The Sun.
London, England, 1842-02-24 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY MORNING, Ii'IIiRETARY 24, 1842.

referred, although they thought the petition ought to
' be printed, were of opinion that it ought not to be
sold. He thought the House had better follow the
suggestion of the Committee
This arrangement was agreed to, and the petition
was ordered to be printed forthe use of Members only.
BUILDINGS REGULATION BILL.
Mr. M. PHILIPS presented a petition from. George
Thomas Ward against the Bhildings Regulation' Bill,
and praying to be heard by Counsel against it.
THE CORN-LAWS.Colonel FOX presented a petition, praying for a
total and immediate repeal of the Corn-laws.
Sir G. STRICKLAND presented a petition
from 2,600 persons in the West Riding of Yorkshire,
stating that they regarded the Ministerial plan for the
alteration of the Corn-laws asan insult to the starving
people, inasmuch as it held out no prospect of pre-
sent or future relief; therefore for an immediate re-
peal of the Corn-laws ; also a petition from a congre-
gation of Primitive Methodists at Hepworth, York-
shire, to the same effect.
Mr. MARK PHILIPS presented 30 petitions
frOm mechanics at Manchester to the same effect;
also several petitions from Dissenting congregations
in Lancashire, stating that they were unable in a
great degree to go to church on Sundays, or to send
their children to Sunday-schools, from the want of
clothes, through the distress brought on by
the Corn-laws.---(Hear.) The petitioners, therefore
requested a repeal of those laws. Also, a petition
from a body of men engaged in iron works in Gla-
morganshire to the same effect, more on account of
others than themselves.
METROPOLITAN BRIDGES.

Sir CHARLES NAPIER presented petitions from
inhabitants of Blackfriars-road, and other places in
the metropolis, praying that Waterloo and other
bridges should be made toll-free.
SEVERN NAVIGATION.
Mr. E. BULLER presented a petition from a
place in the county of Stafford in favour of the Severn
Navigation Bill.

NOTICES OF MOTION.
Mr. DUNCO.MBE gave notice that on Tuesday,
the Bth of March, he should move for a Committee
to inquire into the expediency of repealing the Act.
Mr. WODEHOUSE 'gave notice that to-morrow
he should move for a return of the burdens upon
landed property.
Mr. MACKINNON moved that the petition which
he presented yesterday on the subject of the interment
of the dead in towns, be printed together with the Votes.
EXCHEQUER BILLS.

Colonel SIBTHORP gave notice that to-morrow
he should move for a return of the number of
days which Lord Monteagle had been present at
his office as Comptroller of the Exchequer, from the
sth of January, 1839, to the sth of January, l 842 ;
also for a return of the number and amount of Ex-
chequer bills signed by Lord Monteagle, together
with the dates and the places where signed.—(Hear.)
LEAVE OF ABSENCE TO MEMBERS.
Leave of absence was granted to the following
Members—Mr. Holland, Lord Hotham, Sir Ralph
Lopez, and Mr. Forman.
COLONIAL D UTIE S.—VAN DIEMEN'S
LAND.

Mr. G. HOPE brought up the Bill to confirm an
Act of the Legislature of Van Diemen's Land, autho-
rising the levy of certain duties ofcustoms and on spirits.
TURNPIKE TRUSTS.

Mr. FOX MAULE asked the Right Hon. Baronet
(Sir J. Graham) whether he had turned his attention
to the Act 3d and 4th of Wm. IV., regulating the
Turnpike Trusts for England and Wales? He could
not but be aware that great injury had arisen both to
public bodies and individuals from their having
invested money in these trusts, which had
afterwards turned out deceptive. He asked
the Right Honourable Baronet whether he
had taken the matter into his consideration, as it
would be necessary to fake some steps to arrest the
evils which had arisen.

Sir_ JAMES GRAHAM said he was obliged to

the Hon. Gentleman for calling his attention to the
subject ; he could assure him that the points to
which he had referred had not escaped the notice of
the Government, and it was the intention of his Hon.
Friend, the Member for Cambridge, to introduce a ge-
neral Turnpike Bill; by that Bill it was intended to pro-
long the duration of such Acts as would expire in three
or four years ; and it would also include several re-
gulations bearing directly on the points alluded to by
the Hon; Gentleman.
POOR-LAWS,

Capt. PECHELL rose to put a question to the
Right Hon. Baronet respecting his Poor-law Bill.—
(Order, order.) If he was out of order he would
wait till the Orders of the Day were disposed of.
He wished to ask the Right Hon. Gentleman whether,
in his proposed measure, which was to repeal a great
number of Acts of Parliament, it was his intention to
include the parishes which were incorporated under
the Gilbert Act ?

Sir JAMES GRAHAM said that no subsequent
information which he had received had induced him
to'depart from his announcei intention, or could
make him consider it inconsistent with his duty to
introduce the measure alluded to. •
MASSACRE IN JAMAICA.

Mr. O'CONNELL begged to ask the Noble Lord
the Secretary for the Colonies, whether he had re-
ceived any information respecting a melancholy—
indeed, a sanguinary--occurrence, which was said to
have taken place at Kingston in Jamaica, on Christ-
mas-day last?
Lord STANLEY said, that information had been
received by the Government, but he should prefer,
if the Right Honourable Gentleman would have
the goodness to postporie his question, to lay the in-
formation before the House to-morrow.
Mr. O'CONNELL acquiesed.
CORN AND COTTON.
Mr. T. M. GIBSON begged leave to explain a
misapprehension which Hon. Members had fallen into
respecting a statement of his in his speech last night.
It was supposed he had stated that the quantity of
cotton worked up in 1841 and the three years pre-
ceding was greater than the quantity worked up in
the- previous four years, ending with 1837. In the
newspaper reports he was represented to have said the
very reverse, which in fact, would be the correct
statement, and what he intended to say,
RETIRING ALLOWANCES (INDIA).

In answer to a question from Mr. E. BULLER,
Sir It. PEEL said he believed that the salaries of
the Governor-General and other officers under the

East India Company were subject to deductions, to
provide for their retiring allowances. He was not
quite eertain what was the exact state of the.law
on the subject, and he regretted that the Hon. Gentle-
man had not given him notice, in order that he might
be able to give a more satisfactory reply.
IPSWICH ELECTION.

Mr. R. WASON rose, according to notice, to
bring under the consideration of the House, the peti-
tion of W. 11. Ashurst, relative to the Ipswich election.
Parliament had passed a law to enable the Judges to en-
force the attendance and examination of witnesses in

pending suits. If such apower were necessary inCourts of
Law he apprehended that it was equally necessary in that
House. The Courts of Law had always had the power
to postpone a cause where the absence of a witness,
whether wilful or accidental, would be subversive
of the due administration of justice. No such
power was possessed by that House. Their powers
with regard to election petitions) were defined by
statute; they could not postpone the trial, nor could
they give, either to the petitioner or to the Member
petitioned against, that privilege which he would
have in a Court of Law, when, through the absence of

an important and material witness, the due adminis-
tration of justice was in danger of being injured.
If it were necessary to pass an Act, giving this
power to the Courts of Law, it was essentially neces-
sary for the due administration of justice that the
House should have this power also. He contended that
this House inherently possessed every power and
privilege which was necessary for the due per-
formance of its duties, either in the House or in Com-
mittees. It was only necessary to act upon that power.
He was sure it would be seen that the utmost
possible courtesy had been used towards the
Gallant Admiral by the petitioner, who wished
to prevent the case from coming before
this House, and was willing to make any arrange-
ment the Gallant Admiral would suggest, to have the
evidence brought before the Election Committee.
But this he (Sir Thomas Cochrane) declined. Now, it
became the duty of the petitioner to submit his
case to the House ; and it was to be hoped that the
House would adopt the most convenient course to the
Gallant Admiral which he would propose. One way
y
was to require the attendance of the Gallant Officer at
the House to-morrow ; he might then be examined res-
pecting those papers, and might produce, them and those,
with his examination taken b a short-hand writer,
but he trusted the House
might be brought before the Election Committee on
boae:tiirlinglsieofditdhilswltuwesistlilotno, enter into the constitutional
the appointment through
would see, that unless this case was looked into, the
en eltelcandidates, and the
most enormous power might be vested in the hands of a
if another gen-
tleman Minister. He did not mean to insinuate that the
Gallant Officer had obtained
and pay the money, this pro-
any of his public merits, but if a Minister could
whats e' l down
money as
hnouunlidb number
spent
e officersniftni)oyt
eh
checked,
eplaces d
undoubtedly
ted settlely
(I nibnegruwo,
efor voters oltdtoe
comers
evidently, obdeobribed,wn
become a dangerous precedent in the hands of any Minis-
ter.
The warrant served upona Sir T. Cochrane, of
which he held a copy in his nd, required him to pro-
duce certain evidence. It was not necessary to read that
warrant, which was purposely not inserted in the
petition, because there was no design the of
on part
the petitioner to do any thing more than si •
mply to raise
the question before the House, whether they
could, or could not, compel the attendance of a
witness who declared it was his intention, after he
had been served with the Speaker's warrant,