The Sun.
London, England, 1839-03-06 00:00:00

REGISTRATION OF VOTERS (IRELAND).
Mr. SMITH O'BRIEN moved for leave to bring in a Bill
for the better registration of voters in Ireland. It was only
necessary to refer to the proceedings which had taken
place in Election Committees to convince the House of the
necessity of the measure. In 1335 a Bill to the
same effect had been brought in by the present Master of the
Rolls in Ireland (Mr. O'Loghlen), which had received the
sanction of that Hou te. In 1836 a similar • Bill had been
brought in by the Government, which was not prosecuted.
Seeing that the Government had no intention to bring in a Bill
on this subject in the present Session, he (Mr. Smith O'Bi ien)
had taken the liberty to bring forward the present measure,
which he hoped would receive the sanction of the House. The
leading features of the Bill were to give the utmost possible
facility to bona fide voters, who were anxious to register.
He proposed also to bring the registry into the immediate
neighbourhood of the voter, so as to put him to as little trouble
or expense as possible. He proposed that the registration
should be annual ' • and to prevent frivolous or vexatious objec-
tions being raised, he proposed that the parties objecting should
have the onus probandi thrown upon them ; and in al cases
where the objections were wit sustained, the party objected to
would be entitled to costs. He proposed that the Revising
Barristers should be the present Assistant Barristers, as was
provided in the Bil: of last year. It was his ( Mt.
O'Brien's) opinion that these Barristers should be provided, and
paid by the Crown ; but finding that measure would be objec-
tionable to the other side of the House, ho had given up his
own opinion and omitted that clause. The Bill also gave a
power of appeal on both sides, and he thought he was justified
in providing that with these securities the registry should be
final.—( Hear, hear.) The other Bill which he had intro-
duced was one to regulate the polling at elections in Ireland.
He would propose that the poll should be regulated in a manner
similar to that adopted in the English boroughs and counties,
and should not extend beyond one day; but if it should be
deemed advisable not to alopt this arrangement, he would not
particularly press it ; under these circumstances, he trusted he
should be permitted to lay the Bill before the House.
Lord NIORPETH said, that understanding the Bill of his
Hon. Friend is intended to carry out the Reform Bill, and not
to contravene it, he should not oppose the present motion, and if
the Bill turned out be such as to meet the approbation of both sides
of the House, he should be very glad of it, although he did
not give credit even to his Hon. Friend for being able to bring
forward a measure which should please all parties.—(llcar,

had introduced a Bill, the object of which was to apply to that
purpose the sum of 13,0001. a-year, and by that means super-
sede the necessity of his (Mr. Baines') motion. He was not
aware of the extent of the motion, but until he had aster=
tained the extent he would withdraw his motion.
The motion was then withdrawn.
TRADE WITH THE BALTIC.
Mr. MILNER GIBSON then moved for a return of any
despatches, communications, and correspondence that have
passed between the British Mission at Stockholm and her Ma-
jesty's Minister for Foreign Affairs, during the years 1837 and
ISM, relative to the port of Slito in the island of Gottland.
The subject was one of very great importance to the commercial
interests of that country, and he regretted to say that much
apathy had been exhibited by the British Mission at
Stockholm upon the subject.—( hear hear.) He hoped
the Noble Lord the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
would make no objection to his motion. He believed it would
be found that the greatest activity and exertions bad been used
by the Russian Minister with the Swedish Governm ott, to
prevent the port of Slito being made a free port, although that
measure would be most advantageous to the commer-
cial interests of that country. If the Noble Lord could
make it appear that real injury would take place to
the public interests by the production of these paper s, or
that a bona fide negotiation was going on with Swe-
den on the subject, he would not press his motion, but he cer-
tainly should press it unless the Noble Lord could make this
appear, as, in addition to all other advantages, British ships
would no longer be exposed to the obnoxious Custom House
regulations of the Port of Cronstadt. • The Hen. Member con-
cluded by moving for the return, and sat down amidst loud

cheering.
Lord PALMERSTON objected to the motion, because,
although he admitted that making Slito a free port would be of
great advantage to British commerce, yet still it was a matter
relating entirely to the domestic arrangements of Sweden, with
which no foreign power had any right to interfere. If the mot ion
were agreed to, the returns would merely state that application
had been made to the Swedish Government on the subject,
and that the application was still under consideration, and he
thought that the Swedish Government had as much right to
press this Government on the question of the Sonthaqipton
Docks as the British Government had to press them in reference
to the making Slito a free port. If the Russian Government hid in-
terfered in the manner alluded to, such int erference was unj it 4 ifia-
ble, and neither the British Government nor the Howie of Com-
mons had any right to interfere in the domestic armaments
of Sweden. A Consul at Stockholm had not yet been ap-
pointed, but the gentleman who was acting as Consul performed
the duties of the office most efficiently. •
Mr. GROTE would support the motion, becau.,e he
had understood from his own constituents that this was a
question of great importance to the interests of British com-
merce. He considered that the presence of diplomatists in fo-
reign countries was principally useful for the purpose of coun-
teracting the influence which might be exerted against the
interests of their country, and he entirely differed from the Noble
Lord as to what constituted the duties of a British Mi-ister.

hear, and a laugh.)
Air. DARBY said a few words which were inaudible in the
gallery.
Mr. GORING said he should be glad if the time f polling
was lessened, but at the same time the number of pr l!ing places

ought to be increased. He believed the Liberal jia.rty ii
Ireland were against giving each Member of the constitu-
ency an opportunity of voting without being intimidated by
the mob.—( Hear, from the Opposi ion Benches.) He
would appeal to the Hon. Member for Tipperary whether the
voters in that county had not frequently to :ravel upwards of
eighty miles to Clommel to record their votes. He would
ask the Hon. Gentleman whether it was his intention to intro-
duce a clause appointing a polling place in each Barony, as it
was useless to facilitate the acquisition of the franchise, unless
the exercise of it was facilitated also.
Mr. HUME was sure that if the Hon. Gentleman had read
the report respecting the cumber of polling places in England,
he would not have asked the question. His Honourable
Friend could have •no objection, and he (Mr. Hume)
should wish to see the number of polling places
so increased that each voter would not have
more than five miles to travel, and this he thought he might
walk without putting the candidates to any expense—with re-
gard to intimidation he did not know whether the Hon. Gen-
tleman voted for the Ballot, but the Ballot was the proper re-
medy for intimidation. —(Cries of "No !" from the Opposi-
tion benches, answered by cheers from the Ministerial side of
the House.) He (Mr. Hume) would contend that it was so—
that improved registration, an increased number of polling
places, and Vote by Ballot, were the proper remedies for dimi-.
nishing the expenses of election and preventing intimidation.
Col. PERCEVAL was not present when the motion was
brought forward, and was therefore, unacquainted with the
details, but he hoped that in any Bill regulating the Re-
gistration in Ireland, an appeal would be given both ways : for
at present if the Assist et-Barrister chose to grantthe franchise
there was no appeal from his decision, and hence there were
many on the registry who had no right to be there. At pre-
sent the register was regulated only once in eight year, and
many who had been p aced on the register in 1832 re-
mained there yet, although their leases had expired—mans- ieien
in this situation had produced their register dated in 1832 at
the last Sligo election and had polled against him. He would
appeal 1 o the Noble Lord, the Secretary for Foreign
Affairs whether he was not cognizant of the fact that
certain voters on his estate whose leases had expired by the
death of William IV.; had at the last election sworn they were
still in possession of their freeholds, and polled against him
(Colonel Perceval)? He trusted the Hon. Member would in-
troduce a clause for getting rid of fictitious votes from the re-
gister; and he (Colonel Perceval) would follow the example of
the Noble Lord opposite, and not oppose his bringing in the
Bill.

He supported the motion of the lion. Member for Ipswich, be
cause he thought a sufficient ground had been made out for the
production of those papers.—( Cheers. )
Mr. HAWES would not have taken any part in the d o:ate,
but for the remark which bad fallen from the Noble
Lord in reply to the Honourable Member for ll's sich.
He must take the liberty to bring under the notice of the Noble
Lord a representation which he brought under the notice of the
Foreign Office about 15 months ago, with respect to the ap-
pointment of Consul at Stockholm. He understood that the
appointment had been made, but it was afterwards cancAled.
It was again pressed on the Foreign Office, but from that time
to the present no notice had been taken of the memorial
and the place was still vacant. —( Hear, hear, hear ) He must
say that the statement made by the Hon. Member for
had not been met by the Noble Lord, and unless it was met, more
satisfactorily he should give his support to the Hon. Member.
Lord PALMERSTON said the Hon. Member misreiresen-
ted the case when he said the place was still vacant, for there
was still an active Consul who had been doing the duties not
only to the satisfaction of toe missioon at
.Stockholm,
but to the satisfaction of all the parties interested in the trade
to Stockholm, and no complaints had been made.
Mr. HUME said it appeared to him that the Noble Lord
either did not or would not understand the object of the motion.
—(Cheers.) There was a great charge against the Govern-
ment of neglecting the commercial interests of Great Britain
in that quarter, and he thought the motion of the Hon. Gentle-
man a just one.—( Cheers ) It rested with the Noble Lord to
clearhimself of the charge against him, for it appeared there hid
bee.. gross neglect.—( Cheers. )
Mr. P. THOMSON defied any person to point out the
time when so much attention, by one-tenth part, had been paid
to the commercial interests of this country as within the last
few years. It was impossible for more attention to hive been
paid to all the subjects in which the commerce of England was
concerned, than had been paid by the three gentlemen em-
ployed at Stockholm, Messrs. Bligh and Bloomfield,
and Sir Thomas Cartwright, the present Minister there.
'lf the House supported the Hon. Member in calling for docu-
ments of this description, the intentions of the Hon. Member
himself would be marred.
Lord INGESTRE would not have interfered in this matter
but for the strong discrepancy between the speech of the Right
Hon. Gentleman, the President of the Board of Trade and
the Noble Lord the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
The Noble Lord had said no mischief to the interests of the
country could ensue, and had made out a case for the production
of the papers. The Right Honourable Gentleman had stated,
their production would be most detrimental to the interests of
the country, and how was it possible for him to decide upon
what course he should pursue after such conflicting statements.
—(Cheers and laughter.) He should, however, vote for the
motion of the Hon. Member for Ipsivich.—( Hear, hear.)
Lord PALMERSTON explained.
Mr. WARBURTON thought the papers ought to be pro-
duded, for this reason, that the English public might be in-
formed of the importance of this station.—(Hear, hear.) It
was of importance that the closest alliance should be drawn be-
tween this country and the Governments of Norway and Sic eden,
and the people of the two countries ought to have acommon in-
terest in the commercial prosperity of each.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the
question was, how in a matter of internal regulation the object
of the Honourable Gentleman could be best attained. Did the
House think the establishment of a free port in the Baltic was
likely to be promoted by the interference of that House?
—(Hear, hear.) Was there a: case of political expediency
made out for the production of the papers? An unfair
attack had been made on his Noble Friend, and he
would appeal to the commercial Members present whether any
representation had been made to his Noble Friend asking for
the interference of the British Government in regard to the
establishment of a free port?—(Hear, hear.) This
was a case of direct Quixotism, where the inter-
position of the Secretary of State had not been re-
quired, and yet neglect was attributed to him, and this was the
first instance' in which a case had been endeavoured to be made
out against the Government under such circumstances.
Mr. WARD said that if he voted for the motion of the Hon.
Gentleman opposite, it would not be upon the speech of the
Hon. Gentleman, but upon those who had resisted it.—
(Cheers.) There was one fallacy ran throughout the speech
of the Right Hon. Gentleman ; he meant upon the fact that.
British interests were only to be protected by force. Such
was not the case. In the case before the House there was
no violation of British interests—no neglect of British re-
monstrances.—(Loud cheers.) We had scarcely any political
relations with Sweden, and surely then a diplomatic agent
might have attended to the commercial interests of the country.
He thought it would be highly expedient that the House should
have the papers before them in order to ascertain how far the
commercial interests of the county had been protected by the
diplomatic agents of England.
.Mr. GIBSON rose to reply amidst loud cries of " Question,
question." The Noble Lord the Secretary for Foreign Affairs
said the duties of Consul had been ably performed, but they
were done by an alien--by a man who was a Swede anti a
Swedish merchant. Were those proper hands in which to leave
the commercial interests of this country ?—( Hear, hear.) He
did not at all mean to depreciate the merits of Mr. Bloomfield,
but was it right to lave him in such a forlorn state. In justice
to the Noble Lord himself he thought the papers ought to be
produced in order to show the truth or fallacy of the rumours
that the interests of British commerce had been neglected.
Strangers were ordered to withdraw, and on a division the
numbers were—

Lord J. RUSSELL said, although he might not altogether
agree with the provisions of the Bill, he should not oppose its
introduction.
Mr. O'BRIEN said, with regard to the Lord Lieutenant
having the power of naming polling places, if that (the Mini-
sterial) side of the House did not think it right that this clause
should stand, he would not insist upon it. What he insisted on
was, that the time for taking the poll should abridged to two
days in counties and one in cities.
Sir R. BATESON regretted that the taking the polls in
counties in one day, was not made a substantial part of the
Bill. That was the greatest defect in the Irish system. It
was the cause of enormous expense, and of every species of
demoralization and corruption. The evils under which they
laboured were so notorious, that it was almost unnecessary to
mention them. In counties, it was necessary to take a great
body of electors forty, fifty, or even sixty miles to the place of
polling. Suppose an election occurred in the depth of winter,
and thousands of people had to be taken over a mountainous
country, the expense incurred was enormous, independent of
keeping them three or four days in the county town, during
which time they might be assailed by the opposite party, and
subjected to every species of corruption bribery, and intimi-
dation. If the poll was taken as in this country, which was a
great benefit occasioned by the Reform Bill, the electors might
come up in their own neighbourhood and poll, and return home
at night. There would be an end of all pretence for the neces-
sity of treating. It would also do away with the great cause of
riot and intimidation, for the result of the election would not be
known. It would be the greatest blessin that could be con-
ferred on Ireland, to assimilate the taking of the poll to that of
England. He was therefore distressed to hear the observation
of the Hon. Member, that he would not press the most important
part of the Bill, if it did not meet with the approbation of certain
parties in the House. With regard to the registration, there
was no law which needed more revision, and he regretted to
find that the Hon. Member wished to keep the really beneficial
part of the measure in the background.
After .a few words from Mr. H. GRATTAN, leave was
given to bring in the Bill.
INNKEEPERS.

For the motion llB
Against it l4O
. . . _

IRE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDA Y, MARCII 6, IKI9

consent to make this a measure of police regulating the houses
of licensed victuallers as well as beer-houses, he would
not oppose the motion. He trusted the Honourable
entlentan would amend his motion by making this-
a measure for the regulation of houses selling beer, wines
or spirits by retail when-it would be, in fact, carrying out the
recommendations of the Committee of 1833 on this subject,
which had been overlooked since that period. On looking at
the returns of the convictions which had taken place for the
adulteration of beer, he found that 95 per cent. of these con-
victions were against licensed victuallers, and only 5 per
cent. against beer rethilets. Mr. J. S. Thomas, the superin-
tendant of police, had also stated that in the district of Seven
Dials the greater portion of the charges which were
brought before him for disorderly conduct, originated from
the number of licensed victuallers in that neighbourhood ; now
he thought it was unfair to charge all the immorality of the
country on the beer houses, and overtook the licensed vie-
tuallers. if the Honourable Member would not consent to
make this a general measure, he should oppose the moti,n.—
Hear, hear. )
Mr. PLUMPTRE said that he was afraid his Honourable
Friend would not succeed in making the beer houses more
respectable by his measure, because it was very easy ti increase
the rating of those houses, and thus evade the object his Hon.
Friend had in view. This was not as the Honourable Member
for Bridport had supposed, a question of the adulteration of
beer, but of the adulteration of morals. He feared that they
must eventually come to the resolution of prohibiting the sale
of beer by retail altogether.
After a few words from Mr. P. Howard, Lord Worsley, the
Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Mr. Hume, leave was given
to bring in the Bill.
IRISH GRAND JURY ACT,

Mr. VILLIERS STUART obtained leave to bring in a fill
to amend the Irish Grand Jury Act, so far as td authorise the
Grand Jury of the county of Waterford to present in aid tif a
fever hospital in the county of the city of Waterford.
MAYNOOTH COLLEGE.

Lord DUNGANNON postponed his motion for a Committee
of Inquiry into the state, expenditure, and system of education
in the Roman Catholic College of Maynaoth.
Mr. BEAMISH obtained leave to bring in a Bill to amend
the 6th and 7th Will. 4, int:tuled " An Act to amend the Laws
relating to Bankrupts in Ireland."
On the motion of Mr. 'WARD, a Return was ordered of the
duties levied, and proh;bitions imposed, on British hardware and
cutlery, by the tariffs of France, Belgium, Russia, Prussia,
Denmark, Sweden, Spain and Portugal, and any change which
has taken place in the said tariffs.