The Sun.
London, England, 1847-05-20 00:00:00

No. 17,057.

fixed on, should be at a date stliciently distan'(, to
give the colonies in both hemisphere,‘, ample tin le to
imitate our example, so that petitio,vis from all the
colonies may be presented to Parliamtnit simul tome-
ously.
'Would there he anything preposterous in lXying
down as part of the British Constitution, henCefi eth.
that every new colony, after its free population si hall
amount to 50,00 inhabitants and upwards, st all
towned with the same privilege as a
Member
sboroughone e s tofto
PEanrglilaamnden, t
?and.whaatllowhaedve
thie,to
selves, thaetsoifolssfthtEnoeoutnrsoaaopine-e,
colony
numerous
vo.o/nho.ayiste
haßi sisrhi ttomihuseuhl rdeehcdoiinaus
fnrcptariano se
sretshioinsfge
ttt
hhh
beyondeee
inhabitants of the colonies done in expatriating theme
sea
ey
atcogo
en orfin?ne
Queen's dominions as the extreme northern counties
'of Scotland or the extreme western counties of
Ireland ? Are not the colonists of New South
Wales, New Zealand, Van Diemen's Land, and
South Australia, less intelligent, and less English
than they ? And what would render expatriation to
he felt no longer such in so great a degree as
it is, as to consider a removal from Cork, or London,
or Portsmouth to a colony, to be nothing more, in a
political view, than a removal to another county; the
iorr
Atlantic,new county
or thelying s
oi
South-'Western
vWest
of Scotland or Ireland ? You cross the sea to go to
the latter, and very often go to the former. You
te r Indies,
Pacific fi o
cr Ocean, tI
e N
io the
n
lieu
do no more in going to America or Australia; the
only difference is, you are weeks on your passage in
lieu of days. But when at last you disembark, there
is the same Monarch in the distant British county ;
the same laws fundamentally ; the same Constitution
controlling them ; with a Colonial Legislature so
called, but which bears a strong analogy to the Cor-
poration of the English, Scotch, or Irish borough
you have just left behind.
Since the above was published in our last number,
it occurred to us, in order to avoid the obvious incon-
venience of adding some forty Members to the present
very numerous House of Commons, how far the peti-
tions of the Colonial Legislatures for the representa-
tion of their constituencies in that House, might, in
its final prayer, petition, that in case the Queen and
Parliament should refuse their being represented by
additional Members, to al!ow their constituencies to
elect from among the Members of the Commons (each
Legislature one) representative for the colonies; the
Queen and Parliament recognising the double elec-
tion of such Members so chosen, by recognising their
title and standing in the House as Members as well
for the county or town in the United Kingdom,
which elected them, as for the colony which also
elected them. And so allowing such Members, by
reason of such double election, a double vote; such
double votes to be received on all questions in the
debates, and also on all laws which were not re-
stricted to the United Kingdom. But on laws re-
stricted in their operation to the United Kingdom,
then, when the question came to be put, " that this
Bill be read the first time," (also the second time,
and finally the third time,) and then only, such co-
lonial-elected Members should have but one vote.

PARLIAMENTARY LEGISLATION
ON TUE KENT RAILWAY PROJECTS.
SESSL;N, 1847.
We recur to this subject again in order to put on
record the circumstances under which it has been the
fate of the people of Kent to have their long-cherished
independence endangered a second time by the pa? tial
decision of a short Committee of the House of Commons.
The Committee had to elect between two lines—the
ene direct, the other circuitous. The cost of construct-
ing each was the same. Instead of selecting such por-
tions of either scheme which obviously offered superior
public advantages of the greatest possible importance,
the Committee have entirely thrown overboard all con-
siderations of a public nature, without exhibiting, in any
of their decisions, the slightest regard to local feeling or
general accommodation.
The conduct of the Committee is the more reprehen-
sible, inasmuch as they have granted Extraordinary
powers to the South-Eastern Company for charging
higher fares than were allowed last year in the amalga-
mation Bills of the London and North-Western. the
London and York, the North Staffordshire, and other
great companies; and higher also than the scale pro-
posed this year by the Brighton and South Coast Com-
pany, in the following proportions.--
Express tr....ins, 10 per cent. higher.
First class, 12.1 per cent. higher.
Second class, 10 per cent. higher.
Third class, the same for both Bills.
The people of Kent ask for a public inquiry.
They are aware, from the eviderce submitted upon
the question of cost, direction, and population, that all
these points have been shown to be greatly in favour of
the scheme of the South Coast Company, and inasmuch
as it is found that the claim to superior gradients set up
by the South-Eastern Company cannot be established,
they demand, naturally enough, to know how it was
that a Committee of the House of Commons should have
so decided against the direct and approved line, and in
favour of an inferior line, which altogether leaves the
local population.
The people of Kent believe that Mr. Stanley's judg-
ment has been improperly biassed by the opini,ons of
Mr. Stephenson, from the circumstance that Mr. Stanley
is a director, while Mr. Stephenson is the engineer to
the Chester and Holyhead Company. They consider
their having interests in common with respect to the
Chester and Holyhead Company, is sufficient to ac-
count for Mr. Stanley's undue leaning towards tho opi-
nions of Mr. Stephenson, in regard to the Kent lines.
This is a very natural conclusion.
An inquiry, however, into the whole question, must
take place in the House of Lords, and on the fare ques-
tion particularly. A thorough sifting of the evidence
must there be resorted to, in order to expose fully the
delusive and deceptive evidence of Mr. Macgregor on
this subject. The evidence of Mr. Macgregor was no-
thing more than a juggle—a bold and unscrupulous
attempt to impose upon Parliament, and to obtain,
through its excited sympathies, further arbitrary powers
to exact unjustly from the public. The attempt was as
accordingly.—
d tt on
grleys t
tnor
ai
ns unwise s
its imt
uws at s,
tuhnewr
eofrotrhey,
boef ad
egarleta tweitobm
Canterbury Journal.

ABORIGINES PROTECTION SOCIETY.—The tenth
annual meeting of the members and friends of this so-
' ciety, was held at Crosby Hall, Bishopsgate-street, Mr.
Samuel Gurney in the chair. After a few prefatory re-
marks from the chairman, in which he spoke in high
terms of the operations of the society, Dr. Hodgkin
read the report, from which it appeared that during the
year no great triumphs on the part of the society bad
to be recorded, although meetings had been held with
more than ordinary frequency, and tracts, pamphlets,
&c., had been extensively circulated, together with a
new publication which had been started with a view to
the more general dissemination of the society's princi-
ples. The difficulties of Otaheite and other islands of the
South Seas had engaged the attention of the committee,
and interview s with Lord Palmerston had been obtained,
and the result of his Lordship's intervention had been
productive of the utmost benefit. The report proceeded
to give a brief statement of the present condition of the
Aborigines in the British dominions and other parts of
the world. It has been ascertained that the Aborigines
in Australia were rapidly disappearing, and many of
them had been mercilessly slaughtered. Lengthened
statements were made to show the character .of the
Aborigines generally, most of them being described ati
' livinw in antagonism to Christianity
.and civilization.
The society anticipated much benefit from the appoint-
meat of Mr. B. Ilawse to a post in the Colonial-office
indeed they acknowledged that he had already conferred
great
benefit on the cause they had at heart, and the
proceedings terminated.

ROME.—The anniversary of the foundation of the
Eternal City was celebrated, on the 21st ult., with un-
usual solemnity. A grand banquet took place in the
baths of Titus, near the Coliseum, at which Messrs.
Orioli, Dragonetti, D'Azeglio, Rossi, Guerini, Meucci,
Sbalsrdi, and others, delivered patriotic speeches, which
were enthusiastically applauded by the 800 guf.sts, and
the 20,000 or 30,000 spectators present at the fete. 111.
Meucci congratulated the Italians on the sympathy ex.
pressed by England, for their cause. " England," he
said, " is a free country, and cannot give chains to
nations, that article not figuring among her manu-
factures. England admires and respects us. Let
us, then, love those who love us, respect those
who respect us, and hate those whoshatet de aufse.D'ing This
speech was received with the me
ecirculoa of
the ap
dl ad
ru sees; e d Obny tehae
published, the entire population re-
the provinces was
rdfionliarin
Gig dazzity.,
twhen
Governorsth
solveo with one voice to repair in the evening to the
Quirinal, to thank the Holy Father. At eight o'clock
all the inhabitants of Rome turned out of their houses,
each provided with a lighted torch, and repaired to the
Piazza del Popolo, the place of rendezvous. There they
formed into platoons,ban ners a andn d
wa
bandsl walked eodf inm themusic,
to greatestther
oorndtiear:
preceded .
cal residence. The Corso waosisilpionnztlaitnhneeedornuv,sull
wthaev
iwnigndhoawnds
kaenr
cdhbi
eaflsc,oanni eds were
of " Viva Roma," " Viva Italia,"
The Pope presented himself on
th bal •
e con of thui-
rinal, and bestowed his benediction on they peop'e,e w Qho,
c
after giving one immensecheer for er his Holiness, quietly
dispersed. Several R
Roman Princes had, on this occasion,
joined the popular procession. ad „ \rt.l.hitvßads Ppe eii conaclt ux.r r illuminatedes.
,av:
WILD FowL.—The many beautiful aquatic birds
that, during the last long winter, were to be seen in every
bog and creek of the Moray, Beaulv, and Cromarty friths,
have all vanished to their homes and breeding places on the
Western Islands and hill lochs. All sorts of gay plumaged
tribes which swim the broad waters, or dart on their finny
prey from an aerial height, were more than unusually abun-
dant. Flocks of grey and brent geese. the golden eye, velvet
duck, sheldrake, goosander, merganser, pintail, millard,„
widgeon, and teal; of other kinds there were cormorants,
grebes, cootes, the Bolan goose, swans, herons, guillemots,
golden plovers, the redshank, and several kinds of sandpiper*.
The little auk, or sea dove, from the Arctic regions, wac
among the rarer migrations. The most successful sport in
wild-fowl shooting, in this quarter, is generally got by John
Hay• Mackenzie, Esq., of thomertie ; from his insular little
watch-house, as many as fifteen wild ducks, six geese, and
numbers of plovers, have been shot in the course of an hour
and a half. The author of " The Wild Sports and Natural
History of the Highlands," Charles St. John, Esq., is also
in a fine locality for the Sport; he shot last winter a swan
weighing nibs., and with extent of wing seven feet seven
inches, besides many varieties of ducks and geese. H. W.
White ;Esq., and A. Mackenzie, Esq., have mounted gunning
punts—the latter was occasionally seen gliding silently along
the water, until the boom of the long gun swept its charge
into an unwary tiock.—lnverness Courier.