The Express.
London, England, 1847-07-07 00:00:00

election of commissioners, but fired no male as to the num-
ber of votes to be given. The consequence would be, that
the mode of election under this act would be regulated by
the Commissioners Clauses Act, by which ratepayers
might give from one to six votes, according to the
amount of their rating. To prevent this, he would propose
the addition of the following words :—" Every ratepayer
shall have and be entitled to give one vote, and no more, in
respect of the property for which he is qualified to vote at
such election." Plurality of votes had been first introduced
by Sturges Bourne's Act, in 1818; the poor-laws of 1835
and 1844 had extended the principle to the election of
guardians ; and by this bill a further innovation would be
made.
Lord lIORPETH said, the principle of which the hon.
gentleman complained would be established in the case of
parish vestries, and in that of the poor-law. On the ques-
tion of tho application of the bill to a particular district, the
decision was to be left to a majority of the ratepayers ; but,
as the subsequent proceedings materially affected property,
he thought it desirable that the clause should stand in its
prevent shape. Consistently with that view of the subject,
he could not secede to the amendment.
Mr. STUART complained of the evils which had resulted
born the introduction of the provisions of general acts of
parliament into acts of a special and limited character. The
Interpretation clause of the Health of Towns Bill contem-
plated tho incorporation of part of the Commissioners
Clauses Consolidation Act, and other acts might, by-and-
bye, he incorporated in a similar meaner. (liege, hese)
He honestly wished to make the bill available and useful ;
bet he feared that that would not be possible under present
circumstances, and he would rather vote against legislating
at all, than consent to legislation of a doubtful nature.
Mr. HENLEY put it to hon. gentlemen opposite to say
what ratt.payer would be entitled to vote under the bill.
(lieu, hear.) Every clause which was to be made law
eaght to be clearly stated, and that was not the case at
present. The bill was • health of towns bill in the ab-
stract. (Laughter.)
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said that the government
was not responsible for this mode of carrying on the legisla-
tion of the country. For years it had been the practice to
import the clauses of one bill into another bill, and the
practice had hitherto been considered a convenient one.
There was, io truth, no discrepancy between this bill and
the Commissioners Clauses Consolidates Act- In reply to
the question, what ratepayer was to elect the commissioners,
he would observe, that the mode of election was stated in
the bill under consideration, and the principle of voting was
laid down in the Commissioners Clauses Consolidation Bill.
The bill before the house would be a special act, and its
clauses would apply where those of the Commissioners
Clauses Consolidation Act did not.
Mr. STUART said the statement of the hon. and learned
gentleman was, in substance, that the whole of the Commis-
sioners Clauses Consolidation Act was to be incorporated in
the bill under consideration, an arrangement which would
involve the greatest confusion. (Hear, hear.)
Lord MORPETH said that the question which the go-
vernment had hail to consider was, whether they should have
one bill with 300 clauses or resort to the system of incorpora-
tion ; and, in adopting the latter method of proceeding, the
government had only *railed themselves of that which was
the brio of all private legislation.
Mr. WAKLEY thought it would be well if the govern-
ment, instead of boasting that they were not the first govern-
ment to compound bills in such a:peculiar manner, were able
to make another boast, via., that they were the first to &han-
d= a mode of legislation by which judges and counsel were
continually pomled. He was of opinion that great benefit
would result to the country if the drawing of bills was taken
out of the hands of the lawyers, whose brains were so
knotted and twisted that they were not able to know hypo-
thesis from fact, or to distinguish truth from falsehood.
(Laughter.) The hon. gentleman then read a letter from
Dr. Laycock, of York. complaining of a statement made in
the house by Mr. Hudson, in reference to • report of his on
the military conditi-n of that city, and stating his belief thtt
Mr. Hudson knew nothing of that condition, and had never
visited a sick person there, at least since the time that he
WY a methodist exhorter. (Laughter.)
Mr. HUDSON said that what he stated was, that Dr.
Laycock took a very exaggerated view of the sanitary con-
dition of York, sad one that was not borne out by the facts.
He was somewhat surprised that Dr. Laycock should make
use of the language he did in reference to him, seeing that
he asked him (51r. Hudson) to use his patronage in his
favour, and accordingly, believing him to he a man of talent,
he spoke favourably of him in tte council hall. As to his
not visiting the sick, he begged to inform the house that
during the time of the cholera he attended the hospital when
most others shrunk from that duty. (Hear.) He was very
well satisfied, if no worse charge could be brought against him
than that he was a methodist exhorter. The hon. member
foe Finsbury was very fond of giving him advice, but
he could tell that honourable gentleman that he bad no
great opinion of him as a medical man, or as • coroner—
(laughter)--and that, despite of his prognostications, be
would go on enjoying himself. (Much laughter.)
After • short discussion, the further consideration of the
clause and the amendment was postponed. The chairman
reported progress, and obtained leave to sit again on Thurs-
day (to-morrow) at 12 o'clock.
The house then adjourned till 5 o'clock.

The house resumed at 5 o'clock.
SPANISH BONDS.

Lord 0. BENTINCK rose W1711:3; an address to the
mown. praying her Majesty to take steps to secure, for the
British holders of unpaid Spanish bonds, redress from the
government of Spain. The noble lord commenced by ad-
verting to the fart, that there were at present Spanish bonds
to the amount of upwards of 70 millions, upon which no in-
terest was paid. Of the entire amounts of the bonds of
Spain, the subjects of her Britannic Majesty held nearly 46
millions. Non-payment of a debt due from one government
to the subjects of another. hail always been deemed • just
cause for war. But before it was advisable to make such a
subject a cane of war, it was necessary to consider the
ability of the indebted country to pay her foreign creditors.
Now what was the state of Spain ? Her revenue had been
riling for several years, and amounted in 1846 to
12,266,3631., there being a balance of income over expendi-
ture of 422,5811., besides an amount of 991,0001. appropriated
to a sinking fund. She bad found herself able to West her
creditors at home with great liberality, but to her foreign
creditors she only paid about 200,0001. in the shape din-
tercet. The revenues of Spain were greatly wasted.
436,0001. • year was rpent upon the Spanish court : more by
140.0091. a year than was spent upon the court of the Queen
of England. Upon the finance department of Spain was
spent 3,527,7611. ; on her ministry of grace and justice,
187,8831. ; on her ministry of foreign affairs, 102,1321. ; on
her home deportment, 1,2213,1041. ; and on her war depart-
ment, 3,223,3101. Spain, therefore. was by no means a
bankrupt debtor. The expenditure of the nation amounted
in all to 11,843,7711., and, as he said before, she had • large
surplus to appropriate. Spain, therefore, being in a situa-
tion to pay, he now mine to show that England was
entitled to call upon her to pay. The Roman senate,
Grotina, and Vette], had all held that • nation to which a
debt was due was entitled to call upon its debtor to satisfy its
demands. Within very recent times the same position had
been held by an English government. In 1736, England,
having lent money to the Emperor on the security of Silesia,
which bad been subsequently made over by treaty to
Prussia, called upon the King of Prussia to twiny the
demand, and forced King Frederick William to acquiesce.
With such a cue before them, were the Spanish bondholders
now to be told that they had lent their money with their
eyes open and without any security from the British govern-
ment ? So far as the prise was concerned, it wee deer the
lender/ never supposed that their rights were to be neglected.
Their loan was, for the meet part, contracted for at
66 per cent., a Om higher than most of the
debt of England had bees taken at daring the war.
Bras gingen meennes ef Lord Howard de Walden,
make the direstioa el the mak hod opposite, the govern-
ment ai Portend had boss obliged to give satisfaction to its
British creditors to the extent Omen than half a million.
Se, too, the sham of Venezuela mod New Granada led, by
the decisive lengwege of the British government, beinlareught
to do junkie tiMen British creditor,. Hs rogaleal that her
Majesty's gonemment site ,tild by equally eneagetieneemens,
impel the government el Span to give similar estlehelisa to
its creditors be this maatry—a satisfaction alba it'
had ample meson nth the slightest wismeganents
of affording. no Ida, el the produce of Cuba no
upwards of 9 sift= daft. year, while the renew
arising from the Ha aloes was more than 4 million of
dollars. The sham be mode upon Spain ameinted to Just
3. u. LW heed en the Ponlition. or three farthings per
per weak for a year. It was perfectly monnans
while the Spanish creditor at home received lg pee asst. he
his lona, the foreign creditor should be whets ben en if
his money. He (Lord G. Bentinck) did set shad ONES the
advocate of loanniongers, eircumeini waeloomeshal,
jew or cluietian, but of the poor and WNW el the widows
and orphans of the gallant men who hod shed their blood on
the Spanish soil, and of the survivors amisopt those gallant
men theme:Son The node lord eariatted with wing
"An address lobar mita( lose
to take sash steps es the may gmeleaslybe mimed tilog=
advisable to secure fat the Debi& Maim el toopeld
bonds redress from the government dept
Viscount PAL TON wee net gibe to dale say
material difference of principle from the opislsis midi' lei
been expressed by his noble friend; but he dillies& tram hi=
as to their practical application. Ho easing*, penend
principle of the noble lord as to the emilweing reimmikeen
foreign countries for injuries to British eabjeses, bat thee'
were exceptions to this principle. If the goverment of
Spain, for example, had violently seised upon the property
of British subjects residing in Spain under treaties, or 1
trading with Spain under treaties, no one would hesitate in
declaring it the duty of the British government to enforce
redress. The present, however, was not one of these cues.
There had always • distinction been drawn between the ordi.
nary transactions of British subjects with the subjects of
foreign countries, end the transactions of British subjects
with the governante of foreign countries. (Hear,
hear.) While it wee clearly the duty of the British
government to protest and encourage trade with foreign
countries, it was by somata* so clearly its duty to encourage
British "abject in, making loans to foreign governments.
Many inemonness, on the contrary, might arise from
rl7=d, (Hear, hear.) He did not
,as a meta of strict right, the British govern-
ante ~it be melba to call upon any foreign government
to maim geed its impotent, with British subjects, what-
ever they might be, and of compelling redress, in case of
need; but be did not think that, as a matter of expediency,
ft would be desirable to set upon this right by seceding to
the reelieMill of his Dab Mad. Hear, hear. The noble
holpmeespied to say—l am quite alive to the Importance of
Z ei=t, sad am follg swam, that although a few great
a.blinterestod. yet that the majority of the
11140.116 an be this country are moms of limited
warm if
6%i% been all of the former class
my nab. kind's would not have been so
mash dhlarbed. (h, ) No doubt a vast number
at thelesese heameold bt the transactions are persons of
INallasitial 'Wimpy The have hareetal the small sayings of ,