The Sun.
London, England, 1848-05-13 00:00:00

_responsible to its authority. Such officers had ba
found most valuable in carrying out the bankruptcy laic*
which he had passed, and he was satisfied they would
be equally useful for the purpose be now co ntein-
plated. As to another point connected with tlae
practice of the Court of Chancery, he did not see
why the examination of witnesses before that Court
should not be viva voce, as in the other Courts. The
present system of written examinations was full of ab -
eurditv and mischief, and pregnant with expense and
delay. A set of questions were drawn up for every
witness, without the possibility of knowing what this
answers would be, when perhaps the very first answer
would render the next ten questions wholly unnecessary.
In oral examination, if a witness, on being asked " Do
you know Mr. So and-so," replied, " No, I don't,"
there would be an end of the matter as regarded Mr.
So-and-so; but the written examination, after the
witness had said " No, I don't know Mr. So-and. so,"
would go on, tone the less gravely, with a series of
questions touchi,ig Mr. So-and-so, and the witness who
does not know him, as: " When did you see him last?"
and so on. The Noble Lord said he had many other
points on which
,he might observe in connexion with
%his subject; but he would not, on the present oc-
casion, press them upon their L^,relships' attention.
Among them was the subject of appeals before their
Lordships' House—a resource at present attended with
such enormous expense as to render it, for all but the
:rich, a mere mock -ry. In conclusion, he earnestly im
piored their Lordships to give roost serious consider-Et-
tion to the subject which he b,d thud bron.;ht before
them. The present we: e not times in which Govern-
ments e nil safely refuse compliance with the just die-
!bands of the people they governed. On all sides we
witni.s+ed ;he ;m.o.:ryas ot convulsion: in France, a dy-
nasty dew ,dished in one brief h. ur; it G..rmany, throne
after throes menaced; in Au- tri4, the supposed peren-
tial erntire of the Cm,ars totierine. to its tall. Sou. h.
ward, the janitor of the Alps opening the ,gates of Italy
to the G.O ; sttll more south. the Eternal City shaken
to its foundation, and th, succesex of the Borgiv, es
ambitious as they. but unsusiaineci by their g. nius or
their courage, taking refuge in the f qtr., ss of
Angelo from the fury of the faithful-(Elect.) These,
be would rep-at, were times and these were circurri-
etancas which should warn the ruling powers in England
to amend the itistitetirins of the country, in every fi.a
sure suseeptihre of improvement, and to amend in time.
He had every confidence in the innate force of our insti-
tutions. and in the loyalty ot our lee ple ; but rely upon
it that the better our law, and the cheaper, and the more
nearly it ws broueht to the doors ot the people, and
the plainer it was made for them to read, sac, the easier
to comprehend and to di4est, and, consequently, to
obey, the more secure you made property, and the more
facility you gave for its transfer, so as to render it more
available for the purpest sof civil life. The more you
took away those shoals and quicksands ot which Locke
. creaks, rely upon it, ae purer and heartier would be
the love, and the more vigorous and unswerving the
support which you would secure to the instititutions
from your virtuous and honest and gallant fellow-sub-
jects. It was these views that in 1828 he had urged, in
another place, the law reforms which he had then intro-
diced, and it was with undiminished, nay with increased_
earnestness, that he now urged further reform of the
law upon that august assembly, the judges by whom, in
the last and highest resort, that . law was administered.
He implored their Lordships to aid him in
the task he
had thus undertaken, for the purpose of giving increased
strength to the noble constitution under which we lived.
The Noble Lord then laid his Bill upon the table,
which was read a first time.
The House adjourned at Thirty. five Minutes after.
Seven.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, May 12.
The SPEAKER took the Chair shortly belore Four
Mr. WILSON BATTEN presented petitions from
places in Izlncashire against the sale of spirituous liquors
on Sundsy. _ _

Mr. WILSON presented four petitions from places in
Yorkshire against any alteration in the navigation•laws.
Mr. SPOONER presented petitions from places in
Sutherlandahire against the Diplomatic Relations with
Rome Bill.

Viscount CASTLEREAGH presented petitions from
places in Down against the Bill for the amendment of
the law of imprisonment for debt.
FRIENDLY SOCIETIES BILL.
Mr. F. O'CONNOR brought on the Friendly Socie-
ties Bill, which was read a first, and ordered to be read
a second time on WPdnevlay, 14th of June.
GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY.

111. SIUMiT aliivetCPutti:niOll.)tice,that it be
aninstruction to the Committee on the Great Northern
Railway (Isle of Axholme Extension) Bill, to hear the
Company of Proprietors of the StAinforth and Keadley
CAnal Navigation on th- matter of their petition against
the skid Bib. which nas presrnted upon the Ist clay tn
this instant May.
Sir W. BEATHCOTE objected to the motion, and
after a few ebservations from
Mr. &UTAH. r in reply,
The Hull.Ye di.itted, when there app•ared—
For the noailet
Against It.

......... ..... 69

Majurity hganist it
DU .IN.
Mr. REYNOLDS no.vtd that the evidence taken be-
fore the- ourve)inir ..fficera upo i the local inviriea held
in Dublin, uton the subject ot the aptlicationi lo Par-
liament fan. the Dub in Impruveihent 8i114.n.i the Dahill*
Consolidation Itnproveweuts and Water.orks Bill, be
aid on thM tut)l.- 1.., in .lin.

-53

The SPEAKER said the evidence wee alreuly on the
table, and the motion was withdrawn.

M. E WART preseuttA a petition in favour of free
sites being granted for Scottish churches.
Mr. HUME presented a petiti,n from a congregation
in Newcastle to the same effect.

Mr. COBDEN presented a petition from Nottingham,
praying for a reduction in the taxation and expenditure
of the state. The petition was signed by the mayor and
upwards of 2,000 inhabitants of the town.

Mr. HILDYARD presented a petition from White-
haven against the sale of intoxicating drinks on Sunday.
Mr. P. HOWARD presented a petition from Carlisle
against the central clause of the Health of Towns Bill.
Mr. COW AN presented several petitions from Scot-
land in favour of the Free Sites for Churches Bill.

Mr. FORBES presented a petition against the Diplo-
matic Relations with the Court of Rome MIL

Sir R. H. INGLIS presented a petition against diplo-
matic relations with the Court of Rome.
THE REEHESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE.
Mr. HUME said he had already given notice
that he intended, on the 23d instant, to submit a mo-
tion, and to call the attention of the House to the state
of the representation of the people.—(Hear, hear.) The
terms of the motion which he intended to submit on
Tuesday week were to the following effect :—That this
Rouse, as constituted, does not fairly represent
the property, intelligence and industry of the ccuntry,
in consequence of which great discontent had arisen in
the minds of a great portion of the people, and with a
view to amend the national representation leave be given
to bring in Bills for the following purposes :—First, that
the elective franchise be extended to all householders;
that votes be taken by ballot ; that the daration of Par-
liaments do not exceed three years ; and that a more
equitable apportionment of the population to the number
of Members to be elected be adopted—(Cheers)—or,
in other words, equal electoral districts.—(Hear.)

LONGFORD.
Mr. BOUVERIE read the report of this Committee,
which was to the effect that Mr. Fox had been duly
elected. The report complained of the defective state of
the registration in Ireland, and recommended the House
to devise a remedy.