The Sun.
London, England, 1833-02-20 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

'HOUSE OF COMMONS, Fasirwer 19.

The SreAxen took the chair shortly before four
o'clock. Seve;al Members were sworn in.
ELECTION PETITIONS.

Petitions were presented against the returns for London-
derry and Clonmel, which were ordered to be taken into
consideration on the 21st of March. Similar petitions
were also presented from Montgomery, Southampton, and
Ripon, which were ordered to be considered onthe 26th of
March.
Lord HENNIKER moved the second reading of the
I:keener and Claydon (Bucks) Poor Bill.
Mr. D. W. HARVEY could not allow the Bill to be
read a -second time without putting the House in posses-
sion a some of its clauses, which he considered of a most
*xtraordinary description. One of the clauses was in effect
to make the children of the poor who should be the
intsoceot objects of parochial protection complete slaves
of the guardians of the establishment, as slaves in the West
Indies. Power was given them to let the children out to
b're during the harvest season, their wages not to be ap-
plied to their own reward or benefit, but to form part of
the parochial fund, out of which the poor of the parish were
to be relieved. Another clause was in the Bill which,
if possible, was a still more barbarous infraction of the
first principles of justice, that in cases where the
guardian, or any person connected with the institution,
should purloin any of the property belonging to the esta-
blishment, he should be fined three times the amount of the
value of the things taken, but the punishment, however,
of the poor for the same offence was, that they were
to be taken up, and sent to the House of Correction,
and punished, as if they had been convicted of felony.
These two clauses had been introduced by the agents of
the Bill, and as he (Mr. Harvey) was fearful that the
Bill, with all its imperfections, might have passed
without observation, he had thus taken the liberty
of calling the attention of the House to it, in the hope that
the objectionable parts might be corrected in Committee.
The Marquis of CHANDOS gave notice that on Tues.
day next he should move for the appointment of a Com-
mittee to inquire into the state of the management of beer
houses.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. SHAW presented a petition from the attorneys and
so icitors of Ireland, praying for a removal of that part of
the stamp duties that pressed heavily upon them. _ _

Mr. O'CONNELL, Mr. MAURICE O'CONNELL, and Mr.
LEFROT supported the prayer of the petition.
Mr. SHAW presented a petition from the Conserva-
tive Society of Ireland, praying for the increase of quali-
fication of Menbers of Parliament. The Hon. Member
thought if the qualification were not increased, at all
events it should be enforced as it at present existed.
Mr. LEFROY supported the prayer of the petition.

Mr. RUTHVEN deprecated the increase of the quali-
fication, but fully concurred in its being enforced as it at
present existed.
Mr. GILLON presented a petition praying for a Go-
vernment grant to complete the Thames Tunnel.
Mr. GILLON also presented a petition from the work-
men belonging to the Carron Ironworks, complaining of
the present onerous system of taxation, and praying the
repeal of the taxes on malt, hops, and soap, calling upon
the House to take into its consideration the propriety
of making some alteration in the corn laws, and
calling for an extension of suffrage, for vote by
ballot, and for shortening the duration of Parliament. The
lion. Member also moved for returns of all offices in the
army and navy to which no duty was attached, or whose
duty was executed by deputy. The Hon. Member also
gave notice of his intention to move, on the 9th of May,
a resolution that it was objectionable in principle and inex-
pedient, that any spiritual or ecclesiastical officer should
bold a seat in either House of the Legislature, and that
all law or usage by which that was at present established
should be abrogated.
Mr. TOWNLEY presented a petition from Wisbeacb,
praying for the better observance of the Sabbath.
Mr. KINLOCH, as we understood, said, that although
lie bad been requested to support the prayer of the peti•
tion, he conceived it necessary to state, that if any mea-
sure, which it was contemplated to bring forward, should
at all abridge the conveniences of the poor or working
classes, be would not give his support to any such mea-
sure.

An HON. NIEMBER presented a petition from the War•
wick Political Union, in favour of the vote by ballot.
Mr. GROTE presented a petition from the Lord
Mayor, Aldermen, and Livery of the city of London, in
Guildhall assembled, praying for vote by ballot.
Mr. CURTEIS presented a petition from a person
named Pitt complaining that, under an error of the re-
v ising b misters, upwards of 3,000 of the scot and lot
voters of the city and liberty of Westminster had been
excluded from their rieht of votino under the Reform
Bill. The Hon. Member moved that the netilion should
uc ieretfeo to the Lommittee sitting for inquiry into the
subject of corporations, The Hon. Gentleman also moved
for returns of the number of prisoners confined for debt in
the several prisons of England and Wales in 1832, distin-
guishing the number of those who received food from the
town or county. _ _

Sir G. GREY presented petitions from the parishes of
Cavendish and Clare, in the county of Suffolk, praying
for a better observance of the Sabbath.
Lord WATEBPARK presented a similar petition from
the parish of Kirklangley, in the county of Derby.
Mr. TALBOT presented a petition from the inhabitants
of Athlone, for an inquiry into the Corporation abuses
cf that town.
Mr. OLIPHANT presented a petition signed by 3,800
of th• inhabitants of Perth, for the abolition of slavery.
Sir WILLIAM INGILBY presented a petition from
the Magistrates of the Quarter Sessions of Lindsay, in
the county of Lincoln, for the repeal of the Beer Act,
and another from the same place for a revision of the
bysiem of tithes. The Honourable Member said that
the latter petitioners asserted that they only saw the rec-
tor of that parish when the time came to collect the
tithes.—(Laughter.)
Mr. HUME presented a petition from the Mer-
chants and other inhabitants of Newcastle-upon-Tyne,
reTccti-og Corporation abuses. The petitioners
poiat•ed out how Corporations might not only affect
the, individuals living in the towns, but a'so the
tomtrunity at large, and also the importance to the com-
munity that they should be well regulated. The petition
was signed by above 1,500 persons, and was agreed to at
a public meeting of the Guild. The population of the
town was 42,706, of which 1,619 were free burgesses,
but only nine or ten of them had anything to do with the
election of Mayor. It was a self-elected corporation, the
revenues of which, amounting to 34,0001. were
wholly disposed of by them, although upwards
of 20,000/. of that sum was collected on dues on
shipping and coals. Although their revenue was 34,0001,
a year, the corporation had incurred a debt of 100,0001.
and within the last eleven years they bad paid 217,000/.
to members of the corporation. The petitioners prayed
that the House would institute an early inquiry

. .
into that corporation, with the view of placing
the management of the fund in proper hands. He should
move that the petition be referred to the Committee
now sitting upon corporations.
Sir M. W. RIDLEY said he did not rise to oppose the
motion of the Hon. Member for Middlesex, but the cor-
poration of Newcastle had requested him to state one fact,
in answer to the statement in the petition. The corporation
of Newcastle courted inquii y into their conduct, not
doubting that the more strict the examination was, the
purer their conduct would appear. Till the Committee
had instituted the inquiry which was prayed for,
the corporation hoped that the House and country
would suspend their judgment with respect to the
debt which the corporation had incurred ; he would only
state, as partly accounting for it, that the corporation
had a few years back built a new bridge over the Tyne,
which had cost 50,000/. _ _

Mr. COBBETT—I will only say that I believe the
corruption of the corporation of Newcastle to be as great
as it possibly can be.
After a few words from two other Hox. MEMBERS
( whose names were not known), the petition was referred
to the Corporation Committee up stairs.
Mr. HUME presented a petition from a parish in Kin-
cardineshire, against the soap tax. He was satisfied that the
consumer would be benefited by a reduction of the duty to
one half of its present amount, without the revenue at all
suffering.—Laid upon the table.
Mr. HUME then renewed his notice for several returns
he bad moved for last session ; among others, the amount
of fees and stamps on appointments—the amount of plate
provided at the public expense, for public officers since
the adoption of the new regulations upoa that subject.
Mr. HUME moved for a return of the expenses paid
on account of Select Committees in the House of Com-
mons during the last year. By the return which
had been rendered for the last year it appeared
that no less than from 60,0001. to 70,000/. had been
expended in this way in the course of 1831. The Hon.
Member moved also for a return of the expenses attending
the Select Committees in the House of Lords. No return of
this sort had been laid before the House, of Select Com.
mittees, appointed by the Lords, and it was highly ne-
cessary that the public should know the extent of the ex-
penses of both Houses of Parliament in this respect.
Mr. HUME gave notice, that on an early day he would
move for a return of all the promotions that had been