The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-05-03 00:00:00

GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY BILL

On the motion for the further consideration of the report
of this bill, _ _

Mr. FINCH moved that it be deferred till next week, on
the ground that the company had not made any return since
the order of the 9th of April, of the amount which they had
borrowed in anticipation of calls.
Mr. WILLIAMS seconded the amendment.

Mr. GREEN saw no reason for postponing the bill, and
thought that much inconvenience would arise from so doing.
Mr. 'WARBURTON said the bill ought certainly to be al-
lowed to proceed another stage, provided some one on behalf
of the company stated that the return which had been called
for would be produced before the next stage was taken.

The motion was carried.
The further consideration of the London and Southampton
railway was postponed.
Mr. BAINES, after a lengthy speech, moved " that there
be laid before this house a copy of the decree issued against
Mr. John Thorogood by the Consistory Court of the Bishop
of London, with the statement of the churchwanlens of
Chelmsford, for the recovery of church-rates for 1838 ; and
also a copy of the warrant by which the said John Thorogood
was committed to the gaol of Chelmstbrd in 1839, and under
the authority of which he is still confined in that prison."
After some conversation the motion was agreed to.
Mr. G. Woon moved, " in pursuance of instructions that
had been given to him as chairman of the select committee
on private petitions, that lithographed and engraved petitions
should be considered by the house as printed petitions."
Me. O'CONNELL, however, observing that so important a
question ought not to be discussed with so few members pre-
sent, moved that the house be counted, when only 38 mem-
bers being present, the house was, of course, adjourned at
half-past seven.

HOUSE OF LORDS.—WEDNESDAY.
The House of Lords did not sit to-day.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-WEDNESDAY.

Many petitions were presented in favour of Mr. P?wland
Revenues and Duties Biil, and against the ministerial plan
of education.

Sir DE LACY EVANS presented a petition from the inha-
bitants of London and Westminster, praying the house " to
take every opportunity of arresting the career of Russian
conquest, and hastening the restoration of Poland, and thus
securing the liberties of Europe and the integrity of the
British power in India." He expressed a hope that, when
the promised motion regarding the policy of Russia was
brought forward, this position would be taken into consider-
ation.

The Registration of Voters (Ireland) Bill, and some other
bills, were deferred.
Mr. Sergeant TALPOURD then moved that the house re-
solve into committee on the Copyright Bill, but the motion
was strongly resisted, and several adjournments were moved,
upon which the house divided.

After numerous divisions the house got into committee ;
but in the committee very little progress was made, for
there, besides moving to report progress, almost every pro-
position was met by a division.—Adjourned.

A QUANDARY.—The New Orleans Picayune defines a
quandary thus :—" A baker with both arms up to his elbows
in dough, and a flea in the leg of his trousers. We have
just heard a story which conveys quite as clever an idea of
the thin!, as the Picayune's definition. An old gentleman,
who had studied theological subjects rather too much for the
strength of his brains, determined to try his luck in preach-
ing ; nothing doubting but that matter and form would be
given him, without any particular preparation on his own
part. Accordingly on Sunday he ascended the pulpit, sung
and prayed, read his text, and stopped. He stood a good
while, first on one leg, then on the other, casting his eyes
up towards the rafters, and then on the floor, in a merciless
quandary. At length language came to his relief:—" If any
of you down there think you can preach, just come up here
and try it!"

MEETING OF CHARTISTS AT LEES.-011 Saturday even-
ing last, the chartist radicals held a meeting in front of the
New Inn, Lees, "to diffuse the principles of the national
charter in that district." The leaders in the proceedings
were in a waggon ; two bands of music, and two banners, and
a large body of working men were present. Mayall Beau-
mont, a spinner, acted as chairman. Speeches of an ex-
tremely violent character were delivered, and resolutions
passed in support of the national convention. The speakers
were Greaves, a factory operative ; Swan. a tailor ; a person
named Walker, from Radcliffe Bridge; Higgins, of Ashton-
under-Lyne ; and M`Donall, surgeon, of Ramsbottam.• The
latter urged on the people to arm in defence of the national
convention, and said the people should get great big knives,
not to cut bread and cheese with, but to place before the bel-
lies of the oppressors of the productive classes,