The Sun.
London, England, 1858-06-25 00:00:00

THE OATHS BILL.

On the order of the day for considering the report of
reaso:is to be offered to the Commons for the Lords ic-
sisting on their amendments,
The Earl of MALINIESBURY thought that in the
continued absence from indisposition of his noble friend
at the head of the Government, it would be better to
postpone the subject until that day week (Thursday),
when the two bills on the same subject would stand for
discussion.

Lord CAMPBELL could not help expressing his re-
gret that the intention stilt should be entertained of send•,
log to the House of Commons reasons why their lordships
should adhere to their amendments. He earnestly im-
plored those who wished for an accommodation cf this
dispute to consider well whether it would not be better
to tetain the bid they had in their hands instead of send-
ing it back to the C..minons.
• The Earl of DESART, on the other hand, regretted
the postponement of the reasons. The proposals tbat
were made were not for a compromise, but for a conces•
Ilion. Even if they were wilting to compromise the mat•
ter, he thought the proposition ought to come from the
other huuse. But he hoped their lordships would adhere
to the principle for which they had so long contended,
and would not yield up to the enemies of Christianity
that upon which not only the legislation of the country,
but all its laws and institutions, were based.
The mater was then postponed.
INDEPENDENCE OF PARLIAMENT BILL.
Lord BROUGHAM, in the abience of Lord Derby,
postponed the second reading of this bill.
TRANSFER OF REAL ESTATE BILL.

Lord BROUGHAM was understood to say it was the
univtreal opinion, both in their lordships' house and in
the country, that something Brest be done to facilitate
the transfer of real property. Some years ago a commit-
tee had sat on this subject, under the presidency of his
noble and lamented friend the late Lord Beaumont, and
it had corns to the conclusion that the most grievous
burden upon lind was thecostlinees of its transfer. That
committee bad not been without result. He had himself
paesed a f ,uedei epon its recommends,' inns, and he
had bean assured by the agent of a noble duke that that
measure bad effected in one year a saving of between
6,0001. and 7,0001. in the manegementof his lord's estate.
Last year he (Lord Brougham) bad presented a petition
from a gentleman who had been for many years the ma-
nager of a great number of properties, on which a sys-
tem of describing each by means of a number prevailed.
During the last 30 years every one of those proper-
ties had been sold, mortgaged, or leased, and the ave-
rage length of the conveyances employed was 190 words
and no more ; nor bad a single dispute ever arisen out
of the transference of these estates in the manner he bad
described. He (Lord Brougham) wished to see a similar
plan take the place of laws which appeared to have been
devised for the express purpose of making land as little
a merchantable commodity as was possible. In
Ireland, the Encumbered Estates Court bad no
fewer than 2,400 petitions presented to it in the
four years ending with 1854. It had effected
1,443 sales, and the money received had been no less
than 14,105,0001. —3O great was the anxiety both
of buyers and sellers to obtain the intervention of the
newt ; of sellers, because they obtained, a better price
for their land ; and of buyers, because they received the
inestimable advaet tgo of a Parliamentary title. So
great was the anxiety to obtain the intervention of the
court, that all kinds of contrivances ware resorted to
with that view. Fictitious debts were actually created
in order to give the parties a right to rtition the c,,urt.
The obj:et of his (the noble lord's) bill was to institute
a system of registration ; but considering the late pe-
riod of the session at which they had arrived, he would
not on this occasion press it further.

Lord CAMPBELL su;gested the establishment of a
registration of deeds, coupled with a proviso that no
deed which bad not been registered should prejudice the
rights of any subsequent purchaser of the estate. (Hear.)
After some conversation, the order for the second
reading of the bill wal understood to be discharged.

Their ladships rose at 25 minutes past 6 o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS—YESTERDAY.
The SPEAKER took the chair at twelve o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The following private bills were read a third time and
passed : —Athenry and Tuam Railway. B rkenhead
Improverner t Cotutnissoners (Gas and Water), Dublin
and Meath Railway, Redditch Railway, and Stockton
' and Darlington Railway (North Reding Lines).
LONDON CORPORATION REFORNI BILL.
petitions were presented by Alderman Cope-
land, Melt man Cubit', Lord J. Russel!, and Al !erman
S,r J. Duke, agait et tie Loudon o)rporation Reform
Bill, eepecia'ly a aln,t the cause that cot.S4cates the
revenues of the corporation without compensation.
On the motion for going into cummir,ee on this till,
Mr. P.OLT, Coneidet lug tho bill put in peril the rights
of oriva•e and corporate prol:eity throughout the king-
dim, could net accept the rt purt of the eernrnittee to
whom the bill had been rderred, and moved the follow-
ing resolution :--" That the petition of the C irporation
of London against the raid bill, which was presented
upo the 2&h day of May !reel, be referred to the com-
mi tee, and that the Corporation of Lon 100 be heard
by their counsel, agente, and wilnesses, before the com-
mittee on the allegations it such petition." He divided
the bill into two parte,one financial the other political. The
financial part pr.;posed the simple regulation cf taking
away a large portion of the revenue of the corpo-
ration, without compensation, whilst those who received
emoluments from the cOrporation relative to certein
does, (to., were to be compensated by the corporation
out.of their remaining revenues. He objected to the bill
on the ground that it inter`ered with the rights of pro-
perty ; and his definirien of the ownership of property
was, that they could be maintained in a court of law, or
could obtain redress for a wrong inflicted. There was
no distinction in law in the enjoyment ofpropertybetween
individuals and corporations, and they ought to consider
the question of metage, toile, and dues belonging to the
corporation as if they belonged to an individual. The
rights of property depended on their universality, and he
thought It neither just, wise, or expedient to interfere
with them by this bill. The income of the corporation
was 100,0001, a year from land, and 100,0001. a year
from markets, rnetage, and wirer tolls. With respect to
the 100,0001. a y_ar from land, a large portiere of that
property would soon expire by the runniegeont of tease-, -
ythea?rbst2aloll,oaoo,
elr
ma
ayneea and
incomeneu sotf
1f ,orro,sooomoel yae re ea
rt.o co
&c., and the corporation had very wisely put by for some
Outrn
of
the other 100,0001. a year were paid for expenses of col-
lection of tolls, &e., which were very heavy. 10 000/. a
year were detiewed for drawbacks on property exp eted,
and there were other charges Which made the expenses
in that department about 30,0001. a-year, so that the
corporation had only 70,000/. a-year f‘orn the tolls, and
RO,OOO/. a-year from land., making together about
150,000/. a-year. And how was teat sum expended ?
There was a debt of a trillion secured on the revenue of
the corporation one-half of which had been spent in
purchasing land for the improving and widening of street.,
the land for which bad been dedicated to the pub-
lic. The interest of that debt was about 50,0001. a
year. The administration of justice in the city amounted
to 50,0001. a year, making together 100,000/. a year out
of the 150,000/. per ann. income.. Of the balance, about
12 0001. per annum were spent in city improvements,
10,0001. in church and pensions, and 10,000/. for inci-
dental expenses annually. The last am runt might bo
considered large, but the house must bear in mind that
one year they hail to leery a hers ; another year to erect
a monument to his memory ; a third to receive with be-
coming splendour and hospitality our sovereign ; a
fourth, a foreign prince. The civil government of the
city oost about 30,000/. a year, which he thought was
not too much for maintaining the hospitality and sp.en-
dour of the. city. The publie had advanced money to
the corporation on the security of the revenuer, and
Parliament ought not to abolish that security upon the
goo 4 faith of ehich the money was advanced. All that
was asked was for the house to deal with the Corporation
of Londou in the came way they dealt with Liverpool, to
whom they gave compensation. The rights of property
depended upon the universality, and when once acquired
they no right to investigate this acquisition. The tolls
levied on goods corning up the Thames might be
uoxison'
uteet, but he cared not for that. Theye°' were' in
withoutatl
theovinera
compensation, lrad n o rhieg hty
miAt
tobeaddeoi.p.
rt
ived
f them
the
politioat regulations contained T
in the bill or enlarge
them, but send hack the financial part of the bill for
further consideration, The C.rporation cf London