The Express.
London, England, 1850-05-14 00:00:00

aeletarims to the MIMI% WI must support the amendment
be the sake of demyteg the bill.
Mr. RUMS Mt a musk saxiety to remove the baneful
hasesec of the Ooloaial-odke, that he would not Gossett to
postpone for soother melon the gift of a constitution to
Australia. It might sot he altogether good, but was the
Wet that amid be hoped hr sada the Respites of the de-
partment, and mataieed as 'lama of self-rectification in
the power Oren to the colonists to modify their constitution
hereafter.

Mr IDDIIRLBY remarked that every member who had
ventured to approve of the bill as a whole, had invariably
objected to almost ell its parts. The bill would probably be
passed. though not upon its merits, but between the apathy
and the antipathies of the various parties in that house. If
the iceman had draws oat a copy of the British oonstitu-
tics, the government would have been entitled to originate
It, and the oolonists were reedy to adopt it. But as the
whew, wee a newfangled invention in constitution-making,
the inhabitants of the colony had a right to be consulted be-
fore they were called epos to submit.
Mr. DIVETT spoke from his own knowledge to the fact
that the bill was much liked in South Australia, and was
convinced that all the colonies were impatient for a consti-
tution, and preferred not to wait for another year, but would
take the measure now preferred as the beet practical scheme
they could get.
Mr. STANFORD opposed the amendment because he
wished the home government to retain a control ever the
sale of the unoccupied lands is Australia.
Mr. WOREGOR accepted the bill with all its faults as
being better than delay. In determining the range of qua
dons which were to be left for determination by the local
legislatures, he wished to except the imposition of import
duties, since it was fit that the imperial legislatioa should
alone have authority to par laws which might seriously
affect the commerce of the whole empire.

The hones then divided—
For the motion 226
For the amendment .

Mr. ROEBUCK, amid much confusion, moved • clause
to extend the provisions of the bill so as to enable the seve-
ral legislatures of the colonies in British North America to
establish a general federative assembly for those colonies.
Lord J. lit.:BBl3LL, without going into the question of
the propriety of • federal union for the North American co-
lonies, thought it much better to confine this bill to the
Australian colonies, with which only it wu intended to deal
—he must, therefore, oppose the bringing up of the clause.
The clamor wee then put and negatived.
Mr. AOLIONBY then proposed a clause providing for
representative institutions and the means of self-government
within the island of New Zealand.

Lord J. RUSSELL said the government had received
very recent despatches from the governor of New Zealand,
from which it appeared that at present the state of the colony
was satisfactory. At the same time there were, as the hon.
member for Cockermouth had supposed, certain points on
which the government would wish to amend the New Zea-
land Act. There would not be tune to do this in the present
session, bet an amendment of the New Zealand Act might
probably be consider.-d next year.
The amendment was, by leave, withdrawn.
Mr. V. EMIT II objected to certain words which bad been
inserted in clause 10.

Mr. HAWES supported the insertion of the words in
question.
Mr. E. DENISON moved, as an amendment, that the
legislature of each colony should have the management of
the waste lands within the limits of the colony. He
moved, in clause 13, line 35, alter the word " respectively,"
to insert the following words

And for selling, demising, granting licences for occupation of, or
otherwise disposing of waste Linde of the crown within the limits of
of the colon, and for the appropriation of the money to arise from
such disposition of such lands, anything In an act of the Math year of
her Majesty, intituted, "An Act for regulating the sale of waste
lands belonging to the crown in the Australian colonies," or in an
act of the tenth rear of the reign of her Majesty, to amend such act,
and to make further proPiPion for the management of such land, to
the contrary notwithstanding : Provided always, that one equal half
part of such gross proceeds shall be, and the same is hereby appro-
priated towards the expense of remucal from the United Kingdom to
the colony wherein such revenue accrued of emigrants from the
'United Kingdom.
Mr. HAWES founded upon the cisme Importance of
the subject, and the.divereities of opinion thereon in the
different colonies, an argument in favour of retai..ing the
control over the land sales, at all events the present, in the
hands of the imperial government.
Mr. HUME hoped to find that the land Bales in the
colonies would pay the expenses of their government, and
therefore wished not to part with control over them.
After a few words from Mr. F. SCOTT, and Mr. 1:11:1T,
Mr. ADDERLEY made a few remarks (amidst much
impatience on the part of the house) respecting the price of
land, upon which,
The house divined, when there appeared
For the amendment
Against it
- ----- 222-140

Mr. LABOLT HERM smd, in answer to a question, that
by the arrangement of the bill it was provided that if the
colonists should agree upon a federal form of government
there would be 31 representatives, of whom 12 would be
allotted to Sydney and the remainder divided among the
smaller colonies. By that arrangement all danger of the
late r being swamped by the preponderance of Sydney
would be avoided.

ANSTEY moved (in Schedule C, part 1) instead of
13,500 i. to insert 5,0001,

kr. HUME seconded the motion.

Mr. HAWES opposed the amendment, on the prouad
that the expenditure provided for by the satedule had been
fixed at the lowest pomible amount.
The amendment was withdrawn, and the bill passed.
THE STAMP DIIrIES.

The house ha-ying resolved. itself iult;coramittee on the
stamp duties,—

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER proposed
resolutions on which to found a bill.

Sir H. WILLOUGHBY asked what was the nature of
the resolutions. The house must bear in mind that they
were on the eve of pealing • measure, which under the pre
text of being a boon, would in point of fact have increased
taxation. Ile hoped they would not again fall into the same
error.

The CHANCELLOR the EXCHEQUER said it Will

quite true, as his hon. friend said, that in the measure re
neatly submitted to the house, some persons were taxed
more highly than they had been. lie never said that they
would not. On the contrary, he stated that in proposing to
relieve the smaller proprietors, the larger proprietors would
be more highly taxed ; but that, upon the whole, 300,0001.
i would be remitted. What he now proposed was what he
stated or Friday night, namely, he proposed to take an uni-
form duty of one per cent. on conveyances, and of one-
eighth per cent. upon mortgages. The only alteration that
he had made was, that instead of leaving the schedule for
Ireland out of the bill, he should leave it in, in order that
be might exercise his judgment upon it.
Mr. DISRAELI observed that it was usual for the resolu.
tion to be printed, sad as he understood some alteration had
been made, that was an additional reason why it should be
'slated in the hands of lion. members before they were called
upon to agree to it.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the
only objection he had was that it was so much time lost.
The house might reduce anything; they probably would not
increase it beyond what he proposed.
Sir H. WILLOUGHBY said there was no doubt that
as the bill was originally drawn, instead of effecting a reduc-
tion of 300,0001., it would have increased the taxation ; and
if they had passed the bill as it originally stood, they would
have been grossly deceived. He wished a calculatioa could
he shown wherein the loss of 300,0001 by the new scheme
could be shown. He wished to have same data to go upon ;
he wished to know where the gain would be, and where the
low would be, and to what amount. For his own part, it
was a matter of great doubt what the loss would be ; and he
was inclined to think there was some great error. He
thought it fair to the house that some documents chewing
the lots and the gain should be laid before them. The Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer could easily procure such a docu-
ment from the Stamp-office.
Mr. W. BROWN remarked that until they had some
data to go upon they were quite in the dark.
Mr. HUME said they could not go on till they had got
the whole schedule. The object of the pliseent motion was
to have the bill printed, and the schedule would be printed.
In answer to Mr. GROGAN,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said he did
not propose to make any alteration with regard to receipt
stamps. With regard to the question of the hon. member
for Evesham, it was impossible to form a really accurate
estimste. The low upon mortgages would be about 100,0001.,
and the rest upon conveyances.
Mr. 11 ULLINGS said it was very desirable that the house
should know what they were called upon to do. He wished to
know from the right hon. gentleman if the same subject
matter was in this as in the former bill : first, agreements ;
second, bargains and sales far a year; third, bonds; fourth,
covenants; then leases, then mortgages, then settlements,
then warrants of attorney. He thought he had enumerated
almost the whole ; he wished to know It these were in the
new bill.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER replied, that
in the schedule he had put into the hands of the hon. gen-
tleman, agreements were included which were not included
in the former bill. With regard to bargains and sales, they
were not in the schedule, being repealed by a clause in the
bill. All the other items enumerated by the hon. gentleman
were in the schedule.
Mr. OROGAN inquired whether it would be competent
to move reductions on any other matters besides those which
were mentioned in the resolution, because he had received
a strong representation es to the justice of reducing one
particular stamp.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER—On what
particular stamp.
Mr. OROGAN—On awards in arbitration.
Mr. OOULBURN said it struck him the moat conve-
nient mode would he to adopt the resolutions; they would
then appear in the votes to-morrow, and if any boa. gentle-
man saw any objection to them whoa the report was brought
up, he could move that it be recommitted.
The resolutions were then agreed to, and ordered to be re-
ported.
The house then resumed.
SUNDAY FAIRS.
_ _ _

The Sunday Fairs Prevention lidl wu read • second
time.
ELECTION (IRELAND) BILL.
This bill was postponed to thin day.
THE RAILWAYS ABANDONMENT BILL.
This bill was re-committed and the lords' amendments
agreed to.