The Sun. — London, England, 1855-03-27 00:00:00

on O. do s Oa' ,ofio" 03 , of tttou SUN OFFICE, Seven o'Clock, I AWE [UAL PARL IA ENT. 110 USE OF LORDS.—(THIS EVENING.) T 4 Loine CHANCRLLOR took his seat on the wool ( at fiv e o ' c l ock. rd HATHERTON presented a petition from Rugby 1_ I , o 'ero for the better observance of the Lord's.day. The le rord th en sa id , see i ng hi s no bl e f r i en d oppos it e, h e ged to ask whether the two resolutions in connection I:the speedy trial of offenders—which he saw by the I .e B had b een postpone d s i ne di e — wou ld b e procee d e d tt - t i ri "' and, if so, at what time ! His (Lord Hatherton's) V, e nee Was in o ne o f th e mos t p o p u l ous t owns i n and, and h e was f u lly acqua i n t e d w ith th e ev il s kia g' ing from the existing state of the criminal law. He th": most desi rous t o see some measure i n t ro d uce d f or •14 4 -113 :: speedy trial of criminals charged with petty 111, 1 1 31 'd BROUGHkM said that in consequence of the Est interest felt in the war in which we were kiv't u nfortunately engaged, he found it difficult to obtain ip!etiou either in Parliament or out of door', to a subject it a le li he deemed of the greatest importance. Notwith- It 4 ' 4 1, however, the difficulty which stood in the :3', he intended to persevere in pressing forward the eatiare on the subject, and of either moving for the 1 4 1 ° iatment of a commission, or of a committee, to tire into the whole subject and to report thereon. TREATY WITH SARDINIA. V,e Marq u i s o f BREADALBANE b roug ht u p th e 'Y to the address voted by that house, in answer to I tt lajesty's Message, relating to the convention en lt74 into with the King of Sardinia. The reply of her den ci ). was as follows :—" I thank you for your lo yo yal t ;ntiful address, and for your assurance that u k e en r in such measures as may be necessary to enable th e b , ti ° fulfil the engagement I have, in conjunction with tr., f r ar T ii Pe in r a or of the French, entered into with the King THE PERSEVERANCE. iEarl TAL BOT inquired whether it was true, as was rtecl, that the screw steam ship Persoverance,fwhich 4 b lzet with the accident at the moment she was about 1e launched, had been sold, and at what sacrifice ? 11 Was also a rumour to the same effect with respect I ,_'?o othe r steam-ships that had been purchased. 16.' 44 GRANVILLE said that the Perseverance screw 11 1 ; t4 , - ship had been purchased of the Messrs. Mare, of Nopegyvall, in May, and that the Urgent and another i le , l bad also been purchased. The first of these had L/ been launched, and neither of the three ships had 1 4 hold or o ff ere d f or sa l e. l am 4 ,,.the motion of Lord BROUGHAM, the Ecolesias ‘,ourts Bill was postponed till Friday. MILITIA (IRELAND) BILL. 1F44 p2l NmuRE moved the second reading of this 14; 11 1 e Earl of WICKLOW hoped that as soon as the h o Tassed into a law the noble lord would have the lk ii l, to issue a circular, setting forth in detail what der an d res p ons ibiliti es o f th e m iliti a wou ld b e i' , e o r the e x i s ti ng l aw . lie r cl PANMURE said that as soon as the bill passed ti tet w 'uld notify t o th e L or d-Li eu t enan ts the st a t e o f i t4, i `r, whose duty it would be to take measures for i Th!O generally known. ) 1 111 was then read a second time. 1 t u be De s p a t c h o f B us i ness C our t o f Ch ancer y Bill was • b_lfcl with amendments. heir lordships then adjourned. 1 10t i ,,,_ "'-t; OF COMMONS.—(THIS EVENING.) 4.4 e SPEAKER took the chair shortly before four o'clock. PETITIONS. 4 1 , r •tfIGGINS presented a petition from the Grand k il of Mayo against the Irish Poor Relief Bill. fy,i, P i i i LAyARD presented a petition from Merthyr ,k r against the opening of public-houses on Sunday. I,V SPOONER presented two petitions from places 11,4 the praying the house not to sane kello opening of any public place of amusement on kt i ,; l / 4 1'8, and the other praying for the repeal of Church kkh: No' COBDEN presented a petition from a place in West Riding, praying for the repeal of taxes on A uge. !t1 1 4• STERLING presented petitions from Perth, and Ilak A Places in Scotland, in favour of his Scotch Educe,- 1.11 • Ns • A. PELLATT presented a petition from the O It ti ,e Mien frequenting Denmark-street Chapel, pray gi`rley,ple ab o l i ti on o f Ch urc h rates . thyi 4.4 . PERRY presented a petition from Stonehouse, te e lA$ that no terms may be agreed to which do not l t 4 r 4 ise the claims of Foland. i k I N T REA.DLAM presented a petition from a place b tk , ° jthumberland against border marriages, which tile h 4 a cause of great misery and immorality, praying th,. ° 11 se to pass a bill to prohibit them. Itixte, E ROTHERTON and other hen, members pre- Ititolp`l.Petitions praying for the repeal of the newspaper IL,. THE _SEBASTOPOL COMMITTEE. N ' lr . COBDEN see i ng his hon. and learned fr i end t h e ' e leber for Sheffield in his Place, he wished to ask him Question, viz., wh en i t was the intention of the corn ittee sitting on the state of the army before Sebastopol, l% lay the evid ence which they had taken before the ? He wished also to ask, whether the committee aot consider it proper to print and deliver the :: (I !nce d a il y, seeing that it appeared from day to k 11 n the newspapers, and occasionally in an incomplete iln 7 i4kr. ROEBUCK said the committee had determined I, ti teport the evidence up to the last day of the sitting !1 ) o to East er . O n th e second point, he did not th i nk th'llenefit which would be deri ve d f rom daily p r i n ti ng * e evidence would be worth the trouble and exp e nse it kg necessarily occasion. me FRENCH wished to know from the hon. and k a d gentleman when the committee were likely to I ke their fi na l report ? (A. laugh ) r• ROEBUCK said that was rather a difficult tli o :: /t , i :1 to answer, but he entertained a confident hope 41 0 - ,,, " L,e committee would be able to close its labouis - Y after E as t er , (Hear, hear.) k r CIVIL SERVICE ESTIMATES. ki ttii ; WILSON brought up the Civil Service Esti ', which were ordered to be laid upon the table. THE NAVY. C k te. st ht r‘mo SCOBELL gave notice that early after teit te e t he should move the appointment of a select com ae to inquire into the management of the navy, with ot reporting such reforms as they might deem "'unary. 4ir EDUCATION. ke k PAKINGTON gave notice that on Friday S t me should ask whether it was the intention of the tk i vc, tnsaent to bring in any measure this session to alter " (I nstitution of the Privy Council Board of Education? 4 1 , POSTAGE STAMPS. h t : DUNLOP asked the Secretary of the Treasury "S r arrangements would be made by which parties 4 14 0 Liand and Ireland desirous of having letter paper Ped with the postage sta,mp, would be enabled to btii:„ t hat-done at the Starup-offices in Edinburgh and loch" respectively, or whether they would be required lliOrt to London in order to participate in that privi 'o h t• WILSON replied that such stamps would only e lied at the head-office in London. ARSENAL AT YARMOUTH. E• LACON asked the Clerk of the Ordnance kh,er any report had been received from the corn %:"lt officer of engineers at Harwich, or from any Bent down for the purpose, relative to the arsenal fat k k tinollth ; if so, whether that report recommended nilding to be converted into barracks ; and if it k ott llteaded to have an artillery force stationed at Yar -0 ; further, if it was the intention of the Board of ,4, gi r b o - klee to erect new batteries at the entrance to the ur, or upon any commanding situation in the im ee neighbourhood ? 1. • MONSELL, in reply to the first question, said ' pertl.ll, b a d b een r e ceived condemning the arsenal. To tt, t eond question, he stated that it was intended to Gl 1 ,. °11 Borne militia artillery at Yarmouth ; and in re to; : 0 th e thi r d ques ti on , h e sa id or d e rs had been given l'' 4l : 4l e erection of batteries at the mouth of the river kr INTRENCHMENT TOOLS. • MONSELL took the opportunity of replying to a n put to him the other day by the hon. and learned Ikeuer f or Sheffield. The hon. and learned member • k,asked him whether a commission which sat at the k e 'P at Chobham did not report against the intrench- Mtools which had been sent out to the Crimea. t‘fad made inquiries into the matter, and he found Iti t - ,, 13 „° such commission sat at Chobharn, and conse- V""Y there could have been no such report made -41st the tools. THE MILITIA. 4 enunt CHELSEA asked the First Lord of the %till - 3r whether, a distinct pledge having been given cu e "le 14th day of May, 1854, by the Duke of New. then Minister of War, and an understanding an ti l j' at that m ilit;amen enrolled under the provisions of 1 4 ,aq of 1852 should not be called upon against their Itl 4 4 Sut to serve for more than 56 days in the year dur - Wt period for which they enlisted, the noble lord was tioth hill"a red to give an assurance that it was not the inten . 2f the Government to take advantage of the power pop f h > in the opinion of the law officers of the Crown, was ever rred by the 15 and 16 Vic. c. 50, to subject men, when ' 11 4t`rirolled, to the full obligations imposed by those acts, kii. t .hat some method would be devised to enable such l aalen as express themselves unwilling to serve for ti t i :l e ater number of days in each year than they were 7 na llY made liable to by the terms of their enlistment, e t arn to their homes !be l e ; r4 PAL)iIERSTON said the law was framed by ' l lll - 7w Officers of the Crown, and the Government had .15 tills'ght to require from militiamen comp lete obedience kl4,, at law, but it was quite true that tln-re was a sort of tli m ' e tation h e ld out by bow gation would the late Minister at War tha f . , O bli not be strictly enforced, and the t s lord now S ecretary a t W ar was a b o ut to issue a Riv e , tl 4 6l r to th e militia, the object of which would be to th (i - r ,‘ aa men who enlisted before the act of last year the Ltion of either re-attesting or returning home after days' service. RESTORATION OF FOTAND. Pro t , • 1, HINN rose to move that an humble address he tiotiented to her Majesty, praying that she will be gra ihti'dY pleased to command that, in the. event of nego °,llB being commenced with a view to peace, her Ma cohY envoys should use their best exertions for the re lit'lttution of the kingdom of Poland within its ancient N.d:' as a measure just and necessary in itself, in ac "nee With the ancient policy of this conitry, and as i absolutely essential to the due maintenance of the bae lance of power Europe. He said he owed some apology to the house for introducing so important a subject to its notice, but that apology was to be found in the fact that the claims of Poland were recognised both in and out of doors, by men of station and eminence, while the noble lord at the head of the Government had declared it to be his opinion that the present situation of Poland was a position of menace towards Germany. New were we net at this moment attempting to subdue Sebastopol as a position of menace against Turkey, and also know that the time might come when we should have to resist the designs of Russia upon Germany carried out dirough the instru mentality of Poland. It was too much the custom of the house to slight foreign affairs and to leave such sub jects to be discussed in the press, but the press very often misled the public mind, whereas if foreign affairs were vigilantly watched over by the house— (hear, hear)—there would be no fear of the people being diverted into a dangerous direction, while many disastrous events—such as the war in which we were engaged—would be averted. Had the house in recent times been less neglectful of foreign afTairs the partition of Poland might have been avoided, and probably the designs of Russia upon Turkey defeated without a recourse to arms. (Hear.) But war hail come upon us, and we were now engaged with an enemy of no common order, for the power and ambition of Russia could nut be too much overrated. Since the days of Peter the Great the policy of Russia, indeed the will of the founder of Russian greatness, dis tinctly urged the Czars always to keep in view the one single object of extending the territ iry of Russia to ' the east and the north. This was to be accomplished , by keeping up large standing armies, awl seizing upon every opportunity which might offer for invading Tur key, Germany, or the States of the Baltic ; and how faithfully the successors of Peter the Great observed the terms of his will, that the territory of Russia was more than twice as extensive now than it was in the time of Peter. Russian authority was extending down the Baltic ; Poland hail been lawlessly partitioned by the force of her army, and although she had not yet ob tained the great object of Muscovite ambition, namely, the possession of Turkey, the fears of the Empress Marie Therese were all but realised as far as Austria was concerned ; for Austria was now virtually at the mercy of Russia, and this dangerous position was attributable in a great measure to the neglect of that wise and good Princess's advice, never to allow the independence of Poland to become a sacrifice to Russian ambition. The treaty of Vienna recognised that independence, but subsequently it became manifest that the treaty was a sham which Russia was determined to set aside on the first opportunity. Before the Congress of Vienna, the great statesmen of England, such as Burke, Fox, and Castlereagh, urged their eloquence, and, with the aid of their pens, the vital importance of protecting Poland against the restless and reckless am bition of Russia ; but it was thought the treaty of Vienna would afford the necessary protection, an impres sion which the progress of time had demonstrated to be er roneous. When the proper time came the blow was struck at Poland ; after the first fall of Napoleon an understand in.- was come to between Austria and Russia whereby Poland was to he handed over to the latter, but the escape of Napoleon from Elba completely changed the aspect of European affairs, and Polish nationality was guaranteed upon the condition that its throne should be attached to the Romanoff family. At the second fall of Napoleon at Waterloo the na tionality of Poland was again recognised by the treaty of Vienna, and from that time up to its second partition the policy of France and England was directed towards securing Polish independence. In an evil moment, however, Poland was left to the mercy of Russia and Austria, and she fell a prey to Russian ambition, a fall which both England and France had since seen good reason to deplore. Both English and French statesmen admitted the importance of again obtaining the inde pendence of Poland as a guarantee for the peace and tranquillity of Europe. But, they asked, what would you have us do? What would he have them do, indeed? Why, he would have them stipulate for the restoration of Polish nationality before peace was signed with Russia, and then there would be on record an illustration of what Russia might expect should she ever again attempt to violate the dictates of public law. He might be told that the independence of Poland did not come within the four points, but he would make it a fifth point, and then there would be some security upon which we could safely rest, that Russia would not have it in her power to ride rough-shod over the liberties of Eu rope. Mr. SCHOLEFIELD seconded the motion. Mr. M. MILNES said it was his lot to address the house on this subject when it was brought forward by the late noble-minded Lord Dudley Stuart, and he was anxious to say a few words upon this motion. This was not exclusively a German question, because the independence of Poland was as much essential for the tranquillity of France and England as it was for the security of Prussia and Austria. Russian Poland was one mass of fortifications, and was equally as menacing towards Austria as Sebastopol was towards Turkey. But it was vanity for us to talk of suppres sing either the one or the other unless we did something to change the conduct of the war. The army must be more vigorously seconded and protected against the casualties of the field. The character of the com mand roust be changed ; and when that change should have taken place, and more spirit and vigourintroduced into the War Department, be should have no fears for the success of our arms. That success having been obtained,then would be the time to insist upon Polish nationality, and, the kingdom of Poland being restored on a solid foun dation, there need be no apprehension of the future de signs of Russia upon the tranquillity of Europe. Lord R. CECIL denied that the partition of Poland was a violation of public law, and declared that the territory of England had increased just as much during the last century as that of Russia. He referred to our conquests in India, our achievement's in the lonian Islands and Canada in proof of this assertion, and in sisted that nobody had ever stigmatised England as being guilty of a public wrong, because they took possession of such territories. Lord PALMERSTON could not admit the force of the noble lord's contrast. Our conquests were ever from open enemies, who were opposed alike to our rule and the cause of liberty, whereas the partition of Poland was a gross violation of the rights of a friendly state. With regard to the motion itself, he perfectly agreed with the opening remarks of the hon. and learned gentleman who introduced it, in thinking that it was for the public advantage that foreign affairs should be freely discussed and ventilated in the Commons House of Parliament. The Government felt as keenly as the hon. and learned gentleman the injustice which was done by Russia in partitioning Poland. That was an act at variance with public law and moral right, and he as well as the Government quite concurred with the honourable and learned gentleman that neither Prussia nor Austria received a sufficient remuneration for concurring in that gross act of wrong. As for the motion, however, it was impos sible for this house to assent to it, becau4e it attempted to dictate the terms upon which peace should be re stored. The house could not possibly be in possession of such information as could justify it laying down terms; but if the house had authority to dictate terms, the mo tion did not go far enough. It should go on to declare that Poland ought to be redorel in its original limits, which could not be easily accomplished. It was quite time that the restoration of Poland was not embraced in the four points, but it should be remembered that the present position of Poland was not a new danger, and as it did not arise out of the present war, it could not well be made an absolute condition of peace without the country had first deter mined that it had power to enforce it. He should be sorry if anything he bad said could be construed into a declaration against the claims of Po land, but still he could not assent to the motion, and he hoped now that the hon. and learned member having had an opportunity of easing his mind upon the subject; he would see the expediency of with drawing it. Mr. PHINN assented to this appeal, and the motion was withdrawn accordingly. [LEFT SITTING.] ARMY BEFORE SEBASTOPOL COM-. 1111TTEE.-(TIIIS DAY.) (Continued front our first editiwt. ) Mr. Flower, in continuation, said—To the sick it was generally given out, but not always. When the wet weather set in the illness increased amongst the men. The knapsacks were not given out to the men who were lying wet and sick in the tents. It was a regulation of the service against which strong remonstrances were made. Tha men suffered very severely from the want of change of clothing, winch might have been prevented by giving them their knapsacks. The officers did not suffer a like inconvenience, because they took up their clothing with them. Up to the time he landed in the Crimea, in Sept., till he left in the middle of Dec., nearly three months, the men had not changed their clothing. After the battle of Inkeiruan thera were between 200 and 300 men of his regiment fit for duty out of the 1,020 who were taken out from Ireland, and an additional 100 the regiment received out there. The men were greatly overworked, and exposed to the weather. He had fre quently heard men say that they had to work in the trenches two days and nights out of three. About twice a week the men had tea, at other times coffee. Mr. Layard—How was the coffee served out! Mr. Flower—Always green. Mr. Layard—Howdidthe men roast it Mr. Flower—They roasted or charred it on the top of the camp kettle, and pounded it with a large stone or cannon ball. Mr. Layard—Do you think that was proper for the men ? ....... . Mr. Flower —Oh, no. It was nothing like coffee. It ta , ted more like charcoal and water. Examination continued—He was taken ill, and sent on requisition for removal. That requisition had to go throm4h five different departments for " permission." He remained a week in that state, but the permission never came back, and he was at last removed by order of the medical board. All requisitions for removal of the sick had to go through the same process. While he was in the Crimea his tent was blown down, and ho and his men had to lie op the ground 24 hours. The result was that he was frostbitten, and five of his men died. The sick on being conveyed from the Crimea to Scutari were lying about on the decks without any bed ding. There were 25 orderlies in the ship he was sent over in, but they were all sick, weakly men. The pa tients were in a filthy state, and covered with vermin. Between 20 and 30 died between the Crimea and Scu tari. Some of the patients were landed by means of a steam tug immediately ; others remained three or four sonle [n isei oubtg Lena, Sbsr° Th 6 avious lea rerf 33 the 0 rye li g ultur 11.1 0 OC B ' clovo Per 10. 4 " o wlet 44 " oof J°.`" 3 i , 90 finear, 430 & 00 re , 40 co ',O polo fee • PI ite 11 de 0 -A 1,13V -o,a ; 0 06 160, pyd 5 111 a i° THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, MARCH 27, 1855. days. The whole, of the patients were not cleared out until after the expiration of ten or twelve days. Sir J. Pakington—Do you think the number of deaths in that passage was increased in consequence of the defective arrangements made for their conveyance! Mr. Flower—No doubt. COMMISSION SIGNED BY THE QUEEN, sth or Royal Eltliorpe Light Infantry Regiment of Mid dles2x Militia—At:drew Allan, Gent., late Paymaster and half-pay 9th Lancers, to be Paymaster from the 13th of February, Feb. 13. COMMISSIONS SIGNED BY LORD LIEUTENANTS. 4th or Royal South Middlesex Re g iment of Militia— Edward Warren Golding, Gent., to be Ensign, vice Bayn tun, appointed to 57th Regiment, March 20. Hertfordshire Militia—Alexander George Bax, Gent., to be Lieutenant ; Charles R.ebert Thompson, Gent., to be Surgeon, March 22. _ __..... . Examination continued—He believed that the pa tients were all supplied with food during the passage. He remembered an order which had been issued by Dr. Hall prohibiting the use of chloroform. The impression of the medical men out there was de cidedly opposed to that order. He (witness) always ad ministered chloroform in cases of amputation, both from motives of humanity and as tending to secure the suc cess of the operation. He did not believe that the use of chloroform was dangerous either in gun-shot wounds, or in any other cases. The official return in connection with the Victoria— the vessel in which witness was brought from the Crimea to Scutari—was handed in. It stated that 16 persons died on the passage, but witness said there were many more tha❑ that. He &so denied the accuracy of other portions of the return ; amongst other things, the time occupied in the passage. By General reel—The 63,1 Regiment consisted chiefly of t eernits, and the regiment appeared to have suffered more than any other. He should not have complained of the hardships on the march had they not continued so long afterwards. By Colonel Lindsay—lf the men had been allowed to carry their tents and knapsacks with them, a vast deal of sickness and mortality would have been avoided. Dr. Menzies was recalled—Having explained some mis-statements he made in his evidence yesterday, he proceeded to say, in answer to Lord Seymour, that the reports made to him by Dr. M‘Gregor were not always satisfactory. Occasionally it was men tioned that he had not sufficient assistance in regard to medical men. Some medical men were sent to him from Malta, but he never sent them away with the remark that he did not require their services. They arrived after the battle of the Alma. He did not apply for them, but Lord Stratford recommended him to avail himself of the assistance of any civilians who might offer themselves. His lordship went through the hospital and saw that there was not sufficient medical attendance. He (witness) was aware of that, and had made an application to Dr. Hall and Dr. Andrew Smith. He availed himself of all the asssis tance he could obtain. He had no notes by which he ceuld - tell the dates at which he made the application. Dr. M‘Gregor obtained two private practitioners from Constantinople. Including those who came from Malta, he thought he obtained the services of about seven civilians. When Dr. M‘Gregor took charge of the barrack hospital he made no special report in regard to its condition. Dr. M'Ciregor made several reports, but he could not remember what was the nature of them. He remembered that on one or two occasions he complained of the want of orderlies. He (witness) on inspecting the hospital thought it was not in a proper state of cleanliness, but that there were many difficulties in the way of keeping it in a satisfactory condition. He represented the matter to the commandant, but he had no copy of the letter. Various reports had been made to him, but he had left them all at Scutari. (Laughter.) He had no books here of an official character, or in which he had preserved documents re lative to the discharge of his duties. It was in the month of July last that he communicated with Major Sillery, the Commandant, as to the state of the barracks. The Commandant applied to the engineers' department, and they made the necessary alterations, but the evil could not be remedied. The engineers put it into as good order as they could, but he was always dissatisfied. Mr. Layard—Do you think that when you had made representations as to the state of the hospital you had done your duty, and were justified in then leaving the matter to take care of itself ? Forfar and Kincardine Regiment of Militia Artillery— Robert Tod Boothby, Esq., to bo Captain, Jan. 1 ; James Fitzmaurice Scott, Esq., to be Captain; Thomas Broun, Gent., to be Ensign, March 17. The Galloway Rifles—Robert Duncan :Fergusson, Esq., to be Major, vice Robert Hathorn Johnstone Stewart, Esq., resigned, March 20. Ist Durham Regiment of Militia—Lieutenant John Rus sell Bowlby to bee tptain, vice Maude, deceased ; Ensign George Webb to ha Lieutenant, vice Bowlby, promoted, hlai ch 19. Royal South Gloucester Regiment of Militia—James Coles, Gent., to ha Assistant-Surgeon, vice Hepworth, promoted, March 21. let Regiment of Royal Cheshire Militia—William Vigor Fox, Gent., to be E'isi g n, March 10; Yu Yr Deane Haw trey Parke, Gent., to be Ensign, March 20. 2a Regiment of Royal Cheshire Militia—James Broft Byers, Gent., to be Lieutenant, March 10; William Roe Co,ksou, Gent., to be Ensign, vice Davenport, appointed to Rifle Brigade, March 15. Bedfordshire Regiment of Militia—Lieutenant George Cobb Ledger to be Captain, vice Lindsell, resigned, March 17 • Eneigu John Robert Grayson to be Lieutenant, vice Ledger, promoted, March 19. • 2d Regiment of Royal Busks Yeomanry Cavalry— Henry Small, Gent., to be Cornet, vice Doherty, resigned. Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry Cavalry—Captain Thomas Manders, from the Gth Dragoon Guards, to be Captain and Adjutant, vice Johnson, deceased; Henry Calley, Gent., to be Lieutenant, vice the Hon. George Barrington, re signed, March 13. Royal Wiltshire Militia—Nathaniel Whitchurch Sloper, Esq., to be Captain, vice Heathcote, promoted; John Austin Moultrie, Gent., to be Lieutenant, vice Arthur Austin Moultrie, resigned, March 20. 7th Regiment of Royal Lancashire Militia—John Edward Madocks, Esq., late Captain 13th Light Dragoons, to be Lieutenant-Colonel, March 22; Alexander Gordon Moor head, Esq., late Captain 40th Foot, to be Captain, March 23 ; Charles Edward Leigh, Esq., late 99th Foot, to be Captain, March 24. Dr. Menzies—l could do nothing else. I made fre quent representations as to the condition of the barrack hospital, and pointed out the cause of the nuisances. By Lord Seymour—He knew that some further means were taken to remedy the defects, and he became satis fied after August. He could not say that the barrack hospital was perfectly clean at that time, or that it was free from offensive smells. (Laughter.) Dr. Menzies then condemned the system of cooking adopted at the hospital, which he said was the fault of the purveyor. In reference to the charge which had been made against him, that persons unfit for duty had been sent back to the Crimea, he denied that any blame was attached to him, inasmuch as he had left the whole direction of the matter to another officer. If that officer neglected his duty he ought to be punished. He had no reason to complain of the medical men under his charge, who all did their duty well. He admitted that, in many cases, there was great irregularity in supplying the men in hospital with their dinners and other meals, and no doubt great suffering was the result. He wrote over and over again to the purveyor, but he would not obey his orders. At ten minutes before four the committee 'adjourned until to-morrow. THE LONDON GAZETTE. (TEI IS EVENING.) LORD CHAMBERLAIN'S OFFICE,. MARCH 13. Notice is hereby given, that her Majesty will hold a Drawing-Room at S. James's Palace, on Thursday the 29th instant , at two o'clock. LORD CIIAIIIBERLAIN'S OFFICE, MARCH 27. Notice is hereby given. that the State Apartments of Windsor Castle will be closed on mud after the 28th in stant, until further orders. FOREIGN-OFFICE, MARCH 2G. Thc.-. Queen has been pleased to approve of Signor Ales sandro Wendling as Vice-Consul at Malta for his Majesty the King of the Two Sicilies. FOREIGN-OFFICE, MARCH 27. The Queen has been pleased to approve of Mr. Bernhard Hebeler, as Consul-General in London for the Free City of Frankfort. DOWNING-STREET, MARCH 26. The Queen has been pleased to appoint Ker Bailie Ha milton, Esq , now Governor and Commander-in-Chief in and over the island of Newfoundland and its dependencies, to bo Governor and Commander-in-Chief in and over the islands of Antigua, Montserrat, Barbuda, St. Christopher, Nevis, Anguilla, the Virgin Islands, and Dominica. Her Majesty has also been pleased to appoint Charles Henry Darling, Esq. , late Lieutenant-Governor of th e colony of the Cape of ,Good Hope, to be administrator of the Government of the Island of Newfoundland, and its dependencies. WHITEItALL, MARCH 26. The Queen has been pleased to present the Rev. George Stewart Burns to the chuxch and parish of Orr, alias Urr, in the stewartry of Kirkcudbright, and Presbytery of Dumfries, vacant by the death of the Rev. George Mack wight Burnside. WAR-OFFICE, MARCH 27. Scots Fusilier Guards—Captain John Scott, from the nth Foot, to be Lieutenant and Captain, by purchase, vice Bulwer, who retires, /larch 27. 79th Regiment of Foot--Lieutenant Philip Percival to be Captain, by purchase, vice Scott, promoted in the Scots Fusilier Guards, March 27. Rifle Brigade—David Alexander Gordon, Gent., to be Ensign, without purchase, March 21. BREVET. The undermentioned Officers of the East India Com pany's service to be promoted to a step of local rank in Turkey while employed in the Turkish Contingent Force : LIEUTENANT-COLONEL TO HAVE THE LOCAL RANK OF COLO:TEL IN TURKEY. Jams George Neil, tat Madras European Regiment., MAJORS TO HAVE THig LOCAL RANK OF LIRIIT:ENANT COLON ILLS IN TURKEY. Stephen James Stever ie , C. 8., Bombay Retired List. Charles Hunter, Born bay Retired List. Do lienzie James Brett, 3d Madras European Regiment. John Holmes, 12th B , srnbay Native Infantry. George Pow e l Thomas, 3d Bengal European Regiment. George Fleetwood Ch arks Fitzgerald, Bengal Artillerry- William Munton Go nthorpe, 6th Madras Native la fantry. Richard Crewe, 45th Madras Native Infantry. John Bartleman, Ben gal Retired List. CAPTAINS TO HAVE THE LOCAL BANK OF MAJORS IN TURKEY. George Miller, Benga I Retired List. Charles Lloyd Edwar kis, Bengal Retired List. Walter Richard Barn RS, half-pay Bengal Establishment; Roger Montague Nor th, Madras Retired List. William Borlase Ste rens, Retired Madras Artillery. George Travers Saye r Carruthers, let Madras N.I. Edward. William Bo adier, 51st Madras N.I. Charles William Du Mir ' Bengal Retired List. James Edward May ne, Madras Cavalry. William Charles Alexander, 10th Bengal Cavalry. James Grant Stephen, Sth Bengal Native Infantry. Henry Stanley, sth Bombay Native Infantry. Reginald Best Brett, Bombay Artillery. Edward Wray, Bonabay Artillery. Edmune 1 Walter Chickeley Plowden, Bengal Retired List. Roland Richardson, 3d Bengal Light Cavalry. Albert , :leorge Austen, Bengal Artillery. LIEUTENt INTS TO HAVE THE LOCAL RANK OF CAPTAINS IN TURKEY. Marcus Augustus Garstin, 73d Bengal Native Infantry. Archibs Id Hamilton Campbell, 9th Bengal Native Inf. Felix: A ug. V. Thurburn, 14th Bengal Native Infantry. Edwaxi Henry M. Owen, 28th Madras Native Infantry. Alfred Louis Rishton, Ist Madras Native Infantry. Wm. _Uferbert Cuming, lit Madras Native Infantry. Henry , Francis, Bengal Artillery. Donal,d M`Neill, Bengal Artillery. Geori :e Milligan, Bengal Artillery. Edast tnd Smyth, 13th Bengal Native Infantry. Willi am Wylde Browne, 9th Bombay Native Infantry. Arth ar Broome, 28th Madras Native Infantry. Willi am Walker, Ist Bombay Grenadiers. John laillie, 26th Bengal Native Infantry. Charlf is C. Muson, 48th Madras Native Infantry. Charle s P. Lucas, 47th Bengal Native Infantry. Charli Desborough, Madras Artillery. Audit )w Robert Clephane, 24th Madras Native lON. retry Edwa rd Bannerman Ramsay, 31st Madras Nativ ae In fantry. Chart es Armstrong, 14th Bengal Native Infantry. Hour , James Harness, 10th Madras Native Infar . try. Willi am A. Armstrong, 3d Bombay European Re 4; invent. Char' LOS Shuckburgh Hearn, 26th Madras Na Live dantry, Robe rt Charles Battiscombe, Bombay Artillery. Churl es Wyndham, 9th Bengal Light Cavalry. Char , es William Quin, 2d Bengal Light Cavalry . Char;ru George Brodie, 25th Bengal Native In feentry. Freda- rick E. Gammell, Bengal Artillery. Henry :fohn Revell Low, 40th Bengal Native In 'Autry. R ichsa - c'i Surtees Sherwood, Ist Bombay Light C i valry. Willis. , a Matthew Grierson, Bengal Light Infant ry. James Hastie, 2d Madras European Regiment. T. 33 Heathoru, Bombay Artillery. Ancl rew Hugh Bogle, Bengal Artillery. 'xagh George Robison, 3d Bombay European R et :iment. SS clney Henry Jones Parry, Ist Madras Europe` ui Regt. D slivers James Smith, Gth Bombay Native Infa, atry. S itcoNp LIEUTENANTS TO HIVE THE LOCAL RANK: , OF LIEUTENANTS IN TURKEY. ▪ 'illiam H. Malden, Bombay Artillery. award L. Hawkins, Bengal Artillery. G oarge Julius Glanville, 2d Bengal Fusiliers. II nugorford Deedes Jackson, Bengal Artillery. E Reign Charlei Garrett Smith, Bth Madras Native flf• IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT is proportionate to the services that their troops have been called upon to perform. (Hear, bear.) The vote was then agreed to, and the house resumed. NEWSPAPER STAMP BILL. Petitions in favour of the abolition of the newspaper stamp were presented by Mr. Cowan, from Edinburgh ; by Sir J. Shelley, from Westminster and other parts of the metropolis ; and by Mr. Hudson, from the printers and newsvendors of Sunderland. Mr. MILNER GIBSON presented a petition from the proprietors of the Illustrated London News, praying that the Newspaper Stamp Bill be passed immediately; and another from the principal publishers in London, includ ing the Longmans, Murray, Hurst and Blackett, Chap man and Hall, and Bentley, praying that printed matter might be passed through the post at the rate of ld. per four ounces. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved the second reading of the bill. Mr. DEEDES, in rising to move the amendment of which he had given notice, that the second reading of the bill be postponed till after the Chancellor of the Exche quer had made his financial statement, said that when the right hon. gentleman introduced to a committee of the whole house those resolutions upon which he based this bill, he had not the good fortune to be present, and had not, therefore, the advantage of hearing the ,argue monte used by the right hcn. gentleman upon that occa sion; but on referring to the usual channels of informa tion to ascertain what had passed he was forcibly struck by the very slight encouragement which the right hon. gentleman obtained from those who followed him in the debate. It appeared to him as if every one who spoke had some stone to cast at the right honourable gentle man, and was exceedingly anxious to point out to him that his proposed measure was not wanted by the count's gene rally. If the right hon. gentleman had taken the advice tendered to him upon that occasion, and had abstained from interfering in the way of legislation in this matter, instead of following the course which his predecessor had laid down for him, he would have escaped the difficult and delicate task which he had imposed upon himself; both that house and the country generally would have con sidered him perfectly justified in adopting that course, and he would have lived to survive any attacks which might have been made upon him from Manchester or elsewhere. The observations which the right hon. gentleman was re ported to have made at the conclusion of the debate fur nished a complete answer to the necessity or advisability of bringing forward the measure which he had now sub mitted to the consideration of the house. He based the necessity of dealing with the question upon certain resolu tions passed unanimously during the last session, at the instance of the right hon. gentleman the member for Man chester. But what did he say with regard to the financial part of the question ? His remarks upon that point were an answer to any necessity he might have felt for introduc ing the measure at the present moment. He said—" If we had at this time a surplus revenue, and if the expenditure of the country did not greatly exceed its revenue, the newspaper stamp would have a fair claim to enter into any repeal or readjustment of taxes, and those who ob ject to it might claim that its repeal should have pre cedence in any financial scheme. This, however, is not the financial state of the country, and, if the house should decide in favour of this measure, it would be my duty to call upon them to provide for the deficiency of the revenue by some other mode of taxation." (Hear, hear.) The right hon. gentleman went on to say :—" It is my duty to inform the house that the estimate of persons of authority as to the loss of revenue must not be taken to be less than 200,0001. Such a loss of revenue is no doubt inconvenient at the present moment. On the other hand, the house will bear in mind that, to refuse to repeal the stamp would be to recede from the unanimous resolution which it agreed to last session, and will render necessary the passing of some measure declaratory of the law." Now, nobody would argue that any resolution of that house should lightly be passed over; but every one must admit that there was a fitting time for dealing with important public questions, and the great objection to this bill was that it had been introduced at an improper and inopportune time. (Hear, hear.) Perhaps the terms of his amendment would indicate that his objection to the measure was entirely confined to the'financial part of the question ; but he was strongly impressed with the conviction that the bill was open to far more serious objection in other respects. He considered clause 1 to be the very pith and marrow of the bill. The subsequent provisions referred to matters of detail, but clausal provided that there should be no fur ther compulsory stamp duty for any newspaper, that there should be no further compulsory registration, and that there should be no further declarations. All these were matters which had been enacted for the purpose of preventing un 'air attacks being made in newspapers upon private charac ter, of raising as much as possible the character of the pub lications in question, and of offering a remedy if abuses should exist ; but now they were no longer thought to be necessary. He confessed that he looked with considerable dread to a relaxation of the law which would enable any person so minded to pander to the vices and prejudices of those whom he might call ignorant and uneducated, and therefore not able to discriminate between right and wrong. He had seen, within the last dayor two papers and writings of the description to which he alluded, and he should be very sorry to see them multiplied in this country. (Hear.) Again, he objected entirely upon principle to taxing infor mation by the inch ; and because any one paper should have taken more trouble and gone to more expense to get information which was palatable to its readers and to the public, he saw no reason why it should be called upon to pay a heavier tax than a paper which catered less for the public amusement or instruction. Was the present sys tem so faulty as to require amendment ? If so, was it immediate amendment that was necessary, or was the amendment proposed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer likely to meet the evil. He was quite ready to admit that there were in the present system faults which required amendment, and that there were anomalies to which it would be desirable to put an end ; but he denied that they existed to such an extent as to render it necessary for the Chancellor of theEschequer to devise at present a plan for the express purpose _of removing them. At some future -line they might well be considered ; but he did not think that the present measure was calculated to remedy those evils in a manner that would be fair and just to existing intore.sts. He was one of those who had frequently thought that the press of this country sometimes overstepped the ' bounds of discretion, and had made unfair attacks upon pri vate character ; ho believed, too, upon a recent occasion that letters and statements had been sent from the seat of war which were highly coloured and exaggerated ; but still he was convinced that, on the whole, this country was greatly indebted to the press for the exertions it had made to pro vide the public with information from the Crimea ; and he thought they would have reason to regret if the press should not in future have the power of following their vo cation in that respect. In dealing with this question he could not altogether disregard the general subject of edu cation. There were at the present moment on the table of the house two bills relating to that subject. He under stood they were to be referred for consideration to a select committee, and if, as he suspected, the tendency of this bill would be to give, rise to publications of a licentious and immoral nature, he should like to have the opinion of that committee before he ventured to consent to the pass ing of such a measure. There was another point which he considered of great importance—the question of copyright. Here he had the valuable opinion of the late Chancellor of the Exchequer to stand him in - .aid. The right hon. gee-. OF COMMONS—YESTERDAY. tleman said upon that subject :—" There is another THE SARDINIAN CONTINGENT. point which is not a matter of indifference to me— ; Continued front our third edition of last evening.) • namely, the question of copyright for the protection Mr. GLADSTONE was anxious that the question of literary property in newspapers. I don't wonder, before the house should be placed on a proper footing, so far as we know anything of the plan of my right and trusted that no comment in another form would hon. friend from his explanation to-night, that he has not n included eedi pLh a is m b a i t ll te a r rT vi clauses referenceupo n this i swshui ch t t . would think, u lf e place it in an unjust light. (Hear, hear.) Sardinia had peculiar claims upon our sympathy and respect. very difficult to devise a plan. At the same time lam In times far more favourable to the freedom of consti- under the impression that the proprietors of newspapers, tutional Government, at times when other coun- in many cases, entertain great anxiety that the provisions tries had as it were freedom within their grasp of the law with respect to the protection of literary pro and lost it again—when retrogression marked other perty should undergo special consideration, and should, if nations, Sardinia, a country amongst difficulties practicable, receive some extension with a view to the pro almost insuperable, succeeded in establishing the bless- tection of literary property in newspapers. Undoubtedly, ings of a free doverninent. He thought his hon. so far as the article that is most strictly called "news" is ourable friend the member for Malton was quite jus- concerned—for instance, the communication of facts, tilled in commenting upon the happy union between which may generally be comprised within a very brief that country and our own , while he thought t he case space, and the language, the outward shape and form of attem which can be varied almost at will—l d 3 not how you are red to be set up by the hon. gentleman who had to introduce any,further provisions -than the law at pre just sat down against the financial character of Sardi sent contains ; but I have understood from some persons nia had not been by any means clearly established. He who ought to be well informed on the subject that the admitted that all questions of this nature ought to be great anxiety of those who think this question worth con regarded with jealousy by this house ; but he held that sideration in the press as it stands, is not so much directed the present was a loan and not a subsidy. In answer to the protection of their_ news' difficultl,etl Ei t O o ca r ll o ed,:vh a i s cl t a o , to Mr. Bowyer's calculations, he would only ask in in poi nt of fact, it would b m v.ry ore fairly be called their what instance that country bad ever failed in fulfilling the p rot ection . of what - may lite its obligations I rary compositions, for examp.e, the leading articles in their newspapers, and especially. as regards the London press, Mr. ADDERLEY objected to the resolution, and the communications of their foreign cerrespondents. Now, could regard this money in no other light than as a loan. I for one am very anxious that, either in the plan of my It would' be much better to draw auxiliaries from our right hen. friend, or in some other effective form, this Canadian and other colonists than any foreign country question should be brought to a settlement." If the right whatever. honourable gentleman were in his place he would ap- Mr. SINNAIRD complained that hon. gentlemen peal to him to say whether the question of copyright was opposite were now pursuing the very course of dispa- dealt with in the bill before the house. There was no raging foreign aid which had already rained the forma- protection whatever to newspaper proprietors in that mea tion of the foreign legion. sure. The words with which the late Chancellor of the Mr. DISRAELI denied that the neglect in embody in g Exchequer concluded this part of his sp eech were so strong that he could not resist quoting them They were :—" I the militia was owing to the Government of w h ich he do not venture to prejudge this question, but I would ven was a member, and reiterated his former arguments, ture to express a hope that, in endeavouring to carry out the principle of the freedom of the pres s , my right hon. that it was owing to the mismanagement of the Govern friend will not be indisposed to take int o ' his favourable ment, the di-regard of the militia, and the neg le c t of the regular army, that these foreign troops were now wanted. consideration any reasonable proposition which may be After some further personal explanations from Lord made to him for the improvement of the law of copyright, PA.LIIEBSTON and Mr. Bowrzn respecting the militia, in order that we may not run any risk of breaking down Mr. J. BALL controverted the statements of Mr. that system under which the highest talent in the country Bowyer respecting the finances of Sardinia, and stated, is largely applied and advantageously devoted to supplying from his own knowledge of the country, that though the public with intelligence, and to the discussion of that there were at prese nt some financial difficulties the y t intelligence. I must confess that I should regard the de sruction. f at syste as a üblims were of a'purely temporary character , and were rapidly fortune which I th am the l e es dui' p p osed c to l inear, because ' I disappearing. do not look upon it as a natural or necessary consequence Mr. COBDEN would yield to no one in admiration of the important measure of emancipation which is now of the constitutional government of Sardinia, whose contemplated by her Majesty's Government." In looking progress in civil and religious lib e rty he had long watched over the present bill he was compelled to conclude that the with intense interest, but he confessed he felt that her misfortune which the late Chancellor of the Exchequer de present step was not a wise one. He could not under- precated was likely to occur. A great improvement had stand why Sardinia, which was always regarded as an taken place in the general tone adopted by the press ; 117 1 0 e quipoise to Austrian power in Italy, should be dragged for that reason, among others, he thought it ought to d wee - into the war before Austria fired a shot. But mere than by the Atter protected. He remembered when . day after day, an le after week, prosecutions were instituted all, he could not understand why this convention should have been entered into at a moment when the prelimi- to the country; and he should nay-General, on the part of the Crown against publica tions that were a disgrace nary negotiations had made such progress that within a be exceedingly sorry to see those p ublications revived. week we might have a certainty of peace. He wished to Ho believed that the country at large was satisfied with know whether the noble lord had taken the precaution the law as it now stood, and ho submitted that, of withholding the( money if the expenditure was rendered unless under very favourable c ircumstances , thee o x g i e s t t h in; unnecessary by the establishment of peace ? question. arrangem ents ought not to be disturbed. Entertaining Mr. M. MILNES repeated substantially the same t hese g eneral objections to the bill, he might be asked why question. did not movo the rejection of the measure alt Lord PALMERSTON said this treaty was made with His answer to that was , that he did not wish to embarrass its Sardinia on the supposition that the Sardinian contin • th e Government at the present moment, wh en most distinguished members was engaged atVi n en e of c o nferences of vital importance to the w or ld . H e came gent would have to go to the seat of war to carry on ; now to the more immediate subject of hi s amendment--- in conjunction with the British army during the war. This million of money wee, by the terms of , the financial view of the question. H ere b e m u i the convention, to be advancel in two halves—one as say th a t he was at a l oss t o i magine on whatground soon as possible after the assent of Radiant, nt had been his proposition could be opposed. H e hadalready asked t given, and the other at the end of six months. Of course the opinion of the Chancellor of the Exchequer himself as the laipossibilit of abolishing the the Sardinian Government wanted money to meet the to the present condition of the finances of the country, and greater expense incurred by an assay in the field as coin. out calln u some other Y a-oasuing nowspwer stamp wit, l l 2; - pared with that incurred hyena stationed at home. Some t o h;3 people to in a k tax, right o i e n d bliacrioenne? the of this expense must have been incurr ed in p re p arin g member for Portsmouth, xiona The haao filled the office of the contingent for the field. If peace should be made Chancellor of the before the army bad embarked , only a certain por tion of the expense would have been incurred ; should the revenue at a nester of a million, and remarked, "The Chancello r o f th e Exchequer has fairly told you that if you it reach the seat of war, a still larger portion of that pass this measure he inust of necessity propose some other expense must be met ; and so on in proportion to taxation to compensate for the sum it is proposed should be the time for which it serves. The only answer I can lost. Well, then let us know what is the taxation which' give is, therefore, that, if peace should be inade the right hon. gentleman will propose in lieu." t Surely that reasonable. proposition. These were not earlier than the treaty contemplates there will naturally be a fresh arrangement between the two Governments, i • wh ichthe house b • w ei a m s e a nfairanti “ large sums Of money should be thrown without eing told how the deficiency was dependent on the particular moment at which peace shall i t L o w : 3 ; made up. The right hon. baronet then proceeded to be made. I cannot imagine that the Sardinian Govern- speak of the details of the measure, and he said :—" I will ment would wish to throw on us a greater burden than not now enter further into details of the plan which the HOUSE OF LORDS-(YESTERDAY.) Earl GREY presented a petition from Somerset, praying the house to adopt prompt measures for the speedy restoration of peace. POSTAL ARRANGEMENTS WITH AUSTRALIA. The Earl of HARDWICKE rose to present *a petition from the Australian Postal Association complaining of, and calling attention to, the unsatisfactory state of the postal arrangements with Australia. The noble earl said that in 1851 contracts were entered into for the conveyance of letters to Australia by the overland route, in connection with the steamers of the Oriental Steam Navigation Com pany, and also by steamers by the Cape of Good Hope, the former route being travelled in GO to 65, the latter in 61 to 70 days. This arrangement continued till the commence ment of the war. The postal revenue obtained from the communication with Australia was 90,0001. a year ; the value of the exports to that country in the year 1853 was 14,506,5321. ; but at the present moment the postal com munication• was stopped ; that was to say, it was carried on only by sailing vessels ; and the consequence was that the communication, which formerly occupied six weeks, now occupied four or five months. The petition which he had presented admitted that there had been a derange meat of the steam communication on this side of the Isthmus of Suez, but denied that env en h arrangement had occurred on the other side of that i.thmus, and asset ed that therefore so far as that part of the route was con cerned, the regularity heretofore observed might have been maintained. The petitioners stated th a t th ere ex i s t e d in Australia several companies possessing s hip s we ll adapted for the conveyance of mails, and they prayed their lordships to take into consideration the injury sus tained by the general interests of the colony from the suspension of mail communication, and to address her Majesty, praying her Majesty to direct arrangements to be made for the re-establishment of that communication Whatever difficulty might exist in carrying on the postal service as it was carried on before, he thought that difficulty might be met in the same manner as it had been met with regard to other colonies, and he saw no reason why the colonists should not be permitte 1 to set up a postal communication of their own. (Elear.) Lord CANNING said there could be no doubt that the subject was one of great importance, both to the mercan tile interests of this country and to the interests of the colonists, and deserved every consideration. He thought, however, that the noble earl had been led into some little error by the allegations in the petition. The statement with regard to the postal communication producing 90,0001. a year was made from an insufficient knowledge of the facts. So far from that being the produce of the postal TOVeIIIIO-__ The Earl of HARDWICKE observed that 90,0001. was the gross revenue, out of which the postal service was carried on. Lord CANNING said that that statement was very far from being accurate. It appeared from a report laid on the table last session that the amount received two years ago was not half that sum. About six months ago a consider able diminution took place, in consequence of the reduc tion in the colonial postage, the reduction in the case of Australia being more than one-half, and the whole amount of postal revenue received from the Australian mails, during the last six months, was not more than at the rate of 36,000/. a year. Now with respect to the offer of the packet owners to contract. A proposal was made to him, some time ago, to enter into an engagement, or give an undertaking to a company not possessing a steam or sail ing vessel, that the Government would enter into a contract with them, on their constructing steam or sailing vessels for the purpose of carrying the mails. Now, the adoption of such a course of proceeding would not only have been rash on the part of the Government, but it would have been unfair to other companies. The principle on which the Go vernment had hitherto acted had been not to entertain pro posals from companies whose means of performing contracts were not in existence. (Hear, hear.) The reason which had led to the suppression of the Australian steam service was very evident. War was a hard taskmaster, claiming the application of every possible resource. Little more than two years ago there were in existence two lines of steam communication with Australia, but last year the require ments of the war had caused steamers to be drafted, from all steam companies, and from the two Australian com panies especially. It so happened that at that time he was in communication with the Peninsular and Oriental Company, with the view of increasing their bi-monthly communication, which would have given 18 instead of 12 mails in the course of the year ; but the demands of the war were so urgent that further sacrifices were demanded from the company. Australia was not the only colony which had suffered. Eight vessels had been taken from the Peninsular and Oriental Company for the transport of troops and stores. The company which carried the mails to the Cape of Good Hope had given up seven of their vessels. Cunard's line had given up eight. At this mo ment there were not fewer than from 27 to 20 large postal steamers employed by the Government for the purposes of the war. He was far from saying that Australia had not suffered more than the other colonies ; but the Go vernment had no resources to fall back upon but the old sailing vessels. The Government were so conscious of the injuries which had been inflicted on the Australian colonies that notwithstanding the exigencies of the war, they were in communication with parties most likely to be able to supply the deficiency, and inquiries had been made of the Peninsular and Oriental Company as to the terms on which they would consent to supply certain accommodation, and the time which they would require to enable them to do so. He did not look to the existing arrange ment as a permanent one. He thought the petition had been drawn up in ignorance) of what was really practicable. He did not believe there were more than one or two steamers in Australia able to take the long voyage. The noble earl had fallen into an error with regard to the dif ference of time consumed in the voyage between sailing vessels and steam vessels, stating that it now took four or five months to write and receive an answer between Aus tralia and England, whereas formerly not more than five or six weeks were required. Nov there was no case of which he was aware in which the post had travelled be tween the two extremities in that time. The Earl of HARD WICKE remarked that the voyage which was formerly performed in Six weeks now took 3 months. Lord CANNING said that by the Cape line the average passage was from eighty-five to ninety days. Notwith standing the pressure on the finances of the country, it was the intention of the Government to re-establish au efficient steam communication with Australia, but ho hoped that the Australian colonies, and those persons who had influence in their councils, would manifest a litCe patience in the matter, and show theuisolVe.3 willing fur a time to endure the inconvenience which they had experi- enced. The Earl of HARDIVICK E said ho understood the dif ference between sailing and steam vessels varied from 61 days to 90 or 100 days. He believed the Australasian Steam Company was in possession of twenty steamers in Australia, many •f them as large as 700 or 800 tons. The subject then dropped. DESPATCH OF BUSINESS (COURT OF CHAN- CERY) Their lordships went into 'committee on this bill, The bill was reported without amendments, and Their lordships adjourned at twenty-five minutes after seven o'clock. BANKRUPTS. Charles Viner, Henry Viner, George Viner, and Joseph John Viner, plumbers and glaziers, Brighton, to surrender April 5, at eleven, and May 10, at twelve, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Bell, official assignee, Coleman-street-build ings ; Linklater, Sise-lane. James Churchyard, builder, Lothian-terrace, Brixton, April 5, at two, and May 8, at twelve, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Johnson, official assignee, Basinghall-street; Ashursts and Morris, Old Jewry. George Tid, corn dealer, Codicote, Hertford, April 5, at twelve, and May 8, at eleven, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Bell, official assignee, Coleman-street buildings ; Crosley and Armstrong, Lombard-street ; Simpson, St. Albans. Mark Boyd, share broker, 4, New Bank-buildings, City, April 14 and May 11, at half-past one, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Whitmore, official assignee, Basinghall street ; Harris, Moorgate-street. James Lord, oil and colourman, Caledonian-road, April 13, at half-past twelve, and May 4, at one, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Whitmore, official assignee, Basinghall street ; Carpenter, Temple. Wm. Wilkins, licensed victualler, Clerkenwell, April 4, at half-past two, and May 19, at twelve, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Nicholson, official assignee, Basinghall street ; Pyke, Lincoln's-inn-fields. James Hargreaves Nuttall, merchant, Liverpool, April 19 and May 11, at eleven, at the Liverpool District Court. Turner, official assignee, Liverpool; Lowndes, Robinson, and Bateson, Liverpool. John Hughes, builder, Toxteth-park, Lancashire, April 12 and 30, at eleven, at the Liverpool District Court. Cazenove, official assignee, Liverpool; Owen, Liverpool. James Jones, woollendraper, Birmingham, April 7 and 27, at eleven, at the Birmingham District Court. Bittle ston, official assignee, Birmingham ; Baker, Birmingham. Moritz Grumpel Cohn, pawnbroker, Great Bridge, Staf fordshire, April 11 and 30, at half-past ten, at the Bir mingham District Court. Bittleston, official assignee, Birmingham; Payn, Birmingham. Henry Nathaniel Byles, trawer, Gosport, April 4, at half-past twelve, and May 5, at half-past one, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Pennell, officio' assignee, Guildhall-cham bers; Taylor and Collisson, Great James-street; Wilson, Salisbury. _ _ Phileriion Edwards, builder, Lower-street, Islington, Ayril 4, at eleven, and May 5, at one, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Nicholson, official assignee, Basinghall street ; Laurance, Plows, and Boyer, Old Jewry-chambers. George 'Hoffmann, brewer, Park-terrace, Park-road, Clapham, April 4, at half-past two, and May 2, at half past one, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Graham, official assignee ; De Jersey and S on , St. A nn ' s -l ane , City. Robert Barbor, rosin distiller, Deptford, April 17, at two, and May 8, at twelve, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Lee, official assignee, Aldermanbury ; Nicholl, Essex street, Strand. William Cornish, grocer and draper, Great Thurlow, Suffolk, April 4, at half-past one, and May 8, at eleven, at the Court of Bankruptcy, Stansfeld, official assignee; Sole, Turner, and Turner, Aldermanbury. George Beresford, carver, gilder, &c., Wych-street, Strand, April 4, at twelve, end May 8, at half-past twelve, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Graham, official assignee ; Levy, Arundel-street. Wiliam Gibson, innkeeper, Alford, Lincolnshire, April 18 and May 9, at twelve, at the Leeds District Court. Carrick, otliuial assignee, Hull; Brackenbury, Alford, Lincolnshire. _ _ _ Thomas Hastings Irwin, &hare broker, Southport, April 11 and May 11, at'eleven, at the Liverpool District Court. Bird, official assignee, Liverpool; Lace, Rigge, and„ Roscoe, Liverpool. SCOTCH SEQUESTRATION S. James Bruce al.ll Co., coal merchants, Paisley. Bannerman and tlorrii, merchants, Glasgow. Addison and Sta.)lcs, carriers, ;: eith. • John Strathern, commission merchant, Glasgow. John Dick, carter, Glasgow. John Jack, grocer, Uddingston, Lanarkshire. Wm. W. Mansell, commission merchant, Glasgow. Salellie, Brothers, cartwrights, Patrick. COURSE OF EXG Amsterdam . 11 18 TANGS.—Tuts DAY. GibrMtar ...... • • • • • • •• Lt , gl:orn .......... • 30 50 Genoa 3411 , in Venice.. • • •• • . • • ...... Naples • • • • . • • • Palermo .• • l3l 'Messina. ... . 131 Lisbon .......... • • 533 Oporto .... •• • • • • • • •• • • 53 ! , i Rio Janeiro...... • • .... Buenos Ayres.. •• • • •• •• New York,6o days' sight Ditto, three mouths ll 19 1 , Rotterdam ll 19 Antwel p ........ •• • • • • 25 41 Brussels Ilamburgh .......... - - 13 7ix Altona • • • • • • •• 06 •• •• • • -- Paris. .. Ditto, three months 25 47;,,i Bourdeaux . •• Frankfort•on Maine ..., 119 Berlin • • •• .• •• • • • • • • • • •-••-• Vienna .......... • • .... 12 40 Trie5te................ 12 42 Petersburg 35 Madrid 49% Cadiz • • ........ Barcelona Seville .. .. .......... Philadelphia •• • PRICES OF BULLION, PER OZ. Foreign Gold In Bars £3 17 9 Portugal Gold Coin • • 0 0 0 Mexican Dollars .... 0 4 114 eiw Dollars ...• 00 0 Silver hi bars • •• •. 0 5 51,6 The Pesth Gazette announces that the Arch duchess Mary-Dorothy, mother of the Duchess de Brabant, is seriously ill in that city. A complaint, published on the first page of the Cologne Gazette of the 24th, chows how sensitive the emasculated Government of Prussia is to opi nion abroad. The Cologne Gazette of the 23d inst, contained a very short summary of Lords Lynd.- 9: burst and Clarendon's spee c h es on P russ ian policy, delivered in the House of Lo r d s thi s d a y week, and for this the entire impre ss i on was con fi sc at e d. Government had me well left ts the press. n taen pounced on all the papers MONEY IN ALGIERS.-4 large quantity of gold coin The beforeG has within the last few months been introduced into Al geria, and it is readily accepted by Europeans in their common' ii transactions. 13ut the Arabs, being igno rant of its value, refuse to receive it, and insist on being paid in sf. pieces. This has caused a perfect drain of such pieces, and great inconvenience has been the con sequence. The Arabs formerly felt as much repugnance to the sf. pieces as they now do to the gold pieces ; and it was then necessary to pay them in Spanish piastres or Austrian talari. (The talari is a Venetian coin, worth somewhat over 5f., and not much circulated except in the Levant). The inhabitants of Paris were surprised yesterday morning at finding all the roofs of the houses, and the trees on the boulevards and other publio places covered with alio .v. What rendered this change in the weather the more remarkable was that, up to ove o'clock in the morning, heavy rain had been falling. Within the list few days the barometer b i as undergone some oonsiderable changes, having gone down to 26.10, a depression of so great an extent as to excite general surprise, and even alarm in SOITIO minds. In 1839, when the barometer also went down to 26 10, the earthquake in Sicily took place ; and in 1845, when it had descended to the same point, the dreadful waterspout burst over the valley of Monville, near Rouen. [Anvestisradexr.]— TIDE WAR PT THE EAST. POWERFUL PATENT RIECONNOITRING GLASSES.— Messrs. S. and B. Solo mons, opticians, 39, Albemarle-street, Piccadilly. Observe -- o pposite the York Hotel. By her AlajestY'a Royal Letters Patent for valuable and extraordinary improvements i u the most powerful and brilliant Telescopes, Camp, Race ecnt-se, Opera, and Perspective Glasses, to know th e distances of objects viewed through them—of great importance to the army, na vy, and others. These telescopes possess such extra ordioarY powers that some 3A inches, with an extra eye piece, will show distinctly Jupiter's moons, Saturn's ring, and the double stars ; with the same telescope can be seen a person's countenance three miles and a half distant, and an object from 16 to 20 miles. They aro of larger and all sizes, with increasing powers accordingly ; while their vary ing from 4 to 6 inches enable us to discover more than the above, and the Georgian, with his 6 satellites, &c.—The Royal Exhibition, 1851.—Valuable, newly-invented, very small, powerful waistcoat -pocket glass,the size of a walnut, by which a person can be seen and known 1 miles distant ; they answer every purpose on the race-course, and at the opera houses, coun t r y sccuerY, and ships are clearly seen a t 8 to 10 miles. They are invaluable for shooting, deer -stalking, yachting, to sportsmen, gentlemen, gamekeepers, and tourists. Opera, ra ce-course, 1 camp, and perspective glasses, with wonderful g- power. —Newly-constructed Spectacle Lenses of the great est transparent power. The valuable advantage derived from this invention is, that vision becoming impaired is preserved and strengthened, and very aged persons are enabled to employ their sight at the most minute occu pation—can see with these lenses of a muck less magnify ing power—and they do not require the frequent changes to the dangerous effects of further powerful assistance. Deaf -1 xess —New Discovery.—The Organic Vibrator, an extraordi- II sry powerful, small, newly-invented instrument for . deafness, ne• of t en Qrely different from a ll others, to surpass anythi e , d kind .L3iat has bee n, or probably over can be, prod. Being of tho sam e colour as the skin, is not perceptible ;it enable" deaf persons to hear distinctly at church and at public assemblies ; the unpleasant sensation of singing ging noises . in the .ears is entirely removed ; and it affords Ai all the assist ance that possibly could be desired. 39, Piccadilly-. Observe —opposite the York Hotel CHESTER AND the week ending March 18, 1855 bemasie-street i HOLYHEAD RAlLWAY.—Traffic return for £4,331 0 5 Corresponding week last y ear 3,680 14 7 ---- I ncre aso in 18553., £653 5 10 m i le t fm!"*" l . o 44o.*...f . 4.7 44 trAie r.** 7 #62 * * 4114 - eitaneellor of thin /440 - 4@q4ei , has Viiilaif4it g„ i 444. WI candidly to the hous e , but if he proposes, after bring,ng in his bill, to p ass it before his financial statement, I am afraid that be will , find me prepared, even if I should find myself in a minority of one, to vote for the postponement of the measure." He therefore claimed the right hon. bee ronet as No. 2in favour of his amendment. Following the coarse of the debate he found several other hon. members speaking in the same strain, and although he coald not say that from the speeches of the hen. member for Manchester he derived much hope of support, still he was thankful for the little he could get. When the right hon. gentleman the member for Manchester said, " I quite agree with the right hon. gentleman that we must be careful in times like these in not abandoning sources of revenue, he strengthened to some extent the case against the bill, or at all events pointed out the danger of interfering with therevenne at the present time. His hon. colleague in the representation of Manchester almost seemed to have anticipated something like an appli cation for postponement. He did not consider the present measure so good as that of the late Chancellor of the Exche quer ; denied that the question was one of revenue ; urged the Chancellor of the Exchequer to pass his bill as eoon as possible, and deprecated delay. The hon. member was an able man ; his speeches were admirable ; but he could not e.gree with him upon the present occasion. In conclusion, be might be allowed to say that he did not Oink the bill heti been sufficiently long before the house ; - o allow all its details to be understood. For that and the other reasons ho had stated he begged to move as an amend meot that the second reading of the bill be postponed till after the Chancellor of the Exchequer had made his financial statement. (Hear.) Sir E. B. LYTTON differed from his hon. friend and . from other hon. friends on this subject with great concern. He was glad, however, to see that his hon. friend bad not narrowed the debate so as to reduce to a questitee of pounds, shillings, and pence as important a principle as any that the House of Commons could entertain. (Hear %) He (Sir E. B. Lytton) was one of the first to introduce the principle to that house in a motion for the repeal of the taxes on knowledge ; and when his hon. and learned friend said that the question was not long enough before Perlis. ment, he begged to inform his hon. friend that it was brought forward by him (Sir E. B. Lytton) twenty years ago. He was then a young man, but the opinions he enter tained on the question at that period he entertained at the present moment, and had seen no reason whatever to alter them since. A great advance had, undoubtedly, been made in the general intelligence of the country since that time, and the dangers which then threatened had, it was admitted, decreased. Bat why ? It was because during the last twenty years cheap publications had abounded, and because the public had had the wisdom to choose the best of these publications and reject the worst. He (Sir E. B. Lytton) had heard the arguments now employed by his hon. and learned friend, in respect to news i espers, not nnfrequently urged on former occasions agains t all cheap publications whatsoever, as if to adapt the boo.'c market to the poor man's pocket was to corrupt the pribl.;o taste. - But what was the fact ? Why there was such a' profusion of good books published that the bad books totaliY disappeared. (Hear.) At the present moment the books to , be found in the hands of the am Pisan were either elemen tarp scientific works, or works of entertain ment of a supei ver character. And now, when the danger had disappearea,. he would ask, had they a right to listen to what newspap,wproprietora would have them put faith in, that any pub.lioation cheaper than their own was an appeal to the passiestis of the public. Was it the cheapness of the newspaper that was to corrupt the artisan, or the vileness of the artisa it that was to corrupt the newspaper : 0 All those suppositionic however, were refuted by the evi dence of facts. Thonssands of cheap publications had brought to the cottage of the labourer not the degrading literature that was anti. cipated, but the most elevating de scription of knowledge. He (Sir E. Bulwer-Lytton) there fore entreated the house n of to separate this important prin ciple from its consideratio fa of the bill. He agreed that the details required attention, and he thought it was not only absolute justice, but sound policy, to give an effective and simple copyright law to nowspapers, something similar to Sir J. Emerson-Tenneno 'is act for the protection of designs and manufactures, which he believed would not be difficult. As far as regale led the weight and size of newspapers he thought the paps T of the largest circulation should be taken—the one in whit h the public felt the deep est interest. He was given to unt.'erstand that the Chan cellor of the Exchequer meant to re turn to the principle of weight. It did seem to him, howeseer, that this would be unfair, as it would separate a paper from its supplement. Far from having any grudge against' the existing news papers, he (Sir B. Balwer- Lytton ) a greed that the press was an honour to this country, for siliAlity in its composi tion, for the integrity of the men in wh.Om its duties were vested, and, always making an allow/moos for anonymous power, for its freedom from calumny. (ITear, hear.) And if he were called upon for a monument of our civilisation he should point, not to our docks, nor to ou - r public build ings, but to a file of our newspapers. He could find nothing to cling to except an Attorney-General wha had not the courage to prosecute, and a jury who would refuse to con vict. His hon. friend spoke in commendation of the tone of the existing press ; but he would remind his hon. friend that it was not the newspapers that formed the tone of the public mind, but the public who gave the tone to news papers. And if the press was an honcur to the country, it must be recollected that it was because it reflected the masculine honesty, the vigorous good sense, and the civil ised humanity of the popular mind. They bad been told that this proposed change would have a tendency to degrade the press to the level of the American press. They had been told that the American press was in the hands of penniless, illiterate adventurers, and that to this was to be attributed its alleged low tone. Whereas the real fact was, the American press abounded with the highest intel lectual characters of the country. There was scarcely a n author of eminence, or a statesman of fame, or a man of liberal opinions and sufficient merit, who was not a con tributor to the American press. They found the whole of the literary talent and character engaged on the American press, and therefore, if the press was inferior, it must be owing to the less civilised character of the country (we understood). It showed that the good or bad character of the press did not depend on fiscal arrangements, but on the standard of civilisation of a nation. Ile would now come to the main principle of the bill, and he would venture to place that main principle on a higher and broader ground than that of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. That right hon. gentleman seemed to regard the bill rather with the toleration of a step-father than with the glowing love of a parent. He took the principle to be this, that in a free country they ought not to ley a tax on the expression of public opinion, or tax the diffusion of information on pub lic affairs—that information, according to the constitutioa being the common interest and concern of every subject of the state. Still less, they ought not, by means of a tax, to create artificially by capital a virtual monopoly of the right to publish information on questions in which the whole 'public had an equal and a common interest. That was the principle of the bill and was the question before the house ; e e a v n e d r t el n rg y h c t o b u e ld h n is o t t el g e e n t te ric of the fact that no i l vheteverhieheneety m e a n n wh d, know ledge,at however sou n d 'his opinions, could publish his opinions on the events an d a ff a i rs of the day in a daily journal without au enormous capital, or an a weekly journal without several thousand pounds; and that this narrowed the liberty of publishing quite as much as if the state sold for a sum of money the right to a monopoly of the market for public information. (Cheers.) One result was, to narrow the reprettenation of public opinion. There was either a large section of public opinion not represented or whether represented there w 0 i r n e ad te e n q t u h a o te u l g y h . t f u H I emevneryonmue either e r d o s i u d b e t ed of the hone* who, on great and important questions, could find a single paper with which they could cordially agree in opinion. Now, if they took the great Conservative party, it would be found in the counties that the p arty had a large majority, and in th e t owns th ey h a d a large and influential minority. With respect to its comparative strength, not its numbers, but its wealth and intelligence must be regarded. Let the house consider how large a share it had of the cultivated classes, the learned profess sions, the clergy, and the gentry. Well, if they turned to the metropolitan press, would they tell him that the Cons servative papers' circulation was in proportion to the num bers and weight of the party, or adequately represented its intellectual eminence and wealth? (we understood.) There were two ways of representing public opinion—one through Parliament, the other through the press. His hon. friend below him (Mr. Deetles) would tell him that the Conservative party was the largest integral body in Parliament, and yet in the press there was no sub-division of opinion so sparingly represented. If they looked to the press generally and the number of copies circulated by the various journals, they would be startled at the dis parity which existed between the influence in the country of t the Conservative party and their represen tatives in the press. (Hear, hear.) If the stamp duty were removed, and if able men among the party pos sessed the power to defend their cause, could any one doubt that all that talent, and knowledge, and intellect could do would find its channel of representa tion ? No doubt that paper was the best which had the largest command of capital, but then it was not always the best newspaper that presented the best opinions. Some took one course, some another • one paper was supported on account of the variety of i ts news, another because of its political opinions. Twenty years ago he had convinced himself that with respect to the Liberal press, there were many safe and sound thinkers who would hold it .to be their duty to come to resist and counteract any revolu tionary or socialist doctrines ; and on the Conservative side were they so indifferent as to be unable to defend, or indifferent to the increase of their opinions ? He was per suaded if the duty was taken off, that many able writers — gentlemen and scholars on their side—would come forwent to remove prejudices, and to enlighten the public mind as to Conservative opinions and views, about•whichtberffer• opinions stamped just now very much left in the dark. ?. s7ara nc :ed if the duty were removed, that many eminent public men —many eminent men of letters —would come forward and would a ci att n r y s e ' y avowed name. He publish cheap journals--not, however, eyeing with the was convinced with the • ed that this cheap competition would not u r t es w po o n rk si s bi w ii hi ty ch of w t lower, but would rather elevate the moral character of the press and the social position of gentlemen connected with newspaper literature ; for if anything could exalt that social position, it would be doing away with the anony mous character of public writers (we understood). He w illingly admitted that n o more a b le and acco mplished gentlemen could be found than those who contributedto the political department of the leading j ourna ls ; but, then, it was in vain to deny th a t most persons felt an uneasiness at their presence, and in holding social intercourse with men who, in the exercise of their talents, must make secrecy a necessary law. One naturally feared that the newspaper contributor with whom he a ssociated to-day might, in the discharge of his professional duty, sting him darkly and to the quick to-morrow. Mr. Fox told an anecdote of a man who was giving evidence in a court of law, who said he got his information from a ghost. " Well, said the judge, " I know of n o objection aga inst taking the evidence of a ghost; let bins be brought into court." (Laughter.) Anonymous eows p a pers were a kind of ghosts—he had no objection to their evidence, but at the same time he should like to have them brought into court. (Laughter.) The hon. gentleman (Mr. Denies) appeared to argue the case too much as if it was a question between the press and the tax collector. Ho could not help smiling to hear the hon. gentleman say that the proprietors of newspapers did not complain of the tax, and why then should it be altered? But what corporate body ever did complain of a tax which restricted competition in their department, and secured monopoly to it? lielwas amused to see journals which formerly were warmest in their advocacy of free trade doctrines, now arming themselves with all the most anti quated arguments in vour of protective duties amounting to absolute .prohibition, which had been used so success ful:7 di ing the last 10 years o f th e corn laws—arguments which en the f armers wou ld no t bare been beguiled by. (Hear, a d laughte r .) Th e q uestion was this - -whether it e k l was not now high time to enforce the good principle of the constitution, a principle consonant to liberty and corns mon sense—that opinion should be free, and should not be suppressed or fettered by fiscal arrangements, through which liberty was filched and stolen away, but that it e)lould only be subject to the laws of the country , .directed against treason, blasphemy, and slander ? Here he would say one word on behalf of a class who were the chief sup porters of cheap publications—it was, that no class „ 1: 00, 1 -14 r ;rade fob! idanY still, le ge' Oast ass to , be s leeig Mel . e, th e I Al a 1 (10 0 5 Cot ta' P eill' ' 0 0 ' 3 op •od ti la bo t 4 ,4, • ve "If for ifs, ,l i i iiito rgi' rets , Or 9 ,, • 130 opl ° iIY 1 ?; ) "e er st id elE tb e )1' 'II 160° 1 • ...i) I ~{