The Sun.
London, England, 1841-03-31 00:00:00

a Bill fLr regulating the safety-valves of boilers in st.,..,am-
veKel=.
Sir E. S UG DEN gave notice that in Committee on the
Poor-law Amendment Act, he should move that the 19th
clause be struck out.

An Hwy. MEMBER said he wished to put a quzstion to
the G,uticman the Secretary for tie Treasury,
In the Lainburgh Advertiser of the 25th of March an
odveitdvrnent had appeared with respect to the collec-
tion ef Land and Assessed Taxes in Peebles ar.d Selkirk.
The ac:vertisement stated that the collector had
received a communication from the Comptroller-
General of Scotlat.d, stating that the public ser-
vce tequired a much earli?r coilection of those taxes
than had been made heretofore, and the collector remindel
all poisons that the same would become due on the 25th
current, and reviested early payment. He wished to
know whether that advertisement emanated from the Trea-
sury.
Mr. GORDON seid that Le believed that the Com-
missioners had received no special directions. The Comp-
troll. rat Edinburgh usually acted on his own disetetion
when he found a particular county in arrear.
THE BUDGET.
Sir E. PEEL h,gged to ask the Right Hue. Genii:-
man o;:;,,;osite i,t what period he would make his fLancial
statement.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER re-
plied that he would do so on th...! 30L11 of April.
Mr. HUME begged to ask the Chancellor of the Ex.
chequer whether it was true, as had been stated, that her
Milesty's Government had entered into an agreement by
which the mails were ca.rr;ed six days in the week bytai'-
way, a'td on Sunday by coach.
The CHANCELLOR cf the EXCHEQUER re-
plied that such an arangeme.it had been adopted.
Mr. HUME then moved for copies of the correspond-
ence which had taken place on the subject.
Sir R. PEEL begged to a=k the Right Hon. Gentle-
man, the President of the Board of Trade, whether he
persisted in as4ing the assent of the House to his Bill
with rssFect to the Colonies on Monday next ? as the
tlhancellor of the Exchequer harl fixes an eally day after
the recess for bringing forward his financial statement, he
thought it would he as well to postpone the na,asure.
Mr. LABOUCHERE said that as his measure in no
respect affected Briti9h revenue, but solely aid exclu-
sively referred to duties levied in the colonies,
he could see no necessity -wheitever for postponing it. He
thought it %ery desirable that the opinion of the House
should be taken on so important a subject as early as pos-
sible.

Sir R. PEEL said, although it might not be a finan-
cial measure, still it was intimately coneected a ith the
finances, and they should not be called upon to give an
opini an upon any single part of a large measure.
Mr. LABOUC HERE said a 3 a matter of course he
could not be expected to know what his Right Hon.
Friend might intend to de. Bur he thought the measures
were perfe. tly disticcre and as a separate measure he thought
the West India Duties R gulation Bill was perfectly de-
fensible.
Colonel SALWE Y, seeing the Noble Secretary for the
Colonies in his place, wished to ask him whether it was his
int: ntion to proceed with the Bribery Prevention Bill dur-
ing the present Session ?
'Lord JOHN RUSSELL had not introduced that Bill
yet. If he proposed to do so, he would give proper notic s.
Mr. HERRIES wished to put a question to the Right
Hoe. Chancellor of the Exchequer, of which he had net
been able to give notice; therefore, he must be content
with such an answer as he might be able to give him.
When the new Postage Act came into operation, the pub-
lic had been deprived of a considerable time in the edvais-
tage they enjoyed of puttir g in and receiving their let err.
It was alleged that upon the immediate establishment of a
new system the difficulties were so great as to
render it necessary fur the Post-office to close
earlier in order to give time fir sorting the in-
creased number of letters, but at the same time it was
understood that very shortly the public would be put in
their old position with regard to time. What he wanted
to know was whether the Right Hon. Gentleman could
inform the House how soon the present system was to cease.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER had
hoped before that to have been able to inform the House
that they were about to return to the old system, but from
the great pressure caused by the increased correspondence
and the establishment cf the money-order office, it had yet
been found impracticable; but he trusted the time was not
far distant when that pressure would cease and they might
return to the old system.
Mr. E. TENN ENT said, as he found from the state
of business for to-morrow be would be unable to proceed
with the Copyright of Designs Bill, he would postpone its
further consideration till the 21st of April.—Postponed
accordingly.
COLONY OF NEWFOUNDLAND.
Mr. PA KINGTON then ruse, pursuant to notice, to
move that a Select Committee be appointed to inquire into
the state of the colony of Newfoundland. The Hon.
Gentleman said that he rose from a strong sense of the
delicacy and difficulty of the duty which be had
to perform, and if he had consulted only his own per-
sonal feelings on the subject, he should gladly have
adopted the suggestion made on a former occasion by
the Noble Lord (Lord John Russell), and have in-
troduced a motion for a Committee of Inquiry into
the affairs of the colony of Newfoundland without
one word of comment. He could assure the Noble Lord
he bad no desire whatever to interfere with the progress
of the Poor-law Amendment Bill, in the general
principles of which he entirely concurred. Nei-
ther had he any desire to lead to any extended
debate, much less to anything , like angry cr ecri
nionious discussion. He had no desire to preju-
dice the investigation upon which they were
about to enter into Committee, for which be
was about to move, by anething like an ex parte sase-
ment, sled, on the other hand, he hoped the House would
allow something for the feelings which he had, for the affairs
of the colony at Newfoundland had never before, he be-
lieved, been submitted to the House of Commons, al-
though the respectable mercantile and wealthy classes of that
colony had for three or four consecutive years been pour-
ing petitions into both Houses of Parliament, at the foot of
the Throne, and into the Colonial-office, fur the redress of
grievances which they emphatically termed insufferable
and intolerable. He was therefore, about to move for a
Committee of Inquiry into the whole state of
this important dependency of the British empire,
and notwithstanding the suggestion cf the Noble Lord,
he should state as briefly and temperately as
he could, but at the same time as clearly and dis-
tinctly, the case on which he thouOit it right to de.
mend from Parliament this investigation.—( Hear, bear.)
He could not conceal from the House that there was mixed
with this question that which was notorious to every one
who load studied the state of the colony, that which
stood recorded in their petitions, and which he believed bad
been avowed in speeches made in the ether House of Pa--
liament—a large portion of the religious distension and
animosity which unhappily prevailed in other p, its
of the empire, and which, weerever it existed, could
not be too deeply deprecated or deplored.—( Hear.)
He could assure the House he did not intend to enter
upon this position of the subject, or to say one word which
could pos-ibly tend to criminate any individual, and he
should enter into the Committee for which he was about to
move oithout any feeling of hostility to any class or'any in-
dividual. If tie allegations to which he referred should be-
come the subject of inquiry in that Committee, he cool i
only say he should rejoice as mach as any man could do if
they turned out to be exaggerated, or altogether unfounded.
He would, with these few explanations, t ern to that which
would be the principal question for the Commit e, v:z.,
wl.ether the present Constitution of the colony of New-
foundland was such -as could conduce to its interests o:
prosi erity. In the year 1832, when Lord Grey was a..
the head of the Administration of this country, an Act was
passed granting a Local Legislature to the Colony. Judg-
ing, however, from results, and the experience of the last
nine years he (Mr. Pakiugton) confessed that that
Constitution appeared to him to have been prematurely
given. He would not undertake to say how far it would
be advisable in any case to grant to a small community in
presentative government ; but he felt confident that
which the gradations of society were not settled a re-
the peculi Sr circumstances of Newfoundland were such as
rendered it singularly inexpedient to confer on them such
a boon. The population of the colony consisted of about
75,000 or 80,000 persons, and these were divided almost
equally into Roman Catholics and Protestants. A still
more remarkable circumstance was, that from the nature of
the climate it was almost impossible to carry on any agri-
cultural business in the country ; and a great portion of
them were, in consequence, obliged to subsist by
the fishing trade. The number of respectable user
chants and shopkeepers, therefore, was very small.
In order to create a sufficiently numerous constituency
under such circumstances the franchise was g anted to
every occupier of a house for tire period cf one year, while
the occupier of a tenement for the space of two years was
egg led to be elected to the Reprioentstive Assembly.
ITat was tee democratic nature of the constituency of
Newfoundland. He di 1 not, however, wish to make any
charge against the Bri ish Government of the time on
that account, as he was aware that such a measure as had
been pa-sed was called for by those merchants anti oilier
tespectable parties in the colony who now complained of
its operation. The first Assembly created under Vie
operation of that Constitution consisted fur the most part
of tespt ctable parties, and there had been no great cause
for complaint of the manner in which they had conducted
the public business ; bat even in that Assembly there had
been certain indications that augured most unfavourably
for the operation of the new Constitution. A Triennial
Act having been passed by the first Assembly, a second
Assembly was elected in April 1836. It had been all, gel
that great party violence had been exhibited at the exc-
tions on that occasion, that great tumults had bees ex-
cited, and that, in consequence several persons of low st'-
tion had been returned members of that Aossemble-
Or,e of the members of that Assembly was a p :or
fisherman, another was a domestic servant, and le had
been assured by a gentleman connected with the colony,
who had furnished him with information on the subject,
that he had actually bean applied to by one of tlie Members
cf the Assembly of Newfoundland to take his (the Mem-
ber's) daughter into his service in the capacity of nursery-
maid. This miniature House of Commons consisted only
15 Members, and it would not be a matter of sur-
prise that such an asssmbly, so constituted, should not
give get rat satisfaction by their administration of the
colony. The motto respectable classes became alarmed,
arid be would shortly state a .series of illegations
had been made against the conduct of that Assembly. It
was complained that they had exercised greet per-ccution
and tyranny—that they had been guilty of mal.adminis-
tration generally, more particularly that there had teen a
gross misapplication of the finances. He would merely
remind the House of one of the grossest acts of tyranny
which, under pretence of a breach of privilege, bad been
perpetrated by that Assembly. There could be no doubt
a to the circumstance to which he referred, it had become
almost matter of history. A gentleman of the medical
prefesslon had a Cluereel' with, e Member of the Howie of
Assembly on a matter totally unconnected with anything
reletir g•o the Assembly. The Member' of the Aseerebly'
complained of the conduct of this medical gentleman,
as a breach cf privilege, and by order of the Assembly he
wet tak,o intro euatody. Ho applied for a writ of habeas