The Sun.
London, England, 1837-06-07 00:00:00

BRIGHTON RAILWAY.

Sir THOMAS FREMANTLE presented a petition
from Sir John Rennie, complaining of the course adopted
by the House relative to the Brighton Railway. The
petitioner stated that he had been occupied on the
tubjeet of railway communication between the metro-
polis and Brighton since 1825 ; that he had surveyed
the different lines of communication, and, alter mature deli-
beration, he had come to the determination that the direct
line was the best. lie objected to the plan which had been
adopted by the House, for referring the matter to a military
engineer, whom he contended was not so competent to
decide upon the gnestion as a civil one. Ti.e petitioner
prayed that the all for the direct line might be referred back
to the Committee, in order to have the clauses settled.

On the motion of the Right Hon. Baronet, the petition
%vas ordered. to be printed.

Major 13i:A U R K presented a petition from a num-
ber of shareholders in Sir J. Rennie's line, praying the House
to point out in what way they could be reinZursed
those expenses which the conduct of the House had
plunged them into. He thought the petitioners had just
grounds for the complaint they made in their petition; and
he regretted exceedingly the course the House had adopted.
He must say he considered it to be highly unjust, after the
expense they had already been put to, that the parties should
be compelled to tr,o through the ordeal of another Committee.
The SPEAKER suggc,ted th,it the petition was for
money, and that the rules of the House regarding money
petitions had not been observed.

The Hon. and Gallant Member then ‘i ithdrew the pe-
tition.

DUNDALK WESTERN RAILWAY.
On the motion of Mr. S. CRAWFORD, the Report
of the Committee Ln the Dundalk Western Railway was
farther considered, and the report ordered to ho engrossed.

BRIGHTON RAILWAY.
Mr. CURTBIS then rose to call the attention of the
HQUSID to the petition of Mr. James Mill, pre-
sented on the 25th ultimo, and to move for a Select
Committee to inquire into the allegations contained therein,
and in the former petition, relative to the conduct of certain
parties in respect to Stephenson's line of Brighton Rail-
toad, and to tho conduct of Government with re-
spect to that railway. The Hon. Member stated that
he was not a supporter of Mr. Mill's line, but that he
merely brought this subject forward as an act of justice
to that individual. The House would,.be only doing com-
mon justice towards Mr. Mill if they granted him the
Committee, and thereby gave him the opportunity of sub•
stantiating the charges contained in his petition. As to
that, part of his motion relating to the conduct of Govern-
ment, he was unwilling to bring chatgos against Gentlemen to
whom he had always ifiven his cordial support ; but the
notieo ha had given proceeded from a feeling of what wes
due to a large body of his constituents, He had received
a letter from his constituents, coasuring in very strong terms
the conduct of Ws Majesty's Government on a late oco.v.slen.
11,z (Mr. Curteis) felt most strongly the ilsago they had then
received, and he believed if thC House had been thoroughly
po. session of the facts, they would not have come to
tho daoision that hail been come to on that night, He coa-
siderel that gross injustice had been to a large portion
of his constituents, and never would sit quiet, and see bits
coustitvm;',4 ii:-used, without raising his voice agi;inst the
injustice. With respect to the coAdne; oi certain Hon.
Members (Al Qgcasiatl he should for certain reasoua

keep his observations to himsel —( I! ear, tth.slateil;er>/:
• ,
He would not allow Lis anger to gut the b
cretion.—( Laughter.) But if on seme
ample and impartial justice were not done t hick
tee, and if scrnethieg were not done to sd't
little more straight eith regard to his const.
clewed laughter)—be should be prepared datirim
matters, as con,idercd he was duieg now—(ReeeMlLarAr
laughter)--hut he would come forward dud give full von(
to the feelings he now entertained. lic would M y
nothiug more, but that the decision which bad been
come to had caused just and deep offence to the whole
of his constituency, and in the town of 13righton
the greatest excitement prevailed on the subject. He
should feel it his duty to take the sense of the House upon
the motion for referring; back the Report to the Committee
on a future occas:on, and he should now content him.
self by moving for the appointment of a S lect Com-
mittee to inquire into the allegations in Mr. MC* peti-
tion, and to report the same to the House.
Captain PECHELL participated in the feelings of the
Hon. Member who bad just sat down with respect to the
cond ct of Government ; but be could not believe that they
intended to identify themselves with the party who at-
tempted to -delay the measure. if he thought so he
should cot hesitate to withdraw thet support he
had so strenuously and cordially givee to the present
Government ; but he believed that they had been
led astray by the President of the Board of Trade. He
heard an Honourable Member below him smile.—(Much
laughter.) Delay had been the object of the party to
whom the Government hid unfortunat4 given ti.eir
support.—(Hear.) It had been said that this was a
novel case ; but he believed that it was :also most
novel to see the Members of a Government voting
aeainst the reception of a Report agreed to in a Committee
by a large majority. The Hon. Member for Chichester
( Lord A. Lennox) had been very severe on the conduct of the
Hon. Member for Hythe, for giving his vote 48 hours
after his election ; but he forgot to state that the Noble
Lord had been canvassed by the very party which the No-
ble Lord (A. Lennox) supported ; and so eager were they
for the vote, that they had an Express down at ,Hythe
as soon as the writ. That Noble Lord also had little to
say on the matter; for nut of 28 -days which the Com-
mittee sat he was present only four days.—( Hear, hear.)
- Mr. C._BARCLA-Y opposed the motion of the Hon.
Member for Sussex. It would be highly inexpedient for
the House to appoint a Committee, for it could lead to no
result, and he did not for a moment suppose that the Hon.
Member would divide upon the question. The charge
against the Ministry he considered to be totellyurfounded ;
the course they had taken was one which they had a per-
fect right to do as Members of Parliament, and he
thought it was an expedient-one. He wished the House
to understand that Sir John Rennie 1,41 never enee
appeared in the witness box in support or the line wh'cli
went by his name. Another terson was pat forward, and
it was he who petitioned against the appointment of a Go-
vernment engineer.

Mr. WI.6iNEY thought the Government would have
done well in this case had they appointed an engineer in
the first outset of the business ; but now when all parties
had spent to much money, he thought it would have better
become them to have withheld their support from any party.
After a few words from Sir H. VERNEY,
Mr. CURTEIS said as he saw the feeling of the House
was against him he would not give it the trouble of di-
iding.--(Hear, bear.)
The motion was then withdrawn.
Mr. HUME then rose to move that all the documents
and surveys relating to Milt's line of railway to Brighton
be rt.:ierred to the engineer, who shritald 'be directed to re-
port upon it in the same manner as on the other lines.
He said the conduct of the Gor.:rntnent on this occasion
had been very inconsistent, for on a motion made by Sir H.
Verney for a Royal Convoission to examine and report
upon all Railroads before the Bid tvas introduced, they
then said all Bills cv:.ght to .be lett to the decisiou of a
Committee of.e.iac House. It was said to be the object
in appointing an engineer officer, that the country should
have tb-., opportunity of having the best hue ; if so, then
they were bound to vote for his motion, as it would give
him nn opportunity of determining upon more lines, and at
course give him a greater variety.
Mr. GI LLON seconded the amendment. He said .hat
before he sat down he begged to ask the Right Hou. the
President of the Board of Trade, whether he intended to
take up the subject of the private business of the House,
and either by Committee or Bill to rectify and purify
the system upon which private Bills were conducted
through the House ? And he further begged to know
whether he intended to revise the tolls upon railways at any
future time?

Mr. P. THOINIPSON, in reply to the two questions
put by the lion. Member, should say, with regard to the
first, that his Noble Friend the SeeretaT, for the Home
Department intended to move, on. Thursday next, for a
Select Committee to inquire into the mode in which the
business of the House was conducted generally, and that,
he belie% ed, would embrace the subject of private Commit-
tees aal private business. It was much easier to find fault.
with the present system than to propose anefficient remedy.
With respect to the second question, he must say that when
the subject was brought forward by the Hun. Member for
Ipswich last year, it had met with very general disapproval—
( Hear)—and he had no intention oll;ringing in any Bill upon
the suoj et durin, the present Se:sion. With regard to the
question now under diseusion, he must say that it would be
abrogating the Standing Orders of the House altogether,
if the present line were to stand in the same pos't on as the
others, ins-much as it had been already rejected by the
Committee for non-compliance with the Standing Orders.
Ile had never stated that the House was to be bound by
the decision of the Committee. On the contrary, he had
stated that that would be against the decision come to in
1835. Ile would appeal to the House whether Government
had not done all it could to draw the .subject to their
attention, and ikhey had failed in doing so it was the fault.
of the House, which had shown itself su little disposed
to pay attention to the subject.—( Lkar, hear.) All the in-
formation he had received upon ...oe subject was from the
documents laid en the table of the House by theComtnittee,
Ile had rend the Report most carefully, but he could not
find sufficient evidence of a satisfactory nature to enable
him to make up his mina. Ile was satisfied with what he
hod done as a member of the Government, for the appoint-
ment of an engineer was the only means by wnich the
country would get the best line, which was the object of all
parties.

Mr. CURTEIS contended that the President of the
Board of Trade was inconsistent, for he had first spoken
a7ainst the appointment of a Government engineer, and now
after the labours of the Committee, he ad voea tod the appoint-
m n in a particular instanc.!. He was that morning informed
by a civil engineer, that a military engineeer could not form
ao opinion upon the capability of a Line of Rail.vay.—(A
laugh.)
Sir G. STRICKLAND called on the House to do
tardy justice to Mr. Mills, and admit his line with the other
two to come before the engineer. Next year, sit was not
likely that any decision would be come to this ses.ion, Mr.
Mills would amend his plans, and, the informality being- re-
moved, he would of necessity be on an equality with the
o. hers. The line should then Le submitted to the engineer,
and the Committee would have to wa;t until he gave his
report. It would he a preferable plan to permit Mills's
Inc: to be now joined with the ethers.
Mr. HOPE said that he had born on the Committee,
and he remembered perfectly that 'ltaly informalities had
been proved against Mills's line.
Mr. lIUME replied.
The House then divided, when there appeared—
Forrthe motion
Against it 7l

, - Majority
On our re-admission we found
Mr. FECTOR moving that the military engineer ap-
pointed by his Majesty, in pursuance of a humble Address
from this House, be instructed, when considering the sub-
ject of ale London and Brighton lines of railway, to keep in
view the formation of one main southern trunk line out of
London, by which unnecessary intersection of the country
may be avoided, and facilities of approach given to other
towns on the southern coast."
Mr. HODGES seconded the motion.
Mr. HUME wished to know whether theie would ho
any objection to produce a copy of the instructions which
had been given to the engineer.

- 28

Mr. P. THOMSON could not conceive any advantage
from laying•the instructions before the House ; and in no
event could any line of railway be adopted that session.
Nor would it be just towards other Railway Companies
which had complizd with the Standing Orders.
Mr. G. YOUNG was of opinion that Government had
most properly interfered, to supply the deficiency of infor-
mation which the Committee possessed.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said the address to his Ma-
jesty had heen received in the usual course, and the in-
spee'or of fortresses had been directed to appoint an officer
to make the survey, in pursuance of the prayer of the ad-
dress ; and the instructions to that officer were to commu-
nicate with the Speaker on tl•e subject of the survey, and
►►ot with any of the parties interested in the competiqg lines.
After a. iew words from Mr. O'Connell, Sir Samuel
Mr. Gillen and other Hon. Members,
Captain PECIIELL said that if he thought the obj2et
of the motion was delay he would oppose it ; 'out it did not
appear to him that such would be the consequence.
Mr. CURTEIS suggested that it would be better to
move the rescinding of the last tote.
The SPEAKER thought it would be more formal to
mare= n the wo:ds of the resolution, for an address to his

Th m
e motion thus formally :atered was put. Tito House
divided, when there appeared—
Ayes... 33 I Noes... 36 j Majority... 2