POSTSCRIPT
SATURDAY AFTERNOON.
The House of Commons sat both morning and evening yesterday ; the morning sitting being occupied with the clauses of the Irish Land Bill. Mr. WALPOLE presented the report of the Tax Bills Committee.
At the evening sitting, Mr. Coma= gave notice that on the considera- tion of the report on Tax Bills it was his intention to move the following resolution That it being the fundamental right of the Commons alone, according to the ancient usage of the constitution, to determine the taxation to be levied upon the people as to the matter, the mea- sure, and the time, the rejection by the House of Lords of a bill re- pealing the tax which the responsible advisers of the Crown have deter- mined to be unnecessary to meet the supply to the Crown for the service of the year, is a breach of constitutional usage, and an encroachment upon the proper functions of the House."
In reply to Colonel SYKES, Sir CHARLES WOOD explained the delay which had occurred in the printing of the Indian papers, on which so much was said on Thursday night. The papers were sent to the printer three months ago; they were very voluminous, consisting of about 800 pages. As the sheets were printed they were sent to the Military Secre- tary for India for revision. He left, his revised proof till the printer sent more, while the printer did not send more till he got the first proof back ; and in that way, each waiting for the other, the delay occurred.
On the motion for the adjournment till Monday, Lord PaLtarrrost said he proposed to postpone the Indian Army Bill until Monday next, when he hoped the House would agree to read the bill a second time, on the understanding that such of the papers as were ready should be dis- tributed immediately, and that no further progress should be made till the rest of the papers were distributed. With regard to the Bankruptcy Bill, which stood on the paper, he regretted to say that it must be post- poned in consequence of the illness of the Attorney-General.
Mr. HOESMAN wouldagree to this arrangement, but upon the under- standing that they should have the real papers they wanted, and not papers that had no bearing on the question. He was the more inclined to insist on this, as it now appeared, notwithstanding the explicit denial of the right honourable gentleman last night, that the papers had, after all, been detained in his department. Sir CHARLES WOOD denied that he had either directly or indirectly been concerned in the delay ; and stated in the strongest terms consistent with his respect for Mr. Herman that the charges brought against him • by that right honourable gentleman were entirely unfounded. The Somerrou-Gsziestat, in answer to Mr. JAMES, stated that it was the intention of the Attorney-General to proceed this session with the Bankruptcy Bill. In consequence of the absence of Lord john Russell, Sir ROBERT PEEL postponed some remarks he intended to make with reference to the threatened annexation of Sicily to Piedmont. The riots at St. George's-in-the-East formed the staple of a speech by Mr. KEEEWICH, who was replied to by Sir GEORGE Lewis, who said that seventy-three policemen were stationed there every Sunday, but nothing occurred amounting to a breach of the peace.
The House then went into Committee on the Civil Service Estimates.
In the Lords, the Earl of HARDIVICICE called attention to Trotman's anchors, and asked the Government if they intended to supply them for the use of her Majesty's Navy, as they had been tested, and were found much superior to those at present in use ? The Duke of SOMERSET denied that experience had proved Trotman's anchors to be superior to those at present used by her Majesty's ships, and said he could hold outano hope that the Board of Admiralty would adopt them. He thought questions of this nature might safely be left to the discretion of the public department which had charge of it, and he strongly deprecated the practice which now prevailed, of inducing Members of the House of Commons to bring new inventions before the House, on the ground that it produced a wrong impression upon the public mind, and converted the House itself into a huge advertising van. After a few words from the Earl of HARDWICSE in reply, the subject dropped. Lord DUNGANNON asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the appointments to the command of the new steamers about to convey pas- sengers and mails between Holyhead and Kingstown had been all filled up ; and whether it was correct, that two appointmenta to those vessels had been made whose age was far advanced, and whose state of health was such as to preclude their being able during the last winter to cross over in person with the packet-boats under their dire' ction? The Duke of SOMERSET said he could give no information upon the subject, as the appointments were in the hands of the company them- selves.
The Endowed Charities Bill, the Local Boards of Health, Br.c. Bill, the Tithe Commutation Bill, and the Spirits (Ireland) Act Amendment Bill were read a second time.
The Marquis of CLANiiiesitris moved that a Select Committee be ap- pointed " to inquire how far it may be practicable to afford better shelter for shipping upon our coasts than is at present afforded, by the adoption of some plan for the construction of breakwaters and harbours less costly and better adapted for certain localities than the system of solid masonry hitherto in use ; and whether any such plan appears likely to be also ser- viceable for the improvement of our national defence."
Motion agreed to.
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