The Press. — London, England, 1855-02-17 00:00:00

FEBRUARY 17, 1855. LAST NIGHT'S DEBATE. HOUSE OF LORDS.-FRJDAT. The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH hoped that the pre sent Government would not neglect the pledge given by their predecessors in granting a clasp for Balaklava, and rewards to the seamen at Sebastopol, more especially as the French Government had already conferred the Legion of Honour on those who bad distinguished themselves in the Crimea. He recommended that a medical gentleman should be at once despatched to Constantinople and the Crimea to inspect and report on the health of the troops. Lord PANMURE was fully aware of the importance of the pledge given by the late Government. He referred to what was now doing—an officer of inspec tion had been sent out, a chief of the staff appointed, and a bill prepared to permit the enlistment of persons between twenty four and thirty-two years of age to enlist for one, two, or three y ears. He ex plained some further intended appointments. The Earl of SHAFTESBURY was glad that at last something was to be done, and the Earl of HAM ROWBY lamented that the ordinary business habits of the country had done nothing before. Adjourned at half-past six. HOUSE OF COMMONS.-FRIDAY. Mr. ROEBUCK gave notice that on Thursday be would move the appointment of the committee to -which the house had agreed on his motion. He should put the names upon the order book that night. On the motion for going into a committee of supply, Lord PALMERSTON said that it would be expected of him to make some statement both as to the cir cumstances which placed him in his present position, and the future conduct of the Government. For the first he bad been anticipated by statements made elsewhere. He entered into some details relating to the late negotiations for forming a Ministry, stating that be should have consented to join that of Lord Jahn Russell, if that noble lord had been successful in his attempts to form one After a warm eulogium on the abilities and experience of his colleague, the noble lord declared that the great difficulty which stared him in the face was the committee voted by the house on Mr. Roebuck's motion. He still re tained his objection to that committee, as not in accordance with the Constitution, or efficient for its purpose. He trusted that the house would at least consent to suspend its decision. The reason he would ask it to give, would be its belief that the Government would of itself do all that was possible to be done. As an English king rode up to an insur• rection and offered to be its leader, so the Govern ment offered the House of Commons to be its committee. The object of those who voted for the committee was to compel the Government to such administrative improvements as would restore vigour to the service, and to show that this would be effected, be explained the arrangements already made. The office of Secretary-at War would be amalgamated with that of the War Secretary of State; the dis• cipline of the artillery and ordnance transferred to the commander in -chief, and the civil branches of those services placed under the control of the War Minister. The Admiralty was about to establish a special board to superintend the transport service. The civil commissioners of great experience were about to be sent to the Crimea, with ample powers to Examine the sanatory condition of the hospitals, the barracks, and the ships. Lord Raglan bad brought from Constantinople a body of labourers to cleanse the camp of filth, the accumulation of which would be specially disastrous in the hot season. A corn mission headed by Sir J. M'Neill was going out to superintend the commissariat, and a new office, that of the chief of' the staff, had been created, to arrange details which now came before the commander-in chief, and diverted his attention from greater objects. Not only was a hospital established at Smyrna, but Lord Panmure intended to remodel the medical es tablishments at home. He likewise proposed to introduce a bill for the enlistment of men of older age than heretofore, and for a shorter period. New arrangements had been made for the transport of the commissariat. He trusted that the house would be satisfied with what had been done in so short a time, and suspend its judgment till it had heard the details, which must be known long before the committee could make its report. The noble lord then referred to the negotiations for peace, and the mission of Lord John Russell. who had been sent to give solemnity to the negotiations, and take away all suspicion of pretence. Lord John Russell, in passing by Pans, would confer with the Emperor of the French, and at Berlin endeavour to understand the views of the Prussian Government, The noble lord concluded with expressing his determinution if the war was necessary, to prosecute it with vigour, and his faith in the power of endurance and vigour of action of a free country. Mr. DISRAELI said that the statement just made would convey a false impression of Lord Derby's WOILLIZ convey • MOO uuyaseeiwa 604 AaVa •••• m. THE PRESS. motives. This was not the first time that Lord Derby had opened similar communication with the noble viscount. Three years ago Lord Palmerston had said that he saw no difference which should prevent them from acting together, but that he could not join his Administration alone. Therefore Lord Derby on the present occasion anticipated the objec tion, and came prepared to consent to the junction of Lord Palmerston's friends—but never contemplated the contingency that Lord Palmerston should make the offer of office to his friends, but at the same withdraw his own adhesion. The noble viscount had succeeded in forming a Government—if a strong Government, remains to be seen. One would have supposed from his eulogium on his colleagues that they had been eminent men withdrawn for some time from public notice, yet the administrators of such political sagacity and ability were but a few days ago, in the opinion of Parliament, utterly defi cient. The Premier should have dwelt on the future, and preserved a solemn silence as to the past of his Government. He had given a catalogue of the improvements he intended. Admitting them to be good, what was to be thought of the predecessors of that Cabinet who, to the last hour of their existence, denied the necessity of that reform, and opposed all inquiry into abuses now so openly admitted? The mysteries of mismanagement were such that the most eminent statesman of the day had declared that he could not fathom them. The house had voted for inquiry after long consideration, and by an unexampled majority. How could it stultify itself, and rescind resolutions so solemnly arrived at? If the vote had alone produced so long a list or improve ments, what might be expected from inquiry itself For himself, be should use every means to sustain the vote already given. Inquiry, and that by Parlia ment, was, in his opinion, urgently necessary. As for the Opposition, it could not more cordially give its assistance in furthering the war to any Ministry than it had to Lord Aberdeen's, who had entered into the war with unprecedented advantages, and came out of it with a crushing majority against them. He hoped that those who a fortnight ago were unparalleled blunderers might now be converted into profound statesmen. He could only promise them the same support he had already given, so that if they fell by some fresh disaster they might not attribute their fall to faction, but to the recognition by the country of their utter incapacity. Mr. ROEBUCK said that the committee for which he had moved had already been decided upon. The only argument against it was the existence of a new Administration, with new views; but he did not see that they had a new Administration. The house having decided on inquiry, the noble lord asked it to stultify itself, and to allow the Government to do that which a short time before it had declared it incompetent to do. He could not see any antagonism between inquiry by the house and reform by the Government. He did not believe that the right reforms could be effected by official men. Nothing but the authority of the house could enable the official chief to overcome the via inerta in the atmo sphere of office. He should move his committee, as an assistance to the noble lord in infusing new vigour into the constitution of the country, which he could not do with his unaided efforts, and because his duty to the house prevented him from with drawing it. Mr. Muwrz said that be also should abide by his vote. What, he asked, would have been the conse quence if the house had never given that vote ? Mr. T. DUNCOMBE said that if Mr. Roebuck did not adhere to his motion he would greatly disappoint the country. The noble lord had offered his own Government as a committee after the house bad just, condemned it. He had told them of certain reforms to be done by Lord Panmure. He believed Lord Panmure would disappoint both his colleagues and the public. His vote of inquiry was not intended as a vote of censure, but to discover where censure was due. He believed that the fault was more abroad than at home, and the proper offender should be found out and punished. Mr. Hoasitaat apprehended that members on all sides bad shown too much deference to Government, and shirked their own responsibility. Mr. E. BALL dilated on the disasters and disorders that had attended our military operations, and declared that the house was bound to prosecute the suggested inquiry. Mr. PHINN pleaded for some concession to the recog nised good intentions of the new Government, and recom mended the house not to abandon, but to postpone the procedure of the inquiry. Mr. LIDDELL and Mr. VANSITTART having spoken, Mr. LAING urged that the recent change in the Adminis. tration did not indicate such a change in the Ministerial policy as held forth a hope of better management in future, or warranted the house to rescind their late vote. Lord EBRINGTON expressed his satisfaction with the measures announced by the Prime Minister as being already planned or in execution. Mr. D. SEYMOUR, on the contrary, considered those measures insufficient, and regretted that some new blood had not bean infused into the Administration and the army. 163 Lord °them, Admiral Walcott, and Captain Duneombe offered some remarks. The latter hon. member referred to the recent speech of Sir C. Napier, which called up Sir J. GRAHAM, who remarked that the full refittauon of the aspersions cast upon himself by that gallant officer would involve the production of correspondence that could not be disclosed without detriment to the public service. He denied, however, the assertion that the Baltic fleet had been sent forth ill-manued and worse disciplined, and, in reference to the statement that Sir C. Napier had been dismissed the service, observed that there was no intention of giving him the character of a martyr as well as that of a hero. The house then went into committee of supply, when Sir J. GRAHAM moved the naval estimates, the items of which are given in another column. Adverting to the arrangements for the ensuing campaign, the First Lord stated that difficulties had been found to arise in the ma nosuvring of mixed squadrons, and, consequently, it was resolved to send no sailing vessels-of-war into the Baltic this year. lie hoped to have twenty sail of the line all propelled by steam in readiness for service in that quarter before the expiration of the next six weeks. The several votes on the estimate were agreed to, after a prolonged miscellaneous discussion, as also a vote on ac count of the transport service. The house then resumed, and adjourned at half-past twelve o'clock. 4rtlalo. Arrangements had been made and announced, that Mr. Keogh, the Solicitor-General, should go as second presiding judge on the Connaught circuit, on the ap proaching assizes. The commission was, indeed, ac. tually drawn out, when a discovery was made, the effect of which was the immediate cancelling of the hon. and learned gentleman's temporary promotion to the judi cial bench. At the eleventh hour it was recollected that no member of the House of Commons was competent to discharge the duties of a going judge of assize without having first taken the disagreeable preliminary step of resigning his seat, as the sine Dui non for his acceptance of the office. The news of a fatal and very melancholy shipwreck off this coast was received in Dublin on Saturday. The Will-o'-the-Wisp, a steamer, 400 tons burden, employed in the coal trade, and chartered by the Irish railway company to convey coals from Maryport to Dublin, went on shore on Lambay Island, and was discovered a total wreck, the accounts stating that the captain and all hands were lost. THE ARMY ESTIMATES.—The army estimates for the financial year ending the 31st of March, 1858, amount to 13,721,1581., being an increase of 6,553,072/. upon the estimates for the present year. There being a decrease of 35,0001. in non effective services, the increase under the head of effective is 6,589,0011. The effective services will cost 11,704,9211., of which 7,310,0001. is for the main tenance of the army (deducting the troops in India), 314,0001. for staff-officers, 153,0001. for public de partments, 17,7951. for the Royal Military College, 23,0001. for the Royal Military Asylum and }fiber . bian School, 88,0001. for volunteer corps, and 3,813,0001. for the militia. The army for the ensu ing year, exclusive of artillery, engineers, and of the troops in India, will consist of 0,947 officers, 13,643 non commissioned officers, trumpeters, and drum mers, and 173,005 rank and file, making 193,595 individuals of all ranks. Of these 178,645 will be British troops; and as the number this year amounts to 142,776, it will be seen ,that the army will be in creased by 35,809 men. THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT has bought 20,000 measures of barley at Trieste. Surprise has often been expressed that more use has not been made of the Italian ports as sources of supply. Sheep to almost any desired amount may be obtained from the island of Sardinia. Hay is worth about 41. a ton at Genoa. Charcoal can be shipped in the largest quantities, and at very reasonable prices, at Leghorn, the produce of the Maremma ; and about 2,000 mules, well fitted for transport service, might be bought in Piedmont without difficulty, although the French Government have taken a good many already. THE ancient subterranean church of St.. Peter's in Rome witnessed, on the Bth inst., the unwonted spectacle of a marriage, and that marriage an English one. Miss Eaton, daughter of the authoress of " Rome in the Nineteenth Century," was the bride, and in consideration of her recent conversion to Catholicism Pio Nono granted the special dispensation by which she and fifteen other ladies were authorised to penetrate into the venerable crypt for so joyous a purpose. Mr. Lamb was the bridegroom. Captain Lamb, of the 7th Dragoons, had left Rome just before, being unable to wait for his brother's marriage, on account of his being ordered to the Crimea. Mon signor Talbot performed the nuptual ceremony. THREE bum PEERAGES being now . extinct, Lord P a lmerston has the power of conferring one. , Mr. Mr. Henry Herbert, of Muckross, is spoken of as (d u y to be the person selected for the honour. A SMART SHOCX or EARTHQUARX was felt at Trieste en the 9th Mat., at 4 a.m.