The Express.
London, England, 1853-04-12 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT
HOUSE OF LOHDS.—MoNDAT, Arm 11.
The Loki) Cu took his seat at S o'cluk.
1•Iii 1 HON?: PRKSENTED.

N. %sautes --By the Earl of RODEN, from sereeal
plat s in trete...l, peeving f a the sunpressi.n of nunneries.
I'st:ll%4EN:ll4Y the Earl of EfiLIN-
TON, awl Es ti, FFIZWILLIAM, front places not heard,
in I 41,,,1r '1 the tree distribution of p tenementary pap
titi.t ti.r. WITH A lace:Alm) WIPE'S SleTFlL—f:)'
F.ul FIIZWILLIAM, Irons a Lice in Turk-Lure, iu
fauna ut.
COURT OE CHANCERY.
Lord St. LEONARD'S gave notice that on Thur.day he
would nut a quest tunas to the mlinthistration of the litu..3
of the Court ..t Clian•wry.
EXAMINATION OF ATTACHES.
The Earl of MALMESISURY referred to a e,.nversation
which had taken phec with respect to the I duration and
elimination of attnyhis 'afore they enti red int.. the
!attic service, and wished to take that opportunity of stating
that the scheme of his noble friend the member for Lyme
whether sa•t•fectory or nit, had nut uri4inutid with
the late government. (Hear, hear.)
CANADA er.F:RoY RESERVES.
The %atop of LX rEic (who spoke in an undertone)
era. unders•oval to move for a copy of a letter from the
bidiop of Toronto on she sulnect of the eltray reser/ex,
which
The Dike of NEWCASTLE consented to lay it on the
table.

IMPROVEMENT OF THE ART OF NAVIGATION.
Lml Wife rp:a4LEy pee notice u.se a Fritl.ty week
be wota:€l dir. et stienti m to, the carr,voluirnee betwseu
the United Stints goeLriarnrnt tad t..e g ,vi rnmtnt or W.
remarry with retereucu to the improvement of the Art of
Naehgttioo.

CO3iMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO TIIE CORRUPT
PRACTICES AT TILE CANTERBURY ELEC.
TIONS. . . .

The Earl of ABERDEEN MN to move their lorilehips
to give their assent to as uddress which heel come up trees
th.• other house of parliament, praying that a conamissi
might be appointed to inquire into the corrupt practices
which had prevailed at the last election and :d preening
ctimi. for the city of Canterbury. Their lordships had
already declared their willingness to co.oeierate with the
other house in end, orouring to diminish and cheek, by
every meats in their power, thee.) corrupt practices at
elections which bad been pared to prevail, and the time
be thought was fully come when something should ho
dune upon this suhject; for if matters eontioucd as at pre-
sent, he believed a serious blow would be stinek at the
very principle of the representative system in this country.
(Hear, hear.) He knew that sonic persons were Recite
toured to view with comparative indiff:renee these practices,
and to undervalue their consequences. Ile thought eue:i
persons were greatly mistaken, for in his opinion the people
of this country generally looked with increasing
disgust upm the frequency and growth of corrupt
practice at elections, and even the lowest among the people,
who were deprived of the franchise, were indignant at the
manner in which it was exercised by those who possessed it.
((dear, hear.) They hail been told that this evil had not in-
ereased, and that it had existed to an equal amount in
former times. It might he so, although he greatly duulded
the fact ; but, at all events, even if that were the case, what
did it prove? It plainly proved that the practice of former
times was worse than they had imagined it to have been ;
and, under any eircuinstauces, it could not diminish the
enormity of that which they now saw before their eyes.
(Hear, hear ) lie did not think it necessary to enter into
pirtieulars ot the evidence then on their lordships' table;
indeed, he thought it would have been much better if their
lordships had I. it all this preliminary part of their proceed-
ings to the House of Commons. (Hear, hear.) It they
were to found leeislntive proceedings upon the evidence,
then indeed it would be necessary to go minutely into the
whole case, and see how far it would hear nut any enactment
they might be called upon to make on this subj, et. But
as it was, he leaked upon the present proceeding as
merely laying the ground for an inquiry, and he trusted
their lordships would not refuse their assent to the proposi-
tion which he had to make foe an inquiry which was quite
sutlicieatly founded on the report of the House of Commons.
The extent and amount of bribery in Canterbury were suf•
ficient to justify them is at once agreeing to a further in-
quiry, reserving to themselves the power of dealing with
any measure to which such :nquiry might probably give
rise. (Hear, hear) Ile had been told, but he scarcely
supposed it possible, that an objection might be taken to
the course he proposed, arising from the terms of the report
of the committee of the House of Commons, inasmuch as
the report 01 that committee did not embody the precise
is sins of the set of last year providing fur the better in-
quiry into ti.e existence of yen,
matters. The committee
reported that bedll ry in the city of Came rbury was a system
generally preening as to the practices complained of, but
the words of the set required it to be stated that bribery
"extensively prevailed." Now, the House of Con.mons
taking entirely what appeared to be the common sense view
of the case—that where bribery was systematic and
general it was extensive—adopted the words in
the address which they had sent up to their
lordships, very properly, too, as they aopeared
to comply with the terms of the act. In their ad-
drea toe other house alleged that bribery did extensively
prevail in the city of Canterbury, and by so tieing they
adopted in substance the opinion reported by the commit-
tee tif the house, namely, that bribery was systematic.
lie should much regret if such an objection, so purely
tezhaieal, and which diJ not stand fur an instant in the
House Id Commons, were to be made in their lordships'
house, fur he really did think it would seriously endanger
the belief of the nublie in their lendships* sincerity in co-
operating effectually with the other house, fur the
suppession of the practices complained of. (dear, hear.)
lla thought the discrepancy to which he had referred
could not be urged as an objection which had any applica-
tion at all to the spirit of the proceeding adopted;
and that it would only serve to place their lordship'
house, in the eyes of the public, in a position in which ke
should be very sorry to see it. (Cheers.) He therefore
hoped their lordships would agree to the address which he
had the honour of moving. The noble earl concluded by
moving the address.
Lord LYNDIiURST trusted his motive would not be
misconstrued. No person could feel more strongly than he
did the necessity of putting an end, by the strongest
mesas, to that system of bribery which had so long pre-
vailed in the election of members: of the other house of
parliament. No pewee could feel more disgusted than be
did at the recent disclosures which had taken place ; but his
experience in court, of justice led him to this emelusion,
that caws of strong feeling, exciting great indignation, had
led to bad law, and a forced construction of

law; and neon all such occasions it was ne-
ermary to exercise the greatest degree of caution, so
se to see that they were not misled by their feelings to
steals the law to a construction which it ought not
properly to bear. In the present ease the com-
mittee appointed to inquire into the validity of the
election had pronounced its decision. The same committee
might be appointed to inquire according to the law whether
say corruption had prevailed at the elections, and they
might then make a re port in the very words of the
act of parliament. Therefore there was a simple
and easy remedy for this blunder that had been
committed; and he advised their lordships not
to go from the strict rule in this case, however
anxious they might be to suppress the extent of the evil
which they all deplored, and which had been so disgraceful
to the emantg. In all the feelings which his noble friend
had expressed he entirely concurred; there had, however,
been a great irregularity, and they ought not to proceed
upon it—they ought not to proceed open an untruth. (Hear.)
The LORD CHANCELLOR should deeply deplore the
result if their lordships were influenced by the greet atitho-
city of his noble and learned friend not to adopt the reso-
lution which had just been moved. He should agree with
him, if by making themselves parties to such a proceeding,
they were stating en untruth to her Majesty, that they
would be doing that which was disgraceful, and that which
must inevitably entail future mischief. But it was because
he was persuaded that they were stating nothing but the
truth in the proposed address, that he trusted their lord-
ships would not have any difficulty whatever in seceding to
it. (Cheers.) lie admitted, with his noble friend, that it
was to be regretted that the parties who framed the
„resolution did not follow literally the words of the act
sot parliament, and he trusted such a course wouid be
adopted in future. But when his noble and learned
'fiend said that nothing could warrant them in stating
t o her Majesty that there hail been a resolution of the com-
a lieu stating that corrupt practices had "extensively pre-
y ailed" in the city of Canterbury, if it was not so set
fo eth In the report ipaissionua cabin, he begged to say that
he differed from him. All that was asked was that they
she aid so interpret the report as that they could agree tia
an , address to her Majesty in the terms of the act of parlia-
men ; and he thought no one could say that in the present
(Dna, se they had ant gone as far as was necessary to comply
with t he se.
Lora BT. LEONARDS differed with the noble and learned
lord (t he Lard Chancellor), and was of opinion that the
house h. set no power to join in the address.
Lord Cl bMPBELL thought the very words need not be used,
but only . neb as were equivalent to them; and he had no
doubt that ewe used in the present case were sufficient. He
would rem 'ad his noble and learned friend that this act was
not confined to earrept practices which prevailed at the last
election. Ilse words of the act were, "at any election or
any elections." If the report showed that corrupt practices
prevailed at airy election, it would be sufficient. The report
in the present cue stated, that a system of corruption ex-
tensively prevailed at the last aod at previous elections. He
thought their lordships were boond to concur in the ad-
dress, and he hoped that they would ; for he believed that
both holies were equally desirous Of putting an end to
those practices, and for the most effectual carrying out of
this act of parliament.
Alter a few words in explanation from. Lord Sr Leo -
Lord REDVaDALE said that he thought that the best
way for their lordships to secure parties from the oppres-
sion of a majority in parliament was to insist on the precise
words of the act of parliament being used.
The Duko of NEWCASTLE had listened with surprise
to the speech of the noble lord who had just sat down,
recollecting the part the noble lord took with regard to the
bill, oa which this proceeding was founded, last year. Ii
the evideace were looked at it would be seen that the ex-
istence not only of extensive, but of universal bribery Irlia
estahlished ; and he 'eked if it was wise in this, a prelimin-
ary step, not a proceeding to disfranchise, but the instituting
of a fan inquiry_ into the facts, to act on a teennicality oh
this kind. (Hear) His noble friend (lard Red's-
dale) had not in this deloste, but often On previous CC, 4-
sioss, esprosseel his opinion of what were the duties of the