The Sun.
London, England, 1837-07-04 00:00:00

CORR. AND. PASSAGE RAILWAY.

On the motion of Mr. CALLAGHAN the Cork and
Passage Railway Bill (No. 2,) was read a third time and
passed.

Lord W. BENTINCK presented a petition from Glas-
gow praying for the extinction of the system of slavery at
present existing in the British Colonies under the name
of apprenticeship.
Mr. BARING brought up papers, which were laid on
the table.

Lord MORPETH presented petitions from Dublin in
favour of the Irish Reform Bill ; from the Cruelty to Ani-
mals Society of Belfast, praying for an extension of
the Bill ; and from Tipperary, relative to the Turnpike
Roads Act.

Mr. O'CONNELL presented a petition from a Lieute
nant-Colonel in the East Company's service, complaining
of a large balance being due him by that Company, and pray-
ing inquiry. The Hon. and Learned Member gave notice
that he would bring the subject before the House next
Session.

On the motion of Mr. BARING the Coroners (Dur-
ham) Bill was read a third time and passed.
On the motion of Mr. BARING, the Civil Courts
Bill was read a third time and passed.
The Post-office Management Bill went through a Com-
mittee, and the Report was ordered to be received to-
morrow.

On the motion of Mr. P. STEWART the East India
Postage Bill was read a second time.
LOUGH SWILLY AND LOUGH FOYLE
DRAINAGE BILL.

Mr. Alderman WOOD moved the third reilding of the
Lough Swilly and Lough Foyle Drainage Bill:,
After a few observations from Mr. HUME and Dr.
BO WRING, who endeavoured to prevail on the Hon.
Alderman to defer the further progress of the Bill till next
Session, the Bill was read a third time and passed.
Mr. GILLON brought up the Report of the Com-
mittee on Lord Sandy's Estate Bill.
The Exchequer Bills Bill was read a second time.
On the motion of Mr. P. STEWART, the Sheriffs'
(Scotland) Bill was read a third time and passed.
On the motion of Lord MORPETH the Cruelty to
Animals (Ireland) Bill went through Committee.
Lord D. STU ART said that he had a petition in the
Vote Office signed by upwards of 4,000 persons, praying
that some provisions might be introduced in the Bill rela-
tive to employing dogs to draw carts.

TREASURER. OF COUNTIES (IRELAND.)
On the motion of Lord MORPETH the further consi-
deration of the report on the Treasurer of Counties Ireland
Bill, was proceeded viith in Committee.

Sir ROBERT FERGUSON objected to several of
the provisions of this Bill. The machinery was of a very
expensive and complicated description, and he feared it
would he impossible to carry the Bill into operation. A
sum of 1,6001. per annum would be required to be paid to
the Treasurer and the person who was to audit his accounts,
and then there was a person appointed by the Govern-
ment to examine them. If additional security for the public
money was required, let the Treasurers be directed to lodge
the money in the Bank of Ireland. He was satisfied the
Bill would unsettle the whole financial system in Ireland.
Mr. Sergeant WO ULFE said some improvement in the
present mode of managing the county funds in Ireland
should be adopted. Large balances remained from assizes
to assizes in the hands of the Treasurer which were unac-
counted for, and ultimately forgotten. He denied that
any inconvenience would result from the Bill, and there was
no interference with the powers of the Grand Juries with
respect to taxation, or the appropriation of the county funds.
The Counties could not any longer be left in the state in
which they had been, because they had suffered great loss,
in consequence of there being no cheque upon the Trea-
surers. Under all the circumstances, he did not see there
could be any reasonable objection offered to the Bill.
Mr. LUCAS agreed with the Hon. and Learned Gen-
tleman who had just sat down, that it was necessary there
should be a more rigid system of accounting than had
hitherto been practised, and if the Bill then before the
House was only to effect that purpose, he should offer no
objection to it. It appeared to him that the Bill had been
hastily drawn up, and he did not think it would answer the
purpose for which it had been introduced. He did not
think it was judicious to press the Bill at so early a
period of the day, it not being 4 o'clock, and when the
Hothe was so tiiinl) attended.

Mr. O'CONNELL thought the Bill an exceedingly
judicious Bill, and admirably well prepared. Nobody
could deny that the present mode of accounting by the
Treasurers was highly unsatisfactory ; great losses had been
sustained from the present mode of keeping the accounts,
which would never have been the case if the real balances
had been ascertained. He knew an instance at the present
moment in which a county would probably loose 20,000/.
if this Bill did not pass so as to secure the balances
immediately from the county collectors.—(Hear, hear.)
In Kilkenny a sum of 14,0001. had been levied a second
time, the Treasurer having the first monies in his pockets,
and all this arose from the want of investigation. This
system had lasted too long. Was there any man who
would say that it ought to exist a moment longer ? He
had only risen for the purpose of appealing to the Go-
vernment to press the Bill during the present Session,
fearing that they might be asked to postpone it, than
which there could not be a greater calamity to all the
counties of Ireland.

Mr. LUCAS said a few words in explanation.

Mr. ROCHE was perfectly aware that a very great sum
had been lost in Limerick, and he thought that there ought
not to be a moment lost in passing the Bill.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, from
his own experience, could say, that if they did not pass the
Bill they would inflict great injury upon many counties in
the south of Ireland.

The clause, with some verbal amendments, was then
passed.

On clause 16 being put, which empowered the Grand
Jury of any county in Ireland to nominate any private
Bank in which the money received by the Treasurer for
the county should be paid,
Mr. LUCAS objected to the clause on the ground that
for the security of the public, the money received by the
Treasurer of any county ought to be paid either into the
Bank of Ireland or the Provincial Bank, as private Banks
were liable to failure, but public Banks were not.
The CH A NCELLOR oldie EXCHEQUER thought
that any particular Bank should not be named in the
clause, as it would look like favouritism.
Sir ROBERT FERGUSON thought the public ought
to be secured by the money being paid into the Bank of
Ireland.

Mr. Sergeant WOULFE said one of the main provi-
sions of the Bill was to invest the balances that were now
in the hands of the Treasurer in Exchequer Bills.

ROYAL ASSENT.

Sir Augustus Clifford, the Usher of the Black Rod, here
entered the House, and summoned the Members to the
Bar of the House of Lords to hear the Royal Assent given
to several public and private Bills.
The SPEAKER having returned, acquainted the House
that he had been to the House of Lords, and that the
Royal Assent had been given (by Commission), to several
Bills, for which see Lords' Report.

TREASURER OF COUNTIES (IRELAND) BILL.
The discussion on this Bill was then resumed, and after
a conversation in which Mr. Woulfe, Mr. Jones, Sir R.
Bateson, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer took part,
the clause under discussion was agreed to.
Sir R. BATESON and Colonel PERCIVAL depre-
cated the hasty manner in which Government was pressing
forward this Bill in its crude and undigested state.
Mr. SHAW had received communications from all parts
of Ireland against the Bill being passed this year, and he
thought it scarcely came within the description of the list
of Bills which it was understood were to be passed this
sesiion.

After a few observations from Mr. M. O'CONNELL
and Sir R. BATESON, the clause was agreed to.
The other clauses of the Bill were also agreed to, the
House resumed, and the Report was ordered to be re-
ceived to-morrow.

The House then res)lvcd itself into a Committee of
Supply.

MISCELLANEOUS CHARGES (SCOTLAND.)
34,0001. for the expences of Sheriffs in Scotland.
Mr. WALLACE objected to this item. He had endea-
voured to obtain an inquiry into this matter, but had not
succeeded, although it was a fact that no less than thirty
of these officers were not only useless but injurious. No
witnesses or counsel were ever heard within the Courts ;
they were, in fact, absentee Judges ; he should therefore
move that the grant be reduced to 24,0001.