The Express. — London, England, 1855-02-08 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. 1 , HOUSE OF OOMMONS--WEIMIIIIDAY, FEB. 7. TM Srmzaz took the shah at twelve AIM. COURT OF CHANCERY (LEELAND). Kr. WHITE/IDE pa Mho 4k as Wegoseday, the glee, he would introlose a Realter of DBIB kr the reline of the Coact of Chamary in band, viz., a bill to abolish the Masters' Ages ; a bill Is mend the procedure ; a bill to regulate the wake aft Merl with Mond to the AP adamant of reeshogal 11111 to MINIM the seis of Mateo seder the 'Waft of the Genet ell Chearsey ; a bill to remove the emu of delay sad soma lookiest to appeolot sad a bill to regulate fess sad eshries. SERGEANT SULLIVAN. Mr. F. FRENCH gave notice that the sat time he saw the Debts lord the ember for Tiverton in his plea, be would ask what were the reasons why Sergeant Wie* veto had tarried the colours of the 30th Regiment at tha Wale of the Alms, sad had been specially eamendei II General Evans for his gallantry , had not bees peensaelf THE NEW MINISTRY. Mr. HATTER roes and said—l big to more, sir, that dm Speaker do Mae his warrant to the Clerk of the Crows to mks out • writ for the election of a besiege to sera Is lib parliament for the borough of Tiverton—Ow. Mss ') — i4 the room of the Right Hon. Hem J. Vilma Paintrallwe who, linos his clause for the said Wm" bee assillea the oleos of First Commissioner Mr eve/sue lbe ale of Lord High Tremors: of Groat Britain and Tinging dal Essliequer It Ireland. (Beer, hear.) The Sramtaa having pet the question, Mr. HATTER aria rose, and moved that a well Iwo for the elcctioa of a knight of the shire for the soilbess division of Wiltshire, is the room of the Right lies. film Hubert, who Bice* his election had aceepte4 the also of am of her Majesty's Principal Sonetarise of State. (Hear.) PUBLIC LIBRARIES AND MUSEUMS BILL. Oa the motion of Mr. EwAir, this bill was mad asetentd time. _....,isSTART ORDNANCE ESTIMATES. COURSE OF PUBLIC BUSINESS. The order of the day for going iota committee of supply bora, been read, The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said—l beg to move, sir, that you do now leave the chair, in order that the house may go into a committee of supply. In the con mitre, I purpose to take the vote on account of the supplementary estimate for the Ordnance Depart. meet of which my right honourable friend, who has sines accepted the *Mee of Secretary of State, gave notice yesterday. The government are of opinion that A will most probably he the wish of the house not to proceed with any bluing's liaises what is of absolute necessity until those who have accepted or changed their ears la her Majesty's government, or, at the rut, the chief members of 1., have resumed their seats; it word probably be fined inconvenient to proceed with any important business is their absence. As far as the government are coseerned, it will be quite convenient to them to go on with any bll5 sow standing on the votes of the house, if there shall be any expression of opinion on the part of the house to show that such is their desire. But I submit such& course will hardly be deemed expedient. The first important public busies. which the government propose to take will be the navy estimates. I intend to fix Friday week for that purpose, be cause it will not be possible for my right hoe, friend the First Lord of the Admiralty, who hu been seriously indisposed for some time, to undertake to move them beforktbat day. I hope he will then be present; but if sot we will make some arrangement for bringing them oa. With respect to the vete which I propose to take to-day, it will only be mow may to remind the house of the restrictions which the rules and regulations of the house impose on the government with regard to the public money. The house will bear In naiad not only that all money to be raised must be raised by their authority, but the money when raised causal be appropriated to the particular senior without a farther parliamentary sanction. The effect of these usages sad re- Unctions is, that this money, though legally raised, esiMill be appropriated without a small ways and means bill. Is consequence of the excess of expenditure in the ordnenie and navy department , it wu found necessary to propos supplemental estimates for the present year for the de partments—in the first place, to authorise a farther expen diture of money for those services ; and secondly, to authorise the use for such purpose of so much money. The operation of the rules to which I have referred ray be attended with some inconvenience in each cases, for we mount, without • ways and means bill, use the wormy furnished for these purposes. What we now ask is we ad dition to the Ways and Means Bill of last session. It is sot in the power of the government to proms* an absolute adjournment of the house till next Friday week; but is the eowindtbse I will only ask for a vote on account of the ordnance estimate. This will preserve for any hon. gen tleman full liberty of discussion. When the ramrods, of the vote is brought os, full opportunity of discussion will be gives ; but I trust the house will now make so objection, and throw no difficulties la the way of providing for the exigencies of the public service. It may be necessary to ask foe some other vote before we resume business. If the house sow gnat the vote, I proper the resolution should be reported Otemonow ; in the meantime we will carefully examine whether there is any other sum of money that it will be absolutely necessary to provide before Friday week, in order that we may not, without asperity, give the house the trouble of meeting every day for men formal business. You will also, sir, be able to inform us whether it will be convenient that we should meet foe the purpose of forward ing private bills. To-monow I hope to be able to announce what arrangement will be found wavenleat. The vote / now wish to take will not be the slightest obstacle to the fullest discussion of any item by boa. umbers, as the re sidue will still remain to be voted, and afford full opportu nity. I therefore move, air, that you do leave the chair. Mr H. WILLOUGHBY thrombi the mune reposed we. most irregular. The hems gestalts by entlehe. Lod Crht the right bon. sestinas. the Iserdney hi the onies had told them that nothing but some *meg bed mos would be taken. This monist; they see is the mew " Mr. Secreterrat-War—Vote on sotount—Osdmase Estimates." He wished to know whether ea melt a notice it was competent for the house is p Into a committee of supply, and vote • large ors of money. There was soother point to which he wished se cell attention. From the papers sent to members it ap pared there was an excess of expenditare in two d eg art. mints of 3.340,0001. He wished to know whether there was to to a supplemental estimate for the army, as well as for the ordnance. Oa the 12 hof August, 1854 , the Chaneellor of the Exchequer stated that the supplies thus voted, amounting to 2.5,247,0001., would softies for the expenditure of the year. He wished to know how mush of the three millions and a half was in excess of that amount, aid whether soy further demands would be made on account of the army. The right bon. gentleman made several estimates last year, which eventually ran up to 25,247,0001.; but he stated that that sum would be saffloient. Why then were they now called on to vote over three millions, nate the mem st circumstances, for the navy end ordnance alone? He wished to ask whether it was constitutionally right to cell on the hoses to vote so large a sum of money while they had manly an ad interim government, and to go late committee for that purpose on so short a notice ? He had farther to ask whether there would be a supplemental esti mate for the army also, and when they were likely to he informed what umpire would be required for the year 1855-56 ? He loped the house would not go into committee . till a satisfactory answer was given on thine points. Mr. MUNTZ quite agreed with the hon. baronet; the proceeding was mast irregular. He had, moreover, strong objections to some particular items of the proposed esti mates. One item was 26,0001. for a shell manufactory. He spoke advisedly when he said there was so necessity for It. Government could get any number of shell they requited ; the authorities at Woolwich admitted as muds. He had no interest in the matter, but he mast say it was a gross job. There was another item, 15,0001., for a small-arm manu factory. Before they agreed to that, they ought to know what had become of the money voted for that purpose last year. He should oppose this proceeding, unless the right hon. gentleman pledged himself that the vote would not tied the house to say one of these items. Mr. wALrovh u nderstood that the only object of the Chancellor of the Exchequer in going Into committee was to take a vote absolutely necessary for the public service, it appeared to him the house could not refuse that to any go torment. Be thought they ought to go into committee. When in committee hon. members might cell the attention of the government to the details, and explanations might be given. He was glad to bear that the right hon. gentleman intended to report the resolution to-morrow ; that would give members an opportunity of being present, for it was certainly understood the day before that nothing but private business would be taken in the present witting. (Hear. hurl If an adjournment was to be proposed till Friday week, an opportunity of discussion would be afforded, but it was then premature. It was not fair, is the absented toe sable lord at the heed el the geversamist, am was it ad' Amble to enter into a general dieswedea oasis be Wen g ratuity of stating the views el 111 govennant ea miens pdats. Mr C. WOOD wee quite nathled with the statement of tallbt hen. weadeamin. He hewed to naiad hie ban. the woodosit gar Birmiegimm (Mr. Manta), OM the Chemeallee el the Mostesque had dearly explained BIM I IMMO isenalled le pledge lay meether la any way UM Mere the —Nee; k woe am the gewitiee to do se en vete of amenne. Whoa cash a ere wee taken a mid** , wee always left. so dialt every possible sabject iavolved in the elieneles Bight he telly Mamma afteuriade. He trusted Me Mum wadi be saillett thee they woe net CL lel m e si el ar erea tr ia tee st edies sem = the Ihilmiles beeepeeVhTek ogyealdelhet 'LAMM nen .. 1111 lei! S S WO ISM 01111 peer !SDI be i the o of woo of ti aint F '' mks of I WM I . , . but t E Wel call Ike: en . ter INA 64 • 1U I . illl I /0 1 .„ we WIN Z ths - i int Tb fro 1 eh C big I CI, tal ap vii NV of Ii to ili ce bi I • 1 1 I • I N. THE EXPRESS, THURSDiY MINING, FEBRUARY 8, 1855. the Chaseslke of the Exchequer had said be lad prevideil meney for the peebable exigescies of the Imo; he wee still of the same opisios, sad treated OM the mosey Pftivided mold Insilco to semi the expenses of the you eadieg the fith el Aril amt. Bat it wee a different thief: le appremialls mosey already raised; the Oedema estimate tassel eat larger than was expected, it wee therefore necessary to appropriate some mousy to that, but it would not be neeessarry le raise • patsy for that purpose by new Wes loso, er etherwies. As to the house being taken by surprise, the estimates had been on the table a week ; the usual practice was WA,* notice the night before t even ashes the vote was ono NMI, to give rime to a dhousion. This was a mere vote en se men; on whleh it was sot usual to raise any diseusios. As to the general baileer of the home, the first important public bushman was the navy estissates--they could not be taken in the abssoes both of the First Lord of the Treasury' and the Fine Lord of the Admirelty. The noble lord's elution would most probably set ake place till Monday ; the first goverment night after s that would be Friday week ; the estimates would be taken thee, whether the head of the Admiralty was able to attend or not. The estimates would be laid on the table to morrow (this day). and hon. members would therefore have full time to consider them. Mr. STAFFORD had no intention of raising • discussion, but he wished to make a short statement, and endeavour to impress on the government a matter that admitted of no delay. He wished to all the attention of the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the following statement. He bad that morning received letters from Scutari (from a gentleman whom he could name if necessary) which stated that the difficulties there, instead of diminishing, were increasing ; that the deaths were on an average forty a day, although when be wee there they did not amount to half that num ber. That order. had come down from the Crimea, direst. lag them to peepers for the reception of Sr. hundred sick per week. Coupled with this statement was the announce ment that the gentleman to whose exertions much of the goad effected was owing. the manager of the fund of ten thoesand pounds, which he had so judi ciously expended, wee about to return home, having exhausted all the means at his disposal. It wee also stated that the medical inspector of transports had been removed. The state of the transports had best the most disgraceful of the many diegramful details of the whole miserable busi ness. Dr. M'Oregor was at last appointed inspector of the transport shi which were now fitted up in a somewhat more ea manner, and plying between Balaklava and fkatal Rig OM osaveyeassof sick soldiers. It wee stated that he WM assnrassovel. He referred to the question at that nomiene. Meson it was ef the utmost importance— it might Is usessari ea take gees step in the matter even by the ant mall. His maviselea was, that if the govern ment did not confer some *peel mark of their approbation 1 sod esteem on Dr. 11111mw, it wield do more to dill emcee the exertions of the young surgeons, and perpe tual, the system of reifies, so fatal to the moldier., than say** else. He did net expect an answer from the government at that meelest, a there wee no one reams to 10811011111 the war departmout, bat be nib* to *mem as whoever might be Seem terrelsiffee, that POW said be done which would tend ammeletke eslieflen if the army sad to the arresting of the pigeon of dilmeleek than to bestow without the least delay same meek el mehleses on Dr. M'Oregor. He had witnessed ble hinnes la the hospital; he alone of all the mediae elaT dared to break through the trammels of maim tai bed given every saggert to the ladies who had less sent dee. If the goy/newt- did not bestow some Mirk of Agee in hint, much owe, if they removed him hem his sew they would them post blame, great respon sibility, sad peat guilt. He must say that when he saw the Creaming to which Dr. ll'Ormar wee subjected, and liaised time the dispenser of the Tints fund was about to eats= Meek he felt be could not refrain from calling atten dee to these things in his place in parliament. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER begged the how would allow him to make some observations, though Ott of order, in answer to the representation which his hon. Mend had addressed to the governmeat. He must reacted hit hon. friend that in thus times of great difficslty, when the feelings of men were so deeply moved, it was most se• emery for the public service that the house and individual members if it should observe discretion in their proceed ings. His hon. friend had thought St In his place in par liament to make a statement involving questions of great importance. When the hon. gentleman received that state ment two wanes were open to him, either of which he might properly have followed ; sae was on receiving that statement to have carried it to the proper department of the government ; the other WAS to have called the attention of the house to it when the member of the government wu peewit to whose department it belonged. It appeared toe moment had only been received that morning, he there fore concluded it bad not been canted to the proper depart ment. (Mr. Stafford—" Which is that ?") He was not quite convumel with the disposition of the diffe rent deputies*, elasested with the administration of the war, bat he wee OM his hoe. friend would have found every digesiihn to most his views, if he had gone to the mink*/ Amp' with the general superintendence of time depaelmeeb—be meant the noble duke the Secretary et State for Wes Ills hon. friend might have put his question whoa isms minister connoted with the depart ment was is Whew, but he had not followed either of them NMI& Ho Mk his statement in the abreact of Moly puma seemallei with the department, and without =oily Istililb In seder that thou unconnected with the meat Wale be enabled to supply an answer. lie pet it to hie lam Mead if he thought it desirable for the Public seed" et likely to promote the °billets he bad so Ruch at Mmal. that these statements should be thus put forward hi ebullience of the proper parties to reply to them? At the same time, though he had received Me notice of Mice .tatter, yet as he thought it Important te what Ile inferences which might be dhows from the Mstemeats of the hen. gentleman, he would say a few words. He spoke of the hospital at Scutari, gad demands made on them for fresh accommodation. Did be wish them to infer that no provision had bees made to met that demand ? He could on this subject speak only hem his sari wad information, not having had an of gesenifing the official sources; but he could the Wm that before them large demands were me swims at Scutari, hbright hos. friend the late ikeeseimy MI wee had app li ed himself to make the beet tie mat thesedessads. He applied himself, in Ctr is Zlese t * led* emit wens as would enable hint * nos the asedleal self at the army, to meet these and may farther denude thee might be made on it ; and when be found that the moiled stair of the army was not sun dent for all these peeposs, he applied himself to con sider whether Nom meens might not be devised by aid of ebb& be might obtain the services eel the civil melled profession in aid of the army. The Timmy bed emently given its sanction to a scheme by which big eight hon. friend had constructed a civil medical establishment, which would be sent out with the = rafter fm the purpose of superintending the at eigegmh M. STAFFORD.—At Smyrna ? The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER.—His hen. Abed said .. at Smyrna," but he was sure he would admit that it wee better for his right hon. friend to trust to Smyrna, where buildings were placed at his deposal by the Turkish government, than to go es seeking great extensions at Scutari. He hoped, therefore, that his right hon. friend would see that there really was no reason why he should have abstained from communicating with his right hon. Mime (Mr. S. Herbert), and that be would believe that when he made any communications they would be received test slily with diligence, but with readiness and thankful ness, and that every department of the government would be ready to amp the aid of so able a cooperator in the great work in which all were interested. His hon. friend con cluded his speech with some remarks, against which also he must say he felt hoard to take exception. He entered late the case of Dr. M'Oregor, and represented the necessity of conferring upon him honours, and above all said that as department should dare to remove him. Now, what did this amount to ? It was nothing more nor less then for an individual member of parliament to direct the executive government with respect to duties which, as long as they had an ezentive government, really could not possibly be detached from it. (Hear, hear.) The deprecation of removals and the revocation of appointments by members of that *nee mast paralyse the hands of th e adm inistration, nullify punishment where punishment was necessary, sad deprive reward, where reward was deserved, of its gram and efficacy. He was quite sure his hon. friend, who had had the partial superintendence of one great department of the state, must feel that under the influence of feelings of sympathy which every nun must honour, he had a little overstepped the line of discretion, and he must acknowledge that the ap pointment or removal of particular persons had better remain in the hands of the government, who would determine the matter in the first instance, with the knowledge that they might afterwards be called to account by any members of that house who did not approve of their conduct. Mr. STAFFORD said as the right bon. gentleman had observed that be had better apply to the proper authorities, he must remark, that when he saw it announced that this estimate wee to be asked for by the Secretary at War, he certainly expected that that right hon. gentleman, who was acquainted with all the details, would be in his place, and would be prepared to answer his question. (Hear, hear.) I As to the hospital accommodation at Smyrna, he (Mr. Stafford) was the very first to mention the subject. Mr. WHITESIDE was surprised at the tone In which a member of the government had spoken on es awful a abject (Opposition cheer.), In referring to disasters which it would require the pen of Daniel Defoe properly to describe, the Chancellor of the Exchequer had his feeling, seder control; he could speak of a perishing army with Iran-' quillity—(cheers)—mi he told his hon. frienfillir. elsilerg) 1 that tat eight dimmetly to visit • Secretary-at•Wor es whim eiminat the Reese of Commons had, es that right bum patemeen blower declared, pronounced formal our ease. Oa the gmesilleg night, an hon. member, in speakieg el She beams it diebespitals, stated that the wre seen who were taboo In the transport ships from Bake Wawa to Stuart had expressed their joy at being able to lie down on the deck of a vessel, es they at least heel the satisfaction of iyiag it mailart. At Ilehlriava eel dmwhere there was wain but anfaeks. I. *bathe pitemareat shone.; 111 that, stagy deperlassat of Me gewerfacinft bad been pre-entinent. Thoplesiples of allemeefaig mastitution ware, it snot be admilesd, ptried, wenta a Seseetary at War the hat been mem sated for themegfeleatee wee by c shelling eft the mei tree hand toe bilging cam. According to the Cheneeller of Ow Baditwar, they were now to say to mob head et • epealdig_with " bated breath," " Will yes be I M i t* to emitter the things which they had of the army is the 1011 thee ? * Au& mama ether thus IN Mortals was, whether or not the Chancellor of the maser wan wan Mellede theethet sight in stating whether or tot lbws were /lON leil i Ar e mi t Niles ebonite be It fill into the eildest, sad la that's'', if sol:Ce ta ts acquillek ti' house should net be satisfied whit win* vote el Colonel 1140 X mkt, Wing alb the five. aaebtwesityl: he seeded IA for , sto this subject; al the Chaeseller o Exchequer had thought rind theisentber for Northampton shire (Mr. • beta's for introducing it, ant that, toe, dem doe it was probable that thehouse would Melly idems Mat ten days. He biddies his hand WM hi= an Wale in the Crimea, which ambiatel ehmaset-- 41 sat tidaMeMent the sickness is stoat eased fel. We bury a thousand a week, and, including al the relahresmosts. the streestit of the English army is only 11,000 men. Everything inismaneged by the authorities here." The Beeretarrat.War told the house distinelly ' the other night that the army numbered 7.0,000 men. lie (Colonel Knox) denied that such wei the fact; and be put it to the house whether, after all that had occurred, there should be only a shuffling d the different departments. He had no wish to hamper the its vermeil, hut, u a soldier, he spoke with deep fullsye ea this subject. It was notorious that the army was Mee perishing, sad it was but a question of days when the evil should come to a climax. Colonel DUNNE said, as a soldier, he could not allow the debate to conclude without making a remark. Instead of 30,000 men in the Climes there were at that moment only 11,000 Ines under urns of whom he did not believe 2,000 were fit for duty. At Balaklava there wet, at that tousles than 8,000 men in hospital, and the state of thew there was se conked that nothing but Si Mgt prompt and vigorous aseenree could prevent the del ousios of the army. As to the request that hon. ambers would apply to the executive government, it appeared to him most unreasonable. The executive goverammt had within the last few days been put on its trial, sad found guilty of incompetence and neglect. For the purpose of inquiry they wanted none of the general officers new in the Crimea g abundant testimony might be obtained from per sons who were in this country. It was with a feeling of despair in reference to the prospects of the army that he perceived that gentlemen who had proved themselves in competent were resuming (dice, after having destroyed more than one hallo( the army. That Sebastopol would be taken he had no doubt, but it would be by the Frmeh anny--an army whisk was well clotbed, well fed, and well organised ; while the ministry were unable to support the mush smaller English army with the abundant resources at their disposal, because the measures which they adopted were totally inadequate to the emergency. M Sir W. OLESWORTH said the hon. and gallant member opposite (Colonel Knox) had read a statement that the deaths in the army in the Crimea amounted to a thou sand a week. He assured him that that was a ma-state- ' meat. There was undoubtedly a large amount of Bickner in the anny—an amount which they must all deplore; but he assured the bon. member that the statemetat in question was altogether incorrect. He (Bir W. Molesworth) bad esrefally exantised the official returns as to the state of the army, and would repeat that the statement read was de cidedly wrong. With regard to the complaint that the government had misrepresented the facto in stating that there were now 30,000 men in the Crimea, he begged to say that the government were perfectly prepared to substantiate that statement by official returns. The honourable member bad confounded the total number of men under arms with the number, including cavalry, artillery, and engineers. The total number of all ranks in the Crum fit for service, including men ander arms, cavalry, artillery, and engineers, and also the naval auxiliary fore*, was, according to the last official return which had been received, 30,000 men. He hoped the house would not continue this debate, as the responsible ministers were absent, and it was impossible for those who were not acquainted with the details of departments to answer questions relating to theme Colonel DUNNE said he certainly did not take into ac eoun(the naval brigade ; he might's' well have included the Russian army. The house then went into committee. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUERmoved that a vote of 1,200,0001. should be taken on account. In reply to Mr. HitiaT, The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER observed that noose would be committed with regard to any portion of the supplementary estimate by agreeing to this vote. Sir H. WILLOUGHBY observed that 1,200,0001. was a rather large amount. He should like to know bow the mem of 3,340,0001. had abase, and whether there was to be say supplementary estimate for the army. If this money were wanted, why was not the case provided for by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the last session of parlia ment ? It was quite clear that there had been miscalcula tion somewhere ; and he wanted to ascertain whether they now knew the real amount expended under the different heads during the year 1854-6; whether this 3,340,0001. , plus what was appropriated under the votes of lest year, seastituted the entire war expenditure of the year in the mangey, ordnance, and militia. CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER raid, on all samiese en which he had adverted to the subjoin of the swum to be incurred in time of war, he bad declined the responsibility of giving any assurance to the house. (Hear, hear.) He bad always add that although the house was entitled to the best conjectures and calculation' that he could make,' yet it he were expected to give an assurance with raped to the amount of expenditure in time of war, that wu a responsibility which he would under no circum stances assume. Thus mach, however, he might say, that ups his Galin upon the army departments to say whether they would require any supplementary estimates, bia.wu informed that they would not—that was to say for the year 18544. His honourable friend appeared to have entirely misunderstood the assurance which he gave to the house last summer. What he did was this. After having urged the departments to raise their estimates to an outside point, so as to cover their expenditure, he proposed to the house a vote of credit to the amount of, be thought, 3,100,0001. ; and he also proposed measures which would place at the command of the legislature moseys/or the sr- Ville of the year, so as to clover all the estimates. lie was enued by the hon. gentleman of being grievously out in his ealeilation. He took a margin of 3,000,0001. ; the amount now stated was 3,400,0301. ; and if the hon. gentle man were not satisfied with that calculation in time of war, be must abandon the hope of satisfying him. (Laughter.) Colonel DUNNE complained that the expense of billeting the militia in Ireland was doable what it ought to be, and what it would be if the government adopted the plan re commended to them by militia colonels, of hiring private houses. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that that subject was in no way connected with the vote before the Mae. The vote was then agreed to. Oa the motion of Mr. WHITESIDE the followieg re turn was agreed to :—Return of the number of appeals from the Incumbered Estates Court, Ireland, to the Privy Council, Ireland, from the 24th day of March, 1854, to the latest date, and of the reversals and affirmations of such ap peals, separately stated, with the names of the parties in each case (in continuatios of parliamentary paper No. 184, of session 1864). SUPPLEMENTARY NAVY ESTIMATES. Mr. J. WILSON said time had been a notice before the house of a supplementary estimate for the navy as well as the ordnance ; and as it;wss very desirable that a vote should W taken on account, he would move, in order that it might be take. on the following day, that on that occasion orders of the day should take precedence of notices of motion. If the motion were agreed to, the following day would be a supply day. Motion awned to. THE SUPPLY OF COFFEE IN THE CRIMEA. Mr. J. WILSON said a motion was agreed to the other day for the production of certain papers with regard to the supply of coffee in the Crimea. As that motion was drawn up the information would not be complete . • and as the government were anxieus that the whole of the facts should be elicited, be would move the addition of_ any," corn- Prudence which bad since taken place. Agreed to. The house adjourned at half-past one. The army has before it at least six weeks more of winter; and at their close the fever season comes on. An attempt was made in the House of Com mons yesterday to deny that the weekly drain on the effective strength of the army is so great as we have stated. The medical returns, it was said, show that it is much less than 1,000 per week. But these returns are incomplete and fallacious; they only give the number of sick in the hospital tents, and omit all those who, though incapable of duty, are not admitted to these tents for want of room. For this excessive sickliness of the troops the late Government are clearly, in a great masers, responsible. Want of sufficient shelter for the troops is a main cause of the sickness and mortality in the army. Now, as soon as the Crimean expedition began to be talked of, Sir JOHN Scorr LILLIE drew the attention of Lord liAnotsciE and the Govern ment to the necessity of providing wooden huts in advance for the winter shelter of the soldiers; but the first contract for such huts, in this country, was not entered into until the Crimean winter had fairly set in. The sickness and mortality in the army of the Crimea may be greatly diminished by accelerating the provision of shelter, and rendering more sure and regular the distribution of clothing and rations for the soldiers. A beginning has been made towards l 'he attainment of these ends; but a large infusion of fresh blood into the transport and commissariat services, ana sleepleassuperintendence and controlon the part of the head of the Government,will be required to make it mo w than a mere beginning. The sickness and mortalior in the army having been diminished, the means of adding to its effective force will have next to be Onns 9.4erect. A very remarkable letter from "An Old Troops."," which we publish to-day, presents a s t r iki ng v i m v of the manner in which the late disastrous neva from the Crimea is contributing to render more difficult the raising of recruits. This evil conaequencO of mismanagement can only be counteracted by i t uproving the condition of our sol. diers . _ in the Crime a. As won as it shall appear that they have been rendered more comfortable, the military spirit of our peasantry will re vive. But it is not merely men—it is an organised army that is wanted; and to make an organised army we must have competent offioers. To this end one of the first duties of the new Premier and War Minister must be to throw aside the muster•rolls of the Horse Guards—to break through the conventional rules of promotion for mere seniority, and to trample upon the preference hitherto con ceded to the aristocracy. Theofficers—even those of the highest grade—for the army of the Crimea ought, as a rale, to be between the ages of 30 and 46; and they ought, if possible, to be men who have seen real service in the field. The officers of the regiments which have served in Africa and at the Cape ought to be preferred; and it ought to be kept in mind that the QUEEN has two armies, and that it is the duty of Ministers to make no distinction between them, but to select capable officers as readily from the Indian army as from that which is called par excellence "The Queen's." There will be muttering among our Peninsular veterans at the proposal to bring forward younger men ; there will be clamour among the scions of aristocracy at the proposal to make capacity the sole title to employment and promotion ; there will be dismay and indignation throughout "The Lineen's" army at the proposal to i place the Indian army on a footing with them. Bat all this discontent must be disregarded, if the full military power of the nation is to be brought into play; and the contest in which we are engaged de muds our utmost efforts. At the head of an aug mented army, thus officered, ought to be placed an able General in the prime of life, able and willing to keep himself constantly in the:eyes of his sold iers, to Dee everything withhis own eyes, and to lay hand to work when any of the machinery of the army is" thrown out of gearing." We have given more prominence to tho improvements required in the human material of our army than to improvements in organisation— not because we do not feel the urgent necessity of the latter, but because we are convinced that competent men and officers can do morb, even under an indifferent system, than weaklings and fools can under the most i ( plausible system that human ingenuity can devise. I It will be no bad test of the competency of the new Premier and War Minister for their task, the manner in which they set about the indispensable innovations on the old system of appointments and promotions in the army.—Daily News. The list of Ministers given in yesterday's Express was correct (with the exception that Viscount Canning remains Postmaster-General), the changes in the Cabi- net consisting in the addition of Lord Pan mare and the retirement of the Earl of Aberdeen, Lord J. Russell, and the Duke of Newcastle. We have, however, to add a report that the post of Secretary-at-War will be abolished, and that in its stead will be created a Parliamentary Under-Secretaryship of State for the THE WAR. Intelligence from Sebastopol of the 29th January has been reoeived at Warsaw. Nothing important had occurred. The Augsburg Gamete now lends its authority to the announcement that a French army will traverse Austria, in order to operate against Russia. We quote its language : "We learn that in the beat. informed circles at Vienna it is positively affirmed that the military convention with the Western Powers, provided for in A r . tide V. of the treaty of December, is now ready for signature. It contains the stipulation that French troops shall be brought up to the Russo. Polish frontier to occupy that position which Prussia has renounced. The French army will march by way of Milan and Laybach, and be thence conveyed by the southern and northern railroads. The French corps will have arrived at the southern extremity of the Austrian railway system about the beginning of March. General Crenville, it is believed, carries the convention with him to Paris." We learn from Frankfort that it is thought not un likely that in the course of a month Austria will renew at the Diet her proposition for mobilising the federal contingents. By that time the military prepa rations ordered by the recent resolution will have been completed, and hopes are entertained that the mis. sions of General Wedell and Herr von Uscdom at Paris and London will then also have restored the her. mony between Prussia and the west, and so have prepared the way for common action between the courts of Vienna and Berlin. THE ARMY IN THE CRIMEA. (PROM THE SPECIAL CORERSPONDENT OP THE DAILY NEWS IN THE CEDILLA ) BALAKLAVA. Jse. 22. On the 20th a council of war was held at Lord • Raglan's quarters, in consequence, it was said, of important despatches which bad arrived from home. Nothing whatever is known of the subject of the de spatches, or the result of the council of war, but, as usual, the camp is full of the wildest "shaves.'' A. change in the chief command of the army, an armistice, a resumption of active operations, and the donation of a year's pay to the troop., have been successively men tioned—and all, I make bold to say, with equal truth and reason. Dark whispers fly about the camp that Sir Edmund Lyons in going to attempt something wonderful and unheard of, and general officers have bees known to say that marvels will come to light in the next few days. In short, curiosity is on the alert—invention is active, and begets the most mon. strous " shaves." In the meantime the mild weather is reviving our troops, who suffered severely from the late frosts. Now that their work is lighter, if they could be but properly rationed, even the "seedy" among them might possibly pull through. But what with the heavi ness of the roads, and the want of sufficient transport, and the disorder in Balaklava harbour, provisions in camp are still scarce, nor is their quality of such a kind as to restore and strengthen tho suffering. A ration of tea has, however, with some corps, been substituted for that of coffee, which in the green berry is almost useless to the troops in front. Another supply of fresh vegetables, too, came lately in the Albatross, to be given away to such of the troops as could manage to send down for them. Great was the joy in the camp when the good news became known. There is really no reason why every vessel sent down to Constantinople should not bring up a supply of vege tables for our men. They want them, and as they can be got, they should have them. Among the goods lately unshipped from the har bour is an enormous wooden house, the property of Mr. Oppenheim, a merchant from Paris, who fur a llong time past has conferred a great boon on the army, and who, between October and December, cleared a sum of about 10,0001. by keeping a store of necessa ries and luxuries in Balaklava. Mr. Oppenbeim's wooden honse is to be put up in Kadikei—and the rumour goes that it will contain a store, an hotel, and a coffee and reading room for officers. Mr. Oppenheim deserves public thanks for his well-timed enterprise. It is needless to wish him success, for success cannot fail him. Among our multifarious wants is that of an establishment like the one which is now about to be set on foot in Kadikoi ; for what with the state of the roads and the darkness, travelling by night is out of the question; and an officer sent down from camp and be nighted in Balaklava has a very hard time of it, unless he chances to find out a friend to give him a dinner and a shakedown. The reading room,:too, is looked forward to with intense delight, it beii g supposed that the sculator will find means pe to supply it regularly with English and French pa pers ; and as every one begins to despair of the post office ever managing the department of newspapers —and as the arrival of papers in the hands of those to whom they are addressed is becoming more and more the exception rather than the rule—the esta blishment of a public reading room is certainly one of the greatest boons that can be conferred on the army. Last night the troops in the front observed great demonstrations of public joy in Sebastopol—the ring ing of bells, firing of cannon and musketry, and the letting off of blue lights. Such transitory periods of excitement are rather frequent than otherwise w ith the people of Sebastopol, and there demonstrations have more than once startled our camp into a night's watching. The explanation usually given in our camp is, that the Czar has come ; and so this morning the arrival of the Czar in Sebastopol is the " shave of the day. Another " shave" is, that peace is declared. Knocking about in Crimean country quarters has made the army ignorant enough in the politics of Europe, and every "lie diplomatic" is certain of finding ready credence. Thus, this morning we are all happy because the war is at an end. The Font Powers have signed a treaty to which the Czar has been compelled to subscribe. He will have to destroy Sebastopol with his own hands, and remove his ships from the Black Sea; while each of the Feu Powers (Prussia included) is to have six men-of-war in what used formerly to be a Russian lake. Trust to the cutting logic of soldiers for a prompt and satisfactory arrangement of the affairs of Europe. Some days ago an incident came to my notice which strongly illustrates the d fficulty of gaining information in a camp where, as in ours, each corps is very hard worked, while there is but very little leommunication between the various branches of the service. Captain Mitchell, of the Grenadier Guards, and some brother officers saw one day in the commencement of last week a Russian steamer leaving the harbour and standing out for the open sea. One of the allied ships—whether French or English Captain Mitchell could not tell—went in chase, and after some hard steaming came within range of the Russian. A cannonade ensued, the Russian all the while endeavouring to escape. The elms was watched with intense interest, but the result remained a mystery, for the two chips, steaming hard and exchanging shots, disappeared at last on the verge of the horizon. The officers who saw the affair made all inquiries as to the facts and the final result of the engagement, but to no purpose. I, too, have since endeavoured to learn the particulars of the matter, but I too could gain no positive infor mation. The fact is, we have all got so accustomed to bard knocks, that a partial affair makes no impres sion and usually excites no curiosity whatever, and it is only by chancing to fall in with one of the men actually engaged, that a vague account of particulars can be obtained. The fact is, our troops are preco ciously blasé as to the general incidents of the eaPl - and tke final result alone is what is steadily and hopefully looked for. Whether that final result be the capture of Sebastopol or the very doubtful adhesion of the German powers to the alliance against Russia, it is sure to excite interest and be canvassed with all the warmth and the smashing phrases natural to people who do the roughest of work in the ONE EFFECT OF WAR MISMANAGEMENT, TO TILT IDITOII OP TEE DAILY =WI. Sit,—l think it necessary to state for your in Ilsracatice, and particularly for that of the members of parlia ment, if you will permit me, that the common people of this part et the country—South Lincolnshire, Northampton. shire, and Rutland—begin to get very sby of entering the army. Men eongrogats of an evening in the various public. houses, and one man, who can read well, is provided with beer, sad reads every line of the letters from the Crimea published in the journal which the house provides. The men say they will not enlist, nor shall any one of their relations, if they can help it. is. Id. pay, out of which they now know a soldier has to find half his kit, and from 1 6.1. to 7d. daily stopped for hie rations, which too often con sist of salt pork or beef, and of which he does not always get enough. All these drawbacks—added to the total want of clothing, good boots up to the knees, shoes not being high enough, and want of huts, and fuel, that abso lute necessity—have damped the ardour of many • noble, gallant-heated fellow. It is to be hoped the House of Commons will now en justice done to our devoted soldiers. God bless Lord Lyadh•nt and Mr. Roebuck, and those members who voted for • searching inquiry into the great and awful mismanagermat which has caused the death of one relations. General Baguet ought to be decorated for his timely aid at lakermann.—l am, &c., AN OLD TROOPBR OF 1813-14-15. Mli. MaCORZOoIt, M.P.—We (Glasgow Mail) have seen a note from this gentleman to a friend, in which he says that he has just returned from Paris, where be bas been for sews time pass be the dist:huge of public business, with referents le • stew free system of commerce between Great Barra sad !Nose. The bon. gentleman was de tains* r Peels for tea days beyond his intended period, in eonsagessm g a slight ledisposition. Ras T. THB WINE INDIA MAILS.—A letter from Autism, dated Imam 12, received in Liverpool says " The deems. Priam gel& arrived here on the 9th lost., tomtit Thema, brought bask the mails of December 28, far assrs, is ressopsass of rats having eaten off the pandrosat labs's. department, which will be filled by Mr. Layard. The Chief Secretary for Ireland, Sir John Young, will, there is reason to believe, succeed Sir Henry George Ward u Lord High lonian Islands. of the The remaining members of the government retain their places, and their resignations not having been officially completed, no re-elections aro rendered necessary. _ _ _ The Chancellorship of the Duchy of Lancaster and the Chief Secretaryship for Ireland remain vacant. A special messenger was despatched from Lord Palmerston's for Windsor-castle, with despatches for the Queen, at two o'clock yesterday afternoon. His lordship received an answer frem her Majesty at about half-put four o'clock. The messenger had instructions to await his lordship's reply. The Earl of Clarendon had audiences yesterday morning with Sir J. Graham and the Duke of Bed ford, who subsequently proceeded with the noble earl to Windsor Castle. It is believed his lordship's visit to Windsor was not upon public business. The Marquis of Lansdowne left Lansdowne-house for Windsor Castle yesterday morning. Lord Palmerston was visited yesterday morning by Lord Grey, Sir Charles Wood, Sir Robert Peel, Mr. Hayter, Lord Panmure, and Mr. Cardwell, with whom his lordship had interviews. The Times and Morning Chronicle represent an , early dissolution of Parliament as an event by no means unlikely to occur, Mr. Roebuck's motion being the point of difficulty. EXPLOSION OP A RAILWAY ENGINE BOILER.— GLOIJORSTER, WIDNESDAT.—This morning a fearful boiler explosion took place at the railway station. The engine driver of the six a.m. train from Paddington pro ceeded with his engine a short distanos beyond the station, to fetch up a third-class carriage, which he had brought to within a few yards of the platform, when the boiler of the engine burst into a thousand fragments. A pointsman named Cook was much injured, but, strange to tell, the driver and stroker were entirely unharmed They were shielded by the door of the engine, which was between them and the portion that bunt. Fregmenta of the boiler were canted to distant places, and many windows were broken. The explosion was heard for miles around. One fragment of the boiler fell on to the platform through the station roof ; another fell through the roof of the workhouse, and a third was projected across the cattle market, and through the wall of the New Market Ina. The engine is lying a wreck upon the line. The explosion cannot be to/- counted for. gilt erprvoo. TO CORRESPONDENTS. Wend Mks of "The Ewen," eantalning the • ' , Me "foollsee "O•autto." le pubtlar4 every Marla, and Friday a: ilia, Is U*t for put. .d•erthwasesta Winded for "The Ispreis," Landon Zves log PIM. art he at the OS" 10. Ben•ari•atzest, by Two o'cios rat 11( lay of pittileattas. HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE. Tv DAY—MOrDIDI6 sb. 443 m Attansoce, 61s. 2m. To-amamow—Mondas, lb. 21m Alterman, 6k. 41:2m. LONDON, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8. LATEST NEWS FROM ABROAD MADRID, Fan. 5. M. Madoz, Minister of Finance, has this day presented to the Corte his bill for legalising the sale of the property of the clergy. The measure was received with loud applause.—Daily News. THE NEW MINISTRY AND THE WAR. LORD PALMERSTON is Prime Minister of Eng. land. After forty-four years of official life he has reached the top of the tree. Lord PALMERSTON owes the position he occupies more to his own abilities, and less to connexions, than perhaps any of his asso ciates or rivals is the political arena. He has ambition, and he has the sentiments of an English gentleman. • There are, therefore, good grounds for believing that he will aspire to render his Admi- nistration one of note and mark in the annals of his country; and that be will aim at this end by means conducive to the honour and interests of England. Whether he will be able to realise hie aspirations, by the co-operation of the Ministers he has sasociated with him in office, time will show. The material changes in the composition of the Cabinet are confined to the secession of the Earl of ABERDEEN, the Duke of NEWCASTLE, and Lord JOHN RUSSELL; and the accession of Lord PANIIIIRF. In the Earl of ABERDEEN, the country has got rid of a Premier whom the instinctive sense of the public taught it to distrust and recoil from, even before the damning evidence that has of late been produced re vealed to all men his incapacity. In the Duke of NEWCASTLE the country has got rid of a Minister singularly tenacious of office, and singu larly incompetent to discharge its duties. On the other hand, the country has lost in Lord Jour; RUSSELL a statesman whom recent revelations prove to have been earnest in urging his colleagues on to decided action, and intolerant of mere for malism in office. How far the accession of Lord Pstatuaz will compensate for the loss of Lord JOHN remains to be seen. Thus much may be predicated of Lord PANIRIRE'S fit __ for the office he now fills :—To carry into effect the radical and sweeping reforms called for in the British army, a Minister is required who can, when necessary, do unpleasant things; and Lord PANMURE has shown that he not only can do unpleasant things, but take pleasure in doing them. Turning from individuals to the general aspect of the re-constructed Cabinet, it does not appear fitted to inspire muck confidence. The Peelites and the colourless Whigs predominate too much in it. That, however, is mainly Lord PALMERSTON'B concern. He has undertaken to accomplish the arduous task which lies before him by the instru mentality of these colleagues; and he is as much responsible for the selection of his instrn meats as for the use he may put them to. If the country at large is disposed to place more con fidence in the reconstructed Cabinet than it did in the Cabinet which preceded the late break-up, it is simply because Lord PALMERSTON, instead of Lord ABER DEEN, is at the head of it. Whatever hopes may be entertained of improved management of the war re- Fee upon Lord PauleastoN. If these hopes are realised, the glory will be Lord PALMERSTON'S ; if they prove abortive, upon him will fall the shame and blame of failure. It he set to work honestly and energetically to repair the evils occasioned by the narrow views, indifference, and incapacity of his pre decessor, the country will support him. The conjuncture at which Lord PALMERSTON sizes the reins of State is critical in the extreme. There is no use in seeking to conceal the low ebb to which the British force in the Crimea has been reduced. The exposure of its weakness will be no news to the Om, and will not encourage him to an attack; for he knows that the British are supported by the French before Sebastopol; and he is further kept in check by the Turkish force gathering on his flank at Enpatoria. The condition of the Allies, and of the Russian army opposed to them, renders it extremely probable that operations will be in a great measure suspended on both sides till the middle of March. The interval ie the time allowed to Lord PALMERSTON to reinforce our army and complete its organisation, and to concert with our Allies in what manner the cam- paign is to be renewed in the Crimes. For the state of Sebastopol is now such, that, in all likelihood instead of making its reduction the preliminary step to the ejection of the dispirited Russians from the Crimea, it will be found necessary first to drive the Russians from the Crimea, and then redoes Sebastopol by regular siege or even by the slow pro. sea of blockade. One of our correspondents writes The fortress has grown so strong—and it is growing stronger—that the result of a cannonade and an attack would be most problematical. Where we used to see plain earth, there are now batteries; and, in Sebastopol, every house is a fort and every palace a citadel." • The first care of Lord PALMERSTON Mist be to have our army placed upon a proper footing. Our Allies have a right to expect that we will take our fair share of the work; and the national safety is incompatible with an ignominious retreat from the struggle in which we have engaged. At pre sent it does not appear that the English army in the Crimea could muster much more than 16,000 effective men. Reinforcements, it is true, continue to drop in, and there are always a proportion of the invalids who recover their strength and return to duty. But both these sources are inadequate to compensate for the drain of 1,000 men per week—the rate at which the effective force of the army would but for them be diminished. THE NEW RETURN OF NEWSPAPER STAMPS. The maim m• newspaper stamps just issued gives the lelhowing resells : Pint Quarter. &sand Quarter. Daily News . . 319,191 346,044 Morning Herald . . 803,006 299,000 Morning Poet . . 205,000 226,000 Morning Chrosiele. . 169,600 186,000 Express . . 177,133 196,369 Glow . . . 175,000 195,000 • Sun • • . 168,000 192,000 Standard . • . 103,000 104.000 'I I?