The Sun.
London, England, 1844-06-29 00:00:00

"Uatt

LONDON, SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 1844.

The Irish Marriage Bill was read a second time in
the House of Lords, and ordered to be committed on
Friday next.
The Sugar Duties Bill was read a first time, and
ordered to be read a second time on Monday.
An interesting discussion ensued on the infamous
practice of opening letters at the Post-office. It is
too good to be abridged. Lord RADNOR gave notice
that, on Thursday next, he would move for a Select
Committee on the subject. One remarkable feature
of the discussion was the total ignorance of the Duke
of WELLINGTON—the leader of the Lords—on this
outrageous proceeding.

The Earl of WIN-CHILSEA made some remarks
about public granaries, and, after a few more remarks
from Lord MONTEAGLE, and some sneers from the
Duke of RICHMOND about the League, the affair
ended without any result. The Scotch Parishes Bill
and the County Rates Bill were read a second time,
when the House adjourned.
Mr. GLADSTONE announced last night that the ses-
sion must be speedily closed, or, to use his own
words, that a great economy of the public time should
be gradually effected, and moved, that on Wednesday
next the House do sit at twelve o'clock, for the more
speedy dispatch of business. The motion was agreed
to. On that day he should move that the Joint-stock
Banks Bill be recommitted.

Mr. T. DUNCOMnE presented petitions from Wal-
worth, Camberwell, Somers-town, Lambeth, Carlisle,
and many other places, praying the House to repeal
the Act of Parliament which gave the Home Secre-
tary of State the power of opening letters entrusted to
the Post-office.

In answer to questions from Mr. B. COCIIRANE
relative to the fate of Colonel STODDART and Captain
CONOLLY, Sir ROBERT PEEL said the Government
had received a communication from Colonel SIIIEL,
the British Envoy at Teheran, dated the 6th of May,
several days later than the last letter from Dr.
WoLrr, in which he stated that, as far as he could
learn, the two officers were still in prison, and no
public execution had taken place. Colonel STOD-
DART was employed on a mission to Khiva, and when
that mission was extended to Bokhara, Captain
CONOLLY was to be his agent.
Several questions were then put to Sir ROBERT
PEEL relative to the Bills which were to be swamped
and the Bills which were to have a trial. Among
the former was the Irish Registration Bill, though,
strange to say, the Premier approved of its princi-
ciples entirely, and would have a discussion upon it
this session. This spinning system is certainly not
in accordance with the announcement of Mr. GLAD-
STONE, that "a great economy of the public time
should be effected." For the programme of the re-
maining business of the session we refer to the

report.
Mr. COLQUHOUN moved that the Dissenters'
Chapels Bill be read a third time that day six months.
Sir ROBERT INGLIS seconded the motion, and on a
division it was negatived by a majority of 120 in fa-
vour of the third reading.
The Bank Charter Bill went through Committee
with little opposition.
Some routine business was transacted, and the
House adjourned at a Quarter to Ten.

The " Arcades ambo,"—the twe " Right Honour•
able" Baronets,—the First Lord and the First Secre.

tary of her MAJESTY'S Administration,—the inge-
nuous Sir ROBERT and the high-spiriteckSir JAMES—
were permitted a special benefit, last night, in the
house of Commons. In the course of their amusing
performances they abundantly proved to an admiring

audience that they were " et cantare pares, et respon.

dere parati." It was a moot point with the House
whether the " small-singing" of Sir ROBERT PEEL,
or the " answers" of Sir JAMES GRAHAM, were most
to be commended.

For this impromptu divertissement, the public are
indebted to a clever " scena," adroitly got up by a
clever person. Mr. B. COCHRANE rose to animadvert
on the course adopted by the Government with re-
ference to the business before the House. The new
Bill for the amendment of the poor-law was to have

been brought on, upon the preceding evening; bu

had been deferred, he presumed, to make way for
a discussion which had not been sufficiently proceeded
with on the new " Bank Charter Bill." To him
(Mr. COCHRANE) it appeared that the Bank Charter
Bill might with propriety be postponed, and the Poor-

law Bill be taken (as last night) immediately after
the debate on the Dissenters' Chapels Bill. Hon.
Members who had waited in town expressly for the
further debate on the Poor-law Bill, were much in-
convenienced by its continued delay. It hal been
first brought into that House, in this session, on the
Bth February last; since which period week after
week had passed without any further progress being
made in it, and things were in the same position with
regard to it as they had been in February.
Let us observe, in passing, on this statement of
Mr. B. COCHRANE, that his case would have been still
stronger against the Government if he had charged.

them with the wanton and deliberate obstruction— of
public business, by having introduced any such Bill as
the Bank Charter Renewal Bill. Ministers must have
been aware, when they brought it in, that, either it
must be " shot" through the House (on the atmos-
pheric railway principle) without opportunity, mora
or physical, for considering its enactments at all ; ori
that it could receive scarcely the cursory considera-
tion which gentlemen might manage to devote to it,
amidst the stormy personalities of half a dozen
evenings in Committee.

Sir itonawr PEEL then took the leading part in
the Bucolic of the evening; and DAAGETAS himself
piped—his own praises in the first
could not have
place, and his pastoral longings in the second—with
more touching abandonment "He sympathised
heartily with Hon. Gentlemen who were kept away
from the country. He longod to be there as much
as any one." We don't doubt it. Having committed
so many monster blunders in his monetary legisla-
tion, he may well feel it to be high time that he
should get away to look after his Birmingham Bulls,
of which he sang so blithely to the Menalcasea of
Tamworth the other day. But he may reckon on a
little more baiting yet, in his own person, if we mis-
take not, before he quits the "Imperial City." No-