The Sun.
London, England, 1850-04-15 00:00:00

TO THE SECRETARY OF THE
BRADFORD BEFORM ASSOCIATION.

Sir,—On Wednesday the 10th, the same grievous
impolicy was repeated in the case of the County
Courts Extension Bill ; where the Government con-
trived to insert themselves into a minority of more
than 2to 1. Upon what principle is this done ?
Why could not whatever is done after it, have been
done without it? It assuredly does not appear be..
yond the pale permitted to human prudence, to have
compassed something to that effect, and to have pre-
known the fact that public opinion was running with
such vigour in favour of an extension of the powers
of County Courts.
The truth is, men must have law, and if they
cannot have it onelshape they must have it in another.
They must have the means of settling pecuniary dis-
putes, and there must be some reasonable limit to the
process poetically described as consisting in swallow-
ing the oyster and giving each of the litigants a
shell. When a City banker declares, that any man
may sue him to the extent of five hundred pounds,
and he kill Fay the money as the cheapest way of
getting rid of the business, it is clear there is not a
reasonable limit, and the public will call for altera-
tion.

On the same day an attempt to stop the Public
Libraries and Museums Bill, was prevented by the
substantial majority of 99 against 64. It is wonder-
ful how the party of the Extinguisher stick to their
points. Their next struggle is to be, for placing the
contemplated libraries &c., under the official influ-
ence of the Clergy of the Establishment. Wh,t
should we think of the establishment of public libra-
ries in France, under the official patronage of the
cure of the parish ?
On Thursday the Parliamentary Voters, &c. (Ire-
land) Bill, which I hear called the Irish Reform Bill,
was considered in Committee for seven hours and a
half, and reported, as amended, to be considered
again on the 22d of April. Judging from the oppo-
sition, there must be good in this Bill; and some-
thing of the same kind might be inferred with respect
to the Distressed Unions Advances and Repayment
of Advances (Ireland) Bill, which was only read a
second time after being dragged through wearisome
divisions on behalf of an adjournment, ending in the
slender proportion of 6 to 134.
On Friday a long and rather dull debate, to deter-
mine whether the Government should proceed to
make its promised reductions by the instrumentality
of a Committee or without. The true point at issue
being, whether the Protectionists by withholding all
mention of ulterior purposes, should angle with suf-
ficient success among the Free Trade ranks, to do
damage to the Government. From some cause or
other the Free-Traders were unusually shy, and the
fishery concluded with a majority of 250 against 169
in favour of the Government.

Mr. Horsman then brought on his motion for add-
ing the episcopal revenues to the subjects for the
Committee. It would have been invidious to join in
so direct an attack upon a class of functionaries, if
the statement from the Conservative benches could
have been trusted, that they really were doing their
duty as well as any other class which had been men-
tioned. But everybody knows that this is not the
case. The public opinion of reflective England is,
that one portion of them are doing their duty as
badly as possible, and the other has not energy
and principle enough to hinder them. When the
English nation wants to go back to Rome, it must be
treated like other determinations of the national will.
But in the mean time half or a large portion of the
bishops and clergy are going there without waiting
for the national consent, and the other half are looking
on. The active ones are at this moment doing their best
to organize a resistance to that contract for the supre-
macy of the civil government, which is the only bond
by which they hold their possessions or their churches.
In doctrine, too, they are selecting all the points on
which the disunited state of the Anglican Church at
the moment of the separation from Rome has left dis-
cordant or doubtful pleas, and persecuting the honest
men who stand upon the common sense on which the
heresy of Protestantism is based. A fair number of
votes announced the consciousness of these dangers;
as was evinced by a respectable minority of 95
against 208.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
AN OLD REFORMER.
London, 15th April, 1850.

THE BOARD OF CONTROL AND
AUSTRALIAN STEAM NAVIGATION.

A deputation waited, by appointment, on Sir John
llobhouse, at the Board of Control, on Friday last, in
reference to the question of steam communication
with Australia. Amongst the members present were
—Lord Lyttelton, Lord John Manners M.P., Lord
Monteagle, Mr. Adderley, M.P., Mr. William Brown,
M.P., Mr. De Salis, Mr. Mark Boyd, Hon. H.
Berkeley, M.P., Mr. Macgregor, M P., Mr. Logan,
Mr. Divett, M.P., Sir Win. Verner, Bart., M.P., Mr.
G. R. Smith, Mr. Bass, M.P , Mr. Jackson, Mr. Da-
vidson, Sce.
In the absence of the llon. F. Scott, M.P.,

Mr. MACGREGOR stated that the gentlemen then
present were induced to seek this inter►iew with Sir
John flobliouse from having understood that some
difficulty, in which the East India Company were con-
cerned, stood in the way of the arrangement, otherwise
nearly compkted, for effecting steam communication
with the Australia❑ colonies, and they hoped
that, if any such obstacle as had been represented
did really exist, Sir John Hobliouse, as head of the
Board of Control, would interpose his official influ-
ence to remove the objection. He (Mr. Macgregor)
was in almost daily receipt of communications on this
important subject, not only from his constituents in
the large mercantile city which he had the honour to
represent, but from other quarters of the kingdom.
In fact, commercial enterprise, and all projects for
the investment of capital in the Australian colonies,
were completely paralysed from the want of any cer-
tainty in the intercourse with those distant posses-
sions, and which were every day becoming of more
importance to this country, whether considered in a
commercial or political point of view. He therefore
expected that now, when it was understood that the
Government and the public were equally favourable
to the measure, no impediment would be thrown in
the way by the directors of the East India Company,
who should, he thought, be interested in promoting
the welfare of the Australian colonies.

Lord MONTEAGLE stated that, when lately he at-
tended at the Colonial-office as a member of a depu-
tation on this subject, they were led to hope that it
would be brought to a successful isssue, and they felt
grateful to Earl Grey for the assurance given by his
Lordship of the great anxiety and earnestness of her
Majesty's Government to bring pending negotiations
to a close. The public voice had already been fully
expressed in favour of this measure, and with such
united influences he could not see how any obstacle
should be seriously presented. Lord Monteagle ad-
verted forcibly to the interesting relations of Aus-
tralia with this country, and how much the political
and social position of our colonies in the Southern
Pacific was likely to be advanced by a frequent faci-
lity of intercourse with this country. lie instanced
the advantages derived by the North American colo-
nies from the steam communication opened up by
Mr. Cunard's vessels, and observed, as an interesting
fact connected, as he believed, with the existence of
this intercourse, that during the time of Canadian
disaffection Nova Scotia and New Brunswick stood
firm in their allegiance and loyalty to the mother
country.
Several other gentlemen having expressed their
sentiments,
The lion. IL BERKELEY, on the part of his con-
stituents at Bristol, testified to the strong solicitude
prevailing in that large mercantile community on
behalf of the Austral colonies, with a view to
whose progress and prosperity a quick and certain
mode of communication was indispensable.
Lord LYTTELTON stated that when in office he had
a great desire to see the measure carried out, and he
hoped that as the Government and the public were
alive to its necessity, and the former fully prepared
to sanction the proposals made to them, no further
delay would occur, and that if objections existed in
any. quarter, they would give way to the anxiety
which prevailed on the subject.
Sir J. I.lounouss observed that he would give his
best attention to all that had been stated, and make
representations accordingly in the proper quarter.
He could assure the deputation that he was per-
sonally anxious to see the object they had in view
carried out, and he would endeavour, as far as possible,
to assist in removing the difficulties which at present
prevailed.

SOUTHAMPTON, SUNDAY, APRIL 14.—The royal
mail steamer Dee, Captain IV. Allan, will depart on Wednes-
day, the 17th instant, with the usual West India and Pacific
mails. The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer
Iberia, Captain C. F. Burney, will leave on the same day
with the mails for Vigo, Oporto, Lisbon, Cadiz, and Gibral-
tar. The United States mail steamer Washington, Captain
G. W. Floyd, is expected here from Bremen, en route to New
York, on Wednesday; she will sail for her destination on
the 20th instant (Satui day next). The Peninsular and
Oriental Steam Navigation Company's ship Ripon, Captain
R. Moresby, Indian Navy, is appointed to sail on the 20th
instant, with the East India, China, and Mediterranean mails,
for Gibraltar, Malts, and Alexandria. The Montrose, Captain
Bowen, is hourly expected with the Spanish and l'ortuguese
mails. A large sugar refinery is about to be built on the
premises of the Southampton Dock Company, at this port,
tor the refining of sugar in bond fur exportation. It is to be
seven stories high, and will be calculated to refine from 80
to 100 tons of sugar per week. The building is to be erected
at the expense of the Dock Company, but will be rented for
21 years by a London house in the sugar trade. who will
enter into the business extensively and import their cargoes
of sugar for refining into the port of Southampton direct from
abroad.
THE IRISH TENANT-RIGHT QUESTION.--A depu
tation from the Tenant-Right Associations in Ulster has ar-
rived in town for the purpose of opposing Sir W. Somerville's
and of organising measures for the advancement of the
tenant-right owe.