The Sun.
London, England, 1860-05-03 00:00:00

BERKSHIRE ELECTION.

The vacancy in the representation of this county
was yesterday filled up by the election of Mr.
Benyon, of Englefield House, as successor to the
much lamented and deservedly esteemed Captain
Vernon. The nomination took place in the County-
hall, in the ancient town of Abingdon, and the
number of electors was large, considering that there
was no probability of a contest.
The HIGH SHERIFF, Sir Paul Hunter, having
opened the proceedings,
Mr. R. PALMER (late M.P. for Berks), proposed
Mr. Richard Benyon as a fit and proper person to
represent the county of Berks in Parliament. Mr.
Floyd, a farmer, seconded the nomination ; and no
other candidate having been proposed,
The HIGH SHERIFF declared Mr. Benyon to
have been duly elected.
The announcement was received with rounds of
cheers. .

Mr. BENYON, who was well received, said he felt
highly flattered by the honour which they had
conferred upon him by electing him to fill the va-
cant seat in Parliament. He reiterated the senti-
ments contained in his published address to the
electors, and concluded by assuring them that to
all public questions he should give his earnest and
careful attention.,

A vote of thanks to the High Sheriff was car-
ried, and three cheers for Mr. Benyon concluded
the proceedings.

P AELI .1 MEN TABY COMMITTEE'S.

PACKET AND TELEGRAPH CONTRACTS.

This committed met again on Tuesday—Mr. Dun-
lop in the chair.
The Earl of Eglinton attended, and entered into
a statement of what came under his cognisance,
with respect to the contract for the Galway line,
while he was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. The
noble earl was accommodated with a seat beside
the chairman. He said he considered the Galway
line would be extremely beneficial to Ireland, and
would afford the quickest mail communication be-
twoen that country and America. He considered
it would be also beneficial to England for the same
reasons, and he therefore felt bound to recommend
it to the favourable consideration of the Govern-
ment. During the whole of his stay in Ireland he
never knew anything which created so strong and
universal a feeling in its favour as did the Galway
line.

Sir S. Northcote—lt has been suggested that
there was some political view on the part of the
Government in this matter with regard to the
borough of Galway.
Lord Eglinton—l can only tell you I considered
Galway as perhaps the most hopeless borough in a
Conservative point of view, of any in all Ireland ;
and nothing more surprised me than when I heard
that Mr. Lever was going to stand for it, except
when I heard that Mr. Lever was going to sup-
port the Government,
The noble earl proceeded to say, in reply to ques-
tions by Sir F. Baring, Mr. Laing, Mr. Ellice, and
other members of the committee, that the Lord
Lieutenant had no power whatever in the cases of
money matters. He could only recommend such
cases to the Government, and he recommended the
Galway line on the broad principle that it would
be beneficial to Ireland. He had read in the news-
papers the speech of Mr. Lever, in which he said
he would support any Government which would
give Galway the packet station. He did not think
the Cunard ships would ever have run from Queens-
town unless the Galway line had been established.
Mr. Lewis chairman of the Galway Company,
was examined chiefly in reference to the negotia-
tion between Mr. Lever, Sir C. Roney, and Mr.
Allan, for the transfer of the Galway contract by
Mr. Lever to the Montreal Ocean Steam Ship Com-
pany, which was fully gone into at previous sit•
tings of the committee. Mr. Allan, on the part
of the Montreal Company, made an offer for the
line, which was rejected by the Galway Company
as being much below its value, and ultimately they
refused to sell the line at all. There were 10,000 paid-
up shares expressly provided by the articles of
association as a remuneration to the promoters of
the undertaking, of which 2,500 shares were allotted
to Mr. Lover.

Mr. Ellice—Did any members of Parliament re-
ceive any of those paid-up shares ?

Witness—Yes. 'Mr. Lever did, as I have already
said.

Mr. Ellice—Did any other member of Parliement
receive any of those shares ?
IVitness—Yes. Lord Bury, as chairman, received
71 shares. Mr. Roebuck never received any of the
shares. He was offered some, but refused them.
Any statement to the effect that he did receive
shares would be absolutely false, and without a
shadow of foundation. That I know of my own
knowledge.
Sir S. Northcote—Lord Bury's s2rvices to the
undertakin were, I believe, very considerable ?
Witness—Yes ; he took a voyage to Newfound-
land to MTV it out.

Sir H. Willoughby—Lord Bury may be said to
have gone to considerable expense in the affair ?
Witness—Yes.

Mr. Weaver, manager of the Galway Company,
gave some statistical details of the average number
of voyages and passengers carried by the line since
its opening.
Mr. Lever, M.P., again presented himself to give
some further evidence relative to negotiations be-
tween himself, Sir C. Honey, and Mr. Allan, as to
the transfer of the Galway Company. He adhered.
to his former statements on this point, and persisted
in saying that that negotiation was only entered
upon by him for the purpose of getting an offer from
the Montreal Company, in order that the capital
reqaired for the Galway line should be more readily
subscribed, and it had that effect.
The committee then adjourned.