The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-06-30 00:00:00

Wards from several Of-therrlorgh4l44le bill w i 4 lead a
second time, and ordered to be committed on the 6tl t of July
Several other bills were advanced a stage, and tl to house
then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—FninAv.
The Clerkenwell imprisonment bill was read a th' ird time
and passed.
The, report of the Weaver churches bill was after a division
brought up, but the debate was adjourned till Monde:3r.
IRISH REGISTRATION DILL.—ANOTHER DEFEAT' OF
MINISTERS.
Next came Lord Stanley's Irish Registration Bin, when
on the motion that the Speaker should leave the chi it in or-
der to the c ommittal,
Mr. SLANEY, in a mediatorial tone, urged the propriety
of first defining the franchise, and pressed on me cabers on
both sides the expediency of reconciling their differ?.nces and
making mutual concessions for the benefit of Itelmad, whose
people being miserable at home, were now crowding into the
great towns of this country and lowering the wages of labour
there.
Mr. O'CONNELL said, that after Mr. Slaney's observa-
tions, which he hoped would be attended to by the house, he
would not persist in an intention which he had entertained
of opposing himself to the arrangement made between Lord
J. Russell and Lord Stanley. Certainly, it was not reason-
able to discuss the mode of registration till there had been.
some definition of the thing to be registered. There was
now pending a bill for defining it ; why not proceed with that,
and let this bill stand over till next session ? The Irish con-
stituencies were not of the overbearing magnitude which they
would have exhibited if there had been the alleged amount
of fictitious votes ; so that really the subject did not press.
However, he would reserve till some further debate his op-
portunity of moving an instruction for the definition of the
franchise.
The house then went into committee. On the third clause,
requiring, except in certain cases, twelve months' possession
prior to registration, some conservation arose as to the prin-
cipal of annual as compared with quarterly registration, and
Lord STANLEY said he considered annual registration to be
so essential a principal of his bill, that if a quarterly or any
other period were submitted, he should conduct the measure
no further.
Mr. O'CONNELL argued against the length of possession
which this bill required previous to registration
Lord STANLEY maintained that the effect of this bill was
to diminish rather than increase the length of possession
required by the existing law, and to give to the Irish voter
an advantage in comparison with the English.
Mr. O'CONNELL contended, that a man entering in
March, which was the ordinary period in Ireland for com-
mencement of tenancy, would by this bill be prevented from
voting till the October twelvemonth. That the English
claimant might be, under still greater hardship, was no conso-
lation to the Irish.
The ATTORNEY-CENERAL denied the law in England to
be as Lord Stanley supposed it.
Mr. W. S. O'BRIEN and Mr. H. GRATTAN concurred
with Mr. O'Connell.
Lord STANLEY admitted that a registration which is only
annual, as in England, must needs delay many voters longer
than a registration which is quarterly ; upon which admis-
si
Lordo JOHN RUSSELL took occasion to complain that Lord
Stanley was imposing on Ireland all the hardships of the
English system, without proposing to confer upon her any of
its benefits. Sir Edward Sugden defended Lord Stanley's
proposal, and
Mr. C. WOOD said a few words, of which the tendency
was ambiguous.
Mr. SHAW reminded the opponents of this measure, that
in all the former bills the proposed registration had been an-
nual and not quarterly.
Sir G. GREY proposed a transposition of certain words for
greater clearness, and the substitution of six months for
twelve. Lord Stanley explained his reasons for the form of
words as it stood and Mr. O'Connell complained of its
complication. Mr. Lynch supported Mr. O'Connell, and
Lord Stanley again explained his own view, expressing his
willingness, however, to adopt Sit G. Grey's inversion ; as
to which Lord Howick and Lord J. Russell also agreed.
Mr. Simi, put one case, which Sir R. Peel disposed of ;
and Lord Morpeth suggested a second, to which Sir Robert's
answer would not apply, but which was met with a separate
answer by Lord Stanley. Mr. Shaw and the Attorney-Ge-
neral exchanged a few words, and upon Mr. C. Buller ob-
serving that all parties had agreed, six speeches ago, to sub-
stitute six months for twelve, that substitution was made
from the chair.
Ministers appearing to waver abont the covirse they should
take for raising the critical quest* between annual and
quarterly registration, Lord STANLEY said he now acquitted
them of what he had at first thought an unfairness on their
part, in not giving him notice of any of their amendments, as
he by this time perceived that they did not know their own
intentions, and seemed, indeed, to have no object but to
mangle the bill.
Lord MORPETH said this was a happy specimen of the
calm temper 'q which Lard Stanley proposed to argue the
bill. For his etwn pert, lie would rcpt condescend to retaliate.
This declaiiition of mercy tOwarcts'Lord Stanley produced a
hearty laugh from the house and 'another mediatorial speech
'rem Mr. Slaney, who exhorted all parties to behave deco-

rously.
On the words fixing the 20th of July in each year as the
period to which possession should be tefellabio,
• Mr. SLANEY said his own leaning was towards anrual re-
gistration ; but he thought the claimant should not have been
placed in a worse situation by the single than by the quad-
ruple registry ; whereas, under this bill, the judge might
strike him off or saddle him with costs. These, and other
new difficulties, were thus imposed on the claimant, The
bill should have defined the franchise and got rid of the
present ambiguity.
Mr. I.Notfluf could. spe no eoune4ion between the ques-
tion of animal .rygi4tratiqn and the question of alleged ob-
structions to Claimants. IT shell' ObStrUdtiOni existed, re-
move them ; but let not the choice between annual and quar-
terly revision depend on this consideration. ' ' •
Mr. WARBURTON said, that in England it would be incon-
venient to register quarterly, hecauSe there was no tribunal
sitting quarterly to receiye the claims ; but in Ireland there
was ,the'assistant,berr4ter tit'egeh quarter ie4§ioo.
Lord Howie* thought Wextreihely desirable that voters
should have the earliest opportunity of registration. But
the principle having been established by the amendment ou
the first clause, that .votes once registered were not to be
lightly struck off, it was clearly fit that confusion and uncer-
tainty should be avoided in the original registration of them,
and these evils he did not think it easy to obviate, it quar-
terly repetitions of each claim were to be permitted. The
original inquiry, as it would be final, ought to be full and.sa-
tisfactory ; and this it could not be without the publication
of lists and (Off formalities, which it would be impractica-
ble to repeat every fmrtpr,
Mr. ?MOT' s4i'd, that th'e admitted abuses might he reme-
died by annual revision; but revision, of which the object
was to remove bad votes, differed wholly from registration,
of which the object was to record good ones. The latter
process might safely be a quarterly one. The Irish had been
long accustomed to a quarterly registration. It took place
• at the sessions, which were attended by a staff of professional
men, present there for the transaction of the civil business
of the country, and not brought expressly and at great ex-
pense for the registration. If a claimant failed on a point of
form, he quid thus repeat his application at a distance of
only three months ;all legitimate objeets were fully attained
by leaVing thesefepilities`iititOndh4 Lio4 §impli§opFrafidir!g
a tribunal pf revision.
Mr, Serjeant JAOKSCIN exposed the frauds let in by the
quarterly system. It enabled a dishonest claimant to elude
and weary out those who were on the watch against his ad-
mission. He must deny that the law of the franchise was
now ambiguous. The judges had decided that law, and those
assistant-barristers who departed from that decision departed
from their duty.
Mr. O'CONNELL denied the validity of the decision of the
judges. No appeal to them was given by law on the subject
of the franchise ; and their decision had even been pronounced
without the hearing of counsel. After addressing himself to
some of the details of Sergeant Jackson's speech, he argued
in answer to LOr4''HoWick_„ tqati frequent registry was, by
the reform act arid'othd'eaitier. aws,'ie 'constitutional right
of the Irish people. QuarterlY regiitrations, at the sessions,
were a great advantage to them. Their business of other
kinds was done at the sessions ; and there the claimant could
have his confidential attorney, whom he must consult on the
landed title constituting his franchise. An annual registra-
tion would occupy 20, 30,40 days. The choice of four guar-
. ters gave the tenant this advantage, that he could register at
that session when he might happen to be free from debt to
his landlord, and consequently from his landlord's controul.
Something had been said about the danger of extending agi-
tation thipngh the'year ; - but p'FillioiS there might be greater
in concentrating agitatiori into one 'short period, '
Mr. Sergeant .JACtisoi contradicted Mt. .O'Connell's
statement that the judges had decided the franchise without
hearing counsel, and specified the very barriSteri who had
argued the points, Vrt O'Connell replied that 'some of the
cases bad bAen deeidi;cl without 4rOun In: '
Mr, SuEIL said, that is of the jifdges differ 94 from the
FfSt, the deeisions on the fraapiiiie would -4'oo' *ay thii
circuit, and nother way PP 00! The same fpari.wlio would
be rejected to Is4l Vi6ra try again i{}4 4 admitted in 1842.
He regarded an annual as tritirP IRRIIIfI4IIIF OP a quarterly
excitement.
Lord STANLEY said, that on the words " 20th of July" in
this clause he was willing to discuss the question whether the
registration should or should not be annual ; and if the com-
mittee decided that it should not, he would carry the bill no
farther. His object at the time of the reform bill was to
leave the then existing Irish registry undisturbed, until there
shoola'huvg 4,,,tep some experience of the annual system in
England. At tli4 ti .e Mr. O'Connell was favourable to the
annual system ; and the Otthc,;•,s pf the various bills of former
sessions had alt concurred in that4inion, pf the decisions
of the judges of Ireland he would say orilY;.tilat if the
minority did not hold theinselvcs bound by the decisions of
the majority, there could be no certainty for any law what-
ever in that country. On the subject of annual registration
in England, it was true that some objection had been made,
lint that objection was not that the annual registration came
too seldpar,l44 that it mune too often. Would Englishmen
think it an imprOilenle4 op. the present annual system, that
the registration should talcprep il.gke powter sessions, and
precede all the other business J- U to fliepresene of lawyers,
it had always been represented as a great hindilinee instead
of benefit to the business of registration. The noble lord
concluded by a commentary upon several clauses of Mr.
Pigot's bill, for the defects of Which, however, he was willing
to make every allowance, considering the haste with which it
had been drawn to suit the purpose of Government.
Lord MORPETH admitted, that whatever epithets he
might have applied to some parts of this bill, no harsh or
injurious phrase could be properly applicable to the clause
now undcr consid,eration. The authors of the reform bill
had prOpOsed to wait col. England's experience of the annual
registration. `Pere gentlemen now, after that experience, so
enamoured of the result as to res,c4re on c9muipuipqting it
to Ireland? If the inixtUre of 'the regli3tration'busine4 was
injurious at the quarterly sesssons, hoW Much inOe'injiiriOuS
would it I;ap at the assizes; the voter oriiis witnesses might
iitievesrhyLi,enient to attend at one 'Yearly period to be
filed fe:/tht:
a,Nlele registration,.ot. especially in September or October,
fittlinheadtgrgat seasons of rural employinent : and it was reasonable
After rougltihti: ospbecelierheutsi
opnriencreipgil.setoryf inan
itilui the ) year
registrationt
itiol
eemi
:el
omucosherooiele,
divided,e
rorefi : his
oi sau:oldywLinfo
triid time.rsF;r.
~., Undue:rLcE
bl.st
be b
hkalllle ul,Rapswdplaosrssdui
bsoltreaiownfei ttdhhebryopriest, might
reslgning ; ~
el SIIITHORP, after the division, sug:esatedinatjoortihte
ofcfooulorn.
oafdvice. 'The committee is to proceed
m i
dispositionministers tliteo pardoopprti ehtlyi s but they indicated no
onO
Thursday.N
mr.
o
,c
NE L L gave notice, that on the motion for p.'
intoin
he should move an instruction to the cow!
committee,
tnittee to define municipal ceases and taxes.
&pine routine business followed, and at a quarter to 1
o'clock Op honsp adimped.

THE THAMES TEINEL.—The works connected with this
undertaking have been partially suspended duringthi
three months, in consequence of the excavations
reached so near the Wapping side of the river that washaving
tvig
deemed unsafe to pursue them further until the houses d
buildings on the north shore were removed. The company
have been for some time in treaty for the purchase of they
buildings required ; and most of
.the occupants having
removed, the work of demolition will immediately commence.
The large granaries so long occupied by Urquhart and Co.'
of Wapping kligh-strept, thp Ship public-house, the Com.
mercial Wharf, dwellings and premises in the occupation of
Archbell and l-lewland, the Swan miblic-honse, and St. Jplig's
Wharf and buildings thereon, will all come dPwnt and
shaft will be sunk on the site they now stand upon, and
circular staircase formed for foot passengers.