The Sun.
London, England, 1852-05-28 00:00:00

1852,

and proper occasion, when any definite proposition may
be submitted to yuur Lordships, they will be ready to
con3idcr it.

The petitions were then laid on the table.
CORRUPT PRACTICES AT ELECTIONS BILL.
The MlTquis of LANSI)OWNE gave notice that he
should, on Monday week, move the second reading of
this Bill.

POSTAL ARRANGEMENTS.
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE gave notice of 5
question for the same day respecting our postal arrange-
ments with France.

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE.
The Earl of DERBY gave notice that he should (to-
day) move the adjournment of the House to Thursday
next, and should propose (as there was no measure of a
pressing nature before them) that no business of im-
portance should be taken until Monday week—the ob-
ject of his moving that the House meet on Thursday
being to proceed with private business and appeals.
Their Lordships then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, May 27.
The SPEAKER took the. Chair at Four o'clock,
PRIVATE BUSINESS.
The following Bills were road a third time and passed:
Beaconsfield and Redhill Road.
Eastern Union Railway.
Humber Conservancy and Kingston-upon-Hull Docks.
Kettering and Northampton Road.
Kingston and Shentbridge Roads.
Kingston-upon• Hull Dues and Docks.
gation Improvement.
NMeannechvesatleleryHDoruasienaogf ReaencodvNery.
avi
awnedr e
Rc
vuts.
ri d epr co, dv
Doves
yn dßafi rheveady owt I h
CoTrrhies,f°Milaocwhiyntgillßet'llils,
Branches.
Great Western Railway (No. 2).
Loptaidolmays.
andn
North-Western, and Buckingbamshire
Monmouthshire Railway and Canal.
Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway.
Shrewsbury and Chester Railway.
Swansea Local Board of Health.
Wycombe Railway,
Clarkson's Estate and the Pimlico Improvement Bills
were read a second time and ordered to be committed.
WEXFORD HARBOUR.
Mr. SULLIVAN moved that the Wexford Harbour
Improvement Bill be re-committed to the Committee to
whom it was originally referred; that the Committee
have leave to sit and proceed to-morrow, at twelve
o'clock; three selected Members to form a quorum.
Mr. STAFFORD said the Admiralty would remain
neutral upon this question; they would neither oppose
nor support the motion, but leave it for the House to de-
cide whether or no the Bill should be re-committed.
Sir WILLIAM MOLESWORTH opposed the mo-
tion as chairman of the former Committee.
After a brief conversation, in which Mr. M'Cullagh,
Mr. Wilson Patten, and Mr. Reynolds took part, the
opposition was withdrawn, and the motion agreed to.
PETITIONS.
Sir JAMES DUKE presented a petition from the
City of London against the Maynooth grant.
Sir W. VERNER, presented twenty petitions from
the county of Cavan, in Ireland, to the same effect.
Mr. ELLIS presented a petition from Aylesbury
against church-rates.
Mr. SPOONER presented a petition from Warwick-
shire against the Maynooth grant.
Mr. B. CABBELL presented a petition in favour of
ocean penny postage.
Mr. REYNOLDS presented a petition from the Irish
League in Manchester, praying for the repeal of the Ec-
clesiastical Titles Act.
Mr. HUME presented apetitionfrom Newbury against
church-rates.
Mr. PORTER presented a petition from Hampshire
against the post horse duty.
Mr. BOOKER presented a petition from Hereford-
shire, praying the House to take steps to secure the in-
spection of nunneries.
Mr. HORSMAN presented a petition from Plymouth,
praying the House to address her Majesty upon the sub-
ject of issuing a commission to revise the Book of Com-
mon Prayer.
Mr. B. CARTER presented a petition from Winches-
ter in favour of ocean penny postage.
Lord D. STUART presented a petition from Maryle-
bone, praying for the repeal of the attorneys' certificate
duty.

DROPPED ORDERS.
The dropped orders and notices of motion were re-
appointed.

SIGNALS OF DISTRESS.
Mr. MACGREGOR moved for copies of all letters, and
answers thereto, sent from the Admiralty to Mr. Robert
Bettie, the inventor of the coloured lights system of
signals for saving collisions of vessels at sea, showing
signals of distress, ships at anchor, &c., when in Scot-
land and in England, since 1842 to 1852; when he was
entered on board the navy or the books of the Rattler
steam-frigate, and at Woolwich and Portsmouth, where
the various trials took place, under the Government of
Sir Robert Peel: and of the various memorials to the
Admiralty from the different ports and steam navigation
companies for their adoption.—Agreed to.
MESSAGE FROM THE LORDS.
A messenger from the Lords brought up the follow-
ing Bills, to which their Lordships have agreed:—
Stock in Trade.

Highway Rates.
Porthdinllaen and Nanthwynant Roads.
Eastern Counties and Newmarket and Chesterford
Railway Companies.
Southam to Kineton Road.
Romsey, Broughton, Stockbridge, and Wallop Roads,
without amendment.

Athlone Markets and Customs, with an amendment.
Newmarket Railway.
Lancaster Waterworks, Cemetery, and Gas, with
amendments.

Property-tax Continuance.
York and North Midland and East and West York-
shire Junction Railways.
Dumfries and Max welltown Waterworks.
Haw Bridge and Roads.
Bedford and Kimholton Road.
Deeside Railway, without amendment.
South Essex Estuary and Reclamation, with amend-
ments.
Glasgow, Kilmarnock, and Ardrossan Railway, with
an amendment.

ACCIDENT IN MINES.
Oa the motion of Mr. CAYLEY, it was agreed
that a Committee should be appointed to inquire
into the causes of accidents in mines, with the view of
devising some means to render them less frequent.
SENTENCING A BRITISH SUBJECT TO DEATH

BY A FOREIGN POWER.
Lord DUDLEY STUART wished to ask the Noble
Inrd the Under-Secretary for the Colonies a question of
which ho had given notice, namely, whether the attention
of Government had been called to the case of Mr.
Murray, a gentleman of English descent, whose ances-
tors had served in the British army, and who himself
had held a commission under the Crown. This gentle-
man, after being imprisoned for a period of two years in
Rome, had suddenly been brought to trial before a secret
tribunal, and sentenced to death for a political offence.
Now, what he wanted to know was, whether the Go-
vernment intended to take stops to prevent that sentence
being put in force?—(Hear, hear.)
Lord STANLEY said it was quite true what the Noble
Lord had stated. Mr. Murray was a British subject, and
had formerly served in the army of Rome under the Re-
public. He exchanged that position,huwever,for the office
of-head police agent under the Republic at Ancona,
and while he filled that situation several murders took
place of persons who had been favourable to the cause
of the Pope. It was thought at the time that Mr.
Murray had connived at these murders, and he was
arrested, but afterwards liberated. At the fall,
however, of the Republic he was again arrested,
and remained in prison two years and four
months, at the expiration of which time he was brought
to trial for the previous offence, and sentenced to death.
This came to the knowledge of Mr. More, the British
agent at Ancona, and he, together with Mr. Free-
born, the consul at Rome, sent home to the
Government a history of the whole case. Instructions
were immediately returned to them directing them to
make an -effort to obtain his liberation in the event of
their believing that he was innocent of the crime imputed
to him, or, on the other hand, to plead for a mitigation
of his sentence. The unfortunate gentleman had since
been removed from Rome to Ancona, and efforts were
now being made to prevent his sentence being carried
into eff,ct.—(Hear.)
Lord DUDLEY STUART asked if it was true that
Mr. Murray was accused of a political offence only?
Lord STANLEY said the accusation was that Mr.
Murray had connived at murder, which was something
greater than a political offence.—(Hear.)
Mr. HUME asked if Mr. Murray was tried before a
secret
STANLEY said he was tried before a special
Loibunal?
HE wished to know if Mr. Murray remained
soHOME
long without any information of the fact be-
itnri
xtbg tribunal.
al .
home
STANLEY until
sairecentlydaivtu
?ndoubtedly was so.
trido
nllt.o S T
theUs4ulblitere g
ingLoserdat
Mr. ANSTEY said th e notice that he should call
attention
Lord the Secretary for again to-morrow.--(Hear, hear.)
any actual co itoor.mFororroewignheAsfrhaoiurlsdwahskeththeer
Government
L Lord
rd sT niannoduntilleation had taken place between the
to the case of
STANLEY considered
would be better to
Murray._ Governor of Ancona with regard
Ydrcoopnstihdeersoudb
siteheat.t for the present it
In re 1 MAYNOOTH.
P.), to a question from Mr. P. HOWARD,
_ The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said
that he had voted for the adjournment of the House on
Tuesday, without any reference to the Maynooth
ques-
tion, but simply because there were five motions upon
the paper affecting the revenue of the country which he
did not wish to be brought on.—(A tweet].) He did not
vote for the adjournment of the House with the slightest
reference to the Nlttynooth question,
that question were identical with those he had expressed
the other day.—(Hest, hear.) and his views on
THE LOBOS ISLANDS.

In answer tottciue;tTonputbyMr. BAGGE,
Lord STANLEY stated that applications had been
frequently made, during the last year, to the British
Government by merchants and other persons interested
in the guano trade, to know—first, whether the Lobos
guano was to be obtrined, were
Islands, from which
held to belong to Peru? secondly, whether _ . .
and thirdly, whether
Briti,h ships
would be allowed to land there?
the British Government intended to send
there for tho protection of the trade?
reply
made by the lattheeanidulathned a ship of war
And the simple
preset Government had
been, that whether
held to belong to
Peru or not, it was certain they8 Were
land; the British Governmen did not belong to Eng-
t had no claim upon them,
and it was deemed unadvisable to send any ship of war
there. It ava4 stated; On the one hand, that thew Wanda

were not mentioned in the written constitution of Peru;
that the islands were at a distance from the Coast; that
they were wholly unoccupied and destitute of fresh
water, with no buildings erected upon them; that no aet
of sovereignty heel been exercised over them by Peru,
and that, according to the law of nations, the mere pre-
sence of .andering tribes was not sufficient to cons itute
a claim of right of property. Ott the other hand, the
claim of the Peruvian Government was, that the islands
were fertnerly held to belong to the Spanish provincr,
and that on tie separation of Peru from Spain they
passed of themselves to the Government of Peru without
any special mention; that one was distant about forty
miles, and the other only twelve miles from the coast;
that they were by no means newly discovered; and that
a distinct act of sovereignty bad been exercised over
them by the Government of Peru in prohibiting the In-
dian tribes from hunting upon them, lest the birds
should be disturbed. Resting upon this claim, the Go-
vernment of Peru had declared that they would resist all
attempts upon these islands. Her Majesty's Govern-
ment had examined the case, and the Noble Lord the
Secretary of State (the Earl of Maleneshury) had stated,
in reply to a letter upon the subject, that the Govern-
ment were not prepared to send ships of war to these it-
lands, and that, however advantageous it might be to
Great Britain to appropriate the islands, or to declare
them common property, we would not violate interna-
tional law. At the same time, the Government enter-
tained a sincere hope that (as we understood) such ar-
rangements might be made as would effect the object de-
' sired, and secure a supply of guano.
Sir F. BARING might be allowed to say, as the
transaction passed in some degree wht n he was in office,
that within the last few days (as we understood) he had
received a letter from the admiral i❑ command, stating
that he had sent, or was on the paint of sending, a ves3el
to protect the trade with these islaeds.

UNIVERSITY COMMISSION.
Mr. lIORSM.AN gave notice that to-morrow he should
ask the Secretary of State when it was probable that the
University Commission would conclude their report; he
also wished to know if the Chancellor of the Exchequer
intended to bring on the Committee of Supply as the
first Government business to-morrow?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said ke
meant to take the Committee of Supply to-morrow (this
day) 88 the first order of the day. The Right Hoe.
Gentleman also announced that atter the report on the
Militia Bill had been received, he meant to give the Hon:
Grentlemln (Mr. SilneY), who had kindly relinquished
his advantage on a former occasion, an opportunity of
on his motion, and then he meant to revert 10
THE SCOTCH MAIL,
Mr. COWAN gave notice that he should ask thetU,
made by
Secretary to the Treasury if any arrangement could
Government to expedite or shorten the time i
taken up in the transmission of the London and Edin-
bthreinogrindgers of the day.
MILL I'IA BILL.
burgh mail.—(Bear, hear.)

On the motion for considering this Bill as amended,
Colonel SI IiTIIORP moved in lines 21 and 22 after
the words " appointments to the rank of major," to
leave out the word " major," and insert the words
" captain or any higher rank." It was admitted
by two Governments that the militia was ne-
cessary, and he wished to make the force what it
ought to be. The militia was formerly kept up in a con-
stitutional and efficient manner, and he desired it should
be so for the future.
Mr. HUME said no amendment would reconcile him
to the Bill, which he protested against in oto. It was
impolitic and barbarous in these enlightened days to
establish a system of conscription among the people;
and he should not hesitate to avail himself of every op-
portunity to oppose a measure which involved such a
principle.
Mr. W. WILLIAMS also observed thataotlaing could
reconcile him to the measure. He had In opposed to
it from the commencement; first, on the ground that our
military defences were sufficient; and, odly, that if they
were not, the militia would not supply the deficiencP
The system of ballot, as provided for in this clause, would
greatly embarrass tho Government when it was put into
operation, for nothing was so odious and objectionable
to the people of this country as conscription in a time of
profound peace. The public had been grossly misled
to believe that the military force available for the defence
of the country was only one-half of its real numerical
extent.

Mr. WALPOLE said reasonable time would be given
by the Government for Hon. Members to consider the
course they should take on the third reading.
He would fix the third reading for Monday week,
In regard to the amendment of the Hon. and GsllBllt
Colonel, he should make certain alterations in the c13313`„
which he thought would meet his objections.
The amendment was then withdrawn.
Colonel GILPIN then proposed a proviso, exlii
powering commanding officers of regiments to apPO
noncommissioned officers from the ranks of deserving

The amendment was agreed to.
Mr. THORNELY then proposed the following pro'
viso at the end of clause 18:—" Provided always, that I'
member of the Senate of the University of London, n°l.
uny examiner, or other officer thereof, nor any profes"
sor, tutor, or lecturer of any college, school, or institu-
tion connected with the said University, under the PO'
visions of any charter thereof, nor any student of all
such college, school, or institution, who shall have air
triculated in the said university, shall be liable to serve 111
the militia under this Act.
Mr. GOULI3OURN said the proviso went beyond anf,
culated. As regarded schools, also, it
privilege enjoyed by the Universities of Oxford an
fl
Cambridge, as it extended to all persons who had matrt-
privileges accorded to the Universities,of C mbridge and
Oxford.
Mr. GLADSTONE suggested that it would prejudice°
the cause it espoused, to press the proviso, it was
loose and so vague. He suggested it should be wit.%
went beyond the
drawn, and some test of residence sought for, to
brought forward on a future occasion.
scholars engaged in education were comprised alone. a
Mr. HEYWOOD thought it would effect the object if
Mr. THORNELY, under these circumstances, wog'
withdraw his amendment.

In reply to Mr. HEYWOOD,
Mr. WALPOLE said he was quite satisfied to Piero
the University of Durham on the same footing as tf
othtr universities—namely, London, Cambridge, and
Oxford.
Mr. BERNAL said St. Bee's ought also to be taken
into consideration. I was
The amendment was withdrawn, and the /3il ion
week.
re-
ported,and ordered to be read a third time 011
week.
VALUATION OF PROPERTY (IRELAND) --Etthi).
On the second reading of this Bill,
and 7th William IV., the valuation of
Lord NAAS reminded the House th2a6te,ouunndt
jeers tihne
Ibrteh.
land had been made ; but, some years after the poor-lave
came into operation in Ireland, it was found necessary to
alter the mode of valuation. Another Act was sub-
sequently passed, which was based on what was sup'
posed to be the letting value of lands and houses.
Linder that system only five counties had been valued,
and in three more it was partly finished, in the course of
five years.—(Hear, hear.) It was impossible that that
system could be continued, and bequeathed to their
grandchildren. There was also the greatest difficulty in
the mode of conducting appeals, which was excessively
cumbersome and unsatisfactory to all parties. The great
object should be to make one uniform mode of valuation,
and with that view the Right Hon. Gentleman the Mem'
ber for Drogheda brought in a Bill last session. That,
however, was found to be so cumbersome that it gave 130
satisfaction whatever. The present measure would be
different—it proposed to proceed on an average of the
price of agricultural produce at 6,000 markets for the
lust three years, as taken from the different newspaPeirs,.:
That was, in fact, the leading feature of the Bill. It s"B'
altered the mode of appeal, which was first to the cora-
mistioner of valuation, and afterwards to the qtlartE
sessions. He had every reason to believe, that if f.'"
Bill were approved of, the whole of Ireland would be vte
lued in four or five years,
moved
m r.
ct the
E secondm ug
T s reading
d e p
reaocnaf dttehtdeh e present
system put an end to. In conclusion, the Noble I-4Ord
Bill.
gt unsatisfactory
such
ward on the eve of a general election and when a
hent3iitlll:lr;
natural to expect that Irish Members Would be absent
Ireland. He protested, therefore
Tforeh,
e againßillstth woßsis nllibetireos
continued at the present time.
duced in 1826; five others had since followed, and 9:6 ;
the question was far from being settled, showing
complex and difficult nature of the question.
was also introduced in the last session, it was rec°
00
mitted twice, and yet had to be abandoned. It was fe,
a totally different principle from the present meou'o,
which showed that it required great consideratiuo
The whole of this valuation had already cost in roe
.0
numbers 260,0004, and surely they were not goingl
incur mere expenses, without having the subject ca! ""0
fally considered. He knew something of the valuatt.l%
in England as well as in Ireland, and believed 4.,
in the majority of unions the poor-law valuation wioPf
not a good one for the purpose of taxation,
to that of England in many instances. It was 11:)„ 0
but sePerto.
rious that tl o'o already made were thrown iti's'et.
state of great confusion by the appeals to quarter 5.4
sions, and he was therefore against the establisbnitie:t
of such a tribunal. It was impossible to expect t„,,,a
such a measure should pass in the present session; 'to
he put it to the Noble Lord if it were not better of
postpone it until next year. The delay could not be.tt
any consequence, for no alteration in the valuativo,
would affect the constituencies for the next three ,0
four years. For his own part, even if it went Wird
Committee, which he deprecated, he believed it R'o to,
meet the fate of its predecessors. He should, thereto
move that it be read a second time that da three mentheMr. H. HERBERT represented a part of ROO
where such a measure was so necessary that be tender
d,,
his thanks to his Noble Friend for brii,eing it forwars„
evert at that period of the session. He did not see
Hon. Members for Ireland co ld not imitate the condo
of Scotch Members, who in discussing measures
u _Die
ting their country put themselves in communication Witti
the Government upon the mere details, and were tea;
enabled to overcome all difficulties. He was quite said
' his Noble Friend, the Chief Secretary for Ireland, ," Islot
listen to any suggestions made to him, and he did ILA
see, therefore, why the Bill could not be proce
with. He denied that the Poor-law valuation wive ge,
neral satisfaction, for in his own part of the country "
was quite the contrary.
tioSnirgaßve.
tihEeßdGisUsaStOistN dactieonniedaltihudatedthteopoboyr.ltahwevp;
elionemnebcet
re fur
iltihe rry
very, fort,
x
t sr; v e jporsoeppehr t i eKs in
ne ali rde, I awnhd:, dw.l7d;
tinctly stated, in his evidence before a Committee t
House of Lords, that it was, generally speaking,
ur
such no ar a
Bill at that period of the session, when de.
oved of. He was opposed to the bringing forwti_
portunity would be given to discuss it carefully and
liberateVEly.
Mr. SEY supported the second readinegraot[iViall;
The present system of valuation Ras inop , •