BUBAL COMMONS. 275 



the Bill came on at a reasonable hour, and Fawcett 

 made his motion. Aided by the late Mr. Locke, Q.C., 

 and Mr. Thomas Hughes, he produced such an impres- 

 sion on the House that the Government was compelled 

 to refer the subject to a Select Committee, and mean- 

 while to suspend further proceedings on the Bill. The 

 Chairman of this Committee was Mr. Cowper Temple ; 

 Sir William Harcourt and Fawcett were among its mem- 

 bers. The Committee went fully into the question of 

 inclosures, and the policy of the Inclosure Commis- 

 sioners in giving their approval to them, and framing 

 their orders. It became abundantly clear from the evi- 

 dence, that the Commissioners acted on the principle that 

 it was their duty, in carrying out the policy of Parliament, 

 to facilitate and promote inclosures as far as possible. 



The Committee came to the conclusion that the 

 provision made for the public and the labouring people, 

 where inclosures took place, was most inadequate. 

 They recommended many amendments of the Inclosure 

 Act of 1845, with the object of rectifying this great 

 scandal. They insisted upon the necessity of local 

 inquiries at hours, when the labourers would hav-3 the 

 opportunity of presenting their views. They advised 

 that no further schemes should be sanctioned until 

 the Act of 1845 had been amended. They struck 

 out the cases of Wisley Common, and Withypool Com- 

 mon, in Somersetshire, from the Bill before them the 

 one pending another inquiry as to the expediency of 

 extending the Metropolitan Commons Act to twenty- 

 five miles' distance from London, which would include 

 s 2 



