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

PRIVATE BILLS.-HOUSE OF

LORDS.
The following important resolutions were on Saturday
issued in a printed form, by order of the Lords, relative
to private Bills and business of the House :-
1. That the amount of private Bills yearly brought
into Parliament has been continually increasing till the
consideration of them has come to form a large propor-
tion of the business transacted each session, more than
two hundred in one session having sometimes been
passed, and many others thrown out at various stages.
2. That the construction of railways has still further
and snore rapidly increased this amount, so that the ave-
rage of private and local and personal Acts passed dur-
the three sessions 1840, 1841, 1842, having been 178,
there were 171 Railway Bills brought in during tha ses-
sion 1845, besides common private Bills; and during the
'present session there have been 212 other Bills and 482
Railway Bills; and in the session of 1845, 241 private
Acts were passed, containing 43,624 sections or schedules
besides bills brought in and thrown out at different
stages.
3. That such private Bills have dealt with an immense
amount of property, and with the most important rights
and interests of the community.
4. That most of such Bills give the power of com-
pelling landowners and other proprietors to part with
their property, or otherwise suffer it to be interfered
with; many of them inflict great hardships on indi-
viduals ' • and all of them suspend or abrogate the law of
the land in particular instances and for special purposes.
All of them, therefore, authorise the doing of acts
wholly illegal by the ordinary course of the common
and statute law, and most of them authorise acts to be
done wholly inconsistent with all natural right.
5. That while the most trifling question arising be-
tween parties on the state of disputed facts, or the appli-
cation of known laws to these facts, must in this, and
indeed in every country enjoying the blessings of regular
Governments, come before tribunals qualified by the
learning, skill, and experience of the judges com-
posing them to deal with such comparatively
easy questions, the oftentimes much more import-
ant and much more difficult questions raised by the
consideration of private Bills only come before Commit-
tees of both Houses, on which professional and ex
perienced men hardly ever sit, and which are wholly.
composed of persons who can have no experience to guide
them, inasmuch as each can only sit on one or two cases
in the course of a session.

6, That the individual responsibility of the judges who
compose the ordinary tribunals of this and all well
governed states affords a security eminently necessary
'or enforcing the due administration of justice,
and for giving the conimunity full confidence
in their decisions—a security held to be necessary,
altheugh it is much more difficult for a judge deal-
ing with the known and fixed rules of the law to swerve

from his duty and pervert the law to the purposes 01
injustice, than it is for man who are called upon to
decide on the provisions of a Bill professedly creating
exceptions to the law for particular purposes, and arbi-
trarily dealing with rights according to no known and
fixed rules or principles whatsoever.

7. That in Committees of the two Houses, and dealing
with interests oftentimes incomparably more important.
than ever come before Courts of Justice, the Members,
guided by no fixed rules, changed in each case, un-
know to the community, not acting in the eyes either
of a watchful public or a jealous profession, a.. 3 almost
wholly without any individual responsibility; nor cm be
prevented, as judges are, at least i❑ this country, from
privately seeing psrties behind each others' backs, and
proceeding upon information, and listening to reasons,
and yielding to motives of a private and personal nature.
8. That the great and increasing mass of p ivate Bill
business renders it still more difficult for the two llouse
of Parliament to transact such business in a manner at
all satisfactory, and that the attempt to transact it
proves highly prejudicial to the general political and
legislative business of the country.
9. That the delay, vexation, and expense unavoidable
in the present mode of transacting or endeavouring to
transact such private business lays a heavy burden upon
the parties applying for private Acts, and on the parties
opposing them. _

io. That it is nevertheless inexpedient, in a constitu-
tional point of view, for Parliament, or either of the
Houses thereof, to abdicate its functions and privilopss
in respect of private legislation ; but, on the contrary,
that both the Houses ought jealously to retain their un-
doubted power of deciding upon every proposed enact-
ment, and of assenting to or dissenting from such pro-
posal.
___

11. That it is highly expedient that the said Houses
should obtain the aid of some other tribunal, which may
enable them to transact the private Bill business, bo't►
more expedition-Iy, more economically, and more satis-
factorily, without at all infringing upon the undoubted
privileges of Parliament, or parting at all with the con-
trol of each House over each enactment.

12. That, with this view, it is expedient to form a
Court or Board apart from and independent of the High
Court of Parliament, except as regards the removal of
its members by a joint address of both llouses.
13. That this Court or Board should consist of tire

members appointed by the Crown, and s') paid for their
services that the Crown may always obtain the aid of
the most respectable members of the legal profession in
constituting such Board.
14. That until it be seen how far the said number of
commissioners may suffice, or may prove too great, it is
expedient, in the first instance, to appoint as two cf the
members of such Court or Board either Masters in
Chancery or Commissioners of Bankruptcy, in order
that, if it be found 'possible, the three permanently ap-
pointed should continue alone to cause an expense to the
country.
15. That each House, upon receiving any Bill, and
giving it a first reading, may refer it to the Court before
whom parties shall be heard, and which shall have the
powers of a Court of Record with respect to oaths,
process, and commitment, and the power of deciding all
questions of law subject to an opinion of one of the
Four Courts of Westminster Hall, in case it shall think
fit, and of calling in the aid of a jury on any disputed
fact, provided both pa: ties shall agree in asking such
issue, and provided the Court shall think fit to grant it.
16. That each member of the Court shall have power
to try all matters, and go through the whole considera-
tion of any Bill, so as aforesaid referred by either House
of Parliament, and to reserve, if either party require it,
and he think fit, any question for the opinion of the
whole Court, three whereof to be a quorum for this
purpose, including the referring member of the Court ;
and that any question being raised on receiving or re-
jecting evidence, such member may proceed to dispose
of it himself, saving, if he think fit, the objection, as
above provided, for the opinion of the Court.
17. That juries, if an issue be required and allowed as
aforesaid, shall be taken from the special jury lists for
the county of Middlesex, in such manner and subject to
such challenge as in matters before the three Courts of
Law of Westminster Hall.
18. That each member of the Board or Court shall have
the power of giving costs to or against any party at his
discretion, and that no review of his order on this matter
shall be permitted.
19. That each member of the said Board or Cout t
shall, at his discretion, and with the consent of all pectic-,
issue a commission for the purpose of taking evidence as
to any disputed matter of fact involved in any Bill brougl t
before such member, and that the whole expense of such
commission shall be defrayed by the parties, under the
direction of the member aforesaid.

20. That the Bill, having been fully examined by such
Court, or any member thereof, shall be reported to the
House of Parliament by which it had been reterred,
together with such alterations or additions as may have
been determined upon as just, fitting, or expedient ; and
that the said House shall then proceed with the conside-
ration of the Bill so reported, and deal with it as such
House shall think fit, either adopting the report, or re-
jecting it, or varying it, as to the wisdom of such House
shall seem meet.

on2pla.ssTinhgattto beei
alomitted e byc)
msuch c
ee Houseand
suchhe onlyreported stage
Bill
the report.
22. That if any party shall oppose such reported Bill
before either House, it shall be in the
power of the House
before which such opposition shall be offered to award the
costs of resisting such opposition, to be paid by such "P-
Posing party, to the other party or parties.
23. That it shall be lawful for the Court or Board, by
a majority of the members, to make rules and regula-
tions for its proceedings,a copy whereof shall be laid be-
fore both Houses of Parliament, within one week after their
being framed, or, if in vacation time, within one week
after the commencement of the ensuing session, and that
such rules and regulations shall be deemed and taken to
be valid for guiding its proceedings, unless either House
of Parliament shall make any resulution against them
or any part thereof, which resolution shall be imperative
on the said Court or Board, and new rules shall be
made by it in compliance with such resolution ; the
new rules to be laid before both Houses, as before,
within one week after they are framed; and these new
rules shall be valid to regulate the proceedings of
said Court or Board, unless and until a resolution ofe
the other House shill disapprove
thereof in whole or
in part.
24. That the Court or Board shall have the requisite
number of registers and clerks to assist its members,
under the superintendence of the Lords Commissioners
of the Treasury.

CLoAa.—The form cf the cloak
TIER MAJESTY'S
j„opied from that of a Greek tunic. The outside is corn-
' of be richest white satin brocade, and it is lined with
plain white satin. Its length extends to about half-way
down the skirt of the dress, and it is widened at the lower
part by two slits about a quarter of a yard in length. These
slits
or openings are confined, but not closed, by lacings of
gold cord, fastened by pendent gold tassels. The most strik-
ing novelty in this beautiful cloak is a border consisting of a
row of Indian pine leaves, of the size of those usually intro-
' duced in shawl borders. These pine leaves are cut out, and
the interstices filled up with tassellated open 'work in gold.
The cloak is edged all round with white gold passementerie,
of a very tasteful design. The sleeves are slit, and laced with
gold cord and tassels, like the epeningsat the bottom of the
cloak. We mint not omit to mention the exquisite neatness
of the needlework. The stitching employed with fixing in
the lining the very perfection of the semiatress's art.—
Lady's Magazine.
Mr. O'Connell landed at Genoa on the 6th instant,
but, in consequence of a slight indisposition, resolved to con-
tinue his journey to Leghorn by land.