The Sun.
London, England, 1835-06-30 00:00:00

LOWER CANADA.

Lord SANDON presented a petition from Lower
Canada, complaining of certain grievances. He said
he would not detail the contents of the petition, which
was couched in respectful language, but merely bring it
up, hoping that the subject would be fully considered.
Mr. J. E. DENNISON presented a petition from Quebec
signed by 5,700 inhabitants of that city. The Honourable
Member stated that the petitioners did not wish to press their
prayer at present, but would leave it to the Commissioners.
the Deputies having acted in a conciliatory manner.
Mr. O'CONNELL had been requested to support the
petition presented by the Noble Lord, but he was bound
to say that he totally differed from the petitioners, for they
claimed that the minority should rule in Canada, while in
every other country the majority enjoyed that privilege, through
their representatives. They requested an increase of the executive
Council which in his humble opinion was less than useless, for
if it could only act in conjunction with the Governor it was un-
necessary, and if they opposed him, it would be an infringement
of lawful authority. They wished the Legislative Council
to be appointed by the Crown ; but he thought the
Legislative Council, as well as the Legislative Assembly,
ought to be elected. He should not say more upon the
subject, especially on the appointment of Lord Gosford,
a nobleman who, under the most trying circumstances in
Ireland, exhibited so much good sense, good feeling, sound
judgment and impartiality, that he was best suited to go to a
place where animosity, passion, and party feeling prevailed;
whose mind was superior to the prejudices of party, and who was
what he ought to be—a proper arbitator between those who
were engaged in contentions ; and lie did hope that the po-
pular party would not fall into the error of hastily falling
into the hands of his enemies, but that they would give him a
fair trial before they made a party against him.—( Hear, hear.)
After a few words from Mr. ROEBUCK, which were to-
tally inaudible in the gallery, the petition was laid on the table.
POOR LAWS.

Lord M A HON presented a petition from Halsted in Essex,
complaining of some of the provisions of the Poor Law
Amor.dment Act.

CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.

Mr. C. FERGUSSON presented a petition from Kirkcud-
bright in favour of the grant to the Church of Scotland.

SHIPPING INTEREST.

Mr. O'CONNELL rose to present a petition, which
was highly interesting to the shipping interest, as re-
garded the salvage laws. It was the petition of Mr
John Munster, the Danish Consul at Belfast, and
the facts set forth in it were very interesting, as relating to
the Court of Admiralty in Ireland. A Danish vessel met
with some damage in putting into the harbour of Do-
noughadee, and was assisted by a person of the name
of Mae Queen who, however, cut the hawser, and endangered
the vessel. As soon as the vessel was secured, in spite of his
assistance, he laid a claim for salvage. The case came before the
tribunal of magistrates, and proceedings took place, the vessel
being detained some weeks. The magistrates were about to
declare an award of 5/. When the pursuer saw this, he
went to the Custom-house and got the vessel seized by the
Court of Admiralty. He was ordered to find a libel with
sureties. On the 18th of June he was to find the libel, but
instead of that he sought and obtained further time till
the next court day, the 20th. He got on the 20th
further time to the 25th, then to the 27th, and then to the
29th when he filed the libel, but gave no sureties. He got time
to put in his sureties till the 15th of December, the Court re-
fusing all this time to release the vessel. A motion was
made to dismiss the libel on the 9th, the Court granted the
motion on the 11th, but the vessel was not released till
the 23d of July, having been detained all that time
at an expense of 151. a-day. He never knew a case of
greater cruelty and hardship, and that, too, proceeding from a
Court of Justice. The vessel was detained two months, and
the Costa thus putting off and mocking the parties, at lengfh
decreed that the sum of thirty pounds, which the owner
of the vessel had been compelled to pay into Court,
should be divided between the Court and the Attornics. They
gave to the defendant 6/. ls: ; to the Marshal 41. 16s. ; to
the Judge and register, 41. 35., ; and handed over the re-
maining 151. to plaintiff's attorney. The petitioner complained
bitterly of this proceeding, and he complained that, in addi-
tion, his own proctor sued him for 241.—( A laugh. )
Mr. RUT fl VEN supported the prayer of the petition.
The Admiralty Courts in Ireland were worse than even the
Ecclesiastical Courts. He hoped his Majesty's Ministers
would take the subject into thciir consideration, and introduce
some measure to assimilate the salvage laws here and in Ire.
land.—( Hear, hear. )
POOR LAWS (IRELAND).
The HON. and LEARNED MEMBER then presented a petition
from Dublin, very numerously and respectably signed, referring
to the destitute condition of the poorer classes in Ireland, and
praying the House to take into its consideration the question of -a
system of Poor Laws for that country. He (Mr. O'Connell)
had been long opposed to the introduction or poor laws, but
necessity had at length overruled his objections, and he
felt that it would be impossible for the country to go on
much longer without some system of poor laws. Some of the
worst landlords in Ireland were, he believed, opposed to poor
laws, and he (Mr. O'Connell) still thought the principle ex-
ceedingly dangerous, but the practical mischief was so great
that something must be done. The Hon. Member fur Waterford
had introduced a Bill upon this subject, the details of which
he (Mr. O'Connell) did not quite approve of. They had been
told that the Report of the Poor Law Commissioners would
be .laid upon the table of the House within a month—that
month had nearly expired, and he hoped the Report would be
shortly in the hands of Hon. Members ; and if no other person
took up the subject, he (Mr. O'C.) should certainly introduce
a Bill for the establishment of a system of Poor Laws in Ireland.
The Hon. and Learned Member then presented a petition
from,a place, the name of which we did not hear, in favour
of the hand-loom weavers.

SUGAR DUTIES.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved the
third reading of the Sugar Duties Bill.
Mr. THORNLEY said the country had a good right to
complain of these duties. He trusted another year would not be
allowed to pass P.ithout the duty on East and West India sugar
being assimilated. _

Tile Bill was then read a third time and passed.
DISSENTERS' GRIEVANCES.

Mr. WIL K S said there were three motions on the
paper for this week connected with the Dissenters' griev-
ances—the first was with respect to their admission to
the Universities, which had been postponed till the first
of August ; the second was the Bill of Sir Robert Peel
with respect to Dissenters' marriages ; and the third was one
which he and the country thought of much importance—it was
with respect to Civil Registration for births, marriages, and
deaths. These had already been postponed, in order to allow
the Municipal Reform Bill to be got on with, on the
understanding that the Ministry intended to bring
forward a measure combining all these questions at
a very early period of the ensuing Session. He wished to ask
the Noble Lord (I Russell), whether that was the course in-
tended to be taken ?

Lord J. RUSSEL L said he thought that it would not be
possible to have introduced any measure on the subject
mentioned by the Honourable Gentleman, with any
hopes of carrying it into effect this session. He had
paid great attention to the Bill introduced by the
Right Honourable Baronet ( Sir Robert Peel.) He
found that those among Dissenters with whom he had
consulted, were anxious to have introduced amendments
of such a sweeping measure as must have given rise to a very
lengthened discussion, and there would have been little chance
of passing it this session. The government had therefore deter-
mined not to proceed with that Bill. His opinion wasthat the first
measure with regard to the relief of Dissenters was an estab-
lishment of a civil registration of births, deaths, and marriages.
—( Cheers.) Government had determined to proceed very early
next session with a measure upon that subject. After a mea-
sure of that sort, he did not apprehend there would be any great
difficulty in framing an act with respect to the marriages of
Dissenters, and the settlement of the question of Church
rates. The Government were determined to proceed
with those measures very early next session. —( Cheers. )
Mr. WIL K S said he had not put these questions, without
consulting a great number of the Dissenters then in town, and