The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1852-04-06 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-TUESDAY, MARCH 30

Several petitions were presented, including one by Mr
Heywood, from Accrington, in favour of national educa
tion ; and one by Mr. Grenfell, from the trustees of th,
Grosnargh hospital, against certain clauses of the Chari
table Trusts Bill.

Mr. ANDERSON rose to move , it is the opinion o
this house, that in order better to provide for the public
safety, to economise the public resources, and to preserve
peace, it is desirable that measures should be ado"'
with a view to render the commercial steam ns,-
available for the national defence in ca.-
He observed, that in talking of a r.M="
at the wrong end, as we had

COMMERCIAL STEAM NAVT
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been sooner adopted

the motion,

Mr. STAFFORD I

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the Admiralty in their mail-pact
I.d 52,243 tonnage of st(
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Mr. COI-YrER

sisted that France was better prepared ; but, after some
remarks from Sir G. PECHELL, the motion was at length
withdrawn. WINE DUTIES.

Mr. ANSTEY moved for a select committee to inquire
into the causes of the decline in the revenue derived from
the import duties on wine.—The CHANCELLOR of the
EXCHEQUER stated that the duties were in 1849
£1,732,000, and in 1852 £1,777,000. The quantity of all
kinds for home consumption was in 1849 6,136,000 gal-
lons, and in 1852 6,280,000 gallons.—Lord PALMERSTON
mentioned that certain negotiations with Portugal were
pending when he left office ; and the motion was agreed
to with the omission of the words " causes of decline."

THE BALLOT.

Mr. HENRY BERKELEY moved that vote by ballot be
adopted at contested elections. He dwelt much on the
present system of bribery and corruption ; be blamed the
democracy as much as the aristocracy ; and replied to pre-
vious reasoning of Mr. Disraeli by saying that in America
the ballot would not be discontinued. He read long lists
of corrupt places, and was ready to agree that it should be
permissive in its application, that is, provided the people
themselves applied for it.—Mr. BARROW opposed the
ballot as a delusion and a snare.—Sir B. HALL mentioned
parochial elections, as St. Pancras and Marylebone, where
so many as 19,000 persons were polled, and the ballot
worked well.—Mr. W. WILLIAMS thought that open
voting supported a dear government; and Mr. B. Coen-
RANE thought that neither France nor America was a case
in point.—Mr. COBDEN stated that 6,000,000 of French
people voted in one day, without tumult ; that the cor-
ruption in America was not owing to the ballot, but to
the absence of sufficient secresy in it; and urged that on
the eve of an election there was a sort of moral argument
in favour of it.—Captain SCOBELL supported the motion ;
and Mr. WALPOLE chewed that the ballot would aggra-
vate existing evils, as there would be no means of detect-
ing or correcting the admitted evils. A public trust should
,be exercised under the control of public opinion.—Lord
D. STUART advocated the ballot as a remedy for the pre-
sent state of things.—On a division 144 voted for, and 246
against ;—negative majority, 102.
Adjourned at 20 minutes past 12.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31.
TENANT-RIGHT BILL FOR IRELAND.
Mr. S. CRAWFORD moved the second reading of
this bill. His object was only to realise what was
already the existing custom in certain districts ; there
were many petitions for the measure, but none against
it; and, as a landlord, he expected the measure to benefit
him.—Mr. NAPIER was opposed to the present bill,
though not without hopes that a different sort of legisla-
tion might bring about the same, or a better result. his
view was, that the machinery contemplated would inter-
fere with existing contracts, whilst the present laws of
property were sufficient for the less complicated cases.
The Government were alive to the necessity of stimulating
industry in Ireland, and he sketched the outline of a bill
more simple which they proposed bringing in.—Mr.
ROCHE deprecated delay in the matter ; as did Lord
CASTLEREAGH, who thought that all necessary changes
might have been made in committee.—Mr. J. GREENE
was also for speedy legislation.—Mr. V. SCULLY said, that
tenant right was not confined to Ulster ; that the rejection
of this measure would create great dissatisfaction ; and
that, when the principle was granted, the details were
comparative trifles.—Sir J. E. TENNANT thought the
present bill was overlaid with novel and impracticable de-
tails, and moved that it be read that day six months.—
Mr. KEOGH and Mr. GRATTAN spoke strongly in favour
of the bill ; and were annoyed at the remarks of Sir J. E.
Tennant, as practically assailing the principle of the bill.
—Mr. OSBORNE thought that the bill should be read a
second time, as the late Government, Sir Robert Peel,
and the present Attorney-General, all approved the prin-
ciple of it.—Mr. WHITESIDE was surprised that Free-
traders objected to free trade in land itself; as the
principle of the bill admitted fixity of tenure, compulsory
valuation, and a sort of landlord and tenant partnership.—
Mr. CONOLLY was speaking in opposition to the bill, when
the house adjourned at six o'clock, crit!ln!"- c^^2lr,- tn any
decision.

THURSDAY, Arnir.
Several private bills were advanced a s.l7e. .A;
the petitions, there were several (from Stroud, Doncaster,
Aberdeen, Oban, &c.) against the Maynooth Endowment.
There was also a petition from Lancashire against the
Militia Bill.

In reply to a question respecting Westminster Bridge,
Sir Robert Inglis was informed that Government did not
intend to purchase it ; and Lord Robert Grosvenor, on
a similar inquiry respecting Finsbury Park. was told by
the Chancellor of the Exchequer that the estimated sum
of £400,000 induced him to pause.

FOREIGN REFUGEES,

Mr. MILNEs moved a resolution expressive of the re-
gret of the house, that a friendly power (Austria) had
threatened to act with unkindness to British travellers,
because England afforded an asylum to the refugees of all
classes and countries. The cordial reception of Kossuth
in this country bad irritated the Austrian minister, though
it was the British People, and not the Government, who
had made it so. He thought the Earl of Malmesbury, in
the correspondence, did not take a sufficiently high tone,
or one that would be quite pleasing to the country.—
Lord D. STUART, in seconding the motion, reflected on
our own Government, because it appeared to be looked
kindly on at Vienna.—Mr. WALPOLE defended the conci-
liatory course which had been adopted, and thought that
matters were in a fair way for final adjustment.—Mr.
AtisTnir supported the motion; and Lord PALMERSTON,
partly in correction of Mr. Walpole, shewed the great
anxiety which Government had always evinced to give
thorough protection to British subjects.—Mr. VERNON
SMITH thought that the recent correspondence had made
matters worse.—Mr. COCHRANE defended Austria, de-
precated the use of abusive language in the house, and
said that Lord D. Stuart had gone down to Barclay's
brewery to congratulate the men on committing an out-
rage.—Sir H. VERNEY complained that Austria was un-
favourable to the circulation of the Scriptures ; and Mr.
HENLEY, who spoke against the motion, moved the pre-
vious question, by consent of Mr. Milnes, which was
agreed to.