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

PUBLIC BUSINESS.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER then rose
and said,—l promised to-day to state to the House the
views of her Majesty's Government with respect to the
business that is before the House, and in reference to its ex-
peditious dispatch. It was my intention originally to have
selected this day to express these views. I thought that
as soon as we sat after the holidays it would be desirable
that we should come to some conclusion on this subject;
but the reason why I fixed on this day was that I thought
the House would be indisposed to have the explanation of
the views of Government made on the first day after
they met, and that it would be reasonable, instead of
taking the fag- end of the week, to select the first Monday
after we assembled for business. If it had not been my in-
tention to fix on this day, it would not have been possible
for me to consider the dispatch of this duty, in consequence
of the appeal and memorable spech made-by a Right Hon.
Gentleman on the re-assembling of the House. That

Right Hon. Gentleman is one who necessarily and justly
exercises a very great influence over the opinion of this
House, and though, indeed, he is listened to with great
respect upon all subjects, on none is his opinion more re-
garded than in th. conduct of public business. The
statement of that Right Honourable Gentleman was calcu-
lated very much to arrest public attention, and to produce a
very considerable effect in the House, e,pecially among those
not very familiar with the details of the subjects the Right
Hon. Gentleman spoke upon. Certainly he conveyed an impres-
sion to the House and to the country that the state of public
business was extremely unsatisfactory; that there was a
vast accumulation of business, with a very slender prospect
of its being disposed of, and that at the end of the present
session there would be no possibility of dealing with the ac-
cumulation before us of business, all of which, as the Right
Hon. Gentleman very truly stated, was of a highly important
and pressing character. The Right Hon. Gentleman said,
on that occasion, that he felt deeply on the subject, that he
viewed it with great apprehension, and that it was with no
ordinary feelings of apprehension and upon no ordinary sub-
ject that he spoke, becauseit was not the mere reputation of
this particular House which was at stake, in the opinion of
the Right Hon. Gentleman—though the reputation even of
this House, I think, must be dear to Lim—but it was really
a fear that if we did not take care we should bring represen-
tative government itself into disrepute,—( Hear, hear.) And,
that there may be no mistake on the matter, I will quote the
words which the Right Hon. Gentleman repeated that he
feared :

" This assembly, which has been the great landmark of
representative government and the great example of repre-
sentative assemblies throughout the world, will be brought
into disrepute.
And that it will appear we are unable to transact our own
business. ' Now, Sir, it would be—it must be—a most serious
state of affairs which could warrant such words from such a
man. The Right Honourable. Gentleman did not confine
himself on that occasion—listened to as he was with becoming
attention by the House—to a mere general expression of
the apprehensions under which he was suffering. He went
into very great detail on the subject; he took a minute re-
view of the state of the business before the House; he called
the attention of the House to the various subjects before
them, grouping the several Bills on all-important matters
in that clear and perspicuous manner which he always
commands; acd lie laid down the data from which he
drew the inference he communicated to us; and which,
in his opinion, warranted the apprehensions he felt. Indeed,
I read in a very great authority ou the day following that it
was evidently au herculean twit to deal with the business
before the House of Commons; and that even to form a
catalogue of it, or to enumerate it in detail, required the
colossal power of intellect for which we are all willing to
give the Right. Hon. Gentleman credit.—(Laughter.) Under
these circumstances, I' felt an unusual responsibility placed
upon me in the position, for which I am every day more
aware I am not calculated, I felt it was a terrible responsi-
bility to incur, that under the guidance which I had been
able to give to the business of the House, assisted by the
kindness of Honourable Members on both sides of the
House, I had brought public business not only to a perilous,
but to a disgraceful position.—(Hear, hear.) Well, Sir, under'
that feeling I have examined, with all the assiduity the
circumstances of the case required, the state of the public
business before us. Feeling that I am responsible for its
general position, I have' endeavoured to see if I could in
some degree escape from the consequence of neglect of duty,
or from the results of that incapacity with which, though
the Right Honourable Gentleman was courteous enough not
to charge me, he must have felt I was liable to be accused of.
Under the challenge and appeal of the Right Hon. Gentle-
man, I will examine very briefly the business now before us,
and the prospects and ultimate fate of all the Bills to which
he referred. I will follow the order taken by' the Right Hon.
Gentleman, because it is now familiar to the House. On the evening referred to the Right Hon. Gentleman particu-
larly impressed on the House the. importance of the Bills
for legal reform which are before them—Bills of their kind
probably inferior in importance to no business before the
House. The Right Ho.
, with Gentleman on Thursday, when the
House assembled, said, reference to three of these Bills
—first, to the Common Law Procedureii4i.mendment Bill;
secondly, to the Equitable Jurisdiction and, thirdly, to
the Bill for the Abolition of Masters i/1 Chancery—the Right
atnottoo pursue
Hon. Gentleman said, to use his own phrasu
his own language, " Not one step has yet been
House with regard to any of these three Bills beyonortheir
introduction." He expressed a hope on Thursday that I
would on Monday be able to give some information on this
subject, and I have now the pleasure of reminding the Right
Hon. Gentleman, that as to both of the Common Law Jade_
diction Bills, and the Bill for the Abolition of Masterships in
Chancery, with respect to which not one step had been taken,
very important steps time, all
threw been taken by this and
three have been read a second time.—(Hear, hear.) But
there were two other Bills of legal reform beside those to
which the Right
Hon. Gentleman also alluded—the
Suitors in Chancery Relief Bill, and the Bill respect.
ing alterations in the .
law of.
making
wills. As the Right
Hon. Gentleman, so great an authority upon all subjects but
the very highest in this
on the subject of legal
impossible to exaggerate reform
House. said, on Thursday, it was
the magnitude, difficulty, and importance of those questions.
Well, on Monday, I have the pleasure to inform the Right
Hon. Gentleman that those two Bille, the
them having
and importapce of which could not be exceeded, have en-
tirely'pased through this House.—(cheers.) (Cheer-
s
)f. So Much for
these important Bills on legal reform—two 0
entirely passed the House of Commons, three of them having
been read a second time, and no material opposition being
anticipated to their progress, I think her Majesty's Govern-
ment are-not arrogant or presumptuous in saying that they
would pass the Legislature and become law without at all
interfering with that termination of Parliament which is
now so rife in every one's mouth. Well, the Right Hon.
Gentleman then proceeded, with all the clearness which cha-
racterizes his mature statements, to another group of Bills
which were still on the table—those which he de-
scribed as colonial Bills. Oa Thursday last, calling
en me on Monday to give an aceount of the intentions of
Government, with that influence which became 144 etuat-
-1 19131

he reminded the House of the New Zealand Bill,
the importance of which was only equalled by the
number 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 Goverrment 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 subj ict, the great questions connected with this
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
Le another colonial measure, also referred to by the Right
Honourable Gentleman—the 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 to remind them of the nature of this
Bill. The law officers of the Crown have expressed their
doubts, and more than zioubts, whether these branches of
casual revenue, which now as-time very great importance
in the auriferous colonies of Australia, might not be, by the
s riot letter of the law, applicable to the consolidated fund,
instead of being applied, as her Majesty's Government
wished, to the benefitgof 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 Hon. Gentleman referred to
as connected with the colonies, and really, with the excep-
tion that the word " bishop's does ,appeer in the titles of these
Bills—and I know hove 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 sills. Oneof them, the Bishopric
of Quebec Bill, is in fact only to take care that in 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 procrastinating 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 hope it
will receive the sanction of Parliament.—(Hear, heare) 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 evas 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 pass 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 Metropolitan 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 of the House, by my Noble
Friend (Lord J. Manners),—the Metropolis Buildings Bill,
and, as there seems such a keen desire to resist legislation
on the part of some Hon. Gentlemen, from the fear that they
may be overwhelmed with it, and, as it is necessary, in
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.-.("blear," and a
laugh.) I have now gone through three of the great di-
visions which the Right Hon. Gentleman brought to our
netice. 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 elect 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 Ncble Friend the President of
the Board of Works, one of them has been referred to a Se-
lect Committee, which, as Ibefore 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 called the attention of the House of Com-
mans, 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 pasted our estimates, had been, as we are all but too
willing to acknowledge, the consequence of the continued
forbearance of the House; but the Right lion. 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
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 Hon. Member.—( Hear, hear, and
laughter.) That was the dreadful prospect for the Govern-
ment at the enttof the week, and that was one of the evi-
dences of the incapacity of her Mejesty's Ministry. to conduct
that, Monday having come, I,
somethe businessa
cotfiotnh etolltohues oßifoCto Commons. s
G. e
ttl
etal
np perhaps
a phsh
ebwe
appearing to give that account
which the "unprecedented'.' state of Parliamentary business
voaytesb
WAS said to call for, can say that some plea of extenuating
instead
of 2
circumstancesoo in
there are, I believe, only 19. --(Cheers.) And with
eh2alle supplyged; for
remtahinaithg now
to onhe Monday,pasee
d
of the Honourable Member
regard to those 19 votes, I cannot help thinking that, even
with the determined spirit
other opportunities enough for the exercise of his indefati-
gable powers—(A laugh)—and that perhaps when we go
Mt
find
for Youghal, the Hon. and Learned Member may y
into Committee of Supply again with those 19 votes we
may experience even from him some little tender touch
of remorse.—(Laughter.) There were some miscellaneous
bills also mentioned by the Right Hon. Gentleman. There
was the Navy Pay Bill. 1 have endeavoured to form some
opinion whether that measure can be
passed, but I cannot
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.
i 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.
Theie 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 'purposes
.of con-
solidation can scarcely come under this head, I am prepared
not to press it forward.—(bear, hear.) Then there were
the continuance Bills, which is the last class of measures to
which I shall 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 House 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 Act in Ireland.—
(Hear.) We have bad 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 as it respects Par-.'
liamentary usages, and is eonducted in that courteous spirit
which I believe will always distinguish this House, that op-
position in case of imminent necessity' I must be prepared to
meet.—(Hear, hear.) It is the opinion of her Majesty's Go-
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 men
possess, even should they put in practice all the resources of
their rhetoric, I cannot believe, it 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 opinions held by those
now,
andw
through
practicereor u, I
ham gt
the
s
lion- Gentlemen, we shall attempt to continue that'
Act, and I tell them I am prepared for their opposition,
7nich ,
spirit -
ohn gone
eft" thish se will
whole
House.—(Hear,
oo
fub, se
thee
_ (iea
colossal conductedr,h accordinge
catalogue
arg li e have to
the
o
w g of
the Right lion. Gentleman, and I ask the House fairly to
decide, is it their opinion, that the state of public business,
is so e basinese, in the House of Commons,
--(Hear, hear.)unsatisfactoryl a(7ewlas Poiteg out on Thursday night?
Government measures ethaarte'h sir, that when I examine the
anxious desire to ask the have not passed, with the most
do not conceive to be of Housethefimto support nothing winch I
anxious desire that the labours of. first necessity, with the most
be prolonged, Ido not find myself is Parliament should not
caption of the slight and moat in
insignificant
with the ex-
which I have referred, in recommendingagnalcant instances to
any of these Bills.—( Hear, hear.)They the withdrawal of
necessary, and they appear to me also to ts)i.epii)hear to me to be
a
factory state ofe progress, so that all of tkiemaleamt syatis-
passed consistently with that termination of thea-sebse-
sion which we all of us anticipate.—(Hear, hear.)
I claim no credit to the Government for this state
of the public business, and I say that most un-
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