POSTSCRIPT. atTunnex.

The greater part of last night was consumed by the House of Commons in Committee on the Australian Colonies Government Bill ; but although the proceedings possessed great' interest, and the debate was, at times, conducted with sufficient animation the arguments were too generally a repetition of those advanced on the second reading of the bill, for us to encroach upon. our preoccupied apace by retracing them.

At the very outset, Mr. Hums objected to the confusion in the pream. ble : ho suggested that all existing acts should be repealed, and the parts which it is intended to retain explicitly reenacted. The preamble was postponed.

Mr. Bowman pointed out a discrepancy between the present bill and the constitution of New South Wales, which it professes to continue. By that constitution, one-third of the Legislative Council is to be nominated by the Crown, but only one-half of that third is to consist of officials : the bill contained no such restrictive provision. Lord Joint Russia. would take care that it should be set right. Sir WILLIAM MOLESWORTH remarked Lord John's imperfect comprehension of his own bill,

Mr. Mowarr, speaking as a colonist, said that the people in the Colo- nies, did not care whether they had one or two Chambers, provided they had the power of electing all the •members. He gratefully thanked Lord John Russell for the policy he had adopted on this great Colonial ques- tion, but moved to' omit all that portion of the clause which related to nomination by the Crown. Some difficultywas felt by the Colonial Re- formers in dealing with the detail before• deciding the larger- question as •to whether there should be one or two Chambers ; but Sir Wnadara Motes- 'WORTH, Mr. GLADSTONE, and others, supported the motion ad interim. Mi. LABOUCHERE placed the Ministerial position succinctly, when he said that the bill proposed to continue the New South Wales constitution, and to enable the colonists to improve it themselves ; they objecting to altera- tions sent over from this country. Mr. HAWES added, that the present constitution "is in accordance with the wishes of the colonists." Sir ROBERT PEEL could not forego that single check upon pure- democracy which the Crown nomination afforded.. On a division the amendment was negatived, by 166 to' 77.

Mr. WeLpor.s then moved his amendment, the object of which was

to Chambers, one nominated by theCrown, the other elected by the colonists ; the terms of the immediate motion, however, only setting forth the separation of the two Chambers. The amendment was opposed by Ministers, with a reiteration of the arguments described above, and a repeated assurance that the colonists prefer a single Chamber. This assurance was as repeatedly shown to be disingenuous, amongst others by Mr. FREDERICK PEEL; and Mr. GLADSTONE said that in advancing it Ministers were toking advantage of their own wrong, since the oceasion which elicited :the objections of the colonists consisted of very unpopular and undesirable changes. proposed by Government The division into two Chambers was also supported by Mr. Scorr, Sir Wuxi/at Momiswoarit and. other speakers. Among the independent Members whom Ministers converted to oppose the amendment were 1.1; AGLIONEY, the Earl of Aantrrau. and Sum mitl and Colonel- Tuosresow. On a division, the original clause was carried, by 198 to 147.

Progress was reported, and the House resumed.

'Lord JOHN RUSSELL. stated -the course- which he proposed with regard to' the adjournment : he proposed to take a vote on the Ordnance Esti- mates on Monday, and then postpone the Estimates till the 8th of April ; the House to sit at twelve o'clock on Tuesday, only to' receive the report of the Committee of Supply, and then to adjourn till the 8th.

In the House of Peers, the Duke of ARGYLL presented a petition against alteration of the parochial school system in Scotland; which, for Minis- ters, the Marquis of LANSDOWNE disclaimed, though the system might be further developed. But the principal subject was a piquant altercation respecting Lord Stanley's Mansionhouse allusion to Lord Brougham as "somewhat volatile."

Lord BROUGHAM said, that had the phrase come from the Marquis of Lansdowne, or the Earl of Aberdeen—men grave, serious, solid, stable, and

remarkably discreet—he should have called it a sneer or a sarcasm ; but coming from his noble friend near him, to whom he could not apply those epithets, nor any one of them, he took it as a compliment. "Volatile" is flighty ; but he, to answer a speech made in his presence in the House of Peers, had never flown to the House of Mayors.

Earl Gado/Rix justified the epithet, after Lord Brougham had broken a twenty-years rule to eulogize the Expositionof 1851 at a public meeting in Westminster, and had then attacked it in the House.

Lord OVEI1STONE took part in the controversy; delivering his maiden speech—a grave lecture 'to Lord Brougham being coupled with -a eulogy on the Exposition, and on the benevolent and sagacious Prince who had sug- gested Lord STANLEY was sorry he had occasioned disquietude to his noble and learned and very grave and discreet friend ; but he- had been "somewhat volatile." " In point of acuteness, activity, rapidity, and pungency, sal vo- latile is nothing when compared with my noble and learned friend. (Great laughter.) You may put a stopper of glass or leather on that etherial

essence • but I defy any human -power, even that of my noble and learned

friend himself, to put any stopper, either of glass, or leather, or any other material, over the activity, ingenuity, and pungency of his mind. (Laugh- ter.) Volatile his wit and readiness of humour are, but amillPonsous or offensive never • that I shall at all times be prepared to deny. (Cheers and laughter.) I hope the long friendship between us will not be disturbed for a

single moment by the expression I used. I will form a more correct estimate of his character.: I will look on him, not as one of those great, rapid, and energetic

men,' who-take partin any.and-every question-.*and•come in with- ouch ve- locity that they seem not many- questions but .one.continuous question ; but. aa a man of a grave,. serious,.plodding, and rather slow and heavy nature,.. Roans of laughter)—not. hasty in taking up a subject, nor iu laying it dowis —nor in expressing. his opinion upon. it—(Laagleter, continued)—unless he . had previously considered it in every light and-in: every bearing. (Laughter again.) If my noble and learned, friend will .put. himself under, my. tuition.,- and, considering the constancy with. which he-favours us with hie-corupany on 'this side of the House—(A laugh)—Imay perhaps ventureto give him one

t.

hin: it is, that when my. noble and leai toed, friend favours vs with. his sin-, sere opinione lie should not give them so' muck an air of irony, and that i when 'he wants to promote an object like-the Exhibition of 1851 he should not throw out a sarcasm that is calculated to deter people -from supporting•it ; —(Cheers)--to make them think. that they are great .foola. if they suffer 7 themselves to-be deluded.. by He should- separate that which is serious,, from thatwhich is-ironical. And if his real desire was, as 'he says, to pro- mote

the objects of thisgreat. exhibition, I very much regret that- he did not.: accept the invitation of. the Lord Mayor, that we might-have.thanked him for the effective aid with which he has, it appears, endeavoured to promote . its ultimate success by, the speech he delivered the other nightin

(Great laughter.)

Lord Baoueriam, who sat covering his face with his hand, now rose to. reply, with muoh..eneru. In the course of his reply, he declared that he f possessed the kindest and most benevolent feeling that he could possibly en-- . tartan, for Lord Stanley;. but rebuked him- for-attempting ,by a dull joke to- set people laughing at an absent man. (Ruch laughter.) Ank.finally, not pretending to vie with Lord Overdone in the gurgeoua eloquence of his boundless panegyric on Prince Albert, he contented himself, in his plain way,: with stating that no one could.entertain a higher raspectfor that illustrious , Prince ; a respect increased by the interest whiCh the Prince has recently , shown in the condition of the working classes—" so that it is- difficult to know- which-roost to'admire, the sound-judgment or the benevolent feelings of the., Prince." (Cheers.) Here the House turned tolusiness;. and eventually adjourned till four- o'clock this afternoon.