The Week.

quently a debate on the Railway Passengers and Guards Communication Bill . The Duke of Richmond declared that the bill ivas impracticable , and urged that it should be referred to a select committee . This was opposed , but eventually tho bill was read a second time and ordered to be referred to a select committee . In the HOFSE or COMMONS on the 4 th inst ., after the questions of

had been disposed of ^ the consideration the Reform Bill was taken up . The Chancellor of the Exchequer made an appeal and a statement . The appeal was , that after Mr . Hibbert ' s amendment had been disposed of , members sliovild not persist then in the motions of wliich they had given notice , but that the committee should go at once to the

consideration of the schedules . The statement was , that in order to provide for the four seats voted to Liverpool , Manchester , Birmingham , and Leeds , the following four places , which it had been proposed to enfranchise , should not have members given to them—namely , St . Helen ' s , ICeigbley , Luton , and Barnsley . Mr . Disraeli was profuse of declarations that

the Government ivould gladly receive any modifications of the schedules to which the House might agree . Mr . Bright supported the appeal ivhieh hud been made , but expressed his strong disapprobation of the proposal as to the four seats . He urged that more of the small and rotten boroughs should be disenfranchised . Several members took part iu the discussion

which followed . Lord Cranbourne and Mr . Lowe opposed the proposal to go at once to the schedules—the latter insisting that he must move his amendment as to cumulative voting . The general feeling of the House , however , appeared to be in favour of the proposal of the Chancellor of the Exchequer , and he expressed his satisfaction with the discussion . The committee then considered Mr . Hibbert ' s clause , making it illegal for a sandidato to pay tho expense of convoying a voter to tho poll .

Mr . Hibbort consented to limit tho clause to borough elections , and specially to exclude tho Retford boi-oughs aud three others of an agricultural character . Ou a dii-ision , tho clause thus modified was carried by 16 'G votes to 101 . Several other clauses ivoro discussed . Ou tho oth instant , at tho morning sitting , Mr . Otway annouucod his intention to inquire of tho Government whether , in consequence of tho execution of tho Emperor

Maximilian—a rolatii o of her Majesty—it is intended to recall her Majesty ' s representative from Mexico . —In reply to a question , tho Attorney-General doclinod for a ivook or ton days to give a final answer respecting his intontiou to proceed with tho Bankruptcy Bill this session . —A complaint was preferred by Mr . Whalloy against tho clerks of tho Houso , because tho 3 r had ,

previous to rjulrlication , altered a notico of motion givon by him intimating his intontiou to call tho attention of tho House to a publication referred to by tho Homo Secretary ivhen describing tho nature of tho communication that had taken place between himself and tho Mayor of Birmingham , oiviug to tho rocout riots in that towu . Tho Speaker ' s reply was not calculated to ploaso

Mr . Whalloy . Tho act of tho clerks Avas defended as ono of a meritorious character , really deserving of laudation , tho substance of tho motion being preserved , while matter of an objoctiouabls kind ivas excluded . Tho right hon . gentleman specially noticed tho proper omission o £ ivords at tho end of tho notico , casting ¦ what might bo considered an imputation ou clergymen of tho

Church of England . Tho Chancellor of tho Exchequer testified to the great discretion displayed by the clerks in making necessary alterations in notices handed in by members . He confessed that notices of his own had been altered , and added with great candour , that they had been always improved , and he was sure the House would support the clerks in the discharge of thoir duty . This appeal called forth loud cries of " hear , hear , " in which Mr . Whalley did not join . Sir George Grey expressed

bis approval of the sentiments uttered by the leader of the House . —In reply to Mr . Baxter , the Chancellor of the Exchequer explained that it was tho intention of the Government , ou the passing of the English Reform Bill , to move the second reading of the Scotch Reform Bill . By agreeing to the second reading , the House would affirm the main principles of the bill ,

and the details could he dealt with next session . The right hon .. gentleman then announced his intention to propose that thebusiness shall commence at a quarter past four on the dayswhea there shall be no morning sittings . On the Sth hist ., Mr-Whalley gave notice of a very sensible motion . It was that the Reform Bill should be divided , and the franchise part put on to

a third reading , while the redistribution part should be postponed to another session . Perhaps the adoption of the motion may not be necessary , but should there be any likelihood cf the bill not getting out of committee this week , the plan wliich Mr . Whalley puts forward ought to be adopted . — The House , having gone into committee on the Reform . Bill ,

made good progress . A clause brought up by Mr . Crawford , by which the limits of residence of voters for the City of London were extended from seven to twenty-live miles , ivere adopted . A clause of Sir H . Verney ' s for enfranchising police officials was negatived . A clause brought forward by Mr . Vance as to limits of residence was withdrawn . Clauses brought up by Mr . Russet *

Gurney , declaring that persons in the disfranchised boroughs who had been reported guilty of corrupt practices- should not have votes in the counties in which the boroughs were situated , were carried . Lord E . Cecil brought up a clause to disfranchise for ever any one who had ever been convicted of offence against the laws . A long discussion took place upon this proposition and eventually it was withdrawn . Several other clauses were AvithdraAvn , including two which proposed respectively to give

a second member to Huddersfield and Swansea . Mr . Gladstone proposed au amendment for obtaining more members for South Lancashire . In doing so , he declared that his motion was in the nature of a protest against the inadequacy of the redistribution scheme , and he ivas disposed to agree with those who urged that the plan proposed should be

passed with a view to its amendment hereafter . A long discussion took place on the proposition . The Reform Bill has passed the shoals and quicksands of committee , and now is in comparatively a safe harbour . This was effected at the morning sitting of the 9 th inst . The House was thinly attended , and the absence of that excitement ivhieh has

been observable during previous discussions on the bill ivas very marked . It appeared as if the interest iu the measure ou the part of hon . members had suddenly vanished . JNor was any enthusiasm created by the discussion of the schedules . Some amendments were moved , but they were not pressed , and the schedules passed almost without question . Before the Reform

Bill came on , Mr . Whalley questioned the Secretary for the Home Department respecting his knowledge of the contents of the pamphlet to which the right hon . gentleman's attention , had been called by the Mayor of Birmingham , ivhen in communication ivith him respectiug the Birmingham riots . Mr . Whalley desired to know whether the Home Secretary

wasaware that the publication contains correct translations from the works of Lignori and other Roman Catholic authorities . To this question Mr . Hardy replied that it was no part of the duties of the Secretary of State to verify the translations of one of the most offensive books that ever was put into his hands . He did not see that his opinion on the matter was of any great value ,

and he must decline to give any answer . — In reply to Mr . Taylor , the Home Secretary gave some information respecting the course taken ivith respect to the persons convicted .