The Sun.
London, England, 1846-03-27 00:00:00

NORTH DEVON RAILWAY.

Earl FOIdE'SOVE presented a petition from pertgin
owners and occupiers of land in the county of Devon,
againgt the ENet,er gnd crediton Railway (as we under-
stood). The petioncrs complained that this set:rine, if
allowed to proceed, would interfere With better lines,
and they prayed to be heard against the Rill,
The Noble Ler.i thfll propeeded to gay that the line
he appeared in faiour of was one which he found
could not come before this House in the present session
owing to sc:ree enfinperifig oversight or defect but if
the 13111 which opposed that line, and which was now
before their Lordships' should pass this House, then they
would by passing g seeond hest line fora best line, and
the great evil would exist of having two lines
conspetiDg with each other, without doing the least
good to themselvea or to the country, Ile trusted
therefore that if the North Devon line should not come

before Ole Rouse this year, they would suspend their
judgment upon the present Dill until they had beard
the merits laf this.

MESSAGE FROM THE COMMONS.

A Messenger from the House of Commons appeared,
praying the permission of their Lordships' House to
Lord Malmesbury to give evidence before a Committee
of the House of Commons, to which their Lordships
assented.
THE CASE OF MR. PARKER.
_ _

Lord BROUGHAM intituat;cl thatlWPOstponed a
motion of which he had given notice (the purport of which
did not reach the gallery) till after the Easter holidays.
He also stated that shortly after the holidays he would
bring under the consideration of the House the conduct
of the Poor-law Commissioners towards Mr. Henry
Walker Parka..

IRISH POOR-LAW AND FEVER BILL.
The Earl of CLANCARTY, after presenting several
petitions from Ireland in favour of a reduction in poor-
law taxation and rates generally, said he wished to take
that opportunity of putting a question to the Noble Earl
(the Earl of St. Germans), of which he had given notice.
it would be in the recollection of the House, that on
Friday last a Bill for the providing temporary relief for
fever in Ireland passed that House. The standing
orders were dist), used with in order to admit of its im-
mediate progress through all its stages. To
that course he had no objection to make, con-
sidering the object in view, only he would observe,
that had he been in the House on that occasion, instead
of beieg uutivoidebly absent, he would have considered
it his duty to have made some irquiry as to the circume
etances under which the Bill was introduced. It ap-
peared as if the Bill was to make better prevision for
the poor who were attacked by fever. Now, in the
poJr-law of 1843 poor-law guardians were empowered
o make provision, and it appeared by bringing forward
the present Bill, that a new power was to be employed,
as if the board of guardians had not done their duty
in this respect—that was a reflection cast upon them. If
this was to be understood the poor•law for Ireland might
as well be repealed at once, and the power given by it
to the eealthier classes of Ireland taken away. He was
anxious to hear from her Majesty's Government whether
in proposing the Bill which had lately been passed, they
had been induced to do so from any neglect or indif-
ference
on the pert of the Boatel of Guardians?
The Earl of ST. GERMANS had no hesitation in
assuring his Noble Friend that the Government had
had no intention of casting any reflection whatever on
the boards of guardians throughout Ireland. His Noble
Friend would ob-erve, on referring; to the provisions of
the Fele r Bill, that powers were given to the boards of
ivardiaus to give out-door relief to persons suffering
rem fever. They were empowered both to give medi-
cine and nutriment should it be required.
The Earl of CLANCARTY expressed his satisfac-
tion at the answer of the Noble Earl.
The Marquis of LONDONDERRY presented a peti-
tion from the grocers of the City of London, against the
Act at present before their Lordships' House, entitled
An Act for the Administration of Charitable Trusts,"
and praying exemption from the operation of the said
Act, in common with the universities mentioned in the
59th clause. They also prayed to be heard at the bar by
counsel.

Lord CAMPBELL presented a petition to the same
effect from the company of Cullers._

BELLEROMON AND RODNEY.

The Earl of HARDWICKE begged to call the at-
tention of their Lordships to a statement made two or
three days ago by a Noble Lord, relative to the extra-
ordinary exertions which were made by officers and
men belonging to one of her 111,jesty's ships down at
Portsmouth. The Noble Lord did not appear to
know the whole of the case, and he should
no: have alluded to it without having fully informed
himself of the matter. He had expatiated on the merits
of the officers and men of one of the vessels which were
fitted out on that occasion very deservedly, but he (the
Earl of Hardwicke) thought that it would have been
only fair in him to have alluded to both ships which had
been then equipped and made ready for sea. He merely
mentioned this, in order that the public might be aware
that equal exertions and equal ability were evinced by
the officers of both those ships.

The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH thought no mis-
take could exist on the subject, as it was generally
Known that the officers of both the ships were deserving
of the greatest possible praise.

Tke—Marquis.of LONDONDERRY considered that
it was a very inconvenient practice for any Noble Lord
to rise up in that House and to praise the exertions of
any officer in the discharge of his public duties, because
he considered such praise ought only to emanate from
the First Lord of the Admiralty or the First Lord of the
Treasury. It was well known that the Bellerophon and
Calcutta were fitted out of the crews of the Rodney and
Albion. If the practice was continued, great difficulty
e.mld not fail to result, because an officer might be unduly
praised by a Noble Lord to whom he was well known.
It wa, net the opinions of individuals which they re-
quired, but the opinions of those who had been placed by
her Majesty at the head of the naval department.
CONSOLIDA ED FUND BILL.
This Bill wa4 read a third time.

THE INSOLVENT DEBTORS (INDIA) BILL.
This Bill Was real a second time

PROTE,,TION.

The Duke of RICHMOND presented a petition from
operatives in the Tower Hamlets, which was agreed to
at a public meeting against free trade. They stated
that they had suffered adversity, and had learned in a
severe school—that they had been exposed to the in-
jurious effeit: of grinding competition during the last
twenty years, and, therefore, earnestly called on the
House to throw out the measures proposed by her
Majesty's Government, and to give to home industry
that protection and security which it enjoyed in the
olden time. He perfectly agreed in the prayer of the
petition.
IRISH NORTH MIDLAND, AND DUBLIN AND