House Of Commons, Wednesd...
The Times, 1824-05-20T00:00:00

She CeAtn,IL:Jk,LVHKof the ;X(J,s,tduJ,;tK mntvecthat tne house on ith rising should adjourn lo Friday (the 21st iiistant.)- Awred to. A dr. Alderman WOOD presented a petition from publicans of Worcester, against the beer bill. A . FainER presentecd a similar petition from the victuallers of AlerthyroTydvil. Also a petition from Cardiff against the coal duties. AIr. lW'ODEliOVSE presented two petitions from parishes in Norfolk against thtc beer bill. Air. DENISON prtsented sinailarpetitions from Eshet, and King- ston- upon.Thames. Lort ENNISMORE presenzted a petition from Youghal, against negro slavery. MIr. SPR1NG RICE Presented a petition from officers of the Court of Common Pleas, Westmtinster, praying compensation for losses which they were tosuistdn by the county courts bill. The LORD ADVOCAl'E piesented a petition from Forfar. against the Scotch poor lawvs bill. Mr. MIABERLY gave notice that on Friday evening he would move to alter the present laws relative to the sale and redemption of the land.rax. ilr. DEN.A AN presented a petition from a certain charitable cor- poration, instituted so long back as the reign of Queen Anne, for Pl.tling smB}all sums to the ildustrious poor on pledges, praying to be heard in council against the equitable company's bill. COLUNTY-RATES. Mr. DICKINSON moved broa commitieeabovestairs, to investi- erate the expenditure of the county-rates in Englanl. The honour- rahle member said, that the susject was of very general importance ; and that the details could be no where examnined so well as in comI- mittee. Sir E. KNATCf B U1, seconded the motion. Air. HURST wished to examine into the state of the rates as well as into their expenditure. Thrre wvere parishes in whiich, not- withstanding great clange of citeumstances, no alteration had been made in thie rates paid for imiore than a hundred years. Motion agreed to, and the committee appointed. Al r. S. COOPER obtained leave to bring in a bill to alter and atnend so iutuch of the act of Charles I. as related to the inspouid ing of distresses in Ireland. He also obtainied leave to bring in a bill to relieve tenantg of small pzarelsof laud in lreland, in certain eases. Mr. DAWSON obtained leave to bring in a bill to consolidate the lawsrelating to the transportation ofofrenders from GreatBritain. Leave wat also given to bring il a bill to continue the powers of an act passed for the appointment o0 comtmissioners to inquire into public charities. Sir J. NEWPORT moved tbr various returns relative to the property, fees, and emoluments of Derry cathedral. AIr. CROKER movel for returns of the number of inhabitant householders and freeholders of coulnties who had voted at elections for members of Parliament in Ireland from 1795 to I823. Sir OEORGE HILI, seconded the motion, and cxpressed a hope that it was only prelusive to somse effectual menasure for doing away with the evils occasioned to that cou.ntry by the stnaU freeholders. Mr. CRORER disowned fany initention on his own part of at. temlntlng a revixion of the elective system of Ireland. Lord .1 ILTON felt alarmed at the intimation of the honourable baronet who seconded the motion. H sdid not believe tliat the right of voting given to she 40s. freeholders was any benefit to Ireland, because thosc who possessed it were not sufficiently aware of its value to turn it to any sound utse as it regarded the state of that country. But he csuld not but look on it as a most porten. tous rneasure, if it were attempted to disfranchise any portion of the county electors, while those who voted for the boroughs, and were equally incompetent to a sound exercise of the fran. chise, were allowed to retain it. There were many boroughs in Ireland of an extremely limited right of election. )Belfasr, the greatest town, except Dublin and Cork, containing 40,000 inlta. bitants, had only 14 electors. It Wa1 one of those burgage boroughs which were created by James 1. He would certainly propose an atd- dition to themotioni, witlout which the inquiry could he ot no avail- for a return of all the freemen, adistitted and sworn, and allowed to vote for the election of metmbers of Parliament in Ireland, within the same period, distinguishing thte boroughs limited by law as to the nitinber of electors, and those not limited, so far as the listi of the electors could be made out. Air. CROKER again disowned anv intention of interfering with the question of elective rights in courities. He had thought it tno harm to call for the returns, because in fact thev were, or ought to be mnade to the treasurer of each county, and laid before the grand jury ever v ear.-The motion was then carried. Lord IILTON tmoved another motion, to the effect stated by Iira before. Lord JOHN RUSSELL supported the motion, because he con- ceived it higlly dangerous, in a constitutional point of view, to UL- tempt any reduction of the couttty votes wvhile those of the boroughs, which were a much more serious grievance, wereto beleftuntouched. Mr. S. RIcE sopported the motion. MLr. LESI,IE FOR3TER said a few words. Mir. DAl'lSON brought in a bill to regulate the transportatiir, of offtendets from Great Britain.-]t was read a first time. Al r. S. COOPER brought in a bill for regulating the practice of impounding distresses in Ireland.-Read a first time. lllr. DAWSON brougltt in a bill to continue the acts for the ap- pointment o conmmissioners of chlaritable institutions irt England and Wales.-Read a first thne. Mr. S. COOPER brought in a bill for the relief of tenants of small parceLs of leand in Ireland.-Read a first time. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. Time order of the day was read tor btinging up a report of a bill respecting the parochial stipends in Scotland, the object of which was to make them tip to the amount of 1501 per annum. Mr. BROODEN brought up the report, which w;as agreed to, and the bill ordered to be brought in. Mr. BRO(4DEN brouglit up the report on the waTehousing charges ot Ireland, which was agreed to. COUNTY COURTS BILL. Lord ALTHORP moved the third reading of the county courts bill. Sir F. OMINIANEY wished to knowr whether it was the intention of the noble lord to move that the compensation clause be lelt out ? Lord ALTHORP raid, that lie intended to do so. The ATTORNEY-GEN ERAL hoped, that after llctliscussion which the bill generally, and the clause which had been alluded to in particular, had aIlready undergone in two very full conmmittees, it was not intemded, in the present state of the house, antd on this day, to press the thir(d reading of this bill. Lord ALTHOIiP said, that lie had announced his intention of submitting the merits of the bill for further discussion, on the tlird reading; and he had already put off that reading to accommodate the right honourable gentleman. He thought, therefore, that it was too much to askl him, at this period of the session, to postpone it further. The ATTORNELYGENERAL agreed that the noble lord had put off the third reading at his request; but he was nevertheless so much convinced of the iinpropriety of proceeding with it at pre- sent, that if the noble lord persisted in his intention, he should feel obliged to move, as an amendment, "that this house do now ad- journ." Mlr. LITTLETON seconded the amendment. On its being put, Lordl AI,THORP said, that his reluctance to postpone ti third reading was Occasioned by his fear that if eassented to it, he could scarcely hope to carry the ineasure (luring the present sesvsion. fr. SCA RLKTT hoped th)at the adjooumment of the house now would Hot have the effect his noble friend apprehended. He by no means approved of the bill as it now stood, and he should feel obliged to oppose it. With respect to tile compensation cl'ause, he most say, that if it were just to give compensation to some of the individuals mentioned, it would be the height of injustice not to ex- tend it to some others whose names he clid not find in the bill. He would mention the case of a -?ir. Smith, who had been the attached and faithful servant of the late Lord Elienborough for many years, and who had been notninated by his lordship to a place in the Coult of King's Bench, the emoltments of which arose from actions not bailable. The house must see that such a persoH deserved compen- sation no less because his office wvas the reward of his fidelity than if he had purchased it. He therefore saggested .to the nolole lord that it was hardly worth while to press the bill at present. He mtust ob. serve, that the bill, as it had conme out of the committee, was alto- gether d,fferent from that which had been first introduced to the ho use. He(Dlr. Scarlett) was as streauous an advocate as any man could be for the improven:ent of such errors or abuses as timelad occa- sioned in the institutions of the country*; but this bill went to create a newY jurisdiction, which w as by nO MeanS favourable to the genius of he constitutios, nor to the interests of the people ot England. It ought to be entitled, "' a bill for creating 20 new courts and 20 new judges, upon principles not consonant wvith the commlon law." It was anything but an improvement it, or an extension of, the ancient county courts. Lord AlITHORP said, he should not press his motion after what had been said; and if the right honourable gentleman wotmld wiittl- draw his amendment, he would move instead "that the third read- ing of this bill be postponed until Alonday next." This proposition was agreed to by the ATTORa,EYv-GE2ERAt, and the third reading fixed for Mondav accordingly. The other orders of the day were then di.posed of, and the house adjourned at HALF-PASTr SiX OCLOCK Uttil Friduyxiext. TF OUSE OF COMMONS. WEDY'ESDAY. MAY 19.