The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-02-13 00:00:00

prorrebings in Varliament.

HOUSE OF LORDS.—MONDAY.
The Marquis of LA.NsnowNE gave notice that on Friday
he should move for a select committee to inquire into the
administration of the Poor-law in Ireland.
The chairman and secretary of the North Wales Rail-
way Company appeared at the bar, in pursuance of an or-
der of last session, to produce certain documents con-
nected with the accounts of that company.
After some discussi,ep, in which Lord MoNTEAGLE
maintained thaf'thcise gentlemen had been guilty of a
Preach of privilege in not prod:oeing the papers in ques-
tion before the recess; the doeuniew were ordered to be
printed, gnfi the parties dire,:terl to attepti ;it the bar on
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d4ll w9ek.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—MONDAY.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL moved a series of resolutic
the orders for regulating the business of the houie

present
and tin

.
p;ilqp, lipcal Which some discussion took place
prst tiliTtF@p, which clinred only from *l-7,-,
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prgyious Y

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extra facilities for Govern-

...- •
.or passing bills through committee with-
out a second discussion on the motion of the Speaker's
leaving the chair, and for the introduction of pecuniary
penalty, forfeiture, the fee clauses by the House of Lords,
were adopted, with some verbal amendments. The four-
teenth and last resolution, which proposed to give prece-
dence to orders of the day over notices of motion after the
Ist of May, Lord John Russell consented, at the sugges-
tion of Mr. Herries, to withdraw, with the intention of

again proposing it at'a later period of the session, s

state of public business

.equireit

M. 6IBSON interposed

and adopting a suggest

n thrown out

by Mr:%

moved a
tion- of a'

an amendinent a resolution

the crown sneaking in reply. Some d
to the putting of this amendment in y
Mr. Gibson avoided by moving the
of the original resolution excer
the hiatus with the words of '
On a division' Mr. Gib
iority of 95 to G 2.
Lord H. VANE b-_,,nAit
answer to her M
tunity to the

as offered

oiaitTrf form, which
iission of the whole
irst word, filling up

Ati ,amendment

ion was lost by a ma-

_ p The report on the address in
jesty's speech, which afforded an oppor-

Marquis of GRAM
with the, state of the country
Otter members spoke on both sides of the house, but
without any practical result.
Sir W. SOMERVILLE, in moving the appointment of a
select committee on the Irish Poor Law, expressed his
adhesion to the principle of that law, but considered that
many improvements might be introduced into it. His ob-
ject was speedy legislation, and he had no doubt that
such would be the result of the enquiry.

to open up que

Eons connected

The motion gave rise to a debate of'some length on the
state of Inland, in which Mr. F. French, Mr. Fagan,
Major Blackall, Mr. Bright, Col. Dunne, Mr. Sadleir,
Sir G. Grey, Mr. Herbert, Sir L. O'Brien, Mr. Monsell,
Mr. Grattan, Mr. S. Crawford, Mr. St. George, and Mr.
P. Scrope participated, and which ended in the appoint-
ment of the committee.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

-TUESDAY

On the motion of Mr. TUFNEL, a new writ uas ordered
for South Staffordshire.

Lord J. RUSSELL informed Mr. Hume that he did not
intend to propose a grant of money to provide better
accommodation for the Vernon pictures, the present
arrangements with regard to which, however, are but
temporary.

Mr. HORSMAN put a series of enquiries relative to
Church reform.

And Lord J. RUSSELL annnounced that in the course
of the session he would introduce a bill, altering the con-
stitution of the Ecclesiastical Commission, and providing
for a severance of the epiScopal and common funds. On
the subject of cathedral establishments he intimated that
he did not intend to legislate.
Viscount PALMERSTON stated, in reply to Mr. Bright,
that there had been recent alterations in the tariffs of
Brazil, but that they would not take effect until the first
of January, 1850, and they bad not been made in conse-
quence of any measure of ours.

- Sir GEORGE GREY moved for leave to bring in a bill to
continue the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act in
Ireland. He acknowledged the gravity of the position,
and stated how gladly Ministers would have arrived at
the conclusion that it was unnecessary. But sometimes
measures of precaution were the safest and mildest form
of treating a disease. He admitted the same circumstan-
ces did not exist at the present time as existed when first
he proposed this measure, but this was attributable to
the great success of the bill itself. That measure had
done much to stifle the rebellion, which he denied to be a
" mock rebellion," except in so far as the unhappy dupes
of it had been mocked by false hopes of success. He
urged that, in asking for a continuance of the law, it was
unnecessary to establish the same series of facts which it
would be their duty to prove if they were requiring a new
enactment. The question simply was, whether it was
safe to take off all restraints upon agitation, and to run
the risk of a repetition of last year's occurrences ? He
'referred to the humane, firm, and temperate spirit in
which the powers given by the act had been exercised,
and concluded by announcing that the Government were
anxious to tskp thpn, for the shortest Feasible apace of
time, and they therefore proposed their extension only for
six months, which would give Parliament an opportunity
of again reviewing the subject before the prorogation.
Mr. JOHN O'CONNELL proposed, as an amendment,
that a committee of twenty-one members be chosen by
ballot to examine such documents as might be laid before
them, and to report whether, in their opinion, it was
necessary to the tranquillity of Ireland that the Habeas
Corpus Act should continue to be suspended.
This was seconded by Mr. F. MEAGHER.

Mr. F. O'Connor, Mr. Roche, Mr. Fagan, Mr. H.
Grattan, Mr. Anstey, Sir Winston Barron, Mr. Moore,
Mr. Scully, and Mr. George Thompson opposed the in-
troduction of the bill, which was supported by Mr.
Rourke and Lord John Russell.

On a division, there appeared, for Mr. O'Connell's
amendment, 18; against it, 221.
Leave was then given to bring in the bill, and
Mr. GRATTAN was understood to give notice that he
should move the call of the House upon the second read-

Mr. ANSTEY moved for leave to bring in a bill for the
further repeal of enactments imposing pains and penalties
upon Roman Catholics on account of their religious ob-
servances.

Mr. MOORE seconded the motion, which was rejected
by a majority of 43 to 41.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—WEDNESDAY.
The CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER rose to move a
vote for the relief of the distress in certains unions in Ire-
land. He recalled to the recollection of the house that at
the close of the last session, when a failure of the potato
crop was apprehended, a similar grant had been made,
over which the government was intrusted with a discre-
tionary power, and be explained the manner in which the
power had been exercised with relation to that fund. He
then proceeded to describe the condition of some of the
unions in the west and south of Ireland, which was so de-
plorable that without pecuniary aid thousands would pe-
rish of absolute starvation. The Poor-Law had been ac-
cused, but unjustly, of creating these evils, which were
mainly the result of the failure of food and the consequent
extension of pauperism in such a degree that the rates in
many parts could not be collected. He asked for a vote
of £50,000 from the Consolidated Fund, not pledging
himself that this would be all he should require ; but he
was unwilling by requiring a large sum at once to excite
extravagant expectations and eager demands.

A debate of considerable length and interest followed,
after which

Mr. DISRAELI urged the government not to call upon
the house for a vote this evening unless prepared to give a
pledge that the suggestion of Sir James Graham was cor-
rect, that they were about to review the system of local
taxation in Ireland, and that this was to be the last of the
series of votes. Considering that the question was whe-
ther England should pay Irish poor-rates in addition to
her own, that the proposition was new to the house, and
that much of the information read by the Chancellor of
the Exchequer was in manuscript, he thought the house
should not be called upon thus suddenly to vote.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL declined to enter into a pledge
that this should be the last grant, or to state that a com-
prehensive measure was prepared by which the necessity
for a future grant should be made in the Poor-law, and
their bearing upon the subject of local taxation. He had
no objection to postpone the consideration of the re501u-
.....