The Sun.
London, England, 1844-05-15 00:00:00

to go to sea when he wished. The affairs of Greece,
Syria, and of Spain had obliged him to keep his ships
together, so as to be enabled at once to send them in any
direction, which the exigencies of the service might re-
quire. The Government had latterly thought it inex-
pedient to keep up such a large force in the Mediter-
ranean, and there had only been two or three line-of-
battle ships there during the last year. This rendered
the presence of the Admiral at Malta almost constantly
necessary. Ho objected to granting the return, because
it cast an imputation on the Government, for which the
Noble Earl had laid no parliamentary ground.
The Earl of MINTO thought the reasons of the Go-
vernment for refusing the' returns insufficient. He had
heard from a naval officer that the Queen had remained
in Malta harbour until she had almost grounded on her
"beef bones." The trials to which she had been sub-
jected had been nothing to the purpose for testing her
qualities as a ship.
After a few words from the Earl of HADDINGTON
the motion was negatived without a division.

RAILROADS.
Earl FITZWILLIAM moved that a message be sent
to the Lower House of Parliament, requesting them to
furnish their Lordships with their reports on the Com-
mittee on Railroads. The Noble Earl then alluded to
the contest now carrying on between two railroad com-
panies in the north of England for the formation of a
third, or junction line, each :company claiming a right
of property in the making of this third line, as an illus-
tration of the necessity for some interference on the part
of the Executive to prevent the wasting of such great
sums of money as would be spent in carrying on con-
tests of this nature before Committees of the two Houses
of Parliament.
The Earl of DALHOUSIE assured the Noble Earl
that the Government were alive to the importance of
the subject. At the commencement of the session, the
head of the department, which had a limited control over
railroads, had moved for a Committee to consider the
subject ; that Committee had furnished several reports,
and would soon complete their labours. Perhaps it
would be better to wait until then, and have all the re-
ports together.____

Earl PITZWILLIAM wished at once to have the re-
ports which had already been presented.
The motion was then agreed to ; and the Bills on the
table having been forwarded a stage, their Lordships
adjourned till Friday.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, May 14.
The SPEAKER took the Chair at Four o'Clock.
NEW WRIT.

Lord MARCUS HILL moved that a new writ be
ordered to be issued for the election of a burgess to serve
for the borough of Kilmarnock, in the room of Mr. A.
Johnstone, deceased.—Ordered.

Mr. TIfORNELY presented a petition from Toxteth,
near Liverpool, against the Dissenters' Chapels Bill.
Mr. WYSE presented a petition from the Art-Union
of London, praying that Art-Unions might be legalised.
Mr. S. CRAWFORD presented petitions from Pres-
byterian congregations of Bangor and Ballygilbert, near
Ijilmore, in the county of Down, in favour of the Dis-
senters' Chapels Bill.

Sir GEORGE STRICKLAND presented a petition
against any alteration in the law of mortmaiu.
SHEFFIELD. ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE, AND

MANCHESTER RAILWAYS BILL.

Mr. PARKER moved the further consideration of the
report of the Committee upon the Sheffield, Ashton-
under-Lyne, and Manchester Railways.
Lord GRANVILLE SOMERSET said that, as the
relative merits of the two lines could not be understood
by Hon. Members who had not had the reports of the
two Committees in their hands, he would move that the
consideration of this report be adjourned till Thursday
next.

Mr. LABOUC HERE would not object to the adjourn-
ment ; but he would say that the Committee upon this
Bill had sat for nine days, and had unanimously agreed
on the report.
Mr. GLADSTONE hoped there would be a general
acquiescence in the proposal of. his Noble Friend, 'to
adjourn the debate.
After a short discussion, the debate was adjourned till
Thursday next.