278 BUBAL COMMONS. 



Finally, on the third reading of the Bill, the 

 Duke of Northumberland moved its rejection, on the 

 ground that it was an invasion of the rights of property. 

 The motion was carried against the Government by a 

 majority of sixty-five to fifty-three. 



It was not till the } 7 ear 1876, that the subject again 

 came before Parliament. In the meantime no further 

 inclosure orders were confirmed. Schemes for thus deal- 

 ing with thirty-eight Commons, with a large acreage, 

 had been approved by the Commission, and awaited 

 confirmation by Parliament ; but no new proceedings 

 were initiated. In these thirty-eight schemes, in 

 consequence of the views of the Select Committee of 

 1869, a considerable addition was proposed by the 

 Commissioners to the public allotments for recreation 

 and field gardens. Thus, in the case of Wisley, it was 

 proposed to devote sixteen acres to this purpose, in lieu 

 of the original two acres. In the case of Withy pool, 

 the one acre of 1869 was now increased to ten and 

 a half acres. But in the view of the Commons Society 

 even these allotments were insufficient in many cases, 

 and several of the Commons, included in the list, were 

 such as ought not to be inclosed, on the ground that no 

 public advantage was to be expected from such a course. 



In 1876, the Home Secretary, Mr. Cross, now Lord 

 Cross, introduced a measure for amending the Inclosure 

 Act of 1845. In many important respects it fell be- 

 hind the Bill of 1871, especially in the requirement of 

 allotments for public purposes. It left the question of 

 the quantum of allotments to the discretion of the Com- 



