The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-07-26 00:00:00

TUESDAY, JULY

legion—are mostly on diggers, who for days previous have
been " shepherded ;" that is, the poor fellow known to
have gold about him is closely watched, for days perhaps,
until he is caught alone, when he is brutally murdered.
There is a refinement of cruelty displayed in many of the
murders in the bush. One poor wretch was rubbed over
with turpentine, which was set on fire ; another poor
fellow• was rescued the other day, having been tie 3 to a
tree by the throat in such a manner that the point of his
toes could just touch the ground. Sometimes it is proved
that a man is tied to a tree and shot in cold blood. The
district coroner told me a few days ago, that for the last
week he bad held an inquest every day, and sometimes
two, and that independently of the city coroner, whose
office is no sinecure. Most of these murders are traced
to men who either are or have been convicts, and one
cannot but feel that the local Legislature is justified in
adopting the most severe measures to prevent a further
influx of these " Pandemonians," as they might well be
called, instead of Vandiernonians.

Of the climate of Port Philip it would be impossible to
give an account. In fact, in the 24 hours we often have'an
echantillon of almost all the climates in the known world,
and a great many more that one never dreamt of ; such a
roasting sun with a " London damp November " kind
of cutting wind ; then again that will in half an hour,
perhaps, change into a sirrocco laden with scorching dust
as the deserts of Arabia might be proud of, which in its
turn will be succeeded by a thorough " real old Jamaica"
shower.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.—TUESDAY, JULY 19.
BANKRUPTCY.—The house went into committee on the
Bankruptcy (Scotland) Bill, the object of which was con-
tained in its details. It was for the purpose of making
several improvements in the present state of the bank.
ruptcy law in Scotland, which at present is in a most un-
satisfactory condition.—Lord BROUGHAM said he should
propose some amendments at a future stage.
Several bills were forwarded a stage.
The Succession Bill was brought up from the Commons
and read a first time.
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE brought in a bill to
regulate the relations between landlord and tenant in
Ireland.

Their lordships adjourned at ten minutes past seven
o'clock. THURSDAY, JULY 21.
COPYHOLDS.—The LORD CHANCELLOR introduced
certain amendments in the Copyholds' Bill, which was
then read a third time and passed.
The Estates' (Scotland) Bill was read a second time.
The Transportation Bill, the Battersea Park Bill, and the
Woatminatcr-bridge Bill were read a third time and passed.
COLONIAL CHURCH.—The House went into Committee
on the Colonial Church Regulation Bill after some discus.
sion, in which several lords took part. On clause 1 being
proposed, the Earl of HARROWBY objected to several
portions of it, especially those parts which conferred cer-
tain powers on the Colonial bishops, among which was the
power to compel the clergy of Canada to meet in synod at
the seat of the metropolitan diocese. The difficulty which
the clergy in the provinces would experience in attending
the synod would give the metropolitan diocese an undue
advantage. He also objected to the power given to the
synod, to be decided by a majority of voices, consisting of
clergy and laity, with the assent, in the case of any diocese,
of the bishop, to make regulations for the management of
the affairs of the church within the diocese.—The Bistro'.
of OXFORD defended the clause, and the Earl of HAR.
ROWBY having withdrawn his objection, it was agreed to,
as were also the remaining clauses, and the bill was re-
ported with amendments.
Their lordships then adjourned.
FRIDAY, 22nd JULY.
THE STATUTE LAW.—The LORD CHANCELLOR laid
upon the table the instructions which had been given to
the commission appointed to inquire into the consolidation
of the statute law, and stated that he hoped to receive
the report of that commission some time next week.
DUTY ON SUCCESSIONS.
The Earl of ABERDEEN moved the second reading of
the Succession Bill—a measure which had been passed in
the lower house by a large majority, and which, while it
permitted the government to relieve the inequalities which
had been complained of on the imposition of the income
tax, would ultimately enable them to dispense with that
tax altogether. He entered into a sketch of the details
of the bill, and concluded by observing, that the course
which it was understood would be adopted by the oppo-
sition—namely, to accept the principle of the bill, but to
defeat it in committee on a question of detail—was a
piece of tactics rarely pursued in their lordships' house.
The Earl of DERBY said, that Lord Aberdeen had
favoured the house with a very meagre sketch of the
measure, while he commented in a tone of extreme self-
laudation upon the triumphant success of his government
in finance. For his own part, he was ready to admit the
ability of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, upon whom
the burden of the session in the lower house had mainly
fallen ; but he thought it was too much to insist on the
unparalleled success of Mr. Gladstone's financial measures,
when his attempted conversion of the three per cents.
had proved a signal and melancholy failure. It was,
indeed, proposed to compensate for the inequalities of
the income-tax, but it must be remembered that those
inequalities could not be redressed without the aid of this
tax on succession—a measure most obnoxious in many of
its details. He then enumerated his objections to the
bill, which he stigmatized as most unjust to the owners
of real or settled property, and which, in its operation,
would open the door to innumerable frauds, and involve
the owners of land in interminable litigation. In
conclusion he said :—" My lords, I have now stated
to your lordships what appears to me to be the prin-
cipal objections to the bill before your lordships,
not merely as to its details, but such as are inseparably
connected with the principle of the measure. I have
endeavoured to show your lordships, first, upon the
ground of justice, that there is no reason for im-
posing this additional, this obnoxious tar upon the
owners of real and settled property. I have shown you,
with regard to settled property more especially, that its
exaction will lead to an amount of fraud and evasion
which will either deprive you of a great portion of the
pecuniary results expected, or it will drive the country
from one end to another into an inextricable net of liti-
gation (cheers). I have shown you that with regard to
settled property you are, in the first instance, introducing
the abrogated distinction between devised and settled
property; and that in so doing you are retrospectively
subjecting the owners of all property to an amount of
grievous oppression and grievous injustice, which will not
be compensated for by any amount of pecuniary benefit
to be derived by the measure (loud cheers). I have
shown you that in order to carry your measure into effect
you must subject, not once, but during the whole conti-
nuance of the life of the landed proprietor—from the
commencement of his entering into possession, down to
the close of his existence—you are subjecting him to a
constant succession of inquisitorial proceedings—leading
to the exposure of all his family hopes, of his family
settlements, and to every secret disposition of his
property—to a manifestation of all his embarrasments
(great cheering). T have shown that from time to time
he will never be free from being in that most odious and
painful position—namely, that of a public accountant
perpetually indebted, but never discharged—a position
from which your bill affords him no means of extricating
himself (renewed cheering). I have shown you, too,
that the bill will press moat heavily and moat seriously
upon the humbler classes, who are at present ignorant of
the measure, and who have not therefore, as the noble
earl opposite says, loaded your lordships' table with
petitions against it ; for they have been led to believe
that the tax is a tax upon the great landed proprietors of
the country, and that all other classes would be compara-
tively quite free. (Loud cheers.) But, my lords, Ido
not hesitate to say that five years will not have elapsed
before you will have no reason to complain of the want of
applications for redress against this impost. And yet, my
lords, such is the bill that is to be the crowning triumph
of finance on the part of her Majesty's ministers. This
is the basis on which the fame of the noble earl opposite
is to rest ! (Great cheers.) Yes, my lords, this, too, is
the bill which is to place Mr. Gladstone upon a pinnacle
of eminence far higher than that attained by such a cha-
racter as William Pitt. This bill, my lords—this finan-
cial structure—is to be no temporary edifice to be tolerated
for a time, for it is laid down emphatically and distinctly
in its preamble as being a permanent system under which
the financial affairs of this country are to be for the future
administered. But I tell the noble earl opposite boldly,
that as the permanent system under which the financial
affairs of the country are to be directed—that the country
will not bear it—that the country ought not to bear it.
(Cheers.) So far from it, my lords, even if the noble earl
should succeed in passing the bill in its present shape,
I undertake to say that it will be repealed within a very
short time by the almost unanimous demand of all
those connected with the property of the country—by the
unanimous demand of all, with the exception of the attor-
neys and solicitors who will derive such a rich harvest
from the litigation to which the act will give rise. (Cheers.)
My lords, the noble earl concluded his observations by
saying that he did not understand how any one assenting
to the general principle of the measure could refuse to
accept all the details of the measure. My lords, I
beg to say, in the first place, I cannot assent, either on
behalf of my noble friends who act with me, or for
myself, to either the principle or the details of the
measure; and if we abstain from taking the sense of
cthoeursheoubseecauuspoonweitdso sueoctodnedsirte eading,weotilyto take
eru
unnecessarily
rase the financial affairs of the country. (Loud cries of
bar.
that
" Hear, hear.") But having carried our submission so far—
if your lordships are to bow to every injustice which the
House of Commons thinks fit to impose upon your lord-
ships—if you are to submit to see the rights of the people
infringed upon—then I say you had better abandon at
dt therefore,
e
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I
will not abstain from introducing such amendments as
lectAtlltiheosuegchon,
may tend, in my judgment, to mitigate the grosser evils
ell. (Great
lordships
of the bill. And my first amendment arise on its
ipcshetoerres
second clause. I propose to make this bill entirely pro-
spective in its operation and to protect from it all settle-
ments and rights constituted under a different state of the
law. But, my lords, Ido not mean to say that lam thus
precluded from offering any other amendments, but
desiring, moreover, that the bill should have the fullest
and fairest consideration. And, my lords, I shall, above
all, ask you—are you prbpared to adopt this measure, not
only as the means of meeting a temporary difficulty, but
as the permanent system upon which the finances of this
country are to. be administered ? (Cheers.)—The Duke
of ARGYLL defended the bill, and was followed by the
Earl of MALMESBURY, who said it was nothing but a
revival of the old Norman law of escheators—an act most
cowardly and unjust, full of pains and penalties, and only
to be excused by the sternest necessity.—The bill was
read a second time.
Some other bills were advanced a stage, and their lord-
ships adjourned at twenty minutes before ten o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-TUESDAY, JULY 19.

The house met at noon.

Petitions in favour of the inspection of nunneries were
presented by Mr. HORSFALL, from the presbytery of Lan-
cashire, in connexion with the synod of the Presbyterian
Church in England, and from the ministers, wardens, and
members of St. John's Church, Liverpool.
DIVISION/3.—W. H. BERKELsy complained of the