The Sun.
London, England, 1851-02-05 00:00:00

THE SUN

LONDON,

(Hear, hear)—and when he recollected the peculiar
construction of the two Houses he was afraid that Hon.
Members would fiud the change to be altogether to their
detriment.—(Hear, hear.) had it not been for the as-
sistance of a certain stout Member, he would himself
have grievously suffered from the transition from one
House to the other.—(Hear, hear.) What he desired
was, that the character of the House should be sup-
ported.—(Hear, hear.) He regretted to make this
statement, but he would say that the present
arrangement was detrimental alike to the character of
the Ministry and of the House. He was aware that they
were only responsible as the Ministry of the day.—
(Hear, hear.) The Noble Lord had asked some useless
questions, or what seemed to him to be useless questions.
—([hear, hear.) They should recollect the number
of years which had been passed i❑ the service
of the House by Mr. Ley. All he desired was to secure
a better accommodation for the Members of the House
of Commons whenever they waited upon her Majesty in
the House of Lords. This he particularly desired, and
he trusted that the suggestion would not be lost sight of
by her Majesty's Ministers.
SESSIONAL ORDERS.
_

Mr. coßNCif..L—LEcfis-ii;ei-T;;se to move the
asual sessional orders,
When the SPEAKER came to the order relative to the
voting of the public money,
Mr. HUME said that last session ho gave notice
that he should move, as an addition to the order,
that no grant of money should be made after twelve
o'clock at, night. He now begged to move that it be made
part of the order that no money be voted
atter twelve o'clock at night. He need not remind how
members of the scenes which had taken place in that
House when the public money had been voted, which was
not creditable to the Honourable Members of that House
as the keepers of the public house. Generally speaking,
the House was very neglinent upon this subject,
and when money was about to be voted, Honour-
able Members left the house. The result
of this was that Ilon. Members who were desirous
of attending to the expenditure found themselves
left alone to oppose the Ministerial phalanx
which was more numerous than themselves, and thus
every vote was carried with baste and without that con-
sideration which decency demanded. In pi °posing that L
money should be voted atter twelve o'clock, he (Mr. Hume)
made this exception, that where the subject had been
under consideration before twelve o'clock it might be
voted away after that time. He (Mr. Hume) now
begged to ask the Noble Lord at the head of
her Majesty's Government or the Chancellor of
the Exchequer whether they would consent to the ad-
dition being made to the order which he aow proposed.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said he
could not agree to the propofition of the Honourable
Membr for Montrose. He (the Chancellor of the Ex•
chequer) did not think there had been an in-
stance when the present Government or in fact
any Government had persevered in passing
a vote of public money:after twelve o'clock at night. He
was quite sure that when any particular vote with regard
to the public money was about to be passed, with regard
to w Bich there was any opposition it had never teen
forced on after twelve o'clock. There were a
great many votes upon which several observa-
tions were made, but there were also several
upon which no remark was made and
it did not signify whether an hour or half an hour
after twelve o'clock was occupied in passing them. He
did not believe that this course led to any waste of
the public money.
Mr. HUME, in reply,observed, that voting the money
often led to great inconvenience and waste of time, fur
very often half an hourlwas wasted in debating whether
or not the House should go on after twelve
o'clock at night. He (Mr. Hume) was willing on
any particular occasion that this rule should be suspended
if this addition were made to it which be proposed.
Mr. SPOONER would support the motion of the Hon
Member for Montrose.

Mr. W.WILLIAMS also supported the motion of the
Hon. Member for Muntro,e. He thought that no money
vote ought to be taken after twelve o'clock at night.
Mr. BAILLIE thought that some compromise ought
to be made with the Hon. Member for Montrose.
Sir G. GREY trusted that the House would not adopt
the motion, as. according to the Hon. Member's own
showing, it would lead to the greatest confusion, because
he had expressed himself ready to give way on any
case of necessity.
Colonel SIB aIORPE could not assent to thelmotion
of the Hon. Member for Montrose. As things at
present stood the world knew what they were about,
but if they rose at twelve o'clock it would not.
Strangers were then ordered to withdraw, and the
House divided, when there appeared—
For Mr. Sumo's motion
Against it

Majority against the motion...-69
The motion was consequently lost.
Ulte other Standing Orders having been agreed to,
Mr. BROTHERTON rose, pursuant to notice, to
move thac no business be proceeded with after midnight;
and that at twelve o'clock at night precisely, whatever
might be the business under discussion, Mr. Speaker
do adjourn the House without putting any question.
He believed that the great mortality that had occurred
during the last seession and the recess among Members
was greatly attributable to the late hours to which the
House had been in the habit of sitting.
Mr. E WART seconded the motion.
Sir G. GREY opposed the motion. It was the usua
course of the House to rise shortly after twelve o'clock,
except on those occasions when it was probable that a
debate might be concluded.

(LEFT SITTING.)

THE POST-OFFICE.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

you kindly permit me to call attention to the
inconvenience and delay to which I (with, no doubt, the
public generally) have sometimes been subjected by the offi-
cials of some of the branch post-offices?
If your letters are not stamped, and you wish to pre-pay
them, of course you must do so; bat it so happens that if
you have not a penny in copper you may be called upon to
tender a fourpenny piece, a sixpence, or a shilling, to defray
the charge. When this has been so I have almost always had to
wait till it suited the independence and pleasure of the aris-
tocratic she pkeeper or his Fhopman to attend to me. It is
the general rule to serve "customers" first, leaving the petri-
fied correspondent, with letter in hand, till the last. I have
often been sent away from post-offices because they could
(or would) not give me the difference of a shilling, after de-
ducting a penny fur a letter! But is it not the duty of shop-
keepers who unite the postal department with their own
concern to attend to the letters and the persons by whom
they are brought as readily as to those who purchase things
of them ? And ought not they to be provided with a sufii-
' cient staff of hands so as to attend immediately to those who
take their letters to their house? Ought they not, also, to
be provided with change fora shilling?
My complaint, Sir, is not founded upon an accidental cir-
cumstance, or occasional occurrence, for I have experienced
the greatest annoyance when the obstacle has been the least
that could have been presented. It was but the other day
that a loquacious shopman, at a tobacconist's, kept me wait-
ing nearly five minutes, so lost was he in the eloquent
praise of a pipe, which he was earnestly persuading two
young gentlemen to buy. I addressed him several times,
but in vain. He was not literally deaf, yet I had to be
patient until he felt disposed to listen to my appeal.
If the public paid so much for every letter at the time of
posting they would not be so disregarded. Some of these
people are very surly and reluctant; but they forget that
courtesy to a man posting a letter might ensure his custom,
and thus benefit them in their proper business.
I am, Sir, &c.,
J. D. '

Pimlico.

THE COUNTIty MAttKETS.
IPSWICH, FEB. 4.
At this day's market a fair supply of wheat was ex•
hibited for sale, and we can note no alteration in price
horn last week. We had a larger supply of barley,
mostly of fine quality, for malting; the sale was a trifle
in favour of the buyer. Beans and peas dull at late
prices.