The Sun.
London, England, 1842-06-06 00:00:00

COLONIAL REPIiZSENTATION.

The NOBLE MARQUIS, on the part of the Earl of
Clarendon, postponed to a future day (in consequence 01
domestic allliction) the presentation of the petition froir
the Cape of Good Hope, of which he had given notice.
LOCKING OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES.

The NOBLE MARQUIS took that opportunity of
asking the Noble Earl opposite (the Baal of Ripon) whe-
ther there would be any objection to brill.- betire the
House the Report of the Directors of the Great Western
Railway, in which they gave their reasons for locking up
the doors of the railway carriages on both sides. He
(the Marquis of Lansdowne) was one of the majority of
that House and of the public whose taste did not incline
to being locked up.—(Hear, and a laugh.) But at the
same time he thought it would be only justice to the Di-
rectors, that their explanation of their reasons for adopt-
ing that practice should be made known to their Lord-
ships and the public; especially as they had always
shown every desire to provide for the accommodation
and security of,the public.
The Earl of RIPON had no objection whatever to the
production of the document. Notring could be more
fair or equitable than the conduct of the Committee of
Directors of the Great Western Railway, in this and in
every other case in which the Government had had occa-
-1 sion to correspond with them. On this occasion they at
once expressed their readiness to act• upon the sugges-
tion of the Surveyor-General of Railways, only request-
ing that they should be permitted to send in the Report
alluded to by the Noble Marquis, in which they gave
their reasons for adopting the practice ; and he thought
it was perfectly reasonable that they should wish the
House and the public to be put in possession of those
reasons. The practice had been by this time disconti-
nued, in compliance with the recommendation of the
G overnment.— (Hear.)
Lord CAMPBELL said he could give some infor-
mation on this subject. ' On Saturday last,he found that
the practice of locking the doors on both sides had
not been discontinued, but not through contuma-
ciousness. For he was informed that the con-
tinuance was occasioned only by the difficulty of
making the necessary change in the arrangements of
the line, and that from this day (Monday) the practice
would be virtually discontinued, and arrangements made
to allow the doors on both sides to be left unlocked,
without risk to the passengers.—(Hear, hear.)
AFFIRMATION BILL.

Lord DENMAN presented petitions from Dunferm-
line, from members of independent congregations of
atthtos
wereo
e
m
thought to e
onse(n) some
measure. the Church of Scotland and of the Church of England,
from the Independent Congregation of Stebbing, in
Essex, from Glasgow, and a memorial from the Attorneys
of Oswestry, praying
cmoenatsruarrye, teollathbelinwg'ord of God to give evidence on affirzna-
tho s theirpersons
Lordships
who
lion in Courts of Justice.
His Lordship then laid on the table a Bill for providing
a general form of atErmation for all persons who believed
oaths to be forbidden. The Bill did not provide any
measure for the previous registration of persons who
might object to take the oathes, because he thought he
could make it clear to their Lordships that there
was no danger whatever that any person would
wish to be .permitted to give their evidence upon
affirmation, except those who really felt religious scruples
as to taking an tat. At the same time, if any such se-
curity should be proposed to be introduced into the Bill,
he (Lord Denman) would not object to it; and those who
were anxious for the passing of such measures wouid feel
grateful to their Lordships for the relief,even althaugh it
should be clogged by such a clause. He moved that the
Bill be read a first time, and would move that it be read
a second time on Thursday se'nnight.
The Bill was then read a first time. •
MEDICAL CHARITIES (IRELAND.)
Lord BANI)ON presented a petition from sixty-
eight physicians of Ireland, praying that the Medical
Charities of that country might not be placed under the
control of the roor-law Commissioners.