The Sun.
London, England, 1855-06-12 00:00:00

i:EUM BILL.

On the motion that this bill be read a second time,
Lord BERNERS rose to oppose the further progress
of the bill. The noble lord, in the course of his obser-
vations, took occasion to refer to a petition that he was
intrusted with to present against the bill. That petition
set forth a series of objections to the measure. That it was
at variance with the original contract entered into by the
Company when they obtained possession of the ground ;
that it interfered with the prerogative of the High Court
of Chancery; that in contravention of the original act, the
company expended a large sum of money in an improper
manner, and that the bill itself did not contain any p;o-
-♦ision for the compensation of the incumbents of the
metropolis who would be deprived of their usual bu:ial
fees by the establishment of this new cemetery.
Lord REDESDALE supported the bill, and con-
tended that it was framed in accordance with the origi-
nal act.

After a short discussion, in which the Earl of STR A.D..
BROKE and Lord ST. LEONARDS took part,
The bill was read a second time.

THE ORDNANCE SURVEY OF SCOTLAND.

The Earl of EGLINTON begged to ask her Majesty's
Government the question of which he had given notice,
viz., what decision had been come to with respect to the
scale on which the Ordnance survey of Scotland was to
be concluded. He thought it was most desirable
that there should be one uniform system of a 6-inch scale
carried out. He heard it was proposed to carry this
survey on in 25-inch scale, which he thought was highly
objectionable.
The Duke of ARGYLL contended that the 25-inch
plan was not only generally useful, but indispensable, in
Scotland. It was, however, obvious, that while the 25-
inch scale was the most useful in the commercial and
highly-cultivated districts, it was utterly useless in re-
gard to the mountainous districts.
ord MONTEAGLE thought good would result from
a smaller map, on a scale of one inch to the mile, accom-
panying the larger one.
The Earl of HARDWICKE thought it was a matter
of the greatest advantage for the landed proprietors of
Scotland to have a 25 inch scale adopted, as they would be
enabled to see their properties minutely described at the
public expense. (Laughter.) If he was a Scotch-
man he should very much like to forward his own pri-
vate views in this respect at the public expense. (Laugh-
ter.)

After a short conversation, the subject dropped.
THE IRISH PEERAGE.

The Earl of DERBY rose to call the attention of the
house to the circumstances attending the creation of the
barony of Fermoy. The noble earl said that the peerage
bad been created to serve political purposes, and de-
scribed the exercise of the prerogative as a contravention
of the Act of Union. It was very singular that the first
of the three vacancies which gave rise to the new crea-
tion should have fallen vacant so far back as 1802, and
that in all the successive creations which had taken place
since that time, amounting to fifteen or sixteen, no one
had ever dreamed of the earldom of Mountrath being
vacant, so as to give the Crown a right to create a new
peer. It was somewhat curious, remembering that the
right of creating a peer accrued to the Crown at the ex-
piration of one year from the death of the last of the three
peers, that the two last peerages which perfected the title
of the Crown to create a new peer became vacant on the
26th and 29th of January, ' 1. consequently that the
right of the Crown accrued ) January, 1854, and yet
that it was not until the elid of March, 1855, that
the Government exercised the right which clearly
belonged to them, according to their own interpretation
of the Act of Union in the beginning of 1854. The noble
earl concluded by moving that the circumstances of the
creation of the barony of Fermony be referred to a com-
mittee of privileges.
Earl GRANVILLE agreed with the noble earl that
the question was one of great impoLtance to the house,
as affecting its privileges, and also as involving the pre-
rogative of the Crown. He wan-quite willing to as-
sent to the motion to refer it to the committee of privi-
leges.
Lord ST. LEONARDS thought the Government were
seriously to blame for the course they had pursued on
this occasion, even if they had deemed themselves in the
right.

Lord BROUGHAM said the motion had been adopted
by the house without any difference of opinion, and he
asked their lordships to consider the position in which
they would be placed if the discussion was to be con-
tinued.
The LORD CHANCELLOR—His noble and learned
friend was altogether wrong if he supposed that in the
few observations which he (the Lord Chancellor) was
about to address their lordships he meant in the slightest
degree to diverge from the very wholesome rule his noble
and learned friend had laid down, and which his other
noble and learned friend (Lord St. Leonard's) com-
menced by stating that he should follow, though the
whole tone of his speech was eminently, in point of prac-
tice, at variance with the principle on which he set out.
He by no means wished to say that his noble and
learned friend had not taken a right view of the law ;
but upon that point he must reserve to himself the exer-
cise of the most unbiassed and unfettered judgment
when the case came judicially before him. He trusted
that their lordships, and especially the law lords, would,
when they came to hear the arguments upon the ques-
tion, decide calmly and dispassionately, looking at all
the clauses of the Act of Union, and that nothingwhich
had passed to-night would tend to prejudice the right of
any party.
Lord ST. LEONARD'S.—According to this method'
poor Lord Fermoy would have to battle the case in
order to try the rights of the Crown. (Hear, hear.)
Lord CAMPBELL said the Earl of Derby was junti-
fipd in proposing his motion, as years might perhaps
elapse before Lord Fermoy came forward and made his

The motion was then agreed to.
LEASES AND SALE OF SETTLED ESTATES

BILL.

The house having gone into committee on this bill,

Clauses up to 10-vi-ere agreed to,

Oa clause 11,

The Earl of DERBY moved to omit the words " ,he
whole or," his object being to deprive the Court of
Chancery of the power of ordering the sale of the wh ale
estate—which he thought would be a most danger ,us
power to give the court.
The LORD CHANCELLOR said the noble earl;took
a very extreme view of the matter. The intention was
to enable the Court of Chancery to sell such portions of
the estate as it might deem necessary, with the view of
improving the property generally.
The Earl of WICKLOW reminded their lordships that
the great object of the measure was to provide against
the necessity of an application to Parliament for a bill
to empower the sale of every estate, as was heretofore
necessary. He thought that the omission of the words
referred to would probably mar the object which they
had in view.
The committee having divided, there appeared for the
amendment—
Contents
Non-contents . lO
Majority against the amendment —4
The clause was then agreed to, as were the remaining
clauses, and the bill passed through committee.
BRIGHTON INCORPORATION BILL.
This bill was read a second time.
INFANTS' MARRIAGE BILL.
On the motion of the LORD CHANCELLOR, this
bill passed through committee pro forma, in order to its
being reprinted with amendments.
AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS.
Lord STANLEY of ALDERL EY then moved for the
appointment of a select committee to inquire into the
best mode of obtaining agricultural statistics from all
parts of the United Kingdom, which was agreed to, and
Their lordships adjourned et ten minutes past nine.

ROUSE OF COMMONS—(YESTERDAY.)
haThvineg Covered from his late indisposition, took the
OATHS AND QUALIFICATIONS OF MEMBERS.
The SPEARER thanked the house for their kindness
during his recent illness,tirad remarked he had the satis-
faction of knowing public business had no::
t been impeded by his absence.
attention of the house to the He had to call the
e
oaths
and their seats
circumstance of two
members having taken the
during his absence. That. wa
act to be done within certain hours required by the
in the chair, and doubts had
beenwith the Speaker
Speaker should
a
r
whether it was absolutely necessary the expressed
be in the chair at the time or any other so
for him. No doubt the Legislature intended the acting
oaths
and the seats should be taken in the most public
solemn manner possible when the house was not in nand
=Mee. Doubts having been suggested respecting citnille.
taking the oaths and seats by the two hon. members
alluded to, it would be well for the house Eto consider
the matter, because although these gentlemen had
taken. the oaths and done all that was necessary on
their parts they were placed in an inconvenient position,
'nt was passed to prevent
against them for sitting
it haVing properly taken
hear.)
ising his regret for Mr.
ixpressed the gratification
mg able to resume his seat
of those duties he had so

1:I a ciVciS Aka I,Z

ably discharged with so much satisfaction to the house,
and advantage to the public interest. (Hear, hear.)
With reference to the question alluded to by the
Speaker, he (Sir G. Grey) having had his attention pri-
vately called to the matter, he had conferred with se-
veral gentlemen learned in the law and others compe-
tent from their experience in the house to form an
opinion thereon, and they unanimously concurred in
the doubt expressed by the Speaker, and tist that doubt
ought not to remain, but proceedings tak to prevent
it. The gentlemen alluded to were desired to t (Ade to the
table of the house, and were swern with the sanction
of the house with that publicity which no doubt the act
intended, and had thereby been completely obtained.
He had thought it better to prepare a bill which he
hoped would meet with the concurrence of all
hon. members, and would remove all doubts and make
valid what had been done in that house during the
Speaker's temporary illness. (Hear.)
Mr. WALPOLE, and other hon. members having
expressed their gratification at the recovery of the
Speaker, and their assent to the proposal of the Home
Secretary, leave was given to introduce the bill.

STANDING ORDERS.-WESTMINSTER
(PRIVATE) LAND BILL

Mr. FITZROY called 'the attention of the house to
the standing order with reference to this bill. The bill
had been opposed in committee, and sent back to him
as chairman of Ways and Means ; and considering it to
be analogous to one now before another committee, he
moved that the Westminster (Private) Land Bill be re-
ferred to the committee of Group P, for them to proceed
with it as they thought proper.
The following bills were read a third time :—Hyde
Gas (No. 3), Bristol and Exeter Railway, Liverpool
Cbrporation Water, East of Fife Railway, Fife and Kir-
ross Railway, Hartlepool Pier and Port, Leek Improve-
ment, Mid Kent and North Kent Railway, North
Yorkshire and Cleveland Railway, Scinde Railway,
and Stockport, Disley, and Whaley Bridge Railway.
Petitions were presented from Edinburgh against the
bill for regulating the Court of Session, and one for the
re-establishment of the office of Secretary of State for
Scotland ; from Dublin, for the better observance of the
Sabbath.

METROPOLIS LOCAL MANAGEMENT BILL.
The house then went into committee on this bill, com-
mencing at clause 48, at which point the further discus-
sion of the bill had been adjourned on the 22d of May.
Clauses up to 58 were agreed to after some verbal
alterations.

Clause 59 was agreed to, after a short discussion.
On clause 60 being put, which gave power to the dis-
trict surveyor to have the supervision of privies and
cesspools,

Air. WILKINSON said that such an arbitrary power
was greatly to be deprecated.
Sir B. HALL defended the clause, and contended
that its provisions were essentially necessary to the
healthy drainage of the metropolis.
The clause was then agreed to.
Clause 61, imposing a penalty on persons making or
improperly altering drains, was agreed to.
Clauses 62, 63, 64, and 65, were agreed to after a
short discussion.

On clause 66 being put, which removes the power
from local boards to the general board,
Sir B. HALL said that the greatest pains and trouble
had been taken in draping up the bill. In doing so
no less than from 250 to 300 local acts had to be con-
sidered.
Mr. HENLEY said that this was one of the most
important clauses in the bill, but he doubted whether it
would effect the object it purported to carry out.
Sir B. HALL observed that he would take care
that that object should be effected.
Sir H. WILLOUGHBY said that the clause ought
to be postponed until the other clauses that were
to be proposed had been putbefore the house.
Sir B. HALL hoped the house would allow the clause
to pass upon the promise that he had given, that he
would ascertain which would be the better course to
adopt, to repeal all the local acts, or to adopt the sug-
gestions that had been put forward.
Lord EBRINGTON thought that the clause ought
to be postponed.
Mr. WILLIAMS deprecated the adoption of any
such course. He thought that the objections of the
noble lord had been met and answered by the right hon.
baronet.

The clause as verbally amended was agreed to, and
ordered to stand part of the bill.

Clauses 67, 68;and 69 were agreed to, after some slight
verbal alterations.

Lord R. GROSVENOR asked the right hon. baronet
if it was his intention by this bill to interfere with the
powers at present exercised by the Metropolitan
Commissioners of Roads. Turnpike gates in populous
neighbourhoods were a great nuisance.
Sir B. HALL replied it was not his intention to inter-
fere with that body by this bill, and it was a question
that had better not then be entered into.

The further consideration of the bill was adjourned
till to-morrow.

The house adjourned at 4 o'clock.

The SPEAXER took the chair at six o'clock. He was
greeted by almost every member in the house upon his
recovery from his late accident.
A. great number of petitions were presented from
various places against the Beer Bill, and against the
College of Maynooth.
RETIREMENT OF EAST INDIA. OFFICERS.
Mr. CRATTFURD asked the President of the Board
of Control whether his attention had been called to the
recent case of "Graseme v. Wroughton," in which the
Court of Exchequer had decided that the practice of sub-
scribing a sum of money to induce officers in the East
India Company's army to retire is illegal, and a misde-
menour ; and, if so, whether he intended to take any
steps to remedy the effects of such a decision ?
Mr. V. SMITH said that his attention had not been
officially called to the case to which the hon. and learned
gentleman referred ; but he had read the accounts of it in
the newspapers. He should add, that he did not quite
understand on what grounds the decision upon the point
proceeded. The practice which was found to be illegal
had no doubt existed to a certain extent, and had not
been discountenanced by the Government ; neither did
he think that within sertain limitations it was prejudicial
to the public service. He should consult with the Court
of Directors as to the expediency of taking some step for
the purpose of placing the law upon the subject on a
more satisfactory footing.
INDIAN SALT COMMISSION—THE INDIAN

unless some ler4islative enaetmel
al4,olTron't tireine, brought
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