The Sun.
London, England, 1839-08-24 00:00:00

EVENING EDITION.

reeterire. But that was not ail—another amendment
, Wets oopestel with some zeal and earnestness by the
Noble Viscount—he meant that as to the mode of
choosing Sheriffs. It turned out that three years ago
the Noble Viscount had made in a former Bill precisely
the same arnendmeat, and had defended it on just and con-
s iturional grounds. and now, because that amendment pro-
eeeiled from the other side of the House, the Noble Vis-
; eolerit gave it. his -decided opposition. So much as to the
AIM tency of her Majesty's Ministers, and the manner in
which they had treated that Bill. He confessed he knew
not wine her to ascribe it to indifference or thoughtlessness,
or want of recollection or carelessness, the manner in
Which they had treated a measure, which they were told in
her Majesty's Speech was so essential to the interests of
1 Leland. But there was another amendment made by their
Lordships, the effect of which was to strike out a number
of clauses introduced into the Bill for the first time in the
House of Commons. These clauses they had never heard
of till the present year. They related to Grand Jury
1 cress, the power of levying which was transferred to the
Town Councils. They were not introduced even into the
present Bill when it was brought into the House of Com-
mons, but in that memorable Committee of the 19th of
April they were for the first time engrafted on the
Bill.—( Hear, hear.) These clauses were objected to.
\Their Lordship,: objected, and said, let the law remain as it
was, and, accordingly, they struck out the clauses. The
Noble Viscount said this would defeat the Bill in another
Iplace, but he had replied that that would be impossible.
.They had introduced these clauses, which they were pleased
i 'to call money clauses, and had engrafted them on the Bill-
-1 'their Lordships said strike out those clauses and let the
t?as v remain in its present state, and they were told that
i this would he fatal to the measure. They had done their
duty—they had struck out these clauses, arid thithats had been
fatal to the measure. It had been suggested these
clauses, thus objected to, ought to have been the subjectof
a separate Bill—and they ought, certainly, to have been
made the subject of a separate Bill. The introducing them
into. this racasure was an attack upon the privileges of their
i7Lordships' House. It was a clumsy act on the part of
t, -the Government, and seemed as if it were done with a
1 'de:elan of 'afferding a pretext for getting rid of the Bill, so
things in that
z; to continue the
country, so that
g;itebveasone
grievance
4,)0.
et question of presenth scorlditteiorenetcodf
.fwa
le; e might still have
Pack upon. The Ministers
themselves were responsible for toe loss of that Bill—they
t had, by „lomsy contrivance, introduced those clauses into
' the 13d1, and that introduction was the cause of
1 the loss of that measure which, according to their own
, statement, was eesentiel to the best interests of Ireland.
So much for the first measure, which had been alluded to
1 in her Majesty's Speech from the throne. Ile would now
come to the measures proposed respecting Canada. They
iall bad felt that nothing could be more pressing, nothing
mere urgent than the necessity of taking this question into
consideration at an early period of the Session. Every
hour's delay in the discussion of this subject was felt to be
dangerous.. Noble Let-de, at the beginning of this Session,
, `had hastened to the House from all parts of the country
and from the Continent, expecting a discussion of this in-
teresting question, hut nothing was done—a few personal
discuedons took place and the matter ended. At last, at
an advanced period of the S.ission, they were told that a
plan for th . settlement of Canada was matured, and a plan
;ea:: accordingly brought forward for giving a Constitution
t., that cmentry, by uniting the two Provinces into one.
The Bill 'we; to come into operation after a lapse of three
eare, in the year 1 S-V2, and it became, of course, neces-
; ire to give further powers to the Governor-General to
den' hale for local interests during that period. The
lattor yested here, but an intention was announced in
certain quertere to oppose this plan of her Majesty's Minis-
ter s It ;vas found it Mould be dangerous to persevere in
encountering this opposition ; and the plan was abandoned,
in consequence, it was stated, of information which had
been suddenly received by the Government from Canada.
What that information wae had never been communicated to
their Lordships, or to the other House of Parliament ; and
a,iy one who looked at the transactions which had taken
piaest in Canada for the last six months would find that
attiring had occurred to account for this state of things.
The Bill was withdrawn, and with that Bill fell the other
• ni the scheme continuing the powers of theGovernor-
ehr little importance was attached to that Inca-
s, that even the Noble Lords who bad the conduct of
that Bill were so utterly unacquainted with its provisions
that they could not, or would not, explain them to their
Lersisbipe. What was that measure ? It might have been
ihselrable, if the temporary Government of Canada bad been
extended for three years, to have given increased power to
the Governor; but, as the all was now framed, the
degdshition could not take effect until the spring of next
year, at which time it would be incumbent on their Lord-
..hips to legislate again on the subject, because in the course
of nr xt ye :r the power of the Governor under the former
Bill would expire. The Bill was unnecessary, therefore ;
it was introduced merely for the purpose of making a show,
at,d such was the redemption of their pledge.—(Cheers.)
So much, then, as to this important, this great and serious
sutt ct, the settlement of the affairs of Canada. The
, tilled meature was an absolute blank. They were to take
eneestures to tarry into effect the recommendations of the
: Iteclesiastical Commissior. A Bill was brought into the
~ other House of Parliament for that purpose. It was read a
‘, eeconi time ; it proceeded upon a false assumption of facts—
; it was abandoned, and nothing more was done, though in her
Majesty's Speech it wad stated to be a measure the most
• The fourth branch their Lordships were told was
one of the first importance. Measures were said to be in
preparation for the better and more speedy administration
of justice, a subject of paramount importance, as their Lord-
seips would all feel.—( Heir, hear.) What had been done
npos, that subject e Jest as with respect to the Ecclesias-
tical Commission, literally nothing. Upwards of two
months age he (the Noble and Learned Lord) felt it to be
liO; duty to call the most serious attention of the House to
the :nine of business in the Court of Chancery. There
.wire no Court, there were no proceedings in any Court to
:viliell this recommendation of her Majesty's iVlinisters so
str ongTy applied as to the Court of Chancery.—( Hear,
1' '.l, •at)—aod he had brought that case under their considera-
. tioii. He had *stated whai, the immense arrear of business
wag in that Court. hle had stated what remedy was re-
:faired. He had'eende use of the term with regard to the
t hate of that Court, that it was grievous and intolerable.
His Noble and Learned Friend, the Master of the Rolls,
t :,:iiii those were strong terms, but that they were not strong
r enoreeigh to denote and to describe the extent of the evil.
i ._.(hear, hear.) It was impossible to form any ade-
quate idea of the cruelties of this system, unless attention
was directed to the details of some particular case. If
their Lordships would do that, they would then find how
4 individttals and how families were ruined, and their
proepecte blighted by the extent of this evil. It was not
to be' supposed for a moment that he was ascribing any
thing improper to the Learned Judges of that
eeCceirt.—( Hear, hear.) They were persons faithful
'hni fee the discharge of their respective duties, and vigor-
? A1t,,,, active, and able men; but there was no power to
4
cope witi%the evil, because the force of the Court for that
purpose was not sufficient. That was admitted by every
w.; and when he brought that measure forward, he stated
e plan fjr the purpose of remedying the evil which he
ilielerstood to have been assented to by the Noble and
i Learned Lord on the Woolsack, by her Majesty's Minis-
' ters, and by his Noble and Learned friend opposite. He
understood, moreover, that their Lordships had had
.orncthing like a pledge that some Bill would have
i becn. brought in during the present Session for remedying
thiehfintolerable ehil. It was stated by the Noble and
Leereed Lord on the Woolsack, that he Lord L.) bad
not gene far enough with his plan, but that ho was willing
1 t:, try what Ire had proposed towards remedying the evil.
i Nevertheless, frog that time to this, their Lordships had
f heard nothing whatever from her Majesty's Ministers upem
hat subject. They had not touched this intolerable
1 grievance. The speedy administration of justice was stated
I re her Majesty's Speech to be a subject of the first im-
I poi-ranee. The attention of her Majesty's Ministers was
c directed to it. The House had a kind of pledge that it
would be immediately attended to ; but from that time to
this, no step had been taken to carry that pledge into
; rffect.—( liver, hear, hear.) But it might be said
that Minisfers had been engaged upon other labours 1
for a reform of the law, and for an administration
' of justice more speedy and certain. He looked around in
viin for any of the fruits and results of such labours, if
tertel, labours there had been.---(Cheers.) He found no
-41:ili had been introduced into this House or had passed the
two Houses of Parliament. There had been, indeed, a
• Bill which had been lingering through the other House of
' r reatlliament for three Sessions, with respect to Bankrupt
Estates in Scotland, and to which no objection was made.
• There bed also been a Bill for the purpose of increasing the
alaries of the Judges and of making some alterations in
, ' tho Supreme Courts in Scotland ; but neither of those
Mlle applied to the subject adverted to in her Majesty's
i • •
epeecl i , and with respect to the administration of justice
in England, all was a perfect blank. No step had been
taken to redeem the pledge.—( Hear, hear.) The
t very Ministers who at that time declared this was
t; a subject of the, first importance had done nothing to re-
medy this great evil. Seeing the Noble Baron ( Lord
Holland) on the Woolsack, he reminded him (Lord Lynd-
; horst) that this supineness had extended itself to every
proee ye ceedin The Noble Baron had directed a proceeding
tarsg. ago, to inquire the s!ate of the Revenues
' of t the Duchy of Lancaster. A Commienioner went down
s,' for the
the purpose of. making inquiries, but no report had
i beenrnade—nothino• had been done, and the matter now
stow; precis l ' e:
eyas it had been before.—(Hear, hear.) He
had nowsgo;;reethrough successively those four heads of her
Majesty's
pledges were, and He had stated what the promises and
he had shewn what the performance of
theca, or rather the
was
thenth•e inference to be drawn from,
absence of all performance,
letten. What
iNnist had
this?
Her Majesty's len
,
drawn , of the Session, had ers, at the commencement
out in form a state-
! ment of what measures they thought the interests of
the 'country required. They ad
stated in substance, by
being parties to the speech from
Throne, that the
country had a right to expect fsrhomoth/tu vigorous and able
d be carried into efh
Administration those measures
fect, but ant one of them had been auc
hear.) They had, by pursuing thi:cuticoPlished..--e
pronounced
eflear,
eurtsstill con.
i tteirdpwn condemnation. They had promniouourisnsetc'ed judgment
able
upon themselves ; and yet those very
of sa.)grTeaut
firmed to hold the reins of GovernmentLwoiuticiochee
beingr
to guide the vessel of the State.-_(
undertake the management of the affairs
empire, without having the vigour, the capacity, or pos.
session Parliament of the confidence -of to carry on
those measures which were for the benefit of the State,
was considered by the Constitution of this realm
as a high misdemeanour.—(Cheers.) It was considered
as a course of proceeding which rendered the persons
gig of it liable to be impeached; and yet this was the
course which had been pursued by her Majesty's present ,
Minisfers.—( Renewed cheers.) Thus much as to the
measures referred to in her Majesty's Speech from the
Throne. But her Majesty's Ministers found it was neces-
sary to attempt something—something to captivate a per,
tion at least of their followers; and it occurred to them
that nothing was so well adapted to that purpose, as
some measure upon the subject of general edu.
catitm—a. measure of the first importance, and
deeply intereatieg to the welfare of I, is country.--
(Cheers.) What chi;:
se would an
r enlightetlf.'
straight-forward set of 111 -
d, 11131 e, and
anaters have pursued with respeLe
~ t, 0.11" is important subject? They had an example set

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