The Press. — London, England, 1855-06-30 00:00:00

NOTICE. On and after Saturday next, the 7th of July, an Unstamped Edition of THE PRESS will be pub lished, price sd. A Stamped Edition of THE PRESS, for convenience of transmission by post, will, as usual, be published, price lid. The Stamped PRESS will have the privilege of being transmitted and re transmitted by post fifteen da3 a after date of pub lication, instead of seven days, as heretofore, care being taken to exhibit the stamp. Oar subscribers are requested to give orders to their newsmen which Edition they desire to have sent them. The Unstamped Edition of THE PRESS will, under the new postal regulations, be allowed to pass through the post if an ordinary postage-stamp be affixed to the direction. TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION foe Ebt IPreisz: (STAMPED.) Per Annum .. .. Half• Yearly .. .. Quarterly .. .. .. 41 6 0 .. 0 13 0 .. 0 6 6 Payable in advance. Subscribers are requested to send their Orders through that- News Agent; if direct to the Office, accompanied by a Remit. tames. Money Orders to be made payable to Mr. iIaIUID INS, 110, Strand. London. TO CORRESPONDENTS. It Is impossible to acknowledge the mass of letters we receive. Their insertion is often delayed, owing to a press of matter, and when omitted, it is frequently from reasons quite inde pendent of the merits of the communication. We cannot undertake to return communications of which we do not avail ourselves. Ocunnunications should always be legibly written, and on one side of the paper only. If long it increases the difficulty of finding space tor them. Whatever is intended for insertion must be authenticated by the name and address of the writer, not necessarily for publica tion, but as a guarantee of Lis good faith. Advertisetuents sent from the country must be accompanied by a remittance or a reference for payment in town. Yijt :1P Vtg" g+ LONDON, SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 1855. POSTSCRIPT. HOUSE OF LORDS.-FRIDAY. The Earl of MAI.MESBURY asked if it was true that Lord Raglan had resigned the command of the Crimean army. Lord PANMURE made a similar statement to that given in the Commons. Lord Raglan's complaint, he said, was dysentery—he was better, and hoped very shortly to resume his command. Adjourned at half-past five. HOUSE OF COMM ONS.—FRIDAY. In reply to Sir J. WALSH, who had asked if the statement in Count Buol's circular was true, which asserted that the last proposals of the Austrian Go vernment for the settlement of the third point had been submitted to our envoy and the French ambassador, and that they had undertaken to recommend them to their respective Governments, Lord J. RUSSELL said that he had seen the circular in the newspapers, and, as far as he was aware, their statements were correct. In reply to Lord William GRAHAM, Lord PALMERSTON said that the Austrian Govern ment had allowed the reserve of their army to go out on furlough, on the ground of health, and for the same reason had changed some of their canton ments. In reply to Lord Robert GROSVENOR, Lord PALMERSTON said that the Government had received accounts of a temporary indisposition of Lord Raglan, which rendered his withdrawal from the command for a few days necessary, which, Sir G. Brown being also ill, would be assumed for the time by General Simpson. From the latest accounts, the heal th of Lord Raglan had already improved. (Loud cheers). In reply to Mr. CAYLEY, Lord PALMERSTON said, that the appointment of the Governor-General of India rested with the di rectors of the Company, subject to the approval of the Crown. The directors had now recommended Lord Canning in place of Lord Dalhousie—in whose appointment the Ministry fully concurred—who was fully qualified to carry out the reform recommended ki. THE PRESS. by a resolution of the house in the Indian admin istration, who bad been selected by Lord Derby for the seals of the Foreign-office, and had been sponta neously chosen by the directors. On the motion for adjournment till Monday, Mr. CAYLEY again called attention to this subject, assert ing that no one had hitherto dreamt of Lord Can ning's appointment. He was no doubt an able man, but he had no antecedents to justify the placing in his hands the management of such an empire as that of India. The public voice had already pointed out Lord Elgin as the fittest man. Lord PALMERSTON, after some further explanation of the facts of the appointment, deprecated the attempt to make it dependant on the will of the House of Commons. Mr. F. FRENCH, inquiring if the statement was true that Admiral Seymour had been wounded by an explosive machine, once more brought Lord Dun donald's offers under notice. Sir C. WOOD said that forty six explosive machines had been picked up in the Baltic by the fleet, one of which had exploded and wounded Admiral Seymour, but not dangerously. It was not intended at present to accept Lord Dundonald's offers. Mr. M. MILNES asked some questions respecting the examinations of clerks in public offices, comment ing on the inconvenience of examining those who had been examined before. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that the second examination would only be necessary when the clerks had been appointed since the orders in council appeared. Mr. V. SCULLY complained that a notice which he had on the paper would be superseded by Mr. Roe buck's motion, and begged an attendance of hon. members on his own day. Mr. ROEBUCK said that he did not know of the important notice given by Mr. Scully when he gave his own, and afterwards had certainly begged that hon. member to withdraw it, on the simple ground that he would not be listened to. Mr. Wrilisras commented on the course taken at public examinations, which was a premium on idle ness and inefficiency. Sir F. BARING and Lord EBRINOTON denied the charges just made. The Victoria Government Bill was read a third time and passed, after a protest from Mr. HADFIELD against the religions endowment clause, and an attempt by Sir J. PAXINOTON to introduce an amend ment more distinctly defining the powers of the Crown and the Colonial Legislature. The New South Wales Government and Australian Waste Land Acts Repeal Bills were read a third time and passed. On the motion for the second reading of the Partnership Amendment Bill, Mr. BOUVERIE ex plained its objects, which were to alter the present law when it interfered with useful undertakings, with the due transaction of business under many peculiar circumstances, and with the introduction of inventions, by preventing persons from engaging in them through dread of the risks of partnership. The law of other nations was free from restrictions of this kind, and he instanced more especially the success of the French societies en commandite. His bill mainly provided that the lending money to a firm at interest for the purposes of business should not con stitute a partnership. He believed that if the law was altered, the gentry of the country would take a pecuniary interest in trading affairs. The bill ex cepted from Ls operation bankers and insurance companies, which were regulated by distinct acts, and conducted on different principles. He adverted to the mischief caused to the other joint stock com panies by the liabilities which now affected its share holders. Mr. COLLIER, expressing his delight that the pro posal of limited liability was at length adopted, thought the bill needlessly cautious, and pointed out several cases where the caution would operate injuriously. Mr. this would not oppose the project of the bill, but deprecated hasty discussion on so important a subject MALINS declared the existing law of partner ship to be disgraceful to a civilised community, and cited a multitude of cases to prove the injurious con sequences of the restrictions of the present system. He thought that bankers and insurance companies might be safely excluded. Mr. CARDWELL hoped that they might be able to pass such a measure as would give business asso ciations of all kinds just as much credit as they were entitled to, and no more. Drawing the distinction between partnerships and joint-stock companies, he thought that the last was the more pressing subject. What was required was a general system of notice, by which companies could secure to themselves the advantages of limited liability. He pointed out the details by which he thought that object might be attained, and objected to some of the restrictions by which the bill was too jealously guarded, but thought that they should wait before they included banks in their new conditions. SATURDAY, Mr. E. BALL was in favour of limited liability. Mr. LOWE said that the question was in its infancy, and the proof was that the supporters of the bill were afraid of carrying out their own principles, and with this view argued upon the trammels and limitations of the bill as unjust and incongruous.. Mr. CAIRNS, warmly approving of the bill, thought that its basis was not sufficiently broad. Mr. J. U. Puu-LudoßE accepted the bill as an earnest of what we might be able to do hereafter. Mr. HORSFALL rebutted the assertion that the pro posed law of limited liability was founded on a spirit of monopoly among the great mercantile classes. Mr. W. BROWN required some better guarantee for the good faith of companies than accounts, which might be cooked in many ways. Lord PALMERSTON urged the importance of passing the bill this session, and begged those who required further extension of the principle to take this first improvement as an experiment in the way of pro gress. He congratulated the house on the unani. mity which appeared to prevail upon the general principle. Mr. A. Hesriz said that limited liability had not raised the country to its present commercial im portance, and had not worked well in France. After a few words from Mr. MOFFAT and Mr. EWART, the bill was read a second time. The Limited Liabilities Bill was also read a second time. The notice for going into committee on the Lunatic Asylums (Ireland) Bill was resisted by Colonel DUNNE, who moved the adjournment of the debate. On a division the house agreed to go on with the bill by 138 to 34-104. Colonel Dunne renewed his opposition to the bill, and moved that the committee be postponed for three months. . . Mr. FAGAN opposed the bill, which was explained and justified by the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER. A prolonged discussion ensued, ending at last in an adjournment of the debate on the understanding that a commission should issue to investigate the subject. The House adjourned at two o'clock. istrtspontentt. BELGIUM AND THE WAR. TO THE EDITOR OF " THE PRESS." Sir,—Our friend the Independance Beige is in doleful mood, and grievously afflicted. It mourns in sackcloth and ashes over the stores of provisions and the numerous vessels destroyed by the allied fleets in the Sea of Azoff. " Its heart is grieved at these fatal necessities of war, and when it thinks of the amount of cereal produce destroyed in a few days, and of the wants of other populations" (that of Sebastopol, for example), "Oh ! it ardently longs for the end of this struggle, and the vows it ex presses for peace are lively and sincere." I fully believe it; but certain it is that the liveliness and sincerity of these vows have been considerably augmented by, and are mainly owing to, these very successes over which the Independence whines and moans. As the Gazette de St Petersbourg, in its number of the 12th instant, discovered Count Walewski's note of the 9th May to be very concilia tory—a fact it required a month's study to ascertain —so does the tone of the Indipendance Beige afford a good barometer to Russian feeling. If the glass be high, and the journal in good spirits, then is all going on well at the Russian camp ; but the mercury of the Indipendance quickly falls with any success of the allies, and mourning, lamentation, and woe then reign predominant in the letters of its correspon dents. The correspondent at Hamburg comments on a portion of the news brought by the Vulture, but he makes no reference to the fate of the Cossack's crew, the intelligence of which was also brought by that steamer, and which he had previously tiansmitted by telegraph. Why this silence? Why this forbearance from comment on a fact officially confirmed? Is it that the indipendance cannot venture to praise the inhuman conduct of the Russian troops, and is, therefore, ordered to be silent where it cannot commend ? Does it fear to offend its " constant readers," the garrisons of the Baltic ports and of Sebastopol ? Its Hamburg correspon dent can be unsparing in censure and apt in inuendo ; he can readily draw on his imagination for his facts if England be concerned, or if an accident happens to a ship of the British fleet. For instance, this veracious gentleman informs his readers that the Merlin and Firefly have received such damage from the infernal machines, and the Magicienne has been so severely handled by the Russian forts, that they are compelled to return to England for repairs. He also adds that six vessels have been sent home for a like object since the commencement of the cam paign. Now, the facts here statedjare " inexact "—I believe that is the most polite expression—for the Merlin and Firefly (have suffered but very trifling damage, and that only to their copper; the Magi ienne's wounds as well as theirs can be bound up in 618