The Sun.
London, England, 1862-04-29 00:00:00

PUBLIC WORKS

Mr. DILLWYN postponed his motion on this subject,—
" That, in the opinion of this house, it is desirable that, in
all cases in which her Majesty's Government propose
to construct works or to erect fortifications or
public buildings distinct and separate from those
already existing or sanctioned by Parliament, the
estimates for such new works or erections should be sub-
mitted for the consideration of the house in a separate
form, and at a separate time, from the annual estimates for
current expenditure."
HIGHWAYS BILL

Sir. G. GREY said that he would postpone until
Thursday week the further progress of the bill, which had
been referred to a select committee.
THE CENSUS IN IRELAND.
Sir F. HEYGATE asked the Chief Secretary for Ire-
land if the result of the late census of Ireland, extending,
as in the years 1841 and 1851, to the population of each
towniand, will be published during the present session ?
Sir R. Peel was not present, and there was consequently
no reply to the question.
HIGHWAY DISTRICTS IN GLAMORGAN.
Mr. FREELAND asked the hon. member for Merthyr
whether he would send copies of the returns from the sur-
veyors of Welsh highway districts in Glamorgan, which
he had sent to the hon. member for Leominster, to the
Home-office, in order that they might be moved
for as a return ; and whether he would also send
copies of the questions addressed to the surveyors; also,
if he would state whether the Welsh surveyors included
footpaths and mountain tracks in their returns of highways,
on the mi'eage of which an average expense of £6 per mile
for annual repairs was calculated.
Mr. BRUCE said that the returns sent to the hon.
member for Leominster were still in that gentleman's pos-
session, and he had no objection to their production. With
regard to the last question he did not think that footpaths
and mountain tracks were ever included in the returns of
the Welsh surveyors.
PROHIBITION OF PROTESTANT WORSHIP IN
SPAIN.

Mr. KINNAIRD asked the Under Secretary of
State for Foreign Affairs, whether any information had
been received respecting the alleged prohibition of Protes-
tant v, orship, conducted by a clergyman of the Church of
England, in the British Vice Consul's house at Seville;
and, whether any and what measures had been taken to
secure for British subjects in Spain the free exercise of
their religion ?_

Mr. LAYARD said he regretted to state that informa-
tion had been received by her Majesty's Government from
the English Consul at Seville, that Protestant worship had
been prohibited in that city at the consu'ar residence.
The British Consul at Madrid communicated with the
authorities there, and, by the the instruction of her Ma-
jesty's Government, made representations to the Spanish
Executive on the subject.

PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
Mr. B. COCHRANE moved that an humble address
be presented to her Majesty praying that she would be
graciously pleased to issue a commission to inquire
into the state of the pubic buildings erected by par-
liamentary grants within the last twenty years, and also
of the houses rented for the public service; and to in-
quire whether, by adopting more comprehensive plans of
building, greater public :convenienc-, greater economy,
and unity of design, may not be attained. The hon. mem-
ber said he did not make any complaint against the
gentlemen who had filled the office of Chief Com-
missioner of Works for some years past, because he
believed they were all actuated only by a desire to
improve the metropolis and promote public con-
venience. His objection was to the existing system,
which he contended was not only injurious to the interests
of the metropolis, but the most expensive that could be
adopted. He illustrated the position by reference to the
Foreign Office, Inland Revenue Office, and Public Record
Office. In reference.to the last, he said that the public re-
cords of the country were placed in a small and inconve-
niont room, and might at any time be destroyed by fire. He
adverted to the evidence before a committee of the late Sir C.
Barry in favour of a concentrationof all the public buildings,
end he said that since 1828 the country had paid more than
double the value of the house property which they had
purchased. He alluded also to the opinion expressed by
Earl Russell and other authorities to the same effect, as a
proof of the expense that had been incurred. He mentioned
that no less than £82,000 a year had been paid for some
time for the hire of offices for transaction of the public busi-
ness. He did not object to a large expenditure on our pub
l:c buildings if an adequ ate value were secured, and.he
thought the best course that could be adopted would be for
the Government to obtain the opinion of competent judges
as to the amount that would be required for the
construction of the public offices ©n an ap-
propriate scale, which in reality would be an
economical proceeding in the end. He contrasted the in-
feriority of London in regard to public buildings with Paris
and other continental cities, and he called on the house
to adopt a comprehensive plan for the improvement of the
metropolis, in accordance with its importance and the faci-
lities of site which it afforded.

Mr. COWPER sympathised with the hon. member (
Cochrane) in his desire for the improvement of the metro-
polis. At the same time he thought that any such com-
mission as the hon. member proposed would supersede the
authority of the Executive on the subject to what that
commission would devote itself. He believed that would
be most injurious, as it would take from the Government
the responsibility what was at present imposed on
them, of securing economy in the construction of
public buildings. He could not understand what that com-
mission would have to inquire into, because,in reality,
there was only one public building erected by Government
for same years. That was the Record Office, and as re-
garded other offices, they had merely been improved or
altered. He contended that the plansfor the new public offices
which had been made were ef a comprehensive character,and
originated from the inquiries which had been going on for
20 or 30 years. He said that when the public works which
had been decided on were being proceeded with, it would
not be desirable to have a commission appointed, and he
strongly deprecated the adoption of any proposal that
would necessitate a large expenditure at the present time.
The right hon. gentleman then defended in detail the plans
which had been adopted by the executive, and he said that
the plan pursued in his office was to construct the new
buildings close to the old buildings. He contended that
the present Record-office was an admirable build-
ing, and was erected according to a design which
proposed the erection of a larger building, which could
be carried out as soon as the house was prepared to vote
the money requisite fox the purr 9se. In the meantime the
public documents could be received by the Master of the
Rolls, or could be placed in the rooms in the Victoria
Tower which were intended for their temporary reception,
and numbered 64. With regard to the hire of houses
for the purposes of the public service, he reminded hon.
members that some offices such as the Seamens' Registry
and the Stationery Offices were necessarily limited to a
certain locality. He denied that there was any extravagance
or mismanagement on the part of the Government in regard
to public works, and defended the designs which he had
adopted for the new buildings proposed to be erected for the
public service, which, ho maintained would be worthy of a
great metropolis like this, both in reference t,.) beauty and
utility.

[LEFT SPEAKING.]

LONDON GAZETTE.—( This Eventng).

INDIAN BREVET PROMOTIONS.

The Gazette of this evening contains a long list of
Brevet promotions in the Indian army of no interest to the
general reader.
FOREIGN OFFICE, APRIL 29.
The Queen has been pleased to approve of Mr. Albert
Eugen Denso as-Consul at Kurrachee for his Majesty the
King of the Netherlands.
The Queen has also been pleased to approve of Mr.
Georges Gerard as Consul at St. Helena for the United
States of America.
DOWNING-STREET, APRIL 29.
The Queen has been pleased to appoint Alexander Wat-
son, Esq., to be Treasurer for the island of Vancouver.
WHITEHALL, APRIL 26.
The Right Hon. Sir George Grey, Bart., one of her
Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, has appointed
Ralph Moore, Esq., to be an Inspector of Coal Mines and
Ironstone Mines, under the Act 23 and 24 Viet., cap. 151.

APRIL 19.
The Queen has been pleased to give and grant unto John
Henry Charles Erridge King, of Cambridge House, in the
borough of Portsmouth, in the county of Southampton,
Doctor in Medicine in the University of Edinburgh, Mem-
ber of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and a
Licentiare of Dental Surgery in the same College, her
royal license and authority that he and his issue may take,
use, and bear the surname of Martin only, in lieu of that of
KinAg :
nd also to command that the said royal concession and
declaration be recorded in her Majesty's College of Arms,
otherwise to be void and of none effect.
BANKRUPTS.
That portion of the Gazette containing the Bankrupts
had not arrived when we went to press.