The Sun.
London, England, 1857-06-06 00:00:00

IRELAND.

In answer to a question,
Mr. WILSON said that the United Company pro.
posrd meeting to-morrow to decide on this question,
and in the early part of the week he hoped to be able to
give the required information.
TROOt'S AT THE CAPE.

Major S. WORTLEY asked when it was intended to
relieve the 6th, 45th, and 73d Regiments, now at Os
Cape of Good Hope !
Sir J. RAMSDEN said that the arrangements 'of the
service would not permit the withdrawal of the troops at
present, especially when the present state of the Cape
was considered.
ECCLESIASTICAL COMMISSION.

Lord R. CECIL asked the Secretary of State for the
Home Department when it was his intention to intro-
duce his bill on the sutjeot of the Ecclesiastical Com-
mission ?

Sir G. GREY said he hoped to be able to introduce
;he bill next week.

HALF-PAY.

Sir G. B. PECHELL inquired of the Secretary of the
Treasury, whether the case of certain officers of Green-
wich Hospital, praying to be granted half-pay, had been
favourably considered?
Mr. WILSON said he was unable then to give a
satisfactory answer, and he would make enquiries about
it.

EDUCATION.
Sir J. PAKINGTON moved the adjournment of the
house, in order that be might appeal to the noble lord,
as there was no chance of his being able to bring on his
motion on education on the day he had given notice, to
ask him to give him a Government day for its discussion.

OUR RELATIONS WITH BRAZIL.
Mr. ROEBUCK referring to the late discussion with
reference to our relations with Brazil, asked for the pro-
duction of certain papers relating thereto.
SHAM ELECTION PETITIONS.
Mr. ADDERLEY called the attention of the house
to the practice of presenting sham petitions to the
house against hon. members' returns, and instanced
his own case, where a person named Fox, a
journeyman hatter, of Newcastle-under•Lyne, a stranger
to him, charged him with corrupt practices. Unfor-
tunately men making such attacks escaped punishment
by the house notpublishing the libel. In his case he would
readily expend 1,0001 to bring the man to justice, did
the law and the rules of the house permit it. It was
time measures should be taken to prevent the repetition
of such practices. The law should make it compulsory on
the petitioners to pay all expenses if they had not
good grounds for doing so. He firmly believed
that filty per cent. of the petitions against mem-
bers were not genuine, but for the purpose of
extorting money. (Hear, hear.) He asked the Govern
went what course they intended to take relative to this
question?
Mr. G. H. MOORE complained of the manner he bad
been treated by the House and the press relative to the
petition that had been presented against his return. His
remarks were principally directed to the honourable
member for North Warwickshire (241 r. Spooner),
who, it was understood, the hon. member said had used
it in debate. lie considered the publication had the
effect of prejudging the case. He protested against the
privilege of the press, and that house being used in these
instances to the prejudice of the sitting member.
I\lr. H. DUNCOMBE referred to the abuse of these
petitions. He had known instances where petitions had
been withdrawn by the agents without the consent of
the petitioning parties. He condemned the present
Corrupt Practices Act, which he thought rather tended to
the conception of corrupt practices than their preven-
tion. He hoped the Government would do something
to get rid of the evils complained of.
Mr. SPOONER defended himself from the supposition
that he would do anything wilfully that might tend
to the prejudging of any case. The document he quoted
was in the hands of all the members.

Viscount PALMERSTON was quite sure the right
hon. bart. (Sir J. Pakington) would believe that he en-
Only concurred with what must be the opinion of the
whole house, that no member was entitled to more cour-
tesy and consideration at the bands of the Government
than the right hon. bart., especially in reference to the
subject with which he was anxious to call upon the
house to deal. He elso admitted that the subject of
education was one eminently deserving to be taken into
consider Won and discussed in a new House of Com-
mons at the earliest opportunity. On the other band, he
wool! submit to the right hon. bart.—who, whatever
his anxiety in regard to that question, would, he was
sure, enter into the feelings of her Majesty's Government
in this regard—that they had as yet made but very little
way with the estimates—(hear)—some estimates of con-
siderable consequence yet remaining to be voted. Be-
this there were measures of great importance which the
Government was desirous to proceed with in order that
they might be sent up to the other house in time to
pass during the present session. The right hon. hart.
had been hitherto unfortunate in the ballot for priority ;
but though as yet unsuccessful, he might be more fortu-
nate before long. All he could say was that he was afraid
he was unable at the present moment to offer the right
hon. baronet a Government day for his motion. When,
however, they had made more progress with the publio
business—if the right hon. baronet should be still unsuc•
cessful in the ballot—he (Lord Palmerston) would have
much pleasure in affording the opportunity he desired.
With regard to the question of his hon. and learned friend
(Mr. Itoebudk), what he (Lord Palmerston) stated on a
former evening was exactly what his hou. and learned
friend had quoted. Ho stated that the operation of the
act of 1845, in regard to the Brazilian slave trade, was
suspended by the mutual consent of the two Govern-
ments. But if his hon. and learned friend or the house
understood that by that he meant to say that the Bra-
zilian Government consented to the continuance of the
act in its suspended state, he wished to correct that
impression, and to explain that he used those ex-
pressions somewhat hastily, and without due considera-
tion. What he meant to say was, that the act of 1845
was suspended in consequence of communications which
took place between the two Governments—that it was
suspended by the British Government, in fast, in defer-
ence to the wishes of the Brazilian Government ; and in
consequence of that Government having used its active
exertions in putting an end to the slave trade. With re-
gard to the production of the correspondence, the papers
in reference to the Brazilian slave trade were annually
laid before Parliament, in which the correspondence on
the points referred to would as a matter of course appear.
But he would not trouble his hon. andbl learned
.frien
which
to
wade through the somewhat bulky ue•booksthie n
ee
the papers were comprised,
.but would dh.avet
it t
o rrebe
s-
c
pondence extracted and printed, an
pl-aced in the library. With regard tore
the complaint of
e return of mem-
that the right of petitioning against the
the hon. member for Stafford, it was unquestionablyh true
bers of Parliament was frequently used for improper
iwmerrpe
often
oses The hon. gentleman said that charges
brought which the parties making them
knew to be unfounded, for the purpose of extorting a
compromise, or, in some cases, h. e believed, a consider-
able money payment. No doubt it was so, and no doubt
it was most desirable to put an end to such practices ;
but on the other hand they had to consijFr the character
of Parliament, and they ought not, in order to prevent
such abuses of the power given by law, to restrict too
much the right of petition'ng, and the opportunities of
electors or defeated candidates of bringing before Parlia-
ment the improper and corrupt practices by which the
successful candidates might have secured their election.
They would do wrong if on the one hand they too much
restricted the right of petition, while no doubt on the
other hand there was an inconvenience arising from
the power given under the act regulating the trial of con-
troverted elections, of making unfounded charges :against
sitting members. The hon. gentleman, however, should
remember that an election petition could only proceed
from an elector, or from the defeated candidate him.
self ; but the hon.. gentleman complained that
ba peti-
tion had been presented centaicing libelloue—
ecauwe
he has no remedy
accusations,
his
unfounded charges .against him, and that, that. petition
having been withdrawn,
of refut,iendrgro
admission p
nof
th that
t
accusers, and no means
But surely there corals' be no strtohne6
he
thancharacter poi thge hon.emem-
charges were unfoureeied
peti-
tion. And with regard to the
_
inted with his public career
suppose for a moment that he
mem-
ber, one. who was
or his private
bad been guilty of the 0 Ifenct which bad been alleged
against him.the vetttioner was in all these cases
But
under a certain he was liable to the paytneet
w wools itt
of all and every expense in curred by the sitting member
in consequence of the petite on. After all, the remedy was
very much in the hands of hou. members tnemselves. It
was said thatlelection petitions were sometimes presented
with the view of extorting money. In such cases the els-
vious duty o ithe member petitioned against was to Lring
the fact forward as a breach of piivilege, and as such the
house would take immediate cognisance of it he was sure.
And in the case of a petition presented to induce. the
withdrawal of another petition, if that other petition was
well founded why should the parties withdraw it I They