The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-03 00:00:00

TEE SUN, LONDO

frieated himself from great difficulties, without any stipportor I
reinforcement, with consummate skill With regard
to the Hon. and Gallant Officer Sir Hugh Gough,
I shall to-morrow have the satisfaction of communi-
cating to his sera that her Majesty has been gra-
ciously pleated to confer upon him the honour of the British
Peerage, for the gallant example he has set.--(Loud cheers.)
I trust that his family will be prepared to accept for him this
distinction which be to strongly deserves. I may, perhaps, be
allowed to take fah; opportunity of bearing Pablie testimony
to the valour shown by the Presto ,n Prince Waldemar ;
and I may also be permitted to plaCe upon that record of this
debate, the words which ray Gaiiant Friend, Sir Henry
Hardinge, Speahs of him. He says that the army was ho-
noured by the presence of Prince Waldemar of Prussia, and
two noblemen of his suite. They were present at Moodkee,
Ferozeshah, and also at a third action. They did net con-
tent themselves with a distant view of the action, but were in
the middle of it, and caposad to every danger. I may also be
permitted to sepply an omission in not having borne sufficient
testimony to the conduct of General Gilbert. There is in the
eoursc of these dispatches the highest testimony borne to the
eondact of this haeve commander, and also to all the other
officers *ho were engaged on the day when the late battle was
faatight. Sir H. Gough speaks of General Gilbert in the
highest terms, and says, that he has not words to express his
afaatitude to him, not only for his zeal and activity, but also
for his intelligence. And I have referred to this document,
in order that we might have the opportunity of placing also on
the record of this discussion the opinions of more competent
judges than we are in these matters.
Sir DE DACY EVANS said that either he had imper-
fectly expressed himself, or he had been misunderstood,
with reference to some expressions which he had alluded to as
having dropped from the Right Hon. Boronet on the subject
of the motion for the vote of thanks to Sir Henry Smith. He
did not maintain for a moment that the intention of the Right
Hon. Baronet was other than that which was obvious to the
whole House. He merely, as a professional man, objected to
a word, of which he, in that capacity, might be more cognizant
of than the Right Hon. Baronet. The Right Hon. Baronet
had communicated that the honour of the peerage was to be
conferred on Sir Hugh Gough, and he did not in the least
doubt tbat the announcement was gratifying to the
House; but he wished to say that, on his part, his gratifi-
cation would be great if he had communicated that the
British Peerage was to be conferred upon Sir Henry
Hardinge. His Honourable Friend, the Member for
Montrose, bad alluded to the moderation of the Governor-
General, in his operations, and seemed to doubt whether he
had not been too moderate. He ( Sir De Lacy Evans) con-
ceived that no part of the conduct of the Governor-General
was marked by more wisdom, judgment, and sound policy than
his conduct after the late victory ; and he believed that the
line of conduct adopted by the Governor-General, would be
most conaucive to the permanent power of the British in
India, and to the well-being of the people who were more
or less connected with us. He wished also to call the atten-
tion of the House to another circumstance. Sir Hugh
Gough had, in his dispatches, in the warmest and most set
terms, alluded to the brilliant conduct of no less than twelve
brigadiers in his army, and particularly to the conduct of
brigadiers Stacy and Cuerton. He confessed that he did not see
why the precedent of the names of these twelve gallant officers
being inserted in the vote of thanks should not be admitted.
In this case the ordinary rule might be departed from, and
the names of men so distinguished might be inserted in the
vote of thanks. He would call the attention of the House to
the fact, that during the last war, no less than fifty briga-
diers had been included in the Parliamentary thanks, and yet
these twelve gentlemen were to be an exception.
Sir R. H. INGLIS said that he wished to refer for one
moment to the generous suggestion made by his Gallant
Friend opposite. That suggestion would have come with grace
and propriety from any one, but the suggestion of the honour
to be conferred upon Sir Henry Hardinge came from him very
appropriately. If the Right Honourable Baronet should, in
his discretion, think fit to make such a recommendation to her
Majesty, it would meet the grateful thanks of the House
(Hear, hear.) The conduct of General Thackwell should not,
on this occasion, remain unnoticed, as his conduct during the
late action had been peculiarly deserving of admiration.
Sir R. PEEL—This suhj et has already been spoken of, but
in older to prevent the po.sibility of any doubt upon it he
felt it necessary to say that beiore these dispatches had been
one single hour tinder the consideration of her Majesty, she
intimated her wish that the honour of the British peerage
should be conferred upon Sir Henry Hardinge and Sir Hugh
Gough. With regard to that gallant officer Colonel Taylor,
before these last dispatches reached England it was determined
to make him one of her Majesty's aids-de-camp, but the
account of his death had intervened.
The motion was then unanimously agreed to.
THE ORDERS OF THE DAY.
Sir JAMES GRAHAM, after a few words which did not
reach the gallery, intimated his wish that the orders of the
day should be postponed until to-morrow (this day). He
should move the first reading of the Preservation of Life in Ire-
land Bill at five o'clock.
INTERMENT IN LARGE TOWNS.
Mr. MACKINNON said that he wished to ask the Right
Hon. Baronet the Secietary for the Home Department whe-
ther he aas prepared to take any steps on the motion he (Mr.
alackifinon) was about to make ? He brought the subject
forward at the suggestion of the chairman of the Committee
appointed to take the subject into their consideration. Last
year that House came to a resolution that the nuisaace of in-

terment in lane towns deserved the serious attention of the
Legislature. He was how induced to apply to the Right Hon.
Baronet to ascertain whether it was the intention of her Ma-
jesty's Government to take any steps in accordance with the re-
commendation of the Committee of the House, the recom-
mendation of the Commissioners, and the resolution which the
House came to nn the subject during the last session of Parlia-
ment ? He wolld ask whether, in the event of his bringing
forward this motion, it would have the countenance and sup-
port of the Grove: nment ? He would wait for the answer of
the Right Hon. Baronet previously to proceeding with the
motion.

'sir J. GRAHAM said that the House would remember the
resolution alluded to by the Hon. Member, which was carried
in opposition to his (Sir J. Graham's) strong remonstrances
on that occasion. He certainly did admit the great importance
of the subject, and he was bound to say that he was prepared
to take some steps on the motion for leave to bring in this
Bill. He should cordially support his Hon. Friend in the
introduction of this measure, and give it every consideration
in his power, and do his best to aid him in preparing the
measure, and to further any suggestions that might be made
on the subject. He was happy to receive his Hon. Friend's
assurance that he was now going to take the right course, and
bring forward a substantive measure with regard to this
subject.
Mr. MACKINNON said that, after the observations that
had fallen from the Right Hon. Baroaet, it would be unneces-
sary for him to call the attention of the House to the measure,
and to enter into any sliscu sion upon it. He would only say
that be felt great difficulty, as an individual member of that
House, in bringing forward a measure of this great importance.
He was in a very peculiar situation in being compelled, as a
private individual, to bring forward this motion, but he bad
recommendations from nearly every town in the kingdom,
pre-sing him to come forward with this proposal, and he
would, therefore, endeavour to do the best he could. He was
sorry to see that a feeling had gone abroad in this country, that
it was the opposition of the clergy which prevented the Right
Hon. Baronet from entering upon this subject. He was satis-
fied, from what he knew of the clergy generally, that as a body
they were anxious to promote this measure ; and he confessed
that one of the chief inducements which had led him to bring
forward this measure, was to exonerate the Church and the
clergy from any attack, in consequence of certain observations
which had gone abroad. This opposition did not originate
from any of the legitimate members of the Church, for he
believed that one of the reasons which had prevented the
carrying of this measure before, was the great difficulty
in legislating upon it. The only way to make a Bill on this
subject effective would be to enable every town to apply to the
Privy Council by petition, and to allow a sort of inspector,
who would see that the nuisance should be abated. He hoped
that the first an.l second reading of this Bill would be unop-
posed, and after the second reading it could be referred to a
Committee, who in the course of their labours might be able
to submit many valuable observations en the subject to the
consideration of the House. Under these circumstances, there-
fore, it was unnecessary for him to enter into further particu-
lars. There were Hon. Gentlemen present who could assist
him in submitting this Bill for the aparobation of that House.
He should also have the assistance of some of those Hon Gen-
tlemen in Committee, and by that assistance he trusted to en-
able the Howe to adopt such measures as would seem neces-
sary to carry out that important subject. The Hon. Member
concluded by moving that leave be given to bring in a Bill to
do away with the practice of interment in the metropolis and
in large towns.
Mr. HUNIE considered that some step was absolutely ne-
cessary to be taken on the subject. The great difficulty in
legislating on such a question as this was the Church. He re-
collected that, in 1805, the Spanish Government framed a
decree, after a Committee of Inquiry had investigated the
matter, that no interments should be made in walled towns.
The Government and the House bothered themselves often
with matters of very little importance, while they refused to
forward measures like the present, that were imperatively
required.
Sir JAMES GRAHAM would not offer any opposition to
the introduction of the Bill, but would reserve himself to a
very early stage of its progress. It was not requisite to go
into the main question then, only he would say that the
Church was not the only interest that was concerned in the
present Bill, as the Dissenters of the metropolis, and other
Large towns, had burial-grounds within their precincts.
Leave was then given to bring in the Bill.
LECTURE AND READING-ROOMS. _ _

Mr. DUNCONIBE rose in pursuance of a notice he bad
given to ask leave to introduce a Bill to amend an Act
passed in the 39th year, Geo. 111., cap. 79, commonly
called the Corresponding Act. By its provisions, lecture
and reading rooms were required to be licensed by a magis-
trate, or else any person receiving or paying money at the
door was liable to a heavy penalty. This was provided in the
15th clause of the Act ; and, according to this, there was
scarcely a single lecture-room, reading-room, or mechanics'
institution, in the country, that was not liable to a penalty of
201. for receiving money at the doors. A case happened last
year at Hull, where a person, for standing at the door of a
lecture-room
and charging money for admission, while
a lecture was going on, was fined twenty pounds.
The
decision of the magistrates on this occasion wasunder
brought
the consideration of the Court
of the penalty
of Queen's Bench, when the
infliction
was affirmed. The Court decided that
the penalty ought to b
readiug-room, me epcatlid.• There was not a single lecture-
room,country, not licensed by a mechanics' or literary institution in the
for charging money for admiss'
magistrate, that the door-keeper of,
1001, and those who paid theien
money, was not liable to a penalty of
recently moved for a return of to a fine of 201. He had
Middlesex and Surrey, which were not licensed,
in the counties of
been produced. When it was, it would be s
een t butha it had not
were free from the penalty. He restricted the
few
that there might be less trouble in furnishing them. in order
were often Shakesperian readings in the Argyll-rooms, and
every party who officiated there in taking money
or in paying could be subjected to a fine..—(Hear,
hear.) Not only was it so here, but every house in
London that permitted a lecture, or discusssion, or any public
meeting to take place, was subject to the same penalty. The
case which had occurred at Hull had impressed upon his mind
the necessity of bringing the subject under the consideration of
the House, in order to protect institutions where lectures and
readings took place, and also to protect benefit societies, which
were placed in a very awkward position by the operations of
this law, the clauses relating to corresponding societies inter-
fering with the operations of the latter; and the object of the
Bill he had prepared was to do away with the restrictions of
such societies by the operation of the corresponding clauses of
the Bill now inexistence, and to remove the penalties inflicted
under the provisions of the present law, relating to unlicensed
rooms. The Hon. Member concluded by asking leave to in-
troduce the Bill.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL would not offer any
opposition to the introduction of the Bill. The
Honourable Member had stated several grievances under
the existing law, but as it stood he (The Attorney-General)
considered it served in many instances for the great protection
of the public. Great danger might arise if the law requiring
the licensing of rooms was done away with. He would watch
the Bill clotely, and he would see whether it was objectionable
or not. and would regulate his conduct in relation to the Bill
accordingly. At present he would not pledge himself to any
partieu,ar course.
Mr. HU 4b: said the great protection of lecture-rooms was
publicity. If any person was free to enter, there could be no
danger in any thing that might be done within. They bad