The Sun.
London, England, 1833-05-03 00:00:00

IMPERIALPARLIAMTIVI

THIS DAY, FRIbAT, MAY 3.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

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The SPEAKER took the Chair shortly after twelve
o'clock. On our admission to the gallery, we found about
eighty Members in the House.
Mr. THICKNESSE brought up the report of the Com-
mittee on the Manchester and Salford Road Bill.
Amendments real a second time.

The HoN. AIEMBEIL then presented a petition Iron,
Wigan, the subscribers to which prayed to be heard b‘
Counsel against the Warwick and Wigan Road BALL
Petition referred to the Committee.

Mr. Alderman WOOD moved the third reading of th,
Imperial Continental Gas Company 1311.—Read a third
time and passed.
In pursuance of the order of the day to that effect, the
Clerk of the Crown attended, and amended the return far
Galway.
Mr. HODGES moved the third reading of the Graves-
end and Milton Improvement Bill, with amendments.—
[lead a third time and passed.
Mr. PENDARVES moved the second reading of th-
Bodmin Road Bill.--Read and committed.

Sir ROWLAND HILL presented three petitions from
Norton, referring to a Bill now in progress fur improving
the roads in that part of Shropshire.—Petitions referred
to the Committee of said Bill.

Sir W. GUISE brought up the report of the Commit-
tee on the Farrington and Butford Road Bill.—Bill and
amendments read, and ordered to be engrossed.
The HON. MEMBER then moved the second reading of
the He's'on Er closure B.ll.—Read a second time, and com-
mitted.

Mr. ABERCRONIBY brought up th,t report of th,•
Committee on the Edinburgh Life Insurance Bill, with
amendments.—Bill and amendments ordered to he engrossed.
Sir GREY SKIPWITH brought up the report of the
West Houghton Road Bill.

Mr. EGERTON moved the third reading of a Bill for
improving the roads i❑ certain parts of Leicestershire and
Derbyshire.—BiTl read a third time and passed.

DUBLIN STEAM-PACKET BILL.

Mr. EWART presented petitions from the pilots and
boat-owners of Liverpool, against the Dublin Steam.
packet Bill, and the St. George's Steam-packet Bill, and
praying that they might be heard by their counsel, &c.,
upon the same.
Mr. BIDDULPH brought up the report of the Com-
mittee on the Ledbury Road Bill. The Bill, with the
amendmmts, was read a second time.

Mr. STUART presented a petition from tile farmers
Ind graziers of East Lothian, in favour of the Edinburgh
New Cattle Market Bill.

Mr. WILLIAM EVANS presented a petition from
the inhabitants of the town of Leicester, signed by 5,000
persons, praying for the abolition of negro slavery with-
out delay. He cordially concurred in the prayer of the
petition.

Mr. WYNN ELLIS supported the prayer of the petition.
Mr. W. EVANS also presented a petition from Mount
Sorrell, to the same effect.
CORPORATION OF LEICESTER.

Mr. HENRY HALFORD held in his hand a petition
from the mayor, bailiffs, and burgesses of the borough of
Leicester, signed by the mayor on behalf of that body, and
sealed with their common set!. This petition was occa-
sioned by one which had been presented a few days back
by an Hon. Member for Leicester (Mr. Evans), contain-
ing some reflections injurious to the public character and
integrity of that body. The petitioners stated that they
had become acquainted with the real contents of
the petition from seeing it advertised in the Leicester
Chronicle newspaper, and also distributed in hand bills
about the town ; but that it contained scandalous misrepre-
sentations, and imputed misconduct to the Corporation, both
as to the administration of justice and the distribution of
charitable funds as trustees fur various charitable pur-
poses, that they felt themselves so aggrieved by those false
and scandalous misrepresentations, and that they should be
so exposed to public odium and disgrace, that they felt re-
solved to adopt the only means they bad, namely, that
of moving in hie Majesty's Court of King's Bench for
a criminal information against the parties concerned i❑
the said scandalous libel ; and that, asa necessary qualifica-
tion for moving for such, they were obliged to deny on
oath all and every charges of mismanagement and cor-
ruption which the said petition imputed to them, and in
compliance with such rules, affidavits from the bar bad
been filed, in which each and every charge contained in
the said petition was denied. The Hon. Member then
stated, that the petitioners went on to refute the ca-
lumnies which had been heaped upon the corporation,
but with which he should not trouble the House. He
begged leave to move, that the petition be referred to the
Corporation Committee.
Mr. EVANS, in reference to the petition which be
bad the honour to present, and which was now said to
contain gross and scandalous libels, said it was signed by
5,800 individuals, including a great portion of the most
respectable inhabitants of the town of Leicester, who, he
believed, were utterly incapable of getting up such a
petition, unless they knew that there were abuses
in the Corporation, and that they felt the grievances of
which they complained.—(Hear, hear.) A part of the
allegations in the petition he knew to be true, and his
opinion was that substantially they were all true. The
Hon. Member (Mr. Halford) could not deny that the cor-
poration made 2,000, freemen at nearly one time; and
he would ask, was that not an abuse?—(Hear.) Was
that a false and gross libel ? It was true that all of those
2,000 (lid not take up their freedom, but many of them
did. He believed that the inhabitants of Leicester had
very great cause of complaint respecting various instances
of misconduct in the corporation, and that nothing would
gratify the inhabitants more than a full, fair, and com-
plete investigation into the conduct of that body.
Mr. ROEBUCK said that the present petitioners ex-
pressed an anxious wish, as a means of refuting the alle-
gations of the former petition, that a full and strict in-
vestigation might be made into their proceedings, and yet
they proceeded by criminal information.—(Hear, hear.)
Why, if they wished for an impartial inquiry, did they
not proceed so as to allow the parties an opportunity, if
they could, of justifying themselves ?—( Hear, hear.)
Great str:ss was laid o❑ the affidavits of the corporation
functionaries; they might consider, from long habit, that
their conduct was correct, but so long as they pro-
ceeded in the way they had done, he should look with
great suspicion, not only on their statements, but upon
their affidavits.

Mr. HALFORD said in reply that the petitioners only
wished to vindicate their conduct and integrity as public
men.

After a few words from an Hoti. MEMBER (name
unknown), the petition was ordered to be referred to the
Committee on Corporations.
Mr. HALFORD then presented two petitions for the
better observance of the Sabbath, from Market Har-
borough and its vicinity, and Husband's Boswell, both in
the county of Leicester.
General O'NEILL presented petitions against the pre-
sent system of education iu Ireland, from the following
places :—Coleraine, Bsllyinully, Connaught, and De-
lakeagle.

The iion. Member also presented petitions from congre-
gations in Connaught and several other places, for the
better observance of the Sabbath. Also a petition from a
parish in Antrim for the abolition of slavery.
Mr. F. NORTH presented a petition from Hastings,
signed by 900 persons, for the abolition of slavery.
Lord CASTLEREAGH presented four petitions from
parishes in the county of Dawn for the better observance
of the Sabbath.

Mr. SLANEY presented a petition from the town of
Shrewsbury, signed by 12,000 persons, praying for the
abolition of slavery. Also, four petitions of a similar
nature from parishes in the county of Salop.
Sir GEORGE STAUNTON presented a petition from
a parish in Gosport.
Sir A. AGNEW presented petitions from Manchester,
signed by 9,760 persons, from the Wesleyan Methodists
of Bristol, signed by 1,300, from the synod of Glasgow,
from Ayr, and parishes in York and Chester, for the
better observance of the Sabbath. The Honourable
Baronet then presented some petitions in favour of
the Bill before the House, from several parishes and con-
gregations in Rosscommon, Mallow, Argyle, &c. Also
petitions, for the better observance of the Sabbath, as we
understood, from places in Suffolk, Lincolnshire, &c. ;
and two, which the Hon. Baronet described as beingre-
markable—one from the sailors and boatmen on the river
Trent, and the other from the innkeepers, waiters, pos-
tillions, and others concerned in posting on the North
Road both being in favour of a discontinuance of their
employment on the Sabbath.
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petition from the Members of the Political Union of Kil-
marnock, praying for triennial Parliaments; also a peti-
tion fruna a place in Renfrewshire, against the Bill brought
in by the Hon. Baronet for the better observance of the
Sabbath. The petitioners complained of the gross impar-
tiality of the proposed Bill. The Honourable Member
then presented petitions from Longhivilloch, and other
places, for the abolition of slavery. The lion. Member
then said he bad to present a different class of peti-
tions. The first was from the hand-loom weavers of