The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-05-22 00:00:00

POLITICAL MISCELLANY.

Mr. Shirley has retired from the representation of
South Warwickshire. Lord Guernsey, son of the Earl of
Aylesford, is the Protectionist candidate.

Lord Clarendon left Dublin on Saturday to record his
vote in favour of the Navigation Laws Repeal Bill. Lord
Plunkett has been summoned but pleaded his advanced
years as an excuse. '

Mr. J. Parker, who has been with,Mr. Tufnell joint
Secretary of the Treasury, will succeed Mr. Ward as
Secretary of the Admiralty, Mr. Hayter will replace Mr.
Parker at the Treasury, and Sir D. Dundas will become
Judge-Advocate.

TilE CANADA INDEMNITY.—On Wednesday was pub-
lished a mass of official correspondence, and other docu-
ments relating to the important question of " compensa-
tion for rebellion losses" in Canada. From this volumi-
nous and somewhat unconnected series of papers, it would
appear that the question of the propriety of granting an
indemnity for the losses which " many loyal individuals"
sustained during the rebellion of 1837-38 was originally
mooted in January, 1838, by the then governor of Canada,
the Earl of Gosford, who addressed the Colonial-office on
the subject. A report was made by the Executive Council
to Lord Gosfcrd in the same month, recommending an
advance, by way of loan, to all loyal subjects who could
prove their alleged losses, and several commissioners were
afterwards appointed, in Upper and Lower Canada, for
the investigation of these claims. These commissioners
reported, for the information of the imperial parliament,
at the request of Lord Normanby, (the then colonial se-
cretary of state,) the several cases which had been sus-
tained before them by the parties claiming compensation.
An act (the 2nd Victoria, cap. 68) was afterwards passed
by the legislature of Upper Canada, (May 11,1839,) mak-
ing provision for the payment of certain losses sustained
by sundry individuals, by the issue of debentures on the
part of the receiver-general of the province, and this was
followed up by an address from the House of Assembly
of Upper Canada to the Queen, praying that the sums
granted by way of compensation might be repaid from the
imperial treasury. To this the home government ob-
jected, and the colonial secretary, Lord J. Russell, gave
his final decision on the 12th July. 1840, to the effect that
the " losses in question were not such as to warrant an
application to parliament for the indemnity prayed for."
In Lower Canada the same steps were taken by the as-
sembly, but with no more success, so far as the home
government was concerned ; Lord Stanley (the colonial
secretary under the government of Sir R. Peel) having
declined to make any advance from the " imperial funds."
In acknowledging the petition for relief, (in May, 1844,)
his lordship suggested that claims from the north sections
of Canada should be submitted to the assembly, where
they might meet with a favourable consideration, and be
compensated by debentures. An act of this kind was
passed by the. Assembly of Lower Canada in June, 1846,
granting debentures to the amount of £9986, and this was
followed, in July, 1847, by an,act authorising the issue of
debentures to pay the balance (14e to claimants for losses
during the rebellion.