committee for three months. A protracted discussion
took place, and some motions of adjournment were
made, till at length, Lord Palmerston, seeing no hope
of any result that night, proposed an adjournment of the
debate which was agreed to.

On Wednesday the 7th, Mr. G. A. HAMILTON moved
the second reading of the Encumbered Estates (Ireland)
Bill, the principal object of which was to provide that
the Commissioners should sell no estate for less than
fifteen years' purchase.—The ATTORNEY-GENERAL
moved the second reading that day three months,
objecting both to its principle and its details. It
proceeded on a misapprehension of the act of last
session; assuming that the sales of estates by virtue of
that act were at an under value, whereas hitherto no
sale had taken place at an under value. The bill was
an attempt at one-sided legislation; he regretted that
such a bill had been sent down from the House of Lords,
and above all that it had emanated from Irish landlords,
since it afforded encouragement to proprietors to let
their lands at extravagant rents in order to evade
contracts and defeat their creditors.—Mr. FRENCH
warmly defended the Irish landlords.—Mr. STAFFORD
thought the best course was to let the act of last session
work its way.—Mr. BRIGHT enumerated various bills
passed by the other house this session, the main object
of which was to benefit the landlords by enabling them
to get rid of the occupiers and seize what they have for
the landlord's rent. The present bill was to give them
more power of getting rent, and to prevent the payment
of their just debts. After some further discussion,
Mr. Hamilton declined to press the question to a
division; the amendment was agreed to, and the bill
consequently is lost.

On the third reading of the Consolidated Fund
Appropriation Bill, on Thursday the 8th, Mr. BERNAL
raised a conversation on the defective state of the regulations
for the Immigration of Africans into the West
India Colonies. He observed that, at present, contracts
were limited to a year; but that in the first year, from
sickness, and the immigrant's not being inured to labour,
there was frequently a loss to the employer; an evil that
might be remedied by making the contract for three
years.—Mr. HAWES said that Lord Grey had already
sanctioned contracts for three years in British Guiana
and Trinidad, and would, of course, be quite prepared to
do so in Jamaica. The immigration of free labour from
Africa had proved a failure; but this was not the case
with the immigration of Coolies. Many requests had
been made to renew it, and arrangements had been made
to comply with those requests. Arrangements had also
been made, in consequence of communications with Dr.
Gutzlaff, for introducing free Chinese immigrants into
Trinidad.

On the second reading of the Crime and Outrage Act
(Ireland) Continuance Bill, Mr. Sharman CRAWFORD,
denouncing it as an unconstitutional measure, moved the
second reading that day three months. He was seconded
in his opposition by Mr. Anstey, Mr. R. M. Fox, Mr.
Reynolds, Mr. Hume, and Mr. Roche. Sir G. Grey
defended the bill, and the second reading was carried by
89 to 26.

Sir G. GREY inquired if Mr. Hamilton intended to
persevere with his Landlord and Tenant (Ireland) Bill
this session, intimating that the government could not
agree to it even after considerable amendment. Mr.
Hamilton yielded, and on the motion of Mr. Reynolds
the order for second reading was discharged.

On the third reading of the Customs Bill, the
CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER reproduced the clause which
he had allowed on Tuesday to be provisionally struck
out.—Mr. Hume objecting, the house divided, and the
clause was carried by 50 to 14. The bill then passed.

The CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER announced,
with expressions of much regret, the withdrawal of the
Savings' Banks Bill, there being no hope of being able
to carry it through this session.

On Friday the 9th, the motion for going into
committee on the Crime and Outrage Act (Ireland)
Continuance Bill was opposed by Mr. REYNOLDS who
moved its commitment that day three months. This led
to another debate on the merits of the measure; after
which the house resolved to go into committee by 82
against 34.—In committee, Mr. MOORE, moved, as an
amendment to the first clause, that the duration of the
bill be limited to one year.—Some discussion ensued, in
the course of which Lord John RUSSELL said that this
was a bill for the discouragement of murder, and its
continuance for a somewhat longer period than a year was
requisite in order to have a beneficial effect in repressing
that horrible crime. On a division the amendment was
negatived by 75 to 34.

The house resumed the debate on Mr. Hume's motion
for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the proceedings
of Sir Henry Ward as governor of the Ionian Islands.
The motion was supported by Lord Dudley Stuart, Mr.
Bright, Colonel Thompson, and Mr. Anstey, who
denounced Sir Henry Ward's conduct in strong language.
He was defended by Mr. Hawes, Lord John Russell,
Col. Dunne, Lord Claude Hamilton, and Sir De Lacy
Evans, and the motion was negatived by 84 to 13.

Mr. MACKINNON informed the house, that five of its
officers had been seriously indisposed by complaints such
as usually arise from Exhalations from Drains or Graveyards.
He asked if a stop was to be put to the escape of
effluvium from the drains opened in the vicinity of the
house?—Lord EBRINGTON said it was unfortunately
true that eight of the officers of the house had been
seized with diarrhœa; but that ailment was general
in the metropolis, and he believed the drain had nothing
to do with it. He hinted that St. Margaret's Churchyard
contained the source of the evil.

On Monday the 12th, Sir B. HALL took a retrospect of
the Business of the House during the session, founded
on returns lately made in consequence of his motion to
that effect. He entered into many details respecting
the number and length of the sittings, the quantity of
time occupied by a variety of bills which had been
withdrawn or abandoned, and contrasted the amount of
time and labour bestowed by the house, with the
comparatively small amount of business actually done.
Much of this evil he ascribed to the manner in which
the government measures were conducted; and he hoped
that means would be taken for remedying it. He
concluded formally with a motion for further papers.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL  defended both the house and the
government, and thought it matter of some surprise
that so many important measures had been accomplished
this session.—Mr. BRIGHT and Mr. STAFFORD made
some remarks, and Sir B. Hall withdrew his motion.—
Mr. HUME moved that the evidence taken before the
Ceylon Committee be printed.—Mr. HAWES opposed the
motion, on the ground that the proposition of printing
the evidence had been rejected by the committee itself;
and moved that the evidence be referred to the colonial
secretary and the members of the Government.—Sir
James HOGG supported the amendment, deprecating
incidental remarks on Lord Torrington's conduct when
that subject was not fairly before the house.—Mr. HUME,
in reply, stated that the first step he should take next
session would be to bring this subject again before the
house; and he should persevere in carrying out his
threat to direct the Attorney-General to prosecute Lord
Torrington. With this understanding, he would not
divide the house upon his present motion.—Mr. Hawes's
amendment was therefore carried without division.

On Wednesday the 14th, Mr. LABOUCHERE stated, in
answer to a question, that the Report of the Committee
on the late Post Ofice Regulations had just been printed
and laid on the table, but that the government could
not take any measures respecting it till they had duly
considered its contents.

Mr. LABOUCHERE, on the following day, Thursday the
15th, gave further information on the above subject.
He explained that the report recommended that the
late regulations suspending the transmission and delivery
of letters on the Sunday should be repealed, and that
the Post Office should revert to the transmission and
delivery of letters on Sunday, with such alterations as
might ensure to persons in the employ of the Post Office
as much time to themselves on Sundays as should be
found consistent with a due regard to the paramount
interests of the public. He could not say precisely what
course the Treasury would adopt, but he anticipated
that the Treasury would be ready to carry the
recommendations of the committee into effect.—Mr. LOCKE