The Express.
London, England, 1848-05-18 00:00:00

iIIIIEIiIAL l'A ItLIAMEN't.

110USK OF COMMoNS.—WEDNRSDAT, MAT
The firr.stunn took the chair at 12 &dock.
PRIVATE nUnIN P.Sfs-
REPORTS CONnIDERED. -Aberdare Railway Mt Amendment
(love of line and works to the Taff Vais Railway Company) ; Har-
row liarbour ; Forth and Clyde Navigation and Airdrie and Coatbridge
Water lemla and Thirsts tbdlway of levels of hereto and
Hartlepool Manse y in &interrelate, Preston, and Swett" U.);
York, Nicotinic, and Berwick MONS, (lota Yolk and New matte
Riilway main line Immu Prement, Mlle.
ERLIC WIRINESS.
PETITIONS -Ry Si, J. 11A S M ER. Irons Mint, against Health of
Tow is 11111.-Mr. MI.INTE, from aPr eabyte Ann body in Itirnainglanr:
an 110S1. to Llihat, fonn "'arida e; Mr. S. CRAW Minn, from
Poonty 1./own; Mr. P. t•IIARTERIS, from Ilaildturoonthire
CARDWELL, from Liverpool ; Sir I). DUN OAS. from Suisterttml;
and Mr. GIP MAN, !eon Ouldin; in fsvour ol the Chorell Sibs
Limn lOU. -t reellet.l., from ihopkeepers in 'Richton, in
sour of the reniediee s)alnie the Hundred MIL -sir J. W ALM, LEI ,
from Leicester. agarnet sontmuntee nf grants for in Outcries", the
J uggerneut aystrui.-Mr. s lIRISTOI.II ER, from • clam in I.lmo In,
coutplaitinis of the spreatl of inn mignon. e, ;net twining Pie M OAUIVID
top romote temperente by prohibiting a:deo( laptops on Sundays; Mr.
O. J. TIM: Eli, from it name, lincolmhire, to mom effect. - Mr.
SPOONER, from Alexander t /rant, for leave to withdraw linen
belied trimmest to be prevertuni reelecting turnpike retails. -Mr, WU-
MOnTLEI, tons
VERIE, mom amend
Roth.). (3) , Mr. COWAN. from Edinburgh and other 'lmes (6)
Mr. F. MAPLE. I'M= Perth and various places ) Mr. SMOLLPT
Iron Ininthirtonehire and other places m 'mahout (5) ; In favour of
Ersuttsg sore tor ties Chordate in Santini)
SECO): REAPINt.S.- Porliamentary Electors; Memo( Wondsip
Mien
REPORT. -Joint Sunk Companies Pill.
NO IRKS tip 310 flu s.- user si. OP Tit R ttimtv
Mr. R OISE., on Mb June, to submit a motion for the repeal
Of this act.
Por-orrice Ai avico.-Mr. 11. tiettliKhEr, on Friday next, to
move to, imam., enowing the nature of Ilse post-OMo. *creme be.
hewn Dover ond the ports .1 Boslogne and O•te:..i
SALit OY Pitervisuroe.--Str. BANK).* us the Pei June, to move for
lone to Ming in rt bill to give additional power to inspeetore of
11tightet and me :Aims for the puristic sheeltng hinds in the silo
of head ani other provlanum.
FLACKS or Wolollll. SIMS NO:MX.3O Boa_-Mr. OSWALD, on
going into tottonatee On chi. hall, to move an goo action to the com-
mittee, to estend its operation to all prate of the United Kiugdoto.
l'A ELI ENTA RI ELF:C.I'OES HILL.
Sir D. L. IIVANS moved the second tootling of this
bill, which hao for its of ji ct to alter and amend the rate-
paying, clauses of the Helot m Act. The bad result of these
provisions win well known. He lie ieved the right hon
merub, r nix Tamworth and the noble lord at the head of the
governmi of had both at one time liven oisqualitieif in comic •
quence of Vier o;ii ration. In hlorylebone, at the last elec-
ts in, no Ices than WOO well qualified tutors were di4mn-
ch eid under the iiSOIC SySteLO. Ile believed if this bill
weree pswed the franchise would be extended in the best way
possible.
Tho question having been put, apause ensued, when
Capt H %KRIS said he did not underetand the bill was to
be acre. it to without diacumien. Ile wished ton cord his
decided objection to it.
rO. GREY said when a similar hill was befor' the
house two years ago, he gave his support to i., and lie was
quite prepared on this occasion to record his vote in its
favour. 110 had only retrain. d from rising before treatise
ktving heard no obi, etion to the measure he thought it un-
meet...try to say anything upon the subject.
The house divided-For the second reading tid
Ag cost
AUDIT OF RAILWAY ACCOUNTS BILL.
Sir F. T. BAILING moved the .word r, whin( of ibis bill,
witch lituleomi Wm the other house. The principle of the bill
was, that a minority of railway sharehold. re might compel
the directors to have their accounts audited by en impartial
party, appointed by the government aid unconnected in any
way with the company. That was the whole principle of
the bill. There were details rispeeting the number of share-
holders who must sign the requisition to the government,
and as to the general mode of prates tits,/ ; but the entire ob-
ject of the bill was to secure a tale stretnent of a company's
recounts in ease of its being desired by any of the share
hold. ens To such a bill lie con d hard'. have expected any
opposition. Ile understood, howsvee, that there wire bon.
memin rs who yTy strongly of+ cted hi it. If Oh it objet'
tires atlsch d micters of de:ail they mull urge them in rem'
milted; but if they applied to the princip e, he WAS bound
to s..y that he saw no distinction between radway companies
and other a.rp trate bodies. lie had nu douht tnat eveidin
Sky, if not to-uay, the principle must be adopted. lie
should be sorry it it were not acted on to-day, fur he thought
it would rot add to the credit of the house if they rejected a
meanest of so simple a charazter, after the other house had
shown themeelvss so ready to adopt it. ()ilia., ho, he was
sure, that it they did not adopt this measure now, they would
have a more atringept one passed hereafter.
Mr. BANK ES opposed the bill, and intimated his intro-
tion, unless his views were wholty alterel by what might
subsequently be said in debate, of moving that the bill be
ri ad a second time that day six months. The right hon.
b tronet opposite admired thst the measure was but an in-
stalment of the severe restriction which the nacres," of the
pubic required to he plied upon the railway system let
the right hon. baronet then abandon his incomplete mea-
sure, and at arse bring forward the proposition which he
might conader fully adequate to the necessity of the rose,
.0 not injure the interest of the publte by this piece meal

leg elation
Mr. LABOCCHERE supported the bill. The MCMIUIt
had reciivid the almost unanimms sanction of the ather
branch of the legislature, nor had • ward against its pro-
visions been raised there on the part of that railway in-
terest which always showed itself so vigilant whenever
its interests were renily endangered, or eupp,siert to be
endangered. The right 100. gentleman tok ewer
sien to vindicate the railway eommbsion from the
charge of drawi, g ularits without performing cht-
ties. 110 ccuhl assure the house, from his short epee! '
ence of the department, that the Libman of the (Metre of
the board were neither few, nor slight, nor exempt from
'evert respon,thiiity. Ile denounced as spurious and
most mischievous economy the aft, mpt to throw upon
mibieters of the crown the charge of conducting the business
of the country without giving them aderprate aesistanee in
the there of competent officers. He hail always regarded
railway companies as participating in the character of public
companies in quite as full • degree as they bore a private
character, and he had therefore always considered tt de-
sirable that there should be more government
interferenceinerference
in their case than would be proper or justifiable
to companies ef a wholly priest,. charieter. He was ready
to admit that the ralway companies had upon the wide
conducted their affairs with much energy and ability;
but it could not be denied that in many caws
they had manifested • tendency to an arhitrarinese
of conduct ae regarded the public which certainly par-,
Lament could never have deigned to sanction. They
bad, in fact, seemed to rep ad themselves as "char-
tered libertines," who might commit all eerie of
escapades without being held liable to any supervision or
eh. ek. Among other things, it was tolerably certain that
the present principle of railway audit wee wholly load, grate
to the protection of that large proportion of the public who
were sbotreho!dere in the various lines. True, tht se parties
might from time to time inspect the books, but they bad n
means of comparing these with the
me eouchem. eviite ap-
proved of the princi-le of the prop an satire, and wi•hout
pledgier himszlf to the details, should cordially support its
second reading.
Mr. HENLEY did not conceive that either the right hon.
introducer of the measure, or the goverunient, were pecu-
liarly in a position to impugn the accounts of the railway
companies ; the right hon. baronet euring his manegement
of the exchequer hail been more rtmareelile for d-ficient
revenues than ;or anything else, ant the present goverunicnt
hail done nothing to reflect the odium of compariemi upon
the right hen. bar met in this respect. He sow nothing in
this measure entitling it to the approbation of the house
OT of the country. The principle promised by it was
not a ready puke audit of railway compenies, hut the ills
turbance of tickling scanunts by any se awn of shereholders
who, from moth it curiosity, or from • desire to job. might
get up an a.!its•iun against the boby of direetnrs. Ile el
that any public ground existed fur the adoption of this

ineASU re,
Mr. AOLIONBY supported the re., si.ure, as mos. whole-
some for the public and most beneficial for the rail
themselves. The publicity which it would create of
accounts, a publicii which nn honest man or set of ro-n
could object to, would, in itself, mice the ch.r.icirr .4 all
legitimate undertakings in the eyes of the public. It was o
matter of essential importance to the community to know
from time to time the actual condition of the various rail-
ways, upon the undoubted testimony not if one of the per-
soon intettste t in the concern, but of a wholly impartial in-

restigatnr.
Mr. MUNTZ regarded this amours as only another
exempla ol the mania of the present goernmi•nt for
medoling with everybody sig.'s business and uot miLditig

its own.
The heave divided—For the second reining
100-62311
Against it
PLACER OF WORSHIP SITES (SCOTLAND) BILL.
Mr. BOUVERIE said that it was 110.. without reluumnee
he unwed the second reading of this bill. The cantl:, of •
few but inliaentid p rsone had, however, compelled him to
take the enirree he now pursued, u those pereens had acted
is a manner quite opposed to the piiicipl: a of toleration.
The bill wan framed for providing sites for places of weir-
ship in Selland. There could be eo dolet as to the facts 411
which it was baud. They had been examined into by a
committ' c, and that conittee had repoted hat there were
numbers of congregations in Scotland wt r 0
we tre deprived of
the ineansot a• enabling in a place of woreh'p ; and it 1,1101 Ulla;
niroounly agreed that this state of thingsoue htte he remedied.
The hon. mend}, r then proceeded to cite verioun eases of
hardshi arising fau the state ot the we .ther to which con-
gregatiop ns and threir pastors had been expos, d durin2 late
years, owing to the places where they met tor worship being
with for the purpose. The evidence girt a before the emu-
anittee :eatoined ample details Irmo this point; awl the
want of proper piaci e of wnr.hlp was not p, collar to one
„met of Scotland, hut extend. d en well thrnu theta the low-
land., in the Maid Inds, and the Isle. of Sky, Mull, and else-
where. These 'Mails were essential tosnuels enabling the
yous„ to understate: the extreme etmeeaity fur some
measure such as the premnt. There was only an in-
stance in wi.ich a disposition was manilested to afford
the accessary °' stir
for erecting a ',Nee of worthip—
th it, nem. ly, ot James Hellen. At; the other pro-
pel. ton o' laud in Scotland had refits. d to grant sites.
The number of congregatemseircumstancer was esti.
mated at thirty-five. The how.- was aware ef thi
ieotives
which had induced them to eecede from the church ot
lurid. II II it ,V4l, possible to discover a remedy for this state of
things it was the duty of parliament to d.. eo, and he believed'
that the bill proposed by him would provele that remedy. The
bill proposed to give power to congreg itions to apply by peti-
tion to the nigh Court of Snsion fur a rite, and it upon in.
quire the allegations of the petition. re were found correct,
the slo riff of the district was to be empowered to go to the
spot and to sleet a proper site r r !adding a church, the ex-
pellee of the whole proceeding to be defrayed by the promie
toe of the soil, whose refusal to great a she hed occatiourd