The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-06-18 00:00:00

Canada should also .be divided into two districts. It was
also proposed that, in these districts, there should be formed
municipal councils, who should have the power to levy
rates and tolls for local purposes. With regard to the
boundaries of the districts, it was proposed that the act
by which they were fixed should be carried into effect
by the imperial parliament, acting upon the first local
information which could be obtained in the meanwhile.
It was also proposed, that there should be a central district,
and four other districts ; each of those to be again divided
into nine smaller districts, and each of the subdivisions of the
five principal districts to return two members or deputies to
the assembly of the united province, so as to make 90 mem-
bers from the whole of those districts. In addition to those,
it was proposed that each of the four principal towns in the
united province should return two members, so as to make
the whole body consist of 98 members. He believed that he
had before stated the views of the government with regard to
the legislative council, and in relation to the formation of the
local legislatures, and he would not now repeat what he had
then stated. Before going into any discussion on this im-
portant subject, it would be better that the house should see
the bills which he proposed to introduce, when they would
be in a more favourable condition to enter on the considera-
tion of the details. Without troubling the house further,
therefore, he begged to move for leave to bring in a bill for
uniting the provinces of Upper and Lower Canada, and for
settling the government of the united provinces.
The question having been put,
Sir ROBERT PEEL said, he fully agreed with the noble lord
that it would be better to postpone the discussion on this sub-
ject till the bills to be brought forward by the government
were before the house, and until such time as the house had
ascertained the nature of the details by which the views of the
government were to be carried into operation. Without
wishing to provoke any discussion, he thought it would be
better if the noble lord would explain the views of the go-
vernment with regard to the legislative council. Perhaps the
noble lord would not object to make that explanation then,
as it was highly desirable that the views of the government
should be known as early as possible. He also wished to ask
the noble lord whether it was proposed that the elective fran-
chise in the five districts, by which the municipal authorities
to be constituted for local purposes were to be elected, was to
be identical with the elective franchise to be grantedfor the
election of members of the legislative assembly .of the United
provinces.
Lord J. RUSSELL, in reply to the first questidn, said it
was not proposed that there should be any departure from
the principle upon which the legislative council was at present
constituted. The nomination of the members of that body
was to remain in the crown, and it was intended that the
council should be formed of such persons as had received
some mark of confidence by employment or otherwise from
the crown, or who were entitled to hold that situation from
having been elected to serve in the assembly by the people.
He ought also to mention, that it was proposed that the mem-
bers of the legislative council should not hold their appoint-
ments for life, but only for a period of eight years' duration.
With respect to the second question, he had to state that the
franchise for the election of the municipal authorities would
be the same as the franchise for the election of the members
of the assembly. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Sir R. PEEL wished to know whether at the end of the
eight years for which the members of the legislative council
were to be appointed, a power of re-appointment would be
reserved to the crown.

Lord J. RUSSELL replied, that a power to reappoint would
be reserved to the crown.—Leave was then given to bring in
the bill.

Lord J. RUSSELL then moved for leave to bring in a bill
to amend the act 1, Victoria, chapter 9, entitled " An act to
make temporary provision for the government of Lower
Canada."

After a few words from Mr. C. BULLER and Sir C. GREY,
leave was given to bring in the bill.

IMPRISONMENT FOR DEBT.

On the motion of the ATTORNEY-GENERAL, the order of
the day was then read for going into committee on the Im-
prisonment for Debt Act Amendment Bill.
Mr. BAINES moved that it be an instruction to the com-
mittee to introduce clauses, the object of which would be to
give insolvent debtors in the country the opportunity of
tendering sureties in the places in which they were confined,
instead of having them brought up to London at a great
expense.
The motion, which was seconded by the ATTORNEY-GE-
NERAL, was, fter a short conversation, agreed to.
The house then went into committee on the bill, Mr.
BERNAL in the chair.—The several clauses were agreed to,
and the chairman reported progress.—The house resumed,
and the report was ordered to be received on Friday.