The Sun.
London, England, 1836-02-10 00:00:00

BOROUGH OF STAFFORD.

Mr. DIVETT moved for leave to bring in a Bill to disfranchise
the borough of Stafford. A Bill for this purpose had passed that
House three times. The subject had been carefully investigated
by a Committee, and the conclusion to which both the Committee
and the House came was, that nothing but disfranchisement was
the remedy in a borough so corrupt. Such being the case, he felt
it his duty now to move for leave to bring in a Bill to disfranchise
that borough.
Captain CHETWYND said that, after the almost unanimous
expression of assent which the House had given to the motion of
his Hon. Friend for leave to bring in the Bill, he should not now
offer any arguments against it, but should avail himself of the
practice of the House in order, on the occasion of the second read-
ing, to offer to the Bill his most strenuous opposition.
Leave was then given.
Mr. DIVETT then moved, pursuant to notice, the suspension
of the writ for the borough of Stafford until after Thursday, the
21st of March.—Agreed to.
REGISTER A f ELECTIONS AMENDMENT ACT.

Mr. ELPHINSTONE moved for leave to bring in a Bill to
amend the register of elections in England and Wales. It was not
his object in any way to clash with the Bill of the Attorney-Gene-
ral, but he thought it desirable that the Bill of which he now gave
notice should be printed, that the suggestions it contained might be
brought under the consideration of the House.—Leave was given.
Mr. ELPHINSTONE also moved for leave to bring in a Bill
to render the register of electors final. His object was to remedy such
absurdities which had crept into the practice of the registration sys-
tem, particularly in the cases of removal from town to town. An-
other object to which the proposed Bill pointed, was the making
Committees of the House of Commons Courts of Appeal in every
case where the question had been an open one before the Revis-
ing Barristers. The other object was the amendment and expla-
nation of certain parts of the Registration Act, which related to
tenements held by divers persons. A notion had prevailed that
rent was not devisable ; and therefore it had been held by Revising
Barristers, that if there were a hundred joint-occupiers of a farm,
each one was liable for the rent, and to be put on the register of
electors. For this the Bill, for leave to bring in which he now
moved, proposed to apply a remedy.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, in the absence
of his Noble Friend the Secretary for the Home Department, was
bound to say that considerable objections were entertained
to the proposed Bill.—( Hear.) It was not his object to raise a
discussion on an important question at so late an hour. but at the
same time every Hon. Member must see that the Hon. Mover
proposed by his Bill to affect very considerable and extraordinary
alterations in the privileges of Parliament ; such as ought not to be
assented to without ,very grave discussion. Under these circum-
stances he thought it necessary to protest against the House
being supposed to be bound to the principle by their assent to the
motion. _

Leave was then given to bring in the Bill.
REBUILDING THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER then rose to
move the renewal of the Select Committee which sat last session
to consider the subject of the rebuilding the two Houses of Par-
liament. It would be in the recollection of the House, that the
Committee in question was appointed last session, and that the ob-
ject to which its attention was more particularly directed was the
examination of the plans submitted by artists for the new buildings.
They were to select not more than five from a number of ninety-
seven ; and they accordingly selected four as most fit for the pur-
poses of the House. It was now necessary for them to resume their
functions. The Hon. Member for Middlesex had given notice of
his intention to move that certain instructions be given to the Com-
mittee in question; but he (the Chancellor of the Exchequer)
thought that the question of the appointment of the Committee
ought certainly to have pricrity of the question of instruction, and
that the one should not be mixed up with the other, to which he
still most strenuously objected. He begged also to move that the
Committee be the same as regarded the Hon. Members appointed,
with the exception of the substitution of the name of the Hon
Chairman of the Ways and Means for that of the present Lord
Hatherton.