The Sun.
London, England, 1841-02-20 00:00:00

ST. SULPICE.

The Bishop of LONDON, on behalf of the Bishop of
Exeter, gave notice that that Right Rev. Prelate would
on Tuesday next present a petitio❑ from the proprietors
of real ( states, merchants, and other inhabitants of
Montreal, praying the House to address her Majesty
not to give her consent to the ordinance of the Gover-
nor incorporating the Seminary of St. Sulpice in
Montreal.

Lord ELLENBOROUGH presented a petition
from the Chamber of Commerce in Glasgow, praying
for the equalisation .ot Colonial duties.
PRIVY COUNCIL.

Lord BROUGHAM raid on 'the table a return,
showing the number of days the Judicial Committee of
the Privy Council had sat in each year since its forma-
tion, and the number of causes now pending, from which
the Noble and Learned Lord observed it appeared
that instead of sitting for 18 days in -1840, as had been
stated, the Court had sat 36 days. In one year it had
sat 48 days. With respect to the state of the business,
he found that since the Court was formed from 310 to
3120 causes, some of them of great length, had been
disposed of. The arrear, if it could be called such,
was, that exclusive of the appeals from the native Courts
of India, there were just six appeals standing ready for
hearing from all the other colonies of the empire. The
Indian appeals from native Courts were six, and the
Admiralty and other Courts were six also, making 18
causes which were ready for hearing, and no more.—
( Hear, and a laugh.) It was not necessary to detain
their Lordships by referring to the causes which were
ready in "November or December; but before the
month of November there were only four or five ex-
clusive of the Indian appeals ready for hearing, and of
these five every one had been disposed of. He should
make a distinction of course bctween these causes and
the Indian appeals generally, in which no instructions
had been sent to the English agents to bring them for-
ward. He thought it right to state these circumstances
which were borne out by the returns he now moved to
have printed ; and in justice to the Learned Judges who
attended that Court, and who devoted an large a por-
tion of their time .to the public service without the
, slightest remuneration.—Agreed to.
THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE.

The Effrl of DEVON rose to lay on the table
a Bill for the Better Administration of Justice.
He did so in pursuance of the recommendation of her
Majesty's Spcech. He perceived by the Votes of the
other House that two measures of considerable import-
ance in relation to the subject had been brought for-
ward there, but there were other matters, connect
with the trial and conviction of minor offences through-
out the country which required and demanded serious
consideration. He wouli not now enter into the details
of the measure, but would merely lay on the table
a Bill founded on the Reports made to that House by
persons very competent, and whose opinions must carry
the greatest weight.—Leave given.
The Bill was accordingly laid on the table and read a
first time, and ordered to be read a second time on
Thursday next.
The Marquis of NORMANBY presented a petition
tfrom the Mayor and Aldermen of the borough of Don-
caster in favour of the Drainage all. The Noble Mar-
quis postponed the Committee on that Bill till Tues-
day next.

POOR LAWS (IRELAND).
The Earl of GLENGALL moved for a return of the
correspondence between Mr. Nichols, the Poor-law
Commissioner, and the Irish Government, on the sub-
ject of the valuation of unions under the Poor. law Act.
It appeared that directions had been given to two bar-
risters by the Irish Government to inspect the valua-
tion of the unions, in order to ascertain the number of
rate-payers entered on the valuation list, anti to com-
pare them with the number of persons registered in the
country, and who were entitled to vote at elections.—
His reason for moving for this letter was that if calcu-
lations were to be founded on such inspections they
must be fallacious, inasmuch as few of the inspections
were completed. In the south of Ireland he believed
there was great objection to the valuations. There
was another part in the letter he thought deserving of
some notice. That was the great anxiety which ap-
peared to exist on the part of the Government that
these inspections, and all matters'connected with them,
should be carried into effect with the greatest possible
secrecy-. He did not mean to say that any
thing incorrect was intended, but he thought
that these injunctions to secrecy gave rise
to suspicions which he needed not to say lie thought
were unfounded. It gave rise to suspicions that the
Poor-law Commissioners were used in some respect for
political purposes. The Noble Earl then gave some
explanations relative to a change which he had made in
the terms of the motion, and said the point he wished
to arrive at was the letters written by the Irish Govern-
ment to Mr. Nichols, and by Mr. Nichols to these
barristers.

The Marquis of NORMAN BY said there would be
no objection to produce the papers moved for by the Noble
Earl, either by the original or amended motion. He
trusted he need not detain their Lordships long in re-
ply to the two objections of the Noble Earl. He
(the Marquis of Normanby) thought the Noble Earl's
objections, as to the complete accuracy of their calcula-
tions, would apply better to any Bill which might ar-
rive there, as he trusted it would, in an unmu-
tilated shape. The Government had, for their own in-
formation, given these directions to tho Poor-law Com-
missioners, and he (the Marquis of Normanby) could
not conceive any course more fair and open than that
adopted by the Government. The Governmenriorished
to have correct data on which to form their calculations,
and to found a legislative measure on the basis of the
Poor-law valuation, a plan which had met with the ge-
neral concurrence of all parties: The Noble Earl did
not do more than allude to the uncertainty of any calcu-
lation derived from such a source. The other objection
ww, that the inqiriry bad been made as quietly as pos-
sible. What co ad be more natural than that the Go-
vernment should wish to obtain information without ex-
citing expectations, which the result might render them
unable to fulfil ? And surely it was on every account
undes:rablu that expectations should be excited, or that
those valuations which the Noble Lord had stated to
be iucomplete, should be the basis of any such expec-
tations.

Lord FITZGERALD hoped there wouhl be no
objection to give also a copy of the Report.
The Marquis of -NORMANBY l•al not seen the
Report yet, and therefore coull not say whether it
would be proper to layit on the table or not.
The motion was then agreed to.

The Marquis of NORMANBY said, in answer to
the communication made by his Noble Friend (the Earl
of Devon) respecting some very extraordinary proceed-
ings which bail taken place. in a union in Ireland, ho
had to say that on the very day he haa'brought the
matter under his notice, a communication was made to
the Poor-law Commissioners stating how the interpola-
tions had been made in the valuation papers. The
Board of Guardians acquitted the valuators of all fault
in the proceedings. They had trusted the making out
of the schedules to a clerk who had committed the

offence and had been reprimanded for it. The Poor-
law Commissioners were not quite satisfied and had
ordered the Assistant-Commissioner, Mr. O'Donoghue,
to make further inquiries into the matter.
The Earl of DEVON would not upon such a state-
ment form any opinion upon the subject. He trusted
the inquiry would be pursued so that such improper
conduct should not again be committed.
The Earl of GLENGALL said he w'shed to say a
few words upon this quat;on. The offence was com-
mittA in the union of Clogheen. In the valuation
papers, five of his tenants who were 101. freeholders had
attached to their names the appellations of " Tory and
disturber." The reason of this was that they bad voted
for a Conservative candidate at the late election. Each
party was now registering their friends as fast as possible
preparing for another struggle, which there certainly
would he soon, and this course was taken for the pur-
pose of intimidation and in order to point out those 101.
freeholders who had voted against the Repeal party.
He considered the act as a most diabolical one, and
tended to put the life and property of the five individuals
in great jeopardy.
The Marquis of NORMANBY considered the
valuators had certainly been guilty of some negligence,
but that was not to be charged upon either the Board
of Guardians or the Poor-law Commissioners. The
later were still engaged in inquiring into the circum•
stances.
The House then Adjourned till Monday.