The Sun.
London, England, 1848-04-15 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.•
HOUSE OF LORDS, Aprill4.
The Loma CHANCELLOR took his seat upon the Woo:-
as :J. shortly before Fire o'clock.
MESSAGE FROM THE COMMONS.
Messengers from the Commons brought up several
Bi ,s, which were respectively read a first time.
PETITIONS.
The Earl of ORKNEY presented a petition from the
schoolmasters of Orkney, praying for an alteration in
the law respecting schoolmasters in Scotland. Also pe-
titions from various lodges of Odd Fellows, praying that
their societies might be legalihed.
MUTINY BILL.
The Mutiny Bill was read a third time and passed.
MARINE MUTINY BILL.
The Marine Mutiny Bill was read a third time and
passed.

LEASES MINES (IRELAND) BILL.
On the motion of the Earl of DEVON, the Leasie
Mines (Ireland) Bill was read a second timc.
MINISTERS' MONEY (IRELAND).
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE presented a petition
from Drogheda against the imposition of ministers'
money in Ireland.

ODD FELLOWS.
Lord BEAUMONT presented a groat number of
petitions from various lodges of Odd Fellows, all very
numerously signed, preying for the legalization of their
society.
The Earl of HARROWBY presented several peti-
tions with a similar prayer.
SCOTCH POOR-LAW.
The Duke of RICHMOND presented a petition
from Forres, praying for an alteration in the Scotch
Poor-law.
ELECTION RECOGNIZANCES BILL.
Lord REDESDALE presented a petition from Chel-
tenham against the Election Recognizances Bill.
Lord MONTEAGLE, in consequence of the absence of
a Noble and Learned Lord who was exceedingly anxious
to take part in the discussion of the Election Recog-
nizances Bill, postponed the second reading of the Bill
to Monday, and he hoped that after that day no further
obstacles would be thrown in the way of the progress of
the Bill.
Lord CAMPBELL thought that the Bill might be
read a second time sub silcntio, and the discussion taken
on going into Committee.
Lord BROUGHAM reminded the House that, al-
though the discussion on the principle of a Bill was
usually taken on the second reading, yet still it was not
unusual by agreement to permit a Bill to be read a
second time sub silentio, and to take the discussion on
the motion for going into Committee.
After a few words from the Earl of ELLENBOROUGH
and Lord CAMPBELL, the second reading of the Bill
was postponed to Monday.
SMOKE.
Lord REDESDALE introduced a Bill for the sup-
pression of the nuisance of smoke. It was identical in
its provisions with a Bill which had last session passed
through the House of Commons, and he would explain
the provisions of the measure on the motion for the
second reading.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE was glad the Noble
Lord had turned his attention to the subject, and would
render him every assistance in his power.
CORN AVERAGES.
The Duke of RICHMOND asked for information es
to the manner in which the corn averages were takes.
Great quantities of corn were sold which never
appeared in the averages at all, and as the tithe
commutation was founded on these averages, it was
important that the averages should be perfectly
kept. He wished to know whether the Board
of Trade sent down from time to time persons to
examine the books of the inspectors, and to see that
they were properly kept, and he would suggest that
farmers might be permitted to make returns of their sales
and prices direct to the Board of Trade. Great mistakes
had been made in taking the averages, against the repe-
Etttgaoiuxtklivacoinrninsd.
sgeof which it was the duty of the Board of Trade to
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE said that in the
twhichhoeffiaeveehr
rsaa,dg bewse
who
o thoseadwdeerde averagesinrelsBp4o2n
werestiobl teh et marketspaekresnonbsy.
theflcinr
tvetteskaetnmb;,grhetspbeeectaalblleedsthhoepkoeldepetownwshtohsee averages were
places in inspectorships of corn returns, t
be depended upon, and as vacanciesrs,
were filled upi
.bLsy
lENT.E Excise
rose,
oss e
00, occurred in those.
accuracyho se vac anti could
ffiF c
accordingeTr si HOUSE.
to notice, to draw
Lord STAB
the attention of the House to the manner in hich the
business of both Houses of Parliament was conducted.
He did not at all intend to touch upon the manner in
which private business was conducted, but should
confine his attention to the manner in which
public legislation was conducted. There was now
a much greater degree of attention paid by the
public to the subject of legislation than was paid many
years ago, but with that greater degree of attention
there had arisen an idea in the mind of every man
that he was a competent judge in all matters of
legislation, so that contemporaneously with this greater
degree of attention to public affairs there had arisen a want
of deference to the authority of Parliament. There
had arisen a feeling of a somewhat similar nature in the
other House. Members of the House were more inde-
pendent in the expression of their opinions than they had
formerly been, and were much more dependent
on their constituents than formerly.—(llear, hear.)
The electors watched their Members more closely, and
perhaps they required too frequently that the represen-
tatiees should submit their own judgment to the precon-
ceived opinions of their constituents.—(Hear, hear.)
The representatives sought to recommend themselves
to their constituents by increased speaking, which did
not at all advance the public business. They had a great
desire to ate their names in print, but it did not tend
much to the edification of those who listened to their
orations, and.still less to the advancement of the public
business.—(hear, hear.) An adjourned debate eine°
years ago was a rare thing, but now it seemed to be tho
rule and the conclusion of a debate in one night the ex-
ception.—(Hear, hear.) Again, it seemed to be expected
by the public that the Government should provide
remedies for all public grievances, real or imaginary,
which greatly increased their labours, and caused an
additional responsibility to be thrown or. them. But
the Government had also less facility in forwarding their
business than they used to have. They had but two
nights in the other House of Parliament, the remaining
three night being given up to indivicoial motions.—
(Hear, hear.) They bad not, in fact, the commend of
the two nights, for upon the motion for going into Com-
mittee of Supply it was in the power of any Member to
bring forward any subject he thought proper.—(Hear,
hear.) It was necessary that provision should be made
for the financial affairs of the country, and that the
annual Mutiny Bill should be passed before Easter,: and
they, fore the Legislative acts, the law-making,
could not properly begin until the month of
May, when the business of the other House
commenced in right earnest. Measures were
brought in by wholesale, and pressed forward with
business
remove
c t.Com-
mitteeion s
great baste.—(Hear, hear.) They were generally re-
ferred to
o,a
either
Committee,
and save loss of time, the Government were obliged t.
and
interminable, t he
or, t
o
to the manifest injury of their Bills ; and these amend-
ments, it must be remembered, were made by Members
on separate clauses, without reference to other parts of
the Bill, which often led to the greatest absurdities.—
(Hear, hear.) Measures so made were often, to use the
words of ;Richard, " Sent before their time into this
breathing world." They were made up, and that so
lamely and unfashionably, that, if the dogs did not
bark at them, the lawyers carped at them ; [and the
Noble Lord on the Woolsack, with the other learned
administrators of the law, must often, in the language
of Milton, feel

" Chaos sits supreme,
And by decisions more embroils the fray."
—(Much laughter.) A much larger proportion of
Scotch than English Bills was passed into Acts,
solely because there was less talk about them.—(Hear,
hear.) lie feared their Lordships were fast sinking
in public estimation, because during the first five or
six months they had to sit without having any busi-
ness to do, and during the remaining five or six
weeks of the session they had a mass of business thrusti
before them which it was impossible the)eouldtiferrospreorr4
attend to.—(Hear, hear.) They mustons either,ideration, or drop
pass measures without proper
them, on the ground of the late
introduced into theirpecri.od of the session at
Lordships' House.
which they were
often obliged so to treat
The result was, that they were
~
e consequently re-
measures upon which the House of Commons had be-
stoned great pains, and they wer
a mischievous intervention, to
gargled by the country
goodas ineasures.—(Hear, hear.)
prevent the passing of
e observations to any particular
Ile did not apply
in tatcets it was a subject which could not
acter.—(Hear, hear.) The three
Government;
partake of party
last 'ears would afford a fair example of the evil of
The first was under a Conserve-
which he complained.
five Administration, when he had the honour of being &
Administration, and he believed that
theeon
d greater
year
changehaving
f
member of the
the
ihwtehres worst,
would be found tobe
taken place that year.and in the
nt took place,
Governme
Parliament could be under the control of any Govern-
ment, e
eL i,
was under the control of the Noble Lord oppo-
site. In 1845, 130 Acts of Parliament were passed, cc
which 23 originated in the House of Lords, and 107 in
the Commons. The Bills sent up from the other House
of Parliament and printed amounted to 91, and they
came before their Lordships as follows:--In February,
1; March, 5 ; April, 12; May, 4; June, 9; July, 59;
August, 1. bo that in the last six weeks of the session
Of 1845 no less than 63 of the 130 Acts, or nearly one-
half,
'were, for the first time, submitted to their Lord-
ships inspection during the last six weeks of the session
(Hear, hear)—and he then excepted the Acts which
their Lordships did not think it necessary to print. In
the year 1846 there were passed 117 Acts of Parlia-
ment, 12 originating in the House of Lords, and 105 in
the Commons, of which 26 were not printed, and be
would, therefore, take the remaining 79. Of those 28
had been sent to their Lordships up to the end of June,
15 were sent up in July, and 36 in the month of August,
su that their Lordships were called on to consider no
less than 51 distinct Bills in two months.—(Hear, hear.)
In 1847, 115 Bills were passed, 11 originating in the
House of Lords,. and 104 in the House of Commons,
ns 7
of Which were not printed, leaving 97. They wer
23d July,
for-
tunate enough last session to prorogue
on the
which in these times was very unusual—(liens)—and in
, 6; in March, 7;
January they had 2 Bills; in
.Feb
40 to close of May.
in April 10; i-a May 15; making .
July 29, making
In June 28 were brought up, and
in
.
45 were in the
57 Bills in the last two months, of which
last six weeks, and 28 in the last throe. weeks.—(Hear,
~t
hear.) Now it was impossible to look at this and say i
was creditable to the Legislature; an- the li
consequence
was that Acts to amend such hasty leg
all islative measures
Wu* constantly being introduced, an dparties wars