The Sun.
London, England, 1848-02-22 00:00:00

COPYHOLDS.

Mr. AGLIONBY wished to ask the Secretary of
State for the Home Department, when he will propose
the measure, recommended by the Commissioners, for
the compulsory enfranchisement of copyholds.
Sir G. GREY said a Bill had been prepared, and
would shortly be brought before the House.
SLAVE TRADE.

Mr. BUTT postponed his motion on this subject,
in order to enable the Right Hon. Baronet (the
Chancellor of the Exchequer) to proceed with his
motion.

Mr. W. FAGAN also postponed a motion which
he had on the paper with the same view.
IRISH POOR RELIEF EXTENSION ACT.

Mr. CRAWFORD, after a great deal of persua-
sion by several llon. Members and loud cries of
" withdraw" from the House, consented to withdraw
his motion for leave to introduce a Bill to amend
this Bill.

SECRET COMMITTEES OF INQUIRY INTO
THE ARMY AND NAVY AND REVENUE
EXPENDITURE OF THE COUNTRY.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER then
rose to propose the appointment of two Committees ;
the first to inquire into the expenditure on account of
the army, navy, and ordnance; and the second into
the micellaneous expenditure of the country, and to
report their observations thereon to the House. He
said he had deemed it advisable to make both of the
motions together, and to preface all the observations
he had to make with respect into one address--the
one he now rose to make. It had been usual on the
part of the House to appoint Committees of
inquiry into the income and expenditure of the
company, with a view to amendment. In the
present circumstances of the. company the Go-
vernment had deemed it expedient to pur-
sue these inquiries. He confessed that he had
not seen the increased expenditure of the country
without much uneasiness, and as blame might be
attributed to the Government, it was due ho thought
to them and to the country to institute such an in-
quiry. The Hon. Gentleman the Member for Mon-
trose, who had always taken an active part in the
discussions on these subjects, had expressed himself
in favour of the appointment of these Committees,
adding that the circumstances required such an inves-
tigation. The expenditure of the country, from 1835
to 1847, had increased from 11,700,0001. to 17,300,0001.
The increase in the army during that time had been
small; in the navy it had been nearly 3,500,0001.,
and in the ordnance more than double the
cost of that department in 1835. These
facts formed, he thought, a fit subject for
inquiry. He had no doubt but this increased expen-
diture had been called for by the wants of the country,
and it should be borne in mind that the expenditure
that had taken place had received the sanction of the
House. The expenditure that had taken place had re-
received the sanction of the various sessions of Parlia-
ment. No division, he believed, had taken
piace on any material vote proposed by the
Government; nay, more, a very considerable portion
of the increased expenditure had been pressed upon
the different Governments by individual and inde-
pendent Members of the House. He recollected when
he was Secretary to the Admiralty that the insuffi-
ciency of the armaments was complained of, and
augmentations strongly recommended. He did not
consider either the past or present Govern-
ments were to blame for the increased ex-
penditure that had taken place.—(Hear, hear.)
The Hon. Member for Montrose suggested that it
would be more important to appoint a Finance Com-
mittee to go into the whole question of the expendi-
ture. The Government, however, thought that in so
wide an inquiry, no such beneficial result could be
obtained as could be obtained by limiting the
inquiry. It was also suggested that a Committee
should be appointed to inquire into the collection of
the revenue and the whole financial condition of the
country. The Government, at the commencement of
the session thought that it would be better to
postpone an inquiry of this extent as there were some
very imporiant Committees to be appointed to in-
quire into other matters. Her Majesty's Minis-
ters were now of opinion that the time had
arrived for the appointment of the Committees
of which he had given nctice, and to refer to those
Committees the estimates which had been laid
upon the table of the House by her Ma-
jesty's Government. It was desirable that
the increase in the the House should know that
the estimates did not arise from an actual increase in
the numbers of the army or navy, but arose from the
increased pay to the petty officers and seamen and for
providing better accommodation for the men themselves.
The distribution of the forces had alsobeen commented
upon by some Hon. Members, and it was not desir-
able that this subject shouldi also be considered by
the Committee to be appointed. He did not think it
would be wise to follow too closely the precedents
of former times with respect to the appointment of
these Committees. He did not think that the ap-
pointment of these Committees would shew any-
thing like a desire, on the part of her Majesty's
Government, to throw the responsibility of the
estimates upon the Committee. The appointment
of similar Committees upon previous occasions by
other Governments, did not show in them any desire
to shrink from responsibility; neither was it so
in the present case. her Majesty's Ministers had
proposed such estimates as they thought proper, and
by them they were prepared to stand. The Com-
mittee in 1817 reported upon the disposition of the
forces in the colonies and other parts of the empire,
and made several valuable suggestions upon the sub-
ject. Ile believed that only one witness was exa-
mined before the Committee upon that occasion.
That Committee thought it proper to commence their
labours with the consideration of the estimates for
the Army and the Navy, and Government wished to
do no more than appoint a Committee that should
pursue a similar course of inquiry now. It could
not he said, then, that there was no precedent for the
motion he was proposing to the House, and he cou!d
see what possible objection the House could have
upon that score against adopting it. He did
not know that he need detain the House
further except to make one or two remarks
upon what he meant the other night,
in speaking of a Secret Committee. At that time he
laboured under thelimpression that the Committee to
which he bad alraady referred were of a secret charac-
ter ; but he had since ascertained that this impression
was an erroneous one. True, these Committees had
the power of excluding parties from the
room in which they met, and of occasionally
suppressing evidence if they thought it expedient to
do so, and he proposed that the Committee he was
now asking for should be appointed with
next motion to carry in its enquiries upon the same
principle, and therefore without any longer detaining
the House, he would move the appointment of the
Select committee of which he had already given
notice.
Lord G. BENTINCK was glad that her Majesty'
Government had felt the expediency of changing
the nature of this Committee, by making tt
a Select instead of a Secret Committee, and
assured Government and the House that, had the
Right Hon. Baronet persevered in the intention,
which he announced last night, of moving for a
Secret Committee, he should have continued his oppo-
sition to such a proposal.
(LEFT SPEARING.)

RAILWAY SHARE 31ARKETS.
LIVERPOOL, FEB. 20.
STOCK EXCHANGE.—The Share market has been dull, with
very little business doing ; at the same time we cannot note
any change in prices. We close at the following quotations :
—East Lancashire, 2114—Lancashire and Yorkshire, Fifths
(West Riding Union), 2% dis.—London and North-Western,
New Quarters, 5,4 p.—Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincoln..
shire, 10/. Preference, % p. —Midland Stock, 115 c.—Ditto,
401. Shares, 45%—Shrewsbury and Birmingham (A), 27;
dis.—Ditto (B), 1%8 dis.—York, Newcastle, and IlerwiCk
(N. and B. Extension), No. 2,3% p. —Ditto (G. N. E.
Purchase), 2% p.
BIRMINGHAM, FEB. 21.
STOCK EXCHANGE.—The sales are—North Staffordshire,
p.—South Staffordshire, 38s. 9d, dis.
YORK, FEB. 19.
STOCK ExcHANGE.—The sales are—Great Northern, 41,
1 Is. 6d.—York, Newcastle, and Berwick, No. 2 (late New
Berwicks), 131/4—Ditto (G. N. E. Purchase), 10%.
GLASGOW, FEB. 19.
STOCK EXCHANGE.—The sales are—Caledonian, New, lbs.
—Clydesdale Junctkn, 62—Dundee and Perth, 31---Glas-
gow, Dumfries, and Carlisle, 714—Glasgow, Kihnarnock,
and Ayr (5 per cent. guar.), 115—Manchester and South-
ampton, 6s. 3d.—North British, Thirds, 365. 6d.

DANIEL O'CONNELL, EL;Q.—An absurd rumour has
been circulated for some days with regard to Mr. D.
O'Connell, to the effect that he accepted a consular
appointment to one of the continental states. We are
atithori,cd to give the rumour the most explieit contra-
diction. There is no foundation fur the rumour that he
accepted a consulship in Boulogne, in Portugal (the
places named), or in any other place.—. Dublin Freeman.