Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-07-17 00:00:00

Ely Reim film

FRIDAY, JULY 17, 1857.

THE DAYS' NEWS.

In the House of Commons last night, a petition
was presented by Mr. J. Butt from Mr. Somers,
complaining that actions had been commenced in
a court of law against the returning officer of Sligo,
for refusing a vote at the election for that town.
He (Mr. Butt) argued that such action, pending
an inquiry by the House as to the validity of the
return, was a breach of the privilege of the House,
and he moved that the person bringing such action
should be committed for contempt. Sre George
Grey proposed that the House should delegate
the decision in this case to a committee, and,
therefore, moved as an amendment, that a com-
mittee be appointed to enquire into the subject,
and report to the House how far the pri-
♦ileges of the House had been interfered
with. The motion of Sir George Grey was
ultimately agreed to. The Attorney-General was
asked whether it was true that bills of indictment
had been filed against the Mayor of Sligo. The
answer was that no such proceeding had been
taken by the government. Such might have been
done by a private individual. The motion for the
issue of the writ for Galway, in the room of Mr
O'Flaherty, was adjourned to Thursday next. On
the motion of Mr. Scholfield it was agreed that a
new writ should not be issued for Mayo county
before Thursday next. Mr. Bowyer intimated that
the Rev. Mr. Conway denied the charge made
against him by the committee, and Mr. Maguire
would be able to show that the report of the
committee contradicted itself. Lord Palmerston
stated that the government were of opinion
that the militia have had sufficient training, and
that it is not intended to call out the militia this
year. Mr. Roebuck moved the following resolu-
tion :—" That the war with Persia was declared, pro-
secuted, and concluded, without information of
such transactions being communicated to Parlia-
Ment, while expensive armaments were equipped
without the sanction of a vote of the House. That
it is the opinion of this House that such conduct
tends to weaken its just authority, and to disprove
with its constitutional control over the finances of
the country, and renders it requisite for the House
to express its strong reprobation of such a course
of proceeding." The honourable member con-
tended that although the Crown had the authority
to declare war, Parliament ought to be asked to
sanction such proceeding ; and he stigmatised the
conduct Of Lord Palmerston, " who had done more
than any other Minister had done before, and that
he had insulted the House of Commons." The
Chancellor of the Exchequer defended the course
taken by the Government in regard to Parliament,
remarking that no communication was made of the
operations at Bushire and Herat in 1838, and that
there was no analogy between this and the Rus
sian war. A lengthened discussion ensued, in
which much diversity of opinion was expressed.
The result of the debate was a division, in which
there was 38 for the motion, and 352 against. The
result was received with much laughter.
Rochdale is following Bradford in its antipathy
to Liverpool. On Wednesday a meeting of the
Town Council of the former municipality was
hell, for the purpose of adopting a petition to the
right honourable the lords spiritual and temporal
of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ire-
land, in parliament assembled, in reference to a
bill for consolidating the docks of Liverpool and
Birkenhead into one estate, and for vesting the
control and management of them in one public
trust; and for orher purposes. The Town-clerk
read portions of the act recently introduced into
the House of Commons, and also portions of the
report of the committee which recently sat to con-
sider the question, and whose recommendations the
bill embodied. The Town-clerk explained that the
board into whose hands the dock estate was pro-
posed to be vested was to consist of twenty-one
members, eighteen of whom were to be elected by
the persons who paid the rates. Every person who
paid rates to the amount of £5O was eligible to be
a member of the board, and every person who paid
rates to the amount of £lO was eligible to give a
vote in the election of such members of the board.
The other three members of the board
were to be elected by members of the
Government, so that the Liverpool Town Council
would have no control as heretofore. The money
arising from the dues is not to be appropriated by
the Town Council of Liverpool, but to the preser-
vation of the docks and the river. Alderman
Royds asked what amount of debt and interest
thereon would have to be paid. The Town-clerk
replied that he could not answer the question.
Tne Chairman referred to the 25th clause, and said
that it appeared that 600,000/. was the debt which
would have to be paid, but he could not say what
interest was paid thereon. On the motion of
Councillor Stott, a petition in favour of the bill
was unanimously adopted, and the meeting was at
aa end.

At the meeting of the Health Committee,
yesterday, a report respecting the late disgraceful
practices at the Necropolis was read. From it we
learn that several persons connected with the
establishment have been guilty of indictable
offences, and it was determined by the Committee
that the Town Clerk should take proceedings
against those persons who were guilty of the
offences complained of. The health of the town
is good. Last week the death were only 109, being
42 less than in the previous week. The deaths
during the quarter ending June 27 were, 2,840,
being 390 less than the corrected average of the
same quarter of the preceding nine years.
At the meeting of the Dock Committee yester-
day, a long discussion took place respecting the
Mersey Conservancy and Docks Bill. Mr. Smith
wanted the whole matter to be discussed in the pre-
sence of the reporters, but the mojority of the com-
mittee were decidedly against such a proceeding,
and after some skirmishing between the Chairman
and Mr. Smith, the matter dropped.
An outline of the proceedings of a meeting of
Members of Parliament will be found elsewhere.
The meeting was for the purpose of deciding upon
the course which ought to be pursued respecting
Mr. Dillwyn's motion. This motion, as our readers
know, is, that the House of Commons should, by
its own mere resolution, vary the form of the oath
according to the requirements of the recipient's
conscience, and in this way to open the door of the
House to Jews, without asking the leave of the
House of Lords. Such a course, according to a
London paper, is
impracticable as well as illegal.
It was decided that a deputation should wait upon
Lord Palmerston on the subject, and the meeting
was adjourne2 to Tuesday next.
There was another meeting on Wednesday of
gentlemen connected with the Australian colonies
to hear a plea from one of their number for the
representation of these colonies in the Imperial
Parliament; but they concluded that it was un-
necessary.
The men in the employment of the North Kent
Railway Company charged with criminal neglect
in the matter of the late calamity on that line,
were fully committed for trial yesterday.
We have no news of importance from abroad this
morning. The Paris Moniteur publishes the official
return of the receipts of the Customs and Excise
for the first six months of the present year. As