The Sun.
London, England, 1850-03-08 00:00:00

WESTMINSTER.

tariffY

In reply to a question from Mr. LUSHINGTON, re-
specting the appointment of Mr. Robert Daly Walker
to be registrar of births and deaths in the district a
Berwi( Ic-street, in the p3rish of St. James, Westminster,
Mr. BAINES said that gentleman had been appointed
by the Poor-law Commission because they thought him
to he the most fit and proper persoa for the office. It
was true he lived at a greater distance from his district
than was required by the Registration Act, but he b&d
promised to reside within the required distance, and the
committee had no doubt about his fulfilling that promise.
Sir J. %VALMSLEY presented a petition from Bolton
in favour of the Marriage Bill.
Mr. BATESON presented a petition from Londot-
derry against the Landlord and Tenant Bill.
Lord J. MANNERS presented a petition from Col-
chester playing for an amendment of the Factory Act.
THE MALT X.

Mr. MUNTZ ;ithed to ask the lion. Member who
had given notice (f a motion for the repeal of the malt-
tax when it was his intention to bring it forward?
Mr. CAYLEY had intended to bring it on next
Tnuraday, but, at the request of moral friends Oat of

doors, he now begged to give notice that he should not
bring it on till after Easter.
NAVIGATION-LAWS.
Lord JOAN MANNERS, seeing the Right lion.
Gentleman the President of the Board ( f Trade in his

place, he wished to ask him if his attention had been di-
rected to the fAct that a ship had been taken out of
Liverpool without the owner's consent. lie wished also
to ask whether a foreign :hip coming to thin country to

be registered ought to pay the duty —under the existing

Mr. LABOUCHERE said the facts of the case re-
ferred to by the Noble Lord had come to his know-
ledge, and instructions had been forwarded to the
British Consul at Tampico to assist the owner
in recovering his ship in the event of its being brought
into that port. With regard to the second question, it
had always bun held that a foreign ship coming into
this country for the purpose of being registered, was
not liable to duty, but it it was brought in for the pur-
pose of being broken up, it was subjected to a duty cf
25 per cent.
AUSTRALIAN COLONIES.

Sir W. MOLESWORTII gave notice that in Com-
mittee on the Australian Colcnies Bill, in the event cf
the amendment being carried that there should be two
instead of one legislative assembly in Australia, he
should more that both of them should he elective.
THE COASTING TRADE.

Mr. NEWDEGATE said that he had been consider-
ably surprised by the differences which appeared on the
face of some of the Government returns, and wished
therefore to ask the Right Hon. the President of the
Board of Trade to give some explanation of the discre-
pancy which appearsin the accounts of the coasting
trade, as rendered in the Trade and Navigation Returns
by the Board of Trade, and shows an apparent excess of
clearances outwards ever the entries iawards, both in
the number of vessels and amount of tonn2ge.
Mr. LABOUCHERE said that the best reply which
he could give would be to real an extract from the re-
turns themselves. This the Right Hon. Gentleman then
did, showing that the papers were all in unison, and
concluded by saying that this was the best answer that
he could give to the question.
HOSPITALS IN DUBLIN.

Mr. GROGAN wished to ask the Right Honourable
the Secretary for Ireland, if it be the intention of her
Majesty's Government to withdraw the grants hereto-
fore mad© by Parliament for the maintenance of the
Dublin hospital's.
Sir W. SOMERVILLE was not aware that there
was any intention on the part of Government to with-
draw these grants, though he did believe that there
would be some change in the application of them.
POOR-LAW UNIONS IN IRELAND.

In reply to Colonel CHATTERTON, •
Sir W. SOMERVILLE stated that he was not aware
that any change was about to be made in the constitu-
tion of the poor-law unions inlreland.:
ABOLITION OF THE OFFICE OF LORD-LIEU-
TENANT OF IRELAND.

The LORD MAYOR of DUBLIN asked the Noble
Lord at the head of the Government if it was the inten-
tion of her Majesty's Government to introduce or sup-
port, during the present session of Parliament, any
measure fur the abolition of the office of L.,rd-Lieute-
slant of Ireland? He said he asked this question is con-
sequence of the excitement which prevailed on the
subject in Dublin, and which was increased by an article
in that great organ of public opinion, the Times news-
paper of yesterday.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said his Hon. Friend would
be aware that it would be impossible t• abolish the office
of Lord-Lieutenat of Ireland without introducing a Bill
into that House, of which due notice would
have to be given. He would say furtzer, that
the Government had for some time been in consulta-
tion as to the propriety of introducing a Bill
to abolish that office—(Hear, hear)—and they had been
in communication with the LDrd-Lieutenant on the sub-
ject. If any such Bill were introduced it would be
brought forward in the name of the Government, and
not of that of any private Member of the House.
VOTERS (IRELAND) BILL.
_ _

In reply to an HON. MEMBER,
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said it would depend upon
the progress which might be made to-night in the Com-
mittee f Supply whether this 13i11 would be brought on
again on Monday; but if it were agreed to in Commit-
tee, the Government did not propose to take the third
reading until af.er Easter.
ECCLESIASTICAL BILL.

In reply to Mr. HORSMAN,
Lord J. IU said he would not be able to take
this Bill on the Bth of April, but might be able to do so
on the Monday following.
ARMY ESTIMATES.

On the motion that the House should go into Com-
mittee on the Army Estimates,
Mr. FOX MAULE said he hoped that the Hon.
and Gallant Member who had notice of a motion, on
going into Committee of Supply on the Army Esti-
mates' to draw the attention of the House t 3 the brevet
which took place on the occasion of her Majesty's late
visit to Ireland, would withdraw his motion or postpone
it to some future period.

Major BLACK:ALL said he should be sorry to go
on with any motion of his against the wish of the House,
but as it was a subject which was net of general inte-
rest, he had taken the opportunity of the Hon.
Member fur the West Riding's motion, when there
would be a full House, to call the attention of the
House to the subject in question.
Lord J. RUSSELL said that, however unimportant
or brief the subject might be, if the Gallant Member
persisted in going on with his motion, it would prevent
the Hon. Member for the West Riding from going on
with his motion.

Major BLACKALL could not consent to withdraw
his motion, although, being an exclusively military
one, it would nut be of such general interest.
He had to complain that the officers of the line had been
unfairly treated by the promotions which were made on
the occasion of her Majesty's visit to Ireland. On occa-
sions like that promotions were made, but they were
too often confined to the officers of the household

troops, and he thought it was ^ high time
that this system of favouritism was put a stop to. He
had no personal interest in bringing this matter before
the House. He knew none of the gentlemen who were
passed over on the occasion of the late brevet, while he was
acquainted with many who enjoys(' promotion under it,
and if, therefore, he were to allow his feelings to prevail
now, it ought to be rather against than for this motion.
He had taken notice of this simply because it was a
public duty, and not for the purpose of serving his own
interest or the interest of
any friend of his.—(Hear,
bear.) Now, on the occasion of her Majesty's visit to
Ireland a large brevet was granted, in which several
majors were promoted to be lieutenant-colonels, five
captains to be majors, and several other officers were
similarly advanced. On the 15th February he
had moved for a return of the services
of those officers who had been promoted
in the brevet, and he had to complain that that return
had net been. laid upon the table. He was told as an
excuse for the delayohat the return had to be referred
to Dublin for verification. That ho thought to be merely
an excuse, but es the return was not at band he would
read a statement of the, names of the officers who had
been promoted and of
ribose who hal not been promoted
during the late brevet. This the Hon. Gentleman then did..
He hoped her Majesty would be induced, on these re-
presentations, to extend the brevet to those deserving
officers who had facen. passed over during the late royal
visit to Ireland, and if this, Were done the cost would net
be more than 2201. It had been suggested that distinc-
tions were only to be conferred upon officers in the
Dublin garrisons, but that could not be so, for he bad
seen various honours conferred upon officers in Cork and
other places through which her Majesty passed. The
Hon. and Gallant Member concluded by moving that an
Mr. FOX MAULE was sorry that his Hon. and Gal-
lant Friend should
have thought it necessary to delay
the business of the night by interposing a
subject.humble address be presented to her Majesty on the
motion which
hto ask the House
to e reject. shouldmfuecchl itcf nehcie:sarY
ex
plr.nation would de-
pend on certain returns which had not . yet
been furnished to the House, and he thought
that, a) these returns required the name of
every officer serving in Ireland at the time of her
Majesty's visit, the nature of the service, whether on
guard of honour or escort duty, on which they
had been employed, their rank, and date of com-
mission, the lergth of service at home or abroad, '
must necessarily be of a complicated nature,
it was impossible for the Commander-in-Chief
to have got these return-
! ready. The brevet
was granted upon the principle that it was to
be confined to the garrison ot Dublin, because it was
understood the senior officers of the line were stationed
there. There were six other officers promoted besides
those he had mentioned, in consideration that the
officers promoted were attached to the personal staff
of the Lord-Lieutemitt or the Commander-in-Chief
of the troops, whom it was customary 'to pro-
mote on all occasions when brevets were granted
They could not stretch these honours beyond a certain
extent. Ho regretted that such should be the case, but
at the same time there were conaicerations by which
they were obliged to be bound, and could not therefore
assent to the motion cf his Hon. and Gallant Friend
(Major Blacken) an address to her Majesty for a revision
of the brevet.--(Hear, hear.)
Mr. HUME said that ho protested altogether against
the Honourable and Gallant Gentleman opposite, and
against the answer which bad been given to it
by the Government. The Gallant Member had
talked of a paltry economy; for his own part he con-
ceis ed that every shilling that was added to the taxation
was a gross and uncalled for in ositi▪
o n on the people.—
(Hear.) The brevet, he believed,instead of having
been too narrow, had been most shamefully and infa-
mously abused.—(Hear.) It was true that the Queen
had the power of premoting whosoever she liked, and she
might make us many duke`, and lords, and captains,
and majors as she liked. a herever she went—(Hear,hear, and great laughter)—but wi▪ th respect to this
especial case be would remark that the original
intention cf the brevet was to promote officers cf extra-
ordinery merit. The rule had, however, degenerated,
and the late brevet had added at least 100,0001. a tear
to the taxation of the country.—(Hear, hear.)
Such was the case with the several brevets
rah'cli had taken plac prior to the year 1833.
but instead of the brevet being a grant of the Crown it
had been perverted into an organ of Ministerial patro-
n ag-e.—(Bear, hear.) Such it ought not to be; and so
lung- us the system was continued, he should protnt
;-a inst any of those infeanction of that paltry economy
wli.ch was so injurious to the public interest.
(Colonel DUNNE expressed his regret that such a
sea my brevet had been issued on the occasion cf the
royal visit.
Mr. 13. OSBORNE hoped the Hon. and
.Gallant
Gentleman would not press the motion to a division.
Ito was one of those who thought a brevet ought never
to, take place, but if if did, it ought to be fairly

tribut,d, and bo given to old officers and not to young
officers who had seen no !service. He vs,?.s complied
w cay that an undue preerrnee had bean shown in
the distribution f the brevet in Dublin.

Colonel ItAWDON hoped that tie Gallant Member
would rir t pres his motion.
After a few words of explanation from Major
BLACICALL, the motion was withdrawn.