The Sun.
London, England, 1848-07-28 00:00:00

IIVIPE:131,-L1.1)A I?, LIAIIIEN T.

DEGREES OF 4.FFINITY.
The Bishop of LONDON inquired whether it was the
intention of the Governmetit to introduce into either
House of Parliament, during the present session, any
measure with reference ~o marriage with a deceased
wife's sister?
The Marquis of LA.:NSDOWNE replied that a very
able Member of the other House had prepared a Bill on
the subject, but that as he was in no way connected with
the Government, he was unable to say whether that
Bill would receive their sanction or not.
SOUTII-WESTERN RAILWAY

The adjourned debate on the London and South.
Western Railway Company's Acts Amendment (Eaten
sion, Deviation, and New Works) Bill, after a short dis-
cussion, was adjourned again unfit Monday.
CHARITY TRUSTS REGULATION BILL.
The LORD CHANCELLOR in moving the second
reading of this Bill said it was introduced the better to
regulate certain charitable trusts. The Municipal Re-
form Bill took away from the corporations the power of
administering the uses connected with the trusts of many
charities, and it was now necessary to apply to the
Court of Chancery to appoint trustees, which was an
expensive process. Moreover, thoee trustees could not
take the legal estate, which was said to be in nubibus.
Many small charities could not afford to come to the
Court of Chancery at all, and they had no means of
renewing their trustees. It must be evident that there
was a constant necessity for seeing that the funds of
these charities were properly administered. To show
the extent of this evil he might state that of charities
under 301. a year, which could not afford to apply to
Chancery, there were 23,746; the total number of
charities in the situation he had described being 28,340. In
1846 the present county courts had been established,
and they had been found to be much more useful than it
was ever imagined they could be. They were now 60
in number, and from November, 1846, to the same pe-
riod in the following year, they had adjudicated upon
no less than 429,415 suits, and received during the same
period 600,5581., including 203,3181. for fees. It would,
he believed, be practicable to reduce these fees by one
half, and still leave a revenue sufficient to pay all the
expenses of the establishment. This, he thought, was
a highly satisfactory state of things—(Hear, hear)—
and they need not look further for a jurisdiction to ad-
minister these local charities. He might at once, there-
fore, say that the object of the Bill was that all chari-
ties under 30/. a year, should be subject to the juris-
diction of the judges of the county courts.—(Hear,
hear.) The greater part of the Bill applied to that
purpose; but it had also other objects, one of which was
that by an order of a judge or the Court of Chancery,
the legal estate should be vested in the treasurer of the
county court; and by the same authority the stock of
such charities would also be transferred to the same
officer. In ascertaining the value of the charities, so as
to give them the benefit of this measure, the report of
the Charitable Trusts Commissioners would be held to
eonclusive. The Bill provided,-among other things,
that persons entrusted with charitable tunas should
annually render up a balance-sheet for the inspection
of the proper authorities.—(Hear, hear.) There was
a great deal of property under these trusts which had
been; bequeathed in old times, and a far different
state of society, for purposes to which they would be
wholly inadequate at the present day, and the object of
the Bill was, if possible, to render such property avail-
able for educational purposes. At present the county
courts might report to the Court of Chancery as to the
way in which such trusts might be carried out, but there
wero many small towns and villages from which an ap-
peal to the Court of Chancery would completely exhaust
the funds. In such cases he thought they could not do
better than hand the funds over to the county courts,
giving them the same powers as were now enjoyed by
the Court of Chancery. In cases where doubts might
arise as to the efficiency of the county courts, a refer-
ence might be given to the Educational Committee of
the Privy Council, a tribunal in which the public seemed
to have considerable confidence. After one or two
further observations, the Noble and Learned Lord
moved the second reading of the Bill.
Lord REDESDALE approved of the principle and
object of the Bill, but objected to the time at which it
had been brought forward. Ile trusted that the Noble
and Learned Lord would not press the Bill further dur-
ing the present session.

The Bishop of LLANDAFF said that the object:of the
Bill was one in which the Right Rev. Bench took a deep
interest. A Bill which should tend to the application of
the various small trust funds scattered over the country
to educational purposes would receive their most fa-
vourable consideration. There were, however, several

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The Earl of HARROWBY believed that there was
nothing more abused than the various small trust funds
mattered over the country, nor anything more loudly
calling for a tvemedy. It was therefore with reluc-
tance that he stood in the way of legislation on the sub-
ket, but he feared that with a Bill introduced at the
end of July little progress could be made during the
present year.
The LORD CHANCELLOR did not think the ses-
sion so far advanced as to preclude the hope that they
might complete a measure respecting which there seemed
to be so general a concurrence among their Lordships.
The fact was that a Bill nearly similar had been intro-
duced last session, so that the public had had ample time
to consider the principle.
The Bill was then read a second time, and, after a
short discussion, the Committee was fixed for that day
week.

Their Lordships adjourned at Half-past Seven o'clock,

HOUSE OF COMMONS, July 27.
POOR-LAVA UNION CHARGES.
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)
Mr. DRUMMOND thought that the Bill was an in-
different amendment of a bad measure. The great fault
of the Somerset House Commissioners was that they
treated paupers like abstractions, and carrying out the
poor-law in that way they had destroyed all sources of
private charity. lie thought it would be a great mercy
and charity if landowners and farmers were to meet
together every autumn, and devise some kind of em-
ployment for the poor, which, though it might be
unprofitable in some cases, would be far preferable to
sending the people into the workhouse. The poor-law
had tended to abolish that direct interest which was
taken in the poor by landowners and others, and as it
was now carried out there was nothing but a vile system
of money. saving on the one hand and of cheating on the

other.

Mr. VERNON SMITH considered it would be ad-
visable, after the important statements and observatioas
which had been elicited from Hon. Members, who were
well acquainted with the working of the Act in rural
districts, that that the Hon. Member (Mr. Charles
Buller) should not take up more of the time of
the House, but should at once withdraw the Bill.
this session. The House had for five years be. en at-
tempting to deal with this question of the law ot.settle-
ment, but instead of grappling
with its great principle
they had, session after session, been dealing with it by
piecemeal. The present measure was not one of a com-
prehensive nature, and he did not consider that it would
lead to a final settlement of the question. Ever since the
days of Adam Smith it he,d been clearly proved that the
law of settlement was one of the greatest curses to the
poor of this country. He trusted that the Hon. Member
would adopt the suggestion to postpone the Bill until
next session, by which time his additional experience,
and the suggestions which had been made by Hon. Mem-
bers, would enable him to bring in a more comprehen-
sive measure.
Mr. BANKES said it was apparent to him that this
Bill would not pass into a law this session. He consi-
dered that the measure would be discussed more fairly,
and that the Hon. Member who had introduced it would
be better enabled to develop his plans, if it were post-
poned until next year.
On the motion of Sir H. WILLOUGHBY, the de-
bate was adjourned until to-naorrow evening.
ECCLESIASTICAL UNIONS AND DIVISIONS
OF PARISHES (IRELA_ND).
This Bill was read a third time.
The House then adjourned until. Five o'clock.

HOUSE OF LORDS, July 27.
Their Lordship., met shortly after Five o'clock.
The Eeele.iastieal Patronage Suits Compromise (Ire-
land) Bill went through Committee.
'the Prisons. Bill aim) went through Committee.
PUBLIC HEALTH BILL.
Lord CAMPBELL moved the second reading 'of the
Public Health Bill, with arnendanntv.
The Bishop of LONJON thought that the Select
Committee which bad been appointed had i ,nproved the
Bill by nuking the amendments in it, sur:r therefore he
gave his cordial support to it.
The Bill was than read a third time and passed.
STATE OF IRELAND.
Lord BROUGHAM put u question to'the Noble Lord
(Lord Lansdowne) relative. to the alarming accounts
which had just been recei'‘ed from Ireland. For hit-melt'
he thought they were 'grossly exaggerated, if they were
not altogether pure '7.cventions.
The Marquis of lANSDOWNE said that with respect
to the rumour rehich had been circulated in the City,
of the commencement of rebellion in Ire land, he had the
satisfaction of being enabled to state that there was
every probability of its being altogether unfounded. The
Government were in th .5 possession of dispatches from
the Lord Lieutenant, dated at three o'clock yesterday,
which were brout"at by a special messenger, but they
contained nothilig whatever with respect to any sued", an
outbreak. Utters had subsequently been received., dated
at six o'clock on the same day, which had corze by the
mail, but they were equally void of the sliv:atest refer-
ence to such an occurrence. He ':nerefore did
not think that there was the slightest grounds
for the circulation of such a rumour. At the
same time he begged to add that there was the
greatest probability of an outbreak in that particular
quarter of Ireland in which it was rumoured disturbances
had already commenced.
The Marquis of LONDONDERRY blamed the Go-
vernment for the way in which they had allowed the
Irish people to go unchecked until they had arrived at
the very verge of rebellion, but he trusted now that they
would exercise every possible 'power with which they
were invested to prevent these deluded people proceed-
ing any further.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE said he had that
moment received additional intelligence up to seven
o'clock yesterday evening, which was equally devoid of
any information as to the reported outbreak of the people
in Ireland,--(Hear, hear.)