The Express.
London, England, 1849-06-15 00:00:00

PUBLIC BUSINESS.
_ PETITIONS PRESENTED.

Cowen Bol:l7lll4ViiiirT*7fil'iElTT, from a place
in Lancashire ; Mr. W. BROWN, from Sefton, in the same
county, in favour of eonwy financial boards.

INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION.—By Mr. OSBORNE,
from New Brentfsrd • Mr. THORNELY, from Haverford-
wed, in favour of intntational arbitration.
CRUELTY TO ANIMALS BILL —By Captain PECHELL,
from Brighton, in favour of this bill.
SUPERANNUATION FUND FOR POOR LAW OFFICERS.—
By Mr. BUCK, from officers in the Norfolk unions ; Mr. J.
WILLIAMS, from persons in the Macclesfield Union, pray
ing for superannuation allowances.
Tue SLAVE TRADE.—By Mr. W. FAGAN, from Cork,
agreed to at a public meeting, praing for the adoption of
measures for the suppression of the si.ve trade.
POOR RAT. (IRZLAND).—By Mr. W. FAGAN, from
Cork, praying that houses under 51. value alight be exempted
from the poor rate.
BANKRUPTCY AND INSOLVENCY CONSOLIDATION BILL.—
By Mr. STANSFIELD, from Rudd( nfield, in favour of
this bill.

MARRIAGE BILLS (ENGLAND AND BC3TLAND).—By Mr.
C. BRUCE, from the Orreral A.,seenhly of the Church a
Scqland, against the Regierstioa of Marriages (Scotland)
Bill ; also against any alteration in the Law of Marriages
Bill.

THB WEST INDIES.
Sir J. PAKINGTON, to-morrow (this day) to present a
person from the &Arm of Assembly in Jamaica, and also
from the West India body is this country.

THE PUBLIC BUSINESS.
Mr. DISRAELI rose to nuke the inquiry, of which be
had given notice, respecting the probable progress of public
business in that house during the remainder of the session.
The house would probably permit him to refer to a docu-
ment whick had been placed before parliament as one of the
principal reasons why he thought proper to make this in-
quiry. It appeared from • paniamentary return of the busi-
ness of last session that in the month of June, nineteen go-
vernment bills were introduced, of which thirteen passed ;
that in July, thirty-three public bills were introduced, in
which twenty-six passed; and thateo late as August, forty-two
were introduced, of which thirty-five pau.d. (Hear, hear.)
S 3 that in the months of June, July, and August, ninety-
tour public bills were introduced, and seventy -tour of them
passed, the greater proportion being passed in August. He
believed it to be the feeling of the house, and he was sure,
from having acted with the noble lord on the public business
committee last session, that it was the feeling of the govern-
ment, that it was by no means desirable that the general
conduct of business in that house should afford a premium
upon precipitate legislation. At this moment he observed that
government had introduced during the present session sixty-
four bills, thirty-two of which had passed, two of which
had beet withdrawn, and thirty of which remained
on the paper. As this was nearly the middle of June, and
as they could form some conception now of how it was pro-
bable the remainder 'of the session might be passed, 'be
thought it was not impertinent to inquire what the intention
of the government was with respect to these 30 bills. At this
moment there were upon the table 11 government measures
respecting Ireland, of which six only had been read e'en:ond
time, viz.—the Poor Relief Bill, the Qualification and Regis-
tration of Voters Bill, the Elections and Polling Places Bill,
the Estates Leasing Bill, the Dublin Rates Collection Bill,
the Dublin Improvement Bill, the Dublin Newgate Bill, the
County Cess Bill, the Municipal Corporations Bill, the 'turn-
pike Roods Bill, and the Punishment for Assaults Bill. Six
of these 11 had only passed a second reading. He would
remind the house t .at ore sdy dining the session 14 govern-
ment measures respecting Ireland had passed the house, and
after that he th.urht he might legitimately inquire of the
noble lord whether it WS his serious intention to proceed, for
example, with the Qualification and Registration of Voters
Bill and the Elections and :Pollisig Places Bill, which was
connected with it. The noble lord would, he was sure, agree
in making this inquiry, that these two bills related to sub-
ljects of the highest interest and importance ; and hon. gentle-
, men, even those conneetf d with Ireland, would, he thought,
agree that it was not only or the greatest importance that
they should not be precipitately passed or introduced at
the end of the session ; but that, of all periods,
**present was probably the least desirable for legislating
upon those subjects. Upon that question, however, he
would not dwell. He would only say that he was sure the
house would agree with him in thinking that bills of that
character ought not to be introduced at the fag end of the
'anon. (Hear, hear.) Considering, therefore, that the
government had already passed 14 measures for Ireland,
and that there were still eleven in an unadvanced state
upon the table, he hoped the noble lord would feel it
mmentent with his duty explicitly to tall the house whether
be intended to proceed with those two important measures
hs the present session. There WAS another group of mea-
MIS connected with Scotland. With the details of these
ammouts he was not familiar, but they appeared to him to
be measures of great interest. There were at this moment
six Scotch bills on the table, almost in the first stage, namely,
the Lunatics Bill, the Public Health Bill, the Police of
Towns Bill, the Pupils' Protection Bill, the Marriage Bill,
Ithe Registration of Births, &c., Bill. He was sure that the
Scotch memoers on both sides of the house must be
Idesirous of knowing which of these bill the government
intended to proceed with, and when they would pro-
I mod with them. (Hear, hear.) But there was a still more
numerous and important close of bills remainiag,
which he would call miscellaneous bills, which were the
subject of universal interest in many instances, and in all of
importance. He was sure that nothing could be more depre-
cated than that that house should be coiled upon to legislate
on these subjects in • hurry. He found in this class of bills,
the Clergy Relief Bill, the Charitable Trusts
the Administration of Justice in Metropolitan Districts Bill,
the Ecclesiastical Committal= Bill, the Joint-Stock Compa-
nies Amendment Act of 1848 Bill, the General and Quarter
Sess!orts Bill, the Stock in Trade Exemption Bill, the Eccle-
siastical Jurisdiction Bill, the Loan Societies Bill, the Mar-
riages Abroad Bill, the Railway Amendment Act, the India
Desertion Act, and, though last not least, the important bill
relatinz to our Australian colonies. He thought he might
fairly inquire what' of these thirteen measures the noble
lord intended to proceed with. These were the in-
quiries he had thought fit to make—first, that they
might have a fair idea of the business to be brought
before them this year; and secondly, because by these ob-
servations he thought he might give • check to that habit
which they all deplored of passing laws when that house
was attended by only • few members, and when, from other
circumstances, the public busbies was conducted in a hur-
ried manner. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. E. B. ROCHE begged to observe that there was
another bill which had been promised at the commencement
of the session which had not yet been introduced, for the
amendment of the grand jury system, and which might be
made to work advantageously in aid of the Peor-law Bill. He
wished to know if the government intended to bring in that
bill. He hoped the noble lord would not be induced to aban-
don any of the Irish bills on the table of the house, for they
were all of great importance to Ireland ; or be induced, by
what had fallen from the hon. gentleman opposite, to indi-
cate any intention of cutting short the session. (Cries of
"Order.")
The SPEAKER said, that if the hon. gentleman was
going to nuke any other inquiry respecting any bill he was
at liberty to pruned ; but not comment upon it.
Mr. ROCHE said he was about to ask the noble lord
another question. From information he had received from
Ireland of • most indubitable and unqualified character, he
was sorry to say that the potato disease bad broken out again
in several parte of the country. He, therefore, wished to
know if the noble lord was prepared to bring forward any
other measure to meet the dismal in Ireland, which, thong
great at present, wee likely to be quadrupled before the
end of the year.
Lord J. RUSSELL said, I am of opinion with the hon.
gentleman opposite, that we should endeavour, if possible,
not to have measure ci great interest and importance
brought before us for our consideration at so late a period of
the session as the month of August, and that no bills should
be left on the paper until that period- which are likely to
excite considerable dissuasion. I cannot agree with the hon.
gentleman who has just spoken, that there is any likeli-
hood of the session being cut short, or et Memorable
pattern= being sent to their homes Wore
have fully terminated their labours. (" Haar" sad a
As fu es the business at present is coasseasd, I vault is.