The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-15 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
HOUSE OF LORDS, July 14.
The LORD CR.LNCBLLOR took his seat on the Wool.
sack at Five o'clock.
SECOND READINGS.
The following, amongst other Bills, were read• second
;Imo :

Oxford and Birmingham Railway.
Midands Railway (Birmingham to Wolverhampton).
Lancaster and Carlisle Railway.
Birmingham Canal and Railway.
Leeds and Bradford Railway.
Caledonian Railway (Carlisle branch).
West Cornwall Railway.
Exeter, Yeovil, and Dorchester Railway.
Louth Salisbury and Yeovil Junction Railway.
London South Eastern Railway (Basingstoke Branch).
Leeds, Dewsbury, and Manchester.
Airdrie and Coatbridge Waterworks.
North Wales Mineral Railway.
Sheffield, Ashton-under.Lyne, and Manchester Railway.
Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne, and Dean Forest Canal
and Railway.
Manchester, Bolton, and Bury Canal and Railway.
Bristol, Birmingham, and Midland Railway.
Liverpool and Bury and Manchester and Leeds Rail-
ways Amalgamation.
South-Eastern (Greenwich and Gravesend).
Lord ASEIBURTON brought up the report of the
Commissioners appointed to inquire into the subject of
the Metropolitan Central Railway Termini.
THE SEES OF ST. ASAPH AND BANGOR.
Earl POWIS presented several petitions against the
union of these sees.
The Bishop of SALISBURY also presented a peti-
tion to the same effect, and another from the Mayor,
Aldermen, and Burgesses of Salisbury, in favour of the
Louth, Salisbury, and Yeovil Junction Railway.
Messengers from the House of Commons brought up
several Bills, which were ordered to lie on the table.
On the motion of Lord CANNING, the Spitalfields-
street Bill was read a second time and ordered to be com-
mitted.
The Earl of CLARENDON presented a petition from
Lord Fortescue against the Taw Valley Railway.
SUGAR DUTIES.
Lord BROUGHAM said he wished to ask the Presi-
dent of the Board of Trade a question with reference
to the sugar duties. He saw by the Votes of the House of
Commons that the Noble Lord at the head of the Govern-
ment proposed to introduce a temporary Act, continuing
the sugar duties for a short period. There could be no
objection to that, but he trusted the passing of that Bill
would not lead to any delay in the introduction of the
further Bill.
The Earl of CLARENDON had no hesitation in
assuring the Noble and Learned Lord that there would
be no delay in introducing a permanent measure upon
this subject.—(Hear, hear.)
SALARY OF THE LORD CHIEF JUSTICE.
Lord BROUGHAM wished to give a general
notice of his intention to call the attention of
Government to a very important circumstance arising
oat of the appointment of Sir Thomas Wilde to the
office of Chief Justice of the Common Pleas. A most
improper and unconstitutional negotiation had taken
place at the time of the appointment of Lord
Denman to the office of Lord Chief Justice
of the Queen's Bench between the Noble Lord and the
Treasury, by which the Noble Lord consented to 8,0001.
a year instead of 10,0001., the sum originally granted to
Lord Tenterden by the 6th of Geo. IV. That negotiation
he contended, was most unconstitutional, and the Noble
Lord had no right to take less than the 10,0001. a year,
payable quarterly, nor had the Treasury any right to
interfere in the matter. The Act of Parliament
made the money payable to the individual, and
in his opinion it was highly improper to
bargain for judgeships in this way.—(Hear, hear.) He
trusted, therefore, that no such arrangement had been
come to with the present Chief Justice of the
Court of Common Pleas. He must add, in giving this
notice, that he did not wish to impugn the character or
integrity of Lord Denman, than whom a purer and more
upright judge bad never sat upon the bench.—(Cheers.)
The Act says 10,0001., and the financial statement only
8,0001. He only wished that the matter should be
looked into, and if there were no other Act found,
then that the evil should be remedied.
Earl GREY acknowledged that the Noble and
Learned Lord (Lord Brougham) had called the attention
of the House to a very important subject. The fact was
that in 1830 a committee had been formed for the revi-
sion of all the salaries of the several officials of the state,
and it was by them decided that the whole list
should be revised, and that the several salaries of those
officials, including those of the judicial officers, should
be revised and prospectively reduced. It was a great
pity that when Lord Ashburton's committee was sitting
the Noble and Learned Lord had not turned his atten-
tion to it, and the more especially as he himself was the
chief authority by whom the charge was guaranteed.
Lord BROUGHAM—I did not know it.
Earl GREY—Did not know it Why, from his own
knowledge, he could say that the Noble and Learned
Lord must have known it at the time, for he was Chan-
cellor at the time, and certainly it was his duty to have
inquired into the matter. But this he would say, that
his Noble Friend at the head of the Government would
take care, if it was necessary, to bring in such a Bill for
rectifying the evil.
Lord BROUGHAM was astonished to hear one Noble
Lord contradict, on his own knowledge, what he had just
now asserted on his honour that he was ignorant of.
What might be the Noble Lord's notion of discretion he
could not say, but this he would assert, that he knew
nothing of the matter until it was brought under
his notice by Mr. Justice Bosanquet and Mr. Justice
Patteson, and not only did he not know of :it, but
it was quite contrary to his opinion. The Noble Earl
had stated that he ought to have done that under the
circumstances the Noble Earl was himself unable to do,
viz., pass an Act of Parliament under circumstances
which it was impossible to do ; that is, to pass an Act
when he was, as the Noble Earl was himself now, in a
minority in that House. The truth was, that nobody
knew anything about that which concerned every body
and for which nobody cared. Such was the case, ac-
cording to the Noble Earl's notion, but it was not his
notion ; and as he was not nobody, but somebody, he
believed that this was a matter which required a careful
looking after. Accordingly his own impression was that
10,00001. a year was a very proper sum to be given to the
Lord Chief Justice, and he thought that a judge ought
to be rendered independent of any Government. The
Noble Earl had contradicted him flatly in the first sen-
tence, but had dwindled down to a probable contradic-
tion in the last. Truly, the Noble Earl ought to have
better grounds to go upon than these.
Lord CAMPBELL must agree entirely with his
Noble and Learned Friend opposite, that things should
not remain as they were ; and that, if it were necessary,
an Act of Parliament ought to be immediately brought
in to remedy the defect. The salaries of the judges
ought not to depend upon any arrangement be-
tween the judges and the Government. Now,
his Noble Friend who sat near him had
intimated no opinion on this subject—on the contrary.
he had stated in the most distinct terms, that the Noble
Lord, now at the head of the Government, would in-
quire into it, and that, if it were necessary, an Act of
Parliament should be introduced fur remedying the
matter. There could be no doubt that if there had been
an Act of Parliament passed, if Lord Denman, or any of
his executors chose to insist on their rights, they would
be entitled to recover the balance of the whole of the
specified salary, but he (Lord Cam,)bell) must declare
that he never heard of such an Act of Parlia-
ment. His Noble and Learned Friend opposite
ought, if he felt that these matters required
a remedy to have brought in an Act when he occupied
the seat on the Woolsack ; he was the party that
should have seen that all these things were right. His
Noble and Learned Friend had said that he could
not have carried such a Bill. He (Lord Campbell)
knew that his Noble and Learned Friend had carried
Bills despite of the large majorities with which his mea-
sures were threatened, and he also knew that if he had
introduced a Bill on this subject, it would have passed
both /louses of the Legislature with perfect
unanimity. His Noble and Learned Friend could not
say that he disapproved of the arrangement, and he
continued to hold the Great Seal, and he (Lord
Campbell) knew his spirit and his courage too well
to suppose that had he failed in carrying such
measure he would not have continued to hold office ; he
would not suffer his opinion on such a subject to be over-
ruled. The Noble and Learned Lord, therefore,
peared to him to blame himself, after the manner of age-
pope, who said, "Judico me cremari." He acknowledged
himself to be in the wrong.
Lord BROUGHAM said, that if he took a share of
the blame to himself so must his Noble and Learned
Friend now on the Woolsack, who was his successor in
office, and who had likewise failed to introduce such a
Bill.

The LORD CHANCELLOR disclaimed having any
share in the blame; and the subject then dropped.
ROPEMAKERS' BILL.
This Bill went through Committee, and the report was
ordered to be brought up on Thursday.
CORONERS' (IRELAND) BILL.
This Bill went through Committee, and the report was
ordered to be brought up on Thursday.
JUVENILE OFFENDERS' BILL.
The adjourned debate on the second reading of this
Bill was postponed.
Lord CAMPBELL had *the authority of the Chief
Justice of the Queen's Bench for this Bill, but thought age
should be an element in the consideration. And this
because the law on felony and misdemeanour got into
very fantastical conclusions. If a few hairs were to be
taken from a cow's or a horse's tail, and away carried,
that was felony ; but if ten cart loads were to be taken
and brought back again, that would be only a misde-
meanour ; and the subject was one of great importance,
and one requiring much consideration.
The LORD CHANCELLOR thought A was clear
that a Bill of this importance could not receive its
due
consideration, and he thought that the Noble Lord had
exercised a due discretion in withdrawing it. Of course
he could not be expected to give any opinion as to its
peculiar advantages now, out he would assure the
Noble Lord that it would receive the careful considera-
tion of the Government.

BATTERSEA PARK AND CHELSEA EMBANK-
MENT.

Viscount CANNING begged to move the second
reading of the Bill for the embankment of the north
bank of the river Thames from Vauxhall-bridge to
Battersea-bridge. With this embankment there wag to
be a suspension bridge somewhere about Chelsea Hospital
in connexion with Battersea Park as it is now intended
to be formed. The whole coat of these improvements
was estimated at 160,0001., but this was not to
be all a loss, or a cost, to the country, for
the Noble Marquis (the Marquis of Westmin-
ster) and other owners of property, had agreed
to subscribe to it to the amount of between 40,0001. and
50,0001. The tolls on the bridge were estimated at
6,0001. per annum, which would give ten per