The Sun.
London, England, 1845-07-30 00:00:00

absence of the other members of the Government, he could not
rlvise any alteration in the Bill. He had, however, no objec-
tion to go into Committee at present, with the understanding
that nothing beyond discussion should take:place at present, and
that any tiecision on controverted points should take place is a
fuller House.
Mr. P. M. STEWART supported the postponement. The
people of Scotland, he considered, had a right to complain of
the mariner in which they had been treated on this question.
There was no hurry for legislation. It would be time enough
to do so next session. There was not the least danger that any
harm would come to Scotland if the Bill were not passed this
session. If they persisted in pushing forward this Bill, after
the way in which they. had treated another Bill on Friday last,
they would be acting inconsistently, and doing serious injury to
the people of Scotland. All he prayed for was postponement,
that the Bill might be fully considered.
After a few words from the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHE-
QUER and Mr. P. M. STEWART, the motion was withdrawn,
and the Bill was recommitted.
After some slight discussion, in which Mr. BOUVERIE and
Mr. P. bI. STEWART took part, the several clauses of the Bill
were read and agreed to.
The House then resumed, and the report on the Bill was
received.
WAKEFIELD AND GOOLE RAILWAY.

...---- _
The Lords' amendments to the Wakefield and Goole Railway
Bill were read and agreed to.
The House then adjourned till Five o'clock.

The House resumed at Five o'clock.
LONDON AND YORK RAILWAY.
Viscount COURTEN A Y moved that the Chairman of the
Select Committee on Group X be empowered, in the case of
the London and York Railway, to report forthwith, and the
further consideration to be taken on Friday next.—Agreed to.
RAILWAY STANDING ORDERS.
Lord G. SOMERSET rose to move that the following
clauses be added to the Standing Orders :—To follow Standing
Order 101—A declaration, in writing, signed by the agent
for the proposed Bill (or some one of such agents), shall be
annexed to such petition, stating to which of the three classes of
Bills such Bill in his judgment belongs ; and if the proposed
Bills shall give power to effect any of the fol-
lowing objects, that is to say—power to take any
lands or houses compulsorily, or to extend the time
granted by any former Act, for that purpose ; power to levy
tolls, rates, or duties, or to alter any existing tolls, rates or
duties ; or to confer, vary, or extinguish any exemption from
payment of tolls, rates, or duties, or any other right or privilege ;
power to interfere with any Crown, Church, or Corporation
property, held in trust for public or charitable purposes ;
power to make a burial-ground ; power to relinquish
any part of a work authorised by a former Act ;
power to divert into any intended cut, canal, reservoir, aque-
duct, or navigation, or into any intended variation, extension,
or enlargement thereof respectively, any water from any ex-
isting cut, canal, reservoir, aqueduct, or navigation, whether
directly or derivatively, and whether under any agree-
ment
with the proprietors thereof, or otherwise ;
power to make, vary, extend, or enlarge any cut, canal, re-
servoir, aqueduct, or navigation ; power to make, vary,
extend, or enlarge any railway. The said declaration
shall stare which of such powers are given by the Bill, and
shall indicate in which clauses of the Bill (referring to them
by their number,) such powers are given, and shall further
state that the Bill does not give power to effect any of the ob-
jects enumerated in this order, other than those stated in the
declaration. If the proposed Bill shall not give power to effect
any of the objects enumerated in the preceding order, the said
declaration shall state that the Bill does not give power to effect
any such object. Amend standing orders 103 and 128. Agreed to
Sir G. CLERK also moved the following addition to Stand-
ing Order 23 a :—Together with the line of the projected rail-
way, laid down on a map not less than that of the Ordnance map
of .England ; and also a written statement, setting forth the
course of the railway, its capital, its maximum fares and
charges, and generally all the principal provisions of the pro-
posed Bill. Agreed to.
Lord G. SOMERSET moved an alteration in the Standing
Orders, increasing the deposits on all railways, excepting
those which had been considered in the House in the
past session, from 5 to 10 per cent.
Sir R. FERGUSON objected to this part of the motion,
which would have the effect of raising the deposits. He con-
sidered this would operate mest injuriously on those lines that
were already projected. He moved that the deposit be 5 per
cent.
Lord GRANVILLE SOMERSET said that some step of
the kind was necessary to protect the public from the crude
speculations that were before it.
Mr. J. S. WORTLEY supported the same view of the
question.
Dr. BOWRING said that it would be greatly in favour of
those railroads which were already in existenee, and against
those which were only as yet in a state of projection ; and he
thought it was a needless imposition on this species of property.
Mr. E. B. DENISON said that the institution of this order
would be an unjust, if not a tyrannical, oppression on those who
had signed the share list under the faith of the existing standing
orders, and who calculated on the payment of a certain sum,
and now were called upon to pay one much larger.
' Lord GRANVILLE SOMERSET said that the exemp-
tions to the evil effects of the order would be so numerous that
it was not worth while to consider those whose interests might
be affected.
Mr. GREENE said that the objection might be obviated by
exempting all signed and registered shareholders who had
already paid their deposits.
Lord GRANVILLE SOMERSET said that if the general
feeling of the House was against him, he must give way, but
he would do so entirely contrary to his own opinion and in-
clination.
Strangers were then ordered to withdraw, and on our return
to the gallery we found that the amendment was negatived
without a division.
The several alterations were then considered, and agreed

to.
Mr. GREENE moved, that the sectional order, No. 60,
should for the future form portion of the standing orders.—
Agreed to.
LONDON AND YORK RAILWAY.
Mr. P. M. STEWART presented a petition from the Mid-
land Counties Railway, complaining that the London and
York, which had just passed a Committee of that House, would
intersect their: line ; and praying that that portion of those
works should not be allowed to be constructed without the
sanction of the former Company.
MESSAGE FROM THE HOUSE OF LORDS.

Aiesiengersfrom the House of Lords brought up the Glas-
gow Junction Railway and other Bills, with amendments.

COLONEL A. LAUTOUR.

Mr. MILNER GIBSON then brought forward the mo-
tion of which he had given notice, that a Select Com-
mittee be appointed to investigate the allegations contained in
the petition of Colonel Augustus Lautour, presented to this
House, June 6th, 1844, and printed with the votes, June
the 26th, 1844, and to report their opinion to
the House. The Honourable Member stated that
this related to what took place in 1828, when the Colonial-
office invited parties to invest their money in the Swan
River settlement. Among others who were induced to
do so was the petitioner, and from circumstances
that afterwards transpired he now petitioned the House.
These regulations were officially issued, and under them Col.
Lautour had acted. The question, then,was whether the Crown
could escape from its engagements. He thought it could not, and
the opinion of the law officers of the Crown had been taken on the
subject, and there was some doubt respecting ono or
two points, and there might be a weak feature which he had
not observed, and he had seen so much of these cases that he
was always ready to suspect that there was something more
than he saw. But if the matter were, as it was laid
down, he could not see how, in justice, or even legal
:Nulty, the Crown could escape from its engagements.
He had been informed that Sir Thomas Wilde had given an
opinion in favour of Colonel Lautour's claim, which opinion was
presented to the Government when they came into office, but
the Government said it was not binding on them, because the
original contract had not been officially promulgated. He
(Mr. IL Gibson) trusted that a generous and fair con-
struction might be expected, and that no advantage would
be taken of any trifling want of foresight on Colonel Lautour's
part. It appeared to him (Mr. Gibson) that the claims
alluded to in the petition were founded in justice, and he
thought that Government should take the matter into its con-
sideration. In bringing forward this subject he did not mean
to impute blame on any of the Members of the Government.
He did, however, trust that the subject would be immediately
attended to.
Mr. HOPE said that he should be obliged to state shortly
the history of the circumstances connected with this matter.
In 1828 a plan was proposed and published for the purpo,e of
bringing Colonel Lautour's attention to it. The Hon. Member
grounded his motion upon the fact that no formal or official
notice was given to the colonel of this document.
Mr. M. GIBSON—But in the meantime you took his
land.—( Hear, hear.)
Mr HOPE observed that this was really no ground for the
complaint. Colonel Lautour was one of the parties to whom
the publication was addressed, and he would not fail to have
known its purport. In point of fact, that gentleman had got
possession of 100,000 acres to which he had no title whatever.
Mr. M. GIBSON then withdrew his motion.
The Service of Heirs (Scotland) Bill, and the Crown
Charters (Scotland) Bill were read a second time.