NEWS OF THE WEEK.
Naomi can complain that the Parliamentary proceedings of this week have been deficient in interest or importance. An atone- ment has been made for the listlessness which prevailed during the first days of the session. Parties in the House of Commons bate taken their stand; and every outward symptom of concilia- tion and coalition between Whigs and Tories has disappeared. The new Municipal Bill for Ireland, introduced on Tuesday by Lord JOHN RUSSELL, differs from the bill of last year in only one material point,—namely, in authorizing the Town-Councils to nominate or suggest persons for the office of Sheriff's ; tile power of selection, of rejection, and of ultimate appointment, being vested in the Lord-Lieutenant. By the measure of last session, even before the unhallowed hand of LYNDHURST fell upon it, the Councils were not permitted to interfere in the appointment of Sheriffs. But the introduction of the Municipal Bill was merely a peg on which hung a spirited debate of two nights' du-
ration, regarding the policy of the Irish Government. Lord JOHN RUSSELL threw down the gauntlet to the Opposition ; and proved, by reference to the charges of the Judges and the sta- tistics ef crime, that the results of the Administration of Lord bluteeAvE and Lord MORPETH were, comparative tranquillity, freedom from outrage, and a disposition to rely on the Law and the Executive, for that protection which it is the business and end of government to yield impartially to every subject. To these statements of Lord JOHN RUSSELL no answer worth notice was made. It was said that the tranquillity was the consequence of 'terrorism ;" while at the same time it was alleged as an offence against Lord Mu LGRAVE, that he gained popularity by courting the mob; so that the "terrorism" was not a system of despotic inflic- tions by the Government, but of determined repression of outrage by the majority of the People. It is impossible to pay a higher compliment to any Administration, than to charge it with hav- ing formed such an alliance with the ,great body of the People, se that which subsists between Lord MULGRAVE and the Irish. Several instances of misconduct relative to the appointment of Law Officers of the Crown, Sheriffs, Assistant Barristers, and Magistrates, and the use of the prerogative of mercy in releasing prisoners from confinement, were brought against Lord Mut.- GRAVE. Almost every speaker on the Opposition side reiterated the same complaints in almost the same language. Part of these Lord JOHN RUSSELL had answered by anticipation ; and the remainder, with one exception, were disposed of triumphantly by lord MORPETH. The instance which we except, is that of Mr. Ptcorr, who was active in the establishment of the National Asso- ciation, and has been or will be appointed Chief Law Adviser in the Sccretary's Office. No doubt, as Lord JOHN RUSSELL stated, Mr. noon., who is said to be admirably qualified for the post of Law Adviser, will now keep decorously aloof from the Associa- tion; but it would have been as well, in that view of the matter, to have had his withdrawal from the Association to show to the Boa-c. Absolutely, with this slight exception, the whole case of the Opposition, as far as it rested on details of misrule, fell to the graum!, although the refuted lies of the year before last were raked up to eke it out. And this charge of active political parti- sanship, as a disqualification for office, was insisted on by Sir }Lo- llar PEE!., Ulm had selected the Orange RoDEN and PERCEVAL 1 for his colli agues ! So much for the retty warfare of the Opposition. It was suited to the capacity of Messrs. JACKSON, LEFROY, and SHAW; bat they were not equal to the successful management even of the Paltry weapons with which they fought. Sir Roneurr PEEL took higher ground, lie demurred to the principle on which it was proposed to legislate for Ireland—that ot national equality—that the English and the Scotch having ob- tained merneipal in‘titutions, therefore similar institutions should r)- Vi‘en to the Iri-li. He challenged Ministers to carry out that principle in dealing with the Irish Church and the Poor.
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Would they legislate for the Irish Church as for the Church in England, or extend the new English Poor-law to Ire- land ? The dilemma in which Sir ROBERT endeavoured to place the Ministers is not exactly such as he conceives it to be. First. with respect to the Church : if the English principle were made ope- rative in Ireland , not only the overthrow of the existing Church, but the " establishment " of Popery, would ensue. As fur as the ultimate removal of that gigantic nuisance the Irish Church is concerned, a considerable progress has been made during the last year ; but then, the project- of a State Church, even of their own creed, is not in favour with the leaders of' the Irish millions; and in the mean time the complex interests of the existing Establishment stand in the way of a perfectly rational arrangement. These obstacles will not endure for ever ; but they are not to be over- come in 1837. With respect to the Poor, there is what we maw' call a physical impossibility of at once introducing the English system into Ireland. The whole rental of the country would be absorbed by the support of the Irish paupers on the scale of English allowances to the destitute. It is to be expected, that in time the principle of the English Poor-law will be in full operation in Ireland : but at present, and without a preparatory process, it cannot be effected. With respect, however, to the Irish Corporations, the ease is altogether different. There is no obstacle in the way of giving municipal institutions to Ireland in the course of the present year. All are agreed that the existing Corporations shall be swept away. Tory hands are ready to clear the ground. On that ground, and interfering with no man's rights or interests, the Liberals propose to raise, as in England and Scotland—founded on no exclusiveness of' sect or race, but on the common equality of all citizens—the noble edifice of local self- government. Open the gates !—there is no impediment : let the inhabitants of Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Limerick, and the other Irish towns, whether they be Cathelics, Churchmen, or Presby- terians, enter freely—there is room for all. Respecting the tone of the discussion on Tuesday and Wed- nesday, it may be observed that both parties showed considerable bitterness. Lord Jowl, RUSSELL, with the resolutions of the Dublin meeting in his Wild, defended himself and his colleagues from the injurious and insulting imputations and charges set forth in that document, with unwonted energy et language and manner. The sentiments of his speech were thoroughly popu- lar ; for he adopted in the fullest sense the doctrine of Mr. Fox, that concession should follow concession till the People were satis- fied, and that the only true policy for ruling Ireland was to please the People of Ireland. Our ear was touched with a slight sensa- tion of the ludicrous, as the repeated sound of " Mr. Fox,- with a scrap of quotation from the orator, rung upon it like a preacher's text, while Lord JOHN applied it to the case in hand. It seemed that he was more anxious to have the authority of that great name, than perfectly satisfied with the intrinsic value and undoubted truth of the doctrine. There might have been a sly motive, how- ever, for this. Lord Jolt ai RUSSELL proved himself on Tuesday, if he had never given evidence of such ability before, perfectly. capable of expounding and maintaining sound principles of go- vernment, without bolstering them up by authorities ; and he pro- bably rung his changes upon what Mr. Fox said, and what Mr. Fox thought, with the view of impressing his aristocratic Whig friends with the notion of his political orthodoxy. Sir ROBERT PEEL was galling and insulting in his attack on the Ministers. He had been distinctly called upon by Mr. O'CoNNELL to disavow, or to be held as approving' the violent, frictions, and auti-Catholic policy of Mr. Sergeant JACKSON. PEEL did not disavow, he rather patronized the Sergeant. There was nothing like a tendency towards a union with any portion of the Ministe- rial party. His speech was just such a one as PEEL would not deliver with a near prospect of office before him. With the ex- pectation of speedily taking his seat on the Treasury bench, he would have been courteous to the majority; whereas, he was loud, vehement, uncompromising, and contemptuous in his denuncia- tion of Liberal principles and the Liberal Government. Lord MORPETH acquitted himself creditably, and like a man of business. His reply on the details of the Opposition case was well got up, delivered with spirit, and very effective. Sir J %NIES GRAHAM followed Lord MORPETH in the debate : but Sir JAMES is not apt at reply; so he in no degree weakened the force of the Secretary's statements. As usual, he vented a considerable portion of spite against some of his former col- leagues, and laboured maliciously to expose the discrepancy be- tween the GREY and the MELBOURNE policy,—osteutatiously professing himself a Whig of the Fox and GREY school' Spurned hr the Liberals, ;IA not likely to be trusted by the pure Tories, it is utalerstthal that lie weitid gladly make ohe ies eitOliti011 1%1011.01V, as his oltiy ellanc,.! of again enj .yiag the ecn-
venienee of a ha ild.,kone Alas for th...n.chanco
Sir JOHN HOBHOUSE was not successful in his reply to Sir JAMES GRAHAM, who had given an opportunity as well as grounds for castigation, which, by one who could wield the satiric scourge, might have been used with terrible effect. Sir Joear, however, deserves enedit for the explicit declaration, that the real question at issue was, whether the House of Commons or the House of Lords should govern the country. When the Peers again mutilate the Irish Corporation Bill, we shall see whether Sir JOHN follows out or shrinks from the logical consequences of his present declaration, in action. His effert to prose the identity of the MELBOURNE with the GREY policy—when it is notorious that Lord GREY left office rather than take a move onward with the men who are now in power—was a less hopeful symptom. Sir JOHN Hoimouss, we suspect, fell into this mistake from the silly notion, that every remark of an opponent must be answered, and every fact which the opponent affirms, denied.
Mr. 0.Coarsitae aimed at fixing down the long-winded lawyer, JACKSON, as a fellow worker with Sir ROBERT PEEL,—making the smooth Baronet responsible for the violence of his party's mouthpiece; and then exhibited the Sergeant to the Irish People as the quintessence of Orange bigotry, the embittered partisan, the rabid reviler of the Catholics, and—the future Chief Justice of Ireland l—should the Tories return to power. Mr. O'CONNELL spoke to and for Ireland; and in that point of view, his speech must be considered as effective, though inferior to many that he has delivered, in general ability and force. Mr. ROEBUCK read the House a good lesson on the necessity of keeping to the point in debate ; which was felt to be especially appropriate after four hours had been consumed in an Irish gabble on insignificant matters, not affecting the question before the House. Be,ides that it was perfectly well-timed, strictly logical, and temperately delivered, this speech had the merit of imparting a loftier tone to the discussion : and it may be remarked by the way, for the edification of those wise persons who founded so much on the paucity of cheers which the Member for Bath received on the first night of the session, and had already banished him from the Houe. of Commons by anticipation for his want of success, that on Tuesday last he was greeted with loud cheers when he rose, when be sat down, and at the close of almost every emphatic sentence. So much for the prescience of puny spite—so much for the union of talent, perseverance, and courage. On the whole, looking at this the first grand debate of the ses- sion, we think that the Ministers have rather gained ground. The Irish Government is really worthy of support; and accord- ingly, that support is honestly and efficiently given by the Inde- pendent Reformers. Had the speeches of the Opposition been far more able than they were, the discussion must have been dis- astrous to Sir ROBERT PEEL and his friends. Not one of them can open his mouth without saying something to exasperate the Irish millions, confederated to keep them out of office. Every Tory speech must cause the Irish to ejaculate," The Lord deliver us from these men !"
A discussion of considerable interest took place on Monday, on the motion of Mr. SPRING Rice for renewing the Committee of last session on Joint Stock Banks. Mr. GISBORNE appeared as the advocate and panegyrist of these institutions ; and could not have laboured more earnestly, and we may add more skilfully and dexterously in their behalf, had he been retained and feed for the purpose. The fault of his very clever speech was, that it was ex parte—the appeal of one who had undertaken to manage the case fur the Joint Stock Banks, not the deliberate ex- position of a legislator and Representative of the People. However, nobody seemed to take part with Mr. GISSIORNE. All were for in- quiry; and the only question was, how far inquisition should go. Mr. HUME wished the conduct of the Bank of England, and the state of Banking and the Circulation generally, to be referred to the Committee; and as far as the Bank of England was concerned, he seems to have made out a strong prima facie case against that. in- stitution,—so strong, indeed, that if the Chancellor of the Ex- chequer had not admitted (we rather think he admitted it without reluctance) that, incidentally, the conduct of the Bank must come undar review, the motion of Mr. HUME ought to have been car- riej, instead of being rejected by a large majority. Attention to this debate has confirmed our suspicion that the subject of it re- quires much additional discussion : it seems to be imperfectly under- stood : those who may be supposed to have most knowledge of the points at issue, speak very cautiously, and with doubt and reserve, as to the causes of, and the mode of preventing, derangements in the circulation.
We cannot say much for Mr. HUME'S expertness in bringing his matter before the House. He had abundance of facts, and no inconsiderable familiarity with his subject; but lie scarcely de- livered one complete sentence, and distracted the attention by wandering from one point to another. Methodical arrangement, brevity, precision, and readiness in referring to documents, are really necessary to keep up the attention of the House of Com- mons to dry questions. To produce an effect on Parliament and the country, it is necessary that a Member should devote some time and pains to accurate preparation. One piece of work thoroughly well done, is worth a hundred of those slovenly and slipshod performances that waste so much time, to little purpose, in the House of Commons.
The Committee obtained by Mr. HORSktAN, on the previous Friday, to inquire into the practice of creating Fictitious Votes in SCatiand, was named OLI Monday. Mr. Hoesstew contrived to keep the more notorious jobbers off the Committee; on the ground that, their agents having been concerned in the malepractices, it would bleindelicate for them to act as judges and censors of the delinquents. In the management of this matter, as well as in his speech on Friday, Mr. HORSMAN displayed tact and knowledge of business. He severely hit the guilty parties, without offending against the rules of the House ; and obtained a furl hearing for his case, by stating it with clearness and readiness, the result of previous attention. An Irish Committee, having a similar object as the Scotch, was named on the same day.
