The Sun.
London, England, 1847-07-06 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS. July 5.

(Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)
The SPEAKER took the Chair at Five o'clock.
POST-OFFICE RETURNS.
Mr. T. DUNCO MBE moved that the returns ordered
rom the Post-office on the 14th April be printed

forthwith.-11oCon agreed to.
EXPEDITION TO CANTON.
Mr. BAILLIE wished to ask the Secretary of State
for Foreign Affairs whether the late expedition to Can-
ton was undertaken by the Governor of Hong-Kong
upon his own responsibility, or in consequence of in-
structions which he received from her Majesty's Go-
vernment; secondly, whether the powers which have
been entrusted to Sir:John Davis are of so comprehensive
a nature as to justify him in making war upon the
Chinese without having received specific instructions
upon the subject from the Government.
Lord J. RUSSELL stated that the expedition was
not undertaken in consequece of any specific instructions
from her Majesty's Government, but upon the responsi-
bility of Sir John Davis himself.
NAVY ESTIMATES.
Captain PECHELL wished to know whether any
alteration had been made in the rate of the pay of
pursers and masters in the Royal Navy.
Mr. WARD stated that additional sums had been
voted for that purpose, and the increase had accordingly

been made.
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE.
Lord J. RUSSELL then said that, in pursuance o
the intimation he had given at an earlier part of the day,
he would take that opportunity of stating what course
he proposed to take with respect to the Bills before the
House. The first Bill of which he would take notice
was the Encumbered Estates (Ireland) Bill. That was
a most important Bill, and the object and intention of it
would, he believed, he most beneficial to Ireland; but
from late inquiries on the subject it appeared that very
great alarm existed, not particularly as to the special
provisions of the measure, but from the contemplation
of many of the powers given by an extensive Bill of that
kind. It was stated by persons well qualified to speak,
and likewise well qualified, if they should think proper,
to carry into effect what they said, that several millions
of money mortgaged in Ireland would be called in if
that Bill were passed.—(Hear, hear.) If it wore an
early period of the session he should hope that, upon a
discussion, the Bill as it stood would be found so un-
exceptionable that the alarm might be dissipated. But
he did not think that at the present period of the session
it would be possible to go into such a discussion as
would be satisfactory, and he therefore thought it
better to defer the Bill to another session.—(llear,hear.)
There was another Bill which stood third in the orders
of the day—the Prisons Bill, which he understood was
likely to lead to some discussion in the other House of
Parliament ; and, as his Right Hon. Friend the Home
Secretary did not think that the arrangements mada
under that Bill were necessary to be carried into effect
in the present session, he should propose that that Bill
should not be proceeded with.—(Hear, hear.) Another
Bill, which was brought in by the other House of Par-
liament, was the Custody of Offenders Bill. That Bill
had been well considered, and, as the Government
thought it a necessary measure, it was proposed to go
on with it. There was another Bill, which had been
fixed for Wednesday next. It was the Parliamentary
Electors Bill, and with respect to that measure he was
not then prepared to say what time he should be able to
fix for the second reading of it ; he proposed, however,
not only to proceed as far as the second reading, but that
it should be committed, though he had no intention
during the present session of Parliament to carry it be-
yond the stage of considering it in Committee. As to
the Polls at Election (Ireland) Bill, the Navigation Bill,
the Post-office Bill, and the other Bills which stood on
the order of the day for that night, he proposed to pro-
ceed with all of them. He also intended to go into com-
mittee of Supply, if possible, and he appealed to his
Hon. Friend the Member for Montrose to assist him in
accomplishing that object. The Hon. Member and the
whole House could not fail to recollect that the recent
attempts of the Government to get a Committee of
Supply had been unsuccessful ; that whenever an
order of the day stood on the paper for a Committee of
Supply, the whole evening was taken up with other sub-
jects, and no opportunity was afforded the Government
to ask the House to pass a single vote in supply. There
was a notice of the Hon. Member for Wycombe, relating
to the present state of Portugal, which he could not ask
that Hon. Gentleman to defer, as he had not yet had
any opportunity whatever of bringing it forward; but be
might, he thought, request his Hon. Friend the Member
for Montrose to postpone the discussion on the claims of
the Raja of Setters. While he was ready to acknow-
ledge
that it was quite fitting that his Hon. Friend should
have an opportunity of stating the whole ease, and quite
fitting that there should be a full discussion of the
entire subject on some day in the present session, he
did think that, the matters in question having occurred
many years ago, it was not necessary—at least, the
further discussion of it at the present moment was not
urgent. His Hon. Friend might take some notice-day
for the purpose; say to-morrow week, a day for which
no notice of any great importance stood. He did not
admit that the members of the Government were under
any obligation to make or keep a House sitting when no
Government business stood on the paper; but this he
would undertake to say, that as far as it depended on
the Government Members, they would do everything in
their power to assist the Hun. Gentleman in getting
through with his discussion to-morrow week, and if in
that he was not successful, they would give up a Go-
vernment night for that purpose. At present he thought,
considerins, the advanced period of the session, it would
be much better to allow them to go into a Committee of
Supply that evening, after the subject of Portugal had
been dispossed of. He concluded by moving that the
House do then resolve itself into a Committee on the
Compensation for Damages (Ireland) Bill.
Mr. Hump said that he could not consent to postpone
his motion, unless the Noble Lord would give him a
pledge that he would assist hi,m in keeping a House
on that day.
CONFERENCE WITH THE LORDS.
Messengers from the Lords requested a conference
with the Commons on the subject of some amendments
introduced into one of the Bills which had been sent up
to them.
COMPENSATION FOR DAMAGES (IRELAND)
BILL.

On the order of the day being read for going into
Committee on this Bill,
Lord J. RUSSELL stated that he could not give the
Hon. Member for Montrose a pledge to keep a House
for him to-morrow. If the Hon. Member would let the
matter stand over till to-morrow week, he could have
the whole evening to himself.
Mr. HUME was sorry to oppose the Noble Lord,
but he felt bound to proceed with his motion on the
subject of the Raja of Sattara. He hoped that the Noble
Lord would not be angry with him for adopting such a
course.