The Sun.
London, England, 1848-04-12 00:00:00

KINSALE ELECTION.

The SPEAKER stated that he had been informed by
the examiner of recognizances that the proposed sureties,
with respect to the petition against the return for the
borough of Kinsale, were unobjectionable.
REPEAL OF THE UNION.
Mr. J. O'CONNELL presented three hundred peti-
tions from various towns in Ireland, and one from
Glasgow, praying for a repeal of the Legislative Union
in Ireland.
DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH ROME.
Mr. COWAN presented a petition from the Inverness
Presbytery of the Free Church of Scotland against the
Bill for establishing diplomatic relations with the Court
of Rome.

GLASGOW WATERWORKS BILL.
Mr. M•GREGOR moved that a petition of the chair-
man of a meeting of Lndowners and house factors of
Glasgow and its suburbs, against the Glasgow Water-
works Acts Amendment Bill (presented 11th February),
should be referred to the Committee on the Bill.
After a few words from :sir W. HEATHCO PE, who
opposed it, the motion was withdrawn.
SECURITY TO THE CROWN AND GOVERN-
MENT.
Mr. WOOD gave notice that he should propose, as an
amendment to the 31 clause of this Bill, the insertion of
the following words: —" It such public speaking should
occur within two years after the passing of the Act."
SMALL DEBTS.
Mr. B. COCIIRANE gave notice that he should move
for leave to bring in a Bill to repeal the Small Debts Act.
BEWDLEY.
Captain RUSHOU I' moved tnat the Speaker do issue
his warrant to the Clerk of the Crown to make out a
new writ for the election of a burgess to serve in this;
present Parliament for the borough of Bewdley, in the
room of Thomas James Ireland, Est, whose election
has been declared void.
Sir J. HANDIER moved, as an amendment, that the
return for Bewdley having been declared void fur bri-
bery and corrupt treating, and other corrupt practices,
stated to have prevailed there, it is necessary to consider
the condition of the elective franchise in that place, with
a view to its reform, and in the mean time to suspend the
writ. He said that the Legislature, after what had taken
place at some of the elections, ought to adopt some
c.nirse by which corruption might be obviated, as such
proceedings breueht the House into contempt and dis-
satisfied the peopi-, as they were led to conceive, with
some show ut truth, that they were not fairly represented.
lie did not wish to eseptive the House of its discretion,
but he was anxious that the House should be compelled
to act according to its discretion. He thought that
some steps ought to be teken before they issued a new
writ for &eelley in order to see if something could
nut be done to place the constituency of that
borough upon a more sound and honest foundation.
It was seldom that these cases of bribery were properly
sifted to the bottom, for it invariably happened, that
when enough had been proved to unseat the sitting
Member, the agent abandoned the further prosecution of
the inquiry. With regard, however, to treating, he
thought the Ilouse was rather too prudish
upon that point. Members ought to be unseated
tor simply exercising the ordinary customs of hospitality.
In this case, however, a bad practice existed of treat*
the voters to un extravagant extent, and con-
sidering the limited number of the constituency of
the bereugh of Bewdley they could not well look over
these abuses.—(llear, hear.) He moved this amend-
ment from no party motives whatever, but from
a desire to have the evils which existed in
the borough of Bewdley remedied. His motion did not
specify any plan by welch that end could be aCCOM -
puished, but simply proposed that the writ should be de-
layed till some improvement could be made in the fran-
chise of Bewdley.
Mr. HUME seconded the motion. He had upon a
previous occasion brought forward a motion having for
its object the delay of the issue of all new writs in
cases where the Members had been unseated for
bribery or corruption until a general committee had been
appointed to inquire into the circumstances connected
with the cases ut every such city, borough, or county.
With respect to the borough of Bewdley, it appeared
to him that a most serious amount of demoralisation had
taken place, end he should, therefore, give his most
cordial support to the amendment of his Right Hon.
Friend. He hoped that the Noble Lord at the head or
the Government, who pr posed to bring in a Bill with
respect to the borough of Horsham, would include the
borough of Bewdley in the same measure.
Mr. BLACKS PONE said, as the House had con-
sented to issue a new writ for Harwieh, after the bri
bery that had been proved to have been practised at
the last election, he saw no reason why they should not
accede to the motion j!,..),ry,i,L1M.2. a n&u.,
Mr. C. W YNN was understood to support the suspen-
sion of the writ fir a short time.
Mr. EWAR theuelit if any step were taken that it
should eat:olive from the Government.
Lord CASTLEREAG II said, as he was the only
member of the Cemtnittee who underwent the
penance of sitting fourteen days upon the inquiry,
he would merely state that, as evidence of bribery
and treating at the last election had been ad-
duced before them, the representation of that borough
should be placed upon an improved footing. He
thought that strong ground had been brougnt for-
ward for the House to consider well before they issued
a new writ for the borough of Bewdley. He thought,
however, the same measure of justice should be meted
out to Bewdley that had been granted to Harwich.
Strangers were then ordered to withdraw, and the
House divided, when there appeared—
For issuing the writ
Against it

Majority in favour of issuing the writ —42
The writ was, therefere, ordered to issue.
REPEAL OF THE UNION.
Mr. J. O'CONNELL after presenting a petition from
a place in Roscommon, praying for a repeal of the legis-
I hive union, moved that it should be read by the Clerk
at the table. This being done, the Hon. Member said
the petition contained the whole case for the repeal of
the union. Its statements bad often been put forward
by the Irish people, and they were convincing reasons
why the House ought to take the subject into considera-
tion. Ile was aware the subject presented itself under
great difficulties; the House was already exhausted with
the discussion of the new Coercion Bill; but he felt
bound to proceed with his motion. Other diffieultiee
were, the teebleness of the advocate, the prepossession
of many Huu. Members against the motion, the love of
domination, and the feeling of self-interest. He would
not attribute all the opposition to the motion to the
two latter feelings; the probability was that its oppo-
nents were actuated by a fear of injuring the welfare of
the United Kingdom by any change. Self•interest doubt-
less actuated many, who feared that their particular in-
terests might be weakened. Recent proceedings in
Ireland had strengthened the aversion of the House to
consider this matter, and no one deplored, on this ac-
count, more than himself the wild language and dange•
roils doctrines which had been promulgated in Ireland.
Ile had always told the people that their appeal ought
gghti
promptly
reorroi thornitotain Inmnht:t epeutettrdti
questioncy
to he to this House. and was now prepared to lay their
claims before it. He wag convinced that repeal would
riot only benefit Ireland but England also, otherwise he
would not support it. Many Hon. Members, he under-
stood, were more disposed to entertain this subject than
they were a year ago; and he hoped the recent proceed.
ings in Ireland would not deprive him of the support of
these Members. While deprecating the menaces that
had been thrown out, he could not but feel that if be
were prevented from simply bringing in this Bill, with
the view to its further consideration after Easter, the
effect would be most disastrous; the minds of the people
would be inflamed, and the influence of those who roughs
to keep them peaceable would be greatly diminished.
He trusted he was not Mistaken in hoping that he should
be allowed to introduce the Bill. That repeal was the
demand of the people of Ireland themselves, few persons
would be disposed to deny. Even when battling for
Catholic Emancipation, the late Mr. O'Connell had been
frequently urged to postpone that question to that of an
Irish Parliament; but he thought that, until an equality
cf civil rights was gained, there was little chance of ob-
taining a repeal of the union. When emancipation was
he could not forego the struggle for repeal,
abandoning his duty and his appointed mission
on vuoorlthwt.oityhliiol,ualetdnhtih,rie:cione so, the people would have
atnudreso.theErarlelyadienrslBm3i3g,htthheavaegiltead.
an independent legislature had attained such a
rest by as to attract the notice of the Ministers of the
f .forwardcuoline
justice,i n i
nit
This
es
rpledge).
other Legislature;hapda all
ltbli
particular
eahre forces
Crown. In 1834. Mr. O'Connell had brought the
a pledge, that though repeal could not be
hhaoduol should be
t'
aeb
nne
Act of the Legislature, for it was concurred in by both
Houses and by the Monarch on the throne. Accord-
ingly, for six years, the agitation ceased, at consider-
able sacrifice of confidence in Mr. O'Connell, which
a ffe
agitationet ed him
v,,,a
st or
etnheewed last....
renewed—fn
ulrBr,iois,3feth,rnitdsihsto,hdlseie
et
td h.
sublime
hbrlel ni
dmweloetSred4l
rdeoi
n,
m, i
anot
nhna
de..
ts
itiruast itohnes
pvie /e: e
imade,rre e r'''s ihbi l": -
t.on to have repeal. Th..ugh circtunstances, including
the awful calamit) of last year, had delayed its triumph,
the feelings of the people W.L3 43 powerful now in fa-
vour of repeal as in 1843.—(11,tar, hear.) Their de-
termination was not to be repressed by any means ;
it displayed itself in the petitions he had that
night presented. The Bill he now proposed to introduce
was one " the better to enable her Majesty to summon
her Parliament in Ireland," which had been
prepared by the late Mr. O'Connell. The preamble
asserted the necessity of repeal of the union, on account
of its injurious effects. The first clause enacted the
repeal; the second secured the succession; the third
related to the regency; the fourth to the House of Lords;
and the remaining clauses allocated the 300 representa-
districts. This was in substance the whole of the mea-
rives to be given to Ireland to the different towns and

sure. He was aware that technical objections might be
raised as to the relative contributions of the two cottn-

tries to the expenses of the state, the terms of commercial