The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-07-16 00:00:00

LOWER CANADA GOVERNMENT BILL.

Lord JOHN RUSSELL having moved the order of the day
for going into committee on the Lower Canada Government
Bill,
Sir W. MOLESWORTH, after imploring Sir R. Peel to
extend his protection rather to the suffering people of Ca-
nada than to the wretched government which it might not
suit his convenience to displace, moved " That it is the opi-
nion of this house that every consideration of humanity,
justice, and policy, demands that parliament should seriously
apply itself, without delay, to legislating for the permanent
government of her Majesty's provinces of Upper and Lower
Canada."
Mr. LEADER seconded the amendment.

A long discussion ensued, in the course of which,
Sir R. PEEL said, if he could have foreseen that the in.
tendon of legislating would have been abandoned by her
Majesty's ministers, he should himself have submitted some
proposition to the house for the purpose of bringing the
question to an issue. (Cheers.) It was not until an ad-
vanced period of the session that the government was under-
stood to have abandoned, for the present, all intention of
lee slating.
Lord J. RUSSELL said, that ministers had come to the
opinion that the proposal of union offered the best prospect
of a settlement, but not because it does not contain any great
difficulty ; it was rather from a consideration of the difficul-
ties which attended any other view of the subject, that he
(Lord J. Russell) had come to that opinion, than from any
blindness to the difficulties attending this. They must go
on one of two principles ; either the principle of the bill of
Mr. Pitt, in 1791, of separating the two races ; or the prin-
ciple of uniting them. If they went on the principle of se-
paration, they could not so completely separate them as to
prevent the British population from ever coming into colli-
sion with the French population. He believed that the
adoption of the other principle was the best course. The
difficulties were not entirely got rid of ; but still he consi-
dered, that it afforded the best chance of a permanent con-
nection with the British crown, and of promoting the welfare
of the people of both provinces. He thought it better that
the house should go into committee on the bill, to see whe-
ther any amendments could be suggested in the wording of
the clauses. There was nothing in the view which the right
hon. baronet took of the bill, or in his general objections,
of which he had any ground to complain ; he recognised the
necessity of granting to the government powers which,
though odious, were necessary for the security of her Ma-
jesty s authority.
Further discussion ensued, in which Mr. C. Buller, Mr.
Labouchere, Sir E. Sugden, and Mr. Hume took part.
The house then divided, when there appeared—for the
original motion, 223 ; for the amendment, 28 ; majority, 195.
The house then went into committee. Clause 1 was agreed
to. On clause 2 being proposed,
Lord STANLEY moved that clause 2 be omitted from the
bill.

After a short discussion, the committee divided—for the
clause, 174 ; against it, 156 ; majority, 18. The clause was
then adopted.
Clauses 3 and 4 were agreed to with some verbal amend-
ments. The other clauses were then agreed to, and the
house resumed. The report was ordered to be received on
Monday.
The second reading of the Poor Law Commission Conti-
nuance Bill was postponed.
Mr. LABOUCHERE moved for leave to bring in a bill to
continue and amend the act for the government of New
South Wales.

The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and
the house adjourned at half-past one.

HOUSE OF LORDS.-FRIDAY.

Lord LYNDHURST at the request of Lord Brougham,
deferred the second reading of the Election Petitions Trial
Bill from Tuesday to Friday next.
Lord BROUGHAM, instead of pressing his Beer Act in part
Repeal Bill at present, moving a resolution, declaratory that
" it was the opinion of their lordships that, with the view to
the improvement and happiness of the people, and the good
order of the community, it was expedient, as speedily as
possible, to place all beer houses on the same footing as were
the houses of licensed victuallers in all respects whatsoever."
He thought such a resolution would facilitate agreement be-
tween the two houses as to a measure.
The Marquis of WESTMINSTER was against the resolution,
as specious and unfair.
Lord MELBOURNE opposed it, because they must be per-
fectly well convinced that the commons would not concur in
it, and that it tended to bring back the old licensing system.
He therefore moved the " previous question."
After remarks from the Marquis of Salisbury, Lords
Portman and De Lawarr, and the Duke of Richmond, their
lordships divided.
The resolution was carried by 41 to 34.
Lord BROUGHAM afterwards stated (in answer to the Duke
of Wellington) that he should embody the resolution in its
bill, and moved the third reading of the measure itself on
Thursday next—Adjourned.

The above must be delivered to the Overseers, or one of
them, and one shilling paid to them on delivery, on or before
the 20th of July. A copy should be kept, upon which the
party who leaves it should write the day of service and the
name of the person on whom it was served.

The town council of Newcastle-upon-Tyne have decided
upon the appointment of a stipendiary magistrate for that
town.

The Canadian question, in its various bearings, constitutes,
as Sir Robert observed, the most perplexing problem in the
science of practical legislation. The expediency of union
between Upper and Lower Canada—the necessity that exists
for vindicating the rights of the British Canadian population,
without violating the treaty, on the strength of which the
French Canadians became subjects of the British Crown :
these and similar difficulties beset the question on every side.
Still these difficulties must be grappled with ; and the first
measure of next session ought (as Sir Robert declared) to
have reference to the state of Canada.—Herald.