House of Lords.-Nov. 26.-Earl Grosvenor, in presenting to the House several petitions praying for the abolition of Negro Slavery, and others for Parliamentary Reform, expressed himself anxious to afford his noble and learned friend, the Lord Chancellor, an opportunity of declaring to their lordships his opinions upon these two all-important subjects. The Lord Chancellor in reply, observed that future opportunities would occur when he might so explain; but he trusted his opinions upon these subjects were well known. Although he had changed his situation in Parliament, his principles remained unchanged; and when he accepted the office which his Majesty had been pleased to confide to his care, he accepted it in the full and perfect conviction that it would be far from disabling him from performing his duty to his country, or from rendering his services to it less efficient. "The thing that dazzled me most," continued he, "in the prospect of my elevation, was not the gew-gaw splendour by which it is surrounded, but the chance it afforded me, if I were honest-on which I could rely-and if I were consistent, which I knew to be the absolute necessity of my nature-and if I were able, as I knew myself to be honest and consistent-that which dazzled me the most in the offer of the care of the Great Seal, and which induced me to quit a station the most proud and exalted that any English subject can enjoy, was, that such elevation held out to me the grateful prospect, that in serving my king I should be the better able to serve my country."

Nov. 29. Lord Wynford, on giving notice of a motion for lessening legal expenses, took occasion to ask of Ministers if they were prepared to make any inquiry into the existing distresses of the country, with a view to their alleviation; and if they intended to give to magistrates any higher powers for the suppression of the disorders arising out of them ?-Earl Grey said he had no intention to propose such an inquiry. He thought the law, as it at present stood, was quite sufficient to put down the disturbances, if it were duly and actively enforced. In this opinion the Lord ChanJan.-VOL. XXXIII. NO. CXXI. ·

cellor coincided.-The Earl of Eldon said he had seen, with the greatest satisfaction, that special commissions were to be sent into the disturbed counties: and, he hoped, not into the disturbed counties only, but into others also, because it was the great principle of the law of England that justice should be administered in mercy, and there could not be an act of greater mercy to the misled and deluded people, than to have persons sent down to them who would explain to them the nature and the provisions of the criminal law. He hoped that a marked and obvious distinction would be made between the misleaders and the misled. He had been told that one of our county gaols was full of inhabitants who were not natives of this country. He fervently hoped that this was not true.- Lord Melbourne expressed his belief that the idea of foreigners being concerned in the burnings in the English counties was without the slightest foundation.-The Duke of Wellington stated that the causes of the burnings were yet unfathomed. They were evidently the work of a conspiracy-of what kind he pretended not to say; but he did not think the conspiracy was a foreign one, or that foreigners had any thing to do with it.-The Earl of Winchelsea could add his testimony to that of the noble duke, that up to the present time there was no ground for believing that the fires which had been so prevalent throughout the country were the work of foreigners. He congratulated their lordships on seeing the government of the country placed in the hands of men of talent and character, capable of meeting with effect the dreadful exigencies of the times. Lord Wynford gave notice, that, on the 3d of January, he would move for an inquiry into the distressed state of the agriculture, commerce, and manufactures of the country, and into the means of mitigating that distress. On the motion of the Marquess of Salisbury, a Select Committee was appointed to enquire into the administration of the Poor Laws.

Nov. 30. Lord Wynford brought in his Bill to diminish the expenses of suits at law. The object of the Bill was to prevent delay and lessen costs in the several courts of

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Westminster Hall.-After a few observations from Lord Tenterden and the Lord Chancellor, on the necessity of deliberately weighing the changes contemplated, the Bill was read a first time.

December 2. The Lord Chancellor submitted to the House a Bill for the improvement of the courts of local jurisdiction. He introduced the measure, he observed, on his own responsibility, without any sanction of the Government, but addressing it to the Government in the same way as he addressed it to their Lordships. The evils which it was the object of the Bill to remedy were -1st, the necessity, in all cases of moment, of having recourse to the Courts of Westminter Hall; 2nd, the delay which this necessity imposes, as the Assizes sit only from six months to six months; 3d, the expense entailed on the suitor, from being compelled to assemble his witnesses at the assize-town, and often to keep them there for a considerable time; 4th, the charges of attornies, and the personal expenses of suitors arising out of the same circumstances. The sad aggravation of all these expenses, Lord Brougham observed, was, that even where a party was successful, though by the theory of the law he had his costs allowed, by its practice he recovered only a small portion of them.-Lord Lyndhurst would bestow his best attention on the proposed measure of his noble and learned friend, and if, after a most careful and deliberate examination, he should differ from his noble and learned friend, he would frankly and fairly assign his reasons for so doing; while if, on the other hand, he could conscientiously ap prove of its principles and provisions, he would give it his most cordial support. The Bill was then laid on the table, and ordered to be printed.

December 3. The Duke of Newcastle complained of a speech reported to have been made by Sir Thomas Denman, at the Nottingham election, designating him as a boroughmonger, and affirming that the Duke's expression in his celebrated letter-" Is it not lawful for me to do as I like with my own ?"-meaning, that if his tenants did not vote as he pleased, he would turn them out -was "wicked and scandalous."-The Lord Chancellor observed, that some allowance was to be made for election-speeches; and it was as a candidate for a seat in Parliament, not as Attorney-General, that Sir Thomas Denman had used the words imputed to him; but he had also the best authority for saying that the terms "wicked and scandalous" had not been used at all. December 6. On the motion of Lord Lyndhurst, and after a few remarks from the Lord Chancellor, the Regency Bill was read a third time and passed.

December 8. Lord Farnham expressed a hope that it was not the intention of Govern

ment to remove Sir Anthony Hart from the office of Lord Chancellor of Ireland. The Lord Chancellor replied that no decision had been formed upon this subject, but intimated that such a removal was by no means improbable, and instanced several precedents in justification of the measure, supposing Government thought it would be expedient. -The Duke of Wellington begged to call the attention of the House to a circumstance which he understood had that day occurred, and which he considered to be of much importance to the country and their lordships -he alluded to the large bodies of people who had collected in the public streets, and he wished to know if his Majesty's Government had been apprised that it was the intention of any number of people so to congregate?-Viscount Melbourne said, that under the peculiar circumstances of the country, and considering the character of the present times, he felt he was taking the more prudent course in allowing such assembling of the people, though in such considerable numbers, rather than prohibiting them to meet, the more especially as prevention could only have taken place by strong means, which might have been attended with bad effects. He was glad that the result confirmed his views, as every thing had gone off in the most tranquil manner, and not the slightest disturbance to the public peace had occurred. In this opinion the Lord Chancellor coincided.

December 13. Earl Grosvenor wished to know whether the situation of Clerk of the Council, vacant by the death of Mr. Buller, had been filled up. The Marquess of Lansdowne replied in the affirmative; the appointment had been made prior to the resignation of the late Ministry, but the office had been placed under new regulations, the annual salary having been reduced from 2,500l. to 1,200.-Earl Grey, in alluding to the present Lord Chancellor of Ireland, stated that his salary would in future be 8,000l. instead of 10,000l. The noble Earl observed upon certain rumours that had been afloat as to his promoting connections of his own; it was true he had so done, but he did not know that it was incumbent upon him, after being out of office for twenty-four years, to exclude from official situations all who happened to be connected with himself. He could assure their Lordships, that he had not appointed to a single place without firmly believing that the party was qualified to fulfil its duties.

December 14. Lord King, on presenting a petition from Southampton, complaining chiefly of the burthen of tithes, expressed a wish that England would imitate the excellent example of Scotland, get rid of the tithes altogether, and make some distinct and permanent provision for the Clergy.The Bishop of London defended the present

system, and by no means agreed with the Noble Lord that it would be better for the Clergyman to have a fixed and invariable allowance, instead of one rising and falling with the rents. Had such a mode been adopted before the depreciation of the currency, what would since have been the condition of the Clergy? Many would not have possessed an income of more than 351. a year, and few more than 801. So far from the truth were the shameful calumnies that had been industriously spread abroad respecting the property of the Church, that if the value of all the ecclesiastical property that remained in the hands of the Clergy were collected into one fund, and divided equally amongst the whole of the Clergy, it would not afford more to each than about 350l. a year.

December 16. On the motion of the Lord Chancellor a clause was inserted in the Regency Bill, rendering it void in the event of her Majesty's death, and of a subsequent marriage of the King.

December 20. The Lord Chancellor moved for a return of the number of lunatics under the care of the Lord Chancellor, with the dates of the longest and shortest time of confinement, the sums allowed for their maintenance, and the actual amount of their estates. Lord Teynham made some allusions to the state of the Swan River Settlement, and asked if it were the intention of Government to abandon it altogether, and if the reports respecting the distresses of the settlers were well founded.-Lord Goderich thought the settlement likely to be attended with great advantages; and could not but say, that he thought it would be extremely imprudent upon the part of the Government if they were to think of abandoning the colony upon unauthenticated statements, which represented it as a sink of wretchedness.

December 21. Lord Wynford brought in a Bill" for the better preventing of frauds upon creditors by persons living in prisons, or absconding."

December 22. Lord Farnham alluded to the state of the country, and in particular of Ireland; expressing a hope that Government would immediately direct attention to it. -Earl Grey, in reply, observed that the relief to which he looked for an alleviation of the distress more or less prevalent in both countries, was grounded on the expectation of a natural return of prosperity to be in troduced by the adoption of a good system of government.

December 24. The Royal assent was given to the Regency Bill. On the motion of Earl Grey, the House adjourned to Thursday, the 3rd February.

House of Commons.-November 30. In answer to a question from Mr. Hume relative to the Postmaster-General of Ireland, Mr. Spring Rice stated, that it was not the TxU

intention of Government to fill up this sinecure. Mr. Goulburn said that such had been the intention of the late Ministers. The case was again noticed on the 2nd of December, and the real facts of it were then stated. When Lord O'Neil resigned, the late Ministers, as Mr. Goulburn truly said, determined not to fill the office; but though the office was abolished, the salary remained, being drawn by Lord Rosse, Lord O'Neil's coadjutor; when the present Ministry came into power, Lord Rosse also resigned, and they abolished both the office and the salary.

December 6. Mr. Rice said the Vice Treasurer of Ireland received a salary of 2,000l. a-year, and the deputy 800l. a-year, with an establishment of clerks. It was intended that the duties of Vice Treasurer should, for the present, be discharged by a gentleman filling the office of chief clerk in what was called the Irish department in the Treasury, and who after many years service, enjoyed a salary of 1000l. a-year. The office would, as early as possible, be entirely abolished, and, in the mean time, the gentleman he had named would discharge the duties for an increased compensation of 200l. a-year.

December 9. On the motion of the Chancellor of the Exchequer a Select Committee was appointed to inquire what reductions could be made in the salaries and emoluments of offices held during the pleasure of the crown by members of either House of Parliament, and to report their opinion and observations thereupon to the House.

December 10. A question was put to the Chancellor of the Exchequer as to whether he had sanctioned or connived at the assemblage of the "trades," to petition the King.

-The Chancellor of the Exchequer in reply observed that he could not attribute any malign influence to the tri-coloured flag of the present day, and felt convinced that the meeting assumed that emblem only in respect to the good work it had led to in July last, under which conviction he could not disapprove of such a symbol. He admitted, however, that such meetings were illegal and highly inconvenient.

December 11. The Chancellor of the Exchequer moved that an humble address be presented to his Majesty, praying that he would be graciously pleased to order that the accounts taken in the census of 1821 of the amount of population of all cities, boroughs, and towns in England, sending members to Parliament; and also of all towns, boroughs, and cities, that in 1821 contained 10,000 inhabitants, or upwards, that were unrepresented, be laid before the House. He trusted there would be no objection to this return-he did not anticipate any-otherwise he would have given notice. The noble lord then moved for similar re

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turns relating to Ireland and Scotland. motions were agreed to.

The December 13. Mr. R. Clive reported that the Committee on the Evesham Election had come to the resolution that Sir C. Cotterell and Lord Kennedy (the sitting members,) or their agents, had been guilty of bribery. (On the 16th, upon the motion of the Marquess of Chandos, the order for a writ for a new election for this borough was suspended.) Considerable discussion ensued on the House resolving itself into a Committee of Supply. Several Members pressed upon Government the necessity of making every possible reduction to alleviate the distress of the people. The charge of our Ambassadors, particularly that to France, which is 14,000l. a-year, were the chief subjects of complaint. Patent places and sinecures, among which were placed the Privy Seal and the Duchy of Lancaster, several Members demanded

should be abolished.

December 14. Mr. Lyttleton moved for leave to bring in a Bill to amend the laws prohibiting payment for labour in any other mode than by the coin of the realm, and detailed a mass of facts to show the unjust and demoralizing effects of the Truck System. The motion was opposed by Mr. Hume, but carried by a majority of 140.

December 15. Mr. Phillpotts enquired whether the Government had determined not to annex the living of Stanhope with the Bishopric of Exeter? The Chancellor of the Exchequer replied that his Majesty's Government considered it a gross abuse to permit a living of such importance, and requiring the constant attention of the Incumbent, to be held by any person who must necessarily reside at such a distance from that living, and they had, therefore, come to the determination of advising his Majesty not to give his sanction to the arrangement. As, however, the Bishop of Exeter had accepted the Bishopric with the understanding that he was to hold the living of Stanhope in commendam with it, the first living in the gift of the crown that fell vacant would be presented to him; and it was the determination of his Majesty's Government, in every case where abuses of non-residence came under their cognisance, to use their most strenuous endeavours to remove or to amend them.

December 16. Mr. Campbell moved for leave to bring in a Bill for the establishment of a General Register, and contended that at present such were the difficulties arising from a want of it, that there were many saleable titles to property that were not marketable, and many marketable that were not saleable. So various were the ways in which difficulties arose in the transfer of real property, so numerous were the frauds which might be committed, that men were naturally fearful of engaging in such transactions. The first inconvenience was, that

half the estates in England and Wales had no terms attached to them; and the second inconvenience was that estates might have three or four terms belonging to them. Probate was thus often granted in the wrong Court, and this probate was of no use. He hoped ere long to see one Probate Court for all England. At present there were no less than 373 districts in which probate might be granted. Leave was given to bring in the Bill.

He

December 20. A long conversation took place relative to the elevation of Lord Plunkett to the Lord Chancellorship of Ireland, and the removal of Mr. Gregory from the office of Irish Under-Secretary; in the course of which, Sir Robert Peel defended the late Administration; asserted that it had acted upon the system of retrenchment; endeavoured to preserve the peace of Europe, and maintain tranquillity at home. trusted that the people of Ireland would not be led away by the delusions and misrepresentations of designing demagogues; that they would not be led away by the example held out so insidiously to their eyes in France and Belgium; and, above all, that, before they attended to those examples, they would examine for themselves as to the justice of their complaints-compare them with those of the French and Belgians-and contrast the present state of France and Belgium with what it was before the late Revolution. Revolution was at best a great evil, as was evident from a comparison of the present condition of the working classes in Paris, and throughout France, with that before the transactions of July. The public funds had fallen one half since that event; employment was suspended, confidence was paralysed, and the working classes were almost in a state of destitution. This showed how cautious people should be who applauded the resistance that led to this state of things, however justifiable that resistance might be in the abstract, to hold it out as an example to the discontented among the working classes. Every man of property in Ireland, however small, had an interest in protecting that country against the irrecoverable and unavoidable evils of a Revolution; and he trusted would exercise his best energies in scouting repeal and agitation, and preserving the Union inviolate. He felt it the more necessary to make these remarks, because a portion of the public press had for some time exerted itself in disseminating the opposite opinion-had laboured incessantly to degrade and lower all the existing institutions and authorities of the country-had sought for that most deplorable state of affairs, in which they only could hope to possess power-the breaking up of all law and order, and the substitution of the most debasing of all tyrannies, the tyranny of an ungovernable mob.

December 21. Mr. Hume presented a