The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1852-06-22 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.-TUESDAY, JUNE 15
THE MILITIA BILL.

The Earl of DERBY moved the second reading of this
bill, and after reminding the house that the increase in
the estimates attendant on some such measure had been
alluded to in the speech from the throne, that the neces.
sity of the measure itself had been distinctly mentioned
in the debate on the address, and that there was a uni-
versal concurrence on both sides of the house that with a
view to our protection from a possible foreign aggression
the defences of the country required to be placed on a
footing of greater efficiency. proceeded to say, that though
he entertained no distrtist as to the personal intentions of
the French President, yet, when he looked to the unset-
tled state of Europe in general, he thought it would be
the height of madness and of folly if we remained content
with our present means of security. Under all the cir-
cumstances, then, the duty of the government was plainly
to consider, not whether a measure of this kind was popu-
lar or unpopular, but how an efficient force could best be
raised, or at any rate a force which could be made effi-
cient in the shortest possible space of time. The noble
earl then entered in detail into the circumstances which
had induced the government to prefer the resuscitation
of the militia to an augmentation of the regular army, and
concluded by expressing his hope that the house would
give its sanction to a measure which, though differing in
some of its details from that originally proposed, had yet,
as far as its principle was concerned, obtained a very gene-
ral concurrence.—The Marquis of LANSDOWNE agreed
with Lord Derby in thinking that the country ought not
to be left in its present insecure condition, but while he
abstained from opposing the measure he could not refrain
from expressing the doubt which be felt at its efficacy.
He should have preferred an increase of the standing
army, and trusted that this would not be the only means
adopted for placing the country in a state of security.—
The Duke of WELLINGTON said he was the last man to
hesitate as to the relative merits of well-disciplined and
half-disciplined troops. The things were not to be com-
pared at all. You could have confidence that the disci-
plined troops would perform what they were ordered to
do, while with undisciplined troops the chances were that
they would do the very reverse of what was expected from
them. But on this occasion the state of the country must
be considered, which, though at peace with all the world,
had never, so far as its army was concerned, maintained a
proper peace establishment. Let us, then, while we are
at peace, make a beginning and return to the militia, our
old constitutional peace establishment. Though this
militia might be undisciplined at first, it would in time
become what its predecessors had been, the finest troops
in the world.—Earl GREY was opposed to a militia force
as inadequate for the defence of the country, and pressing
severely upon the working classes. He remarked also
upon the danger of giving to the least trustworthy portion
of the population a knowledge of military discipline; and
would not have supported the measure of the late govern-
ment had he believed the ballot would ever come practi-
cally into operation.—The Earl of ELLESMERE drew the
attention of the house, in the first place to the necessity of
such a measure, which he contended was generally con-
curred in. There were in France, as in England, many
roads to spurious and temporary popularity, and among
them existed one which pointed to an invasion of this
country. He had seen no desire whatever on the part of
the person who now ruled in France to adopt such an
expedient; but he, nevertheless, in the existing state of
the two countries, thought that we ought to be prepared
against all emergencies. He could not say that either of
the two bills for raising a militia that had been brought
forward would supply an efficient field force, but for many
purposes the force so created would be very useful, and
therefore he would support the bill.---After a few words
from Earl WALDEGRAVE, the bill was read a second
time, and the house adjourned.

THURSDAY, JUNE 17.
The royal assent was given, by commission, to a vast
number of bills.

ECCLESIASTICAL COURTS CRIMINAL JURISDICTION BILL.

Lord WODEHOUSE moved the second reading of the
Ecclesiastical Courts Criminal Jurisdiction Bill, which
proposed to remove from those tribunals the cognizance
of cases of defamation and brawling in the church or
churchyard.—The Bishops of SALISBURY and OXFORD
opposed the measure, which was supported by Lord
Campbell and Lord Fitzwilliam.—The Earl of DERBY
hoped that Lord Wodehouse would not press the second
reading of the bill, and promised that the Ecclesiastical
Courts should receive the earliest and most anxious atten-
tion at the hands of the government.—Lord Wodehouse
having declined to withdraw the bill, the house divided,
when the numbers were—for the second reading, 45 ;
against, 80; majority 35. The bill was therefore lost.

COPYHOLD ENFRANCHISEMENT DILL.

The clauses in this bill, as amended, by the Lord
Chancellor, were agreed to.

The Lunatics' Bill was withdrawn by the Earl of
Shaftesbury, and the Suitors in Chancery Relief Bill was
read a second time.

THE MILITIA BILL

Also passed through committee, and their lordships
adjourned after despatching some other business.

FRIDAY, JUNE 18.
The Lord Chancellor took his seat on the woolsack at
five o'clock.

The Duke of NEWCASTLE presented petitions from the
Australian colonies for the cessation of transportation of
convicts to Van Diemen's Land.

On the motion of Lord BEAUMONT, a copy of the infor-
mation, on which the warrant had been issued for the
apprehension of the Baroness Von Beck was ordered.
The report on the Corrupt Practices at Elections Bill
was brought up and receivel.
The Duke of ARGYLL presented a petition from the
Legislative Council of New South Wales, complaining of
certain defects in the constitution recently granted to them
by the home government, and supported the prayer of
the petitioners in a speech of considerable length ; which
was replied to by Lord GREY. The matter then dropped.
Several bills on the table were forwarded a stage, after
which their lordships adjoured.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-TUESDAY, JUNE 15.
MAYNOOTH.

At the morning sitting, the subject of the debate upon
Maynooth College was revived on the question of bringing
up the report of the committee of supply.—Mr. KEOGH
inquired whether Mr. Spooner intended to replace upon the
votes the order for resuming the adjourned debate, which,
by the abrupt adjournment of the house at three o'clock
that morning, was left in a state of suspended animation.—
Mr. SPOONER replied that he was content to let the
division already had be a decision on the main question.—
A long and somewhat angry discussion succeeded, in the
course of which Mr. MUNTZ complained of the course
taken by Irish members upon this question, and vindi-
cated the sincerity of Mr. Spooner.—Mr. KEOGH dis-
claimed any suspicion of the sincerity of that gentleman,
but charged the government with want of sincerity, in
assisting candidates in Ireland who, prepared to support
Lord Derby' government, had pledged themselves to vote
in favour of Maynooth and for the repeal of the Ecclesi-
astical Titles Bill, and thus playing fast and loose with the
sincere men behind them.—Lord NAAS taxed Mr. Keogh
with a systematic hostility which, if persevered in, would
make every government in this country impossible. He
declared that the charges implied against him were un-
founded.—Mr. OSBORNE repeated those charges, and
accused Lord Naas of an underhand working with the
candidates sent to Ireland in the interest of the govern-
ment, whose conduct he designated as organised hypocrisy,
tergiversation. and duplicity. The SECRETARY-AT.
WAR, with some warmth, replied to Mr. Osborne, charg-
ing him in turn with attacking not only governments, but
individuals, and entitled him the Thersites of Middlesex.
—The discussion went on for a full hour, and, at last,
produced no result, except that Mr. Spooner intimated
that he did not mean to take any further step in the matter.
—The report was brought up and agreed to.