The Sun.
London, England, 1849-05-14 00:00:00

SECOND READINGS.

The following Bills were read a second time:—
Louth Markets and Improvements.
Westhead's Patent (for Improvements in Manufac-
turing Fur into Fabrics).
CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS.
The reports upon the following Bills were considered
and agreed to:—
Charing•cross Bridge (Amendments of Acts, Powers
to:alter authorised Approaches, &c.).
London Gas Light Campany (Amendment of Act).
PETITIONS.

Sir IL IL INGLIS presented a petition from several
clergymen at Warwick tigainst the Parliamentary Oaths
Bill.

Mr. J. BAILEY presented a petition agreed to at a
large public meeting at Hereford, praying for some relief
to the ar,rerienitural and trading interests of the country.
Mr. DUNCAN presented a petition from Dundee
praying for the alteration of the game laws.
Mr. EVANS presented a petition from the Indepen-
dents of Derby against the continuance of the Regium
Donum grant.
Mr. FERGUS presented a petition from a place in
Scotland against the Scotch Sanitary Bill.
Sir J. WALMSLEY presented a petition from Bolton
in favour of an extension of the suffrage and vote by
ballot, both as regards Parliamentary and municipal
elections.
Mr. P. WOOD presented a petition from Oxford in
favour of the poor-law superannuation fund ; also a pe-
tition from farmers and others, praying that free trade
might be carried out by the repeal of the duties upon
malt and hops.
Lord BROOKE presented a petition against any alter-
ati,rn in the Parliamentary oaths.
Mr. HILDYARD presented a petition from Bridport
against the alienation of tithes from spiritual purposes.
Mr. 0. GORE presented a petition from Clerkenwell
praying f'Jr the removal of Smithfield Market.
Mr. STANSPIELD presented a petition against the
paper and advertisement duty.
Mr. BRIGHT presented a petition in favour of an ex-
tension of the suffrage, several petitions praying tor-the
liberation of the Rev. Mr. Shore, a petition in favour of
international arbitration, and a petition from Edinburgh,
praying fur the abolition of the game laws.
Mr. FREWEN presented a petition from Sussex
against the Parliamentary Oaths Bill.
Mr. COBDEN presented several petitions from Lan-
cashire in favour of Parliamentary reform.
Mr. CAYLEY presented a petition from Milton,
praying for some relief to the agricultural interests.
EMIGRATION.
Mr. J. O'CONNELL gave notice that to-morrow,
when the Hon. Member fur Limerick brought forward
his motion on emigration, he would move as a substitute
that emigration was a must expensive remedy for the
relief of Ireland, and that it is inure immediately neces-
sary at present to check the disasters of emigration than
to promote it.
PUBLIC L.r.PENDITURE.
Mr. 11. DRUMMOND gave notice that, on the first
Tuesday after the holidays, he should move the follow-
ing resolution:—" That a greater amount of taxation
was levied on the people of this country than was
neecessary for good and efficient government ; and
whereas largo sums arc expended for supporting need-
less places and extravagant salaries, and the pre-
sent taxation of the country. presses heavily on all
clas,,es, it expedient that this House should forth-
' with adopt means fur reducing the expenditure of the
Governmcnt."—(Cheers.)
OFFICERS IN THE ARMY.

Mr. EWART moved for u copy of uny instructions
which may have bee❑ issued by the Commander-in-
Chief respecting examinations to b 2 required on the
admission or promotion of ofti•Jers in the army.—
Agreed to.
DENMARK AND GERMANY.

Mr. DISRAELI said he inquired of her Majesty's
Government, some time back, whether, in consequence
Of the recurrence of hostilities between Denmark and
Germany, they had any objection to lay on the table of
the House copies of the negotiations that had taken
place; but the Noble Lord staged that, notwithstanding

the recurrence of hostilities, the negotiations were still
pending. Ile (Mr. Disraeli) took this oppor:u-
nity of now inquiring from her Majesty's Government
whether those negotiations had been pursued under the
mediation of the British Crown,attd whether any negotia-
tion had been broached by herMajcsty's Governmentito the
Plenipotentiaries of Denmark and of the Central Powers
of Germany, and whether that proposition had been ac-
cepted by both or either of those powers ?
Lord PALMEILSTON said that the proposition for a
limited armistice was still under consideration; and
as that was so, he felt it would not be fitting for him to
go into particulars.
THE BISHOP OF HONG KONG.

Mr. OSBORNE said he had noticed in the
Gazette that Hong-Kong had been erected into a
hishopric.—(Laughter.) He wished to inquire of
his Hon. Friend (Mr. Hawes) what was the amount of
the bishop's salary, and from what fund it was proposed
to pay the Bishop of Hong-Kong; secondly, whether
the outfit, and transport, and palace of the bishop, or any
part of his expenses, were to be:defrayed from the public
Exchequer of this country ?:
Mr. HAWES begged to state that it was quite true,
as the Hon. Member had represented, that Kong. Kong
had been created a bishopric—(Hear, hear)—but
the bishop was paid from the Colonial Bishopric
Fuud—a fund entirely private, and arising out of
private contributions.—(Hear, hear, and cheers.) his
salary, therefore, was of no importance to the House, and
was in no part paid out of the Exchequer. Neither had
the Colonial-aice any knowledge of the Bishop's outfit.
It had hitherto been customary for the Government to
pray a Bishop's passage out, and he did not think that
rule would have been departed from in this instance.
ANNUITY TAX (SCOTLAND).
Mr. COWAN inquired when the Government in-
tended to bring forward their promised measure upon
this subject. Th report of the Commissioners appointed
to inquire into and report on the subject had been pre-
sented some time.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said the report in question
had only been recently received. The propositions con-
tained in it were now under the consideration of the
Government, and so soon as the course to be adopted
had been decided upon leave would be sought to intro-
duce the Bill.
Mr. COWAN—Cannot the Noble Lord " fix the
day ?"—(Laughter.)
Lord J. RUSSELL intimated that he could not.
THE MARRIAGE BILL.

Mr. STUART WOItTLEY referred to the conversa-
tion that had taken place with respect to the fixing of a
day when the adjourned debate upon the Bill could be
proceeded with, and moved, with that view, that orders
of the day have precedence of :notices of mations on
Thursday. the 7th of Juue next.
Mr. OSBORNE moved, as an amendment, that private
motions and orders have precedence of orders of the day,
on Thursday the 14th of June next. If the Ministers
did not intend to bring forward any more measures,
he was satisfied they ought to give back the Thursdays
which they had taken from the House, as several Hon.
Members had several important measures to bring for-
ward. For instance, an lion. Member had had a motion
on the books for peace intervention for the last three
months, and had repeatedly baliotted during that time
fur a day, and he bad been ballottieg for the last six
weeks for a day on which he should be enabled to bring
on his motion with respect to the Irish Church. The
taking of the Thursday by the Government prevented
any private Member from bringing forward any motion.
The SPEAKER having put the motion,
Mr. DISRAELI said, notwithstanding, the reasons
adduced by the mover of the amendment, instances had
occurred of lion. Members not availing themselves of
the opportunities afforded them of bringing on their
motions. Fur instance, the Hon. Member for the
West Riding was called upon to proceed with
his motion, but he declined to do so, perhaps on account
of the prescnt state of Europe.—(Laughter.) These
days having been liberally given up by the House to the
Government, which would otherwise have been at the
disposal of private Members, it should he thought be left
to the feeling of her Majesty's Government
as to restoring them. If it was understood
that the Government did not intend to
bring forward any further measures—(Laughter)—he
thought they should appropriate more days to the use of
private Members, which were certainly grenlei to them
for other purposes than the one assigned.—(Hear.)
Mr. HENLEY drew attention to the fact, that they
had only proceeded a little way with the Committee of
Supply—the miscellaneous estimates, for instance, were
not yet upon the table—and that whilst this was the
case it would not be well for the Government to give

up the day in question. The Government should not
give way because important measures had yet to
be introduced by Hon. Members ; indeed almost
every Hon. Gentleman considered that his own
measure was the most important of all.—(Laughter.) It
the Government gave way they would get into this state
—that on every night when they ought to go into a
Committee of Supply, private Members would bring on
their motions, and the real business of the Government,
and of the country, would in consequence be postponed
sine die.
Mr. COBDEN denied that he was called upon at an
early hour to bring forward his motion. Ile wari not
called upon till a quarter past eleven, and he put it to the
House whether that was a proper hour to bring forward
a motion of so much interest and importance to the
country.—(Loud cries of " Hear, hear.") Government,
in his opinion, ought to give up one of their nights
to the Marriage Bill. It would be far more
convenient to them to do so ; for, if it were taken on a
night appropriated to independent Members, many
motions would have to be moved as amendments on
going into Committee of Supply.—(Hear, hear.)
Atter a low words from Mr. GOULBURN,
Lord J. RUSSELL said he felt great objection to an
order of the day being taken first on a motion night,
while he felt equal objection to breaking through the
rule which the House established before Easter, of giving
up every alternate Thursday to Government.—(Hear,
hear.) The Honourable Member for Middlesex and
the Honourable Member for Oxfordshire had made some
observations with regard to the present state of public
Bills. Now he begged leave, in the first place, to say
that it was not to be inferred that the number of Bills
before them were all that it would be thought necessary
to introduce in the present session. It was not to be in-
ferred that Government had no other Bills ready—
(near, hear) for it had been considered more
conducive to the dispatch of public business
not to introduce a great number of Bills at once, so that
the House might the more easily confine its attention to
the measures immediately under consideration.—(Hear,
hear.) Then with regard to supply, the Hon. Member
for Oxfordshire was quite right in stating that they
were late with many votes of supply, but with respect to
the votes relating to the army, Government had been
waiting to see whether the Select Committee appointed
by the douse would make any report upon this branch of
the supply. He had now, however, a communication from
the Committee, stating that they should not be able to
make an early report, and, therefore, Government was
now in a position to proceed regularly with the
votes of last year. Ile should wish, therefore,
as soon as the House had disposed of some early ques-
tions of pressing importance, to ask the House to con-
sider the question of supply.—(Hear, hear.)
Having said thus much, he hoped the House
would not break through the arrangement made
before Easter. He bad already suggested that the
JMarriagei
fßtihl le mlitgi hot
tb cut
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Goenn
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me Wednesday, s
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might take Wtdnesday, the 13th, when Government
would be willing to forego their orders of the day.
Mr. OSBORNE said, of course, after what had fallen
from the Noble Lord, he should withdraw his amendment.
The amendment was accordingly withdrawn.
Mr. S. WORTLEY said he would take Wednesday,
the 13th, and withdraw his motion.
The motion was accordingly withdrawn.
STATE TRIALS.

On the motion of Lord J. RUSSELL, the minutes of
the arguments taken before the House of Lords in the
case of the Queen te Smith O'Brien were ordered to be
laid on the table.
INCUMBERED ESTATES (IRELAND) BILL.
On the question for going into Committee on this Bill,
Mr. ROEBUCK said before the Speaker left the
Chair he wished to take the opportunity of addressing a
few words to the House on the subject of Ireland. He
wished to express his opinion with regard to the honesty
—if ho could attach the word to such proceedings—of
the Government measures relating to Ireland.—(Hear,
titer.) Having paid great attention to the pro-
ceedings of Government with respect to that
unfArtunate country, he was unable to give them any
praise, because they did not inform him what Go-
vernment intended to do with respect to Ire-
land.—(Hear, hear.) Money had already been spent
lavishly for the purposes of that country, and they
were now called upon to expend more under the plea
that Ireland was in a state of distress.—(Hear, hear.)
Ireland had been in a state of distress of this sort for the
last three years— (Hear, hear)—and he did not dispute
it.—(Hear, hear.) They were all by this time well ac-
i customed to it. (Hear, hear.) A remarkable
description, however, of distress had arisen in
Ireland in consequence of the failure of the potato
crop. Some three years ago the Government of
the Right Hon. Baronet opposite was informed of the
probability that there was about to be a famine in Ire-
land—that the potatoes were likely to be destroyed in
Ireland—and that those who lived upon the root would
he unable to maintain themselves.—(Hear, hear.)
The Right Hon. Baronet the Member for Tamworth,
fearful of the unfavourable aspect before him, proposed
the repeal .of the corn-laws, which he succeeded in
carrying. Had the Right Hon. Baronet not succeeded,
he thought the peace and tranquility that now reigned in
the country, and the comforts now felt and enjoyed
throughout a certain portion of the community, would
not have been seen at the present time.—(Hear, hear.)
There was the provident proposal of the Right Hon.
Baronet (Sir Robert Peel) which saved Ireland from the
dire ealamity with which Providence had visited it.
The Right lion. Baronet, however, seceded from the
post which ho held, the Noble Lord (Lord John Rus-
sell) succeeded him. Now, what did the Noble
Lord do ? The landed proprietors had been
wasteful in their expenditure, they had been accustomed
to go far beyond that which they derived from their pro-
perties, they had burdened their properties in order to
maintain their vanity; and they did one thing more,
and here was the sore spot of Ireland ; they divided
their properties into small holdings, and the ten-
ants to whom they were let, were only able
to pay their rent by living on the lowest species
of food which man could derive from the earth—the
potato. At length that unhappy accident arrived by
which the potato crop failed, and the landed pro-
prietors were found in this condition—they bad an enor-
mous population upon their land who were accustomed,
as he had said, to live on the very lowest species of food,
suddenly deprived of their means of subsistence ; and
the Noble Lord was called upon to meet that extraordi-
nary emergency. Now, what did he do? It Was not every