The Press. — London, England, 1855-03-31 00:00:00

MARCH 31, 1855. TERMS OF Etc Vress: Per Annum .. Halt-Yearly .. Quarterly .. roa CON Payable in advance. .. 11 _6 0 .. 0 13 0 .. 0 6 6 Subscribers are requested to send their Orders through thei• News Agent; if direct to the Office, accompanied by a Remit ance. Money Orders to be made payable to Mr. ALFRED DIE, 110, Strand. London. Yi3T :1 Vtgg+ LONDON, SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 1855. POSTSCRIPT. HOUSE OF LORDS.—Famey. Earl GRANVILLE having moved the adjournment of the house till the 16th of April, The Earl of ELLENDOROUGH, after complaining of the length of the recess, took occasion to arraign at length the conduct of the Government in the prose cution of the war. He urged the Government to in crease the force in the Black Sea, as we could not depend on ships from France, and said that it would be necessary to create a new Sebastopol for the de fence of Turkey. Earl GRANNMLE said that our reverses were coun terbalanced by our successes. He promised every exertion in the prosecution of the war, and every care in the honourable conclusion of peace. The Earl of MALMESBUBY and the Duke of ARGYLL continued the discussion, after which the motion was agreed to. The house adjourned at half-past seven. HOUSE OF COMMONS.—FamAy. New writs were moved for Mr. Bouverie, who bad accepted the Vice-Presidency of the Board of Trade, and for Mr. Brand, appointed a Lord of the Treasury. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER informed the house that he intended to make his financial state ment on Friday, the 20th April, and that on Monday, the 16th, the second reading for the better govern ment of the metropolis would be taken, after which the house would go into a committee of supply. On the motion that the house adjourn to the 16th of April, Sir J. PAKINGTON rose to complain of the state of the colonial department. The present confusion created a feeling on the part of the colonists that their interests were neglected, and he should feel it his duty to submit a motion on the subject. Sir DE LACY EVANS wished to know if active measures were being taken to supply reinforce ments to the Crimea? It was far more important to obtain recruits for the regular army than to pay great attention to the militia. It was reported that a large armament was to be sent to the Baltic. Now, last year the armament then was too large for its re • quirements. He urged the necessity of employing a large number of steamers in the narrow seas of the Euxine. The real struggle was, in those waters, and the principle of concentrating our attack was the surest means of success. He bore testimony to the admirable manner in which the naval operations had been conducted in the Black Sea. Sir G. GREY said that the Government were fully alive to the importance of sending reinforcements to the Crimea. They were no longer sent in small num bers, but would be despatched in large bodies, in a state of greater efficiency than heretofore. A discussion arose on the inconvenience of taking supply votes after midnight, Lord SEYMOUR and Mr. WILSON laying the blame on the practice of bringing forward irrelevant motions before going into committee of supply. Mr. BLAND and Mr. BRADY complained of the sectarian spirit which pervaded the Government appointments in Ireland, more especially with regard to the late reductions of poor•law officers. Mr. HORSMAN explained the principle on which those reductions were made, to prove that no secta rian spirit had or could interfere. Sir J. PAXTON made some suggestion as to the construction of the huts at Aldershot. Mr. MONSEL promised to attend to the suggestions. Mr. MACGREGOR, after complaining of the reckless way in which the estimates were voted, said that the adjournment of the house for so lengthened a period was unprecedented. Lord PALMERSTON said that a chairman of ways and means, in place of Mr. Bouverie, would be pro posed on their reassembling. Mr. SPOONER gave notice that on the Ist of May he would bring the Maynooth grant before the house. Other notices were given, after which the %mac'. THE PRESS. TOR-GENERAL brought forward his motion for abo lishing the testamentary jurisdiction of the ecclesias tical courts. His bill was founded on the experience of past commissions, whose labour he detailed at length ; it established a district civil metropolitan court, superseding the local offices. Wills were to be printed, and stamped, and any number he required forwarded to the executor. The court was to be a tribunal, having power of construction as well as of administration. He entered at length into the ano malies of the present system, and he proposed to avoid them in his own measure. He provided for compensation to those who might be deprived of their offices by continuing the present fees for some time longer, and to the proctors by giving them an an nuity of one-half the income they now derived from their testamentary business. Mr. NAPIER objected to the fragmentary way in which the Legislature dealt with reference to the ecclesiastical courts. The debate, which became chiefly technical, was continued by Mr. Matins, who advocated the courts, and Mr. Keogh, who twitted Mr. Malins with only desiring that the ecclesiastical courts were more expensive, and that all other courts were like them. Dr. R. Phillimore defended the practitioners in the courts as able and industrious men. Sir J. Pakington, Mr. Hadfield, and Mr. Bowyer, could not see that wills required a distinct court, and thought that they might be dealt with, like other documents, by the Lord Advocate. Leave to bring in some bills was given to Sir W. Molesworth and Mr. Collier. The house was counted out at half-past twelve. The official announcement in the Moniteur of the Emperor and Empress having accepted Queen Victoria's invitation to England has produced the greatest possible delight throughout France, because such visit will bind still more closely the alliance be tween both countries, and will postpone, if it do not altogether prevent, the Emperor's going to the Crimea. The Patriotic Fund subscription opened at Galig nani's amounts to 1,8001. sterling. The last despatches from Vienna respecting the Conferences state that the Plenipotentiaries have referred to their respective Governments for further instructions, in consequence of differences on the third point. A private letter from Athens of the 21st states that the young Emperor of Russia took possession of the private cabinet of the late Emperor, and of his papers, immediately after his death. It seems that some interesting documents, containing correspon dence with several European statesmen, have been found, and that they will, out of spite, be published. A new Belgian Ministry has at length been formed, as follows;—Viscount Vilain, XIV., Foreign Affairs ; M. de Decker, Interior; M. de Nothomb, Justice; General Greindl, War; M. de Dumon, Public Works; and M. Mercier, Finances. A telegraphic despatch from Madrid of Thursday states that an attempt had been made by some of the militia on the previous night to effect a demo cratic change in the Ministry. By the vigilance and determination of Espartero, however, the scheme was frustrated, and the city remained tranquil. The necessity of having a staff corps, mechanics in various trades and branches, having been felt during the winter campaign in the Crimea, it is in tended to organise a corps similar to that which was found to be of such service during the Peninsular war, and which was only reduced in 1824. The duties of a staff corps are nearly similar to those per formed by the Royal Sappers and Miners. As soon as the Paris Exhibition opens, a daily steam packet communication will be established be. tween Southampton and Havre. A party of 31 Mormonites started from Worcester a few days since by train to Liverpool, on their way to the Salt Lake. At Calcutta and Bombay trade was dull, and freight low. The price of opium had declined. The export of tea from Foochoo has reached this season twenty-six millions of pounds. The latest dates from China are, Shanghae, Feb. 0 ; Hong-Kong, Feb. 15. Two fresh assaults are re ported to have been made by the French upon Shanghae, in both of which they were repulsed by the rebels. The country around Canton is in the hands of the insurgents. The second February overland mail arrived at Trieste on Wednesday. The telegraphic summary of intelligence states, from India, that Hyder Khan, as representative of Dog Mahomed, had arrived at Jallalabad, on his way to Peshawur, to negotiate with the Chbd Commissioner. gout Sponlantt. TO THE EDITOR OF " THE PRESS." 307 Sir,—l see that in your last issue some attempts have been made to impugn the statements made by me in a previous number regarding two appoint ments to the Turkish contingent under General Vivian, and which have been also commented on in the Times. As regards the distinction made by one of your correspondents between cashiering and dismissal, the point is of little consequence. The persons alluded to were expelled the Bengal army some six or seven years ago by the verdicts of general courts-martial, confirmed by the commander•in-chief, and they were expelled on charges which would, on being es tablished, have similarly caused their expulsion from any private circle and from any military or other club in London. Having been so expelled the ser vice, they have never since been restored to the functions of their commissions ; their names were not included in the brevet to retired officers of the Indian army, which was issued in November last; the name of one of them is not to be found in the annual list of retired and other Indian officers, pub lished at the India-house, in January last; and the only name bearing a similarity to that of the other has opposite to it the statement that the officer designated retired from the service in 1853. So that it cannot, I imagine, be the same. Were it, however, otherwise, the mere placing them on the pension-list would be very insufficient to remove from them the stigma that a dismissal from the army on such charges must necessarily entail. Indeed, as regards the Company's service, the placing dismissed officers on the pension-list proves nothing, for many have been so placed as an act of charity; indeed, most of those who have served any time are so placed after dismissal, though their entire guilt may never have been denied. If, then, these officers are innocent, as "Justus" tells us, it is of the Directors, and not of me, that they have a right to complain, for if they be innocent, it was the duty of the Directors long ago to make mani fest their innocence by restoring them to the regi ments in India from which they were expelled. But till the Directors do this the public, I fear, in spite of all that " Justus " can say, will hold its own opinion of the matter of their present appointment, and attribute, not to justice, but to jobbery, the act which selects for high command in the Sultan's ser• vice men who have been ignominiously expelled their own.—l have the honour to remain, sir, your most obedient servant, HOBOS. March 28th, 1855. ENLISTMENT IN THE ARMY. TO THE EDITOR OF " THE PRESS." Sir,—Lord Palmerston is reported in the Times of Wednesday to have made use of the following words while addressing the house on Major Reed's motion : Have we, as represented by the hon. member for Kid derminster, found the people unwilling to enlist under the banner of their Sovereign, to defend the honour of their country, and to sustain the cause in which we are engaged ? It seems odd, but I can state that, on the order being read to the men of the Worcestershire Militia this morning that they would be excused duty be yond the fifty-six days in each year, for which period they bound themselves to the service, only about 300 men out of the 800 now in training consented to remain with the regiment, althoughloffered IL a bead bounty. Some time back about 450 of these men volunteered upon a promised bounty of 21. a head to go on foreign service; but as the money was not forthcoming of course the men were off the bargain, and so will the 300 be unless better faith is kept with them. Englishmen do not relish being so trifled with ; but our Government are regardless of everything except their own interest and the patronage contingent on place.—l am, sir, your obedient sery ant, March 28. VOLUNTEER. THE Melbourne Argus states that one of the Ans• tralian colonies was willing to grant ]00,0001• per annum towards steam communication with England. THE section of the Madrid and Valencia Railway from Alcazar de San Juan to Albacete, was opened on the 18th inst. A great number of invitations to personages of distinction to be present at the open ing were issued by M. Salamanca, to whom the line belongs. As the weather was tine tbere was a large attendance of spectators. Everything passed off well, and without the least accident. The distance from Madrid to Albacete, which is fift. Spanish leagues (about IY4 miles), was done in sis hour% forty minutes: r a ■ ■