The Press. — London, England, 1857-07-11 00:00:00

670 The Sites for Workhouses Bill, on the motion of the Earl of HAILSOWBY, was also read a third time and passed. COUNTY COURTS. Lord BROUGHAM called the attention of the Lord Chancellor to the efficient manner in which the judges and other officers of the county courts discharged their laborious duties, and moved for certain returns connected with the sittings of those courts. ............. The LORD CHANCELLOR concurred in the remarks made by Lord Brougham, and The returns were agreed to. Their lordships adjourned at five minutes past seven o'clock. HOUSE OF COMMONS—TuEnDAY. At the morning sitting, the house devoted itself to the consideration of the BURIAL. ACTS ANENDISENT BU.L. Clauses 1 and 2 were agreed to with some amend ments. On clause 3, Mr. KNIGHT moved an amendment, the effect of which he stated would be to enable local boards of health to assume the powers of a burial board, in the same manner as a town council could. The clause was amended accordingly, and agreed to. Clause 4 was agreed to. Clause 5 was expunged. Clauses U to 15 were agreed to. On clause 16 the word " tour " was introduced to limit the bodies in one grave to that number. The house then resumed. NEW MEMBER. Major GORDON, the new m ember for Banffshire, took the oaths and his seat. The house suspended its sitting at four p.m., and resumed at six p.m. THE ORDNANCE SURVEY. Mr. Wn.sow, in reply to Lord Elcho as to the scale it was now intended to proceed with the survey of towns in Great Britain and Ireland, said thai. when the survey of the rural districts was extended to the scale of twenty-five inches, the survey of the towns was raised to the scale of ten feet to the mile. It had gone on to the present time, and was now proceeding on that scale. It was quite obvious that the surveys in progress must be completed on that scale. THE ROYAL ACADEMY. Mr. WILSON, in reply to Mr. Coningham whether it was the intention of the Government to remove the Royal Academy from Trafalgar square, said the whole of this matter was yet undecided, because the report of the commission appointed to inquire into the site of the National Gallery had not yet been presented. He was not aware that any intention at present existed of removing the Royal Academy ; certainly no such decision bad been arrived at. ISTHMUS OF SUEZ CANAL. Mr. H. BERKELEY put the following question to the First Lord of the Treasury : Whether her Majesty's Government would use its in fluence with his Highness the Sultan in support of an application which had been made by the Viceroy of Egypt for the sanction of the Sublime Porte to the construction of a ship-canal across the Isthmus of Suez, for which a concession had been granted by the Viceroy of Egypt to M. ,Ferdinand de Lesseps, and which had received the approbation of the principal cities, ports, and commercici towns in the United Kingdom ; and, if any objection be entertained by her Majesty's Government to the under taking, to state the grounds of such objection. Viscount PALMERSTON said that the Government certainly could not undertake to use their influence with the Sultan to induce him to give permission for the construction of this canal, because for the last fifteen years the Government bad used all the in fluence they could bring to bear to prevent that scheme being carried into execution. He believed that the scheme was not only not practicable, but physically impracticable, except at an expense which would be far greater than any return that was likely to be derived from it. The scheme was founded upon hostility to the interests of this country, and upon opposition to the standing policy of England in regard to the connection of Egypt with Turkey— s policy which bad been consecrated by the late war with Russia, and by the Treaty of Paris. The whole political tendency of the scheme was to render more easy the separation of Egypt from Turkey. It was founded also upon remote speculations with regard to easier access to our Indian possessions, which he need only shadow forth, because they would be obvious to anybody who paid attention to the subject. The project had been launched some fifteen years ago, as a rival to the scheme of a railway from Alex andria by way of Cairo to Suez, which was far more practicable. FIE P RESS, JUL! 11 , 1857. TOLL-BARS IN THE METROPOLIS! Lord R. GROSVENOR asked whether the Govern ment meant to take steps towards the appointment of commissioners to inquire into the best method of removing the toll-bars now situate in the metropolis, pursuing the plan which was adopted in regard to those in the metropolis of Ireland and its vicinity ? Viscount PALMERSTON said the object was one which it was very desirable to attain. It would receive the consideration of the Government ; but he was not prepared to say by what method it could bo accomplished. The Government would place themselves in communication with the trustees of the metropolitan turnpikes to see what measures could be adopted with regard to this subject. ULEADORG. Mr. ADAMS asked whether it was the intention of her Majesty's Government to introduce any measure enabling them to grant compensation to British merchants whose property at Uleaborg, in the Gulf of Bothnia, was destroyed on the 2nd of June, 181, by the boats of a squadron under the command of Admiral Plumridge. Viscount PALMERSTON said the answer he had to make to this question must be regulated by the inter national principle which he stated in reference to the question which arose some time ago as to the losses suffered by British subjects in Granada. He then stated that it was a principle of international law that persons who were domiciled in a foreign country must abide by the fate of that country in peace and in war; and therefore, in the case referred to, no demand could be properly made upon the American Government for losses sustained by British subjects by the hostilities which took place between tho American Government and Granada. The same principle applied here. There were British subjects, and some of other States, settled in the Russian empire at the time when hostilities took place. Those persons must have taken their chance of the protection of the Russian empire. If any place where their property was situate became the scene of hostile operations, no claim could possibly be set up by those persons against the Government whose forces carried on the hostilities from which they bad suffered. THE BENGAL MILITARY FUND. Viscount GODERICH rose to move, pro found, the appointment of a select committee to inquire into the present state of the Bengal Military Fund. Mr. V. SMITH said, as the noble lord did not mean to press his motion, he might simply state that this was a question which had arisen between the officers who were entitled to the military fund of Bengal and the East India Company, in which the East India direction took one view, and those who were interested in the fund another. The question stood at present in this position. In June last the Court of Directors, with his sanction, sent out a despatch stating that, although they did not waive their claim of right to any further contributions to this fund, still, if in the course of two years from January, 1856, the revenue was not able to meet the charges upon it, it would be a question whether further contributions should be called for. That would of course be &matter of gene rosity on the part of those who were called on to con tribute. . _ The motion was then withdrawn. IRISH VICEROYALTY. Mr. ROEBUCK moved a resolution, " That the office of Lord Lieutenant of Ireland ought to be abolished." He brought forward this motion, he observed, which had been made at various times under very different circumstances, at a most auspi• cious time. Ireland was now not only an integral part of this great country, but she was happy in her Government sod in ber external and internal circum stances, except in this one particular. Ireland ought to be a fractional part of this country, a part, of the United Kingdom ; he wished to make her like a county of England, and the measure he proposed would take away the last badge of her subjection. Now, he asked what benefit Ireland derived from her being in possession of a papier-mache sort of royalty. What did the Viceroy do for Ireland? He was the focus of intrigue in Dublin. He made Ire land to depend, not on her individual exertions, but on the Government. Every one win, knew anything of Dublin knew the sort of scenes which took place there, and for this reason that a Lord Lieutenant resided there. Then the expense of this tinsel monarchy to the country was estimated at 100,0001. But that was not all the mischief. There was divided responsibility. How was Ireland governed now ? First, there was the Home Secretary, who was a member of the Cabinet. Next, the Lord Lieu tenant, who was a viceroy, but not a member of the Cabinet. And, thirdly, there was the Secretary for Ireland, who had a seat in that house. These three persons were the real Government of Ireland, and yet they were not connected with each other, and none was responsible for what was done by the other. That was a great mischief. The Lord Lieu tenant was a great sham. There were certain functions of Government which belonged to the Imperial Legislature, and these functions should be carried on in the seat of empire. The hon. member then called upon the Government to support the motion, and urged the following plea : He had a curious document in his pocket. It contained the names of those members of the present Government who voted for the proposal of Lord J. Russell in 15.50 to do away with the Lord Lieutenant, and to establish in his stead a fourth Secretary of State. He would read the names, fir the satisfaction and edification of the house, in alphabetical order. 'They were Mr. Baines, Mr. Bouverie, Lord E. Bruce, M r. Cowper, Viscount Duncan, Sir 0. Grey, Mr. Hayter, Mr. H. Herbert, Mr. Keating, Mr. Labouchere, Mr. Cornewall Lewis. Mr. Monsell, Lord Mulgrave, Mr. Osborne, Lord A. Paget, Lord Stanley of Alderley, Mr. Villiers, Mr. Wilson, and Sir C. Wood. But the wonder did not stop there, for there were six gentlemen who had been Secretaries of Ireland, all of whom voted for the same motion, namely, Mr. Labouchere, Sir J. Young, Mr. Horsinan, Mr. Iler4ert, Lord Naas, and Sir W. Somerville. Of course the noble lord, who was at that time Prime Mi. nister, brought the question before the Cabinet, so that be supposed it had the approval of SirF. Baring, Lord Claren• don, and, lastly, Lord Palmerston. Mr. HADFIELD seconded the motion. Mr. M‘CtiLLitoll moved the previous question. He admitted the total inutility of the Irish Viceroyalty, but refused to destroy the office until some substi tute was provided. This, he remarked, Mr. Roebuck had declined to attempt. The Legislature still re tained the distinction betwaen the three sections of the United Kingdom, passing bills exclusively appli cable to England, Ireland, or Scotland respectively. Until this tripartite system of legislation was aban doned, it would, he argued, he premature to abolish the office of Lord Lieutenant. He challenged the house to recognise the completeness of the Union by passing, in the ensuing session, a single Reform Bill, taking effect throughout the whole extent of the British Isles, and everywhere organising the electoral franchise upon some uaitorm and symmetrical prin ciple. Mr. GROGAN also opposed the motion, among other reasons because, as he believed, the existence of a Viceregal Court in Dublin presented some coun teracting influences to the tendency towards absen teeism so strongly developed among the wealthier classes of the Irish community. Mr. WHITESIDE said if Mr. Roebuck had proposed to identify the poiicy by which Ireland was to be governed with that of England, and had a plan for working out that object, he would support his reso lution. But such a plan required a vast amount of preliminary inquiry and consideration, and this was, in his opinion, a fatal objection to the motion. He was bound to say that he did not think the prosperity of his country bound up with a Lord Lieutenant. Sir W. SOMERVIT.LE supported the motion. Mr. MAGUIRE thought the office of Lord Lieute nant a " sham and a mockery :" To hear hon. gentlemen, one would be led to suppose that everything in Ireland depended on the Lord Lieute nant. What had that functionary done for Cork, or for Belfast, or for any other great commercial town in Ire land? And yet they had been told that to the Lord Lieu tenant the prosperity of Ireland was to be attributed. Why that was downright blasphemy. He would repeat the phrase. The prosperity of Ireland was to be attributed to Heaven ; to attribute it to any earthly agent—above all to the Lord Lieutenant—was blasphemy. Lord Carlisle, it could not be denied, wa3 popular : He had made himself master of the Irish dance. From Sir Roger de Coverley to the " double shuffle," he was acquainted with them all, and, indeed, was at the present time completely upon a footing with the Irish people. His popularity had been of the greatest utility at the elec- tions. He had been almost übiquitous ; not a pie was there throughout the length and breadth of the land but he had a finger in it. Indeed, lie hail been of great use to the Ministry. But what use had he been to the country? He (Mr. Maguire) bad been, to the Castle; he did not go to scrape and shuffle—he went on public business ; but he found he could do nothing. The Lord Lieutenant could not stir ; he was a mockery; he hardly ventured upon an opinion ; and preciselr in the same position was the Irish Secretary. He (Mr. Maguire) had therefore come to the conclusion that there ought to be some responsible officer to whom Irish members could go, who would have a seat in the Cabinet, and be able to state with decision and au thority his views upon any subject. Mr. Maguire concluded by declaring, amid roars of laughter, that he should vote against Mr. Roebuck's motion, because no equivalent for the office of Lord Lieutenant bad been proposed. Mr. VANCE and Mr. BAGWELL opposed the motion. Mr. HORSMAN thought the question one which should be left to the consideration of the Govern ment. It was one thing to condemn and another to reconstruct, and unless the Government saw what was to be substituted for Lord Lieutenant, they could not support the motion. Lord PALNER3TON said there was no denying the importance of this question ; but this was an ab stract resolution which, if adopted, ought to be followed up by some practical measure to carry it into effect. Mr. Roebuck, however, had left that task to others, without suggesting any arrangement