The Press. — London, England, 1857-07-11 00:00:00

V rett6ings is V arliantent. HOUSE OF LORDS—MONDAY. EMIGRATION FROM AFRICA OF FREE NEGROES. The Earl of SHAFTESBURY, in reply to a remark from Lord Brougham, that the project of importing into the West India Islands free negroes from Africa ought to be carefully and scrupulously watched, said some short time ago he introduced a deputation to Lord Palmerston, the object of which had been entirely misunderstood. The great object of that deputation was to impress upon the Prime Minister the progress of the slave trade, and the necessity of taking measures to prevent it, not on the shores of Africa, but of Cuba, by means of gunboats, and they suggested that it would be wise to consider whether some means should be taken for the purpose of providing free labour. That was a mere matter for consideration, and the gentlemen composing the deputation gave their opinion to Lord Palmerston. But he (Lord Shaftesbury) did not hesitate to say, as far as he was concerned, and he believed he might say it for the members of the deputation, that the endeavour to set up any scheme of that sort to import negroes from any part of the world would be, to all intents and purposes, the revival of the slave trade. The Earl of MALMESBURY should be sorry if their lordships should run away with the idea that if some plan or other were adopted, or could be discovered, for getting free labourers from Africa, that that was necessarily a renewal of the slave trade. If that were clearly shown, he should say there was an end of the matter; but on the score both of policy and humanity the question was worthy the consideration of those who wished to take a broad and statesman like view of the subject. He hoped her Majesty's Government would decide not to take it for granted that any experiment made by the French Govern ment must inevitably result in the revival of the slave trade. ..........—. The Earl of CLARENDON said he had made in quiries, and understood that the contract, as it was approved by the French Government, was for free labourers and not for slaves; but he believed there was no plan that could be adopted without involving directly or indirectly the revival of the slave trade. Therefore, no plan of this sort, however well it might be said to be devised, could be adopted with safety. THE CIVIL SERVICE IN INDIA. The Marquis of CrAtraicAz= moved for certain returns connected with the civil service of the East India Company. He said he took it for granted that they ought very soon to have a general inquiry into the condition of the administration of the Indian Government. He believed that these returns would give information of considerable importance, when they entered on the investigation which he conceived to be inevitable. The Earl of ALBEIIIRLE hoped they would have the assurance of her Majesty's Government that a searching inquiry should be made into the civil service of India, iu all its branches. He believed it would be necessary to change their policy with regard to India, and especially in one point, which appeared to have had the approbation of most of the states men of this country—he meant that of annexing the territories of native princes : About a year and a quarter ago he had a long conversa tion with an intelligent native of India, concerning the last annexation, that of Onde ; and the gentleman in ques tion said, " You will have disaffection among your native troops." He said there were, he understood, MAO men, not of the peasant class, but what we should call yeomen— small landowners, who were the most inflammable material that could possibly be conoeived, that they were of the highest cute of Hindoos. In addition to this, they had great privileges of which they had been necessarily deprived by the annexation of their country to our own. When Oude was annexed we followed the same system that we bad introduced into the north-western provinces. We and the made a survey of every man's property, _ *ones qnence was that an inquiry would be made into the title of 50,000 of these sepoys. He understood that then) were already 40,000 petitions from the sepoys of that territory. He menttoned this to show the necessity of inquiring very minutely into this system. That morning he had received a native newspaper in which there was a copy of a leading article from another native paper, speaking of the great irritation to which the survey had given rise. The Duke of ARGYLL said there was no objection to the returns moved for. The motion was then agreed to. The Sound Dues and the Site of Workhouses Bills passed through committee. The Earl of DERBY presented petitions from Mr. Lewis, of Carman henshire, and from the Llanelly Railway Company, complaining of the vexatious manner in which the Crown rights were exercised to certain lands lying between high and low water mark on the Welsh seashore. The subject was enforced by the noble lord in a speech of considerable length, followed by a debate, in which Lord Stanley of Alderley, Lord Wynford, the Lord Chancellor, Lord Brougham, and other peers, briefly massed their HOUSE OF COMMONS--MOSDAY. THE CAMBRIDGE PETMON. Mr. DEASY reported from the committee on the Cambridge election that the sitting member was declared duly elected. BENGAL MILITARY FUND. Viscount Gonztuat gave notice that he should postpone the motion which stood in his name. It was first on the paper for Tuesday, viz.: " To call the attention of the house to the present state of the Bengal Military Fund, and to the relations existing between the East India Company and that fund, and to move for a select committee to inquire into the subject." The noble viscount was proceeding to state his reasons for the postponement, when he was called to order. STATUE OF RICHARD COVYR DE LION. Sir B. Him., in reply to Mr. Mulkey whether any decision had yet been made as to the spot where the statue of Richard Coeur de Lion, by Baron Mare chetti, purchased by subscription, and presented to the nation in 1850, was to be erected, said no deci sion hsd yet been arrived at as to the exact spot where the statue should be placed, but Carlton gardens had been suggested. PETTY SESSIONS IN IRELAND. Mr. H. HERBERT, in reply to Sir G. Forster, said it was his intention to bring in a measure to provide for payment of petty-sessions clerks by salary in place of fees, as at present. NATIONAL GALLERY. Mr. WiLsox, in reply to Mr. Stirling u to the name of the artist or amateur upon whose recommendation the collection of pictures formed by Herr Kruger was purchased for the National Gallery, said the purchase was made, not by the advice or with the know ledge of the trustees as a body, but under the imme diate advice of Mr. Dyce. There had, previously to such advice being given, been reports published of the quality and value o f collection. NEW WRITS. Sir G. GREY, in the absence of the noble viscount the First Lord of the Treasury, moved— That in all cases when the seat of any member has been declared void by an election committee on the ground of bribery or treating, no motion for the issuing of a new writ than be made without two days' previous notice being given in the votes. Thit arrangement would give the house ample time to ascertain whether there was any cause to suspend the writ. Mr. DISRAELI said he bad considered the resoln tion now proposed, and he saw nothing in it that was not perfectly just and expedient. Mr. T. DUNCOMBE moved by way of amendment that the term of " seven days," originally proposed, be substituted for " two days." Upon a division the original resolution was carried by 190 to 138. PROBATES AND LETTERS Or ADMINISTRATION BILL. The house then resolved itself into a committee upon this bill, after a short and desultory discus. sion, chiefly upon the subject of compensation to officers. Oa the 2nd (interpretation) clause, in which the " Court of Probate " is first mentioned, Mr. COLLIER proposed the first of a series of amendments, the object of whish, he said, was, that as the superior courts of common law were by the bill to be intrusted with nine-tenths of the contentious jurisdiction, they should have the other tenth, and that the non-contentious business should be trans acted by a registrar and officers, under the control of the courts of common law. In order to raise the question, he moved that the word " office " be sub stituted for " court," in relation to common firm business. ' • The Arronser-Gzintaileropposed the amendments, observing that tie hiediesee of a Court of Probate required great experience, great sere, and very eon• siderable knowledge of the mode of transacting it, and that if transferred to the fifteen judges there might be contradictory decisions, even if their occu pations admitted, which be did not believe, of their undertaking this additional business. Mr. COLLIER ultimately withdrew the amend meats. On the sth clause, which contained a proviso that the present judge of the Prerogative Court shall be the first judge of the Court of Probate, Sir F. KELLY moved the omission of this proviso. The Arronintir-GxwEssz. acknowledged that it imposed upon the learned judge of the Prerogative Court an office which he might not desire to accept. The proviso was expunged. In the 84th dense, giving an appeal to the Hasse of Lords, the words " requiring en intermediate appeal to her Majesty in Council " were omitted. Mr. Meuse moved that the ultimate Appal* Court be the Judicial Committee of She P/ Ootmoil—igiot the Howe of Lords. - 1 rebo4,,„ This motion was opposed by the Soucrros- GENZIAL and other members, and upon a division it was negatived by 271 to 27. On the 40th clause, enacting that probates and administration to have effect in all parts of England may be granted in common form by district registrars, when the estate of the deceased is under 1,5001. personal, Mr. WESTEIF.AD moved to amend the clause by omitting the limitation, and malting the probate cover all personalty, wherever situate. The ATTORNEY GENERAL said the greatest possible danger would be incurred, and great alarm would be occasioned to public bodies, if so large an authority were given to district registrars. The retention of the words containing the limita tion was negatived by 102 to 131—a majority o 31 against the Government. The ATTORNEY•GENERAL said this vote would destroy the bill, and he would give the house an opportunity of reconsidering its most unfortunate vote. The committee then divided upon the amendment moved by Mr. Westhead, to insert the words "and that such probate or letters of administration shall cover all personalty wherever situate," when the amendment was carried by 141 to 139—a majority of 2 against the Government. The Chairman was then ordered to report progress. The house then went into committee upon the Summary Proceedings before Justices of the Peace Bill ; but, after a long discussion upon an incl. dental point, the Chairman was ordered to report progress. The report of the Committee of Supply was brought up and agreed to. The Attorneys and Solicitors (Colonial Courts) Bill passed through committee. The Constabulary Force (Ireland) Bill was read a third time and passed. The Land Tax Commissioners' Names Bill was read a second time. The Smoke Nuisance (Scotland) Abatement Bill was read a second time. Sir J. RAMSDEN brought in a bill to suspend the making of lists for the militia. Mr. WiLsox obtained leave to bring in a bill to regulate life•insurance offices. The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and the house adjourned at a quarter to two o'clock . HOUSE OF LORDS-Tv THE IRISH PEERS. Lord REDESDALE brought in s bill on the subject of the oaths taken by the (Ash peers, and it was read a first time. Lord KINWAIRD moved that this bill be referred to a select committe3 under the standing order No. 176, respecting bills regulating trade. The noble lord stated that up to a recent period the custom was to hire and pay ooalwhippers at public-houses; but, owing to the demoralising effects of that practice, a bill was brought in by Mr. Gladstone establishing an office. That bill, after having been renewed two or three times, was allowed to expire last year, a deputation of coalowners having waited on the noble lord the President of the Board of Trade and under taken to establish an office of their own. From a letter in the Gateshead Observer, however, and from other circumstances, he (Lord Kinnaird) had reason to believe that the old system was being revived, and he appealed to their lordships to grant him a com mittee, as an act of justice and of humanity, and he might add, when he remembered the loyalty of these men on the 10th of April, as an act of gratitude. Lord &mune of ALDIRLEY objected to the pro posal in the first place because it was really a private and not a public bill which the noble lord sought to introdu9e. The coalowners had objected to the bill because it intetfered with the very first principle of political economy, and because it prevented them bum obtaining as good labourers as they could have done ut the open wirer. He thought the experi ment had not been fairly tried, and was unwilling to open the question at the present time. Lord Iliveeswonta believed the bill to be repug nant to the first principles of political economy, and thought that no sufficient ground had been shown to induce their lordships to assent to the motion. The Bishop of OXFORD said this was not an inter flambee between the labourer and the employer, but en endeavour to set the labour market free from a particular kind of tyranny which c.3uld only be reached by legislation. The question now was, whether inquiry should be granted or stifled, and he trdsted their lordships would agree to the appoint meat of the committee. Lord ORLIVIILLR objected to the appointment of a committee, and Lord Knixtran divided the house, when Government were defeated by 31 to 27. The Sound Dues Bill, on the motion of the Earl of Cumin:poe t won read a third time and passed. E PRES Et, Juts 11,1857, lopinions. The petitions were then ordered W lie on Their lordships adjourned at seven o'clock. T