Jovis, 18 die Martii; Anno 11 Georgii IV ti Regis, 1830.

PRAYERS.

Ireland-Returns, &c. presented: Cork Foundling Hospital.

THE House being informed that Mr. Johnson, from the Office of the Chief Secretary for Ireland, attended at the door, he was called in; and at the bar presented to the House, pursuant to their Order,-A Return to an Order of the House, dated the 18th day of February last, for an Account of the period at which the Foundling Hospital of Cork was first established, the source and nature of the Funds then or since made applicable to its maintenance, with the Acts of Parliament which authorized the same:-A Statement of how far the original object has been deviated from, and whether under the authority of any or what Act of Parliament:-A Statement of the Funds received during each of the last ten years, distinguishing the sources from whence derived:- A Statement of the Expenditure during the same period; distinguishing the amount paid for Salaries, Medicine, Apprentice Fees and Repairs or Building:-An Account of the Number of Children annually admitted during this period: of the number which have died, been claimed, apprenticed to trade, or sent into service annually during this period: of the number at present in the House, distinguishing them into Classes,-1st, of those under five years of age; 2d, of those above five years, and under ten years of age; 3d, of those above ten, and under fifteen years of age; 4th, of those above fifteen years of age:-Of the Number and Names of the Officers and Servants now employed, and the amount of the Salaries paid to each; and an Answer to the Inquiry, whether any and what Profit has been derived by the Establishment from the employment of the Children.

Ordered, That the said Return be referred to the Select Committee on the state of the Poor in Ireland.

Kerry County Court House.

Mr. Johnson also presented to the House, pursuant to their Order,-Copies of Memorials to the Irish Government on the subject of Advances for Building a Court House in the County of Kerry; viz. the Memorial of the Grand Jury of the County of Kerry, assembled at Summer Assizes 1828; and the Memorial of the General Overseers appointed by the Grand Jury of the County of Kerry for Building a Court House at Tralee, and a Sessions House at Killarney:-And then he withdrew.

Ordered, That the said Paper do lie upon the Table.

Papers, &c. presented: Coal Meters (Dublin.) No. 156.

The House being informed that Mr. Crafer, from the Treasury, attended at the door, he was called in; and at the bar presented to the House, pursuant to their Orders, -Copies of Memorials presented to the Commissioners of Customs, Dublin, from 1st January 1826 to 1st January 1830, relative to the office of Coal Meter in Dublin, or the Conduct of the Coal Meters, or the Fees or Emoluments claimed by them.

Record Commission No. 157.

Return, in detail, of the manner in which the Sums charged in the Civil Contingencies, as paid to the Commissioners of Public Records in the year 1829, have been expended:-also, of the manner in which the Sums charged in the Miscellaneous Estimates, as paid to the Commissioners of Public Records in 1829 for Printing, have been expended.

Return, in detail, of the Works already published, and in course of publication, under the direction of the Record Commissioners.

Assessed Taxes. No. 158.

A Return to an Order of the House, dated the 5th day of this instant March, so far as the same can be made up, Of the Number of Letters addressed by the Solicitor to the Board of Taxes to persons who were in arrears of their Assessed Taxes in the years 1828 and 1829; stating the Charge made to each person by the Solicitor for writing such Letter, the aggregate amount of such Charges in each year, what amount was received and to what purpose applied; distinguishing, if possible, the number of Letters sent in each quarter of the year in each division or district of collection.

A Return to an Order of the House, dated the 10th day of this instant March, for a Return of the Number of Writs or Processes issued by the Solicitor and Board of Taxes, in the County of Middlesex, in the year from 1st January to 31st December 1829; stating the number of Executions on such Processes, the number of Processes settled before execution, and the number where the property of the Debtors was sold, together with the amount of Expenses on such Processes, and by whom paid, and for whose account received.

Public Accounts. No. 159.

Copy of a Letter from Mr. Abbott, late one of the Commissioners, for inquiring into the state of the Public Accounts, addressed to the Right honourable the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, dated the 27th November 1829, together with the explanations and observations of Messieurs Brooksbank and Beltz thereupon, dated 18th December 1829, with an Appendix.

Stamp Duties. No. 160.

A Statement of the Scale of Stamp Duties on Bills of Exchange in England, from 5th July 1828 to 5th January 1830, showing the number of Stamps of each Class issued in each quarter.

An Account of the Number of Country Bankers Notes stamped in Great Britain in each quarter of each year, from 1827 to 1829, both inclusive, distinguishing the Notes of £5 and upwards, and under £5, and stating the total aggregate amount.

A Return of the Number of Banks that have commuted for the Stamp Duty since 1826, given quarterly; also a quarterly Account of the amount of Duty paid by them upon their Promissory Notes payable on demand, also on their Bills of Exchange.

Penitentiary (Milbank) No. 161.

An Account, in detail, of the Sum of £6,500 charged for Salaries for Officers and Clerks in the General Penitentiary at Milbank, in the Miscellaneous Estimates for 1830, stating each Office, and the amount of Salary and allowance.

Tontine Annuities (Ireland). No. 162.

An Account of all Salaries and Emoluments paid to persons employed in the Office for the payment of Irish Tontine Annuities payable in Great Britain, together with the charge for House Rent, Taxes or Allowances for one year ending 5th January 1830:-and, An Account of all Fees or Sums of Money received at the said Office for Powers of Attorney, or Transfer of Annuities, for the same period.

An Account of all Sums of Money remitted or paid to Messieurs Puget and Bainbridge for the payment of Irish Tontine Annuities, and the amount of the Commission charged by them, if any, and the amount of the Balances of Cash in their hands on the 1st day of each month for one year ending 5th January 1830.

Corn. No. 163.

An Account of the Quantity of Corn, Meal and Flour exported from Ireland to Great Britain from 5th January 1828 to 5th January 1830.

Lighthouse Dues. No. 164.

Return to several Orders of the House, dated the 4th day of February last, for an Account of the Gross Receipt of all Tolls or Rates collected upon Vessels passing the Lighthouses at Winterton and Orford, since 13th April 1826, up to 1st June 1828; stating the amount of expense for maintenance of the said Lights under separate heads in each year, and of the net Proceeds thereof, and how disposed:-a similar Account from 1st June 1828 to 1st January 1829:-An Account of the Gross Receipt of all Tolls or Rates collected upon Vessels passing the Lighthouse at Dungeness, from 28th June 1828 to 1st January 1829; stating the amount of expense for maintenance of the said Light under separate heads, and of the net Proceeds thereof, and how disposed:-An Account of the Gross Receipt of all Tolls or Rates collected upon Vessels passing the Lighthouses at the North and South Forelands, for the years 1827 and 1828; stating the amount of expense for maintenance of the said Lights under separate heads, and of the net Proceeds thereof, and how disposed:-and, An Account of the Gross Receipt of all Tolls or Rates collected upon Vessels passing the Lighthouse at Hunston Cliff, in the county of Norfolk, for the years 1827 and 1828; stating the amount of expense for maintenance of the said Light, under separate heads, and of the net Proceeds thereof, and how disposed:-And then he withdrew.

Ordered, That the said Accounts and Papers do lie upon the Table; and be printed.

Copies of ex officio Informations, presented.

The House being informed that Mr. Glasse, Deputy Clerk of the Court of King's Bench, attended at the door, he was called in; and at the bar presented to the House, pursuant to their Order,-A Return of Copies of the several Informations filed ex officio by the Attorney General against Mr. Alexander, the Editor of a Paper called The Morning Journal, Copies of the several Judgments against him upon the Records of the above Informations, and how the same were entered:-And then he withdrew.

Ordered, That the said Return do lie upon the Table.

Returns of Contracts, presented.

The House being informed that Mr. Thurtle, from the Admiralty Office, attended at the door, he was called in; and at the bar presented to the House, pursuant to their Orders,-A Return of the Number of Contracts now existing for Supplies for His Majesty's Dock Yards; stating the Date of each Contract, the Names of the Contractors, and the particular Articles for which the Contracts have been made, for what period each Contract is to continue, and whether the Contract was made by public advertisement and tender, or by private tender; stating also whether the tender accepted was the lowest one.

A Return of the Number of Contracts now existing for Supplies for His Majesty's Dock Yards, and other Branches of the Naval Service; stating the Date of each Contract, the Names of the Contractor, and the particular Articles for which the Contracts have been made, for what period each Contract is to continue, and whether the Contract was made by public advertisement and tender, or by private tender; stating also whether the tender accepted was the lowest one.

A Return of the Number of Contracts now existing with the Royal Marine Department:-And then he withdrew.

Ordered, That the said Returns do lie upon the Table.

Petition against Leeds and Selby Railway Bill.

A Petition of Isabella Ann Dowager Marchioness of Hertford, and of Owners of lands on the line of the Railway hereinafter mentioned, was presented, and read; taking notice of the Bill for making a Railway from the Town of Leeds to the River Ouse, within the Parish of Selby, in the West Riding of the County of York; and praying, That they may be heard by themselves, their counsel or agents against certain parts thereof.

Ordered, That the said Petition be referred to the Committee on the Bill; and that the Petitioners be heard by themselves, their counsel or agents upon their Petition, if they think fit.

Ordered, That counsel be admitted to be heard in favour of the Bill, against the said Petition.

Petitions in favour of Leeds and Selby Railway Bill.

A Petition of Bankers, Merchants and Traders residing in Manchester;-and, of Merchants, Traders and other Inhabitants of the city of York,-were also presented, and read, taking notice of the said Bill; and praying, That the same may pass into a law.

And the said Petitions were ordered to lie upon the Table.

Malmesbury Road Bill, reported.

Mr. Joseph Pitt reported from the Committee on the Bill for more effectually repairing and improving the Roads from the Town of Malmesbury, to or near to the Town of Wootton Bassett, Sutton Benger Church, and Dauntsey Gate, in the County of Wilts; That the Standing Orders relative to Turnpike Bills, had been complied with; and that they had examined the allegations of the Bill, and found the same to be true; and had gone through the Bill, and made several Amendments thereunto; and the Amendments were read, and agreed to by the House.

Ordered, That the Bill, with the Amendments, be ingrossed.

Petition against Swansea Gas Bill

A Petition of Henry Sockett, Esquire, an Inhabitant of the town of Swansea, in the county of Glamorgan, and a Commissioner for executing the Act thereinafter mentioned, was presented, and read; taking notice of the Bill for better lighting with Gas the Town of Swansea, in the County of Glamorgan; and praying, That he may be heard by himself, his counsel or agent against certain parts thereof.

Ordered, That the said Petition be referred to the Committee on the Bill; and that the Petitioner be heard by himself, his counsel or agent upon his Petition, if he think fit.

Ordered, That counsel be admitted to be heard in favour of the Bill, against the said Petition.

Pickford Brook (Warwick) Road Bill, reported.

Mr. Lawley reported from the Committee on the Bill for making and maintaining a Turnpike Road from Pickford Brook, in the Parish of Allesley, in the County of Warwick, to Canwell Gate, in the County of Stafford; That they had examined the allegations of the Bill, and found the same to be true; and had gone through the Bill, and made several Amendments thereunto; and the Amendments were read, and agreed to by the House.

Ordered, That the Bill, with the Amendments, be ingrossed.

Petition against Walsall Road Bill.

A Petition of Owners and Occupiers of land in Walsall, Wednesbury, Tipton, Bilston, Darlaston, Wolverhampton, Cannock, Brownhills, Norton, Essington, Wyrley, Bloxwich, Rushall, Shelfield, Stonnall, Shenstone, Ogley Hay, Saredon, Pelsall, Hammerwich, Aldridge and Great Barr, all in the county of Stafford, was presented, and read; taking notice of the Bill for improving and maintaining the Road leading from Walsall to Muckley Corner, near Lichfield, and other Roads, in the County of Stafford; and praying, That the same may not pass into a law as it now stands.

Ordered, That the said Petition be referred to the Committee on the Bill.

Petitions in favour of Dundee Harbour Bill.

A Petition of the Nine Incorporated Trades of the royal burgh of Dundee, assembled in Common Hall;- and, of Members of the three United Trades of Masons, Wrights and Slaters, in Dundee,-were presented, and read; taking notice of the Bill for more effectually maintaining, improving and extending the Harbour of Dundee, in the county of Forfar; and praying, That the same may pass into a law.

And the said Petitions were ordered to lie upon the Table.

Petitions in favour of Broomielaw (Glasgow) Railway and Tunnel Bill.

A Petition of the Provost, Magistrates and Town Council of the burgh of Kircaldy;-of the Convener, Trades Ballies, Collector, Deacons and Visitor of the Fourteen Incorporated Trades and other Ordinary and Extraordinary Members of the Trades House of the city of Glasgow; -of Merchants and Burgesses of the united burghs of Port Glasgow and Newark;-of Merchants, Manufacturers and others in the city of Glasgow, or the immediate neighbourhood thereof;-of Merchants and Manufacturers, &c. in Greenock;-and, of Merchants, Manufacturers and Steam-boat Proprietors of the town of Belfast, -were presented, and read; taking notice of the Bill for making a Railway and Tunnel from the Broomielaw Harbour of Glasgow, to communicate with the Canals and Railways passing by, or terminating at, the higher Levels towards the North and North-east of the said City of Glasgow; and praying, That the same may pass into a law.

And the said Petitions were ordered to lie upon the Table.

Queensferry Improvement Bill, committed.

A Bill for the further Improvement and Support of the Passage across the Firth of Forth, called the Queen's Ferry, was read a second time; and committed to Mr. Downie, &c.:-And they are to meet this Afternoon, in the Speaker's Chamber.

Petition against Bute (Cardiff) Canal Bill.

A Petition of the Company of Proprietors of The Glamorganshire Canal Navigation, was presented, and read; taking notice of the Bill for empowering the Most honourable John Crichton Stuart, Marquis of Bute and Earl of Dumfries, to make and maintain a Ship Canal, to commence at a certain Place called the Eastern Hollows, near the Mouth of the River Taff, in the County of Glamorgan, and to terminate near the Town of Cardiff, in the said County, with other Works to communicate therewith; and praying, That they may be heard by themselves, their counsel or agents against certain parts thereof.

Ordered, That the said Petition be referred to the Committee on the Bill; and that the Petitioners be heard by themselves, their counsel or agents upon their Petition, if they think fit.

Ordered, That counsel be admitted to be heard in favour of the Bill, against the said Petition.

Petition against St. Helen's and Runcorn Gap Railway Bill.

A Petition of Proprietors of the Sankey Brook Navigation, in the county of Lancaster, was presented, and read; taking notice of the Bill for making a Railway from the Cowley-Hill Colliery, in the Parish of Prescot, to Runcorn Gap, in the same Parish, with several Branches therefrom, all in the County Palatine of Lancaster, and for constructing a Wet Dock at the termination of the said Railway at Runcorn Gap aforesaid; and praying, That they may be heard by their counsel or agents against certain parts thereof.

Ordered, That the said Petition be referred to the Committee on the Bill; and that the Petitioners be heard by their counsel or agents upon their Petition, if they think fit.

Ordered, That counsel be admitted to be heard in favour of the Bill, against the said Petition.

Petition in favour of Sankey Brook Navigation Bill.

A Petition of Captains, Crews navigating the Flats, Haulers and Labourers employed in and upon the Sankey Brook Navigation, in the county palatine of Lancaster, was presented, and read; taking notice of the Bill to consolidate and amend the Acts relating to the Sankey Brook Navigation, in the County of Lancaster, and to make a navigable Canal from the said Navigation at Fidler's Ferry, to communicate with the River Mersey at Widness Wharf, near Westbank, in the Township of Widness, in the said County; and praying, That the same may pass into a law.

Ordered, That the said Petition do lie upon the Table.

Petition against Glasgow Royalty Extension Bill.

A Petition of the Provost, Baillies, Dean of Guild, Treasurer and Councillors of the royal burgh of Dumbarton, was presented, and read; taking notice of the Bill for extending the Royalty of the City of Glasgow over the Lands of Blythswood and adjacent Lands, and for amending the Acts relating to the Police of the said City; and praying, That they may be heard by themselves, their counsel or agents against certain parts thereof.

Ordered, That the said Petition be referred to the Committee on the Bill; and that the Petitioners be heard by themselves, their counsel or agents upon their Petition, if they think fit.

Ordered, That counsel be admitted to be heard in favour of the Bill, against the said Petition.

Petition against Port Glasgow Harbour Bill.

A Petition of the Provost, Baillies, Treasurer and Councillors of the royal burgh of Dumbarton, was presented, and read; taking notice of the Bill for improving the Harbour of Port Glasgow, constructing a Wet Dock or Wet Docks adjacent thereto, and for altering the Road leading from Port Glasgow to Glasgow, near the said Harbour; and praying, That they may be heard by themselves, their counsel or agents against certain parts thereof.

Ordered, That the said Petition do lie upon the Table.

West Cowgate (Newcastle) Road Bill, reported.

Mr. Bell reported from the Committee on the Bill for more effectually repairing, amending, widening and improving the Road from the West Cowgate, near Newcastleupon-Tyne, to the Alemouth Turnpike Road, in the County of Northumberland, and for making and maintaining other Roads communicating therewith; That the Standing Orders relative to Turnpike Bills, had been complied with; and that they had examined the allegations of the Bill, and found the same to be true; and had gone through the Bill, and made several Amendments thereunto; and the Amendments were read, and agreed to by the House.

Ordered, That the Bill, with the Amendments, be ingrossed.

Petition against Neroche Forest Inclosure Bill.

A Petition of George Acland Barbor, Esquire, Lord of the Manor of Curry Rivell, in the county of Somerset, was presented, and read; taking notice of the Bill for inclosing the Forest of Roach otherwise Roche otherwise Neroach otherwise Neroche, in the Parishes of Broadway, Bickenhall, Beercrocombe, Ilton, Barrington, Ashill, Illminster, Whitelackington, Curland, Donyatt, Isle-Abbotts, Hatchbeauchamp, and the Tithing of Domett, in the Parish of Buckland Saint Mary, or some or one of them, in the County of Somerset; and praying, That he may be heard by himself, his counsel or agent against certain parts thereof.

Ordered, That the said Petition be referred to the Committee on the Bill; and that the Petitioner be heard by himself, his counsel or agent upon his Petition, if he think fit.

Ordered, That counsel be admitted to be heard in favour of the Bill, against the said Petition.

Petitions for mitigating the severity of the Criminal Law.

A Petition of Inhabitants of Chelmsford;-of Magistrates, Barristers, Bankers, Merchants and Inhabitants of Newcastle-upon-Tyne;-of Inhabitants of Lewes and its vicinity;-of Carlisle and its vicinity;-of Magistrates, Bankers, Merchants and other Inhabitants of Sunderland and its vicinity;-and, of Darlington,-were presented, and read; praying the House to revise, at the earliest practicable period, the criminal code of this Kingdom generally, with the view of substituting a scale and description of punishments more in unison with the benign influences of the Christian religion.

And the said Petitions were ordered to lie upon the Table; and to be printed.

Petitions against renewal of East India Charter.

A Petition of the Magistrates and Town Council of the royal burgh of Kirkcaldy;-of the Chairman and Members of the Chamber of Commerce of Kirkcaldy;-of the Magistrates and Town Council of the royal burgh of Dysart;-and, of Merchants, Manufacturers, Bankers and Traders of Belfast, and others, interested in the trade to the East,-were presented, and read; praying the House to refuse any application for a renewal of a Charter to the East India Company, by which they might be empowered to prohibit or otherwise restrict a free intercourse of any of His Majesty's subjects with the countries lying eastward of the Cape of Good Hope.

And the said Petitions were ordered to be referred to the Select Committee on East India Company's affairs.

Report from Committee on East India Company's Affairs. No. 155.

Mr. Ward reported from the Select Committee appointed to inquire into the present state of the Affairs of the East India Company, and into the Trade between Great Britain, the East Indies and China, and to report their Observations thereupon to the House, and who were empowered to report the Minutes of the Evidence taken before them from time to time to the House; That they had made a further progress in the matters to them referred, and had examined several other witnesses, and directed him to report the Minutes of the Evidence taken before them to the House, up to the 18th day of this instant March inclusive: And the Report was brought up, and read.

Ordered, That the Report do lie upon the Table; and be printed.

Petitions complaining of Distress.

A Petition of Inhabitants of Shaftesbury and the neighbourhood thereof;-of Operative Weavers of Glasgow and neighbourhood;-and, of Retail Tradesmen and Dealers at Southwell, in the county of Nottingham,-were presented, and read; praying the House to institute an immediate inquiry, so far as can be accomplished, amongst intelligent and independent descriptions of persons, into the causes of the present general distress, and, as much as may be practicable consistently with the honour and dignity of the Nation, afford such relief as will appear expedient.

And the said Petitions were ordered to lie upon the Table; and, except the first, to be printed.

Petition for repeal of Parish Vestries Act (Ireland.)

A Petition of Inhabitants, Landholders, &c. of the united parishes of Kilcoman and Robin, was presented, and read; reciting the Act 7 Geo. 4, c. 72, for the Regulation of Parish Vestries in Ireland; and praying, That the same may be repealed.

Ordered, That the said Petition do lie upon the Table.

Petitions for repeal of Subletting Act (Ireland.)

A Petition of Inhabitants, Landholders, &c. of the united parishes of Kilcoman and Robin;-of Inhabitants of Carrick-on-Suir;-of Tertagh;-of Rosscarbery and Kilker- anmore;-and, of Beagh,-were presented, and read; reciting the Act 7 Geo. 4, c. 29, to amend the Law of Ireland respecting the Assignment and Sub-Letting of Lands and Tenements in Ireland; and praying the House to repeal the same.

And the said Petitions were ordered to lie upon the Table; and that the two last be printed.

Petition for Reform of Parliament.

A Petition of Owners and Occupiers of land and other Inhabitants of the parish of Garboldisham, in the county of Norfolk, was presented, and read; praying, That the notoriously corrupt and imperfect state of the representation of the people in Parliament may forthwith be deemed worthy of the consideration of the House, with a view to an effectual reformation thereof.

Ordered, That the said Petition do lie upon the Table; and be printed.

Return of Voters (Ireland), ordered.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House, a Return of the number of Persons entitled to vote at the Election of Members for Cities and Boroughs in Ireland, specifying the number of Electors for each place, so far as the same can be made out.

Petition complaining of Distress in Ireland.

A Petition of Operatives in the Cotton Trade of the liberties and city of Dublin, was presented, and read; setting forth, That it is with the strongest feelings of gratitude the Petitioners approach the House for the religious peace which they now enjoy; this blessing has hitherto enabled and disposed them in patience to endure the greatest misery without complaint; the Petitioners consider that the great source of their miseries, and those of their fellow countrymen arises from the exaction of exorbitant rents by the land-owners of Ireland; that thereby the Petitioners are deprived of a home market for their manufactures, the farmers and peasants of Ireland being thus deprived of the means to purchase them; that various insurrections have arisen from the same cause, whereby capitalists are deterred from investing their money in the employment of the Irish manufacturers; that by the exaction of high rents the land is not properly tilled, and food is dear; that the income of Ireland being now 40,000,000£., and the available resources for the productive employment of the Irish people great and obvious; and praying the House to enact that public works be instituted in Ireland to employ the people, and that the wages of the persons so employed be charged on the owners of the townland or parish wherein such persons were born, so as to deter the landlords from exacting exorbitant rents, and also to induce them to expend some capital in the private employment of the Irish people, as then greater personal advantage would be derived therefrom than from paying wages to the public works; then the Petitioners humbly conceive that they would have a market for their manufactures, and Ireland be enabled to supply the English market with more food than she does at present.

Ordered, That the said Petition be referred to the Select Committee on the state of the Poor in Ireland.

Petition against alteration of the Beer Trade.

A Petition of Licensed Innkeepers and Victuallers in the town of Cheltenham, in the county of Gloucester, was presented, and read; setting forth, That the alterations now contemplated by the House in the present laws relating to the trade in Beer, and the licenses for the sale of Beer, would, if made, cause immense losses to the Petitioners, and to the numerous class of Licensed Victuallers generally, and would not, as the Petitioners believe, be attended with any benefit to the public, or advantage to the revenue; and praying, That the proposed alterations in the laws above mentioned may not be made.

Ordered, That the said Petition do lie upon the Table; and be printed.

Return of Carlow Freemen, ordered.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House, a Return of the number of Freemen and Free Burgesses in the Borough of Carlow, in Ireland; distinguishing the Nonresidents from Residents.

Petition respecting Galway Franchise.

A Petition of Protestant and Roman Catholic Tradesmen, Merchants and Traders of Galway, was presented, and read; setting forth, That merchants and traders and tradesmen enjoyed, without distinction of religion, the right of admission to the freedom of the corporation of Galway, in their different guilds of trade, from the first constitution of Parliaments in Ireland, down to the year one thousand seven hundred and seventeen, upon payment of one pound as an admission fine, as is evidenced by the recognition of those guilds in certain rules instituted by the Lord Lieutenant and Council of Ireland in the year one thousand six hundred and seventy-two, for the municipal government of Galway, by the last royal charter granted to the said town in the twenty-ninth year of the reign of his late Majesty Charles the Second, and by the Return of Edward Eyre, Esquire, upon petition, in the year one thousand seven hundred and fifteen, as a Member of Parliament by a Committee of the Irish House of Commons, upon the votes of the merchants and traders and tradesmen, who had been unduly rejected; that, in the fourth year of the reign of his late Majesty George the First, only two years after the said Return, a statute was enacted, giving to the Protestant merchants and traders and tradesmen of Galway the right of admission without paying any fine for the same, on account of which advantage Protestants thereafter took under that Act, and the Roman Catholics being disfranchised by an Act of the Legislature in the year one thousand seven hundred and twenty-seven, the guilds of trade, and the rights enjoyed under them, thenceforward fell into disuse; that, in the year one thousand seven hundred and ninety-three, the disqualification created by the said last-mentioned statute was repealed, but, notwithstanding such repeal, on account of the disuse of the said guilds of trade, caused by the operation of the said Acts of the fourth George the First and the first George the Second, the Roman Catholic merchants and traders of Galway were not restored to the exercise of the elective franchise, as enjoyed by them before the year one thousand seven hundred and twenty-seven; that, at the time of the extension of the great boon of one thousand seven hundred and ninety-three, the corporation of Galway consisted, for the most part, of Protestant freemen of right under the said statute of the fourth George the First, there having been altogether two hundred and ninetytwo freemen of right and of favour admitted in twenty-five years previously to that year; but that said corporation, being thus few in number, were influenced by the then Representatives in Parliament for the county of Galway, as a mark of the liberality of the times, to enfranchise some few Roman Catholic gentlemen, and all the absentee peasantry residing on the estates of the said county Members; and accordingly, on the first of August one thousand seven hundred and ninty-three, nine hundred and forty-five persons were elected freemen, of whom sixteen only were resident; thus, in one day, under pretence of the great act of emancipation, transforming the said corporation from being a corporation of freemen of right and inhabitants, into a corporation of freemen of favour and strangers; that the said freemen thus admitted were never sworn in, or exercised the said franchise, or paid the stamp duty on admission, until the year one thousand eight hundred and twelve, when, for the first time, the duty was paid for two hundred of them on the day of Election; but, upon petition, their votes were rejected by a Committee of the House, not for non-residence or occasionality, but for informality in their original mode of admission; that in the said year the said Act of the fourth George the First was sought to be nullified, the Protestant Petitioners being refused their freedom, and their votes being rejected; but that they were allowed by the said Committee to the number of about fifty; in consequence whereof the Protestant Petitioners, under the threat of actions at law, were afterwards formally admitted freemen; that, if the principle of the decision of the said Committee had been acted upon, the just balance of the rights of the Petitioners would have been restored, not absolutely excluding non-residence on the one hand, or admitting their undue preponderance on the other; but that, notwithstanding such rejection of their votes as aforesaid, in defiance of the principle of said decision, in the year one thousand eight hundred and nineteen said freemen of one thousand seven hundred and ninety-three, who had so voted and been rejected as aforesaid, were made use of to co-operate with the free resident freemen of favour, to admit additional numbers of freemen; and in four days in the said year, viz. the twenty-sixth of February, the sixteenth of March, the seventh and sixteenth of April, seven hundred and eighty-three persons were enfranchised, of whom only a single one was resident, all the rest being absentee peasantry; and that all the said persons were admitted on the votes of the said freemen of one thousand seven hundred and ninety-three, to whom, notwithstanding the said decision, an indefeasible title had been gained by the Statute of Limitation, operating solely upon the one single exercise of their franchise in the year one thousand eight hundred and twelve rejected as aforesaid, and that they were so admitted in direct opposition to the votes of all the said freemen of right, and that the said persons so elected as last mentioned, as well as the majority of the said freemen of one thousand seven hundred and ninety-three, have never as yet paid the Stamp Duty, although required to do so by Statute fifty-sixth George the Third within one month after admission; that he number of freemen of right and of favour admitted in twenty-six years before one thousand eight hundred and nineteen, was five hundred and twenty-one, and that by this stretch of power, thus recent in its origin, besides the loss of their franchises to the Roman Catholic Petitioners under the Guilds as aforesaid, the Protestant Petitioners, who are the only freemen of right in the said Corporation, have to complain, that their rights have been thus rendered nugatory and wholly overborne, the proportion which they bore to the absentee freemen of favour before one thousand seven hundred and ninety-three, being as three to one, whilst, by the operation of the said Statute of Limitation, they do not exceed one-fortieth of the freemen of the said Corporation; that the Petitioners the more deeply feel this invasion of their just rights, which are as old as the foundation of the said Corporation, and only altered in the mode of admission for Protestants by the said Act of the fourth of George the First, by reason of the original right of admitting non-residents as contradistinguished from the said undue exercise of the power, being comparatively recent in its origin and at variance with all just rights previously or since enjoyed; that by Statute tenth Henry the Seventh, and eight royal charters granted to Galway before one thousand six hundred and seventy-six, residence is considered a qualification for admission, but that by charter granted in the twenty-ninth year of the reign of his late Majesty Charles the Second, power is given to the said Corporation to admit inhabitants, and such others as they should think worthy, and under colour of said additional words, since the year one thousand seven hundred and ninetythree, the inhabitants, save those deriving under the fourth of George the First, have been excluded, and multitudes of non-resident peasantry admitted in a proportion unprecedented in all other places, as will appear from returns of freemen made to the House in the last Session of Parliament; that the Petitioners most humbly submit to the House, that it would be at variance with every principle of the British Constitution, as well as directly subversive of the tenure by which all property in these realms is held, to deprive, as has been suggested, any portion of His Majesty's subjects of rights vested by charter and usage from early times down to one thousand seven hundred and seventeen, and since said year vested by Statute, without a shadow of impeachment as to their just exercise, and to effect such change, destroying the last remaining vestige of public right in favour of an undue interest recently created by a misconstruction of two words in a royal charter, which have been thus distorted into an actual repeal of the said Statute of the tenth of Henry the Seventh, as well as of eight royal charters, into an indirect, but equally effectual, repeal of every syllable in the said charter of Charles the Second, except those two words so misconstrued, and into a complete abrogation of every right principle or unanimity which it was ever the object of royal or legislative beneficence, at any time heretofore to accord to any class of the people of Galway; that the Petitioners submit that such influence, so created and exercised as aforesaid, does not in any point of view merit the favour of the House, by reason of its fatal effects upon the prosperity of that district, and as proof of such effects the Petitioners refer to the following facts, which, in addition to those already stated, they are ready to prove at the Bar of the House, and as to which they challenge contradictions; first, That the gentleman who exercises such influence, is a permanent absentee in the district, and is interested in its decline; second, That the said Corporation, at the time of the enactment of the said Statute of the fourth of George the First, possessed property in fee simple, now yielding seven thousand pounds a year, the whole of which, without exception, has been alienated; third, That the whole of the public funds for improvement have been misapplied since one thousand seven hundred and ninety-three down to the last year, when they have been taken into the custody of the Great Seal for malversation; fourth, That the Mayor of Galway is at this instant under attachment for contempt, in acting in defiance of said decree; fifth, That the Mayor is usually an absentee, and that the same individual has been Mayor, or Deputy Mayor, for the last thirteen years; sixth, That the same Sheriffs always continue in office for seven consecutive years, and that one of the said Sheriffs is always non-resident; seventh, That three out of four Magistrates were permanently non-resident until last year, when the General Quarter Sessions of the peace not having been held, a short time before, on the Petition of the inhabitants, additional Magistrates were appointed; eighth, That the Grand Juries are habitually part of persons without property or even residence in the district, and the result has been, that the taxation has become so onerous, that meadow land, not built upon in any way, in the county of the town of Galway, is rated at one pound thirteen shillings and seven-pence per acre yearly Grand Jury cess, whilst in the adjoining parts of the county of Galway the cess does not exceed two shillings and one penny yearly; that the Church of Galway consists of a warden and eight vicars, by charter granted to the said Corporation in the reign of Edward the Sixth, and is composed of eleven parishes, occupying a district of the county of the town and county of Galway of upwards of four hundred square miles; that the number of Vicars before one thousand seven hundred and ninety-three was reduced by the said Corporation to four, and since the said year to two, at salaries of seventy-five pounds, leaving the entire of said district, except the town of Galway, without a Clergyman of the Established Church, and that the said wardenship, before said year, returned only five hundred and ten pounds annually, and now yields one thousand seven hundred pounds a year; that the Petitioners most respectfully trust that the House, under such circumstances, will not be pleased to adopt any measure which may have the effect of strengthening said influence, thus unduly created, and which has been exercised so fatally to the injury of the people, and of every interest which it is the object of the State to protect; wherefore the Petitioners most humbly pray, That the House will be graciously pleased to equalize civil rights, without distinction of religion, in the county of the town of Galway, according to the Roman Catholic portion of the Petitioners, the same right of admission to their freedom as is now enjoyed by the Protestant Petitioners.

Ordered, That the said Petition do lie upon the Table; and be printed.

Account of Tonnage (Ireland), ordered.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House, an Account of the amount of Tonnage of Vessels entered Inwards and cleared Outwards at all the Ports of Ireland; distinguishing the Amount for the Port of Dublin from 5th January 1823 to 5th January 1830, distinguishing the Amount in each year.

The Lords have agreed to

A Message from the Lords, by Mr. Cox and Mr. Stephen:

Mr. Speaker,

The Lords have agreed to the several Bills following without any Amendment; viz.

Salford Improvement Bill.

A Bill, intituled, An Act for better cleansing, lighting, watching, regulating and improving the Town of Salford, in the County Palatine of Lancaster:

Kirkby and Pinxton Road Bill.

A Bill, intituled, An Act for repairing and improving the Road from the Nottingham and Mansfield Turnpike Road, through Kirkby and Pinxton to Carter Lane, and to the Colliery near Pinxton Green, in the Countries of Nottingham and Derby:

Watling-Street Road Bill.

A Bill, intituled, An Act for more effectually improving and maintaining the Wellington District of the Watling-street Road, in the county of Salop:-And then the Messengers withdrew.

Petitions for repeal of Malt and Beer Duties.

A Petition of Freeholders and Inhabitants of Bedfordshire, duly convened in County Meeting;-and, of Owners and Occupiers of land, in the parish of Caddington, in the county of Bedford,-were presented, and read; praying the House to repeal the Duties on Malt and Beer.

And the said Petitions were ordered to lie upon the Table.

Debate on Motion respecting Labourers Wages, further adjourned.

Ordered, That the Order of the day, for resuming the adjourned Debate upon the Motion made yesterday, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to amend and render more effectual the Laws prohibiting the Payment of Wages otherwise than in Money, be now read; and the same being read;

Ordered, That the debate be further adjourned till Thursday the 1st day of April next.

Petition against Importation of Wool.

A Petition of Owners and Occupiers of land in the parishes of Shipley and West Grinsted, in the county of Sussex, was presented, and read; praying the House to afford the British wool-grower that protection from foreign competition which an excessive taxation justly entitles him to require.

Ordered, That the said Petition do lie upon the Table; and be printed.

Lunatic Commissions Bill, put off.

The House was moved, That the Order made upon Wednesday the 10th day of this instant March, for reading a second time, To-morrow, the Bill to diminish, in certain cases, the Inconvenience and Expense of Commissions in the nature of Writs de Lunatico Inquirendo, might be read; and the same being read;

Ordered, That the said Order be discharged.

Ordered, That the Bill be read a second time upon this day six months.

Sub-letting Act Amendment (Ireland) Bill, deferred.

The House was moved, That the Order made upon Friday the 5th day of this instant March, for the House to resolve itself into a Committee of the whole House, To-morrow, upon the Bill to explain and amend an Act made in seventh year of His present Majesty, with respect to the Assignment and Sub-letting of Lands and Tenements in Ireland, might be read; and the same being read;

Ordered, That the said Order be discharged.

Resolved, That this House will, upon Tuesday the 27th day of April next, resolve itself into the said Committee.

Account of Excise Duties, ordered.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House, an Account of the total quantities of Hides and Skins, Malt, Coffee, Tea, Paper, Printed Goods, British and Irish Spirits, and Tobacco, charged with Duties of Excise, in each year, from the year 1818 to the year 1829 inclusive; showing the rates of Duty charged upon each article.

Copy of Commission on Ecclesiastical Courts, presented. No. 165.

Mr. William Peel presented to the House, pursuant to their Address to His Majesty,-A Copy of the Commission issued for inquiring into the state of the Ecclesiastical Courts in England and Wales.

Ordered, That the said Paper do lie upon the Table; and be printed.

Address for Reports of Public Records (Ireland.)

Resolved, That an humble Address be presented to His Majesty, that He will be graciously pleased to give directions, that there be laid before this House, Copies of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Reports on the Public Records of Ireland.

Ordered, That the said Address be presented to His Majesty, by such Members of this House as are of His Majesty's most honourable Privy Council.

Reports on the Conduct of Sir Jonah Barrington, to be considered.

The House was moved, That the Eighteenth Report of the Commissioners of Judicial Inquiry in Ireland, which was presented to the House upon the 9th day of February, in the last Session of Parliament, might be read; and the same was read.

The House was also moved, That the Deposition forwarded to the Commission of Judicial Inquiry by Sir Jonah Barrington, Judge of the Court of Admiralty in Ireland, which was presented to the House upon the 16th day of March, in the last Session of Parliament, might be read; and the same was read.

The House was also moved, That the Report which upon the 1st day of June, in the last Session of Parliament, was made from the Committee appointed to take into consideration the Eighteenth Report of the Commissioners of Judicial Inquiry in Ireland, together with the Deposition forwarded to those Commissioners by Sir Jonah Barrington, Judge of the High Court of Admiralty in Ireland, and other Papers connected with the conduct of Sir Jonah Barrington, in the discharge of his judicial functions, might be read; and the same being read;

Resolved, That this House will, upon Thursday, the 29th day of April next, resolve itself into a Committee of the whole House, to consider of the said Reports and Deposition.

Debate on Motion respecting Distress of the Country, adjourned.

Ordered, That the Order of the day, for resuming the adjourned Debate upon the Amendment which, upon Tuesday last, was proposed to be made to the Motion, "That the Petitions, complaining of Distress of various classes of the Community, be referred to a Committee of the whole House, with a view to inquire into, and report on the Causes of their Grievances, and the Remedy thereof," and which Amendment was, to leave out from the word "That" to the end of the Question, in order to add the words "a Select Committee be appointed to inquire into the Extent and Causes of the National Distress, and whether any and what Remedies can be applied," instead thereof, be now read; and the same being read.

And the Question being again proposed, That the words proposed to be left out, stand part of the Question: -The House resumed the said adjourned Debate.

And the House having continued to sit till after twelve of the clock on Friday morning;

Veneris, 19 die Martii, 1830:

Ordered, That the Debate be further adjourned till this day.

Ecclesiastical Leases (Ireland) Bill, deferred.

The Order of the day being read, for the House to resolve itself into a Committee of the whole House, upon the Bill to amend the Laws respecting the Leasing Powers of Bishops and Ecclesiastical Corporations in Ireland;

Resolved, That this House will, upon Monday next, resolve itself into the said Committee.

Galway Franchise Bill, deferred.

The Order of the day being read, for the House to resolve itself into a Committee of the whole House, upon the Bill to repeal so much of an Act passed in Ireland, in the fourth year of the reign of King George the First, for the better regulating the Town of Galway, and for strengthening the Protestant Interest therein, as limits the Franchise created by the said Act to Protestants only;

Resolved, That this House will, this day, resolve itself into the said Committee.

Illusory Appointments Bill, deferred.

The Order of the day being read, for the third reading of the ingrossed Bill to alter and amend the Law relating to Illusory Appointments;

Ordered, That the Bill be read the third time this day.

Leases of Land (Ireland) Bill, ordered.

Ordered, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to confirm certain Leases of Lands, for the purposes of carrying on the Linen Manufacture of Ireland: And that Lord Francis Leveson Gower and Sir George Hill do prepare, and bring it in.

Indemnity Bill, presented.

Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer presented a Bill to indemnify such Persons in the United Kingdom as have omitted to qualify themselves for Offices and Employments, and for extending the Time limited for those purposes respectively; and to permit such Persons in Great Britain as have omitted to make and file Affidavits of the execution of Indentures of Clerks to Attornies and Solicitors to make and file the same, and to allow Persons to make and file such Affidavits, although the Persons whom they served shall have neglected to take out their annual Certificates: And the same was read the first time; and ordered to be read a second time this day.

Petition against Breconshire Roads Bill.

A Petition of the Reverend John Williams, of Abercumby, in the county of Brecon, was presented, and read; taking notice of the Bill for more effectually repairing and improving several Roads in the Counties of Brecon, Radnor and Glamorgan, and for making and maintaining several new Branches of Road to communicate therewith; and praying, that he may be heard by himself, his counsel or agent against certain parts thereof.

Ordered, That the said Petition be referred to the Committee on the Bill; and that the Petitioner be heard by himself, his counsel or agent upon his Petition, if he think fit.

Ordered, That counsel be admitted to be heard in favour of the Bill, against the said Petition.

Inoperative Statutes Repeal (Ireland) Bill, ordered.

Ordered, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to repeal, in express terms, the several Statutes enacted in Ireland against Protestant Dissenters and Roman Catholics which have been rendered inoperative by subsequent Statutes: And that Mr. O'Connell and Mr. Jephson do prepare, and bring it in.

Hythe Writ.

Ordered, That Mr. Speaker do issue his Warrant to the Clerk of the Crown to make out a new Writ for the electing of a Baron to serve in this present Parliament, for the Town and Port of Hythe, in the room of Sir Robert Townsend Townsend Farquhar, Baronet, deceased.

Returns respecting Spirits Excise (Scotland), ordered.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House, a Return of the Number of Gallons of Scottish Spirits imported into England by land; amount of Duty collected thereon, from 5th January 1828 to 5th January 1830, distinguishing each year.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House, a Return for the same periods, of the Number of Excise Officers employed in the prevention of Smuggling from Scotland into England; distinguishing the number of those wholly so employed from those partially so employed; the amount of their respective Salaries and Allowances, and the gross amount of the charge.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House, a Return of Scottish Spirits seized in the counties of Cumberland and Northumberland; the Date and Quantity of each Seizure; the Number of Informations laid before the Magistrates of the said Counties; the Number of Convictions thereon, and nature of each Offence; amount of Penalty inflicted in each case; amount paid by each offender; and, number of Committals to Prison for non-payment, from 5th January 1828 to 5th January 1830.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House, a Return of the Quantities of English, Scottish and Irish Spirits, respectively, on which Duties of Excise were levied, between 5th January 1829 and 5th January 1830.

Poor Law Amendment Bill, deferred.

The House was moved, That the Order made upon Monday last, for the House to resolve itself into a Committee of the whole House, To-morrow, upon the Bill to prevent Abuses of the Poor Laws, by declaring and amending the Law relating to the Employment and Payment of Able bodied Labourers from the Poor Rates, and for the better rating Tenements under a certain Annual Value, might be read; and the same being read;

Ordered, That the said Order be discharged.

Resolved, That this House will, upon Monday, the 26th day of April next, resolve itself into the said Committee.

And then the House, having continued to sit till after one of the clock on Friday morning, adjourned till this day.