The Sun.
London, England, 1848-07-31 00:00:00

THIRD READINGS.

The folloß ink Bills were read a third time And passed:
Clerkenw•ell Improvement Bill.
East Anglian Railways ( and Huntingdon Railway
Extension of Time) Bill.
Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway, and Edinburgh and
Bathgate Railway Amalgamation Bill.
SECOND READINGS.

The following Bills were read a second time and or-
&red to be committed:—

Faweett's (or Alderson's) Estate Bill.
London (City) Small Debts Bill.
HIGHWAY RATES BILL.

The Highway Raies Bill teas read a second time
and ordered to be committed to-morrow at twelve o'clock,
after a protest from Mr. Arkwright against the con-
tinual morning sittings of the House.
FARMERS' ESTATE SOCIETY (IRELAND)
BILL.

The House went into Committee on this Bill.
Mr• MUNDELL PALMER moved en amendment
to the first clause, believing that if ever there was an
Act introduced into the House to which the term of
inconsistency ought to be applied, it was the present
Bill. By the first clause the provisions of the Lands
Clauses Consolidation Act was let into the mea-
sure ; and, he believed, that fact would have the
effect of rendering imperative those powers which
he thought the House intended to give by the pre-
sent Bill. He objected to the compulsory powers given
by the Act, which would enable parties to purchase any
lands in Ireland. _ _

Mr. MONSELL said that the Bill had been introduced
after great consideration by the legal authorities in Ire-
land, and there was no intention in incorporating the
Lands Clause Consolidation to give compulsory powers
fur the purchase of land.
Sir G. GREY suggested that the clause should be
postponed.
After some observations from Mr. HENLEY and Mr. R.
PALMER, the clause was postponed.
Clauses 2 to 13 were agreed to, with a few verbal
amendments.

Upon clause 14 a long discussion ensued relative to
the minimum quantity of land to be sold by the society,
and it was ultimately agreed that the initinnum should be
fixed at thirty acres.
The proviso to this clause, preventing the purchaser
of thirty acres of land, except under penalties, to after-
wards subdivide it, also gave rise to a lengthened dis•
mission.

Mr. P. SCROPE objected to that principle on the
ground that it would stimulate the clearance system
among those :mall farmers who cc2upied less than thirty

acres.
The House divided upon the question, that the ori-
ginal proviso stand part of the Bill, when there ap-
peared—
Ay es. 5l
Noes
Majority
After another lengthened discussion, the clause was
then agreed to.

(LEFT SITTING.)

SPEED ON RAILWAYS.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SlR,—The Sun of this day contains an extract from
Messrs. Robert Stephenson and Locke's report, to the
effect that the express trains on the South-Western
Railway have been travelling for the last twave months
at a higher rate of speed (by 1 mile per hour) than
those of the Great Western from London to Exeter.
By simply referring to Bradshaw's book of railway
time tables you will at once sec that the fastest train on
the South-Western takes lb. 50m. to accomplish the
distance of 78 miles, from London to Southampton,
stopping twice, or every 39 miles; the spee4 of the
train, including the stoppages, is therefore 42.553 miles
per hour: allowing 20 minutes for the two stoppages
(that is, for pulling up, letting in and taking up pas-
sengers, luggage, &c., and getting up the speed again),
the running speed on the line would be 52 miles per
hour.