The Express. — London, England, 1853-03-08 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT by comparing it with that of the church schools. (Hear, hear.) But, low as it was, it was exaggerated—he did not mean to say that they intended to deceive--hat they gave the result of the inspection of 93 'cheek by the head inspectors, Mr. Macready and Dr. Pause.' The number of scholars on the rolls under Mr. Ilacread_re inspection was 3,0b3, the number present 4,1146 ; under Dr. Patten 2,750, present 1,319. The atnedanar, amnion, was less than half the number on the roils ; whereas the public was told that the average anodises was above half. As to the numbers who were receiving permanent instruc tion, it did not amount to one-tenth of the whole. The last point in the scheme of national education was the union and co-operation of tbe wenn geaerally. It appeared from the report of Mr. ICCreedy, Head In. specter of Schools, that in 193 schools which he inspected, the local aid given was 1931. and • fraction, being little more than IL for each school. There were 4,676 schools in Ireland; so that the amount of local aid given would pro &slily amount to 4,6934. Yet the local aid given to the Church Education Society schools was 40,7001., and the aid given to them and the other schools not under the National Board could not be less than 64,0001. The local aid, therefore, to these schools, as compared with the National Schlola, was es 3 to 1 ; and he himself believed that it was as 10 to 1. Did not this prove that the two systems were held le very different estimation ? It was said that habits of industry and order, respect for the law, and provident economy, were the results of a good education. lie sawn symptoms of then in Ireland. There was an absolute I. crease of ignorance in the population of 31 to 43 sines the establishment of the National Board, and com paring Munster, where the system was most in operation, with Ulster the predominance of ignorance was as 46 to 33. Again, if he compared Limerick with Belfast, two towns which were pretty limit aiy circumstanced with re spect to population and natural advantages, he found that the number of persons receiving relief in the former was 17,551, and in the latter only 6,571. He mentioned this, because it was supposed that industry and independence were a consequence of education With respect to crime, the proportion of criminals in Munster was to that of Ulster as 3to 1. The number of committals in 1841 was 20,796, and in 1851, with • population diminished by 1,500,004, and with the national system of education in operation an that time, the committals amounted to 24,684. It WO a curious and significant fact, that in the reports of the Society of Friends, who had endeavoured to effect so much good for Ireland, no reference had been made in praise of these schools. Too long had Ireland been the victim of neglect, too lone had her energies been kept back and repressed, till she became a bye-word of disgrace to the English govevnment. He trusted their lordships would at least liberate her from an absurd and vicious policy, and no longer force people to be educated together. Let them not attempt to bring the protestant and the Rotuma catholic clergy to work in the cause of education. They might as well try and unite oil and water. The only effect v mild be that they would then neither wash nor give light. Let the schools be conducted separately, they would then bo rivals of each other, and oath would probably improve under such a system. The prank system was mischievous in the extreme. Ile had MIR PIO marked to Roman catholic' that the people preened rise under protestant and free governments and the arms ho received "We live here under a tree govereseeM is et give us a fair development andjws will not be hand." Let them act upon this plan, and their lo would confer a great benefit on the people of Irel and. noble earl concluded by moving for the following rennet "Copy of the returns furnished by the commissionseeof editions] education in Ireland to his Excellency the Earl of Eglinton, when Lord Lieutenant, 'of the number of chil dren attending each of the national schools in Ireland, and of the religious denominations to which they belong,' as referred to in the 14th page of the Eighteenth Report of the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland : List of the vested schools, stating-1. Parish in which situated' 2. Date of connexion with board; 3. Name and religiose( teacher; 4. Amount of salary from board ; 6. Animists, local aid given towards teacher's salary in the way of sobs seriptions during the year referred toes the eighteenth report; 6. Amount of school fees paid during same period; 7. Whether there is • residence provided for the teacher; 8. Name and religion of patron; 9. Number of children an the roll of each such school ; distinguishing the number of doe imtabliahed church, of presbyterians, of protestant die seaters, and of Roman catholic); 10. Whether the' Scrip ting Lessons' were habitually used during the hours of united instruction for the same period. Similar returns respecting the non-vested schools. Return from the clerk of this house of the respective dates at which each of the Annual Reports of the Commissioners of National Educa tion in Ireland have been laid upon the table of this house, and of the dates at which they have been respectively distributed to the members of this house." The Earl of ABERDEEN said the noble earl had stated that the system of national education in Ireland had entirely failed, and that it was vicious in its very conception. Ile (the Earl of Aberdeen) was ready to admit that it had not tess so seseseshl as was expected when it was first pro pelled by the nth earl opposite (Derby). But if it had not ben nestutel to the full extent, to what was that owing ? Was it not owing to the noble earl and his friends ? (Hear, hear.) He lamented that a large proportion of the clergy of the established church of Ireland had from the first op posed the operation of this system. Wherever it had re ceived the support of the clergy it was uniformly successful, and if they had but followed the example of the learned, melons, and enlightened prelate who had been from the Ant at the head of the board of national education, the success of the system would have been commensurate with szent. (Hear, hear.) But it was the misfortune of bulami that every attempt made for its improvement had bees also, always converted to purposes of sectarian difiereeeine whether religious or political. (Hear, hear.) As he so he mould understand the noble earl he would penes to separate the protestant from the limn at schools altogether. But was the noble sari prepared to follow that principle and its consequences ? The plan proposed by the noble sari was the plan approved of by the most virulent of the Roman catholic party. (Rear, heir.) He believed that some of their most distil swished prelates weld warmly support the proposal of the edit earL (bar.) I f they gave separate grants to Ike Men Society, they must be prepared to u s ele o repentemele grans to the Roman catholic*, who In teener the population, or who, at all events, Sneed an Jansen majority of the population. (Hear, ben.) If they admen that system they would be recog nising through painginnt that system of separation, that sectarian spirit, will& mos the bane of Ireland. (Hear, hear.) There might be nem he improvement in some of the rules of the Naked Heard. Ho did not know how that was, but be non* think it the greatest misfortune to Ireland if the poneiple of the system was not preserved intact. (Hew, hear.) The noble earl opposite who introduced this system had conferred • benefit on that country of which he might reasonably feel proud ; and, not withstanding the eppesition which it met with from a l arg e portion of the insesseent clergy, he hoped that by a steady adherence to the pthhige on which that system was formed it would ultimately be die means of preening large adnn tascheeto the rank et Inland. (Hear.) Earl of EGLINTON said that then could be but eneginion am ino& hair lordships as to tbe desirableness "fin the Ink people a liberal education. When he Sent) that three-fon:taw of the clergy of Ireland, Including the Primate, the Bishops of Ossory and Meath, and the noble earl, who was sae of the best resident landlords in Ireland, were append to the system of national education, he .wined that he thought there must be something wens is it, and he went to Ireland with, Neuritis& • peoludiee against it. But after having paid uaremitting attention to the subject, he came to the wesehmion that though there was much which might in his °pinks be altered with advantage, there was no way of out the wishes of the party to which the noble earl e b i e r l y oZi without running the risk—nay, incurring the cer tainty, of driving away the whole of the Roman catholic body from the schools. (Hear, hear.) lie could not, there fore, propose any clangs which would have that most dan gerous tendency. The Earl of CLARENDON said he trusted that their lordship would not, by holding out any . expectations of a change, prevent any one from co-operating in giving the best effect to • system which he believed to be better adapted than any other for supplying a good education to the poorer classes of the people in IreLnd. (Hear, hear.) The Bishop of LIMERICK said that the national system had bcen much misrepresented and calumniated. He bad been resident 32 years in Ireland, during which period be bad occupied most neponsible situations. He had resided nine years in Dublin; he had been 17 years rector of the large and populous parish of Rostra, in Tipperary; he was then appointed to the deanery of Limerick, the see of which he now tilled ; he had had ample time and opportunity to observe the working of the system; and it was his sincere conviction that no system of education was so well suited for Ireland as the national system. (Hear, hear.) The Bishop of LONDON said that the sys tem upon which the existing schools were based might be excellent in theory, but in practice it had entirely failed. It was impossible to carry out a system of combined education upon the mixed principle in a country like Ireland, which was antagonism between two great sections of the people ; it was, in fact, impossible to unite Roman Catholics and Protestants in schools where re ligious instruction was to be afforded, and the consequence was that wherever these so-called national schools had becu established, the religions element has been entirely 'hom inid. The Bishop of NORWICH having resided much in be hold, and having always taken a warm and active interest ha the subject, was reluctant to allow the discussion to lON without saying a few words upon it. He believed they ware all agreed to this, that no private or national system ofeclacation could be considered at all perfect if it did not embrace the religious element, but to apply . the religious element to schools open to different denominations was a difficult if not an impossible task, nor was the difficulty at all removed, as some noble lords seemed to fancy, if in the country where the schools existed there was • vast dispro portion between protestaats and Roman catholic'. He thought the noble lord at the head of the late go yernment did well in directing the commissioners to make supplementary grants to protestant schools ; and if the plan was carried out upon that principle, there was lido doubt that the blessings of religious education would soon work • wonderful change in the social and moral con dition of the people of Ireland. (Cheers.) The Earl of HARROWBY thought that instead of indulging in • such uncalled-for censures, they ought I to busy themselves in ascertaining, through the nige.,,,en_ I tality of a committee of inquiry, what had %teen the effect of the mixt 4 system of education in Ireland. (Hear.) , The Hirt of DERBY tally concurred with the noble earl who hail just sat down. It was high time that they had some fra.ts of the working of the system, and until they had some positive evidence of the working of the system, it was most unjust and most ungenerous to be continually laying its failure at the door of the protestant clergy of HOUSE OF LORDS.—HONDAY, MARCII 7. Tim LORD Cita:imam' took his mat at 5 o'clock. PETI ['IONS PRESENTED. 111•71100111.-By th. Earl of EOLLNTON, from • place in Scotland, against. PARLI Pars:Kn.—By Lord LYTTELTON, from Redditeh, in Worerstenbire, and other places; the Earl of CARLISLE. from Portsra. Plymouth, and many other places; and the Earl of CARDIGAN, from the Royal Institution of BJuth Wales, prayinf for the fres distribu tion of their lordships' palms to literary and scientific in stitutions. _ . ------- ADYIIIIOX OF TIME Jaws TO P•HLIAMSNT.—By the Earl of CLANCARTY, from places in St. Asaph, Cork, Lincoln, Armagh, Stafford, York, Lancashire, and Berke ; and the Earl of SHAIL'ESIICILY, tram Brotherton and other places, against. M. DIAZZINI. The Earl of lIALMESBURY wished to put a question to the noble earl opposite as to • paragraph which had ap peared in that day's newspapers, and m some French Journals, to the effect that M. Musini having es caped from Lombardy had repaired to Genoa, and bad there been taken on board her Majesty's ship, Retribution, and conveyed to Malta. He did not wish to be misunderstood as to his reason for asking the question hi was about to put. When his noble friend be hind him was at the head of the government, both his noble friend awl himself had taken care to state that they should consider the privileges which foreigners enjoyed in this country to be inviolable. He had not in the least degree altered his feelings from that moment to this, and be felt certain that no English minister, let him bo imbued with what sentiments be might, would have the wish, and if he had, he would not have the power, to induce parliament to alter the con luct of the country towards foreigners. (Hear, hear.) But 'opposing the re;.ort to which he had referred to be true, and considering the deck of an English man-of war the same as British sod, he thought if the agitator to whom he referred had been received on board of one of her Majesty's ship when he was in no personal danger, it bad been, to say the lead of it, a most id-judged act of humanity on the part of her captaiu. He felt certain that in Sardinia, where he was happy to say that • constitutional government existed, M. Mu alai, or any other refugee, would not be in dan ger of his life. He probably would have received an order to quit the country, because the position of Sardinia being very different to that of England, she could hardly maintain • number of refugees hostile to her neighbours. If M. Menial had gone there, flying from Austria, he might have used the common conveyances open to the public, and there could not have been any positive obligation for his making use of one of her Majesty's ships. Their lord ships must see the inconvenience that would arise if her Majesty's ships were to be made mere passenger ships to convey discomfited agitators and conspirators nz cost her Majesty's allies to some other point of destination . - Viewing the eirenrustences of the cue in this light, and not haying altered his opinion as to the refuge which should be given to refugewpliticiens in England, seeing, moreover, no reason why M. Massini should have been received on board one of her Majesty's ships, he wished to izquire whether the report that had been so received was correct ? The Earl of ABERDEEN said that as to the question of refugees, haviog so recently expressed his opinion on that subject, he need not repeat it • and with reference to the question wLich the noble earl had put to him, he was unable to give any reply to it, as her Majesty's govern ment bad not received any information oa the subject. THE SYSTEM OF NATIONAL EDUCATION IN The Earlof CLANCARTY nee, pursuant to notice, to call attention to the operation of the natienal system of education in Ireland, and to move for certain returns on the subject. It was a topic which had occupied a place in the speech of the noble earl at the head of the government when he accepted office and also last year, when he was on the opposition side of the hecee ; and having been treated by the noble earl as a subject of paramount importenee, he trusted their lordships would give him their attention, for a short time, whilst he endeavoured to bring before them some facts as to that system, which had now been for 21 years in operation in Ireland. The returns for which he was about to move, and which he was happy to hear would not be opposed, would tend to show the nigher the alleged great success of the national schools, and the rea sons f,r which they were established. They would at least afford some official evidence of considerable value. The Ist* and irregular periods at which such returns had here tofore been made altogether defeated the object for which they were presented. The last report for 1051 was only communicated to their lordships on the 15th of last month. These reports ought, however, to be presented in time to enable members of parliament to consider them before their duties commenced. As to the operation of the system there were various opinions, bat within the walls of parliament a great deal was said in its favour; it had been jealously sup ported by every government sines it had been introdum and no statesmen liked to shake the prestige of its jovial'. batty. The commissioners were men of great talent, sad their reports were brought forward with a greet show of success. The public were also deluded by the visits of Leg& Lieutenants to the model schools In Dublin, whit& ears pointed out to them as samples of those whisk et! spread the country, end thoee admirably managed entities tended greatly to mislead the public. The want Lord-Lieutenant, when Secretary for Ireland, visits' am of the rural national schools whilst he was a_gmost Ifs noble earl, a member of that house, at Clare. Hsi went la the national school there, and admired everything and cow plimented the muter. One of the effects of this national system of education was said to be that it spread loyalty and good feeling throughout the country ; but the 1111 book which the aoble lord opened presented to lila Ili word., " Hurrah for repeal"—(laughter)--4hon one SIMI seditious expression from a newspaper, awl the SOW mo t St. Patrick was a geatleman"—(renewed brassistse)--sei whether it had refnence to religion or politiek to wad that St. Patrick was a gentleman, and a proemial wigs man too. (Much laughter.) One of the beet rdeundlatt the system was the excellent schoolhouses, which ,s. Ma best in the laud, and they taught the people to smokier how largely the subject of education ought to occupy their attention ; but those who visited the rural schools, and looked for the moral and intellectual improvement as the legitimate result of a system of national Ns. cation which bad been is ex is tence for twenty-am Tears were cliespmiatod ; sad he believed it arse" ball the rsetrietioa pat upon the reading of God's mid by the poor people of Inland. The system did not week as it was expected to do, and was altogether a failure. The commissioners la their last report said that twenty mein had elapsed since the introdastion d was fir sa. timid education ; and after the meat MMoo "MA bad had to eneonater, they were otevimed that it lad anei l taken a deep root is the affeations of the people ; Mt other plan mold have hoes devised whisk sines ham ma imed such issetionlio hisestazz ia lbs e lm i cir s and and that the iatellealsil sad moral had boon greatly monsted by it. He, however, dimwitted alto gether from the posesse which they said the eystom bad made. There was its insismos, however, that the smart expressed the opinion if Ma amminioners, for, wilasty to all rule, it was only stood by the secretary. Now, what was the value of what they had put forward ? They said that, at the glom of 1851, the slumber of schools open was LEM ; that there was an lionmos let the attendants In 1861 as compared with 1150; sad that the samba of attendants was 530,092. There was, bowome, seas mason to doubt the accuracy of this statement They mid that the number of children who would re to be losught tato Midi easels was about •Ge 04.911. of the wild, Mos, tad sue half of whom INNS eligible. bMlaea Tama 13 yossi .cage. Tim maim belant i M eL d, *Mead tlikpopulatien hod d It sommted, la 1561, to 4,880,0 M. Ihalgratios lad gone on sime mass Ma_♦moot repidi7, and the population was now sedum* be 5,118,800. Om-seventh of that amber would be cleat 85,880, sad ens-kalf of whisk wail be MON; mil It the smendoolinam wow mossia, the pietist aushiidtho attandasts at their Rehab ossomisd that number by alma 80,000. But, it moist be borne is mind, that shoot the animal system of edoestlat bad beoi%sts- UMW, the Church Education &eddy, whisk awn edu cated 100,000 children, the Trials Chula Mimics', sad the Irish Societe—all veluable inseitatiess—had NM into existence. The Roman emboli" primes oho educated some children privately. Now he NM& use to all these institutions as educating 150,000 eldkimo, and If be diet that number to the ammo odd whisk the asemisimers took credit for, it would make oso,olo. He theaait there was some reason to doubt the mansey of this. The GNl zeisaimers themselves seemed to do se, for it appeased they looked to the patrons of the schools for these returns, many of wham put their signatures to them In liaglaad, the re turns being made in Ireland. In the report the sonnis- Konen also deprecated inquiry into the subject; and said that is future they would publish the average daily attend. awe at the schools. How much more satisfactory it would have Men if they had done so in the present instance. It was taken down daily by the teachers, and why was it not published ? They stated the average attendance to be more than one-half of the number on the books; and if they re ferred to the fact of the attendance at the schools of the Church Educational Society it was about four-sevenths. They spoke highly of these schools, and justified the low average attendance at their own bawls by referring to the schools of this society. He wanted to know, then, on what ground It was excluded from any par hantentary assistance ? He was ashamed to say that it was because the Bible was read in these schools ; and that was in a protestant state. (Hear, hear.) What right had they to call their schools national from which they excluded a great body of the church of Ireland? He understood by the votes of the other house of parliament that this pnnei ple was to be extended. He would say, God forbid that 'his principle should ever prevail in Ragland, .or in Scot land, the country of the noble earl, and which owed so much to scripture reading ; and God grant that such a m um in Ireland might rapidly pass away. But to return to the r•Port. The average of attendance at the scripture schools was low, but it mast be remembered that they la. Soured under many disac . iv . "`;; the y were placed at cinsiderable distances horn each ether ; bad the unmitigated oppositi , 'n of the Roman Ca tholics ; and from a want of funde—there being • total absence of all public grants. The re luisitcs necessary I for carrying on the business of the schools e.iuld not a l ways be obtained. On the oth er h an d , t h e nation. at school' and had I ev-r) requisite—th e y had the : most commodios. , schools the best school.ho• se-. sad they hyl, or might I o have, the e ,, r , taid support of the Roman catholic clergy, is, the Y h a d of the presbyterian clergy, who formerly object.. tc the system; but who, to promote the advantage of the tr had separated themselves from then gat protestans. tom musity of Ireland For these reasons the notional set oo s had no right to attempt tojeatdi a low aver age attend • THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, MARCH 8, 1853. Ireland. (Hear, hear.) The system of united education he confessed be thought had been a failure. It was not enough to say there were so many of the children of catholic., presbyterians and pedestals ought 'to show what was the admidithe -fa the. t schools. Mush mast be left to the dismays M the individual patrons ; and where a parson bed put *seal( at the head el a school, be lie lay Or clerked, if he was deter mined to work out the system. there he (the Earl of Derby) was seaddent they would find a peed mesa) education to be given to the children of both protest ants and catholic., and that sound religions edu cation would also be given to • both separately ; and then, too, he hoped would be found MN improvement in the moral habits of the people. (Hear, hear.) But let the system be as bad as it was said to be by those meet opposed to it, it had effected great good. (Hear, hear.) He did not mean to say that the existing rules might not be modified, but if they departed from the original intention founded on the reports of a committee of inquiry of the Home of Commons, end a body of moat eminent, pions, and learned commissioners—if they did away with the in troduced and principle of the system, so and established, they would run the greatest risk of sacrificing all the advantages which had been gained by the 20 years practice of that system • and they would incur the probability of introduciog muc h more formidable difficulties, and not only diminish the amount of education now actually given in Ireland, but they would separate altogether the feelings and habits of the popula tion of both denominations in that country. They would also run the risk of throwing that which they were most desirous to keep oat of their hands—namely, the education of the large bulk of the Catholic population—into the power of the Roman Catholic clergy. (Hear, hear.) They must then give their separate aid on the part of the State to all separate denominations of Christians, leaving them to ma nage the religious portion of their schools, and exercising no control of the government over the spiritual des potism of the Roman Catholic priesthood ; or they must sacrifice something of the integrity of the principle they were willing to introduce, and rely on the exertions of the clergy for spiritual instruction. The habits of Ireland, her position and circumstances, were so totally different from those of England that they could not draw any sondu lion that whet would work well in the one country would do for the other. He should deprecate any attempt to as troduce the Irish system of education into England ; sod he felt that the amendment put on the votes of the other house was not for the purpose of iatroducing that system into England, but merely for the purpose of causing an in quiry into the working of the system. They might depend on it that any attempt to introduce the Irish system into England would be a failure—(hear, hear)—bnt he felt desirous to meet even the religious prejudice of the Irish clergy ; but he felt also that the total subversion of this system, and the introduction of separate grants accordiag to each denomination, would produce more disadvantage than benefit; and in endeavouring to avoid partial evils, they would inflict on Ireland a great calamity, and sacrifice that which, even yin its present working, was producing moat beneficial results. (Hear, hear.) The Marquis of LANSDOWNE said that so great a pre ponderance of the argument had been in favour of the na tional system of education, that it was not necessary for him to add anything ; but as to the expediency of entering into a large inquiry now on the subject, he would recommend their lordships to pause, and seek fur all the information they could obtain before they consented to such a course. The Earl of CLANCARTY replied. lie said he felt greatly relieved by what had fallen from the noble earl the late prime minister, as it saved him the necessity of an swering the noble earl at the head of the government. The noble earl (the Earl of Derby) had vindicated the course taken by the protestant clergy, declaring that they were not, in his view—and his view was to them very important --chargeable with obstinacy in refusing to support the na tional system. As to the noble earl's (Aberdeen's) reflec tions upon himself, the indignation with which he was filled at his observations, he confessed that this wee matter of in difference to him, seeing that the noble earl's observations were made in implicit reliance on the report, which he (the Earl of Clancarty) had taken to pieces from the mate rials presented by itself. The noble earl said the national system superseded one which was highly objectionable. He must have been thinking of the hedge schools; whereas the national system superseded one under which 300,000 children received a sound scrip tural education. As to the objection that he should follow up his motion for returns with one for enquiry, he must re mark that, though he thought it advisable that an enquiry should be instituted by the government, yet entertaining the decided views that he did with regard to the whole system, he was not the person from whom a proposal of that kind should emanate. The motion was then agreed to, and their lordships ad journed at 20 minutes to 10. HOUSE OF COMMONS.—MONDAT, Komi 7. The house met at the usual hour. NEW MEMBER. . . Mr. BL/LII took the DachaT.ndl;U seat as member for Galway borough. PRIVATE BUSINESS. - The Copper Miners of England, Midland Railway (Amendment of Acts, ite.), Scottish Midland Junction Railway, and Shipley Gas, Bills, were severally read a second time. The English aid Australian Copper Company Bill wa postponed until Friday unit. LANDS IMPROVEMENT COMPANY BILL. onii;;;Tie;70;11; second reading of this bill, Mr. WILSON, on behalf of t►e government, consented to the second reading of the bill, with the understand ing that the right to alter clauses in committee was re served. Bill read a second time. PUBLIC BUSINESS. _ PETITIONS PRESENTED. Jswrsa DIFIABiL7TIRS .... .iriii;7I.7KING, from the parishes of Orleton end Dormington, in Herefordshire; Mr. BURROUG HES, from Lodilon and other places in Nor folk; Sir G. HHATHCOTE, from Barley, Rutlandshire ; Mr. CHILD, from Kidsgrove and Burton-on-Trent, in Staffordshire; and from Alford and Spilsby, Lincoln shire, against the removal of. OPINING OP TRH CRYSTAL PALACH ON SUNDAYS.—By Mr. H. VIVIAN, from congregation of Bethesda Chapel, Truro; Mr. C. TURNER, from the inhabitants of Liver. pool worshipping at St. Paul's Church, or iahabit;ng that district, against. By Mr. J. FOX, (3) from inhabitants of the Tower Hamlets, (1) from Southwark and Finsbury, (I) City of London, for. MATSOOTH GRANT.—By Mr. KINNAIRD, from the congregation of free church of Scotland at Clunie, Perth shire ; Sir G. HEATHCOTE (3), from a place in Rutland shire ; Mr. ADDERLEY (3), from the rector, church wardens, and inhabitants of Ashley, Staffordshire ; Mr. COWAN, from the synod of the united original seceders ; t. rARLIAHINTARY PAPHILS.—By Mr. R. CLIVE, from the Redditch Literary Institute, prying for supply of. CASE OF EDWARD MUSHAT.—By Mr. FOX, Mr. AL COCK, and Mr. PHINN, from inhabitants of the metro polis. Also, by Mr. EWART, Mr. FOX, Mr. L. KING, Mr. BELL, Mr. ALCOCK (4), and Lord D. STUART, praying for interference in the case of. Airronnars' CRUTIPICATI DUTY.—By Mr. ADDER LEY, from the solicitors of Uttozeter ; Mr. H. BROWN, from the attorneys of Tewkesbury ; Mr. H. BERKELEY, from the attorneys of Bristol ; against, OCEAN PINNY Po:tracts —By Mr. DAVISON, from the ministers and deacons of the Congregational Church, Dowgallatreet, Belfast, in favour of. POPISH AGGRESSION AND INSPECTION OP CONVINTS. —By Mr. ADDERLEY, from the rector, churchwardens, and inhabitants of Ashley, Staffordshire—one 'Oast Pqish aggression, and two for inspection of convents. MIPRWINNTATION OP LONDON UNITIRSITT.—By Mr. H. BERKELEY, from the lecturers of the Bristol Medical School, praying for. CONSOLIDATED ANNUITIES.—By Mr. SADLEIR, from the ratepayers of the electoral division of Ballyarthur, in the union of Mitchelatown, praying for • remission of. AUSTRIAN AND FRENCH TROOPS IN Boaz.—By Mr. CRAUFURD, from the inhabitants of Bannockburn, praying for an address to her Majesty to intercede for the withdrawal of. Slizairre BILL.—By Mr. HASTIE, from the provost, magistrates, and council of Paisley, that the Sheriffs Bill be referred to committee. BOSTON ELECTION. The SPEAKER informed the house that he had received a letter from the agent to the petition against the return for the borough of Boston, stating that it was not the inten tion of the writer to proceed with the petition. GUILDFORD ELECTION PETITION. Lord SEYMOUR reported from the select committee ap pointed to inquire into the allegations of the petition against the return fur the borough of Guildford that Messrs. Mangles and Bell had been duly elected, and that the com- mittee had come to the following resolution :—" That the allegations of bribery and treating contained in the petition had been made without reasonable grounds, and were frivo lous and vexations. The committee therefore ordered that all costs connected with the investigation of said allegations be paid by petitioners and the sureties to the petition." (Heer, bear ) KINGSTON UPON-HULL. Mr. LABOUCIIIERE reported from the select committee appointed to inquire into the subject matter of • petition complaining of an undue return for the borough of King ston-upon-Hull, that Lord Cluderich and Mr. Clay bad not been duly elected, and that the last election was a void elec tion. The committee had further resolved that said mem bers had by their agents been guilty of bribery and treating but that it was not proved, to the satisfaction of the com mittee, that such bribery and treating had been committed with the knowledge and consent of the sitting members. They found that John Walker had been engaged as an agent in carrying out this system of bribery. They had reason to believe that corrupt practices bad prevailed at the Lit election, and that a system elistee. both at the last and at former elections of bribing the P xirer electors by pay ments of 30s. per head. In punua'Ace of these resolutions of the committee, the right hon., member moved that the minutes of the evidence be laid '.iefore the house, and gave notice of a motion for this day for prohibiting the issue of a new writ for the Borough of Kingston-upon-Hull before the 12th of April neat. RYE. Sir .1. PAKIN9TOYi reported from the select commit' appointed to try the raerits'of the petition against the re turn for the Boron , 111 of Rye, that W m. Alex. 111.bannon, Esq., had not bees', duly elected ; and that the late elective war a void election; that the said Win A. fd . liinnon, Esq., had, by kis upants, been guilty of treating at the last elec tion ; and that on the first day of the inquiry the said Wm. A. Ild'Einnon, Esq., had declared him self unable to disconnect himself with the charge of treating at is is en the tad July, 1862, and that bias s sadoW Ike comaitteo melt &elan the elation mid he had determined not to deem& Ws me. The committee t-ittilsmittad of ten obelus lila had ressived a lin of paresis charged with gide ll* bands and of 29 paddle-houses in whisk mean. ist the in terest of the lining member had been carried an betwiffin the months Of June and August in the last year. The committee taking into consideration the nature and extent of the above allegations, recommend an investigaticia under the provisions of the 6 and 6 Vic., but pending such in quiry, had sot thought it necessary to catmint, the sitting member, or his agent. The report concluded with mom seaadateen that there should be no new election for the beneath of Rye until the result of such inquiry had been aessatained. (Hear, hear) NOTICES OF MOTIONS. VNIVERSITY TESTS SCOTLAND. • The LORD ADVOCATE gave notice for Monday next, to move for leave to bring in a bill to regulate the admission to lay chairs in the Scotch universities. BANKRUPT LAW, SCOTLAND. The same 'ion. and learned MEMBER gave notice, foe as early dai after Easter, to move for leave to bring in a bill to amen.! the Bankrupt Law of Scotland. The following motions were agreed to without diem- Ilket Tlik CORPORATION OF LONDON. On the motita of Sir B. HALL, return of the number of bills for which petitions have been presented by the Corpo ration of London, in each year since the Ist day of October, 1837, setting Corti. the name and title of each blil, and dis tinguishing the cases in which the petitions for the bills were referred to the Select Committee on Standing Orders, in consequence of non-compliance with those orders. CORRUPT PRACTICES AT ELECTIONS. On the motion of Mr. PHIIIN, return of the number of petiticas against the return of any member or members elected i sit in parliament for any . county, riding, division of a county, city, borough, town, claque port, or place re turning members to sit in parliament, presented since the 29th day of January, 1833, complaining that en h return was void, on the ground that bribery, treating, or corrupt practices, had prevailed at such election, such return to state in what manner suck petition was disposed of ; and, in cue of the committee nominated to determine the allega tions of any petition having reported that the members or member petitioned against had, by themselves or their agents, been guilty of bribery or treating at such election, or that corrupt practices had prevailed thereat, or at any previous election, such return to state the resolutions of the committee, as reported to the house, in full. POSTAL INTERCOURSE. _ - - On the motion of Mr. H. HBRBRAT—Copy of a letter bearing date the 31st day of January, 1833, from Mr. Howell, secretary to the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company, to Bir Charles Trevelyan, relative to a proposed improvement of the postal intercourse between England and Ireland. - ORDNANCE. On the motion of LorciiiiiiOtnßeturns of the store keepers, deputy storekeepers, clerks, and others attached to the several ordnance establishments abroad, for the year ending January, 1853, stating pay and allowances of every description, and all contingent or other charges for each establishment, with a summary of the numbers of each class and of the entire charge iacurred ; of the commissa riat officers, clerks, and subordinate persons employed at the several stations in the year ending January, 1853, stat ing their rates of pay and allowances of every description, the total charge for each station, with a summary of the entire charge ; and, of the al stations abroad where there as establishments for naval and for victualling stores, stating the pay and allowances of the storeksepers, agent ' victuallers, clerks, or other persons in charge of the stores ; distinguishing stations where the naval and victualling stores are under one storekeeper, and also where the de pots of victualling stores are in charge of the commissaries. LIGHTHOUSES. On the motion of Il;.litrx;X:&Pi of the estimates of expense of erection, and of expense of maintenance of an iron lighthouse on the west end of the island of Guernsey, obtained from the Admiralty from Mr. A. Gordon (to com plete the copies ordered by the house 22nd April, 1852, and ordered to be printed 16th Nov., 1862). Address for statement of what meuures have been adopted respecting the erection, management, and superin tendenoe of lighthouses in the British colonies and poems sions (in continuance of parliamentary papers moved for by Mr. Hume, 22nd April, 1852). POOR RELIEF. On the motion of Sir R. k usousow—Summary of re turns, showing, by counties, the total number of paupers (in-doer and out-door) in receipt of relief on the Ist day of January, 1852, and the lit day of January, 1853, is the unions in Ireland, specifying the increase or decreue in the latter as compared with the former period (in the same form as Parliamentary paper, No. 185, of session 1863). Summary of returns, showing the number of adult able bodied paupers (male and female), exclusive of vagrants, in receipt of relief, on the Ist day of January, 1852, and the Ist day of January, 1853, in the unions in Ireland, showing the increase in the latter as compared with the former period. And, return showing the number of able-bodied paupers relieved in all the Unions in Ireland on the lit day of January, 1862, and the let day of January, 1853, com prised in the return No. 2, but classed according to the causes of relief, showing, for out-door poor: 1. the number of persons permanently disabled from labour by reason of old age, infirmity, or bodily:or mental defect; 2. widows having two or more legitimate childre n dependant on them ; 3. persons being disabled from labour by reason of severe sickness or serious accident ; and for in - fluor poor : 1. Mar. ried couples, distinguishing males and females; 2. other males; 3. other females; with totals. THE HERCULES EMIGRANT SHIP. Mr. MielT IRiba;iTil alluded to Ws published facts, that the Hercules had shipped emigrants at the Isle of Skye, and that small-pox and fever breaking out on board, she had put into Queenstown in distress, to the great consterna tion of the inhabitants, asked whether the government had received any statement addressed to the Land and Emigra tion Commissioners representing the above facts, and if so, what steps government proposed to take for the protection and succour of the emigrants ? Sir J. YOUNG said that having communicated with the Land and Emigration Commissioners, be found the hon. member's statement to be in the main correct. The Her. cures, an old man-of-war, was sent to the Isle of Skye to take on board a large number of emigrants, and when some days at sea the small-pox broke out among the pis sengers, and the vessel put into Queenstown. Medical as sistance was immediately sent down,' and the small-pox had entirely disappeared, hat in the meantime fever broke out, and it was found necessary to send some of the emigrants to the Military Hospital, in order that the vessel might he s s s s CANAL-DARIEN. Mr. HUME wished to ask the noble lord the member for London, a question on a subject which was of import ance not only to this country but to the whole world—it was connected with the formation of a ship canal across the Isthmus of Darien, to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. (Hear, bear.) It appeared by the newspapers, that communications had bean held with the President of the United States upon the subject, and the question he had to ask was whether government had received any inti mation on the subject of - opening a communication between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, by means of a canal across the Isthmus of Darien, sad if so, whether the noble lord would favour the house with his views on the subject. Lord J. RUSSELL—In answer to the most important question of my hon. Mend I have to state that the com munications entered into, by no means encourage the be lief that the canal projected would answer the purpose we have in view, namely, a Wendt for large ships from sea to sea. The canal projeated was Se be of a restricted depth, and only available hr wseardos vessels. The govem =Mt has °ammoniated with thepeseoment of the United States, declaring that the plan we had entinally in view would not be suited oat by the =mei le Is anal. Lately another plan boa balm make a ship canna 30 feet deep ewer r e i lli etbsten, sad having a suffi cient port at each end so as to wens* the two oceans. The house will at once see how iniwiet the matter fa— (hear, hear)—eo Important that the goemoment of this country would be glad if the United BMWs ileviomment should concur in carrying out such a plan, to a ensemeful conclusion. Of course, Ido not give any opinion on the engineering questions, but as far as the general outline goes I think that ii the plan I have mentioned could be adopted, it would tend very much to advance the commerce of all nations. (Hear, hear.) THE MAILS BY THE AUSTRALIAN. Sir DE L. EVANS said he had learned that the mails sent out by the steamer Australian had suffered various de grees of saturation and destruction. As many of his con stituents bad sent letters, and even monies, by that vessel, he wished to know whether the damaged letters had been transmitted by subsequent mails, or what had been the method of the subsequent arrangement by the Poet-office ? Mr. WILSON laid that no letters had been damaged except thew contained in the Melbourne bag. That bag was brought back to London, and, being found to be injured, every possible means were then taken to dry the letters. The whole of the letters, with a very small exception, were sent by the overland mail of the 4th, ens Singapore, and would probably arrive sooner at their destination than if they had gone direct. About 70 letters were found to be too much damaged for transmission, and these had been sent to the dead letter office, where 20 had since been claimed. The remaining 60 were at the dead letter office, where they might be recovered by the persons to whom they belonged. ENCUMBERED ESTATES COURT. -------- ------- Mr. WHITESIDE asked punnant to notice, what were the intentions of government with respect to the conti nuance of the Encumbered Estates Court in Ireland Sir J. YOUN(if aid that the act ia;; g .i;t;ti the appliea tione for aalea terminated on the 28th of July this year, and as regarded the appointment of commissioners would termi nate on the 28th of July, 1854. The present government had had the whole subject under consideration, and their propositions were now ready. They would be submitted in the course of the week. SILVER COINAGE. Mr. I3ASS asked whether any arrangements were in pro gress for providing the public with a more abundant supply of silver coin, the scarcity of which was now causing consi derable inconvenience to trade ? The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that the demand for gold coinage was at present so extremely prisdng that there was no chance of being able to apply the Mint to the manufacture of silver coin. They were now turning out half a million of sovereigns a week, being double the hitherti suppored maximum of its capability, and arrangements were now in progress by which that I yield would be still further increased. With respect to Isilver coinage, something might be done to mitigate the want by taking advantage of interval, in the demand for gold, as in one of those intervals 92,9)001. of silver coin—a kip supply—bad alreadp been struck. He did not be- NSW the want was so extremely pressing, but, however, everything possible would be done to mitigate it. MINT IN AUSTRALIA. Mr. HUME asked whether any arrangements were in for the ereetion of a mint in Australia, by which rla r ts as pressure on the London establishment would be ob viated. (Hear, haw.) The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that the subject was wider consideration, but it should be re collected that than were several considerations of very great importance connected with it. (Hear, hear.) How ever, everything had been decided; and nothing remained but to put the views of the government on the subject into a formal shape. CORN AVERAGES. In answer to Sir 0. Yncemz, Mr CARDWELL said that the government had no pre sent tt.tention of seeking to alter the mode of taking the corn r ersges. CASE OF EDWARD MURRAY.. Lord 1., STUART said that on a late occasion an hon. member Lad asked whether the government had ascer tained that Mr. E. Murray was really a British subject, and the answer then given by the noble lord the member for London was of a somewhat doubtful character. He (Lord D. Stuart) wished to ask whether the noble lord was now in a position to give any further information on the sub ject to the house ? Lord J. RUSSELL said—ln reply to the question of my noble friend I have to state that I have looked at the papers connected with the case of Mr. Edward Murray. He has always been considered by Sir Henry Bulwer as a British subject, and I have no doubt that he is a British subject. METROPOLITAN IMPROVEMENTS BILL. WILSON, in reply to Sir 11. Willoughby, stated that the return which had been moved for as to the London Bridge approaches fund had been furnished by the City Chamberlain, and would be immediately laid on the table. RAILWAY ACCIDENTS. Sir J. PAlTll;6i'bil put a question ss the right hon. gentleman the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention had been directed with any hope of devising • remedy for the awful sacrifice of human life that had oc curred within the last few months, and he might say within even the last few days, by accidents on nilwars ? (Hear.) Mr. CARDWELL, in reply, observed that it so happened that only a day or so before he entered upon his duties at the office of the Board of Trade it had been his misfortune to be an eye . witness of one of those awful catastrophes to which the right hon. baronet had alluded, and on the very first day he entered the Board of Trade, he had the oppor tuaity of communicating privately with some of the princi pal railway authorities, requesting them to direct their at tention to the question of whether it was not possible to provide an effective means of communication between the guards and the d ' of railway trains as a means of pre venting such accidents And he had the pleasure now to state that by the engineers of the railway companies generally, and especially, as he himself knew, by Mr . Joseph Cubitt, the Engineer of the Great No rthern, that subject was undergoing the most careful consideration. (Hear.) He might add that almost immediately after his accession to , the office he had the honour to hold, he directed Captain Simmons to proceed to France and Belgium to make in quiries into the railway system in those countries; and as the committee now sitting was not confined to the question of railway amr.lgamation merely, but could extend its inquiries to railway management and railway questions generally, it was his intention to direct Captain Simmons to atten d it as a witness. (Hear. hear.) _ SHERIFFS' COURTS (SCOTLAND) BILL. In answer to MT. The LORD ADVOCATE intimated that as it was desir able an opportunity should be afforded to the people of Scotland to express their opinion on this bill, it would not be brought on during the present, but probably on some day in the ensuing week. PASSING PASSENGERS' BAGGAGE THROUGH THE CUSTOM-HOUSE. Mr. J. M'GREGUR7u7aq7estieTntoihe Secretary for the Treasury, which he had paced on the paper for Friday last ; viz.: Whether the Lords of the Treasury would allow an examination to be made by the of of her Majesty's Customs, at the examination room at the London-bridge terminus of the South Eastern Railway, of the baggage of passengers leaving Paris for London by the 7.30 p.m. train, and crossing from Calais to Dover by her Majesty's mail packets, under such regulations as might be thought neces sary for the protection of the revenue, with a view to the doing away with the inconvenience and detention now suf fered by passengers when the voyage of the mail packet was so lengthened as to prevent that examination taking place at Dover in time for the passengers to leave thereafter by the train in correspondence with the mail packet which arrives in London at 7.50 a.m ? He observed that in 1847, when there was a prospect of the railway communication with Paris being opened, he waited on the French govern ment to allow the baggage of passengers arriving in France for Paris to be examined there without detention at the port of Bologna ; and what he wished to know was, whether corresponding facilities could not be afforded here ? Mr. J. WILSON replied that it had ever been the de sire of the C. mmisaioners of Customs to afford the greatest possible facilities consistent with the due protection of the revenue to the passing of passengers' luggage at Dover as at the other ports. One arrangement they had adopted for that purpose was, that a custom house officer should re main up all night to examine, the baggage of passengers arriving by the boats at nig h t and desiring to come on by the train direct to London, at the station at Dover. On Inquiry, he found that the arrival of the boats at that port was necessarily very uncertain, and the departure of the mail train being at a fixed hour, it often happened that passengers intending to come by that train were left, and still more frequently that their luggage was left behind. He had communicated with the Commissioners of Customs, and they having considered the matter had made another arrangement, which it was hoped would meet this difficulty. (Hear, hear.) It was proposed that a custom house officer should be in attendance at the Lon don-bridge station to meet the night-train from Dover and to examine the luggage of passengers coming from the Conti nent. (Cheers.) It was not, however, proposed to take away the facility which now existed of passing the luggage 'at Dover, should the late arrival of the boat render that, as it would frequently, the more convenient course; passengers would thus have the option of having their luggage examined either there or on its arrival in London. (Hear.) When the luggage was examined at London-bridge, it would be necessary that the shipping-list of the passengers from the Continent should be sent forward by the train in charge of a Custom-house officer. Of course it would be open to the Commissioners of Customs to make such arrangements as tkey might from time to time think necessary for the pro tection of the revenue. AFFAIRS OF INDIA. Mr. BRIGHT, in reference to a question of which he had given notice on this subject, said that, as he desired to in troduce it by stating some facts, he would postpone it till Friday next. PILOTAGE, to. _ _ The house having resolved itself into a committee of the whole house to consider the laws relating to this subject, Mr. CARD WELL, in rising to move for lean to bring in a bill to amend the law relating to pilotage, would take the opportunity of stating in a general way what were the mews of the government in reference to our mercantile marine, and thought upon a matter involving so many de tails, it would be necessary to trouble the house at some length. He promised to occupy as little of their time as possible. Upon the present state of the shipping interest it would be superfluous to dwell, for try it by any of those tests which they were in the habit of resorting to in judg ing of the subject, whether by the aggregate of British ton nage entered inwards and outwards, the tetat amount of tonnage owned by the several ports of the British empire, the number of men employed in the merchant service, or the activity that prevailed in all the great ports where ship building was serried on, each and all of these various tests prescribed the same uniform results of unexampled prospe rity. (Hear, hear.) It was no part of his province to ac count for the prosperity, for upon that point he apprehended there would be little difference of opinion ; the time probably having at length arrived when it might be re ferred to without exciting ancient controversies. (Hear.) The committee were well acquainted with the fact that from the time of the peace down to the period when Mr. Huskis son was at the Board of Trade, so far from there having been any increase in the number of ships owned by British owners there was a constant diminution, and • correspond ing diminution in the number of seamen employed in our mercantile marine. In 1815 the total amount of British tonnage was 2,081,000, and in 1825 it was only 2,553,000, the men employed being in proportion. (Hear, hear.) But if they compared the returns for the year which had just expired with those of the year 1849, when the naviga tion laws were repealed, they would find that whereas the tonnage entered inwards and outwards in 1849 was 8,152,000, in 1852 it had risen to 8,727,000; and while the number of ships built in British ports was, in 1849, 121,000, in 18.52 it was 167,000. The committee would admit, he thought, that they were greatly indebted to his right hon. friend the member for Taunton (Mr. Labouchere) for measures which had tended not only to increase the prosperity, but mate rially to elevate the character of the mercantile navy. He did not mean to say, however, that the:details of those measures, necessarily involving complicated arrangement*, and tried for the first time, could net be improved; but he did say that, looking at the broad result, the house and the country had reason to be grateful to his right hon. friend for the policy he had inaugurated. (Hear, hear.) Re ferring, in the first place, to the system of examination he had introduced for masters and mates—how painful it was to hear the imputation of incapacity cast during the discussions on the navigation laws on that useful and important body of men. Well, what had been the result ot this examination ? The total number which bad received 'certificates of compe tence during the two years that the ristern had been in ope ration was 5,063. (Hear, hear.) And though it was pro vided that those who had She ad y served should not be compelled to pass an ezarninatio- A and obtain the certificate of competence, but merely the tertiicate of service, so great was the value set in the mercantile marine on the certifi. ate of competence that of those 5,069 which had obtained such certificates, 1,879, Laving certificates of service, need not have undergone the examination. (Heir, hear.) Nor was the moral trnprovernent in the service confined to the masters and re.ates, it extended to the sailors also. His right hon. friend had, in the measure he had referred to, put an e ffi ciently to that system in con nexion with. the Merchant S- amen's Fund, by which, by meat; of a compulsory tax, a precarious pro vision w, 5 made for declining years; and he was happy to 8,1 " that the system he had substituted, however compli ce.ed, worked Bell. Means had been providei for ensuring Comfort to the sailor in his declining years, and for minis tering to his moral and material advantages—;hear, bear). — the system of sailors' homes, with its accompaniments of registration of character, saviags banks, and other arrange ments for elevatiog the position and to increase the corn forts of the seamen. The right hon. gen•lemen then root an extract from a report of the Liverpool Sailors' H omes, stating the great advantages which had resulted from those institutions. Now, the objects which the government had had under their consideration were : Ist, the question of light dues 2nd, of passing tolls; 3rd, of the restrictions ox the manning of the mercantile marine, with a view to their removal; 4th, of volunteering from the merchant ser vice into the royal navy ; 6th, of salvage ; 6th, o f deser tion ; 7th, of fees payable to consuls ; and 8:k and last, of pilotage. (Cheers.) With regard to the first, the light dues, the complaint made by the mercantile marine was, that under the system as it now existed these dues were levied compulsorily, and were disposed of by the independent mawn of a self-elected body, with. out the control of parliament. That was the grim ante. (Hear, hear.) And in the principle involved in the demand which had been made for its removal the government explicitly and without reserve subscribed— (cheers)—and he hoped he should be able to satisfy the committee that in the measures proposed the object the mercantile marine had in view in this respect would be completely and entirely carried out. (Cheers.) The effi ciency of the lights being admitted, a great prejudice he was aware prevailed as to the application of the funds in the hands of the Trinity-house. Where there was no system of perfect control and publicity of account it was only natural that there should be misap prehension and misconstruction, and he by no means complained that such an impression should prevail. (Hear, hear.) In the Tear 1836 parliament imposed on the cor poration of the Trinity-house the necessity of purchasing a large number of private lights, anti, this obliged them to incur an expenditure of not less than a million and a quarter. Whether an impression prevailed in some minds that since 183 G the members of the Trinity-house corporation had funded their surplus revenues for their own benefit, or distributed them in an improper channel, he knew not; but the fact was, that the money had been employed in liquidating the debt thus incurred, and up to the present moment it had been reduced from one and a quarter million to 97,5001. (Hear, hear.) Concurrently with this reduction in the debt, considerable reductions had been made in the light dues—viz., in 1849 a reduction of 80,0001., and in 18.52 a reduction of 38.0001. ; and without going into details he had the pleasure of stating that he did not think the budget of reductions was yet exhausted. (Cheers.) But then came the question, what was the proper mode and constitution for securing to the mercantile marine those advantages of control of receipts and expenditure, ac countability to parliament and responsibility to parliament to which they (in the opinion of the government, justly) thought themselves entitled. (Cheers.) Rio hon. friend, the member for Montrose, had on two occasions brought under consideration this subject of the constitution of the Trinity-house. In 1815, the committee of that year recommended that there should be one board resident in London—that that board should be the • Trinity Board, and that one-third of its members should be nominated by the crown. (Hear, hear.) Now the government had fully considered those recommenda tions. They thought that the mercantile marine were enti tled to this—that there should be an efficient control over the receipts and expenditure in the hands of some person whose position in the executive government rendered him directly responsible to parliament, but they thought there were objections against consolidating the lights of Scotland and Ireland under the management of the Trinity House, for it would be invidious to those unpaid commissioners who in Scotland had acted greatly to the public benefit, and might possibly raise an objection in Ireland, which he at least had no desire to encourage, that the government were endeavouring to carry out a system of centralisation to the prejudice of that country. Then, as to the composition of the Trinity House—the proposition that the crown should have the power of nominating one-third of the elder brethren would no doubt confer patronage on the crown, but, at the same time, it would leave it in a minority of one within the walls of that body. It might also create a natural hostility between those who owed their place to one mode, and those who owed their election to another. It was desirable that those three bodies should not be charged with their own re-constitution, but that they should be responsible to parliament, through the medium of a minister, for the examination of their ac counts ; and that the house should virtually exercise that control over them, which the hon. member for Montrose said it ought to exercise in behalf of the mercantile marine; and he (Mr. Cardwell) maintained that this was more con stitutional and a more effectual control, than could he effected by any partial change in that body. The govern ment had communicated with the Trinity House, and had received an answer which bad been unauimously agreed to by that body and signed by the Master, his Royal Highness Prince Albert. lu that answer they stated that the objects of the government, as explained to them, were, firstly, the establishment of a controlling government authority directly responsible to parliament for their receipts and expenditure; secondly, a periodical audit of their accounts by the audit commissioners; and, thirdly, an alteration with regard to the dues paid to chari ties. On the first two points they had ex -reseed their entire acquiescence ; but as to the third they had put in a plea, which as coming from trustees of charities appointed by charters should be treated with respect, but which bad not been acceded to by the government. T he government was of opinion that the time had arrived a hen by the in crease of commerce and other causes the m- tractile marine should have tolls levied on them for ii,ffit dues alone, and in his (Mr. Cardwell's) answer to the Trinity House he said :—" Board of Trade, Feb. 16.—Sir,—The letter which your Royal Highness, as Muter of the Trinity-house, has done me the honour to address to me, I have laid before her Majesty's government. It is very satisfactory to the go vernment, and, in their opinion, highly honourable to the ancient Corporation of the Trinity-house, that the Elder Brethren have shown so perfect a willingness to adopt the views which their sense of public duty has led her Majesty's government to suggest. The principles which regulate the receipt, control, and expenditure of moneys compulso rily levied upon the public for the general purposes of the community, will henceforth be applied to the sums payable to the Trinity-house for lights, buoys, beacons, ballsstage— in short, to all sums, without exception, levied upon and paid by the mercantile marine. The gross receipts will be carried to a separate account at the Bank of England, from which no payment can be made except by the authority of a department of her Majesty's government responsible to the Houses of Parliament. The accounts will be regularly forwarded to the Board of Trade, and thence, after examination, will be transmitted to the Commissioners of Audit. A full statement of the accounts of the put year will be regularly laid before parliament. The provision of the statute 6th and 7th William, chap. 79, for reducing the dues upon the requisition of the Sovereign in council, will at all tunes be carried into effect so soon as, in the opinion of her Majesty's government, the state of the fund will admit, without any regard to any consideration whatever, except the efficiency of the several services for which those dues are levied. It appears to her Majesty's government that the mercantile marine is justly entitled to these advantages, and that the scheme proposed by the Trinity-house will secure them." With regard to local charities ho stated—" The government will not fail to give a full and impartial consideration to the grounds which the Trinity-house proposes to lay before them for continuing the pensions and charities ; but, while it would be manifestly unjust in the highest degree to de prive any individual of an advantage legally conferred upon him under the system which has hitherto prevailed, they are glad to observe that the Trinity-house have consented to acquiesce in their views, if they shall adhere to their opinion; and that, in the meanwhile, the Trinity-house undertake to abstain from making any ddition to the list." He was of opinion that the Trinity House, as trustees of the charities, naturally used arguments in favour of those for whom they held them in trust. But he (Mr. Cardwell) was supported by the decision of a committee which re ported on this subject; and after that report the Trinity Hotta* obtained the opinion of the Attorney-General es to the necessity of keeping up the trusts; but in 1824 the com mittee, having the opinion of the Attorney-General before them, again reviewed the question, and stated that their ob jection was not to the distribution of the funds but to the principle, and they thought that the dues ought to be ap plied to the providing of lights only. I' hose were the views of the government which they had communicated to the Trinity House, and declared that there ought to be a parliamentary control and responsibility over the funds arising from light dues, and a strict limi tation of the funds to the purposes for which they were levied. And he (Mr. Cardwell) begged Ito be allowed to pay a tribute to the spirit in which he had been met. (Hear, hear.) The next subject to which he war about to call attention was connected with that of harbour lights, he meant passing tolls ; which bad been described by the right hon. gentleman the late Chan cellor of the Exchequer last year when he laid down the rule that taxes on shipping should be confined to those for which corresponding benefits were received. To that canon he (Mr. Cardwell) entirely subscribed. But he disagreed with Mr. Disraeli that the proper remedy was to charge these tolls on the consolidated fund. A careful inquiry was the plan proposed by the government at the pre sent time. There was another reason why inquiry was neoessary if not desirable. There was a griev ance of the mercantile marine from which it Was de- Bitable they should be relieved. It was desirable that foreign powers should reciprocate the course which had been taken by this country in lowering her tariff and repealing the na vigation laws. The government was most earnest in their desire to obtain this ' • and one of the di ffi culties by wh ich they were met, small as the matter appeared, was the sub ject of the light dues. There was some controversy with regard to facts, and it was therefore necessary and desirable that those difficulties should be removed, and that could only be done by inquiry. lie now proceeded to consider what were called the Admiralty questions. The first was. whether it was expedient that we should continue to main tain the restrictions which required a British crew te consist of three parts British subjects and only one part foreign ers. The government was not prepared to retain those restrictions. (" Hear, hear," and cheers.) lie (Mr. Cardwell) remembered his noble friend, the member for London, saying that pretection had been the bane of BO' culture, and he hoped the time was come when , as regarded British seamen and British shipping, the same maxim might be safely applied, and that free intercourse would be dreaded by neither one nor the other, nor any man with British blood in his veins have any fear of competition. (Ile"' hear.) The next question to which he came was that of volunteering into the navy, and it was proposed by some persons that that should be abolished. In the first place. the changes which he had just proposed to make materially ntroctqd that question. But, having made such concessions to the shipowners, he should be sorry if the government were to be forgetful of the British seamen, and that as re gards so deserving a class of British sulijaed, if they .r , nt out in ships, no matter to whatever part of the wcrld, and by any chance they met wi , .h tyrannical =Vets, insufficient diet, or any other cryino grievance, there should bs no hope for them until their ship had completed her voy age. Some right of appeal to a British authority ought to