The Sun.
London, England, 1840-04-09 00:00:00

INSURANCE COMPANIES.

20,0005 h. 01p. ct. Scottish Union 201. sh. 1/. pd 270.
7,500 ak p. ct. Hercules lOOl. sh. 10!. pi 131/.
100,000 sp. et. Insurance Co. of Scotland JO/. sh. all pd 9/. 15s.
50,000 6p. ct. North British 2001. sh. 101. pd 19/.
1,000 5 p. ct. Caledonian Fire 1001. sh. 10/. pd 10/.0
5,1:1(10 op. ct. Edinburgh lare 100/. sh. 10/. pd 151/
100,000 31 r. c 'rcii tof Scotland lOl. pd 710 s
. I.II3CELLANEOUS.•
Edin. and Glas. Un. Caiialsol. sh. all pit Plc
Ditto Allocated 901. sh. all pd 47/,
5,410 5 per cent. Edinb. Joint Stock Watcr 25/. sh. all pd 351.
Carron Iron Company ...250/. sh. all pd 44/.
2,0005 h 15 per cent. Shotts Iron Founnery 50/ sh 481. pd 517.
10,000 3 per cent. Edinburgh & Leith Glass 20/.sh. 113/. pd 8/.
4,500 10 per cent. Edinburgh Coal Ca,- ...... 251. sh. all pd 50/.
4,450 10 per cant. Glasgow Gas 25/. sh. all pd 52".
750 :71 per cant. Leith Coal Gas 20/.sh. all pd 50/.
1,200 ... 'Edinburgh and I)alkeith RaP.wayso/. sh 381
22.090 5 Der cant. YIJIIi table i.n 311 Com-on v "5./. sh.pd 9., 11 .

91,913 ........

The Droit states that the wife of one of the
principal bankers of Paris received, a few days ago, a letter,
stating that her husband kept a mistress at considerable ex-
pense, and that if she would pay the informant JOO francs,
bringing it at a certain time to the house of a person named,
she would receive full proof of what was asserted. The lady,
having entire confidence in her husband, immediately handed to
him the letter, and he went to the place of rendezvous, ac-
companied by a police officer. The person whose house had
been named declared he knew nothing of the writer or ob-
ject of the letter, but had given his permission for a rendezvous
to be made there. He was of course taken into custody, but
the writer of the letter has not yet been apprehended.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, APRIL 8.

The SPEAKER took the Chair at Four o'Clock.
Mr. MAURICE O'CONNELL presented a petition
from the Dublin and Drogheda Railway Company, pray.
ing for leave to bring in a Bill to alter and amend their
act of incorporation.
The petition was referred to the Committee on Private
Bills.

On the motion of Sir E. KNATCHBULL, the South-
Eastern Railway Bill was read a third time and passed.
G. PALMER presented petitions from Essex, in
favour of Church Extension.

Mr. STRUTT presented a petition from certain printers,
publishers, and bookbinders, against the Copyright Bill.
The Hon. Member also presented petitions from Derby,
against Church-rates and Church Extension.
RAILWAY MONOPOLY.
Mr. FRE SHFIELD presented petitions from Man-
chester, Preston, and other places in Lancashire, praying
that monopolies might not be granted to Railway Com-
panies, and that the carrying trade might be freo to general

Competition.
Colonel VERNER presented four petitions from pa-
rishes in the county of Armagh, against the repeal of;the

Corn laws.

Mr. BROTHERTON presented two petitions against
Church Extension, one from a place in Lancashire, the
other from Stourbridge, Worcestershire.
Captain BOLDERO presented a petition from inha-
bitants of Oxford-street, complaining of the conduct of the
Marylebone vestry, in respect to the paving of that street,
and of the manner in which the inhabitants of the south
side were rated to the paving.
Mr. LOWNDES presented a petition from Saffron
Walden, aguinst the opium trade.
Mr. LUDLOW BRUGES presented a petition from
Bath, praying for a reduction of the duty en post-horses

and carriages.
Mr. JERVIS presented a petition from the County of
Warwick, praying for Church Extension.
Mr. HAR FORD presented a petition from the county
of Buckingham, praying for Church Extension.
Sir E. WILMOT presented a petition from the county
of Warwick, against the exemption of Union Workhouses
from Poor-rates. Thu Hon. Gentleman also brought up
the Report of the Committee on the Juvenile Offenders
_ _ _

Mr. PLUM PTR E presented six petitions from ♦arious
places against the Irish Corporation Bill. Also, eleven peti-
tions against any further grant to Maynooth College.
Mr. G. W. WOOD presented a petition from Kendal,
praying for the suppression of the opium trade; also a
petition from a congregation of Scotch Baptists at the
same place against further grants for Church Extension.
Mr. EASTHOPE presented a petition from Na-
thaniel Cave, complaining that he had been corn-
mated to prison in an arbitrary and improper man
ner, and that he had been treated there as a common
felon. The Hon. Member moved that the petition should
be printed with the votes, and he gave notice that on Tues-
day next he would call the attention of the House to the
subject.
Sir E. KNATCHBULL said that it was contrary to
the rules of the House to present a petition and give no-
tice of a motion without stating the exact grounds on
which it was brought forward.
Mr. T. DUNCOMBE thought that his Hon. Friend

was merely following the common practice of the House.
Mr. WILSON PATTE Nobjected to the course which
the Hon. Member for Leicester proposed to pursue, as he
gave no information as to the nature of the motion, which
it was his intention to bring forward.
Mr. FOX MA ULE said that the petition appeared to
him to be one which the House could not take into
its consideration, as the party presenting it had already
sought redress in a Court of Law, and it would not be
proper to make the House of Commons a tribunal in such
a case.

Mr. E A STHO PE said that it was true the petitioner had
resorted to legal proceedings, but he thought that if the
party still felt himself aggrieved, he could appeal to the
House. _ _ _ _

Captain PECHELL could not understand why the pe-
tition should not be printed. He had himself, five years
ago, presented a petition of a precisely similar nature from
a farmer in Sussex, complaining that he felt himself ag-
grieved by the existing state of the law, and that he had
in vain applied to the Courts of Law for redress. The
Hon. Member for Canterbury had opposed the reception of
the petition, but nevertheless it had been printed ; and he
had had the satisfaction of carrying a measure through Par-
liament to redress the grievance complained of.
Mr. DA RBY said the case alluded to by the Honour-
able and. Gallant Member was not a case in point. In
the case alluded to the petitioner prayed for an alteration
in the law ; in the present case the petitioner, as he under-
stood, did not pray for any such alteration.
Sir GEORGE GREY said that if the Hon. Member
gave a distinct motion of his intention to bring in a Bill to
alter the law on the subject, then he thought the petition
ought to be printed, but if it was merely a motion to draw
the attention of the House to the subject, then he thought
that, as it was only by an alteration in the law that any
redress could be afforded, the petition ought not to be
printed. He would, however, suggest to the Hon. Member
to withdraw the petition for the present. in order to ascer-
tain if it did contain many superfluous statements, such as
details of conversations, which might be advantageously
expunged.
Mr. Sergeant JACKSON thought that if the matter
was not at present pending before a Court of Law, the
Hon. Member had a right to have the petition printed.
After a few words from Mr. Fox Manic, Mr. Dalston,
and Mr. Easthope,
Mr. T. DUNCOMBE said that unless the House was
prepared to rescind the standing order of Feb. 1839. he
did not see how they could refuse to print this petition.
The petitioner complained of the state of the law, and
prayed the House to adopt such measures as for the future
may prevent persons before trial from being treated as cri-
minals ; he, an innocent person, had been kept in prison
eight days; he had been acquitted; be had brought an
action against the Magistrate for false imprisonment, and
the verdict bad been for the defendant. He prayed the
House to adopt measures to remedy this state of things.
With regard to what had fallen from the Hon. Member for
Lancashire he begged to observe that he had presented a
petition to which he intended to draw the attention of the
House to-morrow, and as it was a case of emergency, should
the debate be adjourned again to-night, he should certainly
ask the House to give him precedence.—(A laugh.) This
would show that, as far as he was concerned, he had not put
a notice upon the books which be did not intend to bring
forward.
Mr. WILSON PATTEN withdrew his opposition,
and the petition was ordeied to be printed.
Mr. MARK PHILLIPS presented five petitions
from different parts of Lancaster, praying for a repeal of
the Corn-laws; also twelve petitions front Manchester to
the same effect.
Mr. FOX MAULE presented petitions from different
parts of Scotland, in favour of a repeal of the Corn-laws,
and against the intrusion of ministers.
TOTNES ELECTION.

Mr. CLIVE brought up the Report of the Com-
mittee appointed to try the validity of the election of Mr.
Barry Baldwin, and Mr. W. Blount, for the borough of
Totnes. The Committee had determined that neither of
the lion. Gentlemen had been duly elected, that the elec-
tion was void, and that neither of the petitions were fri-
volous or vexatious.
On the motion of Mr. CLIVE, the Clerk of the Crown
was ordered to issue a new writ for the Borough.
Mr. FUSE Y presented a petition from a place in Berk.
shire against the Workhouse Exemption Bill.
Mr. Sergeant JACKSON presented a petition from
the Bar of Ireland, praying the House to pass some law to
determine their privileges.
Mr. HASTIE presented a petition from a congregation
in Paisley, praying for the abolition of Church patronage.
Sir B. HALL presented a petition from a congregation
in Portman-square, deprecating any war with China, and
praying that an end might be put to the opium trade.
Sir G. CLERK presented petitions from three parishes
in Stamford, praying for Church Extension.
Lord CHARLES RUSSELL presented a petition
against any alteration of the Corn-laws.
CAMBRIDGE COMMITTEE.

Mr. ORD moved the Order of the Day for swearing
the Committee nominated to try the merits of the petition
against the return for Cambridge.
On the name of Mr. Sotheron being called,
Mr. ESTCOURT said Mr. Sotheron was still so
unwell that he was unable to attend.
Mr. Hammerton, the surgeon, was called in, and in answer
to the Speaker, said he had seen Mr. Sotheron that day,
and his health was much the same as yesterday, and was
such as must decidedly prevent him from attending to his
duty in that House.
Mr. O'CONNELL.—Is his health in such a state as
to prevent him from sitting up to three o'clock in the
morning, to vote in this House ?—( Loud cries of Oh, ob.)
—Ho could not do so without great prejudice to his
health.—( Cheers.) lie was suffering under great debility
from an affection of the bowels.
In answer to questions from Mr. WAKLEY, the w;

ness stated that Mr. Sotheron could not attend to bus,
ness without incurring great danger.
Mr. ORD:then moved that the attendance of Mr.
Sotheron be dispensed with.
Several Members on the opposite side exclaimed, " No,
no, look at the Act."
Sir G. (.3 R E Y observed that some motion must be made.
The Act did not mention the terms of the motion,but supposed
two cases—first, that the excusewas made ; and secondly,that
the excuse was sufficient or insufficient. There ought to
be some mode of recognising the sufficiency of the excuse
in that House, and he did not know that that could
be done better than by moving, as his Honourable
Friend had done, that Mr. Sothcron's attendance
had been dispensed with—that implied that the House
was satisfied with the excuse.
Mr. WILSON PATTEN believed that at present
there was no Committee in existence, and therefore it
could not be moved that his attendance be dispensed with.
Mr. GREENE observed that, as the names had been
called over, the Committee had in effect been nominated.
Mr. W. MILES thought that, if the House were not
pleased to accept this excuse they were bound to order the
Member to be taken into custody by the Sergeant-at- Arms.
Sir GEO RG E CLERK said there were two questions
for the consideration of the House. One was, whether
the evidence they had heard at the bar was sufficient to ex-
cuse Mr. Sotheron. The next was, what was to be done
with the Committee. He believed there was nothing to
be done but to enter the fact upon the journals of the
House upon which the Committee was discharged.
Sir THOMAS ACL AND said the Act provided that
if any of the members chosen did not attend on the second
evening at 5 o'clock. the Committee was discharged. The
question then was, what was to be done with Mr. Sothe_
ron ? The Act said he should be taken into custody,
and he suggested that the proper course would be for some
Honourable Member to move, that Mr. Sotheron be taken
into custody.—( A laugh.) The question would then come
properly before the House, which could not be done till
I notice was taken of the Member's absence.
After a few words from Mr. GO CT LBUIZN,
been prevented from attending in consequence of
Mr. THESIGER submitted that Mr. Sotheron
having

indisposition, the Committee was, as a matter of course,
discharged.
Mr. O'CONNELL thought the terms of the motion
should be that Mr. Sotheron was prevented by "neces-
sity arising from illness," from attending the Committee.
These were the words of the Act.
After a few words from Mr. ORD,
The SPEAKER, having stated the original motion
was withdrawn, put the question on the amendment, to the
effect that sufficient evidence had been shown that the
attendance of Mr. Sotheron on the Cambridge Election
Committee should be dispensed with, which was carried.
OFFICIAL PENSIONS.
Mr. HUME gave notice, that after the Easter holidays,
he would move for leave to bring in a Bill to.repeal the
Official Pensions Bill.
NEW ZEALAND.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL moved for a return of papers
relating to New Zealand, which were ordered.
THE OPIUM QUESTION.
Mr. HUME presented a petition from a Society for the
Suppression of Vice in Scotland, praying the House to
adopt measures for suppressing the opium traffic.
Mr. WARD presented a petition from 1,300 of his
constituents, praying that means might be taken to put
an end to the opium trade, considering that our permission
of it was highly discreditable, and praying further, that in
consideration of the great provocation the Chinese had
received, the Government would not direct advantage to
be taken of our great superiority to carry on a war incom-
patible with the principles of justice and Christianity__
(Hear, hear.)