The Sun.
London, England, 1846-06-05 00:00:00

LEICESTER AND BEDFORD RAILWAY.

Mr. PACKE moved the consideration of the report on the
Leicester and Bedford Railway Bill.
Mr. V. SMITH objected to the consideration of the report,
on the grounds that there was no traffic on the line. He
would, therefore, move that it should be postponed until
next session, such a proceeding could do no injury to any one.
He hoped the Bill would be postponed till next year, when all
the fire Bills involved might receive full inquiry. Under the
circumstances, he would move the further consideration of the
report that day six months.
Mr. HUDSON seconded the motion.
Sir CHARLES LEMON, as chairman of the Committee,
would not have spoken had not the Honourable Member
who had just sat down, made some insinuations about
the proeeedings of the Committee. All he could say on the
matter, that everything the Hon. Member had urged against
the Bill was as well stated, if not be tter stated, before the
Committee than it had been now before the House ; and yet
after a careful investigation and deliberation on the merits of
the Bill for ten days, the Committee decided unanimously in
its favour. There was not the least doubt entertained by any
of the members, and, therefore, he thought the result ought
not to be interfered with by the House.
The amendment was then withdrawn, and the report
adopted.

GREAT GRIMSBY AND SHEFFIELD JUNCTION

RAILWAY
This Bill was read a third time and passed.
READING, GUILDFORD, AND REIGATE RAILWAY.
Mr. MANGLES moved that the report of the Reading,
Guildford, and Reigate Railway be brought up.
Captain PECH ELL said he had been waiting to ascertain
what Hon. Member of that House would have had the courage
to move the adoption of the report of the Committe upon this
railway, for he should say that the line had been supported
by the most extraordinary documentary evidence he had ever
heard of, and which inflicted upon the committee very consi-
derable labour. The t ables of traffic that bad been produced
were such as he thought would not be justified had
they been produced by the London and Birmingham Company.
The amount of traffic in carriages and horses and passengers
had been estimated at a higher figure than had been known to
have been received upon the London and Birmingham line.
He thought that the reasons ought to have been stated why
the Committee approved of the preamble on the single vote of
the Chairman. He should therefore move that the second
reading of this Bill should be postponed till this day week.
On the motion being put,
Sir C. DOUGLAS said that he was ready to give thereasons
of the Committee which the Hon. Member had requir, d. He
would beg, as one of them, to remind the House that in the
report which the Committee had made they had stated that;
in consequence of the circumstances pleaded by the opponents
of the Bill, the Committee had delayed its consideration for
several days. This circumstance they had stated in their report
to the House. if the Honourrble Member would refer
to the last paragraph of that report, he would find
that this circumstance was stated as a reason why instead of re.•
porting strongly they had left it to the election of the House
whether the report should be adopted or not. Certainly in the
opinion of the Committee there were sufficient reasons for its
adoption, and amongst them was the fact that the number of
shares In the company was 40,000 at 201. each ; the amount
of deposit required by the Act was 24,0001., but the money
actually deposited was 92,0001., and considering that this
sum had been paid in for fully fivemonths, the Committee felt
fully justified in reporting favourably, although, in the absence
of one member of the Committee, it was carried by the casting
vote.

The House then divided, when the numbers appeared to be—
For the motion 7l
For the amendment 5
Majority — 66
Mr. BARRY BALDWIN presented a petition in favour o
the London and Warwickshire Railway.
IRISH MIDLAND GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY.

The Midland Great Western (Ireland) Bill (Mullingar and
Galway), was read a second time, and ordered to be committed.

_
SION COLLEGE ESTATE.
This Bill wairead a third time and passed.
GORBALS GRAVATION WATER-WORKS.

•• ..
This Bill was read a third time and passed. .
DUBLIN AND KINGSTON EXTENSION RAILWAY,

Ibis Bill was read a second time, and ordered to be corn.
mitted

PORTSMOUTH HARBOUR PIER.
This Bill was read a third time and passed.
TOBACCO DUTIES.
Dr. BOWRING begged to give notice, on behalf of his Hon.
Friend the Member for Montrose (Mr. Hume), that he should,
on Monday week, bring under the attention of the House the
inordinate amount of crime and misery which is suffered by
the country by the enormous rates of the duties on tobacco.
ADJOURNMENT OF THE HOUSE.
Mr. YOUNG moved the adjournment of the House on
rising until Monday next, when he was interrupted by
Mr. G. BANKES, who rose to present a petition from
Bridport, but he was interrupted by
The SPEAKER, who declared him out of crder.
The motion fur adjournment was then carried.
BRIDPORT ELECTION.
Mr. G. BANKES resumed by stating that this ti as the last
day under Lord John Russell's Act for presenting public peti-
tions, and he ti uited, therefore, the House would hear from
whom it originated. It was signed by six persons, who stated
themselves to be free and independent electors of Brid-
port, and that at the last election they had been par-
tisans to neither of the candidates. They stated
that at the preceding election, serious acts of bribery and cor-
ruption had been practised. That these acts had been preva-
lent for a long series of years, and that this bribery and corrup-
tion interfered with their rights as free and independent electors.
The petitioners went on to state that some measure ought to
be taken by which to protect the electors of the borough from
being overborne in this way in the exercise of their franchise—
that in presenting this petition they were wholly uninfluenced
by any private feelings, but they hoped that this Honourable
House would show to the country in general and thif
borough in particular, that the electors would be protected in
the firm and independent exercise of their electorial duties.
THE POST OFFICE.
Mr. G. BERKLEY begged to ask the Right Hon. Baronet
the Secretary of State for the Home Department, a queation
in reference to the puritanical attempt which was now
being made to close the post-offices in country towns
on Sundays. He would wish to know whether it was in the
power of the Postmaster-General to dotthis?
Sir JAMES GRAHAM said, that the Hon. Member had
been so obliging as to have sent him notice this morning
that it was his intention to put that question during
the sitting of the House to-day ; and, in answer,
he begged to say that since then he had had
no opportunity of consulting the Postmaster-General upon the
subject. He believed that the Postmaster-General had the
power to regulate the hours of closing and opening the post-
offices of country towns on Sundays ; and he believed that re-
gulation was, that the letter-box was to be open
during the whole day, and that the non-delivery
of letters was confined only to the hours of
divine service. But the question of the Hon. Member was one
of a legal character, which ho was not at present competent to
anwer.

POOR-LAW IN IRELAND.
In reply to questions put by Colonel RAWDON, as to the
proceedings of the Poor-law Commissioners, with respect to a
parish in Ireland,
Mr. S. HERBERT stated that the Poor-law Commissioners
were cognisant of the circumstances ; that they had appointed
a commissioner to inquire into the facts, who had made a re-
port, which he should have no objection laying on the table,
together with any correspondence.
BRITISH MUSEUM.

Sir ROBERT PEEL intimated that her Majesty had con.
rented, in reply to the address of the House, to grant a sum of
money to the Commissioners of the British Museum.
RAILWAY COMPANIES.

On the motion, the following return was agreed to :—Re-
turn of all Monies to be raised under the sanction of the Acts,
whereby Railroad Companies have been incorporated, between
the Ist day of January, 1844, and the Ist day of January,
1846 ; distinguishing the sum to be raised as principal
from the sums to be raised by loan or mortage. Return of all
monies liable to be raised by Acts for the incorporation or for the
increased powers of railroad companies, and for which
Bills are now before this House ; distinguishing the sum
to be raised as principal from the sums to be raised by loan or
mortgage, and classifying them according as:they have passed
to a first, second, or third reading;; and stating the term of years
within which the works so providedfor are to be completed.
POOR LAW REMOVAL BILL.
On the order of the day being read for going into Com-
mittee on this Bill,
Mr. EVELYN DENISON rose to move certain instruc-
tions to the Committee connected with the law of settlement,
but he was interrupted by
Mr. T. DUNCOMBE, who rose to a point of order. It
was not competent, he said, for an Honourable Member
to move an instruction to a Committee, if the Bill to
be committed would accomplish the object the Honour-
able Member had in view. Now, he maintained that the
object of the Hon. Member for Nottinghamshire could be ob-
tained under the provisions of this Bill. It might be done
by moving clauses on the Bill when it went into report.
The Bill affected the whole law of settlement, and recited
every Act of Parliament at present in existence connected
with it. It was quite unnecessary, therefore, to have any
discussion, or to waste their time upon any views of the Hon.
Member.
The SPEAKER said the Bill was to amend and consolidate
the law relating to the removal of the poor, and without
instructions from the House it would not be competent for the
Committee to consider the law relating to the settlement of
the poor.
Mr. T. DUNCOMBE repeated his opinion that the Bill
did in fact involve the law relating to settlement.
Mr. G. BA NKES would not presume to offer any observa-
tions upon the opinion given from the chair, but he did object
to the Hon. Member for Nottinghamshire having precedence
on that occasion, because it should be recollected, that it was
dissinctly understood on the second reading of the Bill,
that the discussion of its principles should take place,
at this stage of its procedure through the House. If, therefore,
they allowed that opportunity to slip by them, the prin-
ciple of the Bill could not be considered at all.—(Hear.)
He certainly thought that he had a right of precedence of the
Hon. Member for Mahon. It would be in the recollection
of the House, and especially of his Right Honourable
Friend the Secretary for the Home Department, that no
discussion should ensue on the second reading. And
this course was adopted with the express un-
derstanding that whatever dispute might arise it
should not in:ertere with the principle of the Bill
but only affect the provisions by which that principle should be
carried out. He did not think it right that the
Hon. Member should introduce any such material alteration
as this, and be had in fact intended to ask some Member
of the Treasury Bench what cause they intended to pursue in
the next stage of proceeding?
Sir JAMES GRAHAM said that his Honourable Friend,
who had just sat down, had been perfectly right
in the assumption that on the see.ind reading of this Bill there
should be no discussion of its principle, though he did
think, from the point which bad been started and the
reasons assigned by the Honourable Member for Finsbury,
that here might be some instruction given to the Committee to
regulate its provisions. The Bill in no way interfered with the
law of settlensent,it only had to do with the removal of the poor.
The Hon. Member for Mahon would introduce another prin-
ciple into the Bill, and he thought that the Chair was
sivasta
per-
fectly correct in the view which it
ef giving instructions to the Committee. He did not
think the House was competent to introduceonacneyaeldtetrheatiroenfoorer
principle whatever at 'this his stage, be iv
that the House .could-,not entertatanwha what conceived
Hon. Member
proposed to do.
I.lr. HANDLEY rose, and was
(LEFT SP.EAKING.)

LLOYD'S SHIPPING.—(THIS DAY.)
LONDON, jusz s._wind E., light pleasant breeze, with hot sultry
weather.
..
MAL,
.. JUNE 4.--11 ind N.—E.—Ai:rd. from the River and slid.
a steamer (under
Sydney, New south Wales ; Trafalgar, Mori ason,
Russian colours) westward.
r colon,
JusE 4.—Arrd. Francis, New York, for Rotterdam.
LIVERPOOL, JUNE 4.—Wind S.S.E.—Arrd. Peru, Harris, Benin;
ritr.,,
Pernambuco.
ciedaM.lc
S Inglewood, Smith, Bombay; Castries,
Hector,, st. Lucia So. da Co,ta, Vienna Dublin, IVIIi•e,
Trinidad, &c.; Howard, Callan, Savannah ; Celedoman, Scott,
Halifax, &c.; Symmetry, 151liennels, Quebec. Off port, William
Broderick.
DEAL, JUNE 4.—The Conseil, of Granville, for Copenhagen, got on
shore on the Goodwin Sands this morning, but came oti without AS-
aitiMOO or apparent damage, and proceeded,