The Sun.
London, England, 1844-02-21 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, Feb. 20.
Their Lordships met at Five o'clock.
INDEMNITY OF WITNESSES.

The Bill for indemnifying witnesses examined before
Committees of Parliament, was read a third time, and
passed.

LAW OF LIBEL

On the motion of Lord CAMPBELL, the Law of
Libel Bill was read a second time, and referred 'to a
Committee.
On the motion of Lord NORMANBY, returns of the
correspondence between the Lord Chancellor and Mr.
O'Driscoll were ordered.
Their Lordships then adjourned till Thursday.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, Feb. 20.

The SPEAKER took the Chair at the usual. hour.

Mr. HARDY brought up the Manchester and Leeds
Railway Bill, which was read a first time ; also, the
Huddersfield Branch Railway Bill, which was read a
first time.

Mr. MUNTZ brought up the Birmingham Naviga.
tion Bill, which was read a first time. _ _

WALKER brought up the Manchester, Leeds,
and Heywood Branch Railway Bill, which was read a
first time.

On the motion of Mr. M. PHILIPS, the Manchester
Bury, and Rossendale Railway Bill was read a second
time, and ordered to be committed.
Mr. MUNTZresented a petition from Birmingham,
praying for a reduction of the duty on tobacco.
Mr. 0. GORE presented a petition from Oswestry, in
Wales, complaining of the heavy tolls payable on lime
conveyed for the purposes of husbandry.
Mr. B. COCHRANE presented a petition from Lord
Dundonald, praying for an extension of the patent for
his invention of the rotatory steam-engine.
Mr. T. DUNCOMBE presented a petition from Ha-
wick, in Roxburghshire, praying the House not to grant
supplies until the suffrage had been extended, and the
grievances of the people had been redressed.
The following Members were appointed the
Select Committee on Divorce Bills : Mr. Hay-
ter, Mr. Scarlett, Mr. Sergeant Stock, Sir John
Yarde Buller, Mr. Hogg, Mr. Wilson Patten, Mr. Bur-
roughes, Mr. Hardy, Mr. Tancred, Mr. Evans, Mr.
Bruce, Mr. Gibson Craig. Mr. Patrick M. Stewart,
Mr. Robert Scott, and Mr. Darby.
NOTICES OF MOTION.

Mr. W. WILLIAMS gave notice that he should post-
pone till this day fortnight his motion, which stood for
tomorrow, that no business be brought on after twelve
o'clock at night.
Lord PALMERSTON gave notice that he should
postpone his motion respecting the right of search from
to-morrow till to-morrow fortnight.
On the motion of Mr. WATSON, the following re-
turns were ordered :.—Return of all the officers in the
Courts of Common Pleas-and Chancery of the county
palatine of .Laneaster, and in the, croWn-office of the
county palatine of Lancaster, with names of.the officers,
and the dates of their respective appointments (and of
the persons by whom appointed), distinguishing
between those that are paid wholly or, in part
by fees, and those that are paid by salary,
with the amount of such fees or salary received by each
of such officers, and stating which (if any) of such offices
are sinecure, or performed by deputy, with the name of
such deputy or deputies, with the date and particulars
of their appointment, and the salaries paid to such de-
puty; also, a return of all fees received in those Courts
in the years 1841, 1842, and 1843, and of the appropria-
tion thereof, stating the names of the several persons to
whom such fees are paid, either for salary, compensation,
or otherwise, and the title and nature of the office, or
abolished office, in respect of which the same is paid ;
also, a return of all compensations granted for the
last ten years before the 31st day of December, 1843,
to any 'officer of the Court of Chancery or Court of
Common Pleas at Lancaster, stating the amount
of such eompensationi— ancl the nature- of the per-
sons to whom, and the office in respect, of which, the
same was granted, and the amount of compensations
paid in each of those years. Similar return from The
Court of Pleas, Court of Chancery, and Crown-office of
the county palatine of Durham. Return of all the tees
received by the taxing masters of the Court of Chancery
since their appointment, stating on what aceount
.re-
ceived, and how applied and appropriated. "Return of
all moneys received on account of fees. in the years 1,9141,
1842, and 1843, in the Courts of Queen's Bench, Com-
mon. Pleas and Exchequer,. or of any .of The officers
thereof; and a return of the application or . appropria-
tion of moneys so received; and a return of all salaries,.
compensations, and other payments made out of such
moneys, stating the names of the persons to whom paid,
and the office, or abolished or reduced office, in respect
of which such payments are made ; and also, a return
of all officers of such of those Courts who are paid in
whole or in part by fees, stating the names of the per-
sons so paid, and the office in respect of which they are
so paid, and the amount of fees paid to or received by
any such officer so paid in part or in the whole by fees,
in each of those years.
THE CUSTOMS.

Mr. HUME moved for a Select Committee, to inquire
into the extent of smuggling of tobacco, spirits, silks,
tea, and other articles upon which high import and ex-
cise duties are levied,.and into the nature and ex-
tent of frauds by adulteration, or by the sub-
stitution of spurious imitations of highly-taxed arti-
cles; and also to inquire into the effects of such smug-
gling and frauds on the revenue of the country, and on
the morals of the persons engaged in these frauds; and
further to inquire into the expense of the coast guard,
and of other establishments for the protection of the
revenue, and to report the evidence, and their opinion
thereon, to the House.
Lord GRANVILLE SOMERSET suggested that,
under present circumstances, the matter should be
postponed.
Mr. HUME said the Committee ought to be appointed,
and to report independently of the report to be expected
from the Commissioners.
PRIVY COUNCIL
_

Mr. HUME moved for a return of the number of
causes' or petitions heard on appeal before the Lord
sPorry Council during the
such hearing, distin-
giCaulsiitas
hntciwiel
glolotyhreoaasnresd,uhwpoeirtnhNi%lta Majesty's
hsdtayte's
judgment has been given from
those upon which judgment has not been given.

POST-OFFICE ARRANGEMENTS.
Mr. HOME said that amongst the papers. delivered
by the officers of the House that morning, was the copy
of a convention made by the Post-office of this country.
He wished to ask if there was any chance of such a con-
vention being arranged with the United States, a country
with which it was most desirable that there should be
every facility of communication.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said
that the Post-office authorities of this country were ,in
communication with those of the United States upon the
subject.
IRELAND—ADJOURNED DEBATE.
Mr. HAWES, alluding to a remark made by the Soli-
eitor_General, that this was a party motion, and would
be a party vote, said,—Such motives should not be
attributed to them, inasmuch as the Govern-
ment proposed nothing for their consideration
'calculated to meet the emergency of the mement,
or to restore tranquillity, or allay apprehension for the
future, with regard to Ireland. It had been stated by
the Right Hon. 'Baronet, the Secretary of State for the
, Home 'Department, that conciliation had reached its
utmost limits. That principle was confirmed by the
Right Honourable Gentleman who spoke last night.
They had distinctly declared that they were determined
to maintain the Church in Ireland, in the face of all
hi.tory and experience, which proved it to be a source
of discord to that country. For this purpose all the
material ipnl
et e r e
ands ts o f
single
Ireland
ingle objectvse' r e to be
of postponed
maintaining to
thethe Prositeinstant Church inviolate. It was said by a wise
man of old, that Ireland was one of the richest countries
in Europe—one which they might make a source of
strength and revenue. But by the policy they pursued
towards it, they turned it into a source of weakness and
impoverishment. Instead of adding to their strength
by connexion with that country, their own divisions
made them actually weaker in consequence of that
union, than if they were in a state of perfect
separation. The Right Hon. Baronet the Secretdry
of State had stated that great meetings were held
in Ireland in 1840. It was true " coming events cast their
shadows before"—it was then perceived that the Tories
would succeed to power, and these meetings showed the
great apprehension of the Irish people of the succession
to power of the Hon. Gentlemen opposite. If, as the
Honourable Member for Shrewsbury said, it was
necessary to have a strong central Government for
that country, they had it now in the army. Without that
suppression of public opinion there would be such a decla-
ration on the part of the people of Ireland as would
be sufficient to drive them from power. When the Hon.
Member for Shrewsbury pointed to the times of Strafford
and Charles as those of peace and good government, he was
astonished to hear those opinions so favourably received.
The declaration made by a Right Hon. Gentleman oppo-
site, that the Church was to be maintained in its present
state, was, in point of fact, nothing more than a declara-
tion that Ireland must henceforth be governed by force.
The ' present state of Ireland reminded him (Mr.
Hawes) of a very eventful period in our history,
that of r 776 when the first news arrived in this country
of the American declaration of independence. At that
time the Government seemed to be determined, as their
difficulties increased, to make more stringent their coer-
cive measures with respect to the colonies. The House
would remember that in 1817 the Right Hon. Baronet
made a most powerful speech against Catholic Emanci-
pation, and yet twelve years afterwards the same Right
Hon. Baronet proposed the Catholic Emancipation Bill.
It was the same with respect to the Test and Corporation
Act, for two years before that measure was proposed
the Right Hon. Baronet spoke most powerfully against
it. It had several times been said during this debate
that the Catholics at the time of emancipation gave a
pledge that the Protestant Church should not be again
made the subject of agitation. He (Mr. Hawes), in the
presence of the Right lion. Baronet, begged to deny
thin. Mr. O'Connell at the time of emancipation said that
if that Act were carried out faithfully and with spirit, it
would lead to religious equality; and therefore it would
be the means of abolishing religious differences. Had this
been the case, Of course there would have been no far-
ther agitation on the subject of the, Protestant Church.
He appealed to the House, whether the spirit of the
Catholic Emancipation Act had been followed out.—
(Hear, hear.) The authorities had acted in a spirit op-
posed to that Act.—(Loud cheers.) Appointments
the most offensive had been made. Two partisan
judges had been raised to the bench.—(Cheers.) All
their measures were opposed to the Emancipation Bill,
and judging from the appointments which they had
made, he felt convinced that the present Government
was adopting the old course of governing Ireland by
maintaining the Protestant ascendancy. He was con-
vinced that until perfect religions equality shOuld beesta-
blished in Ireland there would be no hope Vf establishing