The Sun.
London, England, 1841-03-06 00:00:00

RAILWAYS BILL.

Mr. O'CONNELL gave notice that upon going
into C Anmittee on tbe Railways Bid he Should' move
that Ireland be exempted from its provisions.
CRIMINAL LAW.

Lord J. RUSSELL gave notiCe that on Monday
he should move for leave to bring in ails for the
arnendinei t of the Criminal Law.

BURNING ACT AMENDMENT BILL.

A message from the Lords brought doain the Burn.
kg Act. Amendment Bill, which, on the motion o
M-. O'CONNELL, was read a fit time, and or-
derel to ha real a second fine ou Wednesday next.
TEXAS.

Mr. O'CONNELL wished to ask the Noble Lord
the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, as the treaty with
Texas had not been laid on the table, if he was pre-
pared to state whetter any provision had been
made for the case which he would alto? The Texian
Gevernmmt did not permit any free person of colour
to reside in T,xas. That was a provision of the Con-
stitution of Texas, and he wished to know whether the
Noble Lord, in his treaty with Texas, had made any
provision to have that law mitigated, so that a free
British subject of colour would be permitted to reside
there ?

Lord PALMERSTON said that the trcaty ap-
plied generally to the commercial relations. of the two
countricF, an ,t did not go into details such as the Hon.
arid Learned Member had referred to.

Lord JOHN RUSSELL gave notice that he wool.]
on Monday next move that the House should go into
Committee on the • Poor-law Amendment Bill, but
it would be merely pro forma, as he wished
to have time for introducing certain amendments. He
would afterwards move the Committee on that day
(Friiay) fortnight.

Sir R. PEEL wished to ask the Right Han. Gen-
tleman the Pre.,ident of the Bnard of 'lri,de on what
day Le proposed t ) proceed with the Bill for the better
regulttioo of ralwikys.
4. • 1.
-
shoull ...)e able, to proceed with the Bill on that day
(Friday) week.

Sir ROBERT PEEL siid there was one clause
in the Bill to which he wished to call the attention
of the Right Honourable Gentleman, and on which
he was about to present a petition. TLerc was a
clause which gave to the Board of Trade a power to
make regulations for the conducting of railways. Many
Railway Companies entertained apprehensions on the
subject of that provision ; because the power which it
was proposed to give the Board of Trade wa; indefinite,
and not accompanied with a proper responsibility. The
petitioners begged that the matter might be referrei to
a Select Committee. He thought that prayer deserved
their serious consideration, as no less than sixty mil-
lions sterling .were sunk in those undertakings.
Mr. LABOUCHERE would be very unwilling to
consent to any measure which would occasion a delay
in the progreis of the Bill. At the same time he was
anxious that the point referred to by the Right Hon.
Baronet should be fully discussed, and if the motion for
a Select Committee did not arise from a wish to delay
the Bill, he should be sorry to throw any obstacles in
its way. He should consider the subject between that
time and Monday, and would:then be prepared to give
an answer.

Sir It. PEEL would be by no means a party to any.
postponement. On the contrary, if he found that
such was the object of the motion for a Select Com-
mittee, he should oppose it altogether.—(Hear, hear.)
In answer to an HoN. MEMBER,

Mr. LABOUCHEItE said the Commissioners ap-
pointed to sutvey the line of railway between the
North of England and Scotland, had found the under-
taking one of much greater magnitude than they had
expected, but he hoped to be able to lay their Report
on the table in a short t;me.

Lord LINCOLN inquired whether it was in-
tended to proceed with the general measure
on the subject of Small Debts Courts, because, if such
was the intention of the Government, it would stop the
progress of the several Private Bills then before the
House.

Mr. FOX MAULE said it was the intention of the
Government to proceed with the general measure.

LORD KEANE'S ANNUITY.

The Order of the Day for bringing up the Report
of the Committee on Lord Keane's Annuity Bill having
been read,
Mr. HUME ;Tauld offer a few observations to the
House, which he hoped would induce them to post-
pone the further progress of the Bill.—(Hear, hear.)
He wished the House to consider the peculiar circurn.
stances of the present 13:11. On several occasions her
Maje.ty, in her messages t 3 that House, signif.e I
her def,iro to confer some signal mark of
her fevJur on individuals who had distin-
guished themselves in her Majesty's service. He wished
The House to consider what was the invariable rule in
those cases, and he would refer to as an example to
the ease of Lord Seaton. On the 30th of March
last year the House, in compliance with a message
from her Majesty. on the subject, voted the sum of
2,0001. to Lord Seaton, notwithstanding all the oppo-
sition which he (Mr. H.) had offered to the measure.
Now the point which he wished to bring under the
notice of the House was this; that the Report ought not
to be brought up till they had placed on the table
of the House all the correspondence that passed be-
t sreen the President of the Board of Control and the
Board of Directors of -the East India Company, re-
lative to the propriety of the sum awarded to Lord
Keane being paid out the funds of that Com-
pany rather than out of the Consolidated Fund.
Looking to the fact that the rewards given
to the Marquis of Cornwallis, and to the Marquis
of Wellesley, for their services in India, were paid oet
of the funds of the East India Company, and to the
satisfaction which individuals would experience
at those re.vards being voted in open Court by
the Directors of the East India Company, he (Mr.
H.) conceived that it would be much the better way for
all parties that the sum now voted to Lord Keane
should be paid out of the funds of that Company. He
would request the House to take into consideration a
circumstance stated in a letter which he (Mr. H.) had
received that morning. It was that every 11. sterling
granted for three lives would eventually cost the public
109/., and that the vote of 2,000/. would, in fifty yearn,
at compound interest, amount to 418,000/. He would
therefore beg to move the following amendment:—
" That the Report of the Committee to that House on
the Bill relative to the Annuity to be granted to Lord
Keane, and his two next surviving heirs, be postponed
till the correspondence which had taken place between
the President of the Board of Control and the Board
of Directors of the East India Company, or the Se-
cret Committee of the Court, relative to the services of
Lord Keane, and the grant of annuity to him, he laid be-
fore the House, in order that the House be made ac-
quainted with the reasons why the Court 01 Directors
refused to grant any annuity to Lord
,lenne.;.also the
reasons which cletermireJ her Majesty's Ministers
to
recommeed that that proposed annuity should be paid
out of the Consolidated Fund.