The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-04-01 00:00:00

Emptriat Varliament.

. HOUSE OF LORDS; MONDAY.
The slave treaty (Spain) biii, the annual indemnity bill,
Hodge's divorce bill, the ecclesiastical leases bill, the bank-
ruptcy (Ireland) bill, and some private bills were severally for-
warded a stage.

CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
The Earl of ABERDREN.—I. beg to ask the noble viscount op-
posite—understanding that the commissioners appointed to in-
quire into the best mode of extending church worship in Scut-
land. have made their report—whether he has any objection to
lay the report upon the table.
Lord MELBOURNE.—I was not aware that the report had been
made, but I have no objection to it.s being laid upon the table.

ROMAN CATHOLIC ESTABLISHMENTS.
The Duke of NEWCASTLE gave notice that on Wednesday
he would move for the production of certain returns connected
with Roman Catholic establishments in England.
some petitions were then presented and the house adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, MONDAY.
This being the last day for receiving private bills, several re-
ports of committees on pet►t►ons for private bills were presented,
and many bills were in consequence brought in.

DUBLIN AND DRDGHEDA RAILWAY BILL.

On the motion of Mr. Evans this bill was read a second time.

EAST INDIA COFFEE.

Mr. CRAWFORD presented a petition front the inhabitants
of Madras, and others interested in the growth .of the
products of Madras and Ceylon, particularly of coffee; they
having considered, on the faith of an act of last session,
that they would be forthwith relieved from a portion of the un-
equal taxation to which they still continued to be exposed. '
MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS' (IRELAND) BILL.
Mr. SIIANY spoke at great length, and with his accustomed
ability, against the passing of this bill. In the course of his
speech he observed that the protestant party in Ireland were
willing to try the experiment of a voluntary surrender of all the
exclusiveness or ascendancy which they had .possessed, and
wished for no more than terms of equality and impartial law.
He confessed he had felt an anxious desire to preserve, if possi-
ble, the old foundations, and to raise upon them a new and im-
proved structure; but, after an attentive consideration of the
subject, he felt that to be impossible, consistently with the
objects he had just avowed. (Loud cries of " Hear, hear.")
He must, however, condemn subversion under the pretext of
reformation, and to that charge the government certainly ren-
dered themselves liable by this measure, for it could not be de-
nied that it was a measure of complete and entire abolition.
When there was a manifest intention to raise a, new hostile
body on the ruins of the old, it was throwing (last in the eyes
of the public to represent that those who were willing to go to a
certain point but no further were desirous to maintain all abuses
and to resist all improvement. He insisted that this measure
was a transfer of political power from one party to another.
Party contention had existed in Ireland before the distinctions
of protestant and Roman catholic were known. One party
was distinguished as the English and the , other as the anti-
English party. At the reformation the English part adopted
the protestant faith, and that nu doubt added a religious dis-
tinctiou to that which had alreay existed. All they uow called
for equal terms. He would ask, could any gentleman get up in
that house and seriously contend that it was an insult to Ireland
to legislate differently for the two countries, according tudiffer-
cut circumstances? He did not mean to contend that different
principles of legislation ought to be adopted in this country and
in Ireland; but in this case the demand was that we should
have the identical acts without reference to the difference of
circumstances. 'Why the very bill which he held in his hand
negatived such an assumntion. It took a different course from
the English bill, with reference to the administration of justice.
And the constabulary bill, and other measures proposed by the
government this session—what were they' but a continuation of
the coercion acts of former years? Former governments had
found it difficult to prevent the law by the associations against
whom it was directed. What would the present government do
when it had legalized fifty such assemblies as were constituted
by this bill, over which the government would have no control?
Did his majesty's ministers forget their own former declara-
tions, or the words which they had repeatedly put into the
King's speeches from the throne? Did they not recollect. that
his majesty had recently been made to say that Ireland was in
a state of insubordination and riot, in which life was not safe?
Were they not aware of the state of party strife in that country?
Were they not aware of the descriptions given by successive
lords-lieutenant of the state of party strife in that country ?
Lord Wellesley had said that, in the existing state of society in
Ireland it was safer to violate the law than to obey it. Lord
Althorp, in resisting a motion for the assimilation of the law in
England and in Ireland, had very truly said that one country
was enjoying the blessing of liberty and the other suffering the
double curse of agitation and slavery. Mr. Shaw concluded by
moving, as an amendment, that the bill be read a third time
this day six months.
Mr. BLACKSTONE seconded the amendment.
Mr. WARD supported the original motion.
bikir ROBERT INGLIS. Mr. FINCH, Major CUMMING BRUCE,
StrWM. FOLLETT, Mr. STUART WORTLEY, and SIR ROBERT
spoke ill favour of the amendment.
The speakers on the opposite side were Mr. EWART, Mr. P.
BELLEW, Mr. V. SMITH, Mr. SHEIL, Mr. GISBORNE, and Mr.
O'LOGHLEN.
On the division, the numbers were :

For the third reading
Against it 199

Majority in favour of the bill. 6l
The bill was then read and passed.
In answer to a question from Mr. CURTIES,
Loyd JOHN RUSSEUL said the further consideration of the
English tithe bill would be postponed till the 22d of April.
Adjourned.

HOUSE OF LORDS.-TUESDAY.

The LORD CHANCELLOR laid upon the table the report of the
select committee on the ecclesiastical courts, consolidation bill,
and intimated his intention of suggesting some alterationsin a
subsequent stage of the bill.
MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS (IRELANDYBILL. •
Lord MELBOURNE moved the first reading of this bill, and
named Monday, the 18th April, for the second reading.

MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS ACT AMENDMENT BILL.

The Lotto CHANCELLOR moved the order of the day for the
second reading of this bill. Its objects are to render valid all
elections that may have taken place under the municipal cor-
porations bill when this measure was carried into operation,
and to explain certain clauses upon which doubts have arisen as
to their legal construction. His lordship said that one of the
most important clauses of the present bill had reference to the
proceedings on quo warranto and mandamus. This section stayed
those proceedings. Persons had taken advantage of that defect
in the act, and thus brought the matter before the Court of
Kings Bench. They would, however, receive their costs on the
proceedings being stayed. Another clause of the bill applied
to charity funds. This clause directed the party holding them
to pay them into the hands of others who were to be appointed
by the corporations to receive them, and thus be relieved from
any further responsibility upon that subject.
The Duke of WELLINGTON would not throw any impediment
in the way of ministers, but he complained that the bill had been
pressed upon the house at a period of the session when the prin-
ciple of it could not be conveniently discussed.
Lord MELBOURNE had no wish that their lordships should
pass that or any other bill without due consideration. He was
anxious that the bill should be fully considered. Every ooe'of
its provisions could be the subject of discussion in detail in the
committee, where the details, indeed, would be more con-
veniently discussed.
Lord LYNDHORST—although he did not intend to oppose the
motion of the Lord Chancellor, yet, Coriiiderizig the importance
of the subject to which the bill had referende, he thought it right
to address a few observations upon the measure to their lord-
ships. The bill posseised a double character, it was partly in
its operations future, and partly retrospective, or e.v post facto.
With respect to the provisions which had reference to the fu-
ture, it was not his intention now to state a single word, they:
Would be best discussed when the house was in committee; but
a's regarded some of the retrospective, or e.r post facto provisions,
he should offer a few words. Now some of these provisions were
of such a nature that he thought he was not asking too much
When he called upon their lordships to pause before they were
enacted. Their lordships were aware that proceedings were
now pending in the court of King's Bench, and writs of quo
warranto had been moved for, and the object of some of these
provisions was to call in question the rights of parties—rights as
much belonging to those parties as their lordships landed es-
tates were. One of the objects of the bill was to render valid
that which was now illegal—(hear)—and he thought such a pro-
vision as that ought to have been pointed out by his noble and
learned friend when he was recommending the second reading
of.the bill. Their lordships would bear in mind that many offi-
cers had been deprived under the operation of the act of last
session of their offices and the emoluments attending thereon.
At that very moment many individuals had been deprived of
their offices and all their emoluments : of all the fees attached
to those offices, which were as much their property as the estate
of the noble viscount was his. He doubted whether any such
instance of e.v post facto legislation could be found. His noble
and learned friend ought to have informed them. His noble
and learned friend was bound to satisfy their lordships that what
be asked was not unusual or extraordinary. Now,
parties against whom proceeding had been urged' many of the
bad in their
possession certain muniments and records which they had re-
fused to give up. Suppose that it should be determined that the
proceedings under the act of last session should be declared to
be legal, what would be the consequence? They hail refused,
because they believed they were required to do an illegal act.
b y , they would be subjected to prosecutions; and let the
house recollect there were some very heavy penalties in one of
the clauses of that act, for refusing to give up muniments and
*Aber documents which might be in the legal custody of the holder.
riere was another subject to which he would call their lord-
skips' attention, and respecting which no information liaclbeen
dfforded by his noble and learned "friend: It had been suggesied
that many quarter sessions had been improperly holden, and
parties had been improperly tried and convicted, transported,
and their goods confiscated, for such cases had arisen, without
their having any redress ? Was there to be a new trial ? A man
had been deprived of his liberty and property, and that illegally.
4e (Lord L.) thought the noble viscount had not fully con-
sidered the importance of these provisions when he would not
acquiesce in the bill being postponed; for there were clauses
in it which deserved the greatest consideration. (Hear.) His
noble and learned friend had said that the parties who had
commenced proceedings under the act of last session would be
allowed their costs. But what costs ? Were they to be taxed
costs? If so, their lordships knew that this would not reinstate
him in hii expenses. ( Hear, hear.) He recollected a case
which had taken place some few years ago, in which proceed-
ings were taken by a person named Wright, against a great
matt!, clergymen for non-residence. On that occasion Parlia-
ment had been requested to interfere, and Mr. Wright—the
law as it then stood, allowing him to bring those matters before
the legal tribunals—was allowed his costs, not the taxed costs,
but costs as between solicitor and client. (Hear.) This was
the way in which that case was dealt with. He (Lord Lynd-
hurst) had thrown out these objections for future consideration.
He had Only read through the bill hastily, but it contained such
provisions as lie had alluded to ; and he must sac, he thought
they required the most serious consideration. We did not rise,
as he had intended
he did stilt , to oppose the second reading (lithe bill, but
the noble vis.cot:nnue to believe it would have been better had
noble duke, and allowed more
acceded to the suggestion of the
bad pressed the second more time for deliberation before he
leading. (Hear.)
The bill was then read
printed. a second time, and ordered to he
NcitAGISTRATES.
Lord WHARNCL IBF°PRE°I7*IGi
moved for additional returns respecting
borough magistrates appointed by the home secretary.
Ordered.
• THE BOROUGH op
A.ronn
The Earl of ilartaownY presented a petition
from the gesses of Stafford, praying that their lordsh bnr-
to bear evidence at the bar of their house, before -would be pleased
ore they agreed to
the bill disfranchising that borough.
•
HOUSE OF COMMONS. TUESDAY-
TAB BIRMINGHAM, pRISTOL, AND THAMES JUNCTION
RAILWAY BILL.
On the motion of Mr. Clay, this bill was read a second time
and ordered to he committed.
The reports on the following railway hills were brought up

and received :—viz—The Birmingham
,and •Selby, tie Arbroath and Forfar, the Birmingham and
Derby Junction, the Great Western, and the Cheltenham and
Great Western railways.

CORPORATIONS.

Lord JOHN RUSSELL moved an address praying that his Ma-
jesty would be pleased to. direct•that there be laid before the
house the cope of a letter • addressed to the Secretary of State
for the Home Department, in October last, to the mayors and
other officers'of municipal corporations, relating to the appoint-
ment of justices of the peace, under the Act of the sth and 6th
William IV. • -

Sir .li6fiEfiT PEEL believed that the motion of the noble lord
was made public in order to give him (Sir R. Peel) an oppor-
tunity of soliciting from him those explanations of which he
had already given notice. After referring to the arguments
adduced by the promoters of the municipal corporations reform
act, viz :—that it would remove any undue preponderance of
persons holding particular political opinions in corporations and
' that When the judicial and executive functions were separated
in those bodies that magistrates would be selected without con-
sideration of their political character. He proceeded to call
the'attention of the house to the political partiality exhibited in
the selection of magistrates in several towns and cities. His
object was not to take the'noble•lord. by surprise, but to enable
him to satisfy those members'of the community in the corpo-
rate towns, who were dissatisfied with the appointments which
had taken place, and who were under the impression that poli-
tical feelings had influenced them. Sir Robert then proceeded'
to notice the following instances:—
. I. Guildford. The corporation decidedly conservative. They
hail recommended twelve gentlemen as magistrates, being of
opinion that a less number would be sufficient, in order that the
noble lord might select from them ; of these twelve nine were
Conservatives, and three were whigs. the noble lord in. ap-
pointing four magistrates for the the town, had selected' three
whigs and one conservative. (Hear, hear.)
2. Wigan. In this place the town-council wascomposed prin-
cipally of liberals. They recommended to the Home-office
eight gentlemen. Of these eight. seven were liberals and one
conservative. The noble lord who-Sad invested the
proportions
of conservatism and whiggisrn in Guildford preserved them in
Wigan, by the appointment of seven liberal and one conserva-
tive magistrAte. 110 (Sir Robert Peel) should have thought,
that as font_ Of these eight magistrates were engaged in the
cotton trade, and as disputes often occurred in Wigan between
the master mannfacturers and their men, he should have doubted
the policy of appointing—for the enforcement of the law, a
great part of which went to regulate the hours of labour in a
great mauufacturing place—four magistrates out of eight, who
were immediately connected with the trade. He was told that
seven out of those eight magistrates had been active friends of
the candidates for the representation of the borough—and that
two of them were the mover and seconder of the unsuccessful
candidate!—lle was told further, that applications had been
made to the noble lord by petition, to pause before he made
these appointments—that remonstrances had been addressed to
him,"and an earnest wish expressed that, in the choice of per-
sons who wer- to discharge judicial functions, a fairer and less
exclusive system should he acted upon than to determine the
-choice by the political feelings of the parties.
3. Rochester. 'rhere the town-council being equally divided,
no recommendation could be made to the Home-office. A de-
putation had however been sent up by one of the parties, and
the result was the appointment of five liberal and one conser-
vative magistrate.
4. Coventry. In this city the town council is decidedly libe-
ral, and twelve magistrates were appointed who are exclusively
or those opinions, and many of them had been active as political
partizan's.
5. Leicester. Ten magistrates have been appointed for this
borough,'nine of whom voted for the unsuccessful liberal candi-
dates,. Evans and Ellis, at the last election, while not one of the
whole ten. ye.t.ed for Messrs. Gualburn and Gladstone, the sitting
members.

6. Plymouth. In this borough eight persons were nominated
to the mvistracy,by'the town council. Two were members
for the town, supporters of his Majesty's government; of the
remaining six, five had been active supporters of the noble lord
at the county election, the 'sixth declined acting. The conse-
quence was, that at Plymouth, where there were only seven
acting magistrates, the whole were gentlemen possessing one
class of rolitical opinions. One of them was a brewer. Now
he (Sir R. Peel) understood that the-nobe lord's principle was
to exclude from the commission of the peace persons acting as
attorneys or engaged in the occupation of brewers. The mem-
bers for Plymouth are also magistrates for that borough.
7: Bristol. Conservative principles predominate in the town
council of this city. There was a complete agieement in the
choice of magistrates—an earnest desire to exclude party feeling
from the nomination; and it was agreed that each party should
recommend twelve persons forselection as magistrates, and that
thus the aggregate of twenty-four names should be recommend-
ed by the town council of Bristol fur 'approbation. This was
agreed to without any dissent or division whatever. The noble
lord, in making his selections from this list. took the whole
twelve recommended by one party, and excluded six of those
recommended by the other, the conservative party.
Sir Robert, after tome further remarks showing that political
opinons had influenced the appointment of magistrates in the
boroughs generally, concluded by saying, that, if the noble lord
could give to the parties interested in the administration of jus-
tice a satisfaction which did not at present exist, his object.
would be more completely anrwered than if the noble lord should
fail in his proof, and be unable to answer the charges which had
been made.

Lord S. RUSSELL answered that the government had institut-
ed the most anxious inquiries to ascertain who were the fittest
persuus to be appointed; that political bias had not been allow-
ed lo sway their decisions; that, on the contrary, every effort
had been made to mingle parties as much as possible. and that
the crown, in departing from recommendations, had only exer-
ercised its undoubted right.
Sir R. VYVYAN 'charged the government with the grossest
partiality, and instanced the case of Bristol and the exclusion of
Mr. Daniel as proofs of the influence of partisanship. He di-
rected his observations particularly to Lord John Russell,
whom he charged with a corrupt exercise of his office to pro-
mote the power of his party.
Mr. BERNAL, Lord J. RUSSELL, and Mr. P. TuosisoN re-
butted the charge in strong language, declaring that if Sir R.
Vyvyan believed what he asserted, he ought to follow it up by
an impeachment.
LOrd JOHN RUSSELL asserted that if the hon. baronet did not
so follow it up he should feel that he had a right to call him a
calumniator.

Sir R. VYVYAN repeated his expressions.
An angry scene then occurred. In the course of it Mr.
EWART called one of the speakers to order.
Mr. RICHARDS, the member interrupted by Mr. Ewart, said
that he could not but admire the hon. member for Liverpool's
economical regard for the time of the house, when it was notori-
ous that no person wasted so much of the public time with use-
less motions as the hon. member himself. ( Hear.) He (Mr.
Richards) hardly ever addressed a speech to the house, whilst
the hon. member for Liverpool spoke ad uauseam. (Hear, and
laughter.) Night after night had he been compelled to witness
the exhibition of the hon. member's meagre powers, and yet he
now rose under the influence of party feeling and called him to
order. He understood the value of the term order as well as
the hon. member.

Before the close of the debate the speaker interfered and
called upon Lord John Russell and Sir Richard Vyvyan to
say that they felt no personal offence towards each other. Both
members having declared that they did not entertain that feel-
ing the motion was agreed to.—Adjourned.

HOUSE OF LORDS.-WEDNESDAY.

The Royal assent was given to the Annual Indemnity bill,
the Spanish Slave Trade Abolition bill, and several prliate
bills.

RAILWAYS.

The Arbroath and Forfar Railway bill, and the Birmingham
and Gloucester Railway bill were brought up from the HouSe
of Commons and read a first time.

BISHOPRIC OF BRISTOL.

Lord LYNDHURST presented a petition from the mayor, al-
dermen, and burgesses of Bristol, praying the house under no
circumstances to pass any measure abolishing their bishopric ;
also one from the corporation of Dublin, praying that the Irish
municipal bill might not be passed into a law, as it would rob
them of their rights.