The Sun.
London, England, 1849-05-07 00:00:00

ISHTON•UNIIER-LYNE LOCAL BILL.

Ashton-under-Lyne Police, Markets, and Improve-
lets Extension and Amendment, and Transference
s and Waterworks and other Property to the Cor-
m Bill, was ordered to be re-committed.

PARLIAMEN TARY OATHS.
NEWI)EGATE presented several petitions
t the alteration of Parliamentary oaths.
STAFFORD presented several petitions to the
Erect.
EASTERN COUNTIES RAILWAY.

C HARTERIS, in rising to ask the First Lord of
3aiury whether his attention had been drawn to
ort which had been recently published by a com-
appointed to inquire into the management of the
of the Eastern Counties Railway Company, in so
it affected the general character of the House,
1 the indulgence of the House while he made a
,ervations, as considerable misunderstanding ex-
ith reference to the object which he had in putting
,stion. It had been supposed by many persons,
s question was directed against some individuill,
r of that House, but he begged to say that nothing
then from his intention than that.—(Hear, hear.)
ny Members then present had not, perhaps,
I their attention to the matter to which the ques-
:erred, he would read an extract from the report
committee of shareholders as it appeared in the
newspaper. It was to the following effect:—
the investigation of the disbursements, under the
f Parliamentary expenses, there appeared several
the character of which your committee could not
at. The items were—

1 17 (1846) Par;ismentary expenses £5OO 0 0
24 If
f f ft 300 0 0

2,400 17 6

1,700 0 0
f f

Total

7,606 17 6

rence to those items, the explanation given to
ommittee by Mr. Waddington and Mr. John
was, that the sums were disbursed by the com-
or services rendered, and in a manner which did
ow them liberty to mention the particulars, which
id, could nut be given without implicating others."
were rumours prevalent that that sum had been
led for what was called facilitating the passage of
trough Parliament, in other words, in plain
' for bribing Members of that House.—(llear,
He could not believe that any Member of
puse had been guilty of conduct so disgraceful
inonourable; but as those rumours were very
at, it appeared to him that not a moment should
without some notice being taken of them.
,uld not allow them to circulate and to poison
Aix ear; and he conceived the House wis
to institute some inquiry into rumours such
se, which not only affected the character
House, which ought to be above suspicion, but
private and individual honour of every Membt r
ig to it —(Loud cheers.) He felt cee.tident that
:se on inquiry would Lind that there was little or
lation for these rumours, but if it unforturately
,ut otherwise, the House would at least have the
ion of detectil g tt e guilty panic s, and holdinr,
) to the reprobation aed contempt of all Hon.'
.s.—(Cheers.)
JOHN RUSSELL agreed with the Hon. Gen-
that the wow's to which reference had been
had a tendency to excite suspicion, and
'.vt• the character and credit of that
Ha did not himself give the slightest credence

ritnitour to which the H.-n. Gentleman had
41% he (Lord John Russell) did agree with
would not be right to let tho.e words, re-
se they were by a:public committee, pass by with-
lie did not himself think there would be any

THE

advantage in that inquiry being instituted by a member
of the Government, unless it were decidedly the wish of
the House; but his opinion was, that the Honourable
Gentleman having turned his attention to the
subject, and the question being one atieoting
the character of individual Members of the House,
he (Lord John Russell) thought it would be better that
the inquiry should bo in the hands of the Honourable
Gentleman, assisted as the Hon. Gentleman would bo
by Members of all parties in the House, than that the
inquiry should be conducted by the Government. He
could have the advice and assistance of Hon. Members
as to the best mode of facilitating the inqury—an inquiry
which should be pursued until the whole truth was
elicited.—(Loud cheers.)
Mr. WADDINGTON said that ho was not at all
aware until he saw in the report the remark made
by the committee, that after he had given evidence in
reference to the sums alluded to, it was stated that he
could not answer, lest his reply might implicate indivi-
dual Members in that Hcuse. When he told the House
that he made no remark in that committee affecting any
Member in that House, he thought the House would
join with him that there was no reason for such
a remark as that being made, inasmuch as he
did not by implication or otherwise allude to any
Member of the House of Commons. So soon as
the report appeared, the directors took the only course
they could to inform the public of the real state
of the facts ; and, with the permission of the
House, be would read the remarks that the
Eastern Counties Railway Company made in re-
ference to the 7,6001. (The remarks substantially
were that there was a committee sitting in April, 1846,
called the Size-lane Committee, formed for the purpose
of carrying out a scheme for amalgamating the Eastern
Counties and the London and York, which
had been propounded by Mr. Hudson in 1845,
and that had that committee been successful, a great
amount of the legal expenses would have been saved.]
He could only beg to assure the House, which he did as
a man and as a gentleman appearing before that
assembly, that there was not a Member of that House,
directly or indirectly, who had had the benefit of
a single shilling in reference to that 7,6001. He
thanked he Honourable Member for giving him an
opportunity for contradicting the rumour ; and if such
a statement had been made before the committee, he
would have repelled it with indignation.
Mr. CHARTER'S said he was in the hands of the
House as to the course he should pursue. With all due
respect to what had fallen from the Hon. Member, which
he in some measure believed, he thought it would be
satisfactory if an inquiry took place into the matter—
(Heir, hear)—and, believing the House to be of the
same opinion, he begged to give notice that on Thursday
next he should move for the appointment of a Committee
of Inquiry.
The matter then dropped.
THE SICILIAN PAPERS.

In reply to Mr. DISRAELI,
Lord J. RUSSELL was understood to say that the
papers would be placed immediately in the hands of
lion. Members.

S-11 N,