The Sun.
London, England, 1853-07-01 00:00:00

(LEFT SPEARING.)

HOUSE OF COMMONS—(THIS EVENING)
The SPEAKER took the chair at 4 o'clock.
NEW MEMBER.
The Earl of DALKEITH took the oaths and his seat for
the county of Edinburgh.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.
The British Electric Telegraph Company, Halifax
Waterworks and Improvement, and Ribble Navigation
Bills were read a third time and passed.
The Banbridge, Dublin, Newry, and Belfast Junction
Railway, and Llanelly Railway and Dock Bills were
read a third time.
CHORLEY IMPROVEMENT BILL.
On the motion for the third reading of the bill,
Mr. BOUVERIE proposed the omission of the
smoke-consuming clause.
After a lengthened discussion the third reading of the
bill was postponed until Monday, with a view to the
modification of the clause.
DEVON AND DORSET RAILWAY.
Mr. BECKETT brought up the report of the commit-
tee on this bill, declaring the preamble not proved.
Sir T. D. ACLAND regretted the decision at which
the committee had arrived ; and he wished to know
what were the intentions of the Government with re-
gard to the filling-up of the gap of railway communica-
tion which was left by the throwing out of this bill.?
Mr. CARDWELL said it was an error to suppose
that there had been any official interference in this case
on the part of the Government.
Lord SEYMOUR wished the evidence taken before
the committee to be laid on the table for the purpose of
being printed.
The report was then laid on the table, and the evi-
dence taken before the committee ordered to be printed.
PLYMOUTH ELECTION.
Mr. AGLIONBY brought up the report of the com-
mittee appointed to make a further inquiry into the
alleged corrupt practices at the Plymouth election. The
report stated that a general belief appeared to have pre-
vailed at Plymouth both previous to, and at the election
for Plymouth in 1852 that it was not illegal for a can-
didate or his agent to give a promise to obtain situations
or employment for electors who had pledged them-
selves to vote in his favour. Acting upon this
assumption, Mr. Mare and his agents obtained em-
ployment for several electors, as well in the dock-
yard at Devonport as in Mr. Mare's own dockyard,
and the exercise of this patronage had a great influence
upon the votes, by inducing many of them to promise
their votes to f_r. Mare. A Mr. George Churchward,
an agent for Mr. Mare, was chiefly instrumental in pro-
curing these situations, and that gentleman states
in his evidence that he obtained situations for twenty
electors in Mr. Mare's dockyard. He had some
30 or 40 applications for Government dockyard appoint-
ments, and in 25 of those cases he succeeded in accom-
modating the applicants. The committee did not think
it necessary to recommend that any further inquiry should
take place into this matter, but they desired especially to
draw the attention of the house to the defective provi-
sions of the sth and 6th of Victoria, which they thought
were not sufficiently stringent, while they felt that there
could be no effective inquiry into these cases of bribery
and corruption at elections, unless the inquiry took
place on the spot where such bribery had occurred, and
some additional powers were granted for compelling
witnesses to answer questions.
ROMAN PAVEMENT.
Mr. EWART said some ancient Roman pavement
had been discovered in Essex, and it was reported that it
was to be removed to the British Museum. He wished
to ask the right hon. baronet the member for the
University of Oxford whether there was any inten-
tion to perpetrate this act of Vandalism ?
Sir R. H. INGLIE replied in the negative, and took
the opportunity of reminding the house that this country
was perhaps the only one in Europe where the public
monuments were not under the guardianship of some
commissioner attached to the Government.
TURKEY AND RUSSIA.
Mr. LAYARD wished to asked the noble lord the
member for the City of London a question of some im-
portance to the commercial world, regarding the position of
affairs in the East. It was reported that the Russian autho-
rities had blocked up the entrance to the Danube, and the
consequence was that some 370 vessels, laden with corn,
were prevented from leaving the river. He wished to
know if the Government had received any information of
that fact ?
Lord J. RUSSELL said no such information bad
been received, but a communication had been forwarded
from one of our consuls, stating that the entrance to the
Danube was obstructed by natural causes. No account
whatever of the Russian authorities having caused the
obstruction had been received at the Foreign-office.
EDUCATION IN SCOTLAND.
Mr. CRAUFURD wished to ask the Lord Advocate
whether it was the intention of her Majesty's Govern.
ment to propose any measure of education for Scotland
during the present session, and also; whether any
proposal was to be made on the subject of schoolmasters'
salaries in Scotland ?
The LORD ADVOCATE said (there was no prospect
of an education measure for Scotland being introduced
at this late period of the session, nor did he think it
would be necessary to make any proposal on the other
subject until the Government had had an opportunity of
bringing in a general measure.
Mr. S. WORTLEY wished to ask the learned Attor-
ney-General whether there was any intention on the part
of the Government to bring in a bill this session
to carry out the recommendations contained in the last
report of the Common Law Commissioners, particularly
with regard to substituting an affirmation for an oath ?
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said such a bill was
in a forward state of preparation, and he hoped it would
be brought in either in this or the other house in a few
days. Should, however, there be any difficulty in the
way of passing the bill this session, there would be no
objection to introduce a clause into the Evidence Bill to
substitute an affirmation for the oath in certain cases.
ORDNANCE SURVEY OF IRELAND.
Sir D. NORREYS wished to ask the Secretary of
the Ordnance—first, whether the reduced map of Ire-
land, on the scale of on.e inch to the mile, is in course
of publication ? second, the number of sheets which
have been completed and are on sale ? and, third, at
what time the completion of the entire map may be ex-
pected at the present rate of publication ?
Mr. MONSELL said the maps were not yet com-
pleted, but there were 35 of the sheets in a very forward
state, comprising a space of 6,000 square miles, or one-
fifth of the whole area of Ireland. These were open to
the inspection of the hon. baronet.
SLAVERY IN AMERICA.
On the motion that the house, at its rising, do adjourn
until Monday,
Mr. FRENCH called the attention of her Majesty's
Government to a statement reported to have been made
by the noble lord the Secretary for the Colonies, " That
successive law officers of the Crown had given their
opinion, that the State of South Carolina was justified
in imprisoning, as they now do, coloured seamen, sub-
jects of her Majesty;" and to inquire wilether, in their
future relations with that state, her Majesty's Govern-

ment are prepared to admit the legality of these proceed-
ings.

Lord J. RUSSELL declined to enter into a discus-
sion on this question, but there could be no doubt that
however legally right the proceedings of American
States be in the matter, they were at least morally
wrong.
Mr. HUME said the declaration of American inde-
pendence declared that all men in the United States
were equal in the eyes of the law, but it would appear
that they were not so in Carolina. He hoped the corre-
spondence which had passed upon this subject would be
produced.

- Sir G. GREY hoped, if they got through the adver-
tisement duty at a reasonable hour this evening, they
would endeavour to make some further progress with
the Succession Duty Bill.
Lord J. RUSSELL thought the Chancellor of the
Exchequer would be fully justified in going on with the
bill to-night, if he postponed the clauses respecting tim-
ber which were objected to.
Sir J. PAKINGTON assented to that course.