The Sun.
London, England, 1832-08-04 00:00:00

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IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

ROUSE OF LORDS, AUGUST 3.
ROYAL ASSENT.
The Royal Assent was given at four o'clock to the Rus-
sian Dutch Loan Bill, and several others. The Commis-
sioners were the LORD CHANCELLOR, the Duke of RICH-
310ND, and the Earl of SHAFTESBURY.
At Five o'clock the Earl of SHAFTEsBuRY sat as Speaker.
SEWERS BILL.
This Bill went through a Committee. To be read a
third time to-morrow.
COAL METERS (DUBLIN) COMPENSATION
BILL
Went through a Committee. To be read a third time
to-morrow..

AGRICULTURAL LABOURERS' EMPLOYMENT
BILL
Went through a Committee. To be reported to-morrow.
The Duke of RICHMOND presented several petitions
from places in Ireland, in favour of a mitigation of the
Criminal Code.
The Marquis of WESTMEATH presented similar pe-
titions from Roscrea, in Ireland, and Gisborough, in
Yorkshire,
Lord AUCKLAND presented a petition from certain
Dissenters of the Baptist denomination, in favour of the
new plan of education in Ireland.
OFFICES IN CHANCERY BILL.
The LORD CHANCELLOR hiving taken his seat at
a quarter-past five o'clock, his Lordship moved the second
reading of the Bill for the Abolition of certain Offices of
the Court of Chancery.
Read a second time accordingly.
The LORD CHANCELLOR moved an address to his
Majesty for a return of the salaries, fees, and emoluments
of the said offices.
MESSAGE FROM THE COMMONS.
Mr. BERNAL, the SOLICITOR-GENERAL, Mr. DIXON,
and others from the Commons, presented the Army Half-
pay Bill, Audit of Accounts (Ireland) Bill, and two private
Bills, which were severally read a first time.
Adjourned at Half-past Five o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, AUGUST 2.

At four o'clock the SPEAKEa entered the House. Before

40 Members had arrived, the Deputy-Usher of the Black
Rod summoned the House to attend in the House of Lords
to hear the Royal Assent given by Commission to several
Bills.

The SPEAKER then left the House, and on his return,
read a list of the Bills to which the Royal Assent bad been
given (for which see the Lords' report.)
A person from the British Museum appeared at the
bar, with a return of the sums of money expended by
that institution for the purchase of French books during
the last three years.
Mr. J. GORDON presented seven petitions from
various parts of Ireland, against the Government plan of
education.

Mr. SHAW presented two petitions of a similar nature,
and three petitions for a better observance of the Lord's
Day, particularly as regarded the higher classes.
Lord D. STUART presented a petition from twenty
silk manufacturers, complaining of the evidence given by
one of the witnesses before the Silk Committee.

Mr. SPEAKER intimated that the petition was irre-
gular, as making a charge against the Committee, whose
report had not yet been laid upon the table. If the peti-
tioners felt aggrieved by any evidence given before the
Committee, they could have adopted another course, viz.
to have applied to the Committee to have the grievance
complained of rectified.
Lord D. STUART then withdrew the petition.

Mr. HUNT presented a petition which, he had no doubt,
would excite the mirth of some Members ; it was from Miss
Mary Smith, of Stanmore, in the county of York, a lady
of family and fortune. She claimed a share in the repre-
sentation; she was unmarried, had considerable pro-
perty of her own, and she could see no reason why taxes
should he levied upon her, while she was refused a share in
the representation.—The Hon. Member read the petition,
which excited great laughter.—She stated that by extend-
ing the right of the franchise to unmarried females, it
would raise that sex from the state of degradation to
which it had been lowered by the heathens, and in which
they were still held by the barbarians of the opposite
sex—(Loud laughter)—and it was but right that both
sexes should be nearly equal in the enjoyment of all social
rights and privileges.—(Laughter.) She complained that
such a system of exclusion should be continued, while
women were not only subject to the same laws as men, but
even to be tried by judges and juries all of the opposite
sex—(Laughter)—which was flagrant and cruel oppres-
sion. Women were allowed to possess property, to hold
manorial rights, and even to confer benefices on clergy-
men, and the Honourable Member thought that to exclude
females from inheriting the Crown would not be a bit
more unreasonable than to exclude them from the repre-
sentation. The petition prayed the House to treat the
opinions and applications of all such vile wretches as men
with just scorn and contempt, and to allow unmarried wo-
men the privilege of the franchise. The Hon. Member,
in advocating the cause of the ladies, said he had read that
Mr. Canning once said he would never consent to uni-
versal suffrage without it included women, and he (Mr.
Hunt) saw nothing unreasonable in allowing females much
greater privileges than they now enjoyed. He would have
no objection to a female jury, and even a female judge ;
indeed he had before seen old women on the bench.—
(Laughter.)

Sir F. TRENCH said the Hon. Member was not aware
of the awkwardness of locking up a jury composed half of
males and half of unmarried females the whole night.
This might,' lead to rather queer predicaments.—(Loud
laughter.)
Mr. HUNT said, that in the sphere of the Hon. Mem-
ber both males and females were up all night without any
thine improper happening that he was aware of.—(Laugh-
ter.) The Hon. Member then moved that the petition
be printed.
Mr. STANLEY hoped the Hon. Member would not
insist upon the petition being printed, as it was not the
practice of that House to print petitions unless they con-
tained something personally affecting the party petitioning.
Here that was not the case.

Mr. HUNT was sorry that the Right Hon. Secretary
who had such a name for gallantry in the county, should
he so ungallant as to oppose the printing of the petition.
He felt it his duty to take the sense of the House upon the
subject.
Strangers were ordered to withdraw, but no division
took place, the Hon. Member withdrawing his motion for
the printing of the petition.
The Hon. MEmatErt then presented a petitio❑ from
persons confined in I_3xlmin goal fur smuggling, praying
the House to take their case into consideration. Also a
petition from a person named Andrew, a printer and pub-
lisher, resident in London, praying for the repeal of the
laws affecting conscience.

Mr. SHELL presented a petition from the inhabitants
of Preston, signed by 4,933 persons, praying the House
to address his Majesty that lie would dismiss from his
councils the Right Hon. J. E. Stanley—(Laughter)—
the Chief Secretary for Ireland, in consequence of the
measures he bad brought forward to compel the people of
Ireland to submit to the iniquitous tithe system, to
maintain an hierarchy which had been for sometime a
curse to the country, and also for '(riving Ireland a Reform
Bill much more restricted than the English one.
Mr. SHAW thought the language in the petition so
strong that it ought not to be re,.eived ; designating the
hierarchy as a curse to the country was highly improper.
Mr. STANLEY thought the language of the petition
rather strong, but would not object to its being laid on the
table.
Mr. III:NT felt himself called upon to account to the
House why the petition had not been sent to him. The
fact was he was led to understand the petition had been
got up by persons who at the last election had been the
warmest supporters of the Right Hon. Gentleman.
Mr. STANLEY denied that it had by any persons who
bad voted for him.

Mr. HUNT said it had been got up by none of his
friends; be bad been requested to support the prayer of
the petition, which he did with a great deal of pleasure,
without meaning any thing personal to the Right Hon.
Gentleman. He thought the House would do itself im-
mortal honour if it put a stop to such proceedings as had
take❑ place i❑ Ireland, and put an end to measures that
were now going on, as he firmly believed, if some inter-
position did not take place, the consequence would be a
civil war.

Mr. STANLEY said that there appeared to be a num-
ber of sheets of names that had never been attached
to the petition, and he was informed that a great many
pet soils had signed it under the impression that it was a
equi.ition for him once more to stand for the town.—
(A laugh.)
Mr. SHELL, in moving that the petition be printed,
would call the attention of the House to the language
which had been used in petitions on the Reform Bill ; it
was quite as strong as that used in this petition, and no
one objected to their being printed.
Mr. HUNT seconded the motion. In answer to the
remarks of the Hon. Secretary for Ireland, be could as.
sure him that printed copies of the petition lay with every
sEeet for signatures. The electors of Preston bad too
wuch respect for the words of the Hon. Gentleman; they
°till remembered his declaration when be left them, and