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    458 SCtJS, gbealfeV. [Saturday,

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    PARLIAMENT. A considerable portion of th...

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    458 Sctjs, Gbealfev. [Saturday,

    458 SCtJS , gbealfeV . [ Saturday ,

    Parliament. A Considerable Portion Of Th...

    PARLIAMENT . A considerable portion of the business of the House of Lords this week has been listening to Lord Brougham ' s complaints of the press for njpxeportmg him . On Monday evening he complained--also of a gross personal attack having been made ^ pon him by one ot the papers , for his conduct as a judge in the Court of Appeal . Their lordships ha 4 , however , the power of defending themselves from outrages of this description , " whether emanating from disappointed suitors , disappointed attorneys , or disappointed barristers , " and he should probably find it necessary to ask them to enquire into it more particularly . Ob Tuesday evening he again , at great

    length , called the attention of their lordships to " a violent and slanderous attack which had been made upon him in a morning paper" [ the Daily News ] , with reference to the manner in which he had laboured to reduce the arrears of judicial business before the House . In an . article in the paper in question he was accused , amongst other things , of knocking off" the causes with undue haste , and it was asserted that a remonstrance had been presented to the Lord Chancellor against his ( Lord Brougham ' s ) sitting to hear appeals . " The whole article manifested the grossest ignorance , combined with

    falsehood and malignity , and such an assault upon the administration of justice in the Court of Queen ' s Benf h or the other courts of law would have been considered . a . high contempt , and have called down on those who perpetrated it condign punishment . " The Lord Chancellor expressed his regret that such an attack should have been made upon his noble and learned friend , whose exertions to reduce the accumulation of arrears in the judicial business before the House had conferred the greatest obligations on the public and the House . No remonstrance and such

    had been made to him on the subject , an attack could only be ascribed to the malevolence of a personal enemy . If repeated it might be worth while to notice these calumnies , but for the present he would advise his noble , friend to treat them with contempt . The Duke of Wellington expressed the gratitude which the House owed tp the learned lord for undertaking such laborious duties , in which the Marquis pf Lanbdowne concurred , though confessing , on his part , a complete ignorance of the merits of the case .

    In the House of Commons on Monday evening , the Attorney-Genearl moved the two resolutions of which he had given notice relating to the case of Baron Rothschild . The first of them declared that the member for London was not entitled to sit and vote in the House ; and the second pledged the House seriously to consider and revise the laws relating to the oaths of members at the earliest period possible next session . These resolutions , he observed , were quite distinct , and the affirmation of one did not necessitate the adoption of the other . Under the existing statutes there were three particulars involved in

    every oath—the fact , the manner , and the form . Of the first there was no question at issue ; and the House had not exceeded it powers by so modifying the second as to allow Baron Rothschild to have the oath tendered to him on the Old Testament . The form , however , could not be altered by a bare vote of one branch of the legislature . While he allowed this state of the law to be most monstrous and anomalous , and that as matters stood the member for Eondon had not vacated his seat , he yet believed that the resolutions he had proposed were most adinterests

    vantageous to that honourable member ' s , since , if he ventured to sit and vote under cover of a vote of that House , he would risk a liability to heavy penalties , and place himself in a legal position of great difficulty . The honourable and learned gentleman reiterated his confession of the absurdity which the existing statutes exhibited , and w hich demanded a speedy revision . He complimented the Baron Rothschild upon the firmness and prudence of his conduct during the controversy , nnd regretted that an idle form should deprive that House and his constituents of his services in the legislature . Mr . Hume

    proposed another resolution , by way of amendment , which set forth that , as doubts had arisen respecting the oaths taken by the member for London , it was expedient to pass a declaratory act at the commencement of next session to clear up those doubts , and at the same time to remodel the whole system of oaths required from elected members of that House . Mr . Anstey supported the amendment . Mr . Disraeli opposed the Government resolutions , and contended that the House of Peers were unjustl y censured for their conduct respecting the admissibility of the

    members of that failh into the Legislature . The reelection of Baron Rothschild was justly claimed as a moat significant event , but he complained that the Peers had never been enabled to pronounco upon it , no bill having Binco been presented to them . Of the two resolutions offered by the Attorney-General , one declared the law of tlie Ilouse , and the other pledged its future policy . Either step was bo unusual as to be warranted only by extreme necessity , and he saw no reason to believe that such a necessity existed . Even if it did exist the fault lay with the Government , who had neglected to legislate when the question was ripe

    for legislation , and he could Jiot vote for these resolutions . While rejecting the course recommended by the Ministry he , nevertheless , retained , in full force the desire he had heretofore expressed in speech and by vote , that the children of Israel should be admitted to every privikge enjoyed by British subjects . Sir JIobert Inglis tind that si | ch a measure would be tantamount to selling the birthright of Christianity which the country and the Legislature had hitherto enjoyed . Mr . Roebuck viewed the resolutions AS a ministerial pronunciamento , pledging the Government to carry a bill , admitting Jews to the Legislature , not only through that but the other House under Robert

    penalty of resignation . In reply to Sir Inglis he said , that sensible people but of doors felt that an assembly where Bolingbroke had heen a leader and Gibbon a member had lost its right to claim the distinctive title of Christian . Mr . Reynolds affirmed that many members of the House had taken the oaths and their seats who possessed neither the true faith of a Christian nor any other . Mr . Cockburn supported the resolutions . Mr . Brtght explained the terms of the Quaker paraphrase of the oath which he had taken , and in which there was a much larger omission of substantive clauses than required in the case of Baron Rothschild . The House having divided , the numbers were : —

    For Mr . Hume ' s amendment , 101—Against it , 163 . Majority against it , 62 . After a few words from Mr . Anstey , a second division took place upon the first resolution of the Attorney-General : — For the resolution , 166—Against it , 92 . Majority in favour of it , 74 . A division then took place upon the third resolution , which was carried by 142 to 106 .

    The committal of the Marjborough-house Bill having been moved , Mr . Hume remarked upon the extravagance of providing another palace for the Royal Family , when so many were maintained at the public expense . He moved that the chairman should at once report progress . On a division , this motion was negatived by 56 votes to 115 . The bill then went through committee . The Duke of Cambridge ' s Annuity Bill having been read a third time , Mr . Hume proposed an amendment to the principal clause , by which the amount of the annuity should be fixed at £ 8000 , and

    proceeded to contrast the sum they were asked to grant to a 6 cion of royalty with the wages paid to the labourers , and the salaries attached to various public officers of serious labour and responsibility . He was of opinion that this vote was most indiscreet . It was the noble lord who was injuring royalty , and he considered this as the beginning of a series of annuities . ( Bear , hear . ) Let them fancy such changes as took place in 1841 , 1842 , and 1843 , when half their population was thrown out of employment—let them fancy such occurrences taking place again , and take into consideration the effect such votes would have

    on the feelings of the people . He was sorry that he did not bring down to the House a plate in Ptcnch , in which a Government clerk was at one side of a pipe suing in vain for support , while at the other was the Duke of Cambridge , taking sovereigns from the bung hole , as well as two other cormorants , one of whom was the King of Hanover . Colonel Sibthorp intended to vote for £ 12 , 000 , which he did not think more than enough for a great nation to

    give to the descendant of the great and good King George the Third . The amendment was rejected by 111 to 52 , A second amendment was moved by Mr . Bright , limiting to £ 12 , 000 per annum the sum which the Duke of Cambridge was at any time hereafter to receive by way of annuity , salary , pay , and other emoluments from the public purse . Lord John Russell defended the bill as it stood . On a division the amendment was rejected by 108 to 39 , and the bill was then passed . The Commons' amendments on the Parliamentary Voters ( Ireland ) Bill were carried in the House of Lords on Tuesday by the very slender majority of 12 , consisting entirely of proxies , as will be seen from the analysis of the vote on the £ 12 qualification . For the £ 12 qualification—Present ,,.. 56 Proxies .... 70 126 Against it—Present 62 Proxies 52 114 Majority in favour of the £ 12 qualification 12 In the House of Commons , on Tuesday evening , the Crime and Outrage ( Ireland ) Continuance Bill gave rise to a warm discussion . The introduction of the bill was warmly opposed by Mr . Hume , Mr . Reynolds , Mr . E . B . Roche , Mr . W . T . M'Cullaoh , Sir Joshua Walmslev , Mr . Shauman Crawford , and other liberal members . The motion for the introduction of the bill was , however , carried by 84 to 24 . The motion that the House should go into committee on the Landlord and Tenant ( Ireland ) Bill was warmly opposed by Mr . Bright , who said it would convert a civil wrong into a criminal offence , and would place in the hands of the landowners , their

    drivers , ft fearful power of oppression . Mr . Poulett Scrope was opposed to -any legislation of this kind at so late a period of the session : — " The grievances under which the tenantry of Ireland laboured were of the most serious description , and the time had arrived when the House ought to take them into consideration . The cruel position in which the tenantry of Ireland was placed tended to lower their condition , and reduce them still further in the social scale . It should be remembered that they were forced to pay high rents imposed upon calculations with regard to the price of produce which the legislation of that House had of late years very much altered . He believed , if this bill

    were passed , that it would very much increase the distress of the agricultural classes . The system of evictions which had been carried on in Ireland was rapidly tending to depopulate the country . It was placed beyond dispute that , within the last three or four years , no fewer than 100 , 000 families , including some 500 , 000 or 600 , 000 persons , had been cast upon the world without a home or any description of shelter . This was a state of things so dreadful , that it was a disgrace to a civilized country . ( Hear , hear . ) Why should not the House , before its adjournment , proceed to enquire into this systematic eviction , and consider what means ought to be devised to prevent so terrible a state of things r "

    A protracted discussion ensued , in which the bill was defended by Mr . G . A . Hamilton , Mr . Lennard , Colonel Dunne , and Mr . Henley ; and opposed by Mr . M'Cullagh , Mr . Anstey , and Mr . Alcock . A motion for the adjournment of the debate till next day was ultimately carried , after much opposition . In the House of Commons on Wednesday evening , Mr . Hamilton moved the second reading of the Encumbered Estates ( Ireland ) Bill , which had come down from the House of Lords . He urged the necessity of having some restriction on the operation of the Encumberered Estates Act , which was confiscating all the property in Ireland , and shov ? ed that

    this bill was designed to mitigate the evils arising from that measure . The Attorney-General opposed the bill , which he regarded as a piece of onesided legislation , framed with a view to the interests of the landlords only . It would interfere prejudicially with the operation of the Encumbered Estates Act . He moved , as an amendment , that the bill be read a second time that day three months . Mr . F . French supported the bill , and charged the Attorney-General with having unwarrantably attacked the Irish landlords . After a lengthened discussion , the amendment was carried without a division . The bill was consequently thrown out .

    On the motion for the third reading of the Consolidated Fund Appropriation Bill , on Thursday , Mr . Bernal called the attention of the House to the evils inflicted upon the West Indian colonies in consequence of the state of the law relative to the employment of Africans . The agreements could only be entered into for one year , and he suggested that it would be advisable to extend these agreements to a period of three years , so that the labour of these immigrant Africans might be rendered productive and valuable in the colonies . Mr . Hume bore testimony to the accuracy of the statements of Mr . Bernal , and strongly urged the propriety of permitting the colonies to obtain free labour wherever they could . Mr . Hawes assured the Ilouse that the

    Colonialoffice was not indisposed to listen to the suggestions of the two honourable members . On the motion for the second reading of the Crime and Outrage ( Ireland ) Bill , Mr . S . Crawjford moved , and Mr . Fox seconded an amendment that the bill be read a second time that day three months . After some further discussion , the house divided , when the amendment was negatived by a majority of 89 to 26 , and the bill was xcad a second time .

    In answer to Mr . Moore , Sir George Grey said he could not give his sanction to the Landlord and Tenant ( Ireland ) Bill as it had come down from the other Ilouse . He thought the best thing that could be done was to withdraw it for the present session . Mr . Hamilton having refused to withdraw , Mr . Reynolds proposed that it be committed , which motion was agreed to without any farther discussion . On the motion for the second reading of the Savings' Bank Bill , Sir Henry Willoughby said it was not a proper time of the session to procee d with it , nor was that an hour at which they could fairly discuss a subject of such great weight . In fact , before they could legislate safely upon that matter they should submit the whole question to some enquiry or

    other ; and he , therefore , put it to the right honourable baronet the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it would not be more advisable to postpone it until the next session . Sir Charles Wood felt obliged , though with much regret , to come to the same conclusion . Mr . Poulett Scrope said they were to have had a bill brought in on that subject in the early part of the session : they were then at its close , and nothing had been done . He wondered a run had not taken place on the savings banks before now . The sooner they put these useful institutions on the btst footing possible , the better for the improvement of the condition of the great masses of the industrious classes in this empire . The bill was then ordered to bo read a second time that day six months .

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Aug. 10, 1850, page 2, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_10081850/page/2/