The Sun.
London, England, 1841-04-28 00:00:00

TURNPIKE ACTS.

Mr. JARVIS brought in a Bill to amend th 3 General
Turnpike AetF, which was read a first time.
CORN-LAWS.

Mr. COMPTON presented everal petitions in favour
of the existing system of Corn-laws, but the designations of
the petitioners were not heard i'i the gallery.
Mr. EA ST OPE presented petitions against Church-
rates from numerous congregations of Dissenters in Essex,
Staffordshire, Leicestershire, Sussex, and other farts of
England.
Lord ELIOT presented petitions from places in Corn-
wall, against the removal of the pscket station from Fal-
mouth to Dartmouth.

Mr. G. PALMER presented a petition from Lambeth,
against any change of the existing Corn-laws.
Several petitions against Church-rates and Corn-laws,
were then presented.
Sir IL BATE SON presented petitions from places in
the North of Ireland, against lay patronage in the Church
of Scotland.

Mr PROTHEROE presented a petition from Halifax
against Church-rates; also a petition from the same place
against a repeal of the legislative Union of Great Britain
arid Ireland; and a petition from Rotherhithe, in the county
of Surrey, prayimr, for a repeal of the Corn-laws.
Mr. 'F. PARKER presented a petition from Preston,
praying fur a repeal of the duties upon sugar, tea, and
coffee, and of the Corz-laws.
Mr. MUNTZ presented petitions from Birmingham
against Churcb-rates, Ecclesiastical Courts, and Curt-
is NI.

Sr DE LACY EVANS presented a petition from an
individual, whose name we did not hear, complaining of
abuses in the Court of. Chancery.
Mr. BUCK presented a petition from a place in Devon
in favour of Church Extension.

Mr. T. DUNCOMBE presented a petition from a
Polish refugee, praying for a better distribution of the
prop( rty allowed for the support of the Polish emigrants ;
also a petition from Mr. Vincent, who had been for
twenty months a political prisoner, stating the the
country took no interest in tl:u proceedings of Parliament,
against the Bills of Lord Stanley and Lord Morpeth, and
praying for Annual Parliaments, Universal Suffrage, a
division cf the country into electoral districts, and Vote
by Ballot, as the proper remedies for the grievances of the
people.
Sir 11. H. INGLIS presented a petition against Sun-
day traffic on railways; also 32 petitions in favour of
Church Extension from places in Devon, Stafford, Rut-
land, Gloucester, Southampton, Bucks, Lancaster, War-
wick, Essex, Lincoln, and other counties.
KING'S COUNTY ELECTION.

The following Members were swore at the table, to try
the merits of the petition against the return of Mr. Arm-
strong for the King's County..—The lion. E. Yorke, Mr.
Hawkine, Mr. Gibson Craig, Mr. Bethel!, Mr. Pease,
Mr. W. Patten, and Mr. It. Palmer.

Mr. BA RN EB Y presented several petitions from Wor-
cestershire in favour of Church Extension.

Mr. HAMILTON presented a petition from Buck-
inghamshire to the tame effect.
Mr. C. LUSHINGTON pre?ented a petition from
certain eminent members of the Society of Friends
against Church-rates ; also a petition from the County of
Devon for the release of Mr. Baines, and against the ap-
plication of any public money to the purpose of Church
extension.

Mr. C. WOOD presented a petition, signed by 6,300
inhabitants of the borough of Halifax, in favour of a re-
vision of the import duties.
Mr. EA STHOPE gave notice that he would on the
11th of May move for leave to bring in a Bill for the Abo-
lition of Church-rates.

Mr. MACLE AN wished to ask the Under Secretary
for the Home Department, whether any Report had been
as yet received from the Select Committee on the
Anatomy Act.
Mr. FOX ?JAIME said that he had not yet received
ert, although he had applied for it.
the Rev_ AN gave noCce that he would on this day
Mr. MAL_
-fain returns relating to the operation of
weak move for ce.. •eformation should be previously laid
the Act, if no further a,
before the Howse. KET STATION.
THE WEST INDIA PA:
Mr. FRE S lIFIELD moved for aPPeintment of a
and arrival of
Select Committee on the port of departtn:
the West India mails, to which shall be referf.d the RA e"
ports of the Committee appointed by the Lords of ""-
miralty to inquire as to the comparative advantages affura,:'
by the different ports in the Channel for the West India
mail service. He thought he might expect the vote of
the Judge Advocate, and he was prepared to hear from
him an eloquent speech in support of his motion.
It was also quite impossible that he should not
have the vote of the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
His motion was one fur inquiry, and he would be content
to leave the selection of the Committee to the Noble Lord
the Secretary for the Colonies, whose connection with
Devonshire must render him interested in the subject.
Sir C. LEMON seconded the motion. There ap-
peared to be a determination in the Board of Admiralty to
abide by the decision of the Commissioners whatever that
decision might be. It struck him that the only ground to
come before the House was that there was either something
defective in the evidence, or that certain matters lay with-
out the field of the inquiry of the Commissioners, and the
the Government had taken the matter into their own hands
Mr. H. BERKEL EY tnought that it was just
that the port which should be used for the mail
station, should be decided by fair competition. He did
not say that Bristol ought, par excellence, to be
selected as the port of departure for the Weat Indian
mails; if he said so, lie would subject himself to a charge
similar to that contained in the old fable of the town be-
sieged, where every man recommended his own materials
as the best. He did not, therefore, recommend Bristol as
the best port for the purpose under consideration, but he
thought it possessed sufficient advantages to entitle it to bo
admitted to a fair competition with Dartmouth or Falmouth.
One-sixth of the whole of the West Indian commerce was
represented by Bristol. That port, also, was more central
than the others mentiored, and it had a supply of coals of
the very first quality, and to any extent.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER would
state the course which be intended to pursue.
Mr. O'CONNELL thought he had a right to be heard
first. The question was as to which harbour should be
selected. Now, he thought the Shannon had some claim.
—(Order, order, and a laugh.)
The CHANCELLOR. of the EXCHEQUER said
there was scarcely anything more disagreeable to the Go-
vernment than personal applications of this kind. Fal-
mouth had been objected to by a large body of persons
connected with the West Indies, and Devonport was
greatly prCerred. He had not the power of fixing the
ports from which the owners of the packets might desire
to sail their vessels. They might sail from the port of
London, if they pleased.—( Hear, hear.) All he had to
do was to select the port at which he would allow the mails
to be embarked. The Government had not to take into
account the local interests of particular parts of the coun-
try, but to regard only the general interests of the public.
Two gentlemen, Sir James Gordon and a gentleman
connected with the Post-office, had bten appointed to ex-
amine and make inquiries. Their Report had given groat
dissatisfaction in some quarters. But, after the fullest in-
quiry, the Government bad come to the opinion that Dart-
mouth was the most eligible place within tbn Channel.
They could not, consistent with their contract, hkyc made
choice c.f Bristol as the packet station. lie opposec; the

motion.
Mr. MILES supported the motion, and concurred in
the observations of his lion. Colleague (Mr. H. Berkeley).
Sir H. VIVIAN thought that the Commissioners bad
reported in error. Instead of the distance being in favour
of Dartmouth, there was actually a diff.irence of one hour
in favour of Fa:mouth. It was on account of the mis.
takes made by the Commissioners he was desirous of
the appointment cf a Committee of inqu'ry, and should
support the motion.
Lord INGESTRIE thought that the claims of the
city of Bristol were deserving of consideration, and that
the port of departure ought not to be finally determined
on without a Committee of Inquiry. The south of Ire-
land also had strong claims to be considered in respect to
this question-4 Hear. hear)—and it was important for the
maintenance of the Union, which he hoped would never
be dissolved, that the interests of that country should not
be overlooked amitbA the conflicting claims of different
parts of England.
Mr. J IRVING was understood to say that there was
no ground of complaint against the choice made of
Dartmouth, and he hoped that if the Cuintnittce was gone
into, the result of its inquiries would be to confirm that
choice. _ .

Mr. O'CONNELL said that there were no parts so
eligiLle as those on the South-West coast of Ireland, fir
instance, Cork, Valeatia, and lieerlisvon. The advan-
tages of those ports would be greatly increased by the com-
pletion of contemplated railwass. The passage from Hali-
fax, Nova Scotia, to Valentin, in the county of Cork, had
been made in seven days, but it could be done regularly
in nine days at the furthest.
Lord ELIOT thought that th(rc were good grounds
for a Committee, and he supported the modon.
Mr. HUME said that the Chancellor of the Ex.
chequer had appeared to him to have taken the best means
of avoiding partiality in the selection of a port, and he
considereu that a Committee was iinrecessary. He thought
a Commission of five would be the best way of settling
the question.
Lord DUNCAN thought it a most inconvenient ar-
ranacaAent that the packets should sail trim Southampton
and the mails be put on beard at Dartmouth. He also
thought a Commission of five would be better than a Com-
mission of three.
Col. SEALE defended the appointment of Dartmouth
as a mail station. He was no: afraid of the competition
of the port of Dartmouth with any port in the Channel.
There was no obstruction or bar in the harbour. It Was
tiue that it was nai row, but that constituted the safety of
the vessels.—( Loud cries of " Question, question.")
Mr. FRESHFIELD replied. After which strangers
wer.,l ordered to witheraw, and the House divided—

For the motion
Against it
Majority 4
COURTS OF LAW.

Tha SOLICITOR-GENERAL thenmoved for tie ap-
puintment of a Committee, to consider the expediency of
ei eeting a building in the neighbourhood of the Inns of Court
for the sittings of the Courts of Law and Equity, in lieu
of the present Courts adjoining to Weitminster Hall, with
a view to the more si-eedy, convenient, and effectual ad-
ministratration of justice.—( Hear, hear.) He did not
know of any act of gentlemen in the kingdom who were
less accustomed to associate than the solicitors. They
bak! s übinitt?d to this inconvenient situation of the Courts of
Law for many years, and he believed that nothing but its
overwhelming inconvenience had induced them to asso-
ciate to remove it. It might be said they sought the
charge fur their own conveaience. It might be so, but
the convenience of the solicitor was for the advantage of
the client. He was at first oppowd to the proposition, but
on further consideration he believed that the arguments
against it only required to be stated IA length to expose
their fallibility. When the site of the Hou:es of Parlic-
ment was under consideration, it was stated that it might
be advantageously separated from that of the Courts of
Law, and he believed it would he found this would be the