The Sun.
London, England, 1852-06-18 00:00:00

The House resumed at Six o'clock.
PETITIONS.
Mr. Alderman THOMPSON presented a petition
from the West Indies, complaining of the distressed
state of her sugar manufactures.
Mr. P. MILES presented a similar petition.
Sir J. PAKING TON also presented similar petitions
from Jamaica and St. Lucia.
Mr. HTJME presented a petition from the linen-
Weavers of Montrose, complaining of their distressed
state; also from the shipping owners of Montrose,
praying for the repeal of the passing toll at Ramsgate
Harbour.

THE AUSTRALIAN COLONIES.
Lord NAAS rose to present a petition from the Le-
gislative Council of New South Wales, expressing great
dissatisfaction with the Act 13 and 14 Victoria, relating
to that colony. The Noble Lord was about to state the
substance of the petition, when
Mr. GLADSTONE suggested that, in consequence of
its great importance, the petition should be read by the
Clerk at the table.
The Clerk accordingly proceeded to read the petition,
but in so low a tone of voice as to be almost ineueible.
As far as we could gather, the following was the import
of the document:—The petitioners stated that they felt
it their duty to themselves, their constituencies, and
posterity, to record their deep dieeppointment at the
consequences entailed upon the colony by the Act 13
and 14 Victoria. After the numerous resolutions and
addresses which had proceeded from the colony,
against the appropriation of the revenues of the colony
under the solo authority of Parliament, against the
existing administration of waste lands, against the dis-
pensation of the colonial revenues by the Ministers
of the Crown, and against the veto reserved in mat-
ters of local legislation, the petitioners felt that they
had a right to expect that those undoubted grievances
would have been redressed by the Act referred to, but
their expectations had been entirely disappointed. Ex-
ploded theories of colonization were still in use, the
effect of which was to divert annually thousands of peti-
tioners' fellow-subjects from their shores, and force them
to seek a home for themselves in the backwoods of
America, while the persons sent to the colony from
home were wholly unsuited to its wants. The bestowal
of offices was still exercised at the nomination of the
Colonial Minister, without any reference to the just
claims of the colony; the salaries of the officers of Cus-
toms, and of other departments, were likewise placed
beyond the colonists' control; and the only result of this
new enactment, which had been introduced into Parlia-
ment by the Prime Minister himself with the avowed in-
tention of bestowing self-government upon the colony,
was still to withhold from it the material powers previously
exercised by the House of Commons. The colonists
were not permitted to vote their own civil list, lest it
might prove inadequate to the requirements of the pub-
lic service, nor to pass the simplest measures without the
consideration of the Colonial Minister. The petitioners
protested as well against the Act itself, as also
against the instructions given by the Minister, by which
the small powers conferred by the Act had been ren-
dered of no effect. They maintained that the Imperial
Parliament ought not to have any power to tax the
people of the colony, or to appropriate any of its
money, which functions could only be properly exer-
cised by the colony itself; that the revenue arising from
the public lands was as much the property of the
colony as the ordinary revenue, and ought therefore to
be subject only to like control; that the Customs and
other departments ought to be under the vigilant con-
trol of the Colonial Legislature; and that offices of trust
and emolument should be conferred only on settled in-
habitants of the colony, the office of Governor alone
excepted. The petitioners, in conclusion, stated that in
order to do away with any possible objection to the re-
moval of the grievances complained of, they were pre-
pared, on their demands being complied with, to assume
and provide for the whole cost of the internal govern-
ment of the colony, with the exception
of the salary of
the Governor.
The petition was read amidst deep silence and atten-
tion on the part of the House.
Sir W. MOLESWORTH moved that the petition be
printed with the rotes, and gave notice that he should
friend a motion upon it.
The SPEAKER said that a motion for the printing of
the petition could not be made until to-morrow.
Mr. THORNELY said it was customary to print all
petitions coming from the colonies along with the votes.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said
that he had not been favoured, as other Hon. Members
had been, with a printed copy of this very important pe-
tition, but as far as he could follow it while it was being
read, he thought it contained some expressions of a very
doubtful character. For instance, he believed that her
Majesty was described in it as beimg only the trustee of
her own possessions. He should wish to have an oppor-
tunity of reading this petition, and he would suggest
that its formal presentation should be postponed.—(No.)
Mr. HUME objected to the postponement of the re-
ception of the petition.
Sir J. GRAHAM had understood that this petition
was presented by one of her Majesty's servants, the
Noble Lord the Chief Secretary for Ireland, and he con-
ceived that, if there was anything wrong in it, the Noble
Lord ought to have consulted his colleagues before pre-
senting it.—(Hear, hear.) He (Sir J. Graham) was not
aware of any expressions in the petition which were not
well worthy of the attention of the House. At all events
an expectation was held out that if the grievances com-
plained of were redressed, the colony would undertake
to bear all its expenses, and that was a subject well
worthy of consideration.—(Hear, hear.) He conceived
that the petition had been presented by the Noble Lord,
and the only remaining question was whether it should
be printed.
The SPEAKER said that the petition had not yet
been received. The Noble Lord might, if he thought
proper, withdraw it for the present, and present it to-
morrow.
Mr. HUME said that the petition had been jointly
entrusted to bite and the Noble Lord the Chief Secre-
tary for Ireland. He objected to any delay in the pre-
sentation of the petition, lest the petitioners might
thereby feel themselves affronted.
Mr. WALPOLE said that the petition had been pre-
sented by the Noble Lord the Secretary for Ireland, in
his capacity as a Memb.r of that House, and not as a
member of her Majesty's Government. It was right
that the House should take notice of any expressions in
a petition which might seem to be of a doubtful nature,
and it certainly had occurred to him, as well as to his
Right Hon. Friend, that in this petition the Queen was
described as only the trustee of her own dominions—a
phrase which he could not think would be adopted or re-
cognised by that Hause. He did not propose to reject
the petition, but only to take time to consider whether it
contained anything objectionable.
Mr. GLADSTONE said that he was properly respon-
sible for the prominence given to that petition, which he
had carefully read, and which certainly had not ap-
peared to him to contain anything to which objections
could be justly taken.—(Hear, hear.) He was not sur-
prised that the Chancellor of the Exchequer should have
been struck by the expression to which he bad referred,
when simply hearing the petition read at the table; but
it was clear that it was only used in the sense of a poli-
tical argument, in which it was open to anyone, and
much more to the colonial legislature, to give that view
of the position of her Majesty in respect not of her do-
minions, but of the wild lands of the colony which are
merely subjects of sale.—(Hear, hear.) He should very
much regret any delay in the reception of the petition.
The Noble Lord the Secretary for Ireland was clearly
the person who was primarily responsible for the petition,
and he (Mr. Gladstone) was persuaded that he would
never have presented to Parliament a document of so
much constitutianal importance without satisfying him-
self that its phraseology was free from all objection.
Mr. E. ELLICE said that the waste lands in Aus-
tralia referred to in the petition had been surrender;dby
her Majesty to the public under the Act for provii
for the civil list, and the proceeds of those lands
petitioners, applicable to the uses of the colony.
therefore, in making use of the expression that her Ma-
jesty was the trustee of those land
were within the
strict letter of propriety. He entreetsed the lan d s
wer
House note
to delay the reception of the petition.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said he
did not find that the context softohnuetdasthtehephpreatsiteieinn
had
petition to which he had alluded,
come from a distant colony, he would not be a party to
opposing its presentation.—(Hear, hear.)
After a few words of fromexplanation Mr. E. EL

LICE,
Lord NAAS said he hoped it would not be supposed
that he would be the person to present a petition in the
least degree disrespectful to her Majesty. He had read
this petition carefully, and not finding anything in it
that appeared to him to be of an objectionable nature,
he had thought it hi. duty to present it.—(Hear.)
The petition was then ordered to lie on the table.
COLONIAL CHURCH BILL.
Mr. GLADSTONE gave notice of moving a Com-
mittee of the House on the subject of colonial ecclesia
s-
tical law.
Sir J. PAKINGTON asked for what purpose ?
Mr. GLADSTONE replied that it was only in order
to move a resolution pro formet, to enable to intro-
duce the Colonial Church Bill in an amended form.
State for Foreign THE ARMY.
Sir DE LACY EVANS rose
the Under-Secretary of
n Affairs rela-
tiveto put a question to
to the regulations of '
August, 1843 -
Foreign-office, , issued from the
as affecting ofa
ceived anteriorily to that date cers who may have re-
ceived
tion for services in the fieldforeign orders of distinc-
Lord STANLEY said
on the sudden issuing there had been some hardship
of 801110 of the regulation, but, at the dis-
tanceyears, that
recalling it. could scarcely be a reason for

THE NAVY
Sir G. PECHELL rose to ask *the Secretary of the
Admiralty if the attention of the Board had been drawn
toaajelsetty ic
te,:sienrtvhee respecting
cecptiganpers from an Admiral in her
m
t
steamer, complaining of the manners wthheichßitrhkneedaliteiaids
are performed at Greenhithe by that scirntific officer
Captain Johnson, R N., for the adjustment of the com-
passes of her Majesty's ships before they proceed on sra
service • and whether any report from the late comman-
der of the Birkenhead on the compasses of that vessel
had been received by the Admiralty; and if so, whether
the acme would be laid before Parliament?
Mr. STAFFORD said the attention of the Admiralty
had been drawn to the letter referred to, but that it did
not at all abate their confidence in the gallant gentleman
who was so justly described as that " scientific officer."
Moreover, the Board had received communications from
the late captain of
prutheaßirkenhead, stating his satisfac-
tion with the compasses of thatvesacl; and they intended
to append to the papers upon her loss a copy of the cor-
cular subject.—(Bear.)
ASSESSMENTS ON TENANT-
FARMERS on
ABATEMENT this particular
FARMERS UNDER THE PROPERTY-TAX.
Mr. FREWEN begged to ask the Chancellor of the
Exchequer if he considered that under the Property-tax
Act, 14 and 15 Viet., c. 12, sec. 3, abatements might be
madofrom amoromento on tounnt-fetronvio where 1149.