The Sun.
London, England, 1848-02-22 00:00:00

EVEN I N G,

The resident superintendents ii the colonies were also
important officer.; ; and it was most, desirable that their
authority should be strtmgtheitd. The a disptrslng
superintendents," as they were callod iu Australia:bad
been found very useful, and might be extended to all the
colonies.

Ccl. CONOLLY was in fawn' of giviurr the superin-
tendent a power independent of ;hat of the captain. He
sincerely hoped that the measure would be successfully
carried out.

Mr. WAKLEY thought the curse hitherto adopted
had been most disgraceful to the Government and the
country. It was now admitted tint 17 per cent. of the
emigrants had died—a most eta7tling result.—(Hear.)
The Emigration Commissioners, deriving their informa
tion from those at the bead of the medical pro-
fession, imagined that a sufficient number of surgeons
could not be obtained, to send ore in each of the emi
grant ships; but this was a mistake. A more efficient
superintendent than a medical man could not be had,
but was it to be supposed that a man who had gone
through an expensive curriculum of education would
engage in such an office for the paltry sum of 201. the
voyage, which might occupy three months? It was
most essential that a sufficitet authority should be exer-
cised over the captains and owners of the ships, whose
sole object was to get everything done as cheaply as
possible. Let it be remembered that the poor wretches
who emigrated from Ireland were driven out by mis-
government in this country, and the manner in a hich
they had been sent out was most disgraceful.—(hear.)
An attempt ought to be made to procure an adequate
number of medical practitioners, to be placed as super-
intendents in the emigrant ships; and he had no doubt
it might be done if an adequate remuneration were
offered. He hoped the Right Hon. Gentleman would
review the question, and endeavour to find competent
medical practitioners. He believed that there would be
no difficulty in finding them.
Mr. BROWN was only afraid that the provisions of
the Bill were not stringent enough to prevent the evils
which occurred on board of emigre t ships. The ships
which went to Quebec were notori, usly bad, and it was
well known that they would not i ring back such large
cargoes, if in fact it was not the cargo that carried the
ship and not the ship the cargo.—(Hear, hear.) He
thought there should be inspection before the vesil left
the port.
Mr. BROTIXERTON thought it important that mea-
sures should be taken to secure the health of emigrants,
and he thought that the best mode of effecting that object
would be to prevent vessels from carrying out spirits.—
(Hear, hear.) He thought that Doctor Diet, Doctor
Quiet, and Doctor Merriment would be found better
phyoieianS than those whom the Hon. Member for Fins-
bury recommended at large salaries.
Mr. ANSTEY thought that much fraud might be in-
troduced under cover of the clause relating to cabin
passengers, and suggested that it should be omitted
altogether. He was of opinion that a superintendent
should be appointed over the whole ship, and believed
that naval surgeons on half-pay would be the best per-
sons to select for this purpose. They ought to make the
same provision for the poor emigrants which they made
for their criminals.
The Bill was then read a second time.
SHIPWRECKS ON THE SHETLAND ISLANDS.
Mr. ANDERSON, in moving for an abstract of the
amount of money levied by the Trinity House for the
supply of the northern coast lights from the lit of
January, 1847, to the 31st of December, called the
attention of the House to the great loss of life and pro-
perty which occurred from shipwrecks in the Shetland
Isles, owing, he believed, in some cases to the great defi-
ciency of coast lights. Within the last few months no
less than fourteen shipwrecks had occurred on these
islands, aad in some cases the lives on board had perished.
According to the last report there was a balance of
39,0001. in the hands of the Commissioners, which could
not be more usefully appropriated than in providing
lights whore these
.melancholy disasters so frequently
occurred.

Mr. HUME was not surprised that the Hon. Gentle•
man should bring this subject under the consideration of
the House. It was melancholy to contemplate the loss
of life which occurred from want of sufficient coast lights.
He thought that the taxes which were levied for this
purpose should be placed in the hands of persons who
would be on the look out for those parts of the coast
where they should be placed. He was glad that her
Majesty's Government intended to do something to
remedy the evil. The entire system of coast lights
should be made a national affair, and maintained at the
national expense. It was a disgrace to England, the
first maritime power in the world, to make foreign
vessels as well as her own contribute to the expenses of
the coast lights, whilst in the United States and in
Franco not a single farthing was levied for that purpose.
It was their duty to set a more liberal example to
others.

The LORD ADVOCATE eulogised the commis-
sioners of northern lights, and said their conduct would
bear the strictest investigation. They had constructed
as many lighthouses as the funds at their disposal per-
mitted. It was their earnest desire to raise lighthouses
in Orkney at the earliest possible moment. The funds
at the present moment were diminished by the reduction
which they had made to the extont of 14,0001. per
annum in the dues payable within their jurisdiction.
The motion was then withdrawn.
JOINT-STOCK CO NIPANIES' BILL.

Mr. M. GIBSON moved that tho House do go into
a Committee of the whole House on the Acts 7 and 8
Viet., c. 111, and 8 and 9 Viet., c. 98, for the pur-
pose of agreeing to a resolution on which to found a
Bill enabling joint-stock companies to wind up their
affair;, Masters in Chancery being empowered to act as
commissioners in bankruptcy fur such a purpoLe. The
proposed Bill did not interfere with any right on the
part of creditor-shareholders, as against the partners in
any company.
The House then went into Committee.

Mr. P. WOOD urged the necessity of the proposed
measure as a means of enabling the partners in bank-
rupt joint-stock companies to arrange their affairs, inter
se, sothat all should contribute alike their fair proportion
of the losses.

Mr. TURNER also supported the measure.
The resolution was agreed to, the House resumed, and
the resolution was reported to the House.
CIVIL ADMINISTRATION OF THE ARMY.
Mr. HUME called for a statement how far the fol-
lowing recommendations made in the report of the Royal
Commissioners " for inquiring into the practicability and
expediency of consolidating the different departments
connected with the civil administration of the army,"
and dated February 21, 1837, signed by Lord How ick,
Viscount Palmerston, Lord John Russell, Sir J. Hob-
house, and other Commissioners, as contained in the re-
port presented to both Houses of Parliament in 1837,
have been carried out, or what measures have been
adopted relating thereto. He denounced the present
arrangements as cumbrous and most imperfect.
Mr. F. MAULE admitted that the recommendations
contained in the report referred to were most valuable;
but at the same time stated that the difficulties which
attended their being carried out had prevented their
being hitherto acted upon. He must oppose the return
moved for.
The motion was negatived.
The House then adjourned at a quarter to Twelve.

PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS.
(From the Votes and Proceedings of the House of Commons.)
MONDAY, FEB. 21.
STANDING ORDERS COMMITTEE.
The following Resolutions were reported from the above
Committee :
1. That in the case of the Great Western Railway
(Extension of the Berke and Hants Railway from Hun-
gerford to Westbury, with a Branch to Devizes) petition,
the standing orders ought to be dispensed with :—That
the parties be permitted to proceed with their Bill.
2. That in the case of the Dunfermline and Queens-
ferry Railway (from Dunfermline to North Queensferry
with a Branch to Inverkeithing Harbour) petition, the
standing orders ouelit to be dispensed with:—That the
parties be permitted to proceed with their Bill.
3. That in the case of the. Shropshire Union Railways
petition, the standing
( e xttoo ebsewdoisopf tenisine &e)
with
:—That the parties be
permitted to proceed with their Bill.
oanrdde ersdn oughtui
4. That in the case of the North Staffordshire Railway
(Ashbourne Branch and Approach to Congleton Station)
petition, the standing orders ought to be dispensed w ith:
—That the perms be permitted to proceed with their
Bill, on the insertion of a clause resireining the parties
from taking the land belonging to George Wigley, No.
29, in the parish of Ashbourne, without the consent, in
writing, of the said George Wigley.
5. That in the case of the Newport and Pontypool
Railway Act Amendment petition, the standing orders
ought to be dispensed with:—That the parties be per-
mitted to proceed with their Bill, on inserting in the
county newspaper, for three successive weeks, amended
notices, specifying all the Acts affected by the Bill, and
that the advertisement of such notices be beaded by a
short title descriptive of the undertaking or Bill.
That the Committees en this and the preceding Bill
do examine, in the first place, how far such orders have
been complied with, and do report the seine to the House
on the report of the Bill.
6. That in the case of the Glasgow, Airdrie, and
Monklands Junction Railway (Central Junction Branch)
petition, the standing orders ought to be dispensed with:
—That the parties be permitted to proceed with their
Bill.
7. That in the case of the Chester Cemetery petition,
the standing orders ought to be dispensed with:--That
the parties be permitted to proceed with their Bill, pro-
vided that the same be presented h:ot later than three
clear days after the presentation of this report.
8. That in the case of the
.Northern Counties Union
Railway Amendment and Deviation petition, the stand-
ing orders ought to be dispensed with:—That the parties
be permitted to proceed with their▪ Bi I.
9. That in the case of the Edinburf,h and
Perth Rail-
way (from North Queensferry, S;ce) petition, the stand-
ing orders ought to be dispensed with:--That the parties
be permitted to proceed with their▪ Bill.
10. That in the case of the Glasgow, Paisley, and
Greenock Railway (Amendment and Branches, &c.)
petition, the standing orders ought to be dispensed with:
—That the parties be permitted to proceed ;with their
Bill, on depositing in the Private Bill-office an estimate
of the expense of the undertaking under the Bill as last
amended in the session of 1847; and that the Committee
on the Bill do examine, in the first place, how far such
order has been complied with, and du report the same to
the House on the report of the
11. That in the case of the Eget Anglian Railways
(Ely and Huntingdon Railway extension of time) peti-
tion, the standing orders ought to be dispensed with:—
That the parties be permitted to proceed with their Bill.
12. That in the case of the Great Western Railway
(to confer additional powers on the company with reFer-
once to the Purchase of the Birmingham and Oxford
Junction, &e., Railway) petition, the standing orders
ought to be dispensed with:—That the parties be per-
mitted to proceed with their Bill.
Is. That in the cue of the Great Western Railway