RURAL 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 poticy 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 hav2 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, fromthe 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 
