The Sun.
London, England, 1844-03-30 00:00:00

must, therefore, give his most decided opposition to the
' motion of the Right Hon. Gentleman.
Mr. SHAW said it was not his intention to divide the
House upon the motion, but if the House approve 1 of it,
he would move, in pursuance of the suggestion of the
Hon. Gentleman, that the subject be referred back to
the Standing Orders' Committee. He begged to say he
did not intend that the Committee should decide on ap-
plying the atmospheric principle, but upon trying it.
Mr. STRUTT said he made no suggestion about re-
ferring the matter back to the Standing Orders' Com-
mittee. Ott the contrary, he said.that if it were referred
back to the Standing Orders' Committee, he did not see
how they could come to any other decision than that
which they had already arrived at.
Mr. GLADSTONE must warn the House against
permitting parties to invalidate the Standing Ord.a-s of
the House merely on the ground of scientific experi-
ments or improvements. Ile wished every encourage-
ment to be given to inventions and improvements, but
they ought to-be careful in putting aside any of those
rules and regulations by which their proceedings were
governed. He was by no means adverse to the propo-
sition of the Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Shaw) to in •
quire whether the experiments made at the particular
place alluded to were successful ; but the House must
recollect that there would be no want of applications to
them if they showed themselves too easily disposed to
constitute a tribunal for the consideration of scientific
experiments.
Mr. HUME said it was only yesterday he had met
with one of the most scientific men of the day, who hid
gone to Dublin with a decided feeling of disapprobation
of the atmospheric system, and had returned highly de-
lighted with it. In this gentleman's opinion the experi-
ment now in progress near Dublin would lead to one of
the greatest improvements of the day. lie hoped the
House would grant a Select Committee, in order to give
to the country the best information that could be gained on
so important a subject from the opinions of men com-
petent, by their scientific attainments and practical ex-
perience, to arrive at sound conclusions upon the subject.
Lord HOWICK said he understood the Right lion.
Gentleman to wish for the appointment of a Select Com-
mittee, to ascertain whether or not it was possible to try
the atmospheric principle on a larger scale during the
present year. He entirely concurred with the Hon.
Member for Dundee as to the desirableness of that ob-
ject. This was not one of those ordinary projects to
which the Right Hon. Gentleman, the Vice-President of
the Board of Trade, had referred. It was a scheme
which had been tried to a certain extent, and which,
in the opinion of the most scientific men, had, so far, been
eminently successful; but before a judgment could be
formed, it was absolutely indispensable that the experi-
ment should be tried on a more extended scale. With
regard to the question immediately before the House,
he quite admitted that the objection, founded on the
Standing Orders, was altogether insuperable ; but he
hoped the Right Hon. Gentleman would endeavour to
provide facilities for trying this plan.
Mr. GLADSTONE said that, of all persons, he should
be the last to offer any obstruction to the fair trial of
the experiment. The Inspector-General of Railways
had paid the greatest attention tl the subject.—(Hear,)
Sir R. INGLIS begged to remind the House that they
were not trying to benefit the atmospheric plan by con-
sidering whether a certain Bill should or should not be
brought before the House in compliance with the Stand-
ing Orders, the Committee of which was composed of
Members on both sides of the House. He thought the
experiment ought not to be made at the expense of
parties who were bringing, forward the Bill.
Mr. ESTCOURT said it was a matter of considerable
importance, not only that this experiment should be
tested, but that it should be tested at as early an oppor-
tunity as possible, inasmuch as the construction of
many railways might depend in a great measure on the
results of that experiment.
Mr. SHAW said that he did not want to re-
verse the order of the Standing Orders' Committee ; but
he thought it might be left open to the applicants for
the Bill to petition for a new Bill, and to lay before the
House the grounds on which they rested their proposi-
tion. Such an arrangement would not bind the Standing
Orders' Committee.
The motion was then withdrawn without further dis-
cussion.

BR ANDES AND BURTON INCLOSURE.
The Brandes and Burton Inclosure Bill was read a
third time.
MIDDLE LEVEL DRAINAGE BILL.
The Middle Level Drainage Bill was read a second
time.