The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-12 00:00:00

COUNTY COURTS BILL.

Lord BROUGHAM asked the noble earl at the
head of the Government, whether he could hold out
any hope of a speedy reduction in the scale of fees charged

to suitors in county court ?
The Earl of ABERDEEN admitted that the fees
charged in county courts appeared to be excessive, espe-
cially when compared with those taken in Westminster
Hall ; but he could not, at present, promise that any
deviation should be made from the existing scale.
After a brief conversation the subject dropped.
MINISTERS' MONEY (IRELAND) BILL.

Lord STANLEY of ALDERLEY moved the second
reading of the Ministers' Money (Ireland) Bill.
After some observations from the Earl of DONEUGH-
MORE and Lord CAMPBELL, who approved of the mea-
sure, the motion was agreed to.
THE REFORM BILL.

The Earl of HARDWICKE said it was known to
the country at large that the Government had under-
taken to introduce a Reform Bill, and since he had
entered the house ho had been informed that it had been
stated in the other House of Parliament that the bill
was to be withdrawn. He had waited to see whether
the noble earl opposite would make any statement to
the house upon the matter, so that they might not be
left to get their information from the public papers. It
had been said that the Russian affair was so light as not
to interfere with the matter ; and all he wished to know
was whether the bill was to be abandoned or not ?
The Earl of ABERDEEN said, in reply to the ques-
tion, that he had stated more than once that in com-
pliance with her Majesty's recommendation a bill would
be introduced, and the Government had fulfilled their
pledge, and had introduced a bill, which they hoped
would obtain the support of that house and would give
satisfaction to the country. They had seen no reason
to alter the opinions they had entertained with respect
to the importance of that measure. It was true that
the bill had not been abandoned, but withdrawn for this
session, not in consequence of any change of opinion as
to its character or importance, but from the opinion
that this was clearly not the time when they could with
any hope go on with the bill. (Hear, hear.) Whether
the war would be a light war or not he could not say.
Though he for one must maintain that the existence of
a state of war was no sufficient reason in itself for not
proceeding with the consideration of measures essentially
important for the interests of the country, still be must
admit that if that state of war was such as to indispose
Parliament and the country from giving that indispen-
sable attention to the subject which it required it would
be quite impossible to press it on the country. Under
these circumstances, without at all diminishing the im-
portance of the subject, they had thought it indispen-
. sable to withdraw the measure for the present session,
reserving to themselves the full intention to renew it or
to bring in some equivalent measure as early as the state
of the public mind and of Parliament might enable them
to do.

Lord CAMPBELL, as a friend of reform, warmly
approved of the course taken by the Government.
Their lordships adjourned at half•past seven until
Thursday the 27th inst.

HOUSE OF COMMONS-(YESTERDAY.)
THE ADJOURNMENT OF THE HOUSE.-THE

REFOIOI BILL.

Lord J. RUSSELL—Sir, in rising to propose the ad.
journment of the house, I will just address myself to the
immediate question of the day to which the house is to be
adjourned, and then proceed to the business to ho brought
forward after Easter. The day to which I had proposed
that the house should be adjourned was Monday, April
2.4, but have found, with regard to various important sub-
jects which I propose to fix for that day, that there has
been a very general unwillingness on the part of members
who wish to take part in the discussion of these measures
—whether the Oxford University Bill, the Railway Bill
which has just been mentioned, or other measures of im-
portance— to have that business in which they take an
interest fixed for the first day after the Easter recess. I
have likewise, with some satisfaction, to say that we have
not at present, as frequently happens, estimates to bring
forward immediately after that recess. I also find that
her Majesty has been pleased to fix Wednesday, the 2dth,
for a day of fasting and humiliation, when the members of
this house will probably wish to be in the neighbourhood
of their homes, and therefore there would only be two
days—Monday and Tuesday—on which unimportant busi-
ness would probably be brought forward, I think that it
is not desirable that members should be brought from
their homes for that, and I therefore propose to alter my
motion by proposing Thursday, the 27th, instead of Mon-
day, the 24th inst. (Hear.) I now proceed, sir, to the
question which was asked by an hon. gentleman (Sir E.
Daring) yesterday, viz., with respect to my intention as to
bringing forward the second reading of the Reform Bill on
the 27th instant ; and with respect to a measure of so
much importance, and which was introduced by me as the
organ of the Government at the commencement of the
session, I think it is necessary to make a statement of some
length before Igoon to state the course that I intend to
take. The house is aware that Lord Aberdeen, on the for-
mation of his Government, declared to those who accepted
office under him, and declared in parliament, that a mea-
sure of parliamentary reform would be one of the measures
which would be among the bases upon which his Govern-
ment would be formed. The members who accepted office
at that time, accepted office with that understanding, and
consented to that proposal. I mention this, sir, partly
because I think it is stated, in an invidious manner, that
my personal honour is alone concerned in the carrying On
of this measure. (Cheers.) I consider, sir, that my per-
sonal honour was engaged when the question was whether
I would consent to serve under the Crown as a member of
Lord Aberdeen's administration. If Lord Aberdeen had
said that it was not his intention to propose or to adopt
any measure of parliamentary reform,
to be a member of that administration, I might fairly have
and I had consented
been questioned in this house, and my personal honour have
been called in question ; but from the moment t
that
his Lord
Aberdeen had. made that declaration, and ha col-
leagues had accepted office on the faith of that d e
eclaration,
the question of personal honour regarded+not alo,ne, but
regarded all the members of that adminiszationtated at . (the 4.,he
ti ers.)
Sir, Lord Aberdeen and his colleagues me
that they did not think that with the pressure of im-
portant business before them:--with the finances unsettled
—with the India Bill requiring attention, and with other
important measures before them—it was possible, to bring
forward a measure of parliamentary reform during the
last session. I think there was no question of serious
importance raised as to the propriety of that determina-
tion. But during the recess the Cabinet applied them-
selves most sedulously and deliberately to the con-
sideration of this important subject, and a measure was
framed which I had the honour of introducing into this
house on the 13th of February last. Sir, I see no reason
to conceive that that measure was inadequate to the ocoa-