The Press. — London, England, 1856-03-15 00:00:00

Sir, it is invariably the practice in the case of a war in the course of which the army of either country have occu. pied the territory of the other, that, if there should subse quently be a pacific agreement between the parties, an am nesty is granted to all subjects who may have been in any way committed in the course of the hostilities. I cannot have the slightest doubt that an agreement of that sort, binding on all the belligerents, would form part of the tipulations to be made in case of re-establishment of peace b y the pending negotiations. (Hear, hear.) THE CASE OF MAJOR DOWBIGOIN. Sir DE LACY EVANS, on Monday, said : Sir, on Friday evening I gave notice of my intention to repeat on this evening the question which L then put, relative to the production of a certain passage in a telegraph despatch from Lord Panmure to General Simpson, and referring to a gallant officer whose name has been before mentioned in the house. I do not wish to press the Government to lay this passage on the table of the house if it be inconvenient to them to do so ; but as I have seen it stated in an apparently authorised paragraph in the Globe newspaper that this passage, instead of being an objectionable one, was one calculated to reflect honour on Lord Panmure, I suppose them can be no objection to its production ; and I, therefore, repeat my question, and ask the noble lord at the head of the Government if he will produce it ? LORD PALMERSTON : T have in my hand a copy of the telegraphic message, which is rather long. and relates to many other affairs besides that referred to by my hon. and gallant friend; but there is a passage in the middle of the message which does refer to the gallant officer to whom the hon. and gallant member for Westminster has alluded ; and these are the words in which he is mentioned :—" I recommend young Dowbiggin to your attention if he is fit, and you have a vacancy." I have no objection to lay that on the table, Sir; and I wish at the same time to read an extract from a letter written by the gallant general commanding to Lord Hardinge. It says :—" In the trenches again last night the Russians made a strong attack to regain the Cemetery. but we were prepared for them. Captain Dowbiggin and the 4th Regiment party behaved admirably " (" Hear, hear," and laughter. The noble lord then, amid much laughter, walked towards the front bench below the gangway, where the hon, and gallant member for Westminster was seated, and in his blandest manner tendered Sir De Lacy Evans the two documents from which he had just quoted.) Sir Da LACY EVANS : Oh, I don't want them. Laughter.) Lord PALMERSTON : Oh, read them. (Renewed laughter. Amid which Sir De Lacy Evans took a seat on the Tres snry bench, and commenced perusing the Dowbiggin message.) The Earl of MALMESHURYgave notice on Monday that if the armistice between England and Russia expired on the 31st, he should call the attention of the house to the blue-bock and correspondence on the siege and taking of Kars. The Earl of ELLENtioaouoit thought it would be desirable that the house should have fuller informa tion upon different points connected with the subject —as, for example, the strength and distribution of the British and Sardinian forces iu July, '55, and the disposal of the Turkish Loan. Lord WODEHOUSE, on Thursday, in reply to the Earl of Ellenborough, gave some additional details of the correspondence between the Foreign•ofce and General Williams. He declined to produce re turns of the number of men composing the allied armies whilst the war still continued. CONFERENCES AT PARIS.—AFFAIRS OF ITALY. Mr. BovrzEit, on Thursday, rose to ask the First Lord of the Treasury the following questions : Whether there is any truth in the report that the atten- tion of the Paris Conference will he directed to the affairs of Italy; also, whether the Sardinian Government has suggested or requested that any and what matters of Italian politics may engage the attention of the Conference. Lord PALMEUSTON : I am sorry that I cannot give the hon. gentleman any information on the subject to which he has referred. (Cheers ) One of the very first resolutions come to at the Conferences was, that the proceedings which might take place from day to day should be known only by their results. (Laughter.) THE ARMY IN THE CRIMEA. Mr. LAYARD, on Monday, postponed to a future day the motion of which he had given notice for Tuesday evening, respecting the promotion and deco ration of certain officers inculpated in the Crimean report. CONTRACT MORTARS. The Earl of DF.RBY, on Tuesday, according to notice, asked Lord Pannaure whether he was pre pared to confirm a statement made by Mr. Monsell, the clerk of the Ordnance, in the House of Commons, relative to frauds committed in a contract with the Ordnance department for mortars ; and whether any steps had been taken to bring the parties by whom they were supplied to punishment? Lord PANMURE regretted that there was too much ground for the statement made by the clerk of the Ordnance. The mortars had been tampered with for the purpose of concealing defects in the casting, and the fraud was discovered during the testing Ex periments made on Thursday. These mortars were supplied in contract by Messrs. Grissell, of the Re• gent's-canal Works. In one, which burst under test, a piece of iron had been inserted behind the breech, so skilfully screwed in that the fraud was very difficult THE PRESS. to detect. This led to an examination of the other four, which it was found had also been pieced with iron in the ERTIId manner, or were made of very defective metal. The firm had already been erased from the list of Government contractors ; but whe ther the Government had the power of proceeding against it by law was a point he had not yet been able to ascertain. _ _ The Earl of DERBY expressed himself generally satisfied with the explanation, but hoped the Govern ment was inquiring into the state of the law with the view of proceeding criminally against the con tractors. Lord PANBIURE stated that an, inquiry would be made. CENTRAL AMERICA. Sir E. LrrroN, on Monday, gave notice that he would after the Easter recess call the attention of the house to the present state of the relations between the Government of this country and that of the United States of America in reference to Central America. TORTURE IN INDIA. The Earl of ALBEMARLE, on Thursday, laid on the table the resolutions he intends to move on the 14th of April, relating to the practice of torture by the native officers of the revenue and police in the Presidency of Madras. REFORMATORY SCHOOLS (SCOTLAND) BILL. On the motion for the second reading of this bill on Wednesday, Mr. MAGUIRE objected to the bill that it did not cart) , out the reformatory principle honestly and fairly—that no provision was made for the education of the Roman Catholic children, and that the schools were made the instruments of proselytism. The hon. member announced his intention of proposing in committee an amendment to the bill, with the view of remedying the deficiency of which he had com plained. Mr. BOWYER concurred in the views expressed by Mr. Maguire, and insisted that separate instruction on all topics involving religious belief should be pro vided for the members of every sect. Mr. DRLTMMOND retorted upon the Roman Catho lics the charge of urging to extreme lengths their attempts at proselytism. He declared, however, that he had no faith in reformatory schools. Sir G. GREY pointed out that the bill contained provisions for the removal of children at the desire of the parents from the reformatories to other insti tutions, which, he submitted, supplied the means of accomplishing everything desired by the advocates of the Roman Catholic children. After an explanation from the LORD ADVOCATE, and some further discussion, the bill was read a second time. LOCAL DUES ON SHIPPING BILL. On Monday, on the motion for bringing up the report from the Committee of Supply, Mr. M. GIBSON requested some more definite in formation touching the arrangement which had been effected at an earlier hour of the evening's sitting with regard to the subject of local dues on shipping. Lord PALIIERSTON stated that the terms of the motion for referring the question to a select com mittee had been adapted to the amendment proposed by Sir F. Thesiger. Mr. DISRAELI explained the motives on which that amendment had been framed. In its original form the motion for reference instructed the committee to inquire into the means of carrying out the report of the commissioners, and as this embodied the chief objection to the scheme, namely, the confiscation of corporate property, the amended version was pro posed, by which the whole subject would be placed for investigation before the select committee, and lie rejoiced to find that the Government had consented to adopt this modification. The subject then dropped, and the report was brought up and agreed to. MR. LOWE'S SHIPPING RILL. Lord PALMERSTON, on Monday, replying to Sir F. Thesiger, announced the terms as amended of the motion proposed by Mr. Lowe with respect to the reference of his Local Dues on Shipping Bill to a select committee. In its modified shape the noble lord expres.ed his belief that the proposition would find acceptance from all parties. LEGAL MEASURES OF THE GOVERNMENT. Lord ST. LEONARDS, on Monday, on the motion for going into committee on the Leases and Sales of Settled Estates Bill, called attention to the steps taken by the present Government to amend the law and its administration. The noble lord commented at much length on the various bills and plans recently laid before Parliament for the reform of the law in the several branches, criticising especially the plan for transtemng the functions of the Incumbered Es tates Court to the Irish Court of Chancery. The LORD CHANCELLOR having repliel to some of the strictures offered by Lord St. Leonards, the bill then went through committee. SATURDAY, METROPOLIS LOCAL MANAGEMENT ACT. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL, on Thursday, in reply to Lord Chelsea, stated as his opinion that, under the Metropc lis Local Management Act, all existing vestries were superseded, and their powers trans ferred to the vestries constituted under that act; but he added that grave doubts existed upon the question. AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS BILL, Lord STANLEY of ALDERLEY, on Tuesday, moved the second reading of this bill, and detailed the pro visions of the act, which is to be carried out chiefly through the organisation of the Poor Law B oar d. . _.. Lord DmioAssori condemned the compulsory means proposed for obtaining the information re quired, and thought it would be considered by the farmers an intrusion on their pr►vate affairs. The country ought to have more time to consider the bill. The Earl of DERBY admitted the necessity and importance of obtaining corr ct agricultural statis tics, no less to the farmers themselves than to the country at large; he was convinced also that the voluntary principle could not be relied on, and that, to be effective, the measure must be compulsory : but he doubted whether the boards of guardians of the poor were the best machinery by which it could be worked, and suggested that the returns should be made to the petty sessions of each district. It was not necessary to return the amount of produce from each farm, but from each district as a whole; the form of return might also be advantageously simpli fied. After a short discussion the bill was read a second time, with an understanding that the next stages of the measure would not be unduly pressed on the house. NATIONAL On Thursday, in answer to the Earl of Shaftes bury, Earl GRANVILLE stated that the Government would not for the present press its Education Bill, as it was desirable to afford time for the consideration of the resolutions recently moved by Lord J. Russell on the subject. ASSAULTS ON WOMEN AND CHILDREN. Mr. DILLWYN moved for leave to bring in a bill to amend the act 16th and 17th of 'Victoria, for the better prevention and punishment of aggravated as saults upon women and children. It appeared from returns, he said, that that act had not worked satis factorily, and magistrates had assured him that the power to inflict corporal punishment was necessary. He believed that the kind of punishment now in flicted had a tendency to prevent offenders being brought to justice, because the wife, by the imprison ment of her husband, had to choose between starva tion and the w•mkhouse. What he proposed, there fore, was to repeal the act of 1853, re-enacting its provisions except the second clause, substituting for it one by which every person convicted of an assault upon a woman or child would be sentenced to a less extent of imprisonment, but during confinement be once privately whipped. He noticed and replied to objections which he anticipated to this change of the law. Ater some remarks by Mr. BARROW, Mr. BOL'VERIE said he did not object to the intro duction of the bill, but trusted that the house would pause before it reverted to a punishment which had been abandoned for years, and was contrary to the spirit of our criminal legislation. Mr. W. WILLIAMS made some observations, and leave was given. ST. PANCRAS WORKHOUSE. Mr. BOUVERIE, on Monday, in reply to Sir J. Pakington, stated that measures were being taken by the guardians of St. Pancras parish to improve the condition of the workhouse. The plans for this pur pose, he added, would be laid for supervision before his department. POSTAL COMMUNICATION WITH SPAIN. Mr. WILSON, on Monday, in reply to Mr. Oliveira, said that negotiations with reference to postal reductions between Spain and England were at present in progress. MARRIAOE WITH A DECEASED WIFE'S SISTER. The Earl of ST. GERMANS, on Thursday, laid on the table a bill on marriage with a deceased wife's sister, explaining that it differed in an important point from the bill on the same subject be had intro duced in 1852. The following arrangements have been made during the week . MONDAY. The Trial of Offences Bill went through committee, after some considerable discussion respecting the extent of the powers of removing indictments which should be en• trusted to the judges of the Queen's Bench. Mr. LOWE withdrew the Partnership Amendment Bill, on account of some technical informality, for the purpose of introducing a new measure on the subject. TUESDAY. In the Lords, the Mutiny Bill, the Marine Mutiny Bill, the Consolidated Fund Bill, the Drainage Act Advances Bill, and the Delamere Forest Bill were read a second time, and the Leases and Sales of Settled Estates Bill was read a third time and passed. i