The Sun.
London, England, 1860-06-22 00:00:00

PETITIONS.

Petitions were presentedagainstthe provision in the Cen-
sus Act relative to enforcing a declaration of religious pro-
fession; against Sunday trading, from Edinburgh and
other places ; against the alleged undue assumption of
power by the House of Lords in rejecting the bill for the
repeal of the paper duty ; against the Highways Bill ;
against the Metropolitan Local Amendment Act, &c.

RESTORATION OF PARLIAMENT TO IRELAND.
The O'DONOGHUE presented a petition from the in-
habitants of the borough and town of Youghal, praying for
the restoration of a separate Parliament to Ireland. The
hon. member read extracts from the petition, which set
forth that the threatened famine in Ireland caused less in-
terest in the minds of the legislative rulers of the country
than the condition of the most remote dependency of the
Crown ; that £10,000,000 were extracted annually from
Ireland, and that country was required to con-
tribute towards the prosecution of wars in which
she had no interest; that £5,000,000 were spent out of the
country by absentee landlords, and that the only chance
for the recovery of the prosperity of Ireland was in a native
Parliament.

THE HOUSE OF LORDS AND THE PAPER DUTY
Mr. T. DUNCOMBE said he had to present a petition
or rather remonstrance, from. parties assembled at a public
meeting held in the borough of Finsbury, against the course
which the House of Commons had adopted in appointing a
committee to search for precedents on the subject of taxa-
tion bills instead of taking a more direct step. The hon.
member moved that the petition be read by the Clerk at the
table.

Sir W. MILES—What is the prayer?
The CLEM( then commenced reading the petition. "To
the Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom in
Parliament assembled ; fae respectful remonstrance of the
undersigned." (Order, order).
Mr. DISRAELI—I rise to order, sir. I conclude it is
against our order that, instead of a form of petition praying
for anything, a remonstrance should be addressed to this
house. I believe that to be an irregular proceedihg. (Hear.)

The SPEAKER—I understand that it concludes with a
prayer.

_
Mr. DISRAELI—Then, I put it to you, sir, whether a
prayer can be received which comes in the shape of a re-
monstrance ? (Hear.)
The SPEAKER—I believe there are precedents for the
case now before the house, and that when a petition concludes
with a prayer, properly and respectfully worded, the house
does receive it. (Hear.)
The Clerk then proceeded with the reading of the peti-
tion :
" Showeth—

" That from time immemorial it has been the right of
the British people to be taxed only with their own con-
sent, and by and trough their own representatives. That
the non-assent of the Lords to the abolition of a tax, which
the Crown no longer required snd the Commons had deter-
mined should no longer be imposed, is in direct contraven-
tion of that right, and is in effect a re-impooition of that
tax by the sole authority of the House of Lords. That the
imposition of taxes on the sole authority of the Lords is a
thing wholly without precedent in the history of this coun-
try—is in direct and flagrant violation of the laws of the
calm as inscribed on the rolls of Parliament for ages past,
and tends to a total overthrow of the British constitution.
" That, in circumstances of such gravi•y—a revolution by
the single vote of one estate of the realm, already an accom-
plished fact—prompt and determined action on the part of
the House of Commons became an imperative necessity, and
preliminary investigations into precedents and cases, a
needless waste of time and a perilous postponement of a
vital question, inasmuch as no precedents or cases, how-
ever numerous or authentic, can have any force or effect
whatever as against positive laws and the fundamental
principles of the constitution.
" We, therefore, pray that your honourable house will
no longer thus trifle with the just expectations of the
people, but will forthwith assert and vindicate the law, and
restore the constitution, by the immediate adoption of such
measures as shall compel the Lords to withdraw their ille-
gal opposition to the abolition of the said tax, or enable
your honourable house effectually to abolish: it without
their concurrence."