The Sun.
London, England, 1853-04-13 00:00:00

NOTICES OF MOTION.

Sir B. HALL said this day week he gave notice of a
motion on the subject of the Admiralty Board which he
had fixed for Tuesday next, and he had now to appeal
to those hon. gentlemen who had notices on the paper
for that day to forego their motions in his favour.
Mr. STAFFORD also made an appeal to the house
to allow the hon. baronet's motion to come on first.

Mr. PHILLIMORE said he had no objection to give
way if the hon. member for the Tower Hamlets would
do so.

Sir mr. CLAY said the motion referred to was one
affecting the character of a Government department ;
and he thought, under these circumstances, the Govern
ment themselves ought to furnish a day for its discus-
sion.

Mr. FITZROY gave notice that on Thursday next he
should move for leave to bring in a bill to amend the
law for regulating-hackney carriages within the metro-
polis.

Mr. L. KING gave notice, that on the 3d of May he
should renew, his annual motion on the subject of elec-
toral reform.
Mr. Sergeant. SHEE gave notice, that on an early
day he should move for leave to bring in a bill to explain
the provisions of the Ecclesiastical Titles Bill.
Mr. B. CARTER gave notice, that on an early day
he should submit a motion to the house on the subject
of the ballot.
Mr. COLLIER gave notice, that on an early day he
should move for leave to briny in a bill to remove the
jurisdiction of the Ecclesiastical Courts in the case of
wills and letters of administration to the superior courts
of law at Westminister and the county courts.
FLOGGING IN THE ARMY.
Mr. HUME moved for a return of the number of per-
sons flogged in the army of Great Britain and Ireland,
in each of the years 1847 to 1852 inclusive, specifying
the offence, the regiment, the place of station, the time,
the sentence, and the number of lashes inflicted (in con-
tinuation of Parliamentary Paper, No. 81, of Session,
1847).

Agreed to.
EXPULSION OF A GENTLEMAN FROM
TUSCANY.
Lord D. STUART wished to put a question to the
noble lord the member for the City of London, respect-
ing the arbitrary expulsion of Mr. Craufurd from the
Tuscan dominions. Mr. Craufurd was the brother of
an hon. member of the house, and filled an important
situation under the Government at Corfu. Recently,
Mr. Craufurd had occasion to pass through Florence, and
while there he was told by the authorities of Tuscany
that if he did not immediately quit the Tuscan territories
force would be used to remove him, although he had
done nothing to merit the displeasure of the Duke.
He wished to know if the Government had received any
information on the subject ?
Lord J. RUSSELL said it was quite true that Mr.
Craufurd had been expelled from Tuscany under the
erroneous impression that he was connected with some
revolutionary movement. A representation had been
made to the Tuscan Government on the subject, and an
apology had been returned.
In reply to another question,
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said it would be incon-
venient to produce the correspondence which had passed
between the two Governments on the subject.
GOVERNMENT ANNUITIES..
Mr. HEADLAM wished to ask the Chancellor of the
Exchequer whether, on the creation of the new 3t per
Cent. and 24 per Cent. Stocks, the same contract with
reference to the income tax will be entered into concern-
ing such new stocks as were made in 1801 with reference
to the existing 3 per Cent. Stocks ?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said he
had some difficulty in understanding the question, but he
presumed it meant to ask whether the new annuities
which were about to be created would be exempt from
the payment of income tax as provided by the existing
law. If that was so, all that he could say was simply
that this was a matter of detail, but, nevertheless, as at
present advised he saw no reason for departing from
the existing law upon the subject.
—PUBLIC EDUCATION.
Mr. ADDERLEY wished to ask Lord 1. Russell
whether he Intended to introduce any measure, or would
extend his general educational measure so as to include
any provision, either by grants through the Committee
of Council, or by rates, or any other means, for pauper
or reformatory schools for the classes of children most
dependent on assistance, and whose better education is
most needed for the safety of the State.
Lord J. RUSSELL said, with regard to the educa-
tion of pauper children, that was a subject which had
been considered, and was still under the consideration
of the Government, but he apprehended the education
of criminal children did not come within the scope of the
bill, and therefore it would have to be made the subject
of a separate measure.
CANTERBURY ELECTION.
On the motion of Mr. K. SEYMER, the amendments
which the Lords had introduced into the address to the
Commons for a commission to inquire into the causes of
bribery at the Canterbury election were considered and
agreed to.
ENCUMBERED ESTATES (IRELAND) BILL.
In reply to Mr. H. HERBERT,
Sir J. YOUNG said he believed there was a general
feeling in Ireland that the Encumbered Estates Act
should be applied to estates which were not encumbered.
The subject however, was one of extreme difficulty, and
though he hoped it might be found possible to
bring such estates under the operation of that act, he
was not prepared to say that the Government would be
enabled to bring in a bill for that purpose during the
present session.

CLITHEROE ELECTION.
Mr. GASKELL moved for an address to her Majesty
praying that her Majesty will be graciously pleased to
issue a -commission to inquire into the state of the
borough of Clitheroe. Commissioners' names :—Messrs.
P. E. Pickering, G. G. Barrett, and G. Hardy.
He thought the house would shrink from the perform-
ance of a great public duty if it did not act on the re-
commendation of the committee that a commission should
be appointed. The general features cminected with this
election resembled those which had been frequently
brought under the consideration ofthe house in other cases.
Its main distinctive character consisted in the unblush-
ing manner in which the corrupt practices had been
carried on, and in the total absence of those glosses
which often covered the perpetration of such of-
fences in other borough. It appeared that bribery
existed for a fortnight previous to the election,
and that every man, whether an elector or not,
got meat and drink at the expense of the candidates.
In one case 40/, were paid to the voter, in another 301.,
and in a third 1001. There was also intimidation used
at the Clitheroe election, and in cases where parties
were undecided how they should vote, they were removed
to a distance of twenty miles from the borough.
Besides, the treating had been both extensive and
systematic, and in addition to debauching the elector, it
had the effect of sadly disturbing the peace of the town
during the election. A practice had prevailed for some
years at the election of Clitheroe, of introducing armed
men into the borough, for the purpose of intimidating the
voter, and unless the Legislature took some steps to put
a stop to the practice, it was a perfect mockery to talk
about the freedom of election. He had therefore no he-
sitation in making this motion, upon the recommenda-
tion of the committee that had investigated the matter.
Mr. COBDEN took the opportunity of presenting a
petition from several electors of Clitheroe, complaining
of having been coerced by their landlords for having voted
at the last election according to the dictates' of their own
conscience • and the hon. member having presented the
petition, called upon the house to pronounce an opinion
upon the point raised by it. The intimidation com-
plained of by the petitioners was equally as gross as that
of the bludgeon-man, and he should be glad to know
if it was a corrupt practice that came within the provi-
sions of the act under which the address was moved. If
that should be decided in the negative he should feel it to
be his duty to call upon the Government to amend the
act, in order that these intimidation practices might be in-
quired into.
Mr. WALPOLE said the act of Parliament gave the
Commissioners greater powers than were even en-
joyed by the judges of the land, and it was therefore
the duty of the house to take care that in each particular
case they complied with the requirements of the act. Now
the act required that the committee should report
that the corruption had been extensive and systematic ;
but the report in this instance contained no such words,
and they ought on that account to be cautious in dealing
with this motion. He was inclined to think that this
session ought not to pass over without a bill being
brought in to consolidate and amend the laws relating
to bribery and treating ; and as he had bestowed not a
little time upon such a bill already, he should, if he ob-
tained encouragement from the house, be inclined to ask
for leave to bring it in. (Hear, hear.)
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL quite concurred in
the construction which his right honourable and learned
friend had put upon the Act of Parliament. From the
best construction which he (the Attorney-Geneial) could
put upon it, he was of opinion that treating did not
come within the section which authorised the house to
address her Majesty. He very much regretted this cir-