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Northern Star (1837-1852), 14th July 1849, Edition 3 of 3, Page 7

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      "' ' "J Ma^N Mtmmssbs^^^T^^^'^^^ Rm ^^ M...

      _J" ' ' _" _mtmmssBS _t mmm _!! July 14 , 1849 / _. _^ 7

      To The Trades Of Great Britain Ash Irela...

      TO THE TRADES OF GREAT BRITAIN ASH IRELAInD . ( From No . 2 of the Democratic Review , July , 1849 . ) _FEttow Msx . —Ix my last I promised to further develope ( iu separate letters ) the principles upon which the Trades' organisation is founded , and which my excellent friends and colleagues , the Trades ' . Delegates of London , arc labouring to establish . Our first principle declares the _universalrigbt of the people to the Soil . You will behold in tliat declaration , the _assrrtion of a _ii- _^ ht

      which was wrested from your forefathers by force . The subversion of that right has been ( he cause of all the evils entuled npon tour order ; including that monster evil the want of useful employment , with the inseparable concomitants of poverty and starvation . Dow shall we bes _** . answer the _usurpers of tbe Soil , who have straggled for _ages to preach the people int . a belief—delude th . m into a belief—and coerce them into a belief , that the privileged orders have a divine right—a prescriptive right , and in short all manner of right , to maintain exclusive possession of , and dominion over the soil ?

      "We shall answer them best by a correct definition of man s natural rights , and by placing these rights in contradistinction to brute force possession—or political unrpation . I therefore at once pronounce those rights to _consist of the free use of all the primary elements ofthe universe , -which nature ' s _G- * d hath placed in abundance al the disposal ol the whole human family ; not tobe exclusively possessed by that class of men to -whom the Dukes cf Bedford , Buckingham , and Richmond belong . The elements , the free _uss of which constitute man s _natu-al _rights , I define to be the land , the bowels of the earth , the waters whether inland or oceanic , toge her with the air and light of htaven .

      The Ires use of these I p _roclaim to be the natural , the inalienable , and imprescriptive right of everv human being—a right which exi-ted anterior to all human ¦ society ,. which no legislation , no force , can abrogate , -without committing an outrage upon humanity . "Who-oever usurpefh but aportion of any one of these elements , to the total exclusion of his fellows , is gufl-y of the highest crime against humanity . Itis necessary to setd- * in the first placewhat man ' s natural rights are , and afterwards deal with society as we find it . I shall now proceed briefly to show the process by which tiie people of this country have been robbed of tu ' eir right of inheritance in the soil . To do thrs I must first glance at the early periods of _Englhh Historv .

      Two thousand years ago when the sombrous forest everywhere prevailed , and tbe busy bum of our towns and cities oi the nineteenth century was unheard and unknown , the ancient Britons , clothed in the skins of wild animals , possessed their natural rights even in a state of rude barbarism to a much greater degree fiian the modem Britons , of ( what is regarded as ) the enlightened nineteenth century-In their no * mal state they at least had free access to the soil— tothe rivers and the fountains , the air and light of heaven , and could collect the fruits of the forest for their su-tenance . How stands the matter , after the lapse of tw » thousand years ? Why , that nearly ihe whole ofthe land is in the hands ofthe four hundred and thirty-two eldest scions of an hereditary aristocracy , who set " men traps and spring

      guns " as a terror to the dispossessed ; and who have the power to commit to prison auy man who may step within tlieir domain- * , as was the case with a poor fellow for -gathering a few nuts frma hed ; e on the estates of the Duke of Marlborough , ia August lastestates jrhic ' a the ancestor of his present grace had given h ' . m _, together with a pension of £ 5 , 000 per annum by Queen Ann : * , for having fought the battles of tyran'sand usurpers , and deluged Europe wiih blocd . "We have but to examine the pages of _hist-ry , and we ¦ sh all discover that the first establishment of private ownership in _1-ui _^ l was accomplished hy brute force , in an age of barbarism , when all disputes were settled [ b y the sword—and might constituted right-and that it has er _.-r since ben maintained by the strong iarm ofpowe " , while those who h-sve enjoyed its

      exclusive possession have enhanced its value , and consolidated their po _^ er , by treasonable legislation , "When Julius _Csiar effected the conquest of Britain ¦ fif ty-five years before the Christian era , he only paved the way to other advent-rers . The Saxons whoac-ompanied _Hcngist and Ilorsa , under pretence of _assi- _> ting * thc Britons against the incursions of the _Ticts aud Sc « ts , took _for-ibh * possession ofthe countrv , af . er it had been a R -man colony for nearly 500 years . Following the Saxo- _* s , were the Danes under King Canute , whose dominion was but of Short Juration , as Edward the Confessor , a Icing of the Saxon _li-. e , _ultimately _suc-.-eeded to the throne . Then came the crowning carnage and final -Q-nrpa tioa of Britain by the Norman Cor quest , in 1066 ; eleren hundred vears after it * _& r = t invasion by the

      Imperial Rowan . After the _conqnest William the _Conqueror divided the Ian s of England into 700 chief baronies , which were subdivided into 60 , 215 knightsfees ; and parcelled out among tUe 60 , 000 invaders who composed his army—vagabonds adjected from the numerous hordes of freebooters , which overran -nearly aU ihe states of Europe at that period . . The Da-oi * ie 3 he gave to the brigand chiefs who _cammanded this monster banditti ; aud the knights-fees were assianed to the subalterns and srailler fry , who were installed as the retainers of those fierce military chieftains . "War was everywhere waged against the dispossessed , who were cither put to the sword , or compelled to become the vassals of the "usurpers . Such is the foundation _up-n which our land tenures were basedand upon which ihey rest np to thc

      pre-, sent time . But even then , no such thing as apnvate ownersh _ip in land was in any respect known or recogaised by the feudal law . as originally established by the Norman conqueror , except in the person of the _kin-j , who was supreme lord of the landed property . fhe «'« atbarous weie all military tenants of the king , and occupied lhe baronies upon a strictly _coaditioi-al tenure down to the thine nth cen * ury , hwen , by a fomrdable _conspiracy , the baronial chiefs compelled King Joh-. i to sign Magna Charta . wbich ¦ wrested the prerogative of supreme lord of the landed property ofthe state from thc king , and conferred it npon _themselves . By the sixty-first and sixty-second sections of that _dot-nment , ihey invested the power in five-and-twenty - baronial kings , to enforce the

      change which they had made in their own favour , from _hsing tenants of tbe crown , to _abs-. lute " proprietors . * 2 hus doth history prove that this huge monopoly , tins intolerable usurpation of the soil , has its foundation in force arid fraud . I shall prove , on another ; occas : on , tbat from tbe hour of tbe _Hornnn conquest ; down to the raga of George the First , the whole history ofthe ancestors of the present usurpers ofthe : £ oil , is a crusade of confiscation , plunder , rapine , and devastation . During their fierce and bloody _congests , extending over a period of seven centuries , anight constituted right , and the _possessor of lasd on -flie one day become the dispossessed on the morrow ; and he who was the greatest conqueror , by craft or liy arms , was considered the greatest hero- Yet we _Swere told in the Ilouse of Commons the other _nitht

      iv the _Presnier , whose ancestor picked up his exteuive possessions duriug the scramble at the spoliation if the Abbey lands , that this mongrel _aristocracy ' is the least objectionable in Europe , because it idmits within its bosom men who have not been M > rn within the circle of rank . " Be however leglected to inform the House that _iitles and sine-* ures have _generally been conferred upon commoners tho have been dangerous to the aristocrarv , thr . t hey _ntijhtba bought over from popular _principle-, fhe _presmt aristocracy are the _descendants of _frecnoters , and tbe progeny of pimps aud prostitutes , to rhich may be added a considerable number of crafty ¦ lace and " office hunters from nearly all nations , reeds , and classes—cemented together into such a ieterogeneous compouud , that it would puzzle all the intiquarians and historians in Eu'ope , to trace the

      enealogical descent of this huge mongrel aristocracy , rhich boasts of its " long and iUustri-. us line of ncestry . " It is the _usurpation of the suilhy this ristocraey , which has _diiven the people fn . ni the OSOTQ of their parent _earthint- _"* our large towns and itics , and forced them into various trades in undue _roportions ; until all trades have become alike verstocked , tens of thousands unable to _findeiniloyment ,- and those who are employed struggling nd competing to cheapen the price of their labour . Itis the usurpation ofthe soil by this aristocracy , rhich lias made Ireland all but a desert , and breatens Great Britain with a similar doom , unless he masses of the people fly to the rescue of their ouutry from the dominion of those usurpers . I _"tust resume the consideration of this all-impor ant subject in my next letter . Aefred A . _tWauos .

      Ax Akciesi Goose.—On Sunday Last Mr. "W....

      Ax Akciesi Goose . —On Sunday last Mr . "W . _arnifl , efUraceborough , experienced a death of a tigularnatuia—nolcss than the death ofa favourite > ose , which had been on the premises at Bracefcough for sixty _jears , and prior to that had bsen [ the possession of Mr . John Smith , of Beeping St _*„ pnes s for forty vears . The bird was consequently p years old at * liis demise . Mr . Turnill intends _jving-the skin stuffed and preserved as a relic of _1-tiquity . - _*¦* _ ¦ ¦ Religious ExrEDrno-s . —The Emperor

      _oraloo having solicited from the English government means of conveying two of his sons and suite to ca , on a pilgrimage to the shrine of the _Musse ls' prophet , the- Admiralty have acceded to hv icsfc , and have commissioned the Growler steamp , at Bevonport , forthe purpose . It is expected will be ready to leave England by the 26 th inst . Tangier , to embark the Princes of Morocco , and , she has conveyed them to Mecca , and back nio Morocco , will _j oin Sh- * W . Parker's squadron _termanent service in the _Me- _"tftc : rranean . —United

      ce Gazette . : _shebies axo _tiie Fobeigseks . —In consequence e comp laints made last year , of the oneroach-; of foreigners on onriishing grounds , the Board rade have conferred on-the various officers of 3 _eetch Fishery Board powers to search and any vessel fishing within the limits proscribed & ij _.- ~ _£ _znjj ' ddri _JwrxX ,

      Ma^N ^^^^^^'^^^ Rm ^^ M ^' ¦ ' ^¦Gmiim*'...

      ma _^ n _^^^^^^ _' _^^^ rm _^^ _^' ¦ _' _^¦ _gMiiM _* _'" _** ' _* ' _* ' _* ' _* ' _* ' _^* ' _* ' _* _^" THE SICILIAN ARMAMENT . —AFFAIR . OF THE BOMBAY STEAMER . At the Old Bailey Sessions on Thursday , Franco "Maccagnone Granatelli ,- commonly called Prince Granatelli , Louis Scalia , and John Moody , surrendered to take their trial for misdemeanour . Another defendant , named Salviidore de Ameeo , was included in the indictment , but he did not surrender . Sir F . Thesiger , Mr . Clarkson , aud Mr . Bodkin , appeared for tne prosecution , Sir F . Kelly and "Mr . Ballantine defended Prince Granatelli , Mr . Martin defended Scalia , and Mr . M . Chambers defended Moody . Sir F . _Thesigek , in opening the case , said , tbis was a prosecution instituted by the authority ofthe

      Minister in this country of his Majesty the King of the Two Sicilies , against the defendants , and another person named Ameco , . who had not surrendered to take his trial-, for haying unlawfully enlisted men and equipped vessels of war , for the purpose of being employed hostilely against his Majesty the King ofthe Two Sicilies , the lawful Sovereign of that country , contrary to the . provisions of an Act of Parliament , passed in the year 1819 , commonly called the Foreign Enlistment Act . It was unnecessary for him to dwell upon the policy of the law in question , because it was impossible to conceive auything more likely to disturb the relations between friendly states than for persons to adopt the _nroceedinir of eauinnin _g vessels and making

      hostile demonstrations of this description in 0 "c country asrainst another . The Jury , were aware that during the past year nearly the whole of the States of the Continent had been disturbed by revolutionary movements , and many of the governments of those states had been entirely shaken to their foundation , and all had been seriously disturbed . Thc Kin- * ofthe Two Sicilies was not oxempt from that which might be described as the prevailing spirit of the times . In 1 S _48 revolutionary . proceedings took place in Sicily , and in the early part of that year a provisional government was established at Palermo , and the defendants , Granatelli and Scalia , were appointed by that Insurgent government to proceed to this country m the capacity of

      Commissioners or Envoys , and were received by the British government in that capacity . It would seem that the revolutionary government of Palermo were desirous to create an armed force to act against their lawful sovereign , and very soon after the arrival of those two defendants in this country , they entered into an agreement with the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Company for the purchase of two of then * vessels , called the Vectis and the Bombay , for the sum of - £ 60 , 000 ; and in August , 1848 , the agreement was ratified by the government at Palermo , and the Vectis was sent to Liverpool , where she was fitted out as a war steamer , under the superintendence of the defendant Moody , and she was eventually despatched

      to Palermo without any interference by the authorities of this country . The Bombay , which was the vessel that would form the subject of the present inquiry , remained at Blackwall , and he had no doubt that he should be able to satisfy the jury that she had been armed and equipped through the instrumentality of the defendants , and was intended to be used for hostile purposes against the lawful sovereign of the Two Sicilies ; He should show , them that a Colonel Aubrey , who had formerly been in the English service , had been dispatched to this country by the revolutionary government at Palermo , with instructions to raise a body of 1 , 200 men , and to embark them on board these steamers , and that he entered into communication with Prince

      Granatelli and Scalia * and that they were perfectly well aware of his object , and exerted themselves to carry it into effect , with a view to support the insurgent government against their lawful sovereign . There was no desire to press the matter . vindictively against the defendants—thc object was to vindicate the law , and to teach the defendants and others similarly situated , the danger they incurred by such practices , and that there was a power to ' punish them , and this was the only object of the present prosecution . The examination of witnesses for the prosecution occupied the greater part of Thursday and Friday . The attempt to show the purchase of the vessels from the Peninsula and Oriental Steam Company , failed , as the officers of the company claimed to bo excused lest they should thereby criminate themselves . Neither could secondary evidence of the agreement , which was copied when it was produced before the magistrate , be given . Lord _PAtMERS-rox was called to show that this

      country was in amity with the King of Naples , and that no authority had been given to the defendants to St out any expedition . Being cross-examined by the prisoners , he said the government of Palermo had possession of the greater part of Sicily , and , in fact-, exercised the governing power ; It was a government acknowledged to be existing , though not a recognised European government . There was a parliament of Lards and Commons and a Presidentl He was applied to by this Sicilian government to mediate between that and the Neapolitan government . He had not caused the Bombay to be seized , ' and two months aftcr the seizure the vessel , was' ordered by our government to be restored . Colonel Aubeet was next examined , to prove that he was authorised directly by the " Sicilian government to raise 1 , 200 men hv England , and that he had several interviews with the defendants respecting the two steam-boats . " They wished'him

      to find some dashing Englishfellow to take the command of the Bombay , andhe introduced Lieutenant _Tvaghorn . The Prince was delighted , and rubbed his hands when he was assured that if Waghorn was appointed ho would undertake to bring in twelve of the eighteen war steamers belonging to ihe King of _Naples , but he could not- answer for the other - six . The French government failing to assist the Palermo government with aloan of- £ 7-50 , 000 , his engagement to raise 1 , 200 men fell to tbe ground . —Being crossexamined by Sh * F . Kelly , the witness said : " 1 never told the defendants that I intended to betray them to the Neapolitan government . I have not received any money from the Neapolitan government . " —Sir F . Kelly : "Are you to receive any ? " _—Cqlonel Aubrey : "Am I obliged , my lord , to answer that question ? "" Mr . Justice Coltman " Idonot see why you should not . "—Sir F . Kelly " Now , Sir , answer the question / ' Witness : " In consequence of the position in which I was placed ,

      Ma^N ^^^^^^'^^^ Rm ^^ M ^' ¦ ' ^¦Gmiim*'...

      Saturday . —The trial of this case was resumed this morning at ten o ' clock , when Sir Fitzroy Kelly rose and addressed the Jury on the part of the defendant . He complained of the manner in which the prosecution had been instituted , after our own government , on a duo inquiry - into all the circumstances , had refused to interfere in the matter ; and next , ofthe way in which the prosecution had been conducted—by tbe preferring an indictment , containing no less than eighty counts , against foreigner s , who were ignorant of our laws , and one of them even of our language ; and ofthe evidence which had been brought forward in support of that

      indictment , and which characterised as altogether unworthy of belief . But , even admitting the credibility ofthe witnesses , he urged that their evidence had failed to establish the charge against the defendants , and ought , at all events , to be viewed with considerable caution and suspicion ; and , in conclusion , said , hc confidently left the case in the hands of the Jury . Mr . M . Chambers and Mr . Martin addressed the Jury on the part of the other defendants . The Learned Judge summed up the evidence . The Jury retired to consider their verdict , and , after an absence of half-an-hour , " Acquitted " all the defendants . —The Court then adjourned .

      I Was To Receive ."—Sir F. Kelly:—" Go O...

      I was to receive . " —Sir F . Kelly : — " Go on , Sir . " "Witness : "I am to have what the Sicilian government owe me . "—Sir F . Kelly : _** . * How much ? " "Witness : "Three hundred pounds . "Sir F . Kelly : " What are you to receive three hundred pounds for ? " Witness : " For giving evidence to cause the seizure ofthe Bombay steamer . "—Sir F . Kelly : " Then you did give some evidence which led to the seizure of the Bombay ? " Witness : "I did . "—By Sir F . Thesiger : " I left the service of the Sicilian government , because , having pledged my word and honour for the fulfilment of the contracts , they placed me in a difficult position by neglecting to send me money . They intended to play the traitor with me , bnt Iwas too deep for them , and I considered myself justified in * stopping the vessels . The amount of the contracts for which I was liable was £ 1 , 500 . "

      Mr . _Latchfokd , an accoutrement maker , corroborated Colonel Aubrey ' s statement as to some interviews with the Prince , and his directions about the equipment . ,. - _' '' Mi * . _GiraiT , a clothier , deposed to providing uniforms for 1 , 200 men by order of Colonel Aubrey . A Air . _Dkydbx spoke to conversations with the defendants about employing him in the command of one of the war steamers ; and some seamen were called to show that they were engaged to go on board , and that the steamers Were , fitted-iip as vessels of war . Upon cross examination they admitted that the vessels were perfectly ready to go to war , except that they wanted guns and _ammuni-: tion . and the crew .

      The last witness called was the _Neapolitan . Minister , Prince . Caste-lticala ; He said : From the year 1847 down to the present time there has been peace' between this country and the kingdom of the Two Sicilies . I know by " sight Prince Granatelli and Senhor Scalia . They hold no office under the King of the Two Sicilies . I met them inthe anteroom of the Foreign-office on one occasion wheh _; I was going by appointment to see Lord Palmerston , and also jnet tbem at a soiree given by Xady Palmerston The present prosecution has been instituted at m ' y instance . Cross-examined by Sir F . Kelly : I hare not been in- Sicily since the-troubles * broke out : The predecessor ofthe present King was Ferdinand the First . I had aneye on the Bombay fbr ; some timeand I wrote to Lord Palmerston ;

      Icanriotre-, member the date when I wrote ; it was , perhaps , six months ago . Idid not succeed with Lord Palmerston in persuading himto seize the vessel . 'I never- entered into any communication -with the officersofthe _Customs-respecting the seizure of the Bom _oav , I instructed my solicitors' to institute this prosecution some time ago . -1 have seen Goloiiel Aubrey twice ; perhaps it mi g ht have been on the subject of those proceedings . ' I have left the ' matter enti !? _'eJy in the hands of my solicitors , and whatever barga ins have : been made with witnesses for payment ha ** ve uot been made by -myself . " I nevcr ' spoke to Prince - Granatelli or Senhor Scalia in- niy fife ' ; nor have I mid any official communication with

      them .- A gn _*** ai number -of men * have come to -me on this busine _^ . and I have always referred them to mv solicitors . _—^ y Miv M . Chambers : The King of the Two Sicilies h - had a great , niihiber _' of vessels built in England _through my means . -Mr : 'Pitcher has built several _war-gamers for him ; - There have been no vessels built fr * - _'* within the last two or three years for the King . if the-Two Sicilies . -The ammunition for thoso vesseL _** was notprovidedjiere ; it was * furnished at Naples ; " "When those vessels were built ; the King ofthe Two * _Bieib ' es was notat war with any power ; they were * built-merely to keep tip bis navy . There are a gi *« 3 at number of English engineers in the navy , of the . King Of the Two Sicilies . This was the case for the prosecution . Tue court then , * A five o ' clock , adjourned .

      The Romans And Hungarians. Public Meetin...

      THE ROMANS AND HUNGARIANS . Public meetings aro being held in various parts of the country for the purpose of assisting Hungarian exiles now in London to return to their own country , and expressing sympathy with the Romans in their " struggles for freedom . " One of the most important of these meetings took place on Friday , in the Lecture-room , Nelson-street , Newcastle , and it appears from a report in the Newcastle Guardian that tho building was densely crowded , and that hundreds of persons were unable to obtain admittance . Sh- John Fife took the chair . Several speeches were delivered in the course ofthe _eveaing , and thc following resolution was adopted : — i ' . ' That a national subscription , for the purpose of enabling the Hungarian exiles now in this country to return to their native land " will be an act worthy ofthe generosity ofthe people . of England , at the same time that it will afford them an opportunity ,

      which they should not suffer to pass _' by , of making public and manifest their indignation at the conduct of the Austrian and Russian governments towards Hungary , and of showing sympathy with the heroic exertions of the Hungarian people in thc most sacred of causes—the protection of thoir homes and country against invasion . That accordingly a subscription tor tbat purpose be commenced , and the proceeds forwarded to Lord Dudley Stuart . " _' A motion was then carried expressive of sympathy with the condition of the Romans . ' - Signor Bompiaw , a Roman , in returning thanks , spoke as follows : —The French ' government has revealed to the world what is their love for French liberty , by pouring bombs on Roman liberty . Yes } the political principles ofthe Seine are explained on the banks of the Tiber ! They have bombarded Rome , because the laurels gathered on- the field of battle by Nicholas , Ferdinand , Windischgratz , arid Radetski , troubled , like a night-mare , their sleep . See that immense column of smoke and' dust which

      rises like a cloud from the centre of Italy ; it comes from the destruction of the greatest monuments of human genius , and which have been bombarded by the soldiers of . civilised France ' . ' "V arsovia , Milan , Brescia , Ancona , glorious victims of your patriotism and . of your -tyrants , you needed a companion in : your sorrows and devastation , and Rome shares yonr fate . Yes , the French cannons , which wore destined only to destroy the citadels of tyrants , have roared against the Roman-republic , * which demanded nothing from France , but its alliance and friendship , against a people whose sole crime was to have followed their example . The attack on Rome is the crime of Cain accomplished by a faithless government against a defenceless people . Had a . republic been proclaimed in St . ' Petersburg , or in

      London , tha power which governs the destiny of France would have trembled and -bowed before them . But Rome is comparatively a small town , and 35 . 000 men , the bravest soldiers of Europe , backed by Austrian , Spanish , and Neapolitan troops , have at last silenced the fire of the brave but unfortunate defenders of our liberty , and who had retired to Rome as to the heart of Italian independence . The French legions have been . victorious—they , through fire and sword , have become masters of Rome , and now Pius IX . can return to the eternal city ; a river of blood will bring him back his triple golden crown , whilst his Master only left to him a crown Of thorns . Let him take it up with that hand which signed the warrant of death for his children , which was destined only to bless and forgive 1 Why does hc not go to Avignon , where several of his predecessors passed nearly seventy years ? No , he must occupy again thc regal abodo of the Vatican , though" he styles himstdf the viear of

      " Him who had not a stone whereon to rest his head . " One word more . I may be asked , "To what purpose your speech , your enthusiasm ?'' For a very simple . reason—I do wish that there , should be at least one nation in the world to set an example of public morality . I would wish that , clieered by sympathy here for our misfortunes and efforts , I could from this distant country exclaim to my Italian brethren , " Wo have all the world against us , except free England . " This , at least , will be our consolation in our fall , that we were lamented and admired . Let the men of England think ori the calamities and circumstances which have reduced to a nonentity and slavery the queen of nations , and they will pronounce their judgment , wliich I doubt not will be heard with fear and dismay by those tyrants who have caused , and cause , so many tears and blood . The voice of a free and generous people is all-powerful , and will re-echo like thunder to the most distant regions .

      Tiie Delegates From Baden And The Paris ...

      TIIE DELEGATES FROM BADEN AND THE PARIS PRESS .

      Sin—The liberty of the press at present being completely suspended in France , I fear the enclosed letter addressed to La Presse , of M . Giravdin , will not be allowed to appear in the French journals . Being , at the same time , anxious to expose a gross infraction of all human rights , on the part of tlie French government , I request the hospitality of your columns for this purpose . LETTEB ADDRESSED IO THE EDITOR OF THE " _"PfiESSB , "

      AT PARIS . " London , June 30 . " Sm—Permit me to correct a few errors which have appeared in La Presse , and some ofthe other journals of Paris , concerning myself and my friends , MM . Schutz arid Blind , the delegates from Baden and the Palatinate to the French Republic . " 1 . MM . Schutz and Blind requested , immediately on their arrival at Paris , an audience with the minister , of Foreign Affairs , in order to present their credentials . It was , therefore , well known to the government , that they ought not to arrest my person , as they have attempted , if they wished to repeat at Paris the precedent of Ristadt , and to show tliat tbey did not respect , even at 18 d 9 , the inviolability of ambassadors from new formed states , being republics . ¦ 2 . Neither my friends MM . Schutz and Blind , nor myself , have had any shave in giving to the maiority ' of the assembly the opportunity to gain the

      victory over clear evidence and sound reason and to decree that henceforth the Art . 5 ofthe constitution : Tlie French republic respects foreign nationalities , as it understands how to make its own respected . It undertakes . no wars with views of conquest , and never employs its forces against tbe liberties of any people '—does not exist , because after the 13 th June 2 r _- _* f 2 == 5 . We congratulate the government and the majority on their victory , unheard of since the time or Alexander the Great , who likewise severed the Gordian knot by brute force ; but we plead guilty only tothe crime of foreseeing and ardently desiring with the whole of Europe the defeat of these revolutionists against clear evidence , common sense , and the rights of mankind at home and abroad . For my own humble person , I acknowledge the irresistible force of logic and mathematics , even in cases where the indignation and curse : of the whole world does not operate in accord with this

      supreme power . . . " 3 . Wc persist in believing that the arrest and detention of M . Blind , secretary to tho embassy from Baden to the government of the republic , is a gross iufraction of the law of nations , acknowledged ever since the famous congress at Rastadt , and therefore of an earlier date than the . law . of nations as acknowledged by the French Constitution , . Art . 5 . " All ; other , statements , sir , concerning our . persons , which are contradictory to these _: three positions , are calumnies or inventions , , as for -instance the discovery of papers disclosing a European conspiracy of the democratic party , which , I am . sorry to say , never existed , inventions which , conferring bn . us an undeserved honour , are equally repugnant to the feelings of men who respeet ' themselves . ' ¦ ' --. " Sincerely attached to the republic , sir , I ardently desire nothing so much as the speedy victory " of evidence , and the complete ¦ restoration of commoh . ' sense in its just right at Paris _.-r-I amv & c- - " ¦ ' ' v . * ' ¦ f ARNOLD RUGE . _" '• '

      Incrkasrxg Trade Of The Port Of Havre.—T...

      IncRKAsrxG Trade of the Port of HAVRE . —The increase of trade and the growing importance ; of the Port of-Havre may be inferred from the published ; Custom-house revenue returns of that port , which aihourited' for the month of June this " year , on-imports , to 2 , 353 , 172 francs , ' against" 1 , 115 , 694 francs for the same month last year ; and on exports , to 22 , 930 francs for ' the month of June this year , against 9 , 560 francs for the same month last year , showing an increase of more than 100 per cent , in both departments of the' Customs revenue of the flourishing port of _HavreY A ConnEsposn-Exi of the ? A _' ch ; York Evening Post , writing from Rio Janeiro ; sa _/ _s we can form no conception of the ugliness of the _Brazilian women . He is tired and _sicls . of looking at them .

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      Monday, July 9. House Of Lords.—Lord Bro...

      MONDAY , July 9 . HOUSE OF LORDS . —Lord Brougham added two re 3 olutions to those he had moved on _the-pre . ceding Friday , on the subject of ' prison discipline , for thepurposa of showing the necessity which existed for separate confinement in order , to avoid contamination * and to shorten imprisonment before trial by making more frequent gaol deliveries , which might be effected by the . county courts , the judges of which were perfectly competent to that duty . The - various bills on the bblewere advanced a stage without debate , and their lordships adjourned , after a

      short sit ting of three quarters of an hour . HOUSE OF COMMONS . —This Ilouse met at twelve o ' clock . . _Marriagbs ( Scor tANn ) Bitt ' . —On the motion that this bill be read a third time , . Mr , ¦ M ackenzie objected to the further progress bf the bill at this period of the session , and moved to defer the third reading for three months . ¦ Mr . Elliot supported the bill . _> ir It . U . ERK , who offered a qualified defence of the Scotch marriage law , opposed it on- the ground that it was repugnant to the feelings of the people of Scotland . ; °

      . The Loan Advocate explained the grounds upon 7 _* _« _^? J ? - ' and the _Mastering Births , & c , ( ScotlandVBill , which stood . for committal , had been introduced , with the view of importing . more certainty into the law of marriage ; giving publicity to all marriage contracts , and putting astop to _Gretnagreen marriages . Mr . _M'Ni-iLL energetically opposed the further proceeding of a measure , against which all- the boroughs . in Scotland , containing one-third of the whole population of that country , some of , the counties , and two general assemblies of the church had petitioned ., For a period of three . years-attempts had been made to pass this and similar bills , and they throughout had been mb-d : strenuously opposed bythe people of Scotland , and now it was to be attempted to

      be thrust down their . throats . ; ; He admitted that the measure contained some , good points , but the evils so much predominated as to justify his giving . it his most strenuous opposition . ; .: _'* . _.-, A lengthened debate ensued , and at four o ' clock the House divided , when the motion for a third readingof the bill on Monday . next was carried by . a majority offive only , the numbers being seventy-three to sixty-eight , a result which was received with loud cheers by the opponents of the measure . Mr . Gladstone expressed a hope , after what was now seen to- _, be the' sense of a large portionof the House , and what was known as ; to , the sense ofthe people of Scotland on the subject , tbat no further attempt would be made to waste the time ofthe House by _proceeding further with the measure ., _» . ¦

      Lord J . ; Russeli , replied , . that after : what had taken place , he would consider . between * then and Thursday . what course to pursue . In the meantime , as the . motion , had been carriedi perhaps there would be no objection to . reading the bill a third time at once . ; _, ' : •' , ;¦ _-. ' ; _-.- . -. ; _., : ¦ - . -. ;> ... ¦ ' ¦ ¦ : ' . . _' ' ¦ ¦ _' . This proposition was opposed by Mr . Mackenzie , Mr . Hums * ¦ and Lord Lincoln , when the debate waa adjourned to Thursday .: ¦ ; _,.- _.: ; .. The Ilouse then temporarily adjourned , and resumed at six o'clock , when the Audit of Railway Accounts Bill was brought from the Lords and read a first time . . . ¦ - '

      Burials in Towns . —Lord Ashlby , in reply to Mr . Mackinnon , stated that there could be no doubt whatever that the graveyards of the metropolis , and other large towns , tycre . a dangerous evil , and often exercised a baneful effect upon those living near theni . , ; % On Saturday morning , the Board of Health had _received a report from Bristol fully bearing out that fact . . ¦ - . . . _- _RailwaysandDistkbssed Unions ( Ireland . )—The House _having resolved itself into committee , - The Chancellor of the Excheqoer rose for the purpose of submitting a resolution , that - £ 500 , 000 bp gtanted to complete the line of railway ¦ between Dublin and Galway , the whole estimated expense of the line yet to be carried out from Athloneto Galway being - £ 800 , 000 . He . prnposed that upon the sum advanced by government interest at three and a-half per cent , should be paid , repayment of the capital sum not to commence ¦ before the expiration of ten

      years , and then to be made by instalments , the security for tbe loan being the whole line between Dublin and Galway .: The money to be advanced in sums not exceeding £ 100 at a time , no new advance f o be made until it was ' shown that the previous advance bad been fairly expended on the works . For every £ 100 , 000 advanced by government , the company would have to advance - £ 60 , 000 , and itwas proposed that unless the line was completed within the stipulated period cf two years , the government should take possession of the line and dispose of it in the way deemed mo 3 t expedient . * He was happy in having it in his power to state that tliere is an _increaseddisnosition on the part of capitalists to invest money in tne particular part of the country in question , and it was only needed to afford such facilities as that now proposed for more ready access to the various portions of the district , and for bringing back the produce to the English markets , to increase this tendency in-a greater desree .

      Mr . French , in a speech of statistical details asto the cost and receipts of foreien and British railways , drew the attention of the House to the necessity of securing the completion of _^ trunk lines throughout Ireland , but concluded without submitting any amendment ill furtherance of that more general object ; After speeches from Mr . Goulburn , Mr . Hume , Mr . 0 . Gore , Mr . Roebuck , Mr . Newdegatb , Sir H . W . _Barrost , Mr . O'FLAnF . _R'iy _, Sir T . D . Acland , an hon . Member , Mr . Fbbwen , Sir L . _O'Bbje-v , and Mr . H . flHHii ? , RT , the resolution was agreed to , as was also a second for the advance of . £ 150 , 000 on account of distressed unions in Ireland . ,

      Poor Relief ( Ireland ) Bill . —On the question that tbis bill be read a third time , clauses were moved by Mr . J . _O'Conneli ., Mr . Grogan , Sir A . Brooke , and Mr . Napier , tbe discussions and divisions upon which occupied the remainder ofthe night . They were all negatived , and on the question that the bill do pass , Mr . Stafford complained that the two first clauses ofthe bill did not bear out its title , their object being , not so much to amend the poor-law for Ireland as to introduce perfectly- new principles , those of a maximum rate and the rate in aid . He thought tbe hon . imember for Manchester ought to have attended during the passing of the bihV and that the right lion ; baronet the member for Tamworth ought to have explained to the committee the

      details . of his plan for regenerating'Ireland , propounded earlier in the session . . _* .. '• .. Mr . Bright replied that he bad to plead guilty to the charge of being absent while the measure was under discussion , his chief reason for not desiring to take part in the discussion being that after having sat on the committee up stairs he was as much in the dark on the subject , if not more in the dark than when the committee commenced its sittings . If , then , he had voted on the vavious clauses , be must have voted in deference to authority on one side of the Ilouse or the other , and under these circumstances he had not meddled with the bill-in the House . Had he been present ho should have voted with those who opposed the maximum rate . On the

      generalq « es ion ofthe bill itself he was of opinion that the result would be nil , or next to nil , in Ireland ! ; Efforts should be made by the landlords ef Ireland to withdraw from dependence on those who were employed , vast numbers of those who were unemployed j and he looked to other measures which had passed , and ; were passing , as infinitely more calculated . to advantage Ireland , rather than the present bill . lie should be glad to find himself mistaken , and if the bill made pauperism bearable by the complete emancipation of the soil , he should rejoice atthat result ,, and should only vote for it because there seemed to be , nothing belter to propose as a ' substitute . . ¦! _.,. _*¦¦' . ' ¦ _- . _»'; . ¦ . •' ¦ ¦ : - ¦ ' ¦' ¦ ¦>• " ¦ " - ¦ - ' •¦' ¦ _* : The bill then passed .

      The other orders of the day were then disposed of . Several hew bills were brought inj among which wasoneby - "• - ¦¦ ::-: . Sir W . Clay to amend the law forthe registration of certain persons commonly known as " compouud householders , " and to facilitate the exercise by such persons of their . fright to vote in the election of borough members to . serve in Parliament . : ' The ; House adjourned at a quarter past oneo _' cloek ¦ ' .: ¦ : _| _; ; Tuesday , . July ; io .:. ¦ "" . ' /• _' . "' : ' ;; ' _' ., , HOUSE ; _pT : LORDs ! -Riykr PwTE .-Lord Col ' c-tbstisr asked the Marquis of Lansdowne whether tlie hcgociatioiis forthe pacification ofthe States on the River Plate were progressing towards a satisfac- " _torylrbsult .-, ' _, . . '¦ _* . t -. ; .: ¦ :. : •'•' . ¦ - * • • " ¦¦; " ¦ ••"• '' -The ! Marquis of Lansdowne expressed his confident , hope , that these negotiations were in * such a state as would lead to a speedy and satisfactory settlement between Buenos Ayres and Monte Video .

      _,. After some further discussion , in whicli LordHow _- den and the Earl of Aberdeen took part , the mattei dropt . f ; ,. _¦* . • , ; _; _-: . ...-. , , ; , . ¦ •' ¦ - ¦ ' ¦ . ' ¦ ¦ * * : Some , other . business was _thenidisposed o , and their _. lordsbips adjourned . * ; - ; . '• ¦ ¦ . - . :-. _v ' HOUSE OF _COMMONS . —Juvenilis ChuiisALs ; —Mr . _JMilnes called- the ' attention of the House to the treatment and condition of juvenile criminals , who were increasing in number every year . Means , he . observed , bad been taken to secure their summary trial ; but , after conviction , they were ho longer treated as . ; Children : thev-wero associated

      with other _ci-iminals and educated in crime . Parkhurst prison-was-a penal school , in which tho reformatory process was forgotten , and it was to its penal character ho attributed-tbe unfitnessofthe Parkhurst boys for independent : action . arid for usefully serving their country . Suggesting an asylum for criminal youth similar to the Philanthropic Institution , he . sketched * out a system of treatmenti and concluded ; by pressing the subject : upon the attention of the Home Secretary , in whose bands he left it for the present , nominally moving for leave to toing in a bill ,

      Monday, July 9. House Of Lords.—Lord Bro...

      Sir G ; Grey admitted that much might be done with respect to juvenile criminals which would be less practicable with hardened offenders ; and that it wasthe duty of the legislature to keep the reformatory princi p le in view . In every systcm of punishment two elements must unite , which were apt to be-separated—namely , the deterring from crime , and the reformation of the criminal . Parkburst was a prison not a more school ; the two elements were there combined , and the eftbets had been satisfactory , and had to a _srveat extent realised

      its object . ' He concurred in the encomium passed upon tbe Philanthropic Institution , and assured'Mr . Milnes that the attention of the Government had been directed to tbe subject ; he was ready to receive any proposition- for the improvement of the existing system , but the question was a difficult one ; crime must not be made the means of inviting to crime by placing a child in an enviable position . ; After some observations from Mr . Bank . es , Sir J . Parinoion , and Mr . Henley , who urged Mr . _MiLNEs-to lay a bill upon this subject on tne table , that gentleman undertook to do so before thc

      session closed . : . , Irish Church . —Mr . Osborne then moved for a committee ofthe whole House to consider tlie present state ' of the temporalities of the Church of Ireland . : He * began by accusing the Ministers of deserting a subject which whilst in opposition was their slogan , or war-cry insisting upon its _ma-initude _, and challenging any member to assert that if legislation upon this subject-were commenced denovo , fuuds originally provided by the ancestors of the poor Catholic clergy would be bestowed upon ihe rich Protestant minority . Resorting to the * ' -sacred pages '' of Hansard , he traced the history of the appropriation clause , : and dragged to light many declarations of . hostility by thc _presuit First Minister of the Crown and his colleagues

      against the -Irish Church , which they had , before 1846 , characterised as the great grievance of Ireland , and the root of all the discontent in that country . Having thus , as he said , investigated _th-i birth , parentage , and . abandonment of ' the . Irish Church ( _Question v he went back to the history of the Irish' Church itself " , - denouncing the persecuting spirit and injustice of the legislation by which it was fenced : and , contrasting Ireland with ' Scotland , he _asked-whether we were not paying too high a pi ice for Protestant ascendency in the _former . Adopting the * 'definition--of a church establishment given by the present Bishop of London , he denied that tli ; it of Ireland improved the spiritual and moral condition ofthe people , and as to its being a missiona v church , he showed that the proportion of the Catho ' - lio to the Protestant population had increased ; at the same time ... he condemned the manner in which thb-Irish Society had employed the famine as an

      engme of conversation . He then expatiated upon the -enormous endowments of the Irish Church , and the vast sums advanced su-. ee the Union—j 6680 _, 000 a vear being _apnropriated to it for 800 , ( IOOProtestants , " whilst 7 , 000 J 000 Catholics had nothingatall . lie maintained , in defiance of the 'doctrine of the' sacredness of Irish Church property ,- th ' atthere _wasnoanalogy . 'between : corporate and private property , and he appealed to a dictum of Lord Broughanii and to various acts of tbe Legislature recognising a distinction between Church property and private ' properly . * Mr . Osborne dealt summarily with two remaining objections to interference with the temporalities of the Irish Churcti —• namely , that it contravened the fifth article of the Union , aiid that we were in exclusive possession of religious truths ; and he concluded with a concise development ' of the plan he intended' to propuse in the committee . ; - . ;

      Mr . Moobe supported the motion , contending that the Protestant Church of Ireland , which was a part , but a diseased and rotten part , of the Church of England , bad not fulfilled the great purposes of its mission , and that the legislature , in dealing with its property , would violate no private rights . He _rs-{ _-eated at much length , and fortified with additional facts , the aigiiments of the mover . Sir G . Grey said , that looking at all tho circumstances under which this motion had been ' brought forward , to its practical effects , and to the object Mr . Osborne had in view , he was not prepared to go into committee to consider his plan , and therefore felt justified iu voting against his motion , which offered not the slightest approximation to a remedy , which all desired , for the social evils of Ireland ; r , n the contrary , it would tend to revive and exasperate

      dormant political - disagreements . He also defended himself from the charge of inconsistency ; he had not . changed his opinion upon this question , though he might have expressed that opinion in _language tbo strong ; he still thought an exclusive Pro tcstant Church establishment in Ireland anomalous nnd unjustifiable on principle . But Afr , Osborne ' s plan , did nop touch that grievance ; he proposed to reduce the number of bishops from ten to five , but did lie propose any endowment of the Roman Catholic clergy ? The government had not _abandoned that object ; but tho great barrier was not merely the repugnance ofthe people of England and Scotland , but the avowed and pertinacious opposition ofthe Roman Catholic hierarchy to " every seheme by which their Church could be endowed . He did not concur in the broad dictum of Lord Brougham ( if his lordship ever gave such an opinion ) , that the property of tho Irish Church and the pay of the army stood upon the same

      footing ; but he did recognise a distinction between church property and private property / and parliament had exercised the right of dealing with the forme .- . He agreed with Mr . Osborne that no one would propose ; such au establishment as the Irish Church de novo ; but there _\ _vas a great difference between the origi nal establishment of such an institution and dealing with an institution which had exi-tcd for centuries , i He should , however , leave the defence of the IrishChurch to those who could base its defence upon grounds he could not consistently maintain ; and , looking at this motion as meant to be an instalment towards the total abolition of tbe Irish Church , he should meet it with a negs * tive . Mr ; Roche , in supporting the motion , observed that Sir G . Grey had abandoned the Irish Church , « nd had not vindicated his own consistency ; andhe contended that that establishment . was upheld for purposes of patronage , not of religion .

      Mr . G . Hamilton , though he could not express his satisfaction at the speech of Sir G , Grey , rejoiced at his determination to meet with a direct negative a motion which was calculated to renew those acrimonious' religious dissensions in Ireland which had subsided . Mr . Hamilton then entered upon a very full defence of the Irish Church , iu the course of which he showed the pluralities which had been reduced ; that the property of the Church , if divided amongst the clergy generally , would give only £ 141 to each ; that by the abolition of all benefices in which there were no Protestants only - £ 1 , 235 would be saved ; and he accused the statements of tho mover generally of exaggeration . Mr . Hume expressed his gratification at the convincing speech of Mr . Osborne , with which neither Mr . Hamilton nor Sir George Grey had grappled . It was not ; so much the wealth of tho Irish Church that was complained of , as the degradation to tho majority of a nation of being compelled to contribute to a church alien to their nature .

      Mr . Woon should vote for the committee simply because it was a serious question what was to be done with reference to the church of one-eighth of the ' population" of Ireland—a question which ought not to be delayed . The Established Church in that country had never boen , and could not bo , a national church ; it had only been the church of the Pale , and ithad . _egrcgiously failed as a missionary church . At the same . time he differed from the scheme of Mr . Osborne , whose motion aimed at a total abolition of the Irish Church . ' ¦ Mr . Napier vindicated the title of the Irish Church to * its property , as the legitimate successor of the early Cburch . of L'eland . The State . had no claim to that property , which had ' beeri the subject of no act of Parliament ; the -Roman' Catholics of Ireland avowed that theydid- not want property ,

      and _nb one had shown that tho-lrish Church bad too much for its purposes . _.- ' Mr . ; M . J . O _' . Conneh ., ; though he __ voted for the riiotion , should not support a proposition , for taking away the , property of the Established' - Church of Ireland ; : a reasonable and respectable provision for the working clergy ought to be retained ; but there were anomalies m the * , distribution . of Church- ' property and other , incidents which . imperatively called for ah alteration of the present system . _.. ¦• . ¦ . ¦>• . . i' Mi \ i Reynolds _iinade a rather diverting speech in favour ofthe motion *; and after a few-words -from Major _^ _BEn-esEbBD . and Mr . - John ; _O'Cosnellj and a short reply fromJMr . Osborne , the House divided , when the . motion . was hegativedby 170 against 103 . ' : -Mines j-aud . _Coilieries Inspection Bill . —Mr .

      "WvLh 'moved the second reading of this-bill . - '• The rig ht 'bon . gentleman " . ( Sir G _.-Grey ) had , on a formeif occasion , conceded the principle of inspection , ' a'ridihe ; was therefore astonished to hear him say-in _jtlie -early part . of'the evening that he would oppose'this . billy whichembracedthfe principle of inspection . * ' -Year after year colliery explosions were taking place ; and lives sacrificed , and this year more than 35 per cent , of life had been lost over any that had prcceded : it . ' ( Hear , hear . ) * _'¦; Sir G . "Grey ; understood , ; from * what ' passod the other day , that it was the opinion of the House that it would . be inexpedient ' to go on with " any mcasure : during ' the-present session . ( Hear . ) It would be miich more convenient to wait till the committee of

      the Lords , now sitting , reported , and , till the . inspection of the principal * coal districts of England , how going on , was finished before legislation was attempted . ( Hear , hear . ) He must say , he was riot prepared to appoint a head inspector inLondon and twelve inspectors ' throughout the country , and to compel the masters hot onl y to pay the expense of the ' machinery of the bill , but to send in plans and sections of their ; works to the chief Office in London . ; Hewas not prepared to agree to such a measure aB the present , and , 'therefore , must oppose the second reading . Ml' . _'AOLtoxni * was in favour of the second reading of thc bill . Hi * . _SiuiKALhad understood that the hon . member

      Monday, July 9. House Of Lords.—Lord Bro...

      for Finsbury had been content to leave the question in the hands of tho government , and he ( Mr . Bernal ) saw no use in the hon . memborfor Bodmin pressing the second _readincr of the bill . Mr . _"VYyld considered the " inspection which tho right , hon . gentleman bad appointed was worso than useless . The two gentlemen whom he had nominated were no . doubt men of great geological ability , but then-knowledge was merel y theoretical and confined to the strata of the earth , and was not of a practical nature . The importance of the subject could not bo denied . Thc risk of the loss of life to whicli tho working men in mines were _exposed was much greater than that which the soldier ran when engaged in the battle field , or when mounting a battery ; and not being satisfied with the course wliich tho right lion , gentleman had taken , he should certainly divide the House .

      Strangers were ordered to withdraw , but the bill was finally negatived without a division * The other orders and motions having been disposed of , the Ilouse adjourned at half-past one o ' clock .

      WEDNESDAY , July 11 . HOUSE OF COMMONS .-The House met at 12 o c ock . Duuation oi ? Parliaments Bill . — "Mr . D'Eyncourt moved the second reading of this bill . Mr . S . Adaik said that he saw no objection to the Ilouse affirming the principle ofthe measure , _i > hich would have the effect of shortening the duration . o £ parliaments . It would introduce no novelty , but would simply be a reverting back to the old stato of

      thc constitution previous tothe passing of the Septennial Act . He trusted that in the course of the next session same measures would be introduced for a greater extension of the political rights ofthe people of both England and Ireland . Upon lhe present occ _* isiou he hoped that the government would not meet the bill by a direct negative , but that , notwithstanding the late period of the session , and the difficulty of carrying the measure successfully through both Houses , tbey would consent to affirm the principle of the bill on its second reading .

      Sir G . Gef . y said that he did not consider that there ; was any feeling of dissatisfaction existing throughout the country with respect to thc duration of _parliament , The speech of his noble friend at the bead of the Government , when this subject was before the Houso , had not yet been answered by any honourable member , and lie considered the arguments then used as conclusive against the bill . With respect to _thf . bill itself , he thought it would have been desirable to have stated fhe term to which it was proposed to reduce ths duration of parliament . If it were proposed to reduce it to five years , he thought that that practically would be no reduction

      ofthe present duration of- Parliament , for , upon an avera _^ e _^ the last six parliaments had not sat so long a period as that . A reduction to three years would , he thought , on the other band , be attended with the greatest possible inconvenience , on account of the admission of new members , who would naturally be unaccustomed to the routine of public business . He considered that public opinion was most beneficially exercised over honourable members under the present duration of parliaments , and trusted that thc House would not consent to the further progress ofthe bill . The right honourable baronet concluded by moving that the bill be read a second time that day three monlhs . .

      Mr . Gibson thought that a sufficient answer was to be found to the speech of lhe noble lord at the head of the government in the division which took place immediately after its delivery , when , notwithstanding the argiinmits of the- noble lord , the House decided by a majority that tbe bill should be brought in . Tbe House having so decided , and the bill being then before them , he thought hon . members would not b _••• treating tho proceedings of this House with respect if they declined calmly to discuss the bill witli a , due reference to its importance . ( Hear . ) The division upon the motion for leave to bring in the bill was not , _as . had been said , a mere accident . It arose from the fact of many lion , members being reluctant to record their deliberate votes against the extension

      of popular rights . "With respect to the bill itself , he believed that a shortening of the duration of Parliaments would bo a very wholesome check upon the pro . cedings of members of that House . There were far stronger reasons in ¦ the present day for shortening the duration of Parliament *) than existed in former times , owing to the great increise ofthe power of the executive government and the extensive patronage ve * _ited in them . A great portion ofthat power wns of comparatively recent growth , and afforded the government the means , by giving tbem a pull at the treasury , of corrupting and influencing hon . members to an enormous extent ; and unless they were prepared to consider members of _Farli _. iiueutas angels of purity , and exempt from the

      infirmities of tho rest of mankind , common sense would tell them that there ought to be frequent appeals to the people on the partof members of Parliament , in order to enable them to express their opinions upon the discharge of the legislative duties of their representatives . The system of givin- ; pledges on the hustings , which was somewhat humiliating to the candidate , was one which had its source in the present long duration of Parliaments ; for it was only to be expected , while the government possessed so large an amount of corruption and influence in their hands , and the member , when once elected , held his seat for so long a period , that this system of pledging would be required by the great body of ihe electors . Ths present bill simply proposed to repeal the

      Septennial Act . By passing it , they would at once come under the operation of the Triennial Act . It was really the _easiest bill to pass that had ever been brought into that House , and was just adapted to the present late period of the session . ( Hear . ) Tbe _reasons for passing * the Septennial Act had now passed away , and there was no reason on earth why they should not return to tha system of Triennial Parliaments . ( Hear , hear . ) Ho cautioned hon . members , opposite not to make inconsiderate pledges on the subject of roforms of this nature . By making pledges of that kind with respect to the corn laws they had completely broken up the great Conservative party of this country . These reform questions were now beginning to assume the

      character which the repeal ofthe corn laws had assumed ; they were gradually fermenting throughout the country * , and the moment hon . ' member's opposite -resumed _p'wer in this country , that moment these reform questions would present themselves to them in rather a formidable aspect . There was no doubt but that in course of time the great Conservative party would be called upon to take the reins of power in this country ; and he cautioned them not to come into powc-r pledged against all reforms with respect to the constitution of that House ; if fhey did so , they might depend upon it there would inevitably be some great quarrel and split among them similar to that wh ' ch took place on the question of the repeal of tbe corn laws . It wa 3 . not to be supposed that in a progressive country like England , the great question of the representation of the people could be considered as finally settled . Under these circumstances he should givo his most cordkl support to the second

      reading of the bill- ( Hear , hear . ) Mr . _BEHNALproteatedagaiusttheminnerinwhieh the right hon . gentleman attempted to bring the members of that House into contempt with the people , by imputing to them that they regulated their conduct with reference to the distribution of Treasury patronage . He denied most emphatically that there was any _justice in tins charge . As tothe propo . ition for triennial parliaments , it wa 3 a proposition to which he had . always been favourable , and which he wouid most readily support when it was accompanied by other measures of a practical nature , such as the ballot and an extension of the suffrage , tendingi not only to cleanse out what had _benn termed the Augean stable of that House , but to purify the constituencies out of doors , and , among other reforms , to free them from those temptations to which at every election they were now subjected . Mr . Hume observed that there was much that was true in what had fallen from his hon . friend who had

      jusr , sat down ; but he could have wishsd that his h _' : n . friend the _membsr for Devonport had been in his place , or some former Secretary of thc Treasury , as he did not think that his hon . friend was quite wise in making the general denial which he had offered to the corrupting influence of the Treasury . Considering what they all knew , he thought that his hon . friend had laid down too broad a general rule respecting the conduct of members of Parliament . His hon . friend had said that shortening _thedutation of Parliaments alone would not do , and that means oughtito he taken to * improve the constituencies _, liis hon . Mead was surely aware that various means had been proposed for that : purpose . It had been proposed to increase the number of electors , to

      introduce vote by ballot-and to shorten the duration of Parliaments . . But when he ( Mr ; Hume ) proposed these three measures _. 'he did not succeed in getting the ( vote of bis hon . friend . ( 'Hear , ' hear . ) One gentleman : might -say that he would - ¦ vote for extension of' - ' the- ' ¦ '' suffrage , - but not for tho ballot j another would vote for the ballot , but not for an 'extension = of * the suffrage ; while a a third would be . favourable to quadrennial , but not to triennial Parliaments . -He believed that this was alia pretence ,. and that they were only _desn _* oua of evading , the question altogether . If a cumulative motion were tried , they wore told by his honour-idle _friendi that thoy were attempting too much ; if _asingleJriiotion was . brought forward , ' they were'told that it was not ehouch . Ho begged to appeal to

      her Majesty ' s government , who hadjprotcssed themselves ; advocates of progressive reforms . Por the last two years , however , they had been standing still , and had m ade ho effort to carry reform further than it had been carried in 1832 . He must say that he could not , _consistently v with his views , continue to support a government which refused all kinds of reform . ( Hear ,. hear ;) They would be much better off with any other government , because then they would have a regular opposition , to demand such measures as tho ; country required ; but at present the friends of reform were supporting the non-reforming party . ( Hear , hear . ) The noble lord ( Lord J . Russell ) , whose absence he regretted _^ , had said that it waa _dcsirubl *; io -vxieiid _iiw _»"•*•* .

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), July 14, 1849, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_14071849/page/7/