The Sun.
London, England, 1832-05-25 00:00:00

but having reason to believe, from a conversation with the
Ifon. Gentleman (Mr. Benett) who had charge of the B: I.
it would be postponed for a week, neither he nor is
colleague came down to the House until the Bill had tY? n
read a second time. Such a measure of disfranchiseme t
was founded on gross injustice. He did not dispute , r
verdict of the Committee, that bribery and perjury h, d
been practised, but the punishment should fell on the -o -
tenders only, and it was unjust for the offence.; of a few 0
disfranchise a whole body. Now that all the grek
towns were about to ba enfranchised, the Bill Woulfid
appear more as a measure of rensenance than la
measure called for by the justire of the case. When
the Bill came before the House upon a third reading he
trusted to he able to show a sufficient reason to induce
the House not to sanction it.
Mr. EWART concurred in the observations of hi,
Hon. Colleague.
Col. EVANS, in reference to the observations of con-
demning the many for the offences of a few, said he be-
lieved there were about 3,500 freemen in Liverpool, of
whom there was good reason for believing oboist 3,00 i)
were in the habit of accepting bribes.
After a few observations from Colonel DAVIES and Sir
R. Pima., the petition was read, and ordered to be
printed.
Mr. HOSKINS then presented a petition from the
town of Ross, in Herefordshire, a;ainst the punishment
of death for certain offences.
Mr. JOHN WOOD presented a petition from Black-
:lotto, for the extinction of Colonial Slavery ; also one
from Manchester, against the Bill regarding the stoppage
of public footpaths, and complaining that two magistrate,
were intrusted with the:power, without the intervention
of a Jury, to order pithlic footways to be stopped tip.
The Hon. and Learned Member said he would do his b, st
to get that clause struck out of the Bill, as it greatly in-
terfered with the pleasures and the comforts of the people,
particularly of the labouring portion of them.
Mr. CAMPBELL said the law as it stood at present
with regard to public footpaths was most grossly abu-ed,
and he should be glad to assist in remedying so great an evil.
Mr. T. B. LENNARD did not believe the abuses
existed, which had been referred to by the Hon. Member
for Stafford.
Mr. J. WOOD could assure the Hon. Member that
they did, and could point out facts that had come under
his own observation, which would prove it to the most
sceptical mind.
Sir E. SUGDEN defended the conduct of magistrates.
11e had acted as one himself for some time, and had never
witnessed any itnproper conduct on the part of his col-
leagues in respect to the matters stated by the Hon. Mem-
ber for Stafford.
After some further observations from Mr. CAMPBELL
and Sir R. PRICE, the petition was ordered to be printed.
Mr. J. WOOD presented a petition from Seaford,
against the Sewers Bill ; also petitions from Crompton,
Ashton-under-Lyne, Kendal, Woburn, the wards of
Castle Baynard, Farringdon Within, Bishopsgate, Cripple-
gate, and Walhrook. praying the House to stop the sup-
plies till the Reform Bill became law.
Mr. WRIG II TON presented a petition from Hull, signed
l'y 1,000 pepsine, praying that if legitimate means were
oot devised to secure the Reform Bill, the House would
stop the supplies.
Mr. MACKINNON brought up a Bill to amend the
Csstry Laws, which was read a first time.
Mr. HENEAGE presented a petition ftorn Lincoln in
favour of Reform, and praying to stop the supplies till the
Reform Bill was passed.
Colonel SIBTHORPE denied that the inhabitants of
the city of Lincoln were root and branch Reformers. If
the Reform Bill was thrown nut, and, according to the
rumours that wire afloat to-day, there was a probability
of it, he should be prepared to support a moderate
Reform ; but he never could sanction so dangerous and re-
volutionary a measure as that which was introduced by
his Majesty's Ministers.
Mr. LABOUCHERE presented petitions from Taunton
:against Negro Slavery, the Friendly Societies Act, and one
in favour of Reform, and praying the House not to appro-
priate the supplies already granted, and not to grant future
supplies till the Reform Bill had passed.
Mr. WILKS presented a petition from the Lord
Mayor, Alderman Birch, and other persons, members of
a society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, praying
for the intervention of the House to amend the laws re-

Dating to that subject; one from Falmouth, in favour of the
Benefit Societies Bill ; and one from Boston, again.t Negro
Slavery.
Mr. M'LEOD presented petitions from Cree-Invergoi-
don and Tain, in favour of Reform.

Mr. SCHONSWAR presented a petition from Hull,
praying the House to interfere in favour of the oppressed
Poles. The Honourable Gentleman said he perfectly agreed
with his constituents on this question. The present state
of that brave and devoted people was enough to make a
,vise and patriotic man mad. There was connected with
the Treaty of Vienna, to which this country was party,
and the late conduct of Russia, enough to justify the in-
terference of that House, or his Majesty's Government, in
their behalf.
Mr. DixoN, Mr. CAMPBELL, and Mr. O'CONNELL,
severally supported the petition.
Mr. C. FERGUSSON said that when he brought the
question before the House on a former occasion, he was
accused of having overcharged his statement of the suf-
ferings of that heroic people, but events had shown th it
lie had not sufficiently coloured the picture which he had
drawn. He hoped this petition would be followed up, so
as to force the Government to take notice of the matter.
Mr. DIXON presented petitions from the merchants,
bankers, manufacturers, and other inhabitants of Glasgow,
and from the Trades House of Glasgow, praying for pro-
tection to the West India colonies. The Hon. Member
said the petitioners felt this a question of very great im-
portance, for, as was well expressed in their petition, the
prosperity of Glasgow depended entirely upon the prospe-
t ity of those co'onies, and he who would stab their inte-
rests would give a mortal stab to the interests of that city.

Mr. HODGES presented a petition from the file manu.
lacturers of the county of Kent, praying for a reduction o;
the duty on files.

Mr. T. DUNDAS presented a petition from the city
o York, beseeching the House not to grant any further
supplies until the Reform Bill be pissed.
Mr. BAYNTON supported the prayer of the petition,
which was then ordered to he printed.
DISTRESS IN THE WEST INDIES.
The Marquess of CHANDOS presented a petition, signed
by a numerous body of the planters, merchants, ship-
owners, mortgagees, and others interested in the West
India Colonies, which had been agreed to at a large
meeting in the City of London some time ago.
It was indeed a petition which came from so
respectable a class of persons, that it was entitled to the
most serious consideration of the House, and he trusted
the House would see with him the extent of the distress
in those colonies, and the necessity that existed for
speedy relief. It complained of the Government
having issued Orders in Council inconsistent with the re-
solution of 1823, and deprecated the avowed intention of
the Ministers only to grant relief contingent upon the
unqualifi-d adoption of those Orders in Council. The
Noble Marquis, in supporting the prayer of the petition,
regretted that the Government had not taken the subject
in a different spirit, and declared, that unless relief be

speedily afforded, the colonies would riot much longer be
part and parcel of the British dominions.—(Hear.)
Sir A. DALRYMPLE said, altlemeh nut concerned
immediately with the West India colonies, he supported
the prayer of the petition. The West India interests
uffered from a variety of causes ; their produce was taxed

beyond any other mercantile goods; in this—the ISth year
of peace, they were still paying war taxes, which were
laid on when the profits were large. In no instance now
were the profits large, and in very many cases lotoes were
experienced. It was the prevailing opinion that the

conduct of the Government towards the West India

Colonies was exceedingly harsh and impolitic, and parti-

cularly in endeavouring to force on their legislature 3 the

adoption of the Orders in Council. He regretted the

aspersions which had at different times been cast on the

West India proprietor?, and observed, that they naturally
created feelings of irritation among some members of the
different legislatures.

The petition was laid on the table, and ordered to be
printed.
A message from the Lords brought up several private

Lord HOWICK brought up certain papers relative to
the slave insurrection in Jamaica, which were ordered to
be printed.
Mr. O'CONNELL moved for a return of the number of
freemen in each corporate town in Ireland returning Mem_
bets to serve in Parliament.

THE SLAVE TRADE.
Mr. F. BUXTON had a number of petitions to pre-
sent for the abolition of slavery in the eolonies,:but would
only trouble the House with the two most , important
ones. The first was from the congregations:of Dissen-
ters (Presbyterians, Independents, and Baptists) within
twelve miles of London; that petition might! justly be
considered as expressing the sentiments of the majority of
Dissenters in the kingdom, the s,ciety frond which it

had emanated having, as he understood, existed for one
hundred years. The other was farm members of the
Established Church, signed, amonc, others, by one Arch-
bishop and thirty clergymen of the Diocese of Tuam.
Mr. WILKS, as a member of the Di•sen!ers, declared