The Sun.
London, England, 1858-07-31 00:00:00

LOUAL GOVERSENT BILL.

The Lords amendments in this bill were then taken into
consideration.
Mr. COWPER said a few words upon ono of the Lords'
amendments upon this bill, which wore agreed to.
BRITISH COLUMBIA BILL.
The Lord's amendments to this bill were agreed to.
The Lords' amendments on the Cornwall Submarine
Mines Bill were agreed to.
The Lenli' amendments to the Clerks of Petty Sessions
(Ireland) ill were agreed to.
The Lords' amendments to the Friendly Societies Act
Amendment Bill were also agreed to.
The Lords' amendments to the Art-Union Indemnity
Bill were also agreed to.
DIVORCE AND MATRIMONIAL CAUSES BILL.
The L,rus' amendments to this bill wore agreed to, with
the exceptiou of cue cltvaie iatio4utel. a UO7( fea•

MEMBERS.
Mr. SCHNEIDER wished to call the attention of the
house to the resolution passed on the 2d of Jane last, which
was quite impracticable, and could not be carded into
effect. Ha fully agreed with the spirit of the resolution.
and bad voted for it ; but the language was so wide as to
include cases which had not been contemplated by the
noble lord (Lord Hotham) who had moved it. Especially
it bad not been intended to apply to the case of the Attor-
❑ey and Solicitor-General, but yet the language embrac d
both of them. These officers were paid, not by salaries,
but by fees, and it could not be the intention of the house
that they should be deprived of their fees. But since the
resolution had been passed more than one member of the
long robe had supported measures in reference to which he
had at one time or another received a fee. The resolution
would even apply to the hon. member for Whitby (Mr
Stephenson). Years ago that hon.. member had been asked
to give his advice on the main drainage of the metropolis ;
and in this session he had lent his assistance to carry out
a bill embodying his views. In the present state of the
house, and at this period of the session, he (Hr. Schneider)
felt that he would not be doing his duty if he did more
than call the attention of the house to the subject ; but
ho hoped that some member of the Government would
take the matter into his consideration, and would next
session bring forward some resolutions which would
really carry out the intention of the noble lord (Lord
Hotham), while it should be free from the objections he
had stated. He was afraid that several hon. members
had had imputations cast upon them in consequence of the
language of the resolution. The noble lord who had moved
it, if he had been present, would, he felt confident, have
corroborated his statement, that be had never intended to
cast imputations upon hon. members. In conclusion, he
would move that the terms of the resolution should be read.
The resolution having been read,

Mr: WARREN read a letter from Lord Hotham, who
had been unavoidably detained at a public meeting in the
North of England. He stated that he had not overlooked
the cases of the Attorney and Solicitor-General, for their
position in respect to fees received for Government busi-
ness was not more objectionable than the case of a Minister
paid by salary. He (Mr. Warren) hoped that the Go-
vernment would not rashly interfere with the resolution
to which the house bad deliberately come.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL regretted that the hon.
member for Norwich (Mr. Schneider) had been prevented
from calling the attention of the house at an earlier period
to the terms of the resolution. The resolution was one of
great importance, not so much as affecting the interests of
members of the bar who were also members of the house,
but as affecting the independence of every member of Par-
liament, and the right of every subject of the realm to
consult what counsel ho pleased. If the resolution only
went to prevent any member from receiving any pecuniary
reward for advocatingor supporting a measure in the house,
no one could possibly object to it, for such conduct woult
he highly unconstitutional and illegal. He must express
his thanks to the hon. member for Norwich for having pri-
vately informed him that areport had been cir culeted, from
which it appeared thal it had really been supposed that he
(the Attorney-General) had accepted a large sum of money,
506/., from some Indian prince or gentleman, with a view
to the advocacy of his interests in this house. He should
have thought that it was unnecessary to allude to the re-
port—(hear) --but it afforded him the opportunity of say-
ing that a large sum of money had been offered to him by
an individual, who thought that by so doing he could ob-
tain his support to his interests. He informed that gentle-
man, who was not any of the Princes of Gude, nor be-
longed to the principality of Surat, that any proceeding of
the kind was not only inconsistent with propriety, and
contrary to the hahits of the house, but that any one was
exposed to personal danger who made such an offer. But
as to the resolution itself, he would at once assure hen.
gentlemen that it was his intention, at the very earliest
period of next session, to call the attention of tho house to
the terms of it, and to its effect on the practice of the bar,
for he believed that it was really imagined that the reso-
lution would apply not only to prohibit the acceptance of
a remuneration for what was done in the house, but also
to prevent any member of the bar from giving his opinion
on any case which might result ultimately in proceedings
before the house. It was perfec ly obvious that if the
resolution of the noble lord were to be held to apply
to the case of a counsel at the bar who had given an
opinion in a case which might come before Parliament,
then the necessary and inevitable result would be that
any individual who had sustained a grievous wrong
would be deprived of the means of consulting some
of the most eminent counsel—for they were generally
members of that house—as to such wrong, lest upon
the opinion given by an hon. and learned gentleman a re-
sort to Parliament should be found necessary. Without
going further, really this question involved such large and
important considerations that he would venture to assure
the house of his entire conviction that the resolution of the
noble lord was entirely superfluous and unnecessary.
(Wear) While, on the one hand, he should be among the
first to stand forth to secure the dignity, and purity, and
the character of the bar from eproach or suspicion, he cer-
tainly should feel it his duty at an early period next ses-
sion to bring the whole subject under the consideration of
the house, and he was sure the members of the profession
would be perfectly contented with any decision the house
might come to.
Mr. INGHAM was glad to hear the intention expressed
by the hon. and learned gentleman, that he would have
some general inquiry on the subject next session.
The subject then dropped.
M TRIMONIAL CAUSES AMENDMENT ACT.

The SPEAKER announced that the Loris dui not agree
with the disagreements of tho Commons to the amendments
of their lordships to this bill.
ADJOURNMENT OF THE HOUSE.
PENSION TO SIR JOHN INGLIS, K.C. B.

Upon the motism that the house at its rising adjourn
until Monday at half past ono o'clock,
Col. NORTH begged to ask the President of the Board
of Control whether it was intended, either by her Majesty's
Government or the East India Company, to propose the
grant of a pension to Major-Gen. Sir J. Eardley Wilmot
K 0.8., for his distinguished services in the defence
of the Residency at Lucknow. The hon. and gallant mem-
ber referred to the different despatches which bad been re-
ceived from India, speaking in the highest terms of praise
of Sir John Inglis, and of the manner in which be had per-
formed the arduous duties devolving on him in his glorious
defence of Lucknow. The three most illustrious feats of
arms of late years bad been the defence of Kars, the defence
of Lucknow, and its relief by the glorious Havelock ; and
although the officers who had principilly distinguished
themselves had bee❑ honoured and rewarded, the
position of General Inglis was wets() now tha❑ when be
had been Lieut.-Colonel. In the same way Col. Lake had
been pecuniarily ruined by his promotion. Ile therefore
hoped that their case which he had laid before the house
would receive that consideration from her Majesty's
Government which the bravery, the intrepidity, and the
patient endurance of Gen. Inglis entitled it to.
Sir M. FARQUHAR thanked the gallant member for
the eloquent manner in which he had brought the question
before the house. Nothing could have been more brave
or self-sacrificing than the conduct of Gun. Inglis in defend-
ing Lucknow in the midst of difficulties and p, ivations,
which had been described to him in glowing language by
his son, who had been present during the siege, and who,
although he had been struck down by fever, and theraby
prevented taking that active part in arms which it was his
wish to do, still he was able to appreciate what bad been
done by others, and bore the most willing testimony to the
many soldierlike qualities of Gen. Inglis.