The Express.
London, England, 1867-08-07 00:00:00

MAURITIUS.

In reply to • questioo from Mr. J. A. Swim,
Mr. ADDN.ItLEY mid at the date of the last ad sicesof the
government from the Mauritius, namely, 2nd of May, the
number of deaths in Port Louis and the district around it
was 7,000. There had been an improvement since that
time. As regarded relief, there was no precedent tor
public assistance in such eases, but large private subwrip.
lions had been entered into in the island.
THE COMMITTEE ON THE ECCLESIASTICAL
TITLES ACT AND THE ROMAN CATHOLIC
RELIEF ACT.

Mr. NEWDEGATE asked the Speaker whether it is en.
sistent with the intention and practice of the house, that
when the house has ordered a petition to be referred to a
select committee, no officer or clerk of the house should
take charge of the petition, and be required to deliver the
petition to the chairman at the next meeting of the emu.
mittee, or otherwise to call the attention of the committee
to the petition, which has by order of the house been
referred to the committee for their consideration, and isfor
this purpose in the possession of the officers of this house.
The hon. member made a statement to the effect that the
clerk to whom a petition of Mr. Lord, asking on behalf
of the Protestant Association to be allowed to tender
further evidence, had, by his own confession, nezlected to
perform his duty.
The SPEAKER, in reply, said all petitions went in
the first instance to the journal office ; there they were
examined by the committee on petitions, and if they
' were thought of sufficient importance, they were laid
before the committee. It was the duty of the
clerk to make the committee acquainted with petitions,
In this case the petition was presented during the time
that a committee had adjourned to consider their report,
and the clerk did not inform them that it had been re.
calved. The petition was in his presence found among
other papers.
Mr. NEWDEGATE said he hoped there would be greater
regularity in future.
UNIFORMITY ACT AMENDMENT BILL.

Mr. FawcErr, in moving the third reading of this
bill, observed that the principle of the bill having
been discussed on the second reading he would
not enter into it then; but the object Tern
to enable the colleges of ',Oxford and Cambridge
to admit persons to the highest honours although they
were not members of the Church of England. The ten-
dency of such legislation was to make the universities truly
national institutions.

Mr. C. BENTINCK moved that the bill be read a third
time that day three months, contending that it wu
hostile to the church of England and inconsistent with the
right.; of colleges, and accusing Serjeant Gutlee and other
members of having displayed Ignorance in their advocacy
of the bill.

Serjeant GASELEE, in defending himself against the
charge of ignorance, complained of such language as Imps!,
liamentary, and said the hon. member had better look at
home. (Laughter.)
The house then divided :

For the third reading :4
Against it 4l-7
The bill was accordingly lost.
LIBEL BILL.

Sir C. O'LOCHLEN moved the third reading of this
bill.

Mr. AYRTON contended that the effect of passing
such a bill, which would make speakers liable for slander
instead of newspapers, would probably be that tho
press would be placed under similar restrictions to
those which existed in foreign countries ; so that
the press itself would be injured instead of benefited.
The legal distinction between spoken and written language
was founded in reason, and no one could have sat in
that house for a month without seeing that there should be
greater allowance in one case than in the other. If
• person chose to take down what ought not to have bees
uttered, and to print it, he should be held responsible.
Nothing could be better than the footing on which the
press was now placed ; and if the law of libel were alio.
Fished newspapers would deteriorate in character. The
hon. member concluded by moving that the bill be TM' a
third time that day three months.
Mr. T. CHAMBERS seconded the amendment.

Sir C. O'LOQHLEN defended the bill and corn-
planed of the manner in which the opposition
had been conducted, the second reading berme been
allowed to pass without • division, and the obstructions
reserved for the third reading. The bill had received the
sanction of the Newspaper Press Association, which num-
bered 160 members, and petitions had been presented
in favour of it while none had been presented against it.
It was not purely a newspaper bill ; many of the chines
relating to the law of libel as it bore on people generally.
I Left sitting.]

THE CITY OF LONDON AND THE REFORM BILL.

In compliance with a requisition numerously and
respectably signed, the Lord Mayor has convened a public,
meeting of the citizens of London at the Guildhall, at one
o'clock to-morrow, to petition parliament against the
Lords' amendments of the Reform Bill. The movement
has been set on foot by the Liberal Registration AISOCiI.
tion in the City. The meeting will be held for the pur.
pose of passing resolutions and petitioning parlia-
ment against :—lat. The increase of copyhold md
leasehold qualifications from 51. to BY. The use
of voting papers. 3. The partial disfrinehisement
of electors in the City of London and certnn other
boroughs, by neutralising their representation, and de.
priving them of one of their votes, under the lame of the
representation of minorities.' 4. The requirement of the
paymett of a county or borough rate in addition to the
poor rate."

The following is a copy of the petit ion adopted by the
great meeting at hfanchester
" To the Honourable the Commons of Great Britain and
Ireland, in Parliament assembled,—The petition of the int
habitants of the city of Manchester, in public meeting
assembled, humbly ahoweth,—That in the opinion of your
petitioners the universal custom of the country, which giros
to each elector as many votes AS there are members to be
returned to parliament for his borough or county, ought not
to be departed from in Manchester. That if your iwtitiomrs
mtnuot have three votes fur three candidate', they pm,' that
this city may be divided into two oonatitueucies, at L Fro•
posed in regard to Glasgow ; and should it hapis:m which
your petitioners are unwilling to believe, that parliament
will refuse to grant either of these requests, they thee
pray that the third member may be withdrawn from 110.
cheater, and given to some constituency where A wa!oritl
of the electors shall have the power to return ham to the
Rouse of Commons. Your petitioners also pray that your
honourable house will reject the proposal in reference to
the use of voting papers, which would, as your petitionem
believe, engender corrupt influence amongst tLe elector*
And your petitioners will ever t ray."

The meeting to be held at eight o'clock this evening st
the Queen's Concert Rooms, to protest against the soon.
of the Lords with reference to the three•eotnered tr
•
tuencies, will, it is expected, be addressed by Mr. 4 ;ache%
M.P., Mr. T. Hughes, M.P., Mr. J. Stansfal,
Mr. Dixon, M.P., Mr. Wtitworth„ and others.
The chairman is Mr. Tureens, M.P., the author of the
lodger franchise dame.

With reference to the recent statements regard-
ing the practicability of obtaining meat from Asw
trellis, the secretary of the Australian Meat CousFors
of which Messrs. John M'Call and Co. are the *bole'
sale agents, writes to mention that they have het*
steadily at work on the subject for the Pot
year, that their sales are gradually increasing, 301
now amount to about 70,00016. per month, and that
at the present time they are killing on their establishment
at Ramornie, Clarence River, New South Wales, *hod
fifteen bullocks per day. The beat half of each carcase
is, it is said, sent to London as boiled beef, and the otbe
half is made into Liebig's extract of meat.
Prince do la Tour-d'Auvergno, French Antler
sador at London, has left Paris for the waters of Vichy.
°am" PALLan.—ONE SHILLING DAY.—Tress
DAT, Aunter 6.—Adaissions on Perevnt, 2,790; "
by Kam tickets, 839; total viaitott. 3,638.