The Sun.
London, England, 1866-04-27 00:00:00

THE IRISH CHURCH.

The Earl of BELMORE presented a petition from Tip-
perary against the disendowment of the Established Church
in Ireland.

SHEFFIELD WATER BILL.

The standing order of the house, No. 179. sec. 1, having
been considered and dispensed with, this bill was put
through its several stages and passed.
PUBLIC OFFICES (SITE) BILL.
On the motion of Lord STANLEY of ALDEREY this
bill passed through committee.
Their lordships then adjourned.

MOUSE OF COMMONS--THIS EVENING.
The SPEAKER took the chair at four o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.
The following bills were read a third time and passed :
—Ellesmere and Glyn Valley ; Hoylake Railway ; Lanca-
shire and Yorkshire Railway ; Uxbridge and Rickmans-
worth Railway ; Winchcomb and Midland Railway ; and
Wrexham, Mold, and Connah's Quay Railway (Ex-
tensions).
ELECTORAL STATISTICS.
Mr. DISRAELI presented a petition from Rochdale
impugning the accuracy of the electoral. statistics, and
stating that instead of 58, the working men affected by
these returns amount to 226. The petitioners prayed for
inquiry.

THE CATTLE PLAGUE.
Mr. H. LEWIS asked the Secretary of State for the
Home Department whether he had received information
that the provinces of Friesland and Groningen were en-
tirely free from the Rinderpest ; and, if so, whether it was
his intention to take steps to modify the existing restric-
tions on the importation of cattle and sheep from those
provinces.
Sir G. GREY said that representations had been made
to the Privy Council that the cattle plague had greatly
decreased in the places referred to, and asking that the
strict regulations with respect to importation might be
relaxed ; but before any step was taken it would be right
to make inquiry whether the places from which cattle
might be brought were also free for discussion.
MIXED MARRIAGES.
Mr. DA "VSON asked the hon. and learned member for
Sligo whether in the Marriages (Ireland) (No. 2) Bill to be
read a second time upon Tuesday, Ist May, any provision
was contained which would legalise the celebration of
marriage between two Protestants by a clergyman of the
Roman Catholic Church ?

-
Sergeant ARMSIRONI3 said the bill did not interfere
with the law as it existed with respect to marriages of two
Protestants by a Roman Catholic.
THE REFORM BILL—THE ADJOURNED DEBATE.
The adjourned debate on the second reading of the Re-
form Bill was resumed this evening by
Viscount CRANBOURNE who commenced his observa-
tions by condemning the speech delivered by the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer at Liverpool, and denied that
it was fair to impute to members of his side
opinions in aversion to the working classes, He was quite
aware when the Ministry had nothing to say in favour of
the bill it was very easy to shower dirt over its supporters,
and this course had been most unscrupulously adopted.
He felt they had beard in that house two much about the
working man, as if he was different from other persons,
and he could not understand how their nature, for better
or worse, should be considered better than others.
He said their nature not their temptations, and the
election committee that had been sitting proved that the
possession of the franchise was looked upon by many as a
saleable commodity, and to give this power to persons
who might bo tempted was scarcely wise or prudent.
He did not say that the rich were free from
vices, because they were not, but the temptation to the
humbler possessor of the franchise was far more dangerous,
because the offer of a bribe of £2O or £3O was a circum-
stance which it would be scarcely possible for many of the
humble class to withstand. Various party tactics had taken
place during the progress of the discussion, but he believed
that the last move of the Government was to announce
from the mouth of the Chancellor of the Exchequer that
they would proceed with the Distribution of Seats Bill
part passu with the Refcrm Bill. He did not think that
such an announcement would answer much, because it
was decidedly opposed to the announcement he had made
in introducing the bill. But, be the matter what it may,
he did not like to see unnecessary humiliation, and if the
Chancellor of the Exchequer did take this course it would
be a piece of useless humiliation. It was painful
at any time to see a man eat dirt, but when any one did so
uselessly it was most pitiable ; and if the move he had al-
luded to was to be played, he warned the right honour-
able gentleman it would fail, because he would
not secure one additional vote by such a party
move. The Government said they would take the
bill for the redistribution of seats pan passu, which part
passu the Reform Bill would meet one after the other, but
what they on his side of the house wanted was, that they
should proceed with the two matters at the same time,
and in the same bill. (Hear.) Until you know out of which
of the constituencies you were going to take the persons
to whom the franchise was granted hcw was the house to
know whether they were fit for the privilege or not. He
could not agree at all in the arguments of the hon. mem-
ber for Westminster, because he
,never attempted to
show that the bill as it now stood would not give a pre-
pondemnce to the working classes. The very stone of all
ref
od by thewnaesopierectponderan htn.
Preponderance and yet this had been
entirely m,
bor.
It
had
been
said

that his party were not the proper persons to arrange
the re-distribution of seats, dibecause they were not
in a position to grapple with question—pir. BRIGHT
here interrupted the noble lord) with the observation,
" You might destroy it"j—that might be the opinion of
the hon. member for Birmingham, but this he knew, that
if it was left to the hon. member who had interrupted him,
the result would be that democratic power would be the
only thing left in the country. hear, and cheers.)
He should like to know upon what 'ground the bill was
urged through the house • he denied there was a necessity
for it ; but he was told 'that it was urged on solely on
pledges—that the house was pledged toref (Hear.)
`there was the pledge? What was thtehptendltie ? The
eoc
hes subjectbu
but
pledge, as far as he collect, was simply
had been mentioned in two or three Queen's,le
set
downie not
the Chancellor of the Exchequer, he thous
exactly the person to be bound by what was
Queen's speeches. The house was told that if they passed
in
the bill they would hear no more about Reform for x
20 or 30 years, but the Reform Bill of 1832 was statedetnoebt•
final measure, and the present bill would be about as final
as that was. (Hear, hear, and cheers.) He knew the
opinion of the hon. member for Westminster on property
and landlords, the ]tttar of whom ho had written
that they might be discarded at any time. In
the bill wherever you go you find concealment.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer would not tell
the house where the first blood was to come from,
and the Loa. member for Westminster would not tell them
what sort of measures the new Parliament would pass.
'He for one desired to know what he was going to vote for
before he voted. (Hear, hear.) He was not going to
,speculate in reform, and the house, in his opinion, had
'the courage to vote honestly. The Government was
offering an indignity to the house in the course they
were pursuing. They were attempting to break and bend
down the independence of Parliament, and, therefore, their
first duty to their country was to resist it to the utmost of
their power. (Hear, hear, and cheers.)
Colonel GROSVENOR said he intended to give his sup-
port to the Government.
[LEFT SPEAKING.]

LONDON GAZE T TE..—This Evening.
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FOREIGN-OFFICE, APRIL 24.
The Queen has been graciously pleased to appoint
George Lenox-Conyngham, jun., Esq., now a Third Secre-
tary, to be a Second Secretary in her Majesty's Diploma-
tie Service.