ENGLAND.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 4, Issue 193, 31 May 1860, Page 3

ENGLAND.

House of Lords.— February 21. The Lord Chancellor introduced a bill for the purpose of providing for the further fusion of law and equitj\ In reply to the Earl of Selkirk, Lord Elgin said that when lie was in China he had not proceeded to Pekin because the ratifications of the treaty were now placed in his bands. He had. in everything obeyed his instructions and he believed that the difficulties existing had arisen from his not having had a sufficient naval force accompanying him on his mission to the north. He had in everything obeyed his instrctions, and- .he believed that tiie difficullies existing had arisen from his not'having had a sufficient naval force accompanying him on his mission to the north. He V>as satisfied that to maintain commercial relations with 400,000,000 people-a diplomatic intercourse must be established with their government.

The-Duke of Newcastle intimated that it was the intention of the government to disallow the act amending the constitution of the Legislative Council- in .Tasmania. The act

prohibits judges from sitting in the Counci This Her Majesty’s Government approves of. It also provides that the endowment to ministers''of religion (amounting to <£3lo per annum to ■ eaeh r -'Clergyman) cease, with the exception of what may be derived from a capital fund of AMOO.OOO proposed to be sot apart for their maintenance. . This provision //er Majesty’s government thinks inadequate for those who. have been labouring there on the understanding that their stipends should be continued, aud consequently it refuses assent to the a-ct in the expectation that another act will he passed making adequate provision for .these clergymen. February 24. Lord Dungannon moved a resolution condemning the performance of Divine service at Saddler’s Wells and other theatres. 2’ho Archbishops of - Canterbury and the Bishops of Llundaif and London opposed the resolution and as it received no support it was withdrawn.

February 57.

In reply to a complaint of Karl Ilardwieko that the naval reserves of iho country were insufficient'in "point of numbers aud discipline, the Duke of Somerset said that, with the Royal naval coast volunteers and the men of the coast-guard there was.a.'reserve force of between 11,000 and 12,000,- and the Admiralty were only waiting for the passing of the estimates to carry into effect- the-further measures proposed..by Government.

House.of Commons;

Feb. 21.—-Mr. THiCane moved, and Mr: Bentinck seconded; a resolution to the effect, that it is inexpedient at present to diminish the amount of the Customs revenue or to increase the Income (ax. The debate was continued during that and the two f 'Rowing nights.. In the course of which Mr. Bright said, thatthe Budget and the Treaty formed a-, scheme which would have received (ho cordial support of the Anti-Corn-Law League.. France hadmade far more concession in 'the Treaty than. Britain, for it admitted into France articles far more important to our prosperity than the importation of wines, silks, &c.; it reduced duties on II articles, which we exported to the extent‘of £95,000,003 per anuum. The right lion, gentleman, the member for Bucks, had, in “ Coningsby,” given an amusing contra -t between the dinners of our English noblemen and French dinners. ‘ The secret of the success of half the Englishman’s dinner was, that the plates were always hot"; the French pottery, however, would not bear continued heating ; but when the treaty was carried into effect, the unrivalled productions of the S.taf-' fordshire potteries would be given in exchange for their wines, and the dinners of both countries would be vastly improved. Fob. 24 —-In reply to Mr. McEvoy, who charged the Government with directly violating the principles of non-intervention laid down by the late Cabinet, Lord John Bussell said, that the Government had acted with the viewto settle the Italian question in-a manner: which appeared to them best calculated' to secure the- future peace of Europe.—ln opposing .Mr. PnCune’s motion, Mr; Osborne said, that in [dace of £5,000,000, as at present, there was no reasou why our trade- with France should not equal that with /America. Exception had been raken to the 11 tlf article, regarding the exportation of-coal, and all the dowager sympath es of the country had been evoked by the fear lint the supply of coal would oniy lastdOO years. There seemed to be a monomania on this subjectthe late Mr. Warlurton was so strongly, impressed with the opinion that our fields of - coaL would only last a certain time, .that he denied himself a fire.—Mr. T, Baring thought the result would be, that the exports would be -greatly , increased, the markets would be glutted, Englishmen would lose most, and the French manufacturers would be disgusted. We should then return to a limited trade with France, for- the French nation have not the same habits ofexpenditure as the Americans and our colonists. —Mr. Milner. Gibson said, that some lion, members objected to the increase of direct taxation. Of every. .£IOO, £7B are paid by .means of indirect, and £22 only by means of direct taxation. There had been an increaso of direct taxation of late years, but great benefit bad resulted from it—• the increased demand for labour caused by the abolition of the restrictions on commerce having saved the count, y at least £1,000,000 a year of poor rates -—Mr. DTsraeli supported the motion, contending that the proposal was pernicious ; 'imprudent in. finance, not to say. profligate; one that may le-ul the country to an extremity of circumstances at. this time next year, which few caii contemplate without. the greatest .alarm.—Lord Palmerston said,., that the resolution was one of the most im- - pdrtant that in so short a compass had ever been submitted to Parliament. It contained a decided opinion on two great questions, one relating to our commercial relations with. foreign countries, the other to the development. of our own. internal resources. If the house agreed to it, it would, so far as the Budget and the part i f the resolution tiiat refers to the Income'tax are concernel, set aside summarily all the financial arrangements proposed by the Government. The treaty would not only lay,tiie foundation of a great commercial intercourse between England and France, but would-'-: have the elLet of spreading over the other - countries,of Emvps, those great principles of commercial intercourse which would lead Co the prosperity anil augment the resources and happiness of all—The house then divided,, when the numbers were,- for Mr. DuCane’s resolution, -223 ; against it, 339 ; majority for the Government; 116.—-In reply to GeneraL Peel, Sir 0. Wood said, that the total force for China would be 5500 Europeans and 4600 of the Indian native army.-

Feb. 27—On this and the following,day the house went into committee on the various clauses of the budget, and carried their prop' s.ils by large majorities., increasing as they weut on.

Feb. 28.—Mr. Kinglako moved for copies of the correspondence that had taken place between her Majesty’s Government and the Government of the Emperor of the French and the King of Sardinia, in respect to the proposal of annexing Savoy and Nice to the Empire of France. Lord John Hassell said, the papers moved for would be laid before the house immediately. Seeing the feeling of distrust and hostility the annexation of Savoy would give rise to, he hoped the Emperor would abandon such a policy. March 1 .-—Lord Jolm Russell -brought in his Reform bill for England, the main features of which tenancy franchise in counties (at present .£SO) is to be reduced to £lO, but with this important and wholesome condition (by which vote-manufacturing is almost completely guarded against), that at least half of the annual value must be in a dwellinghouse. In the boroughs the occupancy or tenancy franchise (at present £10) is to be reduced to £6, a reduction which it is calculated will add 60 per Jcent. to the English borough electors. One member is to be taken from each of 25 small boroughs at present returning two, and the seats thus set free are to be bestowed thus—ls upon English comities, 9 upon English boroughs, and 1 upon London University. The West Hiding is to get two additional members, and other 13 counties or divisions of comities; 1 each. Chelsea and Kensington are to be' erected into a borough, returning two members ; Birkenhead, Staleybridge, and Burnley are to be erected into boroughs returning one member each; and Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and Leeds are to get 1 additional member, being a total of 3 for each. The 4 English seats now ‘ suspended 5 on account of bribery, are to be divided equally between Scotland and Ireland. —Mr. Cardwell moved for leave to-bring in a Lteform bill for Ireland. It provides that the county tenancy franchise (at present £l2) be reduced to £lO, and that the borough tenancy franchise be brought down to £B.—The Lord Advocate then moved for leave to bring in a bill to amend the Ilepresentation in /Scotland. This bill is identical with the English as to the changes in the qualifications of electors, except in one important particular; the ownership qualification, which seems left untouched in England, is in Scotland to be lowered to £5. The two additional members are to be given, one to Glasgow, and one to the four universities formed into one constituency. The bill includes a cheapening and simplification of the process of registration.—Leave was given to bring in all the three bills, and that for England was read a first time, and the second reading fixed for the 19th March! There were 3io objections on either side of the house to the geneial plan or chief provisions. March s.—ln reply to Mr. 11. Baillie, MrS. Herbert said, that the experiments made with the Whitworth gun having been most satisfactory, the Government intended to try it and the Armstrong gun together,* in order to test their comparative qualities.—ln reply to Mr. Hankey, Lord'John Bussell said, that the provisions of the French treaty did not apply to the French colonies, with the exception of Algeria. A debate ensued as to the moving of the address to the Crown, expressing the approval by the house of the French treaty, which ended in the address being postponed till the Bth March.

March 15.—Lord C. Paget, in reply to Lord A. Churchill, mentioned that H.M.S. Fawn, recently sent out to Australia, was not intended as an augmentation to the forces of that colony. The French Government had no military or naval establishment at New Caledonia. They had an Admiral in the Pacific, and a Governor at New Caledonia under his command. IVe Lad a Commodore upon the Australian station, and there was no intention to put an Admiral there.—2'he AttorneyGeneral introduced a bill for the amendment, reform, and consolidation of the laws relating to bankruptcy and insolvency. He proposed to do away with the distinction between bankruptcy and insolvency. Every insolvent willing to make a surrender of his estate, and to disclose the state of his affairs, would be ad* judicated a bankrupt on bis own petitiou. He further proposed to substitute for the five Commissioners of Bankruptcy, a single judge, •who should be on an equality with the other judges. The purely administrative business could be discharged by registrars, as in the court of Chancery, and the judge would attefld exclusively Jo his judicial functions. Power would be given to a certain majority of the creditors in a case to take it out of court and settle it elsewhere if they were so disposed. The Attorney-General explained the bill more fully, but we have uot space to enter into these minor details.