The Sun.
London, England, 1845-02-21 00:00:00

The motion for the adjournment elicited loud cries o
" Divide, divide." .
_,
On the question of adjournment being pot,)
Sir R. PEEL said he deeply regretted that it should be
considered necessary again to adjourn the debate on this
subject.—( Hear. hear.) He thought that, unless there
were some absolute necessity for adjournment, justice to-
wards
her Majesty's Government ought to induce the House
to continue the discussion that night, for the purpose of
having an opinion pronounced on the subject.—( Cheers.) This
was quite clear—that it was absolutely necessary that this
matter should be :disposed of before any other business was
proceeded with ; and that business which must necessarily be
postponed, if the adjournment took place, was business of the
utmost importance to the commercial and general interests of
the country. The Hon. Gentleman who had now moved the
adjournment, is, I believe, the same Hon. Member who moved
ition the first night of the debate.
Mr. Mr. COLLETT—No.
Sir R. PEEL—Of this he was sure, that if the Hon. Gen-
tleman wished to speak he would be listened to with great at-
tention. It was now only twelve o'clock. If the debate were
postponed, it must necessarily take the precedence of other
business to-morrow. This would lead to the postponement of
the motion of the Hon. Member f, r Manchester en the sugar
duties until Monday, and the Noble Lord's motion must also
again be postponed. Looking to the great public interests
concerned, he thought it was the duty of the House to make
some sacrifice of its convenience.—( Hear, hear.)
Mr. COLLETT regretted that he could not fall into the
views of the Right Hon. Baronet. The House met at four
o'clock, and he had for several hours been endeavouring to
catch the eye of the Speaker.—(Laughter.) It was impossible
to gain attention at so late an hour; and he must therefore
persist in his motion of adjournment.
Lord J. RUSSELL said he rose merely to say that he had
expected, after the speech of the Hon. and Learned Member
for Bath, some Member connected with the Government—pro-
bably the Solicitor-Seneral—would have risen to reply to the
Hon. and Learned Gentleman, and that the debate would have
gone on to a division. He thought it was impossible to deny
that an adjournment would cause great public inconvenience.
He should certainly give his vote against the adjournment.
Mr. IIL EWI TT expressed his gratitude to the Hon. Mem-
ber for Finsbury for having brought this subject forward. He
declared that the practice of opening letters was totally contrary
to law, inconsistent with the British Constitution, and a viola-,
tion of the rights of property.
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL said be had risen to address
the House when the Hon. and Learned Member for Bath re-
sensed his seat, but he did not succeed in catching the Speaker's
eye. He had remained in the House during the whole debate,
and he was necessarily very fatigued. He, however, felt it his
duty to address the House on this subject, notwithstanding the
lateness of the hour. He trusted the debate would be proceeded
with.
Mr. BROT HERTON—I would advise my Hon. Friend not
to divide if you are determined to finish.—( Laughter.)
Mr. AGLIoNBY suggested that the debate should be ad-
journed to Wednesday next.—( Cries of" No, no, no.")
Sir R. PEEL did not think it was just to her Majesty's Mi-
nisters to postpone the decision on this question for several days.
" I say at once," said the Right Hon. Baronet, " in the present
position of the debate, that I certainly will bring on no public
business until the division of the House has been taken on this
question."—(Loud cheers. )
Strangers were then ordered to withdraw, and the House
divided, when there appeared—
For the adjournment
Against it

Majority against the adjournment ...... --240
On our admission to the gallery, we found
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL on his legs addressing the'
House. He trusted that the decision that had been come to, had
convinced the House that they ought to proceed with the de-
bate.—( Cries of " No, no," and "Go on.") lie thought
this course scarcely fair, if it was the intention to adjourn the
debate.—( Cries of ‘. Adjourn," and " Go on," amidst which
the Solicitor-General sat down. )
After a few observations from Mr. BOUVERIE respecting
the appointment of the Committee in the House of Lords,
Mr. S. HERBERT explained that the Committee in the,
House of Lords was moved for by Lord Radnor himself.
Mr. BOUVERIE said that Lord Radnor moved for the
Committee, but it was the Government who appointed the
Committee, and excluded Lord Radnor's name from it.
Mr. BRIGHT was sorry that the House did not divide that
night, but, under the circumstances, he would put it to the
House whether it would not be inconsistent to continue tile de-
bate. He should, therefore, again more the adjournment of
the House.
Sir ROBERT PEEL thought the House had sufficiently
marked its opinion that it was an unreasonable adjournment,
but as of course the Government would wish to take a division.
when it did occur, in a full House, and as it was evident that at
least a hundred Members had left, he would consent to adjourn
the debate till this day. (An immediate rush of Members from the
House took place on the announcement of the Right lion.
Baronet.)
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said, he thought the Right Hon.
Gentleman had exercised a sound discretion, but thought that
great inconvenience was caused by these repeated adjourn-
ments, when in two or three hours the question might have
been decided.
Mr. BROTHERTON denied that any blame could attach
to him, as whenever there was a disposition to come to a ter-
mination that evening he never interfered, but it was evident
that the debate could not be closed, unless.the House had sat
till five or six o'clock.
After a few words from Mr. WILLIAMS,
Sir R. PEEL said he hoped a vigorous attempt would be
made by the Noble Lord to prevent another adjournment of
the present debate.
Mr. T. DUNCOMBE said, before a vigorous attempt was
made to put down the system of adjournment, he hoped the
Right Honourable Baronet would have justice on his side,
before this vigorous attempt was made to stifle dis-
cussion in that House. It was totally impossible they
could conclude the debate thus. The subject was now
out of his hands and in those of the Noble Lord, and the ques-
tion might be called a personal one between himself and the
Government, which knew. as well as lie did, that they had
opened his letters. Nothing could be more tyrannical than
their refusing him any justification, and he would not allow
any public business to go on till some satisfaction was given to
the House and the public. The Government might have
adjourned the debate to some evening when it would net
have been inconvenient to them, but the Right Ho-
nourable Baronet knew that public opinion was beginning
to hear against them on this question, and the public
would not see injustice done to any man, even though
it were to so humble an individual as he himself was.
But did they think the matter should stop there? No; cer-
tainly not. He was determined to clear his character from the
imputations thrown upon it by the Hon. Members for Bute
and Pontefract, and indirectly by the Right Hon. Baronet'
himself, by associating his name with the violent ou'breaks in
the year 1,542.. He would maintain that it was a base and
mean act to open letters, which in their place they dare not
avow to have done.
Mr. S. WORTLEY assured the 'lon. Gentleman, in the
most positive and solemn manner, that he had never accused
him of giving the slightest encouragement to those disturbances
—so far from it, he verily believed, that if the letters
of the Hon. Gentleman had been opened, they would hare
been found to contain exhortations against such violence.
Mr. DUNCOMBE must say, that he had understood the
Hon. Gentleman to state to the House, that he (Mr. Dun-
combe) had been in correspondence with those evil-disposed
persons who attempted with hand grenades to burn the town of
Sheffield.
Mr. S. WORTLEY assured the Hon. Member that he had
never used such language.
Mr. BRIGHT put a question to Sir Robert Peel as to the
business of the House.
Sir R. PEEL, after saying that he would on a future occa-
sion explain some phrases which the Hon. Member (Mr.
Duncombe) had misrepresented, said that regarding the busi-
ness of the House he could not make any other arrangements
than had been made, from the circumstance which had occurred.
The debate was then adjourned.
The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and the
House adjourned at a Quarter-past One.

BLACKWALL RAIL WA Y COM-

PANY.
The sixteenth half-yearly General Meeting of the
Proprietors in the Blackwell Railway was held yes-
terday, at the London Tavern, Biihopsgate-street,
Mr. J. N. Daniel, Chairman of the Board of Directors,
in the chair.
The report stated that the receipts for the past half
year had amounted to 30,433/. 18s. 9d. ; and the total
expenditure, including interest on debentures, had been
24,7061. 10s. 5d., which,lwith the last half-year's balance,
of 1,7301. ss. 6d., left at the disposal of the Directors
the sum of 7,4571. 13s. 10d., from which they recorn-
,nended the payment of a dividend of 3s. per share,
amounting to 7,3001. Notwithstanding an increase of
510.139 in the numbers carried, and of 3,231/.
ss. 10d. in the receipts, there had been a decrease
in the actual working expenses of the rail-
way, although the sum of 659/. Os. 7d. had been e
ns
pended in deepening the well at the Minories. Pursuant
to a resolution passed at the last half-yearly meet-
ing, the Directors had turned their attention to the
practicability of relieving the concern from a
portion of the dead weight in the shape of
interest by the issue of new shares. Several plane for
effecting this object had been carefully considered, but
the Dim etors had come to the conclusion that none of
them offered sufficient inducements to secure their being
curried out with advantage to the Company. The redue-
ti.m in the rate of interest on the debentures now taking
place would, however, probably effect the object in view.
The CHAIRMAN said, that while expressing, his satis-
faction at the improvement was only
state of the affairs oF
the 818
Railway, he was only sorry that it bad not
been vre4ter; but he hoped that at every successive half-
yearly meeting the Directors would be enabled to say
that it was at least progressive. There was only
one subj, et mentioned in the report to which
he would direct the attention of the Proprie-
tors—he meant the proposition to relieve the
'Company from dead weight in the shape of interest„
'Company
that at present pressed so heavily upon them. The pla*
proposed was ta issue new shares. That proposition had
bees carefully considered by the Board of Directors, and
they were of opinion that it would militate against
isting interest=, and prove injurious to the future pros-
pects of the shareholders. The Proprietors were aware that
two of the Directors went out at that time; in con-
sequence of other avocations they could not spare the
time necessary for the proper discharge of the duties
imposed upon them by that Company, and they requested
not to stand again for their office. Dr. Bowring and Mr.
Fellers had kindly consented to form part of the Direc-
tion, and he was sure that it was not necessary for him
to say one word on the seal or interest exhibited by either
of those gentlemen.
Dr. BOWRING said that he, before that day, brought
the subject which had been referred to by the Chairman
before the Proprietors, and, if honoured with a seat,
he should certainly press the subject upon the
Board. They were all aware that that concern was
struggling under difficulties. They were aware that
it was mortgaged to the extent of 61. a share—in fact
pledged to the full market value. It was with a view
to reduce the enormous interest consequent upon their
debts that he pressed this matter upon them ; and be
hoped it would meet with due attention.
Mr. MANGLES, M.P., remarked that Dr. Bowring had
founded his arguments upon a fallacy most injurious to
themselves, and which he said he would be sorry to ace
go forth to the public. He had stated that the railway
was mortgaged up to the full value, but the fact was not
so.—(Hear, hear.)
After some further discussion the report was adopted,
The dividend recommended in the report having been
duly declared, the Directors and one auditor were
elected.
A vote of thanks to the Chairman and the Directors
followed, and the
GROSS SUPERSTITION.—There is a merchant in th.
city, in the full possession of his intellect, who actually Ileums tut
the income-tam will last only three years longer.—Puneh,