The Sun.
London, England, 1839-04-23 00:00:00

WIGAN ELECTION COMMITTEE

The Committee met yesterday at the usual hour, and
proceeded with the scrutiny up to four o'clock, when
two votes had been decided, leaving the sitting Member
(Mr. Ewart) in a majority of one.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
HOUSE OF LORDS, APRIL 22.
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Wool-
sack at five o'clock.
The Marquis of DOWNSHIRE presented a pe-
tition in favour of a uniform rate of penny postage.
The Bishop of ST. ASAPH presented a petition
from a place in Wales against the union of the sees of
Bangor and St. Asaph. Also petitions praying for the
protection of the Church in the Canadas. e-
Several Noble Loris presented petitions, but in
so inaudible a voice that it was impossible to hear from
whence they came or the nature of them.
Lord HADDINGTON presented a petition from
Dumfries, signed by the Marquis of Queensberry as
Chairman, in favour of Church Extension in Scotland ;
also a petition from a place in the county of Stirling, to
the same effect.
Lord HATHERTON presented a petition from
Sydenham praying for an uniform rate of penny postage.
Lord RADNOR presented several petitions to the
same effect, and also a petition praying their Lordships
to adopt some measure calculated to prevent illegal mar-
riages. The Noble Lord stated that he had seen
in the newspapers of Saturday, with considerable
suprise mention made of his name as being upon the
Committee, appointed to inquire into the state of crime
in Ireland for the last three years. He so entirely dis-
agreed with the appointment of that Committee, that he
moved he should be discharged from all attendance
upon the Committee.
Upon the motion of Lord RODEN, Lord Strad-
broke's name was substituted for that of Lord Radnor.
Lord DUNCANNON laid on the table certain
criminal returns from Ireland. The Noble Lord pre-
sented a petition from the Provost and Town Council
of Greenock, praying for a uniform rate of penny
postage.
Lord LYNDHURST wished to ask the Noble
and Learned Lord opposite whether it was his
intention to bring forward any proposition on the sub-
ject of the ordinance in Malta respecting the Press.
Lord BROUGHAM said he wished to give a
week's time to her Majesty's Ministers from this time
for them to consider whether they would or would not
approve of so monstrous a proceeding as that ordinance.
He was glad his 'Noble and Learned Friend had put
that question, because it seemed to indicate that be
had read that ordinance.—(Hear, hear, from Lord
Lyndhurst). He should bring forward the subject to-
morrow week, if it was not by that time repealed by her
Majesty's Ministers.—(Cheers.)
Lord NORMANBY, by command of her Ma-
jesty, laid on the table certain returns relative to the
proceedings of the Commissioners of Malta, which were
moved for on Friday, by the Noble and Learned Lord
near him. This was not all of them, but the remainder
should be in their Lordships' hands on Wednesday
evening.
Lord LYNDHURST presented a petition against
any alteration in the Corn-laws.
POLICE BILL.
Lord BROUGHAM wished to know from the Noble
Viscount at the head of her Majesty's Government
whether it was intended to abandon all the other clauses
in the Police Bill which was now before the other
House of Parliament, besides the first fourteen
which had been already abandoned. He certainly
felt as strong an objection to those fourteen clauses
as if he had been, and probably much stronger, a mem-
ber of the Corporation of the City of London, because
they contained matter which was utterly intolerable.
It was absolutely necessary to abandon them, and he
wished to know whether the others were to be
abandoned too.—(Lord Melbourne said " No.")
It seemed an extraordinary course to take to endeavour
to obtain in one House a knowledge of what was intended
to be clone in the other House of Parliament, but such
a knowledge had been obtained by a judicious applica-
tion of questions at the Mansion-house dinner—(A
laugh)—and he thought that a similar knowledge
might be obtained in that House which would be not less
agreeable to the inhabitants of the County of Middlesex.
One of the Representatives of that county always
voted against the Government, another did not vote at
all, and the other four voted in favour of Government,
and to them fourteen clauses of this Bill had been sa-
crificed. The Noble and Learned Lord then presented
petitions in favour of Mr. Rowland Hill's plan
of penny postage from the Magistrates and
Town Council of Glasgow, from Preston, Dumfries,
under the Corporate Seal ; from an individual named
Philip Watson ; from Titchworth, in Derbyshire ; from
Cambridge ; from Renton ; from the Booksellers and
Stationers of Leeds ; from a place in the County of
Essex ; from Glividth, in North Wales ; from the
Merino Spinners of Glasgow ; from the Workmen
of Mr. Wedgwood, in the Potteries ; from South-
ampton ; five petitions from Diss, in Norfolk 1- from
the Mayor of Bedford ; from the Commissioners
of Police of Gorbals ; from Melksham ; from Barn-
wall ; from the Mechanics Institute of Dumbarton ;
from Leslie ; from Great Torrington ; from Brandon ;
from Layton ; from Haddington ; from the High. She-
riff of Carnarvonshire ; from Lancaster, and from
some other places. He had already presented 50 or 60 pe-
titions on this subject, and he had as many more to present
with which he would not trouble the House at present.
But he would wish to call the attention of the House to
two which he was about to present from the Salford
Lyceum, Manchester, and the others from the Lyceum
in Great Ancoats-street. These Lyceums had been
instituted for thepurpose of endeavouring to win over the
working people from depraved and extravagant habits.
The great object they bad in view was to find some
substitute for the ale-house. This subject had engrossed
the attention of many individuals for the last ten years.
There was an institution, of which he was the President,
which had succeeded indifferently at first, but which
now seemed to be in a better way of success.
But the first which had been crowned with suc-
cess was the Manchester and Salford Lyceum.
Poor people went to these institutions after their work
was done at hardly any expense. No strong liquors
were permitted, nor was anything like controversial
discussion allowed, but there was a comfortable warm
room provided with books and periodicals, where they
could spend their time till nine o'clock in the
evening. One of these had 600 members, and the
other 700, and their success had been marvellous, and
these bodies felt the advantage that would accrue from
the penny postage, and petitioned the House in favour
of it. He also presented two petitions from Lichfield
against the Beer Act ; from Kenaway against the Corn-
laws ; from Wigton against any additional endowment
to the Established Church ; from the Guardians of
Dalgelly for an amendment of the Law of Settlement.
The Earl of STRADBROKE presented petitions
in favour of the penny postage from Dunwich and
Southwell.
Lord DUNCANNON laid certain Papers on the
table connected with Turnpike-roads.

MALTA.
The Earl of RIPON gave notice that he should, in
a few days, bring forward a motion relative to the sub.
ject of Malta.