The Press. — London, England, 1858-05-08 00:00:00

V rocetbings zn Varliamcnt. HOUSE OF LORDS—MONDAY. SEPOY ATROCITIES. The Earl Of SHAFTESBURY drew attention to statement contained in the blue-book entitled Fur ther Papers on India, recently laid on the table, that i t wa s not desirable to give any more detailed ac count of the sufferings of individuals at Cawnpore, the appropriate place for such cases being the ap pendix , • a footnote to this passage added " Not received." He wished to know if those details bad been since received? The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH replied, they had not; and if they bid been received it was not de sirable to publish them, as they would be calculated to revive and continue feelings of animosity in India. The Earl of SHAFTESBUPY wished to see all such feelings cease, but the character of individuals who bad been assailed should also be cleared. He gave notice he would move an address to the Crown for the production of those cases, and be would continue to move for them till they were produced. The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH could not communi cate them if they had not been received. ENDOWED SCHOOLS IN IRELAND. The Earl of CORK inquired what course the Go vernment intended to adopt with respect to the recommendations of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the condition of endowed schools in Ireland ? The Earl of DERBY stated that as two out of the five commissioners dissented from the recommen dations of the report, and as it suggested extensive changes which would be attended with considerable expense, be could not pledge himself to carry out those recommendations ; but be would give them bis serious consideration. It was proposed to transfer the management of all the endowed schools to a new board, with a large staff of officers and an increased expenditure. that would be charged on the Consolidated Fund. He was unwilling to express any decided opinion on those changes ; but he ad mitted that the improvement of the Means of educa tion for the middle class of Ireland was a question of grave importance, as the system of national schools had raised the standard of education of the lower class, and the establishment of the Queen's Colleges bad given greater facilities for the educa tion of the upper class than formerly existed. The middle classes in Ireland ought to be enabled to keep pace with the general improvement. The Earl of CARLISLE bore testimony to the per sevetatice and impartiality with which the members of the commission bad prosecuted the inquiry. The report contained much valuable and suggestive matter ; tt was not unanimous, but it proved the existence of manifest abuses and neglect in the en dowed schools. There was a deficiency in the means of obtaining a good education by the middle classes in Ireland, and he hoped the recommendation of the report would furnish some suggestions of remedy for the evil. The . Bishop of CASHEL urged a better system of inspection of the existing schools. Their lordships adjourned at a quarter past seven o'clock. HOUSE OF COMMONS-MONDAY. EXCHEQUER BONDS. Sir G. LEWIS, alluding to a report that the late Government, and he in particular, as the Finance Minister, had banded over to their successors the finances in a disordered and unsatisfactory state, entered into details to refute this charge, and to show that the Chancellor of the Exchequer had made arrangements in ord-r to avoid present difficulties, which, in his opinion, might produce greater difficul ties hereafter. With respect to the Exchequer Bonds, as the same amount of 2,000,00001. w , iuld be due next year, and 1,000,0001. the year following, these liabilities, lie contended, must be met by having recourse to re-borrowing ; and as to the War Sinking Fund, he regarded this as the only plan of that character which was practicable; and unless Parlia. ment were prepared to make it obligatory upon the Government to adopt a plan by which a certain portion of the debt would be annually extinguished, it must make up ita mind to perpetuate the present National Debt. He objected to the Budget of the Chancellor of the Exchequer as a scheme which made no att em p t e i t h er to pay o ff a ny part of the Exchequer Bonds or to keep up the War Sinking Fund. The relief afforded by the fall of the income tax would not, in his opinion, be very sen sibly felt, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, by his arrangement in respect to that tax, and in not reducing the Exchequer-bond debt, be contended, had violated an important principle, without any substantial and effectual relief to the payers of the income tax. Mr. GLLDSTOWE agreed that the financial condition of the country called for further consideration than THE PRESS, MAY 8,1858. it had received on the Budget night. Sir G. Lewis, be said, had deprecated rash engagements on the part of the house ; but Sir George had himself entered into a rash engagement to pay off 1,500,0001. in the name of a Sinking Fund. With regard to such a fund, if the plan were a good one, the house should determine to act upon it; but, if bad, let them have done with it altogether. As to the Ex chequer Bonds, ho denied that there bad ever been any pledge on the part Gf the house that any portion should be reduced in 1853, and, with regard to the income tax, he approved the course taken by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Mr. CARDWELL said the house was going to post pone purposely the payment of this debt until a period when the income tax would expire, to avoid breaking an engagement with the public regarding this tax. At that period there would be a loss of 6,000,0001. taxes, and a gain of 2,000,0001. from the falling in of the terminable annuities ; so that our finances would be then probably 4,000,0001. worse than now. How was this amount to be raised' Only by re•borrowing, and we were practically re borrowing now. Mr. T. BARING replied et some length to Mr. Gladstone in defence of the War Sinking Fund. Mr. BRIGHT observed that the house was trying to do an impossible thing—to make a very heavy taxation easy to bear. That taxation rested upon the masses of the population, whose incomes were small while their consumption of taxed articles was very large. A great deal of ibis taxation was owing, be said, to the foreign policy we were pursuing, which he discussed and strongly censured ; and he contended that it was the duty of Parliament either greatly to reduce the expenditure or to maintain the income tax. _ _ The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, that considerations of high policy were connected with the income tax, which, if it were to be maintained, it would be impossible for the house to avoid; that complaints against this tax came from professional men and the humbler classes of society on account of i•s injustice, impolicy, and inquisitorial character, the clamour against the tax never having arisen from the opulent classes ; it was, therefore, in his opinion, impossible to maintain this tax as a permanent feature of our financial system. As to the War Sinking Fund, it would be idle, he thought, to con tend that it should be maintained in the present circumstances of our finances. There was, he ad mitted, a very great difference between the engage ment to pay the Exchequer Bonds and to maintain the War Sinking Fund; but the house had been of opinion that it was most inexpedient, in the present state of the country, to load it with an amount of new taxation in order to enable it to fulfil these en gagements. Mr. Disraeli then explained the favour able arrangements be had entered into with reference to the Exchequer Bonds ; be intimated the en couraging prospects of the balances in the Exche quer, and read a statement of the revenue in the month just expired, as compared with the corre sponding month of last year, whence it appeared that, under the three heads of Excise, Stamps, and Land and Assessed Taxes, the increase amounted to 430,0001. In conclusion, he protested against the position of Mr. Bright, that the burden of taxation rested upon the masses of the population whose incomes were small, contending that it wag, on the contrary, borne by people of property. He deplored, with him, he said, the great expenditure upon arma ments ; but be did not despair that in due season the wisdom of Cabinets would bring about the re duction of military expenditure, which it would be for the interest of all nations to encourage. Mr. WILSON subjected the financial scheme of the Chancellor of the Exchequer to a very close and comprehensive analysis, pointing out what be con sidered to be fallacies and mistakes in his calcula tions. After some observations by Sir H. Wrmororrav and Mr. SLANEY, Mr. G. Hmathrox replied to Mr. Wilson, and ex plained the mode in which the amount of the prin cipal estimates had been arrived at. Mr. CAYLEY and Mr. W. EWART made a few re marks,and the bill was then read a second time. STAMP DUTY. Mr. T. BARING said, although he doubted the soundness of the principle of this tax, be thought the plea of the Chancellor of the Exchenuer that it was necessaty to have a little surplus revenue was a sufficient lesson for not opposing it. Ho sug gested various objections to the tax, and was of opinion that a:6B,les would be resorted to in order to evade it. After son.e discussion, The CHANCELLOR of the Excueumt, in replying to objections, observed that the bill asserted no new principle ; it only sought to extend a principle, ter minating an exemption which no one vindicated. The bill was read a second time. INDIAN RESOLUTIONS._ _ . The secnnd resolation being read, the effect of which was that her Majesty, by one of her principal 447 Secretaries of State, should have and perform all the powers and duties relating to the government of India now exercised and performed by the East India Company, Mr. AYRTON moved, by way of amendment, that the powers and duties should be exercised and per formed by a Minister of the Crown in Council, his object being, he said, to insure the administration of the government with due care, caution, and efficiency, meaning to follow up this resolution with another, that such Minister shall be responsible for every act done in the United Kingdom in relation to the government of India, but no such act shall be performed by him without the recorded opinion of three members of the Council thereon. Lord STANLEY opposed this amendment. The argument of Mr. Ayrton, he observed, was in favour of the government as it was now carried on by the East India Company. If the Minister "in " Council was to act only conjointly with the Council, there would be a divided responsibility. Where there was to be responsibility there must be power ; but if the Council was to have conjoint power with the Minister individual responsibility ceas e d. What was wanted was undivided responsibility. Mr. MANGLES supported the amendment, upon which Lord Stanley, he said, had put a wrong con struction. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER observed that this was not the occasion to discuss the question of a Council ; the simple question was whether or not the Minister to exercise the powers and duties relating to the government of India should be a Secretary of State. The amendment having undergone further dis cussion, Lord PALMERETON interposed, and, remarkin g that the committee were discussing two questions , the subjects of separate resolutions, suggested that they would do better to postpone t he consideration of the character, composition, and functions of the Council. _ _ The discussion of the amendment was, however, continued, and Mr. GLADSTONE insisted that the original resolu tion could not be worked out in conformity to its terms. He supported the amendment, the object of which he understood to be, not that assumed by Lord Stanley, but to establish a Council, not to control the Minister, but which was cognizant of the whole business of India, and which the Minister would be bound to consult. Upon a division the amendment was negatived by 351 to 100. The house adjourned at ten minutes to one o'clock. HOUSE OF LORDS—TUESDAY. The Earl of DERBY, in moving the ►second reading of the Ecclesiastical Commission Bill, described the general course of past legislation with regard to the management of Church property. The object of the present measure was to compiete and carry out the principle and provisions of former acts. The bill was founded on the recommendations of a committee of the House of Lords which sat in 1851, and on the report of a committee of the House of Commons made in 1857. The measure was the same as the bill introduced last year by the late Government, but sent up to the House of Lords too late in the session to be passed. He proposed to take the second reading in order to refer the bill to a select committee, in which some additi nal clauses would be introduced. As the measure had virtually received the sanction of both houses, be hoped there was a reasonable expectation it might be passed. The Duke of Itlant.nonorou detailed the provisions of a bill closely connected with the measure of the Government by which he proposed to give the ad ministration of the estates of cathedral chapters also to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The Earl of CHICHESTER, as one of the commis sioners, expressed his approval of the bill introduced by the Earl of Derby. Earl GREY thought the plan of converting the estates held under lease of the church into ordinary tenant holdings, to be managed by a commission, would be found in practice very disadvantageous. The Bishop of OXFORD believed the subject to which Earl Grey referred had already been settled by Parliament. The question was not now the best mode of administering the landed property of the Church. What had been done by ►he Ecclesiastical Commissioners, with the sanction of Parliament, rendered it impossible to revert to that question. He regretted the tendency he saw in this legislation to make the bishops and officers of the Church mere stipendiaries ; but, on the whole, he 'thought the course the Government had taken in introducing the present bill was the right one. After some further discussion, The bill was read a second time, and referred to a select committee. The Ecclesiastical Corporation• A 1 was real a second time, and referred select committee —Adjourned. Bill ggregate Bill i to the sin i•