The Sun.
London, England, 1845-03-14 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, March 13.
The LORD CHANCELLOR. took his seat on the Woolsack at
Four o'clock.

SCOTCH BANKING.
Lord CAMPBELL presente:d a petition from the magis-
trates and town-council of Irvine against any interference with
the present system of banking in Scotland.
ADJOURNMEN r OF THE HOUSE.

The Duke of WELLINGTON rose"to give notice that on
Tuesday next,—wiiii the permission of their Lordships, he
wo-,thl move that the House adjourn fur the holidays, from that
day till Thursday, the 3d of April.
POOR-LAWS (IRELAND).
The Earl of WICKLOW presented a petition from the
poor-law guardians of a union in Ireland, praying for an in-
quiry into the working of the poor-laws in that country.
CORPORATION MONOPOLY (LONDON).
Lord BROUGHAM presented a petition to which he called
the attention of the House, and especially of the Lord Chan-
cellor, and his Noble Friend the President of the Board of
Trade, from a great number of householders in the City of
London, complaining that they had been threatened by the
Corporation with legal proceedings if they d d net take up
their freedom, which, at the lowest, would cost them each
111. 4s. Amongst these petitioners was a poor widow, who had
been in business but six months, obtaining with difficulty
a few pence a day fur her subsistence—and if
their Lordships would not interpose she would be
absolutely ruined, for she could no more pay 111. 4s. than she
could pay the national debt. The only way that he could effect
what the petitioners desired was to bring in a Bill to extend
to the City of London the 14th section of the sth and 6th
Wm. IV., which abolished the same grievous monopoly in all
other towns, cities, and boroughs, in the realm, in which, as
well as in London, the same oppression was in force.
Messengers from the Commons brought up the Bill for ex-
tending the income and property tax for three years ; also,
the Consolidated Fund'Bill, for appropriating 8,000,00C1. for
1845; and aßill for carrying into effectsertain public works in
Scotland.

FREEDOM OF THE CITY OF LONDON.
Lord BROUGHAM brought in a Bill, which was read a
first time, for extending the provisions of the sth and r;th
William IV. to the City of London. The object of this Bill is
to enable non-freemen to carry on business in places where
freedom was previously a title.
DIVORCE.

Lord BROUGHAM presented a Bill, which was read a
first time, for extending the suggestions in cases of divorce (not
to cases of divorce, for that male a considerable difference),
the -object of this Bill being to facilitate the remedy of the
poor man in such cases.
RAILWAY SCHEMES.

-Lord BROUGHAM said that he wished to ask a question
of his Noble Friend at the head of the Board of Trade, re-
specting the decisions to which the Board, of which he was
the head, had come, with reference to the several lines pro-
jected between London and York. He would not ask this
question: to-dap, kif it were inconvenient to answer it, but he
'would give notice of it for a future day. as his object was to
found a motion which would bring before the House the
day 'and tie time of the day—for the time of the day was
important, when this decision was come to. His reason for
asking the question was this :—lt was well known in the City,
at 12 o'clock on Tuesday, that the London and York had been
decided against, and the consequence was that the shares of
the other two lines had risen 2 and 3 per tent. premium, loog
before the Gazette which contained that decision was pub-
lished.

The Earl of DALHOUSIE said that he had not
the slightest objection to give the information which
his Noble and Learned Friend had asked, as tar as it laid
in his power. The fact was that the precise time at
which this decision was made was in the afternoon.
The Board on that day was held in the afternoon,
and, therefore, it was utterly impossible that this rise could
have resulted from any communication with the Board of
Trade. The inferences which his Noble and Learned Friend
drew from the facts which he had stated, was, that either a com-
munication had been made from the Board of Trade with parties
in the City, or else that proper concealment had not been usedin
order to prevent the decisions of the Board of Trade from being
made use of in the stock market, and he could not conceive
that the decision in this particular cave had bad any effect
en the operaions of the stock market. There were
three distinct parties to the communication between
London and York. There was the London and York line,
the Cambridge and Lincoln line, the object of which was to
extend the communication to York by means of Cambridge,
and the Direct Northern. These three parties were each pre-
pared to carry out their designs to the fullest
extent. They were possessed of large capital ; they
were supported by a long
following,
spectively by immense influence.Tyanadppewaerarde
tfibaccakredry
out their design to the very utmost. A circumstance, however,
occurred, of which he was not cognisant until the Tuesday.
This circumstance had occurred on the Monday. Upon con-
sideration the Cambridge and Lincoln and the Direct Northern
had come to the decision of coalescing.
had come to the decision of coalescing. Was it to be wondered
at that those who were cognizant of this fact would fail to per-
ceive that where two lines had coalesced against a third, that
the great probability that Parliament, or the Board of Trade
at least, would certsinly decide in favour of those companies
which had coalesced, and against that which had thus gone to
the wall , and that they, therefore, who had interest in the
third line, would be eag.ri to sell out of that lice and buy into
the other two, and that the shares If the other two should rise?
But he would defy his Noble and Learned Friend to produce
one person who had received any communication from the
Board of Trade, or who could prove that the proper
measures for concealment had not been taken. He was
mati
• for • L ready to give every Information
,that ne possessed.
Lord lIROUGHA said that all he could observe was, that
he derived his information from a very important merchant
and broker, that that gentleman had no knowledge whatever on
Tuesday of the coalition which his Noble Friend at the head of
the Board of Trade had said took place on Tuesday, anti he felt
that it was not only a matter of courtesy but a bounden duty
on the part of the Ministers of the Crown, to give the fullest
and most extensive inforniation on any subject which was
brought before Parlianaent It was their duty not only to
Parliament but to the country. There was sufficient reason
for his queetion in the fact of this rise having been realised at
twelve o'cloek, when the Gazette, by which the property ought
to have been affected, was Pot published until the evening.
The Earl of DALHOUSIE said that he had already stated
that the Board was not held until the afternoon, and that
therefore the shares could not have been affected by the deci-
sion at which it had arrived. He was ready, he repeated, to
give every information, ani he felt that it was a matter of
duty, and not one of courtesy—though he was not aware that
it was the duty of a Minister of the Crown to give that in-
formation which ke did not possess. If his Noble and Learned
Friend had seen as much of railway schemes within the last few
months as he had, he' would have learned that railway politics
was an exceedingly intricate matter, and that it was a policy
among railway shareholders to conceal as much as possible the
knirwledge which they possessed from each other.
Lord BROUGHAM said he could not but say that the eX.
planation of his Noble Friend, so far as it went, was satisfac-

Tory; but he must, at the same time, assert, that a judicature
like that which was exercised by the Board of Trade over rail-
way schemes, was one abhorrent to the constitution, and odious
to the whole country, and that should such accidents as these
frequently occur, he should feel it his duty to bring a motion
before the House for a considerable modification of that Board.
The NOBLE EARL then presented a petition, very numerously
signed, from traders and shopkeepers of Exeter, against the 20/.
clause in the Bill of last session for the Abolition of Imprison-
ment for Debt.
Lord COT TEN HAM tookihat opportunity of disclaiming the
authorship of this clause. It was true that he had proposed the
abolition of imprisonment for debt, but he had coupled that pro-
position with affording the creditor the means of getting his
debt.

Lord BROUGHAM said the means which his Noble Friend
proposed was that of taking the wages of the debtor, and this
was found not to answer in Scotland, although it was still in
operation in that country.
Lord COTTEN H AN! said he had proposed to give the cre-
ditor the power of examining his debtor as to what property he
possessed.

- After a few words from Lord CAMPBELL the matter
dropped.
JEWISH DISABILITIES BILL.
On the motion being put for going into Committee on this
Bill,

The Marquis of LANSDOWNE asked if the provisions or
the measure were not to be extended to Ireland and Scotland ?
The LORD CHANCELLOR said that the declaration did
not apply to Scotland, and, therefore, the extension of the Bill
to that country was not necessary. But he did not know with
certainty whether or not it applied to Ireland. He was in.
eined to think that it did not, and if so the Bill would not be
necessary in that country.
Lord CAMPBELL hoped that in another session a Bill
would be introduced to do away with the declaration alto-
gether. In fact there was no legal necessity for any man to
make the declaration. When once elected he was protected
by the Bill of Indemnity. The declaration was not taken by
the Lord Chancellor or the other high officers of State, and
there was no obligation by law upon any other officer to;take it.
The Bill then went through Committee, and was ordered to
be read a third time to-morrow.
Lord DALHOUSIE moved the second reading of the Corn.
panies Clauses Consolidation Bill.
Lord MONTEAGLE took that opportunity of calling at-
tention to the extent of business that was likely to come before
them in the present session. Their Lordships would remember
that,- at the end of last session, they were very much pressed
for time in getting rid of the private business ; and he believed
a Bill of great public importance was all but lost, owing to the
want of a Committee.
end of
fe
iDasutkseesosifoWn.ELLlNGTON begged to remind the Noble
Lord that they got rid of all these difficulties towards the latter
Lord MONTEAGLE reminded the VoWe Peke that the