The Sun.
London, England, 1853-07-05 00:00:00

SAVINGS' BANKS ANNUITIES BILL.

On the motion for the third reading of this bill,
Mr. COWAN said it was his duty to resist the further
progress of the measure. The bill, in point of fact, was
intended to give the C-overnment power to commence the
business of life assurance, although its titlo would lead to
a very different impression. Clause 10 gave power to the
Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt to

contract with any such person or persons as those named in
other parts of the bill for the payment of a sum of money
at his or her death, and it would have been proper, or at all
events more respectful to the house, before introducing such
an important change in the law as this bill contemplated,
if the Chancellor of the Exchequer had sated plainly and
frankly what the intentions of the Government really were,
in order that such intentions might be fully discussed and
sanctioned by tho house, if it couce:.ved the measure
would be advantageous to the community. He had a
great objection to the Government becoming a trading
community, or doing anything which could be carried on
by a private company ; but with regard to this especial
mode of trading, he thought experience had proved that
the manner of granting annuities by the Government was
highly objectionable. The system of life assurance was at
present carried so successfully, and withal so judiciously by
the ordinary life assurance companies, that it would be
most unwise to interfere with them ; but this bill proposes
to make a charge on the Consolidated Fund, and since he
objected to it on the ground of the interference to which
he had just alluded, he should be glad to know from the
Speaker if this bill ought not to have originated in a com-
mittee of the whole house. Be that, however, as it might
he could not permit the bill to proceed any further until he
had received some more satisfactory explanation about it
than he had yet heard, and he should therefore move that
it be read a third time this day six months.
Mr. A. PELLATT believed the practice of granting an-
nuities by the Gove -nment had given general satisfaction,
and all that was wanted to render the system perfect, was
to increase the amount of the annuities beyond 301. and to
grant the annuities themselves upon joint as well as single
lives. Beyond that the Government ought not to go, and
he must join with the hon. member for Glasgow in depre-
cating any proposal for converting the Government into an
insurance company.
Mr. WILSON found fault with the hon. member for
Edinburgh for not having given notice of his amendment,
but he apprehended the hon. gentleman's opposition to
the bill originated in a mistake or a misconception of the
object of the measure. The only object of the bill was
to confer upon the Commissioners for the Reduction of the
National Debt power to convert deposits in savings banks
into annuities. The commissioners certainly possessed this
power under the existing law, but only to a limited ex-
tent, and the intention of this bill was net to enable them
to enter upon the general business of life assurance, which
would be entirely beyond its scope, but simply to give them
power to convert savings' banks' deposits into annuities
with more facility than the law at present allowed.
Mr. COWAN said the explanation of the hon. gentle-
man had not removed his objection to the bill, and he
should, therefore, be glad to have an answer to the ques-
tion he had put to the chair.

The SPEAKER said—Undoubtedly, if the bill imposed
a charge on the Consolidated Fund, it ought to have origi-
nated in a committee of the whole house.

Mr. COWAN begged to call the attention of the Speaker
to the 12th clause.

The SPEAKER having looked at the clause, said he
apprehended the bill did not impose any additional charge
upon the Consolidated Fund than the law already sanc-
tioned.

Mr. WILSON said the bill certainly could not impose
any additional charge on the Consolidated Fund, for, under
the existing law, both the deposits as well as the govern-
ment annuities were chargeable to that fund. (Hear.)
An Hon. MEMBER having moved the adjournment of
the debate,
The house divided—
For the adjournment l9
Against it 47

Majority 2B
The bill was then read a third time and passed.
PUBLIC-HOUSES (SCOTLAND) BILL.

This bill, as amended, was considered.
Mr. ELLIOT proposed a clause preventing licenses being
granted to toll gatherers.
After a conversation the clause was agreed to.
Mr. -COWAN moved the omission of clause 10.
The motion was withdrawn, and the clause was then
agreed to on the understanding that if it was found to in-
jure the revenue the Government should have the oppor-
tunity of altering it.
The other clauses were then agreed to and the 'bill
ordered to be read a third time on Thursday.
The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and
the house adjourned at five minutes to two o'clock.

CRICKET.

THE GENTLEMEN OF ENGLAND v. THE
GENTLEMEN OF KENT.

If any instance were required to show the folly of the
system of practise which has of more recent years ob-
tained among the gentlemen who devote their leisure
hours to the cultivation of cricket, it will be found in the
details of the present match, where, on the on the side,
there was hardly a bowler. The evil we allude to in the
practice is, that the majority of gentleman think only of
their batting, and manifest a disinclination—even those
who have very considerable promise as bowlers—to try
to get up their bowling. Hence the lamentable result
of this day. Mr. Mynn or Mr. anybody else cannot,
by the laws of nature, last for ever ; and, therefore, it
should have been the duty of some of our juvenile friends
in Kent, or of those who look after the interests, in a
cricket sense, of the county, to have taken care that
some three or four of the rising generation who had dis-
played a taste for this banch of the game, should have
carried on their practice until they had become more or
less efficient, if not more or less formidable, with the ball.
We remember, some year or two since, having complained
that the gentlemen did not apply themselves more to bowl-
ing and less to the bat, adding that, if those who were
bowlers in heart and by nature would take their practice
half-and-half, or, in other words, if they would divide
their practice equally between the bat and the ball,
we should no longer have to regret the want of good
amateur bowling. We well remember that some one of
that body wrote, alleging, as the reason that there was
so much deficiency of bowling among the gentlemen,
that gentlemen after a time entered some profession, or
became engaged in other pursuits, or went abroad, or
died. Hence the cause of the defalcation in this depart-
ment. In reply to this shift of the subject, we deny
that it is any answer to the complaint unless the writer
intends to be understood that, according to his view, a
gentleman is to devote four, or five, or more years of
the early stage of his life at the bat only. What we
have ever held is, that he who plays at cricket should
try to bowl in his younger days, and if he finds that his
head and his arm run together, then that he should
divide his practice in the attainment of excellence of
each. By such a course, it would soon be discovered
that there would be no lack of effective bowlers among
the gentlemen. To this subject we shall return on a
future day, quitting it now with this remark, that the
want of bowling on the part of Kent, and the inability
of the majority of her batsmen to overcome that of Sir
F. Bathurst and the slow of Mr. Nash, caused a defeat
to fall upon that county the like of which at the
moment we do not call to mind. Nevertheless, we hope
that the result of this day will put our young Kentish
cricketers on the qui vive. '
The proceedings were honoured by the presence of a
large assemblage, and among the number we noticed the
Marquis of Drogheda, the Earl of Leicester, the Earl
of Durham, the Earl of Darnley, the Countess of Darn-
ley and party, Lord Guernsey, Lord Lascelles, Lord
Marcus Hill, Lord Royston, the Hon. R. Grimston, the
Hon. S. Ponsonby, the Hon. E. Bligh, the Hon. H.
Bligh, the Hon. D. Astley, the Hon. R. C. Neville, the
Hon. J. Trevor, Sir John Bayley, Sir Hume Campbell,
Sir Frederic BL.thurst, &c.

The Gentlemen of England went in first, being repre-
sented by Mr. Nicholson and Mr. Henry. The former
ran up a score of 34, by a 4, two 3's, six 2's, and the re-
quisite amount of ‘singles ; and the latter was not re-
moved until he had obtained 17, by a 4, two 3's, a brace
of 2's, and 3 singles. Then came Mr. Haygarth and
Mr. Balfour. The latter was bowled by Mr. Norton,
without having made any contribution ; but the former
was not removed until he had placed a double number
upon the paper, by means of four 3's, a brace of 2's and
two couple of singles. Mr. Hankey and Mr. H. Aitken
followed, and singular enough tied each other in
the number of runs they obtained, twenty-five being
the respective totals. Mr. Hankey's number con-
sisted of a 4, four 3's, two 2's, and six
singles ; whilst Mr. Aitken's number comprised
a 4, three 3's, a 2, and ten singles. Mr.
Ward, after gaining a 4, succumbed to a ball de-
livered by Mr. E. Bligh ; but Mr. Wynch, who suc-
ceeded that gentleman, carried out his bat, leaving a
score of 34 behind him. Mr. Nash was bowled by Mr.
Norton for 6, and Mr. Marillier and Sir F. Bathurst
contributed 5 between them. The total of this innings
was 184.

The Gentlemen of Kent then went to the wicket, and
a reference to the score will show that the gross number
they obtained was 69 only. Of these Mr. Fenn pre-
sented 14, by a 3, three 2's, and five singles ; Mr An-
drews the like number, by a 5, a 3, a 2, and four l's ;
and the Hon. H. Bligh 12, by a 4, two 3's, and the like
number of singles. The Gentlemen of Kent, at the
close of their first innings, were required to follow their
hands, being 100 runs behind their opponents, according
to law, 46. This they did, but in their second essay they
failed by 4 to make as many as in their first effort. The
double numbers in this innings were those of Mr. Nor-
man, who contributed 16, by a 4, three 3's, and three
singles ; and the Hon. E. Bligh, who gave 23, by a 5, a
4, three 2's, and the rest in singles. The result of the
day's play was that the Gentlemen of England won in
one innings by 50 runs. The final score stood as
follows :

ENGLAND.

First Innings.
W. Nicholson, c Fenn, b Norton 34
C. Henry, b Rashleigh
A. Haygarth, 1 b w, b Mynn 2O
C. Balfour, b Norton 0
R. Hankey, b E. Bligh •
H. Aitken, c Fredericks, b Rashleigh 25
A. R. Ward, b E. Bligh
C. G. Wynch, not out
J. Nash, b Norton 6
W. B. Marrillier, st Andrews, b Fredericks 1
Sir F. Bathurst, b Fredericks
Byes, R-Lc

Total
KENT.

First Innings. Second Innings
W. Rashleigh, h Bathurst
W. M. Fenn, c Balfour, b Nash 14 b Nash 8
W. S. Norton, b Bathurst, 3 c Nash, b Bathurst... 4
A. Mynn, c Wynch, b Nash 7 b Bathurst
C. Norman, st Nicholson, b
Bathurst 3 c Balfour, b Nash.... 16
Hon. E. Bligh, b Nash 7 c Haygartb, b Bath-
urst
H. Andrews, b Nash
F. Fredericks, c Aitken, b Nash 0 b Nash 0
H. Mur►ay, h Bathurst ......... 6 b Nash 6
S. Smith, b Nash 2 not out 1
lion. 11. Bligh, not out ......... 12 b Bathurst
Bye .. 1 Leg-byes

T0ta1......... 65

Total..

SLIGO ELECTION.—Tho contest in Sligo will be a des-
perate one ; and in such a neck-and-neck race as in all
probability it will prove to be, it is impossible to speak
with any certainty beforehand of the result,