The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-02-21 00:00:00

FRIDAY, Fan. 17.

The Royal Assent was given by commission to the As-
sessed Taxes Act Amendment Bill.
REFORMATORY SCHOOLS.—A petition was presented
by Lord BROUGHAM, from the Manchester Conference, in
favour of the establishment of reformatory schools for
juvenile offenders. He remarked briefly upon the great
importance of the subject, and the vast benefits which
might be expected to result from the general establish-
ment of these reformatory institutions, and alluded to the
evidence upon the subject given by the late Mr. Rushton,
the magistrate of Liverpool, who had traced the course of
ten boys who had cost the country £lOO a-year each.—
Earl GuAxvILLE stated that the subject of reformatory
schools was under the consideration of the government,
and he hoped that a bill would shortly be introduced with
regard to it.
NATIONAL EDUCATION IN IRELAND. The Earl of
EGLINTOUN thought that an inquiry into the system of
education pursued in Ireland was absolutely necessary,
and moved for a select committee to inquire into the in-
novations recently made in that system, as well as the
withdrawal of Archbishop Whateley from the commission.
—The Earl of ABERDEEN had been at first disposed to
resist the motion, but finding that Lord Eglintoun dis-
claimed all hostility to the system, and believing that in-
quiry would do no harm, he would not oppose the appoint-
ment of a committee on the subject.—After a discussion
of considerable length, in which the Bishop of DOWN, Lord
CLANCARTY, Lord DESART, Lord MONTBAGLE, and Lord
DONOUGHMORE took part, the committee was granted.
Their lordships shortly afterwards adjourned.

HOUSE Or COMMONS-TUESDAY, FEB. 14.

Lord PAGET took the oaths and his seat for South
Staffordshire ; and Mr. WYNDHAM for West Sussex, in
the room of Mr. Prime.
A new writ was ordered for Cardiganshire, in the room
of Colonel Powell, who has accepted the office of Steward
of the Manor of; Northstead.

The question that the Stockport, Disley, and Whalley-
bridge Railway Bill be read a second time, was negatived
without a division.
MONASTIC INSTITUTIONS.—Mr. T. CHAMBERS gave
notice that, on Tuesday, the 28th of February, he would
move for a select committee to inquire into the number
and increase of conventual and monastic institutions in
the United Kingdom.
LAW of PRIMOGENITURE.—Mr. LOCKE KING moved
for leave to bring in a bill to amend the law of succession
of real property in cases of intestacy. He pointed out
what he considered to be the anomalies of this law, which
the bill he proposed to introduce would remove, and
exposed the unreasonableness and impolicy of the English
law which favoured the accumulation of property, so
injurious to a commercial people, and its repugnancy to
the policy of the Jewish, the Greek, the Roman, and the
Saxon codes. He insisted upon the cruelty and misery
which followed the introduction of the law for the mono-
poly of land,—the zones of desolation, the servility of
classes,—and called upon the house to extend the princi-
ple which liberated lands from feudal bondage, which had
been introduced in cases of testacy, to cases of intestacy.—
Lord J. RUSSELL offered no objection to the introduction
of the bill, reserving to himself the right at a future stage
of expressing his opinion upon the subject.
PUBLIC PROSECUTORS.—Mr. J. PHILLIMO.RE, in mov-
ing for leave to bring in a bill for the appointment of
public prosecutors, urged the abuses of the present system.
He proposed that public prosecutors should be appointed
by the Crown for certain circuits, with district agents to
conduct the proceedings before the magistrates, and that
it should be in the power of any prisoner to give to the
public prosecutor a list of witnesses who could speak to
facts in his defence, and that, upon the judge certifying
that those witnesses were proper to be called, their ex-
penses should be allowed. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL
said the government, without approving the scheme of
Mr. Phillimore, thought that the bill ought to be brought
in, in order that the subject might undergo discussion ;
they considered the principle of public prosecutors ought
to be adopted.—After some discussion, leave was given to
bring in the bill.
WINE DUTIES.—Mr. OLIVEIRA, after some remarks,
withdrew his motion respecting the duty on foreign wine.
GUANO.—Colonel BLAIR called attention to the present
state of the guano market in this country, the demand of
which, for that valuable article, could not be adequately
supplied, owing to the practical monopoly exercised, in
opposition to its own interest, by the Peruvian govern-
ment. He moved for copies of correspondence with the
Peruvian government upon this subject.—Mr. CARDWELL
made no objection to the production of the papers, and
expressed a hope that the Peruvian government would see
the policy of free trade in this article. Every argument
in favour of that policy had been addressed to Peru by the
government of this country.— Sir J. GRAHAM said he was
afraid that no argument the British government could
address to that of Peru would prevail so long as the latter
were in possession of an exclusive monopoly of the article.
The only question was, whether it was possible to enlarge
the supply, and directions had been given to the Admiral
in the Pacific, and in other quarters, that every exertion
should be made by Her Majesty's ships to discover, if
possible, fresh sources of supply. The motion was
agreed to.
CORRUPTION OF IRISH MEMBERS.—Mr. I. BAIT re-
newed his motion to nominate the committee of privileges
respecting the charge of corruption by Irish members.—
Sir J. Yovite thought it better to nominate a, =Wier

-number, and suggested 9 or 11, with a quorum of not less
'than 9.—Mr. BUTT agreed to this, and the debate was
ultimately adjourned.
The committee on Portuguese claims was nominated, and
the house adjourned at a quitter-past 9.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 15.

The house met at noon

➢Zr. PATTEN presented a petition from Poulton-le-
Fylde, for the closing of public•houses and beer-houses on
Sundays.
EMIGRATION OFFICERS.—On the motion of Mr. R.
KEATING, a return was ordered to be made of the names,
stations, dates of appointment, and salaries of the emigra•
tion officers in the United Kingdom ; with a copy of the
general instructions issued for their guidance ; and of the
names, dates of appointment, and emoluments of the me-
dical inspectors at the several ports at which emigration
officers are stationed.

LAw OF SETTLEMENT.—In answer to a question, Mr.
BAINES said that by the 7th and Bth Vict., c. 101, s. 66,
the Poor-law Board are empowered to separate any parish
or parishes from any union, or to add any parish or
parishes to any union. Hitherto this power has been
exercised very seldom ; but in the event of the present bill
passing into a law, it would probably become the duty of
the Poor-law Board to avail themselves of this power more
frequently for the purpose of obviating, as much as possi-
ble, any case of real hardship or injustice.

ELECTORAL STATISTICS.-Mr. HATTER moved for a
series of returns relating to the county and borough elec-
torate, setting forth the number of £lO occupiers in unre-
presented towns, derived from the last census reports, and
illustrating various propositions in the new Reform Bill.—
Agreed to.
The house adjourned at half-past 12.