The Sun.
London, England, 1839-04-27 00:00:00

JAMAICA.

Lord JOHN RUSSELL said, that in moving the
House at its rising do adjourn till Monday, he wished
to make some observations respecting the course which
the Government intended to pursue with regard to the
Jamaica Bill. He had understood (for he was not in the
house at the time) that the Right Hon. Baronet the Mem-
ber for rfamworth bad given notice he would on Monday
next oppose the Speaker's leaving the Chair, with the
view of rejecting the Bill which had been introduced.
Now, although that cause was the most hostile that
could possibly be token, yet, at the sometime, he was of
opinion, that if the Government, on consideration,
should find with respect to a measure of this na-
ture, suspending a Legislature, the grounds on
which they were proceeding were quite erroneous,
that then it would have been their bounden duty to
adopt some other course, and perhaps that course had
been suggested by the Right Hon. Baronet. But
having again considered all the reasons on which the
Bill was originally founded, the Members of the Go-
vernment were the more confirmed in their
opinion that it was necessary they should press
on the House the adoption of that Bill, and that
they should have the opportunity of stating fully all
the reasons on which the Bill was founded.
He should likewise state that the Government did not
consider (although there might probably be other courses
not so advisable as that which they proposed to effect
their object) the course proposed by the Hon. Baronet
would have any chance of procuring efficient legisla-
tion in the Island of Jamaica. It would, therefore,
be the duty of the Government to press upon the
House the necessity of the Bill going into Committee.
There was no doubt, with the exception of one material
point, in the' minds of her Majesty's Government with
respect to the different provisions of the Bill. That
part was as to the term of years the Bill should
continue in existence. If it could be shown
that a continuance for a lesser term of the ex-
traordinary powers of the Bill would secure
efficient legislation for Jamaica, upon that point her
Majesty's Government thought there might be some
change. Having stated thus much, it was due to the
House that he should say, the Right lion. Baronet op-
posite having given notice of so decided a course before
the proposition of the Goverment was fully adopted, that
as he did not think that the Members of that House had
had their attention sufficiently called, either to the
papers, or the measures founded upon the proceedings
taken in the West India Islands, he did not propose
to bring that Bill on on Monday, but would postpone
it to Friday next; and on Monday se'nnight he proposed

to introduce a Bill with respect to Canada.
Sir R. PEEL considered that the Noble Lord had
pursued a rather unusual course in postponing the pre-
sent Bill, because he had actually made a speech upon
it, explaining his reasons for introducing the Bill. He
was placed in an embarrassing position, and he trusted
therefore that the House would allow him to explain
his reasons for the course be had given notice he should
pursue. He was particularly anxious to explain his rea-
sons, because he understood that misconstructions had
gone abroad with respect to the position that he had
laid down. Some gentlemen had understood him
to propose that the Imperial Parliament should repeal
the Prisons Bill. Now he had distinctly stated that
he thought the Imperial Parliament had a perfect right
and was bound to maintain the Prisons Bill. He cer-
tainly did state that, seeing the immense embarrassment
that might arise from imposing taxes in the way pro-
posed by the Bill in Jamaica, and suspending a popular
Constitution, which had existed there for 200 years,
for five years, an opportunity ought to be given to the As-
sembly of Jamaica to reconsider the course they had pur-
sued. At the same time he was perfectly ready to give her
Majesty's Government power to meet any contingency
that might arise. If any practical difficulty arose in
consequence of the refusal of the House of Assembly
to resume its legislative functions, it was to grant
powers to meet that, limiting the remedy to
the necessity as it arose He had also said
that an answer could not be received after the Bill was
sent out to Jamaica, during the present Session ; and
that it might be necessary to provide for any contingency,
such as to continue any Bills which might expire, from
the House of Assembly not renewing them. Such was
the declaration he had made.—(Hear, hear, hear.)
The Noble Lord said he had taken the most
hostile course, but that certainly could not be
so termed. He found it impossible to move
an amendment in the Committee, and rather than move
one on some unimportant point, he thought the fairer
course was to move it on the question that the Speaker
do leave the chair.—(Hear, hear.) He would observe
further that if he should succeed, he was perfectly ready
to give the Government full powers to meet any neces-
sity that might arise.
Lord J. RUSSELL said the proposition of the
Right Hon. Bart. would not enable the Government to
meet any contingency.
Mr. HUME said he had before supplicated for for-
bearance when it was refused, and the consequences had
been most lamentable. Consequences equally lament-
able must follow the present plan. He begged the Go-
vernment to allow time, at least until the Colony could
know what was going on. He would do all in his power
to oppose the suspension of the Assembly of Jamaica, and
he was perfectly certain that such a proposition would
never pass that House.
In answer to Mr. LUCAS,
Lord MORPETH said he would not be enabled to
bring on the Report on Irish Railways.
Lord J. RUSSELL said Ise intended to bring on the
two Prisons Bills and the Scotch Prison Bill on Monday.
In answer to a question put by Mr. M. PHILLIPS,
Sir J. HOBHOUSE said the Indian Government

—.. ...
were going on in that course prescribed to them by the
House of Commons with respect to steam navigation.
At the same time he would inform him that an offer

had been made by a Company t• carry the mail by
steam, and the authorities were now in correspondence
on the question.
REGISTRATION OF VOTERS BILL.

Mr. CHARLES BULLER wished to know what
course the Government intended to pursue on the Re-

gistration of Voters Bill, and he wished particularly to
point out the inconvenience of so important a Bill
being put on the paper for a Wednesday, when the Go-
vernment did not attend.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said that he
should bring it forward on the first opportunity that
was open to him, and he begged to assure the Hon.
Mrmber that he was most sincere in his desire to carry
it through.

Mr. C. BULLER suggested to the Attorney-Gene-
ral that he had given no answer to his question. His
complaint was, that the Bill had been fixed for Wed-
nesdays, on which day the Government did not attend.
Could it not be brought forward on Monday next.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said it would not be
convenient to bring the measure forward on Monday.
If Wednesday was an inconvenient day, he had no ob-
jection to fix some other day.
ELECTION PETITION TRIALS BILL.
The Order of the Day having been read for going
into Committee on this Bill,
Colonel DAVIES rose to move that the Bill be
referred to a Select Committee. The Gallant Colonel,
in consequence of the noise in the House, and his
own very indistinct articulation, was throughout his
speech inaudible in the gallery.
Sir GEORGE STRICKL AND, although he
thought the new mode preferable to the one
adopted at present, thought the House would
be disappointed in the result. He believed the
origin of this Bill to be owing to the accusations of per-
jury and corruption brought against Members of
that House serving an Election Committees. He
knew that he should be accused of entering on
a quixotic expedition in endeavouring to defend the
House from these accusations, but he really and decid-
edly was of opinion, that there was little ground for
these accusations. He thought the evil had
arisen from the nearly equal division of parties in that
House, consequently a disputed scat occasioned
excitement throughout the whole country.—(Hear.)
The Members of Committees were quite at sea
with regard to the law on the subject, and Counsel pro-
duced as precedents, the contradictory proceedings of
former Committees. In whatever way an Election Com-
mittee was constituted there would be accusations brought
against them, and those accusations proceeded from party
feeling, and not from the constitution of the Committee.
The accusation brought against Committees proceeded
from party violence, and were founded on mere ima-
gination rather than the misconduct of the Members
composing the Committee. If the House wanted to
do any good on this subject it must clear up the law,
because it was from the utterly defective state of the
law, by which Committees were left quite unable pro.
perly to discharge their duties, that unsatisfactory pro-
ceedings took place.
Sir H. HARDINGE entirely concurred in the pro-
priety of the Bill brought in by his Right Hon. Friend,
because he conceived that by it a great improvement
would take place in the constitution of Committees, and
yet there could be no doubt, and in this he so far agreed
with the Hon. Bart. opposite, that a great part of the good
working of the Committees would depend upon the way
in which the law should be hereafter laid down by that
House. The Hon. Baronet opposite had stated that
he had been exposed to a deal of obloquy in the public
press, in consequence, as he said, of having been seen
speaking to one of the agents during the time that he was
Chairman of the Hull Committee. The obloquy to
which the Hon. Baronet had been exposed did not arise
from that circumstance, but from the very extraordinary
and strange decisions which that Committee came to.
He (Sir H. Hardinge) was not there to impugn the
conduct of any, nor to defend, but he would say that the
Hon. Baronet opposite gave double votes on that occa-
sion, such as were calculated to throw very great
doubt upon the propriety of those decisions. The Hon.
Baronet gave ten double votes upon that Committee,
nine of those being against the petitioners, and the Com-
mittee being formed of seven Members of the same po-
litics as the Hon. Bart., and of three Members of op-
posite politics ; and so strange were those votes that
were so given by the Chairman, that they elicited very
great wonder, not only from a large portion of Members
of that House, but from the press of the country at