The Sun.
London, England, 1847-05-29 00:00:00

MALT TAX.

The Duke of RITTLAND presented a petition from
persons in Lancashire, praying for the repeal of the
malt tax.

Lord BROUGHAM assured the Noble Duke that he
was opposed to all taxes, and to the malt tax also. But
he could not consent to that tax being repealed till it
could be seen how they could do without it.
The Duke of RICHMOND differed from the Noble
and Learned Lord. The tax in question was felt as a
great burden, the removal of which was become more
necessary from certain late changes in the law. The
sugar duties, too, had been reduced, so as to bring that
article into competition with malt ; and as malt itself
could now be got elsewhere, the duty was become a
severe burden. He hoped his Noble Friend would ere
long bring in a measure for the repeal of this duty.
FIRE AT sr. JOHN'S, NEWFOUNDLAND.
Lord PORTM A N rose to call attention to the papers
laid before this House relating to the fire at S
Newfoundland ; and to move an humble addresst'John's,
Newfoundland to her
Majesty. He said this matter had been brought
before his attention first of all by the clergy -
f the West of England. They found that
Theen principal part of the fund had been devoted to objects
to which it was positively prohibited from being devoted.
He would now direct their attention to the documents and
papers which had been laid upon their Lordships' table.
Letters were before the House which would show the
House the extent of the calamity to which he referred.
Considerable collections had been made for the relief of
the sufferers ; petitions had also been presented to the
Queen, praying that a collection might be made for the
sufferers. The Noble Lord then proceeded to refer to
several documents, bearing upon the case, at a consider-
able length.
The Bishop of LONDON said the Noble Lord com-
plained of the way in which the funds, raised under a
Queen's Letter, for the damage done at Newfoundland
by fire, had been applied. He objected to every por-
tion of the money being employed for the rebuilding of
the parish church. Now it ought to be considered that
the parish church of St. John's, was the only one de-
stroyed, and surely it was a work of charity to erect it,
under the circumstances. Being the only place of wor-
ship which suffered by the fire, it was but right that a
portion of the amount raised, should be applied in the
manner referred to, and he could not see how it could
reasonably be denied. An application was made to the
Crown from a Committee, appointed at a meeting,
over which the Lord Mayor presided, to allow
collections to be made in the churches and cha-
pels throughout the country for the purpose of
relieving the distress occasioned by the fire in
Newfoundland, and for rebuilding the churches.
which had been destroyed. He did not, therefore, think
that the Bishops or the Government were to blame for
the course which was taken, but if blame did attach to
any one for what had been done, he was quite ready to
take it upon himself. He begged to thank the Govern-
ment in his own name, and in the name of the authorities
of Newfoundland, for their exertions in behalf of the
unfortunate persons who had suffered by the disaster.
Earl GREY said his Noble Friend had blamed him
or not allowing a portion of the money for the rebuild-
ing of the church. He did refuse to allot any portion of
the money for this purpose, but he did so at the wish,
and with the approval of, the authorities of the colony.
The persons of the working class who had been sufferers
by the fire had received compensation to nearly the full
amount, and the class which suffered most severely
(namely, the small shopkeepers), did not come forward
to receive relief. It appeared therefore to him, that the
application of the surplas money—which remained from
these contributions—to the restoration of the churches
destroyed, was a most legitimate application, and one
likely to be more beneficial than the continuation of
money grants to the sufferers; whereby a most improper
and morbid craving for this relief had originated. Under
the existing law there was no machinery for regulating
the distribution of charitable donations of this descrip-
tion, and, in almost all cases, such donations were ap-
plied under a system analogous to the one adopted in
this instance. He had no cbjection to the motion as
brought forward, but it certainly was not likely to serve
any efficient purpose.
The Bishop of SALISBURY said that he entirely
concurred in the observations of the Noble Lord (Port-
man) that any information as to the method of disposing
of this money might be useful, but still he was of opinion
that so far from it being misapplied, it had been very
judiciously distributed according to the usual mode in
such cases.

After a few words in reply from Lord PORTMAN.
The Transference of Land Bill was then read a firs
time.

Several Bills were then forwarded a stage, and their
Lordships adjourned.

ROUSE OF COMMONS, May 28.
The SPEAKER took the Chair at Four o'clock.
NEW MEMBER.
Captain BURKE was introduced by Lord M. Hill and
Admiral Dundas, and took the oaths and his seat for the
county of Galway, in the room of T. B. Martin, Esq.,
deceased.

SECOND READINGS.
The following Bills were read a second time, and or-
dered to be committed:—

Townshend Peerage.

Windsor Castle and Town Approaches Improvement,
and Removal of Datchet Bridge.

REPORTS.

The following reports were brought up and agreed

to :
Birmingham, Wolverhampton, and Stour Valley Rail.
way, No. 1 (Smethwick Deviation).
Birmingham, Wolverhampton, and Stour Valley Rail.
way, No. 2 (Branches).
Bristol and South Wales Junction Railway and Aust
Ferry.
Coventry, Nuneaton, Birmingham and Leicester Rail-

way.
Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and Worcestershire Junction
Railway.
Dundee and Newtyle Railway.
Dundee and Perth Railway (Alteration and Extension,
and Inchture, Polgavie, and Inchmichael Branches).
Eastern Counties Railway (Cambridge, Royston, and
Ware Line, &c.)
Eastern Counties Railway (Enlargement of London and
Stratford Stations and Amendment of Acts).
East Lothian Central Railway.
Edinburgh and Bathgate Railway (Deviation and
Amendment).
Great Northern Railway (Branch to liorneastle and at
Brayford Mere, Lincoln)
Great Northern Railway (Deviations between London
and Grantham).
Lancashire, Cheshire, and North Wales Drainage and
Inclosure Company's Incorporation.
Liverpool Gas.
London and North-Western Railway (Purchase of the
Earl of Ellesmere's interest in the Manchester South
Junction aad Altrincham Railway).
London and North-Western Railway (Newport Pagnall,
Olney, and Wellingborough Branch).
London and North-Western Railway (Portobello and
Wolverhampton Branch, &c.)
London and North-Western Railway (Atherston and
Whitacre Branch).
London and North-Western
Railway (Coventry and
Nuneaton Branches).
Northampton and Banbury Railway.
Parkgate and Chester and Birkenhead Junction Railway.
Royston and Hitehin Railway (Sale or Lease).
Royston and Hitehin Railway (Extension
to Cambridge). from Royston
Scottish Midland Junction Railway (Amendment
and
Branch to Laurencel.irk).
Shropshire Union Railways and Canal (Lease
London and North Western Railway c,,,pany).to the
The reports on the following Bills were further con-
sidered and agreed to :

Aberdeen Harbour.
Caledonian Railway (Branches to Canonbie, &c.)
Dublin and Belfast Junction and Navan Branch Railway.
Dublin and Drogheda Railway (Purchase of Navan
Branch, &c.)
Dundalk and Enniskillen Railway.
Eastern Counties Railway Extension (Cambridge to
Bedford, &c.)
Eastern Counties Railway (Maldon, Witham, and Brain-
tree Railway Purchase).
East Lincolnshire Railway (Louth Navigation Pur-
chase).

East Lincolnshire Railway (Deviation at Boston, and
Branch to Great Grimsby and Sheffield Junction
Railway at Grimsby).
Glasgow and Shotts Road.
Glasgow, Kilmarnock, and Ardrossan Railway (Amend-
ment, Deviations, and Branches).
Glasgow, Barrhead, and Neilston Direct Railway.
Glasgow, Paisley, and Greenock Railway (Branches at
Port Glasgow).

Glasgow, Paisley, and Greenock Railway (Amend-
ment and Branches to the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmar-
nock, and Ayr, the Glasgow, Barrhead, and Neilston,
and the Glasgow, Strathaven, and Lesmahagow Rail-
ways, and to Haugh Pits).
Great Southern and Western Railway Extension (Por-
tarlington to Tullamore).
Lowestoft Railway and Harbour (Alteration near Reed-
ham).
National Mercantile Life Assurance Society.
Norfolk Railwayi (Branch from Wymondham to the
Norwich Extension of the Ipswich and Bury Saint
Edmund's Railway, and the proposed Thetford and
Reedham Railway, near Diss).
Norfolk Railway (Yarmouth Extension, &c.)
Paisley, Barrhead, and Harlot Railway.
Saffron Walden Rates.
South Staffordshire Railway (Cannock, Wyrley, and
Norton Branches, &c.)
Swansea Docks.
Wakefield Market.
THIRD READINGS.
The following Bills were read a third time and passed :
Birkenhead Commissioners Dock Acts Amendment (as
to Construction of Sea Wall along Wallasey Pool).
Caledonian and Glasgow, Paisley, and Greenock Rail-
ways Amalgamation.
Dublin Consumers Gas.
Gloucester and Dean Forest Railway (Construction of
Docks.):
Great Northern Railway (Hertford, Hatfield, and St.
Alban's Branch).
Llynvi Valley Railway Extension.
Waterford Road

HEALTH OF TOWNS.
Dr. BOWRING presented a petition in favour of the
Health of Towns Bill.
TRANSPORTATION TO VAN DIEMEN'S
LAND. _

Sir R. H. INGLIS presented a petition from several
of the residents in Van Diemen's Land against the sys-
tem of penal transportation to that colony.
THE CASE OF THE REV. MR. SHAW.
Mr. CHRISTIE presented a petition from 600 of the
congregation of the Rev. Mr. Shaw, stating that he had
been suspended by the Bishop of Exeter for officiating
in a Dissenting chapel, and that upon his application to
the Court of Queen's Bench for redress it had been de-
nied to him, and praying that the House would take the
matter into consideration.
SCOTCH REGISTRATION BILL.
Mr. BAILLIE presented a petition against the Births,
Marriages, and Deaths (Scotland) Registration Bill.
MEDICAL REGISTRATION BILL.
Mr. BROWN presented two petitions in favour of this
Bill.

AFRICAN CRUISERS.
The HoN. MEMBER also presented a petition from the
borough of Liverpool against the employment of cruisers
on the coast of Africa, and complaining that they did
more harm than good.
CHEMISTS AND DRUGGISTS.
Captain PECHELL presented a petition signed by
32 of the chemists and druggists of Brighton, praying
for a Bill to regulate the business of chemists and
druggists.
Mr. WYNN ELLIS presented a petition to the same
effect.