the measure. It was supported by Mr. Roebuck, and
Lord John Russell, and the debate was adjourned to
Monday following.

On Tuesday the 11th, the house went into committee
on the Metropolitan Interments Bill. On the reading
of the 32nd clause, which provides compensation to the
clergy for the loss of their present fees, Sir Benjamin
HALL complained that in some parishes the clergy made
a traffic of their burial grounds, and supported his
complaint by some remarkable statements. "He would
take the case of St. Giles's-in-the-Fields as an instance.
What had been the conduct of the clergyman there?—
a clergyman, too, who was very well off, for he had
£1000 a year as Canon of St. Paul's, in addition to £987
as rector of St. Giles's. It had been the practice there
to make a feint of covering the coffin whilst the mourners
were present; but as soon as they were gone, the body
and coffin were taken up, the head of the deceased was
severed from his body, and cast into a hole, in order that
putrefaction may speedily set in. This was done in
order to afford more ground for burials, and to bring
fees to the clergyman. In 1846, there were but 896
deaths in St. Giles's, yet there were 2,323 burials; in
1847, there were 1,298 deaths, and 2,877 burials; in 1848
there were 1,111 deaths, and 3,578 burials; and in the
half-year of 1849, there were 571 deaths, and no fewer
than 3,423 burials; making altogether 3,876 deaths,
and 12,221 burials in the course of three and a half years.
The body and coffin were wheeled away in a wheel-
barrow; the head was severed from the body and thrown
into a vault. Yet this man had the assurance to state
in his evidence that the cemeteries of St. Pancras were
in a satisfactory condition. He had a sort of square in
the burial-ground where the more wealthy class of
persons were interred; from whom he of course obtained a
higher fee. All these abominations occurred not only
under his own jurisdiction, but he had joined with him
another clergyman as his sexton—a man who was first a
soldier, then a parson, then a sexton, and afterwards,
in the natural course of things, an undertaker and stone
mason."—Sir G. GREY felt assured that the clergyman,
Dr. Tyler, could not have any connexion with such
doings. Mr. WAKLEY confirmed Sir B. Hall's statement;
but he believed that Dr. Tyler was not aware at
the time of what had been going on, for the funeral
service was performed by the reverend sexton. The
committee proceeded through the bill as far as clause 53
inclusive.

Lord NAAS moved that the house should go into
committee to consider the present mode of levying the Duty
on Home-made Spirits in Bond. He pointed out the
unfairness of the present mode of levying, which,
assessing the duty on home spirits as they are made,
allows nothing for waste and leakage, as in the case of
colonial spirits, which pay duty on the quantity
measured when taken out of bond. Mr. WILSON and
Sir Charles WOOD opposed the motion as disturbing the
settlement of those duties made in 1846; but it was
carried by 85 to 53, leaving the ministry in a minority,
a result which drew loud cheers from the opposition.
The house then resolved into committee, and resolutions
in accordance with the previous vote were passed without
further discussion.

Lord JOCELYN moved for papers respecting the
proposed Railway between Madras and Arcot, and enlarged
on the importance of facilitating railway communication
in lndia. The papers were ordered.

In moving the second reading of the Court of Chancery
Bill, on Wednesday the 12th, Mr. TURNER explained
its objects and provisions. Instead of the present
proceedings in the Court of Chancery, it provided that if
the parties should concur in stating the question in the
form of a special case, upon which the matter at issue
should be heard and at once decided; this would do
away with bill, answers, inquiries in the master's office,
and all the load of preliminary proceedings. The
second branch of the bill gave protection to executors
and trustees, who, under the existing practice, after
honestly fulfilling their trusts, and paying over the
residue to the legatees, might nevertheless be sued at
the end of twenty, or even forty years, by persons having
interest under a settlement.—Some remarks, generally
favourable to the bill, were made by the SOLICITOR
GENERAL and Mr. Page WOOD, and the bill was read a
second time.

On Thursday the 13th, the County Courts Extension
Bill was considered in committee. On the motion of
the ATTORNEY-GENERAL, clauses were added to the
following effect:—That the deputy judge shall not
practise in districts where he acts as deputy; that the
defendant may agree with the plaintiff about the debt,
and enter a written agreement of the amount of the
debt, on which the judge may adjudicate in the
same manner as if he had tried the case in open
court; that the clerk of each county court may select
a jury when required, from a list of persons assessed for
the poor at a rental of £20; that the treasury may
have the power of ordering the judges, clerks, and
other officers, to be paid by salaries instead of fees; also
a clause to the effect that if a plaintiff or his attorney do
not appear on the day of hearing, costs may be awarded
to the defendant for his trouble.—A clause, proposed by
Mr. CROWDER, to give the right of appeal in all cases
exceeding £20, was rejected by 108 to 25.

Mr. EWART moved the committal of the Public
Libraries and Museums Bill.—Colonel SIBTHORP said
that he would much rather support a bill to encourage
the amusements of peg-top, foot-ball, and cricket, and
moved that the bill be committed that day six months.
After much desultory talk the amendment was negatived
by 87 to 21, and the house went into committee, but
the chairman reported progress without any progress
having been made.—The Marriages Bill was then
proceeded with in committee, and the clauses were agreed
to. Some debate took place on a motion by Colonel
CHATTERTON that the bill should not extend to Ireland,
which was rejected by 132 to 114.

The Factory Bill, as amended in the committee, came
under consideration on Friday the 14th. Lord ASHLEY
moved a clause to prevent the labour of children from
being taken at any other time of the day than between
six in the morning and six in the evening.—This amendment
was resisted by Sir G. GREY on the ground that
the bill did not relate to the labour of children; by Mr.
BRIGHT on the ground that it would throw great masses
of children out of employment; and by Mr. HUME on
the ground that it would interfere with machinery and
capital.—It was supported by Mr. Edwards, Lord R.
Grosvenor, and Mr. W. J. Fox; and negatived by a
majority of one, the numbers being 160 to 159.—Lord
John MANNERS moved another amendment, to the effect
of restricting the labour of all hands to ten hours daily.
After a debate of some length, in which the amendment
was opposed principally by Sir G. Grey and Lord John
Russell, it was negatived by 187 to 142.

On Monday the 17th, the adjourned debate on the
Abolition of the Lieutenancy of Ireland was resumed
and concluded.—Sir R. PEEL expressed his willingness
to support the measure as an experiment, though he
had doubts as to its beneficial results. He advised the
home secretary to take upon himself the functions of the
proposed secretaryship for Ireland.—Mr.NAPIER opposed
the bill, and said that Sir R. Peel's objections to the
measure ought to have induced him to vote against the
second reading of the bill, instead of for it.—Sir George
GREY thought it desirable that the whole business of
the secretary of state for home affairs should be
managed by one man, and that the time might come
when such an arrangement could be made, as in the
case of Scotland, which for many years had a separate
secretary of state; but this could not be accomplished
at present.—Mr. SHElL approved of the abolition of the
vice-royalty, but contended that the government of
Ireland ought not to be absorbed in the home office.
The other speakers in favour of the bill were Mr. Sadleir,
Lord Naas, and Colonel Thompson; against it, Mr.
Roche, Mr. M'Cullagh, and Mr. Butler. The second
reading was carried by 295 to 70.

On Tuesday the 18th, Mr. BRIGHT moved an address
to the Crown, praying for the appointment of a
commission to inquire into the means of promoting an
increased growth of Cotton in India. He observed
that the cotton trade employed nearly two millions
of British population, and had a greater capital
engaged in it than any other trade in the United Kingdom;
that India was peculiarly calculated for the