The Sun.
London, England, 1844-07-01 00:00:00

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE.

Sir ROBERT PEEL said he would take the oppor-
tunity of moving the second reading of the Irish Regi•
tration of Electors' Bill, to explain, as far as it was in
his power to do so, the course which Her Majesty's go•
vernment proposed to pursue with respect to those bills
which had been already submitted to Parliament, and were
now waiting the sanction of the House. Those
Bills were all on the paper for Thursday, Wednesday,
and to-day. There were, however, some Bills which
were not yet introduced, but which he had reason to
suppose would cause very little trouble or debate. lie
was sorry to say, however, that a vast mass of business
still remained to be transacted. Ile would, however,
go to the paper for Thursday. There was, first of all
the Poor-law Amendment Bill. It was the intention of
the Government to proceed with that Bill.—(Hear,
hear.) There were also two other Bills, of a most salu-
tary nature, having reference to the Duchy of Cornwall,
which it was most desirable should become law as soon
as possible. These Bills would introduce a very
great amendment in the management of the busi-
ness of the Duchy of Cornwall, and he, therefore,
trusted those Bills would not provoke any opposition.
With regard to the Metropolitan Buildings Bill, his
Noble Friend, the First Commissioner of Woods and
Forests, proposed to proceed with that. On Wednesday
there were two Bills under the charge of the Govern-
ment, and; with those also it was the wish and inten-
tion of her Majesty's Government to proceed. There
were the Bill for the Regulation of Joint-Stock Coin-
panies, and the Joint-Stock Remedies at Law and
Equity Bill. Then, with regard to the business on the
paper for the day—there was first the Registration
of Electors (Ireland) Bill. He had already given notice
that it was not the intention of the Government to pro-
ceed beyond the second reading of the Bill, as from the
serious differences of opinion which existed respecting
it, it would be quite impos,ible that it could pass into a
law during the present session. There was next the
Municipal Corporation eland) Bill ; he was sur-
prised to hear that any objections were entertaincll
to it, as the object of the Bill was to extend the provi-
sions of the English Municipal Corporations Act to Ire-
land. But as it was so connected with the Registration
of Voters Bill, that in the opinion of many persons con-
nected with Ireland they should be both proceeded with
simultaneously, he would not press the Municipal Cor-
porations Bill during the present session, though
he regretted the necessity for delay. There
was then the Railway Bill, which was a Bill of
considerable importance—(Hear, hear)—and which, he
was sorry to say, was likely to meet with opposition
from existing` railway companies, but as it was of im-
portance:with regard to Railway Bills now before the
House, and those which would come before it
next session, that the intentions of Parliament
should be known with respect to their future
legislation on railways, he proposed that they
should proceed with the, Bill during the present session.
With regard to the Savings' Banks Bill and the Land
Tax Commissioner Bill, his Right Hon. Friend, the
Chancellor of the Exchequer, would proceed with these
Bills. With regard to the County Courts Bill, he would
rather postpone making any final announcement upon it,
till this day-week, by which time he expected that the
opinion of the House of Lords would be made known
with regard to two Bills now before them.
The Superior Courts Common Law Bill, and
the tSmall Debts Bill were mot Bills of which' her
Majesty's Government had charge, but which 'the
Honourable and Learned Member for Chester bad
under his care. The Chaplains to Hospitals (Ireland)
Bill, and the Courts of Common Law Process (Ireland)
Bill, were Bills under the charge of the Hon. and
Learned Gentleman, the Member for the City of Cork,
and which he, therefore, could not be responsible for.
With regard to the Ecclesiastical Courts Bill, he had to
announce on the part of her 11Iajesty's Government that
it was not their intention to proceed with this Bill—
(Hear)—as from the mass of business before the House,
and the opposition which the Bill was 'likely to receive,
seeing they had not yet passed the first clause through
Committee, notlikely that they could pass it during
the. present session ; it was the intention of her Ma-
jesty s Government to proceed with the Unlawful Oaths
(Ireland) Bill, and also with the Copyholds En-
franchisement Bill. The next five Bills it was
the intention of her Majesty's Government to
proceed with the Customs' Duties Bill, the Bank
of England Charter Bill (to the bringing up of
the report of which this evening he hoped there would
be no opposition)— (Hear, hear)—he must say that he
met with no persevering or factious opposition to
this Bill ; it was fully discussed, and from his
experience of the manner in which the opposition to the
Bill had been conducted, he had every reason to hope
that the second stages of the Bill would be allowed to
pass without discussion. They proposed to proceed with
the Education Bill—the Linen Manufactures (Ireland)
Bill, and the Charitable Loan Societies (Ireland) Bill ;
the Aliens Bill, he believed, was under the charge of the
Hon. Member for Gateshead. Her Majesty's Govern-
ment proposed to proceed with the Protection of
Purchasers (Ireland) Bill, and also with the Co-
lonial Postage Bill. The number of these Bills
was large, but still he hoped that they were not
likely to lead to any serious opposition. There was
one Bill ready to be introduced which was of importance
as a corollary to the Bank Charter Bill, and which it
was the intention of her Majesty's Government to pro-
ceed with--that was a Bill to establish new regulations for
such joint-stock banks as might hereafter be established.
It would not apply to existing companies, but would be
merely prospective in its operation. There was also a
Bill of considerable importance, which was not as yet
under the consideration of the House, and which it was the
intention of the Government to introduce, and that was a
Bill founded on the report of the Select Committee
appointed to consider the manner in which the House
exercised its jurisdiction with regard to contested
elections. That Committee had consisted of gen-
tlemen who• had been appointed on account of their.
extensive acquaintance with the subject, and
the report it had suggested certain alterations in the
existing law. Therefore the principle of the Bill had
already been for some time before the House. It was
the intention of the Government to introduce a Bill
founded on the recommendations of that Committee, and
his Noble Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancas-
ter, who had been a Member of the Committee would
propose a Bill to carry the recommendations of the
Committee into effect. He had now gone through the
various Bills, and had stated the intentions of the Go-
vernment with respect to each Bill. At the same time
he must reserve to himrelf the power of modifying the dc-
clarati3n which he had just made according to the progress
which the respective Bills with
which the Government
was determined to proceed might make in the House.
Colonel RAWDON said there was one Bill of great
importance to the North Ireland to which the Right
Hon. Baronet had not alluded, and which was not yet
before the House—he meant the Presbyterian Marriage
Bill. He should be glad to know the intentions of the
Government with respect to the measure.
Sir ROBERT PEEL said that as a general rule he

thought it was better that he should not allude to mea-
sures which were not before the House. The measure
to which the Right Honourable and Gallant Mem-
ber had alluded, however, was one of so much
importance that he felt it his duty to deviate
from the rule, and to state that it was the intention
of the Government to persevere with the measure, which
he thought would give entire satisfaction to the parties
concerned; and he hoped another session would not pass
without that measure becoming the law of the land.
After a few words from Mr. WODEHOUSE, which
were inaudible in the gallery,
Mr. FRENCH asked if it was the intention of the
Chancellor of the Exchequer to persevere with the Com-
mon Law Courts (Ireland) Bill.

Sir R. PEEL said his Right llon. Friend would give
an answer to-morrow.

Alr. J. BRIGHT wished to know if the House was to
understand that no bill of any importance, other than
those which had been mentioned to-night, would be in-
troduced this session. Last year a most important bill,
the Chelsea Pensioner's Bill, had been introduced at the
close of the session.

Sir R. PEEL replied, that if he were to answer the ques-
tion literally, he should answer that there were other bills
to be intended, for instance the Appropriation Bill-
(a laugh)—the introduction of which, he thought, would
give general satisfaction, as indicative of the approach of
the close of the session : but if the Hon. Gentleman ask
if the Government contemplated the introduction of any
measure of importance, he would reply that they did not.
Yet still he would not pledge himself not to introduce any
measure of importance, if circumstances should arise to
render it necessary.
Messengers from the Lords brought down certain Bills,
which were laid on the table.

Mr. MACAULEY reminded the Right Hon. Gentle-
man, the Secretary of State for the Home Department,
that he had expressed his intention of introducing a Bill
for the regulation of the medical profession during the
present session, in order that it might be laid on the
table, and that the profession might have an opportunity
of considering it during the recess. He wished to know
if it was the intention of the Right Hon. Baronet to
introduce the Bill.

Sir J. GRAHAM had frequently given notice of his
intention to introduce the Bill. Ile did not wish, how-
ever, to make that motion without stating in detail the
provisions of the measure. It was his intention, before
the close of the session, to ask leave to lay that Bill on
the table, and he wouid take that opportunity of stating
that before the close of the session, he should also move
for leave to bring in a Bill on the subject of the Law
of Settlement, which he would lay on the table, in order
to give time for its consideration during the recess.
Mr. FERRANI) wished to ask the Right Hon. Ba-
ronet at the head of the Government whether he posi-
tively intended to proceed with this New Poor-law Bill?
Sir R. PEEL said he proposed that the third reading
of the Bank Bill should be taken on Thursday next, and
that the New Poor-law Bill should be proceeded with on
Friday. In case the Bank Bill and the New Poor-law
Bill were disposed of on Friday, he proposed that the
Railways Bills should have precedence on Monday.
IRISH REGISTRATION BILL.

On the order of the day for the second reading of the
Irish Registration Bill being read,
Mr. T. DUNCOMBE said, as an English Member
he rose to protest against this most enor-
mous waste of time ; more especially as they
were about to establish a precedent which was unknown
in the proceedings of that House. He was not going to
discuss the merits of this Bill. What he complained of
was, that after the Right Honourable Baronet
had withdrawn three or four important Bills, he
asked them to proceed with a Bill which could not pass
Through its stages in the present session. He had looked
over the journals of the House, and he could not
find any other instance of a Minister of the Crown
dragging his supporters through the mire, as
the Right Hon. Baronet was about to do again—(Hear)
—for the purpose of having a Bill read a second time,
and then saying to those supporters, " You may now go
about you business ; I do not want , your votes or your
aid any longer, as we do not mean to proceed any further
with the measure. Did they mean, when it was proposed
that the will should be read a second time that day six
months, to accede to the proposition ?—(" Hear, hear,"
from Mr. Shell.) The people of Ireland would consider
this an additional insult to that already inflicted
upon that country. He had received a letter
on Friday from a gentleman connected with Ire-
land, and who was now the head of the Repeal
Association, entreating him to use all his influence
with English members to prevent the people.
of Ireland from being insulted by the second reading of
this Bill. He was asked not to allow the Bill to be dis-
cussed in the absence of the Hon. Member for Kil-
kenny, and the Hon. Member for Cork, the latter
of whom represented a constituency consisting of about
700,000 inhabitantS. They had just heard that a magis-
trate had been reinstated in the commission of the peace
in compliance with the requisition of 2,245 inhabitants of
Cork. Why, then, did they wish to proceed with the
Bill, which was an insult to the people of Ireland ? The
Right Hon Baronet said the other evening, that he
wanted to ascertain what were the opinions and feel-
ings of the Irish Members with respect to this
Why did he not know them at that moment?
If they wanted to know the opinion of the Irish people,
let them read their petitions, asking the House to reject
the Bill ; or let them read the opinions of the
Mayors of the different Corporations of that
country. Although they had an immense amount of
business to transact, yet they proposed wasting
another evening in discussing the obnoxious clauses
of a Bill that was not to be carried on. He would be
no party to such a discussion, and he would now take
the sense of the House, as to whether its time
was to be wasted in a discussion that could have
no practical result.. He should not ask the
House to give any opinion, one way or
another on the merits or demerits of the Bill ; the only
question he should submit was, whether they could allow
the public time to be wasted in a futile discussion on the
motion for the second reading. He therefore moved as an
amendment that the House do proceed with the other
orders of the day.—(Hear, hear.)
The question having been put,
Sir R. PEEL said, with respect to the period
of the session at which the Bill was proposed,
he begged to observe that the second reading of the Bill
was fixed, and a period when it would have been com-
petent for the (Hon. Member for Cork to be in his
place, and that he postponed the second reading at
the express wish of the gentlemen at the other side
connected with Ireland.—(Hear, hear.) He believed
the second reading was fixed for the first day after the
Easter recess. That Bill provided the same
general system of registration for Ireland that
prevailed in England, and it was important
that her Majesty's Government should know
whether the House approved the principle. The Bill
provided a new franchise, and lie must, therefore, perse-
vere in asking the House to pronounce its opinion on
the principle of the measure.
(LEFT SPEAKING.)