The Sun.
London, England, 1850-05-08 00:00:00

LONDON, W'/;DNESD AY EVENING-,

the Dublin Steam Company had been of a private nature.
He thought it desirable that a Commit'ee should be ap-
pointed, for he doubted whether the Dublin Company
would be able to effect the service required. The sum
stated by the other company was absurdly low. The
railway company had spent enormous sums in
making that gigantic work over the Menai, and in com-
pleting the harbour at Holyhead, and had, in his opinion,
the first claim on the Government. He apprehended
that what would happen would be this:—the Dublin
Company being obliged to contract to carry the mail
across the Channel, the railway company would send a
light engine with the mails only, and the'Dublin Com-
pany would be obliged to carry them across thn Chan-
nel without the passengers, who would be conveyed a
'hail later by one of the railway companies' boats. The
result would probably be disadvantageous to both com-
panies and to the public service.
Mr. OSBORNE said, this was an important question
and would probably be referred to in the fourtbcoming
motion for the abolition of the Lord-Lieutenancy in Ire-
land. Considering the great inducements held out to
the railway company to expend money on a line in
which great national interests were concerned, he
thought the impression in the country would bo that
they had not been dealt with in a way their merits de-
manded. They had become responsible for 200,0001.
for the improvement of Holyhead harbour, and had con-
structed the tubular bridge over the Menai—one of the
greatest works of modern times. He thought the Hon.
Member for Anglesea deserved the thanks of the
Members for Ireland for having brought the subject
forward.

Mr. MANGLES said that it was not as a director of
the Chester and Holyhead Railway that he wished to
say a word or two.on the motion. They had offered to
take the contract at 35,0001., but the Admiralty had
pooh-poohed the proposal. The Admiralty thought the
sum absurdly large; but in their own estimate they
made no allewance fur the prime cost of the vessel, nor
fur wear and tear, nor for insurance. The railroad com-
pany did not seek to make profit by their offer. The
deputation that had waited on the Chancellor of the
Exchequer entreated him to look at the question as a
national one, and then to consider whether the railroad
company'a offer would not bo the cheapest. Their offer
had been over and over. again rejected by the Admi-
ralty. The Government was plurniae itself on a
saving of ..5,0001. on the contract, but they ought
to recollect it_ was saved by retarding the commu-
nication between London and Dublin. The Govern-
ment had taken advantagd of the mania in the rail-
road world, to press severely on the Chester and
Holyhead Railway. They had frankly told the Go-
vernment that they would not commence certain
works unless they obtained an assurance of conveying
the mails between Dublin and Holyhead. But the Go-
vernment had • taken advantege of the position of the
company then having a Bill before Parliament to screw
them down to the sum of 30,000/. The next thing was
in the affair of the Britannia-bridge. Mr. Stephenson,
the engineer, bad at first proposed to cross the strait by
means of an arched bridge, but the Admiralty stepped
in, and said, " Oh, we won't allow you to interfere with
the navigation in this way; you must cross it on a level,
or not at all." This was then believed to be impossible,
but the erection of a tubular bridge was then determined
on, at an estimated expense of 250,0001. Instead of
that sum, however, he believed it would cost 700,0001.
The company had said, over and over again, that
they .did not want to make any profit by car-
rying the mail; all they wanted was to be allowed to
do it for the bare cost. Their desire and anxiety had
been all along to make the. communication between
London and Dublin in the most rapid way possible, and
in furtherance of that objeet they had built boats which
were now doing their' work in a way which a few years
ago it would have been thought impossible. The next
thing the Government had said was, that they should
undertake to lay out 200,000/. in constructing a harbour
cf refuge at Holyhead. When the correspondence re-
lative to that harbour came before the Committee it
would be found that that which was supposed to be an
invitation was much more—a sort of compulsion. He
was not accusing the Government of doing anything
that was unjust ; but he thought it had not held out a
helping hand to the company in that great national
undertaking, which, as had been observed, would,
perhaps, in a few days be laid down as one of the
grounds for doing away with the Lord-Lieutenancy of
Ire) and.—( He ar.)
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, he
thought it would be more convenient for the House to
postpone a good deal of what had been said on that dis-
cussion until they went into the proposed ConMaittee.—
(senarneten.ce ie would
oronlyi part of these transactions
two.Ag trespassreat on the House fur a
which had been referred to had taken place fire years
eafgfioce hTe whole
made,
f e tl
narrangementsg withthe
existence h te
oPo f
thes
t-
present Government, but the former one.—(Hear, hear.)
Would it not be far better, then, that that inquiry
should be entered into before the Committee, and that
the present Government should not be obliceed to enter
into explanations of matters with which they were not
acquainted.—(Hear.) lie would appeal to his Hon.
Friend, when he said that nothing had been done by the
present Government, whether he was not aware that so
far as any transactions between himself (Sir C. Wood)
and the company in question were concerned, that he
had paid the company, which he might have declined
doing (as the Right Hon. Baronet was understood)—and
abstained froM asking them for money, which he might
have demanded.—(Bear, hear.) He thought it more
advisable, however, that these statements and counter-
statements should bo reserved for the Committee, when
the whole question could be fully gone into.
Mr. H. HERBERT begged, as an Irish Member, to
render his best thanks to the Hon. Baronet opposite fir
having brought forward a subject which was of such
great importance to Ireland.

- Sir IC BULKELEY, in briefly replying, observed
that he had moved, betore Easter, for certlin papers iu
connexion with the present question, which he had been
told would not take five minutes to prepare, and yet they
had not b-en furnished up to that moment.
Mr. COWPER said the papers were in the hands of
the printer, and would be on the table very soon. If the
Hon. Baronet had seen them, he would have been saved
making some of the observations which he had done.
The motion was then formally put from the chair, and
sgreel to.