11 DECEMBER 1847, Page 9

POSTSCRIPT.

SATURDAY NIGHT. • The House of Commons spent the greater part of last night in Com- mittee on the Crime and Outrage (Ireland) Bill; not without renewed opposition from the Irish Members, first on the order of the day for going into Committee, and afterwards on the clauses. Several amendments to limit the bill were attempted. On clause 1, for instance, Mr. JOHN O'CON- NELL moved to add after the words "for the punishment and prevention of crime " the words " in certain districts." The object of the clause, Sir GEORGE GREY said, was to empower the Lord-Lieutenant to apply the bill to any part of Ireland; Mr. JoHN O'CONNELL said that his object was to limit the operation of the bill to the districts that were disturbed. There was an animated discussion, in the course of which Mr. MORGAN Rom O'Coszenu. urged his cousin to withdraw the amendment; but in vain. The House divided, and the amendment was negatived by 203 to 4. Other amendments of a like tendency were proposed; but no other division was attempted; and the whole of the clauses were passed.

Earlier in the evening, in reply to Sir ROBERT INGLIS, Viscount PAL- IIERSTON said that Lord Minto had not been to Rome in any official capacity, nor had any convention been signed by him. There is a doubt as to the legality of diplomatic intercourse with Rome; the doubt hanging on a single word—no one is to bold " communion " with Rome; but whether the word signifies religious communion or diplomatic intercourse is uncertain. How- ever, Government would not proceed until Parliament should have settled the doubt.

In reply to Lord JOCELYN, Mr. CORNEWALL LEWIS stated the official arrangements which have been made for the promotion of railways in India—

In the Calcutta Presidency it bad been decided to commence a railway from Calcutta to Delhi,—to be executed by a company called the East India Railway Company, at a cost of 3,000,0001. sterling: the Indian Government find the land, and guarantee interest upon 3,000,0001. for twenty-five years at 5 per cent ; the Government to have the option of purchasing at the end of twenty- five or fifty years. A similar arrangement had been made with a company called the Great Indian Peninsular Railway Company, for a railway from Bombay to a town about thirty-five miles North-east of Bombay; the guarantee in that case extending to 500,0001. No arrangement had been made with respect to Madras.

The House of Lords did not sit yesterday; standing adjourned from Thursday last till Monday.

The House of Commons met at noon today, to receive the report on the Crime and Outrage (Ireland) Bill; the third reading to be taken on Monday.