The Press. — London, England, 1858-08-07 00:00:00

was to no : Ch an vt Es St, thi tin by Ia to BE Be se im of de Cc Me se an LI th fa be flu ee as foi wi to ea be In he wi th nc PT WI th at bi to al io Ii e: h tr Troct6ings ztt Varliantent. PROROGATION OF PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS—MONDAY. Their lordships met at a quarter before two o'clock conclude the business of the session. At that hour not more than a dozen . peers were present. The Lord and "han o c n ellor the Min occupieistderial his übenche s sual seat were on the woolsack, the Earl of Derby, Lord Colchester, the Earl of Carnarvon, the Earl cf Donoughmore, Lora Lyndhurst, and Lord St. Leopards. The Opposition was represented by three peers, of whom Earl Granville was one ; but the 'oenches on that side of the house ere grace by the pre sence of a considerable number of nobled ladies. The commissioners for signifying the royal assent to various bills and proroguing the two Houses of Parliament were the Lord Chancellor, the Duke of Beaufort, the Marquis of Salisbury, the Earl of Hardwicke, and Earl De La V. arr. They took their seats at the foot of the throne at two o'clock, and immediately afterwards Sir Augustus Clifford, Usher of the Black Rod, proceeded to the other house and desired the attendance of her Majesty's "faithful Commons" in the House of Lords. This summons was at once obeyed, and the Speaker presented him self at the bar, attended by the Sergeant-at-Arms, and accompanied by many members of the Lower House, among whom were Mr. Disraeli, Sir E. B. Lytton, Lord Naas, the Solicitor-General, and Lord Palmerston. The commission having been read by the clerk, the royal tissent was given in the usual form to a large number of bills. The Loan CHANCELLOR then proceeded to read her Majesty's Message, which was as follows: — My Lords and Gentlemen, • We are commanded by her Majesty to express her satis faction at being enabled to release you from the dirties of a session which, though interrupted, has, by your unremitting assiduity, been productive of many important measures. Her Majesty is happy to believe that her relations with foreign Powers are such as to enable her Majesty to look with confidence to the preservation of general peace. Her Majesty trusts that the labours of the Plenipo tentiaries now sitting in conference at Paris may lead to a satisfactory solution of the various questions which have been referred to them. Tile efforts, the gallantry, and devotedness displayed in India by her Majesty's forces and those of the East India •;ompany have been above all praise; and her Msjesty hopes that those efforts have already been so far crowned with success that the formidable revolt which has raged throughout a large portion of her Indian possessions may cow, under the blessing of Almighty God, be speedily sup pressed, and peace be restored to those important pro winces. In this hope her Majesty has given her willing assent to the act which .ou have passed for t ransferring to her direct authority the government of her Indian dominions; and her Majesty hopes to be enabled so to discharge the high functions which she has assumed as, by a just and impar tial administration of the law, to secure its advantages alike to her subjects of every race and creed ; and, by pro moting their welfare, to establish and strengthen her empire in India. Gentlemen of the House of Commons, Her Majesty commands us to thank you for the judicious liberality with which you have made provision for the exigencies of the public service. The present state of the revenue authorizes her Majesty to entertain a confident hope that the supplies which you have granted will be found fully adequate to the demands upon them. My Lords and Gentlemen, The sanitary oondition of the metropolis must always be a subject of deep interest to her Majesty, and her Majesty has readily sanctioned the act which you have passed for the purification of that noble river, the present state of which is little creditable to a great country, and seriously srejolicial to the health and comfort of the inhabitants of the metropolis. Her Majesty has also willingly assented to an act whereby greater facilities are given for the acquisition by towns and districts of such powers as may be requisite for promoting works of local improvement, end thus extending more widely the advantages of municipal self government. Her Majesty trusts that the act which you have passed for the future government of the Scotch Universities will be found highly advantageous to those venerable institu tions, and will greatly promote and extend a system of sound moral and religious education in Scotland. The Transfer of L an d B i ll, w hi c h ex t en d s the powers hitherto exercised by the Encumbered Estates Commis sioners, and facilitates the acquisition of an indefeasible title by purchasers of land in Ireland, cannot fail to be highly beneficial to the landed proprietors, and to advance the Prosperity of that part of her Majesty's dominions. The act to which her Majesty has assented for the establishment of the colony of British Columbia was urgently required in consequence of the recent discoveries of gold in that district ; but her Majesty hopes that this new colony on the Pacific may be but one step in the career of steady progress by which her Majesty's dominions in North America may ultimately be peopled, ? l an unbrok en c h a i n, f rom t h e A t l ant i c to t h e P ac ifi c, b y nval and industrious population of subjects of the British Crown, THE PRESS, AUGUST 7, 1858. Her Majesty thankfully acknowledges the diligence and perseverance which have enabled you, in a comparatively short time, to pass these and other measures of inferior but not insignificant importance. Many of you, in returning to your respective counties, have extensive influence to exercise, and duties to perform, of hardly less value to the community than those from the labours of which you are about t> be released; and her Majesty entertains a confident assurance that, under the guidance of Providence, that influence will be so employed, and those duties so performed, es to redound to your own honour, and to promote the general welfare and the happi ness of a loyal and contented people. The clerk at the table having next read the Com. mission of Prorogation, The LORD CHANCELLOR, in her Majesty's name, formally declared Pariament to stand prorogued to Tuesday, the 19th of October next. The Commons then retired to their own chamber, and the Lords Commissioners and the other peers present immediately afterwards dispersed. HOUSE OF COMMONS—MoNDAT. The Speaker took the chair shortly after half-past one o'clock, when about fifty members had already assembled in the house. Most of the members of the present Government who have seats in the House of Commons were present at the hour ap pointed for the meeting of the house, and with the Chancellor of the Exchequer as their leader occupied the usual places on the Treasury bench. Lord Palmerston and Mr. Wilson, sitting on the chief Opposition bench, represented the late Adminis tration. . . _ Sir W. CODRINGTON presented a petition from Charlton Kings, Glocestershire, in favour of a grant for scriptural education. NOTICES OF MOTION. Mr. WARREN gave notice that on an early day of next session he should submit resolutions to the house expressive of its opinion as to the principles by which the Queen's Government in India should be regulated with reference to the promotion of education, and the adoption of such preparatory measures as could be safely brought into action wish a view ultimately to the extension of Christianity in her Majesty's dominions in India. Colonel NORTH gave notice that in next session he would call the attention of the house to the present position of chaplains in the army. Mr. BRADY gave notice that in next session he would move for leave to introduce a bill to repeal so much of the Corrupt Practices at Elections Bill as authorized the payment of the travelling expenses of voters. 759 well as the materials for the completion of the work, wee at the disposal of the Government; and General Cl eaaey had moreover assented to edit without charge the completion of the work, should the Government think that it ought to be completed. NATIONAL GALLERY. Mr. T . DUNCOMBE asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he had succeeded in carrying out arrangements for opening the National Gallery on Saturday afternoons. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER had great pleasure in informing the hon. gentleman that he had succeeded in accomplishing that object. He was bound at the same time to say that he had received from Sir Charles Eastlake great assistance and sympathy in making the arrangements ; and after some short time, which must necessarily elapse before the arrangements could bo made complete, the National Gallery would be open on Saturday afternoons. WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. Mr. Joss' Locice asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the copies of standards of weights and measures were issued from the Exche quer under which 1,555 tradesmen were convicted by the police for using false weights and measures in 1857, and whether the accuracy of the said copies of standards had been !egally tested since first issued ; and, if so, at what period. And, whether the police con stables now engaged as inspectors of weights and measures were authorized to seize all weights and measures indiscriminately under the Act 5 and 6 William IV., cap. 63, which deviated from the stan dards, or whether they were instructed to distinguish between cases of intentional fraud and trifling inac curacies arising from friction, atmospheric influence, or ordinary wear and tear. • Mr. WALPoix was sorry to say that he had not yet been able to obtain the desired information ; but as the matter was of considerable importance he would take care that due inquiry should be made respecting it, and if any alteration should be required to have the standards properly rectified he would take care that it should be made. GENERAL CHESNEY'S WORK. Mr. WILSON asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether the sums voted in the present year in aid of the expenses of bringing out General Chesney's work was to be given with the understanding that the work was to be completed ; and, also, whether the East India Company had contributed any sum for the same purpose. Mr. HAMILTON could not give the assurance re quired. His impression was that three volumes of the work had been published, copies of which, as THE PARKS. Lord PALMERSTON asked th 3 Chief Commissioner of the Boards of Works whether it was his intention to remove those abominable iron hurdles which at present disfigured the parks, and prevented the people from enjoying those places, which were main tained at the public expense simply for the purpose of public enjoyment. His right hon. friend who was at the head of the Board of Works under the late Government assured him that they were to be removed in the spring, and he understood the noble lord opposite to say on a former occasion that it was his intention also to remove them ; but there they were still, and seemed likely to remain until the iron should disappear by the process of time. Mean while the public were prevented from that free expatiation over their own parks which was neces sary for their health and enjoyment. The object of those iron hurdles was to prevent the people from walking on the grass, but there was no purpose in having grass there except to be walked upon, and that advantage was lost if the grass was simply maintained to be looked at. He wished, therefore, to know from the noble lord when he meant to take the people of the metropolis out of irons so far as related to the parks. Lord J. MANNERS replied that the hurdles had been completely removed from Hyde-park, and it had been his intention to remove all the hurdles from the Green-park ; but there came a plague of insects, which had the effect of destroying the grass there in a most extraordinary manner, and therefore it became necessary to inclose portions of that park. The park bad now recovered from the effects of that plague, and be would endeavour to remove the hurdles as soon as possible. NAPLES. Mr. T. Dutscoman observed that nearly two years ago the Government of this country broke off diplo matic relations with the Government of Naples, and he wished to know whether any change had taken place or was likely to take place in our relations with that country. The rupture of our relations with Naples arose out of the barbarities committed in the Neapolitan dungeons upon political prisoners. The same tortures and imprisonments continued, the dungeons being full of persons undergoing great barbarities according to the usual custom of Italian incarceration. He thought that the question he was about to put would be found very appropriate at the present moment, and one which ought to receive some reply before Parliament separated. The Sovereigns of England and France were about to meet, and be thought it might be suggested to those two monarchs not altogether during their festivities to forget the wrongs of Italy. He believed that such a sentiment would be highly acceptable to the Emperor of the French, for he had reason to know that the Emperor of the French, during the Russian war, to his honour, suggested the restoration of Poland and the independene,s of Italy. He asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any change had taken place, or was likely to take place, in our relations with Naples. - - The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER did not collect from the hon. member's observations whether he thought the renewal of our diplomatic relations with Naples would be a proof of sympathy with despotism abroad or the reverse. He could only say that her Majesty's Government felt, as all must feel, that the termination of diplomatic relations between two States was not only extremely inconvenient, but could only be justified by strong reasons. With respect to Naples, as he had before stated to the house, perhaps a great deal which had of late occured between the King of the Two Sicilies and this country might not have occured had her Majesty been directly represented at the Neapolitan Court. But it was useless to speculate on these circumstances. The relations between England and Naples were of an extraordinary character, as shown by remarkable events, such as the seizure of the Cagliari, in refe rence to which the negotiations were conducted in a manner satisfactory to this country, and not at all discreditable to the Government of Naples. Whether those relations which existed formerly would be re vived, or soon revived, it was impossible for him at present to state. No doubt it was desirable that there should be direct communication between the English Government and all foreign Governments. He trusted that whenever the relations with Naples might be restored they would be restored under circumstances which would give general satisfaction to the people of this country. HARBOURS OF REFUGE. Mr. WALPOLE, standing at the bar, communicated to the house her Majesty's answer to the address for a royal commission of inquiry on harbours of refuge. Her Majesty's answer was to the effect that she had given orders for the issue of the said commission. A