The Express.
London, England, 1847-03-16 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
MOUSE OF LORDS.—MONDAT, MARCU 15.
The LORD CHANCILLOR took bit see at 6 o'clock.
PRIVATE RUSIN/NA.

.....
SECOND READINGS.—WLead's (Dalkeitb Glebe) Fannie; the
District Pim Insurance Company of Mrmingbant ; Llynvi hos Com-
pany ; 11111 s.
PUBLIC RUSIN EBB.
PETITIONS.—The Earl of Sr. Gemstas, from the Union of St.
Germano, and by the F. lof firasimaims, from Bradford, in favour
of an alteration of th law of oettlement and of rating. lord
8R0".A.1, from mogietracy of Hull, for alteration of criminal lam;
from Beverley and Hendon, for alteration of Poor Removal Act ; the
diarentem of Wilts. ageing the government plan of education; hoot
Braintree, against. Bogging in the army. Lord Was tar, from grand
imp of Tipperary, in tansy of re,t riot ton of sale of arm.. for extended
plan of emigration, and for government encouragement in the exten-
sion of railways in Ireland. Lord Aaiun from 1,500 enters of
the hammy of Forney. in Monaghan, for nicer* to enable them to
amlorato. The Earl of Dorm., foto the other hplf of nine barony, to
mine semi. Earl FRAIWILIJAIt, front congregations of Selby against
the ipsernnient plan of education.
PAPER PRESENTED.—By the Marquis of Lampoon; list of
penman holding shares in Irish railways.
COMMlTTEES.—Cnnisoliclated Pond; Loan; Bills.
RETURN ORDERED.—On the motion of lord Baorionan, ropy
of the report of the visiting justices of Tothlll-flelds Bridewell, in the
ease of John °ahem.

NATIONAL EDUCATION.
Lord BROUGHAM, in presenting a petition from the
Protestant dimenters of a place in Wilts against the govern-
ment plan of education, declared that he could not concur in
the prayer of the petition. He bad never, in the whole
of his experience, heard of a more senseless clamour than
that which was now being raised by the dissenters against
the government plan. (Hear, bear.)
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE fully concurred with the
noble and learned lord as to the groundlessness of the alarm
at present existing macinget the dissenters. He did not
know what there was in the minutes of the couneil of educa-
tion to excite the jealousy of that intelligent body. He
might not have wondered at their distrust, if the facts on
which they grounded their fears were true; hut he had seen
letters, circulated with the view of increasing the opposition,
hich contained statements directly opposite to what was to
be found in the minutes, and positively asserting that the
object of the government was to secure • monopoly of educa-
tion to the established church. (Hear, hear.) He said it
in all re•pect to the established church, hut no man
would be more reluctant to procure for it a monopole' of that
description than himself. (Hear, hear.) The feet was
that there was not in the plan a single benefit intended for
the community at large, which was not guarded in such a
way an to make it accessible to all sects indifferently. The
plan was founded on principles of religious freedom and
liberality for all dames of the community. (Hear, hear.)
Lord BROUGHAM had also seen the letter alluded to by
the noble marquis, and had been surprised at the inaccuracy
of its statements. His only fault with the government wee,
that it did not go far enough. lie feared that between the
church on one side, and the dissenters on the other, the
education of the people would fall to the ground. Both of
these bodies expressed their anxiety to further that moat im-
portant object, but he feared that either would postpone it
for the sake of • little temporary triumph over the other.
I (Hear, hear.)
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE would remind the noble
and learned lord that all the dissenters were not against the
measure, as at a late meeting at Leeds the greatest mer-
chants of the town, including many dissenters, had marked
it with their approval.
SALE OF ARMS, EMIGRATION, RAILWAYS,
(IRELAND).
Lord STANLEY said ho had three petitions to present
to which he wished to call the attention of their lordshipr,
and of the government. They were signed by the high
sheriff and the whole of the grand jury of the North Rid-
ing of Tipperary, and had reference to three questions of
very considerable importance. The first stated that the
petitioners viewed with alarm the unprecedented sales of fire
arms, which were constantly going on in the towns of
Clonmel and Thurles, and their alarm was, they stated, par-
ticipated in by Mr. Justice Jackie's, the judge of anise,
who feared that, in the majority of cases, the arms purchased
got into the hands of improper persons. In corroboration
of the statements of this petition, he (Lord Stanley) would
read to the house the report which had been furnished by
the head constable of Clonmel to the chief inspector of
police, and by him forwarded to the grand jury. The
report mated that twelve persons in that town had recently
imported large supplies of guns, swords, and bayonets,
which they sold at prices varying from half-a-crown to
thirty shillings. Four of those persons sold by public
auction in the streets on fair and market days. It
appeared that the manufacturers of Birmingham were quite
unable to supply the demand, and that the deficiency
was supplied from the pawn-offices of London. The prin-
cipal purchasers were the lowest class of labourers and
servant boys, and many of the guns were purchased with
money received as wages on the public works. lie must
further state, that private accounts he had received fully
corroborated the account given by the head.constable. At a
recent sale of gone in Clonmel, the auctioneer, dementia, on
the merits of his wares, held out one gun, exclaiming " Buy
this, boys ; it is a receipt in full for the Nbvember rent."
(Laughter.) And another, saying, " Here's one, warranted
to settle with an agent at 150 yards." (Continued laughter.)
There was, he must admit, something ludicrous in Nis; but
still it could not be defied that much mischief might be
expected from indiscriminate miles of fire-arms. (Hest,
hear.) He bad also received information from private
sources that, in a district with which he was well acquainted,
a number of persons engaged on the public works had
been seen practising with ball in a field. They had a hat
stuck on a spade-handle, and every successful shot was
received with loud cheers. The house would be surprised
to learn that the persons so employed were at that moment
receiving government pay on the public works. (Laughter.)
The second petition war on the subject of Irish railways,
and submitted the opinion of the petitioners, tigit everything
that would facilitate their extension would be a great benefit
to the country. The third petition solicited an extended
system of emigration under the auspices of government.
Now, although he quite concurred with the petitioners, that
in the great poor-law experiment about to be made, every
aid likely to render it safe should be adopted, yet he was
not prepared to go the whole length in adopting their views.
He believed that many of them were not aware of the
danger and difficulty attendant on the application of large
fume of the public money, to the purpose of conveying a
large amount of destitute labour to the colonies. (Hear.) The
petitioners no doubt founded their petition on the very
common mistake that every governor of • colony had large
tracts of waste land at his disposal. Now, nothing could
be more erroneous than such a belief, as, with the exception
of New South Wales and one or two others, the governors
had no control over the lands. (So we understood the noble
lord.) The fact was, that our Canadian colonists dreaded
nothing more than en enormous influx of destitute persons.
Perhaps the petitioners did not know, that even at present,
government aid went farther than was generally supposed,
and that emigrants, on striving at our colonies, would find
government agents at every stage ready to give them the
best advice, and to further their progress to their ultimate
destination. The persons going to Canada to friends previ-
ously settled, or with defined expectations, would, no doubt,
absorb a large amount of labour ; but to think of seeding out
half a million era million of destitute persons, at an expense
to the country of three or four millions sterling, would be
detrimental both to the colonies and to the persona sent
(Hear, hear.) At the same time he thought it expedient
that every encouragement should be given to the load efforts
of proprietors, and that for the emigrants themselves the best
assistance and advice should be provided, both here and in
the colonies. (Hear, hear.)
Lord BROUGHAM doubted the efficacy of a general
depletion in Ireland. Even the sending away of a million
or half • million would not, in his °pinks, have much
effect. He wished to know whether be could, obtain a
return of the number of marriages which had been celebrated
in Ireland during the last six months, as compared with the
previous six months. He asked this became be believed
that even if the— sent away a million now, in ten or twelve
years they would be swarming as numerously as ever.
Lord STANLEY said he had seen a statement to the
effect, that the State of New York had, in the apprehension
of an enormous influx this year, imposed a large fine on
each emigrant. He wished to know whether government
had received any official intimations on the subject.
Earl GREY believed that such a measure had been under
consideration in the New York legislature, but that no
decision had as yet been come to. The question had been
raised in consequence of abuses which bad occurred last
year—a number of German, not English or Irish, emigrants
having landed on the quays of New York, in • state of
complete destitution, and many of them so weakly or ad-
vented in years as to be wholly unfit for labour. (Hear.)
If we adopted an indiscriminatuig measure of emigration,
we should no doubt be met in America by measures of
restriction, and so in even our own colonies. He had had
much conversation on this subject with Lord Elgin previous
to his departure for Americs, and that noble earl's attention
would be directed to the consideration of the moat satis-
factory mode of distributing emigrants in Canada.
Lord ASHBURTON, in presenting a petition from 1,500
eottiers of Omagh, for mesa. to emigrate, observed that It
was meet desirable that emigrants to America should meet,
on their arrival, with the fewest possible discouraging eireum-
stancee. As to the prohibitions referred to, he much doubted
whether the State of New York, even if it eo desired,
could prohibit the landing of emigrants in any part of the
State. He believed that all that had been done by the
authorities of New York had been to all upon the captains
of vessels bringing over emigrants to give security that wash
emigrants should not become chargeable there.
Eon FITZ WILLIAM—Are the 1,500 cattier' you gee.
sent a petition from all heads of families /
Lord Ashburton—No; there are 390 heads of families,
representing 1.600 persons in all.
Lord BROUGHAM—AII the signatures are in the same
handwriting. (A laugh.)
Lord MONTEAGLE was greatly in favour of wawa-
sictered encouragement to emigration.
Lord STANLEY explained tnat so fir from being
to all government encouragement of emigration, he that
the bill before parliament with reference to • loser- w for
Ireland, would not pass without the insertion of a provision
for facilitating emigration.
. _ _

The Earl of DEVON, in presetting & petition from 1,400
cottiers of Farney, fur mean/ to emigrate, Mated that he had
received two letters, on which he could fully rely, inform-
Mg him that the 2i. 6d. which certain Irish, landing at