The Press. — London, England, 1858-07-31 00:00:00

human reason was as little able to con tend successfully with such a falsehood, so organ ized, so allied, so o ffi cered, and so propa ated, as arguments are able to contend success- Tully with wind and storm, or helpless childhood to triumph over full-grown villainy. The system became " the hammer of the whole earth." It worked on age after age ; in deed it works on still. Kings consented to have their own hands tied up by ROME rather than let the training of their people be left free in honest native hands. And ROME yielded a large return from her usurped tutorage. She broke down the force of public conscience and the sen timent of common fellowship, and she made the moral corruption of the upper classes and the political degradation of the common people keep pace with the exigencies of despotism and the wastefulness of her own exchequer. But the price which kings had to pay for their share in the profits of jus divinum was greater than they had counted. Into this department of our subject we propose to enter on a subsequent occasion. THE MEMBER'S DIARY. HOUSE OF LORDS. MONDAY. THE " right of search " in time of peace, for the suppression of the slave trade, has never been claimed by England towards vessels belong ing to the United States. Lord LYNDHURST argued to-night that England had never possessed even the "right of visitation," but only exer cised it—with such ill consequences that he rejoiced to find the practice had been abandoned. He asked for some correspondence on the subject, wishing to know when that abandonment took place, and what arrangements had been effected to prevent slave-ships defying the British cruisers by a surreptitious display of the Stars and Stripes. Lord ABERDEEN, discovering that the transaction was considered creditable, put in his claim for half the glory of having repudiated both the right and the practice of " visiting " American ships. It was all settled, he said, long since, by a despatch he had himself written in 1842; and any recent complaint of " so-called British out rages " could have only arisen from the over zeal of British commanders. Lord MALMESBURY, with regard to future means of stopping the illegal traffic, stated that the United States had undertaken to ascertain the nationality of vessels hoisting their colours. Each nation, in fact, was to watch over its own flag. A trial, which made much noise in the artistic world some months since, had proved that paint ers enjoyed none of the copyright protection accorded to the writer of a book, the modeller of an architectural ornament, or even the designer of a pattern for printed calico. If any of these "works of art " were plagiarized or imitated, the copyist was punishable by law ; but no penalty was incurred by copying a picture, even though the resemblance to the original had been carried to the extent of producing a facsimile of the artist's signature on the canvas. This default in the law had remained unnoticed by the Legis lature until Lord LYNDHURST took up the ques tion, obtainin g f rom th e G o vernment a Select Committee (which was nominated on the spot) to determine how the defect could be best cured. Lord Wtomow was displeased that the Special Services Bill, after passing that llouse, had dropped through "elsewhere." He challenged the Bishop of LONDON as having had some hand In this abortive result of their legislative efforts, and censured the Right Rev. Prelate still more heavily because he had not set the law in motion to stop the services at Exeter-hall. The Metro politan disclaimed all responsibility for anything that happened or could happen in the Commons; and with regard to Exeter-hall explained that when two parties had both claimed to have the law on their aide, he had not felt called upon to interfere with the appeal that either might think it right to make to the proper legal tribunal. THE PRESS, JULY 31, 1858. For the " Government of New Caledonia Bill," read " Government of British Columbia Bill." This correction had been authorized by Royal command, and was written on the margin of the Bill when brought forward for second reading by Lord CARNARVON. On the following night, in committee, a revised edition was prepared, with the emendation properly inserted. TUESDAY. As the Thames Purification Bill—technically denominated the Metropolis Local Management Act Amendment Bill—had passed the Commons with the formalities of a money bill, which it was by implication, the Peers talked about it for a while, and intimated that the measure, in their opinion, was not altogether so good as it might have been. They, nevertheless, carefully abstained from altering even a single word, not wishing to risk the treatment which established precedent and constitutional etiquette would have compelled the representative branch of Legisla ture to inflict upon the amended. Bill under such circumstances, quite irrespective of the nature and expediency of the emendations. So the Bill was read a second time, and on successive nights committed and passed just as it came up from the Commons. Legal perplexities concerning " crossed cheques" have been considered., and, as the Leg►slature hopes, removed, by the new " Drafts or Bankers Law Amendment Bill." Bankers, however, don't like to undertake novel responsi bilities, and the " interest" made on this point has proved powerful enough to carry one clause in the Commons, by which the payment over the counter of a crossed cheque is allowed if the " crossing " happen to be obliterated or pur posely effaced. It is said that if the banks sup plied cheque-books engraved on tinted paper to their customers no such obliteration would be possible ; and that in every case the liability for mistake and mispayment should be assigned to the bank officials. The question has been fought desperately in both Houses, and in both the supposed personal interests of the banking fraternity have prevailed. Finally, it may be hoped the bankers will discover that they serve their own interests best by consulting the con venience of their customers. Other tradesmen have made a similar discovery long since. For the moment, however, the clause has obtained acceptance in both branches of Legislature, Lord OVERSTONE, in the Peers, giving it an impulse derived from his reminiscences of Lothbury. WEDNESDAY. Their Lordships are too fond of " last words." The Local Government Bill had been read a third time yesterday, and to-day the only ques tion was that the Bill should " pass." Various amendments were hereupon suggested and dis cussed for a long time, chiefly referring to the exceptions which should be allowed in the legisla tive prohibition against producing smoke within the metropolitan districts. Lord DERBY soundly rated the Peers for not having made up their minds on these points of detail at earlier stages of the Bill, especially as their Wednesday sit ting was formally appointed for the transaction of unopposed business. The House received this Ministerial rebuke with fitting humility, and forthwith passed the Bill unaltered. But the discussion protracted a sitting which every one had hoped to be concluded in half an hour from half-past four until six o'clock—a sad waste of legislative time. TJWRSDAY. They sat for more than four hours—from five to past nine—chiefly engaged in " considering " whether they should agree with the Commons' amendments to their own Bills, or admit the Commons' reasons for disagreeing with their amendments to measures originating in the other House. In almost every case the Commons were allowed to have their own way, the only excep tion of any consequence being that their Lord ships, on the advice of Lord DERBY, determined to insist on the amendment in the Government of India Bill by which the nomination of mili tary officers in the Indian service was preserved as a Royal prerogative instead of being left to the arbitrament of open competition. FRIDAY. All the loose threads and ragged ends of legis lation were neatly tied up, and finished off, a considerable bundle of Bills being prepared for 725 the Royal Assent. The Government of India Bill—the bill of the session—forms one of the group. The Peers then rested from their sessional labours. On Monday the Houses meet to hear the Prorogation Speech, releasing them from the cares of legislation until next February. HOUSE OF COMMONS. MONDAY. The compromise so long maturing was at last consummated. The House of Commons finally surrendered its Christianity. Mr. ROT HSCHILD— who as an English legislator must, at all events, repudiate his alien title, even though preserving his alien faith—after the formal resolution had been passed, swore the truncated oath, and took his seat beside his friend and proteg6e the Noble Member for the City. As much enthusiasm was got up among the Opposition members as could be contrived in a House numbering, as the pre ceding division had shown, barely a hundred members, "all told;" and the Jew atom of the British legislative system, after voting in a couple of divisions, departed for Goodwood. At the evening setting Mr. WILSON remarkep that several millions were, or would be, spent upon the construction of harbours of refuge. At least two millions worth of property, besides some hundred lives, were also annually sacrificed through the want of harbours of refuge. The profit and loss question had thus become very large in dimension and very delicate in adjust ment ; and he recommended that it should be referred to that recognized tribunal of arbitration, a Royal Commission. After listening to various miscellaneous opinions on the subject, the Govern ment, through Sir JOHN PAIINGTON, announced that the commission prayed for had already been conceded. TI.TVADAY. The changes suggested by the Peers in the Government of India Bill were discussed at the early sitting, and again in the evening. On the whole, the Commons decided on retaining their oziginal opinions and clauses. The only national ceremonial which has been de cently conducted for many years confessedly was the funeral of the Duke of Wicin.ntaron, solem nized under the auspices of the Conservative Go vernment in 1852. Having buried the British Cesar, it is left also to the Conservative Antony to praise him, by erecting a monument to his honour within the Cathedral beneath whose dome his remains repose. Preceding Ministers had evaded, or botched, the work ; and Sir Ban- JAMIN'S contrivance of public competition had proved a deplorable failure. The House, when asked by Mr. STUART WORTLEY to discuss the question, decided on leaving it in the hands of Lord JOHN MANNERS, as the best chance of getting the monument finished before the expi ration of the current century. Having nothing to do, the House made holiday THURSDAY. The Commons considered some Lords' amend ments in their Bills, and then waited idly for three hours to learn the result of the Lords considera tion of amendments made by the Lower House upon measures sent down from the Upper. Mes sages communicating these decisions were inter changed at intervals, and some Bills finally disposed of. FRIDAY. A similar operation was repeated to-night, and the last remaining Bills of the session—the In dian Government Bill among them—adjusted into their ultimate shape. The paper was cleared of bills by nine o'clock, but, as it was under stood that the House on rising would meet again only for Prorogation, several Members took this last opportunity of " calling attention" to divers important subjects, and the discussion was pro longed for two or three hours. Among others, Colonel NORTH asked whether any pension was to be granted to Sir J. INGLIS for his gallant defence of Lucknow. Lord STANLEY replied, enigmatically, that the Government fully appre ciated the eminent services performed by that Gallant Officer. [Thus ends--except in its for mal dismissal—the memorable Sessaon of 1858. Valete et plaudite.]