The Press. — London, England, 1858-07-24 00:00:00

THE MEMBER'S DIARY. HOUSE OF LORDS. MONDAY. Wirt' does Lord STRATFORD DR REDCLIFFE, who "clubs" at the Carlton and votes with the Conservatives, speak from the Opposition bench ? What is of more importance,—Why should the Noble Viscount, who has won his spurs and his coronet in the diplomatic service, comment upon the recent atrocities at Jeddah in the genuine spirit of the fire-eating militaire, who thinks the only appropriate answer to an insult ing look is a blow, and would wipe a populous city out of creation in retribution for the mis deeds of a few inhabitants ? These are not days in which the denizen among a civilized com munity—not to say the member of a still- Christian Lerrislature—would wish to follow the exa mple of ° barbarous eras or savage popula tions—would think it glorious to write " Ilium fuit" in revenge for some personal offence, or repay some atrocious outbreak of fanaticism by deeds of a still deeper atrocity. Very likely Lord STRATFORD, when interrogating the Go vernment on the subject, was not conscious of any truculent predisposition. But his questions were couched in phrase which implied that if the matter were lett in the hands of the Turkish authorities, there was sure to be a degree of evasion and delay amounting practically to a denial of justice ; and in that case he asked in urgent tones whether her Majesty's Ministers were prepared to take the law into their own hands. Lord MALMERRITRY, as Foreign Minis ter, recognizes the duty of interpreting the past most pleasantly, and looking forward to the future most hopefully. Ile will not see in the Jeddah massacre any proofs of a deepseated hostility in the Mussulman mind against the Christians. The event is no doubt an ugly blotch, but it is only a surface symptom, originating in a trade dispute touching the owner ship of a merchant vessel, but in no way indi cating any fever in the blood. This is his com forting version of the past atrocities ; and for future redress the Foreign Secretary awaits with patient trust the proceedings of the Pacha whom the Porte has already sent to Jeddah, armed with full powers of life and death, and fortified by the co-operation of a numerous military escort. Relying upon these diplomatic agencies, Lord MALYntsiumy resists the urgent petitions which have been addressed to the Foreign-office, exhorting him to take advantage of the opportunity by sending an armed force to blow up the Prophet's tomb at Mecca, and bring away the Caaba as a curiosity for the British Museum. At their last sitting, on Friday, the Peers had got through just half of the Government of India Bill, having discussed thirty-four out of seventy clauses. To-night they despatched the other halt; literally at a galloping rate. Mr. GLAD- Kromes clause, providing that the Indian army should not be employed out of India, was modified so as simply to enact that whenever the British troops were engaged beyond the fron tier, their pay and expenses should at once de volve upon the national revenue, requiring ac cordingly an appeal, and entailing a responsibility to Parliament. These changes being accom plished, and sanctioned in both instances by con siderable majorities, the Bill passed through committee. TTJESDAY. The Bill converting the Encumbered Estates Act into the Sale and Transfer of Land (Ireland) Act was sharply opposed by Lord CRANWORTIt and some other law lords. To the legal mind, any estoppel of litigation, brought about by bar ring the claims of hypothetical ejectors against the actual owners of landed estates, constitutes an unpardonable outrage upon justice. In lay appreciation this consequence, even if taken at its worst extremity, can be regarded with com placency. Thus : A enjoys an estate as the na tural heir of his father and grandfather, who enjoyed it before him. B, as the representative of a collateral branch, accidentally discovers that, on account of the misspelling of a name, the in formality of a register, the slovenly mode of executing some legal instrument, or other tech nical casualty, there is left an opening through which he can insert his own claim to the property. An Act assigning a Parliamentary title to land, which will effectually put out of Court THE PRESS, Jtmy 24, 1858. every claimant whose case is based upon " con- I ditions precedent," is naturally regarded by lawyers very much as the salmon catchers (not fishers) on a Scotch river would regard the in junction to remove their stake-nets, and leave off "burning the water." The opposition was stoutly urged both on the primary motion for going into committee, and on the special clause (51), extending to the owners of non-encumbered estates the privilege of obtaining Parliamentary titles, and in both cases unsuccessfully. In the course of the debate it was mentioned that the value of this same Parliamentary title was rather more than four years purchase on all the landed estates for which such privilege was obtained. Now, the total revenue from reaPproperty in the United Kingdom, as assessed under Schedule A. to the Income Tax, is sixty millions a year. At four years' purchase, therefore, the enhancement in the actual selling value of this commodity would be 240 millions. This would be a clear gift to the British landowners, obtained simply by the extension to England of the measure which is now adopted into the legal system of the sister isle. The sacrifice is somewhat too heavy to be much longer endured merely for the sake of satisfying some legal scruples, or affording a field for the display of legal ingenuities. WEDNESDAY. With an eye to Prorogation-day, their Lord ships consented to sit t'-day, and patriotically devoted half an hour to the arduous duty of forwarding some unopposed Bills through the pending stage of progress. THURSDAY. Various business. FRIDAY. The annual Bill legalizing marriage with a deceased wife's sister was thrown out on second reading by a majority of 24, the numbers stand ing 22 contents against 46 non-contents. Their Lordships afterwards finally passed the Government of India Bill, which goes back to the Commons with numerous, though not very highly important, amendments. HOUSE OF COMMONS. MONDAY. The Bill by which the House orders the Metropolitan Board of Works to purify the Thames passed second reading. Several mem bers renewed their objections to intrust so vast and important a work to an assembly which had hitherto done little or nothing but talk. Mr. STEI'HENSON, in recommending the Board for the service, relied chiefly on the negative argument that its members during the two or three years of their existence in that capacity had cleared their heads of a good many crotchets, and found out the absurdity of many impracticable schemes — the Board, in short, had " sown its wild oats; " while if they appointed any new body and brought new minds into it, however superior might be its abstract constitution, the work would all have to be done over again. There was something in this, though not much, unless one could believe, against all the teachings of experience, that absurdity was an exhaustible quantity. Mr. GLADSTONE regrets that New Caledonia should be established under a form of govern ment " mounted" upon the autocratic principle. All our first settlements, he observes, were gifted from the outset with free institutions, and the despotic or bureaucratic system was introduced only when we began to form penal colonies. He forgets the case of the Crown colonies acquired from foreigners, or the garrison colonies held as military posts in various parts of the world where the administrative organization was, or still is, a pure despotism. But more suo the Member for the University answered himself before he ended his speech, maintaining that a country extem poraneously peopled by adventurers of "mixed " and promiscuous character, of irregular habits, uncertain objects, and various origins" was an utterly inappropriate field for the cultivation of free institutions. When the Appropriation Bill is brought in, Hon. Members can count the days to Prorogation. Like all money-bills, the measure must pass through its successive stages in both Houses with a clear day between each ; but when the journey is safely accomplished, there is nothing to delay the immediate wind up of the session. The first step in this progress was effected to-night, and ` the Financial Secretary of the Treasury received 701 the usual accolade of cheering when he placed this significant Bill in the Speaker's hand. TUESDAY. A country of woods and waters, of genial climate and luxuriant fertility, crying, " Come, and till me." There are many such regions in all quarters of the globe. If the human race were doubled, there are vacant districts in every one of the great continents, where another thousand million of human beings could find room for lodgment or food for subsistence. One such region was described to-night to the House, and plans proposed by which tillers might be sent there to grow and reap the ample harvest its surface was ready to yield. There are many other districts, perhaps, better endowed with ad vantages of soil and climate, and more accessible to commerce ; but the country in question happens to be our own, and many good reasons were shown why it should not longer be condemned to barrenness, or tabooed from cultivation, in order to furnish hunting-ground for the Indians who purvey furs to the Hudson's Bay Company. Mr. ROEBUCK, who inaugurated the discussion, allowed it to close without requiring any special vote on the question, being satisfied with the promise elicited from the Colonial Secretary that the charter of the Company would be carefully revised before the opening of another session. The new Chelsea-bridge toll question has been compromised. The tax is to be maintained till the Government advances are repaid ; but foot passengers pass free on Sundays, and holidays. WEDNESDAY. The Jew Bill went through its terminal stage, after some final unavailing protests, and a last appeal to division. When this was done, and the Bill safe, Lord Jolts RUSSELL proposed some resolutions re specting the Peers amendments in the Oaths Bill, and their "reasons" for insisting on the same, in which as bitter an insult was conveyed to their Lordships as could well be concentrated within the compass of seven lines, or rendered compatible with the forms and courtesies of Parliament. The Commons passed the resolu tions, not apparently much displeased to find that the other House, after so protracted a contro versy, had placed itself entirely at their mercy. THURSDAY. The Finance Minister that was, told how the expenditure of the country "as sanctioned by Par liament during the session " had considerably exceeded the original estimate. The Finance Minister that is, told how the revenues of the country as accruing to the Exchequer still more considerably exceeded his anticipations. Both were right. On the balance it appears that the nation may be congratulated on having grown somewhat richer than Mr. DISRAELI ventured to prognosticate in his Budget-speech last April. The Bill for purifying the Thames—which will hereafter be cited as "The Metropolis Local Management Act Amendment Act "—was discussed in committee in the morning, and again at night. Suggestions how the work ought to be done were plentiful, and still more plentiful were suggestions how the work ought not to be done. The debate revolved slowly round these points of detail for several long hours, but ended just where it begun—in a reso lution to leave the matter entirely m the hands of the Metropolitan Board. FRIDAY. Mr. VERNON SNIML who declined to make any statement of Indian finance affairs last year, wished his successor at the Board of Control to go through that ceremony before the session ended. Lord STANLEY observed that while India was convulsed with revolt it was impossible to tell the House anything on the subject of its finances which could be of the slightest utility. The Noble Lord took another opportunity of mentioning that Government had despatched 17,000 men to India since February, and were preparing means to strike a crushing blow upon the relics of rebellion in Bengal during the next cold season. Whether, and how, candidates should provide voters with conveyance to the poll was discussed for many hours, apropos of a clause in the Bill continuing the Corrupt Practices Prevention Act. At last it was determined, by a moderate majo • rity, to allow the candidate to hire any veh icle he liked for the purpose, but under the restriction that no money must be actually paid to the elec tor for travelling expenses. A