The Sun.
London, England, 1846-06-06 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
HOUSE OF LORDS, June 5.
The Earl of SHAFTESBURY took his seat on the Wool-
few minutes before five o'clock.
RAILWAY TRAVELLING ON SUNDAY.
The Bishop of LONDON presented a numerously signed
petition, complaining of the desecration of the Sabbath by the
present system of railway travelling on that day. The Right
Rev. Prelate proceeded to make some observations on the
subject, and was followed by
The Earl of FITZ WILLIAM, who said he entirely concurred
in everything which had fallen from his Right Rev. Friend.
He was decidedly opposed to all commercial traffic passing, on
railways on Sundays, and he thought it was the duty of Par-
liament to prevent the present Sabbath desecration on rail-
ways.
Lord CAMPBELL addressed a few words to the House in
f e favour of some restriction being made between commercial
and passenger traffic on the Lord's day.
The subject was then allowed to drop.
MESSAGE FROM THE COMMONS.
Messengers from the Commons brought no certain Bills.
NORTH BRITISH RAILWAY.
The Earl of H ADDINGTON presented a petition from
the inhabitants of Coldstream, against the proposed branch of
the North British Railway from Berwick to Wooler, which
was ordered to be referred to the Committee on the Bill.
LUNATIC ASYLUMS ACT.
The Duke of RICHMOND presented a petition from the
rate-payers of Ross, in the county of Hereford, complaining
of the operation of the Lunatic Asylums Regulation Bill, to
which he would call the attention of the Government. The
Bill, he thought, was the worst of the many bad Bills that had
been introduced into that House, and one which he thought
should have been referred to a Select Committee at the
*fate. There was one clause at the end of the
Bill to which the petitioners particularly referred.
It declared that every idiot was a lunatic. In consequence of
this great alarm was excited in the minds of the petitioners,. as
well as throughout the country at large, as through t
that Ti-
terpretaton harmless idiots, instead of staying with th r
relations or being maintained in an inexpensive man-
ner in the workhouses, were sent to lunatic asylums.
He considered that in the majority of cases a great affection
was entertained by the parents for their children affected with
idiotcy, and they would feel an insuperable objection to having
their children takers from them. He considered that Govern-
ment should take under their charge all the lunatics
of the country, and that they should establish a
separate institution for those persons affected with
the earlier stages of madness or idiotcy, where, by a system of
kind and gentle treatment, the inmates might be restored to
their right and proper senses. The Noble Duke also presented
a petition from the board of guardians of the Ross Union to
a similar effect. The petitioners stated that their expenses,
which now amounted to 8001. per annum, would be increased
to 3,600'. solely for the charges of the maintenance of these
persons.
Lord ASHBURTON presented a petition to the same effect.
Earl KINIVAIRD presented a number of petitions from
manufacturing towns praying their Lordships to pass the New
Corn-Bill as speedily as possible.
LORDS HARDINGE AND GOUGH'S ANNUITY
BILLS.
The Earl of RIPON then moved that the House resolve
itself into a Committee on these Bills, and observed, that as he
had already had an opportunity of addressing their Lordships
on the subject of the important services which had been ren-
dered to this country by these two illustrious individuals,
he would not detain their Lordships for many mo-
ments. The first of these Bils gave to Lord Hardinge an
annuity during his own life, and during the life of his two next
heirs bearing the title, the annuitylof 3,0001. per annum. He
was sure that their Lordships would not think that sum was
more than the eeestice of the case warranted or the generosity of
Parliament call* for. But there was a peculiarity in that
Bill, and also innhat which related to Lord Gough, to which
it was his duty to call their Lordship? attention. The East
India Compan:, as their Lordship were aware from what
had fallen from him on a previous occasion, had granted
very liberal annuities to Lord Hardinge and Lord Gough, and
this Bill proposed that the annuities to be granted by Parliament
should he suspended whilst the East India Company continued
their annuities. The Bill relating to Lord Gough gave 2,0001.
a year to him during his We. He would therefore move that
It should go into Committe.
Lord MONTEAGLE said he had a strong objection to the
principle of the.Biil, and he was sorry some more influential
party had not addressed the House upon the subject.
The Bills contained a provision unjust and unbecoming, and
whieh he considered would be detrimental to the public service.
Hi; - objection was to the clause which suspended the public
gratitude to those distinguished men because the East
India Company had recognised them. What will be the coo-
segeence in future? Why, the East India Company will
not gwp forward, because they will find that they
are not rewarding public men, but that they are only
snaking a miserable saving to the Exchequer. Now he would
most strenuously protest against any such narrow principle
being adopted by their Lordships' House, because he believed
shat if they did adopt it they would en ail a bad principle upon
the country, which would ,finally do exceeding harm to the
country. The ge,ant of the East India Company ought not
to diminish the grant of Parliament. They ought-not to•olloiv
chat to influence them to curtail the grant, but.it ought rather
to be, a motive for increased liberality. It was well for the
East India Company to reward them for services performed to
them, but it was also the duty of the Government and the
British people to reward these distinguished officers for ser-
vice, not done for a commercial body, but for the nation at
large. The conduct of the East India Company should be a
reason for an increased allcwance, instead of the grant being
curtailed, stinted, and abridged, as it had been by the Go-
vernment.—( Hear, hear.)
The Duke of RICHMOND hoped that he should have an
opportunity of recording his vote against the Bill. It ale
peared to him a shabby, mean, and saving piece of economy,
inconsistent with the desert of the gallant officers, and was a
disgrace to the credit of the country. He was not prepared to
give his sanction to fib measure which he considered wrong in
principle and most shabby in practice.
The Earlnf RIPON said that he would be the last person
in the House to propose anything mean or shabby to their
Lordships. The curtailment was not made upon a principle of
economy, but the Government had acted entirely upon pre-
cedent.
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE supported the suggestion
of the Noble Lord (Lord Monteagle,) and he hoped he would
seiggest it to the Committee in such a manner, as would not
fitter the Bill.
Tte Earl of WICKLOW considered that an adjournment of
the question should take place, in order to give time to seareh
for precedents upon the subject
3he Earl of RIPON considered that such an adjournment
would have no effect, as he admitted there was no precedent
to be forted-
The Earl of GALLOWAY said, it was impossible for the
House to estimate in money the services which these distin-
guished men had done for the country. It seemed to him that
these individuals were entitled to a much larger amount than
these Bills proposed, and he for one should rejoice if her Ma-
jesty's ministers had thought proper to propose a more li-
beral sum.
The House having then resolved itself into Committee,
The Duke of RICHMOND moved that the 3rd clause, which
provided that the annuities proposed by the Bill should be sus-
pended as long as the East India Company
_ continued to pay
the annuities which they had granted to Lords Hardinge and
Gough should be suspended.—( Hear. )
The Earl of RIPON said, if they acceded to the motion of
the Noble Duke. the Bill would be destroyed. It ought to be
borne in mind, that the grant of the Government was pro-
posed to be extended to the two generations next preceding,
which did not apply to the grant of the East India Company.
The Duke of RICHMOND said, that nothing was so easy as
for the Commons to bring in a fresh Bill should the
amendment be agreed to.
The Marquis of (!LANRICARDE supported the view taken
by the Noble Duke.
Lord MONTEAGLE followed on the same side. Suppos-
Mg the East India Company had net made the grant, would
not they have considered it their duty to have rewarded these
distinguished officers; or supposing that Parliament made the
grant before the East India Company, and should the latter
Company agree to a similar grant, would that be any reason
for the Government suspending their grant?
Toe Marquis of NORM AN BY considered that if the
amendments proposed by their Lordships were not received by
the other House, they could bring in a fresh Bill on the sub-
ject.
The Earl of ST. G E RMANS stated that had Lords Hardinge
and Gough been persons of large property no pension would
have been proposed at all.
Their Lordships then divided, when there appeared—
Non-Contents... 33
Contents ..... „, 26
Majority against the Clause ...
The Amendment was then agreed to.
The Duke of RICHMOND then proposed that the same
alteration should be made with reference to Lnrd Gough.
The Earl of RIPON would not trouble their Lordship
to divide upon the question after the opinion already pro-
nounced in Lord Hardinge's case.
The Amendment was then agreed to.
RAILWAY LEGISLATION.
Earl FITZ WILLIA al rose to move the resolutions of
which he had given notice, with reference to railway legisla-
tion. From a return which be held in his hand, the Bills
now in peeeeess before their Lordships involved an expendi-
tore of 90,000,000/. The greatest loan that was ever
raised in this country was 49,00,0001. The sum required
for these railways was, therefore, nearly double the amount of
that He expressed the feelings of every individual cog-
nizant with monetary affairs, that it was necessary a stop
should be put
any upon railway speculation. He was not so
o
any portion of Phitus resolution, own, but that he would withdraw
The great =lZ:ten% if a better one could be sng-
nested.
eprnanected with the Bills was,
that they were considered an* Billos. It was evident
from the arrangements of both"iir
move
thauf Parliament, that
they considered them something
'mile private Bills,
•
for they had classified them in groups, Itecordrok to the want
~f certain districts. The
tii Government should take some luxes
and comprehensive measures with reference ,,, own.
The
Noble Earl then proposed the following resolutions :—.l. That
all railway Bills, which had been read a second time in their
Lordships' House, should be referred to a Select Committee.
2. That it be an instruction to select Bills not exceeding the
amount of sixty millions. 3. That a message should be sent '
to.thellHuse of Commons, requesting a conference upon such
-`its railwaye as were then pending in Parliament. The Noble
Earl then moved the resolutions.
Earl DALHOUSIE thought that, however desirable it
might be to limit railway enterprise, and however they might
feel iacliaed tee put a stop to railway speculation, still he sub-
mitted that Otttr what had taken place in both Houses of Par-
liament thelF Lordships could not, with common justice, sup-
port the resolutions of the Noble Earl. At the commencement
of this session a Committee was appointed in both Houses of
Parliament to consider the propriety of making a selection of
the Bills before the Legislature. That Committee came to a
report that it would not be advisable to make a selection of
these Bills. There was no intimation given to them by the
Government as to any course they should pursue. A great
number of these Bills had been now See months under the con-
sideration of Parliament. They have expended large sums of
money, and no few of them have obtained the deliberate sanc-
tion of Parliament. In common fairness they could not now
turn round and say to them, " We shall now select those Bills
.which we consider the best to be passed." It would be tanta-
mount to a breath of faith on the part of Parliament. They
had also interfered by establishing a sort of locus penitent' are
in the shape of sessional orders. The parties had
held meetings under these orders, they had sane.
:fled the tests which their Lordships had imposed
,apon them, and it would certainly be unfair to turn round
upon them and say that they could make a selection of those
Bills. With reference to limiting the capital to be expended
to 60,000,000/ , he was not prepared to say that that was the
limit to which speculation could fairly be carried. Their
;Lordships had a remedy in their own hands, in the strict exer-
cise of the powers intrusted to them in committee ; if they
would come to the consideration of the Bill, not so much with
a view 0411,drmining if there was any fatal objection to the
porwillpfigVadrbsr they would, under the present circumstances,
'4 ije ly made. He hoped, therefore, that their
imr .of support the resolution of the Noble Earl.
, e ...4 „,. As' D quite agreed with the Noble Earl who
'44, -4: ;': , 00 \ ..4- aw, ,at it would be a breach of faith on the
Ise
*t LI:. i-- 7.::-. ,x, -- , r....,,, .7-: to compel these' companies to go before
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