POSTSCRIPT.
SATURDAY.
The most remarkable proceeding in the House of Commons, last night, was Lord Joan Rossnm's announcement that the -Committee on the Australian Colonies Government Bill, which stood for Monday next, would be postponed till Friday the 8th of March. Lord John stated, that full and new information on the subject of the double or sin- gle Legislature should in the mean time be laid before the House ; and Mr. Walpole was also invited to lay his proposed amendment, re- ting Je two Houses of Legislature," before the House in a printed [The pressure brought to bear upon Ministers has evidently made them sensible of the awkward position in which they 'stand, pledged to a mea- sure so imperfectly designed and so ill constructed. It is to be hoped that Lord John Russell has not intervened for nothing—that he feels how much his own reputation is involved. We will hope also that Ministers may profit by the pains we have taken to make some points clear which are obscure in their appiehension.) A long time was expended in debate on the Parliamentary Voters (Ire- land) Bill. Mr. NAPLER and others on the Conservative aide objected to the R. tenant-at-will franchise, as too low ; to the creation of a puppet constituency by the encourangement of joint occupancy, froc. Mr. HUMS and others on the Liberal aide objected to an 81. rating franchise in Ireland, as much too high ; and Mr. Hume called upon Government to treat Ireland at least as well as they were treating Hottentots. Mr. JOHN O'CONNELL, Mr. O'CONNOR, Colonel BAWDON, Mr. KEOGH, and several others; approved of the measure. Mr. BRIGHT accepted it for the time, in default of a better. The bill was read a second time.
The Bill for renewing the Party Processions Act in Ireland, undebated in all its stages, was read a third time and passed.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL introduced a Bill for the Better Management of the Woods, Forests, and Land Revenues of the Crown, and for the Di- rection of Public Works and Buildings. He would not then, especially in the absence of Lord Duncan, Chairman of the Select Committee on the subject, enter into the details of the measure, but only explain its general
provisions. - -
The offices for managing the Woods and Foreets, and for the Management of Works under the Surveyor-General, -united in 1832, are to be again di- vided. The Woods and Forests and'and Revenues of the Crown will be managed by three Commissioners—one at 1,4001., one at 1,0001., and the third without salary—some person already in the public service. These-Com- missioners will only have to consider-the best management of the estates and rents under their charge. The Office of Works will be managed by a First Commissioner with a seat in Parliament, and a salary of 2,000/. • the other Commissioners not to receive salary. The gross amount of salaries will be the same as those at present paid in the -Office of Woods and Forests. The arrangement will keep the expenditure on public'works within the control of Parliament.
The bill was read a first time.
In the House of Peers two conversations occurred. One upon a letter received by the Marquis of LONDONDERRY from the Reverend William Dobbin' Presbyterian minister of Anaghlone, near Banbridge, calling upon him to retract or substantiate his accusation of the ministers for preaching against paying rents. The breach of Parliamentary privilege was much reprehended on all sides, but no step was taken. The other was a conversation raised by the Earl of HanRowsv, on the state of ne- gotiations in Buenos Ayres, and shared by the Marquis of LANSDOWNE, the Earl of ABERDEEN, Lord HownEN, and other Peen,. Lord Lens- DOWNE stated, -that, by the separate treaty with Buenos Ayres, it was stipulated that the interference with Monte Video should be withdrawn. But the efforts of the British Government had not been wholly successful, as the French Government would not accede to the treaty without modi- fication. Lord ABERDEEN condemned the bad diplomacy of substituting this separate treaty for the convention under which France was acting with England.
Previous page
