The Sun.
London, England, 1855-07-17 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIANIEN T.

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HOUSE OF LORDS-(YESTERDAY.)
ROYAL COMMISSION.

The Royal assent was given by commission to the fol-
lowing bills :—County -Palatine of Lancaster Trials ;
Woolmer Forest ; Duchy of Lancaster Lands (1855) ;
Union Charges Act Continuance ; Cinque Ports Indem-
nity ; Court of Exchequer ; Stock in Trade, Copyhold,
&c., Commission Continuance ; Haylebury College ;
New South Wales Government ; Victoria Govern-
ment ; Waste Lands (Australia) Acts Repeal ;
Militia. (No. 2) ; Hartlepool Pier and Port ;
Fife and Kinross Railway ; Carlisle and Selleth
Bay Railway and Docks ; Manchester, Sheffield, and
Lincolnshire Railway Capital ; Stockport, Disley, and
Whaley Bridge Railway ; Carmarthen and Cardigan
Railway and Dock Improvement ; Weymouth Water ;
Grand Surrey Canal (No. 2) ; Torquay, Tor, and St.
Mary's Church Gas ; Hedon. and Hull,' &c., Roads ;
Sligo Gas ; West Bromwich Improvement ; Staines,
Wokingham, and Woking Railway ; Cape Town
Railway and Dock ; Glasgow, Kirkintilloch, and
Baldernoch Roads; Aboyne, Ballatin, Braemar, and.
Cairnwali Roads ; Gateshead Quay ; Halifax Gaslight
and Coke Company; Royal London Militia; Luton,
Dunstable, and Welwyn Railway; Folkestone Improve-
ment ; Gun Barrel Proof House (Birmingham and
London) ; Stockton and Darlington Railway ; Somerset
Mineral Railway ;Wolverhampton New Water; Bradford
Corporation Water; Dublin Roads (No. 2) ; Keighley and
Kendal Road ; Liverpool Improvement ; Medhurst
and West Farlegb.
The Lords Commissioners were the Lord Chancellor,
the Duke of Argyll, and the Earl of Harrowby.
Their lordships adjourned during pleasure.

The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the wool-
sack at five o'clock.

The Earl of HADDINGTON presented two petitions
from Huddersfield and another place against the Scotch
Education Bill. The noble lord said he entirely concur-

red with the prayer of the petitioners.

THIRD READINGS.
On the motion of Lord REDBSDALE, the following
bills were read a third time and passed :—Wavensy

Valley Railway ; Barrow Harbour ; Furness Railwai;
England and Ireland Improved Communication ; Bir-
kenhead and Liverpool Ducks (Trust Property of Bir-
kenhead Dock Trustees) ; Haddow's Divorce ; Sum-
ners' Divorce ; and Jones' Divorce.
The Earl of SHAFTESBURY presented a petition
from a meeting held in Freemasons' Hall, and signed by
the chairman on behalf of the meeting, in favour of the
Religious Worship Bill now before their lordships.
Earl FORTESCUE presented a petition from
the governors of Exeter and Devon Hospital against the
Charitable Trusts Bill.

The Earl of DERBY presented petitions for the total
abolition of Church-rates and for the better observance
of the Sabbath.

On the motion of Lord REDESDALE, Lord and
Lady Raglan's Annuity Bill was read a first time.
Lord BROUGHAM, in reference to the subject of
slavery, paid a high compliment to the Earl of Malines-
bury, when Secretary for Foreign Affairs, for the able
manner in which he conducted the correspondence on
the subject of slavery.
The Earl of ALBEMARLE presented a petition
from the inhabitants of the Presidency bf Madras pray-

ing for a redress of grievances, and that the administra-
tion of the British territory in India be transferred to
the East India Company or the Crown. The petition
was signed by 14,000 persons, and complained of never
having received any redress of the many grievances com-
plained of in a petition presented by the Earl of
glenborough. The petitions particularly referred to
the salt and tobacco monopoly, in inflicting great misery,
disease, and incovenience upon the natives. The noble
earl then proceeded to enumerate several other subjects
of taxation which were most oppressive and vexatious to
the people. There was a tax called the matourfa, levied
upon trades and professions, which was most bitterly
complained of. No trade, however humble, was ex-
cepted from its operation, and the manner in which it
was levied caused great discontent, being in one case
only is. and in another case 10s., while the whole
amount received from the tax was only 115,5191. from
a population of 22 millions. Another prominent griev-
ance was a kind of land tax—the ryotwary—that acted
most seriously upon the cultivators, and was most detri-
mental to the improvement of the land. The noble earl
then entered at length into the other evils complained of,
and stated that torture in some instances had been re-
sorted to to collect the hateful impost.
Earl GRANVILLE observed that the subject of the
ryot tax was under consideration by the Indian Govern.
ment, with the view to its abolition, and instructions
had recently been sent out by the Home Administra-
tion in order to expedite the arrangement.