The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-08 00:00:00

MR, WILLIAMS, M.P.

Last night Mr. W. Williams, in accordance with his
usual practice during the recess of Parliament, met his con-
stituents, in order to render an account of his stewardship
during the past Session. The meeting was held at the
Horns Tavern, Kennington. At 8 o'clock, when the hon.
member entered the room with his friends, the large room
was about half filled.

Mr. Stretton having been voted into the chair,
Mr. WILLIAMS proceeded to address the meeting, but
spoke with so much feebleness and difficulty that in a few
minutes he became inaudible, except to those upon and
around the platform. The hon. member, who was warmly
received, said that the past session had been a very laborious
one, owir,g to the bad hours kept by the House of Commons.
He would leave them to judge what a man must be fit for
at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning, when he ought to be abed
and asleep. He had for many years endeavoured, in con-
junction with his friend the late Mr. Brotherton, to bring
the sittings to an end at midnight. They had not succeeded,
however, the Government stating that they would otherwise
never be able to get through their business. What was the
consequence ? Instead of 658 gentlemen on the benches
there were seldom more than from 20 to 50 members in the
House when bills of the greatest importance were carried.
Those measures could not, of muse, receive sufficient con-
sideration or investigation, and hence, to a great extent,
the laws of the country were in a state of confusion, and a
good deal of the time of one Session was spent in remedy-
ing the mistakes of the previous year. If the House of
Commons would do its business earlier in the evening, and
adjourn at midnight, the country would get its Legislative
business properly transacted, but not otherwise. (Hear, hear.)
Although the session had been laborious, very few measures
of great importance had b3en carried. The public Acts of
Parliament had been 126 in number, and the private Acts
238. Tho most important legislative proceeding of the year
was the reduction of taxation to the amount of £3,250,000,
which had been effected by the Government. The largest
item of relief was in the reduction of the income tax from 6cl
to 7d in the pound, and the next was the reduction of the
tax on tea from is 5d to is per pound. Ho had been very
anxious that a further reduction should be made on another
necessary of life—sugar ; but the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer stated that he could not then spare the money. Next
session, however, he should remind him of the sugar duty,
and be had little doubt that the Government would propose
a large reduction. (Hear, hear.) Another important mea-
sure was that which consolidated various Acts of Parlia-
ment. The statute law of the country now filled upwards
of 40 volumes ; yet eminent lawyers had stated that these
acts might be consolidated and included in four or five
volumes without the least detriment. Many existing acts
had become obsolete and inapplicable to the present state of
society. Others had been passed for a limited time, and had
now expired. An enormous quantity had been repealed. So
groat, indeed, was the confusion that the judges themselves
were often at a loss to know the law. if, however, the laws
of the country could be contained in four or five volumes the
people could read and understand the law as well as the
lawyers. At present even the lawyers themselves did not
know which Acts of Parliament had been repealed and
which were in force. Only one Act of Consolidation had
been passed last session, but others were promised. For
this most important improvement the public were in-
debted to the present Lord Chancellor, who would, he
hoped, remain long enough in office to purge the statute
law from the confusion into which it had fallen. (Hear,
hear.) He congratulated them on having got rid of one
incubus--the lonian Islands, which we had presented to
the King of the Greeks. The islanders were very glad. to
be handed over to Greece ; we were very glad to get rid. ofh
them; and he trusted we should never be plagued Nrt
them again. This country had spent, some said, milliona
of money in fortifying those islands, and now theirl fortifica-
tions were to be destroyed. That was great folly. yu:e
to the
If the
fortifications were of use to us they would 0
Greeks, and he did not see any utility
in
nlruse of Commons
'blowing use
up.
The Government made a proposal to
to buy the Exhibition Palace. Evetryhetoon_e
view,
moattdhisis
.
building watt, in an architectural Pm