The Sun.
London, England, 1850-07-01 00:00:00

and, as nearly as may be, the quantity in cubic yards
of soil removed by such flushing from its original
place of deposit to its place of final discharge from the
sewers, and do report thereon to the court, with
such remarks as may enable the court to found an
opinion as to the propriety of such expenditure ; and
that every officer and servant do give, in writing un-
der his hand, to the secretary, all such information
as he may require, in writing, for the purpose of ena-
bling him to make such report; and, when required in
writing by him, to furnish him with vouchers to enable
him to judge of the accuracy of such information; and
that the secretary do also report to the court as to the
compliance by such officers and servants with his requi-
sitions for such information and vouchers; and that
such report be printed for the use of the commissioners;
and of the minute of the special court of metropolitan
sewers, for the 29th day of August, 1849.—Agreed to.
EXHIBITION OF 1851.—THE TREES IN HYDE-

PARK.
Colonel SIBTHORP wished to ask the Attorney-
General whether he could inform the House and the coun-
try by whose authority and directions the nice trees out
of the ten previously marked to be cut down in Hyde-park
had been cut down, and whether this act had been consti-
tutionally exercised in the grounds which have been for
so many years maintained out of the public purse, and
by successive votes of the House of Commons for that
purpose; also, whether this power is limited, or to what
extent it may be carried, and for what special purposes,
and if for what is termed a commission to afford accom-
modation for foreign markets, and the importation or
warehousing of foreign goods ?
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said he must preface
his answer by reminding the House that the parks be-
longed to the Crown in fee, and that at each accession
they were transferred to the Woods and Forests for the
use of the public. He believed that the trees which had
been cut down had been cut down by the direction of the
Woods and Forests, and he believed that so long as they
continued within their legal limits they had authority
to control all matters relating to the park. The
House would likewise remember that the powers of
the Commissioners were limited by the 10th
of George IV. Now, the Commissioners had a
pertect right, as tenants for the life of her
Majesty, to cut down all ripe timber without
the consent of the Crown, and likewise to any
similar act that is calculated to improve the property,
without any sanction from the Crown, but they cannot
fell timber that is not ripe without such sanction. With re-
spect to the power of the Commissioners to confer the right
of building, they had no power of conferring the right
to erect a permanent building, but they had the right of
granting permission to erect a temporary construction, as
was evidenced by the existence of the Royal Humane So-
cieties sheds in Hyde park.
Mr. STUART—WiII- the Right Hon. and Learned
Gentleman do me the favour to answer this question.
How does be propose that the public should interfere?
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said it was not for
him to suggest the mode.
Mr. THOMAS DUNCOMBE wished to ask the First
Lord of the Treasury when it is intended that the
national exhibition, 1851, should close; and whether, in
consequence of the increasing dissatisfaction on the part of
the public, that the proposed exhibition should take place in
Hyde-park, it would not be advisable that the selection
of Hyde-park aa the intended site should be recon-
sidered by the Commission; also, whether, in the event
of the amount raised or likely to be raised by voluntary,
subscriptions proving inadequate to defray the ex-
penses of the exhibition, it is in the contemplation of
her Majesty's Ministers to ask Parliament, either this
year or next, for any grant of public money towards
such expenses.
Lord J. RUSSELL said, in reply to the first question,
that the latest period at which the exhibition would be
opened bad been fixed at the 10th of November, 1851,
but it might be closed earlier, while it was provided
that within seven months after the closing the con-
tractors should remove all the materials that remained on
the ground. With regard to the second question, be
begged to state that on Saturday and to-day the Com-
missioners bad held two meetings, both of which were
very fully attended; and they had gone over the reasons
which had induced them to select Hyde-pack as the
site of the Exhibition, and the reasons which
had been urged against it The Commissioners
adhered to their former resolution, but they had thought
it right to embody their reasons for so doing in the
form of a report, a copy of which he should now move
for, and which he hoped would be iu the bands of Hon.
Members to-morrow. With regard to the last
question, be had to state that it was not
contemplated to make any public grant whatever.
The Commissioners had always supposed that the sub-
scriptions and the money to be received at the doors
would be more than sufficient to defray the expense of
the exhibition. He now begged leave to move that a
copy of the Commissioners' report be laid before the
House.
The motion was agreed to, and the returns ordered.
Lord JOHN MANNERS wished to know from
the Attorney-General whether the trees in question
had been cut down in Hyde-park before or atter the
signing of the sign-manual by her Majesty?
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL knew nothing of the
facts. He apprehended the sign-manual was given
merely for the purpose of showing hereafter that there
should be no breach of trust of the Commissioners as
trustees of the public.. He thought it would be perfectly
legal for the Commissioners to out down trees before the
issuing of the sign-manual.
Sir HENRY WILLOUGHBY asked Lord John
Russell whether there exists in the Treasury, or in any
other department of the State, a power to erect, or to
consent to the erection, of any buildings in Hyde-park,
without the consent of Parliament.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL imagined there was such a
power.
Sir B. HALL thought the question before the public
was one which was worthy the consideration of the
House, and he was ready to go into it immediately.
unless he had an assurance that an early day would
be set apart for its discussion. If the Noble Lord
would be good enough to set apart an early day for its dis-
cussion, he (Sir B. Hall) should be prepared to move en
address to her Majesty, that she would be graciously
pleased not to allow the proposed exhibition to take
place in Hyde-park.
Lord J. RUSSELL thought the House would gene-
rally be of opinion that it would be more to their ad-
vantage if they could discuss the question with a full
knowledge of the facts. He had no objection to say he
would be ready to give an early pay to allow the Hon.
Baronet (Sir B. Hall) to bring on his motion. He would
say either Thursday or Monday.
Mr. B. OSBORNE called the attention of the House
to the probable depreciation of the value of property in
the vicinity of Hyde-park if it be persisted in to hold the
exhibition there.
Mr. HOPE adverted to the depreciation of his own
property in the vicinage of Hyde-park, in case the exhi-
bition went on there, and drew an amusing picture of the
incidents connected with traffic which would take place
in removing the goods and implements for the exhibi-
tion from Ranelagh-wharf to Hyde-park, by way of
Grosvenor-place, occasionally diverging into Belgrave-
square, and perhaps into Chesham-place itself.
Colonel SIBTHORP complained of the delay which
had already taken place, and of the procrastination
which the Noble Lord showed, to' afford an explanation
of this matter. He contended that- the parks were
public property, and there was no authority to destroy
them by a Commission like the present one. He con-
sidered that the Commission was nothing better than
an attempt to encourage foreigners at the expense of
native industry. He asserted that all sorts of means
had been used to gain subscriptions to it, such as in-
timidation of tradesmen and the like.
Mr. REYNOLDS, as an Irish Member, would not
presume to meddle with this question, but that he
thought he could get the House out of a diffi-
culty. For the information of Honourable Members
who had not had the advantage of visiting Dublin,
he would mention that her • Majesty owned a park in
that city, called the Phoenix-park—(Great laughter)—
and, in the name of his fellow-citizens, he begged leave
to offer that park, and the circle in it called the Fifteen
Acres, to his Royal Highness and the Noble Lords and
gentlemen associated with him in this undertaking.—
(Renewed laughter.) The citizens of Dublin, he
could assure the Gallant Colonel, would not
take the cutting down of a tree or two as a
grievance. Thev would not say to his Royal High-
ness, " Woodman, spare that tree"—(Laughter)—
but would be anxious to do all in their power to
facilitate the carrying out of that great object.
Dublin had another geographical advantage, for it was
expected that a large amount of the industry and in-
genuity of the United States would be exhibited at the
exposition of 1851, and it should be recollected that
Galway was the next parish to the United States.—
(A laugh.) He hoped the suggestion he had made
would be taken into consideration by the Royal COM-
mission.
Mr. ALCOCK suggested that Battersea fields would
, be the
s o
best
one side t localiitye by thetoselee Ttfhoarmtehse,
ande on thexbibitionother
, being
bounded
by the South-Western Railway. He thought that
.
10,000/. or 20,000/. would be saved by erecting
final
le:llUaVtEo LthLe intimatedsite otthe
that
buildinghe c wouldT thehar_gbi
build-
ing in that situation.
Thursday,
d-
ye,
at five o'clock.
Mr. T. DUNCOMBE said one of these days they
would have some of the Commissioners coming down to
the House with a doleful face and an empty purse, say-
ing,
" We relied upon the entrance fees; we are sorry to
say this exhibition has cost somewhere about
200,000/. or 300,00044 and we have only
got 100,000/. towards it. We have incurred
great liabilities for this national undertaking, but of
course you will not allow us to pay them." Now the
result of that complaint would be a grant, but he put:it,to
she House whether it would not be better to come to
some understanding now upon the subject, and put a
stop to the begging system that was now going on, and
which was a disgrace to the country. Depend
upon it something would have to be voted,
perhaps in the shape of a police-rate, for
immense bodies of people could not be brought to-
gether without there being some increased force re-
quired, and he therefore called upon Government to deal
with the matter at once.
Mr. B. COCHRANE said it was a pity these sug-
gestions were not made months ago.
The subject then dropped.
POST-OFFICE AND RAILWAYS.
Mr. RICARDO said in February last be moved for a
return of the moneys paids to railway s for carrying the
pcst-bags, but still it had not been laid on the table yet.
He wished, therefore, to know when it would be-forth-
coming?
Mr. HAYTER said the return was long and compli-
cated, but it would be produced as soon as possible.
IRISH LORD-LIEUTENANCY BILL.
The LORD MAYOR of DUBLIN asked whether
the Noble Lord at the head of the Government intended
to bring on the Abolition of the Office of Lord Lieute-
nant Bill to-night.