The Sun.
London, England, 1849-04-05 00:00:00

TENANTS AT RACK RENT BILL

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, April 4.
(Continued from oar Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)
ATTACHMENT COURT OF RECORD (IRE-
LAND) BILL.
On the motion for the second reading of this Bill,
Mr. KEOGH said he concurred in the general
principle of the Bill, but as it abolished the
process of attachment altogether, it would have
the effect of removing from all those towns
where the process existed an officer called the Marshal,
who was paid by a fee upon each attachment, to whom
no compensation was given by the Bill. The Bill, he
thought, would be altogether inoperative, and should
not receive the sanction of the House unless
some provision was made for that officer.
He would suggest that the same fees upon the processes
to be issued under this Bill to the Marshal of the Bo-
rough Court should still be paid to that functionary, if
no other means could be devised to prevent that officer
being deprived of his office.
Mr. GROGAN had received a letter from the
Learned Recorder of this court, and while he approved
of the principle of the Bill, he would suggest that the
second reading should be postponed till after Easter, to
admit of the Marshal's case being taken into con-
sideration.
Mr. REYNOLDS was happy to perceive that the
Hon. and Learned Gentleman the Member for Athlone
and his Honourable Colleague approved of the principle
of this Bill, but they seemed to object to it because
it did not provide compensation for a particular
officer. Now, although he was exceedingly
anxious to carry the Bill because it was
demanded by the universal voice of the capital of Ire-
land he should be unwilling to inflict any injustice upon
any party entitled to compensation.—(Hear, hear.) He
thought, however, the Bill might be read a se-
cond time now, and that a clause might be
proposed in Committee to give compensation
where it was justly due, but in preparing the Bill he
thought he was imperatively bound to explain to the
House what it was he proposed to do. He called upon
the House to apply a remedy to a crying and gigantic
evil, let him remind the House that in
the city of Dublin there was a court
of Record, called the Borough Court. Before the reform
of the Irish Corporation Law, that Court was known by
the name of the Sheriffs' Court of the County of Dublin,
but by the 18th section of the Irish Municipal Act, the
powers of that court were transferred to the
Recorder's Court in that city.—(Hear.) And what
was the process of that court? The process was
this. If any person demanded a debt of another person
he might make an affidavit before the Lord Mayor of
the city of Dublin, or the Recorder, to the following
effect; but he would only read the important
part of the affidavit :—•• And the defendant
maketh oath, and saitb, that the said John
Doe resides within the jurisdiction of this court,
that the deponent is apprehensive that such debt is in
danger of being lost unless the process of the court be
issued to distrain the goods of the said John Doe.
He found, by a Parliamentary paper which he
held in his band, that for the three years
ending 1845, 1846, and 1847, that the number of
affidavits made before the Recorder during the three
years was 301, before the Lord Mayor 1,984, making the
total of 2,285, and he found that in these affidavits were
included debts under 51., 28 before the Recorder, 211
before the Lord Mayor; under 101., before the Recorder
46, before the Lord Mayor 279; under 151., before
the Reeorder 42, before the Lord Mayor 257;
nyder 201. before the Recorder 31; before the Lord
Mayor 182, making 1,076 affidavits under 201. a-year,
upon which attachment had been issued.—(Hear.) Now
what was the nature of this attachment? Why, it was
competent for any man in the city of Dublin, no matter
whether humble or rich, to go before the Recorder or the
Lord Mayor and swear that any citizen owes him money,
no matter how large in amount, as the debts had varied
from Si. to 1,2001., and upon pajment of a fee
of ls. 6d. to the Lord Mayor, and 6d. to the
Marshal, an attachment issued. The first notice
the defendant had of it was the seioure of
his goods in the presence of the bailiff, in his
shop or house, and by the 181st section of the
Act, it was provided that in all cases where goods
were seized under this process, the defendant
should produce two solvent securities of the city
of Dublin who should swear that they were
respectively worth double the amount of the debt for
which the attachment was marked. The House would
perceive that the defendant was not compelled to put in
personal bail, but he was compelled to bail the
debt, ao that, in point of fact, the attachment
and affidavit had all the force of a judg-
ment of a superior court. Let him just put a case—
s pauper walking the streets might make an affidavit that
the most respectable merchant in the City of Dublin was
indebted to him to the amount of 100,0001. The defendant
had no notice of the affidavit, and his goods were seised to
the amount of 100,000/, which could not be released until
he produced two sureties who would swear that they were
worth 100.0001. each.—(Hear.) Such a mischievous ma-
chine as that in existence in a mercantile city must have
a most destructive effect on commerce. He would mention
acase that had actually occurred of this sort. A professional
gentleman who occupied a house in one of the best
squares in Dublin, went on the continent, leaving two
servants in charge of his house. In his absence a man
who had been his servant made an affidavit that he owed
him 5001., and his goods were seized; the ser-
vants knew not what to do, and the goods were
sold, and when the gentleman returned he found his
house without a particle of furniture.—(Hear, hear.)
He had taken the trouble to examine the return so far as
it rsla'ed to cos•s, and he f land in receiving 3451. an ex-
petaditure of no less than 3131. 17s. 6d. had been incurred.
Now bearing in mind that all these debts were under 204
they might have been recovered in the Civil Bill Court
at is cost of ss. 9d. each, so that the whole amount of
3451. would not have involved an expenditure of more
than 8-1., while he found that out of the 2,285 cases he
had already referred to, 1,076 of them were for debts
under 201.—(Hear.)
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL highly approved of
the principle of the Bill; but in doing so he begged to
state that his Hon. Friend who had introduced it must
not expect that the Government would propose any
compensation to the officer for the loss of his office if
" the Bitt passed. He could not see why amendments in
the law should be clogged by giving compensation to
parties who were not entitled to it.
Mr. SADLEIR supported the second reading of the
Bill.

_....
The Bill was thin read a second time and ordered to
be committed this day three weeks.
PASSENGERS' BILL.

On the motion being put for the second reading of
this Bill,

Sir H. WILLOUGHBY said, that though ready to
approve of the Bill generally, he yet thought that it was
open to much improvement which might be effected in
Committee.
Mr. J. O'CONNELL t.uggested that a clause should
be introduced into the Bill for the protection and sup-
port of deck passengers.
Mr. MONSELL trusted the Right Hon. Gentleman
the Under-Secretary for the Colonies would pursue the
same course as that which had been observed during the
last year with respect to the Bill then passed. That was
clearly intended to be a temporary measure. This was
a matter which affected not teas than 250,000 of their
fellow-subjects every year, and the better plan would be
to refer the Bill to a Select Committee up stairs. There
were two points to which he thought the Cora-
rnittee ought particularly to apply themselves—these were
the dietary and the appointment of surgeons. He thought
that a great improvement might be made in the former,
and that if the surgeons were appointed by the Govern-
ment Commissioner there would be a far greater security
for the passengers than at present existed. But these
points could be better attended to in Committea, and he
trusted, therefore, that it would be referred to one up
stairs.
Mr. FOSTER agreed in the main with the observa-
tions of the Hon. Gentleman who had just sat down.
Col. DUNNE conceived that the Act of last year had
worked exceedingly well, and the dietary in the present
Bill was an improvement upon the list in that.
Mr. H. HERBERT said that he had been on the Com-
mittee last year, and it was not until after a very long
discussion that the details of the Bill had been decided
upon.
Mr. HUME conceived that the Bill was far too long,
and the details too numerous. From the letters which
he was receiving from time to time from abroad he
found that this was a great evil. There was
a Committee sitting in New York, a portiOn of whom
always went down to an emigrant ship when she arrived
in order to investigate the state of the passengers before
they landed, and those gentlemen had represented that
the directions of the Act were so numerous that they
only served to create confusion and served no good end
whatever. tie should therefore recommend that the
Bill should be shortened as much as possible.
Mr. HAWES said the Bill itself, which he had the
honour to ask the House to read a second time, was a
general consolidation Bill. There were in it many details
contained in former Acts, but it was not a new enact-
ment at a,ll.—(Hear, hear.) There were some
important alterations undoubtedly. There was
one relating to the &eta% of emigrants.
The evidence which they had received from the agents
abroad was of such a character as decidedly to justify an
increase to the dietary, and it went to show that wherever
it bn increased it bad operated most beneficially
on had
theemigrants, as respected- their obtaining employ-
ment awl- sustaining that employment. The dietary now
proposed, however, was not what
The Hon. Member for Montroswalsl call®d a full dietary.
objected to those
details being stated in an Act ofe-Parall
dent; but it was
most important that all parties conngeacizateea:d with the ship-
promoting
p:ng and landed interests, and en
emigration, should know what the lawn
upon that point—(Hear, hear)—and reallyte was
Hawes) thought it far better to have the ditty
stated in the Act of Parliament. Another Hon. xi
had stated that it would be expedient to refer the. Bill to
a Committee. lie (Mr. Hawes) should not like to pledge
himself to take that cow se. He fully admitted that the
Committee of last year had been most useful; but he
theueht the subject was fully discussed and conidered,
arid toot the bearing of the evidence laid before the Com-
mittee rather showed that some increase of the dietary
would be expedient that. otherwise. He would not,
however, undertake to say at that moment that he would
object going into Committee ; he would rather reserve
that point. The suggestion of the Honourable Baronet
opposite, as to extending the Bill to vessels
carrying emigrants from one country to another,
that hardly came within the provisions of this
Bill.—(Hear, hear.) He (Mr. Hawes) thought a very
different regulation was necessary, and therefore to in-
clude the whole coasting trade in the Bill would be
highly objectionable. Another objection had been made
by the Hon. Member for Montrose, who thought it was
desirable to compel the agents abroad to afford to emi-
grants landing, oppNetunities of hearing complaints in
order to their being ,redressed. Now, that was done

already. His friend would find in the paper before the
House various communications showing that the com-
plaints of the emigrants were settled by the ordinary
tribunals under the Passengers' Act. He thought the
new regulations of the Passengers Act were still gene-
rally most beneficial, though some of them might be
objectionable in detail. Reserving his opinion as to
whether this Bill should be referred to a Committee,
he hoped the House would now agree to the
second reading of the Bill.
Major BLACKALL thought the matter of the dietary
would be much better settled by a Select Committee
than by the House. He would not say there ought:to be
a difference between the dietary of an English and an Irish
emigrant; but it would be a hard case if the House laid
down a dietary, and insisted on the emigrant conforming
to that dietary, whether he could afford it or not, and
thereby raising the price of his passage, which some-
times resulted in an emigrant's leaving his family behind
him, which to an Irishman was peculiarly painful. It would
be a general disappointment to many of the Irish people
who during the winter had been laying by every farthing
that they could scrape together for the purpose of emi-
grating in the spring, if, by an enactment for raising the
dietary to a scale suitable to the standard of living of the
English emigrant, the price of their passage should be
raised to a degree which would render it necessary that
they should have recourse to the painful expedient of
leaving their families behind them.
The Bill was then read a second time, and ordered to
be committed on Wednesday, the 18th inst.
FRIENDLY SOCIETIES' BILL.

Mr. SOTHERON, in moving the second reading of
this Bill, said that in order to give greater security to
friendly societies, it was required by the Bill that the
tables and rules of each should be certified by a compe-
tent authority previous to registration. By a recent Act
it was provided that every five years a valuation of the as-
sets and liabilities of each society should be drawn up and
sent to the registrar, but there was no provision that the
statement should be made by a competent person; and, in
reality, the Act had, so far as that was concerned, become
almost nugatory.—(Hear.) He had introduced certain
words into this Bill which required the assets and liabi-
lities to be made by an actuary of five years' standing,
and registered, as before, every five years. He had
directed that the actuary should be remunerated for the
labour according to the number of members in the so-
ciety, viz., one guinea, where the number did not exceed
200; between 200 and 400, two guineas; between 400
and 700, three guineas ; between 700 and 1,000, four
guineas ; between 1,000 and 1,500, five guineas ; and
an extra half guinea for every five hundred
members. He thought that was not too much
for giving to members the means of ascertaining the sol-
vency of the societies to which they belonged. He re-
quired, besides, that a return should be made every year
by each satiety, for the purpose of enabling the
registrar to collect a great deal of most important
information with reference to friendly societies. It
was not generally known that a very large por-
tion of the community were subscribers in one
shape or another to friendly and other societies. The
Bill, trifling as it might seem, would affect not less than
34,200 societies, the members of which, as far as he had
been able to ascertain, exceeded four millions, and their
total revenue, which consisted fur the most part of the hard
earned savings of the poor man, exceeded six millions of
money. He thought it must be allowed that such
societies deserved the attention of Parliament.—(Hear.)
It deserved their attention more this year than any
other, in consequence of what had happened with re-
spect to some savings' banks, and they ought
to take the hest means in their power to provide
some security for the poor man who had invested his
savings in these societies. The Attorney- General had
intimated that he would take that opportunity of reme-
dying the evils arising from the payment of burial
money, and if that Right Hen. Gentleman would draw
up a clause for this purpose he would be happy to sup-
port it.
The ATTORNEY- GENERAL said be would en-
deavour to engraft some provision into the Bill with re-
spect to the temptations held out by burial societies, and
would introduce other clauses, so as to make the whole
a perfect measure.
Mr. R. PALMER thought that the present situ-
ation of Odd Fellows' societies was a matter of
great importance and called for the interference
of the House, because they had at their disposal
a large amount of property in their possession
belonging to the industrious classes, which was
almost placed beyond the reach of legal protection. If
any fraud was committed in the disposal of the funds,
no possible remedy at law or equity could be resorted
to. In the Manchester Union of Odd Fellows alone
there were no less than 264,000 persons; and there were
thousands of similar societies in England and Scotland,
which also embraced a great number of members and a
considerable amount of property. Last year a great
number of the members expressed a wish to be
placed under the operations of the law, but
though a Bill was introduced for that purpose, it was
not proceeded with, in consequence of the members not
being able to agree among themselves. He, however,
thought that it was the business of the House to see
that parties had some legal mode of enforcing their
rights with respect to property placed in the hands of
these societies.—(Hear, hear.)

The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said it was not his in-
tention to introduce any provision with respect to Odd
Fellows' societies into this Bill. A Bill was introduced

last session into the House of Lords on the subject of
Odd Fellows' societies, and the Government ware
desirous of conceding any measure which it might
be thought necessary to pass ; but, as the
Honourable Member had stated, it was not
proceeded with, because the parties could not agree
among themselves. He objected to these societies on
two ground3—first, because they had secret signs; and
secondly, because they had corresponding societies,
which were contrary to the Corresponding Societies' Act.
The societies were willing to give up their secret signs,
but not their corresponding branches, and the Bill fell
through. Government, however, were vary desirous that
these societies should be legalised, and they were quite
ready to adopt any practicable proposal on the subject.

Mr. BROTHRTON said the observations of the
Hun. and Learned Gentleman who had just sat down
were worthy of the deepest consideration, because it was
of the utmost ihaporta.nce that friendly societies
should be put on safe footing. At present
there was no law to prevent defalcations, and he
was - therefore glad that this measure had been
introduced. It would prove no doubt very useful, but
h© trusted the Hon. Gentleman who had charge of it
w)uld not render it inoperative by encumbering it with
heavy fees.—(Hear.) It was of the greatest importance
to the country to encourage friendly societies, but he
was sorry to think that many of them now in ex-
istence were based upon erroneous principles, and the
consequence was that when a member, who had sub-
scribed all his life, came to require relief, he found therejwas
nothing to divide—(Bear.) Another bad practice was the

system of holding the meetings in public-houses. He
thought that practice ought to be done away with, as
well as all secret signs and the plan of placing the con
trolling power entirely in the hands of the elder mem-
bers.—(Hear, hear)
Mr. ADDERLEY said there was nothing to
prevent Odd Fellows' societies coming into the law, but
their secret signs.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL—Yes, there is the
Corresponding Societies' Act.
- • • - • - -

Mr. ADDERLEY did not think that Act could
prevent Odd Fellows' societies from being ligaliaed.
The funds collected by these societies were exceedingly
large, and he thought this was tho proper time to make
an effort to induce the Odd Fellows to give up their
signs, and plice their funds and institutions within the
jurisdiction of the law.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. HUME said it was of the greatest importance
that the suggestion of the Hon. and Learned Member
for Plymouth should not be lost sight of.—(Hear, hear.)
At present, so expensive was the mode of proceeding to
obtain a legal opinion as to the solvency or va-
lidity of a friendly society, that societies notoriously
insolvent were allowed to go on increasing the mischief
they had already commenced.—(llear.) He had always
thought that the best means for securing the welfare of

the industrious classes was the establishment of a safe
and sure institution for depositing their small earnings,
and he, for one, was ready to remove the difficulty the
Hon. and Learned Member for Plymouth had complained
of by consenting to the appointment, at the expense of
the State, of competent legal officers, to whom the so-
cieties should have access, free of charge,
when they entertained any doubt as to the validity of
their proceedings.—(Hear, hear.) Ho wished to know
whether the Attorney-General would object to some
measure to bring these societies into a secure state, and
within the pale of the law. The defalcations that had
lately taken place among these societies rendered it
necessary that something should be done.

The ATTORNEY GENERAL thought that some
measure must be adopted to place these societies upon a
sound footing.
Mr. E. DENISON trusted after what had taken
place to-day some measure wculd be adopted to make
these societies take a larger scope, by being placed on a
better footing.
Mr. P. SCROPE thought that the Government was
the only party that could properly manage these socie-
ties, and he trusted that the time was not far distant be-
tfore the whole subject would be taken into consideration
1 bytoh
Lord emh
L D. STUART said that the excellence, the uti-
lity, and the importance of these societies was allowed on
all sides; and it this was the case, it was evident that it
was also important that they shonld be legal societies.
Some of them bad gone on, blindly no doubt, to do many
things which were not exactly in accordance with the
letter of the law. He had hoped that be should have
been able to convince the Attorney-General last year of
the necessity of granting some boon to these societies.
He trusted, though he had not been successful last year
he hoped he might be this in inducing the Hon. and
Learned Gentleman to make some provision for the ad-
vantage of these societies, especially including those of
the Odd Fellows.
g
Mr. E. LEWIS said that as there seemed to be some
objection to the second readin of the Bill,
wit hd
reintroduced with the advantage of the he would
sbu,ggest that it should be • and that it should
rawn,
which had been suggested during the discussion, improvementsisoussion, or if
that plan was not
Mr. SOTHERON sais'
troduced in the progres
pursued, he thought they might be in
of the Bill through Committee.
32,000
suocit,ett when it was recollected
14,000
ewith an aggregate re.
whatever,
that out of the
were enrolled, while
venue of 6,000,0001., only
18,000 had no legal protection
14
Hon.
man, entill eoe-f 1 '
lation was clearly necessary upon
was happy to accept the suggestion of the subject.
man, and trusted that he might have the assistance
the Government in a complete modelling of the whole
of the law with respect to friendly societies. 1
Mr. E. LEWIS had no objection to impose that useful
duty on the Hon. Member, and would render all the aid
which, as a member of the Government, it lay in his
power to give.
The sill was then read a second time. ,

The House then went into Committee on this Bill.
Mr. SOTHERON said, that though he had for many
years been a Member of that House he had never until
lately known that it was competent for him to move two
Bills on the same day ; the matter to which that now
before the House referred was of so much

consequence, that he was induced to proceed with it.
He thought by the present measure a greater degree of
uniformity in the management of gaols would be at-
tained than at present existed. Then the items that
would remain would be the salary of the treasurer of the
county, the clerk of the peace, and the coroner, and one
or two minor items. He thought it would be desirable
that all parties who feel interested in this matter
should meet together during the holidays, and endeavour
to agree upon some plain and intelligible plan for appor-
tioning those burdens fairly and equitably upon the rate-
payers. He hoped, however, that the House would agree
to the Bill in its present shape, after adopting certain
verbal amendments which seemed to be necessary.
Mr. E. DENISON said his Hon. Friend found
his principle carried him a great deal farther
than the details of his Bill indicated. If the system
of local taxation and the management of the
county cess was in a satisfactory state, partial
legislation, such as the Hon. Member proposed in
this case, might be desirable; but was the local
taxation and the management of the county cess in that
satisfactory state? He (Mr. E. Denison) thought not.
He did not wish to throw any impediment in the way of
the measure, but he would put it to his Honourable
Friend whether, with his own views and proposals,
it would be hardly possible for the House to adopt
this small modicum of legislation. As the subject was
about to be taken up and considered in a lona fide
manner, he trusted that his Hon. Friend would consent
to put the present measure off until the Committee on
the subject had made their report.
Mr. SPOONER would *consent to a Committee up
stairs on the Bill, but there was a practical evil existing
which called for a remedy, and he trusted, therefore,
that his Hon. Friend would persevere with his Bill,
and the passing of it would remedy a great evil, and
would not interfere with the regulations that had been
proposed.
Mr. HUME said that the landowners and farmers were
very properly complaining of the increase of the county
rate, which, when the Commission was appointed,
amounted to 600,0002, but had now increased to
1,000,0001. He agreed with the principle of the Bill,
but it would only be partial in its operation,
and he thought that the better course would
be to let it go to the Committee up stairs, in order
to see if it could not be made more perfect, and also
more acceptable to the landowners, ratepayers, and to
the country generally.
Sir WILLIAM JOLLIFFE said it was simply pro-
posed that tenants at rack rents should be exempted
from certain burdens which were cast upon them, and
although he agreed that much more ought to be done,
he thought that there could not be any great objection
to grant those tenants a moiety of relief, for which they
would be extremely grateful.
Mr. C•
C.
LYEMlEvßissusapipdotrhteadt
ift thheßis Bill.
ill were referred to

the Committee up stairs many subjects connected with
it could be maturely discussed which could not well
be determined upon in the House, but he should be sorry
to see it postponed, as it involved a great practical im-
provement. The question could hardly be considerd as
one of county expenditure, because it simply related to
a matter of taxation between landlord and tenant.

Mr. W. PATTEN said that the principle of the Bill
was agreed upon several years ago, and, therefore, he
thought it would be unfair to refer it to a Committee up
stairs. He should give the Bill his warmest support.
Sir H. WILLOUGHBY conceived that some mea-
sure was necessary, for a universal spirit of dissatisfac-
tion existed throughout the country.
Mr. E. DENISON said that the Hon. Member for
Montrose (Mr. Hume) did not object to the progress
of this Bill, except in so far as it was only the ground-
work, and not the proposal, of a larger measure. What
was the principle of this Bill ? Why it was this,
so far as he could understand: it contained a
proposition that half the expense should fall upon the
landlord and half upon the tenant, yet every Member
who had yet spoken had been in decided opposition to
any such principle. The Hon. Member for Montrose
had suggested that the Bill should be referred to a ge-
neral Committee, and his own feeling was quite in ac-
cordance with that notion. He believed that the usual
course of the House was to pass the Bill through its pre-
sent stage, and then upon its recommittal to refer it to a
Select Committee, and he would suggest that it should
be referred to the same Committee as that which was
instituted for the larger measure. If such a course were
pursued he should withdraw his opposition.
Mr. C. LEWIS explained that the nature of the Bill
now before the House was altogether different from that
which was introduced yesterday, and if the same Com-
mittee dealt with both Bills, the probability was that
the right principle would be altogether overlooked.
Mr. SOTHERON said that the object of the Bill
would, he conceived, be altogether lost sight of if it were
to be referred to the same Committee as that which was
sitting on the larger measure. The effect of such a
proceeding would be to verge the small measure into
the principle of the larger one. But the objects of the
two Bills were altogether different, and that point
which he desired to gain of an equitable ad-
justment of ,the rates would be totally lost. Be
would suggest that this Bill should pass through this
stage, and then be referred to a Select Committee; they
would then have to wait a whole year for the benefit
which he intended to obtain.

Mr. E. DENISON, in explanation, said that he had
no desire whatever to press his opposition. He could not
see any obstacle to the reference of the two Bills to the
same Committee, and was ready to withdraw his opposi-
tion on the understanding that the principle should be
fully considered in Committee.
After a few words from Mr. WILSON PATTEN,
Mr. HUME said the object of his ➢ill was for the
entire management of the expenditure of the county-
rates, and had no reference whatever to any different
apportionment.
Mr. P. SCROPE hoped that the Government, having
taken this subject under its consideration, would take
into consideration the whole subject of local taxation.
It was desirable to have a better system of audit of the
accounts, and of the collection of local taxation, than has
hitheito obtained. He did trust- the whOle subject would
be taken into consideration.

Here the discussion dropped.
The verbal amendments were then agreed to, the
House resumed, and the report was ordered to be
brought up on Wednesday, the 25th.
SEQUESTRATORS' REMEDIES BILL.
The House then went into Committee on this Bill.
Mr. MULLINGS proposed the following amend-
ments :—Clause 1, line 7, to strike out " whenever a se-
questrator is," and insert " every sequestrator who shall
then have been or shall thereafter be." Line 9, to strike
out after "duty" the word " of," and insert" dueor owing
from." Line 10, to strike out "it shall be lawful for
such sequestrator," and insert "may and is hereby au-
thorised and empowered." Line 16, after "nature" to
add " or in lieu;" and after " tithe," to add " or other
rent or annual sum." Page 2, line 6, to strike out
" Levan facias," and insert " Men facias de bonis
Ecclesiasticis, or Levari facias de bonis Ecclosiasticis or
scquestrari facias."
Mr. S. WORTLEY proposed the following clause:—
And be it enacted, that out of the moneys to be
received by any sequestrator of any benefice, the said
beques tra to r shall, in the first instance, pay and die.
charge any instalment or instalments due or to become
due on such benefice in respect of any charge made
thereon, or on the tithe rent charge thereof, to secure
the repayment of the moneys expended in the commnta-
Lion of the tithes of such benefice."
Bsoiotnh, amendments were agreed to without any dis-
cus

The Committee then went through the remaining
clauses of the Bill, which were agreed to, the House
resumed, and the seport was ordered to be brought up
after the Easter recess.
PARTITION OR SALE OF CHATTELS PER-
SONAL, HELD IN JOINT TENANCY.
The House having resumed,
Mr. R. PALMER rose to ask leave to bring in a Bill
to authorise, in certain cases, the partition or sale of
chattels personal, held in joint tenancy, or tenancy in
common. He said there were in many cases great in-
convenience felt in dividing or disposing of property of
that tenure, especially with regard to shipping. He
himself had had many representations of their inconve-
nience from shipowners in Liverpool. The evil they
complained of was this, that if there were a number of
part-owners of a ship, the majority of the owners
had the power to dispose of the ship, in cases
of disagreement, against the will of the minority,
who had no remedy in such cases.—(Hear, hear.)
He said ho had consulted persons both in Liverpool and
London who were well conversant with the operations
of the law on this subject, and he proposed simply this
Bill to enable parties by petition to the Court of Chan-
cery to have the partition or sale of chattels personal held
in joint tenancy.

Leave was then given to bring in the Bill.
The lion. Member subsequently brought in the Bill.
POLICE IN POPULOUS TOWNS.
Mr. GIBSON CRAIG. in the absence of the Lord
Advocate, obtained leave to bring in a Bill to make
more effectual provision for regulating the police of
towns and populous places in Scotland, and for paving,
draining, cleansing, lighting, and improving the same.
SAVINGS BANKS.

Mr. REYNOLDS postponed his motion until this day
three weeks relative to the appointment of a Select
Committee on savings banks.
REV. JAMES SHORE.

After the presentation of a few petitions relative to
.he liberation of the Rev. Mr. Shore,
The House adjourned, at Five o'clock, until Monday,
,he lath of April.

I METALLIC PRODUCE OF RUSSIA.—The following
is a statement of the aggregate of the metallic produce of
the Russian empire fur the year 1848, from the official
documents :—Gold amounted to 1,826 poods; platina, 11
poods; silver, 1,192 poods; copper, 254,569 poods;
wrought iron, 8,513,673 poods; and salt, 24,733,208
pcods. Taking the pood at 361 b. avoirdupois, and mea-
suring the gold by the English standard of fineness, the
production of the year would amount to 3,944,8321, or,
allowing for the fraction which the pood is more than
361 b. avoirdupois, to rather upwards of 4,000,000/ ster-
ling. The production of silver is comparatively insigni-
ficant, but taking it at ss. 6d. per ounce, it would amount
to about 188,000/. The production of the Russian mines
possesses the more interest at present, inasmuch as a pa-
rallel may soon be drawn between them and that of the
Californian "El Dorado."—Mining-Journat
IIuDDERSZIELD, APRIL 3.—The sales in the Cloth-
hall to• day have not been equal to last week, but it may
be
ascrib,:cl to the scarcity of stocks adapted for this
season. The business in the warehouses has been good I
during the week. In vestin ga rather more is doing.
1

PRICES OF SHARES
•N BANKS, ASSIMANIT, AND OTHER COM-1
From the Official Litt.
PUBLISUED EVERY TUESDAY AND FATDAY EVENING.
2.

LONDON, TUESDAY, APR