The Sun.
London, England, 1844-07-26 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

(THIS DAY.)

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

The SPEAKER took the Chair at Twelve o'clock.
The Piccadilly Improvement Bill, Wilson's Estate
Bill, the Bishop of London's Estate Bill, and Gaper's
Divorce Bill, were read a second time, and ordered to be
committed.

Mr. DARBY presented a petition from Surrey against
any alteration in the corn-laws.

kr. M. J. O'CONNELL presented seventy-five peti-
tions from various parts of Ireland, in favour of a repeal
of the legislative union between England and Ireland.
CONTIIOVERTED ELECTIONS BILL.

Mr. GREENE brought up the report upon this Bill.
On the motion that the amendments of the Committee
be agreed to,
Mr. V. SMITH said this Bill contained the same
error which pervaded all former Bills on this subject—
namely, that of considering controverted elections as a
matter between two contending parties, and not as a
matter affecting the public generally. He regretted
that the number of Members on Committees on contro-
verted elections had been fixed at five. He thought it
would have been much more convenient to have made
three the number of Members to be on these Commit
tees. He thought that some means ought to be adopted
to limit the expense of conducting an opposition to a pe-
tition. By the present constitution of the bar for election
Committees, that bar was very limited, and the conse-
quence was, that one eminent counsel was frequently
engaged on half-a-dozen Committees at once. He made
a speech in- one Committee and then ran off to another,
and the consequence was, that a number of junior counsel
were engaged to conduct the other parts of the case.
Although this Bill effected a slight improvement, yet he
could not support the principle upon which it was founded.
Lord GRANVILLE SOMERSET did not see why
the services of an eminent counsel should be confined to
one Committee. Although the Right Hon. Gentleman
had objected to this Bill, yet he had suggested nothing
in its place.
The amendments were then agreed to.
SAVINGS BANKS BILL.
On the motion for going into Committee on this Bill,
Mr. HUME complained that uniformity had not been
observed in this Bill with respect to the payment of in •
terest on deposits. He also complained that the original
intention with respect to the establishment of savings'
banks had not been carried out. Savings' banks were
established for the benefit of the working classes, but
persons of all descriptions had been allowed to become
depositors in savings' banks. He complained of the
amount of salaries to persons employed as managers and
clerks in the savings banks of the country. Many
abuses had crept into our system of savings-banks, and
he was sorry to find that the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer had not endeavoured to remedy them. Pro-
bably—and no doubt this was the case—the Chancellor
was ignorant of the existence of these abuses ; but he
(Mr. Hume) assured him that he bad paid a great deal
of attention to the subject, and he had discovered many
abuses which ought to be remedied as early as possible.
Ile was anxious to check the practice of persons of the
better classes being allowed to become depositors.
These persons were allowed to deposit 201. or 30L, and
receive interest upon it at' once, whilst the poor man,
who deposited his few shillings at a time, received no
interest until his deposits had reached a certain sum in
the aggregate.

3,111:1 ARBY thought this Bill would prove very
beneficiaL

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER agreed
in much that had fallen from the Hon. Member for Mon-
trose, but it should be recollected that Parliament had
not originated savings' banks. It had, however, given
encouragement to them when they were once formed,
and had conferred upon them a degree of security which
they had not before possessed. There were two great
abuses which were likely to arise in connection with
savings' banks. The first was, • that the high rate of
interest would hold out an inducement to per-
sons to deposit moneys in those banks, for
whose benefit or use they were never intended.
The whole number of depositors under 20/. was
only six per cent. of the whole number of de-
positors. The other evil which was likely to arise was,
that if the rate of interest was low it would tend to, en-
courage extravagance on the part of the banks. The
be.. mode of guarding against both those abuses, was to
make the rate of interest given, by the savings' bank)
lower than what could be obtained if money was
invested in other public securities. At the dif-
ferent rates of interest given by the banks
of deposit, he did not think it was an ob-
jectionable feature in the present system ; but,
at all events, it was unavoidable. The Right
Hon. Gentleman went on to show by documentary evi-
dence that the public was rather a gainer than a loser
by. the management at present adopted. He proposed to
raise the maximum rate of interest from 2/. 15s. as ori-
ginally intended•to 3L—(Hear, hear.) •
Mr. BROTHERTON thought that every encourage-
ment should be given to those establishments for the
sake of the industrious labourers. He thought that the
Chancellor of the Exchequer would do well to raise the
maximum rate of interest to 3/. 10s.

Mr. DIVETT thought that the savings' banks were
conducted on the whole, so as to give satisfaction. He
entirely approved a the principle on which the Bill was
founded, and he thought that the greatest credit was due
to the Chancellor of the Exchequer for the attention
which he had given to the subject.
Mr. LABOUCHERE approved on the whole of the
principle of the Bill, and he agreed with the Hon. Gen-
tleman that the greatest credit was due to the Right Hon.
Gentleman for the attention which he had devoted to the
subject. He thought that the raising of the rate of in-
terest to 31. would give general satisfaction. He hoped
that the smaller banks would be enabled to afford this
rate of interest as well as the larger establishments.
Col. RUSHBRQOKE thought that the raising of the
rate
_of interest to 31. would give satisfaction. He thought
that every assistance should be given to the smaller
banks.

After a few words from Mr. HAWES and Mr. B.
ESCOTT, the House went into Committee, Mr. GREENE in
the chair.

On clause 1 being proposed,
Sir E. COLEBROOKE said it was considered that
10s. for the management was too much, and ss. too little.
He wished to know whether the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer would not allow 3/. 6s. Bd., that was 31. for in-
terest and 6s. Bd. for the management ?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that
they would regulate the rate of interest given by the
savings bank, according to the general interest allowed
by other general securities. He thought that 31. ss. was
suffieient.

Mr. HUME thought the Chancellor of the Exchequer
was quite right. He hoped he would not be induced to
allow more than 31. ss.

Sir T. D. ACLAND thought the Chancellor of the
Exchequer ought to allow 3/. Os. 10d. as interest. lie
also thought that it was due to the smaller banks that a
higher sum than ss. ought to be allowed for manage-
ment. He thought that 6s. Bd. was little enough ; and
any person who knew anything of those savings' banks
must be of the same opinion. He should propose that
6s. Bd. should be allowed.

Mr. LABOUCHERE said that if the Hon. Baronet
the Member for Devonshire divided the Committee on
bis proposition, that the sum for management should be
6s. Bd., he would support him in that proposition.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER thought
that those who proposed 3/, 6s. Bd. could not have suffi-
ciently considered the relation in which the Government
stood with regard to savings banks. They stood in the
situation of a solvent banker, and they could not allow
a higher rate of interest than the most solvent banker
could afford. On those ground, he felt bound to adhere
to the original proposition of 3/. ss.
(LEFT SITTING

LLOYD'S SHIPPING.-(THIS DAY.)
LONDON, JULY 26.—Wind W. to N.W., light breezes, and
cloudy.
DEAL, JULY 25.—Wind E.S.E., light breeze.—Arrd. Cam-
den and Loyal Briton, Quebec. Sld. Royal George, Port
Phillip ; Eleonora, Ceylon ; J. W. Dare, Algoa Bay ; Emu,
British Isles ; and Warrens, Ichico ; Vulture, Newfound-
land; Psyche, Bordeaux and Mauritius.
COWES, JULY 25.—Arrd. Swan, Blanchard, Havannah. •
So unmurroN, JULY 25.—S1d. Pach a (steamer), Gibraltar.
FALMOUTH, JULY 25.—Wind S.S.E., light breezes.—Off.
Lady M'Naughten, Young, Java, for Rotterdam ; Mary and
Elizabeth, Ceylon; Patmos, Beverley, Buenos Ayres; Sir
John Rae Read, Dejoon, St. Kitt's ; William and Alfred, Cul-
verwell, Antigua ; North Carolina, Drummond, New Orleans;
Rainbow, Arnold, Quebec; Duchess of Northumberland,
Scott, China, left St. Helena 9th inst. ; Napoleon, Callao;
Greenhow, Brios, Icbaboe.

WATERFORD, JULY 23.—Sld. Kate, Quebec. Off, Alex-
ander Murray and George Glen, Arthur, Ichaboe, and sailed
for Liverpool.
HULL, JULY 25.—Ski. Endymion and Lord Mulgrave, Mi-
ramichi ; William Herdman, Quebec.
LIVERPOOL, JULY 25.—Arrd. Anne Mary, Falkner, and
Earl Grey, Calcutta ; Lucinda, Bombay; John Moore, Withy-
combe, Ditto; Chieftain, Payne, Ditto and Mauritius; Fran-
cis Speight, Port Adelaide; Thomas Worthington, Valen-
tine, Callao ; Fame, Dunningham and Lawsons, Valparaiso ;
Creole and Clio' Buenos Ayres; Funchal, Habb, and Row-
allan, Trinidad; Adriana, Dodd, and Triumph, Barbadoes ;
Emulous, Allen, Laguna; Susan, Drew, New Orleans; Pro-
vidence, Mobile; Alabama. Apalachicola; City of Water-
ford, Quebec. Sid. Querida, Manilla; Camillus, Bombay;
Salisbury, Ceylon ; Cassiopeia, Mauritius ; Ethiope (steamer),
Africa; Huron, New Orleans; Caledonia, Brander, Philadel-
phia; Dorchester, and Susannah, Cummings, Boston; Pat-
mouth, New York; Cuba, Montreal; Fingalton, and •Lau-
rel, Quebec. The Rothschild, from Apalachicola to this
port, was ashore on Cary.,fort Reef, 24th ult., cargo dis-
charging, and the vessel about being taken to Key West for
repairs.
SUNDERLAND, JULY 23.—S1d. Agnes Ichaboe.
BUENOS AYRES, MAY 21.—The Spanish barque Gran Ca-
narie, for Havannah, fell over in the outer roads, 11th inst.,
and is full of water.

The Earl of Mansfield's Fete Champetre
to their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cam-
bridge, Duchess of Gloucester, and the Hereditary Grand
Duke and Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg Strelitz.—" We
now come to the grand feature of the fete—the enormous
Marquee at the eastern extremity of the terrace lawn, erected
by Benjamin Edgington, of 2, Duke-street, Southwark. It
was a wonderful structure, above 150 feet long by 50 feet
wide, the dome in the centre rising to the height of 50 feet.
The interior was lined with scarlet and white draperies, fes-
tooned all round, confined by rosettes of the same colours.
Suspended from the roof were some sixty chandeliers, which
were of course lighted up at dusk, contributing to render the
interior a gorgeous spectacle. The exterior was surmounted
by several minarets, from which floated banderols. It was
boarded throughout, for it must be understood that it was
subsequently to be converted into a " salon de dense," and
three tables, extending the whole \ length of the marquee,
were arranged for the sumptuous fare. Above 600 persons
sat down to dinner at the same time, so the magnitude of the
marquee may be imagined."—Marning Herald.
GAME LAWS ON TILE CONTINENT.---The Correc-
tional Tribunal of Lille has recently decided that larks are
game, and that it is unlawful to carry them about even when
alive !