The Sun.
London, England, 1856-06-24 00:00:00

PRIVATE BUSINESS.

On the motion of Lord REDESDALE the following
hills were read a second lime :—Gay Cross Water ;
Gloucester Gas ; Swansea Vale Railway ; Ceylon Rail-
way ; Epsom and Leatherhead Railway ; Luton, Dun-
stable, and Welwyn Railway; Sittingbourn and Sheer-
nessßailway.

The following bills were read a third time and passed :
—Wandsworth and nitney Gas ; Etstern Union Rail-
way ; London, Tilbury, and Southend Railway ; Yar-
mouth and Haddiscoe Railway.
JOINT STOCK CONIPINIES' BILL.

Their lordships then went into committee on this bill.
Lord CAMPBELL approved of the bill, so far as it
went to consolidate the statutes relating to Joint Stock
C nnpanies. He hoped the bill would do no mischief
as he felt it would not confer the benefits which it was
expected it would. It was right the experiment should
be made, and he hoped no danger would ensue,
hot he must say he did not expect much good would
arise.

Lord OVERSTONE protested against the principle
of the bill, as it was based upon the principle of limited
liability. The bill had been hastily got up,
and pressed forward with indiscriminate speed. Its
promoters had taken upon themselves to interfere with
the difficult and very complicated subject of commercial
transactions. He begged to ask the noble lord how
banking companies were to be dealt with by the bill.
Lord STANLEY of ALDERLEY said banking com-
panies had been exempted from the operations of the
Joint Stock Companies' Act, which act this bill was in-
tended toamend, and he intended to exempt banking and
assurance companies from this bill. He was not called
upon to make any further distinction than previously
existed between such banking companies from other
companies, and he did not think any more difficulty
would be felt under this act than under the former one.
Lord MONTE&GLE contended that the bill would
occasion much confusion as far as banking companies
were considered.

Clauses up to 13 were agreed to.
On clause 14 being read,°
Lord OVERSTONE objected to this clause, which
referred to the liability of directors, and asked whether
the Government bad seriously crnsidered the effectof this
clause, and whether they were willing to take upon
themselves the responsibility of passing such a clause?
Lord STANLEY OF ALDERLEY said the clause
was not in the original bill, but had been introduced in
the other house. If the noble lord moved the
omission of the clause he should not oppose the motion.
Lord CAMPBELL was in favour of retaining the
clause.

After a short discussion the clause was agreed to, as
were clauses down to 16.
On clause 17,
Lord PORTMAN suggested that a copy of the re-
gistry of shareholders should be deposited in some
public office ready to be produced in the
event of the registry kept at the offices of the companies
being destroyed for fraudulent purposes.
Lord STANLEY of ALDERLEY said the sugges-
tion should be duly considered.
The clause was then creed to, as were the other
clauses of the bill, with a feW verbal amendments, and
it was reported to the house.
[LEFT SITTING.]

HOUSE OF COMMONS.--(This Day.)
The SPEAKER took the chair at 12 o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.
The Cleobury North, &c., District Roads Bill, the
Conway and Llandudno Road Bill, and the Rhosydd
Railway Bill, were read a third time and passed.

NA.WAB OF SURAT TREATY BILL.
Sir F. KELLY moved the third reading of this bill,
and in doing so said her Majesty's Government, by the
compromise they had offered, had acceded to the just-
ness of the claim—the only opposers now to the bill
being the East India Company.
Sir J. W. HOGG (a director of the East India Com-
pany) moved the third reading of the bill that day six
months. He said that if her Majesty's Government had
come to the conclusion on this claim mentioned by the
lion, and learned gentleman, they ought to be
ashamed of themselves, having for ten years
past maintained an opposite opinion. (Laughter.)
The case was first decided by Lord Ellenborough in
India, and that decision had been acted on by Lord
Ripon, Lord Roden' Lord Dalhousie, Sir C. Wood, and
his right hon. friend the President of the Board of Con-
trol (Mr. V. Smith). He contended that under this
treaty the present claimants had no right in law or
equity, and it was never contemplated they should. The
compromise of the Government, to use no harsher term,
was discreditable. The hon. and learned gentleman
again complained that the proper course had not been
taken by the promoters of the bill to decide this claim,
and said the committee were divided on it, and the pre-
amble of the bill showed it. The preamble of the bill
stated that the amounts should be paid to the heirs un
der the treaty to which he agreed, but the committee de-
clined to decide who were the heirs. After adverting to
the historical part of the question, and entering fully into
the general circumstances of the claim, he said his expe-
rience in this case would make him cautious in future
how he trusted to the slippery support of the Govern.
ment. (Laughter.) This was not a private treaty for
priva • te purposes, but a treaty between two political par-
tiea for political purposes, and did not give rights to
heirs natural, but to "heirs and successors" to the politi
cal authority the Nawab possessed at the time of signing
the treaty.
Mr. V. SMITH defended the conduct of the Govern-
mut irz rciforouoo to thin queotiou, which k. 010 had'

been dictated with moderation and a desire to do justice
to all parties interested. The hon. and learned baronet
had • taunted him (Hr. Smith) with receding from the
opinions of his predecessors on this question, but he
begged to inform him and the house that be (Mr.
Smith) did not consider himself hound by their
opinions, and with regard to the opinion ex-
pressed by the honourable and learned baronet
on the conduct of the Government, the greatest embar-
rassment he (Mr. Smith) felt was in bandying compli-
ments with him, or he might have retorted on him that
he mach regretted he had rested on the slippery support
of the directors of the East India Company. (Laughter.)
The right hon. gentleman again entered at length into
the course he bad adopted and the opinions he had
formed on this claim, and said that he pro-
posed a compromise last week, because it had
hitherto been treated in that manner, and
reiterated his opinion that this question ought not to be
settled by a private bill, but by au address to the Crown.
Ile felt certain that the Judicial Committee of the House
of Lords would make. alterations in the bill when it
comes before them.
Mr. G. BUTT supported the third' reading of tle
bill.
Mr. LOWE opposed the bill on the ground
that it would benefit the promoter of the bill
to the injury of others who • were entitled
to a portion of this stipend by the laws of India, and
who were unable to protect their interests before the
committee.,

The SOLICITOR-GENERAL said that the East
India Company made an arrangement with the ,Nawab
of Surat, for himself and family, for the surrender of his
fortune and dignity, and the company had violated every
principle of justice in carrying it out,
After some remarks from H. Willoughby, Mr.
Mangle!, awl -Mr. Denby &Amur,
The house divided, when the numbers were—
For the third reading - 213
Against it
1-185

Majority

Loud cheers.)
The bill was then read a third time and passed.
SARDINIAN LOAN BILL.
This bill was read a third time.
The House suspended its sittings at 4 o'clock.

The house resumed at six o'clock, but, there being
only 38 members present, adjourned at a quarter-past
six.

LONDON GAZETTE--{This Evening.)

BUCKINGHAM PALACE, JUNE 22.

This day had audience of her Majesty;
His Royal Highness the Prince Oscar, second surviving
son of his Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway, at-
tended by the Baron de Hochschild, Envoy Extraordinary
and Minister Plenipotentiary of his Swedish and Nor-
wegian Majesty.
To which audience his Royal Highness was introduced
by the Earl of Clarendon, K.G., her Majesty's Secretary
of State for Foreign Affairs, and conducted by Major-
General the Honourable Sir Edward Cust, K.C.H., her
Majesty's Master of the Ceremonies.