The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-09 00:00:00

IWPE I UAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.-(YESTERDAY.)

The LORA CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack
at five o'cic a.

T lIE REPLY TO THE ADDRESS.

The L'JRD CHANCELLOR read her Majesty's reply
to their 'lordships' address on the occasion of the opening
of Parnament.

GRAND JURIES.

Lord CHRIMSFORD brought in a bill for the better
reguls tion o grand juries.
The bill, was read a first time.
MR. BRIGHT'S SPEECH.

Tho Marquis of NORMANBY was about to draw the
attention. of the house to a recent speech delivered by Mr.
Bright., in which certain erroneous statements were made,
with a view of correcting them.
Pearl GRANVILLE said he thought the course about to
be pursued by the noble marquis was quite irregular.
Earl GREY strongly deprecated the course of raising a
iliscussion upon the matter. He considered the noble mar-
quis was quite in the wrong.
The subject then dropped.
CHURCH RATES.
A number of petitions were presented against the aboli-
tion. of Church Rates.
PUBLIC BUSINESS.

Marl GRANViIIE;ese to move the appointment of a
select committee on the public business of the house, with
'a view to ascertain whether any improvement could be made
in conducting it. Their lordships were very much in the
position of a manwho complained to his doctor that he felt so
very empty before dinner and so very full after. The difficulty
was, that in consequence of the arrangement by which so
mazy measures were obliged to be originated so very late
in the other house, the House of Lords had very little
business to perform in the early part of the ses-
sion, but it was perfectly inundated with measures as it
drew towards a close. He thought the evil could easily be
pointed out, but he did not think the remedy could so easily
be discovered. It had been proposed that a joint committee
of both houses should be arranged, but he preferred that
their lordships should appoint their committee as the
'House of Commons had already appointed one on the same
subject.

The Earl of DERBY said the difficulty of dealing with
the business in their lordships' house differed very widely
from that in the House of Commons. The Commons had
a very wide range for inquiry, while in their own case the
only difficulty that arose was from the glut of business that
had to be transacted just at the close of the session.
Taking the Bankruptcy Bill, he thought if such a bill was
brought up in July, it might be considered as a matter of
urgency, but it would be very impolitic to force such a bill
through at such a period, when it was clear it would not
receive the attention it deserved. The practice of moving
motions of urgency was one greatly to be deprecated.
Lord REDESDALE said the way to facilitate the busi-
ness in their lordshipe.house was to expedite it in the Com-
mons. A practice existed in the other house of raising
long and irrelevant discussions upon motions for going
into, committees of supply, which greatly impeded business,
arid if that was put an end to great improvement would
follow as a natural result.

Tho LORD CHANCELLOR thought, although a joint
committee could not be appointed, yet from the circum-
stance that a committee on this subject had been appointed
in the other houee, their lordships would be kept well, in-
formed of the proceedings of that committee.
Earl GREY agreed that the principal difficulty was in
the House of Comnions, and that what was chiefly required
was to discover some mode of having bills sent up earlier
in the session. The evil of the present state of things was
far greater than was commonly supposed ; and, unless some
efficient moans could be found to make legislation more
easy, great discredit would be thrown upon our whole par-
liamentary system. He was convinced that the sums of
money which had been wasted for want of some consistent
and steady policy withregard to railways might be reckoned
not by thousands but by millions. That was a subject which
no less than the public business demanded their attention.
After a few words from the Marquis of NORMANBY, the
motion was then agreed to.

THE ARMY IN CHINA.
Lord HERBERT of LEA gave notice that, on Thurs-
day next, he should propose a vote of thanks to the officers
and soldiers engaged in the recent operations in China.
THE SUFFRAGE IN ITALY.
The Marquis of NORMANBY said he would take an-
other :opportunity of calling attention to the statement,
wherever it had been made, that the constituency for the
elections which had just taken place in North Italy had
been as free as possible, thereby implying universal suf-
frage. So far from that being the case, the number of
electors in proportion to the population was infinitely smal-
ler than in any borough or county iu England.
Their lordships then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—(yEsTERDAy.)
The SPEAKER took the chair at four o'clock.
NEW MEMBERS.
Mr. HEYGATE took the oaths and his seat on his
election for Leicester, and Captain CLITE for Ludlow.

PRIVATE AIJ SINES&
The standing orders were reported to have been com-
plied with in the case of several railway and other private
bills.. Some private bills were also read a first time.