The Sun.
London, England, 1837-02-04 00:00:00

THE ARMY

Colonel THOMSON gave notice of a motion, the terrn,
awl propriety of which be should defend at a more
convenient opportunity, that on the first motion day for Supply,
he should move that the Government of the erms' as now con-
ducted was against all law, and that no man was bound to obe-
dienee thereto, and that no Supply should be granted till a re-
medy was applied.—(Cheers.)
ABOLITION OF CHURCH RATES.
Mr. WILK S presented petitions from the inhabitants of
Little Baddow, in Essex, and other places, fur the Total Abo-
tion of Church-rates. The petitions were signed by several
members of the Established Church.

E A SE presented similar petitions from Barnard Castle.
Mr. BL A CKBURNE presented petitions to the same effect
from Tholfurness and other places.
Mr. M'KINNON presented a petition from an individual,
complaining of hiring received no money from the French
Compensation Fund. The Hon. Member gave notice that he
would bring the subject of the claims upon that Fund before the
House upon an early day.
Mr. BUCKINGHAM gave notice that, on the 16th of
February, he would move for leave to bring in a Bill for esta-
blishing public walks and institutions; and, on the same day,
he would move for leave to bring in a 13111 for the better regu-
lation of houses in which intoxicating drinks were sold.
Mr. W. W. W YNN presented a petition, complaining
of the practice of bastardy cases being heard in open Court.
which, it was alleged, led to great expense. As Chairman of
a Sessions, he could bear testimony to the indecency of the
practice, and he hoped to see it soon altered.
Mr. HUME presented petitions from congregations
Bungay, Gainsford, Botwell, Ravensworth, and four other
places, praying for the total abolition of Church-rates.
Also one from the parish of West Calder near Edinburgh, pray-
ing for the abolition of Church-rates, the grant to Maynooth
college, and the Regium donum. He could not concur in
that part of the prayer of the petition which would take away
the grant from Maynooth college ; it was not at all analogous
to the question of Church-rates, for the whole of the grant was
applied to the purpose of education.
Mr. BORTHWICK said, in the absence of one of the Hon.
Members for Worcester, through indisposition, he was en-
trusted with a petition of very great importance. It ap-
peared that a requisition was presented to the Mayor of
Worcester, calling upon him to convene a Common. hall, to
consider the question of Vote by Ballot, with which he complied.
But when the electors assembled in obedience to the requisi-
tion at the appointed time, and the Mayor did not take the
chair, the meeting, of its own accord, selected one of its
members as chairman. Major Borthwick was the gen-
tleman who took the chair, and a petition was, under
these circumstances, agreed to. The petition in its prayer
is the reverse of what was originally intended : instead of
calling for the ballot, the petition prays against it ; and the
meeting consisted of from 400 to 500 of the most respectable
inhabitants of Worcester. When the question for a petition
in favour of the Ballot was proposed to the meeting from the
Chair, there were not so many as ten hands held up in favour
of it. The petitioners stated that they viewed with abhorrence
that unconstitutional mode of voting, and it was clear from
the experience of all ages this secret mode of voting had led
to treachery and hypocrisy. They therefore prayed and en-
treated the Honourable House not to sanction any law that
would disgrace the British Constitution.
Mr. ROBINSON.—The parties who had sent that peti-
tion to the House were his constituents, andhe therefore hoped
the House would allow him to say a few words, and to explain
the circumstaces out of which the present petition arose. A
meeting to petition in favour of the Ballot was called. When
the meeting took place, the parties who called it stated that
they were unprepared, and they issued hand-bills, stating- that
the meeting was postponed. Another party then passed reso-
lutions of a different character from those originally intended, and
hence arose the petition presented by the Hon. Member. It
was well known that he (Mr. Robinson) had been always ad-
vesse to the vote by ballot; but he was an advocate for fair
play, and disliked misrepresentation.—( Hear, hear.) This
was the petition of an individual, and signed by an individual,
although there were a great many in Worcester adverse to the
Ballot, and many highly respectable individuals favourable to it.
It was rather singular that a petition in favour of the Ballot

should be entrusted to him, althoughtt was well known he was
adverse to the Ballot, while a petition against it had been entrusted
to another Honourable Member. Ile should have another op-
portunity of expressing his sentiments upon it, when he would
be prepared to justify his vote. Before that time it would be
his object to ascertain what the predominant opinions of his
constituents were, not because any preponderance would de-
cide him, but it would to a certain degree, and always should
influence him. He maintained that in that House it was the
duty of every Member to give his own opinions and not those
of his constituents, and thr.,t should be the course he should al-
ways adopt.
Mr. BORTHWICK explained. The petition had been
entrusted to him by the Chairman of the meeting, and he
hoped the Hon. Member did not mean to include him in the
charge of misrepresentation.
SINECURE OFFICES. .

----___ _
Mr. Sergeant G ULBURN brought up the Bill for the
abolition of certain sinecure offices in the superior Courts of
Law, which was read a first time.
WINDOW TAX.
Mr. :-TALL said be bad placed his name on the Speaker's
list with the intention of giving notice of a motion for the
repeal of the Window Taxes, but seeing the Hon. Member
for Bath had intimated his wish to bring the matter forward,
he (Mr. Hall) would leave it in his hands.
Sir SAMUEL WHALLEY begged to give notice of a
,motion on this subject for the 4th of May.
PORTUGAL.
Mr. ROBINSON gave notice that on Monday next he
would put certain questions to the Noble Earl the Secretary
for Foreign Affairs, on the subject of our relations with Por-
tugal.

THE ESTABLISHED CHURCH.
An Hon. MEMBER then presented a petition, praying for a
grant of public money, to aid in the erection of house 3 of wor-
ship in connection with the Established Church; Also a pe-,
tition praying fora Repeal of the Soap Duty.
ADJOURNMENT OF THE HOUSE.

Lord JOHN RUSSELL moved cant the Houses at its
rising, do adjourn till Monday next.
ORDERS OF TAE DAY.

Lord JOHN RUSSELL ga-ft-- notice,that on Monday
next he would move that Orders of the Day take precedence of
motions on Mondays, Wednes dslys, and Fridays.
Mr. HINDLE Y begged, to ask the Noble Lord if the
precedence were given to. Orders of the Day on certain
days, if he had any objecAion to its being printed in the votes
what Orders of the Day 'were intended to be brought forward, in
order that Hou. Mitrf.diers might know the day before, what
business was to o'unte before the House.

Lord .JOHN RUSSELL would endeavour to give notice
of the Ordres of the Day intended to be brought forward.
Either ho or some other Member of the Government would
endeave-ar to give notice the day before.—(Cries of " Hear.")
This practice had never been pursued, and it might be pro-
&revive of some public inconvenience ; therefore he should only
say that he would endeavour to do what the Hon. Gen-
tleman wished, without pledging himself to follow that practice.
The Noble Lord added, in answer to a question from Mr.
Shaw, that Wednesdays might be considered open, unless
particular notice to the contrary were given.
EAST INDIA COMPANY.

Mr. ROBINSON postponed his motion relative to the East
India Company till Wednesday, the 15th March.
DUTY ON SOAP.

Dr. BC:WRING presented a. petition from the consumers
of soap in Dumbarton, praying for the repeal of the duty
thereon.
REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS AND MARRIAGES