The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-05-10 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS, WEDNESDAY.

The SPEAKER took his seat a few minutes after twelve.
On the motion of Sir W. GUISE, the Fyfield (Berks) Road
Bill was read a first time.

Mr. Sergeant SPANKIE presented a petition from the rector,
churchwardens, overseer, and vestrymen, of St. Luke's Mid-
dlesex, against the St. Luke's Poor Bill.
IhIPROVEMENTS IN THE PORT OF LIVERPOOL.

Mr. WILBRAHAM, in bringing up the report of the Com-
mittee, containing amendments to the Birkenhead (Cheshire)
Improvement Bill, moved that they be read a second time.
Mr. POSTER stated that a petition had been presented against
that bill, but no person appeared before the committee to sup-
port it, and therefore the bill had gone through the committee
without opposition. He would, however, just make a few re-
marks as to what the bill was originally, and what alterations
had been made in it in-order to direct the attention of gentle-
men to the nature of all bills intrusted to their hands, As the
bill had originally stood, the vacancies of commissioners were
to be filled up by the remainder of the body,—that was, they
were to be self elected ; that clause had been altered, and the
election vested in the £IU and upwards rate-payers. No pro-
vision had been originally made for publishing the' accounts,
but the committee had 'decided they ought to be published.
They had also reduced the qualification of a commissioner from
£2,000 to £l,OOO. One clause imposed a fine of £5, even on a
boy playing at marbles in the streets, or on a poor Irishman
who, having arrived at the port of Liverpool, was loitering
about the streets of Birkenhead, or looking in at shop windows;
the committee had reduced that fine to 40s. Various other vex-
atious clauses were in the bill, and some of them remained still.
Mr. WILBR A HAM said, those remarks did not apply. to the
bill as it stood at present, but to the bill as it was originally
framed. Most of the alterations had been made at the sugges-
tion of the hon. member (Mr. Potter) himself, and therefore he
had no ground of complaint.
Mr. POTTER explained by saying that what he had said was
for the purpose of directing the attention of hon. members to
the clauses of every bill that came into their hands.
The amendments were then read a second time.
After a few more petitions were presented, the Speaker left
the chair. _ _

The SPEAKER resumed his seat at ten minutes past five
o'clock. . _ _

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Mr. PENDARVES moved for returns of all copper and tin im-
ported into and exported from the United Kingdom, between
the Ist January, 1832, and the Ist of January, 1833.—Ordered.

AFFIRMATION OF QUAKERS.

\Lord MoRPETH brought forward his motion for leave"to bring
in a bill to allow the affirmation of Quakers to be received in
all cases in which oaths were at present required to be taken.—
At present Quakers were only disqualified from two offices, viz.,
any office under the Crown and from serving on juries ; he pm-
posed that the affirmation of Quakers be received in all cases,
and thereby they would be qualified to do that from which they
were now debarred. His bill would also prevent the repetition
of those trifling delays which had recently taken place in that
house, viz., on the hon. member for South Durham (Mr. Pease)
taking his seat, and again yesterday wheu that hon. member
was ballotted to serve on au election committee. Looking at
the question upon general grounds, he could not see how a le-
gislature that had taken away the necessity of an oath from this
religious class, in cases of life and death, could stop short in ad-
mitting them to all the privileges and immunities of a state,
from whose imposts and support they. are not exempt ; and to,
which they contributed so much of industry; enterprise, good
order, and wealth. There could be no expectation, whilst the
state of the world continued anything like it was at present, that
the Quakers would take a full part in the transactions that were
going ou. From the navai and military departments and ser-
vices they would continue to be excluded by their own tenets;
but there were many other places under Government which
they were well qualified to fill, and to which they might pru-
dently aspire. The noble lord then moved for leave to bring in
a bill to allow Quakers and Moravians to make affirmation in
all cases where an oath was now required.
The SNEAKER then put the question, which was agreed to
without opposition.