The Sun.
London, England, 1839-04-13 00:00:00

EVIZNING EDITION

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, APRIL 11.

- - -
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Wool-
sack at Five o'Clock.
Th Marquis of SALISBURY presented a petition
is favour of a Penny Postage ; also a petition from a
paiish in Lancashire, against any system of education
not founded on the principles of the Established Church.
1 I.
Lord IN NOUL presented a petition from land-
owners in the county of Perth, in favour of the existing
Corn-laws.
The Bishop of St. ASAPH presented several peti-
tiens from places in North Wales, against any alienation
I of Church property from sinecure rectories, and against
the union of the sees of Bangor and St. Asaph.
Lord ROLLE peesenterl a petition from Exeter
in favour cf a Penny Postage Rate.
The Marquis of BUTE presented petitions from
Avr and Dairy in favour of the present Corn-laws.
Also petitions from St. Quivox, Caithness, Glasgow,
Argyleehire, and several other places, in favour of ad-
I tlitienel Church Endowments in Scotland.
Lord MELBOURNE laid on the table copies of
corieepondence, but from the low tone in which the
Noble Lord spoke, we could not hear from whence, or
of :Olat nature the correspondence was.
Mr. EERNAL and others brought up the Mutiny Bill,
the Mar:ne Mutiny Bill, and several other Bills.
Lord RADNOR presented petitions from places in
Carnarvon, in favour of a Penny Postage.
Lord CAWDOR presented a petition from Inver-
praying for Church Extension in Scotland.
Lord ROSSLYN presented a petition from the
ferried proprietors of Fifeshire against any alteration in
the present Corn-laws.
Lord MELBOURNE presented a petition against
any alteration in the Beer Act.
The Duke of NORFOLK presented a Petition
from East Shoreham, praying for a Penny Postage.
The Marquis of DO WNS HIRE presented
severe! petitions from the counties of Somer-
set and Suffolk against any system of edu-
cafon not founded on the principles of the Esta-
Idished Church. Also, from Southampton, against any
alteration in the Corn-laws.
JANIAICA.

Lord SEAFORD wished to know whether the Noble
Secretary for the Colonies, would have any objection to
lay on the table copies of any former communications he
might have received from the Agent in Jamaica subse-
rwnt to hoe he had laid on the table.

Tile Marquis of NORMANBY had no objection
to lay on the table any further information he had re•
ceived but he rather thought that he had laid on the
table ail the information he was in possession of.
. _

Lard SEAFORD then moved ior a return of the
farther communications.
IRELAND.

The Earl of WICKLOW wished to take the oppor-
tunity of renewing a question which he had put to the
Noble Lord opposite at the commencement of last Ses-
sion. Upon that occasion he had received a satisfactory
answer, but the fruits had not been so satisfactory.
The rea2.on he felt • disposed to renew the
question was, because he observed by the
votes of the other House of Parliament that a
Bill had been introduced into the Housa of Com-
mons by the Lord Advocate, for improving the
Il?gistration of Voters in Scotland ; and also a
Bill affecting the qualification of voters there. if
it were necessary to introduce Bills for that pur-
pose in Scotland, he could assure their Lordships
it was infinitely more necessary to introduce
a Bill for the improvement of the representation of
voters in Ireland. It was true that last Session a Bill
was introduced into the House of Commons for the pur-

pose, but it unfortunately did not reach their Lordships'
House. Where the registration depended on the oaths
or individuals in a country in the demoralised state in
which Ireland was, it was impossible that the grossest
perjury should hot be committed, and what he wished
to impress on the minds of Noble Lords was, the
necessity of an amendment of the Registration Act,
even supposing the qualification was to remain as it now
was; and he wished to know if it was the intention of her

Majesty's Ministers to do as they had done last year—
to introduce a Bill for the improvement of the Registry
of Ireland.
Lord MELBOURNE said it was not the intention
of her Majesty's Ministers, as at present advised, to in-
troduce any such Bill.

Lord DIJNCANNON laid on the table certain re-
turns.
Upon the motion of the Earl of SHAFTEssuaY the
Bills on the table were forwarded a stage.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE wished to draw
the attention of the House to the subject of two
petitions which he held in his hand, upon
which subject considerable misapprehension seemed
to have prevailed both in and out of Parliament.
The petitions were from the Grand Jury of Kerry, and
also from a meeting of the county of Kerry, praying
their Lordships to give their assent to a measure for
the general system of railroads upon one uniform
plan in Ireland. If ever there was a solemn
pledge given on the part of Government at the
time the Irish Poor-law passed through the
Honse last year, it was that their Lordships would with
leterence to that law desire to aid its operations by
every means of encouragement to the labouring poor of
that country ; and of all the means for effecting and
extending such employment, there could be nothing so
well calculated, or so likely to advance the opening of
moral improvement in Ireland, than the introduction there

of a system of railroad improvement. It undoubtedly
remaieed to be a great question for consideration whe-
ther their Lordships would deem it most expedient to
promeee such a system by lending a favourable ear and
gi%ing encouragement to private speculations with that
view, or adopting the more systematic and efficacious
means of countenancing a system of Railroads bearing on
the whale and every part of Ireland, without connecting
themselves in any way with private speculations.
That report had been before their Lordships for some
time, and it would be for them, at no distant period, to
consider whether they would act upon it or not. A
report had gone forth to the public which he must ad-
vert to, and which was adverted to in both the petitions
he had presented. Earnestly as the petitioners desired
that a system of Railroads should be introduced into
Ireland, they expressed their decided opinion that it
ought not and need not be carried into operation at the
exeense of the public money of this country.—
(Hear, hear.) What they wanted was, that the
introdoc.tir,n of that. system of Railroads which should
be Lei:it:steel by a lean—a loan from this country—
bet a loan the interest and repayment of which was not
only to be charged on the railways themselves, but, for
the bettor security of the money, to be charged upon
those counties through which the railway might pass.
lie Laew 'hat the opinion had been entertained, that when
money was once sent to Ireland it was not very .apt
to be returned from those shores; but if their Lordships
woehi look at the Reports of the Commissioners of Pub-
c he believed they would find that better secu-
rity ,-Utl not exist, than did exist in that coun-
try fer :env rena so advanced. Na less a proportion than
2-31 s of the Eechequer Mils which had been advanced
k.)r the promotion of public works in Ireland were now
in a ozone of being repaid, and if the remaining third
was not in that course also, it was because those
waike were not yet concluded ; added to which,
titc7'd wo-ks tad bad the effect of calling into action
;arkc sums which could never under other circumstan-
i:23 have been expected to have been expended in Ire-
;end, Ile believed great benefit would be derived
from accediag to the views of the petitioners.

Their Ler(i.,hips were aware that few Railway Bills
passd the Houses of Parliament without causing an
4,•xpene of from 5001. to 1,0001. per mile, before they
coid.! reap any benefit from such expenditure ;
and when theyhad passed, it was in the nature of things
that they, bovine, obtained a monopoly, would make the
public nay for such expense, as well as that caused by
their eedeevours to defeat a line which might rival them.
Without asking their Lordships to pronounce any opinion
be thought it was well deserving their attention whether
tiey sLould not review the principles upon which
ruilrowls were acting. He hoped for their
Lordzh.p; attention to the prayer of the pe-
titiors, es, if carried into effect, it would very
greatly h•nefit that part of the United Kingdom, and
give employment where it was much needed. The
Noble Lord then presented a petition in favour of the
ti :vcrnmeut plan of Irish railways from the county of
Xerry : also one from the Grand Jury of the same
county.
The Duke of WELLINGTON said it was not his
intention to enter into the merits of such a question on
that occasion. What he wished to observe was
the peculiar irregularity of the President of
the Council —a Minister of the Crown presenting
a petition to that House praying for an advance of
money. What he wanted to know was, whether
the Noble Marquis, or the Noble Viscount near
him, was prepared to come down and give the
consent of the Crown to that House for
comsidering the question. Seeing the Noble Lord on
the Weohack (Lord Holland) in his place, he begged
to ask him whether it was quite regular to present
petition:: to that House, containing a prayer for
money, si ithout, at the same time conveying the
consent of the Crown, for entering into
a discuniore of the merits of the subject.
It was no part of the duty of that House to originate
any subject of that kind ; and it was contrary to the
usages of the House to receive the petition. No man
wall more seneible than himself of the inconveniences that
had resulted to the public from the want of the whole
tin'ti°,, of Railroads being taken into consideration,
ware
the different lines that had been adopted
w_are carried. into effect. Some few years
44° ho had himself added a clause to twenty-five
Railway Bills to enable the Government of the day
to frame re,rtiloaftiohns for the several railroads under
the provision; diffaerent Acts of Parliament
containing this clause,
Noble
tlewould prevent many
of the evils of which thean Marquis now corn-
Tire evil was now felt to the fullest
s'teat by the public, and he saw by the votes that the
R t Hon . President of the Board of Trade had induced

~~ ~--,_

the other House of Parliament to appoint a Committee
to take into its consideration the very provision which
was contained in the twenty-five Bills to which he had
alluded.
The Marquis of L ANSDO WNE said the Noble
Duke was entirely mistaken as to the prayer of the
petition. The petitions on the Corn-laws, on the Corn-
laws, or others in any way connected with the Revenue,
must also be irregular. These petitions were not in
favour of any particular grant—they were in favour of
a comprehensive system of railroads for Ireland, and
prayed their Lordships to agree to any plan of that
kind which came up from the other House of Parlia-
ment. The Noble Duke must be aware that the sub-
ject could not at all originate in that House—that it
could not be discussed until the measure came from
the other House of Parliament. He might also
be aware that resolutions had been proposed in the
other House of Parliament for the purpose of intro-
ducing such a plan, and that that motion had been made
by a Minister of the Crown. Of course that implied that
the Government were quite-prepared to give the assent
of the Crown to the proposition.
The Earl of WICKLOW did not think this was a
proper time to enter into the discussion of the question,
and if he were quite sure that a regular opportunity
would be afforded for its discussion, he would not then
say anything. He deeply regretted the clamour which
had been raised against that measure. He knew that
the report was drawn up with the greatest attention,
the greatest ability, and fairness. That was
his firm opinion of it, from an attentive pe-
rusal. It would, no doubt, be most beneficial to Ireland,
and prevent those evils which were now felt from the
ystem of railroads in this country. It would produce
the greatest benefits to Ireland, and eventually the
whole of the money advanced by this country would be
returned.
The LORD CHANCELLOR laid on the table a
Bill for the more effective enforcement of Church dis-
cipline, which was read a first time.
Their Lordships then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, Aran, 12.
The SPEAKER took the Chair at the usual hour.
PAVING AND LIGHTING, &c., THE CITY.
The Sheriffs of London appeared at the Bar with
a petition from the City, praying (as we understood)
that the Act for lighting, cleansing, paving, &c., the
City might be amended.