SUMMARY OF ENGLISH NEWS. (From the Sydney Morning Herald, June 9)

New Zealander, Volume 5, Issue 326, 10 July 1849, Page 2

SUMMARY OF ENGLISH NEWS. (F rom the Sydney Morning Herald, June 9)

By the ai rivals of yesterday, English news to the Bih of March has reached the colony ; but owing to the ship Emigrant having be<Ti placed in quarantine we have no complete files later than the 21st Fehiunry. We commence our abstract of the loading events with a summary of the proceedings in Paillim n'. On the sth Febiuary, Mr. Gibson proposed that no speaker &hou2d be allowed to addiess the House for more than one hour. The rao'ion was nega'ived by 96 to 62. 7he remainder of the day was o-TupL'd in merely formal business. On the 6th Febiuary, Sir George Grey moved for leave to bring in a bill for continuing the suspension ot theHabeis Corpus Act in Ireland. Theie was very li'tle opposition to the motion, which was earned by a majority of 221 to 18. Mr. C. Anttey moved for leave to bring in a bill, (the same as was negatived last session), to repial enactments imposing ceitain disabili les on Roman Ca'holics, which was refused. On the 7th Feb , the Chancellor of the Exchequer moved for a grant of £50,000, for the purpose of granting relict to certain Unions in the west of Ireland. The discussion lasted several hours, wh'.n it was postponed until the 12th. On the Bth Feb., Loid Campbell introduced a bill to abolish the punishment of transpoitdtion (or i-imple larceny. In the House of Commons Sir R. H. Ing' is moved for and obtained a return of the communications respecting the rank of Roman Catholic Prelatea in the colonies. In the House of Loids on the 9th February, a brief but interesting conversation occuned on the subject of emigration to Canada. The Marquis of Lansdowne then moved the appointment of a comuoi'teoto inquire into the operation of the Irish Poor Law. The motion was agreed to, but Lord Stanley expressed his full conviction that the defects of the present law were so obvious, that Ministers ought at once to proceed to legislate on the subject. In the House of Commons, Mr. Labouchere 'gave notice that on Monday he should submit a resolution on the subject of the N vigntion Laws. Mr. Robinson endeavouicd to draw from Mr. Labouchere the nature of the alterations about to be proposed, but the attempt was unsuccessful. The remainder of the sitting was occupied with a discussion on the bill for further suspending the Habeas Corpus Act in Irelind. The Irish liberal membeis were very wrathlul on the occasion, but their speeches were '• full of sound and fuiy, signifying nothing.'' The second reading of the bill was carried by 275 to 3J C The business of the H use commenced on Monday, Feb. 12, with the piogress of the money bill in relief of Irish distress, and called fotth the angry declamation of the Irish members ; all of thorn opposing the grant of 50,0002. proposed, as a cruel mockery upon the actual amount of Irish distress. '• We want no?, thing of England," exclaimed Mr. Grattan, '< but the restora ion of the money which you take from Ireland. You take in the first place, 60,000/. a year crown quit rents ; give us that, and we will raise by subscription another 60,000/. to supply our own poor. Our absentee residents in England take out of bur country two millions a year Irish rents ; impose a tax of ten per cent on them, and this will give us another 200,000/. Talk of what we owe you — we owe you no Mug. You have so blazoned our obligations that you have now cancelled them ; wo want nothing of you but to give back what you have taken fioin us, and restore us our Irish gentry." Mr. Stafford expressed his " surprise that the government should meet such an amount of starvation with tuuh an insignificant sum in relief of i . In Englund, the average cost of feeding a poor man, in or out of tbe Uuion house, was two shillings and six-pence per week. In Ireland, the most liberal supply was 1». P«r week, mid in many Union 9 only

6 l.or 81. There were tw.nty one U lions now in such a state, ot (.list e^ a* t ) he wholly unable to support fh ir pool 'o tl<p extent of ill 00l> ;ul'i!h, md 100,000 ehildien. In tnk'n<r the arer.is^ co-t of suppoiting hi ih paupers at 6.1. per wu-k, or 2G-.. pec head p a r annum, half a milhoa < f money would be required to suppoit these poor cieatures until February, 18.30. What a mockeiy, thci<.f>re, to ofr r ih in thi'. aiantof one icnth of the sum." Loicl J. Itus&ell replied, tint it v»n* not too mtn: !i to expect from Irelnn-I in KCllpral»K CIlpral » t0 maU sOme oxtra " oidinary efl'jrt in teli<f of the U'gCi.t distress of their own kingdom, and to expect only a lulpiu:? hand fiom England. Minhieis weie in the condiJon of persons who were propo»ing to take on 3 man' 0 , money to ttheveanoLhn's distress, andasthconsenlo | the latter was necessary to part with his own property so the ministers in proposals of this nature, were compelled to consider, not the extreme of what was required, | hut how much they might reason .bly expect to get. I Mr. Muniz said this was indeed the main poiV, a% i in const quence of free trade and foreign competit on, our own trading towns were not in a condition to pay their own poor rates, and still less to pay tho«e of Ire* land. lie had been at Birmingham on Saturday last, and was there told that all trade was in a Wat and unprofitable state, and mu-t so continue, in consequence of their having to compete with the foreign manufae. turcr. One of his own family had just re'umed from the north of Germany. His report was, that tiade was there most flourishing, but it was not tride with England; the people manufactured their own go<.ds much cheaper th.vi the English could manufacture them. The U'rinin^ham ghss makers and brus>-fo'.iridcr*.had formerly called out for free-trade ; they got it, and they weie now calling oat for a returu to protection* The houss then divided, on a motiou of Mr. Uuuie's, tnd affirmed the in material grant by a iMHJoriiy of 77; the number being 220 for the Government, «nd 143 1 for Mr. Hume's amendment to refuse the grout altogether. On Tuesday, (Febmiry 13,) the business commenced with Mr. Anstey's motion fora committee to irquire into the state of th« inland fisheries of Ireland, upon their capacity, undtr due m nn^einent, to contibute most lively towards the support of the poor, and upon the illu^-il monopoly, similar to American appropriation by squatting under which local landho'der* hid seized upon theie pttbhc rivers as private pro« perty. He commenced with explaining he difference between Irith and English fisheries. In England, neirlyall fisheries were private properly, and legally so. In Ireland, with a very few cxci ptions, all were legally public tight. Now, under the weuknrss of the people, and the absence of all government superintendence, all these publ c rights h 'd been so seized and usurped by powetful i idividu its on the spot, that in a country watered to the lar.j~st extrn*, and socked with the finest fish, not one single fi-h was allowed to be taken beyond a certain mark, except undtr the permission of theie monjpolUu. Tlie loss to the l.ish poor was estimated at ;£6G0,000 p* r annum. This monopoly also led to a kind of poaching or fishing at illegal times of the yrar, by which, in one stream alone, the Bl.cfc water, upwards of 1000'emale fish, each fi>h producing 150; eggs, of which SO') came to maturi y, wcu> annually destroyed. " This," sai I Mr. Anstey, "is the ground of my iiiotion."' Sir W. Ban on, Mr. O'Gormsn Mahon, Mr. Fa h 'an and Sir VV. Somervil c, all expressed their epp'obation oi the motion, an 1 I c lattei said that the govcrnnvnt would concur in forwaiding its ol.ject. Mr. D.ummond nest move 1 and obf.rmd leivc to bring in a bill for facilitating Ihe tiansfe. of real pro* perty, by estabhohing a cou.sa of practice which ivi u d enable r-utehasers to ascci t.iin at once i.icumbtiiucci?, and ti» nhr d{je tho Ln^th of deeds by copying the Rta'eincnU in registries. H's meas-ure, tbeiefore, comprehended three points -a county reg'st y; maps of the registered estates to be deposited at the time of reglstra i-n ; and an easy ai.d instmt access to those ngiirios upon the payment of a smill fj\ Mr. Lenis, one of the Under Stciet'iries of Slate, then moved for a much more important measure,— 4 bill to consol di.c and amend (ho laws relating to public roads in E ig'and and Wa'es. The new system proposed by the bill consists chiefly in three main joints. First, under the pre ent ldW» ihe parish maintains its i ovids by means of a rate, the turnpike tru't by means of a toll, and when the tolls are deficient tLe eh age is defrayed by a highway rate. Both these modes of tsxat.on are to be abolished, and county taxation is to supply the place. Secondly, there is to be a county roads couit, which, after the 25 h March next, is to manage all the roads of :he county, end to supply all deficiencies, for the cinrent ma ntenunco and repair of all parochial and public highways, by a county rate, Thirdly, as the debts to bondholders on to'l trusts now exceed ,i?B,GOO,'iQO, the county roads conrt is to t*ke means to provide an " instalment pay fuud," which in the cou*se of 27 years, viz , at the rale of about £7 per hundred yearly, Is to pay off p.incipul and interest of this debt. Th-tpait of this portion which is n)tsup* pied by tolls is to be raised by ccnuty rates. It will be seen that this is the point where the shoe will pinch. The business of the day concluded with a notice of a new government bill, for amending the qualification of Irish parliamentary voters. The new points are the three following ; ffit,i r *t, the qual fii-ation to be not occupation, but that the land held should be rated in the parish books as being worth £S per year ; secondly, an annual revision of the registry as in Euglaud; and thirdly, an annual r. gistration. On Wednendiy the house was occupied w'.th Mr. Lcbouchere's repeal of the navigat'on laws. The go« vernment plan comprehends a total repeal ot the navigation laws, in their four divisions under the old act— the colonial trade, the carrying trade, the long voyage cr iniermediate trade (viz., foreign vessels bringing tropical produce from any Euiopean port, where it is , held in depot), and lastly, the British coasting trade, into which it seems foreign vessels tire now to be admitted, so far as respecs the sale of their cargo, or pait of it, in any Biitish port on their couise; Such vessels are not to trade backwards and forwards from such ports, but they may take every one in their line. For example, London U Portsmouth or Southampton, thence to Plymouth, &c., or from Plymouth onwards to Newcastle, Leith, Glasgow, &c. On Thursday theie was no business in the House of Commons ; it was c unted out at fojr o'clock. In the Lords, Earl Grey explained a new system of transportation. Those who are sentenced to tniffsnoited for seven, fourteen, or a longei term of yeais, are to be subjected to ha d labour and a due ref> r natory discipline for the ft: it twelve or eighteen months in an English gaol. They are then to be fent to hard labour on board ships, or in gaugs on publ.c works, to Bermuda or Gibraltar. On Friday there was no business transacted in the House of Lords, l.i tha Commons the sitting was principally occupied wfh disru-s ons on the Irish Habeas Corpus Suspension A a and the grant for the ielief of Irish disfes^. The rep irt on the former subject was agreed to, after an amenJmfnt pro,>taed by Mr. J. O'Connell lud been rejected by a lar fe e maj'lity The report og the grant of jfcs->,oou w * v

eventually cnuiud by 128 to .'J9. Leave was then givcu to I>iiii<j in a bill founded on the resolutions. In the House of Lords on the li'ih February, the Lord Glnncdloi mo\ed tlie teemd reading; of M\v Conujit I'tnctices at Flceitons Bill. — After a oons-'di ruble discussion, in tlio course of which Lords Denraan, Biougham, and Stanley spoke in no very favourable teims of the measure, nnd iniiniatcd tlieir intention of opposing it in its furflier std£e=, the Bill was real a seco.ul time.— Lord Campbell moved the Bills for amending the Law of Marriage in Scotland, an 1 said that the present measure was idenlu-al with thit on the snme subject which liad passed the House last Seision. He explained the evils of the present state of the law in Scotland, and detailed the remedies aimed at by hii HiMs. — The Earl of Aberdeen warmly defended the cxibting law, which he declared to be admirably adapted to the h .bits and foelings of the people of Scotland, who need not shifnk fiom a comi-ariion with any other nation in regard to moral and religious culture — The Duke of Argyle and the Earl of Eglington declared their intention of supporting the Bills, which, after a few words from Lord Ccinpbell iv reply, wire read a second time. In the Home of Commons the Irish Habeas Corpus Bill was read a third time, and passed by a.tnujority of 168 to 13. Lord John Russell proposed that the House should go into Committee to consider the following form of t>mh to be taktii hy Members of Patliamei.t. "I, A. 8., swear, that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to her Majesty Qiwen Tictoiia, and that I nill maintain the succession of the Crown, as e«U* by »n Act, intituled. • An Act for the further limitiiiou of the Crown, and belter tecuring the rights and libertieiof theduVjpctij' aud that I do not be teve that the Pope of Rome, or any ether foreign prince, prclite, per on, state, or potentate hath or ought to Lave any tempoial or civil jurisdiction, authority, or power within this re«ltn ; and that I will defend, to the utmost of my power, the settlement of property within llr-s realm, as establiihed by the lawi } and Ido make this recognition, tUclara'ion, and promise heartily, willingly, and truly upon the truo frith ot a Christian. — S.) help me God." In the- «as>e of J..WS the last seven words to be omitted. The motion was earr'ed by 210 to 113. In the House of Lords, on the 23rd Februray, the Bishop 6. Oxford moved fora select commitBlie to enquire into the best means for extinguish, ing the slave trade. The Marquis of Lansdowne had no objection to the committee, a« he thought the subject was open to discussion. After §me observations from Earl Aberdeen, and Lord Stan ley, and Kail Grey, the Committee was appointed, and their loid'ships adjourned. i In the House of Commons, Mr. P. Wortley obtained leave to bring in a bill for allowing marriage with a deceased wife's sister. Several members expressed their determination to oppose tUe bill in tlie second reading. Mr. Bouverie obtained leave to bring in a bill do exempt from pcnalies clergymen of theClmich of England declaring themselves Dissenieis. On the 2Glh Febiuary, the Marquis of Lans<lovi ne moved the second reading of the Habeas Corpus Suspension Bill fur Ireland. Lord Uiougham onlj lamented that the bill ivas to h«? to limited in us dilution. After some ohberva- j t ions ft oi n Lord Montoagle, who contended that in some pin Is of li eland at lea t tiial b> jury was not aftitce, tlie bill was lead a second time.— Adjoin nod. On the 2Stli February, the Irish Habeas Corpus Suspension Bill was lead a third lime and j pas-sed, afiei Loid Brougham had again expi eased j Ins iiidigtrJion at the conduct of one of the jut y \ Mien during t tie lecent tiial in Dublin. The j Scolch jUdiii.igc and Key Oration Bill ptusej j thiough committee.— Adjourned. j In the Commons on the motion that the House should go into a Committee of Supply, Mr. Cobden moved "That the increase of nearly ten | trillions between the n<it expenditure of 1535 ' and that of 1818 having been caused pi inci pally j l>> augmentations of wai like establishments and outlaws for defensive armaments, which increase is not vran anted by the present circumstances of the counti), whilst the taxes requiied to meet j the piesent expenditure impede agriculture and manufactures, and diminish the funds applicable to pioductive industry, theieby adding to the lindens of the people, it is expedient to reduce the annual expettdituie, with practicable speed, to the sum w hich in 1835 was sufficient to inaintiin thesecuiit)) honoui,and dignity of the nation." The motion was opposed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and negatived by a majority of 275 to 78. The House of Lords tiansacted no business on the 28th February and March Ist, and the House of Commons was engaged in matters of detail on the 28th. On the Ist of March, Lord Ashley moved, " That a humble addrebs bo presented to her Majesty, pmjing her Majesty to appoint a comtnibtion to eucniue into the piacticabihty and mode of subdividing, into distinct and independent paiishes, for all ecclesiastical purposes, all the densely peopled paiishes in England and Wale*, in such (manner that fhe population of each, except in particular cases, at the dibcietion of the sommissioners, shall not exceed four thousand souls." The motion was suppoited by Lord John ltussell and opposed by Mes&is Hume and iSright ; it was earned by 111 to 18. A motion for going into committee on a Bill for imposing a general rate of sixpence in the pound on every electoral distiict in Ireland, in aid of the poor law, was carried 195 to 96. These me the only matters of impoitance we notice in the debates which have come to hand. Several elections had taken place. Sir F. Baling (First Lord of the Admiraltj ) was reelected for Portsmouth without opposition. Mr. F, Peel, eon of Sir H. Peel, was elected for Leominster without opposition in the place of Mr. 11. BarHy, appointed Goternor of Biitish Guiana. Mr. Baines, the new Piesident of the Poor-law Commission, waste-elected for Hull without oppositiou. For Bolton the candidates were Sir J. Wahnsley and Mr. T. R. Bndson, bleacher, of Boston. The show of hands was in favour ol Sir Joshua. Mr. Bndsun demanded a poll, which took place on the following day, when the numbers at the close weie— Wului^lejr (Libeial), 63*2 ; Bridson (Conservative), 567; There was no opposition to the election of Sir 11. Lopes, foi South Devon. Tiade continued in an improving state, and vi c expect to find at tlie conclusion of the bales

that the average increase on the pii.'e of woo] was tlirec pence per poun !. Tallow was about flic same as out last quotations, 'IDs. We find the following in llio House of Commons report for February 1(5 : — " Mr. F. Scott inqniied how many fioe passages to (lie Australian colonies it was the intention of tlie Colonial office to givo to Doiset ami Wilts; whether it was intended to adopt the same course in other and what countries and to what extent ; how much those free passages \\ oul.l cost colonies; how many moio emigrants might have gone if the grant had been made to assist instead of giving fiee passages; and the amount of colonial funds at present available for emigration t" Mr. Hawes would make inquiry into the subject, and hoped to bo prepared lo answer the hon. member's question at another time. From this we suppose that some ai rangcments had been made for removing some portion of the surplus population of those counties to this colony. The immigrants by the Emigrant are said to have been selected by the Honourable and tleverend S. G. Osborne, whose letters in the Times on the social condition of the poor, with the initials S. G. 0., have occupied so much of (he public attention during the last two years. It was reported that the government were endeavouring to get consols up to par, when they would reduce the thiee per cents, to two and a half per cent. Sir H. L. Bnl ver, late ambauador at the Spanish Court, has been appointed to succeed Sir R» Pakenbain, as Butish Minister at Washington. Sir U. Pakenham, who is an old diplomatic servant of the Crown, will retire upon a pension. In France the government of President Louis Napoleon appealed to be fimily established. No decibive steps had been taken b> the Roman Catholic powers towards the re-establishment of l J ope Pius at Koine, The Grand Duke of Tuscany had fled from his dominions. The Danish dispute respecting the S>:hleswig-Holstein question remains as unsettled as ever. There does not appear, however, to be the slightest reason for feat ing that England will become involved, whatevei may be the character of the Continental revolutions^