The Express.
London, England, 1849-06-06 00:00:00

CRIMINAL STATISTICS.

--- - - -
Thallansis al LANSDOWNE litif - on the table
Midas Is Mobil Aida*, in Sandead, and
Wake.

DISTRESSED UNIONS IN IRELAND.
Thu Nutted' of LANSDOWNE ale, 1414 on the table
returns of the amount of aid afforded to distressed anions in
the West of Ireland.
Their Lordships then adjourned at a quarter to eight
o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS—TUESDAY, JUNE 5.
TM &MALIN took the chair at 4 o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.
REPORT CONSlDERED.—Lsocasbire and Yorkshire
sad London and North Weems Cmapanies (transfer
of interest is the Prestos and Wyrit Railway Harbour and
Thick, and regulating the *anapaest of the undertaking)
Bill.
THIRD RE ADlNCL—Ediabsrgh and Northers Railway
(formation of slip quay and other works at Granton, exten-
sion of station at Edinburrh, regulation of Perth stations,
and amendment of act-) Bill.
PUBLIC BUSINESS.
PEI rioNs PRESEN TED.
PAILIAXWNTAIITT ELZPOIIIt.-By Capt. PECHELL, from
Briehtem ; Mr. HENLEY, (rota public mewing in Oxford—
/sr as satiation of the franchise, annual parliaments, rota by
ballet, payment of members, and equal electoral districts.
NATIONAL POOll-NATIL-By Mr. HENLEY, from Wa-
llop:la, Own, in favour of a national poor-rate.
Pacascran Den on Possum Coax.—By Mr. CHRIS-
TOPHER, from .SM/simulate of Lincolnshire Mr. CAY-
LEY, from plates in the North and West Riding of Yorkshire,
in faros: of this repetition.
MAARIAONS BILL.—By Mr. J. S. WORTLEY, from
la favour of this bill.
NIANAOIDUIPT OP TEN PUBLIC DIBT.-By Sir D. L.
EVANS, from 2,000 military pessimism, pesetas for arrears
of allowances diminished by the management the public
debt.

Ponca (SCOTLAND) BILL —Br Sir H. DAVY, from
places is Soothuid, tor die postposossent of skit bill.
Aosicrvros.sr. DISTILIAIL—BT Mr. CAYLEY, from
placate in the North sad West Abhor of Yorkshire, cogs-
cialoiag of agricultural distress, sad praying for relief.
NOTICE OF MOTION.—Sin J. Faassum's BIPIDI.
rsom—Sir H. H. Ixous, on Thursday next. to esll the at-
tention of the Noose to the eoaduct of the Antrim rovers-
meat with raferesai to this expodition.

IRISH POOR LAW.
Is reply to a quells from Mr. FilliNCH,
Bir J YOUNG,' as 4/airtima of the committee appointed
to inquire into the 'rotting of the poor law in Ireland, stated
that It Wal not the intention of the committee to exclude
any kind of evidence tending to throw light upon the sub-
ject; nether evidence which tended to show that the sof-
=and death under the poor law had exceeded what
have taken place in eon% queue. of the !amino had no
cod kw existed, nor evidence tending to show the sadesiog
iddell had arisen from the want of propel control oa
pet of tle poor law commiesioners over the medical charities
of Ireland.
THE IRISH POOR LAW.—CANADA.
Lad J. RUSSELL said, that having been asked, both in
}NMI and in private, on what day he proposer to go into
fellanittee on the Irish poor law, he bad now to state that
MINA made arrangements for going into committee es the
fires badmen on Friday neat. and as the rght hon. gotte-
n= the iminaber for the University of Oxford wished to
aid deeseeention of the house to the affairs of Canada, he
level/ wagon to him as the moat convenient course the
poolgammillat of kb resolution until Thursday week.
Kr. GLADSTONE said the erring. mint euggeeted wadi
omit him' but
to he sesurneal that not hie g would WAIN
in the taut, to prejudice the question to which his obsterea-
time would relate. (Laughter.)
Lord J. RUSSELL could only undertake that nothing
should be dons by the government to et nfirtn the act whit*
lad been dime.
PARLIAMENTARY REFORM.
Mr. HUME then rose to introomes the motioa on this sub-
ject of which he had given notice. He said that in addrese-
tog himself to this important subject be must be; the indul-
gence of the house, as head not feel altogether in a situation
to introduce the question in the manner that he could desire.
(Cheers) As an old reformer, addressing a reformed House
of parliament, he could declare from experience how unmet's-
favory it had generally been to address parliament on the
subject of robrm. He had scarcely ever known an ex-
cepuon, except when the question had b3en made
a party ear, and there had been a strugele
between the two great volitive' bodies in the
country. Then, ind- tad, the question had brought a full
house; but en other eat alone, when private membeta had
introduced the subject, it had been treatel as one irop-
portune In paint of time, and unfit for consideratio . (Hear,
hear.) He had taken his full share in the reforms effected
in 1831 and 1832, and no man had been more happy than he
had been to see those reforms carried out. He looked back
with satisfaction to the great reform effected at that period
on the proposal of men who were anxious to promote the
welfare of the country ; and he believed that the effect hid
been to place this country in the enviable situation
in which she now was as compared with the
rest of the world. It was not that he under-
valued what was eon* by the first reform parliament.
He was not one of those who said that the reform effected at
that period was a fallacy. It did not, indeed, lead to all
that he and others, who were enxinus on the sufject, had
bees mogul's enough to expect. apt, as they were, perhaps
hastily to imagine, that etwiety would be 'mote !tarty
moulded by their owe. opinions; but it had, at any rate,
put an end to the disgraceful boy eugh-mongerit g which pre-
viously @slatted ; sod he believed that the opinion now pre-
vailed very generally amongst them who were once opposed
to ramie, that it had been productive of greet goad to
sodety, sad had prevented insay unhappy cullitiuns. It was
Lennie be saw that reform had not been carried
out to the extent that he had anticipated, aed be oust he
saw danger in refusing that which he considered • right be-
longing to the mass of the community. Oa tht se grounds
it was that he then presented himself, most unwillingly, to
the house. He had stated last session, when the motion
which he brought forward was rejected, that so I nag as be
remained in that house no session should pots without wit-
nessing his humble individual efforts to tormede the house
is adopt further reforms. It might be thought imp:oper in
say individual to appear to dictate tuck changes as he con-
templated in his action, but unless some one would come
forward and propose what he believed would prove ber.eficial
to the country no amelioration could take place. The house
wasgenerally slow in all its proceedinr, sad, of course, be
would not env that it was better to be slow acd sure than
through being rapid and inconsiderate, to run tae risk of
having to retreat. Ho knew that parliament had for a long
period been used in this country, not as an engine to pro-
mote the welfare of the community, but as an engine to extract
from the community a Lager amount of taxation than could
be obtained by any other means; but he hep xl that parlia-
ment would go along with him in carrying out such mutters
as were essential to the national welfare. He felt benud to
say that experience had 'oozed upon him the conviction
that the reformed parliament was not in the situation
that some former parliaments had been. It was
no linger is the power of any aristocracy, any
oligarchy, or any class, as it formerly was, to dictate to
the sovereign and tempt the sovereign to do whatever they
desired. It was no longer in the power of individuals pos-
sessing seven, eight, or nine boroughs, to send men to that
house, not to carry out measures for the g ad of the whole
c immunity, but to pass measures for their ovr. benefit.
(Hear, hear.) Up to the passing of the &dorm Bill the sove-
reigns of this country ware in the lealing-strings of the
aristocracy, and the revenue and expendture of the country
were managed with a view to individual interests, or the in-
terests of aches, instead of those of society at large. He
maintained that unless parliament could do in that respect
what it purported to do, the whole representation of the
country was defective; and though he did not my that the
adoption of any proposition of has own would make paths.
mint perfect, yet he must say that if injustice and ine-
quality could b 3 removed, they should not be perpetuated.
Ministers had taken an oath that they would promote and
supp in mcuur. s which would canduce to the welfare of the
.mmunity. lie would leave it to them, if they ever re-
flected when they laid their heads on tneir pillows, to say
whether parliament was in a condition which admitted of no
improvement. He left it to them to say whether or not
they were acting as honest sod faithful coutuel-
lore of the crown in allowing a state of dis-
content to continue, which was so great that
at times tt threatened, as, for example, on a recent occasion,
the most alarming consequences. He recollected that on an
eweasi no when a motion for reform was brought forward by
one of the then members for Westminst. r Mr. Canning
stood forward boldly and said, " I take my stand against all
reforms; I am ler rotten boroughs—(laughter)—l wish to
maintain them, because this country has enjoyed greater
prosperity during th. it existence than the continental coun-
tries. But," he a Lied, "I go further. I have ever been
ready to mut the circumstances of the times, and to adept
the laws arid ordinances of the country to the require-
ments of the period, though, so long as I see
reason to do so, I will defend Gattcn and Old.
Sarum." Gatton and Old Sarum were, however, now re-
moved, and the own, was, it must Le admitted, in a newel
position. At the period when the representation was most
detective the country stood at the top of the ladder in com-
parison with other coantriee, and no continental nation
could say that it had at that time a more popular representa-
tion than existed in England. The times were changed,
however, elsewhere, and they should now consider whether
they ought not, in the words of Mr. Canning, to adapt
themselves to the changes which had taken place. What
bad been done of late by the noble lord (Lord J. Russ3ll)
When his hon. friend the member for Finsbury
proposed
to
meal the taiepming clauses, be believed in the year
1847, the noble lord r. ad him a lecture on the danger of inter-
fering with the R form Bill, declaring that he wished for a
little wore experience of the working of that bill, and that
be was in favour of progressive reform. The noble lord's
own progressive reform consisted in proposing to meg *0
tax-paying elausseso far as the asseseed t +its were ceoeuoed.
In like manner, when the Secretary for Ireland proposed a
bill to improve the Irish reestration, the noble lord and
ealleares were such ardent reformers, that they'
diomell the bill to be forgotten He had come to the
alledilliagi that they had now made up their
mho is stand fast and do nothing. The question, then,
woe ehalher they were to remain in their present situation.
He isipateed that the time had pawed when the sovereign of
tact ossantry Meld trust her people, and when no military
MN MOO* to keep them in subjection. See what was
Milletellat. Then about 25,000, sometimes less, formed
She mirk military establishment of the United Rimiest.
The noble lord the Secretary of State for the Foreign De-
nt declared that he wanted no India aid it
rrateenal yeessetion of the coun ry
t, that he weasel
as Wab In this emealey as a nursery from whisk to
Newly our ealeelte Het the government of this aonatry,
Weed el sagaelag in the love and affection of the mamas of
the peogio, rafeeed them their constitudomal dales end
UMW Uttar the injury by moans of mighisy- tam
Wee it right. awe a 80 years' peace, that lailead sheald
proseat the somearasse of a garrison, wish bayaseb
and artillery-planted at every point Aid why woe it so?
It all arose from the feu of reform. Re admitted that there
were ardent and wild reformers, as there were ardent and
wild men in every other capacity; but that was no reason
why they should not take into oonaideration calmly and
quietly whether the cause which led to the keeping up of
this great military establishment, which was weighing down
the country, might not now be prudently removed.
In 1792 the whole taxation of the country was only
18,000,01:01., 9,000,0001. of which paid the interest of the
national debt, 8,000,0001., the expenses of our military esti-
Iblishment, and 4000,0001. formed the civil fund. Then
18.000,000 i. paid for what was now costing us ne w
80,000,0001., so that we were now subjected to almost
lquadraple the amount of taxation we paid in 1792. He did
not blame any living individual for the enormous addi-
tion which had been made to the national debt
moos that period. He blamed only that oligarchical
system whiela drove the country into an aggressive proceed-
log against Fromm and which was still preying upon the
vitals of this country. Surelit was time to check that
ernes" which had involved us In mush an extravagant expen-
diture. He was aware that many thought it was enough to
demand financial reform, saying that they would rather not
Ws themselves up with political matters ; but the (imam of
elestry formed one of its most important political subjects.
It 11.8 idle, therefore, to abstain from urging other metiers'
lemieso of their political character. Thom who wished for
amodel reform must first try and bring the members of that
beaus to their proper level, so that the influence of their
empetive constituent:lee may be felt in it. He addressed
Wesel( particu'arly to those members who represented the
Math, where the labourer was so badly paid, and coup-
ipsetly so discontented, and he asked them how they could
aspect allegiance to the state or respect for property from
mss so circumstanced? He, as a conservative, was