The Sun.
London, England, 1867-02-19 00:00:00

WATERWORKS BILL.

Mr. ALGERNON EGERTON asked the President of
tho Board of Trade whether he intended to reintroduce
this session the Waterworks Bill of last session?
Sir S. NORTHCOTE said it was not intended to re-
introduce the measure.
THE EXTRADITION TREATY.

Mr. M. TORRENS asked the Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs when he expected to be able to lay upon
the table the correspondence between her Majesty's Go-
vernment and that of the Emperor of the French regard-
ing the extradition of M. Laruirande ?

Lord STANLEY said the papers would be produced as
soon as some documents which were expected from France
arrired.

THE REFORM BILL.

Mr. BAINES asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer
whether in the statement which he had promised to make,
on going into committee on the representation of the
people, on Monday, the 25th instant, he would specify
the proposed amount of the county and borough fran-
chises; and whether he could, for the convenience of the
house, give that information on an earlier day.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said ho
hoped the hon. gentleman would not think it discourteous
if,he declined to answer his inquiry. On Monday next he
should be prepared to answer it.
CHARITABLE BEQUESTS (IRELAND).

Mr. BLAKE asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland
whether he intended introducing a measure during the
piesent session to amend the laws relating to charitable
donations and bequests in Ireland ; and if so, at what
period the bill would be likely to b 3 furnished to mem-
bers ?

Lord NAAS said the Solicitor-General for Ireland would
introduce a bill on that subject next week.

TII E PENIANS-IRELAND.

In reply to an hon. member,
Lord NAAS said ho had no further information to give
on the subject. He had within the last few hours received
a telegram stating that everything was quiet in Kerry.
(Hear, hear.) He could now state, with respect to the
numbers, that in no one instance was there more than 120
to 130 man assembled.
VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE
BILL.
This bill was road a so cond time.
SUGAR DUTIES.

The report of the committee on the reduced sugar du-
ties was brought up and agreod to.

DUTY ON DOGS.

The report of :the committee on the reduced duties
payable by the owners of dogs was brought up and re-
ceived.

THE REFORM RESOLUTIONS.

On the motion for the house going into Committee of
Supply,

Mr. AYRTON rose to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer
whether it would be necessary to proceed with the Com-
mittee on the Representation of the People if he received
sufficient assurances that no obstacle would be interposed
to his proceeding to a committee on his intended bill for
amending the Laws relating to the Representation of the
People ? He said he believed there was no disposition
whatever on the part of the members of the Opposition to
make any factious opposition to any Reform measure pro-
posed by the Government, but they were truly desirous to
settle the question, and he *put to the Chancellor of the
Exchequer whether, on his receiving an assurance that
no obstacle would be offered to a bill being allowed to go
into committee, he would not bring in a bill at once.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER—I am will-
ing to accept the assurance of the hon. gentleman that his
observations are made in no unfriendly spirit to the Go-
vernment, and in a similar spirit I respond to them. I can
assure him that ho has mistaken the chatacter of the Ad-
ministration if he fancies they have formed an erroneous or
exaggerated idea of their own importance. They are only
anxious to use such influence as they possess to favour the
advancement of good legislation, and the settlement of this
question, if possible, which has so much occupied the
attention of the Parliament and the country. (Hoar.) 1
must say with great respect to the hon. gentleman that 1
cannot think we erred in the course we have adopted.
In taking that course we have been guided by a strict
adherence to Parliamentary precedents and practice, not
from any superstitious veneration for them, but because wo
know our precedents embalm the wisdom and reflect the
sagacity of generations. (Hear, hear.) We thought it abso-
lutely necessary to have recourse to procedure by way of
resolutions; and when I addressed the house a week ago,
it I had confined myself to arguments in favour of that
procedure, and had given the reasons which had induced
the Government to adopt that course, I should have
been strictly in order, and nothing more would have been
required of me. But representations were made to me by
hon. gentlemen on both sides of the house to the effect that
it was desirable that tho general character of the resolu-
tions should be known, and that the house should under-
stand whether the resolutions expressed general principles
or went into great details. Therefore, I wished frankly to
explain to the house that the resolutions expressed princi-
ples, and I took the opportunity of vindicating in some de-
gree the course pursued. 1 think it impossible to bring
forward resolutions in legislating on the subject of the re-
presentation c,f the people in Parliament, except in the way
of expressing principles, and I cannot say we have any
cause to regret the course we have pursued. From all that
has happened since I have reason to believe that the pro -
spect of legislation on this subject has been advanced and
facilitated, and nothing has been said or done by the Go-
vernment, notwithstanding the criticisms offered here and
elsewhere, which the Government have cause to regret of•
wish to see altered. Therefore, I hope that tho Govern-
ment may be allowed to pursue the course they have se-
lected to follow. They will not pursue that course if they
believed it would lead to delay. (Hear.) On the contrary,
I am convinced that, with that candid reception on the
part of the house on which we'now rely, the course adopted
by the Government is one calculated to facilitate the ulti-
mate settlement of the matters in question. (Hear, hear.)
The resolutions are on the table of the house. It would
be irregular to enter now into a discussion of their charac-
ter; and as the hon. gentleman has refrained from discus-
sing
them, I ought also to refrain from doing so ; but this
I may say, that the resolutions express principles, and the
Government will put the house in possession of the appli-
cation of the principles expressed in the resolutions. Even
is adopting those principles the house may think proper
to apply them in a manner different from that proposed
by the Government, but, at the same tittle, it
would be most unwise in the Government to lose the ad-
vantage of the discussion which would arise on the reso-
lutions; and we believe that, without occasioning delay, the
passing of the resolutions by the house will greatly facili-
tate the progress of the measure we shall have to intro-
duce. I trust that the house, considering the difficulty of
managing this question, will put a charitable construction
on the motives of Ministers, and not believe that they have
had recourse to the procedure they have selected in order
merely to amuse the house for a time, with a view to the
ultimate postponement and procrastination of the subject.
They have resolved to use their iitDiost energy in for-