The Sun.
London, England, 1845-05-17 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
HOUSE OF LORDS, May 16.
Their Lot dships met for the first time after the Whit•
suntide recess, at Five o'clock.
The Archbishop of Cant,rbury, the Bishop of London,
the Bishop of Chester, the Bishop d' Gloueester, acd
Lord Kenyon, presented several petitions against the
Maynooth grant.
Several other Noble Lords presented petitions to a
similar effect.
SOUTHAMPTON DOCKS BILL.
This Bill was brought up from the Commons and read
a first time.

MAYNOOTH.
The Earl of RADNOR presented a great number of
pqiti,,tp: in favour of the grant to Maynooth.
The Bishop of CASHEL presented several petitions
against it.

SEES OF BANGOR AND ST. ASAPIL
The Bishop of BANGOR presented ti&terai petitions
from places in Wales against the union taf the UPS of
St. Asaph and Bangor.

- CHARITABLE TRUSTS BILL.
The Marquis of SALISBURY, in presenting a petition
from the Company of Clothworkers, in the City of Lon-
don, begged to draw the particular attention of the
House to the purport of this petition. He thought that
it involved an important principle, and he should, there-
fore, with their Lordship's permission give the substance
of it. His Lordship then read the following portion of
the petition :

"-Sheweth—That your petitioners have read with
much concern the provisions of a Bill brought into your
Lordships' House on the 7th for securing the
due administration of Charitable Trusts in England and
Wales ;' inasmuch as, while they recognise some salu-
tary objects of a general nature as likely to be accom-
plished by its passing into a law, they perceive no in-
tention to exempt this and the other incorporated Livery
Companies of London from its operation.
" That your petitioners have possessed a corporate
existence from the year 1508, in the reign of Henry
7th, but formed long previously a guild or fraternity,
united for the better protection of the art or mystery to
which they owe their style and title ; and have ever
been faithful and loyal to the Sovereigns of this realm,
giving such support in times of need as their means and
revenues would enable them to do.

" That your petitioners are the administrators, in their
corporate capacity, of numerous trusts and charities
endowed almost wholly by members of their own body,
and requiring in many cases much trouble, as well as
knowledge of the wants of the poor persons to be re•
lieved by such benevolent gifts and endowments.
" That your petitioners firmly believe, and are eon •
vinced, that these trusts and charities have been mainly
created and placed under their management through
the confident persuasion which governed the minds of
the donors, that the prudent and certain administration
of them would thereby be secured in perpetuity, and
the trouble required for the discrimination of the cases of
the poor members, and others intended thereby to be re-
lieved, be ch. erfully incurred.
•• That your petitioners affirm, and can prove, if re-
quired, to the satisfaction of your .Lordships' House, that
all the various trusts committed to their charge are
strictly fulfilled ; and that they have, moreover, in very
many cases, been materially increased by appropriations
from their own corporate funds.
"That your petioners firmly believe that the opera.'
tion of such a Bill as that referred to, and now before
your Lordship's House, would be injurious and de-
grading to this and the other incorporated Livery Com-
panies of London ; and that it is calculated, moreover, to
defeat and nullify most of those charities which now fall
under their administration, as well as to put an end to
all further benevolent gifts of a similar description."
Lard BROUGHAM hoped his Noble Friend would
not press the second reading of the Bill to-night.
The LORD CHANCELLOR said it was an import-
ant measure, and fixed the second reading for Thurs•
day next. He thought the petitioners had
misunderstood the object of the Bill. The
only objection which they could reasonably offer Wit
was, that they would be required from time to time to
state the amount of their receipts and expenditure in
connexion with the charities. He thought no public
body ought to object to such a return.
Lord CAMPELL warmly supported the principle of
the Bill, but would not then enter into detail respecting
it. On Thursday the Bill would be regularly before the
House, and they. would then hear what was said on
both sides.
The LORD CHANCELLOR had no doubt that the
constitution of the tribunal proposed in the Bill, in rela-
tion to the charities, would meet with his Noble Friend's
(Lord Campbell's) approbation. On the evening he had
named the Noble Lord would have an ample opportunity
of considering the Bill.