The Sun.
London, England, 1831-06-27 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

At Four o'clock the SPEAKER took the Chair. Several
new Members were then introduced, and took the oaths
and their seats.

Mr. Robertson appeared at the Bar with the report of
the Commissioners of Public Turnpike Roads; and Mr.
Parkhouse with the report of the seventh award of the
Commissioners of Tanjore, both of which reports were
ordered to be read and to be printed.
Mr. DIXON brought in a Bill for Repairing and im-
proving the harbour of Rothsay, in the county of Bute,
which was read a first time.
Mr. STRICKLAND brought in a Bill for draining and
improving the low lands in certain parishes in the county
of York. Read a first time.
Mr. HOBHOUSE obtained have to bring in a Bill to
establish a Chapel of Ease in the parish of St. George,
Hanover-square, and for the mainterance of the same.
Lord STANLEY brought in a Bill for making a rail-
way from Liverpoolio Charlton, in the county of Chester,
which was read a first time.
Mr. SHELL brought in a Bill for snaking and main-
taining a rail-road from Dublin to Kingstown, and also a
Bill to enable the Irish Inland Nivigation Company to
sus and be sued, which were read a first time.
-Mr. EWART brought in a Bill for endowing the
Church of St. Bridget in Liverpool, which was read a first
time.
The SPEAKER, in laying on the table the lists of
Committees, suggeste.l that it would be exceedingly con-
venient if the House would agree that the evidence
that was taken before those Committees of the last Session
that were to be again appointed should be taken by the
present Committ. es without resorting to the inconvenience
of examining the same witnesses again.
SUMMONING MEMBERS ON JURIES.

The SPEAKER then begged, before the House wen
into the public business, to draw attention to a circum
stance of no inconsiderable importance. Representations
ha... 1 been made to him upon the same subject during for-
mer Sessions, and he thought it expedient to refer to it
now that they were commencing a new Parliament. It
was with respect to Members of that House being sum-
moned to serve on Juries in Westminster-hall, during the
Session. Summonses were frequently sent to Members
and it was not extraordinary those Members to whom the
forms of the House were new, should be in some doubt as
to the course they should pursue. Those summonses were
Rot only not unfrequently sent, but they had been followed
by notices of distress for non-attendance. It should be
known that the first duty of Members was to attend their
pl.u•es in this House—(Hear, hear)—and for that reason
only was their non-attendance an excuse during the Ses-
sion. The complaint was occasioned by the neglect of
the officers of the Courts, but the Right Hon. Gentleman
hoped that it would not again occur after this notice.
Mr. HENRY HUNT presented petitions from the
inhabitants of Milborne Port, complaining of the tithe
laws, and praying for their repeal ; and from Fife, in
Scott Ind, complaining of the East India monopoly, and
the monopoly in corn, and praying for the abolition of
those monopolies. The Hon. Member then, in presenting
a petition signed by 700 persons, inhabitants of Cullingill,
in Ireland, for the repeal of the Legislative Union, stated
that the petitioners complained that since the Union they
had suffered the greatest privations ; they attributed the pre-
sent state of starvation in Ireland to the Union ; that the
Union caused those periods of starvation which Ireland had so
woefully experienced during many past years, and they
prayed for its repeal. He (Mr. H.) now repeated what he had
before declared, that unless the tithe laws were established
—(Laughter)—he meant the poor laws, and unless the
tithes laws were repealed, it would be necessary gravely to
consider the repeal of the Union. The petition was then
read.
Mr. HUNT then presented a petition from several pa-
rishes in Brecknockshire. lie lamented that he did not see
an Hon. Alderman, a Member for tile city of London, in
his place ; that Hon. Alderman had taken occasion to
complain of what he termed his (Mr. Hunt's) conflicting
speeches in that House; be had presented petitions from
various places in England, Scotland, and Ireland, and he
now presented one from the native place of the
Hon. Alderman in Wales. These petitioners complained
of distress, and prayed a❑ investigation into, and an altera-
tion of, the tithe laws. The Hon. Member next stated,
that after he had left the Ilotise on Friday evening, there
had been some discussion on a notice of motion that he
had given for the 15th of July, relative to a repeal of the
Corn Laws, and he regretted that he was not present,
because a Noble Lord (Milton) seemed to have mistaken
the intention of his motion. His intention was to move

for a total repeal of all the exiting laws that in any way
affected the free importation of corn. The Hon. Membtr
then moved for " A return of the number of quarters of
corn imported into Great Britain and Ireland, between the
sth April, 1630, and the sth April, 1631, distinguishing
the different sorts of corn, and the amount of duty pay-
able into the Treasury thereon."
Mr. PORTMAN said he thought the required informa-
tion was already printed, and he suggested that the Hon.
Member should make the inquiry before he put the country
to the expense of printing it over again.
Mr. HUNT said he would inquire if it was printed ;
and if he found it was, he would withdraw his motion.
Lord KILLEEN presented a petition from the High
Sheriff, nobility, clergy, and inhabitants of the county of
Meath, in favour of Parliamentary Rtfornt. The Noble
Lord also presented another petition upon the same sub-
ject from another part of the same county.
DISTRESS IN IRELAND.
Mr. O'FARRELL presented a petition from the inha-
bitants of the county of Meath, and another froin the inha-
bitants of Kildare, setting forth the distress in Ireland,
which they attributed in a great measure to arise from the
want of means of employment, and praying that, as a
remedy, a Bill for a general drainage should pass that
House.
The same Host. MEMBER, gave notice that he shoul I
move, on the 4th of July, for leave to bring in a General
ainage Bill.
STATE OF NEWFOUNDLAND.
Mr. ROI3INSON wished to know from the Noble
Viscount opposite whether any decision had b,en collate to
by his Majesty's Government on the subject of a petition
which had been presented to the Government for a :ocil
legislation in Newfoundland ; also whether any instruc-
tions had been Oven to the proprietors and authorities thi re
to maintain to British subjects the right of fishing
on those shores, which he (Mr. Robinson) coo-

sidered they had an equal right to with the French ;
and next, whether there was any Bill intended im-
mediately to be brought in for the general protection of
the regular fishing there, and internal administration of
that country? His subsequent conduct should be governed
by the nature of the replies he might receive to these
enquiries. Should Government not be disposed to in•
terfere at once, he should feel it his bounden duty to bring
the subject before the House._ . _ .

Lola HO\VICK said, that the petition from Newfound-
land had attracted the most attentive consideration of his
Majesty's Government. It was the full persuasion of the
Government that that country had made of late such
progress in civilization that the inhabitants of it
oueht to have a mole direct control over its own internal
affairs, than they had heretofore had. At the same time
there seemed to be a great difficulty in the way of grant-
ing to it a separate legislation, because tin re was no town,
save St. John's, which was of any particular size,
in the country. The other towns were small and widely
xeparat•-d from each other, so that the legislation would
hweto be granted to St John's, if granted at all. Go-
vernment hoped that other means would be found of giving
to the inhabitants of Newfoundland a power of interfer-
ence in their own affairs. With respect to their right of
ti ihing upon their shores, that was a point disputed by the
French ; for the Treaty 0f1823 and the subsequent result
of an application to the French Government on the ques•
tion left it extremely doubtful—what would be the ulti-
mate of it it was impossible for the Noble Lord to say.
—As to the third question there was no intention
whatever on the part of Government to bring forward any
Act of Parliament for the present.
Mr. ROBINSON then gave notice, that on Tuesday,
the 25th of July, he should move an address to the Crown
on ti:e stste of Newfoundland.
IMPORTATION OF GLOVES.

Mr. ROBINSON moved for a return of the number of

dozens pairs of gloves that had been imported into this
country since April 1830 to April 1831, and the amount
of the duty Reid thereon.

REFORM MEASURE.

Mr. C. DOUGLAS presented a petition from certain
land owners in the county of Forfar, in Scotland, against
certain parts of the proposed measure of Reform—parti-
cularly complaining of the ten pound elective franchise.

Mr. MAULE undertook to declare to the House that
this was not to be considered as the petition of the land-
owners in general of the county of Forfar. By
far the greater maj..rity of the inhabitants and land-
owners there were decidedly in favour of the measure.
As for himself he felt extremely grateful to his Majesty's
Government for bringing forward the Reform measure
again, and so soon after the meeting of Parliament, and it
should have his most cordial support.—(Cheers.)
Captain ROSS had n-4 the slightest difficulty in as-
suring the House, that 99 out of every 100 of the inhabi-
tants of the county of Forfar were decidedly in favour of
the present measure of Refit m.
Mr. C. DOUGLAS, in moving that the petition be
printed, said that he had not presented it as the petition of
the landowners of the county, but only as the petition of
the under-mentioned Pi' spectable inhabitants.

RIOTS IN SCOTLAND.
Mr. DUNDAS wished to ask the Lord Advocate of
Scotland whether any measures had been taken to bring
those who had assembled and committed riots at the late
elections in Scotland to punishment?
The LORD ADVOCATE said he had not the least
objection, in answer, to say that one individual at
Lanark, and certain individuals at various other parts
were notice prosecution at this moment for the part they
bad taken in those riots. At Ayr, a very formidaWe riot
had taken place, but hitherto no rioter had been identified,
though every investigation had taken place.
Mr. KENNEDY said, that with refetence to the dispo-
sition of the people of Scotland, nothing could be mote
wind—he meant the disposition of the intelligent and re-
spectable class of persons throughout that country. No
d iubt, as in all countries, there might be a few evil disposed
persons who might h: ready to create and to join in a
riot ; but the disposition of the people there generally
was of the most sound desci iption, and that nothing could
be more libellous or false than to state, as had been
alleged in another place, that they only desired
to have a leader to destroy the established institutions of
the country. He himself knew much of their disposition,
and whenever occasion presented he should be ready to
give in proof to that House what he (lid know on the
subject.
Sir WM. RAE complained that he had been misre-
presented in what he had stated respecting the Scotch a
eew nights ago. He bat upon that occasion been re-
presented to have said, that a hotly of Scotehmen could
never meet and separate themselves again, without
bloodshed.—(Laughter.) Such an expression had never
escaped his bps. What he had said, and was ready to re-
pea►, was, that though it was exceedingly difficult to rouse
a body of Scotchmen, ye t that when they were excited
it was by no means easy to allay that excitement. He be-
lieved that the Learned Lord Advocate opposite could
have no difficulty in bearing out the truth of this state-
ment, recollecting that he himself, when he was the
unpopular ( andidate at Forfar was obliged to send thirty
miles for troops to put down the rioters.
An Host. MEMBER, whose name we could not obtain,
defended the conduct of the Scotch.

Mr. CHARLES ADAM spoke on the same side.
S.r GEORGE CLERK considered that wherever good
order had been maintained at the late elections, it had

been owing to the proper conduct of the Sheriffs.---
He considered that Scotland, previous to the introduction
of the Reform measure, was one of the most peaceable
pal is of his Majesty's dominions, but that since the
bringing forward of that measure, all the troops in Scotland
had not been able to maintain order and peace ; and he
was persuaded that the excitment, and consequences of
that excitement, was by no means yet at an end on the
other side of the Tweed.

Mr. FERGUSON would make one observation respect-
ing those riots that had existed in Scotland, and which
had existed to a considerable extent, not, certainly to the
credit of those concerned in them. His decided opinion
was that if inquiries were most scrupulously made, not
one of those persons to whom the elective francuise
was to be extended, would be found among those who
were concerned in such tumults from the one end of Scot-
land to the other.— (Loud cheers.) There could not be a
more loyal, a more moral, a more peaceable population
than that of Scotland.—(Hear.) It was the opposition
to Reform that had caused the excitement—(Hear).—and
he believed that the riots which had existed in that part
of the country, had been occasioned by the Oppositionists
to the Reform Bill. He was far from justifying such

riots, but he would not let it be said in that House
that his Majesty's Government or those friendly to their
grand me ,sure were either the remote causes of their ex-
istence, or at all accessary to them in any sliaFe.
The LORD ADVOCATE said it was true that in conse-
quence of the communication which he had received frotrt
the S'ieriff of Edinburgh, he was induced to issue a proc!a-
mation, the purport of which was to correct a mistake
which had been prevalent in some districts, that those
investigations, commenced by the local magistracy',
and which were going on in thier hands, \vete
under his sanction, and upon his authotity. That
intimations of all assemblages on the days of elections
were viewed by him as somewhat questionable, as hazard-
ing by possibility the public peace; that, therefore, all
precautions were to be taken, although he did not concur
i❑ the opinion that military force was to be resorted tot
in order to put down the riot!.—(Loud cries of " Heart
hear," in which Mr. O'Connell's voice was particularly,
audible.)