The Sun. — London, England, 1858-06-29 00:00:00

assent given by commission to certain bills, [For which, see Lords' report.] ._ COLLIERY PROPRIETORS IN THE FOREST OF DEAN. Col. KINGSCOTE asked the Secretary to the Trea sury whether the decision given by Mr. Howard, upon the memorial presented to him by the colliery proprietors in the Forest of Dean, in July, 1857, was founded on the opinion of •the law officers of the Crown ; and, if not, whether there would be any objection to take their opinion Mr. HAMILTON answered in the negative. • THE SLAVE SQUADRON. Mr. M. GIBSON inquired whether it was the inten tion of Mr. Hutt to bring on this evening his question with reference to the slave squadron ? Mr. HUTT said it was his intention to have brought the question before the committee this evening, but understandlng that there was some mininderstanding amongst gentlemen who took an interest in the subject, be should defer his motion for the present, and would bring it under consideration on going into supply on the slave trade vote. THE FUNDED DEBT BILL. On the order for going into committee on this bill, Mr. WILSON moved the following resolution as an atuendeuent : "That this house i 3 of opinion that the extraordinary expenditure incurred during a war, beyond what is obtained from taxation, should b e ra i se d in the form of ternainab!e loans, the redemption of which should be provided for within a specified period after the return cf peace ; or, if with a view to greater economy, it is raised by loans in the shape of permanent annuities, that a provision should be made for the liquidation of the same by moderate annual iastalments after the war ex penditure shall have ceased, from surplus revenue to be provided for that purpose." The honourable gen tleman pointed out that the committee of 1828 recommended the course for which his resolution provided, and an act followed rendering it impe rative to raise by ways and means a sum to pay off a certain.amount of the debt every year. Now the Government. came down, and did not ask them to post pone the motion, but to repeal altogether the act tel the Legislature. Taking the amount of funded and unfn tided debt at the commencement and close of the war, be fonnd that the debt at the close of the war was 25 millions larger than at the beginning. In looking to this mattor, it was not his intention to disturb the financial arrange ments of the: present year, for he considered the budget a settled question. All he wanted to do in the motion he had made was to caution the house against repudiat ing the obligations which they had eo recently con tracted. (Hear, hear.) The right hon. gentleman the Chancellor of the Exchequer bad taken a very opposite view of the operation of the sinking fund from that which was taken by the late Chancellor of the Exchequer (Sir G. C, Lewis). and which was based upon the recom mendations of the .committee of 1828, and in doing so bad fallen into many of the fallacies which had been too frequently committed be persons who bad dealt with this subject. The bon. gentleman quoted Mr. Gonlburo, Mr. Huskisson, and other Chancellors of the Exchequer, in support of the view tbat we ought always to have bad a sufficient sinking fund. The hon. gentleman then entered into a history of the national debt. He observed that it Was not, as generally supposed, an ancient institution, or the means by which we had attained our greatness; it was of comparatively modern origin. The first small debt was contracted in 1090, and in 1792 it amounted to 260 millions, the annual charge being 91 millions. In 23 years later it was increa-ed by 500 millions, and the annual charge by 21 millions. It was Fait' that the sinking fund was fallacious, but is sixteen years the debt had been reduced by 54 millions; whereas in the succeeding thirty yearn Irons 1828 to 1858, it had in creased from 800 millions to 808 million?, so that under the mote specious but less effectual system the debt, in stead of being reduced, was increased by eight millions in time of peace. Instead cf relying- on a fictitious sur plus, which the Chancellor of the Exchequer had never been able to repay, they ought to have had a surplus provided by Act of Perliameet, by which in sixteen years they bad been able to pay 54 millions ; whereas now they had gone on thirty years, and found themselves eight millions further in debt. That was not a very creditable or satisfactory result. It might be said there had been additions during tbat period, and so there had. for the abolition cf slavery, the famine in Ireland, and the Russian war; but were we t 3 exercise our benevo lence and .meet our national duties, without providieg a means of payment? After all there had only been tv-o years of war during that period. What eance had they anything better ? Under the act of 1823 upwards of 27 millions bad been paid off in five years. But we had this year put off the payments which fell due, and next year we should have two millions more of bonds, with one million less to pay i - . We were told that we must postpone all this to 1860, but if we did so, we should have seven millions failing due that year, when the in come tax would be entirely removed, and the reduction of the sugar duties would still further diminish the revenue. No one could believe that those engagements should then be met, and was it wise that finance Mini stein should bold out fallacieue hopes? He believed that the ham - tie-tax was more unpopular in this house than elsewhere and that out of doors the majority if the intelligent portion of the community were of opinion that the incerne-tax was of all taxes the most inconve nient. (Freer, and "No, no.") It was strange that those tithe were supposed to be most favoured should cry " No, no," and those on his side of the house, that were supposed ta represent the sufferers under schedule D, should cry " Yes, yrs." (Hear.) Ha believed nothing would b', more easy than fur the Ch ance ll or o f th e Er. chequer to have kept on the second, and many would rather he bad done so than postponed the bonds, (Hear, hear ) The other day firm hopes were hell out ef re rtaliag the paper duties—as bad a tax in principle as could be—but it was their duty to pay their debts be fore they ta;ked of repealing even such a tax. They were burning the candle at both ends—reducing taxa tion and Moreadug the expenditure. In respect to the succession duties, Ist i:h question was mixed up with tl:e legacy duty, they hag yielded much less than they ware estimated to produce. It was said that it was unwise to tie the hands of parliament, hut we had already done so. We had incurred liehnities for which parliament west provide, and it was not for us, to avoid a'l action on our own part by postponement. We were told it was use less to order an annual payment, unless ways and means were provided. But it was provided. It was as easy for a Chancellor of the Exchequer to provide ways and means for a sinking fund, or for the redemption of the debt, as far the payment of annuities, ite , &c. ; but if the e ' , ere to re.y ❑u pon a chance supine at tee end of tee Jae ede. : -r tnt there reds year ? He feared rather a deficit. Toe Qnaneeiser te provide a surplus, bad put on a duty on cheques, but how could they tell what that would produce ? To make out a surplus even then, the Chancellor of the Exchequer had taken account of reductions in the Admiralty and the miscellaneous estimates, but the First Lord of the Admiralty bad already been obliged to trench on Lie share of .the caving, and the other was Lund to be to a great extent fallacious. A great del was said about the national defences, but no danger we could incur would be so great as that w'nieb arose from so grant a burden, and if we were once relieved from that burden, half the amount would be sufficient for the defence of the country. If they would com pare our condition in 'hie respect with other countries, we would find that ie France, whose de'er, was tee next greatest to ours, it only auteunted to 321 mill oaa, being less than half of ours. But that was because other nations, including the French, paid off in time , f peace what they bad incurred in time of war. 'This couniry had for many years been in an exceediegty ad vantageous position. We had the commerce of the world almost at cur command in consequence of our ilia provements in the arts, and we were in a state of un exampled prosperity. Bat what security had we that we bboald maintain ova- relative advantage over other nations. The French exports had nearly trebled since 1847, anal ours in the same period had deubled. During a period of national prosperity and peace, the duration of which we could not estimate, ere ought to reduce our debt. Ha did cot wish to errabarrase the Govern ment in theer arrangements for thin year. lie Vhe wil ling to admit test the bonds were part of the debts of the war as much as the sinking hind, and :f the right hon. gentleman admitted the orio&ple of the sinking fend, he bad rio objection to its beteg postponed till r the btiorle wen , raid. Let turn adopt one of the alter eatieee i n hie own budoet, and agree to poetpene the sinking fund instead ref repealing it, and he (Yin Wilson) would be satistled.. He oaiy desired that they should affirm the principle of paying in time of peace the debts incurred in war. Their policy should de, be every honourable theane, to wield going to war; when at was to conduct it with due economy. A eoremittes might be agreed on next session to can side: the Whole subject of toe untienal debt. The CIIA.NCELLOR cf the EXCHEQUER said that the motion of tce hon. member 11:eolveit saveral as sertions which appeared to him to be o: a very question able character. In the first place, the assertiou that the expenses cf a war should be raieed by way of termina- Lle annuity asserted what had been done respecting the late war. They had terminable loans both in the shape of antutties and of Exchequer 'Donde, and therefore Ha, far as that part cf the resolution bore on the future con duct of the Gpvernosent he did not think there was any necessity for the declaration. Anothirr part of the recto= lotion declared that moderate annual .instalments of sur plus revenue should be secured in or ler to pay off the debts of the war. It was very difficult to know what the hon. member meant by moderate aneual instalmeute wring the war it was supposed that one million was a moderate annual instalment. Another moderate annual instalment took the shape of 1,250,0001. There was an other loan and another moderate instalment of a million and a half. Theo the Exchequer-bonds came, and the 4unnal instalment required was two and a half the arrangement for the succeeding year was three "MI s half millions ; so that it was quite impossible to ley down any system of annual instalments. For in ktiance, it w as se ld om possible to reduce the war expen dtu re immediately after the war ; or there might be famine, or some other social dieturbance ; nr you might have to locresseyour armaments in thus of peace iu con sequence of the attitude of other nations,or there might be domestic insurrection. Alt these things b might hap pen in time of peace, anadutatreitfroarre, and dcaaursteiawcie artificial were not at war, to lay down eye tam of surplus would, i -n O f inion!he an I eceeda ini unwise measere. (near, h ow. ) And what way g je paricular proposition which the honourable member placed before them ? He said-- - o t u h r e y ears) meen you p a y o your ou mean Exchequer-bonds (which will not be sad,far in f then let U 4 institute a sinking fund, time, let us have a committed of finance to lay d own a general principle." Well, but if they were to have a committee would it not ba as well to postpone the ar. renement until they had the report of the committee ? „Yoe his (the Chancellor of the Exchequer's) part, he bought the arrangement proposed by the hop, member *artificial one, tbat it would never work, and that the 9b 1 .7 4 011ud principlegoUr reducing the debt was that con tained In the act of Q eo. IV., and under wbicb, although the hon. member expressed so much disappointment at its operation, considerable reductions had been made. The hon. member talked of increased expenditure and reduced taxation, but it was quite clear that no steps for the reduction of the debt could be successful unless you could get public opinion impressed with the ;policy of reduction. If you led public opinion in that direction the public would consent to reduced expenditure and increased taxes ; but under any other circumstances it would be impossible to preserve regulations for this spe cial object. It appeared to him that the great objection to the course of the hon. member was that it was one which could not be put in practice. (Hear.) Neither could he agree that the act of Geo. IV. had proved a dead letter. During 18 of the years which had elapsed since, reductions of the debt bad been made, and in the other 11 the expenditure exceeded the income, and no appropriation could be made. In 1829 the surplus in vested was 1,200,000/4 in 1830, 2,000,0001.; in 1831, 1,230,000/.; in 1833, 1,700.0001.; in 1834, 1,700,0001.; in 1835, 500,0001.; in 1836, 500,0001. ; and in 1837. 1,500,000/. Then came years of bad harvest. and would they at such a time propose to increase the taxes of the working classes in order to reduce the debt ? (Hear.) During four years investment was impossible, but the moment prosperity returned—in 1844--there was a re sumption of investments. Mr. WILSON—That wa , the year of the income tax. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said he did not see how that affected the argument. In 1845 the investment was nearly 1,400,0001. ; in 1846, 1,200,000/. ; in 1847, 6'28,0001. ; in 1849, nothing ; but in 1850, there was invested 2,321,0001. In 1851 the reduction was 3,000,0001. ; in 1852 it was upwards of 1,800,0001, and in 1853 it was 1,000,0001. How, then, could it be said that the act of Geo. IV. had failed ? In the majority of years re ductions had been made, and when they had not the country was suffering under various hardships, there being three bad harvests and a mercantile collapse in consequence of what occurred in America. He hoped, therefore, that the house would adhere to the act of 1829, which he thought he had shown bad completely fulfilled its intention, and had considerably reduced the debt whenever there was a surplus revenue. Suppose that during the five years of the bad harvests and com mercial collapse they had secured a surplus by artificial means, how much would they not have added to the suf ferings of the people. That consideration bad very much influenced the government in their financial policy, which he was glad to say the house had adopted. They saw the crisis through which the commerce of the coun try had passed, and they thought that that was no time to talk of reducing the national debt, or of laying on new taxes to pay engagements of a terminable character, He thought that such a principle would have been most un wi e, and he did not think that any minister would have carried it. The hon, member blamed him for reducing the income tax, upon which he passed a warm eulogium. But he could not lay claim to having reduced taxation. He found the income tax reduced by act of Parliament; and had he proposed that it should be continued at the same rate as it stood last year. that proposition would have amounted to an increase of taxation. When, there fore, the hoe, gentleman said there had been a reckless reduction of taxation arid a total disregard of the princi ples upon which public credit could alone be maintained he must remember that there had been not a reduction, as the hoe, gentleman stated, bat a considerable increase of taxation during the year in two important instances ; and with regard to the income tax, all that the govern• went did was to say that, as far as they were concerned they would adhere to the decisi on which Parliament had pronounced. When, therefore, the hon. gentleman asked him • (the Chancellor ef the Exchequer) whether he was prepared to repudiate the engagements made by Parliament in reference to the sinking fund and the repayment of the Exchequer bonds, he might in reply ask the hon. gentleman whether he was prepared to depart from the equally solemn engagement entered into by Parliament' in 1853 in reference to the income-tax? (Hear.) He would nut enter into the ques• tion of whether it was an engagement or a compact, or merely an understanding in the way of a barren arrange meet to reduce the income tax if circumstances should allow it, but being an arrangement based upon an act of Parliament it was in - all respects as binding as the en gagement in respect to the artificial sinking fond. The case was a simple one; the issue was whether they should stand by the sicking fund of 1829 or the Making fund adopted two years ago. They could not have both. They could not have the sinking fund which had worked so well and at the same time the sluicing fund they adopted when the loan fur the Russian war was raised. There was no ground upon which they could abandon the sink ing fund of 1829, which was based upon seund principles of finance, but one, and that was that it had failed in its , objet - . I_le maintained, on the contrary, that it bad suc ceeded in its object. When the country was prosperous there had always keen a considerable surplus applied to the reduction of the national debt ; when it was less prosperous a smaller surplus was applicable, and was de voted to that purpose, and when the country was in di-- tress, and its resources were impaired, then this act, a faithful mirror of the national fortunes, remained in ope ration, and there being no surplus, the public difficulty was not addei to by any obligation to pay off the debt. (Hear.) He trusted the house would support the act of 1829. But even if ,the hoe, gentleman's plan did not clash with the act of 1829, he was of opinion that it would not be expedient now to lay down rules and regulations for a sinking fund, which, according to the hon. gentle man's own view, could not come into operation for four years from the present tune. If, therefore, there were no sinking fund act in existence, he should object to the hon member's proposition, but believing as lie did that the act of 1820 was a wise measure, and that it operated with advantage to the country, he felt it the more incumt.,eut upon him to oppose it. Mr. WILLI:01S said the question was not whether the sinking sums of 1329 should be retaieo.l, but whether the act borrowing 29,000,0001. for the purposes of the Russian war should be kept inviolate. There was a con dition in that act that thin debt should be paid off at the rate of a million and a half a year, and it would be a dis grace to the country to throw the liquidation of that obligation upon posterity. Toe Chancellor of the Exche quer in his speech at Slough—(oh, oh)—bad taken credit for reducing taxation, but the fact was that the present Goverument had p istpoaed the payment of two millions of Exchequer bills for four years, and now it seemed that fresh burdens were to be thrown upon the people. Mr. GLADSTONE denied that by voting for this bill the house would be guilty of an act of repudiation. (Hear.) When the 29,000,0001. was borrowed, Sir G. C. Lewis, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, dis tinctly said that the public creditor was not to be ratis fled by the yearly payment of a million and a half. Olaf, the bousa was under obligation to the honourable institute ter oliegi;:,g for :ard this resolution, he nevertheless could not vote for it, as ha felt sceptical as to the soundness of the principles he had put forward, The hon. raetnber said that the budget ot the minister exhibited a deficit, not a surplus; but if that were se, why had not his hoc. friend made a proposal which should equalise income and expenditure ? (Hear, hear.) Oa the contrary, his hoc. friend accepted the budget of the Chancellor of the Ex chequer, and in no manner attempted to disturb it. (Hear.) His hon. friend had made ne proposal for the repayment of money, but simply called upon thu house to throw present obligations upon a future Parliament. (Hear, bear.) As a resolution prospective in its cha racter, he could not support it. Although he agreed iu much that had fallen from his hon. friend, it appeared to him (Mr. Gladston e ) that lie had lo s t siAt' of the true ?icit of discussion, namely, the state of the expenditure ot the country, and the disposition of the Government in the direction of profusion or economy. If profusion prevailed, it was idle to speak of sinking wade. ('dear.) His hors. friend bad been enabled to show that the sink ing fund bad succeeded because the couutry had been guided by economical principles. (Hear.) He hoped hu had misuoderstuod the Chancellor of the Exebeques as to the oblieations of a Government to reduce the pub ic debt. It - was a clear dot; of Parliament in time of peace to make such arrangements from year to year f;r securing the application of mousy for the reduction of the debt. The real weight and pressure of the national debt wore felt in the permanent depreseion of the masses —(bear, heat)—and Le trusted the house would adhere to the prinuiple of the Act of 1829. (Hear, hear.) 13. r G. C. LEWIS wile not prepared to vote for the resolution on the ground that a contract had been en tered into with the public creditor, far he certainly had !tot understood that the subscribers to the loan fur the Russian war were to Le plac'.cl in a better position than other public creditors, but he was willing to argue tiro question on the issue which had been fait ly raised by this' - Chancellor of the gxchequer, namely, whether reliance should be placed upon a natural or an artificial einking fund ? He did not think the right hon, gentleman bad given a correct de finition of the artificial sinking fund, an adherence to which he did not think woula be wise. In dealing with minor bodies in the State, Parliament, through the in st!-utnet.tality of the Exchequer Loan Bill C,mmissioners stipulated that loans should be paid in certain payruects in certain years ; but he still deprecated the practice of these artificial sinking feriae. (Hear ' hear.) Mr. CARD WELL, although the resolution had led to a very interesting discussion —(a laugh) —did not think the house would act wisely in adopting it. If the reeolu titin were acted upon, the house would enter into a new prospective engagement to liq u id ate d e b t. It was very easy to pass such rescoutteri , , but now would posterity regard them? (Hear.) Parliament could very well bind corporations and other bodies as to the mode of repay ing their debts, because those b ;dies could not repeal ants of Parliament; whereas the House of Commons of one day could abrogate the decision of another. The true principles upon which the hou a should act--mag num vectigal pireimoniam—was retrenchment o f expen diture, and a more jealous and vigilant oainomy than bad of late years been observable, (Hear, hear.) Sir H. WILLOUGHBY thought the hon. member for Devonport had done good service in raising the pre sent discussion. It was of great importance that the funded debt of the country should not be indefinitely postponed, and he concurred wi h the hon. member fiat Oxford that the true method of reducing that debt wc,s a z:aloua and vigilant economy. f..t.rd J. RUSSELL thought there were two rittes tiona raised by the hon. member fir D3vonport, one an abstract question as to how wo shuuld treat our debt ; and the secona, the financial condit,ion of the presetit year. He retuewbered the old sinking fond, and he could not agree with the hon. gentleman in the a.mclasi.in at which he had arrived. Under that bpitem, the Chancel lorof the Exchequer, whenever be waste f a loan of 14 or 15 millions, went into the market and got 20 mil ions, so that all the apparent gain was but temporary and L.) the disadvantage of the c6m.try. The old sinking fund be considered a very bad system, and the act of 1829, providing that only the surplus of the revenue should be applied to the reduction of the debt, ism a good °Lie, and be was sorry to find that they were going bmit to that sys►em. At the same time he could not see th.t the Chancellor had made any provision fo: a stirplus of that kiwi, and he thought it Was uuwiso to part with a million this year and two millions next year income tax, when it was so much needed, and when it might at all events have been applied to the reduction of the debt. The right hon. gentleman the Chancellor of the Exchequer had stated that he had made a reduction of 800,0001. in the estimates of the late Government, 400,0001. being on the civil estimates, but the revenue would not be at all benefited by that reduction. He thought the whole question required revision, and that it•might be satisfactorily referred to a select committee, especially as the estimates were so large and the burden of Vocation on the people so heavy. Mr. W. EWART recommended a general revision of taxation on articles of consumption, and expressed his regret that he could not give his support to the amend ment of the hon. member for Davenport. He thought that we should pay off our sinking fund or not pay it cff according to our convenience. (Hear, hear.) The amendment was negatived without a division, and the house went into committee on the bill. The clauses were agreed to, and the bill was reported to the house. SUPPLY—MILITARY ORGANISATION. On the order for going into committee of supply, Captain VIVIAN called the attention of the house to the resolution relating to military organisation, which was adopted by the house on Tuesday, the let of June, and in reference to which the Chancellor of the Ex• chequer said it was not the intention of Government to take any steps either in or out of the house. That reso lution he introduced to the house, and the house did him the honour to agree to it. It had been said that it was the object of the resolution to do away with the office of Commander-in-Chief, and that the army woull be op posed to that step. He (Capt. Vivian) had spoken to a large number of members of the military profession, and most of them were in favour of some such change ad he had proposed, and all were unanimous in denunciation of the present system, for they had not forgotten the misfortunes of the Crimea, or that while the army was starving before Sebastopol there were heaps of food in the harbour of Balaklava. The medical oreani cation of the army was also most defective. He should be doing wrong were he not to say that the present commander-in-chief had done everything that he could to reverse the sad state of things that had so long pre vailed, but he believed that the position of the comman der-in-chief was a very unpleasant one to him as well as to the public. (Hear.) He had no responsibility, and his office was in all respects an anomalous one. He con sidered that the Minister of War should have the power of selling commissions for the public good. The right hon. gentleman the member for Wilts (Mr. S. Herbert) sold 100 commissions for 450,0001, and that proceeding ho had certainly heard vs ry severely criticised. In Aus tria, Sardinia, and Prussia. the principle of bis es:isola tion was adopted, and he did not see why it should not be carried out in this country. The principle had been affirmed by the house, but the Chancellor of the Exche quer a day cr two afterwards dispelled a pleasing dream in which he had indulged by the s'atement that the Go vernment wou'd take no notice of it in consequence of theemallness of the number of members who voted ; but he would ask whether this was not a dangerous course, and whether it was advisable that it should be left to a Minister to say what was the majority on which action should be taken ? (Hear.) If the Chancellor of the Exchequer had stated that the house was taken by cur prise and had moved that the resolution should be read at the table and rescinded, that would undoubtedly have been a fair course, but the course taken was extremely discourteous to the house on the part of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and he thought he had a right to com plain. He believed that this subject had taken so strong a hold of the public mind that before long the right bon. gentleman would be compelled on the part of his Govern ment to reverse the decision at which he hail arrived. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the hon. and gallant gentleman bad introduced the subject with so much faireess and so much temper that he did not wish to lose a moment in replying to his observations, and assuring him that he la-toured under an entire misconception as to the coulee which he pursued, and the feelings that influenced him when the hon. and gallant gentleman brought forward this question on a former occasion. He did not reply to the speech of the hon. and gallant gentleman on the former occasion for this reason alone, that that speech was most com pletely and ably replied to by a noble loyd on the other side of the Louse ; and he (the Chancellor of the Ex chequer) felt a reluc'ance, which all persons felt, to repeat the same arguments. He thought the motion of the hon. and gallant gentleman had been carried unex pectedly, and notwithstanding the ingenious gloss of the hon. and gallant gentleman, he believed it was carried much to the surprise of the whole house. (Hear.) He had said tbat the resolution of the hon. and gallant gentleman was carried by a bare majority, but he woull admit to him that some of the most important decisions of that house had been carried by small majoritie.. The hon. and gallant gentleman alluded to the small majority which sustained the government of L rsi Mel bourne, and he had no doubt the remembrances of the noble lord, the member fur the City of London, would supply them with many others. (Hear, hear.) The Act of Settlement had been carried by one of the smallest rusjorities on record. The decision of a maj nity, however small, in matters of legislation was absolute, but that was not the case when members of the house proceeded by way of legislation. (Hear.) A resolution of the house was neither irrevocable or bind ing, and the instances were numerous in which no further notice had been taken of them. The house a few years ago had expressed an opinion that the votes for members sent to that house should be taken by bal lot ; the endowment to Mayuooth had been denounced by a mej stay of the house, and his noble friend (Lord Naas) carried his motion with respect to the diAillers of Ireland against the government, but in neither of these three instances did the minister act on the opinion of the house thus significantly expressed. It might be said that these were motions for leave to introduce bills (hear) —but no one would pretend to;say that if they had been simpie reso:u ions that the government would have acted on them. (Hear.) But there were more recent iostar c3s in which the government did not carry out the opinion of the house as expressed in a resolution. In 1855 the committee on the salaries to public officers re ported to the house in favour of a reduction of the salaries to the diplomatic servants of the crown. No notice was taken of the recommendations of that com mittee, and an honourable member brought forward a resolution calling on the house to say that it was their opinion Viet tto' recommendations of that committee with regard to diplomatic servanteshould be immediately acted on. It was opposed by the noble lord (Palmer ston), and although the noble lord was defeated by a majarity of 50 or 60, he took no notice whatever of the resolution. ("Hear, hear," and a laugh) The hoc. and cr‘ii.nt gentlereein said the conduct of her Majesiy'e f end irnoreeerlented, satisfactory it !night be, but uepreceueliteU was not, for they had the precedent of the government of the noble lord, of which the hon, sad gallant gentle man was au ardent supporter. (Hear.) The committee specially reported that the missions to some of the smaller courts of Germany should be terminated, but a vacancy having taken place in the mission to one of those smaller courts to which the decision of the corn mittee referred, and to which the housie by their resolu tion gave their moat decided sauction, the uobls lord just took this notice of that decision and resolution, that he immediately filled up the vacancy. ("Hear, hear," and laughter.) Why did not the hon, and gallant mem ber notice the unsatiefactory and unprecedented conduct of the noble lord on that occasion. The noble lord charged bite with giving u cavalier answer to a question which had been put to him ; but the noble lord, not by words but by acts, gave a most cava'ier reply to the recommendation of the committee and the resolu tion of the house. (Hear, hear.) He did net take the same uncharitable view cf the conduct of the noble lord on that occasion which the hon. and gallant gentleman seemed to take of hie conduct, for he presumed the noble lord acted from a sense of euhlic duty and ;rem a due appreciation of the value of this mi eien to a Ger man court. (Rear, hear) That was in 1855. What hap pened in 1853 ? Tee cavil service was certainly not inferior in importance to the military or the diplomatic service. The principles on which that service should be established, the means by which the greatest amount of ability might be infused into it, the manner in whisk it should be renovated—these were questions which had of late years deeply interested the public mind, and which nad been treated by some of the moat eloquent writers and the most experienced public men of the age. Well, there was a noble lord who thought that the competitive system ought to be adopted by the government, and that ..e.hey had neglected their duty in the matter esod that nelio lord proposed a resolution on the subject, which e as carried by a Minister tholleb opposed by a Minister. But what happened ? The Minister never took any notice of the resolution—(hear, hear)—and he believed fiat Minister was either the same distingtfs'aed indi vidual to whom be had refe,rrPd (Lord Palmerston) or the noble lord the member for Londor. Many parsons might have thought that cour-e unsatisfactory ; no person said it wai unprec'dented—(hear, hear)—hen, therefore, he (tbe Chancellor of the Exchugu_r) found a resolution relating to the nui:itary service carrel in a not very full house by a bare majority, a maj ,ri•y much smaller than that which carried the resolution which related to the diplomatic scrvicd and that which related to the civil service, surtly it WAR the duty of the government to consider what had been the practice under such circumstance'. He might have fenced with the question, he might hava given his hon. and gallant friend an evasive answer; but the govern tnenthaving considered the natter and formed a decided opinion with regard to it, he thought it was but duo to the house that he should clear 4 and frankly express their opinion, in order that the hon. and gallant gen tleman might not lose his chance of testing the opinion of the h,uee. Ho did not understand his 11.)n. and gallant friend to complain of his answer to the bun. baronet the member for Radnorshire (Sir J, Walsh). But there vas another hon. gentleman who be thcught male e n inquiry moat unnecessarily after what had oc curred, and his reply to whom had been styied by the noble lord time member for Tiv,:e-ton a oaval:er one. No ..e ho could not suppose that any hon. gentleman nelf . ;ined that he interned to act with discourtesy towards any hon. member. (Rear, hoar.) His highe.mt hope and wish bad ever been to secure, if ponAble, the respect aad g ood will of all th e mem b ers of that house—(hear)— and ho was sure bon. gentlemen must feel that, en trusted as ha was with the conduct of the businese, and dependent as he was on the gentlemanlike feelings of the remembers generally, wheytever might be their opinions ha must from interest, as well as from disposition, be the last person to be guilty of dinourtesy towards any hon. gentleman. (Hear, hear.) The only meaning he conld affix to the inquiry of the hon, and gallant mem ber for Bodmin (Captain Vivian) was that what he wished to learn was whether the Government meant to take any steps other than those which were taken in that house ? In his reply be said that neither in that hou-e nor anywhere else did Government intend to take any steps in the matter, and be was at A loss to under stand wby that answer sbould have been considered dia. courteous. If he had said a. ' l .3'tle .ng discourteous be extremely regretted it. (Hear, r.) He considered the course which the Government -! ook perfectly regular and straightforward. The hon. at id gallant gentleman ''seemed to him to misunderstand he position in which by an unfortunate accident he fou nd himself. This was not the first time in his life that he (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) had seen theme wl to really seemed to de serve success, and who had laboiert ed hard to attain it, emn barrassed by unexpected good foi me. (Laughter.) It was said that the bird never made so much noise as when she'laid her first egg ' • and he could eas il y conce i ve an hon. gentleman who lad just c arried hie first resolution being overpowered by succes 1. (Laughter.) But, as the laying of the first egg wa it only a very natural ope ration, so the carrying of the first resolution was in the due course of Parliamentary t I ature, and though it was not the good fortune of everyon a to meet with it, every one should be prepared for se cc eec. (Laughter.) Now what was the carrying of this is asolution ? There was a declaration of the house to a certain extend ; but, in stead of proceeding in the path o n which he Ii d entered, the hon. gentleman, stupefied with success, ea,'d in effect —"I have gained the, opinion of the House or. Commons in favour of the policy which recommend—l shrink from pursuing that policy—(No, no)—and I ask you to come forward and rescind my resolution." Trembling at the continuance of success, he looked forvrard to the safety-valve of Ministers getting his resolution 'rescinded. Now, he thought the conduct of the hon. eeentleman was, to use an expression of his own, unsatis ictory and unprecedented. (Hear, hear.) There had, inideed, been instances of revolutions being rescinded in tiiat house. He could mention t. o ; but both bad reference to fiscal matters, and it was absolutely necessary to rescind them, because if they had been left unnoticed. they would have affected the revenue of the country. Toe two re solutions to which he referred related respectively to the malt duties and the sugar duties. The hon. and gallant gentleman (Capt. Vivian) would neither ask the house to assist him in carrying his policy into effect nor rest con tented with the barren triumph he had alreaify achieved, but he had rated and scolded the minisitry because they did not act upon hi s resolution or propose to rescind it. Now, he maintained that the course which they bad taken was a parliamentary course, a course which was jcstified by precedents, and that they had done their duty throughout these transactions. He should hardly notice the general ob servations of his hon. and gallant friend, as he had an nounced tbst he intended to bring the subject before the house on souse future occasion ; but he must say, with regard to the instances of France, Austria, and other great military states which be bad adduced a 3 prece dents fir this country, that he could not forget that the laws, audananners, and customs of England were dif ferent from those of great military and centralised states. (Hear.) IF, indeed, the Commander-in-Chief was totally irresponsible, or in any way irresponsible, he should be perfectly ready to meet any hon. gentleman who pro posed to consider a state - of things so anomalous in rela• Lion to the constitution and se injurious to the service of the country. But, knowing as be did, from every day's experience, that the Conawandenin•Chief was under the direct authority of the Secretary of State, and could do nothing without his approbation, not only was he contented, but he rejoiced that in a country like this the discipline of the army was left to the Commander in -Chief, while the civil administration was carried on by the Secretary of State, the Commander-in -Cold being, not only on great questions, but practically on every question, responsible to the Government of the day, while the Government was responsible to Parlia ment. That was a system which, in his opinion, was more consistent with constitutional government than any of the centralised systems to which the hon, and gallant gentleman bad referred. The hon. and gallant gentleman, in speaking of the patronage of the army, said he ebould be very sorry to see that corrupting element introduced into the House of Commons, adding that he had no doubt some plan might be devised by which that would be prevented. What was wanted, however, on questions of this kind was, for reformers to come for Nara with some pleas. (Hear.) They did not want mere windy announcements of great changes wits the salvo that no doubt when the question was discussed, the obvious difficulties would be removed. If the hon, and gallant gentleman himself proposed some mode of meeting these difficulties, he would occupy a much more commanding position than he did by having obtained a majority of one or two. This imaj way would of course have been sufficient on the last stage of the bill, but when the hon. and gallant gentleman assumed that such a majority in favour of a resolution constituted an expression of opinion which could not be revoked or questioned, he must join issue with bin]. He would un dertake, when this question was brought forward with fair notice, there should be no lack of discussion, and that so far as the Gov ernment were concerne d , the mat ter should have that fair mid ample deliberation which it deserved. (Cheers.) Lord J. RUSSELL said it was true that this Govern ment differed from the Governments of foreign countries in this respect, that Parliament had a voice which was ent,tled to its weight, but the Chancellor of the Exche quer put it that the Parliament had indeed the power of expressing an opinion, and then it was for the Minister to consider whether that opinion should be acted on or no. He could not understand that the decisions of this house were to be held at nought. (Hear hear.) The right hon. gentleman qu o t e d precedents, but they were cases in which the resolution could not be carried out without an act of Parliament. One case was one in which an act of Parliament was proposed by Govern ment, in accordance with the resolution which met the approval of the house. There was one precedent which apilied, that of the resolution on the diplomatic service, bet he could not think the Minister was justified in pay ing no attention to the resolution. If that was to be the constant course, resolutions of this house would become wholly futile, Tuis resolution was one which collet not be made the foundation of an act of Parliament, it was a question of administration, and Government ought eitner to have acted on it, or, it they said it, was carried by a small raj wity and by surprise, to have moved a resolution to rescind it—(hear, bear)— and not to affect to despise it. It would be unconstitutional that resolu tions should be p'aced on record and no attention paid to them. He thought his hon, and gallant friend was right in not pressing the matter further at this advanced period of the session. His hon. and galleet friend bad said that he did not wish to take from the Commander. in-Chief the control of the army, for it had been said on the other side that the proposal was to place the disci pline of the army under a civilian. It was unwise for a Cemmanderea.Chief to di.ipise tho opinion of this house. When a resolution was proposed by Sr John Bowling on the question of floggiug, in the army, the late Duke of Wellington tbought that such a motion would be dangerous to the discipline of the array, But the Mite of Wellington knehs bow publio opinion swayed • e e sou' try and this house, and he proposed a resolution to meet teei, ai Se J. hie*. If • in-Chief acted under the authority of the Secretary us State, an inquiry would no doubt easily eaters this ques tiern He thought wise: ought to be done was to have an inquiry next session, The authority of this house ought to have great weight in the matter. He hoped that there would be an inquiry, and that the army would be placed in a position worthy of it. General PEEL said that when it was complained that the resolution of the bun, and gallant member was not carried out, he must way he was at a loss to know how it was to be carried out, if the bon, and gallant gentle man did not whits to interfere with the discipline or patronage of the army. He could not see where there was a division of responsibility, which he thought was clearly laid down lu the patents. He was responsible directly tr everything but the discipline and patronage, and indirectly for them, If there were any gross miss oouduct en the part of the Conlinander-in•Chief, the Minister would have to call on him for explanations, and if they were not satisfactory, to insist on his re moval or resign office. He had found no difficulty, and was working in perfect harmony with the Commander ie-Chiee and he had not the slightest doubt that if Par liament would not interfere with the army, it would be carried on ranch more satisfactorily. Colonel NORTH had conversed with a great number of officers, who were ell of opinion that nothing could be more dangerous for the welfare of the army than this motion. Bat, in order to get an affirmative answer from those miner, he had consulted, his hon. and gallant friend must bate introducAl the question by a compari son with foreign countries. No doubt if the Minister at War could always be a soldier, then it would bo best that the two offices should be combined, The evils which had arisen arose ineinly from the int e rf erence o f wstsiteresseaeurese-Stierew hear, and oh, ob.) The green coffee in the Cri mes , t o wit, fit they owed that to Sir Charles Treeelyae. The member for Bodtnin, who, during the discussion, was running about like an aide.de camp, owed his majority of two to Lord J. Res. sell ceding out to him, "Now is your time,", (e.laegh.) Ha contended that this resolution struck at the pre rogative of the Crown. (H ear , h ear, and laughter.) lie could not help thinking that the letter. of civilians had no otj .ct but to throw di,,credit on the state ments of his right hon. and gal;arit friend the Secretary f it War, than whom no man enjoyed more completely the confidence of the officers of the army. He had answered all questions in the most complete, satisfac tory, honourable, and straight orward manner. The ga ll an t cidenel then entered into some explanations ns to the question be had put a few nights ago with re spect to the see of commissions by the Commander-in- Chief. He believed the fact was as stated on that occa. eien—tie", no commission had been sold since 1825. Sir W. CODRINGTON said the great difficulty was to draw the line of distinction where the authority of one ended and the other began, and as long :is the two worked ac harmoniously as at present, there would be no clashing. But there was a line where clashing might arise. The line ought to be drawn distinctly either by words or by cushier!, lie would defy the Secretary of War, if e civilian, to say that he would he responsible for courtsonateial as for the distribution of honours. The responsibility, whether direct or indirect, should be in the name of the Column ender-in-Chief 4iinsulf, or he wool i ha sheltetine himself limier the nominal responsi bility of the Secretary fo r War. The latter, however, must necessarily be responsible for the expenditure and for the civil departotents. It was of course impossible to compare this country, with its control of Parliament over expenditure, with any of the foreign countries al luded to. Mr. ELLIS agreed with Ills honourable and gallant friend (Geoerni Pee!), but then the question wa,, whe ther he had sufficient command over the (omMander.!n• Chief to be respon&ible fur his actions, bearing in mind he was not responsible to that house. The question de pended on thi , , whether the time had arrived if the only person to tako the opinion of the Crown upon military affairs was the Secretary of State for War, (Hear, hels.) He eulogised the conduct of the right hon. ger.tleman since he bad held office, and said the service could not be in better band:. (Hear, hear.) With respect to the whole system, the house required great if formation to know that the consolidations were is the right direction, and would answer the autici- 29, 1858. POLICE INTELLIGENCE.—June 28. WANDSWORTH.—Richard Williams, a col lector of tolls at the King: ton turnpike-gate, ap peared before Mr. Ingham to answer a summons charging him with unlawfully demanding and taking toll from Mr. Alfred AuaustusKibblewbite, the landlord o f th e Hope public-house, e Gravel lane, Sou hwark, w h en h e was exempt 133 , having pre viously paid a i. another gate. The complainant stated that on the 10th inst. he accotnpa,nied a party of friends to Hampton Court races in a four. wheeled carriage , drawn by one horse. Wit ness sat near to the driver, and paid the toll of 3d. a t th e St ag gate, i n the NYandsworrh road, and received a ticker, which mentioned that they would be exempt from payment at the King ston-gate. Oa arriving at the gate there was great confusion, in consequence of the immense number of vehicles passing through. He (defendant) was the collector, and witness called out the number of the ticket, which he held open in his hand. The defendant said, "That won't do, I want 3d." Witness then said, " Will the ticket do ?" and held it up so that he might look at it. The defendant would not look at the ticket, but merely said, You know, 3d." He then gave him the money, and when they re turned the defendant again demanded the toll, but witness got down and showed him the tickets. When witness paid the second toll, the defendant gave him half a ticket, the purport of which he did not understand. When he wished for an ex planation of the toll being taken, the defendant said he knew all about his business, and then threatened' to have witness locked up if be inter fered with him. NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE Yesterday morning, at 10 o'clock, the Grenadier Guards were mustered in Hyde-park and reviewed by his Royal Highness the Prince Consort, at tended by Col. Seymour, Lord Rokeby, and a nu merous staff of officers. The Duke of Cambridge, attended by Lord Burghersh and Colonel Foster, went to Aldershot yesterday and reviewed the whole of the troops at the camp. There are now upwards of 6,000 men under canvass, including artillery, etec. The 2d Life Guards and 11th Hussars are ex pected to arrive at Aldershot in a few days. It is also rumoured that her Majesty will inspect the troops about the sth of July. The ceremony of presenting a set of new colours to the Ist or Chatham. Division of Royal Marine Light Infantry took place yesterday morning in the presence of a large number of spectators. The en tire battalion of the division, numbering upwards of GOO strong, assembled on their parade-ground at 12 o'clock, under the command of Colonel W. H. Parke, the commandant of the division. The old colours of the division were presented by his late Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence, in the year 1827, at which time he was Lord High Admiral, his Royal Highness considering that it was the highest compliment he could pay to so distinguished and valuable a body of men. The old colours were yesterday borne to the front of the division for the last time by Second Lieutenants R. J. Pascoe aud. H. M. Kay, being guarded by a colonr-uard of 100 mou, umlcm the command of Captain h. S. Browne, the senior captain of the division. Shortly after 12 o'clock - Vice-Admiral of the Red E. Harvey, Corn mander-in-Chief at the Nore, accompanied by Major-General S. R. Wesley, Depu , y Adjutant- General, Royal Marines, witu Captain G. Guld• smith, C. 8., Superintendent of Chatham De ck yard, arrived on the parade-grouud, and was received with a general salute. The old colours were then advanced to the front and saluted by the entire division, after which they we re matched off the ground, the band playing "Should auld. ac quaintance." After the new colours had been un furled and laid across the drums, the ceremony of what is termed "consecrating" them was performed by the Rev. Allen Fielding, M.A., Chaplain of Chatham Dockyard. Admiral Harvey thou took the colours and handed them to First Lieutenants C. Stark and F. S. Boxer, briefly remarking that he felt highly honoured in being deputed by the Lords of the Admiralty to present the new colours to so distinguished a corps, who would make it their pride to keep them unsullied. The colours-were then saluted by the entire battalion, and trooped t:Le 7.):t 1:1 tt ,, l !.f r we'ea ended, and the battalion was dismissed. The oia colours will be taken to Greenwich Hospital, where I they will be preserved. The embarkation of the large number of rein forcements which the authorities have determined on despatching to India is still proc e iing at Graves end. Yesterday the Commandant of Chatham Garrison proceeded. to Gravesend for the purpose of inspecting those vessels which have been taken up for the conveyance oftroops. The first vessel inspected was the Blenheim, Capt. F. Atkinson. She is a fine vessel of 1,400 tons, and will embark the following troops for Calcutta this day—viz, one officerand 230 men of all ranks of the 23d Riyal Welsh Fusileirs, from Chatham ; 138 men of the Ist battalion of the 60th Rifles, and 30 men of the 2d Battalion 60th Rifles, from Winchester ; 2 offi cers of the 77th Regiment, from Jersey ; and 1 officer of the 6th Foot, from Colchester ; total, 3 officers and 398 men. Th e Merchantmln, 1,018 tour, will embark the following troops fur Calcutta: —33 men of the sth Fusiliers, 134 men of the 6th Foot, 152 men of the 34th Regiment, and 24 men of the 38th Regiment, from Colchester ; total, 343 men. The dtfeadant, in answer to the complainant, said he did not wilfully take the toll. There was always great confusion on the race day, and he did not see tho ticket. The complainant said he was served a similar trick by a toll collector on the day of the Epsom races, and he was determined to be very careful on the next eccasion. He therefore had the ticket open in his hand, and the defendant must have seen it. There had been a great many complaints, even in his own neighbourhood, where double toll had been demanded on the race days, and as many persons would not come forward to prosecuteithe system fell heavily upon the public. Mr. Ingham was very glad the witness had brought this case before him, as he had heard from the police of grave complaints made by the public of being charged double toll on the race days. He should fine the defendant 20s. and 10s. c( sts on this occasion, but if he ever appeared again the full penalty of N. would be inflicted. The money was immediately paid. Lieut.-Colonel Congdon, Capt. Webb, First Lieutenants Delacombe and Lane, Adjutants Ellis and Fraser, 6 sergeants, and 100 rank and file of the Woolwich division of the Royal Marine Light Infantry wera...yesterday ordered to be in attend ance iu Deptford Dockyard at 2 p.m. to form a guard of honour for the reception of her Majesty on her visit to the Great Eastern. The Queen's co!ours were borne by Lieut. Lane. Colonel Hamilton Fleming, Acting Comteaudant of t h e division, like w i se attended her Majesty at Dept ford. The Admiralty yacht Vivid, in command of Commodore Shepherd, yesterday proceeded to Deptford in the service of the Court. Admiralty instructions were yesterday received by Commodore Shepherd, at Wo:,lwich, to ascer tain the amount of extra moorings necessary to ba laid down at Greenhithe for the temporary station of the seamen's floating hospital Dreadnought, ordered to be removed to a puler atmosphere. The steam-frigate Penelope, 22, Capt. Sir Wil liam Wiseman, arrived at Spithead, yesterday from the Cape of Good Hope, which she loft April 16 ; arrived at St. Helena May 3, and sails d the 7th ; arrived at Ascension the 13th, and sailed the 15th. At St. Helena were the United States corvette Portsmouth, the American barque Chameleon, and the English ship Saladin. The ship Napoleon 111. was under repairs, and about to be hove down. A sad accident occurred on board the Penelope on tiring the salute yesterday noon in honour of her Majesty's Coronation-day. The 8-inch gun at the pert gangway, by some means unexplained, was tired before the man charged with loading it had withdrawn from the muzzle ; the consequence was the man was blown into the sea ; on being re covered it was found that his hand was blown off between the wrist and the elbow. He was sent t.ff immediately in the ship's cutter to Hasler Hospital. The Victor Emmanuel freightship way surveyed at Portsmouth Dockyard yesterday by the medic d and other authorities preparatory to taking in her troops this day for ludia, as before reported. ointments were ma d e yester- The following app day a• . . the Admiralty Captain Sir G. Broke, to the Centurion, vice Captain Fanshawe, invalided • Commander F. H. Stevens and C ommander A. it. Henry, to be In specting Commanders of the Coastguard ; Lieut. F. S. Stevenson, to the Scourge ; Lieut. J. W. James, to the Illustrious, from the Bullfinch; T. 13radbridge, Paymaster to the Scourge ; C. W. Harris, Paymaster, to the Victory ; and E, Loney, ,Ass i stant-Surgeon, to the Omar. military authorities might be obtained, 20 clerks were suc cessively sent down to Weedon, but the accounts for 1856-7 were not yet settled. It appeared that the accounts 1 woß— ati_ P - STREET7—Timothy H owar d an d w of stores kept at W ee d on were most scandalously kept that no day books we re f or th com i ng, and t h at ono and the Sophia Stev ens, nine and seven years of age, were same officer had the receipt and issue of these stores with- charged before Mr. D'Eyncourt, with stealing a out any check (upon him. Captain Gordon was sent to sheet. the property of a washerWonian named relieve Mr. Elliott as storekeeper, and yet the latter re- Mar Connell tamed his higher s a l ar y o f 850/ . a - year. The hon. and . The children, who were c l eanly and decently , y gallant member e n t ere d a t l engt h i nto a statement to show the malp rac ti ces w hi c h h a d b een resorted to • dresz'ed, although belonging to persons in ver y in the way of procuring boots, kits ' and accoutre- humbl e c i rcums t ances, appeared perfectly be meats, oandthe poumch ho bl e arm at a contract price, and wildered as they stood b:.. , fote the m ag istr a t e, an d price. These f ac t s h a d been proved before posing fth at a highly advanced ' their mothers behind them i n tears were almost as , h mittee, and it would b e hi g hly pre j u di c i a l to the public mu" so. service to permit the conduct, of which the storekeeper A sergeant of the H division of poli.'e informed I had been guilty to pass unreproved. The 'committee had the court that the charge was abandoned, and had great difficulties to encounter, and they bad detected them was not any prosecutor. a system pursued at Weedon at once disgraceful and disre- Mr. D'Eyncourt inuired how long they the had putable. He pr o p ose d a comm i ss i on, w i th an efficient q actuary at its bead, whi c h s h ou ld pro b e t h e ev i l to its root. been locked up, an d was to ld th ey h a d been at (Loud cries of " Hear, hear.") i station house since Saturday evening, the time the Mr. C, GILPIN corcrially seconded the motion, thanking charge was preferred. the hon. and gallant member for the promptitude with Mr. D'Eyncourt—Why were they not admitted which he had come forward to correct a gross abuse. He to bail 1 Their par en t s s h ou ld h ave b een sent for. hoped that if an y o p pos iti on was to b e offered to the um • S. , refeant—Theparents were present,i sr, and I lion, it would no t b e on t h e part of any members of the 0 late Government, under whose administration many of used every persuasion to accommodate the facts to these evils of malversation bad occurred. On this inquiry the children's age, but the charge was persisted in, would depend the very principle of administrative reform, and the superintendent thought it better to refuse of which he regretted that much had not recently been bail, as it was a case of felony. The b.)y admitted heard of late. Gen. PEEL had no t th e s li g ht es t i ntent i on to oppose the the theft, motion, but he did not augur those great results from in- Mrs. Howard—Why the boy is strictly honest— quiry which his hon. and gallant friend seemed to antici- the sheet was found afterwards. I offered sixpence pate, He had himself caused inquiries to be made on ac- towards it before then. ceding to his present office, and had ordered that the sol diers should h a v e h ave th e i r ki ts at a proper price. The ' p, and we did system of clothing h a d a l so b een c h anged, (Hear.) He care of child ren were very well taken f at the station, your worship, hoped the commission would do justice to all. (Hear.) He not know under the circumstances what course to had no desire to screen any persons. The department to adopt. which he belonged, indeed, was deeply interested in hay- Chief Clerk—Why, the little things might have ing all these matters conducted satisfactorily. The reports none into fits at being kept from their hom es . he had receiv e d f rom o th er es t a bli s h ments were of a satin- D Mr. D'Evncourt--They certainly should have factory charact er . With regar d to W eedon, he thought,. e the fault lay not in the ordnance regulations themselves, been allowed t o l eave upon b a i l. However, they but roust be ascribed t o th e i r evas i on. (H ear. ) are now in the hands of their parents, who will Mr. A. BARING said that Mr. Elliott had utterly dis- take them home. regarded the ordnance regulations, and the consequence The mothers caressed the youngsters and has. was that the accounts were in a complete state of confu- tuned away. sion. H e h o p e d th e h ouse would suspend its judgment until the commissi on h a d repor t e d . __ Mr. JACKSON thanked the Minister of War for the readiness with which he had granted the commission, that form of enquiry on the spot being the only method of eliciting the truth. (Hear.) Mr. CONINGHAM hoped that justice would be done to Sergeant Brodie, who had been instrumental in bringing about thes e i nqu i r i es . N ext session, he trusted that the system of patronage pursued at the Horse Guards itself would be brought under investigation. (On.) A searching inquiry into the practices m all the public departments would be the only way of securing economy. The Horse Guards must be brought to book. (Oh, oh, and cries of " Question.") Ths hon. member, amidst repeated cries of " Question," said he bad heard it recommended that the Thames should be turned into the Horse Guards--(a laugh) —but he would not turn it on them in its present putrid state. (Laughter.) The Horse Guards must be turned in side out. (Laughter.) Mr. D. NICOLL extolled the conduct of Sergeant Bro die. and The Motion was agreed to. The Chief Justice of Bombay Di 1 was read a third time and passed. The Herring Fisheries (Scotland) Dill was read a second time. CONFIRMATION OF EXECUTORS, Sec., BILL. This bill was read a third time and passed. THE ART UNIONS ACT AMENDMENT BILL. This bill was also read a third time and passed. The house then adjourned at a quarter past one o'clock pations predicted of them. He hoped next session a committee would be appointed an this important sub ject. Sir F. SMITH supported the present system. Every department was doing its best, and he expected groat improvement in the service during the ensuing year. The subject then dropped. GRENEWICII HOSPITAL. Sir C. NAPIER moved that it was the opinion of this house that the sailors and marines in Greenwich Hospital should be allowed to receive their pensions for wounds and injuries in the same manner as officers. Sir J. PAKINGTON asked the hon. and gallant officer to postpone his motion till a later period. His (Sir J. Pakington's) attention had been called to the grievance complained of. It bore particularly on the married men, whose wives, on their going into the hos pital, bad to go into the workhouse. That was a state of things that ought not to exist, and he had caused an inquiry to be made into the subject, and as it was under the investigation of the Admiralty he hoped the hon. and gallant admiral would not press his motion. The regulations required alteration. Sir C. NAPIER expressed his satisfaction at the statement of the right hon, baronet, and withdrew his motion. The motion was then withdrawn. THE PESTILENTIAL STATE OF THE THAMES. Mr. ROUPELL rose to call the attention of the house to the noxious state of the Thames, and to move, " that the house considers it the duty of the executive Government to take immediate measures for abating We dangerous nuisance." The hon. gentleman said the difficulty the house were in arose from their having made that a local which was essentially an imperial question. ("Hear," and "No, no.") If it were not an imperial question, on what principle could they justify the veto they bad given the First Commissioner of Works upon the plans of the Metropolitan Board— (hear) —or how could they justify the levying of the special metropolitan taxes , such as the co a l t ax. t h e duty on omni buses dird_citbs, which amounted to 160,0001. a year, an d other im posts ? (Hear. hear.) He might be told of such towers as Hull, Liverpool, and Birkenhead, and the works of public improvement which had been carried out at the expense of those places. Bat these works had not been effected by direct local taxation, but by taxes on shipping and other similar modes of levying the cost upon the general trade of the country. (Hear.) At the present moment, however, the metropolis was called upon to execute at its own cost great works of public utility. They were told that they must take their sewage to Sea Reach, or to the German Ocean ; and he had no doubt some hon. gentleman would be disposed to have it carried still further. (Question.) Anyhow it was to be a grand work, and to cost money. But how was it possible to raise the sum that would be required, say from 10 to 15 millions, by direct local taxation t They might just as well attempt to raise the whole revenue of the country by an income tax of from 108. to 12, , . in the pound. (Hear, hear.) He was not arguing that the veto of the Government wpm( the plans of the Board of Works should be removed. Oa the contrary, be should look with great suspicion on any proposition of the kind ; and he considered that the late First Commissioner (Sir B. Hall) . deserved great credit for refusing to sanction the plans which had been submitted to him, and which were contrary to the Act of Parliament. (Hear.) He would remind the house that what was wanted was an immediate remedy ; whereas the plans that had been proposed for relieving the remedy would take from five to seven years, in which time half the inhabitants might be poisoned. He should now move hie amendment, with a view to test the feelings of the house ; but on another occasion be should propose that the Thames Commissioner be made permanent, and have power to act in conjunction with the Chief Commissioner of Works and the Board of Conservancy, for the purification of the river and the improvement of its banks. (Hear, hear.) Sir 3. PAXTON, in seconding the motion, observed that the improvements at Birkenhead had been chiefly carried out by himself, and not a farthing had been raised for that purpose except by local taxation, (Hear.) With regard to the Thames, he had spent the whole of Satur day last in investigating the subject, and be had come to the conclusion that a very efficient remedy mig';t be found for at all events the greater proportion of the nui sance. He had communicated his views to Mr. Bidder, who had given his attention to the (milk ct for many months, and Mr. Bidder had told him that the plan met with hie confidence, although it was not a new proposal, but one thet been cornmunictted to the Board of Works last year. It was that lime should be put into the prin cipal sewers at about three-quarteres of a mile from the Thames ; so that by the time it reached the river the se wage would be cerneletely deodorised. To be sure this plan would discolour the water and it would kill the fish. (A laugh.) All deodorising schemes involved the destruction of the fish ; but, after all, what they wanted was that people should not be killed. (Hear.) lie ba lieved that if this plan were adopted, the river woulit in eight and forty hogs be in a very different condition. (Hear, hear.) Lerd J. MANNERS had no intention to enter into the wide question which had been submitted to them by the hon. member for Lambeth ; but the bouse would no doubt like to know what steps would be taken by her Majesty's Government to abate the serious evil com plained of. (Hear.) On Saturday last he (the noble lord) communicated with the Metropolitan Board of Works, and authorised them to apply lime in the man ner the hon. gentleman the member for Coventry bad suggested ; and he bad every reason to hope that the board would apply the remedy without delay, to all the chief sewers of the metropolis, (hoer.) The Goveria meta. had also instructed two oftin..rs of the Board of Health to visit and inspect the docks ; and if these gen tlemen .ho-ild suggest any measures as likely to remove Vie ex s ing evils, the Goverument would be prepared to take whatever step might be ueueseary for that purpose, ( dear.) Solar, however, as they Overeat present informed, It did not seem likely that the state of the docks would have any material effect unoo the state of the river. (Hear, hear.) When the htetropolitan Board of Works proposed to the Government any general scheme which seemed likely to effect the ends they had in view, it would receive immediate consideration, and the Govern ment would not hesitate to afford every facility for carrying that scheme into effect. (Hear, hear.) Mr. TITE hoped that the measures which were being taken for the purpose of affording temporary relief would not hinder the prompt adopdon of a permanent scheme, especially as he could not conceive that they would not fail, The opinion of Mr. Stephenson, Mr. Uubitt, and other eminent engineers was that there west be a great intercepting sewer. There was no help for it—that scheme must be carried out ; and it seemed to him that a much less cumbrous body than the Board of Works would be required. - If the Government would borrow the money and charge it on the rates, he was satisfied that it could be obtained at a very much lower rate of eeet t han +he board could borrow it at themselves. Tee sum be aUUuI;!, .011.1 spread over thirty or forty years, would not add a very serious additional burden to the rates. (dear, hear.) The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the amendment applied to an immediate remedy, and not to works of a permanent character such as those which the hon. gentleman who spoke last had referred to; and it would be extremely inconvenient, by discussing the latter, to stop the committee of supply. (Hear, bear.) He could assure the bonne that so far as immediate remedies went, her Majesty's Government had taken the most vigorous measures. They bad sanctioned, on the previous Saturday, pl a ns wh ic h wou ld require 200 or 250 tons of lime every day, and which could not be carried out for less than 1,500/ a week. Mr. COX announced his intention to take the sense of the house at the earliest day on the question whether the whole cost of the permanent works should he thrown upon the metropolis ? For his own part, he would never consent to tax the metropolitan ratepayers 2/. in the pound for twenty years for the main drainage of Lon don. Mr. BLACKBURN hoped the bon. gentleman would take as early a day as possible. (hear.) It seemed to him only sirnplo justice that the house should refuse to give the inhabitants of the metropolis a single farthing towards cleansing the river which they themselves spoilt. Sir J. SHELLEY said that the inhabitants of the metropolis dii not objeot to pay for the drainage of their own district, but they objected to pay for carrying the eemage five or six miles below that district. He took it for granted that the G.iveroment would pay out, of the Consolidated Fund the 1,50 C/. a week to which the right hon. gentleman had referred, b2causc they had no power whatever to direc:, the Board of Work-, in what way it should expend the money it bad raised by rates. (Hear.) Mr. J. LOCKE agreed with the hon. baronet that the Government could not interfere in the expenditure of the rates raised by the Board of Works. It was clearly a matter of impossibility to levy a metropolitan rate suffi cient for the purification Of the Thames. It would in fact be a c mfiscation of property, as the present rates were so heavy that they had put a stop to all improvements,' If they hail any rate, it should be an imperia; one. How had this nuisance occurred ? Formerly, before this stench arose, London was drained in the ordinary manner by cesspools ; but an act of Parliament was passel compel ling every parish to drain into the river. The House of Commons had done the mischief, and the House of Com mons should find the remedy by levying a fair uniform rate on the whole community. He was swisfied that the various constituencies who were so attached to their members would not grumble at anything thaecontributed to their comfort. Mr. BENTINCK said that the case had now become intelligible. It was clear that the metropolitan members would not consent to a metropolitan, rate, and he on his part could inform them that he and many other members were equally determined that the expense el purifying the metropolis should not be eefrayed . by the general constituencies of the country. He was, however, willing to assist them with a loan, provided its repayment could be secured without the slightest chance of evasion. (A laugh.) Lord EBRINGTON thought the explanation of the Chief Commissioner unsatisfactory and should like to know who was to pay for the present palliative—he feared imperfectly palliative —measures. Lie wa4 glad, however, to see the ircreased interest now evinced on metropolitan affiirs, as he remembered that when the drainage bill was before Parliament it was discussed in houses varying from 9 to 20 members. The motion wa+ then withdrawn. THE SCOREKEEPER AT WEEDON. Col. 130LIZRO then rose to move that an bumble ad. dress be presented to her Majesty, praying that she will be gracioudy pleased to appoint a royal commission to in qinre into the system upon which the books and stock have been respectively kept at Weedon, as well as the general mode i❑ which tho business of the establishment at Woe don has been conducted, the result of such mode of con ducting the business, and the state of the books and stock of strifes. The hon. and gallant member (the chairman of the committee which has sat upon the general subject of army clothing) proceeded to draw attention to the highly unsatisfactory state in which the storekeeper's acconntl had been kept. In order that these accounts might be dis- Qatinglcd, and something like a 'milt satisfactory to the A Country Markets. NE WCASTLE--JuNT 27. A small supply of far mers ' wheat,which went, off readily at is per qr. a dvanc e on l as t Saturda.se s rates. For South ...au y and foreign there is a better d entant l a t rath er more motley. Oats dull. Other articles unchauced, COLCITESTEit— JUNE 26. There was a small supply of English wheat, and the late rates maintained. Very little business done. Beans, peas, and other spring corn fully as dear. Prices to-day wore as follow :---Wheat, white, 465 t 0504; red, 42s to 465; barley, 32s to 363 ; oats, `t 4s to 28s ; beam, Afazagan, 38s to 403 ; middle and small, 42s to 445; peas, white, 42s to 44s ; grey, 44s to 465. Official Statement of the Quantities of Corn, lice, in the port of London, from the following pi June 21 to Juno '26, both inclusive. received )rte, from Colchester Harwich Leigh 513.1d0n. !1326 103 ri, I g 4 4 - 325 - f 640 + llO5 KIRKCALDY —JUNE 26. We had small supplies of wheat and oats to-day, which soli at much the same as last week. Little barley in the 11)Lrkt. First 4 heat. I 28Barley. I Oats. I Beans. W 64 Od sOl 2 , s 61 Os ud Second I I Third 33s Ud —s 01 225 6d I Os ud • COAL t.f.ARKIIII._JUNE 28. Prices of Coals per ton at the close of the market s. CLI Wallsead, ke. Benton West Hartley.l4 0, s. d. Bebside W. Hartley 15 0 B enson. . 14 0 Huddle W. Hartley l5 0 Ed en .14 6 Grey's West Hartley ....14 6 Whitworth l4 6 Tyne Main 12 9 Hough Hall l4 0 Walker Primrose . ..... ...12 0 Hotton l6 6 ; Lambton lt; 0 Walloon& kc. Huuwick l4 0 Acorn Close l4 6 Powell's Duffryn Steam 20 5 Gosforth l3 6 Tees l6 6 Nixon's Duffryu, 2O 6 South Kolloe 15 3 Hartlepool Hettou l5 0 Braddyll ... 15 0 Stew tt t's 16 6 Riddell l3 6 Thorp l6 0 Haswell 16 6 West Hettou South lietton . 1 1 4 6 3 6 Koiper Grainge ...... ...15 6 Ships at market, 144 ; sold, 103 [..4uvEurrsratEzir Pills.—Tnere is no hazard in saying that the popularity of Professor Hol loway's remedies in this country is without a parallel. The instances ia which sick persons professionally con demned t., death have recovered under the operation of these miraele-looking Pills, are so numerous, and well authenticated, that the most subborn incredulity is silenced. Hosts of sufferers from indigestion, liver complaints, nervous debility, disorders of the bowels, epileptic fits, and other diseases have been cured by this unnapreacha,ble medicine, when every other means bad faile(f. The press teems with the testimonial? of the parties, and while we wonder, we are compelled to be lieve.—Soll by all medicine vendors throughout the world ; and at Professor Eol!owey's EstabliShment, 2 9 4. Strand, London. BIRTHS. COOKE —On the 26th init., at Elrufield Lodge, Southall, Lady Cooke, of a (laughter. PONSONBY---On the 27th inst., the Hon. Mrs. Ashley Pousouby, of 29, Rutland-gate, of a daughter. R:PON—On the 2-th inst., at 4, Gloeester-square, Hyde park, the wife of the Lord Bishop of Ripon, of a son. WARDE—On the 25th inst at Stanhope-street, Hyde park-gardens, th e w if e of Colonel Edward Warde, Royal Artillery, of a son. MARRIAGES. BOYES —ASKER— On the 2:th inst., at Trinity Church, Wesibourne-terrace, John Boyes, Esq., of Cornwall terrace, Regent's-park, to Emma Marie, eldest daughter of Samuel H. Asker, Esq., of Norwich. WARREN—BLACKWOOD—On the 26th inst., at Wymering Church, Hants, Frederic Pelham, Commander R.N.. youngest sou of the late Admiral Warren, of East Court, to Annie Charlotte, eldest 'laughter of the late Captain Sir Henry Blackwood, Batt, R.N. DEA TII S. • BEALE OLI the th just., at 60, Marine-parade, Brigh• ton, John Evans Beale, of Plaistow, Essex, F.R.0.E., aged 64. CAMPBELL—On the 27th inst., at 47, Queen Anne.street, Cavendiab-square, Archibald Campbell, Esq., late of the Bengal C.S., aged 72. Cox -On the 27th inst., at Mornington-road, Boge n*. park, Philip Cox. CREATON —On the 25th inst., at 36, Seething-lane. Ma ni " , only daughter of George Creaton, of the Bank of Eng land, aged 5 years. FD , LD—On the Bth April, at Sydney', N. s . vv., suddenly, William Blunt, third son of the late James Field, Esq., of Montagu-street, EISDELL—On the 25th inst., at Enfield, James Er. Eisdell, aged 51. Russ Al-square, aged 34. f Gonvonr: Printed andPuilliaied by MtiltDO YUVLifts of No. 112, Strand. Printer, of Tha Sun Mice, :to 112, Strand, in the lArecinot of the 4evoy, in th e musty of Aliddlotvz, Tuvs• PT. . 1- 1.1)20 29, 1868, ; ta A=.4. ~ /.