The Sun.
London, England, 1855-06-20 00:00:00

IMPERIAL' PA RiEs I.A. ME NT,

HOUSE OF LORDS-(YESTERDAY.)

The LORD CHANCELLOR took his scat on the woolsack
at five o'clock.
Lord LYNDHURST gabe notice that he intended to
respect
tnteo thTheeConference
withg i r
efvene rnotice,
enee to
the position of Austria in her relation to the Allied
Powers. itchVhieennhaad
Lord MINTO inquired whether the noble lord post-
poned it indefinitely ?
Lord LYNDHURST said he would give notice of the
day on which he intended to proceed.
Lord RAVENSWORTH presented several petitions
against a proviso in the Friendly Societies Bill.
Lord BROUGHAM presented a petition in favour of
the establishment of a public prosecutor. The noble and
learned lord at the same time expressed a hope that the
law in respect of frauds would be amended.
THE PEERAGE OF SOUTHESK.
The LORD CHANCELLOR said that some time
ago a petition had been presented to the house from
Bit.
James Carnegie in respect to the peerage of Southesk,
and praying for the reversal of the attainder that stood
against that title. He (the noble and learned lord) was
happy
pleased tto reverse
say
that that her
a tta Mainjestder. y had been graciousrly
He
duced a bill for carrying out this object. therefore into-
The bill was read a first time.
The LORD CHANCELLOR gave notice that on
Friday next he should move the second reading of the
bill, and on the same evening he should move the second
reading of the Additional Sessions Bill.

FRIENDLY SOCIETIES BILL.
Lord PORTMAN, in moving the second reading of
this bill, entered into a statistical statement as to the
number and extent of these societies. The adult male
population of this kingdom was about 9,000,000.
Of this amount there were 2,000,000 who did
not belong to any of these societies. There were
20,000 registered societies, and according to the returns
&here were on an average 143 members in each of the
non-registered societies, and there were at least 1,500,000
of members. Consequently the bill now proposed to
legislate for about 4,000,000 of the male population
of the United Kingdom. The capital embarked in
friendly societies amounted to about 6,000,0001., and the
income amounted to about 4,250,0001. Their lord-
ships would, therefore, see how important it was
to place these societies under a proper re-
straint, in order to protect the interests of
all those who had invested their money in them. He
trusted that their lordships would give the bill their most
attentive consideration, with the view of amending it in
committee, if it were possible. The noble lord con-
cluded by moving that the bill be read a second time.
Lord MONTEAGLE called the attention of their
lordships to the many dreadful cases of child murder
that were committed in this country for the sake of ob-
taining the burial fees, and he expressed a hope that
every care would be taken to guard against the recur-
rence of such frightful crimes.
After a few words from Lord CAMPBELL and the Earl
of Powis, the bill was read a second time.
CHURCH PATRONAGE TRANSFER BILL.
This bill was reported with amendments.

INSURANCE OF LIVES ABATEMENT OF
INCOME TAX CONTINUANCE BILL.
This bill, on the motion of Lord STANLEY of Al-
derley, passed through committee.
CINQUE PORTS BILL.
This bill also, on the motion of the same noble lor,l,
passed through committee.

- DUCHY-OF LANCASTER LANDS BILL.
This bill was read a second time.
MILITIA (No. 2) BILL.
On the motion of Lurd PANMURE this bill was read
a second time.

Lord BERNERS presented a petition from the Me-
tropolitan Association for the Abolition of the Law of
Settlement and Poor Removal, and for the equalisation
of the poor rate, and inquired whether her Majesty's
Government were prepared to introduce any measure on
this subject ?

Earl GRANVILLE said it was not the inten-
tion of her Majesty's Government to introduce any
measure on this subject during the present session, the
more as the measure that was introduced last year met
with so much opposition.
After a few words from Lori STRADBROKE,
Their lordships adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS—(YESTERDAY.)
The SPEAKER took the chair at 12 o'clock.
The Lords' amendments to the Lands Improvement
Company Bill were considered.
ENGLAND AND IRELAND IMPROVED COM-

M UNICATION BILL

On the third reading of this bill,
Mr. WILSON moved to insert a clause reserving to
the Government power to make such alterations in the
bill, from time to time, as should secure the conveyance
of the mails between England and Ireland.
Mr. V. SCULLY moved an amendment to insert the
words "passengers " or " luggage " in the clause.
Mr. CORRY opposed the amendment.
After a short discussion the amendment was with-
drawn.

Mr. V. SCULLY then proposed an amendment
limiting the term of the agreement between the Govern-
ment and the R,3ilway and Steam Packet Companies to
two years, instead of five years, as proposed by the bill.
Mr. VANCE opposed the amendment on the ground
that two years would not be a fair time to test the
working of the proposed arrangement.
Mr. WILSON said he was sorry he could not accede,
on the part of the Government, to the amendment, inas-
much as the contract already existing between the
Government and the Steam-packet Company would not
expire till 1860.

The amendment was then withdrawn, and the clause
agreed to.

—Mr. WILSON then explained that, this bill in
passing now would pass without a single obligation on
the part either of the Government or the com-
panies. The first object of the bill was to secure
in the first instance the most rapid postal com-
munication between the two countries. (Hear, hear.)
When that object was attained by the Postmaster-Ge-
neral, the Government could have no other end in view
than to promote the passenger traffic between England
and Ireland. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. H. HERBERT expressed his satisfaction at the
statement just made by the Secretary to the Treasury,
which he hoped would be carried out in a liberal spirit
by the Government.

Mr. V. SCTJLLY then moved another amendment to
limit the time of contract to three years.
The amendment was negatived without a division,
and the bill read a third time.
THIRD READINGS.
The Hedon and Hull, &c. Road Bill, the Shrewsbury
Improvement Bill, the Ipstones Mineral Branch Rail-
way Bill, the Dundalk Harbour and Port Bib, and the
Wisbech Port Bill were read a third time and passed.

PETITIONS.
Lord EBRINGTON presented four petitions
against the interference with the sale of ale and
beer on the Lord's day, and two against the re-
commendation of the Commissioners of last ses-
session for the abolition of licences being carried into a
law ; one by an Hon. Member in favour of the Tenants'
Improvement (Ireland) Compensation Bill.
TENANTS' IMPROVEMENT (IRELAND) COM-
PENSATION BILL.
On the order of the day for the house going into com-
mittee,
Viscount GALWAY moved the adjournment of the
consideration of this bill until after the disposal of the
Metropolis Local Management Bill,
Sir J. SHELLEY said that the motion for post-
poning the going into committee on this bill till
that day three months would, in all probability,
involve a discussion of its principle. He agreed
with the right honourable member for Buckingham
that these morning sittings ought to be appropriated to
the consideration of such bills as were in such a state
as progress could be made with them, and he put it
to the house whether a day should be lost in this manner.
Mr. MAGUIRE said this was a question that was
looked to with great anxiety and interest by the
people of Ireland, and he had heard of no sufficient rea-
son why the present course should be adopted.
Mr. HORKVIAN said there were two principles in-
volved in this bill. One prospective and the other retro-
' spective. On the retrospective clause there appeared
to be a difference of opinion, but on tha prospective
clause there was none. He proposed that as the
14th clause contained important provisions relative
to the principle of the bill, the house should proceed
with the clauses up to the 14th, when the further con-
sideration of that should be postponed to Thursday even-
ing, when the principle of the bill could then be fully
discussed.

After considerable discussion, in which the Irish mem-
bers took a prominent part, the house divided on the
motion of Viscount Galway.

For the motion
Against it
Majority against the m0ti0n...... -52
On the motion that the SPEAKER now leave the chair,
Mr. PEACOCKE moved that the further c3nsidera-
tion of the bill in committee be deferred to that day three
months. By the 14th clause of this act, which was called
the retrospective clause, it was proposed to give tenants
compensation for improvements before the passing of
the act. He was opposed both to retrospective and
prospective compensation, and he was surprised
at the apathy with which English members
viewed the application of this measure to Ire-
land. Was such a bill proposed for England they
would view it with very different feelings. Ireland bad
been made an exception by the manner in which she had
been legislated for. After all they were not introducing
into Ireland some grand original theory that had never
been tried, for he could inform hon. members that the
principle of compensation to outgoing tenants had been
tried in a portion of Sussex and Surrey, and had signally
failed. It was a principle disliked by both landlord and
tenant, because it exhausted the capital of the incoming
tenant, and caused inferior cultivation of the soil wher-
ever it was in operation. ‘lt had always been asserted,
and with truth, that the greatest curse to Ireland was
her middlemen, yet by this bill the Legislature would
create a race of middlemen, and perpetuate them, and at
the same time, by this absurd legislation, they would
encumber the property of the holdrs of land in a man-
ner they never anticipated, and which it would be im-
possible for them to discharge. In that class would be
included those who had purchased property
ender r the
Incumbered Estates Bill, and who, by introducing fresh
capital an& energy into Ireland, were working out slowly,
but surely, tk
y. e regeneration of that country.
Toe
great desideratum for the regeneration of
Ireland
was the introduction of capital and energy,
but he feared very much if this bill passed in its present