The Express.
London, England, 1849-07-03 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, JULY 3, 1849.

of by their lordships, after a very full discussion upon the
sobject. last session.
The Earl of YARBOROUGH was opposed to the seeond
reading. He was at a loos to conceive why railway com-
panies should be the only speculations sought to be interfered
with in the manner proposed. He would therefore support
the saseadment.
Their lordships thou divided—
For the saved ^---

..,—....-
Non-oontenta 5-5
The bill was then read a second time, and the house ad-
journed at a quarter to 8 o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—MONDAY, JULY 2.
The BPSAIIII took the chair at 4 o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.
REPORT CONSIDERED.— General Land Drainage
and Improvement Company (incorporation and conferring
of powers) Bill.
TRIED aEADlNGS.—Lanarkshire (east and west line)
and Glasgow and Shotte Turnpike Roads (amendment of
acts, &e.) ; Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway Acts
Amendment, Branches, and Deviations ; Bills.
LORDS' AMENDMENTS CONSlDERED.—Charing-
cross Bridge (amendment of act., powers to alter authorised
approaches, &c.); Bast Anglia= Railways (Ely and Hunt-
ingdon railway, extension of time) ; Bine.
PUBLIC BUSINESS.
PETITIONS PRESENTED.
AGRICULTURAL Dunsue.—By Mr. A. DUNCOMBE,
from Think and 11 other places in Yorkshire, ; Lord
BROOKE, from Warwickshire, signed by 7,000 persons :
Sir J. TROLLOPE, from Boston and 22 other places in its
vicinity ; the Earl of MARCH, from a number of places in
Surrey and Sussex; Major BERESFORD, from several
places in North Essex ; and by Mr. COLVILLE, from
Derbyshire ; complaining of agricultural distress, and pray-
ing fir
PROTECTION TO WORM BILL.—By Mr. DUNCAN (9),
from South Shields and other lasers ; Mr. CHRIST -
PRER, from Lincoln • Mr. J. WILLIAMS, from Maccles-
field ; In favour of this bill.
Basa-nousze.—By Kr. BROTHERTON, from Great
Grimsby, for the abolition of licences to beer-houses.
Tan PEOPLE'S CRARTZII.—By Mr. L. HEYWORTH,
from Derby, signed by 2,000 persons; Mr. CLAY, from
Hull ; Sir G. STRICKLAND, from Preston; Captain
PECHELL, from Brighton • Mr. COBDEN, from Heck-
atondwike, Yorkshire, with '7Ol signatures, and from Mir-
field, in tin lame county ; and by Mr. B. OSBORNE, from
the secretary of the Institute of Progress, in favour of
the People's Charter.
COLONIAL DISTRESS.—By Mr.BAILLIE, from Kingston,
Jamaica, complaining of colonial distress.
COUNTY COURTS.—By Mr. It. C. HILDYARD, from
Whitehaven, for the extension of the jurisdiction of these
courts.

M/LRB.TAOIS (SCOTLAND) BILL.—By Mr. COWAN, from
Edinburgh, against this bill.

POOR LAW OFFICERS' SUPERANNUATION.

In reply to Mr. THORN ELY.
Mr. I3AINES said that the subject of a superannuation
fund for poor law officers had been for some time past under
the consideration of the board, and he hoped to lay a mea-
sure providing for its establishment on the table of the
house, not this session, for the details would not be suffi-
ciently matured, but early in the next session. lie begged,
however, to have it distinctly understood that he should be
no party to any proposition for paying pensions to poor-law '
officers out of the poor rates, or out of any public fund what-
ever. The only principle he should admit would be that of
providing a superannuation fund by deductims from the
salaries of the officers to be benefited. (lieu, hear.)

AUSTRALIA.
Mr. SCOTT said that her Majesty's government having
introduced into parliament the Australian Colonies (No. 2)
Bill, continuing in New South Wel,e a single chamber of
legislature, on the ground, u stated in the papers presented
to both houses on the 25th day 01 May, that public opinion
in the colony is opposed to • double dumber, and these
papers recording the decision of the present governor of
New South Wales, and of the legislative council, and con•
Wog petitions from the most populous and influential por-
tions of the colony in favour of a second chamber, was it the
intention of her Majesty's government to proceed with the
bill in its present shape ; also wee any communication on
the same subject received from the late governor, Sir George
Gipps, and it so, was there any objection to its being laid on
the table before proceeding with the bill.

Mr. HAWESnid that the Australian Colonies (No. 2)
Bill, which was verbatim the tame, a corrected informality
excepted, with the bill which was laid before the house in
the first instance, would be proceeded with as soon as pos-

Mr. H. BAILLIB begged to inquire of the noble lord
the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, whether there was any
objection hi the production of a continuation of the China
correspondence laid before parliament in July 1847 ; and in
the event of this being at present inexpedient, how far our
relations with China were affected by the recent refusal of the
Chinese government to fulfil the agreement for the opening
of the city of Canton to British subjects, on the 6th of April
last, on which subject considerable anxiety now prevailed
amongst persons interested in Chinese commerce.
Viscount PA.LMERSTON said that no doubt there was
at the present moment considerable anxiety on the part of
the commercial community here on the subject of our position
at Canton, but he was glad to express the belief that this
anxiety did not rest on any solid foundation. (Hear, hear.)
It was quite true that the Chinese government had not ad-
mitted British subjects to the enjoyment of those privileges
to which they were entitled on and after the 6th April last,
under the treaty of Nankin ; but it had beenexplained, how-
ever, that the refusal on the part of the Chinese government
had been necessitated by the irritation and jealousy _preva-
lent on the subject among the native population, chiefly that
of the lower class, the Chinese government stating itself not
to have the means at its disposal to protect British subjects
admitted into Canton under the treaty from these menaced
outrages of the natives, which would of course tend to dis-
turb the friendly relations now existing between the two
countries. Her Majesty's government had not yielded the
right which the treaties in question conferred upon them ;
it had claimed, and declared Ralf to possess, on behalf of the
British subjects in Canton, the right, dating from the 6th
April, to enter the city of Canton; but the alternative being
the armed enforcement of the right, if acted upon at once, or
a temporary suspension of the right, her Majesty's govern-
ment had considered it more wise and more consistent with
the interests of this country to abstain, for the present,
from compulsion in enforcing the enjoyment of the
right, being satisfied that there were grounds for the asser-
tion that there prevailed among the lower classes of the
population of Canton a desire to insult and attack British
subjects; and that even, if by the employment of force con- I
cession could be immediately extorted from the Chinese go-
vernment, the advantage thus obtained would in no degree
compensate for the permanent evil occasioned. (Hear, hear.)
Her Majesty's government, therefore, fully asserting its
claims under the treaties—claims which the Chinese govern-I
ment in no way disputed—had postponed the exercise of the
right until more favourable circumstances.
EVICTIONS IN IRELAND.
Mr. S. CRAW FORD, in relation to the statements of con-
tinued evictions in the union of Kilrush, contained in Capt.
Kennedy's last reports, asked whether it was the intention
of the government to propose any measure to parliament for
the better protection of the lives of evicted tenants?
Lord J. RUSSELL said the government had received
and read with regret the reports of Capt. Kennedy, to which
the hon. gentleman referred. Last year, in consequence of
similar transactions, the government had carried a measure
for the protection of the lives of evicted tenants ; he did
not know that he could add any provisions to that act, by
which evasions of its enactments could be more effectually pre-
vented, nor was any measure to that purpose at present un-
der the consideration of government; but what could be
done to prevent evasions of the act should be done. (Hear.'