The Sun.
London, England, 1838-01-18 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, JAY. 17.
The SERAKIER took the Chair at the usual hour.
Lord DUNCIARVON, Major AGLIONAY, and Mr. BODKIN took
the oaths and their seats. Mr. BODKIN was sworn separately,
and took the oaths prescribed for Roman Catholic Members.
Mr. CRATER presented Papers from
BILLS. the Treasury.
PRIVATE

Mr. SHAW LE FE VR E wished to call the attention of
the House to a subject connected with the petitions on pri-
vate Bills. There were two notices in the Votes of to-day,
stating that the Committee would sit upon those private Bills.
Now, it must be in the recollection of the House, that the
Committee had adjourned to the sth of February, on the sup-
osition that the House would not sit till early in that month.
Such being the case, the Committee could not, in justice to
the agents and parties concerned, sit upon an early day.
He begged, therefore, to inform the House that no alteration
!would be made with respect to the meeting of the Committee.
:t would sit on the sth of February, and continue doing so
from day to day till the business before it had been disposed of.
Mr. PARROT thought that it would be extremely unfair
:or the Committee to sit earlier than the time appointed. The
subject then dropped.
PUBLIC AND PRIVATE BILLS.
Mr. P. THOMSON gave notice that on Monday next he
should move resolutions with respect to public and private
Bills, according to the recommendation of the Committee of
last year.
CANADA.
Mr. GIL LON presented a petition from the inhabitants of
Whitburu, deprecating the present state of Canada, and ex-
pressing the opinion of the petitioners that a war with our co-
lonies is alike opposed to religion and policy. The peti-
tioners prayed that the House would not sanction the con-
duct of the Government in prosecuting that war.
Mr. WAKLEY presented a petition from the inhabitants
of Finsbury upon the same subject. The petitioners prayed
that the House would not sanction the war with Canada, but
would agree to a peaceful separation of that State from Great
Britain.—( Hear, and laughter.)
THE GLASGOW COTTON SPINNERS.
Mr. WAKLEY then gave notice that on Monday he would
present a petition from the Working Men's Association of
London, praying for a mitigation of the sentence recently
passel upon certain cotton-spinners of Glasgow.
CANADA.
Mr. LEADER presented petitions from Lambeth, St.
Margaret's, and St. John's, Westminster, praying that the
]louse would not sanction the war against the people of
Canada.
The LION. MEMBER also presented a petition, signed by the
Chairman of a meeting held on the Parade-ground, on behalf
of 10,000 persons who attanded that meeting, praying that the
House, instead of sanctioning the war with Canada, would re-
dress the grievances of that Colony, and call her Majesty's
Ministers to account for their conduct.—( Hear, and a laugh.)
The 110 N. MEMBER also presented a petition from inhabi-
tants of Westminster assembled at the Crown and Anchor
Tavern ; which petition (he said), like the former, asserted
that the Canadians had many grievances to complain of, and
that they were driven to revolt by the conduct of the Go-
vernment. Petitioners prayed the House not to support Mi-
nisters in coercive measures, bat on the contrary to do every
thing in its power to conciliate the Canadian people. The
Honourable Member was present at the meeting, and he
never saw one more respectable, more orderly, or more
numerous in the Great Room of the Crown and An-
, hor, which was on that occasion completely filled.
lie found that little attention was now paid to public
meetings. The organs of the Whigs denounced those meet-
ings, and asserted that they did not express public opinion.
But there was a time when the Whie.s.--( Loud cries of
" Order, order, order," in the midst of which toe Hon. Mem-
her laid the petition on the table )
Mr. B. HALL presented a petition from Marylebone,pray-
ing that House to refuse any supplies to the Ministers for the
prosecution of the war with Canada.
BALLOT.
Mr. LAMBTON presented a petition from some place in
North Durham, in favour of the Ballot.
HIGHWAY RATES' BILL.
An Hoe. MEMBER presented a peti ion from the Trustees
of the Leeds and Barnsley Turnpike Road against (as we un-
dentood) the Highway Ratcs' Bill.
DUDLEY ELECTION PETITION.
Mr. AGLIONBY said that in pursuance of the notice
which, he had given last night, he had attentively looked into
the Act of Parliament. and the circumstances of the case of
•he Dudley Ejection Petition ; and after carefully considering
the facts and the law, he was reluctantly compelled to
aloe to the conclusion, that no matter how great the
Lardships of the case, the Act was so peremptory that
the time havirg been once enlarged could not be en-
larged again, and he was of opinion the petitioner had now no
remedy but a special Act of Parliament. lie would therefore
;;lye the House no further trouble, and, with their permission,
could withdraw the notice which be had given.
ROYAL MESSAGE.

Lcrd JOHN RUSSELL, upon being called on by the
Speaker, stated, that her Majesty had been waited upon by
such Members of that House as were Privy Councillors', with
the Address, to which she had been pleased to return the fol-
Lwing most gracious answer :
" I thank you for the assurance that my faithful Commons
'Aid support my efforts for the suppression of revolt, and the
avitoration of tranquillity in Lower Canada.
-" The unfortunate events which have taken place in that Pro-
%ince have given me deep concern ; and I shall look forward
with anxiety to the period when the re-establishment of order
may enable me to lay the foundations of lasting peace and
concord.

" The spirit which has been manifested by the loyal inhabi-
tants of my Northern American Provinces, and the exertions
which they have made in support of my authority, demand my
warmest acknowledgments."—( Cheers.)
Mr. BL A IR:wished to call the attention of her Majesty's Go-
vernment to a subject incidental to that which this evening
chiefly occupied the attention of the House. It was a hardship
:suffered by the inhabitants both of Upper and Lower Canada—
ine meant the claims of the Scottish Presbyterians. —( Order,
oeder.) He would briefly explain the situation of those
classes.
The SPEAKER interrupted the Hon. Member, and said,
t.Taat if he had no motion to make, he could not go into the
.('etails of the subject. But if he had any question to put, he
put it to any Member of her Majesty's Government, and
Afterwards make it the subject of a motion, in bringing forward
nitlich, he would have the opportunity of making his explana-
S ions.

Mr. BLAIR then put a question to the Right Hon. the
Under Secretary fer the Colonies, which was not heard in the
gallery.
Sir G. GREY said that a correspondence on the subject
:had been carried on between the Colonial Government and
the General Assembly in Scotland, and the Governraent had
lone every thing in its power to remove the inconvenience. If
«he Hon. Member wished it, the correspondence should be
Laid on the table.
Mr. BL AIR thought the present a favourable opportunity
fer ebe settlement of the question. •
POOR RELIEF (IRELAND) BILL.
Mr, LUCAS asked if it were the intention of her Majes-
ty's Ministers to bring on the Irish Poor Law Bill on the 6th
February, as it was now fixed?
Lord MORPETH replied in the affirmative.
CANADA.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said—l rise, Sir, to ask for
leave to bring in a Bill, for which I gave notice last night,
So provide for the temporary Government of Canada. As
I have explained the general purport of the Bill and
the policy to be pursued under it, it is not ne-
cessary for me now to explain at any length the policy
proposed to be pursued, or the principles contained in
:the Bill. I will state shortly what is the immediate ob-
ject of this Bill, and what is the nature of the in-
structions given to the Governor-General that has just been
appointed. The nature of the Bill is to enable the Go-
vernor-General and Council—that Council not to be li-
mited in point of number—but of which five shall
be a sufficient number to constitute a Council, on the
:motion of the Governor. General to pass any laws during the
suspension of the present Legislature in that province. It
Two, be necessary certainly to pass laws and to make provision
for temporary purposes, and for the maintenance of the civil
.authorty in that province. It may be necessary to pass tem-
porary laws for other purposes. It is the intention of her Majesty's
Government to confide these powers in the first instance to Sir J.
Colborne, who is at present administering the Government in
the Province of Lower Canada ; and in case it should be neces-
sary for him to resort to any extraordinary powers of Legislation,
in order to re-establish the authority of the Crown in that
province, it will be competent for him to do so by the authority
that is to be given by this Bill. With respect, therefore, to
the measures that are necessary in order to re-establish
tranquillity, besides those powers which are powers
that confer the means of immediately subduing the insurrec-
tion, and putting an end to the present:state of rebellion and
.disorder, there will be instructions given to the Go-
vernor-General duly appointed to exercise the power,
if he shall so think fit, and if the cirsum-
stateces of the province raay seem to require it
—the power of granting a general amnesty in that Province,
Lotid cries of " Hear, hear, ") With respect to the future
government of the Province, it is the intention of the Govern-
extent, as I stated last night, that that object shall be effected
by the prerogative of the Crown, to summon a certain ;num-
ber of persons, namely, three from each Legislative Council
of Lower and Upper Canada, amounting to six in the whole,
and ten reprcaeetting, the province of Lower Canada, and
ten representing the province of Upper Canada, making
twenty in the whoiee- to form a body for the purpose of
consulting the Governoe-General on all the matters affecting
the whole interests of those ;,ono provinces, and the adjustment
of thee(' affairs upon which tee much difference, and, at
length, so much disturbance, has arisen this, I say, is a
power which may be given by the prerogative of the Crown.
With respect to persons to be named by the Legislative
Council, those persons will be named from the Legis-
lative Council, but chosen and appointed by the G 3ver-
nor-General. With respect to the persons who are con-
sidered to have a representative character, those persons may
he chosen from the Legislative Assembly ; end, as in the ease
of Lower Canada, it is almost impossible that the Legislative
seeenbly can any way be brought to act beneficially in pursuance
of this plan, it will be :n the power of the Governer-General
have elections both with respect to the Lower Province,
and, if necessary, with respect to thelUpper Province ; to have
ehe election of persons, amounting to ten in the whole, for
each Prniince, in order to consuit, upon the general affairs