The Sun.
London, England, 1842-04-20 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMAIONS. April 19.

The SPEAKER took the Chair at the usual hour.
Mr. P. PRYSE took the oaths and his seat, as Mem-
ber for the Borough of Cardigan, for which a Select
Committee had declared that he had been duly returned.

Mr. A. LEFROY took the oaths and his seat, as
Member for the county of Longford, in the room of
Mr. Luke Whit•, whom the decision of the Select Com-
mittee had unseated.
KINGSCLERE INCLOSURE BILL.

Mr. LABOUC HERE having brought up the Report
on this Bill,'moved that the Report be adopted.

Mr. GODSON rose to move that the Lill should be
recommitted, for the purpose of having certain clauses
added to it. The Hon. Member complained of that
clause of the Bill which required that cottagers should
be disturbed in the possession of their cottages unless
they had for more than twenty years possessed them.
The Hon. Gentlemen suggested some clauses relating to
cottagers which, unless the promoters of the Bill con-
sented to introduce, he would oppose the Bill, as he now
moved its re-committal to give an opportunity for their
introduction.
Mr. BROTHERTON seconded the motion.

The question having been put.
Sir W. HEATHCOTE said, that with regard to the
clauses he scarcely differed from the Honourable
Gentleman, but he did not agree with him as to the
necessity of drawing a distinction as to the time
when encroachments should be made. It was laid down
in the law, that those encroachments should be mado ;
and wrong doers should have no advantage, except what
the law allowed them. A great number of the inhabi-
tants was in favour of the Bill, as to its general prin-
ciple ; and he should, therefore, oppose the motion.
Mr. BROTHEIITON said that the House ought to
throw its shield over the poor people who were to bo
affected by this Bill. In the year 1834 it was thought
that these cottagers would be much injured by the In-
closure Bill, and in 1836 it was abandoned ; and it
could be easily shown why agents and counsel were not
employed, as they were not able to procure money to
oppose the Bill. He should, therefore, vote for the mo-
tion of the Hon. Member.

Mr. LABOUCHERE said, that as he had been on
the Committee on this Bill, he wished to say a few words
on the subject. He would only say, that he could un-
derstand Gentlemen having objections to inclosures
altogether, but he thought if the principle should exist
at all it ought in this case. This was not the case of a
densely peopled country, a great town, but this was a
common composed of good land, perfectly capable of
being cultivated, and he had no doubt that the interests
of the poorer classes would be consulted better by cul-
tivating this common. This was his ground for support-
ing the Bill. People had been in the habit of constantly
encroaching on this common, and this Bill proposed to
give them a legal right to do He did not propose to take
any right from them.—(Hear.) At present, though
people had encroached, the Lord of the Manor had
power to eject them at any time.
Lord G. SOMERSET said if the Hon. Member meant
to press it to a division, he must say that he could not
agree with his proposition. He found that the cir-
cumstances had been investigated by a Committee per-
fectly competent to decide on the merits of the case, and
that they had come to a finite determination. If the
unanimous decision of Committees of that House were
to be over-ruled, he did not see how the business of the
House was to be carried on. _ _

Mr. FIELDEN said it was the duty of the House to
protect the weak against the strong. He thought the
Bill should be re-committed.
The House divided. The numbers were—
For receiving the Report 137
For the amendment l5
Majority —l22
The Report was then brought up and agreed to.
BLACKBURN ELECTION.

The following Members were appointed as a Com-
mittee to try the nrJrits of the petition presented against
the return for the Borough of Blackburn :—CoI. Rolleston,
Mr. J. Rundell, Mr. W. Cripps, Mr. R. Archbold, Sir
E. Brooke, Lord Worsley, and Sir E. Hayes, Chairman.