The Sun.
London, England, 1840-01-21 00:00:00

THE ARMY-IRELAND.

-
Major Forster having proceeded to England on leave of
absence, the duties of Assistant-Adjutant-General of the
Eastern district will, during his absence, be performed by
Captain the Hon. Robert Bruce, Grenadier Guards, Aid-
de-Camp to the Lieutenant_ General commanding the
Fo recs.
Major Magennis, of the 87th, having proceeded on
leave of absence, the command of the depot companies of
the regiment has devolved upon Captain Campbell.
Lieutenant H. Lloyd, of the 83d, joined the depot
companies of his regiment at Londonderry on the Ist
ifist , from the service companies in North America.
IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, JAN. 20.
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his scat upon the
Woolsack at Five o'clock.
His Loanstile soon after rose and said, my
Lords, I have the honour of acquainting ycu
that this Honourable House attended her Ma-
jesty this day for the purpose of presenting her
Majesty with the address in return for her Majesty's
most gracious Speech from the Throne, and to
which her Majesty was most graciously pleased to
return the following reply :—" Upon an occasion so
deeply interesting to my personal feelings, I receive with
much pleasure your address. I feel myself strongly
supported and much gratified by your concurrence in
my wishes with icspcct to the provision for the Prince,
and I rely entirely upon your zeal and attachment to
support those establishments so conducive to the welfare
of the country and the stability of the Throne."
Lord STRANGFORD rose and said that
he wished to take that Opportunity of declaring
his support and concurrence in her Majesty's Speech
from the Throne ; but there were certain pas-
sages in that Speech which must necessarily become the
subject of future Parliamentary inquiry of the
most searching deicription: He could not .but coa-
gritulate thena and rejoice at •an end 'being put to
the civil war in Spain. But more fervently did he re-
joice, if it were true, as he trusted it would
be found ; so that, to • accomplish so desirable
an end, there was resorted to no agency of
forced action wh•ch a noble-hearted nation like this
could be ashamed of. He felt that he should have
been guilty of gross injustice and of great unthankful-
ness towards Ministers if he did not take that opportu-
nity to express the entire satisfaction and contentment
which his mind felt at one passage which appeared in
that glorious speech. He knew his humble approbation
was of little value, but such as it was he offered it most
cheerfully and feelingly for the manly course of conduct
alluded to with reference to those we had called our
allies, but whom be would call their friends, the Turks.
The Noble Lord then alluded to the castigation, as he
styled it, which he had at one time received from a
Noble Lord who bad been then a Member of the other
House, when he (Lord Strangford) had the honour, on
a previous occasion of seconding the Address to a
Speech from the Throne. He was happy to say that
that Noble Lord was then a member of the present
Government, and, of course, was a party to
the forming of her Majesty's Speech.—(Hear, hear.;
There was one point to which he would advert with
great reluctance and considerable pain. He regretted
the omission ha her Majesty's Speech, of a matter in
which the people of this country took the deepest
interest. He regretted the omission in her Ma-
jesty's Speech of the question of the slave-trade, more
particularly with reference to Portugal. He confessed
that, considering the interest which was so generally
felt on this subject, he should have wished that
some explanation had been given respecting it.
He felt it his duty to express his uneasiness
on the subject, when he considered certain circum-
stances which had been made public, and which seemed
to render the zeal of her Majesty's Ministers on that
point at least very questionable. It appeared from do-
cuments which he held in his hand that the obstinate
refusal of the Portuguese Government to make the
slave trade piracy, for which they had since
been made pay so severely, was not only acquiesced
in, but that the words in which that refusal
was conveyed, were pointed out to them by the very
negotiator who was charged with giving effect to the
wishes of the Parliament and people of England on the
subject. He would wish to know whether the Noble
Lord was ready to say that it was the common object of
the Portuguese Ministry and of the British Plenipotentiary
to disappoint the just hopes of this country. On what
grounds, he would ask, was the Noble Lord justified in
recommending such a note as that to which be was al-
luding? (The Noble Lord here read the note addressed
by Lord Howard de Walden to the British Govern-
ment, and commented on it for some time.) He
thought it right to say that in the conduct of the
noble writer of that note, he saw nothing whatever
beyond a simple act of obedience to the instructions he
must have received from his Ministry, and which he
was bound.to follow. He acquitted the Noble Lord of
having in any degree committed himself by the.note he
read. That Noble Lord (Lord Howard. de. Walden)
had been brought up in the school of-an Am:trines
statesman, and he ventured to say, in a manner which
would have prevented him from taking, any steps
without the sanction of his Government. The Noble
writer of that note still continued to be her Majesty's
Minister at Lisbon ; and this was an additional reason
for inducing him to think that he had not passed his in-
tructions.
The Duke of WELLINGTON asked the date of
the note ?
Lord HOWARD DE WALDEN said that it had
no date.
Lord STRANGFORD concluded by calling for an
explanation of the singular and strange transaction to
i
which he had referred, that the people of England might 110 USE OF COMMON, , J..tx. 20.
learn how her Majesty's Ministers had acted on a point The House met at One o'Clock this afternoon, for
on which they had set their hearts, and for which they the purpose of carrying up the Address to her Majesty.
had made greater and nobler sacrifices than were ever Prayers having been read, the Hon. Mr. Byng ap-
made by any nation on earth in pursuit of a just and peered at the bar, and said he was commanded to ac-
generous object.—(Cheers.) quaint the House that her Majesty would receive their
Lord MELBOURNE was sorry that he had not Address at two o'clock.
had the good fortune to hear the first part of the speech The Speaker, in his robes, accompanied by about
of the Noble Lord. 'When he entered the House the forty Members, then proceeded in state to Buckingham
Noble Lord was alluding to a speech which had Palace. The attendance of Members was almost ex-
been made by a Noble Friend of his some years elusively on the Ministerial side of the House, there
ago, in which he had made some harsh allusions being only about five Conservatives present.
to the Turkish Government in the administration The SPEAKER resumed the Chair at Five &Clock.
of the Government of the country; they were anxious ANSWER TO THE ADDRESS.
for the benefit and welfare of all nations, but when the The SPEAKER said he had to inform the House
peculiar interests of England were concerned, it be- that the House had that morning attended her Majesty
came the duty of a Minister to consider them for the purpose of presenting the Address which had
alone.—(Loud cheers.) His opinion, therefore, re- been agreed on, to which her Majesty had been pleased
specting the policy or institutions of peculiar nations, to return the following most gracious answer :
had nothing whatever to do with the general feeling " I receive with very great satisfaction your loyal and
of what were the interests of a peculiar country. The affectionate Address, upon an occasion so deeply affect-
Noble Lord then complained of the want of any al- in;; the happiness of my future life.
lusion to the Slave Trade, in the Speech from the " I thank you for your support and concurrence in
Throne. He ( Lord M.) had thought that after the my resolution, and lam much gratified by the opinion
measures which had been taken last Session—after which you have expressed of the Prince, and which I
what had been expressed both to the Government and am confident he will justify.
that House, it would have been unnecessary " I thank you for your assurance that you will
to introduce any assurance upon that subject concur in the measures which may be necessary to
into the speech from the Throne. The Noble Lord provide for such an Establishment as may be suit-
had then alluded to a correspondence published by the able to the rank of the Prince and the dgnity o
Portuguese Government, for the purpose of justify-. the Crown.
ing themselves in their conduct with. regard to the " I shall anxiously endeavour to make my reign con-
slave trade, showing that our Minister at that ducive to the happiness of all classes of my people."
Court had encouraged them .in the course they Sir EDWARD KNATCHBULL said he hoped
had taken. The Noble Duke most properly asked he was not irregular, or in any respect out of order, if
what date the letter bore. He believed it was without he requested the indulgence of the House, and more
a date—it only bore the date of Saturday, but the true particularly the Noble Lord opposite, and her Ma--
date he believed to be the 19th of May, 1838, but it jesty's Government, for a few moments. He was one
was most unfairto come to a conclusion upon a single part among those who to-day had been placed in a very pain-
of a long negotiation—a negotiation which had been going fill situation. He had not been present at the House
on for a long time previously, and which was continued this day when the House had gone up to her
for upwards of a year after, It was most unfair to take Maesty with the Address in to her a single part. The whole negotiation must be taken Majesty's gracious speech from the throne.return He did not
together, in order to form a judgment upon the case. know that the house would meet this day. He claimed
He believed the facts to be, that at that time a sudden the attention of the House to this reason for his being
interruption had taken place in the negotiations respect- absent on this, which he considered always an impor-
ing the slave trade. The Viscount Sa Bandeira, who WAS tent occasion, but which was more especially important
then at the head of the Portuguese Government, stated at the present time. The Speech was delivered in the
to our Minister there that he had received bad news usual course from the throne, and the House returned
from the Portuguese Colonies, and that it was utterly a proper and respectful Address. But as regarded the
impossible that lie could agree to that provision which time when her Majesty would receive the Add no
made the slave trade piracy. Lord Howard de Walden information on the point had been disseminated among
being then on the eve of returning home, and being the Members—at least among the Members of that
anxious to take as much as he could get, im- side of the House.—(Hear, hear, from the Opposi-
mediately suggested another treaty, which he. Lion.) He (Sir Edward Knatchbull) understood
n-lost distinctly told the Portuguese Government that the House had been to-day with the Address
was to be null and void unless ratified on his arrival in to Buckingham Palace. Now he complained of the
England ; and finding that he could not obtain all situation in which Honourable Gentlemen had
his instructions required him to ask, suggested the been placed, for it had gone forth to the public
best manner in which to make the refusal so as ulti- that the Address was conveyed to her Majesty only by
mately to lead to a good result. It was a transaction the Members of the Government, and Members of the
which rested entirely on his own responsibility—it other side.
He (Sir Edward) felt it right on the
pre-
was against his instructions, but was done under sent occasion to bring it before the notice of the House,
the circumstances as he (Lord M.) had declared them. as it related more particularly on the present occasion
This was the explanation which the Government had to their attachment and affection to the Throne—
to offer ; and they were convinced that Lord Howard (Cries of " Hear, hear, hear")—and also that on all
de Walden, in acting as he had, had been actuated by future occasions there might
be a
co rule to guide
the best spirit, the best intentions, and the sincerest The Right. Hon. Baronet
in nclusion, ex them.
pressed
desire to obtain the great object which they had all in bi-. hope that there was nothing of disrespect either to
view.
the Government or to her Majesty, inferd rom his
Lord BROUGHAM said he had felt some anxiety complaint, to which he trusted there would n reowf be some
on this subject, not that he doubted—who could doubt satisfactory explanation.—( Hear.)
the sincerity of his Noble Friend or the Government
as to the abolition of the Slave-trade—but he was Lord JOHN RUSSELL said he could only state
anxious to know if the Government had acted with that he had acted according to what he considered the
ordinary rule of the House, which he had alwaysd
the firmness, the zeal, and the discretion, so desirable understood to be this, that the House having met, and
in order to obtain from the Crown of Portugal the de- the
.Speaker being prepared, it is announced thatne all
claration which was so necessary for the attainment of
this great object. Now he really could not decide upon 11Iajesty was ready to receive the Add
could' not acquit ; and h
a question in which he bad little or no information—but about half an hour after that announcehlernets.s, Tehatrhad
if he could not condemn, be been the custom both in former reigns, in the last, and in
'so much felt the necessity for clearing up the matter, might
the present. He certainly acnowledged that there
might be some inconvenience ink he present case ; but

ENFRANCHISEMENT OP COPYHOLDS.
Lord BROUGHAM, in pursuance of the general
notice he had given, begged leave to present to their
Lordships a Bill for the enfranchisement of copyhold
tenements. It was his intention to move to-morrow
that the Bill be referred to a Committee up stalls, in
order that its details might be considered, and on that
occasion he should state the outline of his plan, which
was not in every respect the same as last Session.
The Bishop of EXETER hoped the Noble and
Learned Lord would let the House know what the
principle of the Bill was before he called upon them to
assent to it.

Lord BROUGHAM—Certainly. It is my inten-
tion to have those Bills printed in the usual way.
COURT OF CHANCERY.
The NOBLE and LEARNED Loan then moved for
a return of the number of judgments and appeals heard
before the Court of Chancery for four years, ending
December, 1834.

SOCIALISM.
The Bishop of EXETER seeing the Noble Marquis
at the head of the Home Department in his place,
begged to put a question to him respecting a state of
things which prevailed in many parts of the country,
and which had excited great alarm. He meant the
system which was tailed Socialism. It was not easy to
define the meaning of the word, but he believed the
Noble Marquis would understand what he meant. He
wished to know whether the Government would take
anv steps to, arrest the progress of that system?
The Marquis of NORMANBY, in answer to the
question of the Right Reverend Prelate, said that the
Government had taken no steps with respect to the
system to which he alluded. He was not aware that
anything had occurred which called for the interference
of the law, but he could state on the part of the Go-
vernment, that they would not shrink from any respon-
sibility or duty which the interests of society required.
The Bishop of EXETER wished an • opportunity
could be afforded him of pointing out the dangerous
tendency of the principles to which he alluded. He
could not now, however, go into the necessary details.
He now understood, from the Noble Marquis, that the
law of the land had not yet been violated, and therefore
that, no grounds had • occurred for the;r interference.
He.:. begged now to give notice, that on Friday
next he,' would,. ,presant , several. petitions im-
ploring their Lordships to take steps which would
be most effective in putting down a system which was
likely to be productive of the greatest evils to the
morality and religion of the country.
THE ARMY IN INDIA.
Lord ELLENBOROUGU begged to ask whether
it was the intention of any Noble Lord in that House
to move a vote of thanks to the army serving in India.
Viscount MELBOURNE said it was his intention
to give a notice on the subject to-morrow.
Adjourned.