The Sun.
London, England, 1854-03-08 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.-(YESTERDAY.)

The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack
at 5 o'clock.

The Earl of SHAFTESBITRY presented several peti.
tions in favour of the establishment of reformatory insti•

tutions for juvenile offenders.
The Duke of ARGYLL presented petitions from
places in Scotland, praying for a national system of edu-
cation for that country.
Lord BROUGHAM presented a petition from the
society for the protection of trade in Manchester, in
favour of the assimilatiOn of the laws of England and
Scotland in respect to debtor and creditor ; and stated
that, in the course of a few days, he intended to intro-
duce a bill on the subject.
Their lordships adjourned at 20 minutes after 5 o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS—(YESTERDAY.
The SPEAKER took the chair at four o'clock.
SECOND RE4LDINGS.

The Newcastle-upon-Tyne Docks Bill was read a se-
cond time ; also the South Wales Railway Bill.
Lord LISBURN took the oaths and his seat for Cardi-
ganshire.
On the motion that the St. Mary's, Stoke Newington,
Church Bill be read a second time,
Mr. T. DUNCOMBE moved that the bill be read a
second time this day six months. The present church
was a building that, for its architectural beauty, at-
tracted the admiration of every passer by. If the church
was not sufficient for the present congregation, let them
build an addition to it. (Hear, hear.)
Lord J. MANNERS seconded the amendment.
Mr. F. FRENCH defended the bill.
Mr. HADFIELD maintained it was wrong to come
here to ask for an act of Parliament to bind the trustees.
He, therefore, supported the amendment.
Mr. HEATHCOTE said, though unacquainted with
the local views of the hon. gentleman who supported
the bill, he would ask the house to take care and see
what step they would take in respect of a matter of this
kind. This was the first time that the common law
rights of a church were to be taken away by enactments
of the house, and the principle of the bill was one
which they ought not to pass.
Mr. BOUVERIE said the bill unfortunately was
likely to be shipwrecked between a High Church Scylla
and a Dissenting Charybdis. (Hear, hear.) They all
knew that in the parish churches of London rents
were levied for the pews ; and, considering the question
of principle, he should be inclined to vote for the second
reading of the bill.
Mr. FRESHFIELD said the effect of the bill was to
give the rector 120 seats, and the parishioner had no
control over them, and, in fact, the object of the bill was
to provide accommodation for parties living at a dis-
tance, instead of those living near the church.
After a few words from Mr. MIALL,
The amendment was negatived without a division.
Mr. LIDDELL presented a petition from Tynemouth
praying for an alteration in the present postal arrange.
ments with the North of England.
Col. BLAIR presented several petitions from places
in Scotland against the endowment of Roman Catholic
institutions, and also against the Oaths Bill.
GREEK INSURRECTION.

Mr. M. MILNES gave notice that on Friday next, on
the motion for the adjournment of the house, he would
call attention to the Greek insurrection in Turkey.

THE CONVICTS FROST, WILLIAMS, AND
JONES.

Mr. T. DITNCOMBE rose to ask the Secretary of
State for the Home Department, whether it is the in-
tention of her Majesty's Government to advise the
Crown to grant the same amount of pardon to Frost,
Williams, and Jones, convicted of high treason in 1839,
that has been recently extended to Smith O'Brien, con-
victed of a similar offence in 1848.
Viscount PALMERSTON said her Majesty, who
was always glad when she could properly find an oppor-
tunity of tempering justice with mercy, had been gra-
ciously pleased to extend the clemency of the Crown to
Frost, Williams, and Jones, similar to that extended to
Smith O'Brien. (Hear, hear.) He would take this op-
portunity of stating that there had been two other per-
sons transported at the same time with Smith O'Brien—
.Martin and O'Dsgherty—for a slighter offence, and her
Majesty had been graciously pleased to extend her par-
don to them also.(Hear, hear.)
BUSINESS FOR FRIDAY.

In reply to Mr. WALPOLE,
Lord J. RUSSELL stated that the first business that
would be taken on Friday would be the Bill for Reform-
ing the University, and then the second reading of the
Bribery Bill.
Sir J. PAKINGTON should understand then, that
the Poor-law Settlement would not be brought forward
on Friday.
Lord J. RUSSELL replied in the negative.
SAVINGS' BANKS.

Mr. 11. HERBERT wished to ask the Chancellor of
the Exchequer whether he intended to bring in any mea-
sure on the subject of Savings' Banks this session ?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said at
the first favourable opportunity he should submit to the
house, in substance, the same bill that he introduced
last year ; but as the financial part of the subject was
mixed up with the management clauses, he was afraid,
in the existing state of affairs, there was little prospect
of his being able to pass such a bill at present.
METROPOLITAN GRAVE YARDS.

Col. HARCOURT moved an address for a return of all
the notices for discontinuance of burials within the
metropolis, issued by the Secretary of State, in compli-
ance with the provisions of the act 15 and 16 Vic. c. 85.
Lord PALMERSTON had no objection to the re-
turn, remarking that at present he did not think there
was any necessity for making a change in the law with
regard to the construction of new cemeteries. He had,
however, in preparation a bill for regulating what should
be done with graveyards, in accordance with the orders
in Council.
After a few words from Mr. WILKINSON,
Sir E. HALL said he was satisfied that when the re-
turns were forthcoming it would be found that the me-
tro politan parishes had obeyed the orders of the Secre-
tary of State with the utmost alacrity.
Mr. A. PELLATT regretted that the return was not
to extend to a wider area than the metropolis.
After a few words the motion was agreed to. •
POSTAL COMMUNICATION WITH SCOTLAND.
Mr. H. G. LIDDELL moved for a select committee
to inquire into the postal communication between Lon-
don and the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, with a
view of ascertaining whether greater despatch and punc-
tuality can be attained in the transmission of letters, as
well between the termini as the intermediate places.
He suggested that the Northern Mails, instead of being
carried round by Derby and Rugby, should be taken by
the Great Northern Railway.
Mr. COWAN seconded the motion.
Mr. WILSON said there were difficulties at present
in the way of employing the Great Northern line ; but
when these difficulties, which were of a somewhat com-
plicated character, should be removed, there would be
no objection to carrying the mails over that railway.
The arrangements of the Post-office, he observed, were
in a transition state, and considering the rapid rate of
increase in the number of letters, it was no wonder that
there should be occasional irregularities and delays. He
would not oppose the hon. member's motion, but he
wished him to alter it, so that the inquiry might nut be
confined to any particular case ; and he would suggest
that for that purpose words should be added to this
effect----" to inquire into the causes of irregularity in the
carriage of the mails by railways, and to consider the
best mode of securing speed and regularity, and the re-
muneration which railway companies should receive for
the services they performed."
Mr. LIDDELL was ready to assent to this proposal,
doubting, however, whether the area of inquiry would
not be too large where an expeditious remedy was re-
quired for a pressing evil.
Mr. MONCKTON MILNES thought both proposi-
tions objectionable. If witnesses were brought from all
parts of the country, a long time would elapse before
they would have any report on the subject. He thought
it was the fault of the Post-Office Government in not

coming down to bring in a bill to remedy the evils com-
plained of.
Mr. FREWIN complained of the delay in the day
mail train that left Euston-square for York. The ex-

press train that left an hour later arrived in York an hour
earlier than the mail train.
Mr. HASTIE trusted that the inquiry by her Ma-
jesty's Government would be gone into with a deter-
mination to investigate the whole question, and to cor-
rect the abuses. Tn Glasgow there was no proper
post-office, and the people of that city complained
strongly of the inconvenience, and want of proper public
accommodation.
Lord TIOTHAM said it was not only the great towns
on the main line that suffered, but the small, and more
inland towns.
Mr. HUDSON stated that if the Postmaster-General
would only give directions at any time for a train to be
put on the Great
Northern Line, the desire would be at
once complied with. He thought the grievances com-
plained of by his hon. friend who brought forward the
motion was a very serious one, and he (Mr. Hudson)
regretted that there should be any opposition offered to
his motion. The railway company was not at all to
blame in the matter, and the only party who really was
to blame, and against Whose want of arrangement there
was great cause of complaint, was the Postmaster-Gene-
ral. He (Mr. Hudson) thought it desirable that a com-
mittee should be appointed, and he was satisfied that
such a report would emanate from that committee as
would prove beneficial to the trading and commercial
interests of the country, and to the public generally.
The motion was then withdrawn, and the amendment
of Mr. Wilson was substituted and agreed to.