Et hair., anh rnrring in.paztiamtnt.

PRINCIPAL BUSINESS OF THE WEEK.

HOUSE OF LORDS. Monday, August 5. Royal Assent to the Population Bill, Factories Bill, Metropolitan Interments Bill, Australian Colonies Government Bill, and a dozen others—Public Libraries and Museums Bill, passed through Committee. Tuesday, August 6. Vindication of the Judicial Proceedings of the House, by Lord Brougham—Parliamentary Voters' (Ireland) Bill, as altered by the Commons; agreed to; Lord Stanley's Motion against the 12/. Franchise negatived by 126 to 114. Thursday, August 8. Ecclesiastical Commission; Commons' Amendments agreed to—Mercantile Marine (No. 2) Bill, considered in Committee. .Friday, August 9. Criminal Law Digest; Statement by Lord Brougham. House OF COMMONS. Monday, August 5. Baron de Rothschild's Claim, disposed of for the Session—Stamp-duties (No. 2) Bill, in Committee—Customs Bill, in Committee—Duke of Cambridge's Annuity Bill, read a third time and passed—Pub- lic Health (Ireland) Bill, withdrawn—Customs Bill, considered in Committee. Tuesday, August 6. Irish Crime and Outrage Act Continuance (No. 2) Bill, read a first time—Landlord and Tenant Bill; going into Committee opposed ; debate ad- journed. Wednesday, August 7. Encumbered Estates (Ireland) Act Amendment Bill, op- posed by the Attorney-General and throw,p out on second reading—Stamp-duties (No. 2) Bill, with amendments, and Marlborough House Bill, read a third time and passed—General Board of Health (No. 3) Bill, read a second time—Bill to facilitate the Transfer of Loans for Irish Land Improvements, brought in by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Thursday, August 8. Immigration of Africans and Coolies to the West Indies— Crime and Outrage Act (Ireland) Continuance (No. 2) Bill, read a second time— Landlord and Tenant (No. 2) Bill, abandoned by Mr. Hamilton—Administration of Criminal Justice Improvement Bill, Chief Justices Salaries Bill, alio Savings-Banks Bill, withdrawn by Ministers—Customs Bill, read a third time and passed. Friday, August 9. Crime and Outrage Act (Ireland) Continuance (No. 2) Bill, considered in Cominittee—Sewerage Operations ; Illness of Officers of the House—,„, Ionian Islands ; Mr. Ilurne's Motion for a Commission of Inquiry, further debated, - and negatived by 84 to 13—Merchant Seamen Laws; Bill to Consolidate, to be brought in by Mr. Labouchere.

•

TIME-TABLE, The Lords. The Commcns.

Bout of Roar of Hour of Hour of Meeting. Adjournment. Meeting. Adjournment. Saturday Noon .... 2h Ont Monday Sh Om Monday Noon .... Its 15m - 711 i'at) lh 3055 Tuesday Ph 42m Tuesday Noon .... 3h 45m 6h (m) lh 4501 Wednesday No Bitting. Wednesday' Noon .... Its loin Thursday Noon .... 4h 16m Thursday 611 Oh 45m Oth 10h 30m Friday Noon .... 6h lam 7/11 (m) 2h Om

Sittings this IA ark, 10 Time. 61h 551 this Session,149; — 1041h 18m BARON DE ROTHSCIIILVS CLAIM, Before the Attomey-General brought forward the resolutions of which he had given notice, Mr: I. A. Shun asked why the declaration in writing, left on the table of the House by Baron de Rothschild when he took the oath of abjuration in the form most binding on his conscience, had been omitted from the Votes, while all the other proceedings were so mi- nutely described ? Mr. SPEAKER explained, that in those eases where a Member is allowed by law to make an affirmation, or to take an oath in a way unusual, the paper subscribed is always prepared by the Clerk or sanctioned by the Speaker. "In this case, I believe (for I did not see the transaction) after the honourable Member for London had taken the

Friday

Sittings this Week, 4; Time, 1111 21m --. this smion.05 ; --247h 48m oaths, he signed a paper which was not prepared by the Clerk." . The paper was not tendered to the House, but merely laid on the table, and- muther the:Clerk nor the Speaker was aware of its contents for some minutes. Afterwards the Speaker became aware that it contained the oath without the words " on the true faith of a Christian." He consider- ed the transaction'to have taken place without the sanction of the House, to be perfectly irregular' and to be contrary to its practice ; and therefore he felt it to be his duty to exclude it from the Votes.

Mr. ATTORNEY-GENEBAL brought forward the two resolutions of which he gave notice last Thursday night.

1. That the Baron Lionel Nathan de Rothschild is not entitled to vote in this House, or to sit in this House during any debate, until he shall take the oath of ab- juration in the form appointed bylaw. .• 2. That thib House will, at the earliest opportunity in the next session of Par- liament, take into its serious consideration the form of the oath &abjuration, with a view to relieve her Majesty's subjects professing the Jewish religion."

S. The resolutions were separate and distinct, and might be put from the chair separately and distinctly ; and it was perfectly competent for any Mem- ber to reject either and accept the other. Declining to retrace the argument by which he formerly established that Baron de Rothschild had not taken the oath of abjuration in the form ap- pointed by law," the Attorney-General passed on to consider the course thereby rendered necessary. Upon looking into the subject more carefully than he had done when he spoke on the former occasion,he had come to the conclusion that Baron Rothschild's seat is not vacant in consequence of his refusing to take the oath. His seat will be void " if he shall presume to

vote," but not till then. Neither is the seat vacant nor is there any means to declare it vacant. By an idle form of an oath, Abjuring allegiance to a family now extinct—by a form never intended to exclude gentlemen profes- sing the Jewish religion, Baron Rothschild's constituents aredeprived of the benefit of his services in Parliament. It is incumbent on the House to pledge themselves that -they will, at the earliest possible opportunity next Aession, pass a bill for the purpose of altering a state of the law in itself so monstrous and in its effects so absurd.

The resolution embodying this course will be beneficial to the case of Baron Rothschild : an opposite vote would, afford the House of Lords the strongest possible argument—the argument, extremely difficult to answer, " What sort of reason is there for asking us to pass an act of Parliament to enable persons professing the Jewish religion to take their seat in the House of Commons, when you have already expounded a law declaring that they are entitled by the existing law to sittind vote there ?" He felt quite sure that no lawyer, in that House or out of it, who is making 500/. a year by his profession, will advise Baron Rothschild that he can take his seat in safe exemption from the penalties. Observe what one result would be. The Baron is a man largely engaged in exunmercial affairs : let him take his seat, and, as one of those penalties, lie would be disqualified from bringing an

action against any person ; and any defendant sued by him would bein a

position to carry the ease before the House of Lords, which in its judicial capacity would then have to decide whether. the House of Commons had come to a right conclusion as to the law on the subject. The amendment

proposed by Mr. Hume would he ‘, only just less dangerous" than the pre- ceding course. It would furnit.to opponents of the bill elsewhere the strong

argument—" Why do you cOmI to us, when you yourselves say you have doubts on the question, and 'refuse, accordingly, tct decidg it ? Pray pass a distinct judgment as to-the law regulating. the saats of fear Members, before you come and ask us for a decision, which perhaps it turns out is unneces-

sary." The idea of holding such a resolution in terrorem over the other gpuse is wholly undignified in itself, and inconsistent with the honour of the House and with propriety. For Baron Rothschild to take his seat-and have a bill of indemnity afterwards, would be acting by a eidewind and a subterfuge.

In conclusion, Sir John Romilly expressed a high sense of the propriety, firmness, ant moderation manifested, by Baron Rothschild at every stage of

this very difficult and peculiarly unprecedented matter. He has gained the esteem of all parties, and communicated to all a deep regret that a law so monstrous and absurd should so long have excluded from the House of Commons a gentleman manifestly so well qualified to strengthen that House in the good opinion of the country, and so materially- to aid its deliberations. Mr. HUME signified his pleasure at the material advance the Atterney- General had made, in now admitting that the seat is not vacant.

For himself, he felt no shadow of doubt as to Baron Rethschild's leg. al right to take his seat; but others have doubts on the subject, and he Has

framed his resolution accordingly. However, the House has no right to judge of the law ; the law is for a court of law to determine. Ile moved as an amendment-

" That the Clerk of this House, having proceeded as directed by the House to ad- minister the oaths to Baron Lionel Nathan de Rothschild, one of the Members for the City of London, upon the Old Testament, being the form which he declared to be most binding upon his conscience; and the Baron having so sworn to the oath of abjuration, with the omission of the words upon the true faith of a Christian';

and doubts having arisen as to the legal effect of his so taking the oath, it is expe-

dient that, at the commencement.ethe next session of Parliament, a bill should be introduced to declare the law with reference to the due administration of that oath : and further, that this House will then take into its serious consideration the sub- ject of ths„. oaths now administered to its members with reference to the changes which have taken place since they were first imposed by law.” Mr. DISRAELI felt that the resolutions now before the House had de- parted from that limited and strictly legal character which had hitherto restrained him from presuming to intrude on the debate.

It appeared to him that there is no class of religionists in this country hav- ing less to complain of in the spirit of the Community, than the class of Englishmen professing the Jewish religion. Remembering the position of

such men only a quarter of a century since he was proud of and gratified at the contrast : no other body ether Majesty's subjects could have realized

sutb. a position in so brief a apace. Absolving the community fronr bigotry, and the spirit of the age from intolerance, he defended the branch of the Legislature whose conduct has been criticized in a manner he thought not

only harsh but unjust. Barely three_years ago, after a prolonged discussion in consequence of the election of an Englishman professing the Jewish reli- gion, the House of Commons .passed, not by an overwhelming though by a

numerous and most respectable majority, a bill to remove the disabilities which prevented that gentlemanfrom taking his seat. The House of Lords gave that bill a solemn and deliberate consideration, and rejected it by a

respectable but not overwhelming majority : a bill proposing-large and very great and perplexing alterations was brought into the Lords; it received full anti temperate discussion, and was rejected by a majority certainly not

startling. Next year, her Majesty's Government proposed a bill almost

identical: it was discussed in a spirit of mitigated hostility, and rejected by a diminished majority. The Member for the City of London accepted the

Chiltern Hundreds, and, after an arduous contest, was returned by an over-

whelming and most triumphant majority of his constitueney. rt has been assumed that the second verdict of the House of Lords was subsequent to this

decision of the constituency of London,—an incident not to control, but doubtless fit to influence, the calculations of wise and politic men. But this assumption is surprisingly erroneous ; the incident of Mr. Rothschild's having Ill 50 marked a manner reottained the suffrages of his constituents has never as a datum, been submitted to the House of Lords to influence their deci- sion. The natural impatience of the citizens of London has by a precipitate criticism been turned m a wrong direction: all the odium collected, and the invidious considerations which have clouded the debate, have no application to that body ; and if any persons are responsible for the position in which the electors of London are placed, those persons are the members of her Ma- jesty's Government.

With reference to the resolutions before the House—deeming the first of them not extremely constitutional, and the second not extremely politic, he should vote neither. His "silent vote" last year, ungenerously alluded to by the First Minister, had been dictated by what he lad thought good sense and good taste : lifter once unequivocally expressing the grounds for 'supporting an object dear to his heart and convictions, a refuge in a silent vote would at least avoid offence to the feelings or prejudices of gentlemen on either side of the House.

Mr. ROEBUCK was pretty well convinced that the question is really set- tied; but he could not say that the mode of the present settlement re- flects honour either on the House or the Administration.

He very early warned the friends of the bill, when Ministerial delays be- gan to be repeated—that the bill would "not come on this session "—they might "mark his words" for that. "Why did he say so ? Because it is characteristic of this Administration never to dare a difficulty: The moment a question becomes difficult, it is an open question with them." Mr. PACE WOOD contended that the ease of Mr. Pease is still that which should be followed as a precedent.

The gentleman by wham that case was managed on behalf of the Govern- ment was Mr. Charles Wynn ; and no one in that House better understood than he did the laws and usages of Parliament. He had the authority of Mr. Wynn for stating, that he never for a moment doubted the soundness of the opinions which he then gave ; and he had further his authority for stating that illness alone prevented his coming down to the House and supporting the proposition which Mr. Wood had submitted to the House. _ • The SOLICITOR-GENERAL briefly adhered to the legal views expressed by the Attorney-General. The °thee speakers were Sir ROBERT INGLIS, MT. ANSTEY, MT. REYNOLDS, and Mr. BRIGHT.

Mr. Ilume's amendment was put first ; and it was negatived by 163 to 101—majority 62 The Attorney-General's first resolution was carried by 166 to 92—majority 72. His second.resolution was carried by 112 to 106—majority 36.

IRISH FRANCHISE AND REGISTRY.

The various alterations made by the two Houses on the Parliamentary Voters (Ireland) Bill. were brought under the reconsideration of the Lords, by the Marquis of Isorsnowale ; with a few reasons urged in a conciliatory tone for accepting the modification of the franchise by the CoMmons, and for conceding the restoration of the registry clauses, on which the Commons insist. The Commons, he said, had acceded to three amendments proposed by•the Lords; they yield somewhat while demand- ing somewhat, in proposing the compromise of a twelve-Pound franchise ; and as to the registration amendment of the lards, it certainly contra- vened the spirit of their orig4ull bill. .. , Lord STANLEY usgedahe Furst° stand byelseir own amendment's ; and made a sharp attack son the -Roman Catholic priesthood in Mayo for their conduct in the late election.

"It was a scandal upon any system of representation, and the gentleman who has been returned to sit in Parliament represents nothing ef the pro- perty—nothing of the real opinion of the owners, and, I may also say, of the occupiers of the soil, but represents merely the dictation and opinions of Archbishop Wilde and his subordinate clergy. My Lords, when, io.a case like that of Mayo, you perceive the enormous extent of power used by the priests, you ought to be the more cautious how you make experiments for the introduction of a class of yoters who, by reason of their poverty and want of intelligence, must be the subservient tools of the Roman Catholic elergy." •

The House divided on Lord Stanley's motion to insist on the fifteen- pound-frangluse

Content—Present .. 62 Proxies . 53-115 Not Content—Present. 56 Proxies 70-126 Majority in favour of the twelve-pound franchise

—11 With some sarcasms on the unfailing resort of Ministers to the con- venience of proxies when they happen to be outnumbered by the Peers who have been present at the debate, Lord STANLEY advised the Earl of Desert not to divide on his motion to disagree with the. Commons' regis- -tration amendnient. The Marquis of LANSDOWNE retorted, that, con- venient or not convenient, there is no Peer who would more willingly resort to the system of proxies if it suited his purpose, or if he could gain a single vote by it, than Lord Stanley. Tile Earl of Due= reluctantly yielded to Lord Stanley's suggestion • and further opposition to the final alterations of the Commons was abandoued.

REPRESSION OF CRIME IN IRELAND.

The debate adjourned on the 2d instant to last Tuesday, on the Irish Crime and Outrage Act Continuance (No. 2) Bill, was resumed by the opponents of the bill, withlimparent determination to contest every stage. Mr. Moose, Mr._ Scotty, Mr. M'Curaston, Mr. R. M. Fox, and Mr. Pouterr SCRoPE, opposed the first reading ; aad .of those Irish Members who seceded to this stage, Colonel RAWDON, Major BIACKALL, Sir DEN- HAM NORREYS, and Colonel CHATTERTON less supported the bill itself, than weeded to its introduction in confidence that Lord Clarendon will wisely execute it. An amendment to the motion for leave to bring in the bill was negatived, by 81 to 21. Mr. HUME and Sir JOSHUA IVatmstey joined the Irish section; and Colonel Tiromrsom improved the occasion by remarks on the importance of union between English and Irish Mem- bers. A motion to adjourn the debate was negatived, by 85 to 24; and then the moths for leave to bring in the bill was carried, by 84 to 24. Bill brought in, and mad a first time.

The second reading of the bill was allowed to pass almost without challenge ; some arrangement or compromise being hinted, both expressly and tacitly. Mr. Smola/of CRAWFORD moved that the second reading be put off till that day three months ; but this was understood by Sir Gaoling GREY to be only his way of protesting. The protest was carried out in formal division; and the second reading was carried, by 89 to 26.

TENANT LAW IN IRELAND.

An opposition still more determined was shown by a small phalanx of Members under the lead of Mr. BRIGHT, MT, SHARMAN CRAWFORD, and Mr. jil'Cuission, to any further progress with the Irish Landlord and Tenant Bill. The proceedings became even ostensibly obstructive. Mr: ANSTEY acknowledged that he wanted to defeat the present hill. For that object he had moved the adjournment of the debate; for that object he supported the present motion [Mr. REYNOLDs'S, to adjourn the House]; and for that object, when the present motion should be disposed of, he would repeat the motion he had already made. After a long continuance- of small debate, in the course of which the House narrowly escaped a " count-out," Lord PALMERSTON saw that there was no hope of any re- sult, and, at about an hour after midnight, yielded the adjournment of the debate.

Immediately after the Crime and Outrage Bill had been read a second time, Sir GEORGE GREY asked Mr. Hamilton if ho intended to persevere with his Landlord Bill this session ; intimating that he felt [officially) that it would- be impossible to agree to it, even after considerable affiendment Mr. Ilsmitrox, thus discouraged, admitted that he must abandon his intentions ; leaving with the Government the responsibility of consequences which he felt assured would be disastrous to Ireland. Mr. EEYNOLDS—" Do you withdraw the bill ?" Mr. Hattruros would be no party to its withdrawal, but would not oppose the discharge of the order for the second reading, if any one else chose to move it. So Mr. REYNOT.DS moved the discharge of the order, and that course was agreed to without dissent.

In the course of the conversations on these bills, Mr. Hume said he had been told-of an " arrangement" with the Irish Members : he could only say that he was prepared to resist the Outrage Bill to the utmost ; but it was more the aids of the Irish Members than his, and if they did not persist he must bow to necessity and let it pass.

IRISH ENCUMBERED ESTATES COMMISSION.

Mr. G. A. HAMILTON moved the sowed reading of the Encumbered Estates Act Amendment Bill ; the principal object of which was to pm- vide that the Commissioners shall sell no estate for less than fifteen year? purchase. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved that the bill be read that day three months ; objecting both to its principle and its details.

It proceeds upon a different and opposite principle to the existing net, and would be in fact a repeal of that act; and at the same time. it proceeds on a total mistake as to the facts. He ventured to say, after the most careful ex- amination of every particular -ease that had been mentioned, that no sale had as yet taken place at an under-value. It had been repeatedly stated that one estate had been sold at one-and-a-half year's purchase. On a former occasion-he stated the circumstances connected with that sale, and in- timated his conviction that it was a dear purchase. The. circuir.stances which Lod side° occurred had verified that opinion; for, upon the Condition of paying the expenses connected with the sale, tho purchaser had been allowed to eet rid of it, and the estate had since been sold at a little less -than two-thirds of the sum which he gave for it. When you talk of so many years' _purchase, it is quite impossible, on the face of it, to know what is meant, whether the nominal rental or the actual value. A most pre- , judicial state of things had grown up in Ireland in this respect, which the present bill was eminently calculated to continue. No sooner was land presented for lease than a host of tenants offered themselves, each outbidding the other, and all promising to give net only in- finitely more than the land was worth but infinitely more than they could ever pay : the result of which system has been the extension and perpetuation of pauperism for the tenant class, and for other classes an altogether erronemsi notion of the value .orwproperty in Ireland. In its immediate results this system has, no doubt, been advantageousOo the land- lords, for it has enabled them to borrow double the money upon laud thus let at double its value ; but the double value' was never realized, for the siniple reason that it was utterly impossible for the tenant to pay it, and landlord and tenant had thus hanging over them liabilities winch neither could at all meet out of the land purporting to-be the security. The large nominal rentals placed against the announcements of sales under the ad were a positive evil as regarded these sales. Where estates in Ireland were said to be sold for twenty years' purchase upon the rental set under the old system, the exceeding probability was that the actual result of thoortle had been forty years' purchase. There was one fact which he considered as a marked tribute to the value of the act of last year, u now better understood —that whereas at first the applications for sales proceeded principally from encumbrancer's, almost all the more recent applications had emanated front the owners. He deeply regretted that so oueseled a measure as this should have been sent down from the House of Lords' and ho still more regretted that, its whole object being the advantage of the Irish landlords at the ex- pense of their creditors and tenants, its author should have been an Irish landlord.

. Mr. Fneareu, Mr. SCULLY' and Colonel DUNNE, successively expressed their surprise at the attack made by Sir John Romilly on the House of Lords and the landlords of Ireland ; so acrimonious in substance, though not couched in coarse or vituperative language. Mr. Fituren iirodd the weighty importance of such an arrangement of the sales as will spread them equally over the whole three years for which the Oommiasion is to exist, and as will more promptly than at present place the produce of the salea'in the-hands of those who have been deprived of their property. Mr. STAFFORD also deprecated the Attorney-General's reflection on the House of Lords; but added, that, after having carefully considered the question, he had come to the conclusion, that in the present unfortunate condition of Irish property, the best thing that could be done would be to allow the Encumbered Estates Bill to work as it stands. He regretted extremely that the Security for Advances Bill [brought in by Sir John -Romilly, but resisted by the Irish Members, tiff Ministers withdrew it] had not been passed this session.

• Mr. Butner observed, that it seemed impossible even to state the facts of this case without expressing an opinion which some gentlemen con- ceived to be an attack on the other branch of the Legislature.

Four bills have lately been sent from the other House: the Distress for Rent Bill, to "assimilate the law of Ireland to the law of England "—un ob- ject professed only when a bad principle is found in English legislation ; the- Landlord and Tenant Bill, to make into a Grime that which was never yet held by us a criminal offence ; the Small Tenements Recovery Bill, 'to give greater facilities to landlords to obtain those hovels which for the most part the peasants have themselves built. The object in all is to give power to get rid of the occupier, and seize what he has for the landlord's rent. But now comes this act to prevent the sale of a landlord's land without his con. sent, unless at a rate greatly higher than its value—for the enormously high valuation of 1832 was to be taken. It is balled confiscation to sell a man's land and pay the debts that he won't pay himself. Does not the simple- narrative of -these facts damage the character of the House of Lords ? Lord Stanley talked of the "rubbish" the Franchise Bill would introduce into the constituency. The spirit which actuates that man appears to actuate the majority of the HOLM of Lords and a considerable minority of the House of Commons. It is a spirit which tends to create discord between Ireland and

Pegland, and in therefore the most unpatriotic and anti-national that could be cherished.

Mr. HAMILTON declined to press his motion to a division. $o the bill was lost.

LORD BROUGHAM AND THE APELLATE COURT.

The conduct of business in the House of Lords as the supreme court of appeal having formed the subject of criticism in a morning journal, Lord Baouallesi, at a subsequent sitting, very warmly vindicated the procedure of the court; and with vivacious indignation repelled the slanderous ribaldry, and the malicious but despicable charges against personal cha- racter, which he regarded as aimed spitefully against himself Of more importance than his personal animadversions, however, are the statements of facts which fell from him, in exposing the extent to which the inade- quate judicial maChinery of the Supreme Apellate Court had brought the evil of delay in the administration of justice.

He had been sitting for the last six or seven weeks in the administration of the justice of their Lordships' appellate jurisdiction; assisted occasionally by other Peers, but of Law Lords he certainly had alone, from accidental circumstances, been able to attend. He undertook this voluntarily, and sat through the whole of the time when the Lords Commissioners held the Great Seal. When Lord Truro entered that House as Lord Chancellor, gore was still a large arrear of appeal causes, and hardly any causes entered last session were disposed of; at the same time the Lord Chancellor in his own court had a heavy arrear of business, from the protracted illness of Lord Cottenham. Lord Brougham felt it his bounden duty to get rid of the arrear of appeals in their Lordships' House; he therefore began to sit five days in the week, coming there even on Wednesdays and Saturdays, contrary to the uniform practice of the House' and keeping on till five o'clock in the after- noon when the House sits. "I Say till five in the afternoon, at which hour your Lordships meet in your political capacity. For it is a very important thing to the parties if you rise in appeals at four o'clock. What is the con- sequence of your Lordships adjourning at four o'clock till ten the next morning, when by sitting for half an hour or an hour longer you could finish the case at that hearing ? Why, if you adjourn till the next day, all the counsel in the case, it may be four, five, six' or seven in number, have to be refreshed over again; all the fees of the House are to be paid over again ; and all the expense of the solicitors' bills is to he in- curred, amounting, it may be, to 2001. or 300/. I saved all this, in Lords, by sitting half an hour or three-quarters of an hour longer every day." By these exertions, he succeeded in his object. Ile heard last Saturday the last of the cases save one ; that cause accidentally dropped out of the paper, and it stood for hearing next day. "Arrears there are now positively none." Moreover, not only is there no hearing but no decision in arrear : Judgment has been moved in every case heard,—a matter of highest importance; for the worst thing a judge can do is to fall into the habit of postponing his judgment until a long interval of time elapses between the hearing and the decision. "This, let me urge especially on my noble and learn- ed friend the Lord Chancellor; whose experience is at present much shorter, but I hope will extend far longer than mine." "I have there- fore given judgment in every one of the cases, except the one I heard and finished today. I will add, that in four of the cases which I have heard, I have made orders reversing the decision of the court below ; in all the others the decisions below have been affirmed. Where there was a shadow of doubt, I postponed my judgment two or three days, sometimes for a week, in order to have full and ample time thoroughly to consider the ar- gument, with the assistance of my own note, of the cases, statutes, and au- thorities from text-books, so as to prevent possibility of error : and I will

sa

venture to y, without any doubt whatever, even in cases where I have been under the necessity of reversing the decision of the court below, the united opinion of the profession, not excluding the counsel against whose argument I decided, is in favour of the judgments which I have delivered. It would not become me, in my judicial capacity, to say more on this sub- ject; but I repeat, I am confident that those decisions will be found to have given general satisfaction."

The Loan CHANCELLOR, the Duke of WELLINGTON, and the Marquis of LANSDOWNE, united in a warm expression of the acknowledgments due to Lord Brougham for his valuable labours ; and in reprobation of attacks which Lord Truro deemed the offspring of private malice, and the Duke of Wellington termed foul libels on the administration of justice in that House.

EcoLEsusTice.i. COMMISSION.

On the consideration of the Commons' amendments to the Ecclesiastical Bill, the Archbishop of CANTERBURY moved an amendment, with the ob- ject of counteracting the clause introduced by the Commons for amalga- mating the Episcopal fund with the Common fund. The Archbishop's clause would have carried only a surplus of the former fund to the latter. "Not one syllable of his Grace's explanations was heard in the re- porters' gallery." The Marquis of LANSDOWNE replied, "equally inau- dibly." After "some nearly inaudible conversation," a division was taken : the Archbishop's clause was rejected, by 37 to 22 ; and the Com- mons' amendments were agreed to.

STAMP-DUITES.

In Committee on the Stamp-duties on Law Proceedings, the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER stated, that when he brought forward his propositions at an early period of the session, he was not very cognizant of what the probable amount of the revenue would be ; but since that time the re- venue had increased more than he expected, and, without being very sanguine, he believed the loss by reducing the stamps would not be so great as he then estimated. The commencement of the act also is post- poned to October; so that it would be in operation only half of this year. Under these circumstances, he feels justified in going further than he last thought; and he proposes to reduce the duty on conveyances alto- gether to one-half per cent, instead of one per cent as he last proposed. The duty on mortgages will be, as he before explained, a uniform eighth per cent, without limit to the progression. The loss on the revenue by the whole remissions of the bill will be about 500,000/. a year.

. POWERS OF THE COIAMISSIONERS OF CUSTOMS. a2b().imMttee on the Customs Bill, at a late hour on Monday, Sir 'A4132I-,GlalliAlI checked the rapid flow of unquestioned legislation by 'Ke'ruiringpally the Commissioners are now to receive unlimited powers of aisieg..akeli altering regulations, in lieu of their present limited powers. OOnAELLOR of the ExeirEntran made replies to which Sir Jamms rted—" If the Commissioners already possess these un- ers under their various acts, the present clause is unneces- . perfluous." Mr. MrremiLL could not help connecting the certain arbitrary conduct of the Board of Customs, by which don has been scandalized for the last three or four months. ARDWELL and Mr. Cray warned Sir Charles Wood against extend-

ing the powers of the Board of Customs over the merchants and traders of the country : the Board of Customs is the last body in the kingdom to be trusted with additional powers. Mr. R. C. HILDYARD, Mr. T. &maces, and Mr. GEORGE HUDSON, swelled the chorus of dissatisfaction against the Board. Mr. HusiE and Mr. HENLEY urged further close examination. The CHANCELLOR of the ExezEnuim. had not the slighest objection to omit a portion of what Sir James Graham objected to, but the omission of all might cause great inconvenience. Sir Lucas GnmiLisi admitted that his chief objection lay against the part which Sir Charles Wood was wil- ling to omit. It was agreed to postpone the clause, and remodel it. After the third reading, on Thursday, the CHANCELLOR of the ExeirsairEa reproduced his clause. Mr. Hama disapproved, and took a division. The clause was carried, by 50 to 14; and the bill was passed.

SAVINGS-BANKS BILL WITHDRAWN.

The withdrawal of the Savings-Banks Bill was announced by the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, with expressions of very great regret that he must postpone even the discussion upon this bill till next session. He had been first anxious to pass the bill, and then at least to discuss it ; but at this time of the session he found he must abandon both hopes.

THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE'S ANNUITY.

The opposition to retaining so large a sum in the Duke of Cambridge's Annuity Bill was continued by Mr. PlUME and others to the last stage of the measure. A motion to substitute 8,000/. for the 12,0001. proposed by the bill was defeated by 111 to 52, and the original amount was agreed to. A proviso moved by Mr. Bamirr, that any additions by public pay as salary or emolument from any public appointment or place shall be de- ducted from the 12,000k was negatived, by 108 to 39. The bill then passed.

LABOUR FOR THE WEST INDIES.

Mr. BERNAL raised a conversation on the defective state of the regula- tions on the immigration of Africans into the West India Colonies, more especially into Jamaica. Contracts are limited to a year. Now in the first year, from sickness and the immigrant's being unaccustomed to la- bour, there is frequently a loss to the employer on the balance. If the contract were for three years, that disadvantage might be overcome. Mr. Bernal asked no protection, only assistance in regulating the supply of labour. Mr. HUME only desired that the same contracts for labour that are allowed in England should be allowed in the West Indies. Mr. HAWES seemed at once to refuse the boon, to say it is already granted, and to declare that there is no objection to its concession. His noble friend at the head of the Colonial Office—and he shared the feeling with him—does not rely with any confidence on long contracts of this kind ; as it is in the power of the unwilling labourer to make the con- tract a burden instead of a benefit. But Lord Grey has already sanctioned contracts for a term of three years in British Guiana, and he will of course be quite prepared to sanction them in Jamaica. He has done so in Trinidad already. The immigration of free labour from Africa has proved a failure. The immigration of Coolies is not, however, as asserted, universally con- sidered a failure : many requests have been made to renew it; and he was happy to say that arrangements had been made to comply with those re- quests. Arrangements have also been made in consequence of communica- tions with Dr. Gutzlaff, for introducing free Chinese immigrants to Trinidad.

"NEW LEAVES" TO BE TURNED OVER NEXT SESSION.

In the brief noon sitting on Saturday, Mr. HUME gave notice that he will turn over quite a new leaf next session in regard to grants of public money. On Friday night, twelve enormously heavy votes were passed after twelve o'clock. Out of deference to political friends, he had some- what neglected his duty. If he should live to next session, he would de- cline to attend any more Committees; religiously attend to the Estimates; and oppose, whatever might be the pressure upon him, the granting of any vote for any purpose, or the receiving of any report of Committee of Sup- ply, after twelve o'clock at night. Therefore, whatever accounts require examination, let the Government be prepared with them at an early time in accurate form.

Mr. BaoTriErroN promised also to turn over a new leaf. He found that if he gave Government an inch they took an ell. The late hours this session had injured the health of many old Members. The House had evidence of the beneficial result of the early system in their Wednesday's proceedings. He would propose at the commencement of next session that at twelve o'clock every night the Speaker leave the chair. This will induce honourable Members who are fond of speaking to economize time, and pay more attention to the real business of the House.