The Sun.
London, England, 1844-05-29 00:00:00

Petersburgh,
.3 Us... 36i

Berlin - -
Vienna, effee. fl. 3 M 953
'Trieste, ditto
Madrid 37

Cadiz
Bilbao 36
Barcelona 36

Seville —

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE.

It appears that Mr. Villiers has been trying for some weeks
to get a day for bringing on his motion on the corn-laws, and
has not yet succeeded. Up to this time two days in the
week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, have been allowed for
motions, but after next Thursday it has been arranged that
only Tuesday is to be so appropriated. Another arrange-
ment of the House prevents a Member from giving notice of
a motion for anv motion-day later than the fourth after the
day on which the notice is given. Thus, while Tuesdays
andiThursdays were both open to Members, a notice could
be given for either day a fortnight before; but not sooner.
Under the new arrangement a Tuesday may be selected four
weeks before. On the first day on which a motion-day be-
comes open for notices, all Members who are anxious to
bring forward particular motions go down to try for the
day; they give their names to the
.clerk at the table, who
puts all the names, folded up, into a box, and according to
the order in which the names are drawn out the precedence
of Members on the day competed for is settled. Thus the
assignment of Tuesdays to different motions is an affair of
lottery. Mr. Villiars has tried his luck in this lottery now
three or four times, and has not yet drawn a prize. Lord
Harry Vane is first on Tuesday, the 4th of June, with a
notice of a resolution on the coal duties. Tuesday, the 11th
of June, fortune, which seems not to object in this way to
smile on Mr. Borthwick, has secured for a repetition of his
motion on the Anatomy Act, which caused the House to be
counted out last week ; and if it has not the same effect
again, Mr. Ward will probably, after the motion has been dim-
posed of, introduce his important motion for a Committee of
the whole House on the revenues of the Irish Church. Mr.Hutt
has carried away Tuesday, the 18th of June, for the soap
duties We are glad to find that Mr. Villiers has intimated
his intention of trusting no longer to the chapter of accidents;
but of taking a Government day for his motion, by bringing
it forward as an amendment on an order of the day for going
into Committee of Supply. We have entered into this ex-
planation of the arrangements of the House of Commons, as
to motions, because the public 10 not understand how these
things are managed, and may sometimes blame a Member
who has undertaken the conduct of an important question for
delays which are quite beyond his control. We must say
that the Government seem to gain very dispropor-
tionately by the arrangements of the House. From Whit-
suntide to the end of the session the Government is to have
three nights in the week for its business. From the begin-
ning of the session till Whitsuntide they have had two nights
in every week. Have they shown such determination
to get their Bills forward—have they made such
good use of the time which has been hitherto
granted them, as to deserve now the indulgence of
an additional day in each week from the House? Will it be
found, when we approach the usual time for bringing the
session to a close, that any material progress has been made
with important Government measures, even with three nights
a week P On the contrary-, will it not be, as it always is,
that the Government will them ask for the additional assist-
ance of morning sittings, that a number of important mea-
sures which have been continually put off, with various ex-
cuses, will be hurried through in a very thin House, without
the possibility of adequate discussion, and that a number of
other important measures which the Government have pro-
mised to pass, and which the House has given them every
facility for passing, will be at the last moment relinquished?
The business of the Government is not found to be materially
accelerated by the great proportion of days in the week con-
ceded to it by the House; while the opportunities of acting on
public opinion, and bringing public opinion to bear on the Go-
vernment through such motions as that of Mr. Villiers, are most
unreasonably diminished. And what is the return made by the
Government to the House for the liberality shown by the
House to the Government? Wednesday is appropriated to
Bills introduced by individual Members; and on Wednesday
the general rule is, that there is no House, or, if a House is
made, that it is not kept. The Bills, however important
they may be—take, for instance, Lord Worsley's Inclosure
Bill—are no concern of the Government; all the retainers of
the Government are absolved from attendance, and it is
thrown upon the individual Member promoting the: Bill to
make and keep a House. How often again, during the pre-
sent session, has it happened on Tuesdays and Thursdays!
that a House has not been made, or has been counted out in
obstruction of an important motion ? Lord Palmerston's
motion on negotiations relative to the Slave Trade, which had
been long looked for with so much interest, and which the
chances of the notice-lottery had so often compelled him to
postpone, was at last prevented from coming on by no House
being made. None of the officials were in the House that
day at four o'clock. The House has been counted
out on Mr. Ricardo's motion on Commercial Treaties, on a
motion of Mr. Ewart's on the present state of our Taxation,
on Mr. Christie's motion on the Universities, and, perhaps,
on some other occasions; but these instances are enough for
our purpose. It may be said that it is more the fault of the
House than of the Government, that there should be so often
fewer than 40 Members out of 658 to be found in it. Fault
of the House it most assuredly is ; but from a House so con-
stituted, of which dolts and fashionable idlers form so large a
proportion, what is to be expected? It does not say much
either, we are sorry to be compelled to add, for the attend-
ance of Liberal Members of Parliament. The game of party
is at present dull, and those who would be the most fre-
quently seen and heard of, if success seemed near, are now,
many bf them, generally in the country, or away at dinner.
But there is still great ground for complaint that the Go-
vernment, to which the House concedes so much, should in
any way assist to thwart the motions of Members opposed to
them.—Chronicle.

COURT or BANKRUPTCY.—We are given to under-
stand, from undoubted authority, that Mr. Sergeant Goul-
burn, from Exeter, succeeds the late Mr. Merivale in Lon-
don; and that Mr. Bere proceeds from Leeds to Exeter; and
that Mr. Sergeant Lewes (the Chief Registrar in Loudon)
goes to Leeds.
DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT ISLINGTON.--ThiS morn-
ing, at a few minutes before two o'clock, a fire of a very
alarming nature broke out in the premises belonging to Mr.
Callaway, grocer and tea-dealer, carrying on business at No.
44, Hedge-row, Islington green. An instant alarm was raised,
which brought a number of the N division of police to the
spot, who, after considerable difficulty, succeeded in arousing
the whole of the inmates (six in number), but so rapid had been
the progress of the fire in the interim, that all escape by the
lower portion of the premises was cut off. After some tins
the residents were taken out of the back of the building, and
thereby escaped a horrible death, A copious supply of water
was instantly procured, and by dint of great exertions the
flames were entirely extinguished by half•past two o'clock,
not, however, until the building, together with the stock in
trade and furniture was, for the most part, consumed. For-
tunately, Mr. Callaway's loss is covered by an insurance in
the Sun fire-office. The origin of the fire could not be learned.
SINGULAR TENURE.--King John gave several
lands at Kipperton and Atterton to one Solomon Attefield, to
be held by this singular service :—That as often as the King
should be pleased to cross the sea, the said Solomon and his
heirs should be obliged to go with him to hold his MAjesty's
head, if there should be occasion for it, "that is, if he should
be sea-sick ;" and it appears by the record in the Tower that
this same office of head-holding was actually performed in the
reign of Edward the First..
INDIAN MAILS.—ALTERATIONS IN THEIR DEPAR-
Tunn.—lnstead of the mails being dispatched on the last day
of the month, the mails to India, China, &c., are to be made
up and dispatched from London, via Southampton, on the
morning of the 3d of every month, and via Marseilles, on the
evening of the 7th, except those days fall on Sundays, when
the mails are dispatched on Saturday evening.
ROYAL MARRIAGES.--Two Royal marriages are
spoken of in the highest quarters, which are not devoid of
meaning and importance. It is confidently asserted that
two Neapolitan Princesses are the promesse spose of the
Duke d'Aumale and the Prince de Montpensier. One of the
betrothed is the daughter of the late King of Naples, by his
second wife, and a sister of the Duchess de Berry. The
other Princess is the daughter of the Prince of Salerno, and
was lately refused to the Duke de Bordeaux. By these mar-
riages the royal statesman of France will set at rest the sus-
picions entertained of his intentions upon the throne of Spain,
and place it beyond the power of his restless subjects to com-
plain of his not adopting a policy which would involve his
Government in difficulties and his kingdom in a Peninsular
war.— Times.
THE KING or SAXONT.—Preparations have been
Made at the Brighton Pavilion, by uncovering the furniture,
&c., for the visit of his Majesty the King of Saxony to
Brighton, for the purpose of inspecting the Pavilion. His
Majesty will arrive by_a special train this day (Wednesday).
DEATH OF TEE EARL OF ATHLONE.—We have to
record the demise of the Earl of Athlone, the intelligence
of whose death was received by the Hon. Captain Frederick
and Lady Elizabeth Villiers, on Saturday last. The Noble
Earl died on Tuesday, the 21st inst., at the Higue, where his
Lordship and family had for a long period resided. The de-
ceased William Guatauf Frederick de Reed. de Ginkle, who
was youngest son of the sixth Earl, was born 14th August,
1776, and married 7th of September, 1814, Wendela Eleanor,
eldest daughter of M. Burcel, by whom, we believe, the Earl
has several children. The late Earl succeeded to the family
title on the death of his nephew, 2dlMarch, 1843.
DISCIPLES OF JACK SHEPPARD.— On Thursday
last there were five boys in custody at Tarporley, charged
with felony at Northwich, who, when asked their names, &c.,
answered as follows :—" 1 am Jack Sheppard, and am 11
years old ;" " I am Dick Turpin," said another, aged 13
years ; " and this is Jonathan Wild," pointing to a companion_
14 years old ; the two others gave the names of " Tom
King," and " Sugar." lack Sheppard, whose real name is
Nathaniel Shaw, was called "Captain Sheppard" by his
com-rogues, owing to his having been more frequently con-
victed than any of the band. The boys are well known in
Macclesfield as notoi ions thieves, though of so tender years.
They were met by a police-constable between Northwich
and Delamere-forest, who, from their suspicious appearance,
stopped and searched them, when he found the produce of a
robbery effected at Mr. Hall's, bookseller, Northwich, upon
the persons of the prisoners. They were committed for trial
at the present sessions.—Chester Courant.
BRIG UTON, MAY 28.—Lord Wm. Harvey.arrived
here this evening by the General Steam Navigation Com-
pany'a steam-ship FIRM • . '