The Sun.
London, England, 1849-07-20 00:00:00

SEWERS ACT AMENDIIE.SIT BILL,

This Bill passed thr-ugh Committee.
ADMIRALTY JURISDICTION OF COLONIES

BILL.

This Bill passed through Committee.
TITLES OF RELIUIOUS CONGREGATIONS

(SCOTLAND) BILL.

Lord CAMPBELL moved the second reading of this
Bill. The object of the Bill was to facilitate the transfer
of congregational trust property from expiriug trusts
to new trustees.
Lord REDESDALE thought the Bill had passed the
House of Commons without due consideration, the Bill
having been passed through every one of its stages atter
twelve o'clock at night. Toe effect of the Bill would
be to establish every Dissenting body, and he believed
the Bill bad been brought in solely to subserve the in-
terests of the Free Church, and he therefore hoped the
Bill would be withdrawn.

Lord BROUGHAM. considered that the Bill afforded
remedy to a great grievance, and therefore he should
.upport it. The Free Church, although not the ma-
jority, comprised a considerable minority of the people of
Scotland.

The Earl of ABERDEEN, although he did not enter-
tain any objection to the principle of the Bill, yet consi-
dered it such a specimen of hasty legislation that he
thought it would be but decorous in the Noble and
Leirned Lord to postpone the measure.
Lord POLW AR .111 also urged the postponement of
the further consideration of the Bill.
Lord CAMPBELL said, that as the Bill was simply
to alter the manner in which the transfer of the property
was to take place from one set of trustees to another, he
could not admit that it was a species of hasty legisla-
tion, and he could not consent to postpone it. He knew
that the Bill had been deliberately considered, and had
received the approbation of those most interested in the
question.

- After a few words from Lord REDESDALE and Lord
BEAUMONT, the Bill was read a second time..
HEALTH OF TOWNS (SCOTLAND) BILL.
Lord POLWARTH asked when this Bill would be
brought forward.

The Earl of CARLISLE regretted exceedingly that
it would be impossible to pass the Bill during the course
of the present session, but he hoped it would be one of
the first measures to be brought forward during the
next session of Parliament.
ROME.
- -

The Earl of MALMESI3I7ZY said that he knew that
several persons who had served in the Republican army
at Rome had arrived here within the last few days with
British passports, signed by Mr. Freeborn, the
British Consul there. The lives ot those
persons were not in danger, and he could
not understand why Mr. Freeborn should have given the
British passports. He asked if Mr. Freeborn acted upon
orders from England or upon his own responsibility?
The Marquis of LAN6DOWNE, who spoke in a very
low tone, was understood to say that Mr. Freeborn
had given the passports on his own responsibility. but
be believed that the passports had been given because
the persons were in danger ot their lives, and, therefore,
he might have thought himself justified on the score of
humanity._

Lord 13ROUGHANI thought it a most important
question, because an English passport was always
respected, and such a proceeiing might diminish
the respect paid to it, and this might expose
English travellers to inconvenience. He did not believe
that passports were of much benefit, because every
knave who sought to escape from justice always
took care to have a passport en reyle.
The Earl of AUNT° said he had received a letter
from Mr. Freeborn, in which he sa►d that he had been
engaged in giving passports to persons who had compro-
mised themselves, and who therefore might, if taken, be
shot, and that humanity had dictated the steps he had
Lken.

After a few words from the Earl of AIALIIESBURY
he subject dropped.

- PETITIONS.
Earl FORTESCUE presented a petition from the
Poor-law officers of Soutnmolton, praying for a super-
annuation allowance to masters and officers of work-
houses.

STATE OF THE STEAM NAVY.
Earl TALBOT, in moving for returns relative to the
state of the navy, called the attention of their Lord-
ships to the correspondence which had recently ap.
peared in the newspapers and had taken place between
Admiral Napier and the Duke of Portland, lii which
that gallant officer enters into the question of the
efficiency of the steam navy of this country. He did
not wish to go into the merits of that correspondence,
but, as a question of su much importance bad been
raised, he was anxious to afford the Government an op-
portunity of setting it at rest by stating whether the
steam navy of the country is, or is not, sufficient for the
service of the country. The gallant Admiral stated that
there are three steam-frigates in the English navy; and
that there are twenty frigates of that description in the
French navy; but he did not think the gallant Admiral
adduced any strong proof in support of that assertion.
The gallant Admiral stated in the most positive terms
that we had only three vessels carrying guns on the main-
deck propelled by steam. On looking at the Navy List
he found that the gallant Admiral had altogether onliteii
one class of ships, n,mely, the screw ships, which would
prove ef very great efficiency and use; so much so, that
he had little doubt that in the course of a few years the
screw system would be applied to all sailing vessels, and
then we should no longer have paddle-wheel vessels
going into action with guns on their main deck. He
(Earl Talbot) should not have mooted this question, had
it not been passed over in the other House, where the
Admiralty was more immediately represented than in
their LordAips' House, and where it could have
beet more properly discussed. But deeming it of great
importance, he had drawn up a list of returns, which he
bud submitted to the Board of Admiralty, and to which
he had received the assent of that Board ; bur, on re-
consideration he had thought it advisable to move only
the two first, in order that the others might hereafter be
somewhat modified. The returns for which be now
moved were : _ _

" 1. Number and description of each war steamer in
commission, showing tonnage, horse-power, and arma-
ment, quantity of coal each is capable of carrying under
latches, consumption of coal per diem when under full
stt am, distinguishing screw from paddle-wheel ships.
"2. Similar return of war-steamers either advanced, in
ordinary, or under repair."
if these returns should be made, their Lordships would
possess an official record, showing the extent of the steam
force of the country. He believed that a vast waste of the
public money had taken place in the construction
steamers, principally owing to the want of a scientific
board of construction, to whom the construction of vess,-18
might be referred. Such a board would be able to judge,
not only as to the form of the vessel, but as to the adap-
tation of their machinery, and all the other points con-
nected with their construction. Hitherto there had been
no harmony between the constructor of the ship and the
maker of the en. gine, and the consequence was that a
great number of alterations had taken place at an enor-
mous expense. He would not trouble their L .rdships
with the names of the ships which had been se mis-
managed, because it would occupy too much time;
but he could not help referring to one ship which the
gallant Admiral had constructed. The Sidon was
by no means a perfect ship; and, with all respect for
the gallant Admiral, he should have been surprised
if he could have been the means of constructing a perfect
man of war. He had been told that the Sidon was ex-
cessively cranky, and that the least thing made her heel
over in the most extraordinary way. the returns
which he intended to move for at a future day would be
included the merchant steamers which could be made
available for a case of emergency. He believed that in
the contracts entered into with the large steam compa-
nies, who received grants for carrying the mails, a clause
was inserted compelling the proprietors to construct
their vessels in such a way as to be able, in case of ne-
cessity, to carry heavy ordnance. He thought that
would be a very useful return to lay before the House.
The Gallant Admiral stated that he had seen the French
steamers, and made a report to the Admiralty on that
subject. It was his (Earl Talbot's) intention to move tor
a copy of that report, in order that their Lordships and
the country might be able to judge of the extent of the