The Sun.
London, England, 1848-08-11 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PAR r -

HOUSE Or.
RI4:COVEP

COMMONS, August 10.
.-stiLE LEASEHOLD CONVERSION
to, (IRELAND) BILL.
....ontinued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)
Sir W. SOMERVILLE thought that the Irish
Society had deserved well of the public for the ex-
cellent manner in which they had managed their
estates in the north of Ireland ; but he thought it
would be invidious in a general public measure that
they should be exempted from its operation. Since
he had introduced this Bill he had not had a single
letter from Ireland objecting to its provisions, but he
had had letters from numberless individuals begging the
provisions of the Bill to be extended to them. He
thought the Hen. and Learned Member might have allowed
the people in Ireland to be the best judges of a measure
that affected them and them alone. Such being the
case, no objections having been raised to the principle of
the Bill by any one with the exception of the Hon.
and Learned Gentleman, he trusted the House would
allow the Bill to go into Committee.
Mr. HAMILTON supported the Bill, and trusted the
House would go into Committee upon it.
Sir R. FERGUSON complained of the abuse that
had been thrown by the Honourable and Learned
Member for Cambridge upon the gentry, judges,
jurors, and landlords of Ireland, and expressed
his surprise that a Gentleman of the standing
of the lion. and Learned Member should have done so
on behalf of a society whose acts had been complained
of since the year 1630, and against which the first legal au-
thorities in the land had decided. It was not the fact to
suppose that the acts of the society had improved their
property; that had been done by their tenants and their
tenants alone. He trusted that, notwithstanding all that
had been said by the Honourable and Learned Member,
the House would go into Committee on the Bill.
Mr. CALLAGHAN supported the committal of the
Bill, firmly believing that it would be advantageous to
the people of Ireland.
Sir H. W. BARRON supported the Bill.
Mr. GROGAN -was in favour of the Bill.
Mr. LAW withdrew the amendment, and assured the
House that in proposing it he thought be was only per-
forming his duty to the society, of Much he was the
officer..

After some observations from Mr. MICULLAGH and
Mr. WOOD,

The House went into Committee upon the Bill pro
forma, for, the purpose'of inserting a few verbal amend-
ments, and the Bill was ordered to be recommitted on
Tuesday next.

STOCK-IN-TRADE EXEMPTION
The third reading of this Bill was postponed to Mon.
day, at twelve o'clock.

TURNPIKE ACTS CONTINUANCE BILL.
This Bill went through Committee, and the report
was ordered to be received to-morrow.
POOR-LAW UNION DISTRICT SCHOOLS BILL.
This Bill went through Committee.
•Th• first clause was struck out; certain clauses were
altered, and the Bill was ordered, as amended, to be
printed. The report to be received to-morrow.
TITHE-RENT CHARGE, &c. (IRELAND) BILL.
Mr. HAMILTON moved that the House should go
into Committee upon this Bill.
Sir G. GREY trusted that the Hon. Gentleman
would defer the Bill until next session, as he understood
it was likely to give rise to several not unreasonable ob-
jections.

After a short discussion, the consideration of the Bill
was postponed until the other orders of the day were dis-
posed of.

DUBLIN POLICE BILL.
This Bill went through Committee.
The Rouse then adjourned until Five o'clock.

the House resumed at Five o'clock.
PETITIONS.
Mr. FREWEN presented a petition from the county
Of Sussex praying the House to take into their considera-
tion the present state of the turnpike trusts.
Colonel THOMPSON presented two petitions against
the sale of spirituous liquors on Sundays.
Mr. SPOONER presented a petition, praying for the
amendment of the Poor Removal Act.
Leave of absence was given to Lord Newry for a
month on the motion of Sir C. DOUGLAS.
Mr. LUSHINGTON presented a petition from the
Anti-State Church Association against all public grants
for religious purposes.
Mr. HUME presented a petition from Edinburgh
against the ministers' annuity tax. He gave notice that
on Monday he should move an address to the Crown,
for the appointment of a Commission to inquire into the
nature and origin of this tax.
SUGAR DUTIES.
Lord G. BENTINCK wished to ask the Chancellor
of the Exchequer at what time he-proposed to bring on
the sugar duties?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said it
was not his intention to bring them on at a late hour.
Lord G. BENTINCK--Not after ten.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER—Oh,
no ; not after eleven.
THE WEST INDIES.
Lord G. BENTINCK wished to ask a question of
the Honourable Gentleman the Under-Secretary for
the Colonies. Last night the Honourable Gentleman
stated that a dispatch had been received from
Sir Charles Grey, but Government had not yet
made up their minds whether it ought to be laid
before the public. He wished to ask whether
Government had made up their minds now to lay it on
the table. He wished also to .usk the Right Hon. Gen-
tleman whether he was prepared, before the Bill was
brought in for the Jamaica loan, to lay Lord Harris's
dispatch upon the table of the Houes? And per-
haps, at the same time, the Honourable
Gentleman would be good enough to state
' whether that dispatch contained any recommenda-
tion that portions of the half million loan should be
applied to the purposes of sugar cultivation.
Mr. HAWES said the Noble Lord had given him no
notice of these questions, and, with the permission of the
House he would defer answering them-till to- morrow.
PUBLIC HEALTH BILL.—CONFERENCE WITH
THE LORDS.
Lord MORPETH appeared at the bar, and reported
to the House that he had been to the House of Lords on
the subject-matter of the Public Health Bill, and that
their Lordships had appointed a conference to take place
immediately, in one of the committee-rooms of the
House of Lords.
The Members appointed to conduct the conference
on the part of the Commons then left the House.
On their return, Lord MORPETH stated that they
had left the Bill, with the reasons of the Commons for
disagreeing with the amendments of their Lordships,
with- the Noble Lord at the head of the Lords' Confer-
ence (the Earl of Devon).
Lord JOHN RUSSELL, in answer to a question from
Colonel Sibthorp, said he could not postpone the mis-
cellaneous estimates at the present period of the session.
FISH DIET IN UNIONS.
Mr. WYLD wished to know whether the Right Hon.
and Learned Gentleman at the head of the Poor-
law Commission would have any objection to allow the
poor in unions to have a fish diet once a week?
Mr C. BULLER could have have no objection to the
poor in unions having fish once a week, provided they
had enough of it.—(Laughter.) But at the same
time he must say that it was perfectly competent
without his sanction for the boards of guar-
dians to change the diet of the paupers. He trusted the
Hon. Member bad no other motive than the interests of
the poor in wishing them to have fish once a week.
NAVIGATION-LAWS.
The House then went into Committee on the naviga-
tion-laws.
Mr. LABOUCHERE, in placing the resolution in the
hands, of the Chairman, said it was hardly necessary for
him to remind the Committee of the circumstances under
which Government had consented to give up all expecta-
tion of repealing the navigation laws this session;
but he trusted that the House would allow the measure
to be introduced so early next session as to admit of its
receiving the full consideration which its importance
demanded. He proposed simply to . ask. the Committee
to pass the resolution, to enable him to lay the views
of the Government on this subject before the
House in the shape - of,, a Bill, which would
be far more satisfactory than any statement on the part
of the Ministers ; and he trusted, as-
.an understanding
had been come to to reserve the discussion till next ses-
sion, the resolution would be passed without any length-
ened debate. The resolution, stntcd that it. was expedient
to remove the restrictions, which were inflicted on
the carrying of goods by sea to and .from the British
possessions, subject, nevertheless, to such control as
her Majesty's Privy Council should think fit.
Mr. HERRIES said, however he might be opposed to
the proposal of the Right Honourable Gentleman, he
thought, under these circumstances, this was the best
course the Right Honourable Gentleman could adopt,
and upon the understanding that the question was
to be fully gone into next session, ho should
refrain from opposing the resolution now. The
more he considered the proposition made by her
Majesty's Government, the more strongly he was con-
vinced that such a measure could not be carried into
effect without endangering in the highest degree
the naval and mercantile interests of this country.
It would give the foreign shipowner and the foreign sailor
the same advantages which were enjoyed by the British
shipowner and sailor, with one single exception, with re-
ference to the coasting trade. They were put on the same
footing of equality, but then there were obligations im-
posed upon the British navy which gave a positive
and distinct preference 'to the foreigner. If the Bill
were passed, the capital which was now invested
in British shipping would be transferred to foreign ship-
ping, because it was exempt from obligations which the
former had imposed upon it.
Mr. GLADSTONE hoped that his Right Honourable
Friend's example would be followed on the present occa-
sion, as he himself should practise the self-denial of ab-
staining from entering upon any discussion of the mea-
sure. He could not blame the Government for not per-
severing at so late a period with the Bill, but he did hope
and expect that at the earliest period of the next session
the measure would be brought in, as, if it was deferred,
the scene of that eveniee• would be repeated in 1849.
He must say he wished' the Bill had been of a more
general nature, and that so large a power had not been
reserved to the Queen in Council as was provided in the
Bill about to be laid on the table. He should permit the
resolution to pass without opposition on the present oc-
casion, with the distinct understanding that he was left
entirely unshackled as to the course he should take in
respect to it during the next session.
Lord J. RUSSELL said that the original intention of
Government was to bring in the Bill before Christmas,
but other more pressing business had intervened. The
Right Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Gladstone) had
stated his intention not to be bound by his assent to
the resolution before the Committee, and at the same
time expressed a wish that it had been conceived in more
general terms, and that less power had been reserved
to the Queen in Council to act under the proposed Bill.