The Sun.
London, England, 1847-02-20 00:00:00

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LONDON, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1847.

CABINET COUNCIL.

L-rd STANLEY would not have opposed the Bill if it
had been introduced as a temporary measure, but as
it was introduced as a permanent measure he should
move that it be referred to a Select Committee.
Earl GREY thought that his Noble Friend must have
a very bad case indeed as he had thvoughout his speech
alluded to everthing but the question before the House.
The House was subsequently addressed by Lord
ASRBURTON, Lord MowtrEAcLE, the Duke of RICH-
MOND, the Marquis of SALISBURY, Lord REDESDALE,
the Marquis of WEaTitEATu, when their Lordships'
divided on the original motion, and there appeared—
Contents ... ... 35
Non-contents ... 27
Majority ... —8

The Bill then went through Committee without
amendment.
The Distilling from Sugar Bill also passed through
Committee without amendment.
Their Lordships' then adjourned.
The Commons met at Four o'clock.
The London (City) Small Debts Bill was read a
second time.

! Mr. B. ESCOTT gave notice for Mr. ROEBUCX that
when the Landed Property (Ireland) Bill should be
brought under the consideration of the House, he should
move that any plan having for its object the advancement
of loans to tha Irish lanied proprietors would be unjust,
unless the same principle of taxation which was applied
to the landed proprietors of Great Britain was extended
to them.

Lord J. RUSSELL gave notice that he would, on an
early day, bring in a Bill to alter the Constitution of the
Ecclesiastical Commission.
Mr. LABOUCHERE said that the Government would
shortly introduce two Bills to amend the Irish Corpora-
tion Act.

In answer to Mr. FORSTER, it was stated by Mr.
LABOUCHERE, that the Government did not intend to
import any more flax seed into Ireland.

On the motion for going into Committee on the
Labouriug Poor Ireland Bill, the House was ad-

dressed by Mr. Baillic, Mr. Dillon Browne, Sir B. Hall,
Colonel Verner, Mr. Labouchere, Mr. J. O'Connell,
Mr. 11. Grattan, Mr. Roebuck, Lord J. Manners, Mr,
S. O'Brien, Mr. Sbaw, and several other Hon. Members,

when the House went intu Committee, the whole o 1

the clauses of the Bill were agreed to, and it was or.
dered to be reported on Monday.

The Ten Hours' Bill was read a second time.

Lord J. RUSSELL brought in the Poor-law Suspension

Bill, which was read a first time.

The other orders of the day were then disposed o

and the House adjourned at One o'clock.

Portugal being the theatre of civil war, a powerful
squadron of British vessels is dispatched to Lisbon
and Oporto, and, at the same time, the Government of
this country intimates that England regards the zevo •
lutionary contest now raging in the Peninsula with
the strictest neutrality. The apparent contradiction
of the movement and the declaration is so remarkable,
that a question naturally arises as to the object of the
presence of a British fleet off the coasts of a kingdom
already distraught by the anxieties consequent upon
an insurrectionary armament. If we view the war be-
tween Queen MARIA DA GLORIA and her people with
such impartiality and indifference, wherefore do our
The inquiry line-of-battle ships float in the bays of Portugal?
is an obvious sequitur to the seeming
counter-movement andcounter-statement of the Admi-
nistration. It was partially from solicitude on this point
and partially from sentiments of humanity that Lord
BEAUMONT, on Thursday evening, excited a discussion
a 3 to the conduct pursued by Great Britain towards
Portugal in her present state of embarrassment and
confusion. We are, from many considerations, grati.
fled that the Noble Lord brought the matter directly
under the scrutiny of the Legislature, and thereby
elicited from the Marquis of LANSDOWNE an explana•
tion so peculiarly satisfactory. Whatever may have
been the impression hitherto prevalent upon the
Peninsula as to the readiness of the British Govern-

meat to side either with the Constitutional party or
.with their opponents, those errone.aus impressions
must now be dispelled by the explicit assurances of
the Lord President of the Council. Notwithstanding
the belligerent character of our maritime power
in the vicinity of Lisbon and Opotto, there can no
longer be a question that England is watching the
revolutionary conflict in Portugal veith sentiments of
rigid neutrality, or that the .British fleet has
been dispatched to that portion of Western Europe,
solely fur the conservation of British interests and the
protection of ,British subjects. Beyond this ulterior
object our .tquadron is prepared to afford succour to
any inhabitant of Portugal, whether? royalist or in-

surgent, when driven forth in Cie extremities of
battle.

By this latter announcement Re conceive that
peculiar force is imparted to the virzual entreaties of
Lord BEAUMONT, that the Engligth Government
should snake a representation to the Government of
the Portuguese SOVEREIGN in respect to the atrocious
and despotic proceedings of that Government towards
the unfortunate prisoners who surrendered at Torres I

Summonses were issued yesterday from the Foreign
Office to the Ministers to attend a Cabinet Council
this (Saturday) afternoon, at three o'clock, at the
Foreign Office.

The Lords met at Five o'clock.
In answer to the Earl of ELLENBOROUGIT, it was an-
nounced by the Marquis of LANSDOWNE that the cor-
resr,onclence with the Government on the subject of
advances to Indian railways would be laid before the
House as soon as it should be in a complete state.
Lora ASTIBURTON then moved for various returns
rdating to the Bank of England ; which, after a short
conversation, was agreed to.
On the motion of Lord REDESDALE, it was ordered
that no Committee on a Railway Bill should he ap-
pointed after the sth July.
The Earl of CLARENDON then moved that the House
do re-solve itself into
-Committee on the Sugar Brewing
Bill.