The Sun.
London, England, 1848-08-17 00:00:00

day. He was afraid that next year he must propose a
more liberal arrangement.
Mr. GLADSTONE said he had done the Hon. Mem-
ber an injustice ; he was not aware the Hen Member
bad taken off the guinea a day.
After a few words from Mr. KERSHAW and Mr.
Mr. OSBURNE thought that if 5001. a year was con-
sidered sufficient for the new inspectors, it was also suf-
ficient for the old ones.
After a few words from Capt. HARRIS,
Capt. PICHELL wished to know the rule under
which the poor-law circulars were issued ? Unless the
Hon. Member (Mr. Buller) answered his question he
should divide the House on the subject of the vote.
After a few words from Col. SIBTHORP,
Mr. C. BULLER, in reply to the question of the Hon.
Member, stated that the circulars which were issued by
the Poor law Commissioners, in order to spread a cer-
tain amount of information, were entrusted to Mr.
Knight alone, because several booksellers could not be
employed for the purpose ; but he denied that there was
any monopoly practised ; they could be easily obtained
upon application.
Captain PEC HELL had heard it said that Mr. Knight
did not distribute the circulars with impartiality to the
trade. _ . .

Lord G. BENTINCK did not think the estimate an
excessive one when the heavy duties of the inspectors
were considered. He knew a ease of one gentleman
who, in 9 years, had travelled 99,607 miles ; out of that
9 years, 3i were clearly spent on the road ; and this at
an expense to himself of more than 7,7001.
Mr. WYLI) begged to call attention to the expense of
schoolmasters and schoohnistresees, and the system of
education as connected with poor-law union houses,
which he considered to be very imperfect. He hoped
that the Chief Commissioner wouid pay some attention
to the subject.
After a few words from Mr. GROGAN and Sir W. SO..
NERVILLE, theevote was agreed to.
On the question being put that :30,2081. be voted to
complete tne sum required for the expenses of the Mint,
Dr. BOWRING begged to ask his Hon. Friend the
Master of the Mint what was the present state of the
decimal coinage ?—(Laughter.)
Mr. SHELL said that a Commission was now pending,
the result of whose inquiries would be, he had no doubt,
a saving of 10,0001. per annum. He anticipated that
the report of the Commission would be rendered within
five weeks.
Mr. GLADSTONE conceived that the Commission
might have been spared, for that the Right Hen. the
Master might, in the leisure which his office afforded
him, have prosecuted with equal effect al-1 the necessary
inquiries.
Mr. MUNTZ thought, on the contrary, that the ap-
pointment of the Comrciaaion had become a very neces-
sary thing, the Mint establishment betug notorious as
the grossest job in existence,.
Sir J. TYRRIELL pointed out that there already was
in print an enormous Blue-hook containing the result of
the inquiries of a Select Committee of the House into the
si-eject. He doubted much whether the expensive in-
quiries of the Cemmissionere would add materially to
the information already within the reach of the House.
As to the moneyers, their original appointment dated so
far back that their tenure of office lay beyond the reach
of the crown, or, at all events, the compensation to
which tiacy would be entitled for the loss of office would
be enormous.
Mr. LABOUCHERE expressed his testimony to the
high personal character of the officers of the Mint.
Mr. BRIGHT said that mere personal character was
no ground on which people should receive thousands a
year of the public money for doing next to nothing.
The Vice-President of the Board of Trade and the
Mester of the Mint had at present nothing to do, or
next to nothing; and he thought it would be well if
these offices were consolidated, so that the very little to
do of each office might, united, form a little more to do,
and the public be saved a full 4,0001. a year.
Lord J. RUSSELL vindicated the utility of the two
offices rate red to. _ _

Mr. SHEIL said that it was proposed by the Com-
mittee that the office of Master of the Mint should be
much more generally- efficient than it was at present.

The vote w—as then- agreed to.
The sum of 10,6701., to defray the expenses of the
Railway Commission, was the next vote proposed.

Mr. 'WADDINGTON rose, and entered into some
details, for the purpose of showing that the managers of
railway companies were much better qualified to judge
of the measures necessary to ensure the safety of pas-
sengers than any Government superintendent or Railway
Commission. He objected to the system of Government
control over railways es now enforced.
Mr. BANKES moved that the vote be reduced by the
sum of 4,0261.
Mr. LABOUCIIERE said he had done his best, in
conjunction with his colleagues, to reduce the expense of
the Railway Board as much as possible, and that not in
consequence of any speeches made by the Hon. Members
opposite. The actual redaction effected was 3,0001.; the
ultimate reduction would be upwards of 5,0001.
Mr. GLADSTONE said he had been one of those
who had sought to persuade the House to rescind their
vote for a Railway Commission. He could not, how-
ever, support his Honourable Friend's motion :on the
present occasion because, although he disapproved
of the commission, he felt that oven a false step
could not always be retraced without interrup-
tion to public business and inconvenience to individual
interests. He was still, however, of opinion that the
better course would have been to leave all those matters
from the beginning in the hands of the Board of Trade.
With respect to another point, he had heard that the
Great Western Railway Company had raised their
charges for goods and passengers enormously above the
maximum of the Act of Parliament; and he wished to
know whether Government had taken any steps to see
the law and the public rights of property observed.
Mr. LABOUCHERE said that the advance of fares
by the Great Western Company had not escaped his
notice. He had referred the matter to the law-officers
of the Crown, and they had reported that the company
were in the wrong; but, on the other hand, the company
had consulted Sir F. Kelly, and his opinion was in direct
opposition to that of the Crown lawyers. He had not as
yet resorted to the extreme measure of stopping the com-
pany's Bills now in progress through Parliament, but had
referred the whole matter to the Solicitor for the Treasury.
That gentleman had only sent in his report that morn-
ing, and as soon as he (Mr. Labouchere) had read it he
would not hesitate to exercise those powers with which
the law had entrusted him to compel the Great
Western Company to comply with the provisions of the
Act of Parliament.
Colonel SIBTHORP wished to know what was to be
done respecting the first commissioner's salary.
Mr. LABOUCHERE explained that the office had
been abolished, that the duty would be henceforth per-
fusmed by the Board of Trade, and that consequently
the 2,0001. a year would no longer figure in the es-
timates.
After a few observations from Captain HARRIS and
Mr. WADDINGTON,

The vote was agreed to.
14,0231. 18s. expenses of the public records.
12,5144 12s. inspectors of factories.
1,7551. 6s. 4d. salaries of officers (Scotland).
The above votes were agreed to without discussion.
6,464/. 17s. 3d. officers of the Lord-Lieutenant of Ire-
land's household.
Dr. BOWRING objected to the sum of 1,5741. 16s. 2d.
for Queen's Plates.
Mr. OSBORNE defended the vote, as calculated to
encourage the breed of horses in Ireland.
Dr. BO WRING objected to the grants for horse racing
included in this vote. lie thought the public money
might be much better employed.
Mr. BRIGHT thought it better to encourage the breed
of Irishmen than Irish horses.
Colonel DUNNE and Sir J. TYRRELL supported the
grant.
The vote was ultimately agreed to, as were the fol-
lowing:
22,6001. for salaries of Chief Secretary of Ireland, and
officers in the Lord-Lieutenant's office.
2,500/. for Paymaster of Civil Services in Ireland.
26,8001. to complete the vote for the Board of Public
Works in Ireland.

• • -
On the grant of 31,0001., to complete the vote for Fo-
reign and other Secret Services,
Col. SIBTHORP objected to granting 31,000/. a year
fox secret service money without investigation, believing,
as he did, that a portion of it was expended in assisting
Government supporters to obtain their positions in Par-
liament. Government might say it was necessary to have
spies in foreign countries, but setting aside the policy of
employing such disreputable persons, how was it that
the same sum was necessary every year ? He thought
the Chancellor of the Exchequer should be required to
make oath that no part of this money was employed for
sinister purposes.--(A laugh.)
The vote was agreed to.
152,3621. to complete the vote for stationery, printing,
and binding.
Mr. OSBORNE thought a great saving might be
made in the printing. He understood Mr. Hansard was
making 50 per cent. by the printing of the House, while
other printers would do the work for a profit of 10 per
cent. He also thought the printing of reports was car-
ried to too great an extent. There were many docu-
ments of which a much larger number was printed than
was required. He thought the Government might make
a selection of what should be printed.
Mr. J. PARKER said it would be difficult to make
such a selection. He hoped, however, to have the as-
sistance of the Printing Committee to effect a reduction
the expense if possible.
11, • BRIGHT believed the expense was added to by
the one Rouse requiring documents printed by order of
the other. Hoe thought it might be well to have such a
number
would be of
documents
ents
printed in the first instance as
sufficient
for the Members of both Houses.
The vote, after a short conversation, was agreed to,
the Chairman reported progress, and obtained leave to
sit again to-mo w(th s day), at twelve o'clock.
The House adjourned
at Twenty-five minutes past One

ERRATIITC—In the second leading article yester:
day, the Austrian and2,ool)ro,ouo4Boian Slavic population is
mentioned as being 9
and united with the
RtliSititt Poles as only making
,0.000,000—the former
figures should have been 19,000,500
eSterd.ay
FORGED BANK OF ENGLAND NOTEs. T
complaint was made to the police by several
residing at Iloxton Old Town, of forged Bank parttes
of
land notes having been passed among them. The notes
Eng-
are date, " 16th November, 1847, Plymouth,* and n
bored 35,201. Ute.
KILKENNY AND GRHAT 0011TRERN AND WESTERN
RAILWAY.—The half-yearly meeting of this company
was held yesterday at the office, Delahay-street, West-
minster, Mr. W. Wyse in the chair, but in consequence
of the non attendance of a sufficient number of share-
holders to constitute a meeting, it was adjourned sine die.
Sir .James Bathurst and faMily, and Capt. Walker,
lift London yesterday morning, by the General Steam
Navigation Company's mail steam-ship Giraffe, for Rot-
terdam, ea route to the Rhine,