TRINITY (NORTH LEITH) HARBOUR. (Hansard, 16 May 1836)

The Attorney General
said, that all persons in Edinburgh concurred as to the utility and necessity of making a good low-water pier there. He was in hope that the old harbour of Leith could be sufficiently improved to answer all the purposes of such a pier, and he had therefore proposed last Session, when this Bill was before the House, that the harbour of Leith should be improved for that purpose, He, at the same time, intimated, that if there should be no prospect this Session of the harbour of Leith being so improved he would offer no opposition to this Bill. When the Bill was brought in this Session, there being no such prospect then in existence, he had offered no opposition to it, but the prospect was now altered, and he believed, that before the end of the present Session a Bill would be passed for making the necessary improvements in the old harbour of Leith. He should, under these circumstances, propose that the further consideration of this Report should be postponed. He was the more inclined to do so, as he saw by the paper that his right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer had a motion for that evening 916 for the appointment of a select committee to consider of Leith Harbour debt. He (the Attorney General) was sanguine enough to hope, that the result of the labours of that committee would be, that Leith Harbour might be so improved as to do away with the necessity for this measure; and all he asked was, that the further consideration of this Report should be delayed until they had the Report of that committee before them. If then it should appear that there was no reasonable prospect of a Bill being passed this Session for the improvement of Leith Harbour, he would offer no further opposition to this Bill. It was most desirable, however, even for the promoters of this Bill, that that fact should be ascertained in the first instance. He had paid much attention to this subject last Session, and he had no doubt that when all the money was laid out in this adventure, there would be no return for it, if the harbour of Leith should be improved. The sentiments which he now uttered he spoke as those of the independent Member for Edinburgh, and as wholly unconnected with his Majesty's Government. He was wholly regardless of what the Government wished on this subject. He made the present proposition on general grounds, and from the conscientious belief that it was for the benefit of his constituents. Upon questions of greater importance he might be excused for saying, perhaps, that he had not made up his mind whether he should support or oppose the Government—but in a local concern like this, affecting the city of Edinburgh, he cared not one farthing what was the wish of the Government. With a view to the general interests of all concerned in this matter, he begged to move as an amendment that the further consideration of the Report be postponed till that day fortnight.

§ Sir Andrew L. Hay
did not expect any opposition to his motion, after this Bill had been before the House during two Sessions, and had passed through two committees. He called upon the House to do justice to themselves and the parties engaged in promoting this Bill, by allowing it to proceed through its different stages without further opposition. It might be of advantage to the constituents of his right hon. Friend the Attorney-General to have delay given to the measure, but it could not be to the general interests of the country.

§ Mr. Labouchere
said, that when this Bill was before the House last Session, he had proposed the postponement of it on the ground that the subject was under the consideration of Government and that time should be given to the Government to come to some arrangement. That time had been given; those efforts had been made on the part of the Government with a view to an arrangement with the city of Edinburgh, and up to that moment they had been unsuccessful, but he felt, that it would be a complete breach of faith on the part of the Government with the parties interested in this Bill, if it now endeavoured to prevent the passing of it this Session. After the means which had been tried for effecting an arrangement of this matter had been unsuccessful, he trusted that better success would attend the labours of the Committee for the appointment of which his right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer would move to-night. But he did not think, that it would be fair on the part of the Government to oppose this Bill now on such grounds. His right hon. Friend the Member for the city of Edinburgh, had a perfect right to act in this matter as his constituents desired, but the House should clearly understand, that on the part of the Government there was no opposition made to this Bill, The parties concerned in the Bill knew how the case stood; they knew that they took this measure at their own risk, and they were the best judges how far their interests would be served by the passing of the Bill.

§ Sir Edward Codrington
had attended the Committee on this Bill, being in no way personally interested in the matter, and was persuaded from the evidence taken before the Committee, that it was impracticable to make the required harbour at Leith, and that Trinity was the fittest of all positions for it. He certainly thought, that there should be no further interference on the part of the Government with this business, and that the matter should be allowed to take its course. A very heavy expense had been incurred by the promoters of the Bill, and it would be unfair to throw any more upon them. If they were satisfied with the speculation, they should be allowed to take it at their peril. He would repeat, that Trinity was the fittest position for a harbour.

Sir George Clerk
said, that he must vote for the proposition of the Attorney-General. With a view to the saving of time and unnecessary expense, an adjournment of the Committee bad been moved and carried 918 at an early stage of its proceedings till this very day. However, the next day the Chancellor of the Exchequer came down and objected to the adjournment, and a peremptory order was made by the House for the reassembling of the Committee. He agreed with the gallant Admiral in the opinion, that if his Majesty's Government should go into an inquiry into the debt due by the harbour of Leith to the Government, that inquiry must have for its object the making the harbour of Leith so improved as to prevent, a rival harbour from depriving it of the means of meeting the interest of its debt and sinking fund. The harbour of Leith would always have the superiority in warehouse and dock accommodation over any rival harbour. He was surprised that the Chancellor of the Exchequer had so long delayed the appointment of the Committee for which he was to move that night. He thought with the Attorney-General that the further consideration of the Report should be postponed till they had the report of that Committee. The House would then be able to understand whether a satisfactory arrangement could not be made by the Government in regard to Leith harbour. As long as there was a hope of such an arrangement being made they should delay the Bill.

§ The Attorney-General
observed, that it was impossible for the Chancellor of the Exchequer to have moved for the Committee sooner.

Mr. Baring
complained that the hon. Baronet had made a speech in answer to what he anticipated would be stated by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. There had been full notice to the parties concerned that the Government would take this course. He thought, that after the recommendation of the Committee last Session, and after the expectation then held out, it would be most unfair on the part of the Government to propose the further delay of this Bill.

List of the AYES.
Acheson, Viscount	Barclay, Charles
Agnew, Sir A., Bart.	Baring, F. T.
Ainsworth, P.	Baring, F.
Alsager, Captain	Barnard, E. G.
Attwood, Thomas	Barron, H. W.
Bagshaw, John	Barry, G. S.
Bailey, J.	Beckett, Sir J.
Baillie, H. D.	Bell, Matthew
Baldwin, Dr.	Bellew, Richard M.
Balfour, T.	Bish, Thomas
Bannerman, Alex.	Blackburne, John I.
Barclay, David	Blamire, W.

Bonham, R. Francis	Hume, J.
Bowring, Dr.	Humphrey, John
Brady, D. C.	Hurst, R. H.
Bridgman, Hewitt	Jervis, John
Brocklehurst, J.	Johnston, Andrew
Brotherton, J.	Kearsley, J. H.
Brownrigg, J. S.	Knightley, Sir C.
Browne, R. D.	Labouchere, Henry
Bruce, Lord E.	Lee, John Lee
Bruce, C. L. C.	Lefroy, Anthony
Byng, George	Lennox, Lord G.
Calcraft, J. H.	Lennox, Lord A.
Canning, Sir S.	Lincoln, Earl of
Cavendish, hon. G. H.	Loch, James
Chalmers, P.	Lowther, Col. H. C.
Chaplin, Col.	Lushington, Dr. S.
Chapman, Aaron	Mackenzie, S.
Chisholm, A.	Mackinnon, W. A.
Clements, Viscount	Maclean, Donald
Codrington, Sir E.	Macleod, R.
Colborne, N. W. R.	M'Taggart, J.
Crawford, W. S.	Marjoribanks, S.
Crawford, W.	Marsland, Henry
Dalbiac, Sir C.	Maule, Hon. Fox
Darlington, Earl of	Methuen, Paul
Denison, J.	Morpeth, Lord
Divett, E.	Morrison, J.
Dunbar, George	Mosley, Sir O., Bart.
Duncombe, T. S.	Musgrave, Sir R.
Dundas, J. D.	Nagle, Sir R.
Ebrington, Lord	North, Frederick
Elley, Sir J.	O'Connell, J.
Ellice, E.	O'Connell, M. J.
Ewart, W.	O'Connell, Morgan
Fazakerley, N.	Oliphant, Lawrence
Fector, John Minet	O'Loghlen, M.
Fergus, John	Packe, C. W.
Ferguson, Sir R.	Paget, Frederick
Ferguson, Robert	Parker, John
Ferguson, G.	Parnell, Sir H.
Finch, George	Pattison, J.
Fleetwood, Peter H.	Pease, J.
Forster, Charles S.	Pendarves, E. W.
Gaskell, J. M.	Philips, Mark
Gaskell, Daniel	Philips, G. R.
Gillon, W. D.	Plunkett, R.
Gladstone, Thomas	Pollen, Sir J., Bart.
Goulburn, Sergeant	Potter, R.
Greisley, Sir R.	Poulter, John Sayer
Grey, Sir Geo., Bart.	Roche, D.
Grote, G.	Roebuck, J. A.
Guest, J. J.	Rundle, J.
Hall, B.	Sandon, Lord
Handley, H.	Scholefield, J.
Hardinge, Sir H.	Scott, Sir E. D.
Hardy, J.	Scrope, George P.
Harland, W. Charles	Sharpe, General
Hastie, A.	Strutt, Edward
Hawkins, J. H.	Stuart, Lord James
Hector, C. J.	Stuart, V.
Henniker, Lord	Thompson, Colonel
Hindley, C.	Thorzesey, T.
Hobhouse, Sir J. C.	Tooke, W.
Hodges, T. L.	Turner, Wm,
Hope, hon. James	Vesey, Hon. Thomas
Howard, P. H.	Villiers, C.
Hughes, Hughes	Vivian, J. H.

Wakley, T.	Williams, W. A.
Walker, Richard	Wrottesley, Sir J.
Wallace, R.	Young, J.
Wason, R.	TELLERS.
Wigney, Isaac N.	Hay, Sir A. L.
Wilbraham, G.	Stanley, E. J.

List of the NOES.
Bethell, Richard	Pryme, George
Bradshaw, James	Rae, Sir Wm., Bart.
Buller, Sir J. B. Yarde	Ross, Charles
Estcourt, Thos. S. B.	Sheppard, T.
Forbes, Wm.	Trevor, Hon. Arthur
Jackson, Sergeant	Wemyss, Capt.
Murray, John Arch.	TELLERS.
Nicholl, Dr.	Clerk, Sir G., Bart.
Pringle, A.	Campbell, Sir J.