The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-16 00:00:00

THE LAW COURTS.

Sir J. SHELLEY asked what course it was intended by
Government to pursue with respect to the concentration of
th. law courts.

Mr. COWPER said that a bill was in preparation to
enable the Government to purchase a site for the law courts,
and he hoped to be able to introduce that bill shortly.
THE PLUNDERING OP THE EMPEROR OF
CHINA'S SUMMER PALACE.

Mr. SCULLY said that he wished to offer an explanation
to the house of a statement which fell from him during the
discussion of the preceding evening. He had stated upon
the authority of a French despatch that the French gene-
rals had forbidden the troops under their command to com-
mence plundering the summer palace until the arrival of
the English forces. He had been since led to believe, from
knowledge he had acquired, that the statement was incor-
rect, and he was now therefore prepared to acknowledge
the correctness of the statment made by the noble lord on
the preceding evening. The observations which fell from
him had called forth comments from some of the gentlemen
of the press, but he would as soon think of tilting at a
windmill as attempting to rebut their hostile remarks.
The SPEAKER called the hon. and learned member to
order. The hon. gentleman was entitled to make any per-
sonal explanation in regard to any misrepresentation into
which he might have been led, but not to advert to a past
debate in any other manner.

The subject then dropped and the motion for the adjourn-
ment until Monday was agreed to.
TRAMWAYS (SCOTLAND).
Sir E. COLEBROKE asked for leave to introduce a bill
to provide for the form tion of tramways on turnpike and
statute labour roads in Scotland. A similar bill had passed
through all its stages in that house during last session. The
measure provided for those interests which might possibly
be affected by it, and it laid down regulations under which
certain powers were to be granted.
Leave was given, and the bill was afterwards read a first
time.

HAY, &c., CONTRACTS.

Mr. TURNER moved an address for copies of all con-
tracts entered into by the Government with Alexander
Bankier Freeland for hay, clover, beans, and oats from the
Ist day of September, 1854, to the 31st day of December,
1858; the quantity of hay, clover, beans, and oats doll
vered ; the sums of money paid in respect thereof, and the
dates of payment. The hon. member said that the object
of his motion pointed to a piece of extravagance which had
been committed by the Government. The contracts to
which he referred went so far back as the period when we
were carrying on the Crimean war. At that time it was
necessary to contract for a variety of agricultural products,
and, strange to say, the Government appeared to have
thought Manchester not only a great manufacturing, but
also a great agricultural district, for they sent gentlemen
down to Manchester, who entered into an agricultural con-
tract with Mr. Alex. Bankier Freeland, and it was made at
such an extravagant price, that out of contracts amounting to
£300,000, Mr. Freeland had managed to make, by his own
confession, a profit of something like £75,000. That gen-

tleman. it seemed, was connected with his brothers in the
transaction in question, and they subsequently entered into
an extensive shipping trade, and afterwards became bank-
rupts. Having confessed, en their examination by the
Bankruptcy Court, that they had made this profit of
£75,000 out of the Government contracts, it was right and
necessary the house should have a return of those contracts,
the prices paid for agricultural productions, and the manner
in which the contracts were executed. He had been given
to understand that the Government had no objection to
furnish the return with all particulars, but he was told it
would take a considerable time to obtain all the necessary
information. He could not understand why that should be.
Mr. T. G. BARING said that, as the hon. member had
just stated, there would be no hesitation on the part of the
Government to produce this return. The only hesitation he
had felt was, that in the first instance he understood from
the hon. gentleman that the information was required not
altogether for public purposes. He must beg the house,
however, to reserve its opinion with respect to those con-
tracts until it saw the papers and judged for itself as to all
the facts of (the case. With respect to the time it would
take to produce the return, he could only inform the hon.
gentleman that he had made every inquiry with regard to
that point, and had been informed by the Commissary-
General-in-Chief that the contracts extended over the whole
of the time of the Crimean war, that the deliveries were
numerous and extensive, and the return could not be fur-
nished without a very considerable expenditure of labour.
He had also been informed that the supplies of hay by this
contractor were very good and satisfactory.
LOCOMOTIVES ON TURNPIKE ROADS.

Mr. GARNETT obtained leave to introduce a bill for
regulating the use of locomotives on turnpike and other
roads, and the tolls to be levied on such locomotives, and on
the waggons and carriages drawn or propelled by the same.