The Sun.
London, England, 1850-08-06 00:00:00

PETITIONS.

Lord HARDWICKE presented a petition against the
Rating of Small Tenements Bill from Liverpool.
The Marquis of SALISBURY presented a petition in
favour of the Bill.
CHARITABLE TRUSTS BILL.

Lord REDESDALE presented a petition against this
Bill, and hoped it would be withdrawn.

Lord BROUGHAM most reluct2ntly withdrew the
Bill.

Lord STANLEY preiented a petition against the Bill.
He regretted that the Bill had not been brought in
earlier, and brought in in that House, which it might
have been, without infringing on the privileges of the
other House; and while on the subject of privilege, he
would observe that he understood that the Bill for the
suppression of outrage in Ireland, which had been intro-
duced in that Hbuse, had been dropped in the other
House because it interfered with their privileges, and
that another Bill bad been introduced there which had
been threatened to be defeated by delay. He considered
that the Ministers were responsible for having intro-
duced a Bill into this House interfering with the pri-
vileges of the other, and therefore they were responsible
for any delay which might have taken place.
After a few observations from Lord LANGDALE and
Lord WITARNCLIFFE, the Bill was withdrawn.

STEAM COMMUNICATION WITH AUSTRALIA

Lord TALBOT presented petitions from Glasgow and
from Plymouth praying for the establishment of a regu-
lar steam communication between this country and
Australia. Divers sums had been voted by the
legislatures of the different colonies to pro-
mote steam communication with the mother country,
and already they could command with the amount
of postage for letters to Australia, 40,0001. per annum
derived from those colonies for that purpose. Three
routes had been proposed; one by Singapore in con-
nexion with the Oriental Company, another by the
Cape of Good Hope, and another by the Isthmus of
Panama lie considered the route by Singapore the
easiest, but be understood there was some difficulty on
the part of the East India Company; but he thought it
was the duty of the Government to take some route,
and if these difficulties were insuperable, they should
take the route either by the Cape of Good Hope or by
Panama. It would be of great benefit to our South
African colonies to open a route by the Cape of Good
Hope and Mauritius, which would also promote
emigration. The route by Panama would secure
us against any impediment to the transmission of
our mails in cons. quence of an European war.
On the whole be thought, perhaps, that the route of
Panama was the best, as we bad a line of steamers ready
to take up the transit on the Pacific. He wished to im-
press upon the minds of their Lordships the `sit im-
portance of this subject and the absolute necessity that
existed for establishing some rapid steam communication
with our Australian colonies.

Earl GREY said that Government were fully aware
of the extreme importance of the subject to which
the Noble Earl had drawn their Lordships' attention, and
could assure him that the Government were extremely
anxious to establish a rapid steam communication with
Australia. He considered the route by Singapore the
most desirable, and he thought the offer made by the
Oriental Company an exceeningly fair one, and most
beneficial to the public.—(Hear, hear.) The East
India Company considered that, out of regard
to their own officers, they ought to oppose it.
He thought, however, that he might say that ere long a
steam communication with the west coast of Aftica and
°the Cap. of Good Hope would be established, and by
that means with Australia, and also by a line from
Singapore. He entertained a sanguine hope that even-
tmilly both lines would be established, but at present
there were difficulties which prevented the establish-
ment of the limit by Singapore. He thought it extremely
desirable that the matter should be amicably settled with
the East ledia Company.
Lord MONTE AGLE thought that if ever there was a
step taken by a great company, exercising almost imperial
functions, likely to set them wrong with the people of
this country, it was this opposition of the Eait India
Company to steam communication with Australia.

The Earl ot ELLENBOROUGH said he did not see
how the East India Company could refuse that which was
required fcont th;,nl.
A return was then ordered of all the correspondence
between the naval department cf the East India Com-
pany and the Lords ot the Treasury, &c., on the subject
of steam navigation by Singapore with the Australian
colonies.