The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-04-09 00:00:00

Emprrial Varliamint.

HOUSE OF LORDS.-MONDAY.

In reply to a question from the Earl of MALmFf3III:IIY,
The Earl of RIPON said that a sufficitnt force had hen
sent to New Zealand to answer the purposes of pr,t c-
tion ; and Captain Fitzroy was entrusted with powers
sufficient to determine questions between the settlers and
the notices.

In reply to a question from Lord BEAUMONT,
The Earl of ABERDEEN said there could be no doubt
but that British commerce was placed under disadvantages
in the Levant, owing to the treaty between liuss'a and
the Sublime Porte; but, on the other hand, the other
European powers would not accept on the same terms
the advantages conceded to Russia. Her Majesty's Go-
vernment was anxious, however, to place the commerce
of England in the Levant upon the same footing as that
of the most favoured nations.
The Ecclesiastical Courts Bill was, after some discus-
sion, read a third time and passed.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-MONDAY,

Lord ELIOT moved for leave to bring in a bill regixk..
ting the parliamentary and municipal franchises in Ire-
land. His lordship expressed his belief that the system
of registration now established in England was a satisfac-
tory one, and he proposed to es.abli,h a like system in
Ireland, with only these material differences : that the
polling-places should be appointed by the Lord-Lieute-
nant ; that the annual revision should be by the assistant-
barristers ; and that the appeal from them should be to
the Court of Exchequer Chamber, seven judges being
made for this purpose a quorum. He proposed that the
names on the present register should be transferred to
the new one, there to remain undisturbed for the rest of
the term for which they were then enrolled, unless when
the tenant should have parted with some portion of his
qualification. For the purpose of defining the qualifica-
tion itself with respect to counties, the bill would contain
a clause giving effect to the construction which the majo-
rity of the judges had put upon the phrase " beneficial
interest." He admitted that this definition, which was
the adoption of the solvent tenant test, would displace a
great proportion, perhaps nearly two-thirds, or about
25,000 of the 40,000 voters now registered for this kind
of franchise ; and in order to restore a sufficient consti-
tuency, he proposed to give the right of voting to every
occupier rated to the poor on an amount of £3O or up-
wards. When all deductions should have been made,
this would give about 55,000 electors instead of the 25,000
struck off, making so far, on the balance, an addition of

about 30,000 constituents. To these it was proposed to
add, yet further, those who possessed a freehold of inhe-
ritance or a leasehold, renewable for ever, of the value of
£5 a-year. These interests were intended to confer the
franchise without actual occupation by the proprietor.
With respect to the Parliamentary franchise of cities and
boroughs, the proposal of Guvernment was, that it should
belong to every man paying poor-rate, borough-rate, and
police-tax. He trusted that this plan would he regarded
as a full redemption of the pledge contained in the Queen's
speech, and that the new electors would consider the trust
thus conferred upon them as given, not for the benefit of
their own peculiar districts alone, but of the whole king-
dom. The noble lord then proceeded to explain the ob-
ject of the other bill, relating to the Municipal Corpora-
tions. That object was to extend to the Irish corpora-
tions the principle of the English Municipal Bill, by
giving a vote to every inhabitant who bad paid certain
town rates for a residence of three years.
Mr. M. O'FERRALL expressed his apprehension that
the £3O rating clause would throw the county constitu-
encies into the hands of the landlords.
Sir R. PEEL advocated the provisions of the bill, and
hoped that honourable members would dispassionately
consider its provisions before they hastily attempted to
prejudge them.

- Mr. HUME was convinced the people of Ireland would
not be satisfied with this bill, which was far from placing
them, as regarded the franchise, on an equality with
England.
Mr. M. J. O'CoNNEi.t, said he should not oppose the
bill, but he protested against the assumption that the
addition of 30,000 voters to the county constituency "as
at all adequate to the just expectations of the people of
Ireland.

Lord ELIOT replied, and leave was given to bring in
both bills.

On the motion for the house resolving itself into a
committee of supply,
Lord J. RUSSELL asked if it wis true that government
bad three times offered the appointment of Judge of the
Privy Council to a distinguished individual (Lord
Brougham) in the event of a certain bill passing, and if
it was correct that government, after the refusal of the
individual in question, had made up its mind not to pro-
ceed with the bill ?

Sir R. PEEL said if the bill, which was now referred to
a committee in the Honse of Lords, should come down
to that house, he would be as free and unfettered to con-
sider its provisions as the noble lord or any other hon.
member. It was proposed to the noble lord to undertake
the office, under the impression that the power rested
with the Crown, and that unless it were necessary to give
a salary there was no necessity to apply for the authority
of parliament. At that time Lord Brougham declined
the appointment, from the belief that it was not neces-
sary, and there the matter rested. The noble and learned
lord had himself now brought in a bill for the appointment
of a permanent judge of the Privy Council, and it was re-
ferred to a very competent committee.
Mr. R. YORKE said the bill was a gross job, and he
would use every form of the house to defeat it should it
ever come down to that house.
The house then went into committee, and proceeded
with the civil contingencies and miscellaneous estimates,
which occupied the remainder of the evening.