The Sun.
London, England, 1836-02-17 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, FEIRITARY 16.
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Woolsack at
half-past four o'clock.
Mr. Campbell, from the East India House, presented papers
relative to compensation to the reduced servants of the Com-
pany.

AGRICULTURAL DISTRESS.
The Earl of LIVERPOOL presented a petition from the
Shropshire Agricultural Association, praying for inquiry into
the distress of the agriculturists.
SUGAR DUTIES.
Earl FITZWILLIAM presented a petition from Cal-
cutta,Praying for the assimilation of the duties on sugar.
POOR LAWS.
Lord DACRE presented a petition from Royston praying
for an extension of the time, from 10 to 20 years' for the pay-
ment of the money advanced for the building of Poor-houses
under the New Poor Law Bill. He hoped, in the course of
the present Session, that some amendment would be made in
the original Bill.
Lord RODEN gave notice that on Friday next he should
present a petition from the clergy of the arch-diocese of Tuam.
Lord DENMAN presented a petition from Annan, pray-
ing for compensation to Mr. Buckingham.
Th• House then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, FEBRUARY 16.
The SPEAKER took the chair at 10 minutes before 4 o'clock,
at which time there were upwards of 300 Members in their
places. In consequence of the adjourned debate on the O'Con-
nel petition coming on to-night, the Strangers' Gallery was
opened at 2 o'clock, and was almost instantly filled. Many
hundreds destined for the same place arrived afterwards, and
were much disappointed at not gaining admittance.
Mr. O'Connell came down to the House about half-past 4.
The passages leading to the gallery and lobbies of the House
were then crowded to excess. On Mr. O'Connell ascending
the staircase leading to the passage within the House, the as-
sembled crowd took off their hats, upon which some one near
him raised a hiss ; this was answered by a loud and general
cheer from the great body of respectable persons in the lobby
as he passed.
Mr. Alderman THOMPSON brought up the report of
tha Committee on the \Vearmouth Dock Bill.
RAILWAYS.

Sir EARDLEY WILMOT brought in several Bills for
making branch railways between Birmingham and London.
Mr. P. STE WAR.T presented a petition for leave to
bring in a Bill to form a railway from the eastern end of Lon-
don to Blackwell. In presenting the petition the Hon. Mem-
ber submitted whether it would not be expedient for the
!louse to come to a resolution, that the Committee Lists of the
different Committees on Railway Bills should be at liberty
to form themselves into sections in different parts of the coun-
try, but should have only one Chairman in a certain place.
Mr. HUME doubted whether the proposition of the Hon.
Member would be attended with any good effect, but he
thought whatever course the House intended to adopt, should
be perfectly understood.
Sir S. WHALLEY thought the proposition would be
attended with great inconvenience.
Mr. F. YOUNG thought the present suggestion clearly il-
lustrated the necessity of adopting some precise course when that
subject was last before it. The House was placed in the si-
tuation of having recommendations for three separate Bills, all
having the same object, but it was obvious that it would be
ruinous to each to carry them all into execution. There
should be some tribunal to take into consideration the relative
as well as the general merits of each plan. The present pe-
tition. however, afforded a practical illustration of the correct-
ness of the recommendation of the Hon. Member for South.
wank the ether night.
The SPEAKER said he could do no otherwise than follow
the usual course.—( Hear, hear.) That was—to refer the le-
tition to the Committee proposed by the Hon. Member who
presented it. Ii any alteration was to be made, it rested with
the House, and with the Houi.e alone, to take that step—he
had no authority of himself to do so.
Mr. WILK S thought it desr.lble that same new tribunal
e apf.ohated to consider the eligibility of the various
plans, and that there should be a ri2ewmendation in favour of
any mea,ure before it was read a second time. Tits would 1)e
a great saving of time and of espouse. Oa the presnt ocet-
sion, however, they could only refer the petition in the ordinary

manner.
Mr. PEASE thought that the subdivision of the list was
the great point to guard against. If the -House expressed :ta
opinion that the Committee ow flit not to he subdivided, overt-
end would be obtained. It s,a3 impossible that there could
he two or three conflicting rail roads at the some time without
their comparative merits coming before the Committee.
P. M. S I'EW ART would give notice that to-morrow
be would bring in a measure to alter the present practice.
Mr. \VILKS suggested to the Hon. Member to give no-
tics of his motion so that it might appear in the vote.
Mr. P. M. STEWART would attend to the sugg,estion of
the Hon. Gentleman, and give notice for Monday next.
MR. BUCKINGHAM'S CASE.
Mr. TULK brought up a Bill to compensate Mr. Buck-
ingham for his losses in India.—Read a first time.
Several petitions were presented in favour of private Bills.
Mr. BERNAL presented a petition from the Corporation of
Gravesend, praying for leave to amend, as (we understand)
the Gravesend Pier Act.
Mr. (;ILLON presented petitions from several places
Lanarkshire agair.st further grants to the Church.
STEAM NAVIGATION ON THE THAMES.
Captain ALSAGER presented a petition, signed by 900
inhabitants of Rotherhithe, complaining of the reckless speed
of steam-vessels on the River Thames. The Hon. Member
moved that the petition be referred to the Select Committee at
present sitting on the subject.
ERRORS OF THE MORNING PAPERS.

Colonel VERNER begged to correct a mistake which the
newspapers had fallen into respecting a statement v.hich he
made a few evenings ago in the House. He was reported to
have stated that he had been dismissed from his Majesty's
service. Now such was not the fact. He could produce the
highest testimonials as to his military character.
NEW HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT.
Mr. HAWE S presented a petition from the rejected can.
dilates, praying that their plans might be exhibited in the
National Gallery. He was sorry that the Commissioners
had so soon returned the plans of the rejected candidates, as
the public were most anxious that they should be publicly
exhibited, and he hoped the House would accede to a request
coming from so respectable a body of men.
Mr. HOPE concurred in the prayer of the petition. lie
hoped a public exhibition would be allowed, as many of the
architects had been put to very great expence. With respect
to the immediate return of the plans he believed the Commis-
sioners had nothing to do with that, as, after having made their
decision, they immediately sent them to the office of Woods and
Forests. He trusted there would be an exhibition not only of
those plans which had been unsuccessful, but also of those
which had been approved.
Mr. ROEBUCK supported the prayer of the petition.
Mr. HAWES then presented two other petitions to the
same effect.
THAMES STEAM NAVIGATION.
The HON. MEMBER then presented a petition relative to the
rapid navigation of steamers on the River Thames.
MR. BUCKINGHAM'S CLAIMS.
Mr. GRANTLEY BE RK E LE Y presented a petition from
a place in Gloucestershire, in favour of Mr. Buckingham's
claims.

BIRMINGHAM PETITION.
Mr. ATT WO OD presented a petition from Birmingham,
to which he prayed the serious attention of the House. The
object of the Birmingham Political Union was to protect the
rights and privileges of the Crown. The Meeting from which
the petition had emanated had been the cause of some dis-
agreement in the town of Birmingham, as to whether it should
be considered a town meeting or not ? It had been convened
in the same way that all meetings had been called together
for the last twenty years, as there was no regular
constituted authority for such a purpose there. The
people of Birmingham might have slumbered over •the
objects of the meeting for a long time, had it not been for the
opposite party, who made themselves exceedingly busy during
the last year in getting up Political Unions in the form of
Conservative dinners, where they spoke a great many Conser-
vative lies, and put forth many Conservative falsehoods in the
public papers. It was necessary therefore for the people of Bir-
mingham to meet, in order to show the falsehood of those lies,
errors, or misapprehensions--( Hear, and laughter)—and to
show that House that they were still rooted in their desire for
Reform. The petitioners stated their intense desire for Re-
form, but more especially for a Reform in the House of Lords.
--(Hear, hear.) He agreed with them in their opinion. Re-
form in that House was absolutely necessary, in order to enable
it to move pari passu with this House in the march of libe-
rality, humanity, and justice.—( Hear, hear.) No one, he
was sure, would defend voting by proxy, and he was
sure that every one would think the Bishops ought to be
relieved from the burden of attending to temporal affairs.--
( Hear, hear.) The sooner, in his opinion, the Government
took up that business in a temperate but firm manner, the
better and the more easily would it be settled. The next
question which the petitioners referred to was Municipal
Reform, and he trusted that the Government would speedily
introduce a Bill in order to restore the Bill of last session to
its original state. They next prayed for a reform in the Irish
Church. He was pleased to see a Bill for that purpose pro-
mised, but no mention was made of the Appropriation clause.
Sure he was, and he warned the Government, that without such
a clause, the great body of the people of England would be
very much dissatisfied. He trusted that Ministers, for their
own sakes, would stand fast to that principle, until it had
become the law of the land. The next question to which the
petitioners referred was Poor Laws for Ireland. He was glad
that a Bill on that subject had been promised ; for he was sure
that there never would be peace in that country, until provision
• for the poor was made. In opinion, the law ought to be
based upon the 43d of Elizabeth. He did not mean to say
that it might not be necessary to depart from the provisions of
that law to afford facilities for the transport of labour from one
overburthened place to another, but they ought to stick
as near to it as they possibly could.--( Hear, hear.)
He believed that unless the poor of Ireland were insured the
right of living- out of the produce of the soil, the gentry' of
Ireland would never be interested in taking care of the labour-
ing classes, so as to insure them justice and protection. He
hoped the, Irish poor would be insured against starvation.
_He bored- the tHouse would not think that he required too
t-
gn94 gtio:Of the Irish poor, when he said that
*f"tugge
,ttelilsnteed a maintenance out of the
firaduefef the' so' Car. ) It was proved that every one of
_beat goatititd more than (bur times as much food as he and his
fanahly regairid... Under ibese circumstances, it was right that
the' I, isds fag be compelled to hold out a paternal
bona to, tbalaboninttla,spes. He did not think the whole bur-
tstok T - to fall tkarrsh landholders—the Irish mortgagees
. '
!cif-