The Sun.
London, England, 1849-05-15 00:00:00

LORDS' AMENDMENTS.

The Lords' amendments to the following Bills were
considircd and agreed to :
Edinburgh and Northern Railway (Additional Capital
and Amendment of Act-).
North Western Railway (Extension of Lancaster
Branch, Abandonment of William Lands Branch, New
Road to Settle Station, Extension of Time for Purchase
of Lands and Construction of Works).
THIRD READINGS.
The following Bills were read a third time and
passed;—

Shrewsbury and Chester Railway (for Branches to the
riv_ r DJe; Agreement for Joint Station at Shrewsbury;
niA er to Subscribe towards the Shrewsbury and Here-
ford Railway)._

York and North Midland Railway (Deviation and
Abandonment of part of the authorised lines of railway
between Market Weighton and Beverley and Copman-
thorpe and Tadcaster).
CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS.
The reports upon the following Bills were considered
and agreed to:—
Black Sluice Drainage Acts Amendment (Amendment
of Acts, Extension of Time for Completion of Works,
Powers to levy and raise further Rates and Monies, to
alter existing Rates and Tolls, and for other Purposes).
Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway, and Wilsontown,
Morningside, and Coltness Railway Amalgamation.
• York, Newcastle, and Berwick Railway (Barnmoorand
Alumouth New Branches, &c.).
PETITIONS.
Mr. C. BRUCE presented two petitions from Elgin,
one. against the Scotch Marriage Bill, and the other
against the Scotch Registration Bill.
Sir THOMAS BIRCH presented a petition in favour
of lnternaticnal arbitration.

Mr. FREWEN presented a petition from Sussex,
complaining of the agricultural distress which had been
occasioned by free-trade measures, and praying fur a
repeal of the duty upon ratlt and hops.
Mr. II EADLAM. presented a petion from Newcastle
in favour of international arbitration.

Mr. F. CRAWFORD presented apetition from Roch-
dale praying for an extension of the suffrage to ail male
adu!ts; a!no 29 petitions to the same effect from different
parts of the kingdom.
Mr. A. HASEIE presented a petition from Glasgow,
praying that public libraries might be established in
every town in the kingdom.
Mr. GLADSTONE presented a petition against the
Scotch Marriage Bill.

Mr. G. IIIa:APSON presented a petition from Shef-
field aga:nit the extension of beer-shops; a petition from
Reading, prayirg that in certain cases an affirmation

might be substituted for an oath; and several petitions
in favour of universal suffrage, and for the liht,ration of
Mr. Snore.

Sir J. DIiCii\VOIZITI presented a petition frt- m the
De.in anti Chapter cf Exeter prnyirg that no reduction
might be made in the, salaries of deans upon old 'foun-
dations.

Sir HENRY MILFORD presented 47 petitions from
the county of L9icestt r, complaining of agricultural dis-
tress, and praying for the re-imposition of protective
duties.

Mr. KERSHAW presented a petition from Stockport,
signed by 1,800 persons, in favour of general reform.
NEW HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT.
Sir H. WILLOUGHBY asked Mr. Greene what was
the gross amount of the estimates sent in by Mr. Barry,
the architect, for the completion of the Houses of Par-
liament and all works relating thereto ; and whether
the Commission (of which Mr. Greene was a member) had
any legal authority to saacticn or to alter the amount of
such estimates? The Hon. Member said it appeared
from the papers which had been last laid on the table of
the House that the sum already expended amounted to
something over a million.

Mr. GREENE said he hoped it would not be
considered any want of courtesy, or any desire
to withhold informatiom from the House, if
he declined to answer the question in the
form in which it had been put to him. In a
very few days, however, there would be laid on the
table of the House a detailed statement not only of all
the expenses incurred, but of all the expenses which
must be incurred in order to complete the New Houses
of Parliament for the general transaction of business.
After sta'.ing the nature and form of the return v.hich
would be made, the Hon. Gentleman referred to an ex-
tract from the appointment of the Commission to show
that the Commissioners had power in certain cases to
alter the amount of the estimates.

Mr. MO WATT wished to know whether any satisfactory
arrangement had been come to with respect to the ventila-
tion of the New Houses of Parliament. Every Member was
aware of the disagreeable state of the atmosphere which
they were obliged to submit to in the House.;
Mr. GREENE said the Commissioners were not at
liberty to interfere with any matter which bad been
settled prior to their appointment. An arrangement
was made previous to their appointment that Dr. Reid
should have the ventilation of the House and its adjoin-
ing lobbies placed under his care.
PARLIAMENTARY REFORM.

SirJOSHUA WALMSLEY raid that, in consequence
of the indisposition of the Hon. Member for Montrose,
ho begged, on the part of that Hon. Member, to cost-
pone his motion, which stood on the paper for to-night,
until the sth of Jane.
THE IRISH CHURCH.

Mr. OSBORNE gave notice that on Tuesday, the sth
of June, he wuuld move for a Committee of the whole
House to inquire- into the temporalities of the Irish
Church.

THE CHARTER.
Mr. F. O'CONNOR gave notice that on Tuesday, the
sth of June, he would move a resolution that the House
recognised the great principles that labour was the
source of wealth, that the people were the source of all
legitimate power, that the labourer should first reap the
fruits of his own industry, and that taxation without
representation was mischievous.
PROTECTION OF YOUNG FEMALES.
Mr. lIUMPHERY presented a petition from St.
John's, Southwark, in favour of the Bill for the pro-
tection of young females.
COLONIAL LEGISLATION OF CANADA.

Mr. HERRIES said he took that opportunity of
asking the Noble Lord at the head of her
Majesty's Government, whether he had received any
authentic information respecting certain grave
matters which were reported in the public
papers in regard to Canada, and •whether he was
prepared to lay that information on the table) of the
House? He would also take the liberty of asking, with
reference to a question which he had put to the Noble
Lord on a former occasion, whether her Majesty's Go-
vernment were now in possession of extracts from the
votes and proceedings of the Leah.lative Assembly
of Canada relating to the Bill of Indemnity for losses
sustained by the rebellion in Canada? He asked the
question, because the Noble Lord informed the House
that the Government was not in the habit of laying the
votes and pre ceediirs of the Colonial Legislature of Cdriada
on the table of the House. He (Mr. Herries) knew
many instances, and especially a recent one—viz., when
the question of the navigation-laws was before) the
House—where the Government had laid on the table of
the House extracts from the votes and proceedings of
the Colonial Legislature of Canada.
Mr. ROEBUCK said, before the Noble Lord answered
the question, he wished to put another which he thought
would save the time. Inasmuch as the Indemnity
Bill was a money one, he wished to know if
Lord Elgin had received instructions as to how he

should act with respect to it from the Home Government.

A message must have been sent by the Government of
Canada to the Parliament, asking them to pass the Bill.
The consent, he believed, of both was necessary before
the Parliament of Canada could be brought into ope-
ration.

Lord JOHN RUSSELL—Mr. Speaker,—Sir, with
respect to the very serious events which have occurred
in Canada, I have to state, in answer to the first question
of the Right Honourable Gentleman, that a dispatch
has been received from the Governor-General of Canada,
directed to the Secretary of State for the Colonial De-
partment. That dispatch was only received at four
o'clock this afternoon. I have not myself seen it: it is
a document containing an account of the disturb-
ances at Montreal ; and there will be no oljc,,ction
to lay it on the table of the House.—(Hear, hear.) With
respect to the next question of the Right Hon. Gentle-
man, and with regard, likewise, to that of the Hon.
Gentleman who has, spoken last, I will only say
that Lord Elgin has stated that it is his inten-
tion to write by the next mail a dispatch stating

all the occurrences that have relation to the Bill for the

indemnification of losses in the late rebellion; and that
dispatch may be expected by the next arrival in this
country. Ido not think—l will not, however, be positive—
that he has sent home extracts of the proceedings
and votes cf the Assembly; but I conclude that all the
documents which he has received upon the whole matter
will be sent, and in that case there would be no objection
to lay the dispatch and the account of the whole pro-
ceedings before the House. Under these circumstances,
and the willingness of the Government to lay before the
House all these documents, as to the reasons under
which Lord Elgin felt he was justified in the
course he adopted, in assuming the respon-
sibility which he has in the exercise of the
functions entrusted to him, it would not be well to enter
further at present into the matter, until the Earl of
Elgin has had an opportunity of stating the whole of the
facts of the case, and the Government has had an op-
portunity of laying before the House an account of this
very serious a ffeir.
Mr. ROEBUCK said the Noble Lord had not answered
his question—Was the course Lord Elgin adopted, in
sending the Bill to the Parliament, sanctioned by the
Home Government and tho Government of Canada?
Lord J. RUSSELL repeated that it would be far bet-
ter to postpone any further discussion of the matter
until the House was fully in possession of the whole of
the facts.
Mr. DISRAELI drew attention to the fact that on
the 22d of March the Uncler-Secretary for the Colonies
stated in reply to a question from his Right Hon. Friend
(Mr. lorries), that no instructions had been given to
Lord Elgin with respect to the introduction of the
Bill, or in contemplation of such a measure.
The Governor-General had the complete confidence of
the Government. That was a distinct answer. Though
no one wished to press the matter unnecessarily yet it
would be satisfactory to know whether tho reply of the
Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Hawes) was authentic or not.
Mr. ROEBUCK then repeated his question to Mr.
Hawes, who had just entered the House, and whose
conference with Lord J. Russell whilst the Hon. Gen-
tleman was putting the question, caused some laughter.
He wished dizninctly to know whether instruction had
been sent out ft mottle Colonial Office at home convey-
ing her Majesty's commands that her Ministers in
Canada should go down to the }louses of rarliamen there
and propose this Bill. He asked this question, beacause it
was right that the responsibility of tills measure should
rest on the proper shoulder. At the proper time
he should be enabled to explain the circumstances
which had given rise to the Bill.—(Order, order.)
Lord J. RUSSELL declined going further into the mat-
ter; but in reply to the Honourable Member for
Buckinghamshire, he must add that all that had been
already stated on the subject was perfectly correct.
Mr. HAWES admitted that he received the note from
the Honourable Member for Sheffield, and he sent it up
to his Noble Friend at the head of the Colonial Depart.
ment, to enable his Noble Friend the First Minister to
be prepared to meet the question.
Sir JOHN PAKING TON, in connexion with this
subject, wished to know if a petition, emanating from a
large and respectable assembly at Montreal had not been
received at the Colonial-office, praying for the recall
of Lord Elgin, and that her Majesty would b.e pleased
to withhold ber Royal Assent from the Bill? and whether
any petitions to the same effect had been received from
other parts of the province?
Lord JOHN RUSSELL replied that, as the dis-
patch had been received so recently as four o'clock, he
was not prepared to answer the question, except in so far
that the newspapers stated such petition had been sent.
Mr. BRIGHT asked the Noble Lord if he was willing
to inform the House whether Government had received
any information to lead them to hope that the disturbance
had been put down.
Lord J. RUSSELL said the dispatch stated that the
province generally was tranquil, and at the time it left
Canada only public meetings were being held in various
parts of the province.
Mr. P. HO WARD asked whether it was the inten-
tion of Government to increase the forces in Canada—
(Oh! oh!)—to send out some of the Guards—(A laugh)
—or some of the other troops.—(Cheare.) Was it the
intention of the Government to strengthen the power
of the Executive in the province, and to secure the Vice-
roy from any thing like personal insult.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL was understood to reply in
the negative. There were but two constables in the
civil force of Montreal, and hitherto they had been suf-
ficient (as we understood the Noble Lord) to preserve
order.—(A laugh.)
The subject then dropped.
EMIGRATION FROM IRELAND.
Mr. MONSELL then rose, pursuent to notice, to call
the attention of the House to the importance of encou-
raging and promoting emigration from Ireland. It was
difficult to introduce such a question, as matters con-
nected with Ireland had becom6 quite irksome
to the House. He perketly agreed, however, with