The Sun.
London, England, 1847-02-23 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
HOUSE OF LORDS, Feb. 22.
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Woolsack
at Five o'clock.
SUNDAY RAILWAY TRAINS.
The Earl of ROSEBERY presented a petition from
the inhabitants of Linlithgow, in favour of resuming the
Sunday railway trains on the Glasgow and Edinburgh
Railway.

ELECTORAL DIVISIONS.
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE presented a pe-
tition from two parishes near Drogheda, against the
present system of electoral divisions in Ireland, and
praying for a more equitable arrangement.
COMMISSIONERS OF BANKRUPTCY.
Lord BROUGHAM wished to call the attention of
their Lordships, and especially of his Noble Friends the
late and the present Lord Chancellors, to a return which
had been laid on their Lordships' table, in reference to
the Commissioners of Bankruptcy in town and country,
which was evidently incorrect in some of its details.
According to one calculation in that return, there were
N 4 days in the year, and by another there were 354
"P. In one part it was said, concerning the
Bristol Commission, that the Commissioners sat
188 days in bankruptcy, 135 days in insolvency,
and 31 days in small debts. There was no doubt about
what this must mean ; it was clear it was meant that the
Commissioners sat 188 days in all, the 135 days and the
35 days being parts of that period. Again, it was said
in reference to one of the Commissioners of Bristol, that
he sat, during the year, 258 dap, while his colleague
only sat 174 days ; the first number, clearly ought
to have been 158 days. His Lordship said there
were here six functionaries capable of a great deal
more work in point of time, or what came to the same
thing, that that number might be diminished. They
Were employed at present altogether not more
than six weeks in the year, and some fews days more in
81119.11 debts, but altogether the time was something
shout a quarter, at least not a third, of a year. It
would naturally be said that he (Lord Brougham)
"gilt to take blame to himself. But, as his
Noble Friend opposite well knew, he (Lord
Brougham) was the only person out of eleven
that examined the old system, and introduced the
present alterations, and out of eleven persons he was
the only one that did not think six Commissioners
were enough. He recollected he had a struggle to
keep the number so low as it was ; Sir Thomas Wilde, '
now Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, and Sir
Frederick Pollock, now Chief Baron of the Exchequer,
both opposed him, the one being for twelve and the
other for fourteen Commissioners. He (Lord Brougham)
was obliged to come to a compromise that the number
should be seven t but by a clerical error it was made six,
which error he (Lord Brougham) took advantage of,
and Would not allow it to be amended. He gave their
Lordships notice that he would introduce a Bill making
that necessary alterations in these matters. He moved
the present return should be amended.
The motion was agreed to.
DISTILLATION FROM CORN.
Lord RODEN presented a petition from the
mayor and corporation of Drogheda against distillation
from corn for the next two years.
RUM DUTIES.
Lord RODEN presented a petition from the same body
...against the proposed introduction of the rum duties.
The petition set forth that it would be injurious to the
distillers of Ireland, who had invested large sums of
money in their distilleries, and that it would be ruinous
to the labourers employed in these distilleries as well as
to other classes.

POOR-LAW SETTLEMENT.
Earl FORTESCUE presented a petition from the
guardians of the Honiton union, in Nottinghamshire,
Praying for the abolition of the present law of settle-
ment. The Noble Earl said that he agreed to much of
What had been stated in the petition. He was disposed
to agree in what was stated as to the Act of last session,
Which, so far from being productive of advantage, had
been a source of great hardship. He could not, how-
aver, go the length of admitting that the present law
should be altogether dispensed with.
Lord MELBOURNE presented a similar petition
from the Guardians of the Bastord Union, in Lincoln-
shire.

SCOTCH BANKS BILL.
The Earl of CLARENDON said he would wish the
Noble Lord (Eglinton) to postpone his motion with
respect to the Scotch Banks Bill.
The Earl of EGLINTON said that at the request of
the Noble Lord he would postpone his motion.
BREWING FROM SUGAR BILL.
On the motion of the Earl of CLARENDON, this Bill
was read a third timeland passed.
POOR RELIEF (IRELAND) BILL.

On the motion for the third reading Of this Bill,
Lord ELLENBOROUGH said that there was a pro-
vision in the Act that no warrants should be issued to
levy ti rate after the Ist of October next, but that on the
last day of September warrants might be issued to levy a
rate. lie thought that this was likely to occasion con-
fusion, for under the new Act there would be two
bodies collecting for a different purpose. lie thought if
there was a clause introduced to prevent this it would
be of considerable advantage.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE said that the last few
words of the Noble Earl had given a precise intimation
of this Bill, the object of which was, to give relief
to the destitute poor during the period that shall
elapse between the present and the coming of the
next harvest. That was the particular object of
the Bill. He apprehended that in the event
of the harvest not being gathered, or the funds
necessary for the relief of the poor now being collected
under this Bill, that the Lord Lieutenant might issue
his warrant, for the Finance Committee to pay over to
the Relief Committee the sums that might be necessary
for the relief of the destitute poor; but, certainly, it was
not intended to extend the actua operation of this Act
beyond the Ist of October. I
Lord STANLEY said that the observations of his
rsicble Friend were well worthy of the attention of her
aiesty's Government, and he did not think that the
remarks of the Noble Marquis had fully met their point.
It appeared that the Bill was to provide for the destitute
Poor, and that the Relief Committee was to pay over to
the Finance Committee the sums collected after the Ist
October. It did not appear that there was to be any
restriction on the Relief Committee whatever, for the
Relief Committee might make a list of the destitute per-
sons entitled to relief under the Act, and that this list
might then be transferred to the Lord-Lieutenant, who
Would have the power, after the Ist of October, on
their report, to issue his warrant for the Finance Com-
mittee to pay:over to the Relief Committee whatever they
Tight deem to be necessary for the relief of the
destitute poor in that district. But there was no
in_ in the terms of the Act, and the relief committee
might therefore make out a list for twelve months.
as: it would be better evidently to restrict this power,
alt not by an alteration of the 21st clause, but by an
of
of the spirit of the Act, limit this
Power to issue the warrant, say for three
months to
that on the 29th of September the Lord
~.ieutenant might issue his warrant to the Finance
Committee to pay over sufficient for the sustenance of the
destitute poor during three months—October, November,
amid December. That would be sufficient.
Lord CAMPBELL—The Noble Lord should recol-
lect that the very object of this Bill was to meet an ex-
traordinary case, and that, in order to do that it was con-
ceived advisable to leave as large a discretion as possible
in the hands of the Lord-Lieutenant.
Lord BROUGHAM--No doubt the spirit of the Act
ought to be upheld; but they had no right to legislate in
the dark when they were levying money to be expended
thus without limit. He thought it would be much better
to restrict the power of the warrant to three months in-
Stead of extending it to twelve.
Lord ELLENBOROIYGII then read over the 21st
clause, as he wished it to be amended so as to embody
his suggestion.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE had no objection to
Put off the third reading till to-morrow, to consider whe-
ther it would be better to insert an additional clause, or
to adopt the 21st clause, as amended by the Noble Earl.
The Earl of WICKLOW had not at first intended to
itake any observations on the Bill till next day,
when it would be read a third time, but this,
Perhaps, would he the most suitable time for him,
and he trusted their Lordships would allow him to
Say a few words on the Bill itself, as he had not been in
the "louse in its earlier stages. He admitted the Bill
"as called for by the exigency which it was
clause,
to
intended to meet, but there was one clause to which he
aeiere.lief
thaeuse call their attention, namely, the twelfth
, which regulates the rating, and which gave
to citing commissioners the most extensive powers in
whether the rating should be in elec-
toral . divisions or in the unions. He objected
the choice
enormous power, and he did not understand why
choce should be given to them. It was not, how-
ever,soin uciliti the present measure he objected to it,
in his tvoiawestaobflish.
it was as on account of the precedent which
He was the more confirmed
which was tot' lt,:
understood thathe danger of this from having
in the union at a the permanent Poor -law Bill,
larbgreo,ughintstefaodrwaorfd,
thtehe
presezitrating
electoral division,
evil
sitsroposed to be adopted. If this be
the case, a greater
phicolci)tuld not be inflicted on the coun-
try. In the first
ciples of the law as at presentwas at variance with the prin-
He knew there were reasons, and
out in both countries.
roar, and those strong reasons,
which might be assigned
gly carried?
for otherwise there could he noa general mode of relief,
question about it at all.
pientsinto
But he was stron
ciple of this Bill, if carrieurd that the prin.
throw one-half more reci effect, would
than there would otherwise be, In
the rates
in which provision was made for thep unor by the landed
yhdistrict proprietors, the rate became
to give the applicant work asan
weencouragement
because it benefited the district ;as
burtelieln,
ease all the poor were thrown on the u nion rates,
why every district would be contending with the
rest which district could send in the
rh
plicants. He admitted there were ditli°c'tultaipes-
attending the division of the towns - from the pa-
rishes, because many would be driven into the
towns, and the effect would be to bring a
great hardship on the inhabitants. But it had
been suggested that that difficulty could be met
by an electoral mode of
.adjustment. Suppose that a
town of a sufficient number of inhabitants should be
formed into a division, and that it should be decided
that when the rate in that town exceeded a certain
per tentage the necessary help might be sought
from the union district. But he augured thatf
much evil would follow from
a system of general outdoor relief, and he felt great
adotion o
difficulty in putting a proper interpretation
words of the Bill, when
,they provided
foro h
theth the
relief of the " aged and impotent
in case of age, one man at 70 might be
tPoor ;"
for
s
another at 50; but if a term were fixed in. an
than
thus be done, and much more if the word imp were
added, for many a young man was impotent were
utterly unable to help hicueolf, lie (Earl ~ and
Wicklow)