The Sun.
London, England, 1858-04-28 00:00:00

INCREASED ASSIZES.

Mr. I.WItIALION moved for a select committee to in-
quire into the expediency of further improving the
a Iministration of justice, by increasing the number of
assizes for civil business in the several counties of Eng•
land and Walee The hon. and learned member altered
his motioninaccordance with Mr. Collins' amendment, to
include theincreasing of assize towns ; and forcriminal as
well as civil business. He suggested there should be
three assizes a-year instead of two, as at present, and
that the large counties should be divided. No addi-
tional judges would be required, and the division
of counties would be a great saving of expense and
trouble both to suitors and jurors.
Mr. HADFIELD seconded the motion.
Mr. COLLINS supported the motion.
Mr. WALPOLE said that all the information which
could be required was already before the house. A still
more extensive inquiry had been entered into by a royal
commission consisting of many of the most eminent
judges and others, who were better able to form an opi-
nion than a committee of the house could be. All addi-
tion to the present number of assizes would necessitate a
large increase in ;the judicial staff, and was especially
unnecessary at a time when the means of communica-
tion were so much improved, and after the establishment
of the county courts. It should be left to the discretion
of the Executive to examine the recommendations of the
commissioners, and to provide a remedy for existing
defects.
Mr. IT A.DPIELD urged that justice ought to be
brought home to every man's door, and that assizes
should be held in every great town.
Lord GODERIC a expressed a similar opinion.
Sir G. GREY could not see any advantage in going
again over the same ground which the commissioners
had already travelled. The question should be left to the
responsible advisers of the Crown, who would no doubt
attend to the claims which might be urged by any par-
ticular town.
Col. SMYTHE defended the actual distribution of
the assize.
Mr. BRIGHT adduced the difficulty which poor men
charged with crime had in bringing their witnesses from
a distance as a reason for extending the number of assize.
town, Witnesses against him were brought up at the
public expense. They had already established a greater
number of assizs towns in Liverpool, and he did not see
why the same principle should not be extended to other
counties. Still, be did not think further inquiry neces-
sary—they had already sufficient information.
After some observations from Mr. CHARLUSWORTII,
who asserted that Wakefield should be made an assize
town,
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL repeated that the
house already possessed all the information requisite.
The just claims of the groat towns would be attended to.
Mr. BOWYER supported the proposition for a third
assize.
After some further discussion, and a brief reply from
Mr. ill`MAnow,
The motion was negatived.
MASTERS AND WORKMEN.
Mr. MACKINNON rose to call the attention of the
house to the report of the select committee of 1856 ap•
pointed to inquire into the expediency of establishing
equitable tribnnais for the amicable adjustment cf dif-
ferences between masters and operatives, and to move
for leave t bring in a bill to enable masters and work-
men to farm councils cf cenciliation and arbitration.
Mr. INGH EMI seconded the motion.
Mr. WALPOLE reserved his opinion as to the details
of the bill, but would not oppose its introduction.
Leave was then given to introduce the bill.
THE COUNTY FRANCHISE.
Mr. LOCKE KING moved for leave to introduce a
bill to extend the franchise in cnuuties in Eetglited and
HOUSE OF COMMONS.—(YESTERDAY.) Waits, and to improve the representation of the people.
The SPEAKER took the chair at four o'clock. When he last brought the question before the house, it
PRIVATE BUSINESS. had been rejected by the small majority of 13 votes ;
The London Dock Company Bill was read a third and, were it not for the chivalrous assistance rendered
time and passed. on that occasion to the noble viscount the member for
The f ollowing bills were further censi lered and ordered Tiverton, then at the head of the Government, by the
to be read a third time :—Maidstone Gas, Trent Navi- honourable gentleman opposite, the bill would have
oration, and Vauxhall Bridge Road. been carried by a considerable majority, for the noble
SOUTH KENSINGTON MUSEUM, Sm. lord was only able to muster, including, himself, 31 sup •
Lord H. LENNOX moved for returns of the porters of the Government. Since that time, the noble
number of visitors to the Smith Kensington Museum lord hexing sustained a defeat, made his appeal to
from its opening to the present time, distinguishing the country on a question affecting the honour of the
those days which are free, and those which are students' British fl ig. He selected as his rallying cry not the re-
days; also the numbers aetending the Museum in the form of the franchise, but a topic calculated to arouse the
morning and the evening ; and, of the numbers who feeling of the British lion—namely, an alleged insult to
visited the Museum at Marlborough-House during the the British fl lg. But the country soon turned its atter,-
years 1854, 1855, and 1856.—Agreed to. tion from the China question and Mr. Commissioner Yeh
EAST INDIA. (PATRONAGE, See.) to the subject of Parlia.mentary reform, and the measure
Mr. J. B. SMITH moved for returns, separate and that he had submitted to Parliament found general sup-
in detail,
of the patronage vested in the Crown, the port with the people. He did not bring the question
Board of Control, and the Directors of the East India forward last year because the noble lord had promised to
Company, both as regards the Home Government introduce an extensive measure of Parliamentary reform,
and the Government of India in India. Arol, of which would involve an enlargement of the franchise.
the patronage vested in the Governor-General of He hail hid some experience of ministerial promises and
India, of the Governors of Madras and Bombay and he bad come to the conclusion that little faith was to be
no-th-west
Provinces, of the Commeeder-in-Chiet, and placed in them, however well meant. He did not bring
the cmmanders of the forces of Madras and Bombay, this question forward in any spirit of factious hostility
with the salaries and allowances attached to evety to the Government. The objections to the measure had situation, office, and employment covenanted dis tin- resolved themselves into a very small compass,. One oh-
guishing the number of Europeans and natives employed jection was, that a measure of reform was forthcoming,
in the uncovenanted service ; together with the retiring hut he felt sure from past experience, that Ministers could
allowances and pensions in every
following clan change,
of the not undertake one for a forthcoming ses don. Another
State connected with the Governmeynt of Ind.
sificationa, via.:—ecclesiastical establishment, civil set.
reckoned at two shillings each, under the s'in
rupeesthat this was not the time for a
objection
butra raised
that was,ivas t
common to need to be met.
vices, military services, marine department, d -
tional establishments, and law appointments piecemeal ores are of reform ;
, e uca- proposals, that this wag a
Thenthere was the. objection of en urged against such
connected but in the present feeling and temper cf the house the
with the Queen's courts,
THE MILITIA. only way in whit this question could be dealt with was
Lord BURGHLEY asked the Secretary for War by introducing a small, honest, and just measure of this
kind, which he preferred to large ones, possibly having a
hether the Government would make corns allowance great deal of dishonesty them. e would
to the captains of the 16 disembodied regiments of details • with which the house was familiar, as
in H not go into
on the bill,
Militia, to compensate them for the losses they must he hail entered full to the statistics in times past. No
sustain by their not being able to recover the debts from
their companies, in consequence of their regiments being one had hitherto daredyiu to assail the class which he now
proposed should be enfranchised. It was most anomalous
suddenly disembodied ? that an individual who lived in a town and occupied a
General PEEL said he intended to f )Ilow the prate- 101. house should havetbe franchise, while another inha-
deist of former years in this instance. It was not the bitin,g a house nearly adjoining, but beyond the
custom to make such compensation. (Hear, hear.) borough boundary, paying perhaps higher rent and
VALUATIONS (IRELAND). larger taxes, should remain without a vote. There
Mr. GROGAN gave notice that on this day fortnight was a sugeestion emanating from the right hon. seen-
he should move fur an address relative to the people of tleman the member for Carlisle (Sir J. Graham)
Ireland being relieved from one-half of the expenses of that some insane ought to be taken to prevent faggot
the annual valuation of that country. (Hear.) • voting, and he (Mr. L. King) thought it might be well
CORRUPTION PRACTICES PREVENTION to adopt a 5/. rating. Previous to the last election, the
ACT. house wool I remember, it was reported that the G evern-
Mr. CROSS asked the Secretary for the Home De- merit had intended to allow the biii to be introduced
pertinent whether it was the intention of her Majesty's with the intention of making any necessary amendments.
Ministers to take any steps towards extending the pro- That understanding was deviated from on the ground
tßioensAhocutlawasisi
visions of the Corrupt Practices Prevention Act to mu- that the bill would not permit the introduction of any
nicipal elections?
Mr. WALPOLE said the Corrupt Practices Preven-
suchwai t
pa
gm
,T d e ts , and it was alleged that it would be
referred to a serley -- • 'tie time of the house to attempt it. The motion,
introduce it, and then move that, it be urged for bill ; the excuse
c;unlel!r his consideration for amendment. however, was made t bring in the
the Government sp7;t-, enoporting the measure
in a committee of the I;
e actw woiltehhroeuf ree.
select committee and afterwards discuss it was e pure fiction, for the bill itself had net been
.at that
nceHtoe
ptahrolluagmhetntthaeryy
too
eye had better perfect th
elections before they extended He hoped her Ms-
its proyisio to as
fhteedd oUe ex lain nt i
tt
toh hmeratileirej.esty's,, la. te advisers, if
the same
provisionsmunicipal jeaty's present Ministers would not fall into

Lord STANLEY of ALDIIRLY said he was unwill-
ing the debate should close without a few words from
that side of the house. What now remained to com-
plete the equal rights and equal liberties of all the
citizens of this great country was the admission of the
Jew to representative, as well as to judiaial and other
offices. There certainly was danger of a collision with
the other house of Parliament, and even those great
statesmen the Duke of Wellington and Sir Ri Peel did
not object to be influenced by such considerations in
conceding Catholic emancipation. The county of Clare
then returned Mr. Daniel O'Connell, as the citizens of
London now returned Baron Rothschild. There was
something of danger in continuing their present course.
He called upon their loriships to concede the question
while they could do it with grace, and not postpone it
any longer.
Lord DUNGANNON said if their lordships were to
be induced by any fear of the consequences of a collision
with the other house to pass this bill, then the House of
Lords would soon become to be considered as a mere
register-office for the decisions of the House of Com-
mons.

Earl GRA.NVILLE said it was desirable not to have
a collision between the two 'louses of Parliament on a
question of this kind. Opposition very frequently was
Productive of benefit. It often caused delay in the early
agitation of a question, and by the delay it occasioned
gave their lordships and the country an opportunity of
reconsidering and reflecting on the question with greater
calmness than they could do under periods of excitement.
He thought it, however, advantageous after lengthened
periods of discussion on questions in the other house, con-
firmed by growing majorities in more than one House of
Commons, that their lordships should give way to expe-
diency, and sacrifice their convictions, as was done by
the late Duke of Wellington and Sir Robert Peel, in re
ference to Catholic emancipation. He had heard no prac-
tical objection to the admission of Jews to Parliament,
and he saw no reason why their admission to Parlia-
ment should un Christianise the legislature any more than
the admission to civil offices and the rights of citizenship
bad un-Christianised the country. He called upon the
noble earl (Earl Derby) to point out clearly the course
which her Majesty's Government intended to pursue in
reference to this question. (Cries of " Divide, divide.")
The Marquis of LONDONDERRY complained that
their lordships had not been favoured with the opinions
of the members of the episcopal bench on the question.
It was a disgrace to the country to exclude the Jew by
an act while they were doubtful about its meaning.
The Bishop of CA.SHEL had as much affecticn for the
Je a as any man, but he could never consent to bring into
Parliament a man whose forefathers crucified our Re-
deemer, and who themselves vilified Him every day of
their lives. Ile doubted if a good Jew would come into
this house--(laughter)--and those who were desirous of
entering Parliament he considered wore those whom, in
popular language, were designated by the word "Jew,"
meaning men of doub' ful character. (Laud laughter.)
Their lordships then divided. The numbers were—
Contents
Non-Contants ll9
Majority against the clause . 39
The clause was then struck ow.
Clause 8 was also expunged.
The other clauses were agreed to.
The bill was then reported on amendments, and their
lordships aejourned at 20 minutes to 10 o'clock.