The Sun.
London, England, 1845-03-12 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

HousE OF LORDS, March 11.
The 1..612D CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack at
Five o'clock.

THE WELSH BISHOPRICS.

Viscount STR ANGFORD presented a petition from the
University of Cambridge for the repeal of the Act uniting the
bishoprics of Bangor and Si. Asaph.
CANALS AND RAILWAYS.
Lord CAMPBELL presented a petition from the Birming•
ham and Staffordshire Canal Company, which he considered
of some importance. The petitioners represented the canal
interest as distinguished from the railway interest. For his
own part, whether for•his good fortune or misfortune, he had
no connexion either with canals or railways, and he would only
stare the ease of the petitioners, as they put it themselves. They
did not object to the formation of railways, but they complained
of the unfair course adopted towards them by the railway com-
panies. They admitted that they were beaten by the railways
as far as the carriage of passengers was concerned—
Lord BROUG AM—And speed.—(A laugh. )
Lord CA Al PBELL—But the petitioners said they could beat
the railways in the carriage of goods, if it were not for the
unfair means adopted I.y the railway companies to ruin the
canals. The railways carried goods at so low a rate that the
canals could not compete with them, and thereby the former
would secure a monopoly, so that after the ruin of the canals they
would charge the public what they pleased for the carriage ofgoods.
At present they charged ten times as vouch for the carriage of a
ton weight of third-class passengers, and thirty times as much
for the carriage of a ton of first class passengers, as for a ton of
goods. By this means they made up, by the excessive charge for
passengers, for the loss they had on the carriage ofgoods. The
petitioners prayed that there should be a fixed ratio between
the charges for passengers and that for goods.
The Duke of WELLINGTON said that he had presented,
some time ago, a petition upon the same subject, and that (as
we andersood) Lord Normanby suggested that an Act should
pass to prevent the charges of railway carriage when once
lowered from being raised again.
SPIRIT LICENCES FOR TOLL-HOUSES IN
SCOTLAND.
The Earl of MINTO presented a petition from several
places in Scotland against the granting of spirit licences
to toll-houses in Scotland. The Noble Earl said that this was
a great grievance, of the extent of which he believed their
Lordships were not at all aware; but he could assure them
that the granting of licences to tese houses was a source of
great evil and immorality to the country. A plea had
been put up, on the ground that the opportunities for the
accommodation of travellers in Scotland were so few, that it
was absolutely necessary to grant licences to these houses. He
believed the evil did riot exist equally in all the counties, but
in fact he could say that it existed to a very great extent.
These toll-houses were become regular houses for drinking
and intoxication, and great inconvenience often arose from the
blocking up of the road by carts and other vehicles, and
the consequent tumult of ch arose. He believed tha
his Noble Friend opposite (the Duke of Buccleuch

was aware of the extent of 'the evil, and the l'uke of
Roxburgh had attended a meeting the other day, in which the
evil was loudly complained of, and he believed that no remedy
could be applied until there was a shange in the law. The
grounds of the evil appeared to rest upon the pecuniary inte-
rests which the magistrates had in these toll-houses. They
were fearful that it these licences were not granted the revenue
would merely be raised to satisfy the necessities of the trusts
and pay the interests of the several debts.
Tne Duke of I3UCCLEUCH said that as his Noble Friend
had appealed to him, he must say that certainly great evil did
exist, and he believed that there was some reason in what his
Noble Friend had said respecting the pecuniary interests of the
magistrates ; but he believed that this representation had been
greatly exaggerated.—( Hear, hear.) He had, it is true,
made an effort to introjuce a clause in the Ge-
neral Turnpike Act of Scotland to abate the evil. But
with respect to the pecuniary interest of magistrates in these
tolls it should be observed that the gentlemen for the several
counties had given their guarantee for the satisfaction of the
claims on the trustees, so that the plea of those houses being
licensed tor the sake of revenue was evidently groundless.
Lord A BINGER said, that he could bear his testimony to
all that had fallen from the Noble Lord opposite respecting the
evil of those houses, and one of the few measures which he
would venture to recommend to their Lordships would
be one for throwing some additional obstacle in the way of
granting licences to those houses. He thought the doing so
would greatly abate the evil and immorality which those houses
occasioned, and he hoped that a measure would be introduced
for altering the law respecting them.
The petit ion was then ordered to lie on the table.
ECCLESIASTICAL CONIMISSION.
The Earl of CA DOGAN moved for certain returns relating
to the Ecclesiastical Commission, which were ordered to be
laid on the table.

SCOTCH CURRENCY.
The Earl of ROSEBERY presented a petition from Inver-
ness against any alte:ation in the Scotch currency.
The Stamp Duties Assimilation Bill was read a second time.
On the motion of the l)uke of BUCCLEUCH, other Bills
were also read a second time, but the titles were not heard in
the gallery.
Their Lordships then adjourned.