The Press. — London, England, 1858-03-06 00:00:00

Fut t h e q uestion which commonly goes by th e name of Par liamentary Reform, or, in more fitting terms, which means the cousitteration and arrangement of the system of repre sentation in the House of Commons. My lords, lam old enough to remember, and to have been in the Cabinet, not when the last Reform Bill was introduced, but when it was under discussion ; and when I look back to the violence of r ee li n g, to the bitterness of political excitement and of pa rty spirit, and to the passion which accompanied the passing of that great and important measure, my wonder is, not that there should be in it defects and blemishes which the experience of twenty-five years has aptly brought to light, but that under such circumstances there phould have been devised and carried through Parliament a mea sure which for so long a period has to a certain and no in considerable extent effected its purposes and satisfied the people of this country. (Hear, hear.) My lords, be lieving that, with all its anomalies and all its imperfections, that act has given to the country a representative system the result of which is a House of Commons which fairly and fully represents the feeling of the numbers as well as of the intelligence and the property of this country, I should myself have been well satisfied if it had been the pleasure of Parliament that no legislation upon a subject so exciting should be called for or demanded from the Government. ( Hear, hear.) I cannot, however, exclude from my consideration the fact that for three or four years not only has a demand been made, but • promise has been given by successive Governments, of the introduction of a Reform Bill. This promise has been given occasionally even in the name of the Sovereign and in the speech from the Throne. My lords, I must venture to say that I think it is a practice not deserving of imitation to appear in the speech from the Throne personally to Pledge the Sovereign to measures which have not been well and fully considered by her advisers, and which they are not at once prepared to lay before Parliament. (Hear, hear.) In my opinion it is highly inconvenient that from session to session a question of this im portance and of this interest should be perpetually kept dangling before the Legislature, and that session after session it should be hung up till a future day ; and, my lords, having regard to the inconveniences arising from this state of things, and to the promises which sun cessive Governments have made, I have felt it my duty in conjunction with my colleagues to look into this important question. I will not pledge either myself or them to in troduce either now or at any time a bill upon this subject. I prefer to go beyond rather than to fall short of any pledges or promises which I may give in this house ; but this I may say, that as soon as the pressure of parliamentary business enables us deliberately and carefully to consider the ques tion, we will direct oar attention to the defects which exist in the laws regulating the representation of the people in Parliament, and to the amendments which may be made in those laws; and that we will give that attention with the sincere and earnest desire to trifle no longer with this great question, but with the hope that we may be able in the next session of Parliament to lay before the Legisla ture and the country a measure upon that subject which may for a time settle a matter of such deep importance, and which, if we cannot hope to please everybody—which would indeed be a most extravagant expectation—may at least be accepted as a fair and reasonable measure by moderate, impartial, and well-educated men. (Cheers.) I am aware that in making this early announcement I am perhaps somewhat premature, but I thought it was de sirable that your lordships and the country should at once know that, while we are not prepared in this session of Parliament to introduce or to assist in passing any measure dealing with so extensive a question, we are prepared at the very earliest moment practicable to give our diligent and anxious attention to the subject, with the earnest hope that that consideration may lead to a successful issue. ( Hear, hear.) I have now addressed your lordships at greater length then I could have desired the observations which I have found it necessary to make upon my assumption of the ►mportant office which I have now the honout 4o till. My lords, I can only conclude, as I began, by assuring you that I deeply feel my own incompetency for the discharge of the duties of that office; but this I can truly say, that I bring to their performance an earnest and conscient i ous desire faithfully and diligently to discharge them as in the sight of God and in Vie presence of the people. Small as I know my own powers to be, and great as are the diffioul ties I shall have to encounter, there is One who guides the destinies of nations, and who by weak and inefficient instruments is sometimes pleased to produce great and signal effects. Frusting to His guidance and to His blessing I will venture to take upon me the charge which has been intrusted to me by my Sovereign, with an earnest hope and prayer that, be my Administration long THE PRESS, MARCH 6, 1858. or short, w hen I retire I may retire without a stain upon my public charter, and with the that I have not left England in a worse position than that in which I found her. The noble earl resumed his seat amii loud and pro longed cheering. HOUSE OF LORDS-MOND kY. Shortly before five o'clock Sir F. Thesiger took his seat on the woolsack for the first time since his appointment as Lord Chancellor. The Marquis of Lansdowne, the Earl of Shaftesbury, the Duke of Newcastle, Lord Cranwortb, the Duke of Richmond, the Bishop of Exeter, and many other noble peers went up to Sir Frederic immediately on entering and congratulated him upon his new dignity. The body of the house and the places devoted to the accommodation of strangers were even more thronged than on the previous Friday. Owing to the early i&ljournment of the Commons, the side galleries set apart for members of the Lower House were be sieged by eager listeners, and among the crowd at. the foot of the throne Lord Palmerston stood in the front rank. Sir George Grey, Mr. Labou chere, and Mr. V. Smith were also to be observed in the same part of the house. Mr. Dallas, the American Minister, and a number of ladies occupied the galleries destined for peeresses. The first of the episcopal benches were filled by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishop of Lon don, the Bishop of St. Davids, and the Bishop of Exeter. The Duke of Cambridge took his seat on one of the cross benches, and Lord Lyndhurst and Lord Campbell occupied places at the Clerk's table. On the front Opposition bench were to be seen Earl Granville, the Earl of Clarendon, the Marquis of Lansdowne, the Duke of Argyll, Lord Stanley of Alderley, Lord Panmure, Lord Cranworth, and the Marquis of Clanricarde, and on the same side of the house the Earl of Westmorland, Lord Brougham, Lord Wensleydale, Earl Grey, and the Earl of Shaftesbury. At ten minutes past five o'clock the Earl of Derby entered, and was almost immediately followed by the Earl of Ellenborough and the Earl of Malmesbury. The Ministerial benches were also occupied by Lord Colchester, the Earl of Hardwicke, the Earl of Donoughmore, the Earl of Carnarvon, and the Marquis of Salisbury. The Duke of Richmond and the Earl of Cardigan were observable among Lord Derby's sapporttrs, of whom there was a very strong muster. The Earl of SHLFTESBURY presented several peti tions from members of the Established Church, to allow the Gospel to be preached without let or hindrance. THE SLAVE TRADE. Lord BROUGHAM, after a considerable flourish about the importance of the subject ho was about to introduce to the notice of their lordships, put a question to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs on the subject of slave trade returns. (Laughter from the side galleries and the bar.) : If anything can make me repent of the resolution which I began by announcing—namely, that I should only put the simple question to my noble friend without detaining your lordships one instant—it is the indecorous proceeding which we have just witnessed—(laughter, and cries of " Order !"—and, if repeated, means will be taken to pre vent the possibility of a third act of the same sort, because at one instant, and as a matter of course, this house will be cleared of all but your lordships. The Earl of MkLMESBURY replied, that as only three days had passed since her Majesty had placed him in the situation in which he now stood, it was impossible to give an answer relative to a subject connected with the Foreign-office. The returns should be placed on the table without loss of time. Lord DERBY then rose and delivered his speech explanatory of the policy of her Majesty's Ministers. For the details of that speech we must refer our readers to p. 220. Earl GRAXVILLE, in reply, claimed credit on behalf of the Government to which be bad belonged for having performed some services and achieved some sue cesses. They had finished the Russian war with a victory which he found much more highly appre ciated in St. Petersburg than in England. The Persian war was concluded also successtully and with little loss, and active measures taken, with eminent success, to send reinforcements to India for the suppression of the sepoy mutiny. De fending the late Ministry on the question of the Conspiracy Bill, he maintained that the vote against them had been passed by a combination whose elements were altogether incoherent and discordant among themselves. The Earl of CLARENDON enlarged on the diplo matic difficulty presented in consequence of the Walewski despatch, and explained in much detail the motives that had impelled the late Ministers in the course they bad adopted. It would, he said, have been easy, and was indeed tempting, to answer that missive, and send a reply which would have 223 read well in a blue-book, but the• Government at the time thought it most judicious to leave the despatch without formal answer. He read, however, extracts from various correspondence with Lord Cowley, alleging that they proved that the honour of Eng land, and especially the sacred right of asylum, had throughout been carefully vindicated. The discussio❑ then closed, and their lordships adjourned at a quarter past eight o'clock. HOUSE OF COMMONS—Momir. NEW WRITS. On the motion of Sir W. JCLLIFFE, new writs were ordered to issue for the northern division of North umberland, in the room of Lord Lovaine, Lord of the Admiralty ; for the borough of Chichester, in the room of Lori H. Lennox, Lord of the Treasury ; and for the borough of Enniskillen, hi the room of Mr. Whiteside, Attorney-General of Ireland. On the motion of the same hon. member it was agreed that the house on rising should adjourn until Friday, the 12th inst. BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE. Mr. G. A. Mini:row informed the house that on Friday, the 12th of March, it was intended to go into committee of supply and to take the army and navy estimates. The house, of course, was aware that it was vet) , material some votes should be taken in supply in order that the Mutiny Bill might be intro duced, and also with a view to enable a resolution to be adopted in Committee of Ways and Means, in order to meet the exigencies of the public service. The further - - _ . _ _ of the India Loan Bill was postponed, after some conversation, until Friday week. The house adjourned a few minutes before five o'clock. NOTICES OF MOTION. 110?IDAY. The Marquis of CL►xatcAßDE —that 011 the 15th Instant he would make a statem e nt and call the attendon of the house to certain manors relating to himself. Mr. Roitaucic—that on the 25th of March he should move the resolution of which he had given notice, that " in the opinion of this house the office of I.ord•Lieutenant of Ireland ought to be abolished." . . . Mr. BRADY—that on the 15th instant he should move for a return of the expense attendant upon the prosecution of the British Bank directors. _ _ Mr. SLANET—that on the 18th instant he would move for the appointment, of a standing committee to report upon the best means of improving the condition of the wor►ing classes. Mr. Lanais— that upon the motion fox the adjournment of the house on Friday, the 12th instant, he shoat call atten tion to the report of the commission upon the sanitary state of the army, especially to that part which related to the foot guards stationed in London. Mr. W. EWART—that on the 15th instant he should submit to the house a motion respecting the colonisation of Jodie. Mr. M. Mtiates, in the absence of the Ministers of the Crown, postponed the mot:on of which he had given notice r'apecting the vexatious attaching to the new passport regulation. CHARGE AGAINST MR. ISAAC BUTT, M.P. THE committee met, on Wednesday last for the pur pose of considering their report. The proceedings were private, the public being excluded. The committee sat in deliberation four hours and a half. At half past four Sir James Graham in formed the representatives of the press that the committee had come to some general resolutions, the terms of which he regretted he could not com municate to them, as he feared it might not• be con sidered respectful to the House of Commons, which was adjourned for so long a time. Had the house been sitting, and had he been able to report, he would at once have given the press the formal reso lutions. The right bon. baronet added that, the effect of the resolutions was cti acquittal of Mr. Isaac Butt from the charge of improperly employing his privileges as a member of the House of Com mons. The following are published as the resolutions of the committee : 1. That Isaac Butt, Esq., Q.C., a member of this house, did not, as stated in the petition of Edward Le •s Coffey, in or about the months of July or August, ISbd, corruptly enter into an agreement with his Highness Ameer Ali Moorad Khan, or his agents, to the effect that the said Isaac Butt should, fur a sum of money, advocate and prosecute, in the House of eommoua, with her Majesty, Government and the Honourable East India Company, the claims of his Highness for the recovery of his territory, of which he had been deprived by annexation by the Honourable East India Company, nor. " in pursuance of such corrupt agreement, have divers sums of money been actually paid by the said Ameer Ali Moorad Khan to the said Isaac Butt." _ _ . 3. That Isaac Butt, Esq., in or about the month of Jnly, 1857, did enter into sn agreement with his Highness the Ameer All Moored Khan, to go to India to assist him in prosecuting his claim with the local Governm3nt ofaunbay, in consideration of the sum of 10,41001., of which the said Isaac Butt received 2,C001. (1,9)31. net), and the remainder was to be paid in bills proposed to be drawn or accepted by the Ameer. 3. 'fhet lasso Butt, Esq., did, in the period which elapsed from the mouth of June, I»sd, to the month of September, 1857, advise and assist his Highness Ali Mooted Khan, in pro secuting his claim ou the Government of India, and with that view had frequent personal interviews is the year 1857, after the meeting of the present Parliament, with the President of the Board of Control, and also some communication with the chairman of the Board of Directoni of the East ludic Company, and with one other member ct the board. 4. That on the 11th day of August, 1857, Immo Butt, Esq., received from his Ifighness Ali Moored Kban a cheek for another sum of 3001., but it has not been shown to your com mittee that such payment to Isaac Butt, Esq., had any reference to proceedings in Parliament