The Sun.
London, England, 1848-05-01 00:00:00

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.• ; ; E. Seven P ;nek.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
(THIS EVENING.)

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
The SPEAKER took the Chair at Four o'clock.
The reports upon the following Bills were further
considered and ordered to be engrossed :
Birkenhead Dock Company Bill.
Brighton Gas Light and Coal Company Bill.
Derby Waterworks Bill.
Manchester General Cemetery Bill.
Petitions were presented by—Mr. GRANGER,
from a tradesman residing in Durham, praying for
an alteration in the County Courts Act;
Mr. DUNCAN, from Scottish congregations,
praying the House to pass some measure to enable
them to obtain sites for building churches ;
Mr. BAINES, from the magi.trates of a town in
Yorkshire, in favour of the Bill for regulating the
proceedings of special and petty sessions;
Mr. FITZROY, against the Public Health Bill,
from Lewes.
Mr. G. THOMPSON, from Folkestone, praying
that all matters in dispute between this country and
other nations should be referred to arbitration ; and
from Steoney, praying for the removal of the tax
upon land in India employeed in the development of
agricul ure ;
Lord DRUMLANRIG, from Dumfries, against
the Bill for Establishing Diplomatic Relations with
the Court of Rome.
Mr. EWART, from Dundee and other places
praying for the adoption of some measure to prevent
the desecration of the Sabbath and the running of the
mails upon that day ;
Mr, DISRAELI, from the parish of St. Elizabeth,
in the Island of Jamaica, praying for relief; from
Long Crendon, in favour of a repeal of the Poor Re-
moval Act ; from Eton and Brill, in favour of re-
trenchment in the national expenditure ; from the
Lodges of Odd Fellows in the towns of Newport
Pagnel, Burnham, Fenny Stratford, Stony Stratford,
Wolverton, Pottersbury, and Leighton Buzzard,
praying for the same legal security as enjoyed by
other friendly societies ; from Brill and Chipping
Norton, in favour of the Bill for removing the Jewish
disabilities ; and from Bicester, against the system
of direct taxation;
Mr. BERN AL, from Rochester, signed by the
Mayor, on behalf of a public meeting against the
Public Health Bill -
Sir R. H. INGLIS, from various places, against
the Jewish Disabilities Bill ;
Mr. HAMILTON, from a number of parishes in
the north of Ireland, against the present system of
national education ' •
TADC ASTER AND HALTON DIAL TURN-
PIKE ROAD BILL.
This Bill was read a third time and passed.
LEICESTER CEMETERY BILL.
The Lords' amendments to this Bill were consi-
dered and agreed to.
EVICTED DESTITUTE POOR (IRELAND)
BILL.

-- On the motion of AIr:DRUMMOND, the second
reading of this Bill was postponed until the 17th.
HARWICH ELECTION.
The SPEAKER informed the House that he had
received information that the recognizances required
in the matter of the petition, complaining of an
undue election in the borough of Harwich, were unob-
jectionable, and that the petitioner declined to pro-
ceed with the petition.
Mr. URQUHART presented a petition from
Worcester against the Health of Towns' Bill.
Mr. HUME presented a petition from Arbroath,
in favour of the Site of Churches (Scotland) Bill;
also a petition from Invernes4, praying for the better
observance of the Sabbath ; also a-petition from Glas-
gow, praying for an alteration of the law of entail
in Scotland, and against the Bill introduced on the
subject by the Lord Advocate.
THE BALLOT.
Mr. H. BERKELEY gave notice of his intention
to move, on Thursday, the 11th of May, that it was
expedient, in the future election of Members, that the
votes should be taken by way of ballot.
ALIEN BILL.
Lord D. STUART gave notice of his intention in
Committee, on the Alien Bill, to move an amendment
on certain clauses.
The Earl of LINCOLN presented a petition from
Linlithgow, in favour of the site of Churches (Scot
land) Bill.
Mr. MACKINNON presented a petition in favour
of the Health of Towns Bill.
SPAIN, PRUSSIA,-AND DENMARK.
Mr. URQUHART gave notice that lie should, to-
morrow, ask the Noble Lord the Secretary of State
for Foreign Affairs, whether the correspondence
recently published in the newspapers as having passed
between this country and Spain was authentic or
not ; and if so, whether he would have any objection
to lay copies of it on the table of the House.—(Hear,
hear.) He should also ask the Noble Lord in what

position this country stands with respect to the
recent events that had taken place between Denmark
spud Prussia.

TOBAGO RELIEF BILL.

On the motion of the CHANCELLOR of the
EXCHEQUEK, the House went into Committee on

this Bill.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
then said it was most probably well known to every
Member in the House who had read the papers that
had been recently furnished with respect to tho condi-
tion of the island of Tobago, that it had been desolated
by a severe hurricane, which had caused great
destruction of property. It was no doubt equally well
known and appreciated, that the island in such an
extremity possessed a strong claim upon the generous
aid of this country. When the Government received
intimation of the disaster, they immediately advised
the Government to propose a grant of 5,0001., in order
that it might be applied to the immediate relief of
the distress that had been occasioned, and on the un-
derstanding that the home Government would at the
earliest moment propose a vote of that amount to
meet the expenditure of this sum out of the funds of the
island; but at the same time they undertook to pro-
pose the loan of a larger sum in order to enable those
whose property had been destroyed to replace it, and
to afford employment for the working people, whose
means of subsistence had been destroyed by the cala-
mity. --He had, therefore, to propose a grant of
5,0001. and a loan of 50,0001. The House had adopted
a similar course in reference to St. Vincent, Jamaica,
Domingo, and other islands, and as recently as 1843
assistance had been afforded to Antigua in conse.
quence of a calamity that had occurred there.
He would not on the present occasion
advert to the condition of the West In-
dian Islands, as their condition would, no
doubt, on a future occasion, come under the mature
consideration of the House.
was
would only state
as
that the condition of Tobago
as to render
it necessary that the House shoulda fully
extendu the pro-
posed aid to it. As the House w
posses-
sion of the circumstances, he should syimmplymo,.;
that the sum of 5,000/. be voted to relieve the distress
occasioned in the island by the recent hurricane
Mr. HUME inquired where the details of the
grant were laid down ?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
said, in page 16 of the printed papers. The money
was to relieve labourers and others.
Mr. HUME inquired if that was the whole amount
proposed ?
The CHANCELLOR of the EACHEQUER said
it was not ; a loan of 50,000/ was proposed.
Mr. HUME wkhed to know whether the money
had been advanced ?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
stated that it had been advanced, and that such was
the only course which could be adopted by the Go-
vernment in the emergency in which the island was
placed. The Right Honourable Baronet then
proceeded to state that the next vote which
he should place in the hands of the:Chairman
was to authorise the Treasury to advance, either
from the Consolidated Fund, or by the issue of
Exchequer-bills, a sum of 50,0001. upon loan to the
Island of Tobago, to be distributed by the Legisla-
ture of that island to individuals who had suffered
from
the effects of the recent hurricane, in the same
manner as similar grants have been distributed in the
islands
Hautitz ,syigm.eMontserrat, and others.
had been advanced' and
sh edto know whether the money
if not, upon what terms it
whe as to be awouldvance and
.d whether it was likely that
t sums dbe , rLepcaoilt by the colony. The CHANCEL
that the money had notor the
EXCHEQUER said
Yuen\ been advanced, and
would not be advanced
prepared to give such tare: the island was
the Govern.
meat thought to be sufficient :security for the
repayment of
the money. He did not think that it
.
u
was advisable then to enter into any
the gene-al state of the We,t Indian csock):ion as to
The
present grant would form no part of the genieesr. Iplan
to he proposed for the relief of those islands, b"
was in strict accordance with grants made upn
former occasions to those islands which had suffered
from hurricanes or other Calamities of a similar
nature. The money would be advanced by the
Legislature of the island to individuals who would
give such security as would no doubt satisfy them,
but the Government of this country would look to
the island for its repayment.
Mr. HUDSON wished to know what amount at
present remained unpaid out of similar advances made
upon previous occasions to the West Indian islands ?

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
said, that advances had been made to other islands to
a very considerable extent, and, up to the present time,