The Press. — London, England, 1854-02-25 00:00:00

111 174 of opponents, who bad likened them to the inter ference attempted by Prince Menschikoff. As to the foe we were about to encounter, Lord Palmerston warne 1 the house not to overweigh his power, remark ing that the very properties of magnitude and in accessibility which rendered Russia so difficult to attack told against her heavily when she attempted in her turn to become the assailant. Russian armies had proved much less formidable in the field than on paper. The Turkish military force had, on the other hand, far surpassed expectation. With the aid of a single ally Turkey might hold her ground against Russia. But the actual condition of affairs was far more promising. The noble viscount ended by a brief resume of the prospects of the war : - - - " With England and France actively supporting Turkey —with the whole opinion of Europe against Russia—with not a single ally to support her in her injustice—l cannot bring myself to doubt what must be the result of the contest. (Cheers.) I must say it is a noble sight to see England and France, who, fur centuries, were engaged in rivalry with each other—to see them now united in one course of action, and bound by reciprocal engagements to seek, as the result of their operations, no selfish object — to see them standing forth in defence, not of their own interests only, but of the welfare of the whole of Europe. (Great cheering.) It is a noble sight to see those fleets and armies, which hitherto have only met in deadly conflict, ranged side by side as friends, and armed, not for purposes of conquest, not for the oppression of the liberties of man, but armed in a noble and a generous cause, for the defence of right against might, and of injustice against oppression. (Cheers.) I care not for imputations of credulity or connivance ; we are willing to throw our crse before the country, to be judged by this house, and by our fellow- countrymen—and I am convinced that the people of England will be satisfied that we have not involved them recklessly, or without due cause or necessity,• in war. (Cheers.) That war—though I do not wish to underrate its consequences, or the exertions that it may require —will, I take it, be very different from any other war in which in former times we have engaged. But I feel no hesitation in appealing to the country for assistance ; but this, at least, I will say, that if the country or the house should think that we have manifested hitherto the weakness of cre dulity or the infamy of connivance,let them take from us the conduct of the war which we should be totally incompetent and unworthy to conduct, and let them place it in the hands of others in whose judgment and sagacity they may place confidence, and on whose integrity they may rely. (Cheers.)" COL SIBTHORP having said a few words, the discus sion closed at two o'clock in the morning of the second day of debate. The motion for committee of supply was agreed to without a division, and votes for money and men on naval account were passed before the h use adjourned. The report from the committee of supply, commu nicating their votes of men and money to the house, was brought up on Wednesday. A short discus sion ensued thereupon, opened by Mr. HUME, who " could not allow this opportunity to pass without ex pressing his satisfaction at the vote before the honse. However much on ordinary occasions he might feel it his duty to oppose the outlay of public money upon warlike armaments, at this time he would not offer one word of opposition. He was not going to open the question which had been so fully discussed, but he must say that he thought the Government was not to be blamed for having exhausted every means before entering upon war: on the contrary, they deserved the thanks of the country. Upon a perusal of the papers, he was of opinion that the Go vernment were deceived. The shame, however, was not with them, but with those by whom they had been de ceived. ( Hear, hear.) Under these circumstances, although he could not but regret the necessity for our landing large bodies of troops on the continent of Europe, he was prepared to support to the fullest extent, not the honour of the country—fur he held that to be an empty word—but the measures of the Government in the im pending struggle. The increase that had taken place in the votes of 13,0()0 men on this occasion was moderate, in his opinion, considering the emergency ; &indite was happy to think that the expense was less in proportion to the numerical increase of the men than he had apprehended, which was owing, no doubt, to the laudable anxiety on the part of the Government to economise the expenditure. He though', therefore, the measures set on foot by the Government to stay the encroachments of Russia on the liberties of mankind had been conceived and executed in the best and most economical manner. ( Hear, hear.) He thought at the same time the Government were seriously to blame for the secrecy with which they had, until lately, surrounded all the documents relating to the dispute be tween the contending powers. He was satisfied, if they had published those documents from time to time, runny of the charges against the Government would not have been made, and they would have escaped most of the aspersions and doubts which had attached to their conduct as public men on this occasion. lie thought the people of England would rally round the Government in a time of difficulty and danger like this; and they ought fairly in a matter of this kind to have been trusted, and not sus pected." Other members expressed their concurrence in Mr. Hume's opinion touching the war expenditure, and complimented that hon. member upon the libe rality of his sentiments. Lord PALMERSTON explained that the blue books were withheld so long, not from distrust of the public, but because an earlier and imperfect publication of the documents might have defeated the pacific en- He assured the house IRISU CONSTABULARY. To a question from Mr. Boss Moore, Sir J. Yourto replied that a proposal for increasingthe pay or the Irish constabulary was under the consideration of the Go vernment. PRIESTLY INTERFERENCE WITH ENLISTMENT.. fn;eily to Mr. S. Knox, Sir J. You :in stated that inquiries instituted upon the subjeet had resulted in negativing the report that certain ?fish Roman Catholic priests had from the altars of their chapels endeavoured to prevent recruits from enlisting in the army. METROPOLITAN BRIDGES. On the motion of Mr. OLIVEIRA, a select committee was ap pointed on Thursday to inquire into the condition of the metro- I DUL uecause uu cuipci VILMA itiipeLieci, puuiectnitni ui I . IW AINIALVION iluveu eapaL METROPOLITAN BRIDGES. the documents might have detested the pacific en- a measure so important in its objects and so legal- On the motion of Mr. OLIVEIRA, a select committee was ap- deavours of the Government. He assured the house mate in its principles would not be frustrated by a pointed on Thursday to inquire into the condition of the metro- _ _ . _ THE PRESS. that now, as heretofore, all possible provision was made for the health and comfort of the troops sent on foreign service. That care was rewarded by the result, that out of a given muster•roll more men could be brought to the fiold fit for active duty than in the armies of any other nation. The report was agreed to. UNIVERSITY REFORM. - The Earl of DERBY on Thursday night referred to the announcement that the Government did not in tend to adopt the plan proposed by the authorities or Oxford University for the reform of that corpora tion, and detailed the various steps and processes by which the heads of the university had arrived at the conclusions set forth in their proposition. The noble earl inquired whether the Ministry would communi cate to Convocation their own mcasure for University Reform before submitting it to Parliament? The Earl of ABERDEEN declined to give any pledge to that effect on the part of the Government, but subsequently consented to a motion made by Lord Derby for an address to the Crown, praying that the correspondence on the subject between the Ministry and the heads of Oxford University should be laid on the table. UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD. Mr. BLAcxErr having inquired on Wednesday whether the proposed scheme for a new constitution for the University of Oxford, as proposed by the authorities of that institution, had been submitted to the Government, and what was the Ministerial decision respecting it? Lord JOHN RUSSEII. replied : " I think the hebdomadal board at Oxford deserve credit for the pains they have taken to explain the scheme for the improvement of the constitution of the University of Oxford ; but with regard to the plan itself I have to say that the Government, having taken the proposed con stitution into consideration, have thought it their duty, and the Secretary of State for the Home Department has signi fied the same to the authorities of the university, that her Majesty would not be advised to assent to the prayer of the petition to be proposed to Convocation on Friday next." MANCHESTER AND SALFORD EDUCATION BILL. This measure proposes to provide for the levy of a public rate, in the places above mentioned, for edu cational purposes, and is intended to enact that the fund so raised should be distributed, under the superintendence of an " education committee," locally appointed, among all the existing schools belonging to the members of any denomination already established in the district. A similar bill was introduced last session as a public bill, but de feated through a decision of the Speaker that, as it referred only to a specified locality, it should be classed among private bills. As such, accordingly, it was now once again brought fo.ward, and Mr. ADDERLEY on Tuesday moved the second reading. He explained the details of the measure, contended for its advantages, and admitted that, while assuming the aspect of a private bill restricted in operation to a single locality, it practically embodied a public principle of extreme importance. Mr. MILNER GIBSON, as a member for Manchester, insisted that it was both informal and inexpedient to extract from the house a pledge in favour of a great public principle under cover of a piece of private legislation. The bill, he said, had been much op posed in the locality, and was especially distasteful to the corporation of Manchester. He moved, as an amendment, "That education, to be supported by public rates, i 4 a subject which ought not to be dealt with by any private bill." The consequent debate was protracted until nearly midnight upon the question whether the bill most properly appertained to the private or public depart ment of the Legislature. A large number of members spoke, and their opinions were much coloured by their peculiar views on the subject of education. The Loan ADVOCATE thought that every educational advance was so important that it ought not to be delayed upon a point of form. Sir G. GREY thought the formal objection fatal, but suggested that, if the bill were withdrawn and a permissive clause inserted rendering its incidence optional everywhere, it would be converted into a public measure, and so might be al lowed to pass. Lord J. RUSSELL, speaking later, con fessed that the difficulties arising upon the point of form were insuperable as the bill stood, and made it further apparent that the very principle involved, namely, the mode of increasing the means of popular education, was also surrounded with difficulties. lie nevertheless could not agree in the abstract proposi tion laid down by Mr. Gibson's amendment, since private and local bills might expediently be passed to legalise a rate for educational purposes in places where all the rate-paying inhabitants went unanimous in its favour. This, however, was not the case in the present instance. Mr. Fox objected to the measure because it tended, in his opinion, to prolong and extend that inefficient system of education known as the " denominatorial." Sir J. PAKINOTON hoped that a measure so important in its objects and so legiti mate in its principles would not be frustrated by a SATURDAY, paltry dispute about its being a private or a public bill. He regarded the Government as highly cen surable fur having thrown over the subject of educa tion as they had done after their accession to office. Our present system of education was not equal to the demand, but he trusted never to see the secular system adopted. Mr. Brawn . supported the amend ment. The bill proposed to levy a considerable tax. upon the inhabitants of Manchester, and invaded. the municipal rights of the corporation of that city, and should not pass without undergoing the full dis cussion allotted to public measurer. At length Mr. GinsoN modified has amendment by introducing the words, "at the present moment." In that shape the question was carried to a division, when the motion tOr second reading was negatived by 105 votes against. 70: majority, 211. EDUCATION IN SCOTLAND. Leave to bring in a bill to make further provision for the education of the people in Scotland, and to amend the laws relating thereto, was obtained on Thursday by the LORD ADVOCATE. Observing that education was now no longer a mere question of phi lanthropy, but a duty for self-defence, since the neglect of previous generations had raised up in our great cities a savage and barbarous class of the popu lation, ignorant alike of their obligations towards God and man, the learned lord proceeded to give an out line of his measure for more fully accomplishing that duty as regarded the northern section of the king dom. He did not., he said, intend to remove any portion of the educational apparatus which Scotland had happily enjoyed for 300 years, but would endea vour to widen and extend its operations : " He proposed to establish, under the superintendence of a general board, a system of school inspection consider ably larger than had ever hitherto subsisted. Thus a. general educational survey of the whole of Scotland would. be made, which, in due course, would accurately deter mine all the facts and circumstances connected with it. The Scottish parochial system of education was well known for its efficiency and the benefits it had conferred. on the country, and its general features would not be in terfered with. The salary of the parochialschoolmasters was to be fixed at 501., with a retiring allow lace, and addi tional house accommodation. They would not be required. to sign any confession of faith, or take any religious teat the superintendence of presbyteries over the parochial schools was to be entirely abolished, and a general power of control and management left to the minister and heri tors, with the assistance of the inspector. The religions question presented no difficulties whatever, owing to the unanimity of opinion amongst nine-tenths of the popula tion. Religious instruction had always been given in the parochial schools of Scotland, and the bill enacted that the school committee should appoint certain stated hours for religions instruction by the master, which children should not be bound to attend if their parents or guardians objected, but for which no separate charge should be made. Powers of assessment were given in both boroughs and. counties for providing additional school accommodation in cases where it should be found necessary ; and there were also provisions for the management of such new schools. The general board was to be constituted of the Lord Advocate and Solicitor-General, five delegates from the universities, uud three or four members nominated by the Crown. A. general educational rate was also to be levied in Scotland, the maximum being 1(1. in the pound on the valuation, which should be apportioned under the supervision of the general board for the establishment of industrial or re formatory schools, and in assisting poorer parishes and districts to provide for the education of their inhabitants." In the course of a brief discussion which followed the speech of the Lord Advocate some objections were indicated by Mr. WALPOLE, and one or two other members, to the proposal for abolishing religious tests, and to the severance of all connection between the parochial schoolmasters and the Established Church. Any formal criticisms on the measure were, however, postponed until it came before the house in a more advanced stage. BLOCKADE OF RUSSIAN PORTS. ➢ir. COBDEN having inquired whether the Government hat?. come to any decision with reference to blockading the commer cial ports of Russia? Lord J. Ress►:ni. said there had been no order issued. PRIVATEERS OF NEUTRAL. STATES. - - -•- Lord PALmEnsrox," in the present state of things," doclintne to answer the question, urged by Mr. Borstal', whether the traa, ties with foreign nations, or the steps which her Majesty's Co. vernment were prepared to take in the event of war, were such. as would effectually prevent privateers being fitted out in neu tral ports to interfere with British shipping? COMMITTEE OF PRIVILEGES. The select committee appointed, on the motion of Mr. I. lirtrrr„ to inquire into the charges of corruption against Irish inearbers,. met for the first time on Monday. The members sat with, slosedt doors, and afterwards adjourned to Tinuisrlay, Lut have deeideili that neither the public nor the press are to be admitted, during the progress of the investigation.