The Sun.
London, England, 1850-04-12 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

(THIS EVENING.)

HOUSE OF LORDS.

Lord CAMPBELL (in the absence of the Lord Chan-
cellor) took his seat upon the Woolsack at Five o'clock.

LAW OF PLEADING.

Lord CA MPBELL brought in a Bill to amend the
law or pleading. In introducing the measure the Noble
and Learned Lord went into a minute technical expla•
nation of the prac►ice of special pleading.
The Bill was then read a first time.
PETITIONS. _ _ _

The Earl of ZETLAND presented several petitions
against Post-office labour on Sunday.
'CONVICT PRISONS BILL.

Earl GREY moved the third reading of this Bill.
Lord .LYTTLETON thought that in several important
respects the present measure was a great improvement.
He regarded the separate imprisonment and the penal
labour on public works which by this Bill were to precede
transportation as of the greatest possible beaetit. There
were some persons, at the head of whom was Arch-
bishop Whately, who considered it chimerical to attempt
to teforna criminals, and declared that the great object
of puoi4bmeot should be to deter others from the cum-
niissioe of crime. On the other hand, Captain Mac-
conOchie and his followers thought that all efforts should
be directed-to the reformation of criminals, and that very
little attention should be paid to those who urged that
punishment shonld,be inflicted to deter others from crime.
The present measure attempted to combine the two, but
he objected to the sending out criminals with tickets of
leave, as being a revival of the old assignment system,
and he doubted whether it would be attended with sue ,
cess. He- gave great credit to his Noble Friend for
having abstained from attempting to press on the co-
lony of New South Wales the reception of convicts.
The case of the Cape or Good Hope showed how
,futile such an attempt. must te, yet he must say that he
thought the people of NeW South Wales were blind to
their own interests', and failed in:their duty to the em-
.pirc
when they refused to receive convicte,—(Hear, hear-)
<--.He, however, recommended that the same course of
proceeding should be adopted with regard to that colony
which bud been adopted with regard to the Cape,
mid that the Order in Council should be withdrawn.
He thought, however, that much of the objection on the
_part of the Australiancolonists was to he attributed to
the *led of the Government authorities to form proper
yegulati ,ne, and this 'wits more particularly the case at
Port Philip. He thought it was impossible to
read the , papers laid on the table without
being convinced of the precariousness of the continuance
of the system of • transportation 'to Van Diemen's
Land. Free- settlers Lad been encouraged
to settle there, and the. feeling of the co-
lony u as against the reception of convicts there.
He well remembered. the state of confusion in Which the
Lq.otritgsatiouneos kttfransportation was left when himself and his
been increased °billy"'
met but he thought the, confusion 'hid
the conduct of the present Govern-
it. The colonists of Van Diemen's Land considered
that they had received a pledge that in 1846 trans-.
portation should cease, and they now -threw that
r pledge in the teeth of the Government, which
attempted to introduce convicts into . Van Diemen's
Land after a probation at Norfolk Island,
which eoule: • only be considered us a large gaol, and he
Viiev(ll on_the whole
a wellgoin f,,r7eoguutluttheder.aenweitab saafeCOgUadoil:
fit3narjepaarradota4sithPicrhs'°tlrey were to receive after serving
in the penal works, were to be freed from all
erm itt ed
to return to this count
that
restraint, and to . be treated altogether as free
persons, excep t that
ry they. were e re
was
not
not to
be
surprisingp
d been given that for every
the colonists objected to the reception of these
of
convicts persons.
A pledge ha batch
sent our; an equt'll number of free settlers shoul I be sent
out to Van Diaman'a. Land by the Government. lie
'
feared this would., tend to deteriorate the character of the
free settlers ; who would like to be sent out as a sort of.
make-we'ght to a convict ? With regard to the consent
of Western Aristralia to receive convicts, it was not sur-
prising
that th e perishing colony should catch at any
straw to save ',themselves from impending rain for want .'

f labour; but the Governor of the calory hnd distinctly
sated that it any other method could be devised for üb-
taining the requisite supply of labour, the coloni.ts of
Western Australia would be among the first to refuse to
receive convicts.
Lord WODEHOUSE rose, and was
(LEFT SPEAKING.)

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
The SPEAKER took the Chair at Four o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The following Bills were read a second time and
pass( d :—Dublin and Belfast Junction RailwaThLondon-
derry and Enniskillen Railway.
The Colonization Assurance Company Bill, as
amended, was considered and agreed to.
The Croydon and Reigate Turnpike Road Bill was
read a second time, and ordered to be committed.
PETITIONS.

Mr. HUTT presented a petition, praying for an in-
quiry into the loss sustained by parties in consequence
of the Danish blockade.
Mr. FOX MAULE presented some petitions from
places in Scotland against Sunday labour in the Post-
office; also a petition from Edinburgh against the Mar-
riage Bill.
Sir R. INGLIS presented a petition from the General
Assembly of the Church of Scotland against the Marriage
Bill.

Mr. BECKETT presented two petitions from Leeds
against Sunday labour in the Post-office.
Mr. COMPTON presented a petition from Titchfield
against the duty on hops.
Mr. W. PATTEN presented several petitions from
various places in Lancashire against the Marriage
Bill; a petition from Collie in favour of the extension of
the jurisdiction s. f county courts ; a petition from
Chorley against the Highway Bill; and a petition from
Whitehaven in favour of the extension of the County
Courts Act.
Mr. BROTBERTON presented a petition from Mid-
dlesborough against the duty on malt.
Colonel DUNNE presented a petition from Queen's
County against the advertisement duty.
Mr. FLOYER presented a petition from a place in
Dorset against Sunday labour in the Post-office; also
two petitions from Halifax in favour of the County
Courts Extension Bill.
Mr. AGLIONBY presented a petition from Hertford
in favour of the Enfranchisement of Copyholds Bill; also
several petitions from places in Northumberland in
favour of international arbitration.
Colonel SIBTHORP presented a petition from Lin-
coln against Sunday labour in the Post-office.
An Hew. MEMBER presented a petition from the pro-
prietors and printers of the Morning Advertiier praying
for the repeal of the taxes on newspapers.
Mr. W. EVANS presented petitions from places in
Derbyshire in favour of the County Courts Extension.
Bill, against the Highway Bill, in favour of the Bill
for secular education, and against Sunday labour in the
Post-office.
Sir C. BRUCE presented several petitions from places
in Elgin against Sunday labour in the Post-office; also
a petition from the same county in favour of protection
to agriculture.
Mr. PETO presented a pc tition from:Greenwich against
church-races, and a petition from Norwich in favour of
the Bill for secular education.-
• Mr. S. CRAWFORD presented "a petition from a
place in Ireland against the Bill introduced by the Go-
verement with respect to tenant right.
Mr. oouLawßN .presented a petition from Bexley
against Sunday labour in the .Post- office.
Lord DRUt4LARIGr, presented a petition from
Dumfries against Sunday, labour in the Post-office, and
a petition from Langholm against the Marriage Bill.
Sir J. TROLLOPE pre.senteda petition from Boston
against the Highway Bill, and a petition from the same
place in favour of the Bill for the rating of small tene-
ments.
Mr. WAWN presented a petition from South Shields
against the Mercantile Marine Bill.
Lord DUNCAN presented a petition from Ashton-
under-Lyne, and other places in Lancashire, praying for
a repeal of the window-tax.
Mr. COBDEN presented nine petitions from places in
Wiltshire in favour cf a Ten Hours' Factory Bill; also
a petition from the same county against church-rates.
Lord H. VANE presented a petition from Stockton-
upon-Tees against church-rates, and a petition' from
Derby in favour of county financial boards.
Mr. BANKES presented a petition from a place in
Dorset against church-rates, and seven petitions from
Colne, and other places in Lancashire, in favour -of a
Ten Hours' Factory Bill.
Mr. COWAN presented several petitions from places
in the county of Edinburgh against Sunday labour, in
the Posi -office, and against the Marriage Bill.
Mr. SADLEIR presented a petition from the pro-
prietor of a newspaper in curlew against the taxes on
the diffusion of knowledge.
Lieutenant Colonel BOYLE presented a petition from
Frome against the, punishment of death; also a petition
from Lord Abergarenny against the Copyhold Enfran-
chisement Bill.
Mr. 0. DUNCOMBE presented several petitions
from places in the West Riding of Yorkshire complain-
ing of agricultural distress.
Mr. EWART, presented a petition from Dumfries
against the Marriage Bill.
Mr. A. STAFFORD presented a petition to the same
effect.

Mr. HUME presented a petition from Arbroath
praying for the repeal or the taxes 'on knowledge.
NOTICES OF MOTION.

Colonel SIBTHORP gave notice that on Monday he
should move that the return ordered in the early part
of the se:sion relative to the expenditure on Royal Pa-
lates be forthwith laid on the table.
Mr. CHARLES LUSHINGTON gave notice that on
Monday he should move for copies of all correspondence
which has passed between the Dean and Chapter of
Rochester and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners since
the 29th of January on the subject of the allowance
made to a e scholars (f Rochester Cathedral.
METROPOLITAN SEWERS.
_ _ _

Sir B. HALL wished to asked the Noble Lord the
Chairman of the Metropolitan Commission, of Sewers,
whether the: Commissioners had determined upon any
principle of drainage for that part of the metropolis
north uf the Thames, and if the outfall is to be in that
river; also, whether die Commissioners intend to levy
any additional amount of rate on the inhabitants of the
metropolis, and, if so, what amount of rate in the pound
they propose to levy for the current:year. Ile also wished
to know whether it was the intention of the Commission.
ers to make any report to the Secretary of State for the
Home Department on the subject.
Lord EBRINGTON must demur to the title which the
Bon. Baronet had honoured him with.' It was quite
true that when he had attended 'the meetings of
the Commissioners, the Commissioners had gene-
rally done him the honour of voting him
into the chair, but he must disclaim the title of being
considered the permanent chairman of the board.
With regard to the question which the Hon. Baronet
had put to him, he could only state that the drainage
and outran of the sewers of the metropolis had been and
was still under the:serious consideration of the Commis-
sioners. So soon as the works bad been agreed upon
by the Commissioners the public would have notice.
lie could only say the Commissioners would have to
levy whatsoever rates were necessary for the due exe-
cution cf the work, but those rates would be made easy
of payment by being spread over a number of years.