The Sun.
London, England, 1847-05-17 00:00:00

Ballochney and Slamannan Railways Amalgamation,
Sale or Lease.
Enfield or Edmonton Railway Extension.

Falmouth Waterworks.

Glasgow, Barrhead, and Neilston Direct Railway.
Glasgow, Dumfries, and Carlisle Railway, and Glasgow,
Paisley, Kilmarnock, and Ayr Railway (No. 1).
Glasgow, Kilmarrock, and Ardrossan Railway (Amend-
ment, Deviatiors, and Branches).
Glasgow, Paisley, and Greenock Railway (Branches at
Port Glasgow).
Glasgow, Paisley, and Greenock Railway (Amendment
and Branches to the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock,
and Ayr, the Glasgow, Barrhead, and Neilston, and
the Glasgow, St-athaven, and Lesmahagow Railways,
and to Haugh fits).
Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock, and Ayr Railway (No 2),
Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock, and Ayr Railway, and
Ayrshire and Bridge of Weir Railway (No. 3).
Great Indian Peninsula Railway,
Great Southern aue. Western Railway Extension (Port-
arlington to Tullarnore).
Lowestoft Railway and Harbour (Alteration near Reed-

ham).
Manchester and Birmingham and North Staffordshire

_
Junction Railway.
Norfolk Railway (Yarmouth Extension).
Norfolk Railway (Branch from Wymondham to the
Norwich Extension of the Ipswich and Bury St. Ed-
mund's Railway, and the proposed Thetford and
Reedham Railway aear Diss.)
Paisley and Renfrew Railway (Sale and Improvement).
Paisley, Barrhead, and Rudd Railway.
Payne's Patents Assignment.
Plymouth and Tavistock Road (No. 2).
Ross, Cromarty, and Part of Nairn District Roads.
Runcorn Gas. _

Saffron Walden Rates.
Swansea and Amman Junction Railway.
Wakefield Market.
Warrington Gas.
Waterford and Limerick Railway.

Waterford Road.
Wexford Free Bridge.
York Improvement, Lendal Bridge and Approaches.
REPORTS OF RAILWAY COMMITTEES.
The Reports on the following Bills were further con-
sidered and agreed to:—
Belfast Port and Harbour.
Dublin Consumers Gas.
Duffryn Llynvi and Porth Cawl and Lynvi Valley
Railways Amalgamation.
Glasgow, Dumfries, and Carlisle Railway, and Glas-
gow, Paisley, Kilmarnock, and Ayr Railway (No. 4).
London Sewage Chemical Manure

Mil:feed's (llaiiceith Glebe) Estate.
Ryde Improvement.
. _

Sheffield Markets (Amendments to be proposed).

THIRD READINGS:

The following Bills were read a third time and
passed :
Birkenhead Dock Company and Herculaneum Dock
Company Amalgamation.
British Commercial Insurance Company (No. 2).

Caledonian Railway (Glasgow, darLkirk, and Coat-
bridge Railway, Branch to Glasgow Station).
Cork and Bandon Railway.
Cork, Blackrock, and Passage Railway.
Dunfermline and Cupar Court Houses.
Eastern Union and Ipswich and Bury St. Edmund's
Railways Amalgamation.
Southampton and Dorchester Railway (Weymouth
Branch).

Mr. FITZROY moved that it is expedient to suspend
for the remainder of this session the standing order
which precludes Committees on Rails ay Groups from
making their reports to the House until the reports on
the several lines comprised in the Group have been laid
before them by the Railway Commissioners.
Mr. STRUTT said that it was not possible that the
reports of the Railway Commissioners could be more ably
made out; no expense nor trouble was spared, and their
authority was very great, and he therefore could
not think that they were valueless. They had
prevented a great many evils from occurring, and,
especially, they had prevented railway companies from
increasing their capital to an unlimited amount.
Mr. SHAW said that he was not about to deny that
these reports were valuable ; it was to the working of
the system that he objected. The Committee were
obliged to hear everything, and then read the Commis-
sioners' report, for which they were often obliged to
wait for a long time, and thus occasion an enormous
expense to the parties.
After a few words from Mr. CRIPPS, which did not
reach the gallery,
Sir E. ELLIS said that no person lamented more
than he did the difficulty which had been experienced in
carrying out the resolutions which he had ventured to
propose, and he must again say, in his own defence,
that this matter of difficulty should not have been
allowed to remain in the hands of an individual Member
of that House. What had fallen from his Right Hon.
Friend the Chief Commissioner of the Railway Board
fully bore out his statement, in which he recommended
the House to come to this decision. He would not repeat
what his Right lion. Friend had said, but there were
in many of the Bats which had been prepared during
the present session. So many conflicting propositions
with respect to the powers for raising capital and for
raising loans, and for amalgamating and uniting compa-
nies ; many of which had been so preposterous, that
upon the first attempt at examination before the Board,
the parties themselves had been ashamed of their own
propositions, and had withdrawn them. Many of them
had, quite contrary to all principle, and in defiance of the
standing orders of the House, had gone before different
Committees of the House to ask for powers which
they knew could not be granted. Us certainly thought
this was not a fit state of things to continue, and
something, in his opinion, ought to be done to effect

an amendment. The whole question of railways
was one which Parliament ought to take up, in
order to provide a remedy for the evils which were
complained of in the debate of last Friday. He
Should recommend his Hon. Friend to put up with
the inconvenience, in order to have the examinations
which had been taken in that Committee, which the
Government had declared was necessary for the public
safety.
Mr. HUDSON said that the Committee might have
waited very long before they would have got the Rail-
way Commissioners reports, and had the original inten-
tion been carried out, not one of the Committees
now sitting would have got on with their business.
He said, therefore, that this investigation should take
place clause by clause; but there would, according to his
impression, be a very injurious delay,—which had
been accompanied by an enormous expense. The
proposition of his Hon. Friend was, he thought, ex-
tremely simple, and he hop' that the Noble Lord at the
head of the Government would make an explicit statement.
for the want of it had been attended with very consider-
able inconvenience. He s ncerely trusted that the pro-
position which his Hon. Friend had sugges.ed, whatever
might take place, would, by the et.,nsent of the Govern-
ment, be put before the House.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said
that it was a universally agreed proposition by
the House, that no Committee should come to a
decision before they received the • report of the
Railway Commissioners. This was the unanimous
opinion of the House. Nothing had been found to affect
the character of the reprettohor
eft
ptohrfeeatmihibecl
neR.
balelifweo
uar
leyb
teChr
eo
was
ni
ts
o
ededetct,tihhsaieotnorbeij.opeort. There had been nothing
tbsmoirojitinnmtgeerepassebaraocenhucdtetiahy.e report of the Railway Commissioner; he
did not see any reason for the alteration. Ile had in-
tended to give notice, in compliance with the reasons
which had been adduced that he should move for the
appointment of a Select Committee, and he did accord-
ingly give that notice now.
Art( r a few words from Mr. HODGSON and Mr. W
BATON, who supported the motion,
Mr. BAILEY said the resolution was not only an in-
convenience to the Members of that House, but to all
parties who came before the Committees, and it ought,
therefore to be rescinded.
Mr. F. BARING hinted that the House would not
abandon the resolution which it had passed at a former
period of the session. The object of that resolution was
to draw the attention of the committees to a matter of
very great importance. It was true there had been some
inconvenience resulting from the operation of this reso-
lution, but then the business of the House was to make
good and perfect laws. If every resolution were to set
aside, on the ground of delay, the House would find that
none of its salutary resolutions would be attended to.
And it would be found that some of the companies, which
were exceedingly fearful and alive to everything affect-
ing their interests, would postpone sending in their finan-
cial returns, in order to make out a case of grievance,
such as that complained of in the first instance. In fact
it had been stated that the delay of completing some of
the reports had arisen from some of the companies not
having sent in their return. He should most certainly
oppose the resolution.
After a few words from Mr. SIIAW,
Mr. EDWARD ELLICE, jun., thought that a part
of the diffieulty might be obviated, if an understanding
were come to between the chairman of Select Committees
and the chairman of the Commissioners of Railways.
Mr. FITZROY said that the feeling of those who
were opposed to his motion might be got over if he in-
serted the words " Committees now sitting." His im-
pression was that his motion was necessary, and as he
had heard no objection to it to warrant him to withdraw
it, he would press it to a division.
Strangers were then ordered to withdraw, when the
numbers were--

For the motion
Against it
Di tjority -32
Mr. GREENE said it would be in the recollection of
the House that a short time ago the Police Clauses Con-
solidation Bill was referred to a select committee. Since
then several Police Bills bad been referred to Committees,
and he wished to know from Government whether those
Committees ought to proceed with their labours till the
report of the Select Committee on the Police Clauses
Consolidation Bill was before the House.
Sir G. GREY thought that it was exceedingly de-
sirous—that such a suggestion was valuable, and
desirable that the Committee should be instituted.
Mr. GREEN brought up several reports, the titles of
of which, owing to the confusion and talk in the House,
were inaudible.

HEALTH OF TOWNS BILL.
Lord DUNCAN gave notice that upon the motion
for going into Committee on the Health of Towns
he should move that it was inexpedient to proceed with
the further consideration of that measure until full con-
sideration had been given to the unequal pressure of
the window tax on the dwellings of the poor.
CONSU2IPTION OF FLOUR IN COTTON
W ORBS.
Mr. FERRAND gave notice that to-morrow he
should ask s question of the Noble Lord at the head of
the Government, upon a most important subject ; it
appeared Oat 10,120,000 pounds,yeight of best