The Express.
London, England, 1861-02-15 00:00:00

RED SEA AND INDIA TELEGRAPH BILL

On the motion for the second reading of this bill,
Mr. WYLD thought that some inquiry ought to be made
into the circumstances under which a contract was con-
cluded which had resulted in wasting 800,0U0/. of public
money.
Mr. OONINGHAM concurred in this opinion, and de.
eland his intention of dividing on the question.
After some further discussion,
Mr. DISRAELI remarked that the whole proceeding was
well known at the time both by the house and the city of
London. Under the then existing state of affairs in India,
the government would have been heavily blamed if they
had neglected by any means that promised to establish tele-
graphic communication between England and Hindostan.
If no company bad been prepared to undertake that duty,
he should have recommended the government to try their
bands at constructing a telegraph on their own respon-
sibility.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER rid that
without entering into the wide question opened by Mr.
Disraeli, he hoped the house would pass the present mea-
sure, merely for the sake of keeping the public faith as
pledged for the fulfilment of the guarantee granted or*.
nally to the Red Sea Telegraph Company.
The bill was then read a second time, after an emphatic
"No" from Mr. Coningham, and was ordered to be referred
to a select committee.

TRUSTEF33 OF CHARITIES BILL.
The order for the second reading of this ball stood next on
the paper, but, in the absence of both Mr. Dillwyn and Mr.
Selwyn, wu pissed over.

CRIMINAL LAW.

The SOLICITOKZiIiftAI—i-io;ed to introduce the
following bills :—Bill to consolidate and amend the statute
law of England and Ireland relating to offences against the
person ; bill to consolidate and amend the statute law of
England and Ireland relating to malicious injuries to pro.
pert ; bill to consolidate and amend the statute law of
England and Ireland relating to larceny and other similar
offences ; bill to consolidate and amend the statute law of
England and Ireland relating to indictable offences by
forgery ; bill to consolidate and amend the statute law of
the United Kingdom against offences relating to the coin ;
bill to consolidate and amend the statute law of England
and Ireland relating to accessories to and abetters of In-
dictable offences ; bill to repeal certain enactments which
bare been consolidated in several acts of the present session
relating to indictable offences and other matters.
Leave was then given to bring in the bills.
THE YOUR VACANT BEATS.

Sir G. C. LEWIS, in moving for leave to bring in a bill
to •seatgsa the seats forfeited by the diafrancirieenieut of the
boroughs of St. Albans and Sudbury, said—Although the
measure which I am about to propose to the house is not a
large sad comprehensive measure—(derisive cheers and
laughter) —neverthelesmany billlwhich affects the construction
of this assembly, which deals with four seats in this house,
and dads with them on principles which this house will
legislet• upon and adopt, is of considerable impel,
terms, and I feel certain will receive the deliberate
attention of the house. The bill which I ask to introduce
founded upon the fact that by former acts of parliament two
boroughs, namely, Sudbury and St. Albans, the oue in 1844
and the other in 1852, have been disfranchised. Measures
have been proposed at various times for assigning these four
seats, but the general reason why the house has abstained
to the present time from filling up thee. vacant seats has
been that it expected some measure would peas the house
which, in the generality of its provisions, would deal with
those four seats and fill up the vacancies thus created. In
the last session of parliament, the house is well aware that
her Majesty's government proposed • measure of peril*.
military reform which embraced the disposal of those four
seats. That measure, I need not remind the house, did not
pass, and her Majesty's government have not thought it ex.
pedient to ask the house to consider a general measure of
parliamentary reform in this session. Under these circum-
stances it seemed to them advisable that those four seats
should not remain vacant, that the integrity of the
members of this house should be completed, and
that a special measure should be proposed fur
the consideration of -the house whereby these four
vacancies should be filled up. Now, lam quite aware that
any person who makes a proposition to the house for filling
up four vacant seats undertakes a difficult task, inasmuch
as it is necessary that he should make a definite proposal
with regard to the mate, and it is quite certain that many
alternatives will be presented when his bill is in committee.
Already notices have been given with regard to two bills
daling with a part of the subject, and it may be anticipated
that when the measure that I shall propose shall reach the
stage of committee there will be various views entertained
in different pert, of the house by gentlemen who constitute
the advocates of different parted the country, and who will
preennt to the house alternative views with regard to the
best mode of filling up these vacancies. I canuot hope that
the measure which I have to propose will not be open to
criticism on particular points, and that it may not
be possible to present other proposals which may
appear specious to the house, or to a certain portion
of it ; but I would ask hon. gentlemen not to expect any.
thing more than that the proposal I make should be a fair
and reasonable proposal, and ou the whole better than any
other proposal that may be submitted for consideration.
Having made these few observations, I will now state the
manner in which I propose that these seats should be filled
up. The house will observe that four vacancies are created
by the disfranchisement of two boroughs • but although
that is a consideration which the house should not alto-
gether lam sight of, still her Majesty's government are not
of opinion that it in any way binds them to assign all these
seats likewise to boroughs. They therefore propose to
assign in the first place two seats to very large counties,
namely, one seat to the West Riding of Yorkshire and one
seat to mouth Lancashire. I will state the total pOpulation
of these two counties, and also the remaining population ex-
clusive of the represented town. The total population of the
West Riding of Yorkshire, according to the census, is
1,315,8116, and exclusive of represented towns is 794,884.
The total
_population of South Lancashire is still larger,
being 1,307,000, and exclusive of represented towns 500,01.1 e.
These two are the largest counties in England. The next
counties would be North Lancashire and Middlesex. There-
fore the proposal 1 have to make is with regard to two meets,
that one should be given to the Wart Riding and the other
to South Lancashire, without say division of those couaties, ,
which is • matter about which &difference of opinion arises.
We propose to make no disturbance of existing boundaries,
but simply to add one member to each of those divisions.
There then remain two seats, which we propose to
assign to boromhs. One seat we propose to give
to the united parishes of Chelsea and Kensington. It
is possible that many gentlemen may entertain an
objection to adding to the number of metropolitan
members— (" bear, hear," from the opposition)—and who
may think that the metropolis is sufficiently represented
—(bear, hear)—and who might prefer to amigo a member
to some rural borough. Well, that is a matter which is
opethistibinto tghoone eoninstiodecraomotiontwoof the
ehoouprwout
sildofsothdeontsewrirl