The Sun.
London, England, 1855-05-12 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOITSE OF LORDS—(YESTERDAY.)
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack
at five o'clock.
____

THIRD READINGS.
The following bills were read a third time and passed :
—Torquay Market and Slaughter-houses ; and Great
North of Scotland Railway.
LEGAL MEASURES BEFORE PARLIAMENT.
Lord ST. LEONARDS rose to ask a question of her
Majesty's Government with respect to certain legal
measures now before Parliament. The question he
wished to put was, what course her Majesty's Govern-
ment intended to pursue with respect to the Testamen-
tary Jurisdiction Bill ? He wished also to know what
_
it was intended to do with respect to the Ecclesiastical
Courts, and the amount of compensation to be given to
the officers whose duties would be abolished by the
p_ ta ailing of the legal measures now before Parliament ?
He also wished to know what course was o
be pursued with respect to the Tenants' Compensation
(Ireland) Bill ? He thought it wa3 impossible for any
man who bad the slightest regard for the rights of pro-
perty to approve of the retrospective principles of
that
bill. (Hear.) He was also desirous to know the
inten-
tions of the Government with regard to the Court of
Chancery (Ireland) Bill. When he (Lord St. Leopards)
was in Ireland he found the judges fully ably to tran-
sact all the judicial business brought forward ; and he
did hope that it was not the intention of the Govern-
ment to encumber this bill with the appointment of
judges which were not required.
The LORD CHANCELLOR said with regard to
the Testamentary Jurisdiction Bill, Government had
considered it most convenient to introduce the bill into
the House of Commons, as their lordships had already
given it their appr.ova.l. He had reason to believe that
in the form in which it now stood it would receive the
sanction of the other house. Government had also pre-
pared a bill nearly similar for Ireland, whirl it was not
deemed expedient to introduce until the English bill was
disposed of. The other material points connected with
the reform of the ecclesiastical courts were those of di-
vorce and clergy discipline. The Government had pre-
pared .a Church Discipline Bill, and had submitted it to
the bishops for consideration. Some of the bishops had
expressed their approval of it, but others- of them had
expressed considerable disapproval of it, std he had
been engaged durirrg the last few days, and would
be engaged on the following day, in endeavouring
to ascertain the exact point of which they dis-
approved. With regard to the Irish Tenants Compen-
sation Bill, he agreed with his noble and learned friend
that the subject was important. He had quite as little
sympathy as his noble and learned friend with the doc-
trine of retrospective compensation, but he was of opinion
that the case of the Irish tenant was an exceptional
case, which for the peace of society it was important to
deal with in an exceptional manner.
Lord CAMPBELL would respectfully tender his
advice to the Government. He had offered it to them
before in private, and now he begged to give it them in
a public manner. He would offer them his respectful
and earnest advice, that before any measure for law
reform was introduced it should be properly considered,
and all who were to take part in carrying it should be
consulted. Before such a measure was introduced in
either House of Parliament, there should be an arrange-
ment amongst all the members of the Government to
support it in both Houses of Parliament.
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE expressed his
satisfaction at hearing that the Government proposed
to do away with the Encumbered Estates Court, and to
provide a substitute for it by the introduction of cer-
tain amendments into the practice of the Court of
Chancery. The grievance arising from the operation
of the Encumbered Estates Court was very great indeed,
not to those under its operation, but to all those outside
its operation. The value of real property throughout
Ireland was affected by those operations, because the
forced sales in that court led to the depreciation of the
whole rental and property of Ireland,

-
THE -:MILITIA.
Lord BERNERS moved for a return of regiments of
militia embodied in each month to the preseet time, stating
the effective force of each when embodied, and at the pre-
sent time ; the number who had volunteered from each
regiment previous to and since their last training ; the
number re-attested within the month stated in circular,
distinguishing those retained for future training ; and
number of those discharged in consequence of their
wives and families becoming chargeable to their parishes.
Lord PANMURE was sorry to find that the noble
lord had thought it necessary to revive a subject that
had been already submitted to the house, and by the
introduction of which the ranks of the militia regiments
had been to a certain extent depopulated. The period
of a month had been fixed upon in the circular in conse-
quence of a statement made to him by several officers of
militia, that after a month's absence amongst their
friends, many of the men, having spent their money,
would voluntarily return. Therefore he had fixed in the
circular one month as the period during which, if they
rejoin the force, the 1/. should be paid to them.
ESTATES BILLS.
The LORD CHANCELLOR called the attention of
their lordships to the subject of Estates Bills, and laid
on the table a bill to provide for the cheaper and more
expeditious granting of powers hitherto obtainable only
through special acts of Parliament. The noble and
learned lord said the necessity for the legislation he pro-
posed, arose from the fact that the greatest proportion
of the landed estates in the country was held by persons
who were not the absolute owners in fee simple, but who
had only a limited interest. In consequence of the
owner not being the absolute owner he was not able to
deal with his property in the most beneficial mariner
either for himself or his family, or for the community at
larga, unless by private acts of Parliament. These pri-
vate bills were attended with great expense. He had a
list of sixteen cases of private bills taken at haphazard
within the last five years, and he found that the aver-
age cost of these sixteen bills, which were for leasing,
for sales in exchange, or for mining, was 1,2701.
There were fourteen or fifteen of these bills every
year brought in, so that from 17,0001. to 20,0001.
a year was spent on this species of private legisla-
tion. But that wag not all, for though 1,2001. was
the average cost, persons having small properties
were absolutely debarred from obtaining the required
powers; except at a ruinous cost. He proposed by this
bill to enable tenants for life, unless where the settle-
ments forbade such a power, to grant agricultural leases
for a term, not of 21 years, as was done by the act of
Henry VIII., but for a term not exceeding 14 years.
In the case of mining leases he proposed that a certain
portion of the rent should be retained for the benefit of
the inheritance.
Lord LYNDHURST approved of the principle and
object of the bill.
Lord CAMPBELL also expressed his concurrence in
the principle of the bill and its objects, and he hoped
that those objects would be effectively carried out.
The bill was read a first time.
AFFIRMATIONS (SCOTLAND) BILL.
The report of this bill was received.
FISHERIES (BRITISH ISLANDS AND
FRANCE) BILL.
The house then went into committee on the Fisheries
(British Islands and France) Bill, and agreed to all its
clauses.

CHARITABLE TRT/STS BILL.
The Charitable Trusts (1855) Bill(1855 passed through coma
mittee.

Their lordship then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS-YESTERDAY.

The SPEAKER took the chair at four o'clock.
The Hartlepool Gas and Water Bill, and the Police-
stone Improvement Bill were read a third time and
passed.
The following bills were considered, and ordered to be
read a third time :—Aberdare Valley Railway ; Dun-
dalk and Blackrock Railway ; Dundalk and Enniskillen
Railway ; Glasgow and South-Western Railway; Lon-
don Necropolis and National Mausoleum.
The following bills were read a second time :—Hill's
Estate ; Downing-street Public Offices
nd Extension ;
Woolmer Forest ; and National Loan Fund Life Assu-
rance Society (Stamp duty on Memorials thereupon).
PETITIONS.
Petitions were presented by Sir J. Walmsley, from a,
congregation in Loughborough, praying for the abolition
of church rates; by Sir S. Bignold, a petition very
numerously signed by the inhabitants of Norwich,
against the Sunday Beerßill ; also petitions for the aboli-
tion of church rates ; by Mr. T. Egerton, from Runcorn,
against the grant to Maynooth ; by Mr. E. Ball, several
petitions from Cambridgeshire against the Maynooth
grant ; also, several petitions for the abolition of church
rates ; by Mr. Cobden, several petitions from Yorkshire
against church rates ; by Mr. Lowe, two petitions from
New South Wales against the constitution sent home
by the Legislative Council, and praying the house to
take the framing of a constitution into their own hands ;
also a petition from Kidderminster against church rates ;
by Sir W. Clay a number of petitions from metropolitan
Parishes against church rates.

THE VIENNA. NEGOTIATIONS.
on
Ur. M. GIBSON gave notice that he should move
he earliest day available that a humble address be
Pc?: niatedp toher Majesty to thank her for the proto-
„prey:. upon the table of the house, and to
Fran", "p 4117 her Majesty that the assent of
prineipie of ithaende Austria, Russia, and Turkey, to the
bases of tilt, neatinr.original articles, which formed the
g tion that the w2.11110?is, offered a reasonable expecta-
her Majesty that Titlaht be terminated, and to inform
house have heard with much
articleeo the precise concern that a differen,
plying with the thirdcaused Ise mode of corn.
be broken off. (sear.) the negotiations to
THE PATENT Awst Mr. PELLATr asked the AttLo - ;—'r Solicitor-Ge-
neral, when the annual report of tile- c°-
Patents, required by the act 15 and 1G Arietrnissi°Rirra of
to be presented annually to the house, with
. " 3,
the ac-
counts up to December 31, 1854, would be laid Upon the
table ? -
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL replied that the report
was an annual one, and would be laid upon the table
about the same time as last year.

OFFICERS' STAMPED RECEIPTS.
Major FEILDEN asked the Chancellor of the Ex.
chequer, whether officers in the army and the militia
were bound to give a stamped receipt for their pay, to
,_he PaYinaster, every fortnight, o
shillings
r whenever they might
.0 Paid an amount exceeding forty shilli
The CRANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER was in-
formed that no stamped receipts whatever .
for
quired for anY desm-ip tion of military- pay,
officers in the regro - (Hear.)
ar service or on half-pay. either
lIAYMENT OF COSTS.
Ar. WILICINSOR when it was his inten n aed the Attorney-General•
tioosk propose an alteration in the
state the law with regard
to the pa yment of Co i Costs by