The Sun.
London, England, 1827-03-15 00:00:00

IMPrERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF COMMON'i.—MAncti 14.

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PONTEFRACT- ELECTION.
DUGDALE brought up the Report of the
Committee appointed to inquire into the merits of the petition,
ityrnplaining of an undue Return for the Borough of Pontefract.
'The Committee reported that the sitting. Members were duly
lilicted, and that the petition was not frivolous or vexatious.
SUDBURY ELECTION.
.d MILTON brought up a similar Report from

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the Sudbury Committee, declaring Bethel Waldron, Esq. duly
elected, and that the petition of Ogleby, Etq. was not
frivolous or vexatious.
TOWN OF RAMSGATE.
Sir E. KN.ATCHBULL obtained leave to bring
in a Bill to separate the town of Ramsgate from the parish of St.
Lawrence, in the county of Kent, and to make the said town a
separate and distinct parish.
MACHINERY.
Mr. LAWLEY presented a petition from the
. Operative Sawyers of Birmingham, against the Tax on Machinery.
DISTRESS IN DROGHEDA.
Mr. VAN HaNIRIGH presented a petition,
;140Ea by a numerous and respectable portion of the inhabi-
tants of the town of Drogheda, complaining of the poverty, dis-
, _tress, and utter state of. destitution of the poor of that town, and
praying that tile—House might direct that the Irish Executive
elarraid afford, them relief, by procuring some permanent employ.
for them.
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DISTRESS IN HULL—SHIP-BUILDING.
. a. Mr. SYKES presented a petition from the town
cf Hull. complaining of distress, and praying for relief.
- a- Mr. WARBURTON said, that the cause of the
i"'''great filling off of ship-building in the British ports was the de-
swiss of the duty on Canada timber, which Bare great en-
' eouragement to 'hip-building in Canada. Ship-building in Lon-
don was from 90/. to 5251. a ton ; in the Northern ports, 14/. a
• • ton; and in Canada it was but 71. Last year thirty ships were
built in Canada, and brought here for sale, which cast a damp
_ upon ship-building at home.
Mr: HUME said, that a paper was just put into
his hand, which contained a statement which he believed to be cot-
-ma: „Net, namely, that the interests of British shipping were greatly
;aailsasifecteiLby the difference of expense on lading and fitting out in
British and Foreign ports in the article of food. In British
parts, biscuits could not he purchased for lees than twenty shillings
;44:4,a.cwt., whereas they might be purchased for half that sum iu
foreign ports—(Hear, hear.)—He regretted that the measures
which the House was now about to adopt did not promise any en-
- tiafactora and extensive relief to British sailors in the cheap pnr.
claw of food.
Lord MILTON thought that the distress of which
. the -shipping interest complained, was only part of that general
distress which was felt by all classes of the community, and which
resulted from the metallic currency. He seas a friend to metallic
currency himself, but did not think that the time for introducing
• . •
it waa judiciorsly selected.
Mr. BARING agreed with the Hon. Member for
Bridport (Mr. Warburton), as to the importance of the subject,
but he trusted that no discussion in that House would have the
- effect of bringing the Right Hon. President of the Board of
• Trade down to that House before his health was perfectly restored.
Mr. SYKES, in reply to the observation respecting
the prosperity of the Canada Ship-building, declared, that he
knew, from the hest authority, that the chip-builders of Canada
were as much distressed, if not more, than the ship-builders of
England.
The Bill was read a first time, and ordered to be read a second
time on Monday next.
f.
Mr. LITTLETON begged the House to recol-
lect, that although it had been stated, that the trade of ship-
building was more flourishing in England in the year 1825 than
it had been for a long time before or since, yet, in that year so
injurious were the combinations among the workmen, that Go-
vernment were actually obliged to issue an order, permitting the
repair of British ships in foreign ports. It was very obvious that
the consequence of that employment of foreigners must have given
a strong stimulus to that ship-building abroad, aund distreec at
home, of which the petitioners complained.
The petition was then ordered to he printed.
IMPROVEMENT OF THE COURT OF CHANCERY.
The MASTER of the ROLLS brought up a Bill
for the Improvement of the Administration of Justice in the Lligh
- • • Ofttrt of Chancery.
• ''' • Mr. ABERCROMBY complained, that the Right
Hon. Gentleman did not allow those connected with the Court of
• '. Chancery a sufficient time to consider the effect of the Provisions
• , of the Bill.
The MASTER of the ROLLS said, he had men-
-, - eioned Monday ; but, if that day was found to be inconvenient, he
had-no wish to presa the second reading upon the House.

SUGAR DUTIES.
. W. WHITMORE gave notice of his inten-
-2.-:..tionao move, on the 3d day of May, for a Committee to inquire
;uto the: effect of .the Sugar Duties.
. • CORN LAWS.
Sir. -171. KNATCHBULL presented petitions from
ever, and-several other places in Kent, praying for Protection
to 'the Agricultural interest.
Mr. M.. FITZGERALD presented a similar peti-
- - tinn fairn Coventry.
CATHOLIC EMANCIPATION.
-7 7 --MrITA4 M. FITZGERALD presented several peti-
-- tions from the Catholic Inhabitants of the County Kerry, praying
;4.$ be relieved from their Civil and Political Disabilities.
• . - The same Hon. MEMBER presented a petition
from Tra!ee, complaining of the Method of Branding Butter
Casks, and other Methads of Regulating the Butter Trade in
Ireland.
After a -few words from Sir N. COLTEIURST,
-ail Mr. J. GRATTAN, the petition was ordered to be printed.
FLOGGING IN THE ARMY.
Mr. :HUME gave notice of his intention to move,
on Tuesday, the 20th inst., for an Account of the Number of Cor-
poral Punishments in the Army, during the last year.
TRADE-WITH THE UNITED. STATES.
. The same Hon.,-MEMBER gave notice of his in-
. - tention to move, on the same day, fur an Account of the Num-
ber of 'Vessels trading between the United States and the West
India Islands.

.:'. t.,

THE FLEET PRISON.
Mr. HU:ME, in presenting a petition from the In-
,olvent Debtors confined in the Fleet Prison, observed, that u!-
'tough the state of the prison had been mentioned to the Chief
t•..Justice,t. the Common Pleas, no answer had yet been received.
Justice
" 4.8 Prison was disgraceful to the Government, and
The state of t,.
be a reproach to the City of London, for, he
could not be said to
s'troul over the Fleet. He hoped the
understood, it had no co.
Secretary of State would dires!t his attention to the subject; but
if he found that the matter svas not taken up as it ought to be,
he would certainly feel it his duty t',2 move for a Committee of the
House, in- order to hear evidence reepOckni; the present condition
of the Pri.on ,md ire inmates.
A MEMBER obseryed, that the state of the Prisons
in the Metropolis was truly disgraceful. It was a singular thing,
that the j,:ols under the very eye of the Government were at least
a century behind the other .Prisons of Ensland.
After a few words from Mr, BERNAL,
Mr. Alderman WOOD observed, that much of the
evil complained of arose from the crowded state of the Prison
there were at present above 500 persons in the Fleet. A Surgeon
had been, however, appointed by the Government within the
last few days, to attend the prisoners regularly when illness re-
quired his services.
The petition was then ordered to be printed.
Mr. HUME, in justice to the Secretary for the
7-Tome department, felt bound to declare that a surgeon had been
appointed the moment the state of the prison was made known to
him.

MACHINERY.
Colonel DAVIES presented a petition from the
Sawyers cf Worcester, praying for a tax upon machinery•

FOOT-PATHS.
Alderman WOOD presented a petition from a
person named White, praying that the foot-paths in the vicinity
of the metropolis may be preserved.
NAVIGATION LAWS.

Lord W. Bgl•TlNUipresented a petition from
the shipowners of King's Lynn, praying an alteration in the Na.
vigation Laws

FLANAGAN'S PETITION.
Lord MILTON, in presenting a petition .",-oni
Mr. Flanagan, relative to the borough of Athlone, expressed
hip
regret that the individual so named had thought fit to entrust him
with the petition, and hoped most earn..ltly that it Ovoid be the
last time. The petition was couched in ouch grange riymarole