The Sun.
London, England, 1848-06-30 00:00:00

FRIDAY EVENING, JUNE 30, 1818.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, June 29.
Their Lordships met at Five o'clock.
CONISIONS ENCLOSURE BILL.

Lord CAMPBELL moved the second reading of the
Commons Enclosure Bill.
The Bill was then read a second time.
LIVERPOOL, MANCHESTER, ~ND NEWCAS-
TLE-UPON-TYNE JUNCTION RAILWAY.

The Marquis of LONDONDERRY moved for the
appointment of a Committee of inquiry into the conduct
of the directors of this company.
Lord BEAUMONT opposed the motion.
After a short conversation the subject, as we under-
stood, dropped. No question was put, neither, so far as
we could understand, was the motion withdrawn.
The Earl of HARROWBY presented several petitions
praying for the repeal of the legacy duty payable on
bequests left for charitable purposes.
BANKRUPTCY AMENDMENT BILL.
Lord BROUGHAM laid on the table a Bill to amend
the laws relating to bankruptcy, which was read a first
time.

The Earl of RODEN presented several petitions from
the north of Ireland in favour of scriptural education.
ECCLESIASTICAL UNIONS (IRELAND) BILL.
On the motion for the bringing up the report on this
Bil I,
Lord STANLEY, while concurring in the great ad-
vantage of affording facilities for the dissolution of large
unions, thought it matter worthy of serious con-
sideration whether such dissolution should be carried
'iut without the consent of the patron of the benefice.
This Bill also jiroposed to authorise the Lord-Lieutenant
and the Priv; .Council of Ireland to consolidate small
livings with the consent of patrons; that he thought was
manifestly unjust, and he considered that no livings
should be united or dissolved without the consent of the
patrons.
Earl FORTESCUE defended the provisions of the
Bill, which had been introduced under the auspices, and
with the approval, of the Most Rev. the Primate of Ire-
land.

After a short conversation the report was received.
LAW OF ENTAIL (SCOTLAND) BILL.
The LORD CHANCELLOR, in moving the second
reading of this Bill, said its object was to assimilate the
law of Scotland as much as possible to the law of this
country. He thought the Bill if passed would prove a
great boon and benefit to Scotland.
The Duke of BUCCLEUCH said it was not his inten-
tion to oppose the Bill, but there were many points in it
which required to be well considered before their Lord-
shipe consented to pass it. He did not think that entails
were so injurious as had been represented. He was not
prepared to go the whole length of the Bill with regard
to heirs suPceeding to old entailed estates. The Bill
did not altogether correspond with the law of England,
tor it went beyond that law in come points. He would
move that the Bill be referred to a Select Committee.

Lord CAMPBELL said that monstrous exaggerations
existed with regard to the evils of entailed estates.—
(Hear, hear.) He believed that the present Bill was a
most admirable one, because it assimilated the law of
Scotland to the law of England, which had been much
misrepresented, and which he hoped would remain un-
changed.
The Duke of ARGYLL thought that the evils of en-
tail in Scotland had been much exaggerated, but he ad-
mitted that the law might be improved. He agreed in
opinion with the Noble Duke, that the Bill ought to be
referred to a Select Committee. The agitation against
the principle of entail existed only in large towns where
democratic opinions prevailed.
The Duke of MONTROSE admitted that the pre-
sent law of entail in Scotland might be amended, but he
considered that the Bill ought to be referred to a Select
Committee.
After a few worth from Lord ABINGER,

The Earl of MINTO rejoiced that such a Bill was
introduced, because it would remove evils which had
given rise to great complaints in Scotland. The Noble
Duke was mistaken in supposing that the hostility to
the preient law of entail was confined to populous towns.
A Select Committee was then appointed, with a view
of referring the Bill to it, and the Houso adjourned at
half-past Seven o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, June 29.
The SPEAKER took the Chair a few minutes before
Four o'Clock.

SLIGO ELECTION.

The minutes of evidence taken before the Sligo Elec
atm Committee was presented to the House, and or•
dered to be printed.
THIRD READINGS.

The following Bills were read a third time and
passed:—

helmsdale, Little Ferry, and Leck Robie Harbours.
Whitehaven and Furness Junction Railway (Extension
or Deviation Line from Silecroft to Foxfield, &c.)
The report upon the Leith Municipality and Police
Trusts, Markets, Paving, and Sanitary Improvement
Bill was considered and agreed to.
PARLIAMENTARY REFORM.

Colonel THOMPSON presented four petitions from
Manchester in favour of household suffrage, and several
petitions to the same effect from Aberdecni.

SELLING INTOXICATING LIQUORS.
Mr. GREENE presented a petition from Lancaster
against the sale of spirituous liquors on the Sabbath.
PARLIAMENTARY REFORM.

Dr. BOWRING presented forty petitions from Man-
chester in favour of Parliamentary reform, and two
from Bolt6n coinciding with the views of the Prime
Minister, and praying that universal suffrage and annual
Parliaments might be adopted in lieu of the limited mo-
tion of the Hon. Gentleman the Member for Montrose.
Lord ROBERT GROSVENOR presented petitions
iu favour of Parliamentary reform.
Mr. G. BERKELEY presented petitions from Bristol
to the same effect.

Mr. MO WATT presented forty petitions from Man-
chester, complaining of the public expenditure, in favour
of Parliamentary reform, and stating that this would not
be accomplished until the people were more fairly re-
presented.
Lord R. GROSVENOR presented a petition from
the admirers of the late Richard Cartwright, praying
tor universal suffrage and the vote by ballot, and saying
that if the House were so constituted that it would truly
deserve the title of being a tribunal of virtue, wisdom,
and justice.—( Hear.)
THE ORDNANCE SURVEY.
Sir B. HALL gave notice that he would to-morrow
present petitions from surveyors and civil engineers
resident in the metropolis, praying that the services of
the Ordnance department might be confined to the
national survey; end he would take that opportunity of
asking his Noble Friend the Chief Commissioner. of
Woods and Forests what arrangements had been
made for the completion of the survey of the
metropolis; and what would probably be the expense,
including the military pay, and whether the whole ex-
pense was to be defrayed by the rate-payers of the
metropolitan parishes?
Mr. HUME presented a number of petitions from
Glasgow, Berwick, and other places in the provinces, in
,avour of Parliamentary reform.
NATIONAL EDUCATION.

Mr. G ROGAN presented a petiton against the na-
tional system of education.
CUSTOM DUTIES.
Mr. \YAWN, pursuant to the notice which he gave
yesterday, asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whe-
ther the Right Hon. Gentleman had made any calculation
what amount will have to be paid out of the consoli-
dated duties of customs, in the event of the navigation-
laws being repealed, in respect of double dues on foreign
shipping; and if so, what did it amount to (668,0001. hav-
ing already been paid on account of reciprocity treaties)?
And if the Right Hon. Gentleman had not made any
such calculation, whether her Majesty's Government, in
the event before alluded to, intend to introduce a Bill to
abolish the payment of double dues altogether?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, in
answer to the question of the Hon. Member, said that
the Bill that had been introduced during the present
session did not make the least difference as to the
question of double dues ; and as to the other question,
no increase would be entailed on the Exchequer.
The parties who received double dues received them
by Acts of Parliament, and would continue entitled to
them until those Acts were repealed.
SUGAR DUTIES.

Mr. CARDWELL presented a petition from the Bra-
zilian Association of Liverpool against any alteration in
the Sugar Duties Act.

ENCUMBERED ESTATES (IRELAND) BILL.
In answer to a question from an HoN. MEMBER,
Lord JOHN RUSSELL stated that he proposed to
bring on this Bill on Tuesday next.
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE.

Lord JOHN RUSSELL, seeing the Hon. Gentleman
the Member for Montrose in his place, wished to ask
him whether, in the event of the adjourned debate on
the Sugar question not terminating to-night, he had any
objection to give up to-morrow night, and allow his re-
form motion to be resumed this day week ?
Mr. HUME said he had no objection to give up to-
morrow night, but the subject of reform was one of im-
mense
iismmpoortitnanecnenntoldthnentcoeuenmter
on on Monday.—(Hear,
hear.) He would take that opportunity of stating that
he was sure the House had come to the conclusion that
something must be done to forward the business of the
House.—(Hear, hear.) They were in a condition that
be never recollected to have occurred before. They had
five adjourned debates.—(Hear, hear.) From the time
which had elapsed since they debated the navigation-
laws he was quite certain a good deal of time
must be wasted in renewing the subject, and he would
appeal to the Chair whether something ought not to be
done to get rid of this confused state of affairs.—(Hear,
hear.) Formerly a rule prevailed that no debate should
be adjourned, and if Hon. Gentlemen had no objection
tthoe dn
establishmentthetieultythey w
eorfe in
asimmiilgahrtreualesily
be overcome—
now. he thought
(Hear, hear.) At all events, if the business of the
House was to be got through they must agree to one of
two courses, either they must have no adjourned de-
bates or they must limit the length of speeches.—(Hear,
hear.) The latter practice existed in another place.
Several IIoN. MEMBERS—Where ? What place ?
Mr. lIUME said, in America.—(Cries of " Oh, oh !")
His own view was that no Member e .ght to be allowed
to speak more than half an hour, except the introducer
of the question or the Member who roso to reply.—
(Hear, hear.) They were now about to enter July,
and yet scarcely one great question had been decided
. upon. Something must be done, or they would render
themselves contemptible in the eyes of the country,
Lord J. RUSSELL was glad the Hon. Gentleman
had mooted this subject. The time had arrived when it
was absolutely necessary, for the sake of the public ser-
vice, that the House should use more dispatch in getting
rid of the business before it; and he would suggest that
those Hon. Members who were in the habit of taking
part in the debates should consult with the Speaker to
see if any means could not be devised to effect that
object.—(Hear.) •

Mr. HUME—WiII you allow me to take Monday ?
Lord J. RUSSELL said there was a good deal of
uncertainty about Monday, and he thought it better to
fix the debate at once for Thursday.
Mr. HORSHAM said, formerly it was the custom to
decide each question in one sitting, and he thought such
a rule ought to be adopted now.—(Hear, hear.)
Sir G. GREY said he h,,ped the House would follow
that example, and decide on the sugar question to-night.
Mr. BROTHERTON quite agreed that it was neces
sary something should be done to regulate the proceed.
ings of the House, so as to limit the duration of the
debates. He would suggest, as one remedy, that Hon.
Members should be required to cut their speeches short.
—(Hear, hear.) On a late occasion, for instance, three
Hon. Members occupied no less than six hours in de-
livering their speeches, and thus prevented Members
who represented large constituencies, and who were
expected to give their opinions on great questions,
from getting up to speak.—(Hear, and laughter.) He
would recommend that a Committee should be appointed
to consider the subject, and to report to the House.
THB COLONIAL-OFFICE.—EXPLANATION.

Lord G. BENTINCK said he wished to put a ques-
tion, to enable the President of the Board of Trade, the
Noble Lord at the head of her Majesty's Government,
and the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, to
all of whom he had given notice, to give an explanation
and an answer to that challenge which he had thrown
out to them respectively relative to the concealment of
a number of dispatches which had been received from
Jamaica by the Government. In answer to a question
which was put to Mr. Labouchere on the Bth of Feb-
ruary by Mr. Goulburn, the former stated that no
dispatch had been received from Jamaica, giving
any general account of the state of the island;
but as soon as such document should be received it was
the intention of the Secretary of State for the Colonies
to communicate it without delay to the House. Now,
at that time he could prove that there were in the pos-
session of the Colonial-office no less than five dispatches,
which contained statements of great importance with
respect to the general condition of Jamaica. The first
three dispatches were dated on the 25th of March,
the 21st September, and the 6th of November, 1847.
But with respect to the last dispatch—the most im-
portant one in reference to the answer given by the
Right llon. Gentleman—that from Governor Grey, en-
closing that remarkable memorial to which public atten-
tion had been so much directed of late, and upon
which a discussion had commenced in the other
House of Parliament, he wished to know from the
Right Hon. Gentleman how he could come down to that
House, on the Bth of February, and state that no such
dispatch had been received, and that when it was re•
ceived it would be laid on the table of the House?

Mr. LABOUCHERE could not understand why any
attack was made upon him in reference to the matter,
since, in replying to his question, he was merely acting
as the organ of the Colonial-office, and he stated at the
time that he believed his Hon. Friend the Under-Se
cretary of State for the Colonies would be much
better able to do so, as he was, as a matter
of course, more conversant with the affairs of that de-
partment than he could pretend to be. He (Mr. Labou-
chere) had made it his business to inquire at the Colonial-
office, and he found that what he stated with re•
spect to that office—that its conduct in the matter
would be found perfectly honest—was fully justified
by that inquiry. He found his answer more correctly
given in the Times of the 9th of February than in Han-
sard. The Hon. Gentleman then read the question and
answer. It was to the effect that no dispatch
had arrived from Jamaica containing any specific
account of the island, but that dispatches had
been received from some other of the West
Indian islands, which, with any that might arrive
from Jamaica, it was the intention of the Secretary of
State to communicate immediately to the House. On
the 9th the Committee made an order for the production
of all papers i❑ reference to the colony, and they were
prepared for presentation to the Committee before the
douse, as the Committee required them immediately.
It was true that it was a month before all the dispatches,
which were very numerous, were communicated to the
Committee, but it was not denied that the dispatch
which had been so much remarked upon of late was
communicated in print to the Committee. —(Hear,
hear.) The only pretext of delay that the
Noble Lord had was, that a month had elapsed. lie
would put it to the House and the Noble Lord whether
there was anything in the statement which he had made
which entitled him to say, after the explanation he had
made, that the course that had been adopted at
the Colonial-office was in any degree inconsistent
with what he had stated some time since? He had no
hesitation in asserting that his Noble Friend at the head
of the Colonial-office had acted on the present, as he
had done on all former occasions, with undoubted honour
And integrity.—(Hear, hear)______._