HC Deb 07 June 1839 vol 48 cc81-2

On the motion of Mr. Labouchere, the Jamaica Bill was read a second time, and counsel were heard at the bar against the Bill.

Mr. Burge

addressed the House on behalf of the Jamaica planters.*

Mr. Labouchere,

in moving that the bill be committed on Monday, observed, that in the printing of the bill a material omission had been made in the second clause, whereby the meaning of the Government was considerably obscured. It was intended, although, as the clause now stood, it did not so appear, that ample time should be given to the House of Assembly to adopt the measure suggested by the Imperial Parliament. The error, which had been pointed out to the learned counsel who had just addressed the House, would of course be corrected in committee. He merely mentioned it now, to prevent the possibility of a mistake as to the real intention of the Government.

Sir E. Sugden

thought it right to take that opportunity to state to the House the course which he intended to adopt with respect to this Bill. He intended to move *The Addresses of Mr. Burge and Mr. Serjeant Merewether to both Houses, will be found in the Appendix, at the end of the Session. the omission of clause 1, and to give the Governor and Council the powers conferred upon them by the second section only, in case they agreed to revise, with a view to their continuance, those acts which were necessary for carrying on the government of the island. As he and the right hon. Gentleman were in fact agreed with respect to the second clause, the real motion which he intended to make would be the omission of the first clause.

Lord John Russell

wished to understand clearly the intention of the right hon. and learned Gentleman, and from what he had gathered from what the right hon. and learned Gentleman had said, it would seem that it was not his intention to take the sense of the House against going into committee, but only upon the omission of the first clause, which empowered the Colonial Legislature to enact new laws in conformity with the Orders in Council. It would seem that it was the intention of the right hon. and learned Gentleman to retain the second clause so far as related to the re-enactment and continuance of the expired Laws; and if he had misunderstood the right hon. and learned Gentleman, he begged the right hon. and learned Gentleman to set him right.

Sir E. B. Sugden

was understood to say, that the noble Lord had understood what had fallen from him correctly.

Bill to be committed on Monday next.

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