The Press. — London, England, 1856-04-05 00:00:00

326 TERMS OP SUBSCRIPTION FOB Eb e Vress: (STAMPED.) Per Annum .. Half-Yearly . • Quarterly .. .. £1 6 0 .. 0 13 0 .. 0 6 6 Payable in advance. Subscribers are requested to send their Orders through their News Agent; if direct to the Office, accompanied by a remit tance. Advertisements also must have a reference or remittance Money Orders to be made payable to Idr. ALzazo lvz, 110 . Strand. London. xlix • :0) rrxig. LONDON, SATURDAY, APRIL 5, 1856. POSTSCRIPT. A despatch from Stettin, April 2, states— The Emperor Alexander and the Grand Dukes Constan tine, Nicholas, and Michael, arrived at Fredericksham in the morning of the 22nd. After having inspected the troops, the corps of cadets, and the batteries, the imperial party left for Helsingfors, where they arrived on the 23rd, and inspected troops and the fortifications, and visited the hospitals and the churches. Intelligence from Turin, April 3, states— The Bureaux of the Ministry of War are actively engaged in arranging the measures relative to the return of the Sardinian army at present in the Crimea. Vessels are preparing to sail from Genoa for the purpose of bringing back the troops. A telegraphic despatch from Copenhagen, April 3, announces that the Supreme Council has adopted, and read a first time, the proposal of the Holstein Deputies, for submitting the general constitution to a special assembly of the Diet. A squadron of American ships of war is ordered to cruise on the coast of Spain, pending the Anglo- American dispute. Intelligence from Rome, April 3, states that Mon• signor Patrizzi will set out towards the end of May for Paris, in order to represent the Pope at the baptism of the Prince Imperial. THE "PACIFIC." The following has been received at Lloyd's : Figueira, March 24. The Skip with, Captain Ryan, arrived here, in coming off the Newfoundland coast, fell in with ice to the distance of two hundred miles from the land, and saw the lights of a steamer in the ice. Alem.—The abuve vessel left St. St. John's, Nfld., on the 13th Feb. Colonel Sir H. Rawlinson, R.C.8., has been ap pointed to succeed General Sir George Pollock as one of the nominated Directors of the East India Com pang._ _ _ LieuL7General Sir George Brown has been pro moted to the rank of full General for distinguished services in the field. An influential deputation waited upon Lord Palmerston on Thursday, on the subject of the re duction of the wine duties. Lord Palmerston promised that as soon as the Government could improve our commercial relations with France without endanger ing the revenue, the matter should be considered. The Crimean Commission held its preliminary meeting on Thursday at half past eleven. The whole of the Commissioners were present in full uniform. The Earl of Lu can was also present. The Judge- Advocate read the Royal warrant, the rules of pro cedure, and letters from the War-office and Horse Guards, pointing out the course to be pursued. It was then arranged that the Earl of Lucan's case shculd be proceeded with first on Monday next, and the meeting adjourned. The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council have been engaged on Thursday and Friday with the case of the East India Company v. Dyce Sombre. An influential committee of naval and military officers, and of clerg) men and civilians, has been formed with the view of raising funds for the erection of a church in Constantinople, as the most appropriate monument to the memory of those who fell in the late war, and of gratitude to God for the restoration of peace. A public meeting will be shortly held for the promotion of this object, under the presidency of his Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge. The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel has already received upwards of 1,0001. in aid of this object. The rectory of St. George's, Bloomsbury, vacant by the elevation of the Hon. and Rev. H. M. Villiers to the see of Carlisle, has been given by the Lord Chancellor to the Rev. E. Bayley, vicar of Woburn, Beds. THE PRESS. HOUSE OF LORDS-FRIDAY. AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS. On the motion for going into committee on the Agricultural Statistics Bill, The Earl of DERBY commented on the inquisitorial machinery which it was proposed to create for the purpose of obtaining information respecting agricul tural stock and produce. He insisted upon the ne cessity of observing great forbearance and delicacy in pursuing investigations upon this subject, and recommended that the inquiry should be instituted through the medium of the magistrates' clerks, rather than the functionaries of the Poor-law Board. Lord STANLEY of Ar.nEntrs retained his preference for the measure as it stood, and declared that the Poor-law officers were admirably qualified to ascertain and methodise all the facts most desirable to accumu late for the purpose of furnishing regular and complete returns respecting agricultural statistics. After some further discussion, their lordships went into committee on the bill. In committee, Lord DERBY moved an amendment designed to carry out the modification he had suggested in the machinery of the bill. This amend ment was however negatived on a division, by a majority of 18 to 13-5. The bill then passed through committee. Their lordships adjourned at twenty minutes past eight o'clock. HOUSE OF COMMONS-FRIDAY. PUBLIC OFFICES. Sir B. HALL, in reply to Mr. H. Baillie, stated that the plans for concentrating all the public offices in the neighbourhood of Downing-street would be re ferred to a select committee. Meanwhile there was no intention to build a new War-office in Pall-mall. TRAFFIC IN Mr. HILDYARD asked whether any inquiries were made, or steps taken, with respect to the infamous traffic said to be constantly practised between certain English ports and the city of Hamburg ? Sir G. GREY stated that the subject was occupying the attention of the Government. CENTRAL AMERICA. On the motion for the adjournment to Monday, Lord GODERICH having urged some inquiry touch ing the present position of the controversy between England and the United States on the Central American question, Mr. GLADSTONE remarked that the correspondence upon this branch of the controversy between the two countries was now closed, and complained of the delay that had taken place in laying the papers be fore Parliament and the public. The right hon. trember then adverted to the attempts which had been made to exasperate the public mind in both countries. These inflammatory appeals and threatening proceedings were, he considered, highly censurable. Lord PALMERSTON excused the delay in producing the papers. He pleaded that all the time and atten tion of the Foreign-office functionaries had been pre occupied (by pending events in Europe ; neverthe less he hoped that the documents would be ready in a few days. Until the information thus to be com municated was in the bands of the house, he de clined to follow Mr. Gladstone through the various topics suggested in the course of his speech. The subject then dropped. SIR C. NAPIER. On the motion for going into Committee of Supply, Sir J. GRAHAM begged permission to offer some explanations on a personal topic. His assertions in a late debate, which Sir G. Berkeley had afterwards reiterated, respecting the conduct of Sir C. Napier at the attack on Acre, had been challenged in the most positive manner by that gallant member in a letter recently published. In his own justification, there fore, Sir J. Graham proceeded to recapitulate events and cite documents, showing that the description he had given of the occurrences in question was, at all events, founded upon respectable testimony. Sir C. NAPIER detailed the particulars of the whole action which had resulted in the capture of Acre, vindicating his own share both in the pl an o f attack and the honour of the victory. He com plained of the unfairness exhibited by Sir J. Graham in bringing forward accusations respecting events sixteen years' old, at a time when the great majority of witnesses were dead or absent. He (Sir Charles) nevertheless produced and read a number of letters from survivors corroborating his version of the pro ceedings on that occasion. Sir G. BERKELEY submitted that the allegation he bad advanced in the previous debate, respecting the attack on Acre, had been shown, at all events, not to have been hazarded without fair grounds of belief. Mr. LINDSAY considered Sir Charles Napier's vindi cation perfectly successful. MY. MALINS concurred in that opinion, and charged his assailants with unworthily conspiring to disgrace a veteran and well-deserving officer. Mr. ROEBUCK also maintained that the charges against Sir C. Napier had utterly broken down. 9, 6 • 14 . 11 POOMO I NN....111111 SATURDAY, Further remarks upon the personal and historical points raised during the discussion were urg b y Admiral WALCOTT. The motion was then agreed to, and the house went into Committee of Supply on the Civil Service E s u. mates. MODEL FARMS. On the vole of 227,0411. fcr public education in Ireland, considerable discussion took place. An amendment was proposed by Mr. WILLIAMS for dis allowing the sum of 14,0051. charged on account of model farms. This amendment was carried to a division, but negatived by a majority of 144 to 38- 100. The vote ultimately passed without retrench ment. JOINT-STOCK COMPANIES. On resuming, the Joint-stock Companies' Bill was committed pro formil, and ordered to be reprinted with amendments. THE ENCUMBERED ESTATES COURT. Mr. DEASY moved for certain returns relating to the Irish Encumbered Estates Court, with the view of testing the truth, or otherwise, of reports which had attained much currency, that undue facilities had been afforded to the late Mr. Sadleir in effecting numerous purchases of land from the court. The motion was seconded by Colonel DUNNE. Mr. HORSHAM expressed his readiness to afford every information in his power, but appealed for time to communicate with the Irish authorities on the subject. Jitter some conversation, however,the returns were ordered. The house adjourned at half past twelve o'clock. THE CONFERENCES. ALTHOUGH the signature of the Treaty of Peace con- cludes the primary duties of the Plenipotentiaries, it does not terminate their supplementary services. Further sittings will continue to be held in order to arrive at a satisfactory arrangement of certain sub sidiary matters essential to the settlement of the Eastern question, inasmuch as concerns the future government of the principalities, the evacuation of Turkish territory by the allied armies, and, accord ing to the Debate of Thursday, the ratification of the treaty of Vienna of 1815, connected with the present government and position of Italy, and the necessity of reforms in that country. The first subsidiary sitting was held by the Pleni. potentiaries on Wednesday, and it is expected that they will continue their labours at short intervals until the exchange of ratifications takes place. The semi-official article of the Dibats on Thurs day stated the question of the future government of the principalities was yet undecided, that the late Hatti-Scheriff of the Sultan granting concessions to the Christians would not be embodied in the treaty of peace, but that an article of the treaty would simply allude to those concessions, guaranteeing them to the Christians in the name of the contracting powers. Finally, that the navigation of the Danube would be open to the mercantile navies of the whole world. IN the parliamentary intelligence of Tuesday we notice a statement that " Mr. HUTCHINS, Member " for Lymington, took the oaths appointed to be " taken by Roman Catholic Members of Parliament." The question raised by this novel announcement is of some importance. Ought a gentleman who has been elected by a constituency as a Protestant, and has so qualified himself on taking his seat in the House, to qualify himself subsequently as a Roman Catholic, without again presenting himself to his constituents ? That he can legally do so is plain from the instance of Mr. HUTCHINS; but we cannot help thinking that such conduct is an abuse of the representative principle. In his opinions Mr. HUTCHINS is no longer the same man that he was when the constituency of Lymington elected him to represent them. Surely if his sentiments with re spect to the Crown and his duties are so much changed as to necessitate his Leing resworn at the table of the House, he is bound to resign into the hands of the Protestant electors of Lymington the trust which they reposed in him as a Protestant. It is said that Mr. HUTCHINS was himself inclined to resign, but that he was prevented by an influence usually found in all cases of tender conscience to be all potent on the Liberal side of the House. In justice to themselves, the electors of Lymingtoa should take up the matter and require Mr. livreanis to be re-elected—if he wishes to retain his seat—as well as be resworn. A Cabinet Council was held on Saturday afternoon at the Foreign-office, Downing.street. Alt the Ministers were present. The Council sat three hours and a half. .. V A Court of Privy Council was held on Friday. Mr. Prendergast was elected on Wednesday to the office of Common Sergeant, 111 ■