The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-02-09 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—THURSDAY
;ladstone took the oaths and his

at as member for

Mr. H. HINDE, in pursuance of notice, proposed that the
standing order respecting railway bills, which requires one-
tenth part of the amount subscribed to be deposited in the
Court of Exchequer, should be modified by substituting one-
twentieth part for one-tenth. He contended that the order.
as it now stood operated injuriously as a check upon a most
important system of commercial enterprise. He asked only
that the deposit of 10 per cent., which the House e,f Lords
had deemed excessive, should be reduced to one of 5 per cent.
Mr. LABOUCHERE, in opposing the motion, expressed his
desire to encourage by all possible means the developement
of the railway system so long. as the speculations were of a
bona fide character, but he did not believe that so small a
deposit would act as an obstacle to the execution' of any un-
dertaking whiCh could be safely recommended to the public,
while it formed a salutary check upon those gambling schemes.

vhich bad inflicted so mucli injury up,
Mr. WARBURTON and Mr. BROT

the country

lERTON or

;osed the

motion, and after a short conversation, in whiCh several
members took part, it was rejected by a majority of 144 to 15.
Sir J. C. HOBBOUSE, in answer to several questions from
Sir R. Inglis, explained what progress had been made in re-
lieving the civil and military servants •of the Indian govern-
ment from any connexion with the idolatrous ceremonies
practised in that country. The pilgrim tax in Bengal had
been wholly abolished, and, except in the presidency of Ma-
dras, the instructions sent out in 1838 had been fully carried
into effect. The attendance of Christian troops at heathen
festivals, and of Ilindoos or Mahometans at those'of either

uch would wound their prejudices, was dispensed
ld if in any instance the orders issued to this effect
steps would be taken to ensure obe-

had been disregardec

dience for the (attire

Lord MORPETH, in moving for leave to bring in a ministe-
rial measure of Irish registration, admitted the existence of
gross abuses. He professed the willingness of government
to redress the evils of the present system of certificates, and
to allow to the objector as well as to the claimant an appeal
on matter of law, though not on matter of fact. But mi-
)rtus without
They had no

Ldding a precise definition of the franchise

ejection to an annual revision, but they could not consent
to deprive the voter of the facility which he now derived from
the right of quarterly registration. And when the voter
should once have been registered, they would not have him
disturbed, except upon circumstances subsequent to his origi-
nal admission, else he would he liable to a fresh attack before
every fresh revising barrister. As to the court of appeal,
Lord Morpeth objected to have it constituted of the judges
2 I of the land : he should propose a court of three barristers,

to be nominated by the Speaker. He then contended, that
with the measure of :registration there should be coupled a
definition of the franchise. It lay now in a state of uncer-
tainty, which was acknowledged on all hands. and very per-
plexing and injurious to the voter. The principle and test by
which he proposed to determine the franchise, would be the
valuation of the voter's property to the new poor rate. This
basis had been mentioned with approbation in the last session
by several members, in reference to the parliamentary fran-
chise, and by Sir R. Peel in reference to the municipal one.
It was a principle providing its own check ; for the voter
would not willingly magnify his possessions for the sake of
his vote, when by doing so he exposed himself to an increase
of his assessment. It was apprehended, however, by some
of the liberals, that as the poor law valuations are always
pared down by many. deductions, no amount of valuation
could be fixed which would not practically raise the qualifi-
cation beyond the standard fixed by the reform act. Two
barristers had been commissioned to visit various unions, and
report upon the systems of valuation pursued there. The
result afforded a fair sample of the valuations throughout Ire-
land. He then read a variety of extracts from the report,
from which it appeared that the scale of valuation was gene-
rally a low one; and that the valuators had for the most part
taken as their test, not the rent which the highest bidder
would give, but the rent for which a good landlord ought to
let a tenant paying repairs, insurance, and all charges; and
that even with reference to this test, the valuators had usu-
ally estimated the rents below the sums asked by the most
indulgent landlords: Therefore a rated nett value would
probably range far higher than either of the values now in
contention, which are commonly called the solvent tenant's
test, and the occupier's profit test. It would hardly be deem-
ed expedient to raise the parliamentary franchise above its
present level. The noble lord here availed himself of Mr.
O'Connell's common argument, about the inadequate pro-
portion of the numbers of Irish electors to the numbers of
the Irish population, as compared with the proportion be-
tween the electors and the population of England ; for which
purpose he read a long list of figures. In the 72d section of
the poor law, the amount of £5 was fixed as the point at
which the rate should be chargeable, not on the landlord, but
on the occupies • and he would propose that a rating of £5
should confer the parliamentary franchise, provided the pre-
mises were held for the residue of a term which in its com-
mencement had been not less than 14 years. Where the te-
nancy was only from year to year, he would not annex any
parliamentary franchise to the rating, lest he should expose
tenants, readily removable, to the vindictive exercise of their
landlord's power.

Lord STANLEY observed that this postscript to the govern-
ment bill, this proposed alteration of the franchise, was no
amendment of tne existing system, but a new reform bill;
and expressed his astonishment that, on the slender intelli-
gence derived from two barristers, who had visited some ten
unions, the noble lord had brought forward so large a pro-
posal. As to the proportions of electors to population, the
principle, of franchise adopted by Lord Grey's' government
had not been mere numbers, but numbers coupled with fit-
ness to exercise that franchise. But the present plan was to
deluge the counties of Ireland, by giving a vote to every la-
bourer who had a couple of acres under a. fourteen years'
lease.

Lord How ics fully concurred in the principle of the pro-
posed alteration in the franchise, which he had never wished
restricted, but which greatly needed a definition. The state

the conservatives, who had opposed the wishes of the Irish
people; and he.blamed still more the agitators of repeal, and
especially the members for Dublin.

Mr. LITTON bore testimony to the cordial reception of
Lord Stanley's bill among the respectable and intelligent
classes of Ireland, and to the failure of the attempt at get-
ting up an agitation against even among the lower people,
who felt that it would relieve them from an unjust pressure.
No doubt it might suit the advocates of universal suffrage to
support the government bill,- for it would give a vote to
almost every pauper in Ireland.
Mr. O'CONNELL observed, that the valuation under the
poor laws were always below the truth. He approved the
bill now proposed, and believed it would give satisfaction to
the Irish people. Lord Stanley's bill would have au opposite
Leave was then given to bring in the bill.

Mr. LABOUCHERE moved for leave to introduce a bill, the
object of which was to increase the safety of railroad tra-
velling. He proposed to ask a power of control for govern-
ment ; and it must be a general one, becauSe it was impos-
sible to specify all the possible cases of interference in a
bill. The main provision would be the licensing of dtivers.
Colonel SIBTHORP said he wished to see a return of all the
lamentable accidents which had happened on the railroads.
He commiserated the losses which the railroad bad brought

.upon innkeepers !ind_postboys

Mr. ENVART doubted the expediency of the licensing plan.
He wished that if government took powers of regulating,
they should lay their regulations before parliament.
Lord STANLEY said, that on the Liverpool and Manches-
ter Railroad, the experience of the company had enabled
them for a long time past to avoid all accident whatever. He
-,sted something would be t th

..0 preven prenaaturt
opening of railroads. Their character of monopoly, as well
as the public danger, justified the interposition of govern-
ment. He complained of detentionsaof the mail-trains, in
waiting for cross-country mails.

To this the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER answered,
that the mails were the principal object, and the passengers
a secondary one.

But Lora STANLEY replied that the detention affected not
only the passengers, but likewise such of the mails as were
direct.

icitous to prevent railway travel-
ling on Sundays; to which prohibition Mr. WARBURTON
gl*cted.

RE was so

Leave was thedgiven to bring in the bill

Lord J. RUSSELL, in moving for leave to bring in a bill for
the registration of parliamentary electors, adverted to the in-
convenience of conflicting decisions by a variety of revising
barristers. Instead of these, he wished to have a permanent

tribunal, with a court of appeal, consisting of three judges.
He would also protect the voters from being harassed by re-
peated attempts, year after year, to remove them from the
register. Having introduced a similar bill in the last session,
id not now enter twain into detail

he wou

Mr. LIDDELL approved-the protection of voters; but he
wished to know whether- the bill contained any provision for
preventing the prev.aent evil of fraudulent personation. It
might be expedienM give the power of detaining on the spot
persons charged with this fraud. The anti-corn-law league
at Walsall appeared to have brought up to the poll at the late
election no fewer than nine representatives of dead men ;
three of which dead men, when living, were good conserva-
tives.

Leave was given to bring in the bill.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL next moved for a select committee
on .the acts respecting South Australia. The business and
the finances of the colony were in great disorder, and there
was no regular control. The colony had spent in 1839 about
£140,000, when its revenue was only about £20,000. Large
bills had been drawn by the governor on this country, and
parties bad not been willing, in the present state of the law,
to advance money for the discharge of those bills.
Lord MAHON observed that New South Wales and Van
Dieman's Land wert, also in need of some special attention
from parliament. The suspension of the convict assignment
system had occasioned a scarcity of labour, which threatened
those colonies with great distress, and even with famine it-
self. He feared that the measures taken by the colonial
office for the discontinuance of convict labour had been
hasty and inexpedient.

LBrd STANLEY hoped it was not intended to throw the
loose to the committee, but to possess the

committee with the views of government

Lord JOHN RUSSELL admitted that it would not generally
be fitting to refer colonial affairs to a committee. The com-
mittee he now proposed would be attended by the under-
secretary for the department. He vindicated the abolition of
convict labour, which he regarded as a system of slavery.
Mr. HumE wished that the mother country would give the
colonists the power of governing themselves.
Lord John's motion was then adopted, and some routine
business having been transacted, the house adjourned.

HOUSE OF LORDS.—FRIDAY.
The House of Lords sat for a short tine.
Lord REDESDALE, on the part of Lord ItiPoN. postponed
the motion on our relations with Persia, which stood for
Monday.
Lord BRODGHAM presented a petition for an equalization

twee, In 41

importation of East and West India pro.

:loh his lordship Iliad

.s taken suddenly

on the petition, the Duke of Wellington wa
ill, which suspended business for some time
Lord BROUGHAM then presented petitions, praying for
universal suffrage, and for the release of Frost, Jones, and
Williams.
Lord DUNCANNON brought up a supplemental report, de-
signating the parties who should be allowed to sit or stand
near the throne during the trial of Lord Cardigan.
The house then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—FRIDAY.
A new writ was Ordered for King's county, in the room of
Mr. Fitzsimon, who had accepted the Chiltern Hundreds.
Several notices of motion were given, among them one by
Lord Stanley, that he would on Monday put a question re-
lative to the alleged apprehension of Mr. M`Leod by the
authorities of the state of New York, and the communica-
tions which had passed thereon between her Majesty's go-
vernment and that of the United States.

Lord JOHN RUSSELL then moved the thanks of the house
to Sir Robert Stopford, Admiral Napier, Sir C. Smith, and
other officers and forces engaged in the late operations on
the coast of Syria. He gave a short narrative of the reduc-
tion of Acre, and bestowed a warm eulogy on the services of
those who achieved it. The political questions connected
with the Syrian war did not arise upon the present occasion.
But, referring to the improvements of modern times in the
arts and machinery of war, he wished to observe that their
successful results were owing in a great degree to the charac-
ter of the men who had applied and directed them ; a cha-
racter formed and exalted by the institutions of a great and
free country, and combining in.a remarkable degree the qua-
lities of valour and prudence.
Lord STANLEY seconded the motion. He agreed that the
political merits of the contest were not now in discussion :
the present duty of the house was only to record their high
opinion of the officers and men who had done so much honor
to their country. He was anxious, on the part of his own
side of the house, to express, that whatever might he the dif-
ferences of party, there was but one feeling among men of all
politics on the subject of the country's success, and of the
gallantry of her forces.

- Lord PRAN CIS EGERTON concurred in the praises bestowed,
and wished that, consistently with usage, the names of other
officers could be included in the vote.

Mr. HUME, though he felt the value of the services ren-
dered, yet regretted that they had been employed in such a
cause. He distinguished widely between those who had
obeyed the orders, and those who had given them. He
wished for the papers.
Sir H. HARDINGE thot

ht that ministers had acted pro-
olitical with the military part of the
of the victory recalled the recollection
of the exploits of Sir Sidney. Smith, to whose memory he
thought the country should erect a monumen
Sir DE LACY EVANS regrkted that Mr
have taken this occasion of c

perly in not mixing ti
The scene i

subject

Hume should
s the policy which had

Sir ROBERT INGLIS hoped that it might be her majesty's
pleasure to honor Sir Robert Stopford with some mark of
her favor.

Lord INGESTRIE begged to join in the general tribute of
applause ; and the several votes were passed unanimously.
Mr. Serjeant TALFOURD then moved the second reading of
the copyright bill.

Mr..MA-CAULAY made a long and clever speech against it,
and the second reading was defeated by a majority of 7.
Mr. HAWES obtained leave to bring in a bill for medical
reform. It was read a first time, and ordered for a second
reading on Friday week.

Lord MORPET'EI'S Irish registration bill was read a first
time, and ordered for a second reading on Friday week.
The house then adjourned.