The Press. — London, England, 1856-07-12 00:00:00

JULY 12, 1856. General and the Attorney-General for England, as well as of the Lord Advocate. In committee safe guards against abuse might be introduced into the provisions. Mr. WHITESIDE protested against the bill as highly impolitic, and calculated to produce much practical mischief and hardship. It would give no jurisdiction to the courts in Dublin by which re lief could be granted from a judgment fraudulently obtained. Mr. M'CANN supported the amendment. The house then divided, when there were, for the amendment, 69; against it, 74; majority, 5. On the question that the Speaker leave the chair, Mr. VANCE moved the adjournment of the debate. Another division took place, the numbers being, for the amendment, 63 ; against it, 73; majority, 10. Mr. WHITESIDE thought the hon. gentleman (Mr. Craufurd) would only waste the time of the house by pressing his bill, and recommended him to post. pone it until the next session, observing that the measure which the Attorney-General for Ireland had intimated that it was his intention to introduce next year would probably effect the objects the hon. gentle man had in view. Colonel FRENCH objected to the bill, and was ad dressing the house, when, At a quarter to six o'clock, the SPEAKER, in confor mity with the standing order, declared the debate adjourned. The Lords' Amendments to the Grand Juries Bill were considered and agreed to. The Unlawful Oaths (Ireland) Bill, and the Turnpike Acts Continuance (Ireland) Bill, were read a second time. ♦SSESSED TAXES ACTS. The house having gone into committee upon these acts,r. WILSON said, be intended to move a resolution to effect an alteration in the duty upon racehorses. That duty was now 3/. 175., and it was imposed upon every racehorse which was either kept for racing or in training. Complaints were made that under the existing system the owners of racehorses were fre quently defrauded by persons in their employment, and he proposed that the law which was formerly in force should be re-enacted, and that a certain rate of duty should be charged upon racehorses every time they ran. The hon. gentleman moved a resolution to carry out his object. The resolution was agreed to, and was reported to the house. APPELLATE JURISDICTION (SALARIES AND RETIRING PENSIONS). The house having gone into committee, The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved a formal resolution, declaring that provision should be made out of the Consolidated Fund for the payment of retiring pensions to Deputy-Speakers of the House of Lords. The resolution was agreed to, and the house re sumed. The Consolidated Fund (Appropriation) Bill, and the Militia Pay Bill, were read a second time. INDEMNITY BILL, Mr. MAsszv obtained leave to bring in a bill to indemnify such persons in the United Kingdom as have omitted to qualify themselves for offices and employments, and to extend the time limited for those purposes respectively, which was read a first time. EPISCOPAL AND CAPITULAR ESTATES. Sir G. GREY obtained leave to bring in a bill to continue the act to faciliate the management and improvement of episcopal and capitular estates in England.—Read a first time. BOARD OF HEALTH. Mr. COWPER obtained leave to bring in a bill to con tinue the General Board of Health for one year, which was read a first time. 110 / USE OF LORDS—THURSDAY. SALE OF POISONS. Lord CAMPBELL called the attention of the house to the facilities which existed for the sale of poisons, and hoped the Government would introduce some measure on the subject next session. The Loan CHANCELLOR replied that the subject was under the consideration of the Government. THE TIPPERARY MILITIA. Lord PANMURE, in reply to Lord Donoughmore, stated that he bad received no official information as to the mutiny of the Tipperary Militia. There was, however, no doubt that a mutiny had token place in consequence of some misunderstanding on the part of the men as to giving up their clothing. BISHOPS' RETIREMENT BILL. The LORD CHANCELLOR brought in the Bishoprics of London and Durham Bill, to enable those pre lates to resign their sees, and to provide for them on resignation. Lord REDEsDALE opposed the bill, on the ground that the measure, which tended to remedy an un doubted evil, ought rather to be of a general than a special kind. THE PRESS. The bill was read a first time, cm the understand ing that a second reading should not take place till Monday next. CRIMINAL LAW REFORM. The Loan CHANCELLOR, in reply to the Earl of Donoughmore, said he intended, before the end of the session, to lay on their lordships' table nine bills for the classification of the statutes relating to crimes and punishments, in which the recommendations of Lord Wensleydale, Lord Chief Justice Jervis, and other eminent authorities had been adopted. The Dwellings for Labouring Classes (Ireland) Bill passed on certain amendments being introduced into the seventh clause. HOUSE OF COMMONS-THURSDAY. VACCINATION BILL. On the order for going into committee upon this bill, Mr. CowrEß, adverting to the difficulty of the whole subject, and to the defects of the existing law, but considering at the same time the opposition raised against this bill, stated that, under the cir cumstances, he had thought it right to adopt the suggestion of Mr. T. Duncombe, to move next session for a select committee to inquire into the manner in which vaccination was practically performed. He moved to discharge the order. This motion was agreed to, and the bill was there fore withdrawn. The Burial Acts Amendment Bill was likewise withdrawn. NAVIGATION OF THE DANUBE. Lord PALMERSTON, in reply to Colonel Dunne, whether persons other than Austrian subjects might navigate the Danube above the frontiers of Austria on equal terms, said he apprehended that, under the existing treaties, Austria had no authority to grant a monopoly of the navigation of that river to its own subjects. WILLS AND ADMINISTRATIONS BILL. The SoraciToa-GENERAL, in answer to Mr. Malins, intimated that it was not his intention to proceed further with this bill. ITALY. Lord JOHN RUSSELL, in reply to Mr. Disraeli, said be was in the hands of the Government so far as bringing on his motion on Italy. Mr. DISRAELI : May I ask the noble lord at the head of the Government whether the discussion upon the affairs of Italy will take place to-morrow or not? Lord PALMERSTON : My noble friend can, if ho please, bring forward the question on the motion for the adjournment of the house. But there were several bills which it is desirable to move on a stage tomorrow. Perhaps Monday next would be preferable? Lord J. RUSSELL said it certainly was inconvenient to bring on such a motion as his on the question of the adjournment of the house, and he would prefer Monday next. Lord PALMERSTON : Very well. Lord J. RUSSELL : To have precedence of the orders of the day? Lord PALMERSTON : Yes. CONSOLIDATION FUND (APPROPRIATION) BILL. On the order for going into committee on this bill, Mr. Wltsox, in reply to various inquiries, gave ex planations relating especially to the power given to the Treasury, under a proviso in this act, of appro priating the surplus or excess of one vote to supply the deficiency of another in the same service. It was quite true that all the money voted for the army services could be rendered available for the purposes of the army under the authority of the Treasury. The same principle applied to the navy and the other services. The power thus intrusted to the Treasury• had been exercised for years past by that department with great advantage to the public inte rests, especially in time of war. The army and the ordnance had this year, for the first time, been treated as one service; yet all the analogous items for ordnance purposes, such as artificers' wages, forage, tuel, stores, Jtc., were classified under their respective heads. The power vested in the Treasury was strictly limited, and did not admit of the diversion of the money voted to defray a specific charge to the general purposes of the army. It had been said that a distinction ought to be made be tween the militia and the regular army ; but, how ever just this observation might have been in former times, it certainly did not apply to the last two years, during which the house had voted large sums mainly in order that the militia might be rendered an effec tive army service. The allegation that more than a million had been taken from the militia votes and used for army purposes had been made without any show of authority. At the close of last year a balance of 2,100,0001., applicable to the army service, re mained unexpended. The house then went into committee upon the bill, when the proviso before referred to underwent much discussion, and the CHANCELLOR of the Ex- 655 CHEQUER promised that there should in future be laid betore the house, at the commencement of each session, and from time to time, statements of the transfer and appropriation of these balances, and it was understood that a rule to this effect should be embodied in the proviso. NATIONAL GALLERY. Mr. H. VERNON asked whether the commission which was to be issued on the subject of the site of the new National Gallery would be fully empowered to propose any site which might seem best, without having its hands fettered in any way. The com mittee of 1855 had felt precluded from suggesting several sites which seemed desirable by a delicacy as to the tenure of those sites. Lord PALMERSTON said he could not of course state exactly what would be the instructions to be given to the commission, as it was not yet issued. No doubt, it would be open to the commissioners to make what recommendations might seem to them advisable, but still there were places, such as Ken sington Palace, St. James's Palace, and Marlborough house, which no Government, he conceived, would agree to have converted into a Nations' Gallery, even though the commission should recommend it, inas much as they were royal property. THE MUTINY OF THE NORTH TIPPERARY MILITIA. Mr. PEEL, in reply to Colonel French, said a de spatch had just been received from Major-General Chatterton, stating that every thing was quiet at Nenagh, and that one man of the 41st Regiment had been killed, and ten or twelve of the men of the other regiments of the line engaged in putting down the mutiny wounded. No mention was made of the losses which the militia had suffered. IN INDIA. Sir E. PERRY wished to ask the President of the Board of Control whether he contemplated bringing in a bill io provide a Judicial Tribunal in India, with appeal to the Privy Council in England, for the in vestigation and decision of such claims on the Fi • vate rights of the native princes and grantees of Government as were now decided by the Executive Government without hearing and in the absence of the parties ? Mr. V. SmrrH had no objection to bring in such a bill, but he could not see his way to any satisfac tory legislation on the subject. He had no such intention at present. COUNTY COURTS BILL. Mr. GLADSTONE gave notice that on going into com mittee on this bill he should move a resolution to the effect that it was not at present expedient to im pose upon the Consolidated Fund a charge of 170,0001. per annum towards the maintenance of the County Courts. ENCUMBERED ESTATES (IRELAND) BILL. The bill having been read a third time, Mr. WHITESIDE moved the insertion of a clause the object of which was to reduce the number of the commissioners front three to two. Mr. NAPIER supported the clause. Lord PALMERSTON said that it was the intention of the Government, as an experiment, to try whether the duties of the Encumbered Estates Court could be efficiently discharged by two judges. Mr. WHITESIDE was perfectly satisfied with !the statement of the noble lord, and would therefore withdraw his amendment. The bill was then passed. APPELLATE JURISDICTION (LORDS) BILL. On the order for going into committee upon this bill, Mr. R. CURRIE moved that the bill be referred to a select committee. He agreed with Lord Palmers ton that, although compromises were necessary, each must be judged by its own merits and its com• patibility with principle and honour. Lord Palmers ton occupied his high position by a compromise with the Liberal party ; but leadership and allegiance were correlative ; and though the other night he bad availed himself of a band of mercenaries, he would find himself unable to serve two masters. The bill, Mr. Currie insisted, contained as much mischief and as little good as could be embodied in the same com pass ; it directly infringed the prerogative of the Crown, and directly took away the right of a peer to sit in the House of Lords ; and its real meaning was to settle the question of life peerages, to limit the Royal prerogative, and to de it up for ever. Whether life peerages be good or bad, he objected to the question being settled by a side-wind. He objected, also, to a court of appeal composed of judges who would try appeals only; he objected to the scheme that it tended to corrupt all the puisne judges; and, lastly, he objected that it was a monstrous sham ; that this appellate court would be called the House of Lords, while it would not be the House of Lords, sitting when that house would not sit. Mr. E. DENisos seconded the amendment. Mr. MALiss assumed that the appellate jurisdic tion must be remodelled. He should be glad, he said, if the House of Lords would relinquish that jurisdiction, but they were determined to retain it; A