The Sun.
London, England, 1856-02-22 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT,

HOUSE OF—LORDS—(This Evening,

The LORD CLIANCELLOX took his seat. on the woolsack
at five o'clock.

THE WENSLEYDALE PEERAGE.
There was an unusually large attendance of peers this
evening. The space between the throne and the gal.
leries was crowded in eery part by persons anxious to
hear thediscussion upoa the question of the life peerages.
Lord GLENELG moved that the following questions
be put to the Judges i----" Is it in the power of the Crown
to create by patent the dignity of a Baron sf the United
Kingdom for life 1 What righteited privileges does such a
grant confer?" The noble lord, who spoke inaudibly, was
understood to say that the subject now under their con-
sideration W 313 one of the most important that could be
submitted tr, them ; and it behoved them to weigh well
the steps t'aey ought to take is a question which would
hereafter be referred to as a great precedent. In all
cases involving serious questions of law they did not
think it unbecoming to consult the Judges ; and he
could not think, in a question involving the preroga-
tives o fthe Crown and the constitutional privileges of
the", house, they would have any objection to ask the
br'inion of those qualified by their legal knowledge and
xperience as to the wisdom and propriety of the course
'which they, under the circumstances, thought them-
selves justified in taking. Those learned lords were
the constitutional advisers of the country, and this
was a case above all others upon which they ought to be
consulted. He for one wanted to know the law, as the
suhje et was one which he was afraid he felt it was too
serious a thing for him to assent to the course proposed
lh'y the noble and learned lord opposite—a course which,
persevered in, could not be retrieved, but which might
involve the house in the most serious consequences.
He could not help observing that the noble and learned
lord up to that moment had abstained altogether from
stating what the law of the land upon the subject really
Was. It was no doubt alleged that this exercise of the
prerogative of the Crown was opposed to the Parlia-
ment. Now, even if admitting these allegations to be
correct, he thought there was something more to be
ageertained, namely, whether the act complained of was
legal or not. The noble lord was proceeding to refer to
the motion of Lord Lyndhurst, as if it was the report of
the Committee of Privileges, when he was interrupted
by

Lord DERBY, who rose to order. He considered
tile noble lord was not justified in commenting upon
what might or might not be the report of the committee,
before the committee had concluded its deliberations.
The proper course, he submitted, would be
for the noble lord to allow the house
to go into a committee of privileges, and then he could
proceed with his comments.

- Lord GLENELG submitted he was right in the
course he was adopting, in commenting upon a
document which was about to be laid upon the
table. (Hear.) The difference that existed among
the highest legal authorities proved the necessity
of proceeding with caution, and to obtain all
the advice it wa3 possible to obtain on the sub-
ject. Amongst other authorities that had been re-
ferredj to, that of Lord Wenslydale himself had
not been alluded to, and he was therefore justified
in assuming that he was in favour of the exercise of the
prerogative in this instance, or he would not have ac-
cepted a life peerage. The legal authorities in
this house were so nearly balanced that it was
absolutely necessary to call for other advice. (Hear.)
This was not a party question, and the house was now
called on to pronounce aiecisionwhich affected the privi-
leges of the Crown. The House of Lords had ever been
the champions of the monarchy and guardians of the
Crown yet now they had prevailed upon themselves
to contest the prerogative of the Crown ; and if they
went into committee to-night they would commit them-
Pelves to contest ; and under these circumstances
it was the more necessary that they should arm
themselves before they did so with the highest legal ad-
vice they could obtain on the subject, which, after all,
was a question of law, and not of Parliament.
[LEFT SPEAKING.j

HOUSE OF COMMOITS—(This Evening.)
£he SPEAKER took the chair shortly before four o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.
The following bills were severally read a second time
and ordered to be committed : Birkenhead Docks,
Sittingbourno and Sheerness Railway, and Stotfield
and Lossiemonth Harbour Improvement.
Sir J. WALMSLEY presented a petition from a
working man in Bristol. He had taken the precaution
of inquiring into the character of the petitioner before be
presented the petition, and he found he was
quite trustworthy. The petitioner stated a peti-
tion was about to be presented to that house against
the opening of the Crystal Palace and British Museum
on Sundays, and that the signatures thereto were obtained
in a most objectionable manner. They consisted of the '
names of infants of tender age, paupers and others who
were not free agents, and under those circum,stances
be prayed that a remedy might be adopted to meet the
evil, which existed to a very great extent.
Mr. BAINES presented a petition in favour of the
bill for the abolition of local dues upon shipping.
Mr. M. GIBSON presented several petitions from
Manchester with a Bimilar prayer.
THE NERBUDDA.
Mr. OTWAY begged to ask a question of the First
Lord of the Admiralty of painful interest. There some
time ago appeared a report in the public prints of the
total loss of the Nerbudda, with 180 souls on board.
No official notification of the loss had been made to the
public or the relatives of those on board, and he now
begged to ask for any information the Government had
on the subject
Sir C. WOOD said he had not yet received any official
information on the subject, and until he had received
that information he thought he should not be justified in
making any report on the subject until all hope had
gone. He was sorry to say there was at present all
absence of any information.
IRISH BILLS.
Sergeant O'BRIEN asked the Chief Secretary for
Ireland whether the Government would agree to post-
pone till some early day after Easter further proceeding
with the Juvenile Offenders (Ireland) Bill, the Burial
Grounds (Ireland) Bill, and the Prisons (Ireland) Bill,
inasmuch as several of the Irish members would be ab•
sent during. the assizes !
Mr. HORSMAN said, with respect to those bills, lie
intended to take the second readings pro forrn,a, and
postpone their further consideration until after Easter. ,
COMMUNICATION WITH IRELAND.
Mr. GROGAN asked this; Secretary to the Treasury
whether any and what stew, since tare issuing of the
minute of the 19th &ay, of October, 1855, had
been taken by then Government to facili-
tate and improve the postal and passenger
common:cation between, London and Dublin ; whether
the hours of departure from, and arrival at, those cities
respectively of the maila, acid the time to be employed
on the journey, bad been decided on ; whether any
tenders for the perfr,reirs nce of that service had been
called for by the Goverrraient ; whether any tenders for
that service had been vent in to the Government ; and
what was the preset At state of negotiations on this
subject !
Mr. WILSON s aid that communications with the
Chambers of Corny fierce of Belfast and Dublin had taken
place with respec' ; to the hours most convenient for the
mails to arrive in Ireland. When the answers had been
received, tender 1 with those hours mentioned would be
sent forth.

ST. PANCRAS WORKHOUSE.
Mr. PERC' ir asked the President of the Poor-Law
Board whet) ter a report had been presented to the
Government on tha state of the St. Pancras or St. Mary-
lebone Workhouses ; and whether he would lay such
report on ? ,he table of the house.
Mr. BC 4UVERIE said, that in consequence of reports
he had re ,ceived he felt it his duty to appoint an able
medical gentleman to inspect the place. He had within
the last week or two received that gentleman's report,
and, to 'use his own words, the arrangements were hor-
rible— Jae had sent that report to the parish authorities,
a" Ki had no doubt they would speedily remedy the
'tat, ,of things complained of. He would have no ob.
Je''t min to lay the report on the table of the house.
LOCAL DUES UPON SHIPPING.
n reply to an HON.. MEMBER,
icy. Lord PALMERSTON said he intended to move the
Sir F. THESI
;end reading of o'lls bill on Monday.
rl/43:Elt said, such being the case, he
'egged to give n•otiee that, on that day, he should move
that the bill ba read a second time that day six months.
He asked tho 'aon. member (Nlr. Gibson) if he intended
to bring on is motion for the abolition of the abjura.
tion
‘,..oaths Kaat night.
1-V_. GIBSON said he hoped the house would
5"-44 ',Jim to introduce his bill without diilcussion. He
111,1" t ask the honourable gentleman if d
11"4" acted with him, would allow him tohe lay an
t those
hel nu the table, and the second reading on such a day bas ould give the house an opportunity to consider
the
matter. At the same time he would ask the noble lord
at the head of the Government if he had any objection
to that course ?
Lord PALMERSTON said that the Government
could have no objection to the course proposed. (Hear.)
Sir F. THESIGER said he thought that would be
the most convenient course to be adopted.
CONTRACTORS' DISQUALIFICATION BILL.
Mr. T. D UNCOMBE gave notice that, on the second
reading of the Contractors' Disqualification Bill, he
should move its second reading that day six months.
EDUCATION.
In answer to a question from Sir J. PAKINGTON,
Lord J. RUSSELL said that he proposed to lay on
the table of the house his resolution on education on
the Gth of March. He should not then ask the house to
Come to any conclusion on them then, but to adjourn
da
the ilievueslion to a future day. He hail not entered into
ar.-angement with the Government to give him a
Y. but in the event of peace being concluded be knew
c`f.. no question of greater interest than that of
wacation, and he hoped the Government would, there-
tr,re, give hi:a an early day.
In ANNEXATIONS IN INDIA.
anvwer to a question from Mr. OTWAY,
Mr. VEItNON SMITH said that the state of the
kingdom of Onde for the last 50 years had caused much
anxiety to the Government and in consequence of represea-
tations made to the Governor General of India who sent de-
spstches to the East, India Court of Directior, and the
Lord
Governmee,alhousie. W they had
When discretionary powers to
D the correspondence