The Press.
London, England, 1858-01-30 00:00:00

THE PRESS, JANUARY 30, 1858.

thought that an inconvenient mode of proceeding, as
the Government had a measure of their own under
consideration. After considerable fencing, Lord
Palmerston said :

I think upon general principles it is not advisable to
bring in a bill in one session witht.ut a clear prospect of
passing it in that session, for, should the parties proposing
such a bill not be successful, they would allow the measure
to remain over until the next session, to be shot at by every-
body on the other side. I think, as a general principle,
the Government does better by bringing before Parliament
snch measures only as it has a fair chance of passing.
Therefore I must not be understood to make an engage-
ment to bring in a bill without a fair chance of passing it.
The deputation then withdrew to the Thatched-
house Tavern, St James's-street, to consider the best
course to be adopted to give effect to their wishes,
and passed the following resolution :
That the deputation, having heard the unsatisfactory
reply of Lord Palmerston to the statements this day placed
before him, cannot return to their respective homes in the
provinces without declaring their determination to press
forward without delay, and on their own responsibility, a
bill for the total and uncompensated abolition of church
rates.

The resolution was carried unanimously, and on the
motion of Dr. Foster it was also resolved :

That the deputation especially recommend the friends
of religions liberty throughout the United Kingdom to
contest the making of rates in all parishes, even where
they may be in a minority, it being a matter of common
experience that even the opposition of a minority may
practically prevent the levying of a rate.

A PUBLIC MEETING will be held on Saturday week
in Willis's Room, Lord Panmure in the chair, for
the purpose of promoting a tribute to the memory of
Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence, K.C.8., who fell
in the defence of Luckuow.

HAVELOCK MEMORIAL FUND.—We have been re-
quested to state that no individuals have been autho-
rised to solicit or receive subscriptions for the Have-
lock Memorial Furd, but that all subscriptions must
be paid in to the bankers, or to the London or pro-
vincial committees which have been appointed to
receive them.

THE Lord Bishop of London has presented the
Rev. Dr. Goulburn, late Head Master of Rugby
School, and now minister of Quebec Chapel, to the
prebendal stall in St. Paul's Cathedral, vacated by
the resignation of the Rev. R. Harvey, canon of
Gloucester.

AN AMENDMENT IN THE LAW OF BANKRUPTCY is
being agitated in the west of England. A public
meeting was held at the Exeter Guildhall on Satur-
day, which was convened by the Mayor, Mr. H.
Hooper, in compliance with a requisition signed by
the principal tradesmen of the city. The Mayor
presided. It was resolved, on the motion of Mr. W.
Brock, wholesale draper, &c., and seconded by Mr. J.
D. Osborn, magistrate:—

That the enormous and disprOportioned expenses at.
tending the prosecution of a case in bankruptcy, the con-
centration of the court in one town only of a large district,
and the unnece.sary complication of practice, render the
court practically unavailable in most ordinary estates,
thereby compelling recourse to private arrangements,
which tend to oppression, to the concealment of fraud, the
deterioration of commercial morality, and to the defeat of
the ends of justice.

It was also proposed by Mr. Thomas, merchant, and
seconded by Mr. Latimer, magistrate :

That the diversity of the law of bankruptcy, as dis-
tinguished from that of insolvency, creates doubt and com-
plication, while it is unnecessary and burdensome.

The motion was carried unanimously ; and a peti-
tion to Parliament, which Mr. E. Divert and Mr. FL
S. Gard, M.P.'s for the city, promised to present and
support, was adopted.
MESSRS. W. A. WILKINSON, R. WALTERS, AND F.
DOULTON, three of the Liberal candidates now before
the borough of Reigate, have issued a joint notifica-
tion to the electors that they have resolved to forego
their several personal claims in order to maintain the
unity of their party. They propose that the Liberals
of the constituency shall choose by ballot which of
them shall fight the battle with the Conservatives,
and announce that their respective committees are
preparing means to carry this arrangement into
effect. The Hon. Mr. Monson was invited to concur
in these proceedings, but declined to do so. Sir
Henry Rawlinson last week, at a meeting of the
electors, pronounced as his opinion that the Persian
and Chinese wars were most "unjustifiable and
impolitic."
THE RIGHT HON. SIR JOHN TROLLOPE last week
presided at a banquet at Sleaford on the inaugura-
tion of a new corn exchange. In responding to the
toast of his health, Sir John Trollope referred to the
monetary crisis and the Indian mutiny, which he
thought would have afforded sufficient employment
for her Majesty's Government and far the Parliament
in the ensuing session. But he was told that there
was a third measure looming over us—namely, what
was called " a reform in Parliament ":

For his own part, he hoped he should Ever be found
ready to meet any man to inquire into alleged abuses, and

107

he hoped he should be ready to reform that which was
proved to require it. But be did not want Reform merely
for the purpose of propping up a system or a particular
set of men. He did not want Reform simply because it
might be called for by the public at large. What might
be regarded as Reform by some might be designated under
another name by others. Upon that point people were
very much divided in opinion, and therefore he should not
enter into any discussion upon it ; but he would simply
say that when the measure, which he understood to be iX
preparation, was presented in Parliament, he for one should
be ready to consider it in a fair, and he hoped a just and
impartial spirit. But then he was not prepared for any-
thing that should degrade the franchise. He should like
to see that held as a boon by working men who could
achieve independence. And surely it required no great
industry, no great self-denial, to lay by enough to purchase
a 40a. freehold in a county, or to rent a 101. house in a
borough. If the nation thought fit to make the qualifica-
tion still lower, it might do so, but he was not prepared to
see the franchise degraded.