The Express.
London, England, 1848-04-05 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMEN E.

HOUSE OF LORDS.—TUESDAY, APRIL
The Loan CHANCELLOR took his mat at 6 o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.
TIDED READlNG.—llensage's Menem Bill.
PUBLIC BUSINESS.
SECOND READING . -Stamp Duties Assimilation
PAPERS PHESENTED.—By the Marquis of LAN.DOWIti, two re-
turns with reference to the state of olfritonure la irrlnint.
RETURNS ORUERED.-06 the motion or the Earl of ELLX7IIIO-
- certain return. agreed 011 with the government relative to the
increase ef like public expenditure.
ODD FELLOWS' SOCIETIES.
Lord BEAUMONT laid on the tele • bill of which he
had givers nonce, tor legalising Odd Fellows' Snieties. The
bill was read a first time and ordered to be printed.
1 PORTATION OF COTTON .
The Earl of HARDWICKE, on presenting the petitions
from L)nn and Newry on the subject of the navigation laws,
said that in a discussion which took place last night in the
other h, a member had state that there were certain
bales ofouse cotton in some of the ports of France which if they
could be imported into England would be particularly useful
to our MEM U ledUeeekl, the
there shoulden was a deartbc fairh of cot
it iy in ton us thisall
country. Now he tkeugh
the statements that were mode. It was said that if the Privy
Council is.ad an order, allowing the free importation of this
cotton, it would not affect the navigation laws. In answer to
this statement, be would beg to quote • paragraph in one all
that day's papers " The o.,ergow Cotton Woel Merkel.—
that
has been rather an inanimate demand fur cotton this
weeds; the dulness of the &nasal has not caused any rase
in the price."
TENANT-RIGIIT IN IRELAND.
The Marquis of LONDONDERRY, on presenting the pe-
tition trom Wexford in favour of tenant-right, soil that al-
though he was not connected 'with the county, ke could not
refuse to present the petition, but he begged to say that he
did not agree in its prayer. lie understood whist tenatt.right
meant in Ulster • but the proposition in the petition
that wou
thld
amount to confiscation, an the petitioners prayed e
tenant should be empow marquis his interest to the high-
est bidder. The nohle took occasion to express his
admiration of the public coi.ductof the noble earl (Clarendon)
at the head of the government, which had met with
the approval of all chases in Ireland. (Ilea:, hear.)
Atter a taw words from Earl COL' MEOW N, which were in-
audible, he say et dropprd.
VERANDAHS IN COLOMBO.
Lord BEAUMONT, on presenting the petition from Co-
'maim, said that nearly all the houses there had verandahs be
fore them which had been standing front time immemorial
many of them had been known to exiat for upwards of sixty
years. No doubt they were in many cases an impediment to
carriages in the narrow streets ; but still they were of great
value to the inhabitants. In 1816 the government issued an
advertisement stating that it was necessary to destroy theth em
se
verandahs, and the persons who yomessed
would receive nothing for their lose, ss the
crown claimed them to be their property, inasmuch
as they stood on crown land. The inhabitants had
petitioned against the destruction of their property,
but without effect, and many of the houses would fall con-
siderably in value by the removal if the verandahs ; the in-
habitants of see. rah of such houses were also very poor, and
it was a matter of great consideration to them. lie hoped
the noble earl the Secretory for the Colonies would be able
to give some satisfactory explanation on the subject.
Earl GREY Mini the facts were not quite accurately set
forth in the petition. From the increase of commerce
and teethe in the town of Colombo these verandahs had be-
come a great nuisance. Acting under an ordinance of the
legislative council in 1844, the governor had given notice
that he should expect parties to prove their right to the
verandahs, and where they had done so, and it was necessary
to pull them down for the public health and convenience,
compensation had been given ; but where they had failed to
prove their right to the verandahs they were removed
without compr.r.sation. There had been only one case tried
in the courts of law on the subjec', and the deci.ion was in
favour of the government, inasmuch as it was considered
the verandahs encroached on the public property. (Hear.)
Th.. it lordships then adjourned at six o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—TUESDAY, APRIL 4.
The SPEAKER took the chair at 4 o'clock.
PRIVATE. BUSINESS.
SECOND READING.—Iiikti len Bridge-road (No. 2) BBL
NEW MEMBER.
Sir J. C. lloanoeez, introduced by Mr. ELLIOT and Mr.
H. BERKELEY, took the oaths and his seat for Harwich.
THE NAVIGATION LAWS.—COTTON AT HAVRE.
Lotd G. BENTINCK wished to is,le the Vice-President
of the Boar i of Trade for same explanation of certain ex-
planations which bail been given last night with re-peat to
the navigation laws. It had been stated that a British or an
American ship, laden with cotton, having entered Havre,
might come to this country with her cargo, provided she did
not tiri.ak bulk. There was an impression abroad that thi;
was intended to convey to merchants that, if she did break
bulk, she would not be entitled to bring the remainder of
her cargo to be discharged in this country. lie understood
that Sir Vicary Gibbs and Sir Samuel Shepherd hid ex-
p.( seed an opiaion that either a British or foreign sbipladen
with the produce of her own country, was entitled to enter
any foreign port, discharge a portion of her cae!ci, and bring
the remainder to this country. He wished to asit whether
the right bon. gentleman had any objection to lay that
opinion on the table of the house.
Mr. Id. GIBSON said he was not aware that those °pi- iom
had been given, but he would make inquiries on the subject.
With regard to the question itself, he should be sorry to
undertake to interpret an act of parliament, and should
decline to offer an opinion as to what might be done with
the cargo of a vessel from Auntie or any other country,
which had been partly discharged at Havre. He only knew
what the law stated, that the produce of Asia, Africa, or
America should rot be brought from other ports in Europe
to the United Kingdom, provided the ships containing it had
broken bulk in those ports. No doubt, if such a case as the
noble lord alluded to should arise, that of a ship discharging
part of her cargo in Havre, and Proposing to bring the rest
to England, an opinion could easily be obtained whether it
was admissible.
Lord G. BENTINCK asked if the riAt hon. gentleman
would not be disposed to have the question settled now. It
was of great importance to the trade to know before hand
whether such pert cargo could enter here; for it would be
rather late, when the vessel arrived, to moot the question,
and have it decided perhaps against theta.
Mr. M. GIBSON said there could be no doubt whatever
it was very desirable that the question should b" settled now;
but be was quite sure that any opinion he might give upon
the law would not settle it. He would make the matter
knowu, and he hoped the question would be settled before
any easel so freighted arrived.
THE " NATION " NEWSPAPER.
Mr. B. COCHRANE wished to ask the noble baronet
the Secretary for Ireland, whether his attention had been
called to the language used in the last number of the Nation,
and whether the government was instituting proc.eilings
against the editor of that paper ? That language was to the
following effect. The leading article of the last number
eeminenc:d thus:—
Ireland's necessity demands the desperate remedy of revolution It
demands it nib jUntice loeture Uud, and all who are really made in
the inane of God. This last resource of nations, a revolution, means
a peaceful or a violent uprooting of government, and an uprooting of
society. Its business is to cure the evils that cannot be tolerated—to
cure them with as little lees of blood and time as the means
The of
continental the re-
volutionists and the nature of passion will allow.
nations ell have their grievances; but antis are immeasurably greater.
They sought the right of meeting; but we seek the right of existence.
They sought the liberty of the press; but we weir the liberty to lice.
The real alternative with Ireland is, decimation or revolution. It Is
evident that the whole mace of our foreign rulers are but a club of
gravediggers. We are decimated, not by the will of God, but by the
will of the wing government. Obedienee to a government which
rules to wrath and legislates to desperation, I. a high crime and a
conspiracy egurast the nation. Votes of confidence in such a govern-
ment are death warrants. Keeping order is the came as doing the
undertaker's work ; and aiding them in the administration of the
law is finishing cer, without accusation or trial, fresh millions of our
doomed populace.
He wished to know whether the attention of government
had been directed to this language, and whether it was their
intention at once to institute proceedings against Mr. Duffy,
Or whoever was the author of that treasonable language ?
Sir W. SOMERVILLE raid he had not seen or heard of
the extract referred to until the hon. member read it. Ile
had certainly been is the habit of reading productions
equally extravagant for a considerable time past in the Irish
journals. Of course he was not able to tell the hon. gentle-
man that it was the intention of government to take any step
in reference to these art:cles in Mr. Duffy's newspaper. The
attention of the Lord Lieutenant would be called to it ; and
no doubt he would take such steps in reference to that article
as in his discretion he might think fit.
THE " TIMES" NEWSPAPER.
Mr. O'CONNOR asked if the attention of the Attorney-
General had been drawn to a letter in the Times newspaper
of that day, showing how governments might be destroyed
by other means than by warfare; and if it was the inten-
tion of the government to prosecute that paper? He was
sure that nothing which had been published in the United
Irishman or in the Nation could exceed that article in I ar-
harity. It purported to have been written by a (=revolt.
dent, but it had evidently been manufactured.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said if the hon. member
had given him notice of his intention to ask this question he
would have directed his attention to the article. But when
he stated that he had risen early to read a case for the House
of Lords, and had been attending a committee until three
o'clock, he thought the hon. member would excuse his not
being prepared to Roemer the question. (Hear.)
THE GALWAY EVICTIONS.
Mr. ST. GEORGE begged the indulgence of the house
for a short time whilst he rvlied to the charges brought
against him by the bon. member for Stroud, and which were
founded on the report of Major WKie. He complained of
the conduct of the poor law commissioners in not giving him
an opportunity of meeting the charge of illegality and cruelty
when the investigation was made. The hon. gentleman
then read a long statement which he made in reply to the
letter of the Lord. Lieutenant of Ireland, who asked for es-
planation, from him, from which it appeared that ejectments
had been brought in due form of law against his tenants of
Letterutore and Baromna—that 1,5001. was due to him, and
that he offered to give 1,1001. if he was paid 4001., which the
tenants promised to do. They, however, did sot perform
that promise. The land was filled with squatters from other
estates, and no less than 600 sheep and nine head of cattle
bad been killed or stolen from his property. The evidence of I
Thee. M'Donagh and M.lff'Donagh alone applied to hismaia
With respect to the former, the hole gentleman read a letter I
from the parish priest, which stated that he was not a man
of good character, that he was accused of stealing a taw
from his neighbour, and he (the priest) concluded be was
guilty because the cow was found in his posewetee.
(Laughter.) When the under-sheriff went to take
sion of his home it was found empty, and M'Donagr
had
been absent from it for three weeks previously. With
respect to Michael 111‘Donagh, it was totally untrue that his
house load been thrown down. On no occasion had tenants