The Sun.
London, England, 1850-04-23 00:00:00

NAVIGATION LAWS.

Mr. RICARDO wished to know if any communica-
tions had taken place between the Governments of
France and England with respect to the regulations on
British shipping, and more especially with respect to
those coming from Asia, Africa, and America.
Lord PALMERSTON said there were communica
tions going on generally with the French Government
respecting those alterations in the French system which
would be the natural consequences of the Passenger Act
of last teision, bet he was not able at present to state
the result.

EDUCATION BILL.

Tho Earl of ARUNDEL and SURREY said he had

that morning received a letter from the Hon. Member
for the West Riding, correcting a statement which had
appeared in a report of his (the Earl of Aruudel's) speech
on the Hon. Member fur Oldham's Education Bill. He
had been reported to have said that Mr. Fronde, hat
been appointed to the presidency cf the new Manchester
College, whereas it appeared from the Hon. Member's
letter that the college was not yet formed, nor had any
appointment yet been made.
ECCLESIASTICAL COMMISSION BILL.
Mr. HORSNIAN wanted to know if he had under-
stoeci the Noble Lord at the head of the Government
that he would proceed with the Ecclesiastical Commission
Bill on Friday ?

Lord J. RUSSELL said he intended to go through
the Australian Colonies Bill in Committee before he could
speak with any certainty.
Mr. DISRAELI said he wished to notice the
statement of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, that he
did not expect there would be any discussion on his mo-
tion for next week, and he wished to state that he
thought it very probable, considering the interest with
which the subject was regarded out of door, and the
unfortunate delay which had taken pine; that the sub-
ject would not be passed over without any discussion.

ADL7LTERAYIOIOI6O-FFEE.
Mr. ANSTEY gave notice that on an early day he
should move for papers in continuation on the adultera-
tion of coffee.
AUSTRALIAN COLONIES BILL.
The House then went into Committee on the Austra-
lian Colonies Bill.
On clause 7,
Mr. V. SMI TH said that, at the risk of exciting
laughter, he must say that they were going on much too
fast with this Bill. The last clause had been agreed to
with very little deliberation,-especially the last part of it.
As regarded the New South Wales Bill, its history
could not be too frequently told, as it did not, appear to
be *very well understood. Now that Bill was more a
makeshifs than a piece of legislation. From 1788 to
1823, the Colony was treated more like a
prison-house than anything else, and so illegally
did the House act towards it, that in the year 1823 the
Government was compelled to bring in an Act of In-
demnity, and from that year up to 1339 the House was
engaged in discussing how they should deal with
the colony. In 1840 the Noble Lord at the
lased of the Government brought in the Bill
under which the government of the colony at present
existed. It was proposed to continue the operation of
that Bill for ten years, and now that the period had
elapsed, it was high time that they extended to all the
Australian colonies similar institutions that were
enjoyed by our North American colonies. They now,
however, proposed to leave the colonies to shift for
themselves; but when he looked at the vast amount of
emigration which bad recently been carried on with our
Australian colonies, he thought it was too bad to deprive
them of the advice of the mother country. Besides, it was
proposed to leave the matter to be settled by the as-
sembly. Now the assembly did not represent a
third of the colonists, and he doubted much
whether the decision would be satisfactory unless
some change was made in its constitution.
He had the authority of 23 diff.lent members of
the assembly in New South Wales, for saying that there
was no objection in the colony to the admission of the
"squatting " interest, which was composed of a most in-.
fluential, intelligent, and respectable body of
persons. He thought the House ought to con-
sider whether it would not be advisable to
admit this large class into the new assembly, and make
them to have a voice in the decision of those important
questions, the settlement of which was afterwards to
diverge into the constitution of this important colony.
Mr. HAWES said the Bill had been introduced with
an intention of leaving the existing constitution of Nev
South Wales as near as possible, if not exactly, in the
same state in which it now stood. It was possible that
various improvements might be suggested in the Bill,
but the express wish of the coloeiste was that it
should not v.Lry from the old New South Wales
Act. His Right Hon. Friend (Sir Vernon Smith) ,
said a promise %vas held out when toe Bill was intro- I
timed that the colony ;should have representative '