The Sun. — London, England, 1846-03-25 00:00:00

‘-etlirb lEbition SUN OFFICE, Seven o'Clock. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. (THIS DAY.) HOUSE OF COMMONS. THE TURNPIKE ROADS (SCOTLAND) BILL (Continued from our Afternoon Edition.) After some discussion, in which Mr. STUART WORTLEY and several other Hon. Members took part, Clauses 1 and 2 were agreed to. On clause 3 being read, Mr. FOX MAULE moved to insert the words, " that no toll-bar shall bs licensed fur the sale of wines or spirits, if the said toll-bar shall be within five miles of any house situated from the turnpike-road, which may be regularly licensed by the magistrates or justices of the peace for the time being, for the sale of wines or spirits." On a division there appeared— For the amendment Against it Majority against it Another division then took place in consequence of there not being forty Members present on the previous one, when there appeared for— The crignal clause l9 Against it . . _ - ‘ , ll cl —2 Majority in favour of the original clause - Upon our re-admission into the gallery we found Mr. FORBES MACKENZIE on his legs, moving an amend ment to reduce the distance to half a mile. The Committee divided, when there appeared— Against the amendment In favour of the amendment lB Majority against the amendment The clause as originally proposed was then agreed - to. Mr. FOX MAULE intimated that he did not wish to pro ceed further with the Bill after the opinions which had been expressed. The House then resumed. LAW OF SETTLEMENT.' Colonel WOOD moved that the Bill printed in 1823, in reference to this subject be reprinted and laid before the House.—Agreed to. PUBLIC-HOUSES IN SCOTLAND. Mr. F. MACKENZIE gave notice that on Friday next he would move the a ppointment of a Select Committee to in quire into the mode of granting licenses to public-houses in Scotland: The. other orders of the day were then tlisposed of, and the House adjourned at half-past Four o'clock. RAILWAY COMMITTEES. (THIS DAY.) HOUSE OF LORDS. (Continued from our Afternoon Edition.) WATERFORD, WEXPORD,WICIELOW, AND Dun LIN. Evidence In detail was gone into respecting the traffic on the main line and branches, which occupied the remainder of the day. DUDLIN AND GALWAY• The Committee on this Bill met again to day, Lord Selkirk, chairman. The case for the 3fullingar Company was proceeded with. Seve ral witnesses were called in support of the scheme, amongst whom were Lord Castlemain, Sir Percy Nugent, Sir John Burgoyne, &c. The witnesses were -severally cross-examined, but their evidence went to show that the line of the MulHagar Company was one which would meet the wants of the country through which it passsed. HOUSE OF COMMONS. GROUP IX. GRAND JUNCTION HARBOUR. TERMINUS. .(Continued from our Afternoon Edition.) Mr. David Stevenson, civil engineer, was shortly examined in corroboration of Mr. Gale and Mr. Miller, when Mr. Cannot announced that his ease was closed. He had several other witnesses to call respecting the value of the land ; but, in defe relies to the Committee, he would not call them then. Should any thing arise out of the case on behalf of Sir John Maxwell, he hoped the Committee would allow him to call some of them on that point. Mr. TALBOT then replied to the case of the Grand Junction at some length, contending that its promoters had failed altogether in snaking out their case, land especially in showing the necessity of bringing the mineral traffic on to the same quay with the general traffic. Tice parties who hail been called on this point had admitted that they were not much acqnainted with the management or har bour traffic, yet the little evidence they gave, instead of praying the point . sought to be established, had actually strengthened the scheme for which he had the honour of appearing. The Learned Gentleman then glanced a the engineering evidence adduced, showing its demerits in comparison with the Harbour Mineral scheme, and concluded by maintaining the decided supe riority of the latter over the Grand Junction. Mr. Sergeant MURPHY then proceeded to open the case on behalf of Sir John Maxwell, who petitioned against the Grand Junction scheme, on the ground that it had seriously damaged his property. The-Learned Gentleman was about entering into particulars when the Chairman directed the room to be cleared. On our readmission the CHAIRMAN intimated that the Committee had decided the preamble of the Grand Junction Bill was not proved, and, therefore, there was no necessity for Mr. Sergeant Murphy to proceed in his opposition to it. Mr. TALROT then replied on the part of the General Terminus scheme, going over the evidence as bearing on the respeciive merits of the two schemes. All the evidence that had been adduced on be half of the Grand Junction and the General Terminus, he contended, went to show that it would be highly advantageous for the mineral traffic to be brought as near as possible to the general traffic without incommoding the harbour. The General Terminus accom plished this in the most satisfactory manner. The Learned Gentleman then reviewed the evidence on behelf of the two schemes now to be de cided on by the Committee, in opposition to Capt. Washington, who had given evidence front a mere casual vistt to Glasgow, there was the authority of the liver Trust, the Conservators - of the river, Mr. 'Walker, the eminent engineer, and the leading traders and commercial gentlemen of Glasgow, all of whom were in favour of the general ter minus. It was not only the best scheme for its mode of connexion with the river, but in an engineering point of view, or in the m,.tter oe tolls, it was to be preferred to its rival. The Learned Gentleman, after dwelling in detail on these points, submitted the Bill fur which he appeared to the favourable consideration of the committee—if one Bill was to be thily allowed—as that which was most likely to meet all the purposes f,r which a line of railway was propose'd. The room was then cleared for the decision of the committee. On our return the chairman intimated that the Committee had decided that the preamble of the General Terminus Bill was proved, but that the preamble of the Harbour Mineral was not proved. Mr. Sergeant Andrews then opened the case briefly for the West of Scotland Junction Hallway, at the close of which the Committee adjourned at live o'ele.e. till twelve o'clock tc-morrow. GROUP XII GLASGOW, PAISLEY, ICILVIARNOCK, AND AYR (naI,A.7:::CHE3 TO 3,A.INIPITS AND LES AND OPPOSITION scuEram. (Continued front our Afternoon Edition.) Mr. John Brown, provost and builder, stated that the inhabitants of Kilinaniock were in favour of the line. The Earl of Eglinton spoke to the wishes of the district for a direct line. The one under consideration would greatly aid the development of the mineral fields, which were at present locked for want of that accommodation. Mr. Archibald Finney, coal-master, said that the opening up of this line would be a great benefit to himself and other masters in .Ayrshire. Mr. Crum, Thornlie Bank, proved the amount of coal consumed in their works. Tile average quantitylwas 20,000 tons per annum. The proposed line would be a great accommodation. Mr. Brown, landowver, proved the benefit which the proposed line would confer on the town of Stewarton. The Committee then adjourned. GROUP XIV. NORTH KENT liiir4M Mr. G. ll. Graham (in continuation from our Afternoon Edition) — Is Sir 'l'. Wilson's confidential agent. Is aware that Sir T. Wilson offered to agree to the line, on certain conditions, last year, but is not aware of such an engagement this year. Sir T. Wilson has never told him anything referring to that proposed agreement. The main 1 Inc passes nearer to Sir T. Wilson's property this year than it did last. There is 150 yards diderence in the plan of this year and the plan of last year. The line is to pass is the south side of the house, and the house looks due west. The line will' not run where the deer are at present. With regard to the wall spoken of, be'ng on the edge of the park, nothing has been done for the last two or three years. The pare con talus alscut 120 acres of land. There are some build ings on the land, which were occupied at. Michaelmas last. They ar, eccupitel a young woman, Nrho opens the gate, a groom, and a lanadry-inald. The railway will pass near the rectory, in a cut ting twenty-seven feet deep. That will hide the train but not ha smoke, noiszi, and steam. It will also pass the house belonging )nintly to t.ir T. Wilson and Mr. Itoupel on an embankment. '1 he cathankinent is on Mr. Iloarel's laud, and cannot be seen from the h tit door of the Teams. It can be seen from th s State apartments. IN, i come land belonging to Mir. Poopel between the proposed er.nbatilemeiA and the house. Cannot say whetla,r that land is laid out for the purpose of building. Never m de any practical xperi• nulls to ascertain whether the proposed embankment could be seen from the state apartments. By the CEIAIRMJ N —The proposed embankment will be much below the level of Sir T. Wilson's house. By Mr. Sergeant WRANGUAM —With regard to the house lately oceuptei by Sir T. Hislop, on'y a very small portion indeed belongs to Mr. Roupel. All the out offices and starling belong to him. Ire-examthed by Mr. RICKARDS—The dining-room of the house spoken of ha bekts enlarged, and the enlargement has be,etrbuilt out on lioupers land, so that is his claim to part of the house. Mr. J. Davis, sudert itendent of the works at Charlton House— Agrees with the last witness as to the Injury the line would cause to Sir T. Wilson's land. The damage would be caused by the line cutting through the portion of land desired by Sir T. Wilson, as an addition to his park, ant the cutting through the "Bull Pits." Sir T. Wilson has been at some considerable expense to divert tie main road from the portions of land spoken of. Has received instructions front Sir T. Wilson to build a wall round the park. Has taken levels of the ground where the embankment is to be raised, and is con vinced that it can be seen from the upper portion of Sir T. Wilsen's house. . . _ __ _.... _. The Rev. Arthur Drummond, examined by Mr. RICKARDS, stated that the embankment would be visibk from his house. Even if the parties adhered to tile Parliamentary line, it would be objectionable. The Rev. Mr. Delamere stated that there was a portion of land on the west side of Woolwich which had beet apportioned by Sir T. Wilson for the building of a church. The proposed line cuts exactly through the centre of the ground, rendering it unfit for the purpose The population of the district is 30,000,—and they have no church ac coinnexiatiost whatever. There is no other site where a church could be built. By Mr. Sergeant WRANGTIAM—The subscriptions for the church are not stoppet by the railway passing through the ground. Does not think that there is any other site so convenient for the church. Mr. Ric Kettles here stated that his ease was closed, and inquired whet' e • the North Kent Railway intended to call witnesses in answer? Mr. Sergeant WRANCIT AM said that they did not. Mr. RICK ARDS then proceeded to address the Committee at some length on the evidence that had been adduced on the part of Sir T. Wilson. At the conclusion of his widress Mr. MER£WETITER (who appeared in support of a petition against the proposed line by Captain Drake) then called Id riCharies Sinith, a surveyor. lie stated that lie was acquainted with Captain Drake's property in the parish of St. Paul's, Deptford. The property has been in Captain Smith's family for a considerable period. Hai observed the Intended course of the line across it. A great many houses have recently been built near the land. The pro perty of Captain Drake only came into his possessioninlB43 or 1844. The property was held jointly by Captain Drake and his family, and witness, at tits request 'of all parties, divided the la n d between thous. The extent affected by the line is about 130 acres. If Captain Drake were offered 60,0001. for the land, witness would advise him not to take it. Piet of it abuts on the highroad to Lewisham, and that makes the land possess adeltional value. The projected line runs almost parallel to the turnpike road and severs the main portion of the land from the high road. Witness has even been Prevented from letting a cons!derable portion of land in consequence of the Vale being projected. A part of tile ground is leesed to a person named Myers. By Mr. Sergeant Witeetenam—There is a brickkiln near the pro perty, lint it is separated by a very large fled. Would like the neighbeurhood of the railway, but does not like it to run through the property. a'r. sergeant WRANGIT 111 —That is, you would like the line to run through somebody else's pro;) rty btu not yours ? - (Laughter.) Witness—Exactly so. Has spoken with Mr. Tite about leaving the cat to arb:tration, hut insiste: on the Company admitting the land to be building land. Mr. Tite would not do so on the part of the Company. Witness told him that he could not listen to any offer of compensation unless the Company gave a very hand:son:a appreech by one or two expensive and ornamental bridges. The land 1.4 at present garden ground and it is asproductive as any ground near the neetropol s. There is a plain farm-house on the laud called the " Manor firm." Never had any definitive offer of reference. Does not remember any offer of having a barrister as arbtrator. If such an offer were made now cannot say that he would have the power to accept it. Mr. Sergeant WRANGII eat said. that as he understood - that his friend had done with leis case, ho would say that the promoters of the Bi:1 were quite willing to reTer the whole matter to arbitration in anyway that might meet the views of the parties. Mr. Recsaina said chat his Learned Friend made this proposition as Mr. Smith he.l declared that he had not the power to accept it, and ho therefore wished to prejudice Captain Drake in the eyes of the Committee by offering to do what was fair when there was no person present who could des de on the matter of acceptation or rejection. The ClLtiamaN intimated that the Committee were entirely of opinion that the ease was one fur compensation. N eere ;ea, Ir lijcliAßDS then proceeded to produce evidence in support of a .1 4 . liN ZellltleitiliVeg: Lord Dartmouth, at Blackheath, against the proposed ~.,_ . _,..—,,neer-eAdled "e": Thk'; i • .-vrect. Tenn, a surveyor and land agent, who stated that he is -- ~. . '''-' - --e-.. -- _ ,I ( ..- -- N e:. -•- .. ,- , • .11,10$ °X .licwdegate, the brother of Loa Destmatk. It , t : I_, i • . ' • • lA. !''. „ t . ~~~_. ~:: -; ~: % ~~ 1 also runs past the house occupied by the vicar of Lewisham and the house of the Ladies Legge, the sisters of Lord Dartmouth. The line passes sixty yards from Dartmouth, and enters a tunnel just op posite the house. There is also a cutting leading to the tunnel ; understands that the tunnel is to go completely under Blackheath. It will be a very considerable annoyance to the Inmates of the house. After emerging from the tunnel the line goes close to two houses called the Windmill Houses, which are the property of Lord Dart mouth. The vibration of the trains would injure the houses, and the tunnel would dry up the wells from which they obtained their water. By Mr. Sergeant WRANGITAM—The houses called the " Windmill Houses" might h ive cost about 1,5001. each building. Cannot say whether they are called " Windmill Houses," from their being built on the etc of Jack Cade's Mill. Could see the cutting from the lower windows of Dartmouth House, but could not see the tunnel. It being four o'clock, the Committee here adjourned. GROUP XV. The Committee met at twelve o'clock in the Ball Court, present Mr. O'Connell, chairman, Sir It. Price, Captain Batton, Mr. Hind ley, and Mr. Mackinnon. BOGNOR. AND CHICHESTER. The CHAIRMAN begged to know from the counsel, what had been the result of the re-examination of the levellings, whether the fact of error was admitted. Mr. J. J. JOHNSON said error was admitted, but lie preferred giving the details in evidence. Mr. Rastrick's examination being continued, he said he had sent down his resident engineer, Mr. Cox,• and also Mr. Gregory, to test the surveys in the neighbourhood of Chichester. Cross-examined by Mr.Joiessosr—ln crossing the Felpham Level,the Brighton Company's rail, by agreement, since coming into Committee, would pass over the embankment. The consequence of that agree ment would he a variation from the deposited sections, and the gradient there would be lin6o in a stretch of 246 feet. He ad mitted that would be a severe gradient. On the projected Chi chester line, at the point four miles and eight furlongs going to Chichester, the gradient was one in 11,444, which would give 5 4-10 inches in a mile. At the fifth mile the deviation of Ills own surveys from those of the Chichester Company would be 14 feet. At the canal bason, taking the datum line and the turnpike-road, the va riation from the sections was 13 feet, and the sections proposed raising the road three feet, which would make the variation 16 feet. Slopping short of the basin and the road the variation was 14 feet. On being asked whether it had not occurred in his practice that he had constructed only part of a line, of which plans had been de posited, Mr. Mee objected to the question, as Mr. Rastriek was not an en gineer of standing orders. It was admitted by the Committee and Counsel, that cases had occurred in which this liberty was given; the South Wales was ins' arced. . The CHAIRMAN here intimated that the position of parties before the Committee, was that Mr. Rastrick's evidence was uncontradicted. Mr. J. J. Jonarsox said ;he was sorry to have to admit that he was not in a condition to contradict it. The CHAIRMAN said he had laid the case before the Speaker of the House, whose opinion was, that the error being found to be fact, would be fatal to the Bill before the Select Committee. The Speaker had referred to his (the Chairman's) opinion, and he, after consulting the standing orders, concurred with the Speaker, whose decision would always have great weight with him. Mr. JOHNSON said, notwithstanding what had occurred, he felt that he ought to address the Committee on the merits of his own line, and the demerits of the line he opposed. He had hoped that the Chichester line might have been constructed even on the plans deposited, but he had himself discovered that it crossed a ,turnpike-road with a putting of four feet, which was not permitted by the standing orders. As it was, there fore he could not hope to have the Bill passed for the present session. He said he had proved by the esidence brought before the Committee that four-fifths of the landed property were represented by gentlemen in favdur of the line, and that the popular feeling in both towns was strong in favour of the same line. Considering, therefore, this strong feeling, and that the obstruction which had unexpectedly occurred was a mere technical difficulty, to which any man of science was open, he thought there was still the question before the Committee, the alternative whe ther they would adopt the one line or the other; for, al though he was not in a position to construct his line, yet he would ask the Committee to reject the other line, that both lines might meet par/ passu on a fair field, and at another time. The Learned Gentleman then adverted to the character "of the evidence given on the other side, and concluded with hoping that the Com mittee, considering the connexion with London by Guildford, which would, no doubt, be made a direct route, connecting the towns in the west with the metropolis, who were urgent to be accommodated with locomotion, but which would be denied them if the other line were granted them—that the Committee would decide that the other Bill should not be passed. The CHAIRMAN intimated that the Southampton branch must at lest be granted. Mr. Rowe whit essed the Committee against the Brighton Com pany's branch, on behalf of the Duke of Richmond, Lord George Lennox, and the landowners, and called, Mr. Stapely, who said that the pasture land passed through by the rail from Woodgate would be injured by the lying water, which could not get off. The gardens of Lord George Lennox were sometimes flooded by the sea where the railway passed, which would of course choke up the drainage. Mrs. Smith's residence would be seriously interfered with, by the station at Bognor. It was not a country villa but a mansion, which could accommodate 500 at a time; and the Duke of Cam bridge and the nobility frequently visited there. The view of the mansion to the sea would be interfered with. The place contemp lated for a station was brook land, which lay under the sea every winter. Examined by Mr. NEALE (for Mr. Clark, a proprietor near Bognor) —The flooding on the field numbered 32 was twice as deep as 1 2 feet. A dock, as proposed by Mr. Clark, and a sea-wall, would be a great advantage to Bognor. The CHAIRMAN intimated here that the Committee were of opinion that they could not allow the Company to stop short on Mr. Clark's land of the station laid down on the sections without Mr. Clark's eonsent, steel, therefore, the counsel's attention would be confined to the terminus iu Bognor. I he Committee pressed that the case of Mr. Clark might be settled by arbitration, but the counsel refused ars , compromise, and pro ceeded to call evidence to show the value of the land in question for building on. Mr. Galloway said he made surveys in last September at Mr. Clark's request preparatory to a dock being constructed. He ad vised the projected line of railway to terminate on different property from Mr. Clark's. Plans were prepared for the docks with a view to going to Parliament. Mr. Brown, solicitor, said he got up the company for the railway projected by Mr. Clark, previous to the publishing of the prospectus Mr. Resnick agreed to become engineer, and his name was published accordingly in the prospectus. lie laid the thing before the Brighton board, and they were pleased with his report. Afterwards, on call ing at Mr. Rustrick's for the plans which had been sent up, Mr. leas trick said the Brighton Company had elected to make the line them selves. He called to see the Brighton board, but did not get admission-200 . expenses had been incurred. Mr. Baker, parliamentary agent, was examined as to the line pro jected by Mr. Clark. His expenses ameunted to 3001., of which he had recovered nothing. The Cnenteta sr here tock the liberty of suggesting that, as far as it appeared to the Committee on evidence, the Brighton Company ought to see Mr. Baker awl Mr. Brown as to compensation for their professional expenses. 31r. Mee said the Brighton direetore were interested in the state ments made in evidence, for they were prepared to deny them if the Committee thought it necessary ; but as men of honour, and as hav ing generosity, they were prepared to submit to the arbitration of a gentlemen on the subject. Mr. Ilin suggested that one of the Com mittee might act in the ease. Mr. Iltxnety consented to arbitrate as to the compensation proper to be allowed to the two gentlemen. Mr. NEALE, baying examined . Mr. Terrell, rose to address the Committee, when The CHAIRMAN reminded him that the Committee could not award compensation, and suggested that it was unnecessary to address them, for their mind was that the Bill ought to be repoited, proved, and passed. Mr. NEALE felt it to be his duty to his client to address the Com mittee, and proceeded to do so, asking them not to pass the Bill without a clause prohibiting the railway from going through Mr. Clark's land without his consent, and instanced the case of Mr. God son, M.P., who had got a similar clause in similar cireumstances. The Committee then decided that the preamble of the Bill for the London and Brighton (Bognor and Littlehammou branches) was proved. The several clauses of the Bill were read and passes. Mr. NEALE moved the insertion of a clause prohibiting the Com pany from entering on Mr. Clark's land without his consent. The Committee decided against the clause. GROUP XVI. EPSOM BRANCH. (Continued from our Afternoon Edition.) In his eross-examination Mr. doss replied, twat on the opening of the meeting the Chairman had intimated that the meeting was ex pressly called for those who were favourable to the branch of the South-Western Company, and that discussion of the merits would be deprecated. No other meeting had been called, and the reason he believed why this discussion had been avoided was, because it might have occasioned unpleasantness, but could be productive of no good. The meeting was attended by from fifty to sixty persons, several of whom were not Epsom people. He had not heard that a petition had been presented. signed by upwards of 200 individuals ; but he be lieved that the inhabltauts gm. rally were favourable to the South We tern project. The traffic he presumed had increased since 1844, as the tolls had been let for MI. more last year than in the year before; but he could not say whether the intercourse with London would support two lines. Two coaches had certainly been taken off the road, but there was one which instead of coming to London, was employed in running between Epsom and the Kingston station on the South-Western Line, and he conceived that the formation of the Chichester and Brighton branch would take off much of the usual Epsom traffic to Arundel, Worthing, and other places in that direction. Of the traffic to the West-end he knew nothing ; ror could he say what was the population of the 'dis trict through which the branch was to pass. To Mr. ELLIOTT (who appeared for the South-Western Company) Mr. Goss replied that he knew nothing of the petition presented on bdialf of the South- Western Company, but he believed that the im pression of the inhabitants of _Epsom was decidedly In favour of the Waterloo -bridge terminus. To the CIIAIBMAX, the witness said, that for the public the two lines would be better than one from Epsom. Captain Montram, a magistrate at Ewell, testified to the same efr ct and especially spoke to the advantage to be derived to the poor in the reduction in the price of coal by the formation of this line. He also corroborated Mr. Goss's evidence as to the respect ability of the pet inners In favour of the South-Western branch. Mr. Palmer, M.P., gave similar testimony, , xin : essicig — a 7 r7at In disposition to use, the attmosAeric system, and sa id t h at h e h a d never seen an atmospheric carriage in action. It was his impression tnat the branch would open a considerable business with Kingston, and that part of the country. Sir Thomas Weeding, a magistrate, residing at Ma'don, thought this branch would be of service in bringing lime from Ashden for the farmers, a manare of which the ground was much in need. He con firmed the evidence of the previous witness( s as to the probable ad vantages of the line to the country, and the feelings of the inhabitants respecting it. Maldon is about a mile at present from the mainline of the South-Western Rai.way, but the branch was proposed to run through Maiden, and would pass through one of his farms for three quarters of a mile. The parish comprised about 1,200 acres, and this branch was necessary to enable the farmers to keep their heads above water. He made a personal sacrifice to get the railway, be cause he believed it would be for the advantage of his neighbours generally. Mr. F. Garner, who holds Coomb Farm, which comprised 700 acres, under the Diitu, of Cambridge, expretsed a belief that as many as 15,000 acres would be benefited by the railway. Ile himself used about 600 tons a year. Now it required a whole day to fetch 'a waggon load of chalk, and it cost about 101. an acre to dress the land with chalk. If the railway were made they would be able to have four loads a day instead of one, and the expense of carriage would not be .more than one-fourth of what it is at present. If he could, however, obtain it in this way he would use at least 1,200 tons in a year. To Mr. ALEXANDER'S cross-examination the witness replied that he did not expect to derive this advantage until the railway was made as far as Ashden ; and on re-examination by Mr. Hope, he stated that itlhe lime was put on the rail at Epsom he would get all the advantages which he anticipated. There were, however, chalk-pits at Epsom itself, about half a mile from the proposed railway. The Committee then adjourned till twelve o'clock to-morrow. GROUP Xi K. (Continued from our Afternoon Edition.) Mr. Whitehead was the first witness called, who stated he was an engineer. Ins evidence went to show that the Exeter, Topsham, and Exmouth proposed line was the best, and moat direct communica tion, the probable expense of which would be about 100,0001. ; the purchase of land he included in that sum. Mr. Brunel, engineer of the South Devon Railway, was the next witness. He considered that the sum of 100,0001. sufficiently ade quate to carry out the proposed line, and that no difficulty or impe diment, as some person had entertained, would be encountered from a drawbridge on the river Axe, as he clearly showed that by atmospheric power, all difficulty would be set aside, and that at a moderate expense. lit Mr. Samuda, an atmospheric engineer, was then called, who corro borated the testimony of Mr. Brunel as to the application of the at mospheric principle in this case. The examination of this witness was proceeding when, at four o'clock, the Committee adjourned until twelse o'clock to-morrow. GROUP XXI. art2 (C a en T titia W ed Fr E on 3 , T OU7 DISTRIC T. ft N ernoonEdition.) Mr. lIILDTARD then proceeded to state the case on behalf of the promoters of the Bin. Besaid was of a more extensive characletrhtteh°arni gtih that now conceptionaad o er th r e th im e mlinee y beyond Oxford, it was Intended to have toarbethcealCleodn'tnuhe Londo,o .c xford, Clielteahani, and and into the west of at e England,con s a i due: was n been extended considerably be in the perhaps,la session Gloucester and Hereford Railway. Bat it recollection of the Committee, that duri u n l g d of Parliament, two Bills were pasted which pro moters to alter their determina ton -one, more the particu larly, giving accommodation to the districts which e posed to traverse, namely the Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverhamp ton pro. ton Railway, which ' ran precisely into that district to which trhelunPo moters of this line originally intended to afford railway accommoda tion, and by a Bill, which had been introduced Into Parliament this session, of constructing a branch from the Oxford, Worcester, a n d Northampton Railway to communicate with Cheltenham and Glou cester. ,The promoters of the line, not wishing to enter into an unnecessary competition - with those lines, contented them selves with proposing to supply those districts whit they felt particularly required the assistance of direct railway t 0 nmunication between London and Oxford. He need not shte to the Committee that the enormous expense of bringing a separate terminus to a convenient position in London would be such that the promoters of a railway of the description before them could not fail to be etntarrassed by this part of their scheme. They, there fore, proposed either to avail themselves of the London and Bir mingham Railway, by a Junction with it immediately before enter ing Loudon. Or by a junctiou 'with the Cheat Western itailYrsh And . „ construct their line on the". narrow gauge. They would perceive, by the plan, that the railway which they had adopted started from the London and Birmingham Railway, at Harrow parish, at a distance of Beret' miles from its terminus at Euston-square, and ran by the valley of the Brent up to High Wycombe, from Uxbridge. It then took a northerly direction, and approached within a mile of Prince's Risborough. It ran up and made that detour in order to avoid Stoke Church-hill, which in volved serious engineering difficulties and expense. To get to Prince's Risborough it proceeded through a natural gap in the range of Chiltern Hills. It then descended upon a rich agricultural dis trict, perhaps the richest in Oxfor,:shire, and so approached the city of Oxford, where it would have a double terminus—one independent terminus in the parish of St. Clement's, near the 53d mile station on the London road, the other a short branch one mile, seven furlongs and two chains in length, which was to be connected with the Great Western terminus in the city of Oxford. The merit of the inde peadeat terminus at Oxford was this, that it would afford very great facility for continuing the line, so as to join the two lines to which he had referred as having received the sanction of Parliament, namely, the Oxford and Rugby, and the Oxtord, Worcester, and ' Wolverhampton Railway. There was also another branch, three males and two furlongs in length, to Theme, a town of considerable importance, speaking as he did of the whole agricultural dist ict which the whale lt,.e traversed. There was another branch which, how ever, was net delineated on the map, for reasons which he would presently state, whereby a communication was effected with the Great Western Railway, by a a deviation a little east of Uxbridge, affording communication between this line and Southall. This was the line as described in the plans and sections deposited at the Board of Trade, in pursuance of the sanding orders of Parliament. The Committee would remember that at that period 110 report had been made by the Commissioners appointed by the Crown, in pursuance of a resolution of the House of Commons to report on the relative merits or demerits of the broad and narrow gauges. They therefore thought it necessary to provide schemes on which they might adopt either of those gauges, in accordance with the decision of the Committee—in the one case, by forming a junction with the London and Birmingham ltallway, and using the narrow gauge; or in the other, by connecting it and its branches and termini with the Great Western; and adopting the broad gauge throughout its whole course. Since the presentation of the report of the Commit tee they had abandoned their intention of connecting the line with the Great Western Railway, and proposed to connect it with the London and Birmingham, as delineated and as he had described, and to construct an independent terminus at 'Oxford. One great merit of this terminus was, that it would enable them to connect the line with the two lines to which he had eeferred, which would, he believed, be laid down on the narrow gauge, because he believed that the Government approved of that report, and because the Board of Trade had the power to compel the Great Western Com pany to adopt a narrow gauge, ifthey thought proper to do so. If the recommendations of the report were adopted by Parliament (and he believed it was satisfactory to everybody except the Great Western Company), there would be, by means of this line, one continuous narrow gauge, extending through all that district which was tra versed by the Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverhamaton Railway, and the branches, proposed to accommodate Gloucester and Cheltenham, of the Oxford and Rugby Railway ; a continuous narrow guage would then extend through these districts, to the Euston-square station of the London and Birmingham Railway. They were prepared for an opposite decision, and intended to abide by the decision of the Commissioners, and should have been able to construct their line, either on the broad or narrow gauge, within their estimates. He hoped the Committee would not adopt the course generally pursued by the Legislature with regard to railways through agricultural dis tricts, and adopt this line, especially as that part of the country wits very deficient in that railway communication which had been readily conceded to the manufacturing portions. Besides, the line followed the course which the traffic originally took before railways were con structed, and so 'far from seeking to draw traffic from any existing channel, they were now struggling to get back that traffic which, but a few years ago, passed through it. Forty or fifty of the best ap pointed coaches in the world formerly ran between Oxford and Lon don, along the exact course of the line. Uxbridge was the second corn market In England, and Wycombe was the centre of a district in which a great quantity of beech was grown, the soil being dry, and particularly favourable for its production, and contained a number of beech manufacturers, which gave employment to great numbers of people. The population in all these districts had a right to have their legitimate grievances considered and redressed as well as those large districts which had been and were so clamorous far railway commu nication. If they were to be overlooked on account of their dispersed condition, they would languish :in poverty and retrograde, whilst other parts of the country advanced in prosperity. They required speedy and cheap communication for their agricultural produce and fabrics, and particularly for coals, which were 10s. per ton dearer than they would be if they had a railway. The line proposed by the (treat Western did not offer the advantages which their line did, as their connexion with London was superior and not circuitous, with a station in the best part of London. The (treat Western was not a had west-end terminus ; but what facilities did it offer to persons who had business to transact in the City and in the east of London ? The inhabitants of High Wycombe and Uxbridge were extremely energetic in favour of the line, and considered that the lines proposed by the Great Western did not offer the accommodation they requ red, and he was therefore at a loss to know on what ground the Great Western came forward to oppose the whole of their project. With regard to the opposition of the land owners, there was a formidable list of petitions on the table of the Committee ; but it happened that all these petitions came from the same workshop—from the Great Western Railway. He would just allude to one passage in these petitions to corroborate what he had stated, because the Committee might be prejudiced against the scheme on account of their number. The petition of a Mr. S. Cousin, who resided in Oxford, set forth " That the Great Western Railway at present affords every facility for the trade of Oxferd and neighbourhood, by sate and speedy communication, and the petitioner therefore submits that another line to Oxford Is not required for the public.or private wants of the district." This passage occurred in the petition of a Mr. Dunkley, of Berkshire, and in other petitions emanating from Bucks and other places, and, besides, the name of the solicitor of the Great Western Railway ap peared on the back of twenty-two of :these petitions, show nig that they were all produced by the sante master. inind.--(Laughter.) The Great Western Railway was con centrated in two persons—Mr. Saunders and Mr. Brunel— the former of whom was examined last year with respect to an opposition line from Birmingham. He begged the attention of the Conunittee to an extract—which was very creditable to him, as his doctrines were correct—but he did not like to come there to oppose their line, and to excuse himself on the ground of " his opinions having undergoee a change."— (Laughter, in which the Committee joined.) With respect to a question concerning the South Staffordshire Railway and communi cation as far north as Liverpool, he said he thought a second line to London could not fail to be of great public importance, as it would reduce the fares, and would give greater accommodation, and benefit the Companies; that such competition lowered fares; and that the interest of Companies, even when they ran into the same county, would be thereby promoted. After some further observations, he concluded by calling on that Committee to 'pass the preamble of the Bill. Witnesses were then called on behalf of the promoters. 3lr. Hull, a miller and mealman, who had resided in Uxbridge 25 years, which was a great " pitch" market (corn sold in bulk), and had suffered much from the want of direct communicatiox with London. The carriage of flour to London was Is. 2d. per sack ; by a direct railway it would be one-half. The average demand of wheat was about 3,000 quarters a week, but Uxbridge and its iimnediatc vicinity could not supply more than 2,000 quarters.) Mr. IL Norton, corn inspector, at Uxbridge, spoke to the same facts. Mr. W. Pratt, cattle salesman, at Southal and Hillingdon —On the average 2,000 sheep, 300 beasts, 50 or GO calves, 70 or 80 pigs, came to Southall market weekly ; many of them earns from Bucks and Berks. Dr. Beasland. a teacher in Uxbridge, said he occupied the chair at a meeting held in October last, at which those present were una nimous in favour of the line. Mr. Blinks, butcher, Beacinsfield, said the price of coals in that town were 40s. a tcn, arid that he apprehended that a railway would considerably reduce their price. Sir H. Lambert, of Stockechurch, considered that the railway would be of great advantage to himself personally, and to his tenants. A number of other witnesses were called, who testified to similar facts, and were all in favour of the line, and that it would confer great advantnes on the districts through which it was designed to pass. The Commitee then adjourned until to-morrow. GROUP XXV. (Continued from our Afternoon Edition.) Il A ItV7I C H AND EASTERN COUNTIES JUNCTION. The next line called was the Harwich and Eastern Counties Junc tion. T. e case for the promoters was stated by Mr. Cockburn. 7he sche re was f, r making a line from Colchester to Harwich, and thus connecting the latter port with the metropolis. The distance between Colchester and Harwich was eight:en miles, and five miles of his route being already occupied by the R:tstern Union Company, there wouid now only be required thirteen miles of railway. There could be no doubt of the importance of the line, for previous to the establishment of steam navigation, Harwich was the port of embar kation for the foreign mails, and for passengers proceeding to Nor thern and Central Europe, and now ueder the recommendation of the Harbour of Refuge Commissioeers, the Government were going to improve the harbour, and again restore it to its former position. Now, the present line was projected by Mr. Locke in 1844, in opposi tion to an. Eastern County line, laid down by .31-. Itrathwaite, but some of these lines were thrown out, notwithstanding that Mr. Locke, 3:r. Si.ephenson, and Mr. Bidder, stated that the former was the best that could be laid out. Subsequently the Eastera:CountieS amalgamated with the Company with which Mr. Locke was con nected, and at the instigation of the two Companies, Mr. Locke laid out another line to Harwich ; but the other one whieh he had promoted beiug manifestly the best of the two, Mr. Braithwaite adopted it, and found E 0 difficulty in geiting a company of capitalists to support him. The two lines came before Parlfament in the last session, but they were both thrown out on standing orders. Now, Mr. Locke's new lice passed along the banks of a navigable river, while his old one and the line now promoted by Mr. Braith waite passed through the interior of the county, and, of course, ne connuolatcd more population. The woks on the old line were much taller than on the new, and in point of distance, the former was sh rter by half a mile than the latter, The old line was sanctioned t y the Admiralty, but the new One was not. The estimate for the works, which included a pier at Harwich, was 180,0001. Mr. Lawrence, one of the senior clerks of the General Post-office, proved that Harwich, previous ti; the establishment of steam navi ga,loll, was the port of embarkation for the northern mails. At present, owing to the difficulty of navigating the Thames in foggy wee. her, the mails were of.en delayed, wh:le, if there was a direct communication with Harwich from the metropolis, this difficulty would be overcome. • Mr. JAMES was proceeding to call general evidence in support of the line, but was Interrupted by the The CastaxAN, who said there was no necessity for the time of the Committee being taken up with general evidence, because It must be admitted by every one that a line ought to be made between Col chester and Harwich. Mr. JAMES—And the only question is who shall make it. The CHAIRMAN-1 think that is all we have to decide. Mr. Jamas—Then I will not trouble the Committee with general evidence, but confine myself to evidence relating to the pier at Harwich. Capt. Washington, one of the Tidal Harbour Commissioers, was called to speak to the Importance of Harwich, as a port of embarkation. Going by way of Harwich, the journey to Hamburgh and Rotterdam, was performed in half the present time. It was the only harbour of re fuge between the Thames and the Humber, and he anticipated shortly that it would be made a mail and packet station. - Mr. John Ittathwaite, the engineer who laid out the line, proved that the gradients were good, and the curves easy. It would be half a mile shorter than the rival line, and pass from a place called hovels Hall to Harwich, 13 miles, and he estimated the cost of the works at 180,0001., which included 30,0001. for the pier at Harwich. The estimate was 15,0001. more than it would have been formerly. owing to the increase In the cost and price of labour and materials. On cross-examination by Mr. Aunts, on behalf of the competing line promoted by the Eastern Counties and the Eastern Union Company, the witness admitted that the distance between Harwich and Ipswich by the rival line would be six miles shorter than his own, while the time saved in performing the journey by his own line from London to Harwich would not be more than a minute. The witness was also cross-examined by Mr. BAOSHAW with a view of showing that this independent line would do more damage to his property at Harwich than the rival line. The Committee then adjourned. Sub-Committe No. 2. (Continued from our Afternoon Edition.) LEEDS AND THXESIC. The of of this Bill was to construct a line of railway from the Leeds and Thrisk Railway near Ripon, through Northallerton, Yarn, Stockton, to Hartlepool. The length of the line was thirty. one miles, and the amount of capital 456,5t0/. Engineer, Mr. Thomas Grainger; Parliamentary Agents, Messrs. Burke and Co. The standing orders were complied with, except with respect to the evidence of one of the parties serving, who was absent through illness. The CHAULMAN said that the Committee would receive an affi davit of the service the next day they sat. The Committee then adjourned. STANDING ORDERS' COMMITTEES. HOUSE OF COMMONS. The sittings of this Committee commenced this morning at the customary hour. The Members present were Mr. T. B. Estcourt (chairman), Mr. Ord, Mr. Pendarves, Sir W. Heathcote, Mr. H. Drummond, Mr. W. Patten. THE NEWPORT AND PILLGWNLLY RAILWAY was allowed to be proceeded with. The decision in the case of the BEDFORD AND CAMBRIDGE RAILWAY was postponed till Friday next. Th,rs not being any parties in sup Part cf the BIRKENHEAD, LANCASHIRE, AND CHESHIRE, HULL, AND LINCOLN, we were not able to ascerta:u the decision of the Committee in re ference to them.. The Committee then adjourned till Friday next. Sub-Committee, No. 1, (Continued from our Afternoon Edition.) raORAYBIZIILE rtAILWAY. The result of the investigation of this ease showed that It ought to have been divided into two separate lines, and that, as a datum lino was: given for only one, that the standing orders were not complied with.- Several other allegations respecting want of num bers, want of enlarged plans, &c., were then gone into, 501320 of which were sustained, and some not. cmroxn, soirrzEarazwroiv, GOSPOZT, AND POR.TamOUTH rutzLway. The formal proofs of this line having been gone into, the Com mittee were occupied with the consideration of the case up to four o'clock, when they adjourne I. Sub-Committee, No. 2. (Continued from our Afternoon Edition.) BRITISH AND IRISH UNION RAILWAY. Tho decision of its oouitnittes on this iliac Wigs that Pun of the allegations of the petitioners were sustained, and were, therefore, non-compliant with the standing orders. The Committee reported accordingly. SOUTH WALES RAILWAY (No. 1.) The promoters of hue withdrew it, and further proceedings were of course daopped. LEEDS AND THIRST( (NORTH-EASTERN EXTENSION, HATH TO HAR PLEPOOL) RAILWAY. The formal proofs having been given, the Committee declared that the standing orders had been complied with. The Committee adjourned at four o'clock. Sub Uommittee No. 3. (Continued from our Afternoon Edition.) WILTS, SOMERSET, AND WEYMOUTH RAILWAY. The petition of Henry Haman, agent of Mr. Vivian, alleged that the required notice had not been served by the promoters on him or Mr. Vivian, who was the owner of a large property through which the proposed line would pass, and who was abroad when the notices were served. ' After a lengthened examination the room was ordered to be cleared, and on our re-admission The Cnainmert gave the following decision on the point :—The ee cision of the Committee is, that inasmuch as it is not alleged in the petition that Mr. Vivian was absent on the 30th of November, and his absence at that particular time is the only ground upon which Mr. Haman could complain of non-compliance with the standing orders, as being his agent, and not having received notice, that sup posing the whole of te facts in this petal in to have been proved, they do not amount to non-compliance with the standing orders; and he could not, therefore, admit proof of the absence of Mr. Vivian tn the 30th of November, inasmuch as it is not dleged in the petition. Several allegations were then gone into, one especially, respecting the plans not being in the same state as when they were deposited with the clerk of the peace. The Committee were of opinion that this was not sustained. The Committee adjourned at four o'clock. Bab-Committee No G. (Continued from our Afternoon Edition.) LANARKSHIRE AND LOTHIANS. The Committee, atter a lengthened investigation of the objections already referred to, decided that in several important points the standing orders were not complied with. The only point of general interest which arose was, that where plans and sections had been un necessarily lodged, such plans, though not required by the standing orders must be correct, and any inaccuracy in such plans would be as detrimental to the Bill as if they had occurred in those required by the standing orders to be deposited. The Committee adjourned at four o'clock. BELGIAN EASTERN JUNCTION RAILWAY.—(THIS DAY.) A meeting of the shareholders and directors of this Company was held this day at the London Tavern, Sir Frederick Smith in the chair, for the purpose of consi dering the expediency of dissolving the Company. The SECRETARY read the report of Mr. Stevenson as to the feasibility of forming the line. The CHAIRMAN said he wished to make a few ob servations upon that report. He had the pleasure of being able to state that the Belgian Government were favourably disposed towards the line if the shareholders should th nk fit to approve of its being made. He next took up the report of Mr. Baily, the resident engineer, which, he said, contained all the statistical details, and was a very voluminous document; but he would read it if the met tiny; thought fit.—(Cries of " No, no.") A SHAREHOLDER expressed a wish to have the ac count of receipts and disbursements read. The CHAIRMAN said he would read it, and proceeded to do so. The amount paid up, at the rate of 2/. 10s. per share, was 80,0001. Caution money £30,000 0 0 Exchequer Bills Cash in Bank Note bearing interest Cash at the office l9 6 11 In answer to a question from a SHAREHOLDER, The CHAIRMAN said that " the note bearing interest," meant a sum that was to be paid for the concetson of the French Government. He then read the items of the expenditure, which amounted in the aggregate to about 2,0001. A SHAREHOLDER, who spoke in a strong foreign ac cent, said the 12,0001. was paid before this Company had actually any existence. He was of opinion that the Company should be dissolved. He would like to know how many shares had been allotted to the directors? The CHAIRMAN said they had 400 shares each, on which they had paid up in full, and they had had not one single share reserved to them.—(Hear.) Mr. LAMERT suggested that the Directors' report should be moved and seconded, as he had an amend ment to move to it. The SOLICITOR to the Bill said that the Company as yet was not formed, and therefore it would be better that the report should be printed and circulated, and perhaps consider the adoption or reception of it at a future meeting. Mr. LAMEST hoped that day would never arrive.— (Loud cries of " Hear, hear.") He hoped the Company we pfd be dissolved, and he had no doubt they would eet back their 30,0001. due from the Belgian Govern ment. lie held in his hand a map received this morning from Brussels, by which it appeared there were 66 lines projected, which would cross their proposed line like a spider's web, but he hoped their money would not be the fly to get into that web.—(Hear, hear.) With regard to Mr. Steeenson's rtport, he would say that that gentleman had a great many other railways in hand, and he had been hunted for two months before this report could be got, and now when it appeared suddenly before them the line was found in the position he had stated. He concluded by proposing that the Company be now dissolved.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. FIELD seconded the resolution, and asked a ques tion relative to the 12,0001. The CHAIRNAN said that all the directors, except two, were concessionaires, and all were liable to the payment of the 12,0001. Mr. FIELD expressed himself satisfied with the answer, as I thought that the directors had acted all through in an honourable manner. The SOLICITOR to the Bill said, that he thought the 12,0001. was pail to a Belgian subject for property of his over which the proposed line was to pass, and the opinion of coutvel had been taken, which was to the effect, that, whether the Bill did pass or not, the Company were liable to the payment of the 120001., and to 3,0001. in addition if the Bill should pass. Mr. FIELD could not see the use of this meeting if it was to do no more than hear reports read. They had heard that there were 10,000 shares which had not been taken up, and that means were being taken to compel the parties to do so. He thought that was a strong fact in favour of dissolving the Company, though he had heard it said that there was a ;eget difficulty in the way. But he looked upon it as utterly hopeless to go on.— (Hear, hear.) Mr. AMPSINK said he did not think the • Chairman could put the resolution.—(Cries of " Oh, oh," and cla- mour.) No Company could be dissolved unless by the consent of all the partners, or unless Chancery com pelled it. A SHAREHOLDER would like to have the opinion of the solicitor now behind the chair upon this question, for this was a Company held together by no other deed, or act, or bend than the prospectus he now held in his hand. The CHAIRMAN said the directors had foreseen the necessity of adopting the course, and they had taken an opinion. The SOLICITOR then read the opinions of Messrs. Turner, Wigram, and Palmer, upon the case submitted to them, and which was a very lengthened document ; the opinions were to the effect that the Company could not tie dissolved without the consent of alt the holders;share and that if the directors did dissolve the Com pany, they would be liable, not only to dissentient share holders for the whole amount of their deposits, but also, perhaps, an action for breach of contract. Mr. LAMERT said he had taken an opinion als-. 11, contended that all the shares had not b, en paid for at the time of the agreement about the , 12,0001. and the spectus did not state that fact at all. The SoniciTort said that all the shares had been allotted at the time, which was the same thing. Here the proceedings became exceedingly boistareus and irregular, and cries of (" llt.cidc," and " put law agsinst law,") arose from different parts of the room, which was crowded to excess. • The opinion Mr. Limcrt had taken was then read ; it was from Mr. Chambers, who was of opinion that the withholding of the fact as to the 12,0001. from the pro sp: ctus, would be a sufficient ground for him to seek to recover his deposits. Mr. LAMERT asked if an instance could be named in which the Belgian Government, failing to ratify an undertaking, refunded the 30,000/. deposited? Mr. AMPSINK said he knew of several, but that the Belgian Government never promised without intending to perform. Mr. LAMERT begged of the Chairman to put his re solution. The CHAIRMAN said he could not do so, and then pro ceeded to speak of the many advantages the line pos sessed, and said it would be impossible that it could have any line competing with it. The meeting shortly after separated, having come to no determination; but the understanding appeared to be that the work should go on, as there appeared to be no legal mode of dissolving the Company. EIGHTH REPORT FROM THE SE LECT COMMITTEE ON RAILWAY BILLS CLASSIFICATION. The Select Committee appointed for the Classification of Railway Bills according to the Resolutions adopted by the House, and who are empowered to report from time to time ; have further con sidered the several matters referred to them, and agreed to report as follows : Your Committee recommend that the Edinburgh and Northern Railway (Branches from Dundee and Arbroath Railway, and Tay Ferry Improvement) be transferred from Group No. 7 to Group No. 8. EXCHEQUER BILLS. AR Account' "1 of all Exchequer-bills raised, or authorised to be raised, charged on the Aids er Supplies of 1846, unprovided for." The Amount of Exchequer-bills authorised to be raised charged on the Supplies of 1846 - £18,404,500 Deduct for Exchequer-bills paid off in money in 1845, and provided for from surplus of Ways and Means to the sth January, 1846 24,300 Amount to be provided fbr in the present year - - £18,380,200 EDW. CARDWELL. Whitehall Treasury Chambers, March 18, 1846. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF COMMONS, March 24. TIMBER DUTIES. Mr. THORNELY presented a petition from the Chamber of Commerce, Liverpool, in favour of the reduction of duties on timber. The petitioners stated that they heard with great satisfaction the proposed measure of the Government, and that for the purposes, of ship building there was felt a great scarcity cf live oak and pitch pine. Mr. HUME presented a petition from the inhabitants of Leith, praying also for a reduction of the duty on foreign timber. The petitioners stated that the interest of the general eommunity would be greatly benefited by the proposed measure of her Majesty's Government, and that there was a scarcity of timber for the purposes of house baiiding. Ordered to lie on the table. TEN HOURS' FACTORY BILL. Mr. LAWSON presented several petitions in favour of the Ten Hours' Factory Bill. They were ordered to lie on the table. Sir R. H. INGLIS presented a petition from Bradford, in Yorkshire, in favour of a Ten Holm.' Bill. Sir G. SI'RICKLAND presented two petitions from Chor ley, in Lancashire, to the same effect. SETTLEMENT OF NATIONAL DISPUTES BY ARBITRATION. Dr. BOWRING presented a petition from Newport pray. lug that all disputes between nations be settled by arbitration instead of war. MESSAGE FROM THE LORDS. Messengers from the House of Lords brought up in..vcral.l ISLE OF MAN. rr. BOWRING moved for certain returns relating to the :sle of Man.—LAgreed to. 'NOTICES OF MOTION. Mr. WYSE gave notice that on the 7th of April he should move for a Committee to inquire into the present state of education in Ireland and the best means of improving it. POOR, LAW. Mr. GEORGE BANKES gave notice that, on Thursday ext, he should move that the proposed Bill for the removal of the poor in England be referred to a select Committee. Mr. O'CONNELL, not wishing to throw any impediment in the way of the adjourned debate on the corn-laws, postponed his motion for a Bill to enable the county of Cork to send two additional Members to this House, to replace those formerly returned for Sudbury, till after Easter. Mr. WYSE, under similar circumstances, postponed his motion for leave to bring in a Bill relating to art-unions. LICHFIELD FREE SCHOOL , Lerd INGESTRE then proceeded to bring under the con sideration of the House the petition of Thomas Wood, pro prietor of the Wolcerhamp!on Chronicle, in relation to Lichfield ee School. He would wish to call attention. —( Oh, oh. ) He hoped the House would hear him patiently, he would be very brief ; but it would be better to let him go on; if they did not, he would adjourn the House.—( Laughter.) The memo rial he alluded to had been signed by the Mayor and Cor poration of Lichfield; and if the House would inquire into it, they would agree with him in saying that it would be too bad if the editors of newspapers were to be treated in this way. There bad been two actions brought, one against the pub lisher of the paper, and the other against the editor, and a verdict of forty-eight shillings, with costs, was obtained. He had thus briefly stated the case, which he did not wish to dwell upon. it Ras a case of the greatest individual hardship, and he had therefore deemed it his duty to bring it under the consideration of the House. The Noble Lord then concluded by moving that the memorial of the editor be taken into consi deration by the House. Lord J. RUSSELL said he hail no intention whatever to enter into the merits of this question at present. He believed that there were many similar cases, and he thought it would be unfair to decide exclusively upon the merits of this particular case. But he merely wished at present to submit to the House that, whatever might be their desire to deal with the question, nothing should be brought forward which would have the effect of delaying the settlement of the important measure which had been brought forward by the Right Hon. Baronet.—( Hear, hear.) He would ask whether . . it would he unreasonable if he moved that the orders of the day be then read? Unless some good reasons were shown for proceeding with the motion at present, he would certainly insist that the consideration of the orders of the delay ought not to be delayed, because the people of this country, particularly those of the manufacturing districts, were in a state of the greatest alarm lest the session should prematurely close before the question of corn was settled.—( Hear, hear. ) The greater portion of the labouring classes of the country were at present almost wholly without employ went, owing to the doubts which existed as to the settlemen of the present Ministerial measures. And that being the case, he did think that it would be unfair further to postpone that settlement, by entertaining such a motion as was then before the House. He would, therefore, more that the orders of the day be proceeded with. Dr. BOW RING wished to ask, whether there would be any compact between the Noble Lord and the Government if he consented to postpone the motion? Sir 11. PEEL said he would have no objection to promise that, if the motion were postponed, the document alluded to should be laid before the House on an early day. Mr. WYSE hoped that the House would not delay the set tlement of the important question of the corn-laws by enter taining the motion at present. Sir R. H. GLIS would prefer the postponement of the corn law deb Ate, so that the motion might be fully discussed. Lord INGEST RE said he merely moved for the memorial, in order to get it brought under the notice of the House. He would consent that the debate should be adjourned till to morrow week. The debate was accordingly adjourned till to-morrow week. ART UNIONS BILL. Mr. WYSE would not detain the House by entering into the merits of the Bill he was about to introduce. He would simply move for leave to bring in a Bill to legalise art unions. PROTECTION OF LIFE (IRELAND). _ _ Mr. POULET SCROPE moved for leave to introduce a Bill for the better protection of life in Ireland, by means of the better relief of the destitute poor therein. Sir JAMES GRAHAM would not offer the slightest oppo sition to the introduction of the Bill. Leave was given to introduce the Bill. HARBOUR DUES. Mr. HUME moved—To discharge address March 3, rela tive to harbours, and insert the following :—Address for a re. turn of the several dues and charges of every kind levied as port harbour dues on shipping, and on goods im ported and landed at each port, harbour, and creek in the United Kingdom ; stating the rates of the several dues per ton, or other weight or measurement, er per tally, and distinguiJiing, in each harbour, the amount levied on shipping from the amount levied on goods, so as to ex hibit the entire amount of port and harbour charges of every kind levied on the shipping, and on goods landed at each of the ports, harbours, and creeks of the United Kingdom, the ag gregate levied on shipping and on goods in Scotland, England, and Ireland, for each of the years 1644 and 1845. Also a similar return from the several docks in London river, and other rivers and hai hours in the United Kingdom, and not in cluded in the above order, fur the same period.—.Metion agreed to. FRIENDLY SOCIETIES' BILL. On the motion for resuming the adjourned debate, Sir J. GRAHAM observed that it was the intention of the Government to postpone till after Easter the amended Bill with reference to Friendly Societies. and also the secant reading of the Hon. Member for Oldham's Factory Bill. REGISTRATION OF VOTERS (IRELAND) BILL. Colonel RAWDON wished to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether, in the measure contemplated by Govern mt with respect to the Registration of Voters (Ireland), any provision is to be made for the shortening of borough elections? Sir R. PEEL said it was the intention of the Government to limit them to one day. Mr. ORSMBY GORE presented a petition from the county of Nlongomery against the Government measures. THE ADJOURNED DEBATE ON THE CORN PORTATION BILL. wise. Lord POLLINGTON said he rose on the the preset's" oc casion to express his opinion in opposition to the measure of her Majesty's Government. He had given them, during the last five sears an earnest and truthful, but not a blind sup port, as witness his vote on the occasion of the Maynooth grant. The last vote that he had given in favour of her Ma jesty's Government was on the occasie.n ashen the Hon. Mem ber for Hull (Mr. Hutt) proposed to admit corn from the colonies at a nominal duty To that question, in as far as it related to the present measure, he would address himself. He had never belonged to a protection society, nor attended a pi o. tection meeting ; and the reason of that was, that lie did not agree in all things with the principles or policy of these who constituted such societies. In last session of i arliament the Noble Lord the Member for the city of London proposed a series of resolutions, one of which was on the subject of the corn-laws, that he ( Lord Pollington) opposed at the time; and he would still tell that Noble Lord, that if he called for a total and immediate repeal of the corn-laws, he would not place himself under his guidance. They had heard a great deal about compensation to the landed interest; and, in an other place, a Noble Duke had given the assent to the expe riment of a repeal of the corn-laps on account of the corripen 'anion afforded. But he (Lwd Pollington) said, that if they removed ad restrictions on torei e n gran, they should, at the same time, remove all burdens that prettied upon the landed interest. This they were bound to do. It the farmers wen; to great expense in acquiring cheureal skill arid scientific ap.. pliances, and had to give a good education to their sons, it was but right that they should be placed in a pesition to meet them. Rather than repeal the corn-laws, and give the farmers com pensation for doing so, they ought to promote ae much as po,sitile the colonies, so as to malse them integral parts of the Britia!a empire; and then, when they could not produce suffi cient supplies of food for their increasing population at honor, they would have the colonies to fall back upon.— ( Hear, ) By considering those et untries as integral Portions of this empire, this Government admitted that they were bound to take their produce. He denied that this node of dealing would have the effect of creating any feelings of jealousy. With regard to Russia, his opinion was that that country would follow the example of this by dealing with their import duties in the same way as this country had d:alt with the duty on French brandy. There was another reason why he was opposed to the present measure, which was this—he pre ferred relying •n his own country to any other for a full sup ply of agricultural produce.—( Hear, hear.) He had taken his course, and no roan on earth should snake him swerve from it,—( Hear, hear.) Mr. PLUM PIRE (after a few words which were lost in the confusion occasioned by Hon. Members leaving the House) said, he believed the measure to be rash and un just. Hon. Members had changed their opinions, and the reasons they had given were not sufficient. The Right Hon, Baronet had said, that because he had changed his opinion, he felt himself at liberty to consider all the speeches which he had made when holding different opinions as disposed of. It might be very easy to dispose of declarations, hut it was not quite so easy to dispose of facts. In the county in which he resided, and which he had the honour to represent, it was in variably found that low prices produced low wages, and that, in fact, according to circumstances, and the range which corn took, there was neither more nor less actually than a sliding.scale. At the time when corn was low labourers' wages had been about 10s. a week, when it became very depressed indeed in price wages sunk to 7s. a week, but when the price of wheat rose the wages of the labourer rose to as much at 13s. 6d. a week. These, he thought, as they were facts, were unanswerable arguments in opposition to the Right Hon. Baronet's measure. If he looked around, he felt compelled to say, that he could not find one public man, who bad been connected with the Government for the last three years, in whom he could place the smallest confidence. The Right Hon. Baronet had assured the House that the year 1840 had been a year of great trouble and deep anxiety to him, owing to the Chartists having established themselves in large bodies, and occasioning great disturbance. He (Mr. Plumptre) entertained no doubt, that it was a year of great anxiety and trouble, but those days had gone by. Yes, those days had passed, but he would ask, was not the course which was now being pursued one of the most likely means to bring about a repetition of the scenes of violence which had char acterised those times ? The failure of the potato crop was put forth as the ostensible cause of a repeal of the corn-laws, but he must say that it appeared to him to be a very insufficient cause. The present movement seemed to have been brought about almost entirely by the agitation of that unconstitutional body the Anti Corn-law League, and he would ask when that body had accomplished their purposes, was not the country ex posed to having other leagues formed, and thrust upon it, which would not be satisfied entirely until their requirements, however extravagant, should be satisfied. Perhaps, before very long, it will be found expedient to coincide with the opinions of the Chartists, with respect to: the extension of the suffrage, and by thus going forward in the dark, in consequence of such miserable expediency, the golden reign of a wise and prudent limited monarchy might be translated into the wild and ruthless rule of an iron democracy. Ile thought, most sincerely, upon his best judgment and conscience, that he should be promoticg an injury to the country if he did not oppose the present measure, and. therefore, under these circumstances he should Mo‘t strenuously oppose it. Mr. HAWES said that the Hon. Member who had just sat down had been pleased to characterise the present measure as a dangerous measure, and that t üblie opinion was not thoroughly enlisted in its favour. he would refer the Hon. Gentleman to the numerous petitions presented to that House from London, Marchester, Liverpool, and other large manu facturing districts, all of which prayed that the proposed measure might b . e passed with o ut an y unnecessar y d e l a y, on the ground that it would promote the general prosperity of the country.—( Hear, hear.) He must take the liberty to say that there nev er h a d b een a great quest i on can va,sed in that House th e opponents o f w hi c h h a d met with so little sympathy from all sides as those who had uodertaken to obstruct the progress of the present measure. He was not aware that an y sympat h y h a d b een s h own i n t h e opposition to the silk question; and, then, with respect to imber, were there a n y pet iti ons presen t e d f rom persons deal ing in that article in opposition to her Majesty's Ministers? H 3 (Mr. Hawes) reinitiated a yery large acentituenq nected with various trades, and he had not received a single • remonstrance, nor a single representation to induce him to say cue word in opposition to the cour , e pro p osed by the Gocern ment. On the contrary, all that lie had heard had tended to confirm his previously conceived opinion, that the measure taken as a whole was well cale.ulated to promote the best interests of the country. He felt glad that none of that acrimony of feeling which had characterised the previous debate on the subject had been shown on the present occasion, and he did hope that the Hon. Gentlemen opposite would give her Ma jesty's Ministers some intelligible arguments to deal with and answer, instead of endeavouring to cover them with obloquy and shame. He expected that the Hon. Gentlemen opposite would have furnished s ome tangible reasons to induce us to believe that protection was necessary to be upheld for the maintenance of the agricultural interests. They had shown us that the price of corn was high, and had proved at the same time that protection had effected that object. He (Mr. Hawes) would undertake to show • that since the date of 1815, when the great experiment of the corn-law system of England was tried, the Agricultural Committee had invariably con demned the laws and the principles of those laws which the Honourable Gentlemen opposite now sought to uphold. One of the most important advocates of the alteration of the law in 1815 had supported the measure, because, he said, that it was absolutely necessay to do some thing to prevent the diminution of the price of corn to such an extent as would throw the land out of cultivation. The corn-laws were not originally intended to uphold the price of corn, but the object of the introduction of the law 1815 was to prevent the price of corn from diminishing below a certain moderate standard'. Such a measure would not have been necessary had there been no legislative interference in matters of trade. If encourage ment bad been given to every species of manufactures, there would have been no necessity for any Parliamentary inter ference in regulating the price of corn. Manufactures, and every kind of staple trade, had repudiated protection altogether. Notwithstanding the law of 1815 was passed ; he would ask Hon. Gentlemen opposite, if it had been successful and useful to them as agriculturists ? The Hon. Gentleman then re ferred'to the report of the Agricultural Committee of 1821, 1822, and 1828—in the drawirg up of which Mr. Huskisson had taken a part—to show that protection had not tended to benefit the agricultural intereat,but, by keeping out foreign competition, had been influential in depressing the property of agriculturists. They would find the labourer much better off when the price of corn was low, and food abundant, than when it was other - The Committee of 1836 was largely composed of the landed interest, and the result of their - labours showed that the condition of the labourer was greatly improved when prices were low, as compared with what it was when they were high. He would now ask the gentlemen opposite on what principles they intended to proceed? They had not se cured steadiness in price—they had not secured high priers. All they had done was to introduce uncertainty, doubt, and dismay. —( Hear, ht-ar. ) Protection very clearly had not been productive of benefit to the agricultural labourer. He thought that. the protection hitherto granted had failed. The law of 1842 had failed—its authors admitted that it had failed ; and the very tact of Gentlemen opposite calling for the opening of the ports showed that they condemned that law.—(Hear, hear.) That very act was the condemnation of protection. He would ask, had they any experience of the working of free trade? He thought the. law of 1773 was one which bore closely on the point. The commerce of this country at that time continued to flourish. The late Lord Sydenham had strongly expressed his opinion on that subject ; but, before he wool t allude to that further, he would just call the attention of the House to the period to which he alluded, when there was partially a free trade in corn. From the year 1773 to 1793. the imports into this country were 4,100,0001., while the exports were 2,409,0001., showing a balance of imports over exports of 1 ; 600,000'. The population increased during the same period from 7 to 8 millions—popu lation increased, trade increased, and agriculture was thriving. —( Hear, hear.) But the period to which he especially alluded was from 1784 to 1792. The highrist price of corn then was 4•25., 375., 365., 445., 455., 545. The lowest price was 415., 345., 365., 425., 475. The greatest difference of fluctuation during the one period being only 75., and the lowest 25., and there was no period w hen the commerce of the country in creased to the same extent in so short a time. All this oc curred during the partial-operation of free trade. He would now remind the House of what prices were from 1742 to 1748. The price, of corn was on an average about 30e. ; what was the condition of the people during that , ime ? Adam Smith said that there never was a period when the labouring population was in a more thriving condition. This surely proved then, that under the operation of low prices the condition of the labouring classes ftid not deteriorated, but had improved. Between the years 1773 and 179:) there had been a controversy as to the price of core, and the connexion of the country banks with farmers. In that controversy Sir Francis Baring had taken a part. anti the opinion of that great authority upon commercial affairs was, that the lowest price of corn was not sufficient to fix a remunerative price for agricultural peeduce. He (%Jr. Hawes) was of opinion that, from the great improve ments-which had taken place in cultivation, the farmers would be enabled to grow more wheat than they had hitherto done. and therefore they would be able to compete with the produce of the foreign markets. —( Hear, hear.) It was seen that when wheat was at 1255. and down to 565., there was no one point at which a remunerating price could be fixed. The English farmers had derived, and he hoped they would con tinue to derive, remunerative prefits at even the lowest prices of corn. He was of opinion that the effect of the corn law upon the social state of the people of this c •untry was most pernicious. The farmers, in try'ng to meet the demand for food, were obliged to have resort to artificial means to raise the necessary supply, and hence was it that ' every foot of ground, which was intended for the recreation of the people, was taken for cultivation; and the result of all this was, that they were unable to meet the wants of the country.—( Cries of " Hear, hear.") The corn-laws pre vented the supply of food from abroad, and the neces sary consequence of the continuance of these laws would be to introduce the manufacturing principle into the agricultural system of this country. Now, he did not agree with such a state of things; he did not think that laws which required the torturing of the land into something like a produce could be upheld, when it had been so clearly proved that there was not sufficient corn grown after all to meet the wants of the people. —( Hear, hear.) He was glad to find that this state of things was about to he remedied by the measure of her Majesty's Ministers, and for the reasons he had stated, he would give the Government his most cordial support, in the hope that it would benefit the country generally. gir JOHN TROLLOPE said he represented a large con stituency, and he must say, in answer to the Honourable Member for Lambeth, who, in the opening part of his speech, had said that the measure of her Majesty's Mi nisters was one upon which all were unanimous in its favour—with regard to that certainty, he could inform the House that so far from his constituency being unanimous in favour of the measure, the feeling was quite the other way.—(" Hear, hear," from the protection side of the House.) He attended a large meeting in South Lincolnshire, called to °lnsider the expediency as well as the general bearing of this measure upon the country, and at that meeting there was but one landowner who held up his hard in tavern- of it. He had heard the Right Hon. Baronet state to that House that he had come to the conclusion that such a measure was necessary to meet the wants of the country ; but the Right Hon. Gentleman said also, that he had formed his views upon the exuerience of the last three years of certain experiments in the reduction of duties. He did not think so great a ques tion could be settled upon so slight an experience as that of three years. —( Hear, hear.) An allusion had been made to the law of 1815; he would admit that that law was the law of monopoly, and be was glad it had been amended in the year 1820, for it was one which prevented corn from coming in till it had risen to an exorbitant price. The law of 1820 had however amended this, and he (Sir J. Trollope) considered the law of that 'year a good one; and such as was required for the protecti , n of native agriculture. The Hon. Member then quoted several authorities in support of his views of the subject. He considered that • there was nothing like correct statistics regarding agriculture in this country. and thought it rather a blot upon • the character of England, that it did not, like France, have a proper statis tical return of the amount of her agricultural produce.— ( Hear, hear.) Had there been proper statistics of the agri cultural production of this country, it would be found that the farmers had made great exertions to provide food for the people. In his own county there had been an increase of loe per rent. of corn and wheat,. and the increase of the popula tion was not more than 20 per e •tit.—( Hear, hear," from Lord G. Bentinck. ) Did it not fellow, then, that the same result would he found in other parts of the country? and, if the ar gument was good for anything. it went to prove that the far mers of England were able to supply the demand upon them. ( Hear, hear, and No, no.) He lied heard if sail that the Church were a consenting party to this me asure ; but he did not think that the working clergy would so much neglect their own interests, because it would be the working clergy who would be effected by it. Then, as to the malt-tax ; that tax, he believed to operate against he farmer, and amounted to 70 per cent. per annum upon the raw material ; and if it were removed, the famet would be enabled to give his labourers ale at lid. per quart. He could go on enumerating many other such matters. He would ask, wood not the effect of free trade be the means of introducing the growth of the beet-root, and many ether :products from which this country now derived large taxes. The legacy duty also operated against the owner . of land, and added to the grievances of free trade ; for instance, he bought a piece of land lately, and had to pay nearly five years' rent for the coat of conveyancing. In Ireland also, he did think this measure would have a most injurious effect, by lessening the value of land, on which the 1 eople of that country depended entirely'for their support. He was in Ireland during the whole of the summer of 1822, when a large suns of money was made up to relieve the people from the famine that then prevailed. The late defect in the potato crop had nearly been fatal ; and, therefore, this was not the period at which to les sen the value of the produce of land at home. He did not think that foreign countries would give this country the benefit of the proposed reductions, for he heard that in France they were raising the price of brandy ; but they did not at the same time say they would admit British produce upon the same advantageous terms ; while France might still contend that their wines also should be admitted at the same reduction as that made upon brandy. He did not see that in America any reduction of the tariff was proposed, at least not such a reduction as would meet the free-trade measures of this country; and, therefore, from that part of the world they had not much to expect either, while the hopes raised in Canada would be dashed to the ground. He had heard imputations of " Abandoned Monopolists" applied to those who entertained views on this question like his own ; but he would say he would rather abandon all his property than act in any way that would make such imputations applicable to him. But he could not avoid saying that it appeared to him that these epithets were more applicable to Hon. Members at the other side, because he would contend for it that the first class of persons who would be affected injuriously by this measure would he the agricul tural labourers, whose wages would be lessened, and many of whom would be thrown out of employment by the quantity of •land that would be cultivated into pasture.—( Hear, hear.) Why should not this country have the power to do in the pre sent day as the ancient Romans did, namely, to keep up a store of corn to meet a period of scarcity?—( Hear.) He re gretted to have trespassed so long uvon the attention. of the House ; he seldom did so ' • bat so long as he held a seat in this House he would ever advocate his principles honestly and independently.—( Hear, hear. ) Sir JOHN HAN Al ER said he could point attention to acts passed in 1670 and ot her early periods, in which protective clauses were passed for the express purpose of keeping down the price of corn. And frpm 1669, for several years after, the effect of this protective system was in fact to raise the price of corn, though it was intended to keep it down. In 1791, came the revolutionary wars, and if the price of cern was then raised, that could not be said to be attributable to the corn-laws Let them come to the corn-law of 1828, which they all at present concurred in, and he would ask what had been the effect of that? Had they not seen corn stored up in bond never brought into market, yet exercising an influence on prices outside; Looking, therefore, on these matters, he should confess himself a sceptic on the score of protection. A great deal had been said with regard to the effect the present measure would have on foreign nations ; now, he should confess that in that int _ of :sew it possessed its greatest recummendation in hie eyes. 11e had been informed that in Russia it would have a very bene ficial effect , as an alteration in the tariff of that country, highly va'u dile to England, fh t v erefore, in his opinion, was certain rtain highto result. that the present measure should be b r i o ug.ht:f i h tn rw p.io a h r er d en . d tohey Hd ha a an r (i , hear.) Viewing all these matters, then, h Gentlemen to cease their cry for protection, v. not ehown that it had ever given an appreciable value to pro perty. He entreated of them to look to the substance rather than the shadow. If they wished for a fixed duty, his vote should be recorded against it, as be believed it would prevent prices ranging in such a way as would alleviate the pressure oompitition.—(Hear, hear.) Lord EBRING TON was anxioss to address a few observa tions to the House. He had no intention of following up the spirit of the debate in 'the way in which it had opened. 1 16 preferred taking a different course. As to the criminatious and recriminations that had taken place, lie left the course taken by the Government to be attacked as it might by their friends , and defended as it best could by the Government themselves. It must not-be forgotten that they had in prospect the total re peal of the corn-lows, and yet they were cursed with the sliding.scale fel; three years. The Hon. Member for the citY of London had, in the year 1842, predicted the state in which the corn trade would be. and remarked, that though corn ses then at a low price (61s. 2d. ), bread was not a bit cheaper for the consumer, The Hon. Gentleman whe had just sat down had seen his error, and he trusted that he would impress uP° 3 the Government the necessity of repealing this.perrecious l l, tern, which had nothing whatever to do with protection. 't was doubling the absurdity of the former system by rendering it uncertain at what price corn could be sold. What they had done they should hate done well, so as to put a stop to that agitation which had existed, and which was so mischievous in it , effects. The season was favourable for the adoption of such a measure. The unprecedented accumulation of corn, so much feared by Hon. G en tl emen o p pos it e , was no t t o b e found, and the scarcity of food, and the peculiar circumstances of the time, would protect the farmer from any sudden increase in the competition in corn. The farmer expected, with ;he H °e ; Gentleman, that there wou ld b e a grea t i ncrease i n corn, :741 , believed there would be a great diminution in the captivation , and at the end of three years the farmer would find himself unprotected and exposed to foreign competition. He woul d not discuss all the burdens on land alleged by the Hon. Gen . tlemen opposite. He would not dwell upon the highway-rates , &e. ; but he would only say, with regard to the poor e rates and county-rates, the burden was left on real and legitimate pro. perry. It fell as heavily upon houses as it did upon land,' There was a burden on land which he had not heard much alluded to in this debate, although the Hnn. Member for Lin' colnshire had alluded to it. It was one which put very littl e money in. her Majesty's Treasury, and yet fell very heavily on the landed proprietors. It was the property duty on the trans' fer or mortgage of small estates, and rendered their sale ex tremely difficult. It fell very heavily on the change or trartsfer of large - properties. They had a right to demand that there e should be a Bill to enable them to sell their land in t": dearest and to purchase in the cheapest market. thought that the law of real property could vot no be found to be a burden on land, but socially C' t politically mischievous. He denied that the scheme was gee and comprehensive which proposed to relieve Scotland free!, the burden caused by the maintenance of one large prison, an yet left this master grievance untouched. He did not mean to say that nothing had been done since the report of the Res Property Commissioners, but he did think, that according to the recernmendation of the Commissioners, some Bill should be brought in to alleviate the present system. A very remarki able proof might be given of the supp os ed e ffect of the law of real property on the value of land. • In this country,, where 0, much social importance was co nnec t e d w ith th e posses sion o' land, land was sold at fewer years' purchase than on the Continent. Cn the Continent land was worth 45 years' per chase in some cases, arid in England from twenty-seven t° thirty years' purchase. In the sale of an estate in Somerset' shire, it had cost the vendor 4,600/. and the purchaser The same evils relating to property that existed in Ireland were to be found in Scotland. In the Highlands of Scotlit nu there was found the same want of employment and the seal absence of a middle class; and though these evils were net r t present aggravated with religious c o ntention, that state wig!. soon be brought about by the treatment which the F ree Church was likely to receive from the landlords of that cone try.—( Hear, hsar. ) Wales, like Ireland and Scotland , ". as also suffering, not from the oppression of the poor-law. or t!r operation of the " Bastiles,' as they were called, but by circumstances in which the holders of property were plat it Unless the burdens imposed 'oe real prop e rty were removed , • would be impossible to get rid of this state of tlaintm vaga' therefore, absurd to call the measure of the' doverninente, great and comprehensive one. No measure was entitled to _n • called such unless it grappled with this state of things' " 1 ,7 t made a final and satisfactory settlement of the difficulties tm ot surrounded personal and real property. The Goverilm b e l , were bound to suggest some plan to meet the evil ; or, if t : t were not prepared with a plan, then they ought to reaPP. I ' I , the Real Property Commissioners, to inquire into the soiln'na and to report to the House, that it might legislate upon it. the Mr. RA SFILEIGH said he could not remain silent en present occasion after what had been stated. He had no cull* tation to say that if th's measure passed it would be ° e a t ; giving a bonus to agitation. He asked the Right Honoursiee Baronet how he could consistently support the agitation of !0"0 Anti- Corn-law League —( Laughter from the opeosi ti ; benches )—seeing that from his position he was bound to Pa down agitation ?—(Laughter and ironical cheers from the or t position-benches.) The Member for Stockort might laug h ti l t what he stated, but he (Mr. Rashleigh) was not to be Pi down by him and the crew that sat behind him.—(Crigeel Order.") He was astonished at the cour se th e Right " A 0 Baronet was now taking, seei ng th e op i n i ons t h a t he hel d longer than about twenty-one months ago, in July, 1844,1 0 speech he then delivered. That speech so well expressed„ ( Mr. Rashleigh's) views, that he would read it. The Ll o s ,Member -then read the extract, which was to the e ffect it was Lepossible to carry out the rigid principle of pnt"'„ij economy, and that a repeal of the principle of protection sl°," oe t interfere with leases, derange the labour market, and a i n tbs established interests in a most injurious manner. 11 6 Right Honourable Baronet) was then against "•10 thing like the repeal of the corn-laws. NOW t he ( Mr. Rashleigh) would ask that Hon. Gentleman to giv e c el House the reasons which in such a short time had prodoto, this monstrous tergiversation. He called on him for s a fie faction on this point. If the present measure was pas s 7ol that House, he hoped the other House would do its dul:0 1 , save the country from the ruin that threatened R.-4 for oh !" from the Opposition benches.) He cared nothiegx their contempt. He lived far enough from their 10 , be ir region. He knew both them and it, and he also knase exact strength in the affections of the operatives. It iva! t he known that these Leaguers dared not call open meetings I m p manufacturing districts, as they would be sure of defeat_ 00, the poor people over which they tyrannised so severely., thing was said the ether night of the state of the mining ov tricts. He represented one of these districts, and he i e be asked the Hon. Member for Stockport to come down, an ° , 0 0 would find the people comparatively well off, and they ha d de , truck system among them. With regard to the mining 0 0 if he would only say, that respecting the duty on copper or e j to the Government proposition was carried out, it would lee peg the ruin of that branch of mining industry. He had had s e eh ral letters on this subject, and they all gave expres,ion to ' te n an opinion. The Hon. Member then read extracts froni sue el letters, w 1 ich were strongly condemnatory of the proet std alteration in the tariff regarding copper ore. One he t e es. was from a party in Cornwall, that employed 3,00 0 I'l - r t es Such were the general opinions he believed in that part 0 f her country, the feeling being decidedly against the polio): t hat Majesty's Government. It was with great pain bu t he must vote against the Right Hon. Baronet, w ith still he was not to be dragged through the mire cir ier him, and must act up conscientiously to the prin _ en t , upon which he had been returned to Parlisienro, He was elected in 1841, not as a pledged advocate of th e e lf laws, but be was expected to advocate the agricultural in‘e fe r it it of the country. He could assure the House that he had had his duty to maintain the fixed principles which that Fid.e_ re . now seemed to abandon, and he was determined, whil e tained his seat, that, however others might falsify those P ciples, be would preserve bis own consistency. bs ys Mr. BARING would have been much disinclined ge• come forward on this subject, but as it seemed a settled arra" Ito ment that the question should be debated in a given tios e f u ser felt some little anxiety that the debate should not 1 4-S until he had expressed his cordial support of the naesO r s did troduced by her Majesty's Government. And, althoug h . b 0 0 1 not mean to deny there were many points in the provost:S t - 0e the R:ght. Hon. Baronet which might properly lead to el o , sl sion ; yet, looking at the question as a whole—lool',7ol l it as giving so much present good, and as corn y co ld the seeds of so much future benefit, no 1 4° give the measure his utmost support. bee fo r thought that, after hearing the speech of the Hon. Mea l t Lambeth that evening, it was quite unnecessary for 13 , 1 a ide notice the observations of Hon. Members on the bee° until that speech had been replied t o . N ot hi ng new ba- t eig b ' , developed in the course of th e d e b a t e , un l ess, i n d e ed. it et t io be the formation of a thi r d p arty , diametrically oPPe ba d - their leading principles to the two great parties winc„ r er,' been wont to elivEtt the House, and which now stood 0 1 ;0 fectly independent position. But to that party he (Mr. l e i tbe; would be inc fined to put the question—what course ' e li d wit intend to follow on the present occasion ? He age t pe ril his Hon. Friend the Member for Ltskeard. that a gr es san s ' ought to have some great guiding principle ; and be to lb; dered, further, that that party were bound to expree s House the course they intended to follow. He truste d unnecessary to assure Gentlemen opposite that in anY to es% he should be obliged to make, no personal disrespect w as elti c to any of them. He admired' the spirit and the abilitY i c os' they had evinced under peculiarly difficult e i stances ; and, therefore, if any expression she a s ‘ t , from him, which might be deemed b sr i eP t i o severe, he hoped it would not be attributed to any ul ' ea ri nee i i or hostile feeling. It was very well to create a resin d i ; the Government measure—very well, indeed, to proeosteot ferent course ; but he would remind Hon. Gentleme" cameo public and the country received the proposal of the G° vee 01,1' os with acclamation, and he thought that when g entlellf fi n the te site had taken it upon themselves to form a party--Wre - y t ss expressed their disapprobation of the policy pursued o ort'l o Right Hon. Baronet—when they stated that he was of further confidence., surely he (Mr. Baring) was e ' l e ael P- e ask, when they thus disapproved of the present In c hef ), ,, what was the one they themselves were prepared to plat l ion ` j the country? He had listened with considerable at t ie en i soo re e the lung debate which had taken place, and he had enn`( th e e to fathom the future course of the protectionist pol o: ne t : i s rejected the present measure. The Hon. Member for id o e had said that this battle was for all, and that they we ll if q 3 O l of no compensation. He should be glad to leer,'' be g e .' opinion was the opinion of the party ; be s hould c een' b a { to learn what they proposed to lay before the m, slif io if they rejected the proposal brought forvvurd ado Hon. Baronet. Let them recollect the admission 03 retry Right Hon. Gentleman, le hen bringing forward this it, ee ce 4 Lion on a form er d ay . H e sta t e d t h at h e con eeire ( L o ptil l , sary, as early as the month of November, to take Pi s i e ing to meet the scarcity anticipated i n th e c ountry, by It s e , Order in Council for the suspension of the corn -law s ' o ugV now emitted by all-, that the Right Hon. Gentleror t est have issued that order. It was objected a gainst bin' beefs' had not done so, and with that admission b e tere thorn' asked Hon. Gentlemen opposite why they delayed I ' l Od e : Baring) offl i lion as to their future intentions ? He (Mr. d )0 , had heard of the British lion, he had heard of native es and he perfectly admired the spirit of the Mble f ore ta..' w speaking on this question, asked them what fl l ing br were prepared to bring forward—was it the snu ee OA. that they were prepared to substitute? Perhaps t esse%,. ask what argumeets they were p.reared to bring s o o to t o in favour of the 'sliding scale ? They were tell ere epeli that if they did not give to protection a fixe.i duty, that A _ O , be no reliance placed upon it. They were told t. t o n e. 1: 0 _ 0 ( duty was better than any other mode of protec I ',: int se , L o , Ireland suspension we were of the no.") He would like to know how they would go to their seri quite c re ,r a n d . y law to s. m_e ( e c t r t i h es e , : ofeo .; firii, to dsfend the sliding scale, when they bad expressed t° os iolt s j ness to support the Right Hon. Gentleman in a sOsePodessris the no.) Then he had o w e . them, certainly (' misunderstanding in sent a Te H o e es but corn-laws.—(No, w w s N° teen-twentieths of the House shared.—( Cheers.) ' wo uld s e Member for Somersetahire had stated that be et , wir e , wreear d es t re t a n dy su t t o p d or o t so su t s o p n e . ns . i ‘ t v in, and he stated that ttb ete let" ibs opposite were prepared to su as pp it or he a t re i l i d e u w ty as El y r ' ai3 e tio t a h . st time was passed for such a settlement of the n"! fie d I;Y he e thought that Hon. Gentlemen were perfectly just' t e e d t'o l e circumstances in changing their opinions. kle go t ° oir to d e e did they believe that they were prepared we re did country 'in the gut , slims of a fixed duty ? If they - 00 1 e ..bt mined to adhere to a sliding scale, to what slidi: rT he they propo'e to attach themselves ? The country costn'ipi o l to know whether they had settled amongst o°ol scheme which they were prepared to adhere to. so; bs t the Noble Lord who hail led the protection p anty u (Lord George Bentinck) to state to th e e° tan d us 0 e business scheme he was prepared t ' el ,' be of and go to the country with ? There . e°7 , o soo ots e doubt that the majority of that House Iva` esr e elf the measures of her Majesty's Government• Tli so fi des of Lim Guttman oppentiwis *it O a. )1/". out in ,!of that the. be oppoed 44 tal kien"emea 1 i ) . 9 an al tilt:4_' to ot her ia t v b e e B a n gt k e :, tr ( lnestiou to 1 It was tl th e Y,' one of the vi: t r eat the state wOuld be ti 5 ,.ed of his foo kr,44;t,)%01d say II oaU4 tkp men n ts f to the t albsl f t t k l t r' ote et i rt x t. , ;' te P eh l e ., I . r 's tr l' e s (l'u ht. 'i t e t a : r4u7d h le ie r:id ue eeel IP : ee rn , tr i el Ib uy t t er a:t(: i li sao a t aa'n n s l u k rt m e h o nk m el e s o lyr fs o i ' m t a cH is r r k pr° l.c °a e n° e : , lll kthi, ° * c ,Lag thie , ti at 0 ~ tP R • al3ef,i t o ohlotwof r wi e raja l gi a w. p x t t l "re was a 1 kv,,, ° woing-st reel t‘t 7 l ;, 4o t , as the t y N. t hat they, th and snout not trouble a° Ri sit down, ex r a,t Hon. Ile re tt er i rt the possibil th aeght that 14 ;8 4a ggerated.— 4 1 ,, t : atennent ma( #t,, l •• it to be it kli le 'ed to th e eat a large. SPotatoes for kk h tn nst of nece o f some oft p - * 21' he was qu ~;gerefore g iver St Which the C !,14 - , -e °t to those „ '"°se who WI 1 '4 4 wi th accusii o bbe N Otl 441 !I : 1 5 et ‘1 I:t 4 eQt 11 0 I I : , 1 lel: b .?1:1:: I t t l e j i 't i rtf: h :lnlh f lubsbaet i ir e i ) ech t ne t i etEi:l:Or e 'l wto s'nwrs: oh agt w ntuwrli gla ta ri n;age , b lt Gl:Yt t usn:ilu :t r ete: , tae t :l-isf e lrli o sin' h d: ltQfcilais f °at e ivr'cti c i'l(lll . : t lirn %N I , g e reat e e whe 11 le St N"... 4 ee S . lll , ject. the e dint `ite rate d under nl 3 ' . Ni t : e tt ted with I P r IC ; and more than S 4 h il tence 2tl t- 7,e wag o n: t he figur 'sr Il lamert 1 h ca l officer e believed 4 1 lo s those s who sent , th a 1, 1 tW , • , res ieeti k, qh, • / - nt ne ti4l4't ragingii 1 :Otato crop. a I,l'llnit.,N4l:t'Rileilf::::sflo:offit some. r el , i n e e: ad r that it ,;..$0 41 ,,„'" 1t of fever ,N tv men ant • r: it an 7Apl i,}l held „ 1 1, :pi de e rn o . ur c 6 '44 ° i f b wi d th f e° toad i I,e t ( . 4t i% th e resen f ti ltta„ v e zia,,t whi I,li offever a t ° ad ro•l ios 't te e th° se su„ L ge t „ P,tient's wl abet►°ltrtd to she Vq e Governm th e apprel iJVt t er,l° l a lit:le 1 munic state , in stat in 'io t ,, Irelan, ls to t p tbat. h e v I iOrte ri ay. a 14 lc! that ,71 'Y any am 1 4,, - 1° Passed tC 10 , 4r ve la r ° C f th 41. e .13treV10! t . parch !0 i l i e t titoislekt the 411:11 1kI 41‘111ill: t 41: s4e' t i 14111 ' 1-I::4‘ e int t n t. : o h li khi°i t niae t tiO o rr s ' il thh'io r ne a l heic , t' t l ) tilhl l l'T'-' l '' l in t tk t §ch hts d,st t th: V•l 4a ° him 4 4 ,R,„, faituri to tt5 , .. , ..e,t . 1 for k i ` t s, l , t c 0 17 . r t4 ? l eat, the ; ItZtt. RPuile a The Ii " ‘ , er ge (.; ltp , tt o ;ltassesn, ‘,Na af th Wa . et „ 1/44 til ded t; a ne aT tl lt - si the ale t • to tot 14, 1 it a t, an PPear ¶4 4 t d that kar Potato t 5 Cor• tan ) by e hi, to " was 'i ( :t r : se r' r t re e s r P y ° t l t : of ald t: 4 4 D'd he 4t the Z ia (o .te t . co" ion, much Bee c: L. i °a n tio 4,, as tl real sive t, cg to th Stl lo t r edw that t i lit.,„ °4, ti , to *x dh Ported k ‘ 4 lb: tqUid ni bti'"ent o /41 4 4 ' a 44 si"'"In . P ib ' l Rht g of ki k th the Y k T 4 t ht r e y y ou (1 1 4 s i ' l b e: t ab le th e near. Ile ° 4 41 ttl • ad ' lo w) . ilk e a 49 t I tithotio :; 1:4.1,u1d It; resid er 1141 slA e to `L'at a , tiNt t'ti g } )t igl h t : 4 4 4 °4 ' Ni 4 to t o Ql, l : ed ke I 41 a 1v 41, 1, f t 4 iZ e a Of I 11 10 MI 11, 01 ONI r I P • Sh tight Y th, I th y , ri, i 44 4. z t k ° / ' o *, l4i str l 1 4 -p h t.k'e t ( 44 4 4 ed in 1 4, t atln t 'a!t t 41. Thal thtl‘ed tktek'rlcr a 4 , 41 1 , 41h . 1 ,11 4:l4,thati, TEi.E SUN, LON