The Sun.
London, England, 1844-05-18 00:00:00

usiPlatiAL PAL LI AMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, May 17

Their Lordships aisembled at Five o'Clock.
Lord A BING E R took the oaths, and signed the Parliamentary
roll.

Earl FITZ WILLIAM presented a petition from the Quakers
of Ireland, praying for the abolition of the punishment of death
in all eases whatsoever.
Lord BROUGHANI and another Noble Lord presented pe-
titions from Edinburgh and Leith, in favour of the North
British Railway.
ROMAN CATHOLIC PENAL ACTS REPEAL BILL._

Lord BE AUliONi,i; postponingthe second reading of
this Bill, expressed a hope that the Noble and Learned Lord
on the Woolsack -would make his arrangements so as to allow
the Bill to be brought on as early as possible.
The LORD CHANCELLOR sail that some delay was
necessary as this Bill proposed to repeal twenty-eight Acts of
Parliament, and therefore it would take the Government some
time to consider the subject.
WHITSUN HOLIDAYS.

The Duke of WELLINGTON stated that, nest Thurs-
day, he shou'd move the adjournment of the House to that day
week.

TEXAS.
Lord BROUGHAM wished to ask the Noble Lord the Se-
cretary for Foreign Affairs if he had received information with
respect to the annexation of Texas to the United States.
This was a question of vast importance, so far as the abolition
of slavery was concerned, but he trusted that the deciding por-
tion of the Congress, namely, two-thirds of the members, would
oppose it. Nothing which had dropped from him or the Noble
Lord at the head of the Foreign Department even justified the
inference that this country, although deploring the existence of
slavery, ever contemplated any interference with the Constitu-
tion of America.

The Earl of ABERDEEN said the Noble and Learned
Lord could not expect him to give a precise answer to the ques-
tion he asked. It was a subject quite new and unexampled in
the history of nations, and his Noble and Learned Friend might
depend upon it that it would receive the most serious atten-
tion of her Majesty's Government. It was true, he
believed, that the treaty for the annexation of Texas to the
United States had been signed ; but he agreed in the hope ex-
pressed by his Noble and Learned Friend that the majority of
Congress would not agree to the ratification of it. At present
he could not speak with confidence on the subject, but when
the time came he should state his opinions to the House, and
act consistently
,with his duty as a Minister of the Crown.
Nothing that he or the Noble Lord oppositehad ever said, could
justify the suspicion that they intended to interfere with
American institutions.
DUBLIN AND CASHEL RAILWAY.

Lord MONTEAGLCsaid he -wished to draw the attention
of their Lordships to a matter of vast importance to those per-
sons interested as shareholders in the railway between Dublin
and A Bill upon the subject of railways in Ireland
had been intreduced, and it had been announced that this Bill
',mil not possibly be carried into effect this year. Any dis-
appointment in this matter would be a source of injury to those
shareholders.

• Lord AIONTEAGLE presented a petition praying that the
standing orders of their Lordships' House might be suspended
in favour of the Dublin and Cashel Railway Bill.
The Duke of WELLINGTON said there was undoubtedly
great interest attached to the measure to which the petition of
the Noble Lord referred. It was the wish of her Majesty's
Government to give every facility in both Houses of Parlia-
ment to the progress of that measure. The standing orders of
their Lordships' Housl were established for the purpose of
securing the public and persons interested against being taken
by surprise. Now, in the present case, there could be no sur-
prise, inasmuch as the notices respecting it had been given
several years ago.