The Sun.
London, England, 1838-01-24 00:00:00

PRIVATE. DIMS.

Mr. P. THOMSON rose to bring en the motion of which
he had given notice, founded on the resolutions of the Committee on
pubiiC and Private Bills. The object he had in view iv,:s to obtain a
which should be laid on the table and printed, and a certain
time ;Mowed between the printing and the sezond reading of the Bill.
she first resoiution was" That no private Bill beread asecond time until
six days a'tcr a breviate thereof shall have been laid on the table of the
blouse, and have been printed." He would then propose a resolution
stating generally what that breviate should contain, and then propose
that the Speal;er should be authorised to give directions for the prepara-
tion of this breviate, and such regulations as might be necessary to carry
the object of the House into effect, if it agreed to the resolution. The
Committee had come to these resolutions in consequence of the incon-
venience arising from private Bills having been in a manner smuggled
through the House on the second reading—(Hear, hear)— without the
the House being generally informed of the contents of the Eills. It was
:ate that the House had an opportunity of disapproving of the Bill on
Ili being reported. But it was said if the principle was objected to
why not stop the Bill on the second reading, so that it would
inflict great hardship on parties atter they had been at all
the expense of going through the Committee, if the Bill should
be rejected, or the parties compelled to desist from prosecuting it.
'1 here was besides that, a particular class of Bills of very great impor-
tance, which Hon. Members who were acquainted with the practice of
the House were aware did not excite great opposition from private
interests in the Committee; and the consequence was that the oppor-
tunity to which he had alluded did not occur in their case, and the Bill
was smuggled through, or not to use a harsh term, It passed without any
attention through a second reading, and the report of the Committee
was also agreed to without exciting any attention, and thereby great pub-
lic Injustice was done. He (Mr. P. Thomson) had had occasion, with
reference to more than one Bill, to point out the extreme in-
convenience that had resulted from such a state of things,
and he could not quote a stronger case than the Fishguard Bill, which had
been introduced during thelast Session. There was no Hon. Member ac-
quainted with the circumstances of that Bill who would not agree with him
that some remedy was required. It had been suggested by many gen-
tlemen, who had taken an interest in the subject, that they ought
So do something more than he (Mr. P. Thomson) now proposed—
namely. that they ought to have a breviate afterwards, and before
the passing of the Bill, in order :to let the House know what changes
might have been introduced in the Bill. But he (Mr. P. Thomson) did
not think it necessary to go so far in the present stage of the proceed-
ings. The third resolution provided that the Speaker should make
such regulations as that the breviate should not be a mere abstract ef
the marginal notes of the Bill, but that it should really con-
tain what alterations were proposed to be altered by it.
livery Hon. Member in the House was obliged to the Speaker for the
vast trouble which he had taken, in order to simplify the private
business of the House—it had taken much trouble from the shoulders
of every one who had private business to attend to. He could not an-
ticipate any opposition to his motion—he would therefore content him-
'elf with moving the resolutions.
DUCHESS OF KENT'S ANNUITY BILL.

Justices Coleridge and Coltman brought from the House of Lords the
Duchessof Kent's Annuity Bill, which had been agreed to with an
;amendment.