The Express.
London, England, 1861-02-22 00:00:00

nu COUNTY AND THR BOROUGH FRANCHISE:

NIL LOCKE KING'S AND NB. BAINES'S BILLS.

The following is the bill brought into the House
of Commons by Mr. Locke King and Mr. Hastings Russell,
to extend the franchise in counties in England and Wales :
" Whereas it is expedient to extend the elective fran-
chise to many of her Majesty's subject' who have not
heretofore enjoyed the same: Be it therefore enacted by
the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice
and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and
Commons, in this present parliament assembled, and by the
authority of the same, as follows :
"1. From and after the passing of this act, every male
person, of full age and not subject to any legal disability,
who oezupies, as owner or tenant, any land or tenement
situate without the limits of any city or borough entitled
to return a burgess or burgesses to parliament of the clear
yearly value, or for which he is liable to a clear yearly not,
of not lees than ten pounds. and comprising a house of the
clear yearly value of not less than six pounds, shall
be entitled to vote in the election of a knight or knight' of
the shire to serve in any future parliament for the county,
riding, part, or division of the county, in which such 'land'
or! tenement' is situate : . _

" But no such occupier shall be so entitled to vote unless
he be duly registered as such voter, nor shall be entitled to
be so registered in any year, unless he have occupied such
land' or tenement of such value or at such rent as afore-
said for six calendar months at least next before the last day
of July in such year.
" 2. Tho act passed in the second year of King William
the Fourth, to amend the representation of the people in
England and Wales, and the act passed in the sixth year of
her present Majesty's reign, to amend the law for the regin
tration of persons entitled to vote, and to define certain
rights of voting, and to regulate certain proceedings in the
election of members to serve in parliament for England
and Wales, and the present act shall be construed as one
act."

Mr. Baines's bill (which is backed by Mr. Barley, Mr.
Scholefield, and Mr. Digby Seymour) is u follows :

" Whereas it is expedient to extend the right of voting
for members of parliament in cities and boroughs in
England and Wales : Be it enacted by the Queen's Most
Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of
the Lords Spiritual and Tem poral,and Commons, in this pre-
sent parliament assembled, and by the authority of the
same, as follows :
" 1. The occupation of premises within • city or borough
which returns a member or members to serve in parliament,
or within a place sharing in the election for such city or
borough, of the clear yearly value of not less than six
pouWii, shall confer • right to vote in the election of such
member or members, in like manner as such right is now con-
ferred in respect of the occupation of premises of the clear
yearly value of not less than ten pounds ; and all provisions
now in force concerning such right in respect of such occu-
pation shall, save u herein otherwise provided, be applicable
to the right hereby conferred, uif six pounds were men-
tioned in section 27 of the act of the session holden in the
2nd and '3rd years of King William I V., chap: 45, and were
mentioned or referred to an all other the provisions concern-
ing such right instead of 101.
"2. No person shall be entitled under this act to vote
in an election in respect of his occupation, jointly with
any land, of any building other than a dwelling-house in
which he himself resides, unless such building separately
be of the clear yearly value of not less than 3!.
" This act may be cited as The Borough Franchise
Act, HSU.' "

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.
-4.-

A Court of Common Council wan held yesterday
is the Council Chamber, Guildhall; the Right Hai. the
LORD MAtoa presided.
The MENEMBRANcER called the attention of the court to
certain railway and other bills that were now before parlia-
ment, that were likely to affect the interests of the City,
and also to the motion by Mr. Ayrton for the appointment
of a select committee of the house to consider the subct
of the local management of the metropolis, its taxation, he.,
and also the propriety of making the whole metropolis a
cionnty of itself. It was proposed that the latter question
should be referred to the Corporation Inquiry Committee.
A long discussion took place, and ultimately the propo-
sition was agreed to.
Upon the motion that two lay members of the church of
England should be appointed by the court as members of
the commission issued by the Lord Bishop of London to
consider the propriety of the union of certain benefices in
the City of London,
The LORD MATOR mid that the committee appointed to
consider this subject had recently submitted to the Bishop
of London a comprehensive scheme for uniting the whole of
the City parishes in groups. The matter was now under
consideration by his lordship, and he thought that for the
present it would be better for the court to refrain from
taking any further proceedings.
The subject was accordingly postponed.
Mr. HARRIS moved that notice be given to the short-
hand writers employed to take minutes of the evidence of
the Centml Criminal Court, that the same would be
discontinued. He said that the notes and the printing of
the reports cost the corporation 'AO. a year, and he believed
they were perfectly useless, that no one read them, and
that therefore it was • waste of money to continue the
present system.
Deputy COOK seconded the motion.
Mr. LAWLKY moved as an amendment the previous
question, and he said it appeared to him that this court
ought not to act in such • matter without consulting the
Recorder and their other law officers. (Hear, hear.)
A long discussion took place on the question, and Mr.
Harris eventually consented to withdraw his motion, and
the proposition of Mr. Taylor for referring the matter to
the General Purposes Committeemieunanimounlyagreed to.
Upon the motion of Mr. C. USED, a petition for pecu-
nisry assistance in aid of the Syrian Relief Fund was re-
ferred to the Coal, Coin, and Finance Committee, as was
also a similar application from the Western City Dispen-
sari, ups the motion of Deputy Lott.
Mr. W. CONNELL brought forward a motion of which he
had gives notice for some time past, that it be referred
to the Coal, Corn, and Finance Committee, to examine
and report whether the fees received by and forming part
of the emoluments of the Lord Mayor may not be com-
muted into a money payment out of the City's cash and,
also, further to report whether some of the said fees
should not be abolished, thereby conferring great advan-
tage upon the public, and increasing the popularity and
dignity of the Lord Meyer. He said it was unnecessary for
him, he was sure, to state that he in no wise desired to
interfere with the rights and privileges of the important
office of Lord Mayor, but he thought the time had arrived
when he should no longer derive a portion of his Wary
from fees, and that it would conduce to his dignity and be
more satisfactory to the public that they should be
abolished.

Mr.Hunereu. seconded the motion.
Hr. H. L. TAYLOR said he could hardly understand what
was proposed to be dope if this motion was carried, and he
thought they ought to have had some more information
before they were asked to agree to it. As to the idea that
anything this court could do would add to the popularity
al the present Lord Mayor, it was out of the question.
(Hear, hear, and loud cheers.) He thought that it would
be quite sufficient if the motion stopped at that point
which suggested for consideration whether the foes payable
to the Lord Mayor might not be commuted into a money
payment out of the City's cash, and ho should therefore
propose an amendment to that effect.
Mr. C. YOUNG seconded the amendment.

This motion and the amendment gave rise to a very ani-
mateddiscussion, in which Deputy Harrison, Mr. Hartridge,
Deputy Fry, and several other members, took a part, and
eventually the amendment of Mr. Taylor was declared to be
carried.

Dr. ABRAHAM, upon the amendment being then put se
an original motion, moved as an amendment that the consi-
deration of the subject be adjourned sine die.
Alderman DACIN seconded the amendment. .

The original motion and the amendment were then put to
the court, and the latter was declared to be earned. A
division was, however, demanded, when the numbers ap-
peared to be—
For the original motion GI
For the amendment. 59-5

Dr. ABRAHAM said he wished t inquire of the Recorder
whether the fees in question were legally commutable.
The Recorder said that in one sense they were not. The
mmoratiou, undoubtedly. had the power if they pleased to
make an amingement with the existing Lord Mayor to pay
him a certain sum in lieu of fees, but be could not bind his
successor,, and • fresh arrangement must be made from
year to year.
The subject then dropped.

Lord Stratford de Redcliffe will move in the
House of Lonle on Monday, for correspondence connected
with "certain events in Syria."
Sir Henry Stracey on Tuesday next will move
that " in the opinion of this house, the establishment of
sailors' homes has been so conducive to the benefit of sea-
men, and, consequently, of so great national importance, as
to be deserving of the support and encouragement of the
legislature." _ _ _

On the second reading of the County Franchise
Bill, Sir Lawrence Palk will move the previous question.
The following members have been selected to
serve as chairmen of election committees for the present
evasion:—Henri Austin Bruce, Edward C. Egerton (Mac-
clesfield), Thomas William Evans, James Milnes Gaskell,
John George, Right Hon. Sir William Meredith Somerville,
Bart.

Nolmo/wormer Bunuan.—The bill on tine
subject, prepared and brought in by Sir M. Peto, Mr.
Crcesley,and Mr. Kinnaird, is called "The Nonconformists
Burial Act." It provides that the burial service of the
°dumb of England may be dispensed with at the burial in
the churchyard of any parish church, of a nonconformist,
and that the service may be celebrated by a person ap-
pointed by the representatives of the deceased. Notice
mast be given to the clergyman of the parish to appoint
time for such burial, and the right to fees is not to be
affected.