The Press. — London, England, 1856-03-01 00:00:00

206 TERMS OF 'Ok cht Press: Per Annum .. II alf•Yearly .. Quarterly .. (STAMPED.) .. 41 _6 0 :-. — 6 is o .. o 6 6 Payable in advance. Subscribers are requested to send their Orders through their News Agent; if direct to the Office, accompanied by a remit tance. Advertisements also must have arefereuce or remittance. Money orders to be made payable to Mr. ALCHND LYE, 110, &rept. Loudon. Inv Vrvgg. LONDON, SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 1856. POSTSCRIPT. The Dresden Gazette states some details of the in structions given by Russia to her representatives at Paris, which appear to be derived from official sources. According to that journal, Russia wiil, without difficulty, acoede to the demand that the islands of Aland shall not be again fortified. On the other hand, she is said not to intend to restore Kars, except on condition of receiving some equivalent in return. A letter from Berlin, of the 25th, in the German Journal de Frankfort, says : A despatch has been addressed, under date of the I:ith, by the Berlin Cabinet, to Count de Ilutzfeld, the Prussia' Ambassador in Paris. It is said, we are assured, that Prussia is disposed to sign the programme of peace, but that the Western powers demand more from her than from Austria, when they require that the Berlin Cabinet shall engage to enforce the acceptance of the conditions of peace in the event of the negotiations not proving suc cessful. Bavaria has laid three propositions before the Diet, which, if carried, will be a great step towards Federal Reform. The police of Berlin have made such discoveries in regard to the late abstraction of desi arches at Pots dam, that the affair is stated as likely to assume a charge of high treason. THE PROBABLE FATE OF THE " PACIFIC." The non-arrival of the Pacific steamer at New York up to the 14th ult. has created great alarm. She left Liverpool for New York on the 25th of January ; and the following intelligence, posted on Thursday in the Underwriters'-room, Liverpool, leaves but slight hope of her safety : Glasgow, Feb. 27. The Edinburgh (s.s.), which arrived here 14th inst., from New York, passed, on the 7th inst., a large quantity of broken ice, and in it saw a quantity of broken cabin fur• niture, fine ornamental doors, with white or glass handles, such as might have belonged to a first-class steamer, or ship. Mr. Russell Gurney has been this week unani mously elected Common Sergeant in the place of Mr. Bullock, who recently resigned that office. The office of Judge of the Sheriffs' Court is vacant by this election. Mr. Prendergast, Q.C., is mentioned as the probable successful candidate. Mr. Blak Q.C., has resigned the appointment of Crown Prosecutor for Mayo. It is stated that Mr. West, Q.C., has been promoted from Leitrim to Galway, in the room of Mr. M'Causland, now Re corder of Singapore : Mr. Harken succeeds Mr. West in Leitrim, and Mr. Jordan succeeds Mr. Blake in Mayo. The Irish papers teem with local details respecting the probable issue of the winding up of the affairs of the Tipperary Bank. All their first sympathy for the death of Mr. Sadleir has rapidly passed into bitter denunciations against him as a "consummate villain." The Times correspondent, writing from Dublin on Wednesday, says : Until the hearing of the winding up petition presented to the Court of Chancery last week, it is not expected that anything perfectly reliable will transpire with respect to the affairs of the Tipperary Bank, or to the extent of its difficulties—the result of its unfortunate connection with the man whose gigantic frauds have cast into the shade the memory of the most accomplished swindler of ancient or modern times. " What next—and next?" are the ques- tions in every one's mouth, and full and complete answers cannot be long delayed, so that in the meantime it would be necessary to refer to the almost countless reports that are in circulation as to transactions which have not been yet wholly brought to light. Long before Mr. Sadleir left his native country for England, as a more enlarged sphere for his peculiar operations, his professional reputation was none of the highest; but people here, even those who best knew the man, were not prepared for the astounding re velations elucidated since the commission of the act which closed his misspent life. THE PRESS. HOUSE OF LORDS.-FRIDAY. TORTURE IN INDIA. The Earl of ALBEMARLE, in moving for some papers, adverted to the evidence which showed that tortures were inflicted upon the natives in the Presi dency of Madras. He suggested as the only method of putting an effectual stop to such practices that the functionaries •f the India Company should be made responsible to the Hume Government or Par liament. Earl GRANVILLE consented to produce the papers, but urged that sufficient responsibility already existed among the different departments, even to the lowest of the Company's service. Some bills were advanced respectively through a stage of progress, and their lordships sojourned at a quarter past six. HOUSE OF COMMONS-FRIDAY. PERSIA. Mr. LAYARD gave notice that on the next supply night he should call attention to the relationship be. tween this country and Persia. THE CRIMEAN REPORT. On the motion fur going into Committee of Supply, Mr ROEBUCK brought forward his amendment setting forth that the appointment of a board of general officers to report upon the report of Sir J. M'Neill and Colonel Tulloch was to substitute an inefficient for an efficient mode of inquiry, and that the conseque►►ces will be to shield and hide the misconduct of those by whom various departments of our army had been placed under the command of the officers who had been inculpated by the Commissioners appointed to investigate their conduct. Admit ting that some disadvantages might result from the ventilation of such a question, at a moment when peace and war seemed trembling in the balance, Mr. Roebuck declared that it was not his fault if the Go vernment built up a wall and then ran their heads against it. He described the motives and results of the different inquiries that had been successively instituted respecting the management of the Crimean army, in the press, in Parliament by a select committee, and, finally, by the commissioners sent to the spot, who undertook their functions, as he believed, most reluctantly. The consequence of this last investiga tion was the preparation of a report seriously con demning the conduct of four officers in high com mand. In the natural order of things this report should have been treated as a bill of indictment, and the officers in question tried by court-martial. In stead, however, of adopting this course, the Govern. ment had appointed a commission to report upon the report of their own commissioners, and place Sir J. M•Neill and Col. Tulloch upon their trial merely for the faithful performance of their duty, besides the functionaries whose conduct they had impugned. This proceeding, he contended, would result in stultifying the inquiry and shielding the guilty par ties, and tend to inflict an irreparable injury upon the military system of the country. Sir J. PAKINOTON regretted that the Government had not allowed the question to be brought forward in a shape which would have allowed him to move the amendment of which he had given notice. Being thus precluded from submitting his own pro position to the house, he was compelled to dissent from the resolution submitted by Mr. Roebuck. He noticed therein many omissions and some misrepre • sentations, and remarked that it prejudged a question which still remained open for discussion. Under these circumstances he intended to abstain from further comments until a more appropriate season, declaring at the same time his conviction that the conduct of the Ministry with respect to the Crimean Commissioners' report was open to great censure. He noticed, in particular, the delay that had taken place in submitting that report to the Commander-in- Chief, a negligence which, in his belief, argued serious common want of unity between the departments among which the administration of military affairs was now divided. The Government, he maintained, both by what they had omitted to do and what they had done, continued to perpetrate an injustice on the officers whose conduct was blamed, and inflict an insult upon the Commissioners who drew up the inculpatory reproach. After some remarks on a personal topic from General PEEL, Mr. F. PEET, concurred with Sir J. Pakington in the opinion that all discussion upon the subject was altogether premature. The charges brough► against certain officers of the Crimean army were now on the point of trial, and he censured Mr. Roebuck for seeking to prejudice the case and prejudge the de fendants. Mr. BENTINCK having spoken, Mr. LAYARD reminded the house that when the Crimean Commissioners were first appointed he had prophesied that their report would be a sham, and this prognostic had been amply verified. That re port, however, had been formally adopted by the SATURDAY, Government, and he believed that its allegations could be fully dealt with by the house and the coun try without referring them to any board. By deco rating and promoting officers who lay tinder heavy censure in this respect, the Government hat pre. judged the cause, while the Horse Guards had defied public opinion. Colonel NORTH having defended the army and iti officers, Sir Dr LACY EVANS specified a numberof instances from which he drew the conclusion that Government had behaved badly towards the army and uncandidly towards the country. The Hon. A. GORDON defended his relative, Colonel Gordon, from the censures which Sir De Lacy Evans had passed upon his conduct while serv. ing on the staff in the Crimea. Mr. GLADSTONE regretted that so much latitude had been given to a debate which all parties seemed to agree was misplaced and premature. Mr. WILLIAMSON also opposed the resolution. Lord PALMERSTON observed that the character which the debate had assumed proved how inappro priate had been the time chosen for its introduction, Strong censures had provoked vehement rejoinders, and the discussion had often degenerated into an interchange of personalities. Adverting to the report of the commissioners, he denied that t e Government intended to disparage their authority or cast any reflection upon their veracity, by the appointment of a board of general officera to ex amine their statements. How else, he asked, could the officers whose conduct was blamed be allowed an opportunity to enter upon their defence; and what better tribunal could be found to decide upon the question of personal culpability? If the report had been kept back as had been sug gested until the parties mentioned in it had pre pared their vindication, the Government would have been exposed to censure for suppressing important information. After alluding to some matters of fact which had been stated in the course of the debate, and justifying the appointments given to Lord Car digan and General Airey, the noble lord submitted that the imputations thrown out in Mr. Roebuck's resolution were both ill-timed and unjust. Lord LOVAINT interposed a few words on behalf of the memory of Lord Raglan. Lord CLAUDE HAMILTON challenged Sir De Lacy Evans to substantiate his allegations against Colonel Gordon. Explanations having been made by Sir DE LACY EVANS and Mr. F. PEEL, Mr. ROEBUCK withdrew his amendment, and the house went into Committee of Supply. A single vote of six and a half millions on ac count for the pay, &c., of the army was taken, and the house resumed. The Consolidated Fund (1,631,6051. Is. 5d.) Bil was read a third time and passed. The Mutiny Bill, and the Marine Mutiny Bill, were respectively read a second time. Mr. W. PATTEN obtained leave to bring in a bill to amend the laws relating to the fencing of ma.. chinery in factories. The house adjourned at a 'quarter past twelve o'clock. Cabinet Councils were held on Saturday and ma Tuesday afternoons at the Foreign o'ff'ice. The whole of the Ministers in London were present on each occasion. The Councils sat three hours and a quarter, and two hours respectively. Her Majesty's dinner-party on Wednesday included her Royal Highness the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of Argyll, Mr. Buchanan ( American Minister), Count Vitzthum (Saxon Minister), the Earl of Eglinton, the Earl and Countess of Mount Charles, Viscount Monck, Lord Ernest Bruce, Lord and Lady Robert Grosvenor, the Right Hon. B. and Mrs. Disraeli, and Sir Benjamin Hawes. The Earl of Derby, on Wednesday evening, enter tained a select circle of political supporters at din ner, at his lordship's mansion in St. James's-square. The guests upon this occasion were—Sir Edmund Hayes, M.P., Sir Thomas Herbert, M.P., Sir Samuel Bignold, Admiral Jones, Colonel Gilpin, M.P.. Cap tain the Hon. Arthur Duncombe, M.P., Mr. Nisbett Hamilton, M.P., Mr. Adderley, M.P., Mr. Master man, M.P., Mr. Fellowes, M:P., Mr. Alford , MT., Mr. Bailey, M.P., Mr. Gore Langton, M.P. , Mr. Bennett, M.P., Mr. B. Blackmore, M.P., Mr. Ow9n, M.P., Mr. Mullins, M.P., Mr. Deedes, M.P., Mr. King, M.P., Mr. B. Moore, M.P., Mr. Knatchbull , M.P., Mr. Vansittart, M.P., Mr. Follett, M.P., and Mr. Bali, M.P. Mr. John Bright, M.P., is in so unsatisfactory a state of health as to compel him to abstain for a time from attendance upon his parliamentary duties. His medical attendant has absolutely prohibited him from attending to business of any description for some months to come. Thb Attorney-General of Ireland has arrived at Cavan to prosecute the persons charged with the murder of Miss Hinds. One of the prisoners has turned approver. 11 r