The Sun.
London, England, 1846-02-07 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
HOUSE OF LORDS, Friday, Feb. 6
The Earl of SHATTESBURY took his seat on the Wool-
sack at ten minutes after Five.
CRIMINAL LAW.
Lord CAMPBELL moved for a copy of the last
report of the Criminal Law Commissioners. He had
spoken to his Noble and Learned Friend the Lord
Chancellor on the iubject, and he had no objection to
the protection of the report.
NEW ZEALAND.
Lord LYTTELTON presented a petition from New
Zealand, praying that a humble address be presented to
her Majesty, praying her Majesty to adopt some mea-
sures to mitigate the evils resulting from the increase of
convicts in that colony.
THE INCONVENIENCE OF A NAME.
Lord BEAUMONT wished to call the attention of
the Noble Earl opposite (the Earl of Aberdeen) to
a subject on which he had presented a petition last
week. The petitioner was a gentleman of the name
of. Mr. Henry Graham, who had travelled in Italy,
and whose passport was regularly revised at Marseilles
by the Sardinian Consul-General. After this, how-
ever, the petitioner was detained by the police at Nice
for twenty-four hours, and, when allowed to depart, no
explanation of the cause of detention was given to him,
further than that his name was Graham. He threat-
ened to complain to the British Consul there,
and afterwards to the British Minister at
Turin. N. apology had yet been made for his
detention, and no reason had been assigned for it, ex-
cepting that he bore the odious name of Graham—
(Laughter)—and therefore it was that he (Lord Beau-
mont) wished to call the attention of the Noble Lord
opposite to the subject. He wished to know, as that
Noble Lord had thought proer to have some correspon-
dence with the Sardinian Government, whether there
was any prospect of being indemnified for the loss he
had sustained by this-detention?
The Earl of ABERDEEN said that it was perfectly
true that the Sardinian Government had detained a per-
son of the name of Graham, as stated by the Noble
Lord. He had been detained and subjected to some in-
convenience on account of his name. He (the Earl of
Aberdeen) would say there was no better name
in Great Britain ; yet, at the same time,. there
was no name sufficiently good that would not
be occasionally in disgrace. It appeared the
detention in the present case arose from a person of the
name of Graham, at Brussels, in Belgium, had been
guilty of forgery or swindling, and having fled, the
Belgian Government communicated with the different
ports of Europe, and among others, with the Sardinian
Government, desiring them to take any person
of that name that might pass through their
territory. In consequence of this, Mr. Graham
was detained twenty-four hours in his own hotel,
but as soon as the mistake was known he was dismissed.
His carriage was raid, and the other expenses incidental
to his detention were sent, and beyond these, he (Lord
Aberdeen) was not aware of any loss he had been sub-
jected to. The Sardinian Government explained to
him the mistake, apologised "for his being detained, and
made good any loss he might have been made to suffer.
The gentleman had declared that the detention arose
from persecution on account of the name of Graham,
and claimed a pecuniary indemnity, but under the cir-
cumstances he (Lord Aberdeen) could not make any ap-
plication to the Sardinian Government. That Govern-
ment had done all that was required—they had explained
the mistake, intimated that the detention was uninten-
tional, and paid the incidental expenses, so that he must
decline doing anything further in the matter.
The Duke of BIICOLEUCH laid upon the table of
the House certain returns relating to gaols in Ireland.
RAILWAY BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE.
The Earl of DALHOUSIE, in rising to move the
suspension of the 224th standing order of the House,
said it would be necessary for him to direct their
Lordships' attention to the fact of two Committees hav-
ing been appointed, one by the other House of Parlia-
ment, and the other by their Lordships, to consider the
best means of disposing of the railway business of the
session. These Committees were of a too fold character.
The first object to be considered by them was the possi-
bility of finding time to get through the railway business,
and the other the expediency of allowing
so large an amount of capital which these railway
schemes would require to be diverted from the usual
and ordinary sources of commerce. Both Committees
met the day after their appointment, and all the infor-
mation which the Government had in their possession
upon the subject was laid before them, and
the Committees considered generally the two
questions which had been referred to them. In the
first place, they suggested that a certain altera-
tion should be made in the mode of arranging and dis-
pesing of the private business of the two Houses of Par-
liament, because they thought it would tend to facilitate
the transactions of business of either House, and while it
would be convenient to those interetsed in the conduct
of that business, it would at the same time be productive
of advantage to the public interest. Their Lordships
were no doubt aware that according to the invariable prac-
tice of the House, railway business had commenced in
the other House of Parliament, and, as a necessary
consequence, during the first two or three months of
the session their Lordships were left entirely without
private business, and when it did come before them,
they were sooverwhelmed with it at a late period of their
sitting, that it was quite impossible for their Lordships
to give it that due attention which its im-
portance demanded. Their Lordships' Commit-
tee had, therefore, determined to recommend an
alteration in the existing standing orders, and to meet
this arrangement, no doubt their Lordships would have
perceived that the Committee of the other House of
Parliament had reported to the House a recommenda-
tion that during the present session a certain por-
tion of ralway business should be commenced in
their Lordships' House. It was, therefore, for
them to consider what would be a convenient
division of the business. But the Committee
recommended that the railway Bills connected with
Ireland should be considered by their Lordship? House
in the first instance. There could be no objection urged
to this course, and their Lordships had a strong
reason for adopting it' in the fact that it
would facilitate the legislation connected with Ireland.
Under the present circumstances of that country it
would be extremely desirable that such a course should
be adopted. Any Bills, therefore,• that were to be
brought forward and considered beneficial for Ireland '
should be passed as speedily as possible. The report of
the Committee in the House of Commons on the same
subject had recommended all railway Bills for Ire-
land to be commenced in that House. There was
a charge of five per cent. required to be paid on
all railway Bills in the House of Commons, but in that
House there was an alteration to ten per cent. An ex-
ception was proposed in the other House with regard to
certain Bills after the 10th July, and a similar altera-
tion was proposed in that House, but their Lord-
ships refused to acquiesce in it. They proposed
that ten per cent. should be paid on every
Bill. Now a very large proportion of the
Irish Bills fell under the exception referred to, and it
would be hard to say that this should stand in the way
of their consideration. It appeared, therefore, to the
Committee appointed by their Lordships, that an altera-
tion might be made to obviate that inconvenience, and they
had unanimously recommended that those Bills on which
a deposit of five per cent. had been made, should before
the third reading pay the remaining five per cent.
It had been said that this alteration held out an
encouragement for railway speculation; but by admitting
the consideration of those railways which paid five per
cent. they would not be placing the promoter in a better
condition than if the Bill had originated in the other House.
Under these circumstances, he would strongly recom-
mend their Lordships to come to a speedy decision, as
it would afford a facility of giving employment to the
people of Ireland. In point of fact, all that his propo-
sition proposed was, to give greater facilities towards
passing the railway Bills now before the other House of
P,:rliament. It was a power to advance railway projeds
without in the slightest manner giving any facilities to
pass those bubble Bills which were at present in t xist-
lice. There was another class of Bills which were re-
ected in the other House of Parliament last session, and
Hell were introduced again for the recommendation of
that House in that session, but he was of opinion they
would not be persevered in. He was sure many of those
hills would not make their appearance, and ho would
move such a course should be submitted as to prevent
their Lordships from having to deal with Bills which
were not of a bona fide nature. The standing orders on
such railway Bills, he would move, should be complied
with on or before the 6th Feb., and that before the
13111 was read a third time in that House, on e,.ve /ietlh
of the amount subscribed should be paid up*
Lord concluded by moving the resolution. 9h
Noble
" Resolved—That it is the opinion of this Committee
that such portion of the standing order No. 224, as re- '
quires a deposit of one-tenth of the amount subscribed,
should be suspended, with respect to all such railway Bills
as shall commence in the 'louse of Lords during the pre-
snit session.
" That no such railway Bill shall be read a first
time in this House unless a deposit of one-twentieth
part of the amount subscribed should have been made on
or before the 6th of February.
" That no such railway Bills should be read a third
time until a further deposit of one-twentieth part of the
amount subscribed should in like manner be paid.
" Resolved also, that it is the opinion of this Com-
mittee that this House should not receive auy petition
for a railway Bill after Monday, the 23d of February."
-
Lord INIONTEAGLE did not eiject to the general
principal of the proposal which ha emanated from the
Committte but as there was much 'misapprehension
with respect,to the proceedings of the Legislature on this
subject, as regarded Ireland, lie wished to explain in
what it would affect the railway Bills of that coun-
try. He %las not about to discuss b
the mores-!iy
of inereasii,g the means of communication ;but in-
-1 ' .14 solely to 11w effect which the
teulgidgedstitoonasp(pitly itheilernrnittce would have on the labour
market of Ireland under the present contingency.
einder the present system, none of the railway Bills in
receive the
t.stnt before Juno or July; indeed, tha was earliy
er
than many railway Bills received the royal assent last
esvion. Now, however important and useful it might
'le to pass railway Bills even as late in the session as
Tuly, yet if they were not passed before that period, the
• -:_eople of Ireland would not derive that advantage from
mheommeat which they stood so much in need of at the present
0...e.w spA pill
Shi4de:odno.nagrltaLunrtatoifonthteo failure of the potato crop.
which his Noble Friend had
was allowing promoters of railway Bills
70,,e1
_lke'
I:.pr esiniultaneously their
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im Rouses.
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meat,
adoption of this plan
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... , _ _ i: • lA. for nothing could be mor
e absurd than to bring
and would save great
' - ". 'Will*, , from Ireland and
Land's End
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