The Sun.
London, England, 1857-07-07 00:00:00

PETITIONS.

- - -
Mr. NORRIS presented a petition from the manager
of the Abingdon Savings Bank, praying the house to
take steps to raise the interest allowed to savings bank
depositors, last they should be tempted by the high rate
of interest elsewhere to withdraw their deposits—(laugh-
ter)—by Mr. HENLEY from places in Oxfordshire against
the divorce bill ; by Mr. EEECROFT from Leeds in favour
of the medical profession bill ; by Mr. Weeneems from
the proprietors of the South Lambeth Mews, asking for
the opinion of the law officers of the Crown with respect
to proceedings taken to compel unstamped newspapers
to give security.
BURIALS ACT A.MENDMENT BILL.
On the motion for going into committee on this bill,
Sir W. JOLLIFFE objected to the principle of the
bill, and to the formation of the Burial Boards. He
considered it would be distasteful to the people, because
not being satisfied with separating paupers during life
from their friends, this bill proposed to separate them
when dead by providing pauper burial grounds.
Mr. MASSEY defended the introduction of the bill,
which was rendered necessary to remedy defects that
bad prevented the effectual operation of a bill that bad
been found on the whole to work successfully. No new
principle was introduced into this bill. It only gave
facilit es to the present organisation without creating
new boards. The provision for pauper burial grounds
was only in ca es where large union houses existed, and
it had been introduced in consequence of representations
made to the Home-office relative to the expense inflicted
on small parishes contiguous to these houses, by having
to provide burial grounds for the paupers, and also to
prevent over-crowding,
Sir H. WILLOUGHBY thought that a clause
should be inserted granting paupers the privilege of
selecting their place of buried..
After some remarks from Mr. SOTHERON,
Sir G. GREY said it was inconvenient to discuss
clauses out of committee. The object of the bill was
only to remedy the present law, and did not give new
powers to the Secretary of State.
Mr. H. BERKLEY- said his only fear was that this
bill would enable persons to make commercial tranaac-
tions of the dead, and that it did not confer sufficient
power upon the Secretary of State.
After some further discussion, the house went into
committee.

Clauses 1 and 2 were agreed to.
On clause 3,
Mr. KNIGIIT moved a❑ amendment. Too
clause p:ovided Er the formation of burial boards on
the petition cf nut less than one-tenth of the inhabitants,
and he proposed the insertion of words that would
enable ltical boards of health to assume the power of
burial boards the same as town councils.
Sir G. GREY said the clause was inserted for the
proteetion of the inhabitants, but he had no objection to
the amendment.

The clawe, as amended, was then agreed to.
Clause 4 was agreed to, with amendments.
On clause 5, to empower boards of guardians to fsrm
themselves ibto burial boards t provide burial grounds
for the paupers,
Sir W. JOLLIFEE moved that the clause be tx-
puc ged.
Sir G. GREY said the clau>e was introduced on the
representation he referred to at an early period or the
discussion. This was not a compulsory clause, but as
the committee of jested to it, he would not press it.
The clause wa: accordingly struck cut.
Causes 6 and 7 were agreed to.
Clause 8, providing for the settlement of disputes on
questions of consecrated and unconsecrated grounds by
the Secretary of State was agreed to.
Clauses up to 15 were agreed to with alterations.
On clause 16,
Mr. KNIGHT objected to the clause, which, was the

most objectionable in the bill. It proposed to make the
orderd of the Rome Secretary more stringent than at
present, ail entaded 10/. penalty fur disobedience. The
clause would r.1:o fix inspectors all over the ciuntry fir
all eternity. (Laughter.) He mkt d the committee to
reject the clauie.
Sir G. GREY supported the clause, which was necep-
ary to pre3erve decency of burial in many joint-stock
cemeteries. _ _ _

Sir DE LACY EVANS considered this clause neces-
sary to prevent the continuance in the metropolis of
the abuses and abominations that had been exposed in
reference to burial in Joint-fitock Cemeteries. It the
committee expunged this clause the bill had better be
withdrawn.
After some further disCussion, S:r G. GREY con-
sented to an alteration of the clause, which would make
the regulations and orders refer to commercial ceme-
teries only instead of feu. all the cemeteries throughout
the country.
The clause so amended was then agreed to.
Mr. L. KING moved as an amendment that only
one body shoul i be burial in a grave within the metro-
politan ce.neteries except in family graves,
Sir G. GREY said be agreed in the abstract that only
one body should be buried in a grave, but he thought
it should not be carried out with reference to existing
cemeteries.

The committee ultimately divided on the amendment.
The numbers were—

For the amendment
Against it
Maj,,rity —lss
Mr. MASSEY moved the following addition to the
clause :—" Provided also, that each regulations shall not
prohibit the burial of any number of bodies not ex-
ceeding six, in the same grave on the same day in
any of the cemeteries mentioned in Schedule B of the
Act 15th au& 16th Victoria, chapter 85, or in any ceme-
tery established in pur-uance of any Act of Parliament,
provided that every coffin so buried shall be separated from
any other coffin by at least a foot of earth, and be buried
at least four feet below the surface of the ground, aid
provided that such grave shall be filed in on the day of
burial and never again opened until the remains of the
bodies buried therein shall be completely decayed.
Mr. MILES re2retted that the Government bad
charged the number from "four" to "six," as orginally
intended, Ile moved that the number be limited to
" four."

Mr. MASSEY defended the Government proposition
on the grouod of vested interests,
Mr. CLAY said "six" was proposed to allow ceme-
teries to carry out their contracts with boards of guar-
dians of buryirg six bodes in one grave.-
The committee divided. The numbers were—
For the amendment" l3l
131
Against it . .
Majority
The house then resumed.
NEW MEMBER.'

Major GORDON took the oaths and his seat for Banff-
shire.
The house suspended its sitting at 4 o'clock, and re-
sumed at 6 o'clock.

[LEFT BITTING.]

LONDON GAZETTE —('Phis Evening.)

BUCKINGHAM PALACE, JULY 3.
This day had audience of her Majesty; the Duke and
Duchess de Montpensier, Brother-in-law and only Sister
of the Queen of Spain. Their Royal Highnesses were at-
tended by Don Juan Tomas Comyn, Charge d'Affaires of
her Catholic Majesty at this Court :
Also the Prince of Hoheczollern Sigmar:ngen. His
Serena Highness was attended by the Count de Bernstorif,
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary from
the King of Prussia at the Court of her Majesty :
To which audiences their Royal and Serene Highnosses
were introduced by the E4rl of Clarendon, K.G., her Ma-
jesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs,
and conduct° I by Major-General the Honourable Sir
Edward Cast, K.C.H., her Majesty's Master of the
Ceremonies.

WAR-OFFICE, JULY 4.
The Queen has been graciously pleased to make and
ordain a special Statute of the Most Honourable Order of
the Bath, for the appointment of the undermentioned
officer in the East India Company's Service to be en extra
Member of the Military Division of the Second Class, or
Knights Commanders, of the said Most Honourable Order,
viz. :—Major-General John Bennett Hearsay, C. 8., Colonel
of the 6th Regiment of Bengal Ljaht Cavalry.
BOARD OF TRADE,
_WHITEHALL,__JULY 7.

The Right Honourable 'the Lords of the Committee of
Privy Council for Trade and Plantations have received,
through the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a copy
of a Despatch from her Majesty's Ambassador at Paris,
enclosing a copy of a French Imperial Decree, admitting
mules sni honied cattle, sheep and goats, into Algetil,
free of Import Duty.