The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-10 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, August 9.-
The House sat to-day at Four o'clock.
ROYAL ASSENT.
The Royal Assent was given by Commission to the
Consolidated Fund Appropriation Bill, the Church En-
dowment Bill, the Poor-law Amendment Bill, the
Counties and Boroughs Bill, the Duchy of Cornwall
Assessionable Manors Bill, the Roman Catholics Penal
Acts Repeal Bill, the Metropolitan Buildings Bill, the
Piccadilly Improvement Bill, the Insolvent Debtors' Bill,
the Railways Bill, Turnpike Trusts (South Wales) Bill,
the Controverted Elections Bill, the Woods and Forests
Bill, the County Coroners' Bill, the South Sea Company's
Bill, the Savings' Banks Bill, the Slaughtering of Horses
Bill, the Clerks to Attorneys Bill, the Tralee Harbour
Bill, the Salmon Fisheries (Scotland) Bill, the Mar-
riages (Scotland) Bill, the Spirit Licenses Bill, the
Grand Canal (Ireland) Bill, the Arms (Ireland) Regis-
tration Billy the Protection of Purchasers (Ireland) Bill,
the Charitable Donations and Bequests (Ireland) Bill,
the Grand Jury Presentment (Dublin) Bill, the Middle
Level Drainage Bill, and several other private Bills.
The Commissioners were the Lord Chancellor, the
ati of Shaftesbury, and the Earl of Dalhousie.

Their Lordships resumed business at Five o'clock.
The Bishop of LONDON presented a petition from
the Protestant Operatives Society of Dublin, against the
repeal of the penal laws affecting Roman Catholics.
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE presented a peti-
tion from Newcastle, complaining of the present law
of settlement as affecting Irish persons settled in
England. The petition set forth the case of an
Irishwoman, who was married at Newcastle to a
native of the same part of the United Kingdom,
and who having lived with her husband seventeen
years, was deserted by him. The parish authorities
transported her and her four children (the latter having
been born in Newcastle), to !Ireland as Irish paupers.—
(Hear, hear.) The Noble Marquis hoped that the mea-
sure announced in the other House by the Secretary of
of State for the Home Department, respecting the law of
settlement, would extend to such cases as this.—(Hear.)
COMMON-LAW COURTS (IRELAND) BILL.
Lord WHARNCLIFFE railed the attention of the
House to the Commons' amendments on this Bill, to
which he recommended their Lordships to agree.
The LORD CHANCELLOR said, that by the com-
mon law, the appointment of the prothonataries and
other officers was vested in the judges. In some cases
in England and Ireland, prescription had superseded the
common law. Some office in the courts of law in Eng-
land were held by women.—(Hear, hear, and a laugh.)
It would be most unwise and unjust to deprive the
Irish judges of a patronage which was possessed by
the English judges.—(Hear, hear.) He would oppose
the recommendation of his Noble Friend (Lord Wharn-
cliffe), and would vote that the House should not agree
to the amendments of the Commons, which would give
the appointment of those offices to the Lord Lieutenant.
Lord CAMPBELL was greatly pleased with the ob-
servations of his Noble and Learned Friend on the
woolssie.k. He (Lord Campbell) had moved an amend-
ment on the third reading of the Bill, to which their
Lordships agreed without the slightest opposition. The
Lord Chancellor gave the amendment his most strenuous
support. The Lord President of the Council did not
oppose it, but he asked their Lordships to give him
time to consult the law officers of the Crown, as to
the effect of the amendment. The Bill was
sent back from the Commons with amendments,
which superseded his amendment, and gave the patron-
age of those offices to the Lord-Lieutenant and not to
the judges, who ought to possess it—making thus a de-
grading distinction between the Irish judges and the
English. Ho put it to their Lordships whether the
judges or the Lord-Lieutenant were best qualified to
determine who was the fittest person to fill an adminis-
trative office in the courts of law ? In this case he had
the support of the Lord Chancellor, who was
looked up to by the Government and Noble Lords oppo-
site as'a sort of oracle.—(A laugh.) It was very well
that this was not a Bill of his (Lord Campbell's). If it
had been, he could not have expected the same sup-
port.—(Great laughter.)
The Earl of WICKLOW thought that their Lord-
ships ought on such a question to be governed by the
opinion of the Lord Chancellor, although the representa-
tives of the Government were professedly opposed
to it. The President of the Council recom-
mended the House to agree to the amendments
of the Commons, from respect to that House.
He wished to treat that House with all possible
respect ; but he must in this case put it to their Lord-
ships to consider that the House of Commons now—at
this moment—was merely an assemblage of a few sup-
porters of the Government, who remained in town for
the dispatch of Government business.—(Hear. and a
laugh.) The present period was not one in which it would
be wise to aggrieve the Irish judges, or to give the
Irish people any reason to think that the united Parlia-
ment was not disposed to de justice to Ireland.
The Earl of H ADDINGTON said, that to hear the
speech of his Noble Friend (Lord Wicklow) any one might
think that the amendments of the Commons affected
vitally all the great questions at issue between the
parties which distracted Ireland ; but in fact there was
no discussion raised upon the subject by the Irish Mem-
bers in the other House.
The LORD CHANCELLOR—There were few of
them there since the Bill went back.—(A laugh.)
The Earl of HADDINGTON said that there were
Members for Ireland in the House quite enough to raise
debates, if they thought the people of Ireland cared a
straw whether the Judges or the Lord-Lieutenant should
have the patronage.
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE considered the
question of great importance, as was every question re-
specting the administration of justice in Ireland ; and it
would be exceedingly mischievous to place the Judges
of Ireland in a worse position than those of England.
Their Lordships then divided, when there appeared—
Contents ....
• Non-contents

. 22

Majority

-9

The amendrlient- of the Commons was accordingly
agreed to, and the Bill was passed.
COMMON LAW PROCESS BILL.

On the order of the day for the further consideration
of the Commons' amendments upon this Bill being road,
Lord CAMPBELL opposed the amendments, and
mated that they be taken into consideration that day
three months.
Af‘er a few words from Lord WIIARNCLIFFE, the
znotion of the Noble and Learned Lord was agreed to,
and 'the Commons' amendments were rejected.
THE NEW HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT.

The Marquis of CLANRICARDE moved as address
to her Majesty, praying that her Majesty would
mks measures for carrying into effect the recommenda-
tions of their Lordships' Committee
of
the
progress of the building of the Homes a Parliament.
Lord CAMPBELL hoped that the address would be
as stringent as possible, otherwise the House would not
be ready for their Lordships within seven years.—
(Hear, and a laugh.) Their Lordships would be con-
demned to do their work in " this miserable dungeon,"
whereas the Commons had as good a house as could be
desired for space. ventilation, and every accommodation.
The Earl of BESBOROUGH said that it was only
justice to Mr. Barry to say that, when that architect
promised that the House of Lords could be completed in
two years, he expressly stated that he meant two years
from the formation of the coffer-dam.
The Earl of WrckLow' and Lord SUDELEY agreed
with the Marquis of Clanricarde, that the dc:uy of the
in
excusable.
Lord was
Lord MONTEAGLE thought their Lordships ought
to insist upon the building being completed without
delay. He did not think that it was necessary (with the
simple habits of this country) that the buildings should
be delayed until our artists learned fresco-painting.
Lord WHARNCLIFFE said that it could not be de-
nied that the last exhibition in fresco-painting had been
very unsatisfactory, and that their Lordships could not
wait until our artists acquired perfection in that depart-
ment.—The motion was then agreed to.
POST-OFFICE INQUIRY.

The Marquis of CLANRICANDE asked whether or
not the Government had come to a determination as to
altering the law respecting the opening of le:tors in the
Post-office?
Lord WHARNCLIFFE said that her Majesty's Go-
vernment had not yet. had time to consider the report of
the Committee on this subject.
The Marquis of LONDONDERRY presented a peti-
tion from hawkers and pedlars in the county of Durham,
complaining of the tax upon their licenses.
•The LORD CHANCELLOR said that the petition
could not be received by their Lordships, as it related to
a laz.