The Press. — London, England, 1857-08-29 00:00:00

842 quential amendment in clause E, and do not insist in the amendment to which the Lords have disagreed. The LORD CLIANCELLOR observed that the amend. ment referred to in the message as disagreed to by their lordships was the insertion of the words giving jurisdiction to the court of quarter sessions, which their lordships had struck out, and moved that their lordships do agree to the Commons' amendment. The motion was agreed to; and On the motion of Lord PANMURE the house ad jourued at a quarter past five o'clock until Friday. HOUSE OF COMMONS-TUESDAY. Mr. ADDERLEY, referring to a statement by Mr. Labouchere on the preceding day that the German legionaries at the Cape of Good Hope were on full pay at the expense of the British treasury, inquired the date when they were put on full pay, the causes and reasons, and whether they were to be kept per manently on full pay. Mr. LABOUCHERE, in the course of explanations upon the subject, stated that the legion soon after their arrival at the Cape were for certain reasons called out and embodied ; that Sir George Grey bad received an application from Bombay for two regiments of British troops, and that the Govern ment were in communication with Sir George as to the expediency of sending further reinforcements from the Cape. Mr. V. SMITH, in reply to Sir De Lacy Evans, said it was not intended at present to increase the force of the East India Company's European troops. On the consideration of the reasons assigned by the Lords for disagreeing with certain amendments of the Commons in the Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Bill, Sir G. GREY said there had been a misapprehen sion as to the effect of the Lords' division on the '2Bth clause, the majority having been in fact in concur rence with the decision of the Commons. The amendment of the Lords excluding the quar ter sessions from the local jurisdiction clause was agreed to without objection. The amendment omitting from the 'sth clause the words "or of adultery committed in the conjugal residence" was opposed by Mr. HENLEY, and after some discussion the house divided, when the Lords' amendment was carried (the Commons not insisting upon their own amendment) by 43 to 11. THE PRESS, AUGUST 29, 1857. The Commons having been summoned, a good number of the representatives of the other house soon afterwards appeared at the bar, conducted by Sir Augustus Cliff,rd, the Usher of the Black Rod, and headed by the Speaker and the Sergeant at Arms. Amongst them were Lord Palmerston, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir George Grey, Sir C. Wood, Mr. Vernon Smith, Mr. Baines, Mr. Mangles, Mr. Bowyer, ,te., ttc. In the galleries we observed Sir W. F. Williams, Mr. Briscoe, Sir Denham Norreys, and several other members. THE BEVERLEY ELECTION. Mr. CRAUFURD asked whether the Attorney• General had yet considered the evidence reported by the Committee on the Beverley Election Petition, and ordered to be laid before him by the unanimous resolution of that committee, and whether it was bis intention to take any proceedings thereon ? The SOLICITOR•GENERAL replied that the Attorney- General had not yet been able to come to a decision upon the matter referred to, which was still under the consideration of the law officers of the Crown. On the motion of Mr. HATTER, a new writ was ordered to be issued for the election of a representa tive for Middlesex in the room of Lord R. Grosvenor, who had accepted the office of Steward of her Majesty's manor of Hempholme. Lord PALMERSTON then moved that, as there was no business before the house, and as it was likely that the prorogation of Parliament would take place cn Friday next, the house should adjourn till that day. The motion was agreed to, and the house imme diately after adjourned at twenty minutes to four o'clock. PROROGATION OF PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS—FRIDAY. Parliament was prorogued this cay by Royal Commission. The doors of the House of Lords were thrown open at half•past :welve o'clock, soon after which a num ber of ladies arrived, and took their seats on the back benches on both sides of the Chamber. The Lord Chancellor, who with the Earl of Har rowby, the Bishop of Ripon, and Lord Foley, were for some time the only peers present., proceeded to deliver judgment in the case of " Hooper and another v. Lane and others." At one o'clock the only other peers present were Earl Granville and Lord Panmure. Soon afterwards the Archbishop of Canterbury arrived, attired in his full robes as one of the Lords Commissioners. The other Lords Commissioners having retired to robe, soon afterwards returned and took their seats at the foot of the throne in the following order, viz., the Lord Chancellor, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Earl Granville, Lord Panmure, and the Earl of liarrowby. DIVORCE AND MATRIMONIAL CAUSES BILL. The royal assent having been given in due form to the Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Bill, The LORD CHANCELLOR then proceeded to read the Royal Speech, following : My Lords and Gentlemen, We are commanded by her Majesty to release you from further attendance in Parliament, and at the same time to express to you her Majesty's cordial acknowledgments for the zeal and assiduity with which you have performed yo important duties during a session which, though shorter than usual, ha; nevertheless been unusually laborious. Her Majesty commands us to express to you her satin• faction that the present state of affairs in Europe inspires a well•grounded confidence in the continuance of peace. The arrangements connected with the full execution of the stipulations of the Treaty of Paris have, from various causes, not yet been completed ; but her Majesty trusts that, by the earnest efforts of the contracting parties to that treaty, all that remains to be done with reference to its stipulations may era long be satisfactorily settled. Her Majesty commands us to inform you that the ex• tensive mutinies which have broken out among the native troops of the army of Bengal, followed by serious distur• bances in many parts of that Presidency, have occasioned to her Majesty extreme concern ; and the barbarities which have been inflicted upon many of her Majesty's subjects in India, and the sufferings which have been endured, have filled her Majesty's heart with the deepest grief ; while the conduct of many civil and military officers who have been placed in circumstances cf much difficulty, and have been exposed to great danger, has excited her Majesty's warmest admiration. Her Majesty commands us to inform you that she will omit no measure calculated to quell these. grave disorders ; and her Majesty is confident that, with the blessing of Pro• vidence, the powerful means at her dis posal will enable her to accomplish that end. Gentlemen of the House of Commons. Her Majesty commands us to thank you for the liberal supplies which you have voted for the service of the pre sent year; and for the assurances which you have given her of your readiness to afford her Majesty whatever sup port may be necessary for the restoration of tranquillity in India. Her Majesty has been gratified to find that you have been enabled to provide the amount required to be paid to Denmark for the redemption of the Sound Dues, without on that account adding to the national debt. My Lords and Gentlemen. Her Majesty commands us to convey to you her heartfelt acknowledgments for the provision which you have made for her beloved daughter the Princess Royal on her ap proaching marriage with his Royal Highness Prince Fre- derick William of Prussia. Her Majesty commands us to inform you that she has seen with satisfaction that, although the present session has been sliort, you have been able to pass many Acts of great importance, and to which her Majesty has given her cordial assent. The Acts for establishing a more efficient jurisdiction for the Proving of Wills in England and Ireland correct defects which have for many years been complained of. The Act for amending the Law relating to Divorce and to Matrimonial Causes will remedy evils which have long been I.IL The several Acta for the Punishment of Fraduleut Breaches of Trust ; For amending the Law relating to Secondary Punis. ments ; For amending the Law concerning Joint•stock Banks ; For consolidating and amending the Law relating to Bankruptcy and Insolvency in Ireland ; For the better care and treatment of Pauper Lunatics in Scotland ; For improving the organisation of County Police in Scotland ; Together with other Acts of less importance, but like• wise tending to the progressive improvement of the law have met with her Majesty's ready assent. We are commanded by her Mkes yto express to you her confidence that on your return to your seve al coon• ties you will employ that influence which so justly belongs to you to promote the welfare and happiness of her loyal and faithful people ; ai.d she prays that the blessing of Almighty God may attend and prosper your endeavours. Parliament was then prorogued with the usual formalities to Friday the 6th of November. The whole affair was perhaps the dullest of the kind that has ever taken place during the reign of her present Majesty. The presence of about thirty or forty ladies was th e only enlivening feature con nected with the ceremony. HOUSE OF COMMONS-FRIDAY. The SPEAKER took the chair at one o'clock. Mr. R. W. GREY moved a new writ for Tavistock, in the room of Mr. G. H. C. Byng, who since his elec tion has accepted the Stewardship of the Chiltern Hundreds.—Agreed to. EUPHRATES AND SUEZ TELEGRAPH. Lord PALMERSTON, in reply to a question from Mr. Briscoe, said that the Turkish Government bad not given its assent to the line of telegraph by the Euphrates, and it was therefore unnecessary to allude to it. With respect to the Suez line, a com pany was in contemplation, as he understood ; and he would only say that, as far as the Government was concerned, such a company might anticipate every assistance as far as related to the use of their line. SUFFERERS BY TEE INDIAN MUTINY. Sir DE LACY EVANS asked the noble lord if some assistance would not be given to the wives and chil dren of those parties who were killed in the mutiny in India, whether their protectors were civil or military ? Lord PALMERSTON said that until more detailed accounts could be received of the position of the parties, the Government could hardly know how to deal with the matter. Mr. MANGLES said that ample assistance would be given to all the sufferers, without reference to whether the parties were civil or military. PROROGATION. Sir A. CLIFFORD, the Usher of the Black Rod, ap peared at the table, and summoned the house to the House of Lords to hear the Parliament prorogued by Royal Commission. The SPEAKER forthwith proceeded to the House of Lords, accompanied by a large number of members; and on his return, _ _ The right hon. gentleman read the Speech at the table, and then retired ; after which the members present dispersed. THE ROUTE TO INDlA.—Captain Forde, of the City Club, has made some suggestions respecting the best route to India for troops, and the best class of ships to embark them in. He says .—" Our only independent and natural high road to India is by the ocean ; we command that route, but have not yet made the best use of it. I suggest the immediate establishment of a line of first class iron screw steamships, of 5,000 tons measurement each, and fitted with engines of 1,000-horse power. These ships can be so constructed as to average 300 miles per day, a rate of speed that would enable them to perform the voyage to or from India with certainty in forty-one days. The stowage capacity of each ship would comprise ample space for 2,000 troops, with their officers, officers' horses, artillery, baggage, and a large amount of munitions of war, together with twenty-four days' fuel, and the requisite quantity of provisions and stores. The political advantages ot Great Britain, possessing a distinct available fleet of this description, are so obvious as to require no comment, except to mention that in the event of a European war, and an urgent demand for troops, each of these capacious and powerful vessels, upon an emergency of that nature, could convey 3,000 men from India and land them in Gibraltar in thirty-six days, or at Malta in thirty-nine days. Should neither the Admiralty nor the East India Company feel disposed to build and manage the ships referred to, such an addition to our national resources can only be created and properly worked by a public com pany, established under the auspices of her Majesty's Government, and which company, if adequately supported, I am prepared to organise without delay." THE SEINE appears as if it were about to give in its resignation as a river, and sink to the rank of a mere stream. On Monday it was below the level of 1719. The swimming schools at Paris have been obliged to shift their quarters, and follow the river, which had left them almost dry. Julius Caesar relates in his Commentaries that the Romans, when encamped on the heights now called the Butte Ste. Genevieve, crossed the Seine almost dry footed a little above the Ile de la Cite, behind Notre Dame, and thus marched to Pontoise. At this moment the Parisians may cross the fiver at the same place with out any danger.