The Sun.
London, England, 1841-02-06 00:00:00

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNAt,

FROM THE EVENING PAPERS OF YESTERDAY.)
(From the Standard.)
The Irish Registration Bill of Lord Morpeth is now, as
far as its principle i 3 concerned, before the public, and it
will be foiled to have accomplished the difficult task of restor-
ing interest to a discussion, the interest of which had been
previously exhausted. The interest, however, which the
Noble Secretary has given to the question, is altogether
at his own and his party's expense—it is the same kind
of interest that one takes in a rat-hunt or is the pursuit
of a pickpocket by the market crowd. Lord Morpeth
never intended that his Bill should pass into a law—nav
more, never hoped that any one could suspect him of in-
tending that it should pass into a law. It is a Bill to pre
vent a reform of the Irish registration, which Lord
Morpeth at length acknowledges to be abominably
corrupted by fraud and perjury. And for this end it is ad.
mirably adapted; it is a Bill for household suffrage, for such
must boa Bill fora five-pound rated franchise. What would
be thought of such a Bill of this kind for the counties of
England, where so much complaint is made by Liberals of
the enfranchisement by the Duke of Buckingham and
Chandos' clause in the Reform Bill of 501. tenants ;
and yet bow much higher is the relative position of
5/., householders in England than in Ireland? All
rents in Ireland are extravagantly high, but house-
rent is higher in proportion than land-rent, as it
always Kill be where the interest of money is
high, and where payments are precarious. This
is a fallacy which runs through all calculations
of Irish rents ; whether house rent or land rent, the
rents are estimated at what is commonly agreed to
be paid for a giver, class of house, or a given amount
of land, and not what on the average of years
is actually received, or expected to be received.
This may serve well enough for comparing things
Irish among themselves; but it leads to the grossrst
errors when we come to compare the station cf the
inhabitants according to the rents they pay. Many a man
occupies a house in Ireland that, according to the usus
loci, must be rated at ten or fifteen pounds, who in Eng-
land woulsl be the inmate of a workhouse. Nine-tenths
of Lord Morpeth's 5/. electors would be actual paupers.
But it is nearly as absurd to deal seriously with such a
proposition as it was to make it.
(From the C'onrier.)
The unanimity of the Ministry and their adherents is
really wonderful this Session about the fraud and per-
jury of the Irish registration system, as contrasted with
last, when the fact was flatly denied by Mr. O'Connsll
and not dared to be admitted by the cowering officials
around him thee. Lord Morpeth last evening WAS
allowed to be even eloquent in illustration of the pre-
mises so long in " It had (lie observed) been
admitted on all hands that there were many imperfections
and abuses attached to the ;:resent system of registration
in Ireland. This evil both parties have admitted, and have
agreed in opinion that some remedy should be applied.
( Hear, hoar.) As to the precise extent of those abuses—as
to the nature of them, or the exact degree of fraud practised
—as to its comparative extent with the fraud practised in
this country or Scotland—it was not, he thought, a sub-
ject necessary to excite controversy, although he knew
these questions had, on former occasions, created a gloat
difference of opinion. It had been admitted by all
parties that this system had furnished, generally,
great means and facilities for frand in Ireland ;
this had scarcely been denied fay any who had addresser'
himself to a consideration of the subject. The
point which. had been more especielly adverted to
was the system of certificates, which, of itself, was the
cause ef frequent instances of fraudulent personation of
dead or absent voters, and the retention on the registry
of voters who had been placed there after being duly
qualified, but who were then, left without any opportunity
for subsequent correction or revision, that is, wader the
present Irish Reform law, for a period of eight years."
The scandalous system here described by a Member of
the Government, under whose observation its practical
working must more peculiarly have fallen, was suffered
to exist, and its abominations winked at, without one
attempt to enact and apply a legislative remedy, until
Lord Stanley took the monster grievance in hand, and
grappled with it vigorously for the fall. The instant it
was found that registration iniquities were doomed, and
that prat would eo longer be tolerated from the perpe-
tration, Lord Morpeth is seized with a pious fury for re-
form, but a reform after the true Whig fashion, for is hilit
affecting zealously to co-operate in the eradication of °Le
abuse, ho lends his aid only on condition of inflicting an-
other, politically ieore perilous, although perhaps morally
less gross in the abstract.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE. OF LORDS, FED. 5.

The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Wor)i-
sack at Five o'Clock.

Lord REDESDALE sa'd ho was requested by a
Node Friend (Lord Ripon), who hal g.ven notice for
Morday next of a motion on the subject of cur rela-
tions with Persia, that Its was compered to rut it off
on ucentint of the death of a relative.
DUTIES ON EAST INDIA PRODUCE

Lord BROUGHAM presented a petition which
be said came from a respectable though nct numerci:s
body of men consisting of eight planters, landowners,
and others regyTed rho cultivation of la:td
in India. They prayed f.-tr the equalization of
duties rn E-st and West Indian produe.t. It was
kno..-ra to their I,n7de,Yr3 tllat th,t duty upon
sugar, t;:e produce o::r colonic's in diff_a-cut parts of
the w,,r1,1, had been nominally egnaliz d, hut it had not
been so ia flct, nor indeed nominally in all places. For
instance, pt the C tpe of Good Hope, sugar from the
Etst Ind.es was charged th.l same amount of duty a 3
that from Itreign countries, which was almost a prehi-
bition. But ap trt from this, the it Lordships should
know tliat the effect of the uneval duiies en colonial
runt w to operate indir.c:ly as a heavy tax upon
tke :a of stiff it in the East 13,1e5. Ia
West lodics the per s upon the mlnufaettire of rum
enabled the sugar growars to sell sugar et a muen
cheaper r,te than they cruid do if they were not re-
lieved in that woe front part of talc expense of its
manufacture. Lot the Ea.t beteg shut out
Item mark.et for their ruts, were unalde to pr.)-
duce sugar with the same advantages. There rL re
nonn.icted with then .subjnct still higher interests
than mere coirmercial and a;iti2ultural con,:iderations,
viz , the effect which the present regu!ations of duties
or coy aitcrntion of them might have upon the sui.j ct
of sla.,-;,ry. NI a y whe, like himself, would have no
difficulty in detertnining that on general coltsideratiot:
the duties should be equalised, had cosine tlotit that the
effect might not lice to give eneourageancut fo
the exportation of sug tr produced by slice labour.—
( Hear, hear.) The petitiocers had not shut their
to this :low of the case. They Seer.', persons practicell
aequointed with till the bearings of :he ("tacit= ; amontr,t
them they 1.• ult iva`ed 150,000 acres of lend, none a
there cultivated less than 19,000 acres, and tleir opi
2:ion was that the eq3 tizatien would not be attended
with increaser: facilities for the employment of slave
labour.

11,LINES'S OF THE DUKE OF WELLING.

TON.

Towards the conc!usion of the Noble and Learned
Lord's address on the Frescroation of the petition, the
Duke of 'Wellington rose hurriedly from his seat, as
if seized by sudden iil etQ. Tne Noble Duke faltered
in his step as he endeavoured to proceed to the
Rejoining room. Toe E;rl of Aberdeen, the Esrl
Elle',borough, and the 15oers around, immediately as-
sisted him out. We understand that the Ncble Duke
was soon afterxards enabled to proceed in his carriag
to his house.

The Miniqu.:s of LANSDOWNE concurred in the
general vie Ns expresed by his Noble and Learned
Friend (14-4,1 Brougham).
Lord BROUGHAM tlien presyi‘ntrd a petition
(turn the Finsbury ‘Vorkin,g Mrin's Association,
sigsed by tlic Chairman, Mr. Gibbs, praying that
certain measures proposed in what was called the People's
Cha-ter, rend consisting of universal suffrage, vote by
ballet, no property
.qualification, the payment of 'Mem--
hers, and the dir;s:on of the country into electoral
districts, might he carried into effect. The Noble
and Learned Lord also presented a petition from
the same Association, praying for the release
of Frost, Williams, and Jones, and the liberation of
other political offenders. They complained of
the punishinnt inflicted on those individuals who
amount to between -100 and 500 in England, Scotland,
sad Wale=, stating that it was only calculated to
bring the law into contempt.
Mr. Holmes, a Cleik of the Court of Chancery in
Ireland, brought up certain returns from that Court.,
TRIAL OF THE EARL OF CARDIGAN.
Lord DUNCANNON laid on the table a resolu-
tion agrecti to by the Committee appointed to regulate
proceedings with respect to the trial of the L :r1 of
Cardigan, to the effect that no person should be per-
mitted en the sail trial to sit or stand near the
Throne, except such Peers of Irebind and Scotland
as did not sit in the House, minor Peers,
and the el lest sons of Peers, and that such
per-
sons should not be admitted unless provided with a
ticket by the Lord Chamberlain, to be obtained on per-
sonal application at his Lordship's office, between the
hours of ten anti five o'clock.
Their Lordships then adjourned till Monday.