The Sun.
London, England, 1852-06-08 00:00:00

THE, SUN, LONDON,

he, reminded the House of the New Zealand Bill,
the iinnortance of which was only equalled by the
cumber of its clauses, and said he expected that on Monday
some idea would be given by Government what their inten-
tions were with respect to that important Bill, I agree that
it is a Bill of the utmost importance, and I should -deplore
the circumstance that this Bill, which attempts to establish
a right principle of colonial administration, under happy
auspices, should be defeated by any occurrence con-
nected with the abrupt termination of Parliament.
But, Sir, what is the bulletin of Monday night upon this
subject—that night upon which I was called upon to state
exactly the intentions of Government with regard to public
business? The New Zealand Bill has not only got into Com-
mittee, but has nearly got through Committee.—(Hear,
hear.) In fact I may say, that out of more than 80 clauses,
72 have been disposed of, and, with the exception of some
which refer to what may be almost called a private and a
local subject, the great,questions connected with this Bill,
which is to give a new constitution to an interesting colony,
the great questions are all settled in this House; and it is
hardly possible to conceive that the state in which the New
Zealand Bill is now found could at all justify her Ma-
jesty's Government in relinquishing the hope of speedily
passing this Bill through the House.—(Hear.) Then there
is another colonial measure also referred to by the Right
Honourable Gentleman-tithe Hereditary, Casual Revenues
Bill, which, to use the language of the Right Hon. Gentle-
man, is a measure of" primary importance." Now, perhaps,
the House will allow me toremind them of the nature of this

Bdl. The law officers of the Crown. have expressed their
doubts, and more than doubts, whether these branches of
casual revenue, which now assume very great importance
in. the auriferous colonies orAustralia, might not be, by the
strict letter of the la*, applicable to the consolidated fund,
instead of being applied, as her Majesty's Government
wished, to the benefittof the colony in which they were disco-
vered: No one can doubt but that this is an object to attain
which would not excite any very great party feeling, or re-
ceive any very great• opposition ; and when I mention that
the Bill which is to confer this highly beneficial and ad-
vantageous privilege upon, the colony is composed of only
two clauses, it is not a very presumptuous. expectation on
the part of her Majesty's Government to hope that they
may be as successful with it as they have hitherto been in
that foremost Bill with regard to colonial legislation relating
to New Zealand:—(Hear, hear.) There are two other Go-
vernment Bills which the Right IIon: Gentleman referred to
as connected with tire colonies, and really, with the excep-
tion that the word " bishop" does appear in the titles of these
Bills—and I know how unfortunate the word sometimes is in

exciting debate in this House, and in calling forth the:irre-
gular energy of the Hon. and Learned Member for Youghal
—(A laugh)—l should hardly suppose that there would be
any opposition to these two Bills. Oneof there, the Bishopric
of Quebec Bill, is in fact only. to take care that iti,the diocese
already divided one of the bishops should not retain the
whole of the episcopal property, but should divide it with his
brother bishop, and I should hardly think that this measure
would be opposed, more especially as it consists only of two
clauses, and has already passed the other House of Parlia-
ment.— (Hear, hear.) I think, therefore, it is not rash to
suppose that even that Bill may soon pass into law without at
all procraetinating the conclusion of the session. There is a
fourth Bill, called the Colonial Bishops Bill, and that is a mea-
sure which is also of very small dimensions, its only object being
to relieve the Indian bishops from a disability which, in the
case of the other colonial bishops, does, not exist. It is,
therefore, a Bill essentially just in its provisions. It is one
which I cannot say is of that urgent nature which, generally
speaking, all the Bills are which her Majesty's Government
have brought forward; but it is a'Bill of a very important
character, and yet very slight in its dimensions, and I help° it
will receive the sanction of Parliament.— (Hear, hears) I
have now gone through two of the most important.groups of
projected legislation to which the. Right Hon., Gentleman
referred, but the colossal catalogue was not limited to these
two groups. The next subject to which the Right Hon. Gen-
tleman alluded for those proofs of the unsatisfactory state of
public business which he adduced, refers to the department
which is presided over by my Noble Friend the President of
the Board of Works. There are. three Bills on the table of
the House which have been placed there by my Noble
Friend. The first of these is the Intramural Interment Bill, a
Bill which, I believe, has the concurrence of a great majority
in this House, and which it is the public wish, as weil as
the wish of the majority of this ,House, should past into
law.—(Hear, hear..) lam not prepared, I confess, to re-
nounce the hope, not, only of , passing that Bill, but of
passing it quickly, and. with but slight opposition. There
is also another Bill, the Aletropolitan Water Bill; but re-
member that that Bill has already been referred to a Select
Committee, and it comes down, therefore; to the House
with the advantage of the criticism of that Select 'Commit-
tee, and the approbatiOn of 'a tribunal' 'to which the House
always looks with 'great respect, and therefore I think I am
warranted in believing that it can be passed without post-
poning the termination of this session.—(Hear.) There is
another Bill laid upon. the table. f the House, by my Noble
Friend (Lord J. Manners),—the Metropolis Buildings Bill,
omneythebepaeryteorlf,sboemlmeelld own.itGb enift,leameedn; fersomittbies
and, as there seems such a keen desire to resist legislation
fneaercetshsaatrytiheiye
order to give Hon. Members an opportunity of making
any observations in reply, that I' should conclude with
some motion, I am prepared to move, at the,
proper time, that the order of the day for the second
reading of that Bill might be discharged. ..4" Hear," and a
laugh.) I have now gone through three of the great di-
visions which the Right Hon. Gentleman brought to our
notice. All our measures of legal reform are fast arriving at
that safe harbour to which I believe they are destined.—
(Hear.) All our colonial Bills have also made very great
progress since the Thursday when the attention of the coun-
try and of the House was called to the unprecedented posi-
tion of Parliamentary business; and of the two Bills which
are under the charge of my Noble Friend the President of
the Board of. Works, one of them has been referred to a Se-
lect Committee, which, as I befbre said, will tend to make its
progress through the House more rapid, and the other has
received out of doors and in the Housesuch a degree of favour
that I cannot doubt it will in due time pass into a law.—
(Hear, hear.) Sir, there were, however, other circum-
stances in the state of public business on which the Right
Hon. Gentleman dilated in terms of impressive solem-
nity, and which seemed to produce a considerable effect
at the moment upon the feelings of the House. The Right
Hon. Gentleman cello 1 the attention of the House of Com-
mons, particularly on Thursday, to the state of the
Committee of Supply. He reminded the House that
hitherto the expeditious way in which the Committee of
Supply had been carried on, the promptitude with which
we had passed our estimates, had been, as we are all but too
williug to acknowledge, the consequence of the continued
forbearance of the House; but the Right Hon. Gentleman
gave the House to understand that even now the remaining
estimates amounted to millions. On Thursday night he
called the attention of the House and of the country to the
laughter.) That was the dreadful prospect for the Goyern
important fact that there were still 200 votes which had not
been passed, and that those 200 votes were to be met with 42
recorded -negatives of one Lion. Member.—( Hear, hear, and
ment at the end of the weeks and that was one of the evi-
dences of the incapacity of her Mejesty's Ministry to conddct
that, Monday
the business of the House of Commons. It will perhaps 'be
some' satisfaction to the Right Hon. Gentleman to know
having come, I, appearing to give that account
which the "unprecedented, state of Parliamentary business
was said to call for, can say that some plea
of extenuating
•
circumstances may be alleged;
for that now on Monday,
instead of 200 votes in supply remaining to be passed,
there are, I believe, only 19. (Cheers.) And with
regard to those 19 votes, I cannot help thinking that, even
with the determined spirit or the Honourable Member
-
for Youghal, the Hon. and Learned Member may yet find
other opportunities enough for the exercise of his indeftei
gable powers--(A laugh)--and that perhaps when we •go
into Committee sof Supply again with those 19 vnder touch
otes we
may experience even from him some little te
of remorse.--(Laughter.) There were some miscellaneous
was the Navy Pay Bill. I have endeavoured to form some
can be passed,
bills also mentioned by the Right Bon. pentieman. There
but I cannot
opinion whether that measure
gather that there is any opposition to it, and when the state-
ment is made with respect to it by the Secretary to the Ad-
miralty, I indulge in the hope that that Bill too will pass.
, here is also the Patent-Law Amendment Bill, but I may
remind the House that that Bill has already passed the
House of Lords, and that we have referred it to a Committee
there; as I have before remarked was the case with Bills so
referred, it will receive a revision which will enable it to
command much more readily the general attention of the
House. I cannot think that lam yet called upon to say that
these two laws, which I believe will be advantageous to the
country, should be 'renounced.
Now, Sir, there are some
other bills, and one rather large head, to which the
Right Hon. Gentleman also referred. There are two Bills
with regard to Ireland. There is, first, the Valuation
of Land Bill, and I hear from all sides that this is a good
measure.—(Hear, hear.) , Why,. then, should we give it
up ? I cannot say that lam prepared to give it up, when
we have had only one division upon this measure, and when
the numbers, I think, were 80 to 4 in favour of the Bill—
(Hear, hear)—and, believing that this is a Bill which is very
much to the advantage of the people of Ireland; I certainly
think the House will concur in thinking it should pass.
There is another Bill connected with Ireland—the Whiteboy
Consolidation Bill. lam anxious at this moment that no
Bill should pass, that we should proceed with no Bill which
is likely, I won't, say to waste, but to occupy the time of
the House, unless it is of urgent necessity; .and, as I agree
with those who think that a Bill for. the, purppses of con-
solidation can scarcely come under this head, I am prepared
not to press it forevard.—(Hear, hear.). Then there were
the continuance Bills, which is the last class of measures to
which .I shill refer. The Poor-law Board Act, which is a
continuance Bill, now stands for a third reading; and then
there is the Encumbered Estates Act. That is a Bill
which must be continued, and I cannot anticipate that
any Honourable Gentleman in this Hbuse can wish that
that Bill should not pass.—(Hear, hear.) There remains
another Bill, which relates to a matter to which the Right
Hon. Gentleman said the late Government attached the
greatest importance, and which must be renewed—l mean
the Prevention of Crime and Outrage Aet in Ireland.—
(Hear.) We have had from some Hon. Gentlemen opposite
some hints as to the opposition which is to be extended to
the renewal of the Crime and Outrage Act. Sir, whatever
oPposition is offered to the Bill, as long sti it respects Par-_
liamentary usages, and is conducted ih that courteous spirit
which I believe will always distinguish this House, that eic;
position in caste of imminent necessity I mast be prepared to
meet.—(Hear, hear.) It is the opinion of her Alajesty'ecs-..
vernment that the Act for Preventing Crime and Outrage in
Ireland should be renewed—(Hear, hear)—and, inasmuch as
that Act consists of only one clause, giving Hon. Gentlemen
opposite credit for as energetic patriotism as any body of man
possess. even should they put in practice all the resources of
their rhetoric, I cannot believe, if they should avail them-
selves of all the opportunities which the constitutional forms
of this House provide them with, they will be able to de-
feat a measure so necessary to the peace, the tranquillity,
and the prosperity of Ireland.—(Cheers.) With very.
great respect, therefore, for the opinioes held by those
Hon. Gentlemen, we shall attempt to continue that
Act, and I tell them I am prepared for their opposition,
which, however, I am sure will be conducted according to
the spirit and practice of this House.—(Hear, hear.) I have
nowthegone through the whole of the colossal catalogue of
Right Hon. Gentleman, and I ask the House fairly to
decide, is it their
eopiniod that the state of public business,
is so unsatisfao)toryi as was
Government, measures haveethaarte'
that the state
anxious desire to ask thebusiness—(Hear,
theeasl
not passed, with the most
to support nothing which I
anxious desire that the laboura of this
with the most
Parliament should not
and
inner myself
inAustified, with the ex-
ceptionbe prolonged, 'I do 1.'1E4 find
gnificant instances to
'in recommendings
The the withdrawal of
wbic 110
stvhee
referred,
esfiei
rgrhetti
appearm to me to be
any of these Hear, hear.)
of , themtmost necessary, and they appear to me also to
passed consistently .with that termination of
satis-
factory state oft progress, so that allthellaay be
ses-
sion which we all of us anticipate.—(llear, 1)I claim no credit to the Government `for this esatnt-
of the public business, and I say 'that most uane-
feignedly. It is a state of the public business, in my
opinion, satisfactory, but it is due and due only'to the good
sense and the good temper of the House of Commons.--
(Cheers.) And, Sir, when I heard the highest authority
dilate upon the present state of business, and say, with all
it