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

P•IE stJN, v,x)N DON, FRIDAY

the motion two years ago, for this amongst other
reasons—that Westminster-bridle formed one of the
chief approaches to the new pahico. The Honourahl,i
Member for Nlarylellone thought it a grievance that the
Committee should have ben arranged between the Hon.
Member who moved it and her Majesty's Governm.-nt;
hut no such Committee was ever appointed without a
tall understanding and communication with the Govern-
ment. He would not be provoked into a discussion as to
ihe great constitutional principle involved in the noznen-
clature of the edifice; but he could refer to high autho-
rities in justification of the phrase be bad applied to it.
His late Majesty, in a speech from the throne, on the
24th of February, 1834, after the destruction of the two
!louses of Parliament by fire, used the phrase, " the
ancient palace of Westminster," and the same phrase
was employed in an announcement which appeared in the
Gazette a few days before Parliament met. Even the
Hon. Member for Montrose had recently moved for a
return respecting the " Palace at Westminster." He felt
that, having consulted her Majesty's Government, and
obtained the consent of the Hon. Members whom he had
named, he should not do justice to either if he abandoned
the motion.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, as
reference had been made to the control which he, as
Chancellor of the Exchequer, exercised over the expen-
diture for this object, he wished the House to understand
the extent of his responsibility, which was to determine
the sum of money to be proposed to be voted each year.
How the expenditure was to be carried on was not for
him to determine, nor had he time to devote to the pur-
pose. The subject of the palace had been mixed up with
that of Westminster-bridge, and there had been some
misapprehension upon this point. Some time ago it had
been found necessary to block up two arches of the
bridge, and to reduce the weight of the superstructure in
order to render it safe for carriages. The danger had
been obviated, and he believed that the bridge was in a
state of perfect safety, At the same time, it was only
temporarily so, and it was impossible that the bridge
could remain as it was, with two of the arches
blocked up, offering an obstruction to the navigation
of the river. Although be had some misgivings as
to the appointment of a Commission, yet, upon the
whole, he did think it might be the best course with
reference to the present motion. The duty of care-
fully supervising the sums to be expended upon the new
Houses of Parliament was one which on no account
ought to be neglected, but he presumed it must be per-
fectly evident to the House that that was an undertaking
for which the responsible advisers of the Crown could
not—owing to their other engagements—command suffi-
cient time; probably, therefore, the result of appointing
the proposed Committee would in the end be the issuing
of a Commission by the Crown to see that the design
was carried out, and that the sums granted for that pur-
pose were not misapplied; and further, to take care that
there should be no deviation from the design without the
consent of the Government. He did not say that such
a Commission should have power to recommend any in-
creased expenditure, that must necessarily be left in the
hands of the Treasury. The Commission should be
purely a controling body. These were the views which
he entertained on the subject, and if they met with the
general concurrence of the House, he should take the
liberty of suggesting that the best course would be that
both the motion and the amendment be withdrawn; and
he thought that if a Commission were issued by the
Crown, appointing a very few persons for the purpose in
view, the best results would be produced.
Sir R. H. INGLIS would have no objection to with-
draw his motion if the Noble Lord at the head of the
Board of Works, whose especial duty it would be to ad-
vise the Crown en this point, undertook that such a
Commission should issue.

Lord MORPETH said that, under the circumstances,
he should consider it his duty to give such advice to the
Crown, recommending especially that the number of
Commissioners be very small indeed.
Mr. OSBORNE observed that now he need not press
his amendment.

Motion and amendment, by leave, withdrawn.
REPEAL OF 'TIE UNION.
The next notice was one given by Mr. J. O'Connell,
respecting a repeal of the union with Ireland, and when
the Speaker, according to the usual practice, called upon
that Hon. Member to move it, he did not appear.
FEES IN CHANCERY.
Mr. ROMILLY moved to discharge the order of the
Bth day of this instant February, referring to the Com-
mittee on fees (courts of law and equity) all petitions
which have been presented to this House praying for in-
quiry into the fees imposed upon the suitors in the High
Court of Chancery in England, in pursuance of the
powers contained in the Act 5 and 6 Vie. c. 103. The
simple ground on which he brought forward this motion
was, that the Committee, had bee.n.appointed for a parti;
eular purpose, and he believed that the proposed inquiry
was not essential to 'the real and useful purpose for
which the Committee had been granted.
Mr. AGLIONBY, as the Member who moved that
these petitions should be referred to the Committee, said
that he was no party to any understanding, and he had
invariably advocated that the whole question should be
referred to the Committee, to be inquired into.
Sir G. GREY said that the Committee had been
granted upon the express condition that the subject re-
ferred to by the Honourable and Learned Member for
Cockermouth, should not be included in the inquiry ;
and he, therefore, was of opinion that the order ought
to be discharged.
After a few words from Mr. IJUME,
Mr. MART expressed his opinion that the Com-
mittee itself was a competent tribunal to judge of the
extent of its powers as to the subjects of inquiry into
which it might enter.
Mr. STUART understood that considerable public
benefit was likely to arise from the Committee, and was
of opinion that it would be imprudent to mix up the
questions of compensation and fees.
Mr. BAINES believed that the public would not be
satisfied until the subject of the compensation which had
been awarded had been inquired into.
The motion was agreed tu.
The other orders of the day were then disposed of,
and the House adjourned at a Quarter to Ten o'clock.