The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-02-16 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-THURSDAY

Lord Listowel took the oaths and his seat for the borough of
St. Alban's, and Lord Eastnor for the borough of Reigate.
Lord J. RUSSELL announced that he would this evening
move the consideration of her Majesty's most gracious mes-
sage, respecting a provision for Lord Keane.
Mr. HUME gave notice that he would take the sense of the
house against the proposed pension.
In reply to a question from Lord Ingestre respecting the
Niger expedition,
Lord J. RUSSELL stated that the expedition had been pur-
posely delayed, in order that it might not arrive at the Niger
at a period of the year when there would not be water enough
to enable vessels to enter the mouth of the river. He was
aware that the result of this would be to cause the expedition
to arrive there in the most unhealthy season of the year, but
that would be better than allowing the expedition to remain
in an unhealthy part of the country as long as the waters re-
mained shallow. The instructions for the government of the
expedition were not yet ready to be laid before parliament.
Sir E. KNATCHBULL obtained leave to bring in a bill pro-
viding for the appointment and payment of parish constables
in England and Wales.
Viscount SANDON was extremely sorry to find he was com-
pelled again to bring under the consideration of his noble
friend and the house the claims of certain British subjects
upon the gratitude and honour of the Queen of Portugal and
her Government, arising out of the late war of restoration.
From what had occurred during the last session he had hoped
these claims would, ere now, have been in a course of liqui-
dation ; but, on his return to town, he was much concerned
to find the state of those claims was much the same as it had
been at the rising of parliament. These claims had origi-
nated in transactions which took place six years ago, and had
remained unsettled ever since. His noble friend the Foreign
Secretary had, last year, announced to the house that, after
much negotiation on the subject, the Portuguese Govern-
ment had agreed to the appointment of a commission, to con-
sist of two persons selected by their respective Governments,
to consider and settle these claims. The appointment by
Portugal took place on the 13th of March last ; the commis-
sioners arrived here in May, yet it was not until the follow-
ing November that it gave any indication of life. In Decem-
ber it first put forth an invitation to the claimants to put in
their claims, and he had been informed that up to this mo-
ment there had been no instance of a claim having been de-
cided upon and allowed. There had been, it appeared, doubt
sustained by the commission as to the principle upon which
these claims were to be adjusted, whether by the original
contract, or by construction. He confessed all this procras-
tination and hesitation had given him the more surprise, when
he recollected that early in 1810 Lord Howard De Walden
had informed the Government of Portugal that unless the
matter was put in a train of settlement within fourteen days
the British Government would certainly take the matter into
its own hands. He felt that, under these circumstances, he
was fully justified in making his present motion, and should
therefore move that his noble friend should lay on the table,
for the information of the house, the following papers :
" Copy of the mixed British and Portuguese commission for
investigating and determining the naval and military claims
on the Government of Portugal, arising out of the late war
of restoration ; also, a copy of the convention between the
British and Portuguese Governments relating to the issuing
of such commission.—Copy of the instructions and :rules
framed for the guidance and direction of the commissioners.
—Return of what has been done by the commissioners and
what :progress has been made in the investigation of the
claims, and the number of claims, if any, which have been
investigated and adjudicated ; and, if not any, the causes of
the delay."

Lord PALMERSTON regretted that he was not able to say
that those claims had been entirely settled ; but since the
close of last session great progress had been made, and he
hoped ere long that the settlement of them would be brought
to a conclusion. A commissioner had been appointed by
Portugal, and another by Great Britain, and the Belgian
minister accepted the office of arbitrator in the event of any
difference between the commissioners. One point of differ-
ence was now pending before him, and upon its decision the
business would be soon terminated, as, upon the principle
laid down in that one point, all the other matters, which
were chiefly of detail, would be easily disposed of.
Sir Da LACY EVANS said, the whole delay was attribu-
table to the want of good faith on the part of the Portuguese
government, aad if that should turn out to be the case, he
trusted the Compensation to the claimants would be upon the
most ample principle.

Mr. if. BAILLIE moved for the appointment of a select
committee to inquire into the condition of the islands and
highlands of Scotland, with a view to affording relief to the
inhabitants by means of emigration; and various circum-
stances pointed out Canada as the country most eligible for
them to be sent to.

Lord TEIGNMOUTR seconded the motion.
Lord .1. RUSSELL agreed to the appointment of the com-
mittee, though he could not agree that the distress in these
districts arose altogether from the changes in the revenue
laws. He thought, if a grant of a large sum were made to
these people for the purposes of emigration, they would have
a number of similar applications from other parts of the
kingdom.

Sir R. PEEL said, that considering the great sufferings of
the class alluded to, and the exemplary patience with which
they had borne those sufforings, it would be wrong to refuse
an inquiry ; and he should much prefer that that inquiry should
take place before a committee of the House of Commons,
rather than before a mere local commission. One great be-
nefit would, at all events, flow from an inquiry, if it only
showed what it was in the power of the government to do in
the way of emigration, and the difficulties the emigrants
would have to encounter, even if enabled to land in the
Canadas or any other colony.

Mr. HUME said that five out of seven persons who emi-
grated to the Canadas were obliged to leave them, owing to
the impossibility of obtaining employment.
On the suggestion of the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHE-
QUER. Mr. Baillie consented to alter his resolution by the
introduction of the words " to consider the practicability of
affording relief by means of emigraticp."
After a few observations from Mr. W. S. O'BRIEN and
Mr. M. PHILIPS, the motion was agreed to)
Sir HUSSEY VIVIAN obtained leave to bring in a bill for
executing the ordnance survey of England and Scotland on
an- enlarged scale. The English survey hitherto was on a
scale of one inch to a mile, which that of Ireland was on a
scale of six inches to a mile. The advantage of the latter
scale had been found very great, and the object was to give
power to adopt the same for England and Scotland.
Several hon. members expressed their opinions of the great
utility of such an enlarged survey as that proposed.
On the motion for the second reading of the tithe compo-
sition (Ireland) bill, Mr. SH AW complained of the hardships
inflicted upon the Protestant clergy of Ireland by the delays
which have taken place in the repayment of arrears of tithes
to the clergy. They were told by Lord Melbourne, in the
House of Lords, that they would receive 70 per cent. upon
those arrears, and they consented to give up the other 30 per
cent. The result, however, was, that they had only received
6s 10d in the pound, or 33 per cent., instead of 70.
Mr. PICOT said that the delay arose from a great number
of errors in the return of the value of tithes. Those errors
had been rectified in the course of the last summer, and the
most active steps had since then been instituted, and, in
most instances successfully, in the local courts, to recover
the arrears outstanding. Those exertions would be perse-
vered in until the whole were recovered.
The house then adjourned.