The Sun.
London, England, 1861-05-28 00:00:00

THAMES EMBANKMENT BILL.

On the motion for the second reading of this bill,
Mr. COWPER said that the object of this bill was to
enable the London, Dover, and Chatham Railway Company
to take possession of the proposed embankment, and to re-
munerate themselves out of the tolls which they might
levy. The company proposed to obtain £400,000 through
the medium of the Metropolitan Board of Works. They
sought to relieve themselves from the expenses of the under-
taking and to throw it on the house. The company proposed
that the Woods and Forests should buy land and give them
as much of it as they required for their purpose and retain
the remainder for their own use. He thought if they
allowed this bill to pass they would be adopting a
precedent that might be used injuriously against the house
on a future occasion. The embankment of the Thames was
a subject of great importance, and a Royal Commission sat
on this subject, which had not yet made their report. In
all probabili: y a bill founded on the recommendations of that
commission would be introduced next session. For these rea-
sons, although from his position he felt disinclined to in-
terfere with a private measure, he felt bound to move that
this bill be read a second time that day six months.
Mr. AYRTON supported the second reading of the bill,
but he reserved to himself a right to consider the bill in its
future stages.
Lord FERMOY said he thought that the subject should
be dealt with by a public bill, and supported the amend-
ment.

After some further discussion the motion for the second
reading of the bill was negatived without a division.

GALWAY MAIL.

Mr, GREGORY moved an address for copy of all cor-
respondence between the Post Office department and
the Board of Admiralty and the Board of Trade
with reference to ' the Galway Postal Contract ;
and also of all correspondence with, and instructions given
to, the surveying officers in reference to the ships of the
Atlantic Royal Mail Steam Navigation Company, or with
reference to the ships from time to time submitted by that
Company to the Postmaster-General for the performance
of the postal service between Galway and the United States
of America.—Ordered.

THE GOVERNMENT OF VENETIA.
Mr. GRIFFITH asked the Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs whether, when Count Rechberg, in his
despatch of the 27th day of April, denied that a state
of siege existed in Venetia, it was not the case that
the ordinary government in Venetia was, at
least, as severe as any state of siege, and that four men
were executed, by sentence of court martial, at Venice or
its neighbourhood, on the very day on which Count Rech
berg dated that despatch ?
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said that he had sent a
despatch to Sir James Hudson stating the general views
of the Government, and Count Cavour communicated with
the Marquis d'Azeglio. He had received a despatch on the
subject to which the hon. member had alluded, but he did
not consider it of sufficient public importance to lay it on the
table of the house. The Foreign- office was not in possession of
any official information as to the severity of the Govern.
ment of Venetia, to which he referred.