The Sun.
London, England, 1845-04-18 00:00:00

GRANT TO MAYNOOTH.

The Bishop of LONDON presented petitions against
the additional grant to Maynooth, the sale of intoxicating
liquors on the Sabbath, Sunday travelling, and the
system of national education in Ireland.
Lord FARNHAM presented petitions against the
grant to Maynooth and railway travelling on Sundays.
Petitions against any further grant to Maynooth were
presented by the Bishop of Lichfield and several other
Right Reverend Prelates.
The Bishop of CHESTER presented a petition from
his own diocese to the like effect. The Right Reverend
Prelate, however, heartily concurred in the expediency
of the Government measure. He considered it was a
measure of concession, and by no means a violation of
the sacred rights of the Protestant religion.
Lord FEVERSHAM presented a large number of
petitions from various places in Yorkshire against the
grant, and took occasion to declare his perfect concur-
rence in the prayer of the petitioners.
RAILWAYS.
Lord BROUGHAM presented a petition from five
individuals, who were the creditors of certain turnpike
trusts, complaining of the injuries they sustained from
the construction of railways in this country. In this
country the credit of the turnpike trusts amounted to
nine millions sterling, in Ireland to half a million, and
in Scotland to somewhat less. For thirty years past the
interest amounted to nearly five per cent. ; but owing
to the advancement of railway communications, it had
been considerably reduced. A trust that paid 4,0401.
in 1838 now only paid 1,5001., and in another instance
where the amount was 1,8001. it now only paid 9001
The petitioners, therefore, thought they had a large
claim upon their Lordships' consideration. In the
north of this island the inhabitants are said to possess a
peculiarly good sense of perception of their comforts,
and of providing for them ; and whilst we in England
were hoping for the omission of turnpike charges,
they in Scotland were enjoying an immunity which we
in England could not obtain, for after obtaining the
benefit themselves, the excellent Scots came down
to the ether House and voted against them. He
held in his hand the Railway Consolidation Clauses
Bills for Scotland and England. In the first of these
a clause, the 56th clause, there was a provision for the
turnpike trusts, but in the latter there was no such
clause, and this he took leave to think was an unjust
omission. He hoped he should not be charged with
want of feeling if he made a selection of the
cases which had been confided to him ; but he
would for the sake of their Lordships' time
select one. This was the case of two ladies, and a gen-
tleman who had married a third sister, who possessed a
farm of two hundred acres, through which one railway
already passed, but now they were called upon to suffer
six other railways to be made through it. The estate
was, he believed, at present in a flourishing condition,
but if these Acts passed, the Diss and Colchester, the
Diss and Chelmsford, the Harwich and Colchester,
and other railways, which, if carried into effect,
they would cut up this estate into pieces, not larger than
their Lordship's table, and thus these parties were sub-
ject to seven wicked spirits instead of one. He (Lord
Brougham) was almost tempted to establish a company
himself ; he should, indeed, be very liberal in the pre-
sentation of shares to their Lordships ; he should take
care to have a full and proper list of the owners and
the occupiers of the land through which his
railway would pass, so that there should he no possible
objection to it from want of form, and he should
take care to select his directors, chairman, and
all the subordinate officers from among their Lordships,
so that there should be no difficulty in passing his Bill.
If this railway did interfere with the property of land-
owners in that House, of what consequence was it, com-
pared with the good of the public? He was aware that
since a plea had been put in, in favour of additional
drainage and improved farming, and he was quite ready to
concede the claims—the reasonable claims of the landed
interest ; but still he must say that that interest ought
to yield to public convenience, and he could not con-
sent to allow even their claims to interfere with his
company. But seriously speaking, he thought that the
pleas of the party who had intrusted him with their
petition, and who had affirmed that they were able
to prove their case before their Lordships' House,
ought to be taken into consideration. If a man went
into a court of law and proved his case, he obtained costs
against the wrong doer, and he (Lord Brougham)
thought that the same principle ought to prevail
with regard to railways--(Hear, hear)—and he
should, therefore, beg to lay an order on the table of the
House which would compel railway companies to pay
costs to the parties aggrieved who came before the Com-
mittees of Parliament to establish their rights.
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE so entirely agreed
with his Noble and Learned Friend, that he was unable
to refrain from expressing his assent to the order
which he had just preferred. It was now
impossible to remedy the evil with regard to
many English railways, but with respect to Ireland they
had a carte blanche, and he hoped that, as the at-
tention of Government had been called to this sub-
ject, they would not compel parties in that country, who
proposed a railway which was likely to pay to a certain
distance, to carry it on to a termini where it was sure
not to pay.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE said that though he
was as anxious as his Noble and Learned Friend to put
an end to this gambling mania of which he had made so
much complaint, yet he trusted that be would not as he
proposed throw an obstruction in the way of forming
railways, and give, as this order appeared to him to give,
a bounty to litigation. He thought, that if something
like the French plan were adopted of making the interest
in these properties terminable, that there would then be
a prospect of public utility which might justify such
great encroachments on private property.
After a few words from Lord BROUGHAM, th
matter dropped.