The Sun.
London, England, 1848-03-21 00:00:00

Friend the Member for Bute (Mr. Wortley) had shown
him some amendments which he thought would meet
the objections raised to the Bill so framed. His Right
Zion. Friend had been obliged to leave town, and,
therefore, he (Mr. Walpole) would propose now to
read the Bill a second time pro forma with the intention
of enabling his Right Hon. and Learned Friend to lay
on the table his amendments, and then, when those
amendments were printed and in the hands of Members,
it would be competent to the House to say whether they
would go into Committee on the Bill and embody in it
those amended clauses. lie would, therefore, suggest
that the Bill be now read a second time pro forma.
Mr. CRIPPS said his Right Hon. and Learned Friend
(Mr. Wortley) had left in his charge the amendments
alluded to, which he was ready at once to lay on the
table, so that they might be printed and in the hands et
Members to-morrow (this) morning.
Sir R. H. INGLIS opposed the second reading of the
Bill, on the ground that the passing an ex post facto law
on such a question was most objectionable.
Sir G. GREY suggested that the proper course would
be, that before the Bill was read a second time the
amendments should be printed, with a notice that in ease
the Bill was read a second time those amendments would
be moved in Committee.
Sir B. HALL said this Bill seemed to consider the
cases of the sitting Members only, but he thought that
of the petitioners ought to be considered. The peti-
tioners in the Cheltenham and other cases which alleged
bribery, had already been kept four months without a
hearing, and he wished to know what would become of
their petitions unless some order of the House was made
with respect to them. He objected to any further delay
in disposing of those petitions.
Mr. REYNOLDS, as one of the sitting Members in-
cluded in the Bill, thought that, though petitioners had
rights, the sitting Members had rights also. A great in-
justice would be done to the latter if they were sent be-
fore Committees without the protection which proper
and legal recognizances by the petitioners afforded them.
He should support the proposition of the lion. and
Learned Member for Midhurst.
Mr. C. ANSTEY thought it right, after what had
fallen from the Hon. and Learned Member (Mr. Wal-
pole), that the House should consent to the Bill being
now read pro forma a second time.
Sir R. PEEL thought that nothing could be more
becoming than the course proposed by the Hon. and
Learned Member for Midhurst, who had no other ob-
ject in view than under circumstances of very great
difficulty to take a course which on the whole would
be most consistent, if not with the letter of the law,
but certainly with substantial equity, and thereby to
prevent its being said that the House had closed its
doors against inquiry. As the organ of the Committee,
the Hon. and Learned Gentleman had introduced this
Bill; but after what had passed, he might well abandon
it. However, as there were other Hon. Members who
entertained different views as to the details of the Bill,
he had moved the second reading for the mere purpose
of enabling those Hon. Members to submit their views
to future consideration. There being no interference ott
the part of the House, all the measures would be re-
ferred to the several Committees. He would suggest
that the Bill should be allowed to be read a second time,
when notice might be given of the amendments to be
proposed.
Mr. HAYTER said, his impression from the begin-
ning had been that: the whole of this proceeding was
utterly useless. Let the necessity, for further legislation.
be established, before the Bill was read a second time.
Mr. GREENE contended that ithe necessity for the
Bill had been sufficiently shown, and the sooner it was
passed into a law the better.
Mr. BERNAL, though he had been a Member of the
Committee out of whose recommendation the Bill had.
arisen, conceived that the existing law was amply suffi-
cient. With the multiplicity of business before the
House, be saw no chance of the Committee getting
through the business which this Bill would create.
Sir G. CLERK said if the House did not come to
speedy decision on this Bill, the Committee of elections
must proceed withithe choice of Committees, which they
had hitherto postponed in expectation that some legisla-
tion on the subject would be come to.
The LORD ADVOCATE thought that before the
Bill was read a second time pro forma, the House ought
to be in possession of the amendments to be proposed.
Sir W. HEATHCOTE thought the House had made
a mistake in interfering in the matter at all.—(Hear.)
Though he had acquiesced in the introduction of the
Bill, he would not urge the Hon. and Learned mover to
proceed with it.
Mr. SHIEL referred to the Galway case, and observed
that the reference by the House of the Cheltenham peti-
tion to a Committee was an admission that the certificate
of the examiner was not conclusive.
Mr. NAPIER thought the House ought to consider
itself bound by the decision of the examiners.
Mr. WALPOLE said that after what had passed in
the House be did not mean to press the motion, but out
of consideration to theillon.:Gentleman the Member for
Bute, he thought it would not be right for him at pre-
sent to withdraw the Bill.
The motion was then withdrawn.
FREEMEN OF GREAT YARMOUTH.

On the motion of Mr. K. SET MER leave was given
to bring in a Bill to disfranchise the freemen of the
borough of Great Yarmouth.
The House then adjourned at a quarter-past one.

ARCTIC SEARCHING EXPEDI-

TION.

We have noticed, from time to time, the active and
judicious measures which have been adopted by the
Admiralty, with a view to render assistance to Sir John
Franklin's expedition, which sailed in the spring of
1845, for the purpose of exploring the north-west
passage into the Pacific, and of obtaining a series of
magnetic observations, required to complete the set
which had been obtained from every other part of the
globe.
In June last, Mr. Bell, one of the most active and
intelligent of the chief traders of the Hudson's Bay
Company, proceeded in their ships to York Factory, in
temporary command of the four boats belonging to the
Arctic searching expedition, accompanied by fifteen
picked men of the Sappers and Miners, and five seamen,
forming part of an expedition to be fitted out under the
command of Sir John Richardson, who (accompanied
by Mr. Rae) is now on the eve of departure to join the
boats, for the purpose of proceeding to the ►hores of the
Arctic Sea.
Mr. Bell's party were ordered to advance, in the
spring of this year, to Fort Simpson, on the Mackenzie
River, to be there joined by Sir John Richardson,
having wintered, probably, at Cumberland House, which
was the furthest point the party expected to attain be-
fore the closing of the navigation .
The boats were amply stored with provisions, winter
clothing, &c., and a fifth boat, similarly stored, will be
furnished by the Hudson's Bay Company, who have dis-
played the most laudable desire throughout to render
every assistance in their power to carry out the inten-
tions of the Admiralty.
Sir James Ross, whose whole life may be said to
have been passed in the Arctic and Antarctic Seas, is
now actively employed in fitting out the Enterprise
and Investigator, the latter under command of Captain
Bird, an experienced officer on the Polar voyages.
They will sail early in May to Baffin's Bay, and
through Lancaster Sound to the westward, sending out
their boats and steam launches to different points of the
coast, and examining the Wellington Channel, through
which it is not improbable the Erebus and Terror may
have proceeded, with a view of making the passage to
the northward of the Parry group.
Commander Moore, also an experienced officer in
the navigation of the icy seas, of her Majesty's ship
Plover, who is now on his way round the Horne by
Behring's Straits, where he will be joined by Captain.
Kellett, of her Majesty's ship Herald, has been or-
dered to proceed to the eastward in his boats along the
northern shores of America, as far as the Mackenzie
River.
It may confidently be hoped, tinder Divine Provi-
dence, that these admirable arrangements may be
crowned with success, should Sir John Franklin's expe-
dition have got into difficulty.
A reward of upwards of 100 guineas has also been
offered to any of the whale ships which may bring in-
formation of the expedition, the !lianal amount of the
reward depending upon the authenticity and value of the
information conveyed.
They have also been invited to look out for any of
the copper cylinders which Sir John Franklin was
' directed to throw overboard daily on reaching 65 deg.

north.
Although these precautions are most proper and
creditable to the authorities, we do not ourselves feel
any unnecessary anxiety as to the fate of the ships.
That they may have been hampered, as others have
been, is very probable, and is almost a necessary
contingency in the navigation of an icy sea, but we place
great hope in the materiel as well as personnel of tho ex-
pedition, for ships better adapted for the service, better
equipped in all respects, or better officered or manned,
never left the shores of England on any of those arduous
voyages of discovery which hare helped to raise the
character of the British seaman in the eyes of every
enlightened nation of the world.

CHEAP LITERATURR.—We observe that Mr.
Colburn has determined to publish the future volumes
of his collection of standard novels at only ss. per volume
instead of 6s. and to reduce to the same price those
already published, including the celebrated story of
" Emilia Wyndham." The new volume which is to
appear with the magazines on the Ist of April, will be
Mrs. Gore's " Mrs. Armytage; or Female Domination,"
the work which was found by the side of the unfortu-
nate Duchese de Praslin, and which; it is understood,
she was perusing at the moment she was attacked by her
husband—a work which has been pronounced to exhibit
a better lesson to the sex than is contained in a volume
of Mrs. Chapone's letters.
SOMNAMBULISM EXTBAORDINARL—A short time
since, Mr. Cunnington, of Brampton Moor, fancy turner,
&0., was awakened about two o'clock in the morning by a
noise at his door. Begot up and opened the window, when
his daughter Hannah called out, " Come, father, go to
work, the steam is up." Mr. Cunnington dressed himself
as quickly as possible, and went to the engine house, about
100 yards distant, when he found the steam roaring out
of the boiler which is atached to the engine that turns his
work. Having drawn the fire and made all safe, he re-
turned home for an explanation of the strange occurrence
when he ascertained that his daughter had got up in her
sleep, taken the key, and gone to the engine; she had then
made a fire and got the steam. up, when she returned home,
but was unable to gain admission into the house in con-
sequence of the door being fastened by a drop latch.
She was still asleep when Mr. Cunnington returned, and
he had some difficulty in awakening her. She had no
knowledge of what had taken place, and what makes
the affair seem more extraordinary is, that she had not
been accustomed to do anything at the engine.—Derby
I Reporter