The Express.
London, England, 1868-06-12 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. I

The Hotta of LORDS has not yet settled down
to business. The Peers bad before them last
evening only one order, the committee upon the
Army Chaplains' Bill, and that, after a good
deal of discussion, they postponed until to-day.
The result of the inquiries addressed to
Ministers in the House of Commons was to eetab-
Bah the truth of the statements which have ap-
peared in the newspapers, as to the desire of Sir
C. Darling to retract his withdrawal from the
Colonial Service, and the appointment of Mr.
Btreet and Mr. E. Barry as architects respectively
for the new Law Courts and the new National
Gallery; and to inform the house that the govern-
ment have no intention to propose any vote to de-
fray the cost of a Foreign Cattle Mmket, which
the Chancellor of the Exchequer antici-
pates will be self-supporting. The orders of
the day were postponed to enable Mr.
Hardy to introduce the promised measure
for facilitating the early completion of the lists of
voters for the prosentlyear. The Home Secretary,
at the outset, admitted that nothing could be done
to shorten the time occupied in the preliminary
work of registration ; and the provisions of the
measure which he asked leave to introduce are
confined to proposals to limit the period to be
occupied in the revision of the lists to three weeks,
to enable the lists themselves to be numbered by
parishes or polling districts, and to reduce the
period between the issue of the proclamation call-
ing together the new parliament, and the return
of the writs, from 33 to 28 slays. The compression
of the work of revision into so short a period will
of course render it necessary to increase the number
of budges by whom the task is to be performed.
Mr. Hardy proposes by his bill to augment the
existing body of revising barristers by one-third
' their number • and to empower the judge who
remains in London during the long vacation to
appoint additional barristers where they may be
required. By the adoption of these measures, the
Home Secretary anticipates that thenewparliament
may assemble for the transaction of business on
the I4th December, and that the fate of the
ministry may be settled before Christman. Mr.
Gladstone gave a general approval to the proposals
of the government ; but before leave was given to
bring in the bill, Mr. Bouverie felt it due to him-
self to sound a small note of triumph upon his own
trumpet, by reminding the house how accurate he
had proved to be in the calculations upon this
subject which be offered to the honsetheother night,
and Mr. C. Fortescue had to be aasuredby Lord Mayo
that the work of registration would be completed
as early in Ireland as m England. In accordance
with the recommendation offered by Mr. Glad-
stone, that as little time as possible should be lost
in the prognes of the bill, Mr. Hardy intimated
that he should propose the second reading on
Monday next. In committee upon the Boundary
Bill, Mr. Hibbert moved the ouussion of the fourth
clause, in order to substitute another, the effect of
which was to carry into effect all the recommenda-
tions of the select committee, and consequently to
set aside such proposals of the commissioners as
conflicted with any. of them. Thereon ensued
a sharp, and at intervals rather acrimonious
debate; and the battle of the rival reports
was fought with spirit until near the dinner-
Lour. A sarcasm directed by Mr. Osborne
against the borough of East Betford brought up
Lord Galway, who angrily declared that he
had no desire to have a buffoon associated
with him in the representation of that place.
This uncomplimentary expression was greeted
with a storm of " oh's" and cries of
" order," amid which might be heard the
voice of the hon. member for Nottingham good-
naturedly observing that the noble lord was quite
in order. Mr. A. Peel and Mr. H. Lewis ad-
dressed the house amid cries of " Divide," so loud
as almost to drown their voices, and then the divi-
sion took place. 184 members voted with Mr.
Hibbert, and only 148 against him. The amend-
ment was therefore carried by 36, and the
conduct of the measure passed out of
the lands of the government into those
of the bon. member for Oldham. Some
time was spent in settling the details of the
schedules; but, with the exception of a scolding,
intended to be severe, administered by Mr. Powell
to the gentlemen who beat him in a division,
nothing occurred to break the dull monotony
which is inseparable from proceedings where only
questions of detail are involved. After the bill
had passed through committee Mr. Disraeli gave
notice that, upon the report, he would bring
up a clause relating to compound householders. In
the course of the consideration of the Scotch Reform
as amended, Mr. Neste, who was supported
by Mr. White and Mr. Fawcett, made an in-
effectual attempt to suspend the representation of
Butherlandshire, which he irreverently character-
ised as " a stagnant pool of corruption." This
usually formal stage of the bill did not however
pass without a small parliamentary storm. The
Lord Advocate had lute on Wednesday
evening given notice of a schedule which ap-
to be intended toreverse the decision the
te utiSe:l
t Lad come to in committee as to the
boundaries of the city of Glasgow. This intention
being pointed out by Mr. E. Ellice, the learned
lord announced that " after consultation with the
government" it had been decided not to press the
schedule. Here the matter might have ended, but
Mr. Ellice had characterised the proceeding as a
" (ledge." The Lord Advocate was virtuously
indignant that such language should be applied to
any act of his, and Sir J. Fergusson and Mr.
Brett, nervously anxious for the reputation of
their colleague, indignantly protested, amid the
cheers of their friends, against any suspicions being
east upon the conduct or intentions of the learned
lord. Mr. Ellice explained that he should as soon
have accused himself as the Lord Advoeate of doing
plaything unworthy of a gentleman, and had spoken
entirely in a parliamentary sense; and the Speaker
judiciously put an end to a scene which threatened
to become worse than ludicrous by passing to the
next amendment. The other orders were variously
disposed of, and leave having been given to bring
in certain bills the house adjourned.