The Sun.
London, England, 1844-02-24 00:00:00

late was entitled to the thanks of every friend of religion and
humanity. Still, he must say, that in his diocese the destitu-
tion of the poor in workhouses was not so great as the Right
Rev. Prelate had roved it to be in other parts of the country.
Lord CAMOYS said that he had always supported the
principle of allowing a chaplain to every workhouse ; but he
thought that it might appear a hardship upon the Dissenters
that they should be obliged to pay the salary of a clergyman
whose services would be devoted to one particular class. Now,
as the clergy of the several parishes in a union were relieved
from the most unpleasant part of their duty, by the removal of
the paupers to the anion-house, he thought it would not be un-
fair for them to contribute to the salary of the chaplain.
Toe Bishop of EXETER rose to express his thanks to the
Noble Baron ( Wharncliffe), and to the Government for
he declaration that they would introduce such a clause.
Lord WHARNCLIFFE had not said anything of the
sort.—( Hear, and a laugh.)
The Bishop of EXETER had understood the Noble Lord to
say so ; but, atall events, it was much to know that the Noble
Lord would support such a clause. He (the Bishop of Exeter)
would not withdraw his motion, but would allow it to be
negatived.
The motion was then negatived without a division, and the
House adjourned at Half-past Seven o'Clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, Feb. 23.
The SnaAxEs. took the chair at Four o'Clock.
The following Bills were read a second time and ordered to
be committed :—The Ribble Navigation, the Lancaster and
Carlisle Railway, the Ramsay Inclosine, the Bury (Hunting-
don) Inclosure, and the Liverpool New Gas and Coke Bills.
NEWBURY AND GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY
Mr. CHARLES RUSSELL moved the second reading of

this Bill.
Sir WILLIAM HEATHCOTE said he should oppose the
second reading of this Bill, unless he had a clear understanding
from the Hon. Member for Reading (Mr. Russell) that no

opposition wouldbe offered to the second reading of another Bill,
to which the present one was closely allied. Two competing
lines of railway had been proposed, one by the South Western
Railway Company, from Basingstoke to Newbury ; and the
Other by the Great Western Railway Company, from Hunger-
ford to Newbury. The former Bill he ( Sir William Heath-
cote) would introduce in a few days. He thought, there-
fore, that it would be well to postpone the second
reading of the present Bill for a fortnight, in order that both
Bills might be read together and afterwards be referred to the
same Committee. If the Hon. Member for Reading would
undertake not to oppose the second reading of the Bill, for the
Branch Railway from Basingstoke to Newbury, he (Sir W.
Heathcote) would not offer any opposition to the present Bill,
but unless the Hon. Member gave this pledge, he should move
that the second reading of the Bill be postponed for a fort-

Mr. R. PALMER hoped that the lion. Member for Read-
ing would agree to the proposition of the Hon. Baronet. He
should have a petition to present against this line from nine-
tenths of the landholders through whose property the Newbury
and Basingstoke line would run. He had, however, no wish
to oppose the second reading, if the two Bills were permitted to
go together before the Committee.
Mr. C. RUSSELL would not consent to any delay. The
Hon. Gentleman had said they would sustain no disadvan-
tage by delay—neither would they gain any great advantage
by having the Bill now read a second time. All the Stand-
ing Orders had been complied with. The Bill would be re-
ferred to the Committee of Selection, and he should wish
at once to take the judgment of the House. He thought he
was not asking too much, in moving that the Bill be now read
a second time.

Mr. FRANCIS BAFtING had no doubt but that the Right
Hon. Baronet would withdraw his opposition to the second
reading of the 13111, if the Hon. Member for Reading would
give tee House his assurance that the second reading of the
for the competing line should not be opposed, but that
butt Bills should be referred to the Committee at the same
time.—(Hear, hear.) The Hon. Member for Reading,
however, had not consented to give any such assurance.
He believed that the inhabitants of the part of the
county with which he was connected were much
opposed to the present Bill, but he desired nothing unfair.
He only wished that both Bills should be referred to the same
Committee, and unless the Hon. Member for Reading gave
some assurance that the second reading of the other Bill
should not be opposed, he should certainly vote for the post-
ponement of the second reading of this Bill. He should like
very much to hear the sentiments of the Right Hon. Gentle-
man at the head of the Board of Trade upon this subject.
Mr. GLADSTONE said he regretted that his Hon. Friend
the Member for Reading, who was the Chairman of one of the
great railways, seemed to be disinclined to a postponement of
this Bill.—(Hear' hear.) He thought it would be much
better if these two Bills were to be brought before the House
sit the same time.—( Hear, hear.) He agreed with his Hon.
Priend that it would be most unfair if the consideration
of this Bill were to be postponed for any very long
time, because he was aware of the great advantages to be
&dyed by the public from diligence and celerity, but there
Mould be no suspicion of a want of either on the part of the
promoters of these Bills ,• but still he thought their postpone.-
anent for a fortnight would do no harm.—( Hear, hear.)
Mr. AGLIONBY said one of these Bills was before a Com-
mittee, of which ho was a member, and he thought that before
the next meeting of the House the Committee would be pre-
pared with its Report.
Mr. C. RUSSELL said that on behalf of himself and of the
Company to which he had the honour to belong, he begged to
say that he had no desire to act counter to the wishes of the
Mouse, and he should consequently accede to the required
postponement.
The second reading of the Bill was then postponed for a
fortnight,
REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES—SUPPLY.

Mr. FIELDEN presented three petitions from Manchester,
Liverpool, and Oldham—the last bearing 3,200 signatures—
praying that the House would not vote the estimates for the
army and navy until the grievances of the people were in-
quired into and redressed.
Sir GEORGE STRICKLAND presented a petition to the
same effect from Preston.

Mr. SHARMAN CRAWFORD presented a petition,
signed by Andrew Cross, chairman of a public meeting of the
inhabitants of Taunton, confplaining of the unjust and extra-
vagant legislative, and oppressive, and partial monopolies, civil
and ecclesiastical ; and they prayed the House not to vote the
supplies necessary to support the present enormous military
force till these causes of complaint were redressed. Also, peti-
tions from Creditors, in the county of Devon, and from Whit-
church, in Hampshire, to the same effect.
NEW ZEALAND. _

Mr. B. BALDWIN presented a petition from New
Zealand, stating that they paid 30,0001. a-year for protection,
and yet that sufficient protection was not afforded them. They,
therefore, prayed for sufficient protection, and also for an in-
quiry into the land titles.
SURPLUS REVENUE.
Mr. WALLACE gave notice that instead of moving the re-
solution of which he had given notice, that the surplus revenue
be 'applied to the redaction of those taxes which bear most
heavily on the working classes, he should, believing it to be
snore consistent and Parliamentary, move an address to the
Crown for the same purpose.
ASSESSED TAXES.
Captain PECHELL gave notice that, on Thursday next,
he should call the attention of the House to the system of
punishing persons who were defaulters in the assessed taxes.
POOR-LAW AMENDMENT BILL.
Sir J. GRAHAM said it would ho in the recollection of the
House that when he introduced his Poor-law Amendment Bill,
he did so at a moment's notice, the House having met on the
Saturday, is consequence of its having counted out the previous
evening. He took advantage of an opportunity he did
not anticipate having, and explained the provisions of the
Bill very briefly, and without the assistance of any note or
document. On that occasion the lion. and Gallant
Member for Brighton (Captain Pechell) put a question to him
which he answered at the moment, and he had since found out
that that answer was not a correct one. He (Sir James
Graham) had stated that there was no provision
is the Bill authorising interference with the Gilbert
unions. He was incorrect in stating this, and he apo-
logised to the Hon. and Gallant Member, and to the House
for the mistake. There was one clause in the Bill,
having reference to local Acts, the object of which
he should be prepared to discuss on a future occasion.
He would propose the second reading now, and take the dis-
cussion on the motion fur going into Committee. But if this
course should be objected to, considering the important debate
which stood on the Order of the Day, he would feel it his duty
to postpone the second reading of the Bill till a future day. if
there was no opposition, however, to the course which he pro-
posed, be would move that the Order of the Day be then read.
Mr. P. BORTHWICK, for one, had no objection to the
Right Hon. Baronet reading the Bill a second time, provided
he gave an understanding that there would be an opportunity
of discussing, not only the amendments preposed in the Bill
itself, but also the whole principle of the Hear. )
Sir JAMES GRAHAM said such opportunity would be
afforded on the motion for going into Committee.
Capt. PECHELL said the 56th clause iaconnexion with the
17th clause in this Bill,had created considerable alarm amongst
the constituency he represented,for they looked with great jealousy
at any attempt at interference with the powers of their
boards of guardians, or any interference with their affairs.
lie hoped the Right Hon. any
would not persist in inter-
fering with the rights of those who had conducted the affairs
of the poor with satisfaction both to themselves and to the
rate-payers.
Colonel SIBTHORP would not oppose the second reading
of the Bill ; but he should at a subsequent stage take: the sense
of the House as to the propriety of the total annihilation of the
Commissioners.—(Cheers and laughter. )
Mr. T. DUNCOMBE exonerated the Right Hon. Baronet
from all blame for introducing the Bill on a Saturday. It was
by the desire of himself (Mr. T. Duncombe) and other Hon.
Members, that the Right Hon. Baronet had so introduced his
Bill. He should not oppose the second reading, although he
thoughtit capable of amendment. Those amendments, however,
might be made in Committee. He wished to ask the Right
Hon. Baronet when it was his intention to move for a Com-
mittee to inquire into the operation of the Gilbert unions?
Sir J. GRAHAM said, it had been his intention to move for
the appointment of the Committee before Easter: He would
give the Hon. Gentleman due notice of his intention to move
for the Committee, so that the parties concerned might have
time for preparation. He should propose that the Bill be
committed on Monday fortnight.
After a few words from Mr. S. WORTLEY, the Bill was
read a second time, and ordered to be committed on Monday
fortnight.
ADJOURNMENT OF THE HOUSE.
Sir G. CLERK moved that the House, at its risipg, do ad-
journ till Monday.—Agreed to.
Sir R. PEEL moved, in conformity with the notice which
he had given last night, that Mr. M. Blake be substituted in
the room of the Hon. Member for Montrose as a Member of
the Gaming Committee. He did so because the Ho-
nourable Gentleman had voluntarily retired from the Com-
mittee, and because he said he had no great knowledge of the
turf, and had never made a bet.—(Laughter. )—Agreed to.
yOSTAGE PAPERS.
Mr. WALLACE wished to know from the Hon. Gentle•
man, the Secretary for the Treasury, when the free postage
papers would be issued ?
Sir GEORGE CLERK said, that directions had been
given to have a certain number of half-sheets prepared, as
an experiment, which would be ready in a few daysfordeli-
deli-
very. Tney would be sold to the public at the same
price as the present envelopes, namely at two shilling and
three pence a quire, and lid. each se erste sheet of
ADJOURNED DEBATE.—IRELAND. paper.
The Order of the Day for resuming the adjourned debate
having been read,
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said, he rose to discharge a
duty which, be believed, that House and the country expected
from him, in consequence of what had occurred in the course
of this debate. He had,been so often called upon, challenged,
and alluded to, that if he had any reluctance, which
he had not, he could not possibly have declined joining in
the discussion, and expressing his views and sentiments
on the subject that had been before the House. He was pre-
pared to have performed this duty at an earlier period of the
debate, and to have followed the Hon. and Learned
Member for Worcester, and to have commented on the
observations he made. But he was sure the House would ex-
cuse him for saying, that the moment he heard that Hon. an,d,
Learned Gentleman drop from his lips the words, "his honour,
in referring to his Right Honourable and Learned
Friend, the Attorney-General for Ireland, he at
once thought it would not become him (the Attorney-Ge-
neral) to step in between any Hon. Gentleman and the vindi-
cation of his personal honour. He gave way, therefore, to