Star.
London, England, 1816-06-27 00:00:00

-r..

PARLIAMENTARY' PROCEBDING4
HOUSE OF LORDS; JUNE tn.
The Royal Awn, was given by Commission to the MA Ca-
pital 818. the Unchroiri Dividends BUI, the Mat Rendit Debt
Bill, the Irsh Customs Bill, the Demerara Trade," the Allen
Bill, the MiStis Pay Bill, the Mint Machinery Bill, the Muria-
-tic Acid Bill, the Irish Grand Juries Bill, and Irish Latinist and
Tenants ild4....Cossunisaioners, Lords Nixon, s _narTallatralr,
end Wisciourrze.
The Earl of LAUDE%DAI.E presented a Petition from Per-
, seas concerned in the Whale Fisheries whist the Pas Bill Laid
on the Table. .
Earl STANHOPE presented a Petition from the Debtors he-
primed In the Fleet Prhon, proving relief, end that they might
not. be deprived of the benefits of the existing Insolvent Dintele
Act. by adding an addition us the term of their imprisellellMeenk
'They complained of the enormous Law charges to wbkk they i
subjecterLin the proceedings relative to their Debts, whin
often far exceeded the Debts themselves; and they mentiooed, as
an instance, that there were Seventeen Perseus among them,
whose aggregate Debt washout 4500, while the Costs relative
to thew Debts amounted to upwards of sett,ool% 'rho Petition
Rae read, and laid on the Table.-
Lord SIDMOUTH stated, that the Prime Regent would re-
eilive the Address on the subject of the Statute Book to-morrow.
Yawl STANUOVIL and Lord CALTHOILIM were then appointed
ss priraent the Adders, on the part of the House of Lords.
The Marquis of DOWNSHIRE, adverting to a statement
iinadiiiy bins nn a former occasion respecting Tithes in Ireland,
siited his having received a letter, in which It was set forth,
that in a particular instance leireland, for an meat of thirtreix
WA Miles, comprising sixteens United Parishes, there was only
one Church The Noble Marquis recommended to their Lord-
ship.' attention Mr. Pollock's Survey, which contained many va-
luable facts on tbls subject. It was clear that some remedy ought
to be provided.
RUG IN T'S CANAL.-.LAWRELATIVB TO CANAL COSIPANIVL
On the motion for the third reading of the Regent's
Canal. Bill, •
Earl STANHOPE stated, that the plan of .ma-
nagement by this Company had. been exceedingly
bad—that they bad not begun at any one end, and
therefore lost the benefit of tolls—that they had spent
all the money they had originally estimated as the
expense of the plan—that they were insolvent, and
Rot able to pay the demands against them, and now•
they came for leave to raise as much money again as
they had originally asked. His Lordship represent-
ed their plan of raising water from the Thames by
• four Steam-Engines as absurd; and also stated that
they were now to act, or had acted, in the teeth.of
the Act of Parliament. He did not mean to move
that the Bill be rejected. His Lordship then told a
story about a Dr. Keel, who had said that he had
given certain persona a broad hint. Being asked
what be said to them, he replied, that he said nothing.
Why, then, what did you do ?—I kicked them down
stairs. He did not, however, mean to give any
- broad hint of this kind to these Canal Managers,
among whom.were some very respectable persons;
but he thought a little hint would do them no harm;
nod he proposed an amendment, the effect of which
was, to hold them strictly to the terms, and within
the sum mentioned in the Bill.
Lord ROLLE complained that this objection came
by surprise. The Chairman and others of the Com
trainee on the Bill were not present, and he hoped tne
objection would not be persisted in.
Eat! STANHOPE.—It was no objection, hut an
amend's:eat, to prevent, as far as possible, the parties
from &eating themselves and others.
Earl GROSVENOR said. that the proceedings
in the Committee had been very candid; and. as the
Noble Earl did not mean to give the parties so broad
• a hint as to kick them down stairs, he hoped he
would not now' persevere in an amendment which
must send the parties to the other House.
The LORD CHANCELLOR did not mean to
object to the further progress of the Bill; but there
was something in the history of these Canal Bills
with which it would be, highly useful that the public
in general should be thoroughly acquainted. Their
Lordships required, when these Bills were brought
before them, that a Plan and an Estimate of the Ex.
pense of carrying it into execution, should be laid
before them at the same time. The principle upon
which a6ir Lordships required this was, that the
Public might have some protection. against the
schemes of these speculators—not meaning to apply
that term in any invidious sense to the parties con-
eerred in this Bill; on the contrary, he wished well
to the undertaking : but the meaning of presenting
the Plan and Estimate was, that such was the Plan
to be followed, and that the sum stated in the Esti.
mate was the utmost that would be required for car-
rying it into execution. Now this Company had
come to their Lordships with their Plan and Esti-
mate, and now they come to ask for double the
sum mentioned in that Estiniate.—(Thor, hear).—
The Noble Earl stated, that they might act in the
teeth of the law; but they could not act against the
law, unless individuals chose to permit them ; •tor
and this was what he was anxious the public should
be informed of—if they deviated one inch from the
proper line, or otherwise acted in the least contrary
to the law which gave them their powers, they would
on application to a court of equity, be enjoined in:
scantly ; and he visaed the public to be informed,
that it was now clearly established, that any indivi-
dual whose ground these companies might be pro. '
ceeding to break, might compel them to come to a
'court of equity, and confess, if the fact was so, that
theCnin:dated by them in the estimate laid before
Parliament would not be sufficient to carry the scheme
into execution ; and upon that confession they would
instantly be enjoined from breaking the ground of
that or any other individual ; for the foundation of
their authority and their engagement with the Legis-
lature turned upon this—that the sum stated by them
was sufficient to execute the plan ; and unless the
fund was sufficient to execute the whole plan, a court
of equity would enjoin them from executing any part
of it. If, therefore, when this company were about
to commence their operations between Paddiagton
and the Hampstead road, any individual having pro.
petty in their line had called them into a court of
equity, and had compelled them, by the ordinary
proceedings of such a court, to confess that the suns‘
mentioned in their estimate would net be sufficient to
terry the whole scheme into execution, they might
hue been prevented from breaking one inch of that
ground. These observations he 'threw outs rather
with a view to future schemes of this kind than to
the undertaking now more particularly under conside-
ration: bot if any man looked at the princtples,upon
which the. Legislature acted in giving these extraor-
dinary powers, and to the practice of these Compa-
nies for a long course of time, he would easily per-
ceive that the practice was in opposition to the prin.
tielt2 for, ever since the titne of the South Sea
ous of the grounds or principles upon which

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the asure petelittiving u..
that the mela •
b the estimate-Sur..
for the pairposeo view. .-Oh that principle
4 tent was pie to act.-Vadiiment also gave these
' powers on the -ground pairlinderscanding that the
Company would act. honourably and fairly towards
individuals and•their Lordships °nett to takes.=
that in these Bills it shonid be distinctly pointed out
against whom an individeal, who conceived himself
injured by the proceedings of such Companies, was
to institute his suit : for, in 19 cases tint of 20, indi-
viduals found themselves without relief, not because
they were not entitled to it, but because they did not
lenow against whom to seek it.
The Bill was ordered for a third reading to morrow
or Friday. '
The Saving Banks Bill, the Irish Insolvent Debtors'
till, the. American Oil Trqcle Bill, the Irish Distil-
lery Bill, the Irish Spirit License till, the Leathee,
Bill, the House of Correction Bill, the Clergy Resi
dente Bill, or Glebe Houses Bill, the Appropriationl
Bill, the Windsor Forest Bill, and others, were
brought from the Commons, and read a first time..
The Habeas Corpus Bill was returned from the
Commons with the Amendmepts agreed to.
Lord SIDMOUTH, after the Saiing Banks Bill
had been read a first time, stated, that objections
had been made to it from a quarter deserving of every
respect and attention; and that it was'not, therefore,
the intention to propose that it should pass this Ses.
sion. He moved, however, that it be printed, that,
the best means of consideration might be afforded
before the attention of the House should be called to
the subject next Session.
The Bill was accordingly ordered to be printed.