The Sun.
London, England, 1848-03-25 00:00:00

been passed two days ago, and the present Bill would,
therefore, only open up the controversy which had
raged in past times. They might now look forward to
an extensive litigation between parties. There could be
no doubt that the heads of Eton College would offer a
determined opposition to the Bill; the Great Wes-
tern ;and South-Western Company would wage
another desperate warfare. There could be
no question of such if the Great Western were
permitted the privilege of making a line to
the royal rsideace. Now, he thought that the:Noble
Lord ought, with the influence which his position gave
him, with the advantages of his well-known and estima-
ble character, and with his distinguished reputation as
one of the representatives of her Majesty's Government,
he did think that the Noble Lord, on such an occasion
as the present, when the question involved the comfort
and convenience of her Majesty, and the integrity of
the royal dwelling—he thought that in such a case the
Noble Lord might very well be disposed to take
on himself the character of mediator, and by his
influence with the opposing parties do great good, by
preventing litigation and removing an existing cause of
offence and quarrel. He was not there as the advocate
of the college, or of any competing railway company.
It did rest with the House to reject the second read-
ing of this Bill, but he believed that the House would
agree with him in thinking that if the Noble Lord, by
his interference between these two companies, could
prevent the incurring of enormous expenses, he would
be not only conferring a boon upon the companies
themselves, but upon the college, the town of Wind-
sor, and the public generally. If this Bill
should pass the House might rest assured that the
matter would not end here. In that case the South-
Western would press for powers to enable them to carry
their station to the town of 'Windsor. They would
naturally ask the House to extend the same advantages
to them that it did to the Great Western. He did not
see how the House could refuse them. Fully acquainted
as he was with all the circumstances of the case, he must
state his conviction that it would be impossible for the
House to refuse the South-Western Company a station
at Windsor, if they allowed the Great Western to
carry their line as at present contemplated.
Now, for the purpose of public convenience, and for:tha
purpose, in part, of preserving, if not of furthering the
well-being of Eton College, with which many of their
early recollections were associated, and of preventing
an expensive and unncessary contest, he did think that
if the House could induce the Noble Lord to take oa
himself a task of this kind, he might be well considered
a public benefactor.
Lord MORPETH said that, with reference to what
the Right Hon. Gentleman had suggested in so pleasing
a manner, as to his great powers as a mediator, he could
assure him that no one would be more rejoiced than he
if an end could be put to the prosecution of the
further litigation between these two great companies
with respect to this object of coming into the royal
borough of Windsor. He (Lord Morpeth) had, as the
Right Hon. Gentleman observed, when referring to
Eton, many pleasing recollections of that place, aid he
was happy to see that he had the sympathies of the
Right lion. Gentleman on this subject; but, with respect
to a reconciliation of the matters in dispute between
the Great Western and South-Western Companies, he
must confess that he had no expectations that he should
be able to adjustithem; and he could not avoid expressing
his opinion that any benefit which for public convenience,
ought to be conferred upon one company, and one only,
ought, in consideration of their longer occupation of the
district, to be conferred upon the Great Western Com-
pany.
Mr. CRIPPS did not exactly understand for whom his
Right Hon. Friend appeared. He did not understand
him to appear for the South-Western Company, and he
had himself told the House that he did not represent
the interests of Eton College. With respect to the
suggestion made by the Right Hon. Gentleman, he (Mr.
Cripps) would only say that while the Great Western
Company did not fear to meet the ordeal of any of the
tribunals, they were quite ready to leave the question
in the hands of the Noble Lord, the First Commissioner
of Woods and Forests, or with the Noble Lord at the
head of her Majesty's Government. His Right Hon.
Friend stated a fact when ho told them that one of the
objects of the Great Western Company, in the outset,
was to carry their line into Windsor. They proposed
some years ago to do so, but special influence was set
at work to prevent them from succeeding in this endea-
vour. A few years after the South-Western Company
brought forward a Bill, and succeeded to a considerable
extent in obtaining what they sought in this direction.
Their scheme was a much more objectionable one than that
proposed by the Great Western Company from Slough,
inasmuch as it passed directly between the Castle and
the river. When he came into the House that night, he
had not the slightest idea that any opposition would be
given to the Bill, and he was therefore taken somewhat
by surprise by the Right Hon. Gentleman. He would
not, however, fatigue the House by going into the his-
tory of the contests between the Great Western and
South-Western Companies. In conclusion, he would
again repeat that he was quite willing to leave the matter
in the hands of the Noble Lord,
Mr. CHAPLIN said that the Hon. Gentleman who
had just sat down had, on the part of the Great Western
Company, expressed himself ready to place him-
self in the hands of the Noble Lord at the
head of the Woods and Forests. He (Mr.
Chaplin) would be equally ready on tie part of
the South-Western Company to do so. The House would
boar him out when ho said that, in the last session of
Parliament, a Bill of theirs was suspended in its pro-
gress that a fair opportunity might be afforded for the
Great Western and South-Western Companies to meet
the dlfferences between them by a friendly arrangement.
But he must be permitted to say that, however strongly
the Noble Lord had expressed himself now in favour of
a settlement of this question, he (Mr. Chaplin) could
not give him great credit for his efforts to bring about
such on a former occasion. The proposition mace by the
South-Western to the Great Western Company was a
very fair one. They proposed that whoever should carry
out the line to Windsor should consent to a clause
giving to the other power to use the line; but the Noble
Lord never evinced the slightest proof of wishing
to bring about this arrangement, nor was there
reason to suppose that the Great Western Company
were inclined to come on our line or let us go on theirs.
If the Noble Lord acceded to the suggestion of the
Right Hon. Gentleman he should, on the part of the
South-Western, very readily consent to the arrange-
ment.
Lord MORPETH said he should have been glad to
offer his mediation, but ho confessed he had no great
hope of a favourable result.
The Earl of LINCOLN said, that after the readiness
evinced by the representatives of those two great com-
panies, he did hope that the Noble Lord opposite would
withdraw his repudiation of the task sought to be im-
posed on him, and thereby give the country and the par-
ties particularly interested an opportunity of bring-
ing this question to a satisfactory result. The
Noble Lord said that if any company obtained
an entrance into Windsor it should be the Groat
Western Company. He (Lord Lincoln) was quite pre-
pared to agree with the Noble Lord thus far, but if they
granted the Bill now before the House, and allowed the
Great Western Company an entrance into the town of
Windsor on the one side, the South-Western would in
a few years ask the House to give them also an entrance
into Windsor on the other side, and he did not see how
their request, under the circumstances, could be well
refused. These companies had already expended large
sums in their efforts to approach the town of Windsor,
and these sums would be largely and permaaently. in-
creased if they had two stations instead of one terminus
common to both companies. He was happy to find that
the results which were only too frequently obtained by a
circuitous and expensive mode, might be had by a
simpler process, and he hoped, therefore, that the Noble
Lord would consent to this amicable arrangement be-
tween the two companies.
Lord MORPETH said, that so farifrom repudiating
this proposal, he should be extremely glad to consent to
it, if the two companies would only show a disposition
themselves to smooth away difficulties.
The Bill was then read a second time, and ordered to
be committed.

SLIGO ELECTION.
The following Members appeared at the table and
were sworn to try the merits of the election for Sligo :—Mr.
T. C. Granger (Chairman), Mr. Disraeli, Mr. Y. Scrope,
Mr. J. Hayward, and Sir J. Johnstone.
RYE ELECTION.
The following Members appeared at the table, and
were sworn to try the merits of the election for Rye:—
Mr. E. Divett (Chairman), Sir H. Raiford, Mr. J.
H.
Vivian, the Ron. F. Charteris, and Mr. M. J. Blake.
THE EDINBURGH AND NORTHERN RAILWAY.
On the motion for the second reading of the Edinburgh
and Northern Railway and Stirling and Dunfermline
Railway (Queensferry and Inverkeithing Branches)
Bill,
Sir J. CLERK* opposed the motion. He moved, as an
amendment, that the Bill be read a second time this day
six months.
Mr. F. MACKENZIE said the Right Hon. Baronet
was in error when he supposed this was a similar Bill to
the one rejected last year. In the present Bill
many improvements and amendments bad been intro-
duced, and, as most parties who opposed the Bill had since
withdrawn their opposition he thought the House ought,
in justice to the company, to reject the amendment.
Mr. COWAN supported the second reading. The
Bill was only opposed by one individual, and even that
opposition arose out of the fact that tho company had
refused to give 50,0001. for the land belonging to him
which the line traversed.
Mr. SOTHERON opposed the second reading.
The House then divided, when there appeared—
For the amendment
Against it
Majority in favour of the amendment —45
The Bill was lost.
Mr. REYNOLDS presented several petitions against
the Chester and HolyheAaMdE-LAW S Railway Bill
G.

Mr. BRIGHT gave hotiee of his intention to move
immediately after the Easter recess, for leave to bring
in a Bill for the repeal of the Game-laws.
FARES ON RAILWAYS.

Mr. BANKES gave notice of his intention to move on
an early day a resolution for the purpose of securing a
diminished rate of charges to the public upon all rail-
ways in the United Kingdom.
DERBY ELECTION.
An HoN. MEMBER. gave notice of his intention to
move, upon an early day, that the minutes of the evi-
dence given before the Derby Election Committee
should be printed.
ENTERING PORTS WITHOUT PILOTS.
Lord RENDLESHAM wished to ask the Secretary
of the Admiralty, whether it be true, that two French
steam-ships of war were brought into Sheerness harbour
during the night by their own masters, without any,assis-
tance from a licensed pilot? Also, whether, on the occa-
sion of a French ship of war coming into Ilarwich
harbour this last autumn, there was not some delay or