The Sun.
London, England, 1840-03-07 00:00:00

SALT DUTIES.

Mr. HOPE wished to put a question to the Noble Lord
the Secretary for the Colonies, which he supposed he
would not answer; he wished to know whether, among the
new taxes to be imposed, it was intended by the Govern-
ment to put an additional duty on salt ? He did not ex-
pect the Noble Lord would answer the question, but per-
haps he would state at what period the House might expect
the Chancellor of the Exchequer to make his declaration
as to what new taxes were to be imposed.
Lord J. RUSSELL said that the subject would be
brought forward immediately after Easter.
THE BUDE LIGHT.

Sir F. TRENCH wished to know why the returns he
had moved for some time ago had not been laid upon the
Table of the House. He meant the expenses of the Budo
Light ?—( A laugh.)
No answer was given.
CONSTABULARY:

Lord GRANVILLE SOMERSET begged to ask the
Noble Lord (John Russell) whether he could give him
any information with respect to an order of that House
for a return of the number of counties and districts which
had adopted the constabulary force. That return, he
understood, had been laid on the table of the House of
Lords, and he could not understand why it had not been
laid on the table of the House of Commons. He wished
also to know whether the Noble Lord bad any objection
to a return of the expenses incurred by the Act, and the
probable addition that would be made to the county rate.
Lord J. RUSSELL did not know why the return bad
not been laid on the table of the House. With regal dto
the latter question, he had no objection to the return to
which the Noble Lord referred.

CHIEF JUSTICE OF UPPER CANADA.

PRICE sd.

vileges from having their due efficacy, and the House had
punished them for the purpose of removing such an impe-
diment. Had they a right to do so? They had, if
they were to be the judges of their own privileges,
but on the contrary, they had not that right if they were to
be obliged to have recourse to another tribunal for main-
taining their authority. But what would be the conse-
quence if some other tribunal had a right to decide
on their privileges? Why in that case those
privileges would not belong to this, but to that tribunal,
which could decide on their extent. He admitted that the

attention of the House to what he considered to he' tii4
proposition put forth in this Bill. The Hon. Gentl;lisran`
had said that the House had the power to communioakV
fairly to the public, and without question, its proce,dincrs.
He agreed with the Hon. and Learned G=ntle►nan in till..
It was the opinion that he always eniertainvd and ex-
pressed. He thought that the House tied the power, and
ought to exercise it. He had no hesitation in saying. with
all deference to the:opinion of the. Court of Queen's Bench,
that his opinion was that that publication having taken
place by order of the House of Commons, it ought to be
be declared unquestionable by the Courts of Law.
He had no hesitation in repeating it, and when the Hon.
and Learned Gentleman siid that they were leaving un-
questioned the jndgrnent of the Court of Queen's Bench,
he would express the opinion which he bad thought it his
duty to state out of the House at a time he was unable to

attend in it, and that opinion was, when the judgment of
the Court of Queen's Bench was given the Hons.! ought
to have questioned that judgment in a Court of Errnr,
and he regretted that course was not taken.—(Cheers )
He had every reason now to believe that if they had
brought a writ of error upon that judgment the House-
would have been spared the pains of the proceedings they
had witnessed. In reply to what the Hon. and Learned
Gentleman had said, he would ask in what way were they

❑ow to reverse it. They could not reverse it, except h;
writ of error, or Act of Parliament.—( Hear, hear.)
The Honourable and Learned. Gentleman knew
perfectly well that they could not pass an Act
of Parliament to reverse it without they had the opi-
nion of:,the Judges with them. They must either do it hp
a declaratory Act of Parliament or a writ of error. But
the Hon. and Learned Gentleman was against consulting
the Judges—be objected to consult them by a wrt of
error. Where was the argument in saying they would
not proceed to legislate at all, leaving the judgment of the
Court of Queen's Bench unquestioned, when the Howse
had declined taking the only course it could, by bringing
a writ of error to have it questioned? Although he thought
the privilege of the House was essential, and although he
thought the Queen's Bench ought to have given a diffe-
rent judgment, yet he had felt a great objection, and felt
A great objection still, to the course of proceeding that
House had adopted. He thought it was not a constitutional
mode of interfering with the administration of justiee,
and he objected to those proceedings also upon
this ground, that he believed those proceedings
io be ineffectual, and he thought the House and the
country, from what had taken place, must be satisfied that
they were ineffectual. Let them look at the case, and
carry it to its utmost. Look at the case that had already
taken place. The action was brought during the recess,
and judgment was obtained. When the House met what
did it do ? They had committed the Sheriffs. The Hon.
and Learned Gentleman said they had discharged one of
the Sheriffs, and they were proposing to discharge the
other. Suppose they kept him, what then? The Solici-
tor-General said, keep him till the privileges of the
House were vindicated; and the Hon. Member for Brid-

port said the other night the Sheriff could obtain his die-
charge when he liked by paying the money. °him ve
what it was they were doing. They had not prevented Mr.
Stockdale from obtaining the fruits of his judgment—he bad
. .

got the money in his pocket ; that they could not prevent ;
yet they thought they were vindicating the privileges of
the House if they made the Sheriff pay the money

back again.—(llear, hear, hear.) Wh.at did they
mean to do with the money, supposing they were to get
it back ? It was true they would not have to pay so much
to Messrs. Hansa: d, and they would save the public purse