The Sun.
London, England, 1865-04-06 00:00:00

The Brighton, Hove, and Preston Constant Water Ser
vice Bill was read a second time.

*The Crystal Palace District Gas Bill and the Merthyr-
Tydvil Local Board of Health Bill were also read a second
time.

The Whitehapel and Holborn Improvement Bill was read
a third time and passed.
The Bank of Ireland Bill, and East India High Courts
(Amendments) Bill were also read a third time and passed.

PRIVATE BILLS, &c.
Lord REDESDALE moved that no bill brought froth
the House of Commons should be read a second time after
the 29th of June next. That no bill confirming any pro-
visional order of the Board of Health, or authorising any
enclosure of lands under the special report of the Inclosuro
Commission of England and Wales, or for confirming
the scheme of any charity commissioners of England
and Wales should be read after the 29th June next, and
that no bill confirming any provisional order of the Board
of Trade under the general Pier and Harbour Act, 1861,
should be read a second time after the same date. He also
moved that when a bill should have passed the house with
amendments these orders should not apply to any new bill
sent up from the House of Commons, which the chairman
of committees should report to the houso was substan-
tially the same as the bill so amended.
These formal motions were agreed to.
PRIVATE BILL COSTS BILL.

On the motion for the third reading of this bill,
The Duke of CLEVELAND moved the insertion of an
amendment with a view to protect landowners from what
he contended would be a great injustice if the present bill
were carried in its integrity. By its provisions the land-
owners would be compelled to pay the costs of an unsuc-
cessful opposition in defending his rights, if the committee
should consider the opposition vexatious.
The LORD CHANCELLOR said he did not think the
amendment of the noble duke would effect his object.
Many persons who had no locus standi induced landowners
to come forward and oppose a bill, and, under the guise of
landowners, they were really the opponents of tho bill.
He suggested an alteration to the effect that the committee
on a private bill should have thp power of taxing the
opponents of the bill when they considered that
opposition vexatious, and not, in fact, promoted by the
landowners themselves.

The alteration of the Lord Chancellor was agreed to, and
he bill, with some other amendments was read a third
ime and passed..

The East India (Governor-General's Powers, &c.) Bill
was read a second time and passed.
The house then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS—TiIIs EVENING.
The SPEAKER took the chair at the usual hour.
NEW MEMBER.

Lieut.-Colonel BROWNE took the oaths and his seat for
Evesham, in the place of the late Sir H. WILLOUGHBY.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The following bills were read a third time and passed:—
Acton and Brentford Railway—Banbury Water—Barnet,
Hendon, Hampstead, and London Railway—Bristol and
Exeter Railway—Bristol Docks—Coventry Central Sta-
tion and Southam Junction Railway—Great Eastern
Railway (Additional Powers)—Littleborough Gas—Man-
chester Improvement—Maryport and Carlisle Railway—
Metropolitan and St. John's Wood Railway—Redhill Gas—
Scarborough and Whitby Railway—South Metropolitan
Gas—Stafford and Uttoxeter Railway—Sunderland Corpo-
ration—Birmingham Water—Cheltenham Water—East
London Railway—Fulham Railway—North Eastern Rail-
way (Pelaw and other branches)—and Metropolis Sewage
and Essex Reclamation Bill.
WIMBLEDON COMMON BILL.
Lord BURY moved the second reading of this bill, which
was calculated to convert the common from what it was
at present, a dismal swamp, into a place of recreation and
enjoyment. The object of the bill was to carry into effect
the proposals of Earl Spencer, the lord of the manor,
to dedicate the common to the use of the public
in perpetuity. There were objections made to the
scheme of the noble earl, but he was only anxious to con-
vey the common to the public in the most beneficial man-
ner. The principal objectors to the bill, he believed, were
owners of villas in the surrounding neighbourhood. If the
bill was rejected, and it was said that Lord Spencer had
no legal rights to give, he would consider himself absolved
from the promises he had made, and he would deal with
the matter as he thought fit.
Mr. COX moved that the bill be read a second time that
day six months. He hoped the house would support the
decision of the committee, which had reported that it was
not desirable that the common should be fenced round or
enclosed. If the common rights were extinguished the
common would no longer be a common, and the
public would soon be deprived of the rights they possessed.
He was not a villa holder in the neighbourhood, neither
did he know a single owner of property near the common.
He opposed the bill on the part of the 3,000,000 of his
fellow creatures who used the common as a place of re-
creation. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. DRAY opposed the bill. He contended that Lord
Spencer had no power to enclose the common without an
act of Parliament.
Mr. LOCKE, as chairman of the committee which had
reported on the matter, denied that he had been actuated
by unfairness. He could not understand what the noble
lord actually proposed, on the part of Lord Spencer, to
bind himself to. All ho could make out was that Lord
Spencer proposed that, if his legal rights were not at-
tacked, -he would give up fencing in the common. It had
been said that Lord Spencer was giving up a Freat deal,
but he confessed he never could be made to see it. (Hear,
hear.)
Mr. LOWE thought that some injustice was about to be
done to Lord Spencer. He thought that when a nobleman
proposed to give up 688 acres of land to the public, his
offer should not be summarily disposed of without more
inquiry.
Mr. ROEBUCK thought the house at the present mo-
ment was totally unfit to decide upon the matter. (Hear,
hear.) He confessed he knew nothing of the matter, and
he thought that out of common decency and common sense
the bill ought to be sent before a proper tribunal—a select
committee. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. L. KING thought it much better the bill should be
sent to a select committee than to reject it on its second
reading. He should vote for such a proposal.
Mr. PEACOCK assured the hon. member for Caine
that Lord Spencer could not do as he pleased with the
Common. If he had sat upon the committee he would have
found that Lord Spencer's rights were not so clear as ho
now imagined.
Lord ELCHO said he thought the feeling of the house
was favourable to the second reading. (No, no.) A strong
feeling, ho believed, was entertained at the present moment
against enclosure, and he confessed he was of that opinion.
He had had an opportunity since the discussion began of
speaking to his noble friend (Lord Spencer), and ho was
quite agreeable for the bill to be referred to a select com-
mittee.

Alderman ROSE said Lord Spencer was not going to
give up so much as was thought. The common was 1,000
acres in extent ; but Lord Spencer was going by act of
Parliament to get a property of 300 acres of the district.
He did not think the rights of Earl Spencer were so very
great. All he ever could discover was that his lordship had
the right of digging gravel, feeding, and cutting turf. His
lordship wished the 'committee to believe that he was
giving up groat rights, but when asked to do so he was
unable to do so.

Mr. W. COWPER was of opinion that the bill ought to
be read a second time. He thought the proposal a very
valuable one, and he was sure the House only desired that
Wimbledon Common should become the property of the
public. The metion for a second reading should be agreed
to, especially as Lord Spencer had consented to the with-.
drama' of that port,ion of the bill respecting the fence, and
other objectionable matters.
Sir G. BOWYER thought the bill ought to be read a
second time and referred to a select committee.
The bill was then read a second time without a
division.

CANADA (TRANSPORT OP TROOPS).
Mr. S. AYTOU moved an address for returns of the
sums paid out of the Imperial Treasury during the years
1862, 1863, and 1864, for the transport of troops to Canada;
the expense of maintaining them while there ; for arms and
military stores of all kinds ; whether for the use of the
regular troops or of the Canadian militia and volunteers;
or for any other object connected with the defence of
Canada ; and, of all sums exp3nded by the Colonial Go-
vernment during the years 1862, 1863, and 1864, for the
pay or clothing of volunteers, for providing arms or stores,
or for any other object connected with the defence of
Canada.—Ordered.
THE PLAGUE IN RUSSIA.

Sir J. PAKINGTON asked the Secretary of State for
the Home Department whether the attention of her Ma-
jesty's Government had been directed to the disease now
prevailing in Russia and some parts of Prussia ; and
whether the Government proposed to take any steps to
ascertain the true nature of the disease, and avert its in-
troduction into this country ?
Sir G. GREY said the attention of the Government had
been called to the subject, and instructions had
to
ee4Ln sentuire
to her Majesty's ambassador at St. Petersburg,
d there; Instructions had
also ambassadors
inquiry,
and
of the disease that had appeared and report into the nature, origin, and modoirof treatlhendt
aßlesrolinbeeenudsenvtieouunt to her
e,
also
directions had been forwarded to her Majesty's consuls in
tho Baltic to send Mtoajesmtyakse
tho earliest information to the Govern-
ment of the appearance of tho disease at any of the ports.
It was the intention of the Government to send a medical
officer to St. Petersburg to report upon the disease, and a
notice had been forwarded to the customs to be particular in
examining ships coming from that part of the world. He
had received information by telegraph from Russia that the
disease was a fever hitherto unknown in Russia, and that
the deaths had been upwards of 80 in a day, but that it
was, happily, diminishing. He had received information
from Berlin by telegraph that an unknown disease had
appeared true, but it was not known for certain that it
came from Russia. He had also received a telegram from
Dantsic stating that the disease was one that affected th 3
hberadinre,
eaeinAdedminotsetllyligeattacked
t ho ielpdrideenm.
eFwroams
raging Warsaw t
there;
rhee;
and also the same intelligence from Konigsburg and Memel.
A telegram, dated to-day from Stellin, which he had re-
ceived but an hour ago, stated that no disease had appeared
there up the present time. The most active steps had been
taken to obtain the earliest information by telegraph of
the appearance of disease.

THE WICKHAM UNION.
Mr. DISRAELI said on an early day he shouldtall the
attention of the house to some papers relating to the
Wickham Union in Buckinghamshire.

THE INVASION OF BHOOTAN.
Lord DUNKELLIN asked the Secretary of State for
India whether the present invasion of Bhootan had been
undertaken with the consent and sanction of the
Home Government; whether it was true that two
of her Majesty's European regiments had been
ordered up to support the invading force ; and whether it
was the intention of the Indian Government to keep the
troops in the unhealthy country of Bhootan during the