.
Ramsden observed that to pass a measure simply
•- because a measure -was promised, was ;simply
'cheating the public. Mr. Walpole said
:that this measure involved a departure from
-the principle of all. previous measures of
.reform.
The. Chancellor of the Exchequer -admitted that
it was not because the -present system was bad,
but because it was susceptible of improvement,
that successive Goverirents had pledged them-
selves to a reform:lAL - Mr. Collins. protested
against the iniphitatiiiii - that 'the 'opposition
was chargeable with:: the :which the
bill had encountered. ...The. Speaker put the
queition, declaring that - the , ayes. had it)
and— the bill 'wits read a' second time with-
out opposition. Lord John .RUsseLl, alleging
the.itate of public business; fixed the committee
on the bill for the,4t4of..TO. In, reply to Mr.
Whiteside and Mr. O'Brien, Cardwell said
that the second reading of —the Irish Reform Bill
would be moved- before . the committee of the
English bill. The Bank of Ireland Bill passed
through committee.

got only a strange lull in the lately excited
state of thingsl in Europe, arising out of the
Italian revolution, has' suddenly taken place, but
a remarkable interruption of ministerial action
upon "the questions that are still in course of
adjUstment. All diplomatic intercourse, we learn,
between the Cabinets of France, Piedmont, Swit-
zeil4a.nd, and the Great Powers, is actually sus-
pended until the Italian Parliament has disposed
of the annexation of Savoy and Nice. One would
have thought that there was a still greater autho-
rity requisite for its final adjudication than such
a Parliament,—namely, a European Conference,
affecting as the question does the balance of
power in Europe. It is understood that there :s
yet to be a European Conference. But if all le
conclusively arranged before hand, and France
has already secured possession—which is nine
points of the law—what were the use of it ?
Already have the drooping spirits of the agr.-
culturists been revived. The happy change of
weather has, even in the brief space of a few
days, shown most satisfactorily that no harm was
done beyond immediate recovery. Even in Ire-
land they are constrained to confess, that all was
not quite ruined, and that their dread of blight
and famine was but the mistrust of a still benefi•
cent Providence. Our latest accounts from tha.
country state that " vegetation has rarely beer
so rapid as during the last few days ; pasture
lands begin to show all the greenness of a ful
spring of herbage, and the face of early meadow!
appears completely changed since the setting it
of the:favourable weather. Oat-sowing in thf
high-lying lands has been finished, and farmers
well forward in their work are busy at the flax
fields." Equally favourable reports are given of
the improved atate. of things from every other
part of the United Kingdom. So that all will
evidently yet be well. We shall doubtless have
a season of plenteousness. Let us .be thankful
for it.

The second reading of Lord Raynham's Bill, in