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

ommunity had hitherto shown so little inclination for libellous publications as this class. There was once a class of newspapers which was accustomed to profane the Sunday by hebdomadal ribaldry and slander. Who supported those papers? He feared it was the clubs and drawing-rooms— not the working Glasses. Those publications eventually perished, because they could get no support from the gene ral body of the people, and because the public would yield no sympathy to those against whom actions for slander or libel were brought. He would respectfully beg to makeone observation to the hon. gentleman, that it was a remark able fact, and one which showed how little danger was to be apprehended from cheap publications, that all the revo lutionary, profligate, and licentious literature inv ari ably corrupted the higher class before it reached the lower. He knew of no exception, ancient or modern to t hat _ rule. He was persuaded if the works of Rosseau or Vdltaire were circulated through the metropolis freely, or in our large towns, they would not have six months popularity after the repeal of the stamp duty, for the moral corruption and infidelity iticulcated in those w orks would be thoro ug hly exposed by sound and good writing. It appeared from the committee of 1851 that after the reduction which took place in 1830 two journals were established in the metro polis ; and that though they were not first rate, they extin guished a swarm of licentious publications. Let the house do as country gentlemen did with their fields. If they wan t e d the corn to grow, let them cut down the hedge rows, and let in the air and light. The Chancellor of the Exchequer had already told them without exaggeration that the stamp duty had broken down in all directions. There were for 100 publications stamped, 250 unstamped, eight only partly stamped, and all these were liable to prosecution. (Hear, hear.) It was impossible to do justice on one portion without prosecuting all. Very well ; the Chancellor of the Exchequer told the House of Commons if they did not pass this bill they must arm the executive with now powers to prosecute these offenders. He said the House of Commons would do no such thing. (Hear.) It was impossible for Govern ment to ask for new powers in 1855 to arrest the march of information—if Government were rash enough to do this, it would do more to expedite the march of democracy than the incomplete Reform Bill of the noble lord the member for the City of London—and the proposal would also have the cold shadow of aristocracy in opposition to it (we un derstood). If it was foolish to pass such a law ;he should be glad to see how the Attorney-General would act if ho had new powers. He should like to see Government at tempt to prosecute under such a law. He would tell Go vernment that the law was virtually dead ; they might retain the sword in their nerveless head, bat he would defy them to animate its muscles to strike the blow. (Hear, hear.) He would now coma to his hon. friend's amendment, which his hen. friend had based on the ground of revenue. The right hon. gentleman the Chancellor of the Exchequer told the house that if the duty was abo lished it might be necessary to call for additional taxes in order to prosecute the war. But what was it we were waging war against ? Not against Russia, as she was our natural ally; but against barbarism and usurpation. But if we were willing to i nc ur a large expenditure for that purpose, would it not be better to incur the small expen diture of 250,0001. in the promotion of civilisation and freedom? He would ask honourable gentlemen who re fused to concur in Russian usurpation, whether they would consent to that usurpation which dep r i ve d our fellow-subjects of the liberty of publishing their opinions on the affairs of the day ? Could there bo a more hate ful thing than for an Attorney-General to say to a young journalist, " Your publication contains informa tion of value, but as you are not rich enough to pay for publishing your opinions, the law must be called in to ruin you ?" (Hear.) He denied that the Chancellor of the Exchequer would lose a single farthing by the mea sure it it were carried, or if he adopted the principle of the former bill, to admit all printed publications at a propor tional charge. Twenty years ago that was a portion of his scheme ; for he then convinced himself that printed matter of any kind, whether commercial, scientific, or religious, should have the same liberty of publication. And would that right 'non. gentleman restrain the diffusion and pub lication of such works merely for the sake of saving 250,0001. a year ? He considered that the objects aimed at were beyond all price. (Hear.) He should not have had the pain to differ from his hon. friend's if some inte rested party had not sought to alarm them by acts and as sertions so extravag ant, and so opposed t o th e sense o f a ll acquainted with th practical condition of our literature, that he was sure that those who made the assertions would themselves be the first to 1 iugh at them. The hon. baro net had referred to a circular which had been sent abroad against the Stamp Bill. This bugbear, as it was termed by the hon. baronet, stated that the most active agents for obtaining the remission of the stamp duty were persons whose object was the diffusion of principles adverse to re ligion and the rights of property. Now, ho did not k now who was alluded t o — w h o were th e chief supporters of the repeal. The hon. member for the West Riding held ex treme opinions, but he manfully avowed them, and it had never been imputed to him that he held opinions adverse to religion. Then there was Lord Brougham, Lord Camp bell, and Lord Lyndhurst--three judges of the land; and then there was that natural foe to the rights of property, the heir of the house of Derby. (Laughter.) Next, there were those notorious enemies to religion, the two represen tativesof the University of Oxford. And amongst the most active agents for the change were her Majesty's Ministers, who latterly, at least, appeared to be well satisfied with what ho would call the established order of things. (Laughter.) He found that all the charges against the supporters of the repeal of the duty were comprised in two lines of the circular. One was a libel against the character of those who wished to make newspapers cheap, and the other a libel on those who would read them. Horace Walpole once said of a lady that she had as fine a set of teeth as a lady could have who had only two, and both of them black. (L aug h ter.) He hoped his hon. friends around him would not be induced to oppose a measure that would tend to diffuse Conservative opinions among the working classes. That appeared to lie the only chance of getting Conservative opinions fairly before the working people—fairly before those tens of thousands of voters among whom it was the duty of Conservative members to appeal for their seats in Parliament. He had yet to learn that there was a single Conservative journal that had pene trated to the working classes. The right hon. gentleman the member for Droitwitch, in his luminous speech rela tive to the education of the people, referred to the letters from private soldiers in the Crimea which had excited so much admiration. How were the minds of those soldiers trained ?—was it not in a great measure by cheap publica tions which they read when children ? This shor e l how little fear need be entertained at the diffusion of cheap knowledge. Do not let the house suppose that a penny tax was a slight imposition. Once there existed a daily paper called the Spectator—Addison and Steele were the 1 contributors ; that peony paper did more to reform the 1 manners of the people than half the books that were written. Suddenly a penny tax was laid on the paper, and so one morning that pleasing instructor which brought philoso phy to our firesides vanished from our homes ; the penny tax extinguished it, and that alliance which genius esta blished between mirth and wisdom was rudely repealed. He was convinced—and he said it from his heart—if a Conservative journal was established, embracing moderate opinions, and edited by sore man w h o knew the tastes and feelings of the working classes (there were many squires and clergymen who did), and being thoroughly in earnest, it would do more to popularise Conservative opi-. nions than half the speeches that where made in that house. What was Conservatism? It was not that which three fourths of the Conservative journals represented. It was not a system of restraint or terror ; it was a warm, gene rous love of law and the glorieus constitution of the laud we live in. And what was the constitution ? It was not a fragile form that shrank from every breath of air, or that could not stand the rude shock of the tempest. No, it was of robust organisation, of sound principles, which received life and soul, not more from the wisdom of statesmen than from the courage of patriots. A n d if it was such, were they not bound , as true Conservatives, to show that they adhered to the constitution ; that it needed no additional reform bill; that it wanted only change in order to give the people now avenues to knowledge and to make them wise and better. He believed it was their duty as true Conservatives to show that they did not fear the common sense of the country—that they did not fear any class in the country in fair discussion, because they were convinced that in proportion as they widened the field of intelligence and literature by raising up new and cheap publications which a worthless law foebade them, they should be doing their cause and their country a service. Ile should give his cordial support to the principle of the measure. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL rose to explain the present state of the law, as it had been already several times alluded to. For many years past a certain class of journals devoted to one single object, such as the Athenceune, the Lite rary Gazette, the Builder, the Musical Ti»tes, tho Jurist, and certain other papers devoted to purely legal sub jects, had enjoyed an immunity, by the indulgence of those who administered the revenue, from the tax on newspapers —a tax which was originally imposed, not on fiscal, but on political considerations. The thread thus given to the papers of the class described called into existence, in the course of time, another class of papers, not devoted to the higher and more intellectual subjects, but which the In land Revenue tolerated, inasmuch as they did not convoy all that was usually expected in a newspaper, and did not interfere with politics. Such were the Racing limes and the Police Gazette. But then, after a while, some of th ose papers began to publish wh a t was really news, and it be came a question whether one paragraph of this nature made the paper liable in penalties, or if half a column was necessary to bring it into the category of newspapers pro perly so called. If, on the one hand, the officers of inland revenue did not interfere with those publications to compel them to be stamped, there was an outcry raised by the stamped papers; and if they did interfere with any one paper, it immediately raised an outcry against the injustice of singling it out for persecution. Then, as if all this was not perplexing and tiresome enough, the House of Com mons, 'at the instance of the right hoe member for Man chester, deliber a t e ly and formally ca m e to the r eso l u ti on that the law au ght to be alte re d, an d th a t the principle of makirieaaanduitnition betw een one paper and another ought not to e. that the law The hon, baronet was wrong in stating the a m o re far : d at present stood, was a dead letter, for bo the nt :f,.was powerful enough ; but what would discontent becal and outcry, if the law officer of the Crown should m e b el l. npo . n to enforce the law im partially against all the awed by successive Govenunmeantitons which had been in which to invest capital in journals of a descri ption h av on e . re ba a r l o l n ow t ed to be exempt from duty ? So far th e e cor rect, and in one sense the law was a he were to institute th_ste .ip,er.co.:asyemcue:ts iniill easatesesamad:; latter,eaatt h e r e fo re those s e f sf l o r r tei o, f vainly i n , he should h ave to appeal to juriem, and which he had referred. 1 for the house to decide speedily a re a mire more than • whole question. No person could d • oneeu nca hxed t e h ind e t the tone and temper with which . the hon. membe r far had brought forward his proposition, but he ha dnothea r d a single argument made use of in to nthuescoftyirtshee seiii oefohuirsswcet which appeared to him suffic i e nt i ti he proposed to the house to take. Assuming for a moment that the alteration of the law would involve a certain amount of loss to the revenue, still they knew t o extent he submit end of that loss, and if the house were not prep ared to that sacrifice they ought at once to put an to t .lO it measure, and not to postpone a decision upon fur an in definite period. Two Chancellors of the Exchequer hid come forward, and had stated that they considered the finances of the country, notwithstanding the heavy de mands of the war, to be in a condition to bear the loss. Why, therefore, postpone the consideration and (loci-dun of the question ? There were some persons who objected to the principle of the measure because they considered that the retention of the tax was requisite in order to keep up the character and position of the press. In that opinion he did not concur, but, on the contrary, he believed they would do a great service to the press by getting rid of the tax, and it certainly behoved those who were in favour of the continuance of the stamp to show that its-repeal would be injurious, and no argument which he had yet heard had succeeded in convincing him that such would be the effect. If he believed the effect of the proposed alteration would be to lower the character of the public Dress, he should start at once from such a proposition. He did not believe that, with the continuance of the facilities of the Post- ~~ 0111111111.11 TIE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY .EVENING, MARCH 27, 1855, office, any of the leading journals of the day would lose a single reader by the alteration. The effect of the removal of the stamp duty would in his opinion be to call into existeuce a class of papers adapted to another class of read ers, and suited to their means and capacities. But even if this were net so, what right had the house, either in justice or reason, to keep up by artificial regulations the high price of a commodity in which the rich rejoiced, and prevent the poor man from getting an article adapted to his wants, merely in order to benefit and keep up the character of the high-priced paper? (Hear.) Then, too, it had been said that the abolition of the stamp duties would call into ex istence a class of cheap immoral and seditious papers. Bat if such journals should militate in any way against law and order, the law was amply strong enough to control and put them down ; and if it were thought that the proposal to take away the registration of the names of the proprie tors would tend to increase an objectionable class of publi cations, it should be borne in mind that such proposition was only a subordinate part, and not in any way connected with the principle, of the bill. No person could deny that a great improvement had taken place in the character of the press during the last few years, but this beneficial change had occurred since the lowering of the stamp duty of 4d. to ld. Why, then, if such good results had attended this reduction, should such gloomy anticipations be in dulged in with respect to the effect of the further reduc tion ? (Hear.) The altered state of the feeling of the public was such that whenever a libel occurred there was no difficulty in getting a jury to convict. The Satirist was annihilated by the repeated damages obtained by indivi duals whose characters had been traduced; and if such a paper were again to be attempted to be forced into circula tion, it would be swept away by the indignant voice of the country and the verdicts of honest juries. (Hear.) This groat question, then, was perfectly rips for solution, and he trusted that the house would not, by adopting the amendment of the hon. member for Kent, further postpone its final settlement. Allusion had been made by the hon. member to the necessity of an alteration in the law of copyright ; but that law was at present strong enough for its purpose, and he did not think that exist ing newspapers would be exposed to more piracy after the removal of the stamp duty than they were at the present moment. The daily papers were exposed to the piracy of the evening and of the weekly papers, and information which they gave was published the same day and in the week after, condensed, abridged, or transformed in so many dif ferent shapes as not to be any cause of complaint. It had been stated that if the tax were taken off ic would be pos sible for some paper to be started the object of which would be to steal the matter of the morning papers, and bring oat later in the day the information which others had collected at great expense. He believed that if such a speculation were likely to answer, the difference of one thep: e n r n e y d i i n sp t as h :d pri to ce a o e f tinso paper shameful ame would notstuouper. But, those i who f such an outrageous attempt at fraud and robbery were to be m ade by any p erson, upon an action being brought, the indignation of a jury at such an outrage would induce them to give such damages as would at once put a stop to any such proceeding. (Hear, hear.) There were news papers now springing up by scores, many of them devoted to subjects connected with the war, but the reason the law had not been put in force against them was because the Government had really decided upon the abolition of the tax, and it would have appeared an act of harshness and injustice to have proceeded against them for infringing a law which the Government had decided upon repealing. At the same time, however, it should not be overlooked that to allow those parties to infringe the law was evi dently unjust to those who were called upon to pay the tax. In conclusion, the hon. and le a r ne d gen tl eman re spectfully implored the house to consent to the second reading of the bill. Sir F. BARING said that he always listened with the greatest pleasure and attention to the hon. baronet the member for Hertfordshire and the hon. and learned At torney-General, and he had certainly never more admired their talent, and the way in which they dealt with a ques tion, than upon the present occasion, for neither of those hon. members had in the least met the objections taken by the hon. member for Kent. (Heats) What was the object of that hon. member ? He had stated that, by the Chan cellor of the Exchquer's own explanations, he was about to propose an alteration by which a less to the revenue would accrue of something over 203,0001., and that it would be his duty to propose some other tax to make up this defi ciency in the revenue. The hon. member, therefore, not very unreasonably called upon the house not to go into the consideration of this question until the alternative of the other taxes was before the house, and the public had an opportunity of deciding whether they would undergo the evils which at present existed or consent to those which might be proposed to the house. It had been said that the oublic were exceedingly anxious to have this bill passed, but this extraordinary haste to press the measure through the house appeared to him to throw something like dis credit upon the statement. He disapproved entirely of the principle of discussing propositions of this sort before the house had before it a full and comprehensive view of the finances of the country, and regretted the departure from that sound principle of finance and policy which the present case presented. He had known but one exception to that correct course, and that was the establishment of the penny postage system, a measure which no doubt was attended with many beneficial results, but its adoption led to great confusion in the public accounts, and the im position of the income tax was in a great degree the result of that legislation. At the present moment the stato of the finances was more uncomfortable than usual, and if the Chancellor of the Exchequer was about to follow out the principle laid down of raising the service of the year by the taxes of the year, he would find that even 200,0001. was not a sum which he could rashly dispose of. But if they had recourse to a loanand he expressed no opinion on the policy of such a course—it might be just to leave a portion of the burden of the war to posterity, but it would not be either an honest or straightforward course to ask posterity to pay for the reduction of taxation proposed in the present measure. With respect to the proposal before the house, the fact was that this penny stamp duty could hardly be called a tax ; it was a composition for privileges enjoyed under the Post-office, which wore paid fur in the shape of a stamp. The fact was, that aboutBo per cent. of th e w h o l e o f th e carr i age of the mails of the country was in newspapers. The country paid for the carrriage of the inland mails—to say nothing of the cost of the establishment and charges of delivery-693,0; 01. ; and for the packet service, 732,000/4 or, in round numbers, about 1e51.),000/. The 4C0,000/, levied by the stamp duty, with the additional postage for the colonies. would not exceed 500,0001., EO that the country carried 80 per cent. cf the whole of the mails in newspapers at a cost of not more than one-third of the actual carriage. If the whole cost of the establishment and carriago of the Post office were included, the amount would be 2,430,0001.; the sum received for the carriage of letters and newspapers was 1,208,0001. but the newspapers, whi c h amoun t e d t o 80 per cent. of all passed through the post-office, did not pay snore than half a million. He thought, therefore, that the newspapers received more than a full equivalent for the stamp duty which they paid. (Hear.) He thought the hon, and learned Attorney-General might have reduced the definition of what was a newspaper to that which common sense was very much inclined to think was a newspaper, and thus have avoided the alternative of either prosecuting a large number of periodicals or proposing the total repeal of the stamp duty. (Hear.) The hon. and learned At torney-General had argued the question as if it were a set tlement of the whole matter. But was the bill before the house a settlement of the question ? The hon. and learned gentleman was unable to say what a newspaper was, or to give a definition of one ; yet in some of the clauses of the bill newspapers were specially referred to, and it would be impossible to put a construction ou those clauses without twing a definition of a newspaper. The two gentlemen who had supported the bill so eloquently had stated that it would not be satisfactory without some settlement of the 1 question of copyright. Then, as to the moral effect of the I proposed change • while on one hand th e y h ear d muc h about the advantage of Americanising the press of this I country, they heard the Americans themselves state that their press was to them no great blessing. Whether there was revenue to dispose of or not, he (Sir F. Baring) stood up for the principle that the house should not take off a tax without having the substitute which was to be proposed first brought under consideration. Mr. PACKE supported the proposition for postponing the second reading of the bill. Mr. MIALL, after stating what he considered to be the arguments employed by the antagonists of the bill, whom he charged w ith gross se lfi shness, observed that a largo 1 majority of the house had decided that it was a matter of high policy to diffu se e d uca ti on at the public cost; yet it I was now asked, after thus stimulating the mental curiosity of the people, to refuse the easiest and best means of gra tifying it, by rejecting this bill. He denied that there was any danger of cheapened newspapers deteriorating the press, or of interfering with those of a higher class. Un restricted competition in this, as in other cases, weuld not only increase production but improve quality. Mr. DRUMMOND, in a speech more than usually dis cursive, declared his opinion to be that, instead of being the greatest glory of the country, the press, is its present state, was one of its greatest curses. It was a mercantile speculation, and nothing olso, for pampering tlie taste of the English people for political gossip. Mr. DUFFY supported the bill, replying to various ob jections offered to a change of the law. ... - The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER—I do not accuse my hon. friend of any intention to make a factious motion, or of being influenced by motives of party opposi tion in submitting his amendment to the house, norshould I have had any difficulty in acceding to it if I could have brought myself to look upon this question as exclusively, or even principally, a financial question. (Hear.) When I introduced the measure I was under the impression that I was giving effect to the declared and recorded opinion of the house in the session of 1851. Let m 3 call the attention of the house to the words of that resolution :—" It is the opinion of this house that the laws in reference to the periodical press and newspaper stamp are ill defined, and unequally enforced ; and it appears to thi s h ouse t h at the subject demands th early consideration of Parliament." Now, it is important to observe the time when this reso lution was agreed to. My right hon. friend the member for the University of Oxford made his second financial statement, proposing an addition of 10,000,000/. of taxa tion for the expenditure of the war on the Bth of May last, and on the 16th of May my right hon. friend the member for Manchester moved and carried this resolution. The house, therefore, passed the resolution with a full know ledge that a great war expenditure was to be met by in creased taxation, and passed it within a few days after ' the statement to that effect had been made, with the im pression of the fact fresh upon their minds. (Hear.) If, therefore, the financial objection had pressed upon the house last session as strongly as it now seems to weigh with hon. members opposite, it is' clear that the resolu tion could not then have been carried. But an attempt has been made upon the opposite side to throw doubt on the meaning of the resolution. Abstract resolutions upon questions of finance are op en to objecti ons , an d I regret that my r i ght hon. friend did not move some specific plan ia a Committee of Ways an d M eans i nstead of leaving us to disp u t e as to the precise meaning he intended to convey ; but it appears to me that no reasonable doubt can exist as to the meaning of this resolution. As in the case of an I a motion must begt oath which is construes secunclum animum deponendil, so ver n s s on r u w ed ho ac m co a r k d e i s tig it t . o the f r in ig t h en t t h a o n u d . was not a proper Object for taxation, and in introdu . amp. After hear- his motion he , ful.y stated his views a re t* motion whlch were inimical to the newspapserVßl ws to the house, ing his opinions and his arguments the house agreed to 11 . news motion. Can there be any doubt that law ? Can any one . as a resolution cont was carried it was udnoduebrstttohocaltteitivniTaly tion and repeal, as far alwen virtualtticaotri aen a ion of the law resolution, by d repeal it, of was to be al its very this house have the hardihood to I the newspaper stamp tared. Can any one in that the law should imp ; i es He t a b r, at hea t r h .. e ) be reti e 9 If, then, the law was to be tiered mere stringent and sever e . n _ ere d more stringent or altered, and it was not to be r d maintain L e a rn : s i ' t could mean resolution have but that it severe, what meaning could the tamp not GoralmiliorY other manner than by rendering th e P should be relaxed ? and hew could .l it be relaxed In any but optional? For the reasons I have stated I believed ' that in introducing this measure I was giving effect to the distinct and declared opinion of the house in its last ses sion. If it should please the house to recede from their determination—if they should now change their opinion and depart from that resolution—let there, by distinctly rejecting the bill, not by acceding to Km dilatory motion proposed by the hon. gentleman, but by voting for a motion that it be read a second time in six months, simply rescind the resolution, and so place the Government in a clear and intelligible position with respect to the administration of I the law. If you reject the second reading of the bill, in i what position will the Government stand with respect to those publications, the nature of which has been so fully and ably explained by the Attorney-General ? Do you propose to legalise class publications? Would anybody undertake to define the precise difference between class newspapers and other newspapers? It has been found difficult enough to define a newspaper in its extended sense, and would any one lay down such a definition as would satisfy judges and jurymen? Would any one with metaphysical minuteness draw a line for practical purposes between class and other newspapers? It that task is to be imposed upon the Government, I trust that seine gentle man who has supported the amendment will give us the benefit of his valuable advice on the subject. Is the At torney-General to prosecute some 150 newspapers which have hitherto received the indulgence of the Government, which have grown up under a permission not sanctioned by the letter of the law, but which has induced proprie tors to embark their capital in extensive literary and com mercial enterprises ? They have formed large connexions with classes of customers and of readers through the long continued toleration of the Government, known to the public, known to this house, and not censured or objected to by the house ; and are they suddeutz to find them selves the objects, or, as it might be said with truth, the victims, of ex officio prosecutions, and to be at once de prived of the privilege they have so long enjoyed? If that is the course to which th e G overnmen t i s t o b e d r i ven, I i trust t may be distinctly signified by those who support the amendment of my hon. friend and wish for the rejec t tion of the second reading. I will not attempt to travel over the general topics which have been so ably illustrated and almost exhausted in the eloquent, and not more elo quent than argumentative, speech of the hon. baronet the member for Hertfordshire. It would be arrogance in me to enter into the various topics to which he referred, and I will only advert to one of the points he so ably and copi ously illustrated—l mean that of the great alarm which appears to have seized both the metropolitan and the pro vincial press from the proposed abolition of the stamp duty. The metropolitan press appears to think that when the penny stamp is removed it will be ruined by the pro vincial press ; the provincial press, on the other hand, be lieves that it will be ruined by the London press—(hear)— and both the London and provincial press believe they will be ruined by some possible press which has not yet been called into existence. (Hear.) Now, I confess that I can not but regard all such fears as fears inspired by imagina tion rather than by reason and by examination into futu rity founded upon facts and experience. Let us only con sider what has been the effect of reducing the stamp duty from 4d. to ld. Surely that reduction mutt have affected the interests of the great newspapers more than the re moval of the last penny can effect them ; and yet we know by experience that the newspapers with a large circulation, both in the metropolis and in the provinces, rather de rived benefit than suffered injury from the reduction of the stamp duty from 4d. to ld. They are in possession of the market, they have the command of capital, they have an established connexion, they are known to the public as the chief channels for advertisements, and they must unquestionably enter the new field of competition which will be opened to them with greater advantages than any new competitors can possess. It will be ex pected that I should say something with respect to the financial aspect of this question, which has received so much attention during the debate. lam not about to deny that the estimated loss of 200,000/. a-year is a mate rial circumstance for the consideration of this house. Nevertheless, in the construction of the financial plan which, it will be my duty to submit to the house immedi ately after the Easter recess, allowance will be made for the loss of the revenue that will be thus occasioned, and her Majesty's Government will, upon their responsibility, propose such a scheme of finance as will provide steeply for the expenditure of the year, including the loss which may be occasioned under the head of newspaper stamp duties. Whatever risk may exist of such a sacrifice of revenue, the Government, with the full knowledge that that reduction is to be provided for, upon their responsibility propose this measure to the house. The sum of 200,0001. which I have mentioned, is the estimate made by the Post-office authorities, not certainly upon very certain data, but upon the best which the subject admits of obtaining. That esti mate does not include any allowance for an in‘o-ease in the paper duty. The paper duty now produces about 1,000,000/. a year, and certainly, if tho anticipations of which we hear, that the country will bo inundated with new newspapers, should receive a verification to :eny per ceptible degree, we may calculate upon some considerable increase of the paper duty. I don't myself venture . to give any estimate of the increase of the paper duty. 1 merely state that the estimate of the loss of 200,0001., which I laid before the house, does not include any allowance for the increase of the paper duty. There is another point which has been adverted to by more than one hon, mem ber as affording the means, he some respect, of supplying the loss occasioned by the abolition of the compulsory stamp— I mean a cheap book post—(hear, hear)—a charge of postage for printed publications, not being periodi cal publications, not coming within the terms of the trill now upon the table, but which would at present be subjected to the letter rates of postage.. Having conferred with the Postmaster-General, I can state that, in case this bill should receive the sanction of Parliament, her Majesty's Government will be pre pared to introduce a book postage at lower rates than the scale now existing. The lowest rate of the present book postage is 6d. for one pound weight. That rate of postage was established by a Treasury warrant. It is proposed to amend that Treasury warrant so that it may include a lower scale of rates ; facilities will thus be given for the transport of books and printed matter at a cheap rate, and it is anti cipated that this change may lead to some considerable ' augmentation of the Post-office revenue. This is an ar rangement which may be Carried into effect by the war rant of the Lords of the Treasury, for, as it involves a mere variation of the existing rates of book postage, it does not require the sanction of an act of Parliament. Having thus explained the financial portion of the Question, Isbell leave this bill in the hands of the house, only pressing upon them this consideration, that it is most important, not upon financial grounds, but with reference to the recorded reso lution of this house—(hear)—for the purpose of maintain ing the consistency of the house and of it: proceedings, and also for the purpose of putting an end to a most anomalous and unconstitutional state of the law and to perpetual scandals which consequently arise, that the house should pronounce a clear opinion upon this bill; that they should either road it a second time this evening or reject it; and that they should not accede to the unmeaning, the useless, and the dilatory motion of my hon. friend. (Hear.) Mr. DISRAELI—The right hon. gentleman has founded the course he recommends the house to pursue upon a prin ciple which in practice be would find it very difficult to maintain. I understand from him that he founds it not so much upon those great principles of policy which have been so eloquently advocated by the hon. member for Hert fordshire, and with great ability by other members of this house, as upon the principle that the recorded opinion of the house upon this subject is, in the mind of the right hon. gentleman, a fact of such gravity and importance, that it is impossible for him, as Chancellor of Exchequer, to resist an intimation so precise and definite. Now, sir, how can this principle he maintained in practice? Has it always been—l may almost say has it ever been —the principle adopted by Chancellors of the Exchequer, that they should, as a mat ter of course, assume a vote of this house, with respect to a particular tax, as an indication which cannotbe mistaken, and a sanction of a course which cannot be relinquished by the Government; and that the policy or expediency of repealing the tax, and the proper time for taking such a step—which is the question but oro us to-night—are to be omitted from all future discussion? (Hear.) Why, in 1853, two sessions ago, the subject of what are called taxes on knowledge was brought before this house, and a resolu tion, I think, for the abolition of the advertisement duty was carried by a large majority, but the Government did not on that occasion express their opinion that that vote was final on the question, nor did the Government act upon that vote. (Hear.) Have we not had the malt-tax repealed by a vote of the House of Commons before this, and were we then told by the Minister that, as a matter of course, it was the duty of the Government immediately to propose the repeal of that tax in consequence of the vote which this house had adopted? (Rear, hear.) On the contrary, were we not reminded the other night by the right hon. member for the University that a former colleague of his the late Sir Ps. Peel; had to his honour resistal the vote of the House of Commons upon that subject, and that he had suc cessfully called upon the house to rescind it? (Hear, hear.) Why, I remember a vote of this house for rescinding the sugar duties being carried against a powerful Government, but were the sugar duties a b o li s h e d b y t h e Minister of the day in consequence of that vote? No; on that occasion he called upon the house to rescind the resolution at which it had arrived. But what happened in our very recent experience with respect to the vote of this house on the subject of attorneys' certificates? (" Hear," and laughter.) A vote for abolishing the duty was adopted by a very large majority—a greater majority than has ever voted for the repeal of the taxes immediately under discussion to-night ; but did the Chancellor of the Exchequer then wine forward and say that,in consequence of the vote of the House of Commons, he felt it incumbent upon the Government to propose the repeal of the certifi cate duty? Why, that duty is not repealed at this moment. (Hear, and' laughter.) You have hid financial reform, you have had the revision of taxation, you have had the whole question of taxation considered in every possible light, and yet you have not got the duty on attorneys' certificates re pealed—(a laugh)—although you had repeated votes on the subject. But now, the Chancellor of tire Exchequer, in vindication of himself, not for proposing the repeal of these taxes on introducing his financial statement to the house, but in vindication of his proposing the repeal of a tax before the house is favoured with his financial scheme or knows what substitute he is going to recommend—lays it down as a proposition which cannot be controverted, and as a principle of action which the Government adopts, that the moment the house has consented by its vote to the re peal of a tax, it is the duty of the Chancellor of the Ex chequer to act in conf o rmity w ith th a t vo t e . I certainly cannot agreee with the Chancellor of the Exchequer upon that point, for I remember very well the arguments that were used by the right hon. mei:fiber for the university with respect to the repeal of the Attorneys' Certificate Duty. That right hon. gentleman (Mr. Gladstone) then said, that it was the duty of the Chancellor of the Exchequer not only to hear arguments in favour of the particular proposi tion then before the house, but also to hear arguments in favour of the repeal of any other taxes which the house might think ought to be abolished, in order that he might avail himself of the information be could obtain from such discussions in framing his financial scheme. The right hop. gentleman argued against being called on to give any opi nion on the part of the Government before the introduc tion of their financial scheme; and the right 'non. gentle man then said : _ " If it be acknowledged that it is the privilege of the House of Commons to propose the repeal of one tax after another bye majority, and so dictate to tho Chancellor of the Exchequer what shall be the financial policy of which he is to bo the organ in this house, what, I want to know, is the use of the Ch ance ll or o f the Exchequer." . (Hear, hoar.) I say, then, if the Chancellor of the Exche quer's position to-night is founded on that principle I shall have to say to him, " What is the use of the Chancellor of the Exchequer ?" (Laughter.) I shall see it my duty, sir, to support the hon. member for East Bent in the proposi tion which he has made. It is not a proposition that ea ters into the general merits of the question. When we are favoured with the financial statement of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he feel himself justified in offering a pro position to the house with respect to newspaper stamps, I shall listen to that proposition without any prejudice what ever; but I think there is no proposition that can be made this 41 . 0111 e11t that is mono rational, or that recommends itself to the house bv arguments of more unanswerable rea muceenita,rwoltetlewEe theson, than statement tht Oatt this the u m h Exchequer, ci a c n c e o t r , d o i r tg th to e very verge and threshold of the budget, we should not be called on to repeal a tax when the right hon, gentleman will not, and cannot, tell us what is the compensation to be afforded to the revenue for the tax we are going to re peal, and what is the substitute which we are to be asked to impose. (Hear.) The right bon. gentleman has, indeed, stated to the house that the Government have a scheme which they have perfect confidence will make up for the loss the revenue will sustain in consequence of the repeal of the newspaper stamp duty. I have no doubt the Goveru meat have full confidence in that project. I have no doubt the Guyer nment have confidence in the right hon. gentle man—but the question is, has the House of Commons con fidence in the project of the Government? (Hear.) It may be doubtful whether we shall have confidence in that pro ject when we are asked to give it; but to ask us to have con fidence in what the right hon. gentleman does not con descend to communicate to us is to exact too much from the trust of this house, and to take a somewhat more san guine view of the existence of the Government than the right hon. gentleman is warranted in doing. (A laugh.) The right hon. gentleman tells us that, if we postpone this proposition, the Government will be involved in difficul- ties, and he shrinks from the task of defining what is news. Now, I agree with the right hon. gentleman the member for Portsmouth, that there is not much difficulty in solv ing a question that appears so great to the Government. So far as I could perceive from a somewhat hasty examina tion of the 155 journals to which the right hon. gentleman refers, there is but an insignificant fraction of them that will require his attention. (Hear.) I was amused the other day on meeting with a caballistic definition of news, in a book of childish instruction, that might have afforded some hints even to ii Minister of Finance. (Hear.) The word " news" was there described by the initial letters of the four points of the compass. It istho initialletters of the four points of the compass that make the word " news,' and he must under-shred that news is that which cornea from the North, South, East, and West, and if it comes from only one point of the compass, then it is a class publica tion, and not news. (Laughter.) If he takes that simple instruction as his glide, I think ho will not find his diffi culties in the definition of news so insurmountable as he takes them to be. (Laughter.) Sir, Ido not now enter on the merits of the general question. I address myself only to the amendment of my hon. friend—an amendment, in my estimation, so sound, so just, and so suited to the cir cumstances with which we have to deal, that I feel it my duty to give it my best support. (Cheers.) Lord PALMERSTON—The right hon. gentleman who has just sat down has stated with groat accuracy that cases have occurred—and he stated several—in which this house having come to certain resolutions in regard to taxation and finance, the Government of the:day have not deemed it its duty, or necessary, to adopt the resolutions to which the house may have come; but I think the right hon. gentleman has omitted to consider the peculiar character of the resolu tion to which my right hon. friend addressed his remarks. Anybody may easily understand that, if a resolution to abolish a tax is proposed to this house, and the Govern ment of the day resist it, but that the resolution is carried in spite of that resistance, the Government, holding by their own opinion of the tax, may abstain from taking any steps in consequence of the resolution so carried in spite of their opposition. (Hear.) But the resolution to which nay right hon. friend alluded was a resolution carried without a dissentient voice —(hear) —a resolution in which the Go vernment of the day concurred, and to which the Govern ment are as much bound as the persons by whom it was proposed to the house ; and it will bo seen at o nce th a t there is an es s e n ti a l difference between a resolution so carried and one that 14 resisted and carricei in spite of the opinions and strung determination of the Go vernment. (Hear, hear.) With regard to the financial part of the question, if my right hon. friend were pick ing out a tax which he thought in itself objectionable, and simply because he thought some other taxes would be preferable, it would be very reasonable for those who ob jected to that course to say, " Let us wait till we see whether the tax you are about to propose will be less ob jectionable than the one you propose to abolish." If it were a question of mere preference in regard to financial op_retions, I could understand the grown ion which gentle men opposed to the tax might wish to see whether another arrangement better suited to the wants and wishes of the country might not be proposed ; but the measure of my right hon. friend is not founded on financial preference. It is grounded, not merely on the resolution of last year, but on the foundation on which that resolution rested. ft is grounded on the injurious, and, indeed, intolerable state of the law—a state in which it is impossible the law can be enforced as it stands, and which we feel requires to bo altered. The law must be altered, because it is a scandal that a law should exist that cannot from its nature be enforced. (Hear, hear.) If the law be altered, you must either make it more stringent, more precise, and enable the officers of the Crown to carry out its provisions and enforce its penalties in any case where it is violated—a course which I think this house will not be prepared to adopt ; or, if you will not do th a t, y ou mus t a d op t th e line of relaxation, and make the law more indulgent. For my part, I do not contemplate the proposed change as likely to be attended with those dangers that have been anticipated by some gentlemen in tho course of the even ing. Ido not anticipate that this change will be produc tive of that injury to existing newspapers which they themselves have so industriously endeavoured to persuade us is awaiting them. I am persuaded that those newspapers —commercial speculations, such as described by the hon. member for West Surrey in that amusing speech with which he has entertained the house this evening —that those great establishments will maintain their ground in spite of any competition that my right honourable friend's measure may bring against them. (Hear, hear.) I am equally convinced that there is no real danger to the morals of the country from those cheap publications that are likely to rise up when this stamp duty is removed. (Hear.) I agree with those who have such confidence in the good sense and good feeling of the lower classes—for it is to thorn only that these cheap publications will be addressed—as to believe that ne danger will follow to them from this change ; that those publications from which danger is to be anticipated will not have such a circula tion, or such au enlargement, as that their existence can be pen petuated. (Hear.) Of course they may be attempted ; but they will share th e fate of others that have gone before +e m (ereeeo et +bey .;es, they Trill J., fell agate. (Hear.) On the other hand, I believe there will arise cheap publications for the use of those who are unable to buy dear ones, which will convey instruction, enlarge their understandingi, improve their morals, and at the same time tend to make them good and useful members of society. (Hear.) I, therefore, entertain no apprehension on that score. This being my opinion, I aria convinced that the house will best perform its duty to the pubic by concurring in the bill proposed by my right hon. friend. (Hear, hear.) Of this lam sure, that we ought to deter mine one wiry or the other, and that the motion—the insidious motion of the hon. member who proposes delay— will not mislead any member of this house. (Cheers.) We clearly understand that that for which we are voting is, whether th r rneasuro shall be adopted or not. (Cheers.) No man will be misled into the error of fancying that, though in favour of the bill, he is only voting for delay, and not against the bill. If this is clearly understood, and the votes given " Ay" or "No' upon the measure, then the tactics resorted to by those who do not openly declare themselves will not succeed ; and, although they say the amendment is only for delay, let it be clearly understood what the truth is. (Cheers.) Let every member know that in giving his vote on this mo ion he will practically be giving that vote " Ay" or " No" for the measure. (No, no ! ) Honourable members may say " No." I do not expect them to concur in the interpretation which I give. They are against the measure. They wish to vote against it, but they feel some difficulty in doing so after having concurred in the resolution of last seseion. (Cheers.) They cannot well get out of the posi tion in which they are placed and seek to escape by a side door, and endeavour to accomplish it by a motion for de lay ; but we require that the votes shall be given in plain terms, for or against the measure. If the votes be so given I am confident in my expectation, that the house will make good its resolution of last year, and concur in the second reading of this bill. (Cheers.) The house then divided, and the numbers wore— For the second reading ll5 Against it Majority —54 The bill was, therefore, read a second time. SUPPLY—REVENUE DEPARTMENTS. The house then went into committee of supply, when the following votes were severally proposed and agreed to without discussion :-835,182/. for salaries and expenses of Customs department; 483,238/. for the coast-guard • 1,365,9501. for salaries and expenses o f Inland &venue' department; and 62,720/. for revenue police—lreland. CRIMINAL JUSTICE BILL. Sir G. GREY moved the second reading of this bill, and explained that its object was to extend the power of summary conviction possessed by magistrates to cases of petty larceny not exceeding 10s. in value. Mr. S. FITZGERALD thought that some better scheme than the present bill might be devised for the more fre quent delivery of gaols, without infringing on that great safeguard of our liberties—the trial by jury. Mr. ROBERT PALMER said he felt no objection to the second reading of the' bill. Mr. HILDYARD thought that the bill would require a good deal of attention in committee. Mr. HEYWOOD supported the bill. The bill was then read a second time. On the motion of Colonel DUNNE, the Lunatic Asylum (Ireland) Bill was referred to a select committee. LIBRARIES, &e. (IRELAND) BILL. On the motion of Mr. EWART, leave was obtained to bring in a bill for promoting the establishment of free public libraries, museums, &c., in Ireland. MARRIAGES (SCOTLAND) BILL. On the motion of Mr. HEADLAII, leave was given to bring in a bill to impose restrictions on irregular marriages in Scotland. . 'S . Mr. FREW ST EN MARGARET moved for a r CHURCH eturn of all sums of money which had been voted by the House of Commons since the year 1800 for repairing or improving the parish church of St. Margaret's, Westminster. The return was ordered. Lord DUNCAN brought in a bill to make further pro vision for the registration of births, deaths, and marriages in Scotland, which was read a first time. The house adjourned at half-past one o'clock. We have received a letter front Mr. John S. W. Herring, solicitor, of Stafford-chambers, New-road, Marylebone, begging of us to intimate that be is not the person of that name referred to in the late attempted murder and suicide at Maryleb•ne, Miss JEWSBURT'S NEW NOVEL, " CONSTANCE HER BERT."—This remarkable book is exciting great interest. It is the best we have yet had from the clever pen of Miss Jewsbury. " Constance Herbert," says the Athenaion, is a poem in its beauty and its lofty purpose —a romance in its variety and fascination. The tale, as a tale, is deeply interesting, full of quiet pathos and a calm and beautiful morality. 'Constance Herbert' will be read with pleasure and remembered with healthful interest." [ADVERTISEUENT].—HoIIoway's Pills produce the most beneficial effects in all Complaints of the Liver, In digestion, &c.—Officers in the army and navy, before proceeding abroad, should provide themselves with a supply of Holloway's pills, as change of climate fre• quently causes an alteration in the system, producing bile, indigestion, flatulency, liver complaints, and such like disorders. These pills may be taken without clan ger, requiring no restraint from business or pleasure ; they act mildly on the bowels, causing neither pain nor griping, and thus remove the complaints at the same time they strengthen the stomach, give a healthy action to the liver, brace the nerves, and invigorate the con stitution.—Sold by all druggists, wad at Professor Hol loway's Establishments, 244, Strand, London • and SO, Maiden:lane, New York. A RilY REF() 11) E SPA' ..ISTO I . TE The committee re-assembled this morning at the usual hGur. Dr. Andrew Smith was recalled. In reply to Lord Seymour he stated that, when the two departments of Minister for War and Secretary at War took place he received no instructions to correspond with the Minister for War alone. By his letter of the ilth 2day he re commended the establishment of hospital ships in the Black Sea and the Archipelago. Did not then contem plate any at Scutari. When the expedition was sent to the East he recommended the establishment of general hospitals at Scutari, but these would have followed as a matter of course. Lord Seymour—The regulations of these hospitals were established by Dr. Hall ? Dr. Smith—They were. There were regulations for the purveyor, but he did not know whether the purveyor acted upon them. He recommended Mr. 'Ward as the first - purveyor ; but when Mr. Ward was found in efficient he suggested to the War-office the appointment of Mr. Wrefor,l, and it was afterwards made. Lord Saymour—Mr. Wreford was 64 years of age ; do you mean to say he was the youngest man you bad ? Dr. Smith—Yes, as a purveyor, he was. (Laughter.) Examination continued—Lord Raglan and Lord de Ros both wrote to him, remonstrating against the re moval of Mr. Ward. They objected to Mr. Ward being removed, although a medical board had decided upon the desirability of his removal. The Chairman asked for the production of these letters, but Dr. Smith declined. The Chairman—They are public letters, to a public man, on a public question, and I do not understand their being withheld from the committee. Mr. Layard observed that it appeared that Lord Raglan had, in writing the letter referred to, acted in direct opposition to the decision of the committee by expressing a wish for Mr. Ward's retention in his office; and he thought the committee ought to be put in pos session of the whole of the circumstances of the matter. After some further conversation the point was post poned for consideration. Examination resumed—Of his own knowledge he thought he could state there was an ample supply of medical comforts at Scutari in the months of November and December; and lie could also state when they were despatched, in what vessels, and when they arrived. The purveyor was the proper person to receive them ; and he (Dr. Smith) received reports from Mr. \Vreford on the subject. If the receipt of those goods were ac knowledged as they bad been, there could be no blame to the transport department. He (Dr. Smith) had °barge of the medical comforts from October. Lord Seymour—Then if the committee has been in formed that there was a short or inetficiant supply of medical o°l4 .rts at Scutari during the nno;iths of No vember and .L) ,- itnnber, bow do yon acc.mot for it,? Dr. Swittl—l cannot account f , r it. Examination resumed—A. pers.ili in his office pur chased the medical comforts, and if the supply vas found to be of bad quality the purchaser would be to a certain extent in fault—but, of course, he would only form a judgment by samples shown to hiin. lie could give the names of the parties by whom theta articles were supplied. The bedding, and things of that kind, as he had previously stater', were supplied by the Ord nance authorities on his requisition as to what was re quired. He sent a requisition, in the first instance, for a supply for 5,000 men. This was in the spring of last year. He kept constantly adding to these from time to time up to November. After the first occasion he sent a person to the transports to see the goods properly stowed —because he (Dr. Smith) hal taken this respon sibility on himself. He suggested having 2 vessels between home and Constantinople; which would have answered very well at the time, but he had afterwards eight ves sels set apart for his use. They were, however, not reserved continuously for his service. Ho made appli cation in October or some lime juice, and obtained some accordingly. He did not know when it was despatched, but he was in receipt of a letter from Varna, stating that it had arrived. Ile did not remember the date of that communication. He formed the opinion he had previously expressed before the committee relative to the efficient condition of the hospitals upon communi cations he had received from the chief apothecary, and the dispenser at Scutari, both of whom informed him that there was sufficient linen for the requirements of the hospitals, as well as medical comforts. Chairman—Then if we have been informed that the soldiers bad no sheets upon their beds it must have been the fault of some person in the hospital ? Dr. Smith replied that it was impossible for him to state. It was the purveyor's duty, without doubt, t) supply these articles in the hospital. It was also his business to see to the cleanliness of the hospital, awl to complete what was necessary in case of a deficiency or absence of constant supplies. Had that offleor abided by his instructions there would have been no difficulty in keeping the hospitals in perfect order in every respect. Lord Seymour—Having appointed that all clothing should be sent, as you before stated, to Scutari, to whom were they consigned ? Dr. Smith—They were consigned to the Chief Com missary; and he received a communication that the vessels by which they were despatched had arrivei. The Duke of Newcastle and Mr. Sidney Herbert con sulted him as to the propriety of sending out nurses to the hospitals, and a good deal of conversation took place on the subject, and nurses were in consequence sent out. Lord Seymour—You meant the other day—at leait I understood you so—that you considered the hospitals were in such a state of cleanliness that it required the critical eye of a women to detect any dirt in theta ? Dr. Smith—l said so, but figuratively, of course. (Laughter.) Examination resumed —The reports which he received from the medical men did not state whether the purveyor was doing his duty or otherwise. That officer had the general superintendence of the management of the hos pital; but, as far as he recollected, the letters he referred to said nothing at all about the purveyor, nor about the want of washing in the hoTitals. The reports said nothing either respecting the inefficient state of the cook ing department or the fobd supplied to the patients. He was consequently led to suppose that the whole conduct of the hospital was satisfactory. Lord Seymour.—Do you think the hospital at Varna was in a better or worse condition than thole at Scu tari ? Dr. Smith said he had received no report on the sub ject, and, accordingly, he had no moans of forming an opinion with regard to it. He had no reason to sup pose there was a defective medical staff at Scutari, as the medical officers never made a complaint to him that they were short-handed. Lord Seymour.--You have told us Miss Nightingale was to go out as superintendent of the nurses ; can you also inform us with what authority she was invested ? Dr. Smith.—With no particular authority ; nor was her position defined beyond that implied by the fact that she was superintendent of the nurses. The duties of the nurses WCTO defined by letters of instruction, and Miss Nightingale was to see that they did their duty— at least he believed such was the case. A few medical men offered their services in connection with the Scutari hospital, but he did not accept their offers. He did not think (subject to correction) that any of them offered their assistance gratuitously. He had endeavoured constantly to induce young assistants to go out, and had offered them 401. for their outfit, 105. a-day, and 3s. more for a servant. He obtained 150 or 200, and their con duct had been good. Mr. Drummond—Did not Dr. Hugh M`Pherson, of the East India Company, offer his services gratuitously? Dr. Smith said he did not recollect such a circum• stance. Sir J. Pakington—l have received a letter this morn ing from the Crimea, stating that on the Bth of this month there was no quinine at Balaklava, though it was wanted by a regimental surgeon for use in cases of low laver which had broken out. Have you received any official information of the fact ? Dr. Smith replied that he had not, nor had he any reason to doubt the correctness of the fact stated by Sir J. Pakington. Ile could not, however, account for the want of that medicine, as enormous quantities had been sent out at different times, and, moreover, there was a,l.vays a substitute for it amongst the medical *Ores. Mr. Roebuck --- Has any report been received from the commissioners who were sent out to Scutari to inquire into the state of the hospital ? Dr. Smith—None. Mr. Layard here read some extracts from a letter re ceived from eminent medical men in London, from a regimental surgeon in the Crimea, and which was dated the Ist of Ja:tuary, in which it was stated that there was a want cf medicines and medical comforts, and that men were dying in numbers of dysentery without the sur geons being able to relieve them. The hon. gentleman inquired if that state of things agreed with the official reports Dr. Smith had received. Dr. Smith replied that it did not, and he believed such a condition of things did not exist. In justice to his own reputation and the British public, he was bound to say some portions of Mr. Osborne's evidence were not correct. Before retiring, Dr. Smith, in reply to a question from the Chairman, stated that the quantity of medicine he had stated had been sent out was quite correct, and if the chairman had heard differently he had been mis• informed. Tho gm and Rev. Mr. Osborne was then recalled, what bad jo.1; fallen from Dr. Smith, defended t h „,!sof, hien be had wide the ,tatements called in question. If he had given paM to Dr. Smith by any remarks in reference to him it was quite unin tentional on his part. Dr. Menzies was then called, and was examined by Lord Seymour—He stated that he served as the Deputy Inspector-General of the Hospitals at Scutari, having been appointed from the staff, in which he was a first class medical officer and had been since 1827,,tn his late office in October last. When he went to Scutari he had had no experience in the superintendence of hos pitals of an extended description. He hal never bad more than 120 to 150 patients under his care. He went out to the Crimet in April last. He stayed at Constan tinople, but did not proceed to Varna. After his appoint ment as deputy-inspector, he bad to - do dlity under several medical officers. He had the general an d th e barrack hospital s un d er his care from Octlber. Whilst there, he was re vested to report upon the amount of accommodation the hospitals could afford in case of emergency, and ho accordingly did so. He cnnsidered the barrack hospital was merely a supplementary one to the general, which was better adapted in all respects to the purpose. He made one report to the commandant, another to Dr. Hale, and another to Dr. Andrew Smith.. Major Sillery was the commandant at that -time, and was the military superintendent of the hospitals. He did not in those reports mention that any alterations were necessary in the hospitals, as he knew that his superiors had inspected their condition ; but he hinted that something was re• quired in the way of cleanliness. He did this to the commandant, and in consequence the hospital was white washed. He did not find on the part of the commandant at that time any difficulty in obtaining what he wanted done. Before the battle of the Alma there was accom modation for 200 patients in the general hospital. At •the latter end of September he bad a hulk added to his accommodation, which would hold 500 sick and wounded. At that time he had 21 medical officers under him', and the generil average was• one surgeon to attend to from 50 to 80 patients. After the battle of the Alma he received assistance daily from medical officers who came out, and then, as well as after the battle of Inkerman, he was pretty well of in this respect. He had no returns to show how many he hal. He was given to understand that the necessary furni ture and supplies would be furnished by the purveyor. Mr. Ward was the purveyor, and told him (Dr. Menzies) that be was not to make himself uneasy in that respect. Dr. Menzies then read a report which he had pre sented to the Government since his arrival home, rela tive to the difficulties he had met with in his duties, and particularly complaining of' the inefficiency of Mr. Ward and the purveying department. Lord Seymour (interrupting).—Had you reported home on the subject of Mr. Wa,rd's inefficienly ? Dr: IVlenzies- -I had, as you will perceive by this re port. Examination continued—Mr. War 3 was not super seded until October, when Mr. Wreford arrived and as sumed the responsibility of the office. Dr. Menzies then went on with► his report, at the conclusion of which Lord SeymoUr said—All the different poir.tl in that report will be foutd in your reports front time io time to Dr. Smith,- I presume? Dr. Menzies—'Yes Examination continued—Dr, Hall was at that time in the Crimea ; but he could not supply their wants at Scutari. After the battle of the Alma, althonoi he bad more medial aid, there was a deficiency of stores and bedding, and other absolute necessaries. His duty was exceedingly overwhelming as connected: with the hospital. He had to ha up day and night, and his correspondence with different departments was so voluminous that he could scarcely find tune for all he had to do. Reports were made to him by the officer. under him as to the want of bedding and clothing for the wards ; and he at once applied to the purveyor to supply them, and ordered him, if ho had not got them by him, to purchase them. The reports of, medical officers as to the state of the hospital for cleanliness were unsatis factory. His duty was the general inspection of the hospital. He ,remonstrated over and over again with the purveyor relative to the want of the necessaries he had mentioned, but without effect. He also represented the filthy state of the hospital to the commandant. After the battle of Inkerman the hospitals were in a filthy state, he was bound to admit that they were not so bad as might have been expected from the demands made upon them. Much might have been done to have prevented, or at all events to have remedied, this state of things, if the purveyor had been active in the discharge of his duty, part of which was to see'to the cleanliness of the hospitals. The Chairman—Were not the hospitals, according to the accounts we have received .from time to time, in a state which was disgraceful to the country ? Dr. Menzies—l think the reports as to the filthy-con dition of the hospitals were greatly exaggerated. The Chairman—Were not faeces of - the unfortunate men lying upon the floor at that time ? Dr: Menzies—l never saw that. The Chairman—So that, if any one has stated that this was the case, they have seen what you, as inspector general, did not see? Dr. Menzies—l did not see anything of the kind. The Chairman--When you went through the wards was your nose not offended by the smell which was ex haled owing to the filthy state of the men ? Dr. Menzies—l must sly I could not help observing that the men were in a filthy condition. Examination continued— l fhe medical men under him did not as a general thing report that linen and shirts were wanted in Vie hospitals. I•t was true he had been informed on more than one occasion that the men wanted shirts, and he at once represented this to the purveyor, who supplied them as quickly as he could ob tain them. The purveyor had some difficulty in getting them, and on one occasion went to Constantinople to get some, and. had even there some harthlip in obtaining them. He visited the general hospital daily ; but he did not go to the barrack hos pital more than once in two or three days. Going round thus he could see what the patients wanted, and he must say they were in want of some things, but not of those immediate comforts which they required. He understood that what was required was in store, and that was the reason he wrote to Lord Stratford de Red cliffe to that effect. The Chirman—Could any of the men have have died for the want of the common necessaries of life without you knowing it ? Dr. Menzies--It is just possible such might be the case. (Sensation.) Mr. Layard—Did you ever heat of a dead man being removed from the hospital and buried, and his name beim., left over the bed after another patient had been laid there, the latter was treated as the man who had died ? Dr. Menzies—l never heard of such .a thing. If it did occur it must have been some fault of the purveyor. Mr. Layard—But the purveyor doesn't look after the sick, does he ? Dr. Menzies—No. Examination continued—The commission of inquiry arrived at the hospitals in November last. He com plained to the commission respecting the unsatisfactory state of the purveying department ; and he ascribed mainly but not entirely to that the want of the many re quisites which were felt. He also mentioned that he was deficient in his orderlies. He was not aware whether or not he had reported this to Dr. Smith, er whether he did report it to Dr. Hall. On second thoughts, he believed he did report this to Dr. Smith. Lord Seymour—Dr. Andrew Smith informed the Times Commissioner before he went out to Constanti nople, that nothing was wanted in the hospitals, and he founded that statement upon reports received from you. Did you send in such reports Dr. Menzies—l have no recollection of stating to Dr. Smith, in any of my reports, that the hospital was in a satisfactory state, but I understood it to be so from the reports made to roe. Mr. Layard—Were you satisfied with this hearsay evidence? Dr. Menzies—lt was impossible for me, with my mul tifarious duties, to look after the purveyor and other departments. Examinition continued—No reports were made to him as to the washing►. He understood it was done by contract. (Laughter.) It was the purveyor's duty t look after this. When he had been informed that the men wanted shirts, he might have noticed in the course of his rounds on a subsequent day whether they had them or not. It was impossible to Answer that ques tion exactly—because the overwhelming duties he had to perform prevented his attending to those minor mat ters. The Chairman—Minor matters ! What do you mean by minor matters ? - Dr. Menzies—l mean those matters which come more immediately under the superintendence of the purveyor. I was obliged to perform other duties. After replying to a few questions relative to the land ing of the sick and wounded from the transports, The committee adjourned, it being close upon four o'clock, on the announcement that the Speaker was at prayers. [ADVERTISEMENT.] THE WAR IN TEE EAST. —POWERF CL PATENT RECONNOITRING GLASSES.— Messrs. S. and B. Solo- MODS, opticians, 39, Albemarle-street, Piccadilly. Observe opposite the York Hotel. By her Majesty's Royal Letters Patent for valuable and extraordinary improvements in the most powerful and brilliant Telescopes, Camp, Race course, Opera, and Perspective Glasses, to know the distances of objects viewed through them—of great importance to the army, navy, and others. Those telescopes possess such extra ordinary 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 counter ance three miles and a half distant, and an object from 16 ::320' miles. They are of larger and all sizes, with increasing iiowers accordingly ; while their vary ing from to 6 inches en a b' e us t o di scover more • than the above, and the Georgian, with his 6 satellites, & c .—Th e R oya l Exhibition, 18 51,—Valuable, newly-invented, very small, powerful waistcoat-pocket glass,the size of a walnut, by which a person can be seen and known 1 A miles distant; they answer every purpose on the race-course, and at the opera houses, country scenery, and ships are clearly seen at 8 to 10 miles. They are invaluable for shooting, deer-stalking, yachting, to sportsmen, gentlemen, gamekeepers, and tourists. Opera, race-course, camp, and perspective glasses, with wonderful p ow er. — 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 emp l oy 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 ness —Now Discovery. —The Organic Vibrator, an extraordi nary powerful, small, newly-invented instrument for deafness, entirely different from all others, t o sur p ass anything the of kind that ban b een , or pro b a bl y ever can b e , produced. Being of th e same co l our as the skin, is not perceptible ; it enables deaf per sons t o h ear distinctly at church and at public assemblies ; the unpleasant sensatizc k )f ib si e n ari gin eoe g noi t se t s , in the ears i s en ti re l y ' removed ; and i t affords all the assist au* that possibly cou ld b e d es i re d. s cutry. e —4ppo gi o. g 1i• _ - r MlNlnim Trig YBIT'SPAPEP STAMP DUTIES. ENDERS DEPUTATION OF NEW VE NDERS TO THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER. ' Yesterday a deputation of newsvendere, appointed st a public meeting held at St. Martin' s Nall, on Thursday evening last, consisting of Messrs. Wild (ehairolan), Walter, Terry, Dawson, Castle, and Hewes, on the sub ject of the proposed measure f o r the removal and altera tion of the stamp duty on newsp a p ers, waited on the Chancellor. o inted The Chancellor of the Exche qu er had app two ° . Lick for the reception of the &petition a t his offici hour al residence in Downing-street, and precisely a t that ho they were ushered in. Mr. Wild, . the chairman, then proc eeded at setae d length to explain the great inconv enience an positive grievous injury that would result t o the newspapeut aloY r trade by the adoption of the proposed measure witho real corresponding benefit to the public, in merely abo lishing a tax which was voluntary, and for which great convenience ch and important facilities were received i n k ange. He believed that the supposition of the retenon d a postal charge would not cause so gre wouldreduction in the r e venue as was anticipated, but he call the attention of the right hon. gentlernan to the fact tbst office.y would become the opponents of the Post i After adverting to the mischief of the publica tion of newspapers by persons without registretion or giving security, as bein , j dicial to the publishers and rendering them liabl g e t P o r ti ( eetions for libel, Mr. Wild proceeded to detail the practical inconvenience the uow r : vender would labour under by the publication of v ilnle a ous newspapers, part of them stamped aud part of the unstarnped, and there would he every posible difficulty,. in point of time, so to assort the :stamped frOin the n° ,. stamped papers in time for the inerning and mails, particularly en the days the extra weeklY pens were published. Mr. Wild concluded by urging 111)° the Chancellor of the * Exchequer a reconsideration of the measure. Mr. Terry followed, and explaine d similar vies. Thne alteration of the present system vvefuld be most Wei venient and oppressive to the nawsrendors. They , a n he believed the public, did not wain& the alteration. Mr. Dawson observed that he,- with nleoi were of opinion that the difficultY which they the peas_T; vendors would experience by the I roposed erra. might be satisfactorily and equitably met LI an al m ot facilities as at present. The propooition of stamped o velopes would be found equally- in. convenient. ; Mr. Walter said he wasof i ion that the pub'ia4 °the tion of unstamped newspapers lad. not be prod:Ott:el; of the good urged for it .by gators. C''bden' Gi A bs . on, and M. Bright. - iter some fUrther observation s, gg estion g The Chancelli r of the Exchequer said the su s hould ot the difficulties thrown out by the deputation receive his attention and airrful consideratiiini. With the The deputation then withdrew, iropre4e, . I live to belief that the right hon. ventlernan WO ftl.l a d out. the inconveniences and difficulties they had po inte d —...... (- 10 t N Tti Y _BE ETS - -- Wheat realised realised an advance of 1- Pe r I t o" CHELMSFORD—MAECII 23 ' b o o. businese was very dull , and almost solely confined tura dearer. Spring corn rather more brisk, and prices the s. . Wheat, white, old, per s. s. .27 33 qr. 57 81 ' Oats, per qr ............. 36 48 new 56 81 Peas, Partridge ...... 33 41 red, o ld 53 75 White... . ....... 42 48 new 53 75 Boiling ......... „, 47 Barleythje CO ill 27 3. • Dun .........• ..,,1 ii Chev• V 4 ler . 27*. 35 Beans, Tick ...... :.;-... . ) 4 ! .5 4 5 Grinding Malt 23 AO 3 72 Alazagan..,—.3s 37 Chevalier 70 74 Ditto, new ' COLCHESTER—MARCII 2 1 . A r weu the tra d e The supply of wheat again s mall, but BArley was l in a p pir leue q es r . t . od clearer. dull, and last week's prices suPPorted" •- 1 a-lterStiol 8 to : l 4 Y 6 w s red, 61s to 70s ; barley , 30s to 34s ; oats, 269 t° }4o; Pe 3° ' 4 0 to whit en,Mazaa 36s to 38s ; iddle and small 44peas no roatsillu e;regraesyf:3ll6c;:to-4057 eat, w'Cute,,..7,o3;tob7o6st; ntities of Corn, Izo. nn. the following r L, both inchteive:___ reae iced froig ts, Official Statement of the Qua in the port of London, fro the 18th to the 24th March p 0 _ - ; r:0 41 L,20 _ 83 9 1 6551 Colchester Harwich Leigh Malden 210' 483 1 1 625 772, 301 116 403 1. 1 3 \ --13 7 41- 6 77 KIRICCA_LDY—MAB 6O a 4 2. „ S a les ; to - alk" cs We had small supplies of all kinds of gra- nr . sa o v l3 ,, t of barley and oats very quick, at is to 2s Pe; 's er q ua Wheat rather slow' sale, nevertheless i t Was I s r higher. Ve 3n° ' Wheat. Barley. I Oats. 05 Oa 'irst Second 7os Od 34s Od I 2Ss 1 0 , od I Third 6os Od 31s id 24s Od C©AL MARKE Prices of Coal per ton at t s. (.1 Burnhope l5 H01ywe11....... ..... 2O Howard's West Hartley Netherton l7 ( North Percy Hartley l7 6 South Peareth l5 r Taufield Moor l7 9 Wallsend, &c. Lawson l6 0 Edou Main 19 0 Braddyll l9 0 , Framwellgate lB 0 Hetton 2O 6 Haswell 20 b TL—MARca 24. ;he close of the martet" Walleend, 80. ~ a. 19 ° 0 Kepler Grange ......... •••f,O liambton ................ •"'l9 Plummer ............... •••19 Russell's Hatton ........... 19 south Hetton ............. 3towart's ................... O. Whitwell ................... /5 Cassel) ................... 17 Heugh Ha 11... ........... g 0 •„' Fees ....................... Cannel ................... ./6 N tte a lk e r Primro W .irey's West liartlO SEABORNE MAILS• (N signifies that the mails are sent from the night—and It by the morning—fiesP. COUNTELEti. Day Town rna in General Yost- Office, Gannon." --,- Arnerica(byftrit.pack)N Every Yrihay ~m eriep, (by United Sts. Packet) ..N kmertea (by U. States packet) .. N Nostralia (ria South ampton) .......... M ..... • • • • " Ditto (via Marseilles) N Ditto (via tape of cio,,dl Afriope) • „... „„„ N: ca (West Coast) .. s ,13,1 or the month • „, t, 24, & 30 of tt , Alexandria,. it!, & 20th of mei.. Bahamas ••••• • • .. ..17th of the motif I. Belgium N • Daily • • • • • • Brazil „, •,„, :N7 9th of the month • • Buenos Ayres 9th of the montil.. Cape of Good Hone N I Cape of Good Hope .. N Cape de Vents N 9th of the month Ceylon (see India) Ceylon ..............N Channel Isles ..N Mon ~Wed.,&Fril. Chili.. r 2ti Fr 17th of moot . China . ,Once a month.. • • Constantinople '5,13,18,23,523 Ot Constantinople 4th & 20th of mot , . Uont. of Europe M & N Twice daily .• • • • Egypt (see India) France M & NiTwice ..daily.... Gibraltar i 4, 7,17, 20, .7 ofm Greece (see India) Greytown .......... M i2nd lk 17th of molt. Hamburgh ..........N Tuesday & red": Havannah „ „ „ai 2nd of the monti Holland ........ „ „ it/ Daily.. • • • • • • •"' Honduras• • • • • • ....M 17th of the month. India (vlaSouthampt.)M 4th & 20th of m OO India (via Marseillos)M 9 th&2sth °avant!. lonian Isles (see India) 7, 17, & 27 of moo Ireland .• .• .• ..M & N Twice daily .• •• •• Lisbon 7,9, 17, & 27 of rn. Madeira Otis of the month' Madeira 23d of month •• • • Malta (see India) • Malta •••••• • • •• ..N 'B, 18, &28 of Mon Mauritius (ace India) Mauritius .• 14th of the moot' . ' Mexico ~ ........ m 2nd of the month., Naples sthlsth2sthof nion. Now Granada i '2cl & 17th of m onth New Zea1and..........18y private shiP • • Papal States 3thlbth2sthofloon• Peninsula ..........M 7thl7th27thofinon. Peru •• •• •• •• •• •• •• th 4 27 of 010".. Port Natal By private sh l P• • • • Blctly •• •• .. .„ ~N sthlsth2stho tilloo• Tuscany sthlsth2sthcfmor• Venezuela ...„ „ ,, M 24 & oth otaionti l Van Dlemen's Land (see Australia) ... West Indies !II& 17tbol raOlithj 3 the 6441 )atcli.) t Altos fro,' '''' $ due to Fort pep& Insp Itett, 1.,..........., ------ ----:- ac.. ga ll Liver Pol t,iverpool Iti' rch 29 4o zw— -24 s res seutilamP t"' Dover • - 0 01 t inc 2 1 . o°6' nd a , I Mtn - Do s." ••,.one Southat k s, k2 ;PAM POP Dover" ;;) A Pt „ids S o uth - ' to il gout P° rts SouthlnPtc° g°ll"am"'OlT', Seutbsinpt D o ver •• SolttbatoP Dover ••'•.. .. er h • • an 1 ; to o . you nt g ton T A 0.4.0.. • ;1 1 ,1,310P'" DOVe r war 40tit FIY II Do , / " • • D 4 V e 0( 11 ' ,too Eioi i,ani pto'' I VV ilf2°'9l Dover f Th F►c ?u• ~'+~' ~;~ af cb =~ p ten istontba r6 lijorer P isoutb . .. a ' n n ertf r d 1 1 , iv icj -MO !1 . W 1 7 - 2 0 OA " I~ pt u 1 Do ...• boer ti s i ;;pto sou i .horpton po rts vsrlou' :peer " llov er SoUtliallaP !parch rr 2 6 ,/ A pril 16 gor ca 9a I Mr 0 1 : A O vac.: • lApro i i m iel 1 B/RT.E/S. wife of or A soli. e On the 25th inst., at Bedforcim, West ITO, Captain Pally, R.N. 0 Of 1111" OP A DAUGHTSII. C 0 , the On the 24th inst., at Lansdownelions° Shelburne. age MARRIED. A dolib litit Cir On the 22d inst. at St. P&DOTAS Church, O VI o f -A , ,,, gory,eq., second son of C. W. Dixey, Esq. of, ' N .T" li g - 0:4 64 ft ley, to Eliza, second daughter Of J. '" ' $• Camden-square. preg len , iO 4 On the 13th inst., at the British Etnbegltsrice-Adfatbe W. Hothain, Esq , youngest son of Charlotte 190 olilky Hon. Sir H. Huthana K.C.8., to youngest daughter of'Rear-Adnairal Itich• _____.------------ e i Wilth /re 13. Gurney, Esq., aged 78. On the 25th irst., at Denmark -hill, Pa ll— ' both , DIED V,, via On the 25th inst., at 36, Soho-squaret:riogoo4loM— wife of, Mr. George Routledge', of aged 40. - h . War , 1 7 .010 0 On the 2d inst., of fever, in 133 Jidda" •"4, i r ge r ' ..,t 1 Col' the "Waffler Caste transport,' Assi,tl,nt--", v ie DR•• -.. Renwick, 14th Regt., youngest son of the 6. Renwick., aged 23. he it° / ' in the On the 10th inst., at Scutari, of Wen t Arn , 9 I- Proctor, Assistant fficiat . g Chaplain to the Ito. Georg° Crimea, eldest and only sn'ri%iving-son ef the 1 1 . cbsrlell Proctor, D.D., rector 01. Hadley. IsfiddieseX• On the 22d inst., at St. Alart'in's, —of Fox, Esq., aged 7. Stamford, 1/ 24 : 4 ° LONDON P r i n t e d and Published by 00# of No. 112, Strand , Printer, at V' Sun (fl 10 ow" „et Os tke , • St ran,l, in tho Preoinot of Use oyi .-- 4 4 : 1411 m x . 3 If arch 27, 1 SO. \ - pil, . 38. 'Pla ce Ptl an t 0 4 - ,i 4,1 t t, 4 ' re n Nt :r r om ot kjh, Dal ‘ 4 " ‘ILaYII4, to l kt, 4tti l ' 1 4" 1 ‘ 1 ;t ' l ret4