;Debates anb ifiroacbiruts In Varliantent.

DANISH CLAIMS.

In the House of Commons, on Tuesday, Mr. CRESSWELL once more brought under consideration the claims of certain British subjects for losses sustained by the seizure and confiscation of their ships and car- goes by the Danish Government in 1807. By the advocates of the claimants it was contended, that there had been no regular declaration of war by this Government against Denmark ; that the claimants, there- fore, had no notice to enable them to escape the destruction of their vessels ; that in point of fact, a sum of 1,200,000/. or more had been derived from the confiscation of Danish property, which should have been appropriated to make up the claimants' losses ; that a portion of this sum had been applied to repay the losses of book-debts on land, and also the property on shore, and there was therefore no reason for exempting property afloat ; that only a portion of the 1,200,000/. which had been realized as droits of Admiralty was thus disposed of; and although the remainder might have been sent in years gone by to Windsor or elsewhere, yet the House should recognize the principles of common honesty, even though it should have to resort to the Con- solidated Fund to recompense the claimants. Such were the arguments used by Mr. CRESSWELL, Mr. O'ConneLL, Mr. Hawes, Mr. Alderman THOMPSON, and other Members.

On the other hand, it was contended by the CHANCELLOR of the Ex- cmegtrea, by Lord JOHN RUSSELL, and Mr. GOULBURN, that the House had, under the advice of Lord Althorp, negatived the justice of these claims. They came entirely under the class of captures in an ordinary case of war ; and although only a quarter of a million was claimed in this instance, yet that it would form a precedent for more extensive claims hereafter. There was no fund now in existence out of which the claims could be paid ; and they could not consent to impose fresh taxes on the people for that purpose. On a division, the motion that the House should go into Committee on Tuesday next to consider an address to her 3Iajesty to advance to the claimants the amounts of their losses as ascertained by are Com- missioners, was carried against Ministers by 127 to 96—majority, 31.

THE NIGER EXPEDITION.

On the same day, Lord INGESTRE moved for the correspondence on the subject of the Niger expedition. The sailing of the ex- pedition having been delayed till March, he observed, it could not arrive till June—in the middle of the unhealthy rainy season ; and even then it might be delayed in passing up the river, on account of the shifting of the channels. Lord Ingestre cited the instance of Cap- tain Becroft, who had lately been detained in ascending the Nun branch of the river. He suggested that the project should be delayed for a season, to give time to obtain further information.

Mr. MORE OTERRALI. said, that the expedition had been detained because vessels drawing six feet of water could not enter the river during the dry season ; and it was upon the whole thought most advisable that they should arrive at a time when they could at once ascend, without being detained on the coast. He declined producing the correspond- ence.

Mr. HUME was anxious to know what were the objects of the expe- dition? At which Mr. VERNON Smrrn expressed surprise, as everybody knew that the object of the expedition "was simply this, to proceed to the effectual abolition of the slave-trade, by beginning at the right end," and establishing a legitimate commerce. Mr. Hume would soon have another opportunity of discussing the whole subject, as it was intended to propose a further grant this session.

The motion was withdrawn.

UNION OF THE CANADAS.

In the House of Commons, on Thursday, Lord Joins RUSSEI.L stated, in reply to questions from Sir Robert Peel, that despatches had been re- ceived within the last two days from the Governor-General of Canada, stating that there had been some delay in the proclamation of the Union, but that he expected to proclaim it on the 8th or 9th of this present month of February. There would be no objection to lay the despatch relating to that subject on the table of the House : but he did not think that the despatches received during the recess contained any matter of such public interest as would call for their production. There were, how- ever, some recent despatches relating to emigration, and containing some very valuable information, which it was Ms intention to lay before Parliament.

REGISTRATION OF VOTERS IN SCOTLAND.

The Loma ADVOCATE, on Tuesday, obtained leave to bring in a bill to amend the registration of voters in Scotland— He did not propose to interfere with the original Courts of Registration es- tablished by the Reform Act; but, owing to the great number of those tri- bunals, there was a want of uniformity and steadiness in their decisions, which could be corrected only by the introduction of an Appeal Court, with jurisdic- tion over cases from all the inferior courts. He proposed, therefore, to erect a single Appeal Court, consisting of barristers of some years' standing, which should sit in Edinburgh. There would be no appeal to this court on matters offset, but simply on matters of law. The bill would contain certain enact- ments of importance with respect to costs to be given in case of an appeal by an objector, or by an original claimant. It would admit no removal of any voter who coutinued to occupy premises, of which the value had been once es- tablished by proof, after the registration. In no instance would the same voter be liable to be questioned, except where a change of residence had taken place subsequent to the previous registration. Thus the system of annual revision, which had been found to produce intolerable oppression in Scotland, would be got rid of. There would also be introduced in the bill a set of clauses defining fictitious votes ; an object of which lie supposed the utility would be admitted by gentlemen on both sides of the House, if there was any faith in professions, and which was absolutely necessary in order to prevent great impostures both in the registration and the voting.

Mr. SHAW and Mr. HOPE objected to that part of the bill which an- nulled the system of annual revision, and denied that it had been found oppressive. Mr. Fox himme, on the other hand, condemned the annual revision, as oppressive in the extreme. He said that if some al- teration in the present law were not made, the Reform Act would soon get into the same disrepute in Scotland as the old corrupt system of re- presentation. CONVEYANCE OF REAL PROPERTY.

Mr. JAMES STEWART, on Thursday, moved for leave to bring in a bill to facilitate the conveyance of real property. The most usual plan of conveyance at present was this. First, the party selling conveyed the estate to the purchaser by a lease for a year ; and then the pur- chaser, being in actual possession under the lease, the vendor conveyed the remainder of his interest by release. An error in the lease for a year or its loss was often ruinous to the parties. The lease for a year was not prepared by a conveyancer ; it was usually intrusted to the youngest clerk in the attorney's office : yet on this deed being properly prepared depended the whole validity of the conveyance by lease and release. It would be admitted, then, that if the lease for a year could be safely dispensed with, it would be a great object. That it might be safely done away with, was proved by certain precedents ; because in other countries, where this mode of conveyance had been adopted, the lease for a year had been discontinued. He proposed simply to de- clare that the release should be as effectual for the conveyance of the property as if the same parties had executed a lease and release. That would be perfectly effectual, and was the mode recommended by the Real Property Commissioners.

The motion was seconded by Mr. Ew.aut ; and the bill was brought in, and read a first time.

ELECIION OF 'COUNTY CORONERS.

Mr. Pexinurox, on Thursday, obtained leave to bring in a bill to amend the law relating to the election of,County Coroners. One of his chief objects would be to apply the mode of taking elections for Repre- sentatives under the Reform Act to the election of Coroners, by dividing counties into districts, for which separate Coroners were to act, and confining the electors to persons owning freeholds within those dis- tricts; each election to be completed in a single day. He also proposed to narrow the constituency for Coroners to those freeholders who pos- sessed the franchise under the Reform Act.

Mr. HUME and Mr. WARBearoti expressed their intention to oppose that part of the bill which would narrow the constituencies ; for it was particularly desirable that such an officer as Coroner should be elected by the people. Purum Executioner.

Mr. RICH, on Tuesday, moved for leave to bring in bill to abolish the practice of executing criminals in public. The present custom of making an exhibition for the amusement, rather than the warning, of the crowds who collected to see a criminal hanged, had a bad moral effect, and prevented the punishment of death from having any benefi- cial tendency—even allowing the propriety of continuing that punish- ment for the greater crimes. In illustration of his position that public executions only tend to demoralize, he read a great mass of evidence, and adduced numerous instances ; of which the following were a few— Mr. Brown, the keeper of Newgate, said that all the prisoners condemned to death whom Ile had ever conversed with bad witnessed executions, most of them repeatedly, excepting three who were respited and not executed. Who, then, would talk of the good effects produced by the example, by the terror, of such scenes ? Gentlemen sitting comfortably in their chairs might talk of these things, but the effect produced on the minds of the associates of the wretched criminal was the very reverse of what these gentlemen might suppose: the feelings of blood for blood, of sympathy and retaliation, were produced, instead of remorse or terror. He knew an instance in which a woman had drowned herself, and the daughter of a neighbouring farmer was taken to look at the dead body : in three weeks after, the latter was found dead, baring drowned herself in the same pit, and having the same sum of money in her pockets, with the kind of clothes on, a bunch of the same flowers at her heart, as those found on the person of the unfortunate woman who had previously destroyed herself. A man who had hired a room to witness the execution of r Greenacre, went home, attemped to murder his wife, and failing, cut his throat.

Mr. Rich did not expect that the measure he advocated would remove the distortion of mind which caused admiration for offenders ; but he thought it would put an end to one of its predisposing causes. The plan he proposed was, to have executions conducted within the walls of the prison ; to which only a certain number of witnesses should be ad- mitted, and the convicted criminals in the prison should also be present. By this means he sought to procure the proper publicity: without dis- tracting the thoughts of the criminal, or perverting the minds of young offenders by witnessing such spectacles. The motion was seconded by Sir GEORGE STRICKLAND ; and was stoutly opposed by Mr. EWART, General Jonsurrone, Mr. Fox Marme, and Mr. HUME, as the introduction of the worst possible system, that of secret punishments. The motion was then withdrawn, without a division.

EXPORTATION OF MACHINERY.

Mr. MARK PHILLIPS, on Tuesday, moved for the appointment of a Select Committee to inquire into the operation of the existing laws affecting the exportation of machinery. He pointed out the injurious effects and the inconsistency of the law, which was inoperative to check the introduction of our improved machines abroad, whilst it prevented our machinists from making the exportation of machinery an important branch of business— The only distinct legislation respecting machinery, was a clause in the bill introduced by Mr. P. Thomson in 1839 for the general regulation of the Cus- toms, which stated the description of tools the exportation of which was prohi- bited except upon permission granted by the Board of Trade or Privy Council. In what state were the machine-makers now ? We could export artisans; we

could export many tools without permission; and, with the permission of the Board of Trade or Privy Council, we could export all the preparative parts of the machinery for manufacturers of wool, flax, silk, &c.; but our machine- makers could not execute large orders for machinery on the Continent without resorting to surreptitious means of exportation. Notwithstanding these laws, the exportation of machinery had increased to an immense extent. The ex- portation of machinery in 1831 amounted to 19,255/., and in 1840 to 253,177/. Be confessed that he had hitherto thought, that, whilst our manufacturers continued to labour under the disadvantages resulting from the high price of labour, there would be some danger in too suddenly giving to foreigners the opportunity of availing themselves of our machinery in their competition with us; and he was anxious that an inquiry should take place. The law as it stood was most unsatisfactory : for it really afforded no protection to the home ma- nufacturer of goods made by machinery, whilst it acted as an encouragement to foreign mechanics.

Mr. EMERSON TENNENT supported the motion. He pointed out the absurdity of allowing some kinds of machinery to be exported under the name of tools, and prohibiting others that were even less compli- cated. The principle laid down by Mr. Huskisson when President of the Board of Trade, that machinery of great bulk might be safely ex- ported but not that which depended mainly on the ingenuity and excel- lence of the mechanism, vas an imperfect and uncertain guide, and was always liable to different constructions— Re had understood that the standard practically taken was to allow such machinery to pass as was driven by a screw of one inch and a half in diameter. The most ingenious pieces of mechanism thus found their way through the Customhouse if tbey were only heavy enough; and amongst other formidable errors which were committed in accordance with this theory, was the unli. mited export of tools. Under the name of "tools," the most complex and wonderful machines were permitted to be exported, because they were to be used for the production of other machinery, and not of any articles of com- merce. These tools were in fact machines; not only so, but they were the most valuable of all our machinery, because they not only produced, but con- ferred upon it its precision, its finish, and its excellence. Some of these tools were of enormous size—planingmachines of twenty to thirty feet in length, drills of corresponding dimensions, and lathes that grasped a beam of iron that would have taken weeks to polish by hand labour, and turn it out in a few hours as smooth and as delicately-finished as an ivory toy. Could any thing be more inconsistent in legislation, than to permit the unrestricted export of tools such as these, which were, in fact, pregnant with machinery itself, and in the same breath to say to Continental machine-makers, "These you may have, but we cannot permit you to import our machines"?

He admitted the subject was surrounded with difficulties; for if the exportation of some of our best spinning-mills were freely permitted, the Continental manufacturers would soon be able to supply them- selves with yarns without having recourse to this country. The ob- jection to the present law was that it was inconsistent and ineffectual ; and he thought the subject proper for inquiry before a Committee.

Mr. SHEIL said, on behalf of the Board of Trade, that he considered many cogent reasons had been given for the Committee. The prin- cipal of those reasons, however, was, that fifteen years had now passed without any inquiry on the subject, during which time great progress had been made in manufactures of all kinds.

Mr. BROTHERTON, Mr. Mtnirz, Mr. MORRISON, and other Members, supported the motion; and a Committee was appointed.

LIGHTNING-CONDUCTORS FOR SHIPS.

Lord Erma., on Thursday, directed attention to Mr. Snow Harris's claims as the inventor of lightning-conductors for ships, which obviated most of the inconveniences and -were mach more effectual than the con- ductors in common use. In April 1839, a Commission was appointed by the Admiralty to inquire into the merits of Mr. Harris's plan ; and their report was unanimous in its favour. Lord Eliot moved an address to the Queen to direct that the House be informed whether any mea- sures had been taken to give effect to the recommendation of the Com- missioners.

Mr. MORE OTERRALL did not object to the motion ; but, in order to exculpate the Admiralty from any blame for apparent delay in adopting Mr. Harris's invention, he said, experiments had been snaking by scientific men, the result of which was that the coil of the conductors might be diminished. Mr. Harris's conductors were estimated to cost 315/. for a first-rate man-of-war, but it had been discovered that a greater degree of safety could be obtained for 62/. He thought it would be premature, whilst the invention was still under experiment, to say that Mr. Harris was entitled to reward. The Admiralty did not feel themselves bound to reward every successful invention, but such only as they deemed it desirable to adopt. Sir ROBERT PEEL thought that, after the report of the Commission- ers, the Admiralty were bound to adopt Mr. Harris's plan, unless some good reason could be shown to the contrary ; ad if the invention was a security to the Navy, the inventor ought to be rewarded.

Mr. WARBURTON and several other Members supported Mr. Harris's claims ; and the motion for an address was agreed to.

MISCELLANEOUS.

ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE. The two Administration of Justice Bills were read a second time on Monday, on the motion of the AT. TORNEY-GENERAL. They were ordered to be committed on Monday next.

COURT or EXCHEQUER (IRELAND.) This bill was on Monday read a third time, and passed.

LORD KEANE'S Af•asurrr. This bill was read a second time, on Thursday, after a few words of objection from Mr. Hunts; who said he would in future stages endeavour to modify it by limiting the grant to Lord Keane during his own life. The Committee on the bill is fixed for the 26th instant.

CONSTABULARY BILL. OR the motion of Mr. J. HODGES, this bill was read a second time on Thursday, and ordered for a third reading on the 3d March. Mr. HonGss said the bill was in all material points the same as the one he introduced last session.

COUNTY BRIDGES. III the Commons, on Monday, Lord ELIOT ob- tained leave to bring in a toll to provide for the rebuilding and re- pairing of county bridges. He said the object of the bill was to place county bridges on the same footing as county courts or county gaols with respect to the expenses of their building or repairs ; which would thus be spread over several years, as other county buildings, insteafl of being, as at present, liable to be called for in one year. The bill was read a first time, and ordered for a second reading on the 1st of March.

ELEcrsoN PETITIONS. Petitions against the recent elections for Canterbury, Sc. Alban's, and Walsall, have been presented. On Thursday, these petitions were referred to the General Committee of Elections.