17 FEBRUARY 1866, Page 2

Lard Overstone asked on Monday whether Government in- tended to

compel railway directors to obey the law in the matter of issuing debentures. At present no purchaser can tell if the debenture lie is buying is legal or not. Lord Russell replied that Her Majesty's Government had no intention of doing anything of the kind, a reply easily explained by reference to the table in another column. There are one hundred and twenty railway directors in the House of Commons, and against that compact phalanx, legality, common sense, and honesty strive in vain. We must be grateful, in the present state of parties, that they do not compel us to take their debentures, whether we like them or not.