The Sun.
London, England, 1838-03-03 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT,

HOUSE OP COMMONS, .211iRmr 2.
The SPEAKER took the Chair at the usual hour.
CITY OF DURHAM ELECTION.
Mr. Sergeant BALL brought up the Report of the Com-
mi.tee appointed to try the merits of the Durham Election
Petition, which stated that William Charles Harland, Esq.,
was duly elected to serve in Parliament fur the said City,
and that neither the petition of Thomas Granger, nor the op-
position to it was frivolous or vexatious.
DUTY ON MARINE INSURANCES.
Mr. CRAWFORD presented petitions from London,
Bangor, Carnarvon, and Barnstaple, praying for a reduction
of the duty on Marine Insurances. The Hon. Member stated
that the petition ft om London was signed by 713 merchants,
traders, underwriters, and other persons en ;aged in commerce.
NEGRO APPRENTICESHIP.
Mr. WINNINGTON presented a petition from Bewdley,
praying for the immediate abolition of Negro Apprenticeship;
also a petition from the same place in favour of Vote by Ballot.
Mr. HASTINGS presented petitions praying for the repeal
of the Corn Laws and the reduction of the duty on Raw Cotton.
but from what place we could not catch.
Mr. RICE presented a petition from certain magistrates of
East Kent, complaining of the operation of the new Poor-
law. The Hon. Member gave notice that he would, after
Easter, call the attention of the House to th:s subject.
Mr. CAYLEY presented a number of petitions from places
in Wales, praying for the immediate abolition of Negro Ap-
prenticeship ; also a petition from Abergavenny against the
Rating of Tenements Bill.
Mr. PEASE presented a petition from Bath, praying the
House to adopt measures to secure the abolition of the Negro
apprenticeship system. The Hon. Member also presented a
petition from the mayor, burgesses, and aldermen of Stockton.
upon- Tees to the same effect.
Sir R. BATESON presented a petition from a parish in
Down against the introduction of poor-laws into Ireland.
Mr. FERGU S SON presented a petition from Kirkaldy,
praying that the Commercial Advertiser might be put upon
the same footing as Lloyd's List.

Mr. PA CK L presented a petition from Leistershire against
the new Poor-laws.
REFORM OF PARLIAMENT.

Mr. LEADER presented a petition from Tiverton, pray-
ing for further Refcrm of Rarliament.

PLURALITIES.
Mr. PL MITRE presented a petition from Derby, pray-
ing that until the Pluralities Bill shall have passed, the creation
of pluralities in tho Church may be disallowed.
NEGRO EMANCIPATION.
Lord EBRINGTON presented a petition from Okehamp.
ton, in Devon, praying for the immediate emancipation of the
negroes in our colonies. Also a petition to the same effect,
from the Baptist and Independent congregations of Reading.
Sir G. WOOD presented a petition to the same effect from
several places in West Moreland.
SIR JOHN SOANE'S MUSEUM.
Sir JOHN CAMPBELL presented a petition from his
Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex, the Duke of Hamil-
ton, the Earl of Aberdeen, Sir M. Shee, and others, trus-
tees of Sir J. Soane's Museum, stating that it was the
wish of the testator, that this Museum should be a separate
establi,hrnent in the British Museum, and that they had
exerted themselves to carry into effect that wish ; that it had
always been open to the public ; and that they had endeavoured
to make it the source of as much entertainment to the public
as possible. They further stated that they were informed a
plan had been started to partition—to destroy this establish-
ment, and to send part of it to the British Museum, and part
to the National Gallery. They thought this would be unjust
to the memory and declared intentions of the testator, that it
would have the effect of counteracting and defeating the ob.
ject which lie had in view, and would deter others from fol-
lowing his philanthropic example, and they prayed that no
Bill with that object might pass into a law.
LAND TAX.

Mr. DIVETT presented a petition from Exeter, for the
equalization of the land-tax, stating that it frequently varied
from 3s. in the pound to the fraction of a farthing.
ROXBURGII ELECTION.

Mr. PRINGLE moved that the whole of the proceedings
before the Roxburgh Election Committee should be printed
with the Votes. His reason for adopting this course was, that
the minutes of the evidence only had been printed.
The LORD ADVOCATE considered that some notice
was necessary before the Hon. Member made the motion
which he was now bringing forward.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said that if all that the
lion. Gentleman required was the resolution of the Com-
mittee and the evidence, he should offer no objection ;
but if the whole of the speeches, and all that had taken place
before the Committee was to be printed, he must object to it
as useless waste of the public money.
After sonic observations from Mr. PRINGLE and other
Members, it was agreed that the whole proceedings should be
printed.

REDUKTION OF POSTAGE.
Mr. WALL ACE presented petitions from Tynemouth,
Oxford, Dawlish, Holt, and the subscribers to the Mechanics'
and Apprentices' Library at Liverpool, praying for areduction
of postage upon letters.
Mr. C. BULLER presented a petition from Leek, in
Staffordshire, for the abolition of the Negro apprenticeship
system.

Mr. Sergeant JACKSON presented petitions from different
pacts of Ireland against the Irish Poor Law Bill.

SLAVERY.

Captain PE CHE L L said, as the House bad always ex-
tendi_d its indulgence to Members who had any explanation to
make, he would take the opportunity of stating that in
reference to what he had said last night in defence
of his brother officers, lie had received a letter from a Noble,
eloquent, and Learned Lord this day. With respect to the
speech of the Noble and Learned Lord to which his observa-
tions last night applied, he could only say, that if the Noble
and Learned Lord had used the expressions attributed to him
in the public reports, lie (Captain Pechell) was perfectly
justified in what he said last night. He had seen only two
reports of those observations, in the paper called the Times,
and in the Morning Chronicle, and in these he saw nothing that
he could complain of. The defence of his brother officers
had been founded on a speech which he read in the news-
papers ; and if the Noble Lord made that speech, he (Captain
P.) was justified in all that he said. He was not bred to the
law—be was no special pleader. He telt that he was war-
ranted in the expressions which he had used last night, and if
he had said anything improper, he had no doubt the Speaker
would have called him to order.—( Hear.) The Noble Lord
had given him (as we understood) notice that he would this
evening make a motion in the other House at five o'clock.
For his part he (Captain P.) had no apology to make.—
( Hear and a laugh.)
Sir E. COD RINGTON had also received a letter from
the Noble and Learned Lord—( Hear and laughter)—together
with a pamphlet containing a report of the Noble Lord's speech,
in which the expressions are much stronger and more offensive
than those to which he ( Admiral C.) had alluded to last
night. In this pamphlet, it was stated that the officers of her
Majesty's navy upon the slave trade prevention service used
to say when they saw a slaver empty—" let her pass, she is not
heavy enough." The pamphlet did not say that at the time
alluded to, they had not the power of taking such vessels when
they had not slaves on board, and that they could not take
them if they wished.—( Hear, hear.) The pamphlet also
said that the officers of her Majesty's navy on this service ob-
tained head money, as the police officers have been convicted of
obtaining blood money, by leading people into the commission
of offences, and pouncing upon them in the fact, that they
might obtain the reward for bringing them to punishment.
The communication of the Noble and Learned Lord had not
suggested to him anything which he saw reason to explain.
Mr. SMITH O'BRIEN presented a petition from Bever-
ley, praying for an improvement in the condition of the
Negroes in the West Indian Islands ; also a petition from the
females of the same place, to a similar effect. The Hon.
Member also presented petitions from the parish of Knock..
needy in the county of Limerick, praying for Corporate Re-
form, the abolition of Tithes, and Vote by Ballot ; also two
petitions from Pallass Green, in the same county, in favour of
Corporate Reform, Short Parliaments, and Vote by Ballot.
SODOR AND MAN.

Petitions against the suppression of the Bishopric of Sodor
and Man were presented by Sir George Sinclair and. Mr.
Goulbourn.

NEGRO APPRENTICESHIP.

Mr. DIVETT presented a petition signed by 6,926 of the
ladies of Exeter and its vicinity, praying for the immediate
abolition of Negro Apprenticeship.
Sir WILLIAM FOLLETT presented another petition to
the saute effect.