The Sun.
London, England, 1839-02-09 00:00:00

LORD DURHAM'S EXPENSES.

Col. SIBTHORP gave notice that on the 21st inst.
he should move for the following returns, and take the sense
of the House thereon. The expenses of the appointment
of Lord Durham, as Lord High Commissioner and Go-
vernor-General of Canada, distinguishing the amount of
salaries paid or to be paid to Lord Durham, or the officers
connected with the said Commission ; also the expenses of
the outfit of the Governor-General and suite, as well during
their residenco in Canada as on their return to this country.

PRESENTATION OF PETITIONS.

Lord JOHN RUSSELL moved the Order of the Day
for resuming the adjourned debate on the presentation of
public petitions.

The Order h2j2:g been read,
The SP E AWOL?, said before the clerk read the petition
it would be desirable to read the resolutions of the house
of the 6th of February, 1833, which necessarily had rela-
tion to this subject.—( Hear, hear.) It was to the follow-
ing effect :—" That when a petition has been presented,
and the prayer stated by a Member, the Speaker do desire
such Member to bring the same to the table, and direct the
clerk to read the same, without allowing any other Member
to speak or put any question on such petition before the
same has been read, unless it shall appear to the Speaker,
or any Member, that the matter of such petition relates to a
In-each of the privileges of the House, or that, according to
the rules and orders of the House, such petition ought not
to be received.

Mr. HUME said that it would probably be as well
if the resolution of the 11th March was also read.
It provided that any Member who presented a petition
should have previously read it, and be able to state the
substance of its contents, and be prepared to say
that in his judgment it was couched in proper lan-
guage, and contained nothing disrespectful to the House.
He suspected that this resolution would answer the inten-
tion, as it would leave it to Hon. Members to say whether
the petition contained matter for discussion or not, leaving
it to the Speaker to interfere if he were wrong. He con-
sidered it would be better to abide by the resolution of 1817.
Lord J. RUSSELL asked whether the Hon. Member
was not now infringing the resolution by speaking a second
time?

Mr. HUME was justified by what had just been read.
Mr. WYNN proposed that the resolution should be en-
tered as read.

—.._.......____
The Clerk then read the resolution and also what had
been stated by the Speaker on this subject last night.
Mr. WALL ACE said that he was desirous that the
petitions that were presented should be printed with the
votes to be distributed to the Members. He would state to
the House a practical fact, illustrating what at present
took place with regard to the presentation of petitions.
Ile had presented a petition to that House on tl.o 27th of
July last, hoping that it would be taken into consideration
on the first notice day. He had been in his place every
day during the time that Parliament had sat, and
that petition had Levor been taken into consideration
yet. One day during the interim an election petition had
been presented to which there was no opposition. A de!ay
of half an hour took place, the House actually sat 25 or
26 minutes without transacting any business, and he (Mr.
Wallace) proposed in desperation that the petition that
he had previously presented should be then taken into con-
sideration, when the Speaker interfered and prevented him,
no doubt very properly so, and the petition had remained
unconsidered up to the present hour. It was a petition of
the greatest public importance. It prayed that the Acts of
Parliament should be printed in a cheap form and sold
at a price not dearer than the votes of that House. Un-
less acme regulations were adopted, it would be totally
impossible that petitions could be considered, as if he
g
were to rise to speak on the subject, the Hon. Member
for Salford
might get up and say it was twelve or
one o'clock, when he (Mr. Wallace) might be told
that it was a new subject, and that he was not entitled to
enter on it at all. If they were to do that by notice, that
would be
ceived at all or conunerted upon. The subject therefore
Putting an end entirely to petitions being re-
upon which the House was now engaged was one of a se-
rious nature. Ile thought that it was right that no entry
should be made of any resolutions on the Journals but
that it should be left to the discretion of Members.—( Cries
of " Oh, oh. e)
Lord JOHN
RUSSELL then moved that the resole-
lion adopted by the House, last Session, with rospect to
receiving petitions should be adhered to.
Mr. WARD then rose and said, that after the full dis-
cussion the subject had received yesterday, it was not his
intention to occupy
the time of the House. He should
content himself by entering a protest by a
division against laying down a rule, which he
conceived to be extreme( y
prevented discussion upon im-
portant and detrimental to the
interests of the people,
as it
questions. Having divided the Howe upon that
only
he should present the etition according to the rules now
laid down, observing
that he wished to be bound by
a distinct rule, and not by
one that was liable to be mia.
understood.
Strangers were then ordered to withdraw, and the Housq
divided, when there appeared:—
For the Motion ........................ 183
• Against it
................... 43
Majority ........................ —.140
On our return to the Gallery we found
Mr. WARD on his leg;, presenting the peti-
tion from Sheffield, praying for the entire abolition
of the Corn•laws, and the establishment of a system of' (No