The Sun.
London, England, 1850-03-25 00:00:00

• F.I.Q e
tria ireitptton

SUN OFFICE, Seven o' Clock.

TATTERSALL'S—THIS EVENING
Six ovi.ocK.

NORTHA3IPTONSHIRE STAKES.
4 to 1 agst Osterley
7 to 1 agst Harriott
8 to 1 agst Mounseer
9 to 1 agst Chantrey
9 to 1 agst Mahratta
17 to 1 agst Halo
20 to 1 agst &las
25 to 1 agst Grief
ALTHORP PARK STAKES.
5 to 2 sgst Prestige
METROPOLITAN HANDICAP.
2 to 1 agst Cheerful
CHESTER CUP.
15 to 1 agst Miss Ann
18 to 1 agst Cossack
30 to 1 agst Ellsrdale
40 to 1 agst Horn of Chace
40 to 1 agst Mounseer

DERBY.
6 to 1 agst Ghillie Callum
6 to 1 agst Bolingbroke
16 to 1 agst Voltigeur
16 to 1 agst Clincher
25 to 1 agst Cyprus

MANSION HO USE.—(TriIS DAY.)
• Walter Watts, the lessee of the Olympic and Mary-
lebone Theatres; who stane,s charged with stealing a
cheque for -1,400 L, the property of the Globe Insurance
Company, his employers, and appropriating the pro-
ceeds thereof to his own rise, was brought up again, in
custody of D. Forrester, / his afternoon on remand. Mr.
Alderman Gibbs, Who officiated for the Lord Mayor, and
a second Alderman ocer vied the bench. The court was
very much crowded during the examination, and amongst
the persons present we re several members of the recently
dissolved corps draw aiques of the two theatres of which
the prisoner had bee. a the manager, and a few individuals
who generally pass for " men upon town." The case was
fixed for twelve clock, but it was fully half-pait three
before the prisons er was placed at the bar.
Mr. Clarksar ~ instructed by the Messrs. Freshfield,
appeared for t 4 :e prosecution, and Mr. Wontner attended
on behalf of f ne prisoner.
Mr. CLAY JESON said he had just left his Learned
Friend, Mr. Bodkin, who had been retained for the pri-
soner, a?d, he could assure the Court that there was no
probabili c 7- of his being able to attend this day. There
were, hi)Tyever, other matters to be inquired into besides
he chrhr ge which was made out at the previous inquiry,
and it would be an advantage to the prisoner that fur-
ther .tr:raend should take place. Since the last inwsti-
gatirsr, inquiries bad been going on int) matters affect-
ing the prisoner of an important and extensive
nava; re, but he was not then in a situa-
tiggy to disclose the circumstance:, or the
roes alt of each individual charge of fraud. By this time
xt week, however, the whole of the charges would be
ripe for disclosure, and -although sufficient had been es-
`tablished to justify the remanding of the prisoner to
another tribunal, he proposed to ask for another remand
till to-morrow week, in order that the prisoner might
know the specific charges that he would be called upon
to answer or. his trial.

Mr. Wontner said his client, Mr. Watts, was pre-
pared to answer any charge, and it was for the Alder-
man to decide whether another remand should take place
or not.

Mr. Alderman GIBBS consented to the remand, and
the prisoner was accordingly removed in custody.

BRITISH AMERICAN LAND COM-
PANY.—(THIS DAY.)
The annual Geaei al Court of proprietors was held this
afternoon, at the offices, New Broad-street, City; Alex-
ander Gillespie,. Esq., presiding-.
The report stated that 3 1.423 acres cf land had been
/told during 1849, for 17,9911. is. 7d., being an
increase, as compared with 1848, of 5,502 acres
sold, and of money received 2,303/. The average
price of land continued as before at 11s. 61. per acre.
The total expenditure during the year, as given in the
report of the coninany's commissioner in Canada,
amounted to 13,6311. 13s. 2d.; of this 9,1521. 17s. 4d.
had been paid on account of the company's railway
stocks, and 1,018/. 123. sd. in advances, whic'a would
shortly be repaid. The commissioner did not hold
out any promise that he would be able to
make remittances sufficient to constitu'e a divi-
dend. The directors, however, though the com-
pletion of the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Rail-
road, which they now believe to be secured, would be
the commencement of a new epoch in the affairs of the
company. Active measures had also been taken for the
formation of .a line of railroad from. Quebec to Mel-
bourne. The conjunction of these important works
would, when completed, give to the Eastern Townships
of the company all the advantages of a great central
position, and open for them avenues to all the markets,
Advices had been received which confirmed the opinion
formed by the directors as to the prudence of making the
advance to the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad, and
as to the sufficiency of the security, on the faith of which
it had been made. From the general balance-sheet of
the accounts kept in. London and Sherbrooke fur:lB49, it
eppeared that receipts were 15.5061. 15s. 11d., and the
expenses 13,608/. 63. 1 Id., leaving a balance of 1,8971. 9s.
The CHAIRMAN slid a dispatch had been received two
days ego, teem which it ai,peered that the St. Lawrence
and Atlantio R.ilway was proceeding sai,fa.cLorily, and
expectations were entertained that it would be finished
by the close of the present year to within 24 miles of Sher-
bre, keewl, ere this company had so much land. The rail ws,y
company had suceeeled in n g.itiating a loan of 125,0001.
with. the corporation of Montreal. Anticipating the
benefit which would be conferred upon their property by
the railway, the directors intended to alter the system on
which they had hitherto sold land. They would divide
the land into two classes—the first being that most im-
mediately tiff cted by the railway, for which they would
require paymeat in five or six years; and the next, that
more remote from the railway, which might be sold at a
lower price, the payments being allowed to extend over
a longer period.
Mr. SCOTT deprecated making any advances to the
railway, which he feared might yet entirely swamp this
company, and pressed upon the directors the necessity
of sending instructions to their commissioner not to
ir.cur any responsibility, either present or prospective,
In regard to that undertaking. He had been a
proprietor' since 1834, and bad received no dividend
except what had been paid out of capital, and he hoped
nothing would be done to still further injure their pro-
perty. His experience in railways told him that esti-
mates of engineers were not to be depended upon, and
circumstances might happen to involve the company in
liabilities in respect of the railway cf which they had
now no notion.
Th• CHAIRMAN said the advance had not been made
without a strong conviction that it would benefit their
property, and assured the Hon. Proprietor that peremp-
tory instructions had been sent to their commissioner
not to incur further responsibility without the consent of
the court. The railway undertaking was almost in a
ste to of bankruptcy when the advance was made, and
if this company had. not stepped in to its assistance, it
'would have been altogether abandoned.
After some discussion the report was received and
adopted.
The retiring directors were then re-elected, and after
a vote of thanks to the chairman, the meeting separated.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

(THIS EVENING.)

HOUSE OF LORDS.
' ROYAL ASSENT.
The House met to-day shortly before Four o'clock, in
order that the Royal Assent might be given to several
Bills.

At five minutes after four Lord Lan dale the
Earl, of Car and Lord Eddisbury, robed
as Lord Commissioners, took their seats below the
Tarone, when the Commons having been summoned
the bar, their Lordships gave the Royal Assent
to the Consolidated Fund Bill, the Mutiny Rill,
tho Mating Igutiny Bill, the Registrar of Metropo-
litan Public Carriages Bill, and the Turnpike Roads and
Bridge Trusts (Ireland) Bill.
Their LordshipS then adjourned during pleasure.

Their Lordships resumed shot7l7befot2Five o'clock.
The Earl of RODEN presented a petition from seve-
ral solicitors and others, of Dublin, against a delivery of
fetters on Sunday.
Lr,rd STANLEY presented a petition against the
abolition of a Sunday delivery of letters.
The Earl of MOUNTCASHELL presented a petition
from a Presbyterian congregation in Ireland against the
?Jill for authorizing a marriage with a deceased wife's
sister.

CASE OF MR. NASH.
On the motion of the Earl of GRANVILLE, the
order for calling Mr. Nash to the bar was ordered to be
discharged.

CHANCERY REFORM.
Lord BROUGHAM presented a petition front the
-u?.tluitY Committee of the Metropolitan Law Association,
praying for a reform in the practice of the Court of
Chancery. The Noble and Learned Lord then prorieede.d
tO move the second reading of a Bill he had laid
upon the table of the Houie, and which was calculated to
carry 011t,t0 a certain extent the recommendations of the
petitioners, ho meant the Matters Jurisdiction in Equity
Bill. This 13111 only apPlied to uncontested cases, cases
in which there could be no manner of doubt, but cities
in which under the present practice parties were exposed
to all the expense of a prottacted litigatbin before the
Maker although there might be no mistake wLatever.
As a proof of the necetsify et th:s measure he could
relive their .I.r.irdship essea of the greatfst hard:hip
and oppresi ion, occos:oLett not by the of o'; the judges,
nr of the Jlaiters, or of the clerltF, or of the practitioner
owl the court, hut of the law, and of toe law
only. Indeed it wa3 wonderful that the present stato of the law, under
any person
could bo found who-would accept the dangerous office of
an executor. The Noble and Learned Lord then entered
into a detailed .statement of the usual steps taken
to an amicable 'chancery suit, every one of
- which was attended with enormous expense
and great delay, and which, when they
came on for hearing did -not occupy one minute each.
The Vice-Chancellor 1-:ad disposed of sixty such in an
hour, and 3et from 900/. to :300/. had been expended in
each case before it had come on for bearing. But this was
only the vestibule... Well inj t Vice-Chancellor Sbadwell
say, in one of these.eases,
," Let the usual decree go for
the ruin of the estate, acct )rding to law." Now, he had

a r:racdy for all this evil—not by striking out a ne
idea—not by the establishment of a new court—not
by the introduction of a novel juriFdiction—but
by the application of a remedy which had already been
fund efficacious; by extending the provisions of the
Winding-up Act at present applicable
_only;to Railway
Companies.

(LEFT SPEAKING.)

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
The SPEAKER took tho Chair a few minutes before
Four.

NEW WRIT.

Mr. TUFNELL moved that a new writ be issued for
the borough of Totness, in the room of Lord Seymour,
who has accepted the office of Chief Commissioner of
Woods and Forests.

The SPEAKER was then summoned to the House of
Lords to hear the Royal Assent given by Commission to
several Bills (for which see Lords' report).
At the time of private business,
Mr. LABOUCHERE moved that in every railway
Bill by which it is proposed to authorise the company to
grant any preference or priority in the payment of inte-
rests or dividends on any shares or stock, there bo in-
serted a clause providing that the granting of
such preference or priority shall not prejudice
or affect any preference or priority of interest
or dividend which shall have Lean granted by the
company by or in pursuance of any previous Act; unless
the Committee on the Bill shall report that such provi-
sion ought not to be required, with the reasons on which
their opinion is founded. That no railway company shall
be authorised to alter the terms of any preference or
priority of interest or dividend which shall have been
granted by such company under any previous Ace, un•
less the Committee on the Bill report that such alteration
ougLt to be allowed, with the reasons on which their
opinion is founded.

Mr. COWAN seconded the motion.
Colonel SIBTHORP would have wished to have
seen some resolution brought forward to prohibit any
r sn ay company from increasing its fares, as he under-
stood it was the intention of some railway companies
speedily to do.
Mr. LABOUCHERE reminded the Hon. and Gallant
Member that the Commissioners of Railways had made
a report on the subject, which was now under con-
sideration.

Mr. B. DENISON supported the resolution.
Mr. GLADSTONE merely objected to the power of
granting exceptions being confined to a Committee,
without some manifestations of the opinion of the whole
House on the subject. There were many cases in which
a Committee could not decide without the aid of Par-
liament. He should recommend that the Right Hon.
Gentleman should frame some resolution, which would
give some guide to Committee of the real opinion of
the railway companies themselves on points which were
to be legislated upon.
Mr. LABOUCHERE said the suggestions of the
Right Hon. Gentleman involved questions of such an in-
tricate character that it would be impossible to lay down
any strict or any unvarying rule on the subject.
Lord lIARRY VANE thought it would be desirable
to indicate to Committees what course they ought to
pursue; at the same time he agreed with the Right
Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Lahouchere), that the circum-
stances were so intricate as to make it impossible to ap-
ply any one uniform rule.
Mr. LABOUCHERE observed that two Bills had al-

ready passed Committees involving the quebtion of pre-
ference, and it was his intention to move that they, as
well as the Bills which were now bLfure Committees,
should be subject to his motion.
The motion was then agreed to.
PETITIONS.

Mr. THORNELY presented a petition from Worces-
ter:in favour of the County Rates and Expenditure Bill.
, Mr. G. DUNCAN presented a petition from Dundee,
against the Marriage Affinity Bill; also a petition from
Kilmarnock against Post-office labour on Sunday.
Mr. BROTHERTON presented prtitions from Man-
chester and Saltord against the Rating a Tenements
Bill.

Mr. LUSHINGTON presented a petition from the
ratepayers of St. Ann's, Westminster, in vestry assem-
bled, complaining of the inequality of the present land-
tax ; also a petition from the. Strand Union praying for
an equalisation of the poor rate ; also petitions from
members of trades' unions praying for the establishment
of local boards of trade, and the establishment and sup-
port of home colonies.
Sir JAMES GRAMAM said be had a petition from
two Peers—Lord Cloncarty and Lord Bradford—com-
plaining that one of them being entitled to a seat in the
House, and the other being an elective Peer of Ireland,
they were both debarred from taking their seats in
the House by tho terms of the oath of su-
premacy.—(Hear, hear.) The petition stated
farther that they entertain no doubts of the
supremacy of her Majesty in all matters, ecclesiastical
and civil, but conceiving that the terms cf an Act
lately passed, entitled the Charitable Donations and Be-
quests Bill, entirely contradicted the terms of this oath,
by recognizing a new ecclesiastical supremacy in these
realms ; the petitioners, therefore, could no longer
conscientiously subscribe to the terms of this oath, and
they entreated the House to frame such relict as in its
wisdom it might think fit.—(Cheers.)