The Press. — London, England, 1856-02-23 00:00:00

r 180 THE WEEK. THE opening of the Conference appears to be definitively fixed for Monday next. The Plenipotentiaries appointed to attend have, we may assume, by this time arrived in Paris. Count ORLOFF reached the French capital on Thursday night at ten p.m. His Excellency left St. Petersburg on the 12th inst., and arrived ut Berlin on the lath, where he remained two days. He is reported to have had long interviews with the King at Charlottenburg On the morning of the 20th he left for Cologne and Paris. AALI PACHA reached Marseilles from Constan tinople on Thursday morning, and started the same evening direct for Paris. The matter of precedence at the Conference has been settled by the Representatives taking their seats according to the alphabetical order of the country they represent, the two representatives of France, M. WALEWSKI and Baron BOURQUENEY, taking the head and bottom of the table. The fifth point, reserving to the Allies the right of bringing forward conditions not expressed, will, it. is generally anticipated, be taken first. The Government sustained a double defeat last night in the House of Lords on the Life Peerage question. Lord GLENELG first moved that the opinion of the judges should be taken on the power of the Prerogative ; but he was forcibly answered that the House itself was the fittest tribunal to decide on its own privileges. His motion, though supported by the whole strength of the Government, was nega tived by a majority, including proxies, of 111 to 142. Lord Lysnnunsr, in counnittee, then moved his resolution negativing the right of BARON PARKE to vote or sit in that House. The venerable Peer, who has throughout conducted his case with rare ability and discretion, spoke with a noble consciousness that he had established the principle for which he had contended, and that the decision of the House could not be doubtful. The Government met his motion with a direct nega tive ; but, on a division, could muster only 52 votes to 97. This settles the question for the present. The position of the Government is most awkward. What will be its next step? There is a rumour that the CHANCELLOR will resign. But it is doubtful whether the ship will be much lightened by this Jonas being cast overboard. The Administration is in this dilemma. It must confess that this measure, involving a most impol• tant constitutional question, was sanctioned by it without due thought or care for consequences ; or it must submit to the humiliation of withdrawing from a position it had distinctly taken up. It has, we imagine, no resource but either to drop the contest to which it has committed the Crown, or to bring the principle f drly before Parliament by means of a bill. It will probably prefer the former alternative. The small amount of the new loan, taken up yesterday, is appli cable only on the ground that the Government anticipate the amount will be sufficient to supply the wants of the Exchequer until peace is concluded, and that a further amount may then be obtained on easier terms. To the same cause must be attributed the liberal terms con ceded by the contractors, as the whole amount to be funded was taken up at a price equivalent to 90. The total amount required by the Government for the service of the year must, under any circumstances, be very considerable. The Army Estimates (published this week) for the year 1856, amount to 84,998,5041, being an increase over the amount of last year of 6,328.0091. The total Navy Estimates for the year, including the Transport Service, &c, amount to 20,081,647/., being an increase upon last year of 497,6521. The whole Military and Naval Estimates, therefore, will come to 55,070,1511., and the whole increase upon the last year will be 6,815,6591 The revenue for 1853 amounted to 63,364,6051., and the expenditure to 84,305,7881., leaving a deficit of 21,141,1831. If to this deficit we add the increase on the estimates, it gives the sum of 27,956,8421. as the deficiency for the current year, to be made up either by loans or additional taxation. But estimates usually fall short of the actual expenditure. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER stated last night that while the year's revenue had fallen below his estimate, the expenditure had risen above it, creating toge th2r a balance on the wrong side of 3,560,0001. The like result will probably occur again, so that, if the present rate of expenditure is to continue, we may calculate that a sum of not less than 30,000,0001. will be required. Even should peace be speedily concluded, it is doubtful whether the expenditure, considering the engagements which the Government has contracted, could be materially reduced. Under no circumstances do we imagine that a less sum than twenty millions extra will he required for the service of the year, and probably fresh loans will have to he raised in our market for both Sardinia and Turkey. The Parliamentary debates of this week have been of considerable interest. On Monday last, in the House of Commons, the Irish Court of Chancery Bill came on for dit•cussion. Mr. S. FITZGERALD, Mr ELLICE, Mr WHITEiIDE, and Mr. NAPIER, opposed the bill, principally upon two grounds :—First, that it was a wanton interference with an institution which had worked so well as the Encumbered Estates Court, and would also throw at most itnprac6t able amount of labour upon the Court of Chancery: and, soc,oidiv, that the proposed nomi nation of its officers by the Crown, instead of by the Irish Chancery Judges, was an insult to the litter and an unwarrantable innovation THE PRESS. SATURDAY, on the part of the former. In the House of Lords, on Thursday, a discussion ensued on the motion of Lord DERBY, concerning the rela tions between the Secretary for War and the Commander-i n -Chi e f . Lord PANMURE says, it is not the intention of Government to interfere with the patronage of the Horse Guards, or the direct control exercised by the Commander-in-Chief over the discipline and regulatio ns o f the army. Lord GREY assured their Lordships that when tho Duke of WELLINGTON was Commander-in-Chief he never took any steps of importance without first consulting himself. In the Com mons, on the same night, Sir JOSHUA WALMSLEY introduced his bill for throwing open the National Gallery and the British Museum on Sundays. His motion was negatived by the large majority of 328. The death of Mr. JOHN SADLEIR, and its tragical circumstances, have excited much notice this week. The deceased gentleman had gained great political notoriety in consequence of the influential posi tion he had acquired in the formation of the Coalition Cabinet, to which he had rendered most important assistance, and by some of whose members he was received into the closest confidence. There are many singular facts connected with his public career. He had few qualities for the part of an Irish tribune, being deficient in the heartiness and buoyant vivacity of an agitator ; but he had more sub tle and more formidable resources. He had an organising talent, a speculative disposition, something of the spirit of a gambler, and a capacity for steady labour. It was a strange appointment for Lord ABERDEEN to 11BYC named Mr. SADLEIR a Lord of the Treasury. In 1M47 he was only a second-class Dublin attorney, and in five years afterwards he was officially honoured by the Aberdeen Ministry. The appointment was not justified by " routine," or the conventional rule of Parliamentary life. As was observed at the time, Mr. SADLEIR'S head was half turned with the sudden elevation. He wondered at it himself ; so did his associates and neighbours. " What next?" was asked in Ireland, and all the place-hunters extolled the new Irish party, of which Mr. WILLIAM KEOGH, Mr. EDMUND O'FLAHERTY, and Mr. SADLEIR, were the three chiefs. Mr. SADLEIR supplanted the late Major LAYARD in the representation of Carlow. Major LAYARD was a " Liberal Protestant," but some Roman Catholics at Carlow thought it was a good move for " the Church " to turn out Major LAYARD and put in a Roman Catholic attorney It is a strange thing that Major LAYARD, who was a gentleman of high personal honour, should also, from the result of illness, have committed suicide about three years ago. Mr. SADLEIR was the reputed proprietor of a Roman Catholic journal, of ultramontane principles. Before a twelvemonth has passed, Mr. FREDERICK LUCAS (with whom he was in strong personal antagonism), has fallen, but under circumstances of a most dissimilar kind. Mr. SADLEIR had formed a regular Parliamentary family, having five votes under his influence. Even after his withdrawal from the Lordship of the Treasury, he retained considerable influence. He made a show of worldly prosperity, and kept up a stud of hunters for the Aylesbury Vale hounds. Many shook their heads and thought it would not last, but none expected that it would end in so tragical a manner. Of the extraordinary rumours which prevail about the causes of Mr. SADLEIKS decease, we shall at present take no other notice than to express our sincere hope that they will prove to be unfounded. PAM'S SENSIBLE THEOLOGY. (See Speech on Thursday Evening on Sir J. Iralimsley's Motion.) Ata—Albert Smith's Galignani Song. If I haven't risen sooner on that fellow Walinsley's motion, It was not from indifference about this Sunday Bill ; But I thought that independent men should first explain their notion, And that's why I've not spoken yet, but silent sat and still. 'Tis not, you know, quite in my line to do the theological, Indeed, I think such arguments are better let alone; But speeches pro and con. to-night are really so illogical, I'll try to set both parties right with reasoning of my own . If I somewhat lack of sympathy for rigid Sabbatarians, Who turn a day of leisure into one of care and gloom, I own I am no fonder of your vulgar Nothingarians, Who think a church no holier than any other room. Their views to me, I frankly own, seem tinctured with insanity ; Nor can I quite believe the Crystal Palace is to win More souls from crime or sorrow than our ancient Christianity, Or that the Elgin marbles are to purge the land from sin. The thin end of the wedge, I fear, if once they get inserted, All reverence for Sacred Things they'll chisel soon away. Sir Joshua locks angry, and Jem Heywood disconcerted, But I should not do my duty if I did not tell them nay. At the same time I would warn you, the severity Judaical With which some keep the Sunday is a very great mistake; If you carry this too far you will disgust the body laical, For the bow if strung too tight, you know, is:very apt to break.