The Sun.
London, England, 1866-01-25 00:00:00

to describe those relations. They varied in every
common, but it might be safely said that without
the sanction of Parliament there was probably
no common which could be enclosed, or which,
if enclosed, could be built upon by any prudent
man. What the public had to fear was the entire en-
closure of any common, but the gradual operation
of what he might call sweating the common—(hear)
—the taking from them bit by bit, so that they grew
beautifully less every year, often by unauthorised
persons under the operation of what was called " a
rolling fence." It had also to fear the deterioration
of the commons by accumulations of nuisances and
the encroachments of railway companies, with many
of which evils the lords of manors admitted they
were quite unequal to cope, and with respect to
which they could not be expected to lay out money
for the benefit of the public. Two propositions
for dealing with the common came before the com-
mittee of last Session. The first was that the
matter should be handed over to the Metropolitan
Board of Works, who should have compulsory
powers of purchasing all rights over the commons
and pay for them by selling portions of them.
The objection to that was that on the supposition
that the public had no right at law large sums of
money would have to be given for the rights of
the lords and commoners when bought under com-
pulsion, however little in value they might actually
be. Everybody connected with the commons would
expect to be compensated. As an illustration, he
took the case of the Richmond Railway, which in
passing through Barnes-common had to pay £4OO
an acre for the purchase of the rights of the lords
and commoners, and if that was to be taken as a
measure it was clear that a very large sacrifice of
the commons would have to be submitted to. The
other proposition before the committee was the ap-
pointment of trustees, who should not at first have
these -wide powers, but who should have power to
represent thepublic in all matters affecting the com-
mons, to accept surrenders of rights of all kinds
from those interested in them, and to mediate be-
tween the lords of the manors and the commoners
and the public. The commoners had long ceased to
value their rights over most of the commons near
London except for the powers which they afforded
of preventing enclosures. He believed they would
be found willing in most cases to surrender their
rights if it was clearly understood that the commons
were not to be enclosed. Many of the lords of the
manors, again, were disposed to act in a liberal
manner towards the public. Mr. Alcock, for example,
had offered to surrender to such a board as referred
to his interest as lord of the manor of Banstead
Downs, a succession of beautiful commons between
Croydon and Epsom, extending over 1,400 acres,
and he made that handsome offer without any cou-
dition except that the commons should not be en-
closed, and should be protected from nuisances. If
such a body had been in existence he could not doubt
that the case of Wimbledon-common might have
been effectually settled to the satisfaction of Lord
Spencer and the commoners, as it would have pro-
vided the means of raising money for drainage and
other purposes, without necessitating the sale of
portions of the laud, on which point Lord Spencer
and the commoners could not agree. He moved a re-
solution, in effect that it was incumbent on the Legis-
lature to deal with the question of commons and
open spaces, and pledging the meeting to support the
Commons Preservation Society in its efforts to press
the subject on the attention of Parliament.
The motion was seconded by Mr. T. HUGHES,
M.P., who, in doing so, taking up what he called
the sentimental side of the question, dwelt upon the
peculiar attachment which the people of the country
had for it when it was free and open, compared with
those of a country cut up into pieces and enclosed.
The resolution was put and carried apparently
without a dissentient.

The meeting was also addressed by Mr. J. P.
Gassiott, Mr. Taylor, a conservator of Barnes-com-
mon, Mr. Charles Buxton, M.P., Colonel Adair,
Sir Thomas Buxton, M.P., Mr. Hose, Alderman
Besley, and other gentlemen.
Sir WILLIA3I FRASER, in moving a resolution
authorising a subscription in furtherance of the
object of the society, took occasion to refer to the
case of liainault Forest, where, he said, as many as
100,000 oak trees had been uprooted.
Mr. TOYNBEE dwelt upon the fact, stated on the
authority of the Itegistrar-General, that 15,000
people died annually in the metropolis of lung
diseases alone—in other words, so many were
poisoned by bad air.
Eventually petitions to both Houses of Parlia-
ment embodying the resolutions were signed by the
Lord Mayor on behalf of the meeting, and with that
the proceedings terminated.