The Sun.
London, England, 1852-06-08 00:00:00

LONDON, TUESDAY

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, June 7.

The LORD CHANCELLOR took hi seat on the Wool-
sack at Five o'clock,

L OF EVIDENCE (SCOTLAND) BILL.
Lord LYNDHURST, with reference to this Bill,
stated that having communicated with the law authorities
of Scotland, who were desirous of securing some further
evidence as to the manner in which the late alterations
in the law of evidence worked in England, he should not,
therefore, at present persevere in the motion of which he
had given notice, to insert certain words in the Bill,
with a view to extending the whole of these alterations
to the law of Scotland.

vv
Lord BROUGHAM approved of the postponement of
the Noble Lord's motion for the present session, but he
hoped it would not be understood that the Scotch
lawyers were opposed to the principles of the alteration;
they merely wished to have a little more insight into its
working in this country,
Lord CAMPBELL said he hoped to see the whole of
these alterations introduced into the Scotch law daring
the next session.

Afters few words from Lord MWTO and Lord LYND-
HtinsT the subject dropped.

PETITIONS.
Lord BROUGHAM presented petitions from the
Chamber of Commerce at Norwich and other places in
favour of the Patent Law Amendment Bill; from St.
Andrew's, praying to be exempted from the Burghs
(Scotland) Bill; from articled clerks of a place in York-
shire, praying to be allowed to practise in county,courts;
and from au individual, praying for copyhold eattran-
shisement„

Lord CRANWORTH presented a petition praying
for copyhold enfranchisement.
CORRUPT PRACTICES AT ELECTIONS ]
At the request of the Earl of DERBY,
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE agreed that th
should be read a second time to-morrow, pro form
that the discussion on it should he taken on goin
Committee on Monday next.
Tne Earl of DERBY gave notice that, supposit
Militia Bill were brought up from the other Hot
night or to-morrow night, ho should propose the t
reading on to-morrow (Tuesday) week.
BURGHS (SCOTLAND) BILL.
On the motion of the Earl of MINTO, the rep
this Bill, with amendments, was received and agr
The Earl of ELLESMERE presented a petitiot
the inhabitants of Manchester on the subject
present system of poor-relief, and praying for t
troduction of a system of productive labour for pa
The petition referred to a subject of great mognitu
importance, and he wished to call the attention
House and the Government to the fact that the
expreßsed in the petition was largely entertained
country. He did not wish, however, to be consid
supporting the views of the petitioners.
Lord MONTE AGLE said the question was Ye
pular with those who only viewed one side of tl
jest.
He objected to turning the poor-law unions
sort of manufactories, as unjust to the honest, in
ous, and selt-supporting labourers, who by such a
would be exposed to unjust competition with persc
must at any rate be supported. The partial adop
the system bad depreciated the wages of labour I
great metropolis to a very great and unnatural ei
After a few words horn the Earl of DONC
MORE, which were inaudible in the gallery,
The petition was orderud to lie on the table.
THE PROPOSED HALIFAX AND QUE
RAILWAY.

,ILL.

is Bill
and
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from
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UGH-

intention of
ih,oruse
any Majesty'sfu
Earl GREY rose, pursuant to notice, to ask the Under
Secretary of State for the Colonies whether it was the
Governmentorrespon
dt
eon
olay
relatingo n t h e
abtelentoiefri
rther c
to the proposed construction of a railway between Hali-
fax and Quebec. In asking the question of which he
had given notice, he would only say a few words in ex-
planation. Their Lordships would remember that much
interest had been taken in the subject of the proposed
construction of a railway from Halifax to Quebec. Some
years ago, when the Noble Earl opposite filled the office
of Colonial Secretary, he received addresses from the
colonies on the subject, and officers of the royal
engineers were appointed to explore the country and re-
port as to the line they might think best for the con-
struction of the railway. That report was received
in 1848, when it was his (Earl Grey's) duty
to transmit it to the governors of the 'colonies
affected by it. In the spring of 1849 Lord Elgin,
the Governor of Canada, sent certain resolutions
of the executive council of that colony to him pro-
posing that the great work contemplated should be un-
dertaken on certain terms by this country. That pro-
posal was very liberal, and ho had no doubt that it would
have met with the concurrence of the other two pro-
vinces, but at the same time the adoption of that mea-
sure would have involved the expenditure of a large sum
of money by this country; and at that time, looking to
the financial condition of this country, it was not con-
sidered advisable by the Government that the measure
should be assented to; accordingly, with considerable
reluctance, the proposal was declined. In the autumn of
the following year the Lieutenant-Governor of Nova
Scotia (Sir John Harvey) deputed to this country a
member of the Executive Council (Mr. Howe), with
whom he (Earl Grey) had frequent communications.
That gentleman proposed that a loan on behalf of the
province of Nova Scotia of 800,0001. should be
raised by the province with a guarantee by this
country, which would enable it to be raised at a
lower rate of interest. The assistance asked for was
the credit of this country only, not the advance of the
money. That proposal was considered by himself and
his colleagues as exceedingly reasonable, and accord-
ingly in March, last year, intimation was given to Lord
Elgin, and to the Lieutenant-Governors of Nova Scotia
and New Brunswick that if the three provinces would
divide among themselves the expense of constructing
this railway, and would undertake to execute the work,
the Government would recommend to Parliament that
the guarantee of the British Treasury should be given,
which would effect a saving of 2i per cent. in the rate
of interest. The province, unassisted, could obtain the
money at 6 per cent.; but with the guarantee of the Bri-
tish Treasury, at 3i per cent. The dispatches contain-
ing this decision were sent over in March, 1851; and in
making this statement to the governors, he informed
them that her Majesty's Government did not insist that
the line recommended by Major Robinson should be
adopted; but all they insisted on was that it should bo a
line passing entirely through British territories, and that
any deviation from Major Robinson's line shoud be sub-
ject to the approval of the Government. Since that date,
various communications had taken place; and shortly
before leaving office he had received an intimation that
the assemblies of the three provinces had agreed upon
the principle on which the expense of constructing this
great work should be divided among them. At the same
rime, it was quite a different line from that which Major
Robinson recommended should be adopted. He had
been informed that Mr. Hincks, a member of the Legie-
tive Council of Canada Mr. Challoner, a member of the
Legislative Council of New Brunswick, and Mr. Howes,
as the representative of Nova Scotia, would be sent
to this country to communicate with the Govern-
ment, and to ascertain whether the proposal would
be acceded to. •
ro this communication he answered,
that while he
, regretted Major Robinson's line had
not beenanoeted
adopted, the Government would be quite
prepared to consider as to sanctioning the line now
proposed ; and
he was sanguine that that would
have led to the Construction of that great national work.
The establishment of a railway communication between
the three provinces on British territory was an object of
the very highest national importance.—(Hear, hear.)
Without that, the permanence of their connexion was ex-
tremely problematical. It was therefore with great dis-
appointment he had learnt, from an answer reported to
have been given in the other House of Parliament, that
the communication between her Majesty's present ad-
visers and the Very able and intelligent gentlemen who
came from the colonies had not led to a satisfactory re-
sult, and not onl-
y that the proposal had been rejected,
but rejected in
manner which, judging from a letter
that had appeared in the papers, had given rise to feel-
ings of great excitement, and would render it improbable
that the communication could ever be established. As
from the answere given in the other House it appeared the
negotiation Was brought to an end, he hoped the whole
correspondence would be laid at an early date on the
table of that
House. He was suro it was a subject which
well deserved the attention of their Lordships, and ought
to t.eceive it at the earliest possible moment.
The Earl of DERBY said as he had for several years
taken a I conclusion of
'917 deep interest in the successful
the nee
-battalion for connecting by railway the three Bri-
tish provinces he would answer the question and state-
ment of the N bl Earl opposite, although the question
had been a ddre
o h Noble Lord behind him (Lord
Colchester
sses- to t e
), as belonging to is b' department, though it
was by no means a question of colonial interest only.—
(near, hear.)
The Noble Earl had made two charges
against the Government first, as to the substance of the
negotiation being broken off; and next as to the manner
Arle which it had been broken off. He would deal with
tete lest charge first. He had certainly read with some
surprise the letter referred to by the Noble Earl, dated
Ist of ma
Yt
the deputatio from
e tha Mr. Hincks. That gentleman corn-
plein d - n had been kept waiting for
about seven weeks without being able to get any definite
answer on the subject on which they were in attendance,
and said that it would he impossible for them to make
much
-eager delay. Mr. Hincks had arrived in this
country on the 15th or 16th of March; he had frequent
(sir with the head of the Colonial Department
o
J, Pekinet n); but Mr. Challoner, the representa-
tive of New Brunswick, had not then arrived, and Mr.
Howes had not yet arrived. Mr. Challoner did not
arrive till about the 15th of April; and on the 20th
either he or Mr. Hoicks had an interview with
Lord Colchester at the Colonial office. That Noble
Lord, beiee newly in of had not had his at-
previou.ly called to the • matter. Between the
20tb and
96,11 he (Lord Derby) received a letter from
Mr. Ilineks stating what had passed at the Colonial-
and requesting an early interview; and this was
the memorandum he had made for his private secretary:
"-." Give him an early appointment, the matter is one of
very great impertance; but. I should wish, if poesible,
to see segette r with Mr. Mucks the representatives on
this matter ,f New Brunswick and Neva Scotia " He
and Sir J. Peltineton saw Mr..Eliucks and Mr. Challoner
en the 30th or April He then learnt fur the first time
that the L-gislaturea of the different provinces had
passed Bills in favour of this scheme; those Bills had
nut been r, ceived by the Colonial department, and had
only been in possession of the deputation twenty-four
hours. He also learnt for the first time that the ints n.
then ea as to deviate very e.nsiderahly from a line which
it was most desirable should be taken; and the deviation
was to such an extent, that though literally and really
it was within British territory, it might just as well
have been on United States territory, for any desirable
purpose that it would fulfil. Sir J. Pakington stated in
very strong terms, his disappointment at the line vary.
ing so much from that of Major Robinson, and that
that must weigh very materially in Any deoleion