The Sun.
London, England, 1848-02-18 00:00:00

THE TEA DUTIES.

Mr. COWAN presented a petition from the Cham—
ber of Commerce of Edinburgh, praying for the
repeal of those duties.
CHURCH-RATES. . _

Captain PRCIIILL presented a petition from
Brighton, praying that Dissenters might be exempted
from the payment of these rates.
LOCAL TAXATION (IRELAND).
Mr. P. SCROPE gave notice that he would, upoin
an early day, move for leave to bring in a Bill to ex-
empt small tenements from local taxation.
ISLE Oh" MAN.

Dr. BOW.RING moved for tabular returns.,
showing the number of vessels, with the amount of
tonnage, that have entere I the ports of the Isle of
Man during the years ending the sth day of January,
1847 and 1848, distinguishing each port ; showing
the several quantities of goods allowed to be imported
into the Isle of Man under license, the quantities of
such and other goods subject; to duty carried
into the island, with the rate of duty
charged thereon, and the several amounts re-.
ceived, and amounts of revenue received during
the years ending the sth day of January 1846, 1847,
and 1848 ; also showing the several amounts of public
moneys in the late Clerk of the Rolls' hands in the Isle
of Man, on the 13th day of March, 1847, with the
names of each estate to which they belong, and
showing where the said moneys were deposited
on the said day ; if in any hank or bankers'
hands, in what manner the interest on the
said money was appropriated, and by what;
authority : and the number and names of the several
high bailiffs, magistrates, judges, and members of tho
House of Keys, who preside as judges in the civil oi!
ecclesiastical courts in the Isle of Man, who are prat:-
tising attorneys in the said island, and showing the
names of the several courts where they preside an
judges, and the courts wherein they practise as ad-•
vocates or attorneys.—Motion agreed to.
SHANNON NAVIGATION.

Dr. BOWRING also moved for copies of the evidence
taken before the Commissioners in November and
December, 1847, for inquiring into the conduct of
the Shannon Navigation Commissioners, with copy'
of their report, and of any report of the audit board
thereon ; and of the first report of the Commissioners.
appointed to audit and report upon the accounts of the,
Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland, with copy'
of any report of the audit board thereon : also for re-
turns of the Shannon Navigation Commissioners, and
of the persons employed under them, with their sala-
ries and allowances : and of the Commissioners
of the Board of Works in Ireland, and of'
the persons employed under them, with their
salaries and allowances: and, of the Commissioners
and others specially employed in arranging and
examining the accounts of the moneys advanced by
the Board of Works in Ireland, and expended under
the Acts 1 Vie., c. 21, 9 Vic., c.l, and 9 and 10 Vic., c.
107, with their salaries and allowances, and incidental
expenses; also, the funds out of which the payments
have been made, and the authority for payment.
Motion agreed to.
THE SOLICITORS OF TETE COURT OF
CIIANCERY.

Ain C. ANSTEY moved that the petition of the
solicitors of the Court of Chancery, presented on the
10th of February, be printed with the votes.
Motion agreed to.
JEWISH DISABILITES.

Mr. HUME presented a petition from the burgh
of Montrose in favour of the removal of Jewish dis•
abilities.

Sir R. INGLIS presented several petitions against
the measure for the removal of the Jewish dis-
abilities.

Mr. LAW also presented a petition to the same
effect.

SUNDAY TRADING.

Mr. HUME presented a petition praying the House
not to interfere in any manner with Sunday trading.

OATH OF SUPREMACY.

Mr. LAW presented a petition praying the House
not to pass any measure calculated to remove the
oath of supremacy, or to allow Romish ecclesiastics
to appear in the public thoroughfares in the dress of
any of their orders.
GAME-LAWS.
Mr. BRIGHT gave notice that, this day fortnight,
it was his intention to ask leave of the House to in-
troduce a Bill for the amendment of the game-laws.

PETITIONS.
Lord INGESTRE presented a petition from a
place in Stafforthhire, in favour of the health of
Towns Bill

Mr. FORBES presented a petition from a town
in Scotland praying for a redeal of the Bank Act
of 1844.

Mr. lIERRIES presented a petition, signed by
130 of the merchants of Liverpool, praying the
House to relax the restricting provisions of the Bank
Charter Act.

Lord NUGENT presented a petition praying fcr
the abolition of capital punishments.
ELECTION COMMITTEES.

Mr. B. COCIIRANE wished to put a question
to the Eight lion. Gentleman, the Chairman of the
General Committee of Elections. lie wished to
know whether it was not the duty of an officer of the
ilow.e to give notice on Wednesday, at twelve
o'clock, to the several Election Committees
that the House was sitting. No such notice
was given yesterday to the Committee of
which he was a member, and the consequence was
that many lion. Gentlemen who wished to be present
during the debate on the motion brought forward by
the Hon. Member for Youghal were prevented from
being in the House. He thought it a great hardship
that Committees should meet on Wednesdays when
the House sat on that day. However, he wished to
ask the Right Hon. Gentleman, whether it was the
duty of any officer of the House to intimate to Com-
mittees that the House was sitting, and whether
upon that intimation the Committees had power to
adjourn ?
Mr. FOX MAULE said he did not feel himself
called upon to answer the question, but he appre-
hended Committees had power to adjourn for short
intervals.
NEW TIOUSES OF PARLIAMENT.

Mr G. THONIPSON wished to know from the
Hon. Mamber for the University of Oxford when it
was his intention to move for the appointment of a
Committee relative to the New Palace at West-
minster ?

Sir It. INGLIS said that he should bring forward
the motion on Thursday, the 2l of March.

FINANCE.

Mr. HERMES then rose to move the following
resolution, of which he had given notice :—Tha,,
locking to the state of distress which has for some
time prevailed among the commercial classes, and to
the general feeling of distrust and alarm by which
the embarrassments of trade have been aggravated,
itis the opinion of this House that her Majesty's
Ministers were justified, during the recess of Par-
liament, in recommending to the Bank of England,
for the purpose of restoring confidence, a
course of proceeding at variance with the
restrictions imposed by the Act 7 and
8 Vic., c. 32. That this House will resolve itself
into a Committee of the whole House upon the said
Act. He proposed further to move in Committee, that
it is expedient that the limitations imposed by the
Act 7 and 8 Vic., c 32, upon the Bank of England,
and the Act 8 and 9 Vic., c. 46 and 37, in relation
to the issue of notes payable on demand, be suspended,
subject to such conditions as may he provided
by any Act to be passed for that purpose.
His motion consisted, in point of fact, of two motions,
and it would be the most correct course if he blended
the two motions in one. The subject of the motions
arose out of the operation of the Bank Act in the last
year. The events of last year created more alarm,
distress, and pain than had ever been produced within
the memory of any person present. Never was there
seen such a period of perfect prostration. The
fai urea which occurred in the latter end of the
year were in point of magnitude and im-
portance never surpassed. There were no less
than 220 failures of considerable amount, of
these 85 represented property to the amount of
12,000,000/. The total loss occasioned by the whole
of the failures had been estimated at a sum of not
less than 30,000,000/. Such events as these ought
not to be passed without the most anxious and serious
consideration upon the part of those connected
with mercantile affairs—(Hear, hear)—in order
to ascertain if possible the causes of such calamitous
results, and to endeavour to find out some remedy to
prevent their recurrence in future.—(hear, hear.)
The object of the first part of his resolution was to
record the opinion of this !louse respecting the con-
duct of her Majesty's Government, in taking steps
to stay the desolation and ruii: which then swept over
the commercial establishments of this country, to
record their opinion that the Government in taking
that step were well advised, because they found
that by taking that step a remedy was really found,
and the mischief averted.—(Bear, hear.) What was
the position in which this house was now placed ? It
was this. Her Majesty had announced to them that
she had been advised to adopt a most extraordinary
course, which, however, was justified afterwards by
the result, and had authorised the violation of a law
recently enacted, having for its very object the en-
forcement of the strictest obedience to its provisions.
—(Hear, hear.) Up to this time the House had not
expressed any opinion on the subject of that violation,
nothing had been done to ascertain or record the
opinion of this House upon that violation of the
law.—(Hear, hear.) He held that her Majesty's
Government were justified for what they had done,
but it was necessary that some public record of that
opinion should be made.---(Hear.) Why had not