The Sun.
London, England, 1860-02-08 00:00:00

EMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

PRISON ASSESSMENTS (SCOTLAND).
Mr. CAIRD moved for an address for a return for the
year 1869 of the apportionment of prison assessments be-
tween burghs and the landward parts of counties in Scot-
land, showing the rate per pound levied for such assess-
ment on property situated in each such burgh, and the rate
per pound levied for the same assessment in which such
burghs are respectively situated.
Ordered.

SUGAR.
Mr. C. FORSTER moved the following returns, which
were ordered :—Tabular return showing the quantities of
sugar of the several sorts imported into the United King•
dorn, and the quantities retained for home consumption;
together with the rates of duty charged thereon, and the net
revenue accruing therefrom in each year, from 1800 to 1859
inclusive ; followed by a comparative statement of the ave-
rage prices of British plantation and foreign sugar (ordinary
yellow Havannah) for the same series of years : Account
of the imports into the United Kingdom of sugar, molasses,
rum, coffee, cocoa, and cotton, from the West Indies, Bri-
tish Guiana, the Mauritius, and British possessions in India,
for the years 1831 to 1859 inclusive; distinguishing the quan-
tities from each colony and each possession in each year :
Similar account of the quantities of foreign sugar imported.
stating from whence, and the quantities from each place or
country : And account of the quantity of refined sugar and
sugar candy imported into the United Kingdom in the years
1848, 1849, 1850, 1851, 1852, 1853, 1854, 1855, 1866, 1857,
1853, and 1859 respectively, stating the quantity retained
for home consumption, the rates of duty paid, and the
quantity exported : Return of the quantity of foreign sugar
entered for home consumption during each year, front 1831
to 1869 inclusive, distinguishing refined from unrefined ;
and also the several places from whence such sugar was
imported.

MILITARY ORGANISATION COMMITTEE.
In reply to Colonel DUNNE,
Mr. S. HERBERT said he would give notice of the
intention of Government with regard to the reappointment
of this committee.

NEW WRITS.
On the motion of Mr. LAING writs were ordered for
Hereford in the room of Mr. Cowper, vacant by his accept-
ance of the office of Chief Commissioner of the Board of
Works; and for Gateshead, vacant by the appointment of
Mr. Butt as Vice President of the Board of Trade.
CHURCH-RATES ABOLITION BILL.
On the order of the day for. the second reading of this
bill,

Mr. HENLEY presented a petition signed by seventy
archdeacons of the United Kingdom against the abolition
of church-rates, which he moved should be read before pro-
ceeding with the orders of the day.
This motion was agreed to, and the petition was accord-
ingly read at the table of the house.
Sir J. TRELAWNY then rose to move the second
reading of the bill. The lion, baronet, after some intro-
ductory observations, said that there was universal autho-
rity in favour of the settlement of this question, and that
circumstances had recently arisen which rendered such a
settlement extremely desirable. It was more than
twenty years ago that Sir Robert Peel said that six
months should not be permitted to elapse before
the question was finally arranged, and about the same
Period, he believed, Lord Derby said that the Dissenters
had a serious and substantial grievance to complain of in
the existence of church rates. The commissioners ap-
pointed in 1859 said that the law in regard to church rates
was in a most inconsistent and unsatisfactory condition,
and Dr. Lushington, as well as other high legal autho-
rities, had expressed themselves to the same effect. In
fact, he had the whole authority of the house, including
every member of the opposition, as to the necessity of a
settlement of the question. Moreover, the late Govern •
went had introduced a measure abolishing Ministers'
money, thereby affirming the principle for which he con-
tended, and adopting in Ireland the system which he was
desirous of establishing in England. (Hear, hear.) Ho
was not desirous of introducing any disagreeable element
into the present discussion, and he would merely advert to
certain disturbances which had taken place in the metropo-
lis in reference to the mode of peforming the Church service.
Those disturbances formed a ground for the settlement of
the question, for as there was no efficient synodical action,
or other means of putting an end to the dissensions between
congregations and their ministers, he thought the laity
should be armed with additional powers. It was also proved
that the existence of the rate formed a ground of great in-
COM enience to the magistrates throughout the country.
The principle of taxation without representation was op-
posed to the constitution of the country, and to the feelings
of the community. (Hear, hear.) He alluded to the re-
cent disturbances in Edinburgh to show that the people of
that city were determined to resist the payment of these
rates. As a further proof of the feelings of hostility enter-
tained towards the impost, he would aw the Attention of
the house to the fact that very lately Share were no less
than 500 summonses issued in the city against defaulters
wtth respect to this rate, all of which were dismissed before
the magistrate before whom they were heard. He con-
tended also that the amount raised by these rates was too
limited to justify the house in perpetuating them in the facsiof
the difficulties and opposition with which their collection was
attended. That amount was £263,709 14s. 2d., which was
subject to reductions that reduced it considerably. In the
first place, there was the debt with which it was encum-
bered, amsunting to £318,200, the interest on which was
no less than £15,000 a-year ; and, if they got rid of the
illegal items in these rates, the sum total would be further
diminished. The opposition to the bill, so far as
the Dissenters were concerned, was, he understood,
to be abandoned by hon. members on the other
side of the house, and the conduct of Dissenters in those
cases where the rate was net imposed was such as
to justify the members of the Church of England
in feeling confidence that they would not suffer from
tho adoption of the voluntary principle. He alluded
to hie own borough (Tavistock), in which the church-
rate had been abolished, and where the Dissenters had
subsequently come forward and contributed towards
the building and decoration of a church for the use of the
members of a State establishment. The Dissenters in
Leeds had also proved that there was no ground of appre-
hension from the operation of the voluntary principle, for
they had come forward nobly and liberally to support the
Church since its adoption in this neighbourhood. (Hear,
hear.) He contended also that the great excite-
ment which the imposition and collection of this
rate produced was, in itself, a very powerful argument
against its continuance. The hon. baronet concluded by
urging briefly, but effectively, the ordinary arguments in
rinolitiinca.te
support of his motion, and calling on the house to adopt a
an impost which was obnoxi-
ous, hear.)
thereforewouldinitep
• Sir C. DOUGLAS seconded the motion. He had been
a member of the committee of 1851, and the evidence he had
heard on that occasion convinced him that the only means of settling this question was by the adoption of the volun-
omueas,saurnde that
tary principles.
Lord ;R. MONTAGUE moved, as an amendment, the'
the bill be road a second time this day six months.
[LEFT STEAXING.]

HOUSE OF COMMONS.--(THIS DAY.)
The SPEAKER took the chair at twelve o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.
The standing orders were declared to have been complied
with in the case of several bills.
The following bills were read a second time :—Aylesbury
and Buckingham Railway ; Caine Railway ; Cardiff
Water; Lsnd Loan and Improvement Company; London
and Blackwall Railway; London and North-Western (No.
I) ; Oxford, 'Worcester, and Wolverhampton Newport,
Abergavenny, and Hereford, and Worcester and Hereford
Railways ; St. Helen's Canal and Railway and London
and North-Western Railway Companies ; Sudbury, Mel- d
ford and Clare, and Bury St. Edmund's Railway.
PETITIONS.
Several petitions were presented from various parts of the
country against the unconditional abolition of church rates;
which proceeding occupied the house 40 minutes.
INCOME TAX.
Mr. FORSTER moved for a return showing the number
of persons charged to the income tax for the year ending
the sth day of April, 1859, under Schedule 1), distinguish-
ing tho number charged in each of the following classes,
viz., under £lOO a year, £lOO and under £l5O a year, £l5O
and under £2OO a year, and other incomes to £50,000 and
upwards; also a similar return under Schedule E, showing
the net amount of property and income tax for the same
year, classed under the several Schedules (in continuation
of he Parliamentary Paper of Session ile69). And
similar return for Ireland.
Ordered.