House Of Lords, Tuesday, ...
PARLIAMENTARY INTELLIGENCE. Mr. BROGDEN and others, from the tlommons, brought up the alien bili, the Irish proctors' costs bill, and the Irish records bill; and returned the Irish burials bill, with the amendments agreed to. Thc three first mentioned bills were read a first time. The Earl of l)ARNLEY presented a ptition from the parish of St. Mark, Dublin, agaiilst the taxation of coals and other articles by the corporation of Dublin. Lord HOLLA,ND presented a petition from the corporation of Nottingham, of which We is a member. The petitior, in the senti- ments of wlhich his lordship concurred, stated the alien bill to be hostile to the commerce of the country, and calculated to endanger its peace-hostile to the laws of the country,-hostile to the com. forts and interests of the natives of this country who live abroad- and, above all, hit,tile to the principies of the constitution, as ic placed an arbitrary power in the hands of Ministers. The Earl of DIARNLEY wished to know when it was intended to move the sccond reading of the alien bill ?e Earl BATHURST said that the second reading would be proposed on the Thursday after the holydays, should that be an open day. Lord BELHAVEN presented a petition from the city of (ilas. gow and its vicinity, praying for the gradual abolition of slavery. NEWFOUNDLAND JUDICATURE BILL. Earl BATIIURST rose to move the scrond reading of the New- foundland judicature bill. He began by describing what the sys- tem of the administration of justice in that country had becn. The present system comnienced under an act of Parliament passed in 1809. In the year 1790, the first court of judicature was establish- ed in the island. It must at first sight appear extraordinary, that for period of 200 years no regular court of justice had been esta- blished, but ithad been the policy of this country to discourage any sedentary fisheries in the island. The civil administration had been placed in the hands of the admirals, vice-admirals, and other naval commanders on the station. The only alteration inmae previous to 1790 was the appointment of some justices of the peace in 1729, in consequence of the increase of population- In 1792, bot4 criminal and civil judicatures wvere established. The noble earl described the chief object of the bill now brought in to be the formation of a su. preme court ofjudicature, with a chief justiceand two assessors. Ger. tain cduses authorized the division of the island into three districts, and the establishment of circuit courts. It had also been thought propep to institute courts of quarter session. After statinga variety of details, which were not heard below? the bar, the noble earl adverted to that part of the bill which relates to the ce- lebration of marriages. We understood him to say, that up to 1817 the greatest confusion hadprerailed on thissubject. A bill was then introduced by which certain teg3dations were made. That act it was now proposed to repeal, and to re, enact only that part of it which requires persons celebrating marriaEe to be in holy orders. Roman Catholic priests, by the common law of the isla,nd, had the right of celebrating marriage, and the present bill gave thc same night to dissenting clergvmen of every diescriptionl. The Egarl of 6)ARNLEY observed, that if certain alterations in the system ot judicature had not been proposed to be made, he should have had a patiton to present ot the subject. He was happy tu understand that the trial by jury, which had been taken away, was to be restoredi. On thesuggestion of Lord IHOLLAND, Lord BATHURST agreed to divide the biU into two bills, and fixedthle consmittee for the Thursday after the holydays.-Adjourned. HOUSE OF LORDS, TuESDAY, APRIL 13.