The Express.
London, England, 1857-07-11 00:00:00

CURIOUS BUM 111 THB HOUSE OF LORDS.

The roles of their lordships respecting proxies
led to • curious sone last night ea the division on the Jew
Bill. The eels Is, that when proxies are being taken no peer
is to leave Wssa but as the peonies are called seriatim by
the Ask at the table from the book in which they are en-
tered, the peer to whole the proxy is given rime uncovered,
and rays content, or um-content. Usually, indeed of rising,
the peer simply takes off his hat. Last night, one of the peers
gave his proxy vote while apparently standing below the
bar. The rote was Instantly objected to, on the ground
that the peer Is question was not technically in the
house. Hempen • discussion arose, which had the
drollest poseibie effect upon the spectator., inasmuch
as the peers were supposed to be glued to their seen, all
tion being contrary to the rules of the house. They all spoke
sitting, WON with their hats on, half a dozen at a tmie,
end each to make himself heard had to raise hie
voice to a pitch meet unusual in that solemn
assembly. Lord Campbell commenced questioning the
delinquent peer, " Where were you—were you in the
hewer all this sitting and &roam the door, sad we know
net how many peers speaking at the same time. On this
the voice of the Duke of Buceleugh I. heard thundering
across the house protesting against one peer being called
in question by anotheri per. some one quoted the House
of Common,. Lord Westmeath thunders out, protesting
against being governed by the precedents of the House of
Commons. Their lordehips must stand on their own bottom.
Lerd Granville quietly remarked that they should at least
be governed by common sense. Lord Clounicarde, to settle
the qaestion, tries to get at • book ; but es he, like the rest,
is suppoeed to be glued to his seat, he had to make • furious
rush to the table and back again for the purpose. Lord
Campbell again commences questioning7Lord itedeclale ex-
pounding the law—Lord Saliebury explaining where the peer
IMP, and the peer himself laughing and explaining nothing
all in the same autocratic fashion, se if they were afraid that
even their lips should be seen to move. This droll spectacle
ended by the vote being admitted.

The Jewiab claims do not make much way in the
Home of Lords. Lot year the bill was vjected by a ma-

patty of 32-110 to 78.. This year the adi;eree majority is
34, sad the house as both side. mastered more arongly, the
riumbeni being 173 to 139.

It has been arranged that instead of the punish-
ment of seven years' transportation, as oriainal,y proposed
in the Fraudulent Trustees Bill now before parliament, the
term of tt•ree years shall be adopted, and that this may Le
modified to fine or imprisonment for not more than two
years, with or without hard labour.
-

The bill promoted by the directors of the Great
Northern Railway to throw the coat of liodpeth's hands on
the preference gareholdies, rend the committee of the
lime of Lords yesterday afternoon, to tho anoniehment of
it. opponent.. It will therefore be forthwith brought up for
it. third reading.
_ _

Ma. BASS, M.P., AND TILE I)I*CDT OP LAN-
CA/1711:80M Of Our readers may remember that when a
debate arose in the House of Common. on Mr. Wins
motion bra committee to inquire into the affairs of the
Duchy of Larder, Mr. Baas made certain ohoonstiunk
He complained of having to keep game on the Duchy
lands rented by him in Staffordshire, for the benefit
of the Crown and ita favourites. For that com-
plaint, aside by Mr. Baas, es a member of parlia-
ment, he has been punished, we hear. Lord Waterperk,
axe-bearer to the Duchy, beers not the axe in vain—that is,
enter the report in circulation be Wee. By virtue of his
office of axs-bearer he IS vested with authority over
the Dueby Waits, and in the exercise of it he
writes (goesip say.) a latter of rebuke to Mr.
Bees. A cogragendenes enema, and ends in the with-
drawal from Mr. NM of his shooting privileges over his own
leaseholds, to the rim depreciation of the property, lame-
holders not beim waling to ltuld under the boo idnisir of Lord
Waterpwk.
_Why has not the honourable member brought
Lord `Waterperk to the bar of the house for this onconeitu-
Dowd rowan P—Leader.
Tin Dun AND WEST INDIA BOCK 4.—At a
meeting of the proprietors of the F 4104 and West India
Docks yesterday, the report wee unanimously adopted, and a
dividend of 3 per mat., free of income-tax, was declared,
being at the rate of 6 per cent. per annum. The report
stated that there had been a coneiderable deficiency, as com-
pared with last year, in the tonnage from the Bast cod
West Indies and the Mauritius, which WAS n. t
counterbalanced by increseed arrivals from Chins,
Australia, and the Baltic, the numbers. being 384.116 tensin
1867, e4mket 403,338 in 1856, showing falling off of 19,222.
The impede of colonial produce having also teem low, the
stocks in the warehouses had been diminished, so as to affect
the receipts for rent. The directory., however, considered
those circumstances to be purely exceptional, and felt justified
in recommending the declaration of the usual dividend. New
eceetroctions and improvemente were stated to be in progress
at the Easters Docks for the accommodation and security of
ships of heavy Medea. The meeting &reed with a vote of
thanks to the board.

The .Flje Journal reports a subterraneous fire in
the Dysart coal seam. In the village, says the game autho-
rity, " the walla era rending, the lime is bursting at some
Owe off the wing, numbers of the doors will not phut, nod
some of the noon are bursting sounder. The farmhouse
at Brunton is torn, and swayed, and propped to hold
I It up."