§ On Motion that this Bill be now read 2a,
§ THE DUKE OF NEWCASTLEsaid, that it ought to be made clear that the £17,000, which had accumulated as interest, was to be repaid, as well as the £80,000—capital sum—borrowed from the Exchequer Bill Loan Commissioners, before the opening of the bridge toll-free to foot passengers. This did not appear to be distinctly provided in the Bill, which only mentioned the suns of £80,000 with interest; but the interest already accrued raised the sum to £97,000. He was extremely glad that both the present and the late Governments had resisted the applications which had been so strenuously made to them for the abandonment of the whole of this sum, because, if they had yielded, it would have been a gross breach of faith, and might have led to the introduction of a very inconvenient and objectionable precedent. So far as the public interests were concerned, there was no argument in favour of opening this bridge free of toll which did not apply in a greater degree to all the metropolitan toll bridges.
§ THE EARL OF DERBYsaid, that it was the intention of the Government to provide by the Bill for the payment of the interest as well as the principal, and if that were not made sufficiently clear at present, the clause should be altered so as to leave no doubt upon the subject.
§ Bill read 2a (according to Order) and committed to a Committee of the whole House on Monday next.