Lords Sitting of 15 August 1838

MINUTES.
Bills. Received the Royal assent:—Building Act Amendment; Church Dignities Suspension; and Tithes (Ireland).
Petitions presented. By Viscount MELBOURNE, from Bristol, and Manchester, against the Beer Act.

REGISTRATION OF ELECTORS.
A conference took place with the House of Commons on the Registration of Electors Bill, and it was reported to the House, that the Commons had agreed to some of the Lords' Amendments and disagreed to others.
Viscount Melbournesaid, that the Commons, not being willing to agree to the Lords' Amendments with regard to the boundary clause, had struck it out altogether. He moved, that the Lords do not insist on their Amendments.
Lord Lyndhurstobjected to the Amendments made by the Commons as to the registration and trustee clauses, and insisted upon the necessity of their Lordships persevering in the Amendments which they had made on these two points.
The House divided:—Contents, including proxies 58; not-contents 88: Majority 30.

List of the CONTENTS.

DUKES.

Lismore

Argyll

BARONS.

Norfolk

Seaford

Sutherland.

Holland

MARQUESS.

Saye and Sele

Lansdowne.

Glenelg

EARLS.

Strafford

Albemarle

De Mauley

Gosford

Gardner

Effingham.

Foley

Ilchester

Sudeley

Thanet

Seaford

Fingall

Langdale

Minto.

Barham

VISCOUNTS.

Dinorben.

Melbourne

BISHOP.

Falkland

Hereford.

1295

Paired off.

FOR.

AGAINST.

Vernor

Stuart de Rothsay

Lilford

Salisbury

Methuen

Cowley

Leinster

Wicklow

Montfort

Reay

Conyngham.

Tweeddale

Proxies in favour of Commons clauses 30.
The Amendments were insisted upon.
A conference was had with the Commons, and the bill left with them, with their Lordships' reasons, for adhering to their Amendments.

TIN DUTIES.
Viscount Melbourne moved the third reading of the Tin Duties Bill.
Lord Lyndhurstopposed the bill. George the Fourth and William the Fourth had both refused to assent to such a proposition, and he thought it, at the least, rather extraordinary, that the very first year of the reign of a young Sovereign of only nineteen years of age, and a female, should be selected for carrying it into effect. He would move, that the bill be read a third time this day three months.
Viscount Melbournesaid, that he never would have advised the Crown to consent to this bill, if he did not believe, that the rights of the Crown were well secured. The only object of the bill was to get rid of the evils and inconveniences of the present unpopular and difficult system of collecting the revenue of the duchy of Cornwall, and it was because the bill did effect a remedy of those evils and inconveniences, that he supported it. He gave the noble and learned Lord full credit for the delicacy of his feelings, but he thought it was carrying that delicacy too far to say, that they should not alter or reform an obnoxious system unless the Sovereign was of an advanced age and consented to it. He trusted, that the bill would be read a third time.
The Duke of Wellingtonsaid, that it was absolutely necessary to proceed with great caution in a measure affecting such interests as were affected by the present bill. He could confirm the statement of his noble and learned Friend with regard to the two preceding Sovereigns; he had served them both, and he was sure, that they would never have given their consent to the adoption of a measure of this de-
1296
scription. He could see no reason what ever for proposing this measure at this period of the Session.
The Marquess of Lansdownesaid, that the simple object of this bill was to put the revenues of the duchy of Cornwall on a more secure footing, and to render the collection of them less difficult. He trusted, therefore, that their Lordships would not reject the bill.
The House divided:—Contents 27; Not-contents 26: Majority for the third reading 1.
Bill read a third time.