The Sun.
London, England, 1855-08-01 00:00:00

THE ROYAL SOCIETY.

Lord BROUGHAM called attention to the circum-
stance of the v ithdrawal of the grant of 1,0007.,
which had been for a great many years given
to the Royal Society, and observed that such an
act must have proceeded from a misunderstanding of the
eubject. That grant, however small, had enabled that
learned body to further the progress of the Arts and
Sciences—(hear, heat)—and to confer great benefit
upon the community at large. He hoped the
Government would take the earliest opportunity of re-
verting to the old practice, by proposing a renewal of
the grant. The noble and learned lord then proceeded
to read a letter eulogising the French Exhibition,
for the advancement made by our continental
neighbours in the arts and sciences, and to express the
earnest desire that the Government would exert them-
selves to foster and encourage all the scientific establish-
ments in this country.

Earl GRANVILLE was understood to express re-
gret at the discontinuance of the grant to the Royal
Society. The grant was originally made from a limited
fund, whose object was specially to aid certain purposes,
and it was discontinued in consequence of the grant to
the Royal Society not being of that character.
The repeated calls made upon the fund com-
pelled them to withhold the usual grant, but
he promised his noble friend, however, that any applica-
tion from the Royal Society for aid should receive the
best consideration of her Majesty's Government.
RELIGIOUS WORSHIP BILL.

Lord BROUGHAM said that at that late period of
the session he could not hope to carry this bill, but he
wished to inform their lordships that the principle of it,
as set forth in the preamble, had the entire concurrence
of his noble and learned friend Lord Lyndhurst.
AIETROPO LITAN LOCAL MANAGEMENT BILL.

Earl FORTESCTJE presented a petition from certain
vestrymen of St. Pancras and St. Marylebone, playing
that the dissolution of the old vestries under this bill
might be uniform and simultaneous throughout the me-
tropolis. The noble earl also presented two other peti-
tion, to the same effect.

Lord WODEEIOUSE likewise presented a petition on
the same subject, and moved that their lordships go into
committee upon the bill.—Agreed to.

In clause

Lord PORTMAN moved that the words " within one
month after the passing of this act" be altered to " on or
before the 10th of October."—Agreed to.
In clause 4,

The Marquis of SALISBURY proposed to insert the
words " shall appoint not more than four fit and proper
persons to be commissioners."—Agreed to.
On clau.e 7,

Earl FORTESCUE proposed an amendment, pro-
viding for the simultaneous dissolution of all the old ves-
tries. He proposed likswise that the bill should come into
operation in the month of November instead of October.
Lord PORTMAN supported the amendment.
Lord WODEHOUSE defended the clause as it stood,
on account of the confusion which, it was feared, would
be created if the whole of the metropolitan elections tool(
place on the same day. The noble lord intimated, how-
ever, his willingness to accede to the proposal of the
noble earl.

The amendments were then agreed to.
Clause 10 was omitted.
On clau-e 14,

The Marquis of SALISBURY objected to the mode
proposed of having the voting papers distributed and
collected by the returning officer or his agents, and moved
as an amendment that they should be returned through
the Post-office.

Lord WODEHOUSE defended the clause as it
stood.

Lord MONTEAGLE feared that a door would be
opened to fraud by allowing voting papers to be dis-
tributed and collected by a public officar. Frauds of this
kind had been perpetrated at elections for poor-law
guardians in Leeds and other places, where all sorts of
irregularities had been committed in the signing of the
voting papers. He would have the voting papers
placed before the returning officer by the electors them-
selves ; there were no other means of preventing fraud.
The Earl of SHAFTESBURY doubted whether any
large proportion of voters would ever be induced to vote
personalty. To require them to deliver their own voting
papers would destroy the whole benefit arising from that
mode of voting.
After a conversation the amendment was withdrawn,
but was again proposed as an amendment t,) clause 18.
Their lordships divided—
For the amendment
Against it
Majority
Clauses up to 48 were agreed to with some slight
amendments.

On clause 49,

Lord PoRTMAN moved to insert words the effect of
which would be that, instead of the central board by a
majority electing the chairman, the board should nomi-
nate three persons, and that the Secretary of State
should select the chairman from those three.

The amendment was agreed to.
The Earl of POWIS moved to add a proviso that the
chairman ~f the board should not sit in Parliament.

Earl GBANVILLE and Lord WonEHousE opposed the
proviso.
After some discussion the proviso was negatived with-
out a division.

The clause was then agreed to, as were clauses up to
73, _

Several other clauses were agreed to, without occa-
sioning any remark.
On the 91st clause, _ _

Lord PORTMAN said he bad taken an objection to
the summary measure of transferring to a new body the
mass of unknown powers which existed by virtue of
some 250 different local and special acts. He thought
it quite right that all those acts should be repealed, and
that all the useful powers which had been created by
them should be placed in the body by which the govern-
ment of the metropolis was to be henceforth adminis-
tered. But it would be a great pity to revive obsolete
powers and invest them in a new body, without know-
ing precisely what they were. By such an act it was
possible that great mis:.thief in future might unintention-
ally be caused. He was glad to observe, however, that
his noble friend below him (Lord Wodehouse) had re-
solved to provide against one such unfortunate effect of
the original bill, by the insertion of a proviso excepting
the commissioners of baths and wash-houses, the burial
boards, and other institutions of that kind, from those
other bodies whose powers it was proposed to
.vest
henceforth in the Metropolitan Board of Works.
After a few words from the Earl of Powis and Lord
WoDERouSE, the clause, as amended, was agreed to.
A great many of the succeeding clauses were passed,
and only a short conversation arose upon them now and
then, the purport of which was seldom made intelligible
to the reporters, as the noble lords who took part in it,
the Marquis of Salisbury, the Earl of Powis, Lord Port-
nan, and Lord Wodehouse addressed each other in a
lo r tone of voice across the table. It was upaierstood
that the conversation referred to matters of detail, such
as the power of opening the streets for the purpose of
laying down gas pipes and water pipes, and the autho-
rty of vestries to declare the existence of a nuisance.
On clause 136.

Tha Earl of CARNARVON took occasion to com•
ment upon the means provided for completing the sewer-
age of the metropolis, and to express his apprehensions
lest the authority with which the metropolitan board
was to be endowed should not be effectually employed
to secure the great object intended.
The remaining clauses, numbering in all 243, and the
schedules, were agreed to, and the house resumed.

COURT OF JUDICATURE (PRINCE OF WALE 3

ISLAND) BILL.

This bill passed through committee.
TURNPIKE ACT CONTINUANCE (IRELAND)

BILL.

Earl GRANVILLE moved to suspend the order of
the house with regard to the reading no bills a second
time after a certain day in favour of this bill.
The resolution was agreed to, and the bill was read a
second time.