IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

Lyttelton Times, Volume X, Issue 627, 10 November 1858, Page 4

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

(From the { Home News' Summary, Aug. 16.) The bill for transferring the government of India to the Crown is novr law, and the company that called our eastern empire into existence, and ruled its destinies for generation after generation, is extinct. The shadow o£ that mighty corporation has passed away for ever y and whatever may be felt as. to, the necessity of the measure which terminates its power, there r is, on all sides, a full recognition of its historical claims upon the gratitude of England. Faults there have been in the administration of the JEast India Company, as there are in all human institutions}'"' arid 'it had latterly been hardly equal to"the responsibilities arising.from a vast increase of territory, arid consequent conflicts: of interest. But, after making a large deduction for all shortcomings and errors, for the cupidity and cruelty alleged against the early traders, for wars of ambition, and for deeds of violence and rapine, enough of; glory remains behind to shed a bright lustre upon the setting of the. merchant regality of Leadenhall street. In- this case, unlike that of many deceased bodies, the', good alone survives. Nobody seems disposed to remember the evil which, inverting Shakespeare's apothegm, is, by common consent, interred with the bones of deposed power. •••■•••*"■•

The lust week of Parliament is very much like the last slide of a series of dissolving views ■when the lights are going; out. The scantiness of Lords and Commons sometimes wasted away to a unit. There were times when the members were all absent, the House being represented by a' solitary clerk. Visitors, chiefly ladies,* occasionally peeped in, or stealthily entered, and took a hurried glance at:the interior. The reporters alone kept their posts, and were, as when the House is in full legislative occupation, relieved with the punctuality of military sentinels. ; Yet, notwithstanding this desertion, a multitude of motions and bills were disposed of during the last week, and the first, Jew that ever took a seat in an English" Parliament was received by the House of Commons with due honours and congratulations, the : Speaker and the Chancellor, of the Exchequer, cordially shaking hands with him as he advanced to his place. A protest, in which Mr. Walpole joined, was made against his admission, but it was, of course, a dead letter. The conduct of the Government; in its collective and individual capacities, upon this question is severely condemned, for want of candour and dereliction of principle; and will form a prominent item in."the bill of indictment whenever we come to a general election, for which the constituencies over the kingdom are preparing, with prudent forethought. "' ■ - ' The bill sent up from the Commons for legalising marriage with a demised wife's sister has been thrown out in the.Lords on the second reading, by a majority of 24, in a House of-68 members. Nearjyall.the speakers were; ngainst the bill, and the only churchman who suppor|<' (1 it was the Bishop of Ripon. . His :Lordslnp denied the assertion of the Archbishop of Canterbury that midh marriages wore prohibited by Scripture, and expressed his belief that Sen];* two not only did not prohibit tliem,: but that it sanctioned them. This asHortion called up l"° Bitihop of Exeter, who akid tlufc,hc~was, so, overpowered by such nn opinion coining from » dignitary of th» t&nrnh, tW. he wns scarcely able to tiddrcßs I,lm House. Hin Loidnhlp p/ 0" tested in unmeasurod terms against tho vic«v ttiknn by tho 13inlictp of Iviurm, denouncing ™ m being contrary to ouq o( Iho most sold*1"

canons of-the bHur^h.'whioh declared mam^e* with a deceased wife's sister to be incestui>u»;; A-strong- seiisatiofcvfeapprdduced.'by the v*Kei,,menoe rwith: which. h^Lordship : condeinped|the| ; measure.? iHeipaid^thatjishduld-thef'wrejtdiedf ■UW fipMi^datbinfg! on"the', floor••■ at -yS^i-ttki^j •■> 'time:' f«tl<J«ipfy' 6( it^hich''lie ''held.in his rhi rid, "the iWoly'icdmmuiiibnflwh'i(}h: iwaslfttifecreßaary tp. ( '■'WlyMfed'ffinit?W%Wffld|olt(Wr,by revWy^maii who; | iihbilld" c:biit:r^tt.ißii6h''a TOaVriageiJ and *tHat atiy minister who aaminib^it^under jthe ' oircnmstance? wpttld .violate hisfupctloris. ' Upon' ,an y (appjat,^»/Xbird,,OVers^pne,.his librdship niodinedr;hiftanathemasp far as. to explain that it did'not extend1 torthosetvho only f approved of - the bill. :-.,,-

'PaHtaWen^ taidwbh^h^h^Sfn'd of A%ust.' JTHf Peere met a'little .befpi-e two b'^lbck^the^.Cb^wb^ssome?' what earlier. > - ThefLbrd sat oh!the ; ■woolsack,; and tfie JEarrjof ■J>e^rby7and his polleagues were in-iWeir aplaces.. ;!Earl ;)Grranvillei anditwo other• PeersjeepresentedfcheOpposition. At 2 o'clock' the Commons'nwere I auramotied to \ "hear theyroyal- isserit"giventto? auinultitude bfr bills ■ arid-to listen to - the"- toy&l speech, o The. - royal •commissionersrweire-the i ofio^^Ghanpelldr,v "the^^uk^b^eaafo^ithe^ai^^lQf^li^^ ;b%;thex^rl;of^aVMicke;^^^^ la \J\Vanv .The;! gjpe^..;waß"rea^ by therliordl) ;Chaucelior. litwas asfbllbws:— „:

•;;-;"^ rar^;p6mm:and^Vyr-fi^Ma3esty^O exptess lier:Batlsira)et;ion telfeafee you '■ frbm fth]e duties of a''sessioni;which/' though;inr :terrupted; liasjDy"your unreminin£: assiduity, beeri'pro^uetive of manyiifiportantf Measures., „ 1 Hec Majesty Is ;Ka>py : tibna wHH'forejgn^pqwers'Jaresuch 'as to enable hbr. Majesty; to look with :cbirfldence to the pre- : servationbf general peace. : ; ;Her Majesty trusts \ that the .labours of the i.now - sitting in .Conference at Paris hiay 'lfeatl; to a,;aatisiFactory solution of the ,vkrioUs"4uestions which ' have-been referred to • ■;them.' ;.. :" '■'"''. :" ' ' ". ]: '■■-■'■ ■ ./' ; - ■ efforts, the gallantry^ and displayed in;lndia "by her Majesty's; fordes, and . those, of "th^^akt r India^"Compatt^haVe ;been. , aliwye. all Upraise,; arid: Her' Majest ]y : ;hpj»"fes "that, v .thQse'etforts have titiaiAf : been %o ffaf gowned wltli toccesi^tHat^ the%riii^able' revolt! which hks.Tkged throigKput^a^l^ge portion;' of her 'iridia^possessioris, intty: now, Guilder the of E6«i;:be 'speefliiy:'sapptessed," and'peace ;b TCsto^ditothb^e (inpor'tarit; proyinceS; ; X& thls'hop^/nerM^est^ lias1 %iyen lier will- : irig aissent/td L L Act^w^chj uyou! have passed, for1 trarisferrlng.^ per 1 iuthority the ; 1 and her. Majesty hopes to-Tfe'.]e»iayf^;^|o raWch«irie the hi^JfdtictiQd>"whl^h?slie, lias*asßamecl, f3«s,iby a , ittgt i^^^|i^ial'a4jP™^^tion^tKel^; to lecii)re iti :iw»n^^'T«i«e >rto %r subjects of !icace!anc£ CTfed}"^an^r'by rpr^otni]f their ahel "Mti^nfth^^fer empire' . in India. ",;; ' :.;.;.'', J',.;:c'j - i: ':v:^ " '; r yi y.','.. 'OipNTtEißN' of ■ _the" Hoiij^E.'joi'.. 'CcgkvioXs,;'' Her Majesty oprarnand^us ,|o ihanlc, you :for the judicious liberality, with;., whicK you" hive ( jnade provUioii for ttieisxigericie* of the public T-l«r?»cc«";/ •'. ■''• ■■■ ; i' ■"'■•" The presentpstateof t^TeTcaue;authorises her.Majesty to'eritertairi a.JconfliJentl[hope.that the supplies which' you have -granted will j be. found fully adequate to the demands upon' them. Mr Lords-and. Gentlemen, i The Sanitary 'condition of the metropolis must> • - "tllwrays I>e■<■».^subject of deep, intdrest^i!to her Majesty, and her .Majesty has readily" sarictiope.4 the act which you have passed -for the purification of that- noble -river,' the: present state of which is liUle creditable HpX great country, arid seriously prejudicial to the health and comfort of the inhabitants of the metropolis. : . lier Majesty has' also willing! assented to an act whereby greater facilities are given for .the, acquisition by towns and.districtsof such powers ■ as may be requisite for, prompting worki qf; local improvement, and thus expending widely the advantages of municipal self-govern-meht. , ,;';.'.,, -..,.■) '..',.-'■■.'.■■>■■'' , •»,-.'J., !„■ tter Majesty trusts tMt the &ct which jrou liave;passed for; tHe^future government of ithe Scotch universities will be fputid highly adviari-' tageous'tbtho'seveherable iristitutions,vatfd will gr^atlyipromdte'an^ extend a system of sound, moral,' and' religious edrication in ScotlandJ -, , The Transfer of Jbandi Bill, which:extends jthe: pdwers hitherto exercised by; the Encumbered: Estates Cpmmis^ipners; and , facilitates .the acquisitipn of an indefeasible; title by purqhajei:s of land in lr,el^d, canriPjb.fail f to be highly beneficial tpf 'the, landed, pr^pridtbrs, and to ,ad- | yarijc^ M'i>rospeirity f !dt that part of her Majesty's ddmimons;. -, ;(| i ,:,. The Acttp'wliich her; Majjesty has assented for the establishment of the colony of British Columbia,; was urgently required in consequence of tHe recent discoveries of: gold in thatflistnct: but her; Majesty hopes ,that this now colony, on the PaciflQ may be one step in the career of steady >,progress, by whiqh her Majesty's ;dopijnipris in, North America/ nVay;, iiltijnatqly be peppied in ah unJoroWpn chain, from the Atlantic to tjio Pacific, by, a ibyiil and iiidtistripusi populaUbn of subjects'to the British Crown. Her Mtijesty th^rikrully acKriowledges the diligence arid ijierseverance';-\chich has; enabled you* in a 1 comparatively short timeV to pass these and other, measures of inferior but not insignificant importance. . : Mahy; of ' you, in returning .to your respective cPunties, hay 6' extensive influence to , exercise, \ anaduMes toperform of hardly less value to the commumty,thah,thpae;froni ( <ihelaboursp^ ypuare;a^ut ibibireleiwe^ entertains &, cPhfia'ertta^stttHnce; that, under the gui'aanbe 6^Pfbv!aarice,th(ii: influence'will be so ohiplbyfelV arid ilitisc duties- so perfdrmedi aa to redoUndJ to'ybur hotttitirj ■andtoprombto ,tho genorir welfare* and the: happiness of a loyal and contented pcbplo. , TIW librd CharicoUW in ..tho.nßmp of the Queori, .piWoguod Putllament till tho 19th of Octbbdr.