The Sun.
London, England, 1854-05-12 00:00:00

his opinion it would be nrjust to subject each PITSB4I to
the proposed disqualification.
The committee then divided—
For the amendment l3B
Against it lO4-34
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said he pro.
posed to add certain words to the clause in consequence of
the vote of the house the other night. The house would
remember that the Government constituted the Hebdoria**
dal Council (~f three classes, and that they likewise pro-
posed one electoral body, out of which alone those classes
were to be chosen. The committee decided by majority
the other night that the heads of houses and the professors
should be chosen not by the electoral body provided in the
bill, but by the separate classes of heads of houses and pro.
fessors. That being the case, he thought it followed that
those two classes should not take part in the election of
members of the third class—namely, the members of the
congregation generally. The right hon. gentleman then
proposed additional words for this purpose.
Mr. HENLEY thought the effect of adopting the amend.
went would be to strike out a third of the congregation.
Notice should have been given of such an amendment. The
committee were quite taken by surprise.
Mr. HORSMAN said from a return which he had just
obtained from Oxford, it appeared that there were 93 tutors
and 50 professors, and heads of houses. He thought that,
for the sake of consistency hon. gentlemen opposite ought
to support the amendment.
Mr. MILES agreed with Mr. Henley, that the amend-
ment ought to be postponed, the house having been taken
by surprise.
Lord J. RUSSELL said the words were proposed in con•
sequence of the decision of the committee on a previous
evening. As, however, the Government did not wish to
do anything which would be considered unfair, he would
consent that the provision should be postponed and printed.
After a few words from Mr. ROUNDELL PALMER and
Mr. -WALPOLE, the amendment was postponed.
Clause 18, as amended, was then agreed to.
On clause 19,
Sir W. HEATHCOTE said ho had given notice of an
amendment, to which be wished to call the attention of the
Solicitor-General. The clause provided that every statute
framed by the hebdomadal council, should, after due
notice of its contents, be promulgated, ikc. But there
were many cases which wore not provided for, such, for
example, as grants of public money ; and he, therefore,
proposed after " statute" to insert " or other act or ordi-
nance requiring the consent of convocation." He proposed
also after " council" to insert " except for the regulation*
of their own proceedings," and to add at the end "and if
accepted by congegration shall be afterwards submitted to
convocation for final adoption or rejection as a statute,
act, or ordinance of the university."
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL said that though the
first words proposed were merely explanatory, he should
not oppose their insertion. He thought the adoption of
the last amendment might have an injurious effect.
• After a few words from Mr. HENLEY,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said he
did not think the clause would have the effect of restrict.
ing the powers of the university.
Mr. NEWDEGATE said that the powers of convocation
were already restricted, and the right hon. gentleman who
was returned by Oxford University was going to stop its
mouth altogether. He hoped the other hon. member for
that university would not join the right hon. gentleman.
It seemed strange that a Government calling itself liberal
should seek to stop the mouth of the most enlightened
constituency in the country. (Hear, hear.)
Sir W. HEATHCOTE said that he might, perhaps, cut
short the discussion by withdrawing the words he proposed,
as they were declared to be useless in one case and noxiou*
in the other.
The amendment was then withdrawn.
ts
to
aMit insert s ee
ofs E`
Yti
hnWe the°u
n°iDv Englishesri ot pyoceda shouldn g, language." afa
tgbe eer t'
' 1e w
printed He thought
amalgamated,
to
n the
la thatng
language
theag
in which they would be generally understood by the
people.
The committee divided—
For the amendment
155--24

Sir 117-.'HEATIICOTE moved to add to the end of the
clause the following words :—" and if accepted by congre-
gation, shall be afterwards submitted to convocation for
final adoption or rejection, as a statute, act, or ordinance
of the university."
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL consented to the addl.
tion, which was agreed to.
Sir J. PAKINGTON complained that the congregation
had been spoken of with disrespect, and protested against
the imputations that had been cast upon them, and the in.-
novation of eatal9lishing a new body.
Lord J. RUSSELL deprecated any further discussion on
the subject as a waste of time.
Mr. HENLEY moved that the clause should be struck
out.
Sir H. WILLOUGFIBY opposed the motion.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, there
could be no doubt that they were right in proposing to give
a legislative function to the congregation. If they wanted
the University to work satisfactorily, they must make pro-
vision for a free discussion of the measures after they came
ont of the Hebdomadal Board. This power must be vested
either iu the congregation or convocation. He had a do-
cided objection to the latter, as too miscellaneous a body;
the congregation comprised the intellectual power and
energ,r, and all the working members of the University.,
The power now proposed to be vested in it was but a re-
vival of the ancient principle. (Hear, hear.)
The committee then divided on the question that the
clause (10 stand part, of the bill.
For the clause
Against it
The clause was then agreed to, and the Chairman re-
ported progress, and obtained leave to sit again that day
week.
The house then resumed.
MANNING THE NAVY BILL.

Sir J. GRAHAM moved the second reading of this bill.
Captain SCOBELL said the bill was called a bill for
more effectually manning the navy, whereas it related en-
tirely to the distribution of prize money. He deeply re-
gretted some further stimulants were not applied to man
the navy more effectually. At this stage of the measure,
however, he would not detain the house, but reserve his
objections for committee.
Sir J. PECHELL said there wore some provisions in
the bill which required considerable discussion. It was all
very well to talk about manning the navy, but there was
not a word about manning in it.
Sir J. GRAHAM—When ho asked leave to introduoe
the bill, he stated that its title was one which had been'
invariably used from the commencement of the last war
with reference to a prize bill for the distribution of prizes
during the progress of that war. It was only a temporary
enactment, a surrender on the part of the Crown, subject
to the distribution which Parliament shoold provide of
that which was the prerogative of the Crown—namely, all
prizes taken during tho war.
The bill was then read a second time and ordered obe
committed to-morrow (to-day).
NAVY PAY BILL.
Sir J. GRAHAM moved the second reading of this bill.
Mr. OTWAY complained that the right hon. baronet
had not informed the house of the object of the measure
when he introduced it. The bill was, in his opinion, op-
posed to the interests of captors, officers, and seamen.
Sir J. GRAHAM—The bill was framed for the express
purpose of obviating the abuses which were proved to
exist during the lest war. Failures on the part of navy
agents were common during that war, and he had a
list before him which showed that from 200,0001. to
300,00,/. was lost through the failure and misconduct of
those persons. The proceeds of the sales of prizes being
paid into the hands of navy agents, they had a deep inte-
rest in delaying the division of the proceeds, they having,
until the proceeds were divided, the whole benefit of the
use of the money of the captor. The object of the bill was
to insure the prompt sale of the prize by a Government
officer. From the moment the sale should be effected the
proceeds of it would be paid to a public account, in Eng-
land, opened at the Bank of England abroad either with,
the commissariat or a navy agent, and the public would
be liable for the full amount of the proceeds. There would,
therefore, be prompt payment and ample security, and, as
related to the interest of the captor, power was given to
the captor, to nominate his own agent. He was quite pre-
pared when the bill went into committee to argue all the
details of the measure. It was intended to obviate the
abuses which occurred during the war.
The bill was then read a second time.
RAILWAY AND CANAL TRAFFIC REGULATION
BILL.
The further amendments made in this bill wore coml•
tiered and agreed to.
In reply to a suggestion made by Mr. FREWEN,I
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL explained that, ley the
law as it at present stood, any person who might sustain
any injury or loss by delay arising from the negligence of
lw companies would have a remedy against such
companyaiay
of contract.
Mr. LOCKE said that he was of opinion that the bill
rfo r the violation
would interfere most injuriously against the public in the
matter of fares chargeable upon railways under the various
acts authorising their construction, and he believed that in
other respects the bill would prove to be of little or no
value.
Mr. JAMES MACGREGOR said that a more arbitrary
mode of dealing with a great interest than that proposed
by this bill had never been discovered. The second clause
of the bill was especially open to this objection, as it dealt
with railways as one interest, quite regardless of the con-
flicting acts of Parliament which had received the sanction
of the legislature.
Mr. ATHERTON said that the effect of the amend-
ments now under consideration, was only to carry out
ptiroenvsiotuosltyhebebeinll iwnetrhe eohf atnhdes r fo
sttheeo
effectively the enactments proposed in the bill, which had
nahtermarbye
nr sa. t u rThee. obj
Somee
members said that it would be a nullity, while others ob-
jected to it as of too arbitrary and peremptory a character.
If carried into effect, the bill would have upon the railway
companies, and those concerned in the management of
railways, a most stringent and peremptory operation.
Mr. CARDWELL, in defence of the bill, said it had
for its object to compel railway companies upcn their sepa-
rate lines to afford all reasonable facilities to the public
without preference to any one, and without delay ; and it
had the object of proposing to treat all the railways of the
kingdom as one system. You might blame past legisla-
tion, and say that it was not intended that the railways
should be one system, but he said that Parliament granted
their powers to railway companies in order that the public
good might be promoted, and the public communication of
the country might be free. To obtain the maximum of
public good on the separate lines, and to treat the united
lines as a system, was the paramount object of this bill—
an object which was proposed to be carried out by a mode
of proceeding as free from legal impediment and delay as
any which the Legislature had been in the habit of provid-
ing for the enforcement of a statutable right. It had been
said that the bill was a concoction between himself and
the railway directors. When ho found that the noble
marquis opposite (the Marquis of Chandos) and those who
co-operated with him, came forward and expresso( a .
de-
sire that strife and conflict between railway companies
should be put an end to, and that a power should
eblet
created
superior it
superior to their own in order to effect this,m as a fortunate
.h e
was highly creditable to them, and that
circumstance that the management of those
undertakings
rested iu such hands He believed that in taking this
course,
they acted wisely for the shareholders; for, until
railway companies used their p
owers more for the promo-
tion of the public good than
for t
object, their property would not be secured . The clauses
which had
been
referred to by tin, hon. member for Ken.
dell, because they were not, as he had expected they would
have been, acceptable to the railway companies, he was
unwilling,
• by insisting upon them, to delay the progress
of the remainder of the bill, which would, he believed,
greatly promote the interests of the public.
The amendments were agreed to, and the bill was ordered
to be read a third time this day (Friday).
WAYS AND MEANS.
The additional regulations on the sugar duties were
brought up and agreed to,
CUSTOMS DUTIES.
The Customs Duties Bill was introduced, read a first
time, and ordered to be read a second time on Monday.
The house adjourned at one o'clock.