The Sun.
London, England, 1860-04-30 00:00:00

COUPONS.

Mr. THOMPSON asked the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer whether coupons issued by railway companies for the
payment of their debenture interest are rendered liable to
the stamp duty of one penny by the new St,imp Act ; or
whether, in the opinion of the law officers of the Crown, the
wording of that act carries out the assurance given to
this house by him, on the 26th of March last.
namely, that " the resolution would not, in the slightest
degree, affect the question raised with regard to the
liability of coupons, or dividend warrants, to pay the penny
tax, and that when the bill was drawn, the form of the
clause would make this clear ?"

Mr. LAING said that it was not the intention of the Go-
vernment to impose a tax on coupons, and he was informed
by the authorities of the Inland Revenue that no charge
would be made with reference to the same.
THE WINE DUTIES.
Lord HENRY THYNNE asked the Chancellor of the
Exchequer whether there was any foundation for the report
that the final reduction of the wine duties is to take effect
in August or September; or whether he intended to adhere
to his original proposal that such reduction shall take effect
on the Ist day of January, 1861 ?
Mr. LAING said that he could not give an answer to the
question, and trusted that the hon. gentleman would repeat
it when his right hon. friend the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer was present.
THE BRONZE COINAGE.

Mr. lIOPWOOD asked the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer when the new bronze coinage would be issued?
LAING said that some delay had unavoidably oc-
curred, but that the bronze coinage would most probably
be issued in about two months.
THE ROYAL PARKS.
Mr. ALCOCK asked the Chief Commissioner of Works
whether he would have any objection to allow a certain
number of Thames watermen to have boats on the Serpen-
tine, and other waters in the royal parks, during the sum-
mer months ?

Mr. COWPER was understood to say that the Thames
watermea, to a certain number, would obtain permission to
have boats on the Serpentine and other parks if they applied
for ic. The water on the Victor;a Park was too shallow
for the purposo of boats being used on it ; and he
assured the honourable member that there was every desire
on the part of the department of the executive
which he represented to afford the public all the enjoyment
possible in respect to the parks.
GOVERNMENT MEASURES.
In reply to Sir S. NORTHCOTE,
Mr. LAING said that the Customs' Bill would be pro-
ceeded with this evening, but no other Government mea-
sure would be submitted to the house until to-morrow.
REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE BILL.
ADJOURNED DEBATE.

Mr. BENTINCK resumed the adjourned debate. The
hon member said that the Government Reform Bill was
founded on data which were most inaccurate, and that the
speech of the hon. member for Birmingham (Mr, Bright)
was unsound in principle and incorrect in fact. For in-
stance, as regarded Rochdale, he (Mr. Bentinck) had re-
ceived a letter from a gentleman intimately acquainted with
that borough, stating that; the Government returns gave no
idea of what would be the effect of the Reform Bill in that
borough, The £lO rating there most inadequately de-
scribed the character of the class that would be enfran-
chised by the operation of the measure. The writer
further stated that the real increase of constituency in
Rochdale, instead of 17,040, as stated by the Government
returns, would be 3,480. (Hear, hear, from the Opposition
benches.) He contended that the inevitable tendency of
the bill would be to throw an overwhelming amount of po-
litical power into the hands of the lower class, who, from
the accident of their position, could not be considered
as the most eligible depositories of such vast political
influence. (Hear, hear.) The writer to whom he had
previously alluded had requested him to ask Mr. Bright
how it was that that hen. member had so much more confi-
dence in the working classes than the working classes had in
him (Mr. Bright), and how it was that nearly all of those
employed in manufactories were on strike in consequence
of the reduction of their wages. (Hear, hear, and laugh-
ter.) He denied that the measure, viewed by either side of
the house could be considered as a great Reform Bill ; but
that, on the contrary, it was abortive for good, though it
might produce evil. He strongly complained of the prin-
ciple and provisions of the bill, that railways and
large towns were considered as the chief representatives of
the property of the country, -whereas the rural
districts were entitled to that description. Having com-
mented at some further length on what he considered
the unconstitutional character of the measure, he concluded
by asserting that it resulted from the political necessities of
the noble lord (Lord J. Russell), and that it was framed in
a party spirit.
Mr. WALTER said that in his opinion the bill would
not realise the anticipations either of its opponents or ad-
vocates.

(LEFT SPEAKING.)