The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-07-21 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-THURSDAY

Lord J. RUSSELL stated the course which the Govern-
ment meant to pursue with respect to the measures to be
proceeded with during the present session of parliament.
lie would on Monday ❑ext lay before the house his plan
for the settlement of the sugar ,lutes, asking, at the same
time, for leave to bring in a bill to continue the duties for
one month beyond the sth of Aucrust, or until parliament
should otherwise determine. With respect to the Poor
Removal Bill, be would only proceed with that portion
which gave a right of industrial settlement. With respect
to the Irish bills, he would proceed with the Ej

Bill, with some alterations, but preserving the clauses
which prohibited the distrairing of growing crops ; also
with the Leases Bill, but the Compensation for Improve-
ments Bill was too complicated in its machinery to be
proceeded with before bestowing upon it a very careful
consideration. He proposed to lay before the house a
bill to facilitate the improvement of waste lands in Ireland,
with a view to make known the intentions of the Govern-
ment on the subject, but it would not be proceeded with
until next session.

On the question of going into committee on the Poor
Removal Bill, Mr. E. DENISON said the question of
union settlements was one of the greatest importance to
agriculturists as well as manufacturers, and he regretted,
from the avowed opinions of many members of te Go-
vernment, that it was not likely to be taken into favour-
able consideration. Although desirous to see the Govern-
ment of the noble lord (J. Russell) a lasting one, he would
frankly declare that its composition was not such as to
inspire him with confidence.
After some observations from Colonel WOOD,

Mr. T. DUNCOMBE complained of the vagueness of
the declaration of Lorcl John Russell, as to the principles
upon which the government would be conducted—vague-
ness the more suspicious, owing to the rumours which
were afloat as to his having applied to Sir It. Peel for the
loan of three members of his government. This, it is true,
was contradicted by the Secretary at War (Mr. Ward), in
the Weekly Chronicle, but it was affirmed by the Times,
which he supposed was to be the government organ in-
stead of the Morning Chronicle, which was, as was said
in military circles, superseded. This was most ungrateful
to an organ which had faithfully adhered to the Whigs
through their years of depression, and who, in their hour
of triumph, had a fair claim to any authority to be de-
rived from such a position. He also asked what were the
intentions of the government with respect to the Irish
church. Did he mean to adhere to the proposition which
he had once supported, that the increased grant to May-
nooth should be raid out of the surplus revenues of the
Established Church in tbat country ? Would he favour
an extension of the franchise, or did he still mean to con-
tend for the finality of the Reform Bill ? Would he, now
that he was in office, bring in a bill to limit the hours of
labour in factories ? It was right that all these things
should be understood, for the support the noble lord
would receive would be in proportion to the liberality and
comprehensiveness of his measures.
Lord J. RUSSELL said he thought it quite sufficient to
refer to his past life as a member of that house, during
which his opinions had been always openly and unre-
servedly expressed. With respect to the questions of the
hon. gentleman, he had no hesitation in saying that he
had asked the Earl of Lincoln, the Earl of Dalhousie,
anda Mr. Sidney Herbert to join his government. He
withhd found himself for several years acting in harmony
the general opinion of those individuals, and he did
not think any difficulty would arise from their uniting
with him. Ilis proposals had been declined ; but he saw
nothing to regret in having made the application, for it
was not absoktely essential that the members of a govern-
ment should agree in every particular. Ile might instance
the fact that he could not agree with Earl Grey in his opi-
nions respecting the Irish Church, and Even his own sen-
timents were looked upon as extreme by some members
of the cabinet. He Phnii tit