The Express.
London, England, 1861-02-20 00:00:00

orsio

Mr. P. WATLINOTON asked the President of the Poor-
Low Board whether it was his intention to introduce ►ny
bill this session to provide for superannuation allowances to
poor law cams of unions and parishes.
Mr. VILLIERtaI said it was not his intention to introduce
a bill upon this subject. A committee hid been appointed
to übe into all matters connected with the Poor laws,
and it would be better to refer the question to them in the
ant instance.

DELIVERYTHE OF IRISH LETTERS IN LONDON.
Mr. BRADY asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if
his attention had been directed to the fact that Irish letters
arriving at the General Port,office, London, at 7 o'clock in
the morning, were there detained and not delivered before
the second deliv (even so late as 12 o'clock a.m.)
Mr. CARDWEL said that on inquiry he found that the
Irish mail did not arrive in London in time for the earlimt
delivery ; but with the exception of two oeoesions eines
the first of January, the mails bad arrived about 8 o'clock
in the morning, and the letters had been shortly afterwards
delivered.

THE COUNTY FRANCHISE.
Mr. LOCKE KING, in moving for Wye to In •
bill to extend the franchise in counties in Y gf and
Wales, said he hoped the house would not think that he
was too presumptuous in calling their attention to this very
great question of the county franchise. (Hear, hoard He
had hoped, after what had occurred during the past few
years, but more particularly during the last two yeah,
that there would never Irvin have been any necessity for
him to bring the matter before the house. But as they
had no reform bill promised by the government, and no
prospect of one—there having been no reference to
reform in the Queen's Speech—he thought it was •
fitting opportunity to bring the question before the house.
The old excuses would not do any longer. For many years it
had been the fashion to make promises and introduce para-
graphs into the leen's speech be knew not how many
times, but nothing had come of them. (Hear, beer.) He felt
glad there was not this year any allusion in the Queen's
speech to reform, for be thought there would be • better
chalice of obtaining • reform bill than when there bad berm.
He ought to mention that in one part of this, bill for ex-
tending the franchise to occupiers of 10f., it was proposed
that a great portion of the property should consist of •
house of the value of Si.

Mr. liVidtifitinideretood that the noble lord the
member for London had given as one of hie reasons for
not acting during the present session that no popular cry
had been seised-00 breeze of opinion strong enough to carry
the measure over the bar of the House of Lords. In his
opinion, that was • reason why the noble lord should seise
the earliest possible moment, and that they should go
earnestly to work to prepare such a bill as should attract
the full gale of popular opinion. He was willing to give
the noble lord credit for the skill and courage with which
he steered his bark through the storm thirty years ago,
but the noble lewd must recollect how narrowly be thou
escaped shipwreck, not only himself and his
ministry, but the system of constitutional government,
and even monarchy itself. He still believed that the right
way to deal with the Reform Bill was by appointing • I
select committee, but having consulted those whose opinion
he respected, and understanding the general feeling to be
that the bill of his hon. friend should stand on its own
merits, be should postpone his own notice, and bring it
' forward as • substantive motion on • future day. In the
sometime his film belief was that the motion of his hon.
friend the member for Surrey could do no good (Loud
laughter.) No good, he meant, in leading itself' to any
practical result, but good is raising discussion which must
always be serviceable to the cause. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. D. GRIFFITH, who was indistinctly heard, ram to
move as an amendment, " That, considering that the °Nest
of the proposed bill involves the practical adoption of •
principle which has generally been considered as opposed to
the spirit of our parliamentary constitution, namely, the
uniformity of the county and borough franchise, it',
is not expedient to reduce the county franchise below SOO
Captain JERVIS secionded the amendment.
NEWDEGATE regretted that the hon. member for
Norwich intesdsd to withdraw his amendment. The right
hem gentlemen the Home Secretary had estimated the
effect of reducing the oouuty franchise ; 101. would be an
addition of _
,157 000 active electors to the county condi-
teencies is lagland sad Wales ; but on looking through the
evidence taken committee of the House of Lords he
fouadtbst Mr. Baxter, whose experience in the constituencies
of the Wad Biding was generally ackeowledged, after going
through the various documents bearing on the subject, ar-
rived at the esselmion that the right hon. palassaasts esti-
mate was short of the probable result by no less than
200000 active electom His own opinion entirely coincided
with the evidence of Mr. Baxter, in whose judgment he had
theArreatest confidence.
Yr._ G. BENTINCK said that the effect of the memo»
would be au inundation of the rural districts with
an urban constituency; sod he believed that the malt