The Sun.
London, England, 1835-08-21 00:00:00

PARLIAMENTARY SUMMARY.

In the LORDS yesterday, after the presentation of a petition
in favour of the original Corporations Bill, several Bills were
brought up from the Commons. Lord BROUGHAM presented
a petition from the occupiers of 116,000 acres of land, in the
county of Norfolk, in favour of the Islington Market Bill.
A petition against the Irish Church Bill was presented. The
Limitation of Polls Bill was passed,—after the Marquis of
SALISBURY had divided the House on an amendment to leave
out the oath of supremacy clause. Clauses 8 and 9 were
omitted ; all the others were agreed to. The Oaths Aboli-
tion Bill was passed. After several petitions had been pre-
sented against the Irish Church Bill, Lord MELBOURNE rose
and said that he was commanded by his MAJESTY to signify his
assent to this Bill ; and, at the conclusion of an able and tem-
perate speech, in which his Lordship commented on the un-
christian language of some of the petitions, and went into the
details of this important measure, he moved that the Bill be
read a second time. After some discussion, significant of the
sentence that awaits it from the House of Lords, the Bill was
read a second time without a division, and ,the House then
adjourned.
In the COMMONS', Mr. WALTER made a motion respecting
the 30,0001. advanced to the Thames 'funnel Company. The
sense of the House being against the motion, it was not
pressed. The Glass Duties Bill passed through Committee.
The Constabulary Force (Ireland) Bill was passed. In Com-
mittee on the Registration of Voters (Ireland) Bill, some
proposed amendments were negatived. For the proceedings
in the case of Colonel FAIRMAN, the Orange Lodges' Secre-
tary, we refer to another column. They will be found to pos-
sess much interest. A debate of considerable length ensued
upon a motion for a Committee on General DARLING'S case,
for which we refer to our Parliamentary Report.

THE BUDGET-STAMP DUTIES.

(From the Morning Advertiser.)

The slight notice taken by us in our last number of the
Budget of the Right Hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
has been followed up, as it deserved, by one universal excla-
mation against its hollowness—its inefficiency—its want of
grasp—and, finally, its breach of faith, not with the public
Press of England only, but with the liberal and determined
wishes of the people of all England.
Never was there such an intense note of preparation--never
so much preparation—never such a flourish of trumpets at the
introduction of a financial statement—never such disappoint-
ment—and, finally, never did a Budget receive so many
" kicks instead of halfpence," as that of Friday last. It fell
dead-born from the lips of the Right Honourable Gentleman,
and his colleagues in the House appeared to have gauged
his intellect more correctly than we and others had done ;
for, according to a paragraph which we find in an Evening
Print, and which we know to be substantially correct,
" Never, since the first introduction of the word Budget'
into parliamentary phraseology, was there anything like the
apathy that was displayed both by Honourable Members
and the public generally, as was evinced to hear Mr.
Spring Rice's official statement last night. It was with
the utmost difficulty a House could be made. Indeed, at five
minutes to four o'clock there appeared little probability of pro-
curing the attendance of forty Members. Messengers of all
descriptions were sent in every direction to beat up, but not-
withstanding their exertions, the hand of the clock lay on the
point of four when the Speaker counted thirty-nine, which, of
course, with himself, made up the number necessary to con-
stitute a House. Less than half a moment more and the
House, notwithstanding the budget, must have adjourned. At
no period during the sitting was there anything like a full at-
tendance of Members. The public appeared to feel even
greater indifference ; the strangers' gallery, at the early part
of the sitting, was nearly empty. Hitherto on such occasions
sums of from one to five guineas have been given for seats,
and persons sent at an early hour in the day to occupy them
until the gentlemen who purchased them arrived. On Friday
night twice as many might have been admitted, on payment
of the customary fee of half-a-crown."
The audience was worthy of the subject. To listen at any
time to a financial statement requires some patience ; but the
infliction of two hours and a half of an historical summary of
the taxes which existed in 1814, and which have in part been
repealed since that year, and without anything in the shape of
reduction to neutralize the bitterness, is really "too bad—too
bad," not only on account of the absence of novelty, but too
bad also, because the whole affair was as well known to every
well-educated boy of 14 years of age as to the Right Hon.
Gentleman who receives some thousands a year for reciting
the well-known extract from the history of the United King-
dom, entitled The Rise and Progress of the National Debt.
It is unpleasant to dwell upon this subject—and still more
unpleasant to refer to the apology of the Right Hon. Gen-
tleman for passing over in contemptuous silence his pledge
to repeated Deputations of the Press—nay, of a ma-
jority of the Press—to provide a new law for the sup-
pression of illegal publications, provided a majority of
the existing London press would submit to such a sweep-
ing reduction of the Taxes on Newspapers as he, in his wis-
dom, might see meet to adopt. Can Mr. Spring Rice deny
this to be the fact? Can he deny that he has broken his
pledge? No. And most justly is he rewarded by the con-
temptuous sneers of those journals which have been unflinch-
ing opponents of the Government, and the expression of bit-
ter disappointment on the part of those who have done it some
service. We speak in sorrow more than in- anger. To us,
as we have already said, it matters but little, as Newspapers
now are, whether any alteration be or be not made ; but it is
not so with others, who have been led to entertain expecta-
tions, and been disappointed—who have prepared for a change,
and find that no change is about to take place. Verily there
are men who possess the double capability of insuring the ma-
lignant sneers of their enemies, and of losing the support of
their friends at one and the same time, as Mr. Spring Rice
will speedily find to his cost, and, we fear, to the discredit of
the Government of which he has proved himself to be such an
inefficient and incapable organ.

MUNICIPAL REFORM BILL.

NEWPORT, ISLE OF WIGHT, AUGUST 19.

The Reformers of this place are highly indignant at the
charges introduced into the Corporation Bill in the House of
Lords ; indeed, they have abandoned the measure, and it is
expected that a public meeting will be held in a few days, to
request the Representatives of the people to reject the change-
ling attempted to be thrust by the hereditary wiseacres upon
the nation, in place of the broad, liberal, and enlightened
measure brought forward by the Ministry. The effect of the
qualification introduced by Lord Lyndhurst, would act in
Newport in the most objectionable manner; many of the most
wealthy and respectable inhabitants would be ineligible, while
brewers, and tavern and lodging-house keepers, would rank
highest on the scale. The shopkeepers in the High-street,
would nearly exclude all the others of the same class in the
town ; and owing to the inequality of the rating, much in-
justice would be committed. Sir R. Peel's proposed qualifica-
tion of 1,0001. for large boroughs, and 500/. for smaller ones,
would effect the purpose to a certain extent intended, but the
anomaly of the Ex-Lord Chancellor will render those eligible
whose trades require large premises, and exclude many re-
tired tradesmen and others, competent in every other respect,
but not living in large and expensive houses.
At the public meeting held some time since, great persua-
sion was required to induce the electors to petition the Lords, and
the general cry through the town now is, " We will never again
be foolish enough to petition men so regardless of our wishes."
The Tories are highly delighted with the amendments, and
say that the Bill will only confirm and consolidate their power
in Newport. For the county, as well as the borough, they are
fishing up everything that can be urged in the way of an ob-
jection to the Liberal voters. Certain cads to the party are
fully employed in raking up even the most scandalous objec-
tions that can be imagined—the privacy of family affairs are
threatened to be violated for party purposes—and, encouraged
by the manifestation in the House of Lords, they abate nothing
of their exertions, hoping eventually to restore the Isle of
Wight again to boroughmongering thraldom. The Liberals
in the county and borough should unite, for the loss of either
to the Reformers would expose the other to more direct and
dangerous attack. Liberal landholders should see that they
do not play into the hands of their enemies, by allowing Tory
stewards to use their influence against the popular cause.