The Sun.
London, England, 1854-05-03 00:00:00

I MPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS-(YESTERDAY.)

The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack
at five o'clock.
Earl CLANCARTY presented a petition from three
parishes in Sussex against the me of dogs in drawing
carts.
The LORD CHANCELLOR presented a petition
from the royal burghs of Scotland against the bill for as-
similating the bankruptcy law of Scotland to that of Eng-
land, and praying for no alteration in the law until the
most ample inquiry by a commission similar to that
which had been appointed in England.
Lord BROUGHAM had reason to believe that the
mercantile classes in Scotland were generally in favour
of the proposed alterations.
INCOME TAX BILL.
On the motion for the third reading of this bill,
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE did not intend to
oppose the third reading of the bill at its present ad-
vanced stage, but there was one point on which nothing
was said during the debate last night, and with reference
to which he thought the house ought to have some expla-
nation from the Government—viz., what were the other
financial plans to be proposed before the close of the ses-
sion'? The Government had announced aloan, the tenders
for which were now in the hands of the Chancellor of the
• Exchequer. This was to be repayable in three instalments
—in 1858, 1859, and 1860. The present income tax
would reach its minimum point in 1857, and would alto-
gether expire in 1860, and accordingly additional bur-
dens would be thrown on the country just in those years
• in which the people expected to be relieved of a portion
of the income tax. This loan was, moreover, in direct
contravention of the understanding •n which the income
tax was agreed to last session. .
The Earl of GRANVILLE said, as the Chancellor
of the Exchequer would next week submit a financial
statement to the other house, it would be utterly im-
possible for him now to go into any details upon the
measures which the Government intended to submit to
Parliament.
The Earl of MALMESBURY considered that if the
Government had been sufficiently warned by their
agents abroad they would have made more prompt and
more satisfactory financial arrangements.
The Duke of ARGYLL deprecated the discussion as
irregular. So far from the correspondence in posses.
sion of the Government leading them to believe in war,
it the Emperor of Russia had adhered to the declara-
tions, he had made there would have been n o war at all.
After a few words from the Marquis of SALISBURY,
Lord BROUGHAM expressed an earnest hope if such
a pernicious tax as that on income was necessary it
would last no longer than the war.
The bill, after some further discussion, was read a
third time.

CHIMNEY SWEEPERS' BILL.
On the order of the day for going into committee on
this bill,
The Earl of CLANCARTY said he was present on
the day when the bill was introduced, namely, the '2Bth
of March, but he was not aware of its introduction or he
should have asked in what respect it differed from the
bill of last year. He had been surprised, too, to find
that he was appointed a member of the select commit.
tee, which had reported in favour of the bill. He was
not in the country at the time when the committee was
nominated, and he thought the noble earl who had charge
of the bill (the Earl of Shaftesbury) must have been
aware of his absence. As regarded the bill itself, it
purported to extend the provisions of the 3d or 4th Vict.;
but the clauses were so ambiguous as to be on that ac-
count, if on no other, highly objectionable. The object
of the noble earl was, he believed, to put a stop altoge-
ther to the practice of sending climbing boys up chimneys.
The act of Victoria made it penal to employ for that
purpose " any child"—such was the expression—" un-
der 21 years of age ;" but the truth was that that act
had, as regarded a large portion of the country, proved
impracticable. The noble earl stated in introducing
the bill, that notwithstanding the act there were no less
than 4,000 climbing boys. Surely that fact showed how
difficult such legislation was. In the evidence taken
before the select committee last year it was stated that
there were many chimneys which could not be swept
without the aid of manual labour. Under these cir-
cumstances, he would suggest that the Government, be-
fore allowing the provisions of the, act to be extended,
should institute some inquiry. Regulations with regard
to such a matter came rather within the province of the
government than of any private individual. What he
would recommend the government to do was, to issue a
commission to inquire into the operation of thel present
law, and to report what measures were necessary to
place the law on a satisfactory footing. He entirely
washed his own hands of this bill, although, for the rea-
sons which he had mentioned, he stood before their
lordships as having reported in its favour.
The Earl of SHAFTESBURY said if the noble earl
had attended to his duties in parliament instead of wan-
dering about, he would have had no occasion to make
the remarks he had done. (Laughter.) He had no
desire to do anything that could be considered unfair.
In order to avoid personalities, ha propesed that the
select committee should consist of the same members
that served last year, and two noble lords opposite hav-
ing consented to serve he thought it beat to insert the
name of the noble earl..
Alter a few words from the Earl of CLANCARTY, the
house went into committee-.
Clause 1 was agreed to with verbal amendments.
The remaining clauses were agreed to and the bill was
reported.
The Marquis of BREADALBANE said there were
some chimneys which it would be impossible to clean
without boys.
The Duke of ARGYLL said he understood there
were no chimneys in existence which, by opening traps,
might not be cleaned by machines.
MINISTERS' MONEY (IRELAND) BILL.
This bill passed through committee.
POOR-LAW REMOVAL BILL.

Lord BERNERS presented a petition from the guar-
dians of the union of Cosford, in Suffolk, praying that
the law of settlement and removal might be repealed,
that an act might be passed under which the poor would
be entitled to receive relief in the places of their resi-
dence, and that all the rateable property of the country
might be made chargeable in an equal degree with the
expenses which would thereby be incurred. The noble
lord took the opportunity of asking what steps her
Majesty's Government were prepared to take to remedy
the evils complained of in the petition, also whether
they proposed to include the Irish and Scotch poor-law
System in their measure upon the subject, and whether
they intended to relieve real estate of any portion of the
burden at present levied on such property exclusively
under the head of poor-rates ?
The Earl of ABERDEEN said that the Government
proposed by a bill, which they had already introduced
into the other house, to abolish the present law of set-
tlement and removal. But the subject having become
complicated by its connection with the state of the Irish
and Scotoh poor, it had been found advisable to refer
the measure to a select committee of the House of Com-
mons. That a committee had, he believed, been ap-
pointed that very day. From the nature of the inquiries,
however, into which it would be their duty to enter, he
feared that it would be impossible to pass any enact-
ment in the course of the present session upon the ques-
tion referred to their consideration. The Government
wished to extend the area of the poor-law taxation, but
they did not contemplate the imposition of a national
rate, and they did not propose to effect any change in
the description of property which is at present liable to
the maintenance of the poor.
Lord REDESDALE moved a resolution to the effect
that the house should not read any bill a second time
after Tuesday the 25th of July, except bills of aid or
supply, or bills which the house should have declared
before the second reading to be of such urgency or im-
portance that it was necessary they should be immedi-
ately proceeded with.
The Earl of ABERDEEN said he had no objection to
offer to the resolution, which might, he believed, be
adopted with safety, and even with advantage, for the
present session at least.
Lord BEAUMONT opposed the resolution. He saw
to reason why the house should fetter its discretion to
deal with a bill at any period it might think proper.
After a few words from Lord REDESDALE, the resolu-
tion was agreed to.
PUBLIC BUSINESS.
notL Lard ItEDESDA.LE moved----" That this house will
_read any bill a second time after Tuesday the 25th of
July, except bills of aid or supply, or any bill in relation
to which the house shall have resolved, before the se-
cond reading is moved, that the circumstances which
render legislation on the subjeqt matter of the same ex-
pedient, are either of sudh. recent occurrence or increased
urgency as to render theTheinamediate consideration of the
said bill necessary.
noble lord proceeded to ex-
plain the object and tendency of his resolution, but had
a
not uttered more than
few sentences when the gas-
lights suddenly went out, leaving the house in darkness.
Nevertheless, the noble lord
orters to take notes
his remarks as if
nothing had happened
; but
inability to do
for the repes co,
and their e it was impossible
so was not much lessened
when a f'
brought and placed on the table of the
l'iow candles weree House. After the
lapse of a few minutes the gas-lights flaredsa
fiip as sud-
denly as they had gone out, but it was onlyn
gleam, for in an instant the house was againeal/Antary
n
in that state of darkness visible which w• ged
AS produced
by the candles on the table. The noble lord, nothing
disconcerted, proceeded with his statement, addressing
his observations to the Lord Chancellor, whose snowy
wig was just visible in the gloom, and was remarking
that the effect of his resolution would be to expedite the
public business, shorten the duration of the session, and
enable their lordships togive more discussion to bills sent
up from the other house than they had hitherto done,
when the gas was again turned on, burning with a steady
blaze till the house rose.
The Earl of ABERDEEN said the same complaint
which the noble lord now made he had heard ever since
he had been in Parliament, and lie was afraid there roust
be some very great difficulty in the way of remedying
the evil, since atter the multitude of complaints that had
been made it still remained unremedied. However-, the
attempt made by the noble lord might produce some
effect. lie did not feel very sanguine as to its success ;
but he thought their lordships might safely adopt the
resolution, at least as an experiment, and they should see
what effect it would produce in the course of the present
session. He thought its tendency would be to expedite
the progress of bills in the House of Commons, and
thereby to give their lordships more time to consider
such measures as might be placed before them. The
qualifications which the noble lord had introduced were
nut only just, but absolutely necessary. Other wise he
was not sure how far it would be right or competent for
the house to name arbitrarily aa, after which they
would not proceed to consider public measures of im-
portance. However, without being sanguine as to the
effect of the resolution, he thought the object was a good