The Sun.
London, England, 1845-07-17 00:00:00

RAILWA Y DEiARTMENT OF THE

B(lAR0 OF TRAI)E.
arc% "
There was on Tes,day issued, by older of the House t.:: ate
copy of a Minute of the Lords of the Committee of Privy no,
for Trade, dated the 10th day of July, 1845, relative to the tbe
tution and mode of proceedings of the Railway Department of
Board of Trade.
At the Council Chamber, Whitehall, the 10th July, 1845! Frill
By the Right Honourable the Lords of the Committee of
to
Council appointed for the consideration of all matters relating
trade and foreign plantations. he WI.
My Lords read and considered the following minute of t
of t:,e Committee of Privy Council for Trade, dated 6th Aug
1844, relative to the constitution and mode of proceedings c
tbt
Railway Department.
RAILWAY EPRTM ET. c f°l
Minute of the Lords of the D
CommitAtee of Privy Council
Trade relative to the constitution and mode of proceeding' °t.
Railway )epartment.
At the Council Chamber, Whitehall, the 6th August, 1844' •
By the Right Honourable the Lords of the Committee of ;,04
appointed for the consideration of all matters relating to tra°
foreign plantations. spd
~,
My Lords read and considered the following paragraP"-,tht
resolutions, taken from the third section of the fifth report o 41);,..
Select Committee of tl:e House of Commons on Railway' iiB4 to
In recommending, therefore, that railway Bills be sublnit'.oof
the Board of Trade previously to their coming under the Iwnettei
Parliament, the Committee conceives that that Board (0r,..,a,
other public department as may be intrusted with the care °iris
way matters) might advantageously examine these Bills, euIIUr
the schemes themselves before they had assumed the torn' °t.
with regard mainly to the following subjects :-
1. All questions of public safety,
e°
wo le
2. •A it departures from the ordinary usage of Re;t- -
tion, on points where such usage has been sufficiently establa
hbeP
3. All provisions of magnitude which may be noveilinellid,
principle, or may involve extended considerations of pub.-„ • v rate
For example ; Amalgamations and agreements between seP:OO,
companies; extension of capital; powers enabling railwayhich
ponies to pursue purposes different in kind from those for tr"
they were incorporated ; modifications of the general law. 01
4. Branch and extension lines, in cases where, upon the
mils
aspect of the plan, a presumption is raised that the object
scheme is to throw difficulties in the way of new and probably
timate enterprises.
5. New schemes, where the line taken presents a strong ot
pearance of being such as to raise the presumption that it doelsof
afford the best means of communication between the termini,
of accommodating the local traffic. DO°
6. Cases where a Bill of inferior merits may be brought
eon,
Parliament, and where a preferable scheme is in balsa .0,,,i51f
temptation, although not sufficiently forward to come simultanr'did
under the judgment of Parliament, according to its sun
orders.
O'
7. Any proposed arrangements with subsisting coMP-
W
may
The appear as objectors to new lines.
won°
adequate and sat isfactory discharge of their duties liar
entail upon the Board of Trade a great additional amount of t if
and responsibility; and it is the opinion of the Committee t",a-
the recommendations of this and of its other reports sh°°o,iat
adopted it would be necessary to enlarge the railway delor.doe
of that Board, and to improve its organisation. W 0.... te
grounds, and with these intentions, the Committee have CO
the following
,„, shoo Resolution,—That it is expedient that all railway B."' "bo to
henceforward be submitted to the Board of Trade previ43lA-,;01.
their introduction into Parliament; and that the various '.ot,
merits and other requisite information connected with each er°4o
and, if necessary, copies and sections of the line, shall be lodged
the office of the Board of Trade, at such periods as shall 8
sufficient opportunity for their examination. f tee
My Lords read and considered the heads of several clauses ° the
Railways Bill (now awaiting the royal assent) which relate t°
functions of this department. melts
My Lords read the letter of Mr. Lefevre to Sir George Mould
dated the 2d instant, in which it is proposed that provision 511,,
be made for the appointment of two secretaries to the railwafof
partment of this Board, and of an assistant inspector, and the re
of the sth instant, in which it is stated the approval of these
rangements by the Lords of the Treasury.
bogt
My Lords are of opinion that they are not competent, - t tee
the aid of time and experience, to lay down definite rules f°tef
future practice of the railway department of this Board ; ,hobut f
have decided upon the following general instructions (subie°7o
course, to reconsideration hereafter, if on any particular'
should be found inapplicable or inconvenient) with respect to lo
1. The constitution of a Board for the purpose of transact
railway business.
2. The preparation of minutes and reports. of
3. The provisions to be made for obtaining adequate en"
information.
ted
My Lords are of opinion that for the adequate and otitis.° ve
discharge of the duties which, as is now proposed, will eleget
upon this Committee, it is desirable that a distinct Board sheoi
~is.
be constituted in the department for the dispatch of railwaytp
ness, and that such business shall be settled by written minute.'
the same manner as the ordinary business of this Committee. 0
The President or the Vice. President of the Committee will Ijl
as the head of this Board, and the remaining members of it rot,
act as his advisers in all its transactions, and subject to his COit
ling authority.
The ordinary members of the Board will be, besides the insPerr'
general, and, in his absence, the assistant inspector, the AV
tendent, and the joint secretaries.
2. Every minute of the Board upon a railway scheme, and eve
01
report upon a railway Bill, to have the signature of—firstly-
president or vice-president of this Committee; and secondll, 'tog
members of the board, one of whom, at least, to be an engin°
officer of the department.
fore
As respects minutes upon railway schemes to be made be .
the Bills for giving effect to them are framed, my Lords direct d]
whenever the department has formed an intention to prepare tice
minute, whether upon the application of parties or otherwise, Th.op
shall be given of that intention in the Gazette, for the infortne'"
of those whom it may concern.
My Lords direct that in such notice-shall be stated, as nearlya
may be, the points into which inquiry is to be made in conne'.4.
with the proposed line of railway. No such minute, unless
preliminary or provisional nature, shall be signed until six
after such minute shall be laid on the table of both blouses of f"'
!lament fourteen days after the opening of the session.
Reports to Parliament on railway Bills shall be made wrstthe
fourteen days, if there shall have been a previous report 0"
sii
schemes embodied in them respectively, and at all events within
weeks at the furthest from the receipt of any such Bill. sea
3. As regards the measures to be taken for obtaining ea".o; -eCte
regular information respecting railway Bills and railway '
before they have assumed the form of Bills. of
Adverting to the resolutions already adopted by the gThep
Commons on the 19th of July, and to those which it is the ju'pfiof
tion of the Vice-President to propose for adoption in the 11°u:,Alc
Lords, and also to the provisions contained ill the Joint-',--130
Companies Registration and Regulation Bill, which, if that .10
shall became law, will insure the deposit in a public office, underltio
superintendence of this department, of all documents made pub De
by the promoters of any such joint-stock undertaking as Tne;
formed subsequently to the passing of the Act, my Lords art ty
opinion that there will be adequate security for their being dUre
apprised, from time to time, of the origin and progress of NW'
railway projects up to the periods of the presentation of the Belts.
To make similar provision for their subsequent stages, before
passing of the Acts of incorporation, my Lords will cause t° to
addressed to all the Parliamentary agents the circular bell
annexed (A).
üblig
As regards railway projects already announced to the P- ,ns
during the present year, and now in existence, but not haYetr;J
assumed the forms of law, my Lords direct a list to be Prep
of these, and the circular letter (B) hereto annexed to be
dressed to the solicitors or other leading promoters of Vern',,,ve
Having adverted to the various important changes which "-
been effected by the House of Commons, during the present eeo
sion, in the constiitution and proceedings of the Select commit',
eppointed to consider the provisions of Railway Bills, and COII-it
dering that this altered state of circumstances appears to render is
unnecessary that the Railway department should continue, -
pursuance if the recommendation of the Select Committee °-
~
Railways of 1844, to submit to Parliamentary reports on the °°°s
parative merits of railway schemes, my Lords are of opinion tho
it is desirable to make certain alterations in the form of the railway
department, and in the rules for conducting railway business. tei
I. My Lords are of opinion that the distinct board constitU-4
by the minute of pith August, 1844, should be discontinued; aio
that all railway business should hereafter be transacted by t,,,
Lords of the Committee of Privy Council for Trade in the
manner as the ordinary business of this Committee.
.0
11. All such railway business, however, shall be transact
proceedings distinct from the ordinary business of this Conarnittet-8
The dispatch of railway: business shall be conducted by IlePtr-
i
written minutes, and the directions and decisions of the Lords :(
the Committee shall be carried into effect by the several office° -
the railway department.
111. Reports will not hereafter be prepared for Parliament, °I.
veying the opinion of the Lords of this Committee on the Iner°
of any railway project, or on the comparative merits of comPetint
schemes.
IV:But in order that my Lords, with -a view- to guarding the 1111,,r,„
lie interest, may have at all times an accurate knowledge of the --r•
jects of the various railway schemes, and of the extent of the Pelwe
which the promoters desire to obtain, my Lords direct that the Pr,,,
per steps should be taken fur submitting to the two Houses of rn't;
liament the necessity of adopting resolutions requiring the profit° teof
of the various schemes to deposit, as heretofore, at the Board
Trade, a copy of the plans, sections, &c. It would also be eIP,-,,;
client that they should be required to deposit, concurrently 0";
their plans and sections, a sketch of the proposed lines, on 11.;
Ordnance map of England, or on a scale equal to such Ordnani"-
mrp, and else' a written statement containing a description of tte
railway, its course, its advantages, its proposed fares and char.g;
and the principal provisions of the Dill which they intent! '-
introduce.

It would further be desirable that the omoters should depas
as heretofore, with the Board of Trade, ac opy of the Bill, as We
ll
as of such amendments as may be made during its progress.
V. if upon examination of any railway Bill it should seen.' era'dient to the Lords of this Committee to dra., the attention of Par
!lament to its provisions, or to circumstances nnected with It, Wiin
Lords, after the commencement of the session, and from time to
time as they may see fit, will direct a report to be prepared tweet:.
ingly. Such report shall have reference to the following subjects •
1. All questions of public safety.
2. Ali departures from the ordinary usage of railway legislati°°'
where such usage has been sufficiently established.
3. All provisions of magnitude which may be novel In theft
principle, or may involve extended consideration of public P°li
For example: Amalgamations and agreements between separate
companies ; extensions of capital ; powers enabling railway e°11;
patties to pursue purposes different in kind from those for which
e
they were incorporated; modifications of the general law; 113.
fares and charges ; and generally all points connected with t,„
Bills to which my Lords may think it right on puolic grounds '—
draw the attention of Parliament. Such report shall be signed h./
the President or Vice-President of this Committee; but it shall t 0
no case pronounce an opinion on the actual or comparative Mat
of any railway scheme.

6. My Lord: direct that the annual report of the officers of the,
,
railway department to the Lords of the Committee of Privy Councl:
for Trade should he laid, as heretofore, on the tables of both !DOM
of Parliament.

The rules which my Lords have now laid down for ti',
.
transaction of railway business will be subject to ra.c°P,.
sideration hereafter, if, from further change of circumstances; °r
otherwise, they should be found inapplicable or inconvenient.

-- -
MIDDLESEX SESSION. —The July Quarter Sessions
for the county of Middlesex commenced on Tuesday at the Sessions'
house, Clerkenwell.green. Numerically the calendar is somewhat
heavier than usual, but the offences are not of a serious nature.
127 names appear on the calendar for trial, of whom 100 are in.'
dieted for felony, and 27 stand charged with assaults and other f
fences. This being the Quarter Session of the county, Mr. Heil;
officer to the Sheriff of Middlesex, called upon the followilP
persons to answer to their respective names, or be sever,B,ll
outlawed : Alexander Dalgleish, late of Bloomsbury-P'l7,
John R. Brinkman. otherwise John R. Broadhead, late of Berkeley'
square; ; Robert Fulke Greville, commonly called the Hon. Roberti
Fulke Greville, late of Burlington Hotel; Sir Charles Edwin',
Garey, Knight, late of Portland.place; Joseph Ferdinand Count
Taaffe, late of Percy-street; Henry Whittaker, late of Linc°l
Inn, New.square; Mortimer Percy Drummond at three suits; s"
Anthony Randall, late of Chesham.place, Belgrave.square.
A paragraph, copied from one of the minor Pill;
nals, is now running the rounds of the French press, stating °I.,
the French Government has settled the claim of Mr. Pritchard by
paying him 25,000 f., which sum has been drawn for, it is said' 1°
three bills from the Cape of Good Hope, and paid in Paris.
ARISTOC It ATIC RITES G. The bad writing Of,
many of the nobility and gentry is proverbial. An illustration 0`
this occurred at the Warwickshire Quarter Sessions last week, When;
the Coventry Herald states, a prisoner who, on commitment, 11i 0
made a confession to Lord Lilford (which was taken down bY4i:l;
Lordship), was acquitted in consequence of no person is C
Wins able Co deetpirer his Lerdabip's writing.