The Sun.
London, England, 1856-04-09 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.--kTEsTERDAy.)

The SPEAKER to-ik the chair at the ussal hour.
Several petitions were prePented against the abolition
of Church rates, and also against certain clauses in the
Factory Act. • ,

Mr. -PIGOTT presented petitions from Reading against
the endowment of the College of M‘ynooth, and against
the bill for abrogating the oath of abjuration.
Mr. LOWE presented a petition from Liverpool in
Livour of limited liability, with certain restrictions.
COtiviers.

Mr. SCOTT moved for a return of the number of
convicts transported during each of the years from 1849
to 1855, both inclusive, distinguishing the sexes and the
places to which they have been transported ; and, of the
number of males and females sentenced to penal servi-
tude since the passing of the act.—Agreed to.

CEI unca RA.TES.
Lord R. CECIL asked the hon. member for the Tower
Hamlets whether it was his intention to accede to the
changes which the Government proposed to make in his
Church-rates Bill ?

Sir W. CLAY said it was his intention to accede to
the amendments proposed by the Government.
BLEACH-WORKS BILL.

Mr. M. GIBSON asked the hon. member for York
what course he intended to pursue with respect to the
Bleach-works Bill ; and,-also; if -he intended to make
any changes in the bill, whether he would make those
amend:nents public 1
Mr. I. BUTT said the bill stood so far down on the
paper to-morrow that he did not think he should be able
to bring it forward on that day. He intended to make
certain alterations in the bill, and those alterations
would be made public as speedily as possible.
ABOLITION OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENTS.
Mr. W. EWART gave notice that on the 13th he
should bring on a motion on the subject of the abolition
of the punishment of death.
iTRE BALLOT.
Mr. G. LANGTON, on behalf of Mr. H. Berkeley,
postponed the motion, standing in his name on the suo-
ject of the ballot, from the 22d till the 24th inst.
• THE CRIMEAN MEDALS.
Major SIBTHORP asked the Under-secretary
ary for
War whether it was ever contemplated by
h the
Govern-
ments of France or Turkey to give a medal toatheofficers and soldiers of the British army in the East
and, if so, whether such medal had been declined
by by the British Government ? Whether the new medal,
tis order of merit, was likely to be issued, and who
were to be the recipients thereof. Whether it was t be
given for future service only or to be accorded to
those officers and soldiers already mentioned in the
various despatches since the commencement of the late
war ! Whether a claiin made for the effects and medal
clue to private No. 2,544, John Martin, late of the 95,11
Regiment, who was engaged at Alma, and, it is be-
lieved, also at inkerinan, who died in camp before Se-
bastopol on the 7th of November, 3854, had been refused
on the ground that the soldier was of illegitimate birth ?
and, whether the money and Crimean medal due to
private No. 3,310, James Blanchard, late of the Ist
battalion Rifle Brigade, who landed with the British
army in the Crimea in September, 1854, and who was
killed in the trenches before Sebastopol on the 221 of
Angu,t. 1855, had been refused on similar grounds ?
Mr. F. PEEL sail the Government had great satis-
faction to bear that it was the intention of the Emperor
of the French to confer a war medal upon the British
troops engaged in the late war. Those medals had been
received, and would shortly be distributed. The Sultan
also had declared his intention to bestow a similar
medal. With respect to the other questions put by the
hon. and gallant member, lie begged to say that acts of
gallantry, performed since the commencement of
the war, would be considered a sufficient
claim for the decoration of the new order
of merit. He eonld not say wh9n the decorations
would be distributed, but no time would be lost in pre-
paring for such distribntion ; and the circumstance of
the withholding of the medal from the two privates was
Owing to the causes mentioned by the-hon. member in
his question. -
---

WROUGHT-IRON GUNS.
Captain L, VERNON asked whether the trial at
Sboeburyness, between Mr. Holroyd's 12-pounder
wrought-iron gun of a particular metal, and a 12-pounder
bras gun of the service, had shown results satisfactory
to the comparative endurance and tenacity of the metal
composing the wrought-iron gun ?
Mr. BIONSELC said the experiments at Shoebury-

ness had showed the remark Ale tenaei'y if iron gu;
but the experiments were not yet cow leted.

NE \VGA rE -MARKET.

Mr. BRADY asked the Secretary of State for the
Home Department if he had any intention of closing the
existing markets ..f Newgate and L-adenhall, which were
a imitted to be insufficient and incommodious, with the
view of establihing a great central market in the neigh-
bourhood of S Litlifield ?

MASSEY said an inquiry was at present going
on with respect to the transfer of Newgate market to
another locality, and also to consider the subject of the
appropriation of the site of Smithfield. Those inquiries
would soon terminate their labours, and their report
would be laid on the table of the hnuse.