The Express.
London, England, 1851-07-25 00:00:00

The following bills wero read a third time and passed—
The Inverness Bridge; Soap Duty Allowance; Militia
Pay; Oenoral Board of Health (No. 2).
METROPOLITAN SEWERS BILL.
On the order of the day for the second reading of the
above bill, a somewhat angry conversation took place, and
ultimately
Mr. WAKLEY withdrew his motion, and the bill was
read a second time, on the understanding that the discus-
sion should take place on Tuesday at twelve on the order of
the day for going into committee.
The Church Buildiug Acts Ameialment Bill (adjourned
debate) was read a second time, with the understanding
that the ,Iocll4.iort was to lie taken in committee._

I nor on the present system are they in the way of
being so.
A suggestion has recently been made to the go-
vernment of a kind which tliough certainly not alto-'
gether free from objection, has the merit of obviating
many of the difficulties with which all deviations'
I hem the rule of private enterprise are generally
felt to be encompassed. It is proposed on
behalf of several counties, chiefly we believe
those of Ulster, that the locality through which a
branch railway is to run should, within assignable
limits and under certain circumstances, have the
power of self-taxation in order to assist in the com-
pletion of the design. It is not proposed that the
county or barony should raise the capital sum neces-
sary for the undertaking : that would, no doubt, be
burdensome, unpopular, and unnecessary. If capital
be not forthcoming from private sources it is not
proposed that any step whatever should be taken.
But, inasmuch as capitalists in these more
circumspect days might be induced to come for-
ward were a moderate rate of interest insured
to them, and as it would in many instances be
well worth the while of the land-locked district to
make itself liable to this extent for the sake of being
permitted to participate in the advantages which the
more thriving parts of the kingdom enjoy—the sanc-
tion of the legislature is sought for a general enact-
ment which would empower the duly constituted
taxing bodies in the various localities to enter into
legal contracts with companies, pledging the rates
as guarantee for the payment of a stipulated divi-
dend for a stipulated period.
In one case, that of the Killarney Junction, we
understand this plan has actually been tried, and so
far as we can learn it has not worked unsatisfacto-
rily. We believe that without its adoption the line
in question might have lain for many years unmade.
The districts through which it was designed that it
should pass resolved two years ago to ask for the
permission of parliament to tax themselves in the
manner and to the extent we have named; and the
result is, that one of the most interesting, and, in the
true sense of the term, nationally useful railways is
now nearly completed. The benefit to the locality
is obvious. The primary risk is fairly and widely
diffused, and the hazard of ultimate loss is
reduced to the smallest practical point. In truth, it
is little, if anything, more than the application of
the old and recognised principle on which highroads
were commonly made. There is no reason why as
iron way should not be made as soon as one of lino-
stone would have been; and if the experiment
already noticed has proved in all respects as canon•
raging as it is represented to be, we should feel die
pored to augur well of the disposition manifested
very generally iu Ireland to profit by it.
'Die answers given by Lord lons RINSELL on the
part of government, and which we published yester-
day, point to the propriety of some adequate and
authentic mode of eliciting public opinion on such a
subject before ministers can undertake to bring in
an enabling measure. Lord ENNISMILLEN and others
who take an interest in the question, suggested that
a reference might be made to the grand juries of
counties throughout the kingdom assembled at the
present assizes ; and in default of any better organi-
sation, we see no objection to the rf:ference
thus proposed. But, beating in mind the
oligarchical and self-nominative constitution of
those bodies, in which no element of repre-
sentation has been ever yet allowed to enter, we
arc constrained to own that some essential
change is imperatively needed in this respect in Ire-
land as well as in England. For years the govern-
ment have affected to lament the defective condition
of the fiscal jury system in counties in both countries,
but more especially in Ireland. Yet year after year
is suffered to roll by and the ancient r,,gime of irre-
sponsible landlordism is allowed to prolong its hateful
and predatory usurpation. Will the whigs never
take courage to return to the principles they once
professed ? Will the voice of popular importunity
never compel them to do so?

The (lateral 'Lard of Health Bill was read a second
time.

NEW ZEALAND COMPANY.

Mr. HAWES obtained leave to bring In a Bill for the
mranstement of Claims of the New Zealand Company ass
the Crown, and for regulating the affairs of certain Settle-
ments established by the said Company is New Zealand.
Mr. GLADSTONE represented to the Speaker that this '
being a bill for granting public money, ought to be intro-
duced in clronsittee of the whole house. He further ob-
jected to the bill, as proposing to saddle a charge upon the
revenues of a colony in a manner without precedent in our
colonial legislation, and at variance with all our pledges in
'regard to the colony.
Mr. HAWES thought it all turned on the question whe-
ther New Zealand were at this moment a crown colony.
He (Mr. Hawes, contended that the constitution of that
colony being at present suspended, it stood in the position
it did before it received that legislative constitution, and,
therefore, should be regarded as a crown colony.
The SPEAKER, was of opinion that the re.msure should
be ref rrisl to a committee of the whole house.
Leave was therefore refused.
Mr. HAWES then gave notice that he would proceed to-
morrow (this day) by committee.
The remaining business was then disposed of, and the
house adjourned at a few minutes before 3 o'clock.

erpreiSO.

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LONDON, FRIDAY, JULY 23.

PROTECTION, like the wolf in the Zoological
Gardens, is restlessly inuring to and fro, trying to
find a wide bar in its cage through which it may
break forth again. Twice of late it has made a
desperate push to force its way through " agricul-
tural distress." Then it made a run at the malt-tax,
with but indifferent success. Next came its effort to
squeeze in by the chink which it vainly imagined it
bad discerned iu " the milling interest,' from which
it was speedily compelled to desist discomfited. Last
of all we see its despairing energy devoted to an in-
terstice in the navigation laws repeal—of which,
when it was originally left open, we expressed our
misgivings, and of which we are not therefore sur-
prised that advantage should now be sought to be
taken.

It may be recollected that a reservation was made
in the act of ISE), whereby the power was left to the
Qtr in council to retaliate upon any country that
refused our shipping similar advantages to those
which we conceded to theirs. Several states, as most
people arc aware, promptly took measures to recip-
rocate the freedom of navigation which we offered
to them, and amongst the tint the great re-
public of North America. But upon the
ground that we had declined to open our
coasting trade to foreign competition, the govern-
ment of Washington determined to limit their con-
maims by the same rule. They further declared
that California, being politically an integral part of
the Union, the traffic between New Orleans and San
Francisco must be regarded as a portion of the coast-
ing trade; while, on the other hand, it was con-
tended, on the part of Great Britain, that, territo-
tially, there being no identity, or even neighbour-
hood, between the commonwealth whose shores are
washed by the Atlantic, and the mining colony on
the coast of the Pacific, it was a straining of the
fair meaning of the terms proffered by this country
to include California in the catalogue of reservations.
We are not about to re-argue the point in dispute,
but rather to direct attention to the use that is made
of it by the enemies of free-trade.
Mr. Humes brought forward his long-threatened
motion with respect to the navigation laws last night,
and eagerly availed himself of every floating spar
and waif of circumstantial evidence which could
tend to eke out the case of failure he had under-
taken to make out against the first year's experiment
of free-trade in shipping. The summary of the oft-
quoted figures on this subject is as follows:
The total tonnage, lintish and foreign, entered
inwards in 1149, was 6,071,269; and in 18:A,
6,119,696 : outwards in 1819, was ),429,9t)5; and in
1f(30 it was 3.9106,1078. Of this, the amount of Bri-
tish tonnage in the lust two years stands thus:

FRANCE.

PARIS, THURSDAY EVENING.

The question of the moment is the prorogation of
the Assemblv, for which two motions have been pre-
sented. Of these, the proposition of M. Melon (111e-
et-Vilaiue) for the term of two months from the 18th
of August, is more likely to be adopted than that of
M. Ancel, for two and a half months. Fresh motions
for the revision of the constitution will be presented,
land a new committee on_ revision will have to be

appointed towards the end of September, whose re-
port would be submitted to discussion in the latter part
of October. Hence the proposition for proroguing
the Assembly till November 3rd is likely to be re-
jected. M. de Mclun's proposition is worded thus :
Art 1. The Assembly shall be prorogued from August 18
to October 20. Art. 2. A committee of twenty-fire mem-
bers shall be named by ballot, and by the absolute majority,
to fulfil, conjointly with the bureau of the Assembly, the
obligations prescribed by Art. 32 of the constitution.
The committee on leaves of absence will examine
to-morrow the Minister of the Interior, the presi-
dent of the assembly, and the reporter of the com-
mittee of the budget on the subject of the proroga-
tion of the Assembly.
It is expected that the councils-general will be
convoked for the 23th August.
The proposed law for regulating the communes
which formed the principal subject of yesterday's de-
bate, is the first and most important of a series of
measures of internal administration, which were re-
ferred for preparation to the council of state as long
as two years ago. The manner of electing mayors,
whether by the municipal councillors, or by the in-
habitants of the commune at large, whether with or
without any interference or control of the central
government, the extent of the powers of the councils-
general in imposing local taxes and otherwise, and
the qualification of the communal electors, are to be
defined and settled. People have looked forward to
the debate with much interest, chiefly because it
was supposed that the necessity for de-
ciding whether the communal electors should
be governed by absolute universal suffrage,
or by some and what restrictions in regard to domi-
cile, or payment of taxes by the electors, would lead
to an indication of the present views of the Assembly
on the greater question of the political suffrage and
the law of the 31st of May. Indeed it is not easy to
state a reason why, in a country where the principle
of universal suffrage is ostensibly acknowledged by
all parties, there should be two lists of electors, one
for political and another for municipal elections.
However the debate yesterday, confined as it was to
two vague and declamatory speeches by M. E.
Arago and M. Mathieu (de la )l rUme), and a few
words by M. Tinguy, made such very small progress
that nothing can be gathered from it to satisfy the
public curiosity. M. E. Arago dwelt at great length
upon the history and antiquity of the communes,
which, he said, were so engrafted in the affections of
the people that ever since the charter of 1814 kings
and their ministers had taken every opportunity of
claiming credit to themselves for having enfranchised
the communes—an honour their claim to which he

INV/AM/3.
1849 4,390,:575
Ib3o 4,078,544

Decrease 311,831
OUTWAIRDS.
1949 3,762,092
1860 3,960,764

nerea,e 198,682
So that, setting off the increase outwards against
the decrease inwards, there appears to be a difference
in tonnage of no more than 113,000 in native
shipping.
This inconsiderable and no doubt casual loss is
much less than the gain otherwise obtained. We
find that the foreign tonnage entered inwards in
1849 was 1,680,894; and in 1830 it was 2,033,132;
outwards in 1849 it amounted to 1,667,726 ; and in
1830 to 1,946,214. And thus it is manifest that the
resort of foreign shit* to our ports has increased
within the year twice as much as our own shipping
has apparently declined. The trifling displacement
is accounted for by the experimental competition
suddenly permitted to take place, and to
other causes. But it is not a little remark-
able that it has not been under the flags of
those countries which Messrs. HERRIES, YouNo, and
NESSDEGATE would affect to regard as our rivals on
the sea, that this increase has taken place. Hardly
any alteration is noticeable in American, French, or
Russian shipping, while the aggregate of augmenta-
tion is made up of individually unimportant items,
Danish, Prussian, &c.
But what brought so ninny more ships to our
havens in the course of the last twelve months?
What but the expansion of our commercial intercourse
with every portion of the civilised world? This is
the sum and substance of the evil over which protec-
tion mourns. This is the offence against the spirit
of stagnation and the grudging genius of stupidity
which the House of Commons was called on to sym-
pathise in. Really it is high time to have an end of
such solemn and saddening twaddle. If the House
of Commons were constituted as it ought to be who
would venture to trifle thus with the patience of an
industrious and free-hearted people ?

denied. Ho quoted an amusing " Cone d'Elire,"
which was granted to the city of Paris by •
royal ordonnance of 1723 : " Our good pleasure is
RAILWAY communication has, during the last few that you proceed immediately to an election, and
years, made considerable progress in Ireland. The that you do vote for Lambert." M. Arago expressed
main lines to the south have been for some time himself in favour of political centralisation, and
completed ; that which will connect Dublin and Gal- against administrative centralisation, in the pro-
way is, we believe, about being opened on the Ist of fesson of which theory all parties are very generally
August; and by the end of autumn the whole of the &Freed; but he did not attempt to meet the practical
northern line to Belfast will be finished, with the difficulty of properly drawing the line between the
exception of the viaduct over the Boyne. Several two. M. Mathieu (de la Dreme) was for the most
useful tributary ways of accelerated traffic have complete liberty of the communes to manage their
likewise been opened; but it must be owned that own affair., and opposed in any case the interference
there still remain extensive and important districts of the executive power in the nomination of mayors.
where there is neither the proof nor the probability In the Assembly's sitting to-day M. Ancel, having,
apparent that any improved mode of transit will in concert with several other representatives, pro-
be available within any assignable period. stinted a motion for the prorogation of the Assembly
Acts of parliament have, it is true, been long since from Aug. 18 to Nov. 3, explained that the omission
granted to real or imaginary companies, for the mak- of all mention of the committee of permanence from
in of nearly every conceivable line that engineering his proposition did not imply that he and his friends
or speculative ingenuity could devise or designate. meant to move • simple suspension of the sittings of
But the most part of these have fallen into absolute the Assembly, or were opposed to the appointment of
oblivion: and a collection of maps indicating. their a committee of permanence ; but simply that if the
imaginary being would be a statistical curiosity. 32nd article of the constitution rendered such an ar-
Notralgevnent imperative, it was superfluous to introduce
in the course of this generation does there seem
any likelihood of their being recalled to a public or it into the motion for prorogation.
practical existence, unless some safer and wiser me- The debate on the first reading of the Municipal
thud be found for the purpose. Speculation has Bill was then resumed by M.,osloulat, who spoke
burnt its wings, and they must have time in favour of the bill. It was ddeeecriddeedd to pass to a
to grow again. That they will
.grow none can second deliberation. The house then entered upon
doubt ; but speculation seldom wings its flight a the discussion of an extraordinary credit of 60,000 fr.
second time in the same direction until it has had for the national printing-house. MM. Desjobert,
eisure to forget its reverses and trials there. Mean- Randot, and others, have presented an amendment
while Wench railways are not made in Ireland, to the bill, tending to destroy the monopoly of the