The Press. — London, England, 1856-02-09 00:00:00

FEBRUARY 9, 1856. ANSWER TO THE ADDRESS. Lord DRUNIANRIG appeared at the bar of the House of Commons, on Monday, with her Majesty's reply to the Address. The reply was framed as follows: Your loyal and dutiful Address has afforded me much satisfaction. I am confident that 1 shall receive your cordial s upport in all measures which may appear to be necessary to maintain the honour and dignity of the em pire, and to proinote the permanent interests and welfare of my people. CORRUPT PRACTICES PREVENTION ACT. Lord PALMF.RSTON, on Thursday, in reply to Mr. 11. Berkeley, whether the act would be renewed or referred to a committee, said the question was still under the consideration of the Government. They had not yet made up their minds whether it was best to bring in a bill to continue or amend. ASSAULTS ON WOMEN. In reply to a question from Mr. Dillwyn, elSir GEORGE GREY stated on Monday it was not the intention of the Government to make any alter• ation in the law relative to punishment for assaults npon women. CRIMINAL TRIALS. In the House of Lords, on Tuesday, the LORD CHAseELLon brought in a bill to enable the Court of Queen's Bench to send for trial to the Central Criminal Court persons charged with offences that could more suitably be tried in that court than in the court at Westminster. There was no doubt the Court of Queen's Bench had the power of removing the process from an assize town where there was likely to be a prejudice against the accused, but whether it had the power of ordering the trial in the Central Criminal Court was doubtful. The object of the bill was to settle this difficulty. The bill was read a first time. COURT OF CHANCERY (IRELAND) BILL.' Mr. WHITESIDE, on Monday, obtained leave to bring in a series of five bills, to make provision for the more speedy and effectual despatch of business in the Court of Chancery in Ireland ; to amend the practice and course of proceeding in that court; to alter the law and practice of the court in relation to the appointment of receivers and management of estates; to secure the titles of purchasers of estates sold under the court; and to facilitate and diminish fie expense of appeals. ENCUMBERED ESTATES COURT (IRELAND) ABOLITION BILL. Mr. SADLEIR, on Monday, obtained leave to bring in a bill for the abolition of the Irish Encumbered Estates Court, and the transference of its powers to the permanent jurisdiction of the Irish Court of Chancery under an amended procedure, with the assistance of two vice-chancellors and an appellate court, by which 14,0001. would be saved to the public. It was likewise proposed ultimately to abolish the fees and stamps now paid on proceedings in the Encumbered Estates Court. Mr. WHITESIDE reminded the house that three years ago his prediction that the Encumbered Estates Court would be choked with business was contradicted, and his bill for engrafting the principle of that court to the Court of Chancery had been thrown out. With respect to the abolition of the stamps and fees, if annulled in Ireland they must also be so in England. If the proposal were per sisted in, he should move for its extension to England. He objected to the Court of Appeal, and warned the house to pause before adopting a principle which, if extended to England, would throw all the convey ancing of the kingdom into the hands of the Court of Chancery. After some further discussion, in which Mr. Matins, Mr. Cairns, Mr. V. Scully, and Mr. George took part, leave was given. FALL OF KARS. Earl GRAwyrux, in reply to the Earl of Ellenbo rough, in the House of Lords, on Monday, stated that, owing to the absence of Lord Clarendon, he was unable to fix the day upon which the papers relating to the fall of Kars should be laid upon the table. Lord WODEHOUSE further stated that the papers would refer to the fall of Kars, considered separately and distinctly from all other subjects connected with the war. THE CRIMEAN ARMY. Mr. LAVARD, on Thursday, gave notice that on this day fortnight he should call the attention of the house to the report of Sir J. 11I' Neil and Colonel Tulloch upon the state of the army in the Crimea during the last winter. Mr. PEEL, in reply to Sir J. Fergusson, said that the suggestions of the Crimean Commissioners relative to the appointment of a staff-officer to deter mine how the army should be supplied, and the nature of those supplies, appeared to be valuable, but it had not yet been determined to act upon them. THE ARMISTICE. Lord PALMERSTON, on Tuesday, in reply to Colonel Dunne, said that no armistice would be arranged until the preliminaries of peace had been discussed and signediby the plenipotentiaries at Paris. THE WAR. THE first effect of the peace intelligence upon the camp has, of course, been one of disappointment and chagrin. Owing to the breakage of the telegraphic wires the information did not arrive very speedily. On the 22nd ult. Marshal Pelissier first received the news, and immediately communicated it to General Codrington. The English mail, arriving on the 24th, brought confirmation of the fact :—" Much malediction and strong language," writes the corre spondent of the Times on the 26th, "has been going on in all ranks, from generals to juniors." Specula tion, doubt, and uncertainty, were of course rife, and every one was longing for the next mail. Prize money and a good brevet were at least expected. The weather continues fine. No movements of any importance had occurred ; the Russian batteries still fired heavily at times on the French advanced works. Sir Richard llacres, in command of the Artillery, is reported to have received orders to send home seventeen of the twenty-nine seige-train com panies, and there were many indications in the camp of the army quitting its present position. At Kertch, by dates of the 18th, matters were quiet. From Asia Minor there is little intelligence. Omer Facha, by date of the Ist of January, re mained at Redout Kaleh, the army con•inuing in its winter quarters at Chopi. The force at Erzeroum was to be increased to 40,000 men, and large supplies were being collected in Anatolia and the other provinces. A telegraphic despatch from Trieste of Feb. oth states : According to accounts from Constantinople of the 28th ult., the English are to send their German Legion, as well as other troops, into Asia. The Morning Post has had the following announce ment this week : We believe that official intelligence has been received of the complete destruction of the docks at Sebastopol, which have now all been blown up. A telegraphic despatch from Marseilles of Feb. sth, states that intelligence up to the 2tith from Con stantinople announced : Marshal Pelissier had been informed that the Enplane proposed to attack the advanced division in the Valley of Baidar, and hoped to surprise it. To oppose this move• ment eight divisions were kept under arms during the whole night. 127 DEMOLITION OF THE DOCKS. The destruction of the docks, which has been per severed in for so many weeks, was still unfinished up to the 22nd of January. The bottom and sides of the west dock, and the entrances to the east and centre docks had been blown up since the last intel ligence, and on our side two more explosions would conclude our share of the work : To-morrow our allies are to complete the demolition of their half portion of the docks, by blowing up the front half of the entrance and the right half side of the basin. The English are going to have two more explosions, if everything is ;successful, to complete their half portion. The first is to consist of the right side of the east dock and basin as far as the sheers to meet the French, and the second to be made up of the two sides of the west dock, with entrance, pier, and the left side of centre dock. The 800 lb. charge and two 400 lb. charges that missed fire on Saturday may be fired at any moment ; I don't, therefore, include them in the two great explosions to come. The commander-m•chief was present on Saturday, but was too late on Friday to witness the destructions. There can be no doubt that we run the powder much more fine for masonry than the French. Our head engineers consider no science is displayed if a single stone is hurled to any slight distance. The French engineers appear to be of opinion that as the old Russian powder is not of much value, it may just as well be used as not. The conse quence is that their demolitions are much more violent, and appear to the ignorant much more complete. It may be a fault on their part, but it is a good fault. The whole of our three docks are forty feet wide at bottom and twenty.nine feet deep. The west dock is the shortest of the three, being only 236 feet long at top, whilst the centre dock is 239, and the east dock 238 feet. The entrance gate to this last dock, which with immense labour was taken to pieces, still lies inside the dockyard wall. if England is proud of this trophy, which happens to have been the only gate of our three not riddled by our wand shot or shell, no time should be lost in getting it conveyed to Balaklava and shipped home, for its weight is about sixty tons. The French have at last succeeded in getting up their dock gate, and they will, of course, convey it, like their portion of the shot anti guns, to within the strong lines at Kamiesch.—D. News cur., Jan. 22. CAMP MOVENTENTS AND ARMY SUPPLIES. The army, although employed in constant drill and musket exercise, finds time to construct wharfs and other public works at Kazatch. The whole force is healthy, well kept, and well clothed; but a few trifling extravagancies, according to the Times correspondent, are yet committed by the War- office : I have obtained answers to some of the questions I put in my last letter, and a little additional intormatiun as to the prodigality and want of judgment shown in the nature and quantity of the stores sent out for the army. The number of pairs of woollen stockings and socks in store is over 200,000. Of course I have not had the opportunity of counting them, but I give the above figures on excellent authority. Those that are being reshipped are only lit for children. They are German goods, and were purchased in all haste last winter by consuls and agents. When they came nobody could get them on, and, as they were ex• tremely short socks, there was no leg into which the men might have thrust their feet. The same deficiency in size was found in many of the flannel or woven waistcoats sent for the army last winter, and obtained in a smiler manner. They were so narrow that the men had to cut them open all down the breast, thus leaving ex posed the very part of the body they were chiefly meant to protect. The children's socks are now being sent back to Constantinople, and will, doubtless, have to be sold for a song or given to the poor in England, which latter would be the best way of applying this precious Vienna-made hosiery. The 1,200 pairs of cherry-coloured inexpressibles are in addition. I find, to the year's clothing for the 11th Hussars; so it is presumable that they are intended for other cavalry regiments. The fur boots would be capital things in a Canadian traineau ora Russian sledge, but their selection displays a most extraordinary ignorance of the state of things out here. A walk to head-quarters and a ride to Italaklava would be ample, I should think, for their destruction. So that the 4,0001. may be set down as uselessly expended. Pretty much the same may be said of a large sum that has been laid out in marine soap, with which one can wash in salt water, and which has arrived in vast quantities of half-pound packets to be served out to the men. Now, although water has certainly at times bef a scarce here, we have never yet been reduced to send to the sea for it ; and as any voyage the army is likely to make when the campaign opens will hardly exceed two or three days in length, the soap is not likely to be very useful, and might as well be handed over to the fleet. Then they keep sending out quantities of soluble cocoa, which the men will not use. In fact, some of the things sent are so ill-advised as to tempt one to suppose that they are bought, not out of regard to the wants of the army, but to oblige dealers in England who find themselves with a large stock of unsaleable goods on hand.—Times cur., Jan. RUSSIAN MOVEMENTS. On the night of the 20th, the Russians opened a tremendous tire from some new batteries to the northward of the Tschernaya valley : A large quantity of shell and solid shot were thrown in a direction toward the Fediukine heights and the position at Tractlr. Most of the shells burst in the air, and some at a very great elevation. Although the sky was partially clouded at the time, and a light mist lay on the surface of the ground, the moon exerted considerable power, and objects for some distance round were readily distinguished. The firing attracted considerable attention, and it was at first supposed to be connected with some attack on the extreme right. The swampy state of the greater put at THE PRESS. 1 OUR RELATIONS WITH AMERICA. In the Commons, on Tuesday, replying to a ques tion from Mr. Cobden, Lord PALMERSTON intimated that the correspon dence which had lately taken place between the British and United States Governments respecting the enlistment controversy and the Mosquito pro tectorate as soon as compl e t e d, wou ld b e l a id before the house. THE COLOGNE AND HAMBURG ENLIST MENT QUESTION. Lord PALMERSTON, on Thursday, in reply to Mr. Baillie, said it was not the intention of the Govern ment to lay on the table the correspondence which had taken place with the Prussian Government with reference to the arrest of her Majesty's Consul at Cologne. As to the Hanse Towns, no correspondence had taken place. CONSULAR ESTABLISHMENTS. Mr. WISE, on Thursday, gave notice that on the 21st inst. he should move for a select committee to inquire into the state of our consular establish ments. BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE. Mr. BROTHERTON, on Tuesday, made his annual motion, that no opposed business be proceeded with after midnight. Pointing out the injurious effects of late debates, the hon. member insisted that if prolix speeches were only curtailed, and useless repetitions of party sentiment omitted, the public business would he facilitated, and the high rate of mortality among members decreased. The motion was seconded by Mr. EWART, who gave an entertaining sketch of the house on a long debate night, declaring that he had counted no less than twenty six members, including the First Minis ter of the Crown and the Chancellor of the Ex chequer, fast asleep during the transaction of business. Lord PALMERSTON opposed the motion, on the plea that the public service would not be benefited if memh• rs were fettered in point of time. The house divided—For the motion, 50 ; against it, 111; majority, against, 61. 5 •