The Sun.
London, England, 1834-06-14 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS, June 13.

The SPEAKIER took the chair at twenty-five minutes
past five o'clock.
Mr. HUTT moved for a return of the gross re-
ceipts of the Custom-house of Hull, for the year end-
ing the sth of January, 1834, distinguishing the amount
and nature of the drawbacks.—Ordered.

Mr. GILL ON moved for a copy of the resolutions
entered into by the justices of the peace and commis-
sioners of supply for the county of Linlithgow, rela-
tive to the granting of licenses.
Mr. ROBARTS presented a petition from Maid-
stone against certain clauses in the Poor Laws' Amend-
ment Bill.

Mr. PINNE Y presented a petition from a place in
Somersetshire against drunkenness.
Mr. R. SHA WE presented a petition from Deben-
ham, praying for an alteration in the Church Rates
Bill.

Mr. TOWER moved for a return of all grants of
any portion of forest or waste lands made for the use
and benefit of any parish to the commissioners of his
Majesty's treasury under the Ist and 2d William IV.
—Ordered.

Mr. ROBINSON presented a petition from the
Parish of All Saints, City of Worcester, in support
of the Established Church, and complaining of the
extent of demands made by the Dissenters.
Mr. COBBETT gave notice that, before going
into Committee on the Poor Laws' Amendment Bill
on Monday next, he should move a resolution to the
effect that, before any relief be granted in any parish,
an assessment be made equal to one-fourth the annual
amount of the revenues of the abbey lands and im-
propriate tithes of such parish.
Lord ALTHO RP wished to suggest some arrange-
ments respecting the business of the house. The
morning sittings of Tuesdays and Thursdays had been
appropriated to the committee on the Poor Laws Bill,
but he regretted to say little progress had been made
at those during the present week. He would
not make a motion, but he asked the house
to add Wednesdays to the order days, and to allow
Government ordcr3 to take precedence on Wednesday
mornings.
Sir R. PE EL said that he had no objection
to such an arrangement as far as he was concerned ;
but he would take that opportunity of impressing
upon his Majesty's ministers the necessity of fixing
days on which those important questions, the
University Bill, and the Irish Tithe Commuta-
tion Bill should be discussed. The anxiety
of the public respecting these measures could
not be exaggerated. The University Bill stood
for a second reading. on Monday next, and he should
wish to
onthat day ?
oask the noblea lord if he intended to bring it
forward
Lord AL THORP certainly understood that it was
with the active concurrence of the house that the
course now pursued should be adopted. He under-
stood
it was considered that the best mode of con-
ducting the business during the present session would
be to take one measure at a time. It was with this view
he had persevered in inducing the house to take into i
I consideration the Poor Laws Bill as often as he could.
It would certainly be the most convenient mode that
the committee should be allowed to finish the
Poor Laws Bill before the house entered into any
other measure. There necessarily . would be an
interval between the breaking up of the committee and
the re-consideration of the measure by the house, and
he had intended to take that interval in which to
bring forward the Irish Tithe Commutation Bill.
( Hear, hear.) At present, it was impossible for him
to pledge himself to any specific day on which he might
be able to bring forward the measure.
Sir R. PEEL said that if the noble lord's intima-
tion amounted to this, that it would not be expedient
that one measure should be laid on the table until
another was disposed of, and that (as in the present
instance) applied to measures of a very multifareous
nature, it would be impossible to form an idea when
the Irish Tithe Commutation Bill might be brought
forward. For his own part, he saw no reason why the
discussion should not be introduced upon the prin-
ciples of this most important bill.
Lord ALTHO R P said a few words, which were
not heard.

Sir R. PEEL said that lie believed the proposal
in the committee would be, whether certain clauses in
the measure brought forward by the government for
effecting certain alterations in the church of Ireland
should be omitted or not.

Sir E. KNACTHBULL said that if the noble
lord's intention, or if the understanding of the house
was, that one single measure such as the Poor Lawt;
Bill, should be finished before any other was entered

upon, he was afraid that those measures alone VoMoir
were in the hands of his Majesty's government-would
receive any attention. However that might be, he really
thought the house ought to know what was to be'dcme •
next week. If Government business was to have .M 011".
day, Wednesday, and Friday, there would only be vivo
days remaining for other business ; and he should be
glad then to be informed what the course intended.to
be pursued during the next week was. What vias4o
become of the whole of the business that stood- for
Wednesday for instance ? He himself had something
for that day. Was it to be postponed till the following
Tuesday, or was he to have no opportunity whatever -
for bringing forward his discussion ?

Lord AL THORP was understood to say that those
orders of the day which stood for Wednesday next,
would be taken at the morning sitting on Thursday.
Mr. G OUL BURN objected to have such important
measures discussed in the morning. Private busi-
ness occupied the house every morning till one
o'clock, and there could not be a more inconvenient
mode of conducting the public business than taking
up the time of the house in discussing them for two
days a week, and for two hours each day. Such a mode
would render the debates interminable.
Sir J. SCARL ETT said that if it was the
wish of the house to banish all men of business, they
would do the public business in the morning. (Hear,
hear.) It would be utterly impossible for him to at-
tend at the morning sittings, and he did not think
the alteration would be any improvement. ( Hear.)
After a few words from Lord AL THORP, which
were wholly unintelligible,
Mr. O'CONNELL said that the house was
already sufficiently infested with lawyers (Loud
cries of " Hear") to make it undesirable that any
proceeding should take place which should not be for
the accommodation of the public but the lawyers. It
was very extraordinary that any gentleman in that
house should think the attendance of lawyers, however
respectable, of more importance than the interests of
the people. He was of opinion that the house ought
to sit by day, and never would the public business be
well done till it was confined wholly to day-time. There
was great inconvenience in night business, and a great
quantity of public business of great importance was
hurried through that house without sufficient consider-
ation, in consequence of the discussions taking place
in the night time ( Hear, hear) ; for both clients
and the house could not have the attendance
of the members who were lawyers. He was for
preferring the public, and leaving the clients to them-
selves. Let gentlemen consider that there were in that
house members from the remotest parts of Ireland and
Scotland, and who were there at a distance from 100
to 1,000 miles from their own residences, and there-
fore he did not think it was paying sufficient defe-
rence to those who came from distant parts to
say they were to sit up debating all night
for the convenience of those who lived near. He
and all the other Irish members who were
lawyers, were obliged to come here, there being
no other place at present to which they could be sent.
( Hear, hear, and laughter.) He hoped that before
they were a year older, a resolution would be
passed to the effect that they should do no business
at all by night. All other public bodies did their
business by day, and there was no public assembly in
the world that did business over midnight, except the
British House of Commons, and sometimes a short
snatch of the Lords. ( Hear, hear, and laughter.)
Sir J. SC A RL ETT never meant to view the ques-
tion as one personally to himself, and if the house were
to agree to sit during the day, the house would not be
merely filled with lawyers, but exclusively Irish law-
yers. (Laughter.)
Mr. ROBINSON said that no member knew.ofrto.llme
one day to the other what would be brought on ~_
house, or what would not. ( Cries of " Hear, hear. )
It would be only a matter of courtesy that the utmost
o r
indulgence should be given to every hon. ,F
marflobveer
consistent with duty. If any one were to ?
°
the notice-book, he would find 20 orders of the day,
f
and 20 notices of motions for every night' which was
a disgrace to any deliberative assembly. ( Hear,
hear, hear.) He would not mention any one in
particular, but as far as government were concerned,
they should bring forward their measures at an
earlier
to
period of the session, because every member
liked
have an opportunity of deliberating
upon them.
It was only last night that the Attorney-General brought
in new bills ; he did not object to them, but
be
and
did
object to the time at which they were brought in, ,
he felt satisfied that not a tenth of the business cola°. be
got through during the present session. He thought
it uncourteous to hon. members—although he did not
mean to apply that term to the noble lord himself, for
he thought, if any thing, the noble lord was
rather too courteous ( Hear, hear, hear), but it was
uncourteous on the part of government towards hon.
members—to bring forward questions at such a late
period of the session.

Lord 110 RPE TH complained that the noble lord
was charged by one party with bringing forward too
much business, and by another party with not doing
enough. ( Hear, hear.) He thought both charge*
were equally unfounded, because every measure must
go through certain stages before it could be passed into
a law. He was satisfied they never would be able to
get through the business of the house, unless some
hon. members would observe a little more abstinence,
(Loud cries of " Hear, hear,") in the number of ad-
dresses they felt it their duty to make to that house.

(Cheers.)
Lord AL THORP said a few words in explanation.
He believed the Poor Laws Bill could not have been.
brought in sooner, and that little time had been lost
since the bill had been brought in.
After a few words from Mr. G. W. WOOD and
Sir E. KNATCHBULL against the proposition,
Colonel I)AVIE S rose to bring forward the resolu
tions of which he had given notice, that during the rest
of the session the house will on Tuesdays and Thursdays
proceed to orders of the day at the sittings be tween
twelve and three, in addition to the business already
appointed to be done at this meeting; and, s econdly,
that orders of the house have precedence of petitions
proLpeols.
on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
of The
mittee on the Poor Laws' Amendment Bill be read'
had
SPEAKER
ay
or ththeehnoputslet trheseoqlvuiensgtioitns,eitfhii:ltt)hae ocrodieif
last
the same as those that had been adopted in the
session. He should not press upon the house any
it
pnh ee
drh
shouldi
ttsihme denetovhbo three
teeee resolutions.tldwoaroyd
dedte ALTthHe OhoßosPe, soanid
athfaotrmtheer
dreasyo,luwteiorieislihteeraliy,
opinion of his own as to the suggestions of the hon.
:oat
reorneaddmi
ndseoegrerncsai
decide
di
caaenfinodoliet member,kpßealoneßhnoo.E
T T butsa i leavesaid
tha thethat
the mwinanoot tubtelhlrdeef
lord
week.r
atdhll e
e wash,
roel.:siee.
noble lord gave no reasons for thsodsaOey
posed that they
now
and
yet done.
the
report
et
pe wasr t
w well o
Inkflnysiwpmtoehwp forthteahehrrataati Inthsohganteeth,
turned about from one thing to another without all
sneehinatnitmgheeestighbeeuett::
tell them when he intended that the discussion on the
Poor Laws Bill would come on.
Mr. GO ULBURN perfectly agreed with the noble
lord (Lord Morpeth) that it would be extremely an,
Hear,
as visable if hon. members would curtail as
( Hear,
as possible their addresses to the house.
hear.) With respect to the committees t!nt. were
sitting up stairs, lie thought it
jn impossible
e decisions
they could give any satisfactiur!
.1
according to the masannteorgi
on
left in the hands of a few
of those committees was t
never attending at all,
members, the great major' Y themewehnrotel isep business
nwobreeut i
nrs
ei
bonwl
iefe was
sts
wswo'has.o had important matters to bring
As to the Poor Laws Bill,
committee of that house.
have three days to proceed with
Government would h
time should be
accommodation they would never have
itenariegste 0 m
mfaaoffnardowdr
ehad
reefdodtrhftootorhuoegdti
doing
might as well abandon those measures altorther.
There was a most important subject, the Univt
Admission Bill. When was that to be broui'ht Baer
n,
the notice of the house? He hoped an earl %i°orn
a que
tunity would be afforded for fully discussing
an opportunity of bringing
of such deep interest. throughout
Sir R. PEEL was really surprised that
n, members
this long and desultory conversation no hme of
enough had been found generous to withdraw so
d Thursdays.
their motions which stood for Tuesdays an : on the
There were at least twelve or thirteen notices .
' ostponed
books which could be most advantageously p
Indeed
( Hear) usefully so for the public interest.
he did not know that a more generous contribution
could be made to the prosperity of the state or the es..
..
igencies of the public service than their withdrawal
(Laughter and cheers.)
Colonel DAVIES consented to withdraw his resolik
bo
tions, and Lord ALTIIORI' did not press any on t .
suggestion he had made respecting the early sitting!;
on Wednesday.
POOR LAWS' AMENDMENT BILL.. di '
On the order of the day being again read from - •
read front

eiltir boy going into Committee on the Poor Laws'
Anl.ndment Bill,
A;r. C OBBE TT rose to bring forward an amend-
taeot of which he had given notice—
,' That there be laid before this house an account of all
klaries, allowances, printing expenses, expenses of messen-
and expenses of every description occasioned by the
oor Laws' Commission ; also a statement whether any
cif the Commissioners hold other commissions, or fill any
°feces for which they receive pay out of the public purse,
514!eifying what commission or what office, and also speci-
luig the sum or sums so received ; and stating further,
whether the secretary to the commissioners holds any other
Public' post of emolument, and what post, and the amount
such emolument."

The hon. gentleman said the object of his amendment
Was to show what kind of stuff they had to pay for,
tad how the money of the people was spent. In his
opinion the commission had not cost less than 60,000/. :
aticl what were they to have for that great sum of
money? Why, a great number of volumes of nonsense
''-mere nonsense. He said it was utterly impossible
Tor any man in that house to come to any fair or honest
decision upon the noble lord's bill until he had read
the evidence that accompanied the report of the com-
missioners. This report and evidence consisted of
I°,ooo folio pages, every word of which ought to be
read and well considered. It was physically impos-
Cile members could attend to the details of this bill.
To read and understand the report it would take up at
least 365 days. Who could that had any business
SPend so much time ? This was a pretty sample of
What might be expected from a reformed Parliament.
Any other Parliament but a reformed Parliament
Would have acted better. ( Hear.) Nobody could
lay but that the acts of the reformed Parliament left
!ouch to be desired. Every body who was capable of
Judging would see that in the acts of the Whigs there
Was nothing but muddling confusion. He considered
that the whole matter was a job between the Govern-
ment and the commissioners. The point he wanted
to arrive at was this : would Ministers refuse to give
fl account of what this commission had cost ? Would
the noble lord agree to that return being
Lord ALTHORP—To be sure I will.
Mr. COBB E TT—To be sure he will. ( Laughter. )
Does the noble lord then agree to my motion ? ( A
laugh. )
Lord A LTHORP (touching his hat)—Yes.
Mr. COBBETT—Oh ! then you know I shan't
'Peak any more. The noble lord agrees to my mo-
tion. (Laughter. )
Mr. T. ATTWO OD seconded the motion.
The amendment was then agreed to.
The house then resolved itself into committee on
tho bill.
The discussion on the 46th clause was then resumed.
Mr. HARDY said he thought it right that the
14erseers of the poor should be allowed to extend relief
to all cases of emergency, and he should, therefore,
move as an amendment on the clause that at the end
41 the 18th line, after the words " overseers and guar-
w; the words "be empowered to give such relief
forthwith" should be inserted.
Lord Althorp, Sir G. Philips, Mr. Pease, Mr.
Benett, and Colonel Wood said a few words for and
Igltinst the clause.

Sir rf.FiIgiiANTLE thought that the present
as one of the most important clauses in the bill, and
if they did not fence it round with securities it would
°e constantly broken through. If they left a discre-
tionary power to the overseer they would return back
to the state of thinks now complained of.
The amendment was then withdrawn.
Mr. HALCOMB said that he had an amendment
t 4 Propose, to the effect that fishermen should be en-
14,bled to obtain relief without being sent to the work-
'ouse. The clause stated that the overseer should
40t give relief to able-bodied men out of the work-
°use, but he (Mr. Halcomb) thought that an excep-
tisk% should be made in favour of the industrious body
" had alluded to.
Lord ALT HORP saw no necessity for making any
"ange. Of course the case of fishermen, as the
cnalles of others, would come under the attention of the
-'"Tntnissioners, to whom a discretionary power was
Intrusted.
Mr. WARD objected to the exception in this case.
Mr. GROTE said that he was surprised that hon.
Illembers were not ashamed in persisting in making
ribjections of this nature, which had been so often re-

16. COBBETT was astonished that the committee
11(lould listen to a clause like the present. It was most
t'bieetionable on every ground. The truth was, hon.
gentlemen were anxious to have a system of poor laws
"`miler to that in Scotland adopted in this country.an
e intended to make some observations on that point,
Vlid regretted the absence of the hon. member for
'ddlesex, who was always away when he should be
L' his place. The hon. member then proceeded to
read aa-extract from the report of the commissioners
°f the poor laws on the subject of Scotch poor laws.
Sir J. WROTTESLE Y called the hon. member
4_til Order. He was taking up the time of the commit-
‘" With a subject having no connection with the clause
tinder consideration.

Mr.-COBB E TT contended that he was not more
Qta of order than the noble lord ( Althorp).
Sir J. WROTTESLE Y said if the noble lord had
for
out of order, it did not justify the hon. member
"31' also being out of order.
Mr. COBBETT said that he would reserve to
klother opportunity the bringing forward all matters
;kaanected with Scotland, as they at present refused to
• him elucidate the subject of poor laws in Scotland.
4his empire was composed of three countries ; in one
theythe
had all meat and beer, and knives and forks ; in
he second oatmeal brose ; and in the the third there
were potatoes, seaweeds, and paws. (Laughter.)
the first country, namely, England, there had been
Poor laws for 140 years ; in Scotland there had been
„II defective state of poor laws for a century and a half;
."'d in the third there were no poor laws at all. Hon.
1111,einbers at present wished to assimilate the first with
to second, and in a short time they would endeavour
lo assimilate the two first with the last.
Mr. BAINES opposed the amendment.
It was then withdrawn.
kr. TO WE R proposed a proviso, to the effect that
"4 able-bodied man having a wife and family should
compelled to lodge in the workhouse as the sole
:°odition of his receiving relief, if he be willing to
h-4PPort himself by cultivating a small allotment of land,
,rt,Ovlded the expense the parish was put to by such
that
L was not greater than the interest of the money
44'14 would be required to convey him and his family to
Y of his Majesty's colonies.
lions Lord ALTHORP agreed that allotting small por-
of land to the poor would be a great advantage,
dig
as that was a matter which ought to be left to the
this of the landlord he could not consent to have
Is proviso added to the clause.
Tsl.to motion was then put and negatived without a
hill. P
and the clause agreed to stand part of the
The 47th, the appeal clause, was also agreed to.
tOn the 48th clause (declaring that no relief should
e given except by the Boards of the Guardians of the
oor) being put,
, In reply to a question from Sir T. FREMANTLE
\Who was inaudible in the gallery),
ceder
ALTHORP said that where the parish was
'lder the provisions of this act—that was, under the
rernment of a select vestry or a board of the guar_
toffs of the poor—a Magistrate would have no power
w order relief to be given to a pauper out of the
:rkilouse hut where that was not the case, the
it Wer of Magistrates would be precisely tne same as
Ovia at present.
th
se WILLOUGHBY said that as he construed
.e clau it did not appear as if any relief was to be
ll'as
ive
n to the aged
poor in those parishes where there
no workhouse
Lord ALTHORP admitted that the clause would
we• re to have the effect attributed to it by the hon.
`4ronet. Where no workhouses existed the power of
"dering relief would continue in the magistrates, but
There there were workhouses the magistrates would
Ae deprived of that power. The effect of this would
to restore parishes to the condition in which they
ere previous to 1796, when the situation of the poor
4i so much better than it had been at any subsequent
Perod.
Mr. P. SCROPE did not think it would be expe-
oletiLto deprive magistrates of a power which had for
hPwards of three hundred years been vested in their
ficiat and which they had always exercised so bene-
the si for the poor. In fact that power constituted
wer `cority of the poor to the relief to which they
entitled, and therefore he called upon the
°Use to pause and consider well before they took
IlwaY from
sory po !magistrates an astringent and compd..
voluntarwyeriorin ctiosreder to substitute in . its place a
,r?tionary power, which, owing
to the hands in Which it was to be placed' , would
13,! likely to w
He admitted thaotrkthunfavourably towards the poor.
Poor under the administration of relief to the
atosteyroiafl sanction had been very
finch bused,
especiall
kared that, for the space later years, yet, as it. sp-
ot the pauper
.to such eftrelh ee centuries, the rights
had been admitted and

provided for in the strongest terms by act of Parlia-
ment, he thought it unjust to deprive him of it entirely.
He should, therefore, conclude by moving a proviso to
the present clause, reserving a power to two justices
at petty sessions to order relict, after complaint on oath
by the pauper, and summons and hearing of the over-
seer ; and that the word " exclusively " be omitted.
Lord AL THOR P said that the amendment pro-
posed by the hon. member for Stroud tended directly
to alter the principle of the bill in a very important
feature. The power of the magistrates to order tem-
porary relief to the pauper had been long recognised
by act of Parliament, but he believed it to be generally
admitted that that power had not been always very
discreetly used. It was under this impression that the
framers of the present bill had thought it better to take
away the power from persons who, from the very best
motives of humanity, had too often misapplied it. The
hon. member for Stroud thought that the present
clause would cause an act of injustice by depriving the
pauper of his vested right to relief in case of need.
He (Lord Althorp) certainly did not think it would
be found to have any such effect ; nor did he think
that in its administration it would be productive even
of that harshness which the hon. member had antici-
pated. If he recollected rightly on the occasion when
he (Lord Althorp) opened this question to the house
the sense of the house was almost unanimous on this
point, and agreed in admitting the principle that ma-
gistrates should be deprived of the power of compelling
relief, except in the workhouse. That was certainly
his (Lord Althorp's) opinion, and under that convic-
tion he was opposed to the amendment now proposed
to the clause under their consideration.

Sir T. FREMANTLE said a few words in support
of the amendment.

Mr. SLANEY thought that, under existing cir-
cumstances, it would be advantageous to have some
very limited power of the kind in the hands of the
magistrates.

Mr. G ROTE opposed the amendment.
After a few words from Mr. HALCOMB, Mr. EWART,
and Sir H. WILLOUGHBY, which were very indistinctly
heard,

Sir M. W. RIDLEY opposed the amendment.
He thought there should be left open a field for the
exercise of private charity, and he thought that a dis-
cretionary power should be left to the Select Vestries
to grant relief.

After some brief remarks from Mr. LLOYD, Colonel
WOOD, and Major HANDLEY, which from the noise
in all parts of the house were utterly unintelligible
to us,

Mr. COBBETT said that he should be sorry to
strip the magistrates of the last remnant of their autho-
rity, for that authority should be upheld. Their
duties in the administration of the poor laws were not
worse discharged than in other cases. Take away
their superintendence in the case of the poor laws,
and they would sink into insignificance and be exposed
to scorn. (Murmurs of disapprobation, and a sound
like that of a whistle.) Gentlemen may whew and
whistle, but those unseemly noises in that house would
not restore to them their power or to the people their
protection. (Cheers. )
Sir E. KNATCHBULL would oppose the amend-
ment, yet he did not think the magisterial influence
would be so sunk as the hon. member had imagined.
( Here the hon. member paid a high tribute of praise
to the magistracy. )
Lord AL THO RP said that the evils anticipated by
some hon. members could not occur.
Mr. COBBETT said that paid overseers caused
most of the insurrections of the country. Their ty-
ranny went so far as to tear the hair off the heads of
girls.
__ _

Mr. HA L CONIB said he was present at the trials
in Winchester, and the contrary of the hon. member's
(Mr. Cobbett) statement was proved. (Cheers.)
Mr. COB B ETT said the hon. member had en-
tirely forgotten that the liberal Whigs had brought
him to trial upon the confession of Goodman, and that
they had been most completely defeated. The hon.
member had also forgotten that 111 respectable per-
sons of Battle had signed a document disproving the
statement of Goodman. Farther, it was proved that
Goodman had set fire to two or three of the five ricks
out of private malice. The hon. member ought also to
have stated that the confession was obtained from
Goodman, and that it had been clearly proved that the
orthography of the confession was markedly different
from that of Goodman's private communications to his
friends. Did not the hon. member, too, know that
Goodman, guilty as he was, had been pardoned, for he
signed the confession while another convict, far less
culpable, had been executed ? ( Hear, hear.) The
time might yet come when he would prove that cer-
tain persons in Battle had actually received money
from the liberal but beaten Whigs for taking part in
that base conspiracy. ( Hear, and a laugh.) •
Mr. GORING said he had had the original confes-
sion in his possession all last session.
Mr. COBBETT asked if the hon. member saw
Goodman write it ? ( A laugh.)
Mr. GORING said the High Sheriff of the county
only could have seen that.

The committee then divided, when there appeared—
For the amendment 25
Against it • 125
Majority —lOO
Clause 48, as amended, was then agreed to.
On clause 49 being proposed,
Mr. HAL C 0 l B recommended a monthly publi-
cation of the names of all persons receiving relief from
the rates.

Lord ALTHORP said something which was in-
audible in the gallery.
Mr. COBBETT said the proposition was hard-
hearted, and unworthy of an Englishman.
Mr. HALCOAIB said his object was to promote
independence.
The clause was then agreed to.
On clause 50 being proposed,
Sir T. FREMANTLE recommended that the
clause should be left out altogether, or that the word
" ten," referring to the age of children dependant
upon their parents, should be substituted for that of
sixteen.

Lord ALTHORP objected to leaving out the
clause altogether, but would consent to substitute
" twelve" for " sixteen."
The amendment was then made and the clause
agreed to.

—Clause 51 was agreed to.
On clause 52 being put,
Lord AL THO RP proposed to strike out the pre-
amble, which was agreed to.
On the suggestion of Mr. HAL COMB, an amend-
ment was introduced to prevent persons under 21 years
of age being charged with debt to a parish on account
of relief received.
The clause as amended was agreed to.
Clauses 53 and 54 were agreed to, and clause 55
was postponed.
Clause 56 was passed with amendments, and clause
57 was postponed.
Clauses 58 and 59 were passed.
On the motion of Mr. W. WHITMORE, clause
60 was postponed on the ground of its importance, and
that the lateness of the hour precluded any adequate
discussion.

The CHAIRMAN then reported progress, and
obtained leave to sit again.

MERCHANT SEAMEN'S BILL.
Sir J. GRAHAM stated that he had received from
the outports so many communications relative to the
Merchant Seamen's Bill which he deemed of import-
ance that he was induced to make many alterations in
it. He therefore should move that the bill be com-
mitted pro forma, and that it be reprinted and taken
into further consideration that day se'nnight.
The bill was accordingly recommitted further
proceedings
i‘ir.
p LONDON
oT Nfii
:Doe domfNosr
opFNor Friday the
et hpteou2l- is
move
in a
committee
i
BILL.
nst, and .
he might
of the whole house a resolution upon which i
obtain leave to bring in a bill to alter the port dues of
London, and by which a saving of 40,0001. a year
might be made to the trade. By the 39th and 42d
Geo. 111. certain port dues were to be levied, in order
to pay off an existing debt, and to form a fund for the
expenses of the river and port of London, so that
eventually the duties might be altogether removed.
Ministers were now of opinion that the port dues
ought to be reduced to the extent of only covering
current expenses, and without any relation to accu-
mulating the fund. The bill had received the sanction
of the shipowners of London.
After a few words from Mr. YOUNG, the resolu-
tion was put and carried, and the hon. member ob-
tained leave to bring in the bill.
COURT OF CHANCERY (IRELAND) BILL.
Mr. LITTLETON moved the order of the day for
the second reading of the Court of Chancery ( Ireland)
Bill.

After a short discussion, in which the Solicitor-
General, Mr. O'Reilly, Mr. Shaw, Mr. D. Browne,
and Mr. Ruthven took a part, the bill was read a
second time, and ordered to be committed on Monday
next.

The Greenwich Hospital Annuity Bill was read a

second time, and ordered to be committed on Monday
next.

The report on the Weights and Measures (Ireland)
Bill was brought up ; to be taken into further consi-
deration on Friday next. _
The Registry of Births ( Scotland) Bill was read a
second time, and ordered to be committed on Friday
next.