The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-01 00:00:00

NORTHAMPTON GAOL.

Lord LILFORD asked a question respecting certain
returns affecting this gaol.
Lord WHARNCLIFFE said that the return was
made to ascertain some irregularities alleged to have
taken place in the gaol.
POST-OFFICE REGULATIONS—THE MAILS.
Earl FORTESCUE presented a petition from Tiver-
ton (of which he had given notice), complaining of the
conversion of stage-coaches into mail-coaches; whereby
the turnpike dues were evaded.
The Earl of LONSDALE said that the grievance
complained of had been occasioned by the inhabitants of
Tiverton requiring two deliveries daily instead of one.

OTAHEITE.
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE said that after
what occurred in the other House last night on the sub-
ject of the late aggressions of the Punch Admiral in
Otuheite, it was almost superfluous for him to ask, whe-
ther her Majesty's Government were able to inform the
House that the statements which had recently
appeared in the public prints were true ?
Lord ABERDEEN said—lt is perfectly true that
an outrage has been committed upon the person of a
British subject—(Bear, hear)—but it is also perfectly
true that it has taken place without the possible know-
ledge of the French Government, and under a state of
things which has been disavowed by that Government.
In September last the Queen was dethroned, and the
French Admiral, Du Petit Thouars, took possession of
the Island, and exercised sovereignty there. Immedi-
ately after that act was known in Europe, the French
Government disavowed it.—(Hear, hear.) But since that
time a state of things arose, which may account for
many acts, which could not be accounted fur under
a more regular and lawful state of affairs.—(Dear, hear.)
When the French Admiral took possession of the island,
the gentleman, who held the office of consul of Great'
Britain, hauled down his flag, and gave to the French
authorities an official announcement that he was no
longer consul there, the Queen having been dethroned
—(Hear, hear)—so that in point, of fact Mr. Prichard

was not regarded as having an official character. Ido
not mean to say, my Lords, that any such arbitrary pro-
ceedings as have been taken against that gentleman
could be justified.—(Hear, hear.) I have said before,
that all this must have taken place without the slightest
encouragement or even knowledge on the part of the
French Government. I believe this will be a godsend to
the enemies of peace between the countries, and it will
be turned by them to a good account.—(Hear, hear.)
But, my Lords, 1 have every reason to believe that by
the exercise of a spirit of justice and moderation, this
unfortunate affair will -not lead to serious consequences.
—(Hear, hear.) He had reason to believe that the
French Government would take the same view of the
matter that he did.—(Hear, hear.)
Lord MINTO said that nothing could be more
satisfactory than the statement of the Noble Earl, and it
conld scarcely be supposed that these acts of aggression
had taken place with the cognisance of the French Go-
vernment. But he wished to ask what her Majesty's
Government had done, with respect to the means of pro-
tection to British subjects in the South Seas ?
Lord ABERDEEN said that Otaheite had not
been without a ship of war since the first occupation of
the island, until everything appeared to be settled, and
the affairs of the island to go on quietly. Other ships
had recently been sent out.
Lord KINNAIRD considered the English Govern-
ment very much to blame for allewing the French to
take possession of Otaheite. The island might very
reasonably have been placed under the proteetorate of
England and America.

The Earl of ABERDEEN said that the protectorate
of the island had been repeatedly offered to England and
refused. He believed that at this very moment Queen
Porn are was restored to full power.

(LEFT SITTING )

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
MARRIAGES (IRELAND) BILL.
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition.)
Clauses 5 to 10 inclusive were agreed to.
Clauses from 11 to 82 were agreed to, with some
verbal amendments.
The remaining clauses were then agreed to.
The schedules were agreed to, and the House resumed.
It was ordered to be reported to-morrow, and to be
read a third time on Saturday. (Although the House
did not formally adjourn, there was a cessation of busi-
ne for half an hour after the Marriages (Ireland) Bill
had been disposed of.) The Speaker resumed the chair
at a quarter before five o'clock.
ARTS- UNION BILL.

The report of the Arts-Union Bill was brought up,
and the Bill was ordered to be read a third time to-
morrow.

CHARITABLE DONATIONS (IRELAND) SILL.
On the motion of Sir JAMES GRAHAM, the House
resolved into Committee on the Charitable Donations
and Bequests (Ireland) Bill, for the purpose of intro-
ducing the: money clauses. The clauses were intro-
duced, and the House resumed.
POOR-LAW RETURNS.

Captain PECHELL asked when'certain returns, for
which he had moved, on the subject of out-door relief,
would be ready, and also when certain returns as to
the number of unions would be laid on the table.
Mr. M. SUTTON replied that the Poor-law Com-
missioners had issued circulars to the different unions
for the returns of out-door relief, but that not more than
one-half of those returns had as yet been completed.
With regard to the other returns he believed the same
difficulty existed, and he could not state when he should
be enabled to lay them on the table.
Captain PECHELL could not understand how there
could be any difficulty in preparing the returns relative
to the number of anions.
PETITIONS.

Mr. T. DUNCOMBE presented a petition from Mr.
Young, Mr. Landseer, and other artists, praying for an
alteration in the Arts Union Bill ; also a petition from
the prisoners for debt in the Queen's Prison in favour of
the Insolvent Debtors' Bill.
Captain PECHELL presented a petition from Lieute-
nant Green, complaining that he had not received any
remuneration from Government for certain improve-
ments which he had introduced into naval architecture.
SOUTH SEA COMPANY'S BILL.

The South Sea Company's Bill wa4 read a third time
and passed.
The Fisheries (Ireland) Bill was read a third time.
HUSH ARMS ACT.

On the Order of the Day for the second reading of
this Bill,
Mr. M. O'FERRALL asked if the Government in-
tended to persist in throwing the expense of the regis-
tration of arms on the counties of Ireland ?
Sir J. GRAHAM said the Act did not make any alte
ration in the Bill of last year, in which it was merely
intended to correct a clerical error.
The Bill was then read a second time.
BISHOP OF LONDON'S ESTATE BILL.
On the order of the day for the third reading of the
Bishop of London's Estate Bill,
Mr. WAKLEY objected to passing the Bill through
when it had been before the House but five days. The
title of the Bill gave no idea of the nature of its contents,
and the public knew nothing whatever about it. Who
could suppose for a moment that this Bill Ras one for
regulating the property of Paddington ? Even the per-
sons on this property knew nothing about the Bill ; at
the Great Western Railway nothing was known of it.
The Bill would remove the present reservoirs
of the Grand Junction Waterwork Company.
and give to it a perfect monopoly of the supply of water
to the buildings on the Paddington property, to the ex-
clusion of all the other water companies. A clause was
inserted for reserving ground on which to build a church
and an hospital ; but while the Bill was imperative, and
compelled the building of the church, it only gave a per-
missive power to build the hospital. He wished at least
to see the Bill apply the same power to both. He hoped
the Hon. Baronet (Sir W. Clay) would consent to post-
pone the Bill, as it was most unfair to pass such an Act
without farther consideration.
Sir W. CLAY said the Bill was, strictly, a private
one, and had gone through all the forms and regula-
tions required for private Bills in the other House. Its
simple purpose was to rectify a fault in the existing Act
of Parliament, by which parties were prevented from
giving a valid title to the property they disposed of in
Paddington. It did not give any advantage to any
water company with respect to the supply of water.
- Mr. GREENE, as Chairman of Committees, had care-

fully examined the Bill, and could see no objection to it.
It was intended to regulate the property which was
leased out in the last century by the then Bishop of
London, at Paddington. Part of the ground was occu-
pied by the reservoirs of the water company, and it was
now wished to apply the space to the original purpose of
building.
Mr. T. DUNCOMBE said, though the Bill was called
a private one, it applied to the property of the Church.
He thought that they ought to have had this measure
much sooner before the House. He trusted two or three
days would be given to the Hon. Members to make in-
quiries on the subject.
Mr. BROTHERTON said that the Bishop of London
had only a peppercorn interest in the question.
Mr. WAKLEY said that the Bill itself admitted that
its provisions would be greatly for the interest of the
Bishop of London. He only asked for the postponement
till Tuesday, and unless that was consented to he should
divide the House.

After a few observations from Sir W. CLAY.
Strangers were ordered to withdraw, but no- division
took pace, Mr. Wakley withdrawing his amendment.
Mr. WAKLEY then moved, as an amendment to the
Bth clause, the insertion of the same compulsory pro-
vision with respect to the building of an hospital on the
estate, as there was in the ninth clause, relative to building
a church.

This amendment was agreed to, and the Bill was read
a third time and passed.
MESSAGE FROM THE LORDS.

Messengers from the Lords' brought down the Ca-
tholic Penal Laws, Repeal Bill, and several other Bills.
ROYAL COLLEGE OE SURGEONS.

Mr. MACKINNON presented a petition from the
surgeons and assistant-surgeons of the different regi-
ments of Guards, complaining that they had been de-
prived of their rights by the new Charter granted to the
the College of Surgeons, and praying that the House
would not confirm that Charter without giving them an
opportunity of being heard by counsel against it.
LORD CRANSTOUN'S ESTATE BILL.

Mr. BROTHERTON brought up the report on Lord
Cranstoun's Estate Bill, which was read a second time.

PENETENTIARY SYSTEM.

Mr. MORE O'FERRALL wished to ask, seeing that
the Penetentittry system, as practised in the Pentonville
Prison, had been so successful, whether it was the in-
tention of the Government during the recess to consider
the propriety of erecting a similar institution in Dublin?
Sir J. GRAHAM said that an arrangement had been
made in Ireland, as well as in England, on this subject,
to which he attached great importance. All persons
sentenced to transportation were brought to a central
prison before the sentence of transportation was carried
into effect, so that an opportunity was afforded to the
authorities of investigating the previous habits and cha-
racters of such persons, so as to enable them to decide to
what settlement it would be .most proper they should be
sent. Arrangements of that nature had been completed in
Dublin, and in this country the arrangeinent had been
effected by abolishing the penitentiary character of the
prison at Millbank, and converting it into a prison for
persons under sentence of transportation. His confidence
in the success of :the experiment now carrying on at
Pentonville was so great that as far as he was individu-
ally concerned he should be glad to see it extended to
Ireland ; but it Would be premature in him to state
what might be the intentions of the Government on that
subject. It would be the _ duty of himself and
his colleagues to watch the experiment, and if it turned
out as he hoped and was anxious it should, he thought
it would be extended to Ireland.
BAPTIST MISSIONARIES.
Mr. V. SMITH wished to put a question on the sub-
ject of the treatment which it was alleged a Baptist
missionary had received in the island of Barbuda (as we
understood). It had been stated that a clergyman named
Davies had thought proper to disturb the congregation
of this Baptist missionary, and had caused his followers
to be brought before a magistrate who had committed
them to prison. He wished to know if the Government
had taken any step; to investigate the matter?
Mr. G. H. HOPE said that as yet no authentic ac-
counts had been received from the colony on the subject.
STEAM POWER IN THE NAVY.
Mr. MORE O'FERRAL moved for a return of the
amount of horse-power ordered for her Majesty's
steam-vessels, between the Ist day of September, 1841,
and the Ist day of July, 1844.—Ordered.
CHARITABLE BEQUESTS (IRELAND) BILL.
Sir JAMES GRAHAM rose to move the Order
of the Day for going into Committee on the Chari-
table Donations and Bequests (Ireland) Bill, and said
that after having so fully opened this question
the other evening, he was very unwilling
to trespass on the attention of the Rouse, and yet there