The Sun.
London, England, 1860-08-08 00:00:00

the Government had seemed to attach considerable import.

ante had been rejected in the House of Commons. With re-
gard to the Poor -law Bill for Ireland, there could be no ques-
tion that a-bill ought to be passed, in order to prevent the ex-
piration of the powers of the Irish Poor-law Board, but it did
not follow that extensive alterations should be made in the
existing law, and he hoped the noble earl would be satisfied
with a mere continuance bill, and withdraw those clauses,
for which no immediate urgency could be alleged. There
were a considerable number of bills still in progress in the
other House of Parliament, which had not reached their
lordships' house, and it must be a very strong case indeed
which could justify the house in departing from their usual
regulation, so as to admit the second reading of those bills,
so long after the period which had been fixed as the latest
day on which the second reading of bills should take place.
In the case of bills which were necessary for settling the
financial arrangements of the country no such objection
would be raised, and indeed the rule did not apply to such
bills; but no others, except those of extreme importance,
should be made the subjects of a resolution of urgency. It
was desirable that, both in their lordships' house and in the
other house of parliament, there should be a clear under-
standing as to what bills were to be taken up at the end of
tha session, for he had seen much time wasted in the House
of Commons at this late period, on bills which were still at
a very early stage, and for which no Flea of urgency could
be admitted, if they were now to be sent up to their lord-
ships' house. Such a bill, for instance, as the Metropolis
Local Management Bill, which affected many important
interests, was one which ought not to be pressed on their
lordships without allowing a fair time for its discussion.
There was another bill which, he understood, was likely to
pass the House of Commons that evening, and to which he
believed the Government, as he himself did, attached great
importance. He thought the subject of that bill was one of
extreme urgency, though he was not quite satisfied with
the mode in which the Government had dealt with it; he
meant the bill relative to the constitution of the European
forces in India. That was a bill for which, under any cir-
stances, the Government had a right to call for the consi-
deration of the house.

Earl GRANVILLE, who was scarcely audible in the re-
porters' gallery, replied that the two bills to which the
noble earl had particularly alluded, as standing for a second
reading on Thursday neat, were the Irish Poor-law Con •
tinuance Bill and the Ecclesiastical Commission Bill,which
he would ask their lordships to consider on that day. He
also intended to ask their consideration for the Friendly
Societies Bill, and the East India Stock Transfer Bill. Of
the Landlord and Tenant Bill he knew nothing at present,
nor of some of the other bills which were still in the other
house of Parliament. He need not now give a list of the
bills connected with money which would come before their
lordships before the close of the session. There was the
bill to provide for the proposed fortifications, the defences
of the realm, which he trusted their lordships would-
early take into their consideration, as well as the European
Forces in India Bill, to which the noble earl had referred.
The Land Improvement (Ireland) Bill was also to be
brought on, with a view to settling the questions which had
been agitated so long; besides which there was the bill re-
lating to Roman Catholic Charities, the Industrial Schools
Bill, and the Metropolis Local Management Bill. In gene-
ral, their lordships' house was placed in rather a difficult
losition when a qusstion was raised as to the effect-of their
ta
,ing rule to limit the latest time for the second reading
theof bills to the 27th July. On the present occasion the
effect would be to fix the latest period five or six weeks be-
fore the end of the session • at least he might say there was
very little probability of the session being brought to a close
in leas than a month after the period thus fixed. If, now,
they were
out thele, while the
House of Comac to rrY standing rumsea
continued sitting such a number of
hours every day to, get through
the business of the session,
they would place the twoh ustesirn an awkward position,
and he hoped, theretfore, that heilordships would so use
that regulation as not to riskits breaking down under the
circumstances.
• With regard. now to the Poor Relief (Ire-
land) Bill, and the nedifica hons suggested in, it, her Ma
jesty's Government thought'thought'it desirable that the bill should
be left in its presera state; and he Could not admit
the
principle that on th a second reading of such a bill certain
of the clauses ought to be omitted because they
were not
matters of urgency.
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE :said that atouvor.
tant principle was lit volved in those clauses of the Irish
PoJr-law Bill which .ought not to be agreed to without due