The Sun.
London, England, 1847-04-24 00:00:00

niPERLIL CONTINENTAL GAS ASSOCIATION
BILL.

This Bill was read a second time.
PAYNE'S PATENTS ASSIGNMENT BILL.

This Bill was also read a second time.

The following reports were brought up and received:—
Colchester, Stour Valley, Sudbury, and Halstead
Railway (Extension to Melford, Lavenham, and Clare).
Great Northern Railway (Deviations between Peter-
borough, Boston, and Gainsborough).
Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway Act Amend.
went and Branches.

Sir Augustus Clifford appeared at the table to sum-
mon the House to the House of Peers, to hear the Royal
Assent given by commission:to certain public and private
Bills (for which see Lords' report).
EDUCATION.
Mr. HUME presented a petition from the ministers
and presbyters of Derbyshire, adopted at their annual
meeting, repealing their protest against any appropria-
tion of the national fund for the purposes of any sect.

any S.
BURY AND IPSWICH RAILWAY.
Captain PECHELL presented a petition against the
Bury and Ipswich Railway.
Mr. NEWDEGATE said that he was very anxions to
call the attention of the House to a petition which had
been presented against the Trent Valley Railway by the
magistrates, clergy, and gentry resident at Nuneaton.
The high road leading from the market-place of Nun-
eaton, in which centered the high road leading from Co-
ventry, Birmingham, and Allaston, was to be raised six
feet, for the purpose of being crossed at a level by this
line. The opposition IA hich had been brought
forward by some mistake had never gone be-
fore the Committee, otherwise the railway company
would have been compelled to build a bridge.
Re hoped that either now or hereafter something would
be done to meet the wishes of the petitioners, and in
ordereat that the difficulty which the inhabitants of Nun-
eaten complained of might be rectified.
Mr. STRUTT rose, but, in consequence of the conic-
to hear his observations.
that the Railway
sion in the II se at the time, it was almost impossible
en-
gineer to examine
He was understood to say
Commissioners had sent down
works, who had reported
it would be impracticable an
pet7t.construct the road in the
manner desired by the
cumstances the Commissioners that that
ether
these
were ci
notr-
trnhreniendation, although
authorised to give any decidedrsec
a en their sanctionroefAgett
ohat the
rtah
et oe . a
they could not help expressing
parties to the railway had nut giv
crossing on the level so near to townr
NORTH MIDLAND RAILWAYS.
An lION. MEMBER presented three petitions in
favour of those branches.
HARWICH RAILWAY.

Sir ROBERT PEEL begged to make the motion of
which notice had been given by his Right Hon.
Friend the Umber for the I.Jutversity of Cam-

bridge—that the petition respecting' the Harwich
Railway should be referred to the Committee on the Bill.
The grounds on which the resolution he had moved was
founded were contained in a petition presented to the
House from the shipowners, and others connected with
the shipping interest, between the north of central
Europe and the port of Ilarwich. The petitioners
stated that in the session of 1843-4 two Bills were
introduced into Parliament for railways to the
port of Harwich, and were both lost. In the ensuing
year two other Bills were brought in and lost on :some
technical formalities in the standing orders. Two other
Bills were introduced the next year, and one was re-
jected by the House of Commons, the other by the
House of Lords.—(Laughter.) He suspected that in the
case of any other two rival lines their Bills might be
liable to share the same fate, and, therefore, he ex-
pected that the House would accede to the resolution.
Mr. STRUTT, who was very indistinctly heard, on
account of the noise in the House, was understood to
say, that, in the respective circumstances of the case, he
had no objection to offer.
Mr. HUDSON wished to know whether this was to
be taken as a precedent in future, or whether the Rail-
way Commissioners had power to decide finally on the
various cases of railways that came before them ; for
he (Mr. Hudson) knew many Bills of equally grave im-
portance in like circumstances, and pressing on the
attention of the House.
Mr. STRUTT referred the Hon. Member to the
clause of the Act of last year in reference to the powers
with which the Commissioners had been constituted.

Captain BERESFORD thought the matter before
them was one of great importance, considering the
great traffic, by steam and other shipping, which
existed between the port of Harwich and the
ports of Central Europe. That was the reason
which would make this measure most desir-
able. The port of Harwich was an exceed-
ingly fine one ; he had often seen five hundred sail of
merchantmen lying in the harbour safe and secure,
and the Government had kindly consented to
spend a large sum of money for the purpose
of improving it. The line was put so far back in the
classification list—to the 31st of May—that it would be
utterly impossible that it could pass the present session;
they had made repeated endeavours to puss it through Par-
liament, but hitherto their efforts had proved ineffectual.
Sir R. PEEL said that there were public reasons why
there should be a communication by railway from. London
to Harwich, for the public were about to incur a consi-
derable expense in the alteration and improvement of
the port of Harwich. He thought that there was nothing
more lamentable, than to see rival schemes wasting their
money on lawyers in opposing each other. He had not
the slightest doubt that if the Railway Commissioners
took the matter in hand, and brought the parties toge-
ther, they would come to an amicable arrangement, and
thus spare the expense which had been going on for
three years, and the result of which would be the in-
crease of the tolls to the public. It was infinitely pre-
ferable to coma to such an adjustment, and the parties
themselves would, he thought, be willing to abide by
the decision of the Railway Commissioners, whose
friendly arbitration would spare the necessity of spend-
ing the money of these companies.
Mr. F. FRENCH did not think that the parties would
be at all willing to refer the, matter to the decision of the
Railway Commissioners.
The motion was then agreed to.
EXPENDITURE IN IRELAND.

Mr. ROEBUCK gave notice that, on Thursday next,
he should move for a return of the money hitherto ex-
pended in Ireland, and the mode of application.
AFFAIRS OF PORTUGAL.

Sir DE LACY EVANS rose to ask the Secretary of
State for Foreign Affairs, or the Noble Lord at the head
of the Government, respecting the result of the inter-
cession of the British Government with that of Portugal,
concerning the Generals and troops who were lately
granted an honourable capitulation by Marshal Saldanha,
and who are said to have been since transported to the
penal and unhealthy colony of Angola, in the present
case referred to, the troops retired with the honours of
war, and were promised to be treated as soldiers usually
are under such circumstances. He regretted, however,
that this had not been the case. They had been marched
to Lisbon, put on board of ship, and crowded together
in the most oppressive manner, and afterwards,
as he understood, had been sent to a penal
colony in Africa. He admitted the Government had a
right to detain these parties, but not to treat them with
cruelty; the present Government had promised to inter-
cede, but three months had transpired and nothing was
done. He wished to know, whether the Noble Lord the
Colonial Secretary could give any information on the
subject.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said that at present the belief
was that these persons were not sent to Angola, but that
it was intended that they should be sent there. The
ground stated for this determination was that they had
friends in Lisbon, and that it would be dan-
gerous to allow them to remain in the country.
This did not appear to the British Govern-
ment a sufficient reason, and they instructed their
representative at the Court of Lisbon to express their
objection to such a proceeding. The Government had
not yet received any communication in reply, but they
had every reason to hope that the intentions of the Por-
tuguese Government would not be carried into effect.