The Sun.
London, England, 1847-05-21 00:00:00

them unfounded still. /32-e made no attack on the
ments which he believed w.c..re nnfora nded, and did believe
Gentleman's statements ,were so characterised
Honourable Gentleman's c haracter. But when the
by passion, when be represented that . the
Poor-law Commissioners deli3Ohted in the muruer of
children—(Great laughter)—he was but justified in
saying they were unfounded.
Mr. FEHRAND denied the staten.,ents attributed to
him. He did not say that the Commis, 4ioners delighted
in murdering children.—(Cries of " Din, le.")
StrangjeorsnwNerße
uoisdseEreLdLtoswaiidth,
asdraswom, wehe
n. Members
Lord
wished still to speak, and if Hon. Members . would not
postpone the debate over to-morrow night, h.e would
consent to the debate being adjourned.
The debate was then adjourned.
HERRING FISHER:Y (SCOTLAND) BILL.
H 'hisEi
rBiIITA , l
LwEa s read a
SECURITIES second time.
FOR DEBT (SCOT-

LAND) BILL
s read a third time and passed.
TENURE (SCOTLAND) BUJ..
TBhuisßßGillA wd.E '

This Bill was also read a third time and passed.
CROWN CHAR'I7ERS (SCOTLAND) BIT.L.
This Bill was read a tLird tune and passed.
PASSENGERS ACT A MENDMENT BILL.
Mr. HAWES moved that the House go into Co.'n-
mittee on this Bill. It was a very important measure;..
and should be passed as soon as pcssible, as it was
mainly to protect passengers.
The House then went into Committee.

Upon Clause 1 being proposed,
Lord G. BENTINCK said that at the request of the
shipping interest of Liverpool, he would move several
amendments on the Bill, which it would, perhaps-, be as
well that he should state at once to the Committee, In
the first' clause be proposed to move—page 2,
line 15, after " tons," insert " having a space/ of
fourteen superficial feet to each person." Page -3.
lisle 7, after "hatchway," insert " provided wit` e
ladders and protected by a companion hatch
fitted with sliding top and side doors." Line 24, after'
" ship," insert " having a space of fourteen superficial
feet." Page 4, line 10, leave out " fourteen," and insert
" eight." Line 16, leave out "in the said recited Act
mentioned," and insert "of one person to every four-
teen feet, including berths and personal luggage." After
clause 5, he proposed the insertion of clause C, the
object of which was, that the seaworthiness of the ship
should be ascertained by survey. And be it further
enacted, That to remove doubts as to the seaworthiness
of any vessel about to proceed with passengers, as afore-
said, the acting government emigration officer shall
cause such ship to be surveyed by two duly autho-
rised and responsible surveyors, and if it shall be
reported by those persons that such ship is not in
their opinion in a state of repair and efficiency
as would entitle such ship or vessel to be classed
in Lloyd's Registry of British and Foreign Shipping,.
2E 1, such ship or vessel shall not be cleared out.
Then, after clause C he proposed to add a clause D,
providing that in the event of wreck or unseaworthiness,
the passengers were to have another conveyance pro-
vided for them or to be indemnified. The clause would
be as follows :—And be it enacted, that in case any ship
carrying passengers on any such voyage as in the said
recited Act is mentioned, shall be wrecked or otherwise-
destroyed, and shall thereby or by any other cause what-
soever be prevented from landing her passengers at the
place they may have respectively contracted to land ;
or in case such ship shall put into any port or place in a
damaged state, and shall not within a reasonable time be
ready to proceed with her passengers on her intended.
voyage after having been first efficiently repaired, and in
all respects put into a sound and seaworthy condition,
then and in any of such cases they:alien be provided with
a passage by some other equally eligible vessel, to tho
port or place at which they respectively may have
originally contracted to land ; and in default thereof;
within a reasonable time, such passengers respectively
shall be entitled to recover by summary process, before
any two or more justices of the peace, in like manner as
in the said recited Act is provided in the cases of
moneys thereby made recoverable, all moneys
which shall have been paid by or on account of such pas-
sengers or any of them, for such passage, from the party
to whom the same may have been paid, as from the
owner, charterer, or master of such ship; and also such
further sum not exceeding 5/. in respect of each
such passage, as shall in the opinion of the jus-
tices who shall adjudicate on the complaint be
a reasonable conpensation for any loss or inconve-
nience occasioned to any such passenger, or his or
her family, .by reason of the loss of such passage..
The last was the most important amendment. It was
to provide that in all cases where a ship was lost, the
owners should return the passage money, or provide
the passengers with another passage. This would in-
volve an additional expense of Is. 6d. per passenger for
insurance ; but he was quite sure, with such a guaran-
tee, the passengers would readily pay that charge.
Mr. HAWES objected to assimilate the measurement
of English ships with American, as that would have
the effect of putting impediments in the way of the
emigration now in progress from Ireland and this coun-
try. He hoped, therefore, his Noble Friend would not:
press his amendment. Ve ith regard to the survey pro-
posed by the Noble Lord, the present law provided for
that, as no ship could convey passengers without a cer-
tificate of her seaworthiness ; and this, he apprehended,
was a sufficient guarantee of security. Under these
circumstances, he hoped the House would see
that the amendments suggested were unnecessary.
He hoped the Noble Lord would allow the Bill to go
through Committee, and move again the clauses he
might feel it necessary to have inserted on the bringing
up of the report.
Lord G. BENTINCK said he could not give way on
the clauses referring to surveying. He would agree
that the Bill should go through Committee, and so much
of it be confirmed as did not bear upon the surveying,
and on the bringing up of the report, he would move his
clauses.

Mr. HUDSON concurred with the Noble Lord in the
desirableness of the survey.

On clause ten,

Sir G. CLERK thought there ought to be some scale
of boats adopted in the Bill for the security of passen-
gers. It mattered not whether they adopted the scale of
last year or the year previous, but some scale in propor-
tion to the passengers ought to be adopted in the Bill.
The clauses were agreed to, the Bill went through
Committee, and was ordered to be reported on Monday
week.

The House then resumed, the other orders of the day
were then disposed of, and the House adjourned at Two
o'clock.

PARLIAMENTARY DIVISIONS.

From the Votes and Proceedings of the House of Commons.)

THU RSDAY. MA! 20.
CUSTOMS.

Acts read; Motion made, and Question put, " That this
House will resolve itself into a Committee on the said Acts,
for the purpose of assimilating the warehousing privileges on
Colonial and British Spirits." The House divided:—

MINORITY—AYES, 51.
BaMie, Col. Feilden, Sir W. Marton. G.
Baillie, IL:J. Forbes, William 3lolesworth, Sir IF.
Baillie, W. Fuller, A. E. Norreys, Sir D.
Baine, Walter Gordon, Admiral O'Connell, M. J.
Barkly, Henry Hallyburton, Lord Palmer, R.
Bennet, Philip Halsey, T. P. Pattison, James
Bentinek, Lord G. Hamilton, Lord C. Rashleigh, William
Blackstone, W. S. Hodgson, Richard Ross, D. R.
Bouverie, E. P. Hope, Sir J. Sandon, Viscount
Browne, R. D. Houldsworth, T. Sheppard, T.
Buck, L. W. Jolliffe, Sir W. H. Trelawny, J. S.
Crawford, W. S. Jones, Captain Turner, Edmund
Dennistoun, John Lockhart, A. E. Wakl- ey, Thomas
Diyett, E. Lockhart, W. Watson, W. H.
Drummond, 11. Mackenzie, W. F. Williams, W.
Duncan, George Macnamara, Major TZLLSZS.
Duncombe, Thomas M`Carthy, Alex. Moffatt, George
1 Ewart, William Manners, Lord J. Hume, Joseph