The Press. — London, England, 1855-03-10 00:00:00

THE PRESS. this to be most felicitous, but, as an act of government, I think it open to cynical comment. The PREMIER: Which, therefore, is duly administered by the First Commissioner of Works. Lord GRANVILLE (laughing): It seems to me that you are very bigotted, Molesworth, The PREMIER : Oh, he is. lam quite ashamed of biro. Object to a fast ! Sir W. MOLEBWORTS (grave/0 : Nay, nay, let m© be understood. To the mere act of fasting there can be no objection, philosophical or physiological, provided it be performed rationally. Occasional absti nence recruits the digestive powers. But the act should be voluntary, and as for coupling with it a theological, or shall I say a superstitious second meaning, is indeed to confuse the functions of religion and medicine. The PREMISS : Ton pedantic old heathen, don't talk like that! You know my opinion of fasts, as set forth to the Kirk of Scotland some time ago g when they wanted to fast on account of the cholera, and I told them they were all humbuge,and Lad better drain and whitewash. What a disturbance it made ! But this afiliir stands upon a very dif ferent footing, and I think that Granville's eager piety in answer to Roden was perfect—" The Government had already decided upon a Fast day." Ha! ha! Lord PANMURE (with mock solemnity) : Don't you speak with levl4 about the Scotch Establishment. I tell you what, Palmerston, you have been taught a good Many things in your time, which was natural seeing that you have sat at the feet of a good many Gamaliels since you came into active life. But it is an odd thing that nobody ever taught you the catechism, or its contents. Your virtuous-baby theory, - - . now. The PREIrIIER : Bother the babies ! Am I never to hear the last of that unlucky speech? Perhaps I intended this fast to balance my account with the serious world. Lord GRANVILLE : I acquit you of any such arithmetic. But I do consider, with you, that to get people's minds away from the reflection that the disasters of the war were the results of certain management, and to induce everybody to take a short of share in the blame, is not an unskilful move. If Palmerston could only have got the Archbishop to draw up a special commivation against Newcastle and the prelates the thing would have been complete• TEEMS OF 101 Etc Prtos: .. 11 6 0 Per Annum .. .. .. H a lf-Yearly .. .. .. .. 0013 0 . 6 6 Quarterly .. .. .. . Payable in advance. Subscribers are requested to send their Orders through the- News Agent; if direct to the Office, accompanied by a Remit ante. Money Orders to be made payable to Mr. ALTR&D lie 110, Str*n_______._. -FRIDAY. lion to the ticket. 'as productive of were liberated with ° know if the Govern improvement in the the system had not .pected, but urged the the colonies. The every possible im- Ace followed by the tvicts and hindering .ended that a larger available colonies. tted the advantages been given up from ticket-of-leave aye ., many convicts had society. com mented on the ab- Secretary from this country. .1 immediate return mean lonies was becoming superintended for the department, had other perform. He inquired - things would be Earl GRANVILLE explained the arrangements for the discharge of the more pressing duties of the de partment, which the indefat i g able industry of Sir G. Grey enabled him to superintend. Before the post of Under -Secretary to the Colonies could be filled up the hill for permitting three Under-Secretaries of State to sit at one time in the House of Commons must be passed. Adjourned at ten minutes past seven. HOUSE OF COMMONS.—Ferpia. Lord ELcuo appealed to the hon. member for Bristol, who had a motion for inquiry into the Bala klava affair, to postpone that motion. Lord Lucan had again applied for a court-martial, which he ex pected to obtain, although no answer had been ob tained, and he trusted that the matter would not be prejudged by a discussion in that house. Mr. H. BERKELEY would postpone his motion till the answer respecting the court-martial had been received, after which he felt at liberty to go on with it. On the motion for going into committee of supply, in answer to Mr. H. WnLesions - it and Mr. RICARDO, The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER stated that be shculd proceed with the Newspaper Stamp Bill on Monday week. Mr. MAGUIRE made a long statement on the ad vantages of b reac h -loading guns, and urged the adop tion of one of American invention, which he had seen that day tested. Mr. MONSELL said that several guns on this prin. cißle had been submitted to the Ordnance; that the principal gunmakers had been invited to send pat terns, and that many trials bad been made. The authorities considered the question nearly ripe for decision, and would lose no time in deciding it. In answer to Mr. WILLIAMS, Lord PALMERSTON eaid that many applications had been made for the formation of volunteer rifle corps. There was much expense required for their formation, and they would be of no use—composed as they would be of civilians, who had neither the leisure nor the habits of a campaign, and who, if ex posed to the hardships of a soldier's life, would very soon be in hospital. For this reason he bad dis couraged the applications. The house then went into committee, but the first vote (1,387,500 t.), for repairs and barracks, was ob jected to as unnecessary for a temporary war. Lord PALMERSTON found fault with the want of s ystem, and the fits an d starts with which the Louse treated the natural defences. Even in time of peace we had not at present sufficient accommodation, and the resources of billetting was o p en to grave incon veniences. It had long been a matter of complaint that our sea coasts wanted proper defences, and he had within the last year received repeated remon strances as to their exposure to the sudden attack even of a privateer However small our i army might t be, let us have the me ans of making as perc as possible. SATII RD AY s The Paulus : Serve 'em right if I had. Did not Sidney Herbert get up and call what was a harbour-inaster's blunders a "rebuke " from Providence ? I don't consider myself a rigidly pious party, but I certainly would not have said that—at least in earnest The CHANCELLOR of the Ell/HEVER . I will tell you one thing, and that is, that it might be as well if somebody would be in earnest occasionally. But you may be quite sure that the greater part of the people will feel that Isecoming in those who have s hared in bringing about our disasters to call upon others to be sorry for them. The Pantiza : Bravo, bravo, Chancellor of the Duchy of Cornwall Lewis. (Shouts of laughter.) Sir C. WOOD: Ha I ha I Do you see the joke? His name is Cornwall, you know, and he is Chancellor. (Sir C. Wood is promptly suppressed.) The Pawns : There may be a good deal in what you say, Lewis, though. But "people" are not the wisest people in the world, and you don't often find them putting two ideas together when one will do to go on with. Going t o church is, abstractedly, so very right and proper a thing that few folks will consider the position of those who recommend it. And, to be practical, who is to find fault with us You don't expect a notice of motion, denouncing us for asking people to go to church? Sir W. MOLKSWORTH : If it were my duty I could make a very die agreeable speech on such a motion. Th e PREMIER: My dear Hobbes, your talents in that way are un i v ersal. On what subject could y ou not make a disagreeable speech? Sir W. MOLESWORTH : Stick to the repartee of the Fast day, my Lord. You won't mend it. Well, will you all dine with me on that day. I'll give you a theological dinner--ntaigre business—ten times as much trouble and expense as a secular one. What do you say? SEVERAL MINISTERS (reluctantly): Very tempting—but it will get into the papers. No—won't do. Sir W. Monitsworn: Stuff—don't be cowardly. Besides, we'll publish the bill of fare, and show that we fasted with elaborate rigidity. Wiseman shall not pick a hole in the carte. Come . The PREMIER: Well, we'll talk about it. Let's go down to the 'House. Exeunt. The Lunatic Asylum (Ireland) Advances Bill was read a second time, after considerable discussion. Sir B. Htu. postponed to Monday the introduction of his bill for the Better L ocal Management of the Metropolis. The House adjourned at eleven o'clock. Rear-Admiral the Dundas, C. 8., will hoist his flag at Portsmouth on Monday next, as Commander-in -Chief of the Baltic fleet. The Duke of Wellington, 181, has been ordered from Plymouth to Portsmouth to take the galla nt a dmi fiagral 6orrtsponttuct. CONSERVATIVE UNION. TO THE EDITOR Or " THE PRESS." Sir,—The remarks on the " State of Parties," and the letter of " Pax" on the same topic, cannot fail to attract the general attention of Conservatives. Upon a subject of this nature, end when the hononrsble existence of a great party is at stake, ambiguity would be both indecorous and culpable. Before any opinion can be given, it will be necessary to name the parties to whom covert allusion has been made. Insincerity invariably receives its just desert, and " Pax " wiil allow that it has been shown in the pages of THE rand to be the forerunner of disgrace es well as punishment. The Conservative leaders may be said to be the Earl of Derby, Earl of Ellen borough, Earl of Malmesbury, Earl of Hardwicke, Lord Lyndhurst, Mr. Disraeli, Sir John Pakington, Man- Marquis of Granby, Sir John Buller, Lord J. ners, Sir Bulwer Lytton, Mr. Walpole, Mr. Henley, Mr. Buck, Mr. Stafford and others: Lord John Russell and the Whip and Liberals are to be re pudiated, and Lord Aberdeen. The Duke of Newcastle, Sir James Graham, Mr. Gladstone, and Mr. Sidney Herbert have been, as it were, this very moment ejected from office by the C onserva tives, for ministerial misconduct, charac terised in unmistakable terms by THE Pam. Who are the shadowy personages, dimly limned by" Pax," that are to confer renown on the great leader and his trusty followers? An illustrious man, now gone to his rest, has said that in these matters " et hers e is no mistake, there can be no mistake, an ISMAEL d . must be no mistake." Jebel Taif, March 7, 1R55. PROMOTION FROM THE RANKS. Sir,—There is a point in connection with the sub ject of commissions conferred for meritorious conduct in the ranks, which has not, as far as I have seen, been touched upon by any portion of the press, in the recent articles which have appeared on romo tion from the ranks," —namely, the validity of local comm i ss ions, though it is a point of vital importwice as to their beneficial operation on the fortunes o fai f the men who receive them , a nd the dignity and en to good t of the country which co nfers them. As Iho en 1 . ------- •** By the return of stamps issued to newspapers during the year 1854, it appears that the number of stamps issued to Tun PRESS in the twelve months was 146,000, giving a weekly circulation of 2,812 ; but the present sale of THE PRESS is higher than the above figures indicate. —____---------- _____-----_ --=----_—_____ L I - I) s 1 -1-) Vit ji xi. [ \ l LONDON, SATURDAY, MARCH 10, 1855 POSTSCRIPT. , . HOUSE OF LORDS.—Fainer. Lord Sr. LEONARDS called hi achttenwas tion to the ductive ticket of-leave convict system, w pro many disadvantages. Convicts were liberated witt out due selection. He wished to know if Govert wen t were prepared with any improvem the ent in di system. Earl GRANVILLE admitted that the system had n w orked so well as h ad been expected, but urged tt . t danger of forcing convicts upon the colonies. TI • Governmen t would keep in vie w every possible it grovement. Earl GREY condemned the practice followed by ti police of tracking released convicts and hinderil , their employment. He recommended that a larg number should be sent to the available colonies. The LORD CHANCELLOR admitted the advantag of tansportation, which had been given up in deferenc wor k e d te colonists. The ticket-of-leave s tern had well, and under it many convicts li become honest members of society. The Earl of DERBY then com mente count n ount c this the 1 Ben ce of the Colo nial Secretary from He saw no chan ce of his immediate return ; me while the state of several colonies was becom critical. Sir G. Grey, who superintended. for moment the business of the department, had ot and very onerous duties to perform. He inqui when so anomalous a state of things would 'settled. , . - {