The Sun.
London, England, 1847-04-30 00:00:00

PRICE OF SUGAR.

The average price of Brown or Muscovado Sugar, computed
From the returns made in the week ending April 27,
1847, is 30s. 23/4 d. cwt.

BANK OF ENGLAND.
(From this night's Gazette.)
An Account, pursuant to the Act 7th and Bth of Victoria, cap. 32, for
the Week ending on Saturday, the 241 k day of April, 1847.
IBS (IX DZPARTME NT. •

Notes issued•..• .. •• 22,549,140

Government debt .. 11,015,100
Other securities • ... 2,984,900
Gold coin and bullion 7,120,006
Silver bullioa

£22,649,140

X 22,549,140
MARSHALL, Chief Cashier.

Dated the 29th day of April, Is

BANKING D 1
X.
Proprietors' capital 14,553,000
Rest .• .
Public deposits (in-
eluding Exchequer,
Commissioners of
National Debt, Sat-
ings-banks, and Di-
vidend accounts) • • 2,434,51$
Other deposits .•• • • • 9,125,409
Seven day and other
bills • ... • • • • 866,9711

rEPAATMEN T.

Government securi-
ties (including Dead
Weight Annuity) • . 11,117,319
Other securities .. • . 16,079,627
Sates •••••• • • • • • ... 2,718,995
Gold and sliver coin.. 664,750

£ 30,580,691

Z30,W,691
M. MARSHALL, Cklei Caahler.

Dated the 29th day of April, tat

COURSE OF EXCID
Amsterdam ......C.F. 12 7
Ditto, at sight • ..... 12 4
Rotterdam 2 U. 12 73-.
Antwerp.............. 26 20
Hamburgh ......M.B. 13 13
Altona.
Paris, 3 days' sight 25 80
Ditto, 3 months.— 26
Marseilles •••. • • • ..... 26 2 i
Bourdeaux. ..... . 26 20
Frankfort on Maine.... 122 y‘,
Petersburgh, 3 U 5.... • •
Berlin ......
Vienna, effee.flo ••• • .. 10 12
Trieste, ditto.... 10 12
Madrid • • • 4714
Cadiz • • •
Bilbao.
Barcelona • . • •

LNGE.-(THIS DAY).
Gibraltar....
Leghorn ........ ...... 30 70
Genoa .. • • • • . .
Milan ..
Venice ..
Naples
Palermo, per 0z........ 119%
Li5b0n.......... 53
Oporto • .. • • .. i 414
Rio Janeiro .......... 263
Bahia .
Buenos Ayres .. ..
New York, 21 days' sight
Philadelphia „ „

?AIM OF BULLION, FIl OZ
Foreign Gold la bars.. £3 17 9

New Dollars 0 0 0
Portugal Gold Coin .. 0 0 0
Spanish Doubloons .. 0 0 0
silver in bars ...... • . 0 0 0

MPE RI AL PA RLIAME NT,

(THIS EVENING.)

HOUSE OF LORDS.

The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Wool.
sack at five o'clock.

MESSAGE FROM THE COMMONS.
Messengers from the Commons brought up savers'
Bills.
POOR RELIEF (IRELAND) BILL.
Lord STANLEY hoped the Government would give
their attention to the system ct rating under this Bill.
For he feared that the effect of the present clause would
be to give the power to the tenant, when rated on a
merely nett sum, of charging half poundage on the gross
amount. Thee difficulties arose from their interfering
between the landlord and tenant to establish separate
interests, which he thought ought to be left alone.
The Marquis of WESTMEATH said it was his in-
tention to move an amendment on this Bill. The object
of it was to facilitate proceedings in the master's office.
He had thrown out a proposal for the consideration of
the Noble and Learned Lord on the Woolsack, that he
should prepare a clause to allow of viva voce evidence
instead of by affidavit.
After a desultory conversation the subject dropped.
GOVERNMENT PLAN OF EDUCATION.
The Bishop of OXFORD presented a petition from
Banbury, in Oxfordshire, in favour of the Government
plan of education.
POOR RELIEF (IRELAND) BILL.
Lord DYSART gave notice, that in Committee on
this Bill, it was his intention to move some amendments
on the second clause, relating to the power given to the
poor-law guardians to hire or to build houses for the re-
ception of the able•bodied poor; and also regulating the
relief to be afforded to such persons.
REPRESENTATIVE PEERS OF SCOTLAND.
The Earl of EGLINTOUN rose to move that a
Select Committee be appointed to take into considera-
tion the existing laws and regulations which relate to
the elections of the representative Peers of Scotland, to
consider what steps should be taken to prevent persons
from voting at such elections who are not entitled to do
so, and to report upon the proceedings which took place
at the election of Lord Gray, on the 17th of March last.
He said he regretted that that the duty had devolved
upon him to bring this important subject before their
Lordships ; and that it it had not fallen into other
hands. It might not be necessary to remind their
Lordships that by the terms of the Act of
Union sixteen was the number of representative
Peers to be sent to the House of Lords, and to be
cheated out of the whole number of Scotch Peers. In
1708 certain proceedings took place, upon which
were founded the following forms at any election
of a representative Peer. The Peers of Scotland
were assembled by proclamation. After the commission
had been read by the Lord Clerk Registrar, the names
on the union roll were called over, and all who answered
voted and gave in their proxies. But it must be evident
that the clerk had no means of testing claims, and
therefore any vote tendered under a title on the union-
roll by a person, though he may have a right to do so,
must be recorded. A resolution was passed, restrict-
ing the power to use proxies to the sons and grandsons
of Peers, but that was not sufficiently stringent. In
1f132 a Committee was appointed on the subject, and re-
solutions passed by it which were referred to a Commit-
tee of Privileges, but the subject dropped out of memory.
Lord CAMPBELL would take leave to add a single
word to what had been already said on this subject. A
case bad come to his knowledge to prove the de-
fective state of the law which proved his position.
An individual was told that he was entitled to a peeaage
and he immediately abandoned his habits of industry,
and his family were brought to utter ruin. Another
case had also come under his observation.
The LORD CHANCELLOR then put the motion,
which was agreed to ; and the Peers to comprise the
Committee were nominated, and next Monday, at two
O'clock, fixed for the meeting of the Committee.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE laid upon the table
of the House various returns, by order of her Majesty.
Several Bills were then forwarded a stage, and the
House adjourned at twenty minutes Past six o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
The SFEAKEn took the Chair at Four o'clock.
LORDS' AMENDMENTS.
The Lords' amendments to the Cheltenham Water-
works Bill were agreed to.
REPORTS.
The reports on the following Bills were brought up
and agreed to, and the Bills ordered to be engrossed:—
Caledonian Railway (Branches from the Clydesdale
Junction 'Railway to the Douglas and Lesmahagow,
Mineral Fields and to Strathavon).
Caledonian Railway (Branches to Wilsontown, to Fauld-
house, and to Biggar and Broughton).
Caledonian Railway (Extension of Motherwell Branch
of Clydesdale Junction Railway, to Auchinheath
Mineral Field, with Branches to the Wishaw, and
Coltness Railway, Canderside and Hamilton).
Herne Bay and Canterbury Junction Railway.
South-Eastern Rail way (Croydo and Bromley Branches).
South-Eastern Railway (Maidstone to Chart).
South-Eastern Railway (Mid-Kent and Direct Tun-
bridge).
South-Eastern Railway (North Kent Line).
South-Eastern Railway (Strood to Maidstone).
Mr. R. lIODGSON, on the bringilng up o
the reports
from tho Committee on Group No. , as t the South-
Eastern Railway Bills, moved that the minutes of the
Committee be printed with the reports.—Agreed to.
On the motion of Mr. GREENE, it was ordered that
the Leeds Waterworks (No. 2) Bill be referred to the
examiners of petitions for private Bills, who shall report,
whether any other standing orders apply to this Bill
than those which wereproved to have been complied with
before the Examiner upon the petition for lea.ave to bri
in the Leeds Waterworks Bill ; and that
Examiner ng
have leave to sit and proceed upon Tuesday next.
THIRD READINGS.
The following Bills were read a third time and passed :
London and South-Western Railway (Widening, &c.)
Shrewsbury turd Birminghara Bailway.

IRISH DISTRESS.
Mr. HAMILTON presented a petition from Dublin,
signed by 4,976 persons against the measure adopted
by the Government for supplying food to the distressed

LUNATIC ASYLUMS.
Mr. T. DUNCOMBE presented a petition from the
Society for the Protection of Lunatics, praying for an
alteration in the law relating to lunatic
Mr. HUME presented a petition from a kirk session
in Scotland, against clauses in the Marriages Ilegistra-

tion (Scotland) Bill.
JUVENILE OFFENDERS BILL.
Sir D. LE AIARCIIANT presented a petition from
Worcester in favour of the Juvenile Offenders Bill.

VESSELS OF WAR.
Sir C. NAPIER gave notice that, on Monday next, he
would move for copies of the log-books of the Rodney,
Revenge, Cambridge, and Ganges, from the Ist Dec.,
_ _ _ . _ .

1840, to the 7th.
11r. HUME gave notice that, on Monday, he would
move for copies of reports of master-shipwrights on cer-

tain vessels:

ADMINISTRATION OF PUBLIC JUSTICE.
Mr. B. ESCOTT said that he would wish to ask a
question of the Right Ilonourable Gentleman the Secre-
tary for the Home Department ; it related to a para•
graph which appeared in the Times newspaper, copied
from the Hampshire Independent It was stated that the
late Recorder for Winchester had resigaed previous to
the Easter session, and that no recorder was appointed in
his stead, in consequence of which the trials of the pri-
soners were postponed indefinitely. Ile had no know-
ledge of the subject but that which he had gathered from
the Times, and he was anxious to know whether a recorder
had been appointed, and if not whether he had any
means to remedy the injustice which must accrue by such
delay?
Sir GEORGE GREY said that he also had seen the
paragraph alluded to in the daily papers. The sessions
commenced on Easter Monday, and the resignation was
received at a late hour on the 31st of March; so that there
was no time to appoint a successor. He had not been
informed that any inconvenience had taken place; but he
would make inquiry respecting the matter.
FACTORY BILL.

An HON. MEMBER said he would wish to ask the
Secretary for the Home Department, whether it was his
intention to introduce any amendments on the Factory
Bill, as had been suggested by the factory inspectors
The first of those suggestions was with reference to
the education of children and the granting of certificates,
the second was with reference to the silk-mills, and the
third was the necessity of guarding the machinery in mills.
The Hon. Gentleman had said nothing respecting the
Act relating to the silk mills ; and wit regard to the
other two points. he said that it was his intention to
bring forward some Bill in the course of the present
session. He thought it extremely important that all
three points should be settled together ; and as all
parties seemed to be agreed that a private settlement of
the question should be come to, lie was desirous that the
Hight Hon. Gentleman should state what course he in-

tended to pursue.
Sir G. GitEY said that with regard to the two points
of which the Hon. Member hade made mention, he had
had some communication with those parties who were
principally interested. With regard to the education of
the children in print works, there was a way of effecting
all that was desired without any alteration of the law.
With regard to the casing of machinery in mills, diffi-
culties had arisen with regard to it, and he did not know
that it was advisable or necessary that the law should
be altered in that respect. There were large powers
vested in the inspectors, and before any steps were take❑
it would be advisable that their report should be re-

ceived.
THE POOR-LAW COMMISSIONERS.

On the motion that the order of the day for the second
reading of the Railways, Piers, and Harbours (Ireland)
Bill, be read,
Mr. FERRAND said that he was anxious to trespass
on the attention of the House for a very few moments,
in order to make one or two remarks upon the extraor-
dinary conduct of her Majesty's Government, with
regard to the new Poor-law Commissioners. It was
now nearly four months since the commencement of the
present session, and her Majesty's Government had not
introduced into that House the new poor-law which
they informed the House they would in this session
bring under its notice. On the 20th of August
1846, a Committee of that House reported. in the fol-
lowing language, their opinion as to the conduct of the
Poor-law Commissioners. They stated that, upon a
review of the proceedings of the Poor-law Commis•
sioners, with reference to the inquiry into the Andover
Union, those proceedings appear to have been irregular
and arbitrary, especially in respect to the dismissal of
Mr. Day and Mr. Parker. It was now eight months
since that report was laid upon the table of the House,
and still the same Poor-law Commissioners remained in
full power, inflicting the same cruelties on the poor of
the country generally, as those they inflicted upon the
poor in the Andover Union. Her Majesty's Government
had screened these Commissioners eight months, and
they were now attempting to screen them still further.
The notice had been a long time on the paper of the
House, and yet the Government had not introduced the
Bill. It had been put on the list last night, when the
Right Honourable Baronet knew that it could not
be discussed It had, also, been postponed till next
Monday, when there were four or five other mo-
tions which had precedence. If the Government
desired the Bill to go forward, why not have
fixed it for Friday night, when there. were no other
motiotka cm the paper. lle wanted a pledge from the
Government that they would fix a night of theirs for
the discussion of the question, giving fair notice to the
opponents of the New Poor-law to be present. Unless
they did so, he weuld himself bring the conduct of the
Poor-law Commissioners under the consideration of the
House.

Sir G. GREY said, that when he gave notice of his
intention of introducing the Bill, he had no inten-
tion of taking the discussion on it then, but to
make a statement of its provisions, and fix a
night when the whole discussion could be taken.
He had fully expected that time would have beenqlloeged,
for the statement last night, but the lateness of the dis-
cussion which had arisen prevented him doing so. Ile
had postponed the Bill, therefore, till Monday next, the
earliest Government day, in the hope that after the
Factory Bill was disposed of there would be time
enough for the statement which be had to make.
After he had made his statement, and the Bill was in-
troduced, he would name a day for the second reading,
when the discussion would be taken.
The order of the day was then read.
Mr. ROEBUCK rose reluctantly to call the attention
of the House while he stated the reasons why he was
about to propose an amendment to the proposition of the
Government. The subject was now lairly before them,
and he would state the grounds why he objectei.
What was it the Right Hon. the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer proposed to them to do ? He asked them to go
into Committee of Supply, for the purpose of doing
that, which in the early part of the session, he and those
who voted with him, told the House, in the strongest
manner, was in the highest degree inimical to the
interests of the country. He would feel it necessary to
read to the House some of the words of the Right
Honourable Baronet, although it was not his
habit to have recourse to this mode of argu-
ment. Now he wished to call the attention
of the House to the circumstances connected with this
question of railways in Ireland. It might be in the
recollection of every one in that House that in the com-
mencement of the session the Noble Lord opposite
(Lord G. Bentinck) introduced into the
House a measure
for the purpose of establishing railways in Ireland.
Now, at that time the situation of the country.was
different to what it was at the present in tithe
Then there was no great pr
essure the
money market; the commerce of the country was in as
flourishing a state as it was usually in at that period of
the year. The Noble Lord's Bill, after embracing a
general view of the state of the country, proposed to ask
from this country a loan of 16,000000/. ; but he pro-
posed to ask this at different times, end-the • sum—if he
recollected rightly—which was proposed to be raised
in the first year was 4,000,0001. Now at
that time the description which he (Mr. Roe-
' buck) had given of the state of the country, was
correct. There might be no great prosperity, but there
was no alarm and there would have been no difficulty in
raising the sam required by the Noble Lord. Now, at
that time what was the language used by the Right
Hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer. After the
enormous sums of money which had been lately granted
to Ireland, tho Right Hon. Gentleman came down and
asked the House to grant a sum of 620,000/. for the
purpose of assisting railways in Ireland. But let them
look at the language of the Right Hon. Gentleman? Mr.
Roebuck had opened the book, when he was inter-
rupted by •
The SPEAKER, who intimated that the Hon.
Member could not quote from a speech made on the
debate on the present measure.
Mr. ROEBUCK did not wish to quote anything that
was not pertinent to the present question, and it he was
desirous of giving the words, it was only from the fear
that his memory might notserve to give the precise mean-
ing of the Right Hon. Gentleman, whose opinions he was
desirous of giving to the House, for to misreprent him
formed no part of his intention. Now, he thought that
an argument might be used of this nature, and one which
v. as particularly. applicable to the present question—
(Such was the import of the Right Hon. Gentleman's
expressions)—that, although the sum of four millions
only was demanded at presen, yet eventually the sum of
16,000,0001. would be required, and that the plan would
impose upon the Government a task which he, in his
character of Chancellor of the Exchequer, could not
undertake. The expressions of the Noble Lord at the
head of the Treasury were precisely to the same effect.
He said, further, that if the railroads were in such a
state ot• prosperity as the Noble Lord had asserted them
to be iu that country—and he instanced the. Great
Western Railway of Ireland—they did not need that as-
sistance for which he sought, and why they should not
give the money. Both the Right lion. Gentleman and
the Noble Lord went further than this, for they said
that if they went into the market to borrow the money,
they would go unfairly armed, and affirmed that even if
it the plan was to be adopted it would not give that
amount of employment which tho Noble Lord the Mem-
ber for Lynn affirmed that would give. For this they
cited the words of the Right Hon. Baronet the Member
for Tamworth, and, if he recollected right, the Right
lion. Baronet the late Secretary for the Home Depart-
ment had also stated that such would be the case. They
grounded their objection chiefly on the extent of the
measure which the Noble Lord had brought forward,
but for his part, in his opinion, that was the best recom-
mendation of the plan. He did not say that it was a
wise plan ; but it was at least a bold and a comprehen-
sive plan—one calculated to give extensive employ-
ment to the poor population of Ireland. Since
the Noble Lord's proposal was before the House,
change in a most important and vital particular was pro-
duced—some people contended—by the Government