The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-06 00:00:00

THIRD EDITION

SUN OFFICE, SEVEN O'CLOCK

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE—This Day.

(BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.)
CHESTER RACES-THIS DAY.

STAMFORD PLATE.

East Lancashire
Danaus
Oulton Lowe
LADIES' PLATE.

Rondoletia
David
Vindicta

Four ran.
HANDICAP PLATE.

Tippler
Glasgow

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF LORDS—This Evening.
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack
at five o'clock.

DENMARK.

The Earl of CARNA.ItVON gave notice that on Mon-
day next he should call the attention of the house to the
present state of the Danish question.

PRI VATE - BUSINESS.

The following bills were read a second time :—Hertford
Gas—Chichester Harbour Embankment—North Eastern
Railway (York and Doncaster Branch)—Chichester and
Mielburst Railway—Edgware, Highgate, and London
Railway—and Watford and Edgware Railway.
The following bills were read a third time and passed :
Port Glasgow Harbour—Redruth and Falmouth Junction
Railway—Grand Western Canal and Bristol and Exeter
Railway—lndependent Gas Company—Waterford and
Limerick, Limerick and Foyness, and Rathkealo and New-
castle Junction Railway—Birmingham and Staffordshire
Gas—South Yorkshire Railway—London, Brighton, and
South Coast Railway (Kemp Town Station)—and Lanca-
shire and Yorkshire (additional powers).
DEBTOR AND CREDITOR.
The LORD CHANCELLOR called attention to the
state of the law of debtor and creditor as affecting the poorer
classes ; and presented a bill for the limitation of actions
and process for small debts, and to amend the acts
relating to the county courts, and to confer on
such courts a limited jurisdiction in equity. The
noble and learned lord said the subject was one of the
greatest importance, because as many as 17,979 persons
had been committed to prison by the act giving the power
of imprisonment to county court judges. Some of those
persons so sent to prison had been deprived of personal
liberty for the most insignificant, crimes, as there were cases in
which persons had been imprisoned for the non-payment of
such sums as Is. ld., 3s. 10d., is. 6d , 2s. 9d., and in one
case a man had been imprisoned several days' imprisonment
for default :of payment of ninepence. The sum total of
the amounts for these committals did not amount
to more than £62,438, and no doubt could be entertained
on the circumstance, because the calculations had been
made upon returns made to Parliament. His lordship was
opinion that a creditor was justified in imprisoning a debtor
to the injury of society. To come to a right decision
on the case it was necessary to inquire
whether the creditor gave credit under circum-
stances which justified and required him' to imprison his
debtor ; to inquire whether the creditor could say, " I hove
a right to this remedy on behalf of society, in order that I
tnay be enabled to recover my debt." The present law was
especially hard upon the labourer, because it in effect mort-
gaged the entire earnings of the debtor to the merciless
creditor for an indefinite time, without the possibility of
hope of redemption. He begged their lordships, but for one
instant, to draw a comparison between the law as respected
bankruptcy and that dispensed in county courts. In the
one, on the surrender of his goods, a bankrupt gets
a discharge from all his liabilities, whilst in the county
court the poor creditor gets an order which hangs about
his neck for years, and, in fact, from which he ever, or
seldom, liberates himself. The consequences of the county
court system had become the very parent of the evil they
were called upon to check. Small shop-keepers and pedlars
tempted the improvident, and, he must add, dissipated
,poor. Credit being easily obtained, debts for things not
actually necessaries is soon contracted, and on the first
failure of payment resource is had to the county courts. In
many cases goods are supplied by persons without the
knowledge of the husband, as the pedlar generally calls
when the husband is at work. As long as he keeps so she
make her payments to the pedlar, but immediately work
fails he still perseveres for his money; the wife is unable to
pay, and summonses by the hundreds are taken out by
these sort of people, and thus a great deal of misery is oc-
casioned, in addition to which, in many cases, more than
three times the value of the article was charged.
although the husband had no knowledge of the debt, he is
cited to the County Court, and there he is ordered to pay the
amount for which he never rendered himself liable. It had
been said that this system of credit was necessary, and
advantageous to the provident poor, but he denied that
such was the case. On the contrarr, he thought that if it
was altogether put an end to, it would lead to a more pru-
dent, careful, and provident state of things. (Hear, hear.)
The bill he held in his hand, in the first place, would give
power to the judge to take into cons4leration the whole of
the circumftances of the debt.

[LEFT SPEAKING.]

HOUSE OP COMMONS—This Evening.

The SPEAKER took the chair at 4 o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The Kilkenny Cathedral, Economy Fand Bill, and the
Scottish Central Railway (Stations, drc.) Bill were read a
third time and passed.
THE CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA.

Mr. MARSH, in the absence of Mr. Lindsay, gave no-

tice that he would move a resolution to the effect that it
was the duty of this house to consider what would be the
effect of the conLinuance of the civil war in America on this
country.

EMIGRATION FR OM IRELAND TO AMERICA.
Mr. SCULLY asked the Secretary of State for the
Home Department whether his attention had been directed
to the proposed Act of American Coagress providing for the
reduction of tonnage dues on immigrant vessels, and for the
appointment of a Government Commissioner of Immigra-

tion, who shall be empowered to contract for the importa-
tion of immigrants, and for their transmission into the inland
districts of the United States : and, whether it was the in-
tention of the present Government to adopt any measures
either towards diverting into some of her Majesty's
colonies an increased and increasing emigration from Ire-
land, or towards arresting that emigration, by providing
industrial employment at home, or by reducing exorbitant
taxation, or by improving the land laws, or by abolishing
religious distinctions, or by conceding to Irishmen some
participation in the government of their own country, or
otherwise ?

Sir G. GREY said that his attention had been called to
the subject which formed the first portion of the hon. mem-
ber's question, and there could be no doubt that emigration
from Ireland to America was going on very extensively,
but it was the result of superior wages offered
in that country than were received at home, in the same
way that Irishman were induced to come to England,
because they received better remuneration for their la-
bour than they did from Irish employers. With regard to
the other prat of the question, it was obvious that Govern-
ment could not take any active measure in providing in-
dustrial occupation for the agricultural portion of the
Irish population at home; and, in reference to religion,
Irishmen enjoyed as much liberty as any other portion of
the United Kingdom.
THE RAILWAY FROM HALIFAX TO QUEBEC.
Mr. AYR TON asked the Secretary for the Colonies
whether it was the intention of the Government to ask the
sanction of Parliament, during the present session, for a
guarantee of interest on a sum of money required to complete
the railway from Halifax to Quebec; ane, if not, whether
the intention of doing so was finally abandoned, and whether
any correspondence had taken place between the colonial
offices and the authorities in Canada and British Columbia
on the subject of the proposed telegraphic communication
between Canada and the Pacific, subsequently to that which
was produced last year; and, if so, whether he had any ob-
jection to lay copies of such correspondence upon the table?
Mr. CARDWELL said it was not the intention of Go-
vernment to ask for any grant this session for the under-'
taking in question, but the matter was under consideration.
With regard to the second question there had been s_et;°,
correspondence, which would be laid on the table in a short
time.

DENMARK.
Mr. NEWDEGATE asked whether her Meiest Ybe more
vernment intended to adopt any measures 's Go•
to
likely
effectuil than those which have hitherto been attempted,
and King of Den-
for the purpose of relieving the people 5
;lei
catrekd from
Tthhee
h o
n.
m oppressionera b
et
ro
house, and to enter into the general matters connected with
ewnhdiecahvotilltreeyd 7teor e dailyaddress e sub-
jected
the question, but was called to order by the Speaker,
Sir G. GREY said that the Conference W3B sitting, and
he believed the first result would be an armistice. On the
part of her Majesty's Government he could only say that
their desire was to effect an amicable arrangement between
the German Powers and Denmark, and to restore peace.
(Hear, hoar.)
NAVY ESTIMATES,
Lord
:N:tood to say that he would
poASiGrETT. PwAtias ucuunTd
understood
the supplementary estimate for the increased pay of
ordC. t reply
officers of the Royal Navy on the table before Whitsuntide,
and that he proposed the discussion should come on
shortly after the holidays.
THE AURORA.
Mr. D. GRIFFITH asked whether the Aurora frigate,
under the command of Sir Leopold M'Clintock, had been
sent to the North Sea in the direction of the Austrian

squadron; and if so, why a force more adequate to cop
with any possible contingency that might arise had not
been despatched at the same time?

Lori C. PAGET said that the Aurora had been sent
to the North Sea according to a practice that had pre-
vailed' in this country for some time, namely, that
a British• man-of-war should be placed in seas where the
British nation had an interest, and where a foreign squad-
ron might be expected to visit.
THE AUSTRIAN SQUADRON.

In reply to Sir J. PAkINGToN,
Lord C. PAGET said that the Austrian squadron bad
left the Downs, but he did not know what was its desti-
nation.

Sir G. GREY said that he could only repeat the answer
he bad given on a previous occasion to the affect that ho
had new assurances from the Austrian Government that
the fleet Was going into the North Sea merely to prevent a
blockade of the Elbe and the Weiper.

(LEFT SITTING.)

LONDON GAZETTE—This Evening.

FOREIGN OFFICE, APRIL 25.
The Queen has been graciously pleased to appoint Robert
Curuberbatch, Esq., now her Majesty's Consul at
Berdiansk, to be her Majesty's Consul at Smyrna.
MAY 4.
The Queen has been pleased to apprcve of Mr. J. A.
Baesjon as Consul for Western Australia, to reside at
Albany, for his Majesty the King of the Netherlands.

WAR-OFFICE, PALL-MALL, MAy 6.
The following notification of an appointment to the Staff
is substituted for that which appeared in the Gazette of 3d
instant :—Colonel Gloucester Gambier? C. 8., to be Deputy
Adjutant-General of the I:loyal Artillery, vice Colonel
Charles Bingham deceased.
Honourable Artillery Company of London—SergeantFrancis Bryant Adams to be Ensign—Thomas Stevens
Barringer, Esq., M.D , to be Surgeon.