The Sun.
London, England, 1847-03-02 00:00:00

INIPERIAL PARLIAISIENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, March 1.
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Wool-
lick shortly after Fire o'clock.
IMPROVEMENT OF TOWNS.
Lord CLARENDON laid on the table the report of
the Commissioners for the improvement of towns.
INSOLVENT DEBTORS.
Lord BROUGHAM brought in a Bill to amend the
law with respect to insolvent debtors, which was read a
first time.

PUNJAUB.
Earl RIPON wished to ask the Noble Marquis the
President of the Council, if he had any objection to lay
on the table copies of the correspondence which had
recently taken place relative to certain transactions in
the Punjaub? He should not press for the production of
the papers if his Noble Friend informed him that he
could not conveniently produce them.
, this day, and found that there would be no manlier of
objection to the production of these papers. And, in ad-
dition to the papers asked for, it was also decided that
the secret papers and the papers which were preliminary
to this inquiry should be added to those tor which the
Noble Earl inquired; so that there would be a complete
history of the wholie of those transactions in the Punjaub
laid before the House
POT .
The Marquisß OF
ot LONDONDERRY rose to ask a
question as to whether any report had been made, or
Chia
steps taen for te mproveen of oaghaee.
There had beken as many as thirteen reportDsn madedon
subject, and all except four had been in favour
of the port, for it was allowed that it was hy
far the best for a transit between it and Portpatrick.
Upwards of 300,000/. had been spent in the improvement
of this port, and the only question was as to whether
13,000/. more should be spent to render the communica-
tion complete. Wind and tide both combined to render
the Passage the best, for at this point there was the
• shortest distance between land and land. As respected the
north of Ireland, Donaghadee is evidently the best port,
f`3r as there is now a railway to Carlisle, they had only
to carry it forward to Dumfries, and the communication
wOuld be made more expeditiously between Portpatrick
and Belfast than it could be by way of Holyhead and Dub-
"- He only asked 30,0001, which, according to the report
of Sir John Rennie, a most able engineer, would
Put the harbour into the 'nest complete state of effi-
eiencY. He could not see why the Government could refuse
'ltch a grant, as Port Patrick formed the nearest, best,
Theirlllld safest point of communication with the Scotish coast.
L .rdships had lavished sums of money in forming
Ports for communication with France and the other por-
,tl°l4 of the Continent, but Ireland never came in for
,any Portion of that expenditure.
Lord FALKLAND agreed in much that had fallen
from
„
x Noble Marquis, that the harbour of Port-
atrick was in an unsatisfactory state, and that the
Packets employed were of an inconvenient construction.
At the same time it was impossible that the packets
could be better in the present state of the harbour; and
the
question was, was it expedient that a large sum of
nney should be expended on it. Still, bad as was the
_ harbour, subject to storms as was the coast, and poor as
IT re the vessels, he must observe that for many years
service had been performed at the station
ha the most regular manner. No serious charge
ad ever been made as to the mode in which
the business was conducted. He would state in a few
;Words how the case stood, and as he had expressei it in
11 letter recently addresed to him on the subject. It was,
Abetter they would abandon the station, or expend
sf
tf" ?'OOOl. on it. Some time ago surveyors were employed
i examine into the best harbour on the west of Scot-
land for mail communication into the north of Ireland,
and their report had been supplied two or three days
le°. The report would be submitted to him in a few
and_ and when it was, he would give his best attention
sr consideration to the arguments of the Noble
rcinis- He (Lord Falkland) at present, how-
evea
r, would beg to ray, that the report was
) 4'3.1 favourable to the maintenance of Portpatrick
packet station ; and that, though the Admiralty
',telt give counsel as to the course to be taken, the
question of expenditure remained with the Board of
Public 'Yorks.
The Marquis of LONDONDERRY expressed himself
,satisfied with the explanation.
POST-OFFICE, GLASGOW.
.„The Duke of NIONTROSE wished to call the atten
ti
or of the House to the present arrangements of the
'Tow Post•office. They were such, that though the
mail Fad been accelerated by the opening of the Lan-
caster Place a.r.Rl Carlisle Railway, so that the arrival took
so a' eight o'clock in the evening, the letters
receivedWhieli were not delivered till next morning, by
16 timtehea second mail had arrived from London.
lettersurosf were thus lost to the merchants of Glasgow, the
two mails being delivered at the same time.
few"el the irnpertance of Glasgow was such, that if a
. extra. clerks or deliverers would meet the
ulty, and
enable the letters to be delivered
The great evening, the arrangement ought to be made.
great ground of complaint waF,, that though the mail
arrived at Glasgow in the evening, great delay took
13 a" in the delivery of the letters. He trusted, there-
ore, that the Noble Marquis would consider it his duty,
e!Peetive of expense, to afford the facilities desired by
,i,ge a town as Glasgow.
facts ne Marquis of CLANRICARDE admitted that the
thestat
ed by the Noble Duke were true. It was true
Mail arrived at an inconvenient hour ; but, unfor-
IV• nately, means had not yet been found to accelerate
I:" Mall between Carlisle and Glasgow. The atten-
tion of the Post-office had been called to the
matter, and they bad instituted an inquiry into the
'natter with the view of causing the delivery of letters
to be made the same night. The expense was not con-
sidered an objection ; in fact, the expense would be
not hing compAred with the ad vantageswhich would be con-
ferred upon so important a town as Glasgow, it the plan
Proposed by the Noble Duke could be carried out. The
keeping open of the office all night for the reception of
-bavvspapers would be considered; and he could assure
the Noble Duke that all grievanc( s deserving remedy
Would be removed.
The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH wished to know if
!he Noble Marquis would lay on the table returns of the
"come and expenses of the Post office, including the
.reeeipts and expenditure of all post-offices beyond the
lai• He wasimost anxious to obtain the latter portion of
this information, as the expense of the communication '
by
ship was extremely large. Whilst he was con-
scted with the Admiralty so large a sum as 400,0001. had
1,2• be voted in the naval estimates for the conveyance of
▪ e mails,
. The Marquis of CLANRICARDE had no objection
Ael9auch a return, and should be happy to consult the
0 ble Earl as to the way in which it could be most con-
'.l.,tliently made out. It was right to state that there
would be considerable difficulty in the way of such a
return.

LABOURING POOR (IRELAND) BILL.
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE moved the second
wing of this Bill. As the object of the Bill had been
▪ ady fully discussed in that House, he would merely
sate that it was simply to indemnify thdse persons
" had been compelled to depart from the law
p▪ assed
the last session for affording employment to
II labouring poor of Ireland. If it was
)117'34ry to introduce any amendments into the
till an opportunity would be aft ,rded when h
sar was in Consmitti e. That was all that it was nrces-
Y to saY on the subject.
ido,BROUGHASI had no ajection whatever to the
asti—nitY; but on constitivional grounds he wished WO
A_ e ()fie observation, When any one came for an
‘13,‘1 °f iLdetnnity, the patties who sought it should
.o4ke out a reason sufficient for the break-
t'f the law. And to this he had not
Zslightest objection, for he believed, in the present
t'tt,tten...ivae ample reason fd' the breach of the law,
oejecti was another reason why he should mike some
deity "Ils to the Act, and that was to be fouAndc,ion_t_law-
d that had occurred in the obtairang the _
deeilli,ll,,itY• Nose, in this case, there had been, sash
ai and he thought that there had been culpability iu
Wuct'ng' so long for this Act. Yet that might be no ground
Ac"l/113lkint, but he found, under a certain clause of the
thoti, that all the parties had act, d under the a
th:tty "f the Government, and the Noble Lardstatei_
lancl" In in Ire-
the of a correspondence from a partyre
the , w ;
acts hieh a curious misnomer had been put upon
?f. the the Goverument officials in his part
littodr ri-totenetry, It appeared that the party who
e letters received by the Noble
e forM
the d hadn the
paid a considerable sum for
wire rt of
.atio
w, %Ite m one particular road, whereas the funds
'an to ards applied to another. Bs. he did not
foe saY that ti lettere were a sufficient ground
Looss,,q),,,°ning this Act of indemnity.—(Laughter.)
beIi4,VIONTEAGLE was quite agreed also in the
euelloTat in no case were the Government officials more
Which t°' the Act of indemnity sought than that
tett was to be obtained under this Bill. Yet though
else act their conduct, and believing that they
else act in no other way than they had done under the
oftepstances there was one thing which in his opinion
boi7 tor immediate attention, and that was the corn-
liletrn taken under the Bill for forcing the employ-
th tof the poor on the farms in Ireland. He
the
etlght that this would be better done under
Meet Drainage Act of last session, and leave the agree-
ie to be voluntary between the landlord and the
absolutely Any interference more than that which was
nant.
ia
altr'efere the necesc' ry would be unwise, and if they
t people in Ireland would be left
ii) only -n.y resource in Mr. Lahouchere's letter,
senet —`,7e the works were carried on with mutual con-
bid tile better they would be performed. He
Gs,,orn° objection that the Bill should give the
take— nmeht power to rectify all technical mis-
s ; but he considered that it ought to be done
"n the principle of strict justice and not of making
41g, 13'
e 31)er:on Pay more than ho had contracted to do.
t: on were the only points to which to draw the attere
' of the House
r,al43rd lIROUG HANI desired to inform the Noble Lord
he had no objection to the Act of Indemnity, he had
t7:3' observed that he considered that it went further
then„:%.l-r. Labouchere's letter warranted. The words of
ll tuay were too cemprehensive. " Any person who
Pave committed any act," the most illegal and the
or," oppressive act, would be justified by such words ;
,oe:.gnto, " any proceeding for rendering such present-
_ .t etTective." His only objection was to the framing
"tit' elau-e, and it was to that alone he desired to direct
eultatt"ntion of the Heuse. He knew it was most
diffi-
to frame an indemnity clause, but they could in
COinmittee remedy the defects he had pointed out.
thL,, d WESTMEATH considered the suggestion of
pe Noble Lord as most useful. He knew several landed
_r" .% ri(.torand he himselt was smeer the , who ,nte.radundertaken the whole of the electoral expensesn of
district, in oteL r to escape the baronial assessments.
the'a ELLENBOROUGH said he had no objection to
1, but he did not consider that the Government
be
were entitled to the highest praise, which should only
9r4•4 to those who hitd foreseen and prevented a