The Sun.
London, England, 1848-04-08 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAIVIEIiT. , was to obtain the liberation of three British subjects
'HO US ./-2 OF L, ' R DS, April 7. who hid been t:tkot prrsow rs.
. _ _ .
The LoaD Csamcr.t.Loa t.,:,01: his seat on the wool- . MEXICO.
t
. Mr. IiIiQUII ,I Rl' a,k-,1 whether her Majesty's
-.,iek at Fire ~eloek
Goverittmett-,. .ati taken measures to s: cure the right* of
Tit, Earl of ERNI; presented petitions from. the phy- _
ti!•itish. bondholders in Mtaico, if: the event t,t a cessirrn
~,i .olegeons vf Duugarvan, complaining of the
Unitt-d States,
a:l'
a 4 under which rriedical men 'aitivurcd in cot get- cif teuravry to the
• •S. The 1 4
'''V
.1A"• f f '• ;- '+' ;1 ' duties. Noble E- rl
creditors *,,,.•111 Lut be at all aff
Lord PALMS}IST( iN said tn,it the clai!?:s of f..,reign
-
-"re:elk:Lent:A :p5,::::.,,,::•.L4 L.. 2:,:tt,tant •:-.4bitatts*, .eted by the aliehatiun
:::i i,Fi'sniskett, in Ireland, against the national system of vt any part of the territory of Mexico, arid that such a
education in Ireland. step could not at all affect the claims 01 the creditors

The Bishop of EXETER presented petitions from
Athlone in favour of protection for Scriptural education;
also petitions against denunciations from the attar; and
petitions from societies of Odd Fellows praying to be
placed upon the same footing as friendly societies.
Lord HATHERTON presented similar petitions.
The Noble Lord trusted that the Government would
pay some attention to these petitions, as the members of
these lodges were most valuable members of the com-
munity.
Lord CAMPBELL presented similar petitions.
The Marquis of SLIGO presented a petition from the
grand jury of the county of Mayo, praying loran altera-
tion in the poor-laws, anu for the empoiyment of able•
bodied paupers in the cultivation of laud.
The Bish, p of WINCHESTER presented petitions
from Ventnor in the Isle of Wight against the bull In
cana Domini.

PRINCIPAL CLERK.
The LORD CHANCELLOR informed their Lord-
ships that her Majesty had been graciously pleased,
by letters psitent, to appoint John Gtorge thaw Lefevre,
Esq., to the ()the,. of Principal Clerk Assistant of the
arliarnent, in the room tit Benjamin Currey, Lsq ,
dee, aced.

STAMP DUTIES AS.SP.IILATIO.N.
The Stamp Dudes Assindlatiuu Bill was read a thin
time and passed.

PROPERTY-TAX BILL.
This Bill went through Committe-.
BAIL FOR MANSLAUGHTER BILL.
Lord DENMAN moved the second reading of the
Bail fur Manslaughter Bill, the object of which was to
give the coroner power to take bail in certain cases of
manslaughter.

After some observations from the Earl of ELLEN-
BOROUGH, the Bill was read a second titne and
ordored to be committed.

UNNECESSARY ACTIONS PREVENTION BILL.

Lord DE ,N MAN moved the second reading of the
unnecessary Actions Prevention Bill.
Lord CAMPBELL supported the second reading of
the Bill.
The Bill was then read a second time and ordered to
be dommi, ted.
.dr. J. G. S. LEFEvRE took his seat at th table as
the Principal Clerk Assistant of the Parliament.
.Their Lordships then adjourned.

HOUSE. OF CO.I AtUiN S. April 7.
The SPEAICi,R took the Cnair to-day st
bef, Ire Four o'ei,,ek
The Soucrron GENERAL (Nlr. John R.,-Anilly) Look
the oaths ai,d his seat on being re-elected for i)evon
port. The Hon. and Learned Member was introdu,ed
by Mr: Hayter, the Judge Advocate, and Mr. Tufuell.
The reports on the following Bills were Waller con-
sidered and agreed to:—
Clifton Bridge Bill_
Leicestershire Lunatic Asylum Bill.
Magdalen Huspitsi Act Amendment Bill.
Several petitions were presented praying for the re-
mission of the sentence on Frost, Wiliams, and Jones.
Mr. R. DUNCAN presented a petition from Caith-
ness, praying for an alteration of the law with respect
to the importation of British spirits. The Honourable
dember also presented a petition in lavour of the
Diplomatic Relations with Rome Bill.
BODMIN ELECTION.

upt,n the public revenue of the country.
BEL GIUM.
Mr. URQUHART wished to know whether her Ma
j
esty's Government had entered into guarantee of the
Crown of Belgium, or in any way have compromised
themselves in engagements to maintain, in consequence
of recent events on the Continent, the existing state of
things?
Lord PALMERSTON said that the Government had
' entered into no new treaties upon the subject of the
relations of any of the Continental. Powers.'the House
was in possession of the treaties of 1831 and 1839,
and the subject of those treaties between France, Aus-
tria. Russia, Prussia, and Great Britain, with respect
to Belgium, were kno.vn to those who were acquainted
with those treaties.—(Laughter.)
GOVERNMENT PROCLAMATION.

Mr. BRIGHT said—l wish, Sir, to put a question to
the Right Hon. Baronet the Secretary fur the Home
Department with respect to the proclamation touching a
meeting to be held on Monday next, at Kennington-
cemmen.—(Cries of "Oh, oh.") I wish to know
whether the notice is meant to refer to both the meeting
and the procession, er only to the precession; anti
I ask it hecause some very inte,ligent persene
whim I have conversed with have diffeted in opinion
upon that subject, and the newspapers do nut agree in
the interpretation they put., upon it, and I am afraid
that some difficulty may arise upon the subject.
It is a very different thing to attend a public
meeting, for the purpose of petitioning this House,
and to meet in large numbers to pass through the
streets. There may be some sort of a collision if this
subject is not clearly understood, which every Hon.
Member in the House would, I am sure, deeply deplore.
Sir G. GREY—The Government, Sir, have endea-
voured, in the notice which they have publicly issued,
to state what the common law and statute law of this
country was with respect to assemblages, for whatever
purpose, attended with circumstances calculated to strike
terror and alarm into the minds of her Majesty's loyal
arid peaceable subjects, and they also point-d out what
under particular circumstances, the state of the law w es,,
as applicable to tumultuous assemblages, for the purpee.
ef eccompenying petition- for presentation to crime
Houses of Parliament, by excessive numbers of peep i•
The Hon. Member now ask-, me if I &Indent:Awl h
rightly, if a meeting convened to as)ewhi•
on Kennington-courmon, separately and in-
dependent of the proposed procession, would bt
legal or not. In answer to that I would state that the
legality or illegality of the meeting would depend en-
tirely upon the circumstances under which that as-
sembly may be brought together.—(Hear, hear.) Any
meeting held for a purpose, accompanied with circuin
stances such as I have before altuded to, calcu-
lated to inspire terror and alarm—just terror
and alarm in the minds of her Majesty's loyal and
peaceable subjects—l apprehend to be against the corn
mon law of the country. If a meeting is held, convened
to be held, for the express purpose of forming, at the
time of such meeting, a procession for the
purpose of proceeding, contrary to the sta-
tute law, to either Houses of Parliament.
to accompany the presentation of a petition in excessive
numbers, then such meeting identified with, and forming
part of the procession, will come within the provisions if
the statute law of the country.—tea illegalityrhear of any'
.)ihe
question, therefore, of the legality or
meeting must depend upon the circumstances of the case.
I cannot, therefore, answer distinctly if any meeting
called for a particular purpose, whether such a meeting
would er weuld not come within the provisions of the
Act. The House will allow me to state what I believe it
is desirable fur the House to know, viz., the dictum
''of Lord Mansfieid with respect to the law
as applicable to this subject. In his
summing up to the jury, he says, " a doubt has
been thrown out from the bar as to whether
it is lawful to attend the presentation of ape
tition to Parliament by more than ten persons."
I will now proceed to read to the House a report of the
trial of the bishops in 1688, and this report would put
Honourable Gentlemen in possession of what really was
'he law of the Constitution upon this subject. Jude..
Power, in this report, is represented to have stated that
the people bad tke right to assemble in multitudes for
the petitioning Parliament or the Sovereign, but it was
decidedly illegal fur tumultuous assemblies to
accompanying these petitions for presentation.—e Hear,
hear) I contend, therefore, that the course which her
Majesty's Government has taken in this matter is strictly
constitutional. They have no wish to prevent the people
from exercising their just right of meeting to petition,
but they are bound to interfere when it is proposed to
weer fee the purpose f intringine the law.—(Hear.)
In answer to a question teem Lord GROSVENOR,
Sir GEORteE eaREY said the only notice he had
received id the meeting he (edit cted from the published
anneuneetnent of the Chartist body themselves, ant
;netted by an individuel who represented hirr•elt to b.
the se,-rotary. It was anneuneed in that notice, tha.
the Object of the peries who issued it was for the purpose
assembling the people to the number, it was satd, o.
eteo,ooo, hitt with regard to that he expressed no opinion
—(Cherre)— ie order to make a great demonstration
t physics! force in favour of a particular queetion, and
ti, aec >mean): a certain petition to the door i.t the House,
Mr. O'CONNOR—WiII the Righ! Hen. Berenetal:oe
:tee to ask him whether he has received a deputation to
day from the uerties wi‘issu• d the melee on tne subject?
Sir G. GREY said three individuals, who represented
themselves to be members of the National Ctinveetian,
attended at the Home-office to-day, and saw the Under-
Secretary of State ter he Homo paranent, in cwt
presence of the Attorney-General; but he, himself, was
not able to he present. He had, however, received
a h tter from these three persons, which, with the
uermission of the House, he would teail.—(Hear, hear.)
The letter was dated—" Home cffiee, half-past two
o'clock P.M.—Sir: We, the undersigned delegates ap-
pointed by the Natianal Convention, beg to inform you
that the National Convention never had any design of
calling an armed assemblage together for the purpose of
forming- an armed pi °cession, and we can assure you
that the National Convention is most anxious for the
preservation of the public peace and the protection of pri-
vate property. We, therefore, avail ourselves of this upper-
tuuity of informing you that the procession will take plate
on Monday next, and in the event of any disturbance
taking place, be assured it will not be caused by those
who juin in the procession. We are, sec-, G. W. M.
Reynolds. E Clarke, and J. Wilkinson."—(Oh, oh.)
Sir R. H. INGLIS—I wish to ask the Right Hon.
Bart. whether, through his Under Secretary, he conde-
scended to receive three individual, as the repre-
sentatives of a National Cenventiun sitting in London?—
(Cries of " Oh, 40") Sir, the House may cry "Oh, oh !"
but I respectfully iesist that I have a right to ask the
question. Does the Right lion. Baronet not recognise
the existence of a National Convention sitting in
London by condescending to receive a letter from
three of its representatives?
Sir GEORGE GREY—The answer I have to give
the Hen. Baronet is, that the three gentlemen who at-
tended the Home office to-day were not reccgnised
as delegates of the National Convention.—(Cheers.)
It was distiectly stated to them that they were not re-
ceived as delegates of the National Convention, but as
Corning from a meeting held at a certain house, and in
that character only they were received.—(Cheers.)
Mr. WAKLEY wished to put a question to the Right
honourable Baronet in connexion with this subject.
twhoa Duringutldthvisrt,h,mbea,zlisayiantgbemonth it had been publicly stated
Gentleman might w3coooruld,oo“toaokeh, place,oh,, and that there
thereant 3=o 300 000 presene.(Oh, oh.)
.Hen.
feltPeopthleat in
nthbeut he believed
ythiswerceounnty,t,
'..)ces
represented in that Reuse —(Cheers.)sionwB
inl, I;aiwatnhtaetdtht knew hew it was, if this
pr:
e
peeple.did not receive information from the
Go,
on ustihre
G.
buj 7:Eby- d (~Cnnply b, h
cause he as Secretary
of Sta-e del lint receive the info' tud.• Lion ref, reed to
stated by
tiie,4! tlp"loLme Me
ienint imbt'enre. g(trnlC, ti:itheraeurt:• st)i
e'l'hetingl 1 twh"(l-11
theeepriisls,
issuing
the, fitrh..t uaffintr.ii(ajul
nncoetrnic,enht he
troecewivnteideenolniet was
i.
alrAeafdteyralmluudcehd.c7futitri'n,hes:urt.l) loud cries• of " Order,
order," " Chair, ohair," gralentaotuwtas true it was
TheeSPEAKER said, it the Hon. Gentleman rose tput aruither question he was quite in order, but if h‘:
rose to d.-hate the subject he was out of order.--:-(Hear
Mr.. W AKLEY—Then I move that this House do)
now adjeuril—(Laughter)—in order--that there may be
a question before the House.—(llear, hear,) The Right
Ben. Gentlemen said_ teat he had a better knowledge on
this subject thane the Government possessed. He could
p ,snivels , that he attended no meeting whatever
petition, and he had no direct coat
orsiFthttie the subject of h
eon with tthoese persons who called themselves the
National Convention in relation to it. He derived his
information on the sluiboj.net:tmfreeemnabearnoetwettpelpteur wouhsice.h wit
o informetioe, and he could--not
oo other source' • e
the property of an
help thinking that tho peuple had been unjustly treated
in being ellured---,
• .111-- WAKLEY—In being allured into the supposition
' •rd-INGESTRE--I reise to order.: ,
tht meeting would not be interfered with, by
reason of tele Government not giving any earlier an-
ntuncetnent that they would suppress the meeting on
Account of its illeg ilia, Although such meeting had beet]
eanneeunceilfor sonee weeks. He regretted such conduct,
erY• FeiaeUmele it was likely to be attended with great public
caity.
st
ioonlitsGhw.atd;nowo'CirieONNOß seconded the motion. The per-
cession wouldg
the Right lion.
Eto;cerned in getting up this demonstra-
tion
nature, suppose that their meeting and pro-
eerfered with, because in 15143, when
Baronetoao was in office, a procession of a
sca:olnan:a.ogre:thha:dirni,tlioltor :ejects, and announced in the
Refeem Bill from-uroo
accurnpanied by 100,000tne. 150000 persons
place. At the time of the
your of the Dorchester labourers- filed in pro-
saw the procession of In 1833 a petition,
was presented in ta-
unr.ers; and a short time since
n precede The s natural,vs
that
hcaotn ctlhue-
they
3ioll to be drawn from thesesitil°rL

Mr. HAMILTON brought up the report of the Select
Committee appointed to try the validity of the election
for the borough of Budmin, reporting that Mr. Wyld
and Mr. Lacy were duly elected burger es to serve in
the pre,tent Parliament fur the oorough of Bodrrin.
Mr. COVVAN presented a petition against the B 11;
for establishing diplomatic rdstions witu the Court of
Be me.

Mr. J. O'CONNELL presented a petitirin from the
Roman Catholic clergy of Ireland, in favour of the
Kaman Catholic Relief Bill.
NOTICE OF MOTION.
Mr. CO WAN gave notice that, on Wednesday next,
he should move for leave to bring in a Btll to remove
differenc.'s relating to churches and chapels in Sc,,tlar:d.
EXPULSION OF ENGLISH WORKMEN FROM