The Sun.
London, England, 1849-06-23 00:00:00

IMPERI

;AI ENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, June 22.

Their Lordships met at Five o'clock
The Bart ctt .XALILESBITRY presented petitions
from Lincoinshith, complaining of agricultural distress.
Lord POLVirARTH presented a petition against the
admission of,,,T4ainto Parliament.
The Earl ortrARLISLE presented a petition from
a place in Siotland, in favour of the Health of Towns

Lor,l COLVILLE presented a petition against the
Parliamentary Oaths Bill.
The Bishop of SALISBURY presented petitions to
the sank effect.

PASSENGERS BILL.

This Bill was read a third time and passed, after cer-
tain amendments had been. introduced by Esrl GREY.
INCUMBERED ES'PATES (IRELAND) BILL.
Lord CAMPBELL had to report the Bill to
their Lordships' House from the Committee to
whom it had been referred, with amendments. It
would be remembered that when the Committee

was moved for, a fear was entertained that it could not
pass this session. He, however, objected to the appoint-
ment unless a pledge was given that the principle of the
Bill should not be opposed in Committee. That pledge
was readily given, and he Was glad to say it had been
faithfully kept. In his opinion, the Bill had been
judiciously amended by the Committee. (Hear,
hear.) One of these amendments would limit
the power of the Commissioners in reference to the
sale of incumbered estates, when an application was
made to them for that purpose, on behalf of the
party who held the incumbrance; while if it was
ascertained that the interest of the charges on
an estate was less than one-half of its annual in-
come, the power of sale was taken away altogether.
It was proposed also to introduce a clause empowering
the Commissioners to partition estates held by bodies in
a copartnership shape. He had only to move now that
the Bill be reprinted, with the amendments, with the
view to its re-committal.

Lord STANLEY was glad that there was a pros-
pect of this Bill being passed in the course of the
present session. The most important amendment
which the Committee had introduced was the
clause- briefly referred to by the Noble and Learned
Lord, empowering the Commissioners to sanction the
division of properties held conjointly by a number of
individuals, The Inclosure Commissioners of this coun-
try exercised a similar power, but he was afraid that
fact was not sufficiently known, or it would have
been more extensively resorted to.—(Hear, hear.)
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE also approved of the
amendments which had been introduced into this Bill,
and was rejoiced that the Noble Lord who had just sat
down had called the attention of the House to the ex-
change clause in the Inclosure Act.
The Duke of RICHMOND observed that the In-
closure Act gave the Inclosure Commissioners power to
negotiate an exchange of estates between two landowners
under a very inexpensive process; indeed, a man with a
property valued at 20,0001. could exchange it for another
of equal value, with the assistance of the Commissioners,
at an expense of only 5/.
Lord MONTEAGLE anticipated that great benefit
would result to Ireland from the passing of this Bill in
its amended form.

The Earl of GLENGALL urged upon their Lord-
ships the expediency of accompanying this measure with
a reduction of the stamp duties.
Lord CAMPBELL would communicate the suggestion
of the Noble Earl to his Right Hon. Friend the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer, but he was afraid, in the exist-
ing state of things, there would be some difficulty in
adopting.
The Earl of WICKLOW took exception to the
amendment which prohibited the Commissioners or the
incumbrancer from sanctioning the sale of an estate
where the rental was double the interest of the incum-
brance.

Lord BROUGHAM was still adverse to the measure,
no:wittstat..ding the amendments which had been in-
troduced into it. His main objection to it was, that it
dealt with vested rights. It was admitted by his friends
that it was an arbitrary measure, but the circumstances
of Ireland would justify its passing. He did not think
so. He did not think any circumstances would justify
the passing of a measure which enabled a man
with a flaw in his title to sell an estate
which he unlawfully held. Suppose 'now a man
died, leaving his estate to ba partitioned between
his eldest and youngest son, and the eldest son
managed to conceal the will, would he not in law be-
come entitled to the whole? Well, then, such a man
had only to mortgage a portion of the estate, and this
Bill would enable him to dispose of it in such a manner
that the wronged party never could obtain redress.
The Bill was then ordered to be reprinted.
The. Earl of REDESDALE presented a large number
of petitions against the admission of Jews into Par-
liament.

Lord STANLEY had been entrusted with a petition
by the London and North-Western Railway Company to
present to their Lordships on the subject of railway
amalgamations, but as no member of the Railway Com-
mittee now sitting was present, he thought it best to give
notice that he would present the petition on Monday.
The Duke of RICHMOND presented a petition from
Norfolk complaining of agricultural distress.
POSTAL ARRANGEMENTS.
Lord HOWDEN wished to ask the Postmaster-Gene
ral if any negotiations were going on for the reduction
of postage between this country and France.
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE replied that
such negotiations were going on. The post-
office authorities of France had made a pro-
posal to her Majesty's Government on the subject,
to which he had sent a counter proposal, which
was likely to lead at no short distance of time to a ma-
terial reduction in the postage between London and
Paris.