The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-08 00:00:00

PRIVATE BILLS.

Mr. H UME called attention to the number of private Bills
before the House, with the view of having model Rills for the
several classes. As an instance of this he would adduce the
class of Bills for water-works, of which there were more this
year than ever there were before. With respect to them, he
would require that no Bill for water-works should be brought
before the House till a public inspector had investigated the
case, and reported that it was one of public necessity.
This would be a much preferable mode of proceeding
to that usually practised, of examining evidence
by a Committee of that House, which was generally given by
parties interested in the case. The public interests were not
considered at all. This was the case with a great many private
Bills, and the change which he was desirous to effect was one
by which the public interests would be always kept in view.
There was no reason why one Bill should not be passed, by
which any community could carry out their intentions in these
respects without being obliged to come before Parliament..—.
(Hear, hear.) The Hon. Member for Northampton had
brought in a Bill in the year 1833, foundeol on the same princi-
ples. It was one to enable large communities, who
should agree that their town ought to be lighted,
to do so without coming before Parliament. If such
a measure was brought in, it would be of vast
importance and would do credit to the Government.
Those were the objects he had in view, and he might have en-
larged upon them, had it not been for the length of time al-
ready taken up. He should be glad to hear the opinion of one
of her Majesty's Ministers, and to know whether they were
prepared to consider the question. He would conclude by
moving that a Select Committee be appointed to consider the
subject.

Sir J. GRA HAM said that he agreed with the Hon. Mem-
ber for Montrose that a great public interest was involved in
this question. Last year the Legislature adopted a principle
with reference to enclosure Bills,
which was found to be very
advantageous. It passed a general Bill giving great facilities
to local enclosures, and reserving to the Government the right
of deciding on the more important ones. SQ,far from differing
from the motion which the Hon. Member was disposed to make
after Easter, he entirely concurred in it. The lion. Member
for Devon had called his attention to a measure for promoting
the health of large towns, supplying there with water, and
cleansing their drains. The effect of that measure was to sti-
mulate speculation, and to cause great numbers of Bills to be
brought forward in this session to include numbers of large
springs under a general Act, and it would be necessary to take
steps to these Bills. He was induced, on the part of the Go-
vernment, to propose that the power of companies over such
springs should be contingent on some general measure, for he
certainly thought that the attention of Parliament should be
directed to the subject, and he should, therefore, be happy to
give the Hon. Member his hearty support in the course which
he proposed to take.

Lora EBRINGTON said that lie was very much rejoiced
to find that this subject was brought under the notice of Par-
liament, and he did hope that the course taken by Government
would be a decisive one. The Legislature had, all along
laboured under an erroneous principle with respect to the
application of free trade to matters of commerce, and not to
these monopolies. The public, in his opinion, could not be
protected against these monopolies without some stringent re-
gulations were applied to each company, both with regard to the
price and the supply of the gas or water, or whatever it might
be.
Mr. GREENE suggested that the same system that the
House adoped last year in respect to railways should be ap-
plied to all description of police improvement and water-
works Bills. Last year they passed a lands' clauses consolida-
tion and a railway clauses consolidation Bill, and they could
apply similar measures to other descriptions of private Bills.
The motion was then agreed to, but the nomination of the
Committee was deferred till after Easter.
Mr. O'CONNELL gave notice that he would move for
the production of certain correspondence that had passed be-
tween Lord Stanley, when he was Colonial Secretary, and the
Government of New South Wales.

Mr. JOHN O'CONNELL gave notice that he would
move for the production of minutes of proceedings that had
taken place before the poor-law gardians of the Mullingar
Union.

Mr. CHRISTIE gave notice that he would move for cer•
tain returns relative to cemeteries.

Dr. BOW RI WG gave notice that he would call the atten-
tion of the House to certain passages in the report made by the
Tidal Harbours' Commission relative to the Isle of Man.
Mr. T. DUNCOMBE gave notice that he would call the
attention of the House on that day fortnight to the administra-
tion of affairs at the Post-office.

Mr. M. MILNES moved for a copy of the abstracts of the
diocesan returns made to her Majesty in Council, for the year
1644, by the Archbishops and Bishops of England and Wales;
showing the number of resident and non-resident incumbents ;
the net value of the benefices on which the incumbents are non-
resident ; the number and stipend of citrates to non-resident in-
cumbents ; the number and stipend of curates assisting resident
incumbents.— Agreed to.
Sir DE LACY EVANS moved for a return of the number
of persons in the united parishes of St. John and St. Margaret,
in the city of Westminster, who have claimed to be rated to the
relief of the poor, and whose claims have not been complied
with ; such return to include the last three years separately,
and to show whether the omission of any such claimants was
made from the rate for the time being, or the subsequent rate
or rates; and also to show the number of such claimants who
have been excluded from the lists of voters for Members of Par-
liament since such claims were made..--Agreed to.
Mr. EVELYN DENISON wished to ask the Secretary of
State for the Home Department, whether it was the intention of
the Governmeht to take any steps, in order to restrain the
Ecclesiastical Commissioners for Ireland from expending the
capital sums, derived from the sale of church lands, in defray-
ing the annual current charges of the Commission. It might
be in the recollection of many gentlemen, that he had brought
this question under the notice of the House last session. Lands
had been sold by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners to the value
of 452,004)1.; these, therefore, had been lost to the church,
and lost to the state, the guardians, and trustees of that fund.
—( Hear, hear.)
Sir J. GRAHAM said he would refer to the correspondence
which he had the honour of laying on the table of the House
last session, and from it would appear what the opinions of the
Government were on the subject.
Sir JAMES GRAHAM, in reply to the Hon. Gentleman,
said that in the course of the present year the expenses had
been strictly confined to the interest of the revenue, and not
a portion of the capital would have been expended., The sur-
plus on the present year amoueted to 10,000/.
Sir CHARLES NAPIER wished to know whether the list
which was promulgated some time since for the retirement of
300 officers had yet been filled up ?
Mr. CORRY said that the Government had not yet been
able to fill up the list.
Mr. COCHRA NE said that the affairs of Greece were in
a state of bankruptcy. This was corroborated by the Minister
of Finance for Greece. He (Mr. Cochrane) wished to know
whether the interest of the loan was likely to be paid, and
when ?

Sir ROBERT PEEL said he could not entertain very great
hopes that the interest of the debt that had been incurred by
the Greek Government would yet be paid. He was prepared
to lay before the House the statement with respect to the
financial affairs of the Greek Government. A demand for the
interest of the loan had been made by the Government, which
had been refused on the ground of inability to meet the demand.
Lord WORSLEY wished to ask the Secretary of State for
the Home Department, when the public general Bill for the
inclosure of "those waste lands, which the Inclosure Commis-
sioners for England and Wales have certified, in their annual
report, to be expedient, but which may not be further pie-
ceeded with without the authority of Parliament, will be pre-
sented to the House? Whether the said Commissioners will
be instructed to report specially, at a later period of this session,
upon such applications for inclosure as had been received by
them since the date of their annual report ; and if so, whether
a second public general Bill would then be presented to the
House, with a view to avoid delay ? What restrictions, if any,
are contemplated to the introduction of private inclosure Bills,
with a view to an efficient and inexpensive protection of the
interests of those commoners who, by petitions to this House,
allege that there are not any circumstances so special in them-
selves as to render the provisions of the general Inclosure Act
inapplicable in whole or in pnrt to such inclosures ?
Sir J. GRAHAM said he had intended to present to the
House, if the report of the Commissioners was inadequate, a
new Bill, which would include in it a satisfactory reply to the
question of the Noble Lord. Under the Act of last session,
that Commission had been enabled to make a separate report,
and if necessary he should feel it his duty to found upon their
report of the present year, of the application for inclosures to
the Bill, a second Bill. With respect to the last question of
the Noble Lord, it certainly was not the intention of the Go-
vernment to give any general control to the patronage of any
private Bill that might be introduced. Aluch facility had
been given to each promoter of such a Bill, while at the same
time opponents had an opportunity of protecting them-
selves or their privileges. The opportunity had been passed
for a standing order regulating the Inclosure Bills during the
present session ; he was, however, decidedly of opinion, during
the next session of Parliament, it would be decidedly desir-
able to introduce a standing order, under the consideration
of the House, for the regulation of private Bills.
Sir ROBERT PEEL presented a petition from the county
of Clare, praying the House to consider the state of that
country, and to devise some mode for the apprehension and
bringing to justice the persons concerned in the late murders in
that county. The petitioners stated that in consequence of
the assassinations that had taken place in that county, and
the neighbouring counties, they were of opinion that it would
be very desirable that the Bill for the protection of life
should be allowed to pass into a law.
ADJOURNMENT OF THE HOUSE.
Sir ROBERT PEEL said that it would perhaps be for
the convenience of many Hon. Members present, if he were
now to state the course which the Government had propsed to
adopt with respect to the adjournment. He did not consider
it would be his duty, in the present aspect of public affairs and
the important business which pressed upon the House, to
propose any longer adjournment
absolutelyw"ticeon
occasions similar to the present for the House
necessary. It had beenusua than
usually the
practice
to adjourn till the Monday week following the
day of adjournment. That was the shortest period which it
was customary
for the House to adopt. When, however, he
considered the amount and importance of public business which
remained to be transacted, the loss even of a day was of consi-
derable importance. He should, therefore, consider it his duly
to propose that the House should adjourn from the Thursday
next ensuing until the next Friday ; and in that case he should
propose that the House should resume the consideration of the
debate on the Irish question. If, however, it should be the
wish of the House that the adjournment of the House should
take effect to-morrow instead of Thursday, he should make no
objection to such proceeding. Several Hon. Members had
motions on the papers for that day, and if they made no objec-
tion to waive their motions, he should recommend that the
House do adjourn. He should, therefore, propose that the
adjournment should be carried to Friday of the o owi f 11 '
ng week,
when the consideration of the Irish question
re-
sumed. On the following Monday he should bew.ould be
in a position
to proceed with the Corn Bill, and the regulation
After a few words from Mr. 013 of the teem
and Lord G. Bentinck, rien, Lord G. Somerville,
Mr. DUNCOMBE moved that the second
Lace Factories Bill be postponed from Alonda
reading of the
Wednesday, the 224. y, April 20, to
LEGAL EDUCATION (IRELAND).
Mr. WYSE, in bringing
.forward his m • '
pointment of a
Select Committee to inquire •
motion for the ap-
.•
state of Legal Education Ireland,and
into the present
the means for
further improvement and extension, wished to im its
the ime.
portance of the subject on the consideration of the House.
In a former Committee, the question as to the i
law school was considered importance and
necessity for a and admitted; and
ear 1840, th •
subsequently, in the y subject was again mooted,
to,
and a suggestion was made the effect that a school for legal
session education should be established in Ireland. In the se • of
1843 he laid a petition upon that table, praying for a
charter of
for this purpose, and at the •
incorporation
same time he made a
motion for a Committee to inquire into the state of legal
education in Ireland. Of the importance of this branch of
education he would not speak, for who was there who would
not admit the great influence of the lawyer upon society, nut
only at present, but the influence which he might be the means
of perpetuating to future ages. The testimony of history
itself could be brought forward to illustrate the great mis-
fortune of the defective state of the system of legal legislation
in former times. It might be true that in England and in
Ireland too, there were men at the bar of the very
highest literary attainments ; but how was it that
this was the only learned profession in which it
was not compulsory to pass through a certain ordeal to
tot the Atuess of the candidate for this profession. In calling

the attention of the House to what was desirable in this re-
spect in Ireland, he would ask that House to look at what had
been done in the rest of Europe. In all the universities of
Spain, Italy, Austria, and other European States, there was
attached to each a department for the studies of candidates for
the kcal profession, which were secured to none of the other
departments. In France, also, the most extensive provisions
had been made, in order to secure to the legal student a most
perfect system, by which to enable him to acquire a knowledge
of the law. The Right Hon. Gentleman then read long ex-
tracts from a work he held in his hand, to show the extent
to which the Governments of America and other countries
have gone, in order to secure to the law-agent a most com-
prehensive education ; and instanced the number of colleges
and institutions in those countries to which a faculty for law-
study was attached. He also read extracts from the opinions
of Judge Storey, and other learned lawyers, to the effect
that it was most desirable and important that
every public college should have a law faculty
attached to it. He next instanced the opinion of Car-
dinal Wolsey upon this subject, who complained of the gross
ignorance of the lawyers of his day, and in consequence
atteini ted the establishment of a Law College, which could
still be pointed at as illustrative of the great conceptions of his
mind. He then referred to more recent dates, and called the
attention of the House to the report of the Committee of the
Middle Temple upon the defective state of legal education,
some extracts from which he read. He did not mention these
circumstances with reference to the motion he was about to
submit to the House, as that motion related to Ireland alone,
but as a preliminary observation on the motion he was about
to submit. He would now turn to the case of Ireland. In the
year 1839, an institution was established in Ireland, called the
Law Institution, and founded by a gentleman of great public
tw spirit,uht ioo whom
andhe
Irnewf
leeBrllr4eod, known,t,haes Mr.l at tr d tsh ejusbtai
cr of
Kennedy,
eslraeni adn.
principald
lTihsoehf
wished
dhe
erts person to
sttii
-t
ot hlf reel
should receive an endowment, and the benchers of King's Inn,
granted it an income of 4001. per annum. That grant was in
the year following withdrawn. Very large revenues had been
received by the benchers of King's Inn, and he (Mr. Wyse)
thought that those funds should be applied to the endowment of
law institutes. Such institution would be eminently useful in
forwarding a systematic course of legal education, and would be of
very considerable service to the bar and to the country. He
felt he had trespassed too much on the time of the House in
reference to this matter, but he felt so much that he was sure
he should be pardoned for saying a few word? more. As schools
of theology and medicine had been established in Dublin, why
should not a school of law ? That would make lawyers con-
versant with the theory and practice of their profession, and
would render them as able jurists as those of other countries.
Let them by such a system put men upon the bench who would
show by their administration of justice that there was not one
law for the rich and another for the poor. Such a system, and
such unprejudiced judges, would be of permanent advantage to
the country.—(Hear, hear.)
On the motion of an HoN, MEMBER, the House was counted,
and there not being forty Members present, the House ad-
journed until Twelve o'clock to-morrow (this dal ).

LOSS OF THE SHIP BELFAST,
OF LIVERPOOL.

TWENTY PERSONS DROWNED.

A distressing shipwreck occurred during the late heavy
gales, on the extreme north-east portion of the coast of
Scotland, namely, in the total loss of the barque Belfast,
belonging to the port of Liverpool, and most part of the
crew drowned, on the rocks in the Pentland Frith. The
unfortunate vessel was nearly 300 tons burden, and was
heavily laden with a cargo of coals, fire-arms, and other
goods, on a voyage from Leith to Monte Video. The par-
ticulars of the melancholy occurrence, as stated by the sur-
vivors are these:—

It appears the Belfast, which was commanded by Mr.
Clerk, left Leith on the afternoon of Saturday, the 24th of
last month, and passed Wick on the Monday following,
with favourable weather. On the following day, however,
a gale of wind came on from the north-east, which, as the
day advanced, gained in strength, and by eight o'clock at
night it had reached to a most violent storm, the sea rolling
tremendously. The captain, it should be said, had taken the
precaution of taking a pilot on board at Duncansby-bav,
for better security in the navigation of the' Pentland..
At about twelve o'clock (when it was thought she was ten
or twelve miles off the rock) the vessel struck heavily on a
rock, where she remained, notwithstanding the vigorous
means that were taken to get her off. All hands then took
to the rigging, where they lashed themselves, trusting the
weather might moderate and enable them to launch the
boats, which was out of the question at that period of the
night on account of the fearful seas sweeping over her. The
storm, however, never slacked in the least fur several hoar)
after daybreak, the crew in the meantime suffering greatly.
At about three o'clock (three hours after the vessel struck)
the maitunast broke sharp off by the deck, and fell overboard.
There was lashed to it Mr. Clerk, the captain, and five men,
all of whom perished. In an hour after this several others
were washed out of the rigging of the foremast, and shared
a similar fate, at least it is supposed they perished, for
they were never afterwards seen. The remainder of the crew
suffered severely, they continued on the rigging till twelve
next day, the tide then had ebbed out and had left the wreck
high and dry on the rocks, enabling them to walk ashore.
They then discovered that thirteen of their fellow-seamen
had been lost; namely, Captain Clerk, the master, Robert
Cooper, the first mate, George Ferguson, David Mathewson,
John Connell, James Wilson, George Philpots, Joseph
Clarkson, George Age, three boys, apprentices, names un-
known, and the pilot, Robertson, who was taken on board at
Duncansby Bay. The survivors' names are Robert Brother-
ton, the second mate, James Roper, the carpenter, Robert
Allen, the cook, James Heron, Alexander Baker, and John
Jamieson, seamen. None of the bodies have as yet been
found. The vessel lies on her beam ends, and every tide is
breaking her up. Considering the formidable character of
the rocks, and the fearful weather at the moment, it is mat-
ter of astonishment that the ship was not dashed to pieces
and every soul belonging to her lost. The rocks are within
a short distance of the town of Armadale.

On the same night, within a sbort distance of where the
Belfast was lost, another heartrending affair took place—the
total wreck of the brig Admiral, of Sunderland, with all
hands. She was bound to Sligo with coals, and was in com-
pany with the Belfast the whole of the Tuesday. The crew
were twelve in number, in addition to whom it is supposed
there were some passengers on board, a large quantity of
women's wearing apparel and an infant's cradle having been
washed ashore from the wreck, which lies off Portskerrcy.