The Sun.
London, England, 1836-05-04 00:00:00

AYLESBURY RAILWAY BILL.

Sir THOMAS FRENIANTLE moved the further cons!
deration of the Report on the Aylesbury Railway
Agreed to.

MIDLAND RAILWAY BILL.

Mr. GISBORNE moved the further consideration of this
Bill.

Sir RONALD FERGUSON moved that the Bill should
be re-committed.

Mr. STRUTT. seconded the motion. He did so, because
the -parties had acted against good faith with the people, and
they were trifling with the House by an evasion, saying that
one Company had no intention of prosecuting the line, which
was immediately taken up by themselves under the evasion of
another Company.
Mr. C. ROSS supported the original motion.
Lord LINCOLN supported the Bill.
Mr. WILLIAM PEEL also supported the Bill, amidst loud
cries of " Divide."

Mr. FINCH thought that it would be a great hardship if
this Bill were stopped in its present stage. The parties who
applied for the re-commitment of the Bill, were labouring under
great hardships, and he should vote for the motion.
Strangers were ordered to withdraw, but a prolonged con-
versation took place, and, on our re-admission, it appeared
that a division had taken place on the question, " That this
report be now considered"—

Ayes 25
Noes l7B
' Majority 153
The Bill was then ordered to be committed
. THE LADIES.

On the motion of Mr. GRANTLEY BERKELEY the
report of the Select Committee appointed last session with
respect to the admission of ladies into a part of the strangers'
gallery, was read by the clerk.
Mr. GRANTLEY BERKELEY said that in rising in
pursuance of his notice to move that the recommendation of
the Committee be adopted, he felt great regret at the circum-
stance that, owing to his motion not having come on in the
ordinary course of time, many friends of that motion were not
present. He was at a loss, however, to understand what ob-
jection could be made to the adoption of the recommendation
of the Committee. That Committee had been fairly chosen,
and their report was impartial and unprejudiced. He had never
heard a single sound reason advanced why ladies should not be
admitted into that House for the purpose of hearing the debates,
provided they were placed in such a situation that they could not
interfere with the business of the House.—( A laugh.) He did
not know what might be the case with other Members, but he was
sure that their presence would make no difference in his thoughts.
—( A laugh.) There might certainly be Hon. Gentlemen of
a more inflammable nature--_(A laugh)—but he did not
think that was an objection which would be seriously urged.
For his part he was persuaded that if ladies were once admit-
ted into the Gallery much good would be the result ; and
especially that,
that in many cases, debates would not be so pro-
longed as they were at present. It had indeed been alleged,
that if ladies were present, many Hon. Members who were
not now in the habit of speaking, would hold forth, and at
considerable length ; but be did not think that such would Le
the case. On the contrary, in his opinion many Hon. Mem-
bers who spoke much better in the Newspapers than they did
in that House would abstain from speaking, if ladies were
present to judge of the comparative merits of their spoken
and their reported speeches.—( A laugh.) Knowing, how-
ever, that almost every Hon. Member who was listening to
him wished to dine—( A laugh)—and anticipating no objection
to his immediate proposition, he would detain the House no
longer, but would at once move, " That it is the opinion of
this House. that the recommendation of the Select Committee
appointed in the session of 1835, with respect to the admission
of ladies into a portion of the Strangers' Gallery be adopted,
together with the plan for the purpose of Sir Robert Smirke ;
and that directions be given to that architect to proceed as
speedily as possible in the execution of his plan, at such hours
as may not interfere with the business of the House."
Mr. POTTER hoped the House would agree to the mo-
tion of the Hon. Gentleman ; for he really could not see any
objection to ladies hearing the debates of the House. The
plan had been already tried in both Houses of Parliament—in
that House when the Lords occupied it, and no objections were
urged against it, that be ever heard of. In the ventilator of
the old House of Commons, every evening ladies had been