d, Sir John Newport moved for
leave to bring in a bill for the repeal of the Irish act, 21 Geo. 2nd.,
c. 10, relating to the elective franchise. By that statute it had been
enacted, that, in consequence of the difficulty of finding a sufficient
number of resident Protestant freemen, sufficiently wealthy and
sufficiently educated to exercise the elective franchise, non-resident
freemen should be entitled to vote. Sir J. Newport argued that the
cause which produced these enactments had ceased to operate, and that
therefore the act itself ought to be removed from the statute-book. On
the other hand it was argued by Mr. Plunkett that the country had gone
on for seventy years with the principle of non-residence applied to
boroughs and corporate towns, and that the effect of the measure would
be to affect vested rights, and disturb persons actually in possession.
If that act were repealed, he said, the election of every officer of
a corporation would be impeachable. The house should especially pause
before it assented to such a proposition on the eve of a general
election, a proposition, the effects of which upon existing rights,
could not be measured. The motion was negatived by seventy-six against
thirty-eight.

RESOLUTION FOR THE REGULATION OF PRIVATE COMMITTEES.

On the 19th of April, Mr. Littleton brought forward a series of
resolutions for the better regulation of private committees on private
bills, especially those relating to joint-stock companies. Great
complaints had been made of the conduct of these committees; but Mr.
Littleton observed that he believed they were generally ill-founded.
It was certain, however, he continued, that the present constitution of
committees rendered improper conduct perfectly possible; but this, the
plan he had in view would prevent. The grand features of this plan were
to remodel the list for the counties; to secure impartiality by taking
only one half of the committee from the county in which the bill
originated; to make attendance compulsory, and to prevent the chance
of abuse by creating a standing committee of appeal. His scheme was
embodied in eight resolutions which were adopted with the general
approbation of the house. The only one on which a division took place
was that which provided that every petition complaining of the decision
of a private committee should be referred to a committee of appeal; and
this was carried by a majority of forty-four against thirty-three.