Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-07-16 00:00:00

AYILISE vIEiTS, P 0131.10 MEETINGS, Esc.

'THIS DAY.

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iLle Mantra Pazrin

THURSDAY, JULY 16, 1857.

THE DAY'S NEWS.

In the House of Commons, last night, petitions
were presented from Mr. Cobbett ; from Mr. Jas.
Meery, member for Falkirk; and by Mr. I. Butt,
from Mr. John Patrick Somers, member for Sligo,
complaining of proceedings in connection with the
return of these gentlemen, which, it was alleged,
amounted to breaches of the privileges of the
House. The petitions were ordered respectively to
be taken into consideration to-day (Thursday).
Mr. Seholefield, chairman of the select committee
which lately sat upon the Mayo election petition,
moved that the evidence taken before the commit-
tee be printed with the votes ; and he gave notice
that this day he should move the suspension of the
writ until the evidence was in the hands of the
members. The house then went into committee
upon Mr. Crawford's Judgments Execution Bill.
Colonel F. French immediately moved that
the chairman report progress, and the
motion was pressed to a division; the
numbers being for the motion 33; against, 58;
majority, 25. Some further opposition being
offered to the bill, Mr. Crawford, seeing no prospect
of passing it this session, in the face of factious
opposition, consented to withdraw it, but would
ask leave to introduce it next session. The house
accordingly resumed, and the bill was withdrawn.
On the motion for the second reading of the
Married Woman's Bill, Sir J. S Butler moved that
it be read a second time that day six monns, on the
ground that its effect would be to create discomfort
and dissention in :families. Mr M Milnes objected
to some details of the measure, but supported the
second reading, in the hope that it would receive
the careful consideration of the Lords in the
upper house, and he passed in a satisfactory shape.
Mr. Massey, on the part of the government, agreed
to the passing of the second reading of the bill,
though he entertained many objections to clauses.
The question was one of great difficulty and deli-
cacy, and he would suggest that it be referred to a
select committee. Mr. Hadfield remarked upon
the unsatisfactory state of the law in regard to the
property of married women, and concurred in the
suggestion to refer the bill to a select committee.
Mr. Spooner observed that the bill rendered wives
liable to be sued for the debts of the husband, and
that was a principle to which he thought the'House
ought not to be asked to assent. Sir Erskine
Perry declined to withdraw the motion
for the second reading, and after a few words from
the Attorney-General, who did not approve of the
details of the bill, but would not oppose it, a
division took place, the result being—for the
second reading 120, and against 55—majority in
favor of the bill, 65. The bill to amend the 6th
and 7th Vic, which exempted literary societies
from local rates, was then proceeded with. It
was proposed to place the poorer societies under
this act, but several divisions took place, the
result of which was that the motion was altered,
so that no society but that of " Fine Arts
exclusively" should be exempted. The Athenfe um,
Lyceum, and other similar instituitons, have now
no chance of evading the regular local taxes.

At a meeting of the Bradford Town Council on
Tuesday, a recommendation was read from the
General- Purposes Committee to petition the
House of Lords to pass into a law the Mersey
Conservancy and Docks Bill, and a letter was read
from Mr. Heron, the town-clerk of Manchester,
requesting that the petition should be sent
immediately to Mr. R. H. Wyatt. the Parliamen-
tary agent. London. A discussion of some length
ensued. Mr. Pickup and Mr. Schofield opposed
the Bill, but Mr. Rtwson at some length urged its
advantages, and moved that a petition in its favour
be despatched. The motion was agreed to,
and the petition despatched to London the same
vening. _ _

The usual weekly meeting of the West Derby
Guardians was held yesterday. Mr. Shaw has had
the good taste and gentlemanly feeling to apologise
for the unjustifiable attacks he made upon thc:
proprietor of this paper. We are glad for his own
sake for this satisfactory end of what promised to
be a rather unpleasant controversy, and we hope
that for the future personalities will be avoided.
The summlns against the proprietor of a local
weekly print, for defamation of character, will not
be heard before next Tuesday week.

The proceedings at the Kirldale sessions yester-
day will be found in another column.
The following six regiments of infantry will, in
all probability, proceed to India as soon as trans-
ports for their conveyance can be procured, viz.:—
The 20th Regiment, the 34th Regiment, the 42nd
Highlands, the 54th Regiment, the 97th Regiment,
and the Rifle Brigade, 2nd Battalion. With the
reinforcements already embarking, together with
the troops on passage to China, who will in all
likelihood go to Calcutta instead, and three regi-
ments from Persia and Ceylon, the Bengal force
is now being strengthened by about 25,000 of the
Queen's troops.
Mr. Dillwyn has given notice that on Friday he
will move a resolution authorising Baron Roths
child to take his seat in virtue of the general
priueiple of the law respecting oaths. This prin-
ciple, as is known, recognises any form of words or
action as good in au oath, if it be in accordance
with the conscience of the jurant ; and it is con-
stantly practiced in our Courts of Law. " We
think, however," says a London cotemporary of
last evening, " that the House of Commons
will not pass any resolution of the kind, and that
if it should, the propriety or efficacy of such a
step is more than doubtful. A resolution of the
House of Commons could be no authority to Baron
Rothschild, or to any body else, to break the
law. The form of the oath required to be taken
at the table is not a matter within the privilege or
competency of the House ; these oaths are pre-
scribed by an Act of the Legislature, and of course
no lesser authority can set them aside. The
course proposed by Mr. Dillwyn would place the
Commons in an entirely false position, and it
would only end in injuriag the cause it is designed
to serve Any legitimate pressure that can be
brought to bear, whether by the Lower House or
by the people outside, upon the obstinate Peers,
should, no doubt, be resorted to ; but a resolution
to violate the law on the part of one branch of the
legislature would seriously damage
it, and
strengthen the position, in the Jew question, of
the other—the House of Lords.
The election for Oxford city will take place on
the 20th iast. Both candidates are well supported.
District committees have been formed, and canvas-
sing is pursued by both parties with a vigour which
shows that the victory will not be gained without
a severe contest. Mr. Cardwell has not yet ap-
peared in public.
A slight incident in the debate on Monday, on
the Estimates for Civil Contingencies, displays, in
a very vivid and striking light, the ridiculous
mockery of the supposed control which the
House of Commons is said to have over
the public purse. Sir J. Trelawney moved

the reduction of the vote—a round sum of
£loo,ooo—by some £5,000 odd, including
several items which he thought objectionable. How
was that motion met? In a way that ought to make
the successors of the Hampdens and Pyms of a
former age, if there be any such now in existence,
open their eyes wide with astonishment. Up gets
the placid and polite Chancellor of the Exchequer,
and says—we quote his very words as being
remarkable—" The sums," says he, " referred
to by the honourable baronet have been
paid, pa. 4 *harefore the amendment will not
effect the meet which it is intended to serve,"
The worthy baronet, the member for Tavistock,
therefore withdrew his amendment, observing that
the control of the house over the finances was a
mere farce. Of course it is, but it seems likely that
under the, present dictatorship the mask will be
dropped, and the farce no longer kapt up, for
when money is spent before Parliament is asked to
sanction it, and objections are then met with a
plain—" You need not say a word—the payments
are already made, and all you have to do is to give
your assznt"—we say when these things
can be done and avouched in the House of Com-
mons in language so plain, no one can much longer
doubt the irresponsibility of the Treasury, if not
in raising taxes, at least in spending them. The
worst of it is that the House of Commons is quite
insensible to the degredation put upon it; if it were
otherwise, the short, and in substance most inso-
lent, speech of the Chancellor of the Exchequer
which we have quoted, would have provoked the
instant rejection of the entire vote.
It is now distinctly stated that Her Majesty
will pay a visit to France in September next. She
will be entertained as the Emperor's guest at Fon-
tainebleau, Compeigne having been first thought
of but afterwards rejected.
• Foreign news is again scanty. The Turkish
mail of the 4th inst , confirms the statement of a
proposal having been made by Lord Stratford
to the Porte, concerning the constitution of the
Principalities, but nothing as yet is known of the
details.

The communications from Spain concerning the
Socialist outbreak in the south of that country,
continue of uncertain accuracy. Suspicious per-
sons have been removed from Madrid, and the
Government refuses to give any explanations at
present. It is evidently still apprehensive of
clanger. Lisbon and Gibraltar are designated as
the true focuses of the insurrection.

If the statement of a German newspaper is to
be believed, a protest of the Italian Governments,
including that of Austria, will be made at London
against the facility allowed to the refugees here
to organise insurrections in Italy, like the one just
attempted;
The discussion of the Education Bill in the
Dutch Legislature is now closed, and the contest
has ended in a compromise between the Govern-
ment and the United Liberals and Catholics, with
this important feature, that State grants to con-
fessional schools are prohibited.

STEPS are being taken to oppose in the
Lords, as effectually as possible, the Mersey
Conservancy Bill. The House of Commons,
incited by Government influence, gave its
sanction to this iniquitous measure, so that it
has become incumbent upon the Dock and
Corporation authorities to make another and
determined resistance to the objects and inten-
tions of the originators and supporters of the
bill. As preliminary step to this renewed
opposition, our readers have already had their
attention called to a petition which is now in
course of signature, and which will be presented
at the first stage of the bill in the House of
Peers. It is a document which merits the
calm and attentive perusal of all classes of the
people of Liverpool, as well as their signature.
In tone, the language of the petition to the
Lords is moderate, but in argument it is
unanswerable ; and we shall look with some
anxiety to see or hear what the promoters of
the Mersey Conservancy Bill have to say, in
reply to the statements which it contains.

We shall just glance at the grounds taken by
the petition for opposing the measure. In the
first instance there is a strong, but at the same
time reasonable, objection put forward to the
principle of centralisation contained in the bill.
No just reason can be adduced for empowering
certain members of her Majesty's Government
to influence and control the administration of
the Liverpool Dock Estate. The Docks do not
owe the country a single penny. All its debt
has been, as we have before stated, through
private investment, hence law and justice are
alike offended by the adoption of the main
principle of the bill. Truly does the petition
aver, that this is the first step towards the
further extension of Government influence and
control in the local affairs of Liverpool.
The progress and the prosperity of the
Liverpool' Dock Estate has been the wonder and
admiration of the world. Year after year the
tonnage of the port increases, shipping accom-
modation is increased, thereby augmenting vastly
the import and export trade of the country.
This is a patent fact, which does not require any
argument or figures to demonstrate its correct-
ness. The very introduction of the Mersey
Conservancy Bill implies that there had been
something very much akin to mismanagement
in the Dock affairs of Liverpool. Now, mis-
management and progress and prosperity are
apposite results. The existence of the latter at
once negatives all the assertions put forward by
the promoters of the Bill as to the expediency of
altering the character of the Dock Trust. It
cannot be said that the new constitution of the
Dock Board will aid in a more effectual manner
the trade and commerce of the country. It has
been admitted by all parties who gave evidence
before the Select Committee of the House of
Commons, that the gentlemen now on the Dock
Committee are all parties of aptitude for business,
and of unsullied honour and rectitude. They
are all connected by trade and commerce with
the port, and are therefore better qualified than
any outsider to mature and carry out plans for
dock extension and shipping accommodation.
If the Liverpool Dock Estate has improved
under its present system of management, there
cannot be a doubt that its affairs cannot be
administered for the better. True it is that
now and again we hear of complaints respecting
this and that trifling inadvertence, but it must
be borne in mind•that no estate of half the
magnitude has ever been conducted to the satis-
faction of all parties, They who urge the