The Sun.
London, England, 1851-04-15 00:00:00

LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, APRIL 15, 1851.

RAILWAY BILL.

This Bill was postponed on the suggestion of Mr.
BECKET DENISON, on the ground that the profes-
sional advisers of the directors were at present out of
town, but would be back in a fow hours.
PETITIONS.

Mr. STAFFORD and several other Members pre-
sented petitions against the Papal aggression.
Lord G. MANNERS presented petitions praying for
the relief of agricultural distress.
Mr. SPOONER, and several other Members, presented
petitions against, and praying for, a modification of the
inceme-tax.

Mr. T. DUNCOMBE presented petitions from the
parish of St. Andrew's, Holborn, and from that of St.
George the Martyr, praying for the remission of the
window tax.
Mr. R. SPOONER presented a petition praying for
the remission of the paper duty.
Sir JAMES GRAHAM presented a petition from the
largest poor-law union in Northumberland, signed by the
chairman, the two vice-chairmen, 1,221 of the rate-
payers, and several beneficed clergymen, praying for the
establishment of union settlements.
NOTICES OF MOTION.

Colonel SAL WEY gave notice that to-morrow he
should ask the Secretary of State for the Home Depart-
ment whether the late Attorney-General, Sir Frederick
Pollock, and the late Solicitor-General, Sir William
Follet, gave their opinions upo❑ the claims of the Mili-
tary Knights of Windsor, and if so whether he had any
objection to produce it, together with all the papers and
documents relating thereto.
Colonel SIB rHoRp gave notice that he should move
the omission of Schedule B from the Income-tax Bill,
and that officers in the army and navy be exempted from
the payment of the income-tax, so far as their pay and
allowances were concerned.
Sir J. PAKINGTON gave notice, that on Friday, the
9d of May, he should move for leave to bring in a Bill
to amend the law relating to the sale of beer.
ST. ALBAN'S ELECTION.

Mr. E. ELLICE, jun., brought up the report, declaring
Mr. Jacob Bell to have been duly elected for the borough
of St. Alban's, and recommending the appointment of a
Royal Commission to inquire into the system of whole-
sale bribery and corruption which the Committee bad
reason to believe prevailed there both at the last and
several previous elections.
Sir R. H. INGLIS called attention to the anomalous
character of this report. The Committee admitted that
a system of gross corruption and bribery had existed at
St. Alban's for a long time, and he thought, under these
circumstances, he was justified in asking the House to
pause before it entered the report of the Committee on
the journals of the House. The Hon. Baronet concluded
by moving that the report be taken into consideration on
a future day.
Mr. ELLICE said, as neither of the parties com-
plained of the irregularity of the Committee's proceed-
ings, he nor any other of the members did not consider it
their duty to raise an objection. The Committee, in his
opinion, had acted in accordance with the general feel-
ing which seemed to prevail in the House on Friday
evening.
Mr. BANKES thought the House ought to decide
whether the Committee really continued to be a Com-
mittee after the period of their adjournment.
Sir G. CLERK contended that the House was bound
by Act of Parliament to receive the report as final to
all intents and purposes, whether the Committee
were or were not guilty of irregularity.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL entirely concurred
with the Hon. Baronet that the report ought to be re-
ceived. If the House adopted the motion of the Hon.
Member for Oxford they would be led into far greater
difficulties. The course pointed out by the Act of Par-
liament was very simple and clear. It stated that the
report of an Election Committee was to be final to all
intents and purposes, and it prescribed to the House the
simple duty that it should record that report as the pro-
ceedings of the House.
After a few words from Mr. AGLIONBY the report
was ordered to be entered on the journals of the House.
NEW RIDE IN KENSINGTON GARDENS.

In answer to a question from Mr. E. DENISON,
Lord SEYMOUR said that some time ago he had re-
ceived the commands of her Majesty to make arrange-
ments, if possible, for the formation of a new ride in
Kensington-gurdena, but as yet he had not been able to
do so.
ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE IN IRELAND.
Mr. NAPIER asked the First Lord of the Treasury
whether be had any objection to place on the table of
the House, for the use of Members, a copy of the letter
recently addressed to his Excellency the Lord-Lieutenant
of Ireland, by the Lord Chief Justice Blackburne, in
reference to the legislation on matters connected with
the administration of justice in Ireland?
Lord J. RUSSELL said that, as the letter in question
was a confidential communication, be did not feel justi-
fied in placing it on the table of the House.
BRIBERY AT ST. ALBAN'S.

Mr. E. ELLICE gave notice that, on an early day
after Easter, he should move for leave to bring in a Bill
to inquire into the practices of bribery which have pre-
vailed at St. Alban's during several late elections.
THE GREAT EXHIBITION.

Sir DE LACY EVANS wished to ask the Presidem

of the Board of Trade a question relative to space in the
Exhibition building being granted to exhibitors of inven-
tions who have been hitherto restrained from making

application, or sending in their goods, by the delay which
has taken place in passing the Designs Act Extension
Bill. _ _ _

Mr. LABOUCHERE said that no decision whatever
had been come to by the Executive Committee with regard
to the space that was to be allotted to the several con-
tributions after the requisitions had been sent in.
It appeared that the consequence was that twice as much
space had been allotted to each of the contributors as
they required. With respect to the second part of the
question, he had to observe that nothing had transpired
to induce the Commissioners to extend their licence, for
it was confined with regard to the Designs Act to the
Exhibition in Hyde-park. He did not doubt,
however, that if any other exhibition was opened
in which it would be advantageous for the con-
tributors to secure their patents, that the Board
of Trade would use every exertion to facilitate their ob-
ject either in this country or any other.—(Hear, hear.)
DUTIES ON CARRIAGES.
Sir DE LACY EVANS wished to ask the Chancellor
of the Exchequer if (pending any question as to the
modification of the duties on carriages) it might be di-
rected that those engaged in the business of letting car-
riages to hire should continue, as at present, to make an-
nual returns, but specifying in such returns the number
of carriages let by them in each quarter of the year, and
that the charge upon the number let in each quarter
should be one-fourth of the annual tax?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that
his Hon. and Gallant Friend seemed to assume that the
duties on carriages could be remitted at pleasure, but in
this he was mistaken, for so long as the law continued
as it was the duties must of course be paid.
WESTMINSTER BRIDGE.

Sir R. H. INGLIS wished to inquire of the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer the course which her Majesty's
Ministers proposed to adopt in reference to Westminster-
bridge. Three of the arches in the middle of the river
were now stopped up, and the bridge altogether was in
a notoriously bad state. What he wished to know was,
whether they intended to rebuild it ?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said
that the state of the bridge had been inquired into, and
was now submitted to a Commission, and he believed that
there was a necessity for rebuilding the bridge, and the
only difficulty was as to the site where it should be
placed.
NEW ZEALAND, AND STEAM COMMUNICA-
TION WITH. INDIA.

Mr. AGLIONBY moved an address for copies or
extracts of any dispatches received at the Colonial-office
from any of the governors of the Australian coloniei, on
the subject of steam communication, between the years
1846 a❑d 1851; also, copies or extracts of any dispatches
addressed by the Secretary of State for the Colonies,
during the same period, to any of the governors of the
Australian colonies.
After some explanation from the SPEAKER, it was
agreed that the words " New Zealand" should be added
to any project for establishing steam communication under
Government patronage, between England, India, and the
Australian colonies.
INCOME-TAX BILL.

In reply to Mr. HAMILTON,
The CH kNCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER stated
that he intended to take the second reading of the In-
come-tax bill the first Thursday after Easter.
HOUSE TAX.

Sir B. HALL said he proposed to take the sense of
the House with reference to the Government proposal
for a house-tax, and he should be glad to know whether
it would be more convenient to the Chancellor of the
Exchequer for him to move his resolution in Committee,
or to wait until some fu'ure stage of the Bill.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said
the sooner the question was decided the better, for if
the whole of the window-tax were repealed without a
substitute, there would be a deficiency iu the Exchequer,
and he would have to propose some other tax.
POLITICAL REFUGEES.
Mr. B. COCHRANE whiled to ask the Noble Lord
at the head of the Foreign Department it he
had received any notice from the four great powers of
Europe complaining of the conduct of political refugees
in London?
Lord PALMERSTON said he had received no such
notice.

COMMISSIONERS OF SEWERS.
Sir B. HALL wished to ask the Noble Lord the
Member for Plymouth a question with reference to the
expenditure of the Commissioners of Sewers. It ap-
peared by a return that had been laid before the
House, that during the last year the Commissioners had
received no less than 91.0001., of which 7,6351 had been
expended in works, and 21,1641 in the cost of management.
Now, he wished to know whether the Noble Lord could
hold out any hope to the House and the ratepayers
that a reduction would be made in the future coat of
management.

Lord EBRINGTON said it was quite true that
91,000/. had been received, and 21.0001. exp'nded in the
coat of management; but it should be remembered that
the Commission was not only a body for expend-
ing, but also fur collecting money, and the
machinery of collection was both complicated
and expensive. Out of the 21,0004 upwards of 3,5001.
was traceable, not to the expenditure of the Commission,
but to the collection of the rates to enable them to carry
on the works.