The Sun.
London, England, 1847-07-02 00:00:00

Bill in operation. What had fallen from the lion.
Member for Finsbury, though reflecting somewhat upon
his (Lord John Russell's) constituents, hid yet a treat•
deal of truth in it, because if they had left it to lo; al
bodies to reform themselves, and put no external pressure
whatever upon them, it would be long before any reform
would take place. That was the case with other corpo
rate towns. But what was the pressure proposed? It
was that the Chief Commissioner of Woods and Forests
should have associated with him a paid Commissioner,
at a salary of 1,0001. a year, and that there were to he
a certain number of inspectors to visit the towns and
make reports.
Lord G. BENTINCK—Not a certain number; an
ancertain number.

LorciiiiffSSLL—The Noble Lord would propose
a limit. But there was an effectual limit, which the Noble
Lord seemed not to perceive—viz., that the salaries of
those officers would be voted in Committee of Supply.

Lord G. BENTINCK—The towns will pay them.
Lord MOI2PETH—No; not the inspectors.
Lord J. RUSSELL continued—The salaries would be
Voted in Committee of Supply, and if they were extrava
Rant in amount, or the number of officers excessive, the
Committee had but to reduce the amount of the vote—
suppose from 5,0001. to 3,oool.—and the number of the
inspectors, or the excess of their salaries, would be at
once diminished. The Noble Lord was entirely mis-
taken in supposing that the whole of this power was
taken out of the hands of the towns, because they would
have the appointment of their local officers for their own
regulation, the chief commissioner merely giving his
approbation to the appointment. Such a power was ne-
cessary to put the Bill into operation. The Bill did not
give a compulsory power to enforce any great expene,
but a compulsory power to have reports, in order to
ascertain the state of the towns, and incite them to acti-
vity. Seeing that this was the case—whatever fair ob-
jections there might be to an increase of the patronage
of the Crown (and he did not complain of any remarks
on that subject, because it was one on which the House
ought to be properly jealous)—he thought it far better
to increase that patronage than lose the very considerable
benefit which would be conferred by the measure.
After a few words from Mr. ROLLESTON,
Lord JOHN MANNERS admitted that the object of
this measure was good, but his Hon. Friend the Member
for Oxfordshire had pointed out a more practicable plan,
find he must join with him in resisting the clause.
The Committee then divided, when there appeared—
For the clause lOO

Against it
Majority
The clause was then agreed to, as was also clause 3.
Clause I, the object of which was to provide for the
appointment and payment of inspectors was, after a short
discussion, in which Mr. Spooner, Colonel Sibthorp,
Mr. Collett, Lord G. Beutinck, Mr. Henley, Lord Mor-
peth, and Mr. Hudsoon, took part, then agreed to.
Clause 5 was agreed to with some verbal amendments.
Upon clause 6 being proposed,
Mr. HENLEY proposed the (miss • ion of the word
"district," on the ground that the provisions of the Bill.
bught to be applied solely to towns and boroughs, and
not to districts where no town existed.
After a short discussion, this clause was agreed to
with the omission of the word.
In clause 7,
Mr. DIVETT moved to add, after the words " several
boundaries," "except of corporate boroughs."
After a short discussion the amendment was agreed to.
Mr. DIVETT then moved to strike out the conclud-
ing sentence of the clause, viz., " and in the case of a
corporate borough, whether or not the boundaries of
finch borough ought to be extended, and in what case."
After some discussion, strangers were ordered to with-

draw,
The House divided, when there appeared—
For the amendment
Against it lO3
Majority against the amendment —44
The clause as it originally stood was then agreed to.
On the motion of Lord MORPETH the Chairman
was ordered to report progress, and to obtain leave to
sit again this day.—Agreed to.
NAVIGATION BILL.
_

Lord JOHNBISIEE: s;idthe—lsTavigation Bill
stood first in the order of the day for to-morrow. After
it he proposed to proceed with the Health of Towns
Bill.