The Sun.
London, England, 1854-02-28 00:00:00

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SUN OFFICE, Sevcr, o'clock.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS—(THIS EVENING.)
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack
at five o'clock.

The Duke of ARGYLL presented petitions from
Scotland against tho support of Popery, also in favour
of a national system of education in that country.
Earl GREY presented a petitioti from the Newcastle
Chamber o (Commerce, !praying for the formation of a
harbour of refuge on the coast of Northumberland.
The Earl of EGLINTON presented a petition from
a place in Scotland in favour of the maintenance of the
parochial education in that country.
THE MILITIA FOR IRELAND.

The Earl of WICKLOW inquired whether it was the
intention of the Government to propose during the pre-
sent session any measure for embodying the Irish mi-
litia ; and if so, whether they proposed to form it under
the old system established during the war, or under
that adopted during the peace ?
The Earl of ABERDEEN said a bill would be intro-
duced this session in the other house by which power
would be taken to modify the existing law respecting
the militia in England. By that law power was given to
extend the 80,000 men which had been raised to 120,000.
It was now proposed to vary that and apply the act to
Ireland. The Gosernnwit intended to embody in Ire-
land a militia of 30,0010 Rim aid in Scotland a militia of
10,000 men.
.It was„bowr„Tere.not proposed to embody
the Irish militia this year.
LEASING POWERS (IRELAND) BILL.
The Earl of DONOUGHMORE moved the slcond
reading of this bill, He stated that this, and the
Landlord and Tenant (Ireland) Bill, the second rend-
ing of which he would also move, were the same, with
some minor exceptions, as those introduced into this
house last session. The noble earl entered into an ex-
planation of the main provisions of the bill, which he
observed had been carefully framed, so as to obviate any
interference with the rights of property.
[Lan SITTING.]

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-(THIS EVENING.)
The SPEAKER took the chair at four o'clock.
SECOND READINGS.

The following private bills, were read a second time
and ordered to be committed :—Chapel-en-le-Frith
Roads ; London and North Western Railway (Haydon
Square, &c.) ; Great Southern and Western Railway ;
Shrewsbury and Chester Railway (Sale or Lease) ;
Thirsk and Yarm Road,
Mr. E. BALL presented a petition from Cambridge
praying the house to a adopt a system of decimal
coinage.
Mr. BOUVERIE presented', etition with the same
prayer from the borough and wn council of Car-
marthen.
Mr. 0. STANLEY presented a petition from 300
electors of Carmarthen, praying for reform in the elec-
tive system.
VENTILATION OF THE HOUSE.

On the motion that the house at its rising should ad-
journ till two o'clock to-morrow,
Mr. SPOONER called the attention of the house
to the abominable ,staiwp--of ventilation of the house.
(Hear, hear.) He spoke feelingly, for the air that was
" pumped " into the house.and.for which they had3paid
some 200,0001. was so filled with dust that it brought
on an attack upon him from which he was now suffering.
If the matter were not attended to he certainly would
move for a committee to in,quire into the matter. 'le
could find them places in the house freezing in one est.
ner and scorching in another. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. W. PATTEN also bore testimony to the bad
state of the ventilation.
Mr. HUME said if Mr. S. Gurney had an oppor-
tunity of carrying out his views as to the ventilation of
the house, he would for a very small expense put
house in a good condition as regarded ventilation. Pro-
bably public money never was -so squandered as had
been the case in this matter, and he hoped it would be
taken up by the proper authorities. (Hear, huar.l
Mr. MUNTZ said this was another instance of the
evil effects of the Government undertaking the duties of
a factory. (Laughter.)
Mr. BOUVERIE said a good deal of the difference
of opinion that existed on this subject was owing to the
different conditions in which hon. members came into
the house. Some hon. members came in after having a
good dinner and a fair share of wine, and they com-
plained that the house was intolerably hot, while those
who had been in the house for some hours were chilled.
He himself had sat as many hours last session in this
house as any hon: member, not even excepting the
Speaker, and if the ventilation had been so very bad as
was said, he would have suffered more from it than he
certainly had suffered. (Hear, hear.)
PRIVATEERING.
Mr. M. GIBSON gave notice that on this day week
he should move that an address to the Crown be pre-
sented praying her Majesty not to grant letters of
marque to any vessel.

VINE DISEASE.
Mr. SPOONER askejl. if the
~Government had re-
ceived any report relative to the rumoured failure of
the vine crop in various wine' growing countries.
Mr. CARDWELL said the Government received
such reports, and had no objection to produce them.
Mr. SPOONER then moved that the reports re-
ferred to be laid upon the table.
Agreed to. . - •
RUSSIA AND THE INDIAN PRINCES.

Mr. LIDDELL asked if an alliance, defensive and
offensive, had been concluded between the Czar of
Russia and the Kkans of Bokhara and Khiva, and the
King of Cabool.
Sir C. WOOD replied that he believed there was no
truth whatever in this report.
UNSTAMPED PUBLICATIONS.
Mr. LUCAS wished to ask the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer whether it is the intention to acquiesce in the
verdict given in the Court of Exchequer in Dublin in the
oase of Mr. 6haw's Penny Commercial Journal. In
this case the jury found a verdict for the defendant
If the Government did not acquiesce in the verdict, was
it the intention of the Government to enforce their no-
tion of the law with reference to The Builder and The
Athenceum.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the
Government did not intend to acquiese in the verdict,
but it would he premature t 3 vbnswer the other question.
ACCIDENTS IN MINES.
Mr. CALEY enquired if the Under-Secretary of
State for the Home Department had received any in-
formation of the recent coal mine accident in Wigan.
Mr. FITZROY said hie attention had been drawn to
this lamentable occurrence, and a Government officer
had been sent down to attend the inquest.

LAW OF J3RIBEItY.
Sir F. KELLY wished to ask the noble lord the
member for the city of London when he intended
to proceed with his bill for tote consolidation of the law
of bribery.

Lord J. RUSSELL., would answer the question to.
morrow.

• •
CONVENTIJAL ESTABLISHMENTS.
Mr. T. CHAMBERS then rose to move for a select
committee to inquire into the number and rate of in-
crease of conventual and monastic institutions in the
United Kingdom, and the relation in which they staid
to existing law ; and to consider-whether any, and, if
any, what further legislation is required on the subject.
He brought this subject forward in a civil, social, and po-
litical sense, and not as a religious question. He should
endeavour to avoid exciting any religious animosity by
confining his arguments to facts which he had obtained
from the Roman Catholic registry. According to that
authority there were 75 convents its England, and 128
in Ireland, making in all 20 3 convents, The
same authority told him that in 1848 there were only 53
of these institutions in Great Britain and Ireland, thus
showing the enormous increase of 400 per cent.
within ten years, and proving the absolute ne-
cessity for an immediate inquiry into their cha-
racter. (Hear.) In January, 1853, there were in
existence no less than 72 monasterieet in Ireland, while
in 1843 there were not more than 60 ; in other words,
there had been an increase upon the ten years of 20 per
cent. in monasteries. Now that saws a ♦ery grave fact,
and one which ought to be inquired into and investigated
by a country professing the Protestant faith without
offending the followers of the Roman Catholic Church.
It was a mistake to suppose that the Roman Catholic
laity were opposed to such an inquiry, although some of
them might be, and he hoped there would be no objec-
tion to his motion on that ground. Many of these in-
stitutions: were opposed to the spirit of the English law
as established by acts of Parliament, they had been esta-
blished, indeed, in open violation of the existing statute
law, and on that account he contended there ought to be
some inquiry into their numbers or character. Monas-
tic establishments were decidedly at variance with
the law, while as for convents they stood in the highly
inconvenient and inexpedient situation of having no re-
lations whatever to the law. They were neither ignored
nor recognised by the law, and as such a state of
things could not be permitted any longer to continue
he thought that was an additional reason why the
enquiry he asked for should be had. (Hear.) But,
besides their numbers, there was much danger in • the
manner in which these convents were conducted ; for
many of the inmates were confined in them in
opposition to the wish of their parents or
their own will. (Hear.) He could say nothing
about the doctrines t.ught in these conventual estab-
lishments, though they were certainly none of the
soundest but he thought, upon political grounds
alone, the house was bound to institute the in-
quiry to ascertain the treatment the inmates were
subject to which history proved was both coercive and
severe. Convents were places of restraint or infliction,
where the most excruciating torments were practised
upon the nuns and novices, and it was an abuse of social
and political right to allow them to remain longer in
this country without investigation.
[LEFT SPEAKING.]

THE LONDON GAZETTE.
(THIS EVENING.)

ST. JAMES'S—'--PALACE, FEB. 24.
Tho Queen has been pleased to p.ppoinkSommander
Robert Tench Bedford, R.N.' to be one of the Gentlemen
Ushers Quarterly Waiters in Ordinary to her Majesty, in
the room of Sir John Strachan, Bart., deceased.

WHITEHALL, Feb. 25.
The Queen has been pleased to appoint General the
Right Hon. Viscount Harding', G.(' .B, LieuteGentrog