The Sun.
London, England, 1841-05-14 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, May 13.
The Earl of SHAFTESBURY took his seat on the Wool-
sack at Five o'Clock.

Messengers from the Commons brought pp the Ex-
chequer Bills Bill and the Excise Duties Bill, the Dean
and Chapters' Buildings Bill, the St. Pancras Paving )3111,
and the Kidderminster Poor-rates Bill.

The Earl of ERROL presented a petition from Aber-
deen against lay patronage in Scotland ; also a petition
from the same place against the present system of bank-
ing_in Scotland.
Viscount DUNCANNON presented a petition from
Nevvport against Church-rates.
Petitions against the repeal of the Corn-laws were
presented by the Marquis of Aylesbury, from Northamp-
tonshire ; by Lord Beaumont, from places in Yorkshire;
by Lord Prudhoe, from Kent and Sussex ; and by the
Earl of Delawar, from Cumberland.

The Earl of SiIREWSBURY presented petitions from
Arbroath and another place in Scotland, 'against any
`alteration in the law of banking in that country.
'the Duke of ARGYLL presented petitions against
Jay patronage in Scotland, and a petition against any
further grant to the College of 111alnooth.

Earl VlTZWlLLlAM—presentea 'petitions from Leeds
and other places against Chureh-rates.
The Earl of ITADDINGTON presented a petition
from Lambeth, praying the toll might be taken off the
3Ltropolitan Bridges. _ _

The Earl of WINCIIIISEA-: presented , petitioni
against the Local Assessment ;Bill, and from Blackburn
against any further grant to the College of Maynooth.
The Bishop of LICHFIELD presented. several peti-
tiOns from Staffordshire against Sunday traffic on railways.
, Lord SUDELEY presented. a petition against Metro-
politan Bridge Tolls, from a place in Surrey.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE presented a petition
from the Mayor and Corporation of Coventry, in favour
of_the proposed alteration of the Import Duties.
The Dublin Wide Streets Bill passed through Com-
mittee.

The Arms' Bill (Ireland) also went through Com-
mittee ; to be read a third time to-morrow.

The Slaves' Compensation Bill was passed through a
Committee.

The Court of Exchequer Bill (Ireland) was read a
third time and passed.
The Sir Walter Scott's Monument Bill was read a
second time and was ordered to be committed.

. The Earl of FITZWILLIAM presented a petition
from the weavers of Cupar, for a repeal of the Corn-
laws ; also a petition to the same effect from woollen
manufacturers of Yorkshire. The Noble Earl presented
a great number of petitions to the same effect from the
female operatives of the West Riding of York, and from
various other parts of the kingdom. In a petition from
Halifax, it was stated to be the opinion of the petition-
ers that it was very unjust to pass a law to keep up the
rent of land, whilst the Legislature acknowledged its in-
ability to make any laWs for keeping up the price of
labour.—(Hear,

The Earl of WARWICK said he seldom looked into
the petitions presented by the other side of the House.
But on looking into- some of the petitions professedly
coming from female operatives, he found in one of them,
Said to be the petition of the females of East Arrowby,
the names only of rive ladies without crosses—(Cheers
mid laughter)—and these were all written by the same
hand.—(Laughter.)
The Earl of FITZWILLIAM had yet to learn that
persons who were not in • the situation of the Noble
Earl—who had not the advantage of education
—who were obliged to trust to others to write their
names—(Loud cheers)—were to be deprived of the
right of expressing their opinions.—(Cheers.) It may
be very well (said the Noble Earl) for your Lordships
who stand in a superior station of life to scrutinise the
yetitions of less fortunate people. It may be very well
for you to look upon them with a scornful and con-
'temptuous eye—(Cheers, and cries of " Oh, oh")—
.but, my Lords, I must tell you, with all the respect
which I feel for your Lordships, as a member of this
House, that there is little political wisdom
in die observations of the Noble Earl, and,
if possible, less in the temper in which you received
them.—(Cheers, and laughter.) My Lords, I say
there is little political wisdom in such Criticism as has so
much amused you.—(Cheers.) Those people, my Lords,
have grievous evils to complain of.—(Cheers.) Many of
them they lay at your Lordships door, and I do not know
but the ignorance you scoff at is the most grievous.—
(Much cheering.) My Lords, you are responsible for
their incapacity. My Lords, you have the means of pro-
' viding for their better instruction, and you have made no
provision, and you will make no provision.—(Cheers, and
cries of" Oh!") My Lords, you ought to pity those people—
you ought to rescue them from such observations as have
&lien from the Noble Earl opposite.—(Cries of " Oh, oh !"
and laughter.) My Lords, I regret to be compelled to
Make these observations upon the language of the Noble
Earl.

Lord HARDWICK—IIe said nothing like it.—
(Loud cheers, and cries of " No, no.") •
Earl FITZWILLIAM—You mean to say, my Lords,
not that I have misrepresented the observations of the
Noble Earl, but that I have put his intentions wrongly.
—(Cheers.) Oh, my Lords, I know very well that you
do not like my observations. I know, my Lords, you
have no relish for petitions of this kind.—(Cheers.)
I know you don't like them.—(Renewed cheerin7.) The
ignorance of those people is not their crime. I say, my
Lords, it is your's.--(Cheers.),
The Earl of WARWICK—My Lords, in answer
to the allusion which the Noble Earl has thought proper
to make to inn in his. very dictatorial lecture, I can only
say that I could -Inot know anything of the people
who signed their petitions without looking •at their
names.—(Hear.) T find n great . number of names with
crosses opposite to them. But whole strings of them are
written in one hand. When people cannot write their
names I can believe what they say in writing through
the means of other people, but I expect to see a
,witness
to the cross.-7(Hear, hear.) But these crosses have no
witnesses, and I think the petitions very dubious and very
doubtful.

Lord HARDWICK was desirous of congratulating
the Noble Earl upon the opportunity which he
had so happily devised of making a sort of a
pompous and clap-trap speech—(Cheers)----which would
go about the country and make the people believe that
the Noble Earl was a friend of the poor.—(Cheers.) It
was not at all irregular that a Noble Lord should look into
petitions, and see from what classes of the people they
came. The Noble Earl had, for some time past, been
taking ,opportunities of making speeches, calculated
to give people a notion that he was a very liberal man,
and of placing his own case in a better position. After
all the people ought to know that the ,Noble Earl's object
was merely to substitute a fixed duty for a sliding scale.
Earl CLARE presented a number of petitions from
the crnty of Wicklow in favour of the Corn-laws.
Lord STRADBROKE presented 20 petitions from
Suffolk to the same effect.
Earl MOUNTCASHEL presented a petition from
Cork to the same effect. The petitioners stated that so
far from the exportation of wheat from Ireland having
decreased it had greatly increased.
Earl RADNOR maintained that the statement made
by him a few evenings ago was quite correct, for he had
taken his data from official papers which were on the
table of the House.

The Duke of CLEVELAND presented a petition
from the Corporation of Durham, and one from Barnard
Castle, praying for a repeal of the Corn-laws.
The Earl of WARWICK presented petitions from
several Boards of Guardians, praying for some alterations
in the Poor-laws. Also one from the Strand, praying
that the three bridges twross the Thames might be
thrown open.
Lord PORTMAN presented a petition against the
abolition of Church-rates, and one against the repeal of
the Corn-laws.
Earl RADNOR then rose to move for a return of the
names of all persons who have ifxeived compensation for
slaves from the fund provided for that purpose by Par-
liament,
.together with a return of the names of all per-
sons whose claims upon that fund were still under consi-
deration. The information was before the House already,
but in a form that was most inconvenient, and not
easily understood. His object was to get them in such
a form as to be of service in giving their Lordships all
the information desired at a glance.
After a few words from the Earls of HAREWOOD
and MOUNTCASHEL, the returns were ordered.
Their Lordships then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, May 13.
The SPEAKER took the Chair at the usual hour.
The Southampton Trust (St. Pancras) Paving Bill was
read a third time and passed.
➢ir. Sergeant JACKSON presented a petition from an
inhabitant of Drogheda, against the: Drogheda Pier Bill,
praying that compensation might be granted to him, for
damage he apprehended from the operations under the
Bill.

Colonel PERCEYAL presented a petition from several
proprietors of steam boats against the Ipswich Docks Bill.
Sir D. NORREYS. moved the further consideration of
the Report of the Committee on the Ipswich Docks Bill.
Mr. SHELL said, as the .Bill now stood, the inhabi-
tants of Ipswich, owning vessels, were to pay lower rates
than others, which he thought was very objectionable.
He moved, as an amendment, that the Bill be re-
committed.

Mr. KELLY had no objection to that 7conrse being
taken, as the, prornoters of the Bill were desirous to act
fairly. • ,
The amendment was agre3d:to ; the Committee to sit
on Wednesday next.
On the motion of Lord MAHON the Northern and
Eastern (Hertford an Ware Branch) Railway Bill was
read a third time. Several clauses were added, and
the Bill was passed.
Sir C. GREY pre tented a petition from North and
South-Shields, praying for an inquiry into the applica-
tion of the tolls levied by the Corporation of Newcastle-
upon-Tyne, and into the right of the Corporation to
levy those tolls.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL brought up the Report,
pr the
.Edinburgh and Glasgow UniOn Canal Bill.
Mr. BAINES presented several petitions in favour of
the plan of the Government for increasing the revenue by
diminishing the public burdens ' • t hey were all from places
in the neighbourhood of Leeds, and were all most
numerously signed. The petitioners all complained
of great distres , and expressed their opinion that a most
effectual remedy for that distress would be found in a.
revision of our import duties. It prayed more espe-.
cially for a reduction of the duties pn sugar and timber,
and for a repeal of the Corn-laws.
Mr. RUNDL presented eleven petitions from persons'
in calico-printing and other factories, in favour of tii6
presented three
jurisdiction
ofir.,:mo;_etionnegrc.
repeal of the Corn-laws.
TURNEIt
praying for the
gations in the neighbourhood of London,
abolition of Church-rates and the
Mr. H. BERKELY presented a ?cation from Glou-.
Ec-
clesiastical Courts.
cesarter.insefarvgoeanur
Sergeant JACKSON
JtAhecKatlitiNonproesf
ent ete?ionipe-tiatil