The Sun.
London, England, 1849-03-19 00:00:00

RETURNS.

The Earl of MOUNT CASHEL moved for certain re-
turns relating to the police force in Ireland.
The 'notion was agreed to, and their Lordships
adjourned.

HOUSE- OF COMMONS. -

The SPEAKER took the Chair a few minutes before
Four o'clock. _

Mr. COMPTON moved a new writ for the northern
division of Hampshire in the room of Sir W. Heathcote,
who bad accepted the office of Steward of the Chiltren
Hundreds, and in doing so the Hon. Gentleman took oc-
casion to compliment the Hon. Baronet for the zeal and
attention with which he had for a long series of
years discharged the duties of Chairman of the
Standing Orders and other Committees. His loss, he
said, would be seriously felt by those who had the con-
duct of the private business, but latterly the Hon. Baronet's
health had become so much impaired by his assiduity to
the public service that he was compelled to resign his
seat.—(Hear.) He (Mr. Compton), however, was quite
certain that, the House would be no less ready to bear
testimony to the impartial manner in which the Honour-
able Baronet had performed the functions which the
House had allotted to him, than to join in an expression
of regret at the cause of his resignation.—(Cheers.)
Mr. WILSON PATTEN, as the successor of the
Honourable Baronet in the Office of Chairman of the
Standing Orders, must also be allowed to bear his per-
sonal testimony to the able manner in which the Hon.
Baronet had dicharged his duties.—(Hear, hear.) Ile

had frequently had (ipportunities of witnessing the im-
partial and conciliatory tone which always characterised
the proceedings of the Honourable Baronet, whose health
he was afraid had been greatly injured by his close at-
tention to the private business of the House, but the
House, he was sure, would unite with him in expressing
a hope for his speedy recovery.—(Cheers.)
Mr. BROTHERTON. had also had opportunities of
witnessing the admirable manner in which the Right
Hon. Baronet bad discharged his duties of Chairman of
Committees, and he must be allowed to express his con-
currence in all that had been said of the Hon. Baronet.
The motion was then agreed to.
THIRD READING.

The Sunderland Waterworks Bill was read a third
time, and passed.

REPORTS.
The reports on the following Bills were considered
and agreed to, and the Bills ordered to be engrossed:—
Darlington Gas and Water Company Bill—Epsom Rates
Bill—Feltwell Second District Drainage Bill.
SECOND READING.

The. Birkenhead, Lancashire, and Cheshire Junction
Railway (power to sell or lease to the London and North
Western, the Chester and Holyhead, or the Shrewsbury
and. Chester Railway Companies, or to amalgate there-
With) Bill, was read a second time and ordered to be
committed.
BIRMINGHAM BOROUGH BILL.
On the motion for the second reading of this Bill, the
object of which is to exempt Birmingham from the pay-
ment of county rates.
Lord BROOKE moved as an amendment that it be read

a second time this day six months, as Birmingham had
no right to the exemption it claimed, while the Bill itself
proposed to alter the criminal law of the land, which
ought not to be allowed.: It was a private Bill, and yet
contained provisions for altering the Municipal Corpo-
ration Act.—(Hear.)

Mr. SC EIOI:EFIE-LD said Birmingham was no expense
whatever to the country,and as it maintained its own gaols
and lunatic asylums it ought not to. be called upon
to contribute to the erection of county buildings of that
description, for which it had no use.—(Hear.) But the
Noble Lord had taken a technical objection to the Bill.
—(Hear, hear.) The Noble Lord said the Bill pro.
posed to alter the criminal law of the land, which
could not be done by a private Bill, while, if
there was any such alteration required, it ought
to be made by a general Act extending to the whole
country and not confined alone to Birmingham; but he
was sure the House would not allow that objection to
stand in the way of an act of substantial justice.
Sir GEORGE GREY doubted whether Birmingham
could be legally called upon to contribute to the county
rate so long as it maintained its own gaols and asylums;
but, be that as it might, he was bound to admit that
Birmingham had a claim to the exemption which this
Bill proposed to establish.—(Cries of " Hear, hear.")
He would , suggest, however, that the proper course
would be to get the legal question decided before they
legislated upon the subject, and if the decision was
against Birmingham, the exemption would become a
matter for a general and not a private Bill.—(Hear.)
Mr. SPOONER could see no necessity for putting Bir.
mingham to the trouble and expense of deciding the point
which the Right Hon. Baronet had raised. It was clear
that, as a matter of justice, Birmingham ought not to be
called upon to contribute to the county rate, and he,
therefore, hoped the House would read the Bill a second
tituv.—(Hear, hear.) He would vote for the second
reading.

Mr. MUNTZ said the county magistrates admitted
that the Bill was a fair one; but they opposed it because
they considered it should be a general measure, on the
principle of a man:pleading the statute of limitations to his
creditor. The people of Birmingham had at present ample
gaol and lunatic accommodation; aid it would be, there-
fore, manifestly unjust to saddle them with an additional
impost for a purpose they did not stand in need of.
In conclusion, he had to say that at Birmingham the
people were in a very bad and unprosperous state,
that the rents were very heavy and in some cases un-
bearable ; and he would tell the Right Hon. Gentleman
that if the burdens of the town were unnecessarily in-
creased, the magistrates of Birmingham would not be
responsible for the peace of the town. He would cor-
dially support the second reading of the Bill, and he
hoped it would pass the House.
Sir G. GREY thought it would be desirable if the
House could come to some agreement by which the levy-
ing of rates in the town of Birmingham might be sus-
pended until the fate of the Bill before the House was
decided.—(Hear, hear.)
The gallery was then cleared for a division, when
there appeared—
For the second reading ... 70
Against it ... 62
Majority)
UNIVERSAL RAILWAY COMPENSATION
COMMITTEE.

The appointment of this Committee was deferred till
;o-morrow.

THE PEACE MOVEMENT.

Mr.: THORNELY presented a petition from Bilston,
signed by 400 inhabitants, praying for a recourse to
arbitration in the national disputes.

RATING OF RAILWAYS.

Mr. LACY presented a petition from the South-
Western Company, under their corporate seal, praying
for an alteration in the rating of railways.
Sir G. STRICKLAND presented a petition from Pres-
ton, signed by upwards of 8,000 persons, praying that
international disputes might be settled by arbitration.
Mr. GROGAN presented a petition from Dublin,
praying for the abolition of the privilege of Members of
Parliament from arrest.

NAVIGATION-LAWS.
Mr. FERRIES presented a petition from Liverpool,
signed by upwards of 7,000 persons, against the repeal
of the navigation-laws.

MARRIAGE BILL.
Several petitions were presentecl against the Marriage
Regulation Bill.

RATE IN AID.
Colonel DUNNE presented several petitions from
Carlow against the Rate in Aid Bill.

- PUBLIC LIBRARIES.
Mr. EWART presented petitions from Wigan and
other places, pia) ing for an inquiry into the manage
went of public libraries.
Mr. SCHOLEFIELD presented petitions from Bir
mingham in favour of arbitration in cases of intern&
ticnal disputes.