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

HOUSE OF COMMONS-TUBSDA.Y, 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 Whitney-
bridge Railway Bill be read a second time, was negatived
without a division.
MONISTIC 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.
LA.W OP 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. PHILLIMORE, in mov-
ing for leave to brinc, 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.
GtrAivo.—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. GRArrAlt 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 OP IRISH MEMBERS.—Mr. I. BUTT re-
newed his motion to nominate the committee of privileges
respecting the charge of corruption by Irish members.—
Sir J. Yovzie thought it- ter to nominate a -omaller

number, and suggested 9 er 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 atuarter-past 9.

WEDNESDAY, PEB. 15.

The house met at noon.

Mr. 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.