The Press. — London, England, 1858-03-27 00:00:00

appeared open to less objection than a council nomi nated by the Crown, their orders to be confirmed by order in council. Mr. WALPOLE thought the bill was by far the best yet proposed upon the subject, and leave was given to introduce the bill. The remaining business having been disposed of, the house adjourned at a quarter before one o'clock. HOUSE OF COMMONS-WED•ZESDAY. VALUATION OF LANDS (SCOTLAND) ACT AMENDMENT BILL. Mr DUNLOP, in moving th second reading of this bill, explained its objects, and entered into various details as to the operation of the Act of 18 54 upon the valuation for the purposes of the assessment and taxation of landed property in Scotland, with especial reference to certain alleged exemptions, including deer forests, woodlands, and shootings. Lord DUNCAN opposed the bill, because it was drawn up in a spirit directly contrary to that which pervaded the Act of 1854, and because every part of it bad been already discussed and rejected by the house, and he moved to defer the second reading for six months. The bill was opposed by Mr. Mackie, Mr. Finlay, Mr. Black, Sir M. Stewart, and Lord Elcho, and supported by Mr. Cowan. The LORD ADVOCATE, who gave a very lucid ex position of the somewhat dry and technical details of the subject, opposed the further progress of the measure. _ _ The discussion was continued for some time, all the speakers, with the exception of Mr. Craufurd, opposing the bill. Ultimately, the amendment was agreed to ; so the bill is lost. THE DUBLIN POLICE RIOTS. Mr. HATCHELL called attention to the occurrence in Dublin on the 1•lth of March, on the occasion of the entry of Lcrd Eglintoun, preparatory to moving for copies of the report of the Dublin Police Com missioners to the Chief or Under Secretary for Ireland ; of the warrant authorising an inquiry by the Solicitor-General for Ireland and Mr. Stronge ; and of instructions, if any, to govern the inquiry. His object in moving for these papers, he said, was to elicit a statement from the Government that would satisfy the public, mind in Dublin, which was much excited upon the subject. Lord NAAS complained that Mr. Hatchell should have persevered in his motion in the unavoidable absence of the Attorney-General for Ireland. He, however, made some observations in justification of the course which the Government had taken, and stated that they now intended that the inquiry should take place in a court of law. Mr. WHITESIDE, who had entered the house while Lord Naas was speaking, entered upon a fuller ex planation in relation to the inquiry, and of the technical difficulties regarding the form of the inquiry which involved principles of importance. Mr. J. D. FITZGERALD expressed his satisfaction at hearing that this matter would be investigated before a constitutional tribunal, a court of justice. He complained of the very gross exaggerations on both sides; it woul 1, however, turn out, he be• lieved, that the greater injuries had been sustained by the police, not by the students. After condemn ing strongly the mode of inquiry adopted in the first instance by the Irish Government, Mr. Fitzgerald accused the Irish Government of pusillanimity, of French police principles, and, lastly, of vacillation and weakness. Mr. SPOONER accused Mr. Fitzgerald of having taken an unusual and unjust course in the attack he had made upon the Irish authorities, when he knew that neither L-rd Naas nor Mr. Whiteside could again address the hon-e. In order that they might do so he moved that the debate be adjourned. Mr. WHITESIDE then, in a very sarca , itiJ reply to Mr. Fitzgerald, vindicated his I , wn conduct and that of the Government in these proceedings. Mr. FITZGERALD replied to what he termed the personal vituperation directed against him by Mr. Whiteside, and with some warmth defended his strictures upon the proceedings of the Irish Govern ment, which he charged with vacillation and weak ness. NAAS insisted that the course adopted by Mr. Fitzgerald was a most unusual one ; that he should have given notice of his intended attack upon the whole proceedings of the Irish Government, and should have brought forward his charges in a formal manner. He maintained that the precautions taken by the Government had been both prudent and successful, and that the propriety of their measures in relation to the inquiry, under the difficult cir cumstances of the case, had been amply vindicated by Mr. Whiteside. Mr. SPoDNER having withdrawn his motion to sijourn the debat', the motion for a portion of the papers was agreed to, and the house adjourned at a few minutes before Big o'clock. THE PRESS, MARcH 27, 1858. HOUSE OF LORDS—THURSDAY. THE ENGLISH ENGINEERS IN NAPLES. The Earl of MAr.,JF.ssuny stated that Mr. Watt, one of the two English engineers implicated in the case of the Cagliari, had arrived in this country. His comrade, Park, had been admitted to bail, and was now enjoying the hospitalities of the British consul in Naples. (Hear, hear.) The Earl of GRANVILLE inquired whether the pro visions of the new Ministerial measure for the government of India had been communicated to the Court of Directors. The late Ministry, he observed, had been censured on this point, as having evinced much discourtesy towards the Leadenhall street Board. The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH observed that the draft of the new bi'l had been transmitted to the East India Directors, not, however, as a matter of right, but in confidence and from motives of courtesy. After some remarks from Earl Grey, the Earl of Derby, and the Earl of Hardwicke, the subject dropped. Lard CAMPBELL postponed the second reading of the Libel Bill till after Easter. Their lordships adjourned at half-past five o'clock. HOUSE OF COMMONS-THITRSDAY. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, in reply to Mr. Griffith upon the supposed illegality of the cap ture of the Cagliari, said that the absolute questions put to the Government had become so numerous that they had come to the determination to avoid as much as possible answering hypothetical questions, and therefore he was unable to respond to this inquiry. He added (in reply to Lord J. Russell), that the answer of the law officers of the Crown upon the point had not yet been received. CRIMINAL STATUTE LAW AMENDMENTS. Sir F. KELLY, replying to Sir H. Keating, said that a bill for the consolidation of the criminal law was in preparation, and would shortly be laid before the house. This measure, he added, had long engaged the anxious attention 01' the Government, and he proposed, after the first reading, to have it referred to a committee upstairs, in order "to consider the expediency and practicability of the entire scheme of consolidation of the statute law, and the more ac curate preparation of public measures." AN INDIAN MEDAL. Mr. KINNArnn requested an answer to the ques tion which he addressed to the Secretary for War some days ago—whether a medal was to be given to those engaged in the siege of Delhi as well as those employed in the,defence and relief of Lucknow? General PEEL had great pleasure in informing the house that her Majesty had been graciously pleased to direct that a medal should be given to all the troops engaged inithe suppression of the mutiny in India, with the addition of a clasp to the captors of Delhi, and another to the defenders and relievers of Lucknow. THE VICEROYALTY OF IRELAND. Mr. ROEBUCK moved a resolution setting forth that "in the opinion of this house the office of Lord Lieutenant of Ireland ought to be abolished, and the office of Secretary of State for Ireland be at once created." The hon. and learned member supported the motion by commenting upon the exorbitant cost an.l practical inutility of the Irish Viceroyalty. Mr. C. GILPIN seconded the motion. Lord NAAS, in opposition to the motion, explained the uses, political, executive, and economical, which were fulfilled by the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. The abolition of that office was, he apprehended, in expedient, and he was sure that it would be prema ture. The saving of expense would not be large, and it must be purchased at the cost of considerable in conto niew.e. In the last resort he thought that the question should be left entirely to be decided by public opinion in Ireland. - Sir G. C. LEWIS could not altogether accept the motion proposed by Mr. Roebuck, neither did he altogether dissent from it. The house must, he be lieved, be prepared before long to abolish the Lard Lieutenancy, but when matters were ripe fur that consummation there would, he believed, remain no necessity for the maintenance of any special depart ment for the administration of Irish affairs. By that time Ireland would be tit to be governed on the same principles as Scotland. Meanwhile he thought that the present organisation ought to be preserved. Mr. ESMOND and Mr. CoxoLLy opposed the motion. Mr. DODSON supported the resolution, which was opposed by Mr. GROGAN. The abolition of the Irish Viceroyalty was ap• proved by Mr. BAXTER and Mr. Donna, who never. theless objected to the creation of a new Secretary of State. Lord J. RUSSELL thought it better to leave the matter in the hands of the Government. He should therefore support the previous question. Mr. WAIPOLE said the Government had thought, considering this not to be the fit time for entertain ing this question, and the difficulties which sur rounded it, that their proper course was to vote for the previous question. He speed that this was a proper subject for the consideration of the Execu tive Government. In his opinion, the office of the Lord Lieutenant was infinitely better than the specific substitute proposed by Mr. Roebuck. He stated reasons which led him to this conclusion, among which was the fact that no Secretary of State could supply that local authority which was so much needed at Dublin. The question depended, he said, in the first instance, upon the opinion of the people of Ireland, and next upon the fitness of the substi tute; but it would be better not to part with the advantages of the existing inst•tution till there were at least probable grounds for believing that a lit substitute could be provided. Until the difficulties of the question could be maturely weighed by the Government, and surmounted, they could not pro pose the abolition of this office. Lord PALMERSTON said after all the decision ought t) be governed by the feeling of the people of Ire land. If they thought the office ought not to be abolished, no consideration of the advantages obtain. able from unity of administration should tempt Par liament to put any compulsion upon the national feeling. Mr. ROEBUCK replied in a sarcastic and critical vein. The house divided upon the previous question, " that this question be now put," which was deter. mined in the negative by 243 to 116. Mr. BLACK moved for a return of the cost of printing and distributing the report of the evidence on the endowed schools of Ireland, in four folio volumes, ccmprising 2,680 pages, and by whose authority the same was printed. Mr. WALPULE supported the motion, which was agreed to. Mr. CAIRD called atttention to the subject of agri cultural statistics in Scotland, with a view to their future collection, and moved for further papers rela tive thereto. After a discussion, in which Mr. Black, Mr. Black. burn, Sir J. Ogilvy, and Mr. Henley participated, the motion was withdrawn. On the order for the second reading of the Galway Freemen Dish anchisement Bill, Mr. ROEBUCK moved that the seccnd reading be deferred for six mouths. The bill, he said, punished only one class of offenders, the least guilty,— namely, the parties bribed, and, being an unjust bill, he opposed it altogether ; and gave notice that if it passed the second reading he should move the expulsion of Sir T. Burke. Mr. IVALroLE supported the bill and opposed the amendment. A discussion ensued upon the point whether or no, by agreeing to the second reading of the bill, the real offtinders would escape, which was put an end to by the CHSNCELLOR, of the EXCHEQUER, who said : It appears to me that our course is very clear, and I think the majority of the house will be of the same opinion. A lengthened discussion at this late hour is not very desirable ; but it seems to me that if we do not assent to the second reading of the bill all parties will escape. ( Hear, hear.) lam therefore prepared to follow the advice of my right hon. friend and vote the second reading. But in doing so I intend when the measure is in committee to propose that those who are not guilty should not be subject to its penalties—( Hear, hear)—and I will also support a motion to the effect that on going into committee it be an instruction that the bribers be included within its provisions. (Cheers.) That is the course which we are prepared to take, and which I shall advocate with my utmost energy ; and f hope it will be satisfactory to the house. (Renewed cheers.) 1 trust, therefore, that the bill will be allowed to receive a second reading. Mr. ROEBUCK then withdrew his motion, and the second reading was agreed to. The house adjourned at half•pastjtwelve o'clock. NOTICES OF MOTION. TUESDAY. Mr. Count:TT—that, after Eaater, he would move for a select committee to consider the state of the law and practice with regard to the taking of inquisitions after death, and the fees paid to coroners; and the,. such committee be requested to report and state what alterations they considered to be desirable. Mr. lixowELL—that lie would move, on an early da, for a select committee to inquire into the alleged state of distress in the county of Douegel. Mr. lioesuct —that he should move in committee on the bill for the disfranchisement of the freemen of the city of Gallf4y, a clause to punish the bribers ss well as the bribed that , the seat of Lord Dulikellin be declared vacan•, and that Sir UM/111AS Billie be expelled the house. (Laughter.) THURSDAY. Mr. H. BERRELEY— thateh irtly alter F.aster he should again toting before the house the question of the ballot- Mr. BRADY—of the following question:—whether it is the intention of the Government to I.IIKO any proceedings against the directors of the Western Bank of Scotland. Mr. Wm—after Easter the following resolution :—that it is the opinion of this house that the diplonletie salaries and pen pions now charged upon the Con-oldate I Fund should be brought under the more immediate view and coutiol of Parlia ment, and be paid out of a vote annually provided and appro priated by Parliament for the put pose. Lard CAMPBELL-10 ask the Government, ou an early day after the recess, whether they Lati any intention to introduoe a bill for the improvement, of Scotch universities.