The Sun. — London, England, 1855-04-28 00:00:00

_ ATE rr S .11 1 * TRE SIEGE OF SEBASTOPOL. BERLIN, APRIL 27. from The f Peterollowing desp a t c h has been received here ::P St. snurg' dated A pr i l 26 : 22,, of .rihee.Gortschalcoff writes under d a t e o f th e A pr . ::The as foll ows : tori fi ti much uch l eas than oa of th e enemy on the 22d was slacker. the last two day s our loss has been the preceding days." ... ----. "V IENNA., FRIDAY' EVENING. !liell Waa no Conference to-day. ~t:.teegiergthrliacnvnghidveeeryi, li fla u t y; has left for Paris. despatch from Varna, dated the 27th inst., announces that Lord Stratford de `‘lcieliffe left Constantinople for the Crimea on the 25th. T3lt tALTIC FLEET. h et , 1191VIB1JRG, SATURDAY. Dun oil h as arriv e d at Cop and enhagen, with 44 1 4 11,44 cl as, from Kiel. Lieutenant tewart t er 1:10Y B uchanan h ave visited the WarsMinis te reception b y t h e King was about to The 'fia g 4, KIEL, THURS DAY . of 131 r, Duke Wellipgton, C a pt a i n .. la rd. arrived t o - day in ei g ht d ays from En. The sal le Ports u"uog has returned f rom visiting the .... ........._ 45ia.114 . 12 T0N Or THE SARDINIAN MINISTRY. nit tint 0 y h av avour and an hie colleagues in the mi fflle xine resigned . °eller t g 48 accepted their resignations. rkat. burando has been charged with the 101 l of a new cabinet. PRANCE. The A t . PARIS, SATURDAY, 7.30 A.M. toil A t ' . og th Publishes an Imperial decree, an °n ja at the c1ie.....:_0. oie of the Universal Exhi- NstPOUed to the ' lsth of May. he St ow , PARIS, FR IDAY E VENING . ..tur c ontains the following : is pi, e ..._ t t cep, t el o T t Per ,, or " VIENNA, APRIL 25. bag given the order to General Baron li a :‘ , l of )(Pear at his b ead - quarters. He sets out on N it a a followed by all his staff. The general tif th AY infer 4 a orders Hied Generals De Letang an'l Crawford tto com pany ef the Emperor, both of whom pre prepar if% the Austrian generalissimo." thso Port o f s " STOCK HOLM, APRIL 16. Z- .."'L AL L ,., k , tockholm, which Last year was open by 40pe, --:'"' 18 still shut up t li i hti ott that, owing to by the ice, though there the change in the weather, e„410 Will re-cornmence at the beginning of May." to the Nv.,,oliteur also contains a decree raising i 'til e dig4tlieitwski, French Ambassador in London, t, l t alee anY of SOnator. B:gifter,ci_oolinces that General Bizot, of the G ' W , u ° Was lately severely wounded before_ ' n atal e i i ,', l aa been appointed to the rank of "'vision. , , S x ......______ • do 0d 1 1 -AN EXPEDITION. lx 4 ; 0 1 th' —Reril 22. --The order for the embarka cenl" ul atte e ( c a rs t Part of the expeditio . h has at last 1)4111%0%3, and 6 a.m. to-morrow is fixed for its l' of th en t, hut there is little chance of th: ..,tiesd a ,. _ is division being ready to sail befor • I,llt (11411°ir Wednesday. The ships composing t he i. 4l 4es ° ,,,n, are the ercesus, Cleopatra, Europa, n 4,111. an :-:._narftY, Tamar, Jura, Nubia, d ' 4l tit e : l gtr. 4 ' li g e a_iters ; the Edendale . and Pedestrian, ,pera carts ; and the Sax dinian Government ()$ Atith—L° Alberto and Governolo 422 e N 1". These vessels will take , R N. , 6,04, (frigates), kilit' and:'Llo.en, 1483 horses, and 146 wag tow a 0,. g ve m 1 uesldes, each steamer will transport of ii,eB. Gene ei, ch artered for the 11 t4fr 'ef or thpral La Marmara, the C om h m is ander-i n personal -1 oval take-'4xPedition, together with , a, , tn ',:,,5 eOO " PaSsage in the Govern . 0 . 10 . , and will !ir„. Two he has seen the first division ready lkekla andu ° f the largest of these transports,. the kh Ilt IVeh• been laden with pro i ~,141' which i t cla have ''ti ' ''ioce th e ',ad ? become absolutely necessary . to ter,l4a had d e ' 4 , n glish Commissary-General in the 4111 4 e . f th e ‘' lla e j e ll a t re d himself unable to fulfil the the ih tn ao t , . arY convention by supplying - e o .00,, f. 44 (1 I ',,l ec illen e t; c ir to, the British Commissariat. the "7,1 haviezei; tni gl and the number of men (Itnr°(,,Oulal figiir:" co nsiderably increased from tho tropan4 hai,,,V'N''oral more vessels will be re :i, cetristtill,ey Qveeettolready applied for. As to "'win Way f"' and ar e ee 'l ready for embarkation rear once the head °4l Gen i , 8 ? Quartered en echelon e r a e c i ar ,Will Cii o ,.. o f the - ; o l i t o Alexandria, t Neal 'up 48 ton begins 0 The a ce. faat as the stowing on board that t rk wh t e h n e quatu r .Polit a „ T h withd— v 3.1,1 au e tee s° 4aittl by , u Genoa has had his exe all it is far na are hod toe Sardit.ian Government. rosy re btfi i i to be entirely personal ; but, se4til i, k..w the that' - it ao I, .-u ort sly t e gatio u of the un N at e o a , p t o h l e ita s n eeretary Government t kie, ° Napl es at Turin, wl proceed imme to represent the il true state of the ___ daiit,,, lIIISSIA. y„--,z, Apra 25 Mt: 110 • ____ ~.4. April eta n' r ites . ‘;, -- e . ...tussian papers of of he 4r..gated pe.._, Atenschikoff's last order 't which he bids h en well to the'leß°P, March 12, i t :q Uncle, his"aval and military in forces which had Refer • e e „,..to the ki,,,,Nalitlaild in. the Crimea. h had, in fr,;;;ll(l4eratioo`7.e.ws of the Emperor, _lB.shattered. healti, toll, the clnti eß " re quotes the Wilig W ords °1 his post, the Prince .t :...... f,es: beepi3, as Ir Orn the Imperial rescripour w li o eved him bene ,,,i,‘°;'let us the all bewail the decease e e r win e ', t rq our consolation in that Ru: ), Ei f ian bravery red th w troops yo u command have re -1)1 nutne all they and resisted his attacks. Thank in L 11,13,1144 f:atatiZ,,brav? now antiaia. I ,,__ to which they have adornied our milt* defenders of Sebastopol for th . e 41)0,0130meed inutwoltuyerial leader of the hi u s — ithodox army, e. ernity, bestows thei r f ' Th e ortitude and unexampled i b n i t e r s e s p in id g ity fr 7 for the heiressha prince thi nks all his former comrades vel4 l? h tney had so often procured him of 111101eaCer'aid of the Emperor's greetings, and ('oUvi,lt. queelf for his parting with them with the - Plao Be I°,,n that the will continue to earn the ap t e°lleola°ti. tkeir Molarch, and to cause him joy and os tr nde i ° ,l l V their c q es. be follo.";ate ,:lPti„"Ll'f. letter to Prince Menschikoff : °I March lb the Emperor addressed etriod "c'et Alexa, Yoe baneo, y our n i der Se rgejewitch i ,—D: tr Marine, atit,. b,,,, ong administrat.o x n ert ons i earned the d ~,I`qii,listief,, Your indefatigable exertions in t g he the whole lii it t i etor 17e7out and the gratitude lofwoeullr know wd howan Viii4l li t ~,Iti and in God, and tareqoitt. oaw'hed you. Whilst l ono n u ow in et c y o o m n p r li s a h n a c tl e . nt , t gra ,,,, t r ek4t , l; h r e %Zia l h o , u a f o r d orn on -"Aft! 'into • thank fel h er re • . mind how often au m u y r n a e r v d e u r o - t u o u h - b e d - u f o t i r e g s o , t - WO Wm t Aced at the sight of his . fleet, i a t n s ,:1 e l ' at I : Inh, as his coadjutor in fro./tirotlip un-rzePoireistst.to you isqls e Cni'd 4 , (21 flg' exer ion m e 1 4 . t , til! orders to m b P e e rer duly Ceme e y x ws e s. c i trn u oec t s e eta d ri lee , i geavllikaehtneoodGpwtweel,:deld:l-gadi acknowledgments nngtt y :s he labours htt "at the repose which is now indispensable fol it to Ybsour ktloYwrie2l or e you r health, and that you w En.le4 it tiisuge an d -yo u r experience, s.t.ill expects afford from that t mi g r " country that it with right i tl rY et, ,Y Who has for more than a quarter of a cep ortant Ntieh„°' 4 t the head of one of the most m th e f e°44 4 - . 4 I itdruinistration, and gained for.h l i m m p s e e_if l e nf the Emperor Nicholas, of bless d 4. teal4 iirl) Your well affected, . • .....i , " ALEXANDau LI 4d.,. littultiy, giltloll to the above the Grand Duke ue Co :_ n- I, Pr-C4asaddressed the f, Alowing to the Pm the '[.irepa,.',,,"ne Alexander Sergejewitch ! His Aid jests kid ....• 4 7, in fulfilment of the intention of our .., and 4,, Peror Nicolai Pawlowitch, now resting in God his a i!ldfui that our most an gust father always expregied 4. etnifacti /li;l'4 h on with Your management of maritime a1:-. 4 ' 4 been graciously lea4efl to confer on your Serene t r „ nr i . ,B the fee•simple of P the houe of the chef Of the til l ~ .1 4 . r of the marin e , , ituat ei n St. Petfiertstihnurg,itiopgewthitehr tißi",:t .cceasory buildings and their ttlil e b l'etainentary ili,po•Otion. Ihave . lit i t s ructed the the ten °Dartnient of the Minister of Marine to_ transfer and ren e i t 9 e ntB in question to your son, Prince WI cl i Th_ aln your well affected." Ilia " w hole of the extensive territory of Bessar , " ; N. 'still_(, the provinces of Kiew, Podolia, and Oh rite' :`,.r_Placed under the supreme military au c t , li l :) , - .. iilLir.:l U.eneral tinders, hitherto, provisionally ..,, -thiefl4o"er-1 of the army of the south. Get.t. l 'tors is t at Kit olten'ff• Letter ' s tuoult 11 . vittleea Fs Iroul ;inn the arrival of the ad- Prey • 1 guard of the Asiatic hordes, who cannot be lb...ailed pon t ß o ig sl a ee c p wl in the houses or barracks Oflat r their reception, under the impression Ila.t, serf should an earthquake take place. Then lior:' thiarefoe, obtained Permission to picket thir i 4 tiqii round the churches, and bii,ouac themselvesas theirie ?Pell air, makin g use of their horse t sai d e e c v k ino. trira,cee,.pniltloliz;gThey are described beine• secure from tl a ie s i a r dmeo;redationse, P. ally all •? f. t• or copper, th poh. L . attic es.° brass, in, ‘ , .„„..,. -wmltt 8144 0 4 3 of. which ozoitos Ur* cruP"4"a" LITERATURE New and Comprehensive Dictioiattr# Of the Englid: Language, as ,Spoken and Weitten. By Clarke, &c. John Weale. The public is greatly indebted to Mr. Weale, and still more to the author, for this important acquisi. tion to its philological stores. The Dictionary is preceded by an r.,xcellent English Grammar, in which the autlaor has "thought it right to look ra ther to the spoken than the written tongue, and to seek his standard among that body of southern English, among .whom our greatest writers and speakers have arisen." A noticeable feature of the Grammar is the author's careful abstinence from Ls,- tinisms, order that he may be the more readily understood by children and working men. Of the Dictionary itself we feel no hesitation in speaking ie the most laudatory terms. To self-teachers it will especially valuable, while we are ignorant of an' class which will no t it a serviceable hand-book. Unlike abridgments which only give words which everybody knows, and standard dictionaries which omit spoken words which everybody wants t,. know, it is a dictionary of the E ng li s h l anguage, as spoken and written, and, by an ingenious ar rangement, contains, in remarkably small space,. at least sixty thousand more words than any other dictionary yet published. , The meanings, of which there are 10,000 additional for old words, are given by words of English or Anglo-Saxon root, in order to their being more readily understood. The Woild and its Beautiful Lights and Sympa thies. By James Waymouth, author of the " Crucifixion," and other poems. James Black- wood. The purchasers of Mr. Waymouth's preceding poems will doubtless recognise fresh claims to their admiration in the, present volume. It is charac terised by an elevated moral purpose and feeling, and considerable facility of expression. Exigent critics may object to some of the author's numerous compound epithets, and take exception to the quality and arrangement of some of his metaphors ; while others will discern passages which do him credit, and which will be perused with pleasure. The Netv Quarterly Review. Hookham and Sons. The April number of this useful review and di gest of current literature is hardly inferior to its predecessors in variety and interest. In its resume of French literature we are informed that "in Paris there are, on a moderate computation, one hundred autobiographies in course of publication ! " If this be so our Parisian friends are to be pitied. Among several meritorious papers one on the " Clubs of London" is, perhaps, the most notice able. The Screw Propeller. A Letter to Captain G. T. Scobell, R.N., M.P. By Captain E. J. Car penter, R.N. , Seeley. Many of our readers are aware that a sum of twenty thousand pounds' remunerative compensa tion was voted by the House of Commons to the inventor or inventors of the screw. To set forth the author's claim to the title, and to show how the money has been misapplied, are the objects of this pamphlet. To all appearance Capt. Carpenter is an ill-used man. Professor Johnston's Instructions for the Analysis of Soils, &c. Blackwood. A third edition of this valuable little work, in which limestones, clays, ironstones, manures, and natural waters have been,included among the sub stances to be analysed. A copious, index also has been added, and the result is a help to practical and economical analysis, of which tyros in chemis try will find it to their •profit to avail themselves. Few instructors are so lucid and generally intel ligible as Professor Johnston. My Wanderings. Being Travels in the Fast in 1846-7, 1850-1, 1852-53. By John Gadsby, formerly of Manchester. With map and numer ous engravings on wood. John Gadsby. One of those works which possess the elements of success, being noticeable for observation, good sense, and a great variety of useful information, conveyed in a popular style. Reference is fre quently made to Scripture, and the author seems to have taken pleasure in throwing light on Such of its dark passages as owe their obscurity to our ignorance of Eastern customs. The Journal of Psychological Medicine and Mental Pathology. Edited by Forbes Win slow, M.D., D.C.L. John Churchiil. The April number of this ably-conducted journal contains papers of general, as well as professional, interest. Among these are an article on the "Pathology of Intemperance," " Critical Remarks on the Plea of Insanity," and a paper on " The Responsibility of the Insane." A Digest of County Court Cases decided in the Superior Courts on Motion or.on, Appeal. By Sir George Stephen, of Gray's-inn, barrister-at law. John Crockford. A useful compilation, in a somewhat novel form, of cases, involving (mainly) the practice of the County Courts on points of law peculiar to their jurisdiction. The e'rown Lands of Australia. Being an Expo sition of the Land Regulations, and of the Claims and Grievances of the Crown Tenants, d✓c. By • William . Campbell. John Smith and Son, Glas gow. In addition to a clear and temperate expression of the grievances of the squatters or Crown Tenants of Australia, in connection with the land regula tions, backed by documentary evidence, the reader will find a few practical hints upon emigration and the gold fields. ' The author, lately a member of the Legislative Council of Victoria, appears to be " well up" to his task. Parisian Etiquette. A Guide to the Manners of French Society in Poo is. John T. Shaw. A little handbook, translated from the French, and likely to be of service to such of our readers as intend to visit Paris during the approaching Exhibition. Russia and her Czars. Illustrated by Engravings of the Kremlin and the Church of Saint Basil, Moscow, from Original ,Views. By E. J. Bra bazon author of " Outlines of the History of Ireland," &o. Robert Theobald. An acceptable contribution' to the general stock of historical literature. The history of " Russia and her Czars" is brought down from the earliest period to the present time, and but little of its ro mantic interest is lost in the narration. The work contains a large amount of information, and is well adapted both for young readers and old. The Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland has commuted the sentence of death passed at the last Tipperary assizes on Michael Hogan and Timothy Ryan, for the murder of Denis Molony, into transportation for life. STAMP ON BANKERS' CHEQUES.—Objections continue to be urged against the proposed penny stamp on cheques, from th effect it would have in causing coin to be used in place of cheques in all small transactions. It seems generally admitted, however, that a suggestion made by Mr. J. A. Franklin, and alluded to on Thursday, that cheques should be allowed to be drawn without a starnp, but that a stamp should be required to be affixed to them before they could be paid, would obviate this dif ficulty entirely, since, as the tax would then fall on the receiver, the payer would have no inducement to incur the risk and inconvenience of using coin. CIVIL SERVICE APPOINTMENTS.—The Master-General of the Ordnance has been pleased to nominate W. B. Le Geyt, Esq., son of Lieut.-Colonel Le Geyt, Royal Jersey Militia, of Fonthill, St. Heliers, Isle of Jersey, to a clerkship in the Ordnance storekeeper's department, Gun-wharf, Portsmouth.. Acting Assistant-Surgeon R. Webb has been appointed assistant-surgeon, vice Fasson, promoted, in the Ordnance medical department. Mr. Edwin J. Jelley, clerk in the Royal Engineer Office at Woolwich, .has been removed to the Royal Engineers' Office 'at Manchester, vice Mr. J. J. Holmes, deceased. There is a vacancy in the Comptroller's Account Legal , Quays, London, caused by the death of Mr. George St. Quintin.-- Civil Service Gazette. THE WIDOWS AND ORPHANS OF THE POLICE WHO VOLUNTEERED TO GO TO THE CRIMEA.—It will be re collected that the distressing case of Mrs. Pocock, the widow of Sergeant Pocock, of the P division of police, who was one of several members of the Metropolitan Police force who had volunteered to go out to the Crimea as deputy st re-keepers, has more than once been btoughtimder the notice of the Hon. G. C. Nor ton; and that he had not only expressed a strong opinion of tae manner in which her claims for assistance from the Patriotic Fund had been met, but kindly afforded temporary relief for herself and her five helpless chil dren. Mrs. Pocock is now receiving assistance from the fund, and will continue to do so in common with all other widows of the service. GROSS BRUTALITY TO A WIFE IN HER CONFINEMENT. —Charles Canton, a dentist, residing at 41. Myddleton street, Clisrkeowell, was charged before Mr. Tyrwhitt with ill-treating his wife. Elizabeth Cant in, a care woi n looking woman, who carried an infant in her arms, said, the defendant is illy husband to my sorrow. days since I was colifined of this baby, and daily since that he has been knocking me about in the bed until I could bdar it no longer. On Thursday, the eigh th da y , his condu c t was so brutal to me that I was obliged to get out of bed, and take the baby with me, and go out of the house. A poor woman who nursed the com plainant, said that since her confinement the defendant duly slapped her face in bed, and threw things at her ; t in h c a le t e l d r , e c tr on on ti , n t u m e t d e, r w e it w h it t n ii e. e ss g , el l , i t is ien c i o a n u c . lu A e l t r. vs T a y s rw so bit b t a l l Call such a roan ld s c t a r l arg hi quiteideas of the t e he word re a ve g rese".tlgeteTtinhatneel ? r:a orSn—ind worthy m y e maeged personaistl lsho ate h t i u : hitu to 6 moutlike bill labour . . t THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVEN IMPEINAL PARLIAMENT t Prussian merchants, and as a proof of that be might state that they were known to pay 20 per cent. for dis count. But capital was not all that was required. A personal acquaintance with the agents was necessary, and without such acquaintance capital would be of very little avail. Now, how was it p oss ibl e that such a class of men could suddenly spring up in Russia ? And in the meantime, in what condition would she be ? Her exports would be destroyed ; her rouble would be of the value of a French assignat ; her finances would be in the most inextricable confusion in the course of two years ; and the soldier landlord—on whose fidelity the sovereign must depend on the day of battle—would be rendered desponding, despairing, and disaffected. A prohibi tion to trade would have taught him not merely that war, was restrictive of the serfs, and burdensome in the shape of taxes, but would have brought him to beg gary and ruin. Now, he would ask, could the war be carried on for a year under such circumstances ? He himself saw something of the temper of the nobles in 1824, when the insurrection of the following year was as freely talked of as the clubs of London now talked of the efficiency of her Majesty's,' Governinent. (Hear, hear, and laughter.) An indefinite sort of notion pre vailed that this country would be ruined by the st•ippaee of the Russian trade. But Ras there any foendation for that supposition ? None whatever. The Russian ex ports were not of that rare kind that no other country could produce. He would take for instance the article of hemp. Now, Russian hemp was not the best hemp thst came into the market. Manilla hemp was better by 16 per cent. Hemp was obtained from Belgium, the North of France, and Lombardy. In India there was a superabundance of all the materials obtained from Russia. That country absolutely swarmed with them, and the while vegetable creation seemed to resolve itself into hemp and flax, and if not into animal tallow, at least into a substitute for that article. Besides all these sources of supply, he might mention the Hi ralayas and the Philippine islands. The nett'e was a most valuable article, and produced linen equal to Irish, and the ropes male from it were as good as the best Russian. A. fibre of a Russian rope broke with 160 lbs., whilst a similar nettle fibre 'sustained 400 lbs. without breaking. Besides all these substitutes for Rus sian pro luce, iron cables and wire were fast coming into use amongst the great shioping companies ' and even in the royal dockyards. It h a d b een stated by Mr. Noble, one of the great hemp brokers, that if her Majesty's Ministers would declare it unlawful to trade with Russia for one year, such an impetus would be given to the gro avers of these textile fabrics that this country would be able to compete with Russia, even with an open trade, in price, quality. and quantity. (Hear, hear.) Then with flex that article was completely respect to Ruvian beaten out of the field by Belgium, the flax of which county was better by 12 per cent. In India there was an inexhaustible supply of that material. The country best adapted for the growth of flax was Ireland ; it was no new crop there, because, in some of the north ern provinces, it was already cultivated extensively. Sir John M‘Neil, the celebrated engineer, upon the faith that the blockade was to be strict, laid 600 acres under flax ; but, now that the market was flooded, .he could not get a price for it. With regard to tallow, before the war was declared, Russian animal tallow was losing its price in the market, as it was being superseded by vegetable oil, while taking the duty off soap produced a great effect in extending the number of substitutes for animal tallow. In Price's patent candle manufactory there was not one cask of animal tallow used ; it was palm oil and other vegetable oils they used. Palm oil was chiefly cultivated along the coast of Africa where slavery abounds, and since the slave trade diminished as the produce of palm oil increased, they had an additional reason for rescinding the Order in Council of 1854. He believed France almost entirely abstained from the use of animal tallow, substituting for it what was commonly called the African ground nut, which they obtained from Algeria. these facts showed the facility with which substitutes could be found for tallow, but to shbw how necessity produced substitutes for anything, he might mention the experience of the Irish Peat Com pany. They were in the habit of extracting oil—naphtha oil—from peat, which they originally valued at is a gal lon ; but it turned out that this oil had high lubricating powers, and in a few months the price rose from is. to ss. a gallon, the augmentation being caused by the substitu tion of this oil for tallow. The present was a peculiarly favourable time for striking la blow at Russian produce ; its value had considerably fallen in our market of late, and if advantage were taken of the present moment the trade of Russia would be destroyed without, comparatively speaking, inflicting any injury upon ourselves. Stop the funds by which the trade of Russia was carried on, and you destroyed it at once. He did not attach much importance to the machinery by which that end was to be attained, but the plan pro posed by the petitioners was to compel an importer to certify before a consul or an agent appointed for the purpose, either at the Customs or elsewhere, that the produce he wished to import was not the production of Russia. There might be occasional cases of fraud, but as the onus of proof would rest with the proprietor, he thought Government would have no difficulty in esta blishing such machinery as should at once determine whether the produce was Russian or not. War must always be attended with evils and difficulties to trade, but in the case of Russia she had the least power of al most any nation to inflict injury upon our commerce, because, during the time of peace, she did all she could in the way of hostile tariffs to cripple British trade. Why, he found that, in the last years to which the ex isting returns were made up, the whole of the British exports to Russia amounted to 1,228,4041., while we received from Russia imports valued at 9,280,041/., so that the balance of stopping the Russian trade would be greatly against Russia,. Bat he disclaimed the idea of- treating this matter in a niggardly; huckstering spirit ,• they had no right to set cuff the paltry produce of I Russia in hides and tallow against the blood and sinews of Englishmen ; but - still it would only cost 1-80th of our exports to reduce the imports of gold and silver into Russia by something. lik e 7,792,437/. He thought the bargain would be a good i one. Well, now, that would be precisely the effect of the step he was urging upon Government; and although it might be opposed to the strict principles of political econotily, yet it was peculiarly a +apted to a state of war, while it ; was beat calculated to hasten mace. He hoped it would be adopted without delay. (Hen- ) Lord STANLEY Of Alderley) said with regard to the papers there would be no obje tion whatever to pro duce them. The noble earl complained that the blockade last year was not strictly kept, but in reply to that complaint he must remind their iordships of the l circumstances under which the blockade was instituted. We were engaged in a war with Russia in concert with an ally who entertained a different opinion to ourselves with regard to mercantile matters. They recognised the right of neutrals to carry property of the enemy w thout being subject to the right of search, and that was one reason which rendered it necessary to deal tezn optohrearrielyirciwimitshtat I e ce w b h o i ca gads. ren d e But re he (I t h t lt e there was ye t necessary. anAd vances of money had been made by English houses upon the Russian produce of the year, and in point of fact a good deal of the Russian produce lying in the ports of the Baltic and White Sea was the property of English merchants. If, theretere. the blockade had been imme diately and strictly ca lied into effect, we should not have been injuring Russia, but our own merchants. For these reasons it was deemed expedient that the period for commencing the blockade should be extended, and accordingly an Order in Council was published for 'that purpose, but that order li3d only reference to British merchants. It in no way altered the law, but was issued simply to meet the case he had I mentioned. The blockade, however, was strictly en forced in the Baltic ; but from causes which had already nleeoetns.,exstrliain stringently ntl i y n k t e h p e t o in thr t e he Hu ß o lac s e k eof e P a aam . rli Tiw entitwas effect of this blockade had been greatly to cripple the Russian trade ' • indeed, by the returns which he held in his hand, it would seem that the importation of Russian flax, hemp, and-tallow was reduced. last year, as compared with for mer years, by at least one-half ; while it was only reason able to suppose tha.'t the trade of Russia with other countries had been reduced in a corresponding degree. With regard to the proposal of the noble earl there' would be great difficulty in carrying it out, because the certificate process which he wished to establish could be easily evaded.' How were the authorities to decide what was and what was not Russian produce when under the existing Customs law any produce which bad been subjected to the slightest manufacturing operation became a manufactured article, and was treated, not as the produce of the country where it was originally produced, but as the produce of the country where the manufacturing operation had taken place ? Here, then, would be a fruitful source of evasion, whereas on the other band, if an attempt were made to enforce the regulations the noble earl wished to establish, we should be running the risk of creating hostilities on the part of countries that were now faVourable to us. As for the future, the blockade would be strictly enforced in the East as well as the North, and when they considered that already half the trade of Russia bad been destroyed, and the whole of her mercantile marine swept from every sea in the world, and when they recollected that the Russian manufacturers depended entirely upon her im ports of cotton, be thought their lordships would agree with him that the noble earl was hardly justified in say ing•that the blockade of last year bad proved inoperative d l ot t rh b i n e e " and inefficient. Lord BERNERS said it was of great importance to the mercantile interest of-this country that they should en forced d announcedbot both i n th that t White the s b e le a e .a k n a d d e t h vi taeh o nen u d l af know what were the real intentions of Government with rsohtir. he aiocrtdlyse. trustedn regard to blockading Russian ports, and 'now that it had that determination would be steadily adhered to. The Earl of ALBEMARLE spoke a few words in j d e ts c r t e d in, reply, and announced that on a future occasion he should resolu tion, upon . which be should take the sense of the house. su T bm he it r h et is ur v n i s ew w s e o r n e t t h h i e s n su o b r adjourned shortly before nine o'clock. • HOUSE OF LORDS-(YESTERDAY.) The LORD CHANOELLOIC took his seat on the woolsacl It fire o'clonk. The Earl of ALBEMARLE presented a petitior From Wandsworth in favour of the total abolition o: Church rates. The Earl of SHAFTESBURY rose to call the atten• tion of the Commander•in-Chief to the two cases that had recently appeared in the newspapers of what was called " practical joking," and having read the state ment that had appeared with respect to the conduct of the officers of the 30th Regiment, asked the noble :ord whether he intended to put a stop to such .mischievous and discreditable conduct in the army ? It vas his belief that the 'parties principally at fault were ,e commanding officers of the regiment. He wished to know ‘thethcr the no'ole lord had instituted any inquiry ,to the transaction ; and if so, whether he would make zaown to the public what was the determination of the matter ? Lord HARDINGE expressed his regret at being bliged to adroit that the facts reported of the cake re --rred to were not exaggerated. He had admonished the (fending' parties in the stronge st language, and he had yoly to say that if these remonstrances proved ineffec- ual he would feel it his 'duty to advise her Ma jesty to exercise her prerogative by adopting a summary node of putting a stop to such practices. The Earl of HARDWICKE said that if he was Com iander-in-Chier he would certainly deem it his duty to mold the colonel of each regiment responsible for those , ffences, and he would deal with him in the most sum mary manner. Lord VIVIAN said it so happened that the colonel af one of the regiments alluded to was at present in the Crimea. The subject then dropped. On the motion of Lord REDESDALE Haffe's Estate Bill was read a second time. THIRD READINGS. The Folkestone Harbour, the Brighton Improvement Bill, and Prices Patent Candle Company Bill were read a , third time. . CHURCH RATES. The Bishop of EXETER, in presenting two petitions from Exeter and another place in Devonshire, on the sub ject of church rates, took, the opportunity of calling the attention of the house to the actual state of the law on the subject. A few evenings ago, when this question was brought under their notice, the Lord Chancellor gave his authority to the motion that the law respecting church rates was absolutely effete, and that there was oo power to set it in action—that it was, in fact, a bye law, which it would be vain to revive. He (the Bishop of Exeter) wished to revive nothing on the subject, but he would state what was the fact as regarded the law upon the subject up - to within a few years ago. The right reverend prelate then proceeded at great length to cite the different statutes of the law with respect to church rates. The reverend prelate contended that the spiritual courts are still empowered to compel payment of church rates, under penalty of im prisonment of the person or sequestration of the estate, of the parties in default. In fact the law as regarded church rates was more stringent than that applicable ti the payment of tithes, for it gave a. remedy in the former case which did not exist with respect to the latter. The rev. prelate then quoted the opinion of Dr. Lushington, who considered church rates a poll tax, and expressed his astonishment at such an opinion. He hoped that n y attempt to obtain the abolition of church rates would be firmly resisted. The right rev. prelate con cluded by moving that the petition which he had pre sented should lie on their lordships' table. The LORD CHANCELLOR said it would not be right for him to F ay what the Government had contem plated in this matter, but at present a hill had been in troduced into the other house of Parliament which pur ported to effect the object to which he had referred, and, under these circumstances, the Government had thought . . . it would be wise for them not to interfere, but to see how far that measure might be adopted or improved, or might serve as the foundation of some other to be intro duced in this or a subsequent session of Parliament. After a few words in reply from several other noble lords, The subject dropped. THE RUSSIAN 'TRADE, The Earl of ALBEMARLE rose to present a petition from the Bristol Chamber of Commerce, praying for a vigorous prosecution of the war with Russia ; also, to move for a return of the quantity of hemp, flax, and tallow received into this country from Russia and Prussia between the Ist of January and the 27th of April in the years 1853, 1854, and 1855 respectively ; and also, to inquire whether her Majesty's Government intend, with a view to bring the war with Russia to a speedy conclu sion, further to restrict the trade a that country by pro hibitory duties, or by any other means. Humanly speaking: he considered her Majesty's Ministers respon sible for either peace or war. He believed it to be in their power, by a proper, and energetic, and vigorous po licy, to bring the war to a speedy termination, or to make the siege of Sebastopol another siege of Troy. A ,right hon. gentleman, the immediate predecessor of the pre sent President of the Board of Trade, stated some time ago that it was the policy of her Majesty's Government to inflict the maximum of injury on Russia and the minimum of injury on ourselves. (Hear.) Now, with regard to inflicting the maximum of injury on the enemy, he wished to ask if there was any reasonable prospect of our doing so ? In March, 1854, as the law stood, it was an act of felony, if not of treason, for any subject of these realms to trade with the enemy. Unfortunately for this country that wholesome law bad been departed from. In his opinion, if it had been adhered to, instead of this country appearing as a suppliant suing for peace, and submitting itself to the humiliation of a refusal, our adversary would have been at our feet begging for peace upon any terms, to save him from the fury of a nobility whom our measures would have driven to beggary and despair. The Government declared their intention to establish a strict and rigorous blockade. In the Baltic thelblockade was pretty well carried out. In the Black Sea it was carried out partially, but in favour of the enemy, for while we blockaded the mouths of the Danube, and shut out 2,000 . 000 of quarters of the corn of our friends, all the ports of the enemy were left open, and millions of quarters of linseed were allowed to be ex ported. But that was not all. The British merchants, looking upon the Black Sea as tabooed, as a part of the world with which it was treason to enter into commerce, went to Africa and India and brought in large supplies of linseed. The enemy had, however, anticipated them. and sold their produce, and our merchants were obliged to sell at a depreciation of 15 per cent. In that case, therefore, the maximum of i: jury was inflicted on - the . British merchant , and the maximum of p rofit was g iven t.) the enemy. (Hear, hear.) It appeared from the best-authenticated accounts, that in the year when the trade of the enemy was the most crippled, 10,000,0001, b a ee fr n ou r i ec t e h i i v s ed c . our. H try te year would not be i renewed, but that a most strict blockade would be nn r u gold , r te t d u r t a b: a d f t or s t i b lv e n goods r blu w n e w d n e h t r i s e t h o o ß f h had last established both in the Baltic and in the Black Sea ; at least, so far as ships could carry that object into effect. But he considered ships utterly ineffective for a blockade, seeing that there was land transport from Russia through the Prussian dominions. Certain goods found their way through the provinces of Smolensk and Novogorod to the frontier town of Tauruggen, and were shipped a few miles from thence. Now, he considered that the Government ought to enforce the blockade, not merely by naval armaments, but by sending out soldiers. The parties whose petition he bad just presented, prayed that .the Government would take such steps as would compel the Prussian Government to discontinue the overland trade with Russia. He did not propose to deal with that question, but to leave the responsibility with Government. (Hear, hear.) His object was to ventilate the subject. The question of prohibition ought to be de termined by the Government. It had been urged upon them by persons in all classes of life, who were the most competent to form a correct opinion. He had always been an enemy to.class interests, and now advocated the views of the merchants, because he thought their interests and those of the public were inseparably connected together, and it was the interest of both that the war should be brought to a speedy conclusion. It had been said that the prohibition would not succeed—that it would inflict no injury upon Russia, and great injury on ourselves. Now, he was ready to take the converse of that propo sition, and to prove that the entire stoppage of the Rus sian trade would inflict incaluable injury upon Russia and a minimum of injury on ourselves, and he contended that this must be so from the peculiar nature of the trade. The export trade of Russia consisted of a few products, raised by serf labour, the property of the nobles. Now, a serf landlord was a soldier, and with a sword at his side he must in a military despotism make himself felt. The exports formed the rent of the nobility, and any reduc tion of that rent must be an injury to that body. The policy of this country during the past year and the pre sent year had teen the reverse of that which had been spoken of as likely to inflict the maximum of injury on Russia and the minimum on this country. The manner in which the blockade had been carried on had made the war popular in Russia, and had half reconciled Prus sia to the disgrace which she had incurred, selfinterest being the counter-balance to her honour. So long as the war continued popular with the soldier, landlords' peace would be impossible, and it would not be thought of by these exponents of public opinion' until they could be ,made to feel severely the pressure of war. But, so far from that having been the case, the land transit of last year had proved most beneficial to them. They netted a little less profit on their exports, but their horses and carts, which were used for the nurposes of land car . riage, were an immense source of profit, and so pro fitable was the trade that they actually brought their horses and carts from Siberia. Now, a good policy on the part of this country would not -have brought about such a state of things. Our object ought to have been to make the war unpalatable, to render these articles ur.saleable, and to make the labour of their serfs unprofitable. (Rear.) The merchants had repeatedly de clared that if the Government would repeal the orders in councll, and allow the statute law to come into force, they would utterly discontinue the trade, and it was obvious that men of high character were not disposed to risk dishonour and banishment in order to evade the law. He wished their lordships to bear in mind the in evitable consequence that would arise from carrying into effect the statute law, which made it treason to deal with a e enemy. That, independ.-nt of any measure to prevent the ingress of the Russian products, would des troy at once two-thirds of her exports and three.fourths of the capital by which it was carried on, for three-fourths of her money transactions were conducted in London. But it was said another class of merchantsanight come in. Now, he . did not think that very likely. Persons carrying on the trade must, from the'very nature of the trade, be persons of capital and credit. The Russian trade was one of advances. ha am unlike any other trade. Merchants did not exist in 'Russia or Prussia. He understood that nothing 99t# 1 70 l?wer is pars awl credit than-the _ HOUSE OF COMMONS—YESTERDAY. The SPEAKER took the chair at four o'clock. The Inverury and Old Meldruai Railway Bill was ordered to be considered. On the motion that the England and Ireland Improved Communication Bill be read a second time, Mr. CAIRNS moved as an amendment that the bill be read a second time that day month. Mr. FRENCH opposed the amendment, and, after a short discussion, in which Mr. Kirk, Mr. Vance, Mr. Lindsay, Lord Naas, Mr. 11. Herbert, and other hon. members took part, Mr. BOUVERIE expressed an opinion that puttihg off the bill for a month would he putting it off for the ses sion, and he should give his vote for taking the second reading at once. • • • -- . Mr. CAIRNS said he should not trouble the house to divide ; and • - -- The, bill was read a second time. PETITIONS. • Petitions were. presented byVernon fro:4 --- • • Y ! • - • __• - - • : IN O, APRI L 28 185 Armac,rh against the Mayrrooth grant ; by Mr. - Horsfall, from Liverpool, with a similar prayer; by Mr. 0. Gore, from a place in Shropshire, praying that the public- I oases might be closed the whole of Sunday ; by Mr. Dundas, from a place in Scotland, against the proposed Scotch spirit duty. NOTICES OF MOTION. Mr. LAYARD gave notice that on an early day he should move a series of resolutions to - the effect that the house viewed with deep and increasing concern the actual state of the nation. 'Whilst atall times the administration of public affairs should be entrusted to those beat qualified it was the more necessary that there should be so at a moment of great national emergency. That the manner in which the interest 9 of party favouring influence had been consulted in preference to merit in appointments to the highest offices of State diplomacy, the army, and other branches of the public fiervice, was opposed to the best interests of the State, and had already given rise to many great misfortunes, and were calculated to bring discredit on the national character, and involve the country in much distress. That the house would give its support to any Ministry which in the present emergency should propose to place the different departments on a proper and efficient basis in those respects. SIR JAMES BROOKE. Mr. SCOTT asked her Majesty';Government whe ther the reports of the commissioners appointed to in quire into the position and proceedings of Sir James Brooke would be laid before Parliament prior to the Whitsuntide recess ? FLOATING BATTERIES. Mr. HUTCHINS asked the First Lord of the Ad miralty whether the screw pr Tellers made for the new floating batteries had not been found insufficient, and whether the batteries had not been again placed in dock to have another screw to each added ? Sir C. WOOD replied that he had not heard of any thing being the matter with them ; at all events it was quite certain they had not been placed in dock. (Hear.) OFFICERS' WIDOWS. General WYNDHAM asked the Under Secretary for War whether any and what arrangements had been made for granting pensions to the widows of the general and other officers who had been killed in the Crimea ? Mr. F. PEEL said he was not aware of any new ar rangement having been made with this view, but pen sions were usually granted to the widows of officers who fell in action, or in the service of the country. (Hear.) NATIONAL EDUCATION. Mr. MILES asked the right hon. member for Droit wich whether it was his intention to make an alteration in Committee in his Bill for the better Encouragement of Education in England and Wales, in the words by which he proposed to raise money for educational pur poses, by substituting parochial for union charges. Sir J. PAKINGTON said it was his intention" to pro pose the alteration indicated by the hon. member when the bill was in'committee. ARMY MEDICAL OFFICERS. Col. DUNNE asked the Under Secretary for War whether it was the intention of the Government to asso ciate a civil practitioner with the military medical offi cers who direct that department of the army ; to state who had been selected, and whatamount of payhe was to receive ; also, whether he was to become subject to the articles of war ? Mr. F. PEEL replied that it was the intention of the Government to send out a civil practitioner with the military medical officers alluded to ; but he was not pre pared at that moment to furnish the further particulars sought by the hon. and gallant member. JUVENILE OFFENDERS. Mr. ADDERLEY asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it was his intention to in troduce a short bill to supply the defect in' the Youthful Offenders Act of efficient provisions,for recovering; in fit cases, from parents, a portion of the coat of their children's maintenance at Reformatories ? Sir G. GREY said there had been found to be some practical objections to the matter referred to by the hon. member, but as a bill would be shortly introduced by an hoe. member on the subject it could be further con sidered. MORTAR AMMUNITION AND SHELLS. Colonel WYNN asked the Clerk of the Ordnance whether there was any truth in the report that many of the fusees fitted to the shells fired from the mortars in the batteries before Sebastopol were made so long ago as 1798, 1801, 1804, and 1812 ; whether it was true that the powder employed to fill many of the shells was da maged powder restoved, instead of being fresh and good powder ; and whether the new pattern fusees made in 1852 and subsequently had not frequently been found to be inefficient? ' Mr. MONSELL said that all the 12-inch fusees sent from Woolwich were made in the years 1853 and 1854. The 13-inch fusees sent from Malta might have been of older date. With regard to the second part of the question, he might say that re-stoved powder was gene rally used for such purposes. As to the last part, the fusees bad not been found inefficient; as they were on an improved principle. (Hear, bear.) OFFICERS' HORSES IN THE CRIMEA. Colonel WYNN asked the Under Secretary for War whether it was the intention of her Majesty's Govern ment to give any compensation to those officers whose horses (provided at their own expense) had been de. Buoyed by the labour they had been subjected to in bringing up from Balalilava to the camp clothing, medi cal comforts, and provisions for the soldiers : whether aay compensation would be given to those officers whose horses were left behind at Varna when the army em barked from thence to the Crimea? Mr, F. PEEL said that compensation was always ,made to officers who lost their horses in the country's service, but he could not say whether' the regulation would apply to the instance pointed out by the gallant member, as it would depend upon the cir c um s t ances o f the case. No application had, however, been made to him At present. THE CASE OF LUIGI DURANELLI. Mr. BRIGHT moved, that the house at its rising do wl:rurn until Monday, in order to have an opportunity of calling the attention of the Home Secretary to the case of this uni trtunate man now under sentence of death. He understood that many medical gentlemen were of opinion that the loan way insane when. he committed the crime with which he was accused, and he had beard that Mr. Shaw, a medical practitioner, and a person most competent to judge as to the prisoner's state of mind, bad been subpoenaed by the Crown, but bad not been called and examined, it having, been ascertained that his evidence would be favour able to the prisoner. Sir G. GREY said he had made inquiries into this subject, and had consulted the learned judge who bad tried the case (Mr. Justice Erle), and was fully satisfied of the prisoner's criminality. With regard to what took place at the trial he was not aware of the fact alluded to by the hon, member, and was not therefore in a position to pass an opinion upon it. PROMOTIONS IN THE ARMY—STATEMENTS OF MR. LAYARD. Mr. EWART said the hon. member for Aylesbury bad some days ago, at Liverpool, publicly stated that of the officers promoted to appointments on Lord Raglan's staff in the Crimea, only one, a relative of - his (Mr. Ewart's) had gained a first-class certificate at Sandhurst. The hon. mem ber added that he did not know whether the officer to whom he referred owed his appointment to any Podia- . mentary influence, but he hop e d no t . Wi t h respect to the first portion of that statement, that his (Mr. Ewart's) rela tive was the only officer on the staff in the Crimea who had received such a distinction at Sandhurst, ho thought it only due from him —nay, a most imperative duty—to state at once that that was an inaccurate representation—_ (hear) and he was convinced that nothing could be more painful to the feelings of his relative than that he should stand in this unjitst and, ho might add, this painful position. (Hear, hear.) There w ere many meritorious officers serving on. the staff in the Crimea who had obtained the same distinction as himself. (Hear, hear.) The honourable' gentleman, therefore, had committed an error unintention ally, having, in fact, adverted to one return, and omitted to notice the previous one. He knew the hon. gentleman the Under Secretary for War would do justice to those offi.- cers, but the immediate question he felt bound to put was one affecting himself as well as his relative, whether any such influence had been used in his favour as was distinctly pointed at in the statement of the hon. member for Ayles bury, directly, indirectly, or in any degree whatever; and whether his relative owed the position he had obtained to any other cause than his zealous and ardent endeavours to discharge his duty to the State? Mr. H. BARING said he found in a newspaper of the day previous the following statement of , the services of officers recently promoted in the Coldstream Guards, made under the sanction of the name of the hon. member for Aylesbury : C. J. Burdett, 19 years' service, without purchase ; no ac tive service. J. W. Newdigate, 15 years' service, without purchase ; no active service. `Lord Dunkellin, 9 years' service, by purchase • Alma. W. G. Dawkins, 11 year s ' serv i ce , without purchase; Alma. C. W. Strong, 16 years' servic e , w ith ou t purc h ase ; Alma; Inkerman. C. F. Wilson, 16 years' service, by pu rc h ase; W est Indies, Alma, Inkerman. Lord Burghersh (son of Lord Westmoreland), 12 years' ser vice, without purchase ; staff. Hon. A. Harding° (son of Lord Hardinge), 11. years' ser vice, without purchase ' • staff. Now, it did so happen that the last two officers were men who had seen more service than any of the officers whose names stood before them. With respect to Lieut.-Colonel Lord Burghersh,he had 'served through the whole campaign of the Punjaub in 1846, and had also been present at Almi, the despatches announcing which victory he was thought worthy to convey hone. With regard to Lieut.-Col. the Hon. Arthur Hardinge,he had been through the campaign of the Sutlej, where he was present in three general engage ments, and he understood had a horse killed under him ; he was present at the battle of Alma, and was in the charge at Balaklava, where he accompanied the. Scots Greys in their successful charge, headed by Gen. Scarlett—(cheers)—and last, though not least, he was at the battle of Inkerman. (Renewed cheers.) He would be glad to know why, in the hon. member's opinion, the ominous and unpalatable word "staff" was the only one which could be applied to desig nate the services of those two distinguished officers? (Hear.) He asked whether the lion, member was aware that the services of those two distinguished officers had been omit ted from the usual record, or whether.they might attribute it to the high-minded and generous feeling of the hon. member for Aylesbury—(loud cheers from both sides of the house)--that he had omitted all mention of their services, assaor because the onehappened to be the son of an . a n mh _ e and the other son to the general Commanding-in-Chief speech General PEEL regretted extremely to be obliged to call the attention of the house to another delivered by the hon. member at Liverpool, Pang adverted. But he e to ofthe which hon. member for Dumfries had alreadiy_,m the i that when thought the house would agree with an accusation was made against an w.officer.chichfo,ldtihnagt t h h o e hdiasd tinguisbed position of Commander-in when hear)—still more especially been guilty of scandalous (hear, conduct iu refe.rence to promo tions in the army— when an oppor his own son was concerned—(bear)—nlanemd ber of retracting tnuitybad baba atforde and he had refused.to do so--:then that an , this statement, „ e. afforded him lir .place in that opportunity. shop ~, h ous e of rePeating_ the accusation, and stating the ground& on hich b e ma d e it.(Lolid.cries of " hear, hew.") He had ay persona w feeling ngau a t tto Loa, m 11Q. ember ; _ . body couhi regret - more - than he did,- that the hon. inazithei had not availed himself ofthe opportunity afforded him to correct his error, by the very temperate and excellent letter of the hon. and gallant officer the member for Wigan (Colonel Lindsay). No one could approve more highly than he did the conduct of those who came forward to bring accusations against persons in high station, if they believed the truth of the charges, and were satisfied of the evidence on which they made them; but on the other hand he could not express strongly enough, in language consistent with Parliamentary usage, his opinion of the conduct of those who, merely to extract a •passing cheer, merely to gain a little' fleeting notoriety, reiterated an accusation the truth of whi c h h e had strong-reason to doubt. (Cheers.) The portion of the speech to which he referred was as follows :--" I will give yon an instance of a friend of mine, a gentleman who served throughout all those battles, and distinguished himself most signally ; he came over to this country sick and almost dead. There. were two men above him, officers in one of the Guards'• regiments, who had never left England ; they were mem bers of high families, and were promoted without purchase —but my friend was a poor man, and they made him pa y' 3,0001. f or hi s commission ; and why? Lord Flardinge's son was next to him, and got his commission without purchase. (Cries of ' Shame, shame.') I say these things are scandalous," &c. And so did he say. There could not be the' slightest d ou b t to what this accusation amounted—that an officer was compelled to pur chase his commission in or d er to enable Lord Hardinge's sin to obtiin his without purchase. After that state ment was made appeared the letter of the hen. and gallant member for Wigan, on which the hon. member for Ayles bury changed his ground; and it would be necessary for him, though he was sorry to trouble the house, to go through the circumstances of the p romo ti ons specified in the letter which the hon. gentleman bad written. When his hon. and gallant friend pointed out that the two officers immediately preceding Col. Wilson were both of them en gaged in the Crimea, the, hon. gentleman then said that these were not the cases he meant, and that he allUded to the promotions of Col.'Burdett and Col. Newdigate with out purchase. Now, the first promotion, th a t o f C ap t . Bur dett to be lieutenant-colonel, took place on Aug. 22, 1854, long before the army went to the Crimea. He did not hesi tate to say that, however gallantly Col. Wilson might have distinguished himself there, and everybody had done so, Col. Burdett's services were quite equal to his. (Cheers.) . But, supposing the system of sele c ti on b y mer i t to b e esta blished, he should like to know who should have been se lected when the promotions took place but Capt.Hardinge? (Cheers). He was the only officer who, on the 25th August, 1854, in his rank in the, Coldstream Guards, had seen an y service whatever. (Heir.) Colonel Newdigate's promotion took place on the 14th September, 1854, and also before‘ the army went to the Crimea, and, therefore, came strictly under the existing regulations—prdviding for promotion by rotation, consequent on deaths or accidents. The two next vacancies were to be filled by purchase. The two senior officers, knowing that there was a strong probability of their obtaining promotion without purchase, withdrew their names, and Lord Dunkellin was promoted• on the 3d Nov., 1854. The next two steps was got by Dawkins and Strong, both of whom were promoted on vacancies caused by death. Then came the vacancy which arose on the death of Col. Mackinnon,, which was filled by Col. Wilson. The hon. member seemed to think that there was some power at the HorsOGuards to decide on the occurrence of a vacancy whether it should be filled by purchase or not. But this was not the case ; nor was it true either that Colonel Wilson was compelled to purchase. He might have waited until the occurrence of a vacancy by death. What took place in the case of Col. Mackinnon was founded on this clear principle, that if an officer purchased promotion, but died before the notification of his promotion reached the head-quarters where he Was serving, his promotion was cancelled, and the purchase money was returned to his re latives. That was done in the present case, and, of course, the vacancy that then occurred being one to be filled by purchase—for it was the one which had just been pur chased by Col. Mackinnon—Col. Wilson was required by the rules of the service to purchase the step. (Cheers.) He would now read the correspondence which had passed between the hon. gentleman and Lord Hardinge on the subject, to show that the former had had full opportunity to retract his charges. " 15, Great Stanhope-street, April 25, 1855. " Sir,—l have read a speech of yours made at Liverpool in which you charge tae with conduct so corrupt in the exercise of military duties, in the case of the promotion of my son, to the injury of Lieutenant-Colonel Wilson, of the same regi znent, that you have thought proper to characterise the transaction as a most scandalous one. I most distinctly de clare your statement to be utterly untrue. My son's corre spondence with Lieut.. Col. Wilson having closed, and the letters being in your friends possession, I have now to re quire that you will immediately retract the unfounded charge made in your speech,• or be prepared to show upon what au• thority you have preferred it.—l remain, die., " A. H. Layard; Esq., M.P." The reply to this was as follows : HARDINGE.- "‘ 9, Little Ryder-street, April 26. "My Lord—ln reply to your letter I beg to refer you to Hart's Army List as my.. authority for alluding to the pro motions in the regiment of Coldstream Guards in a speech at Liverpool. It may be impossible to trace the motives .which may have led to such promotions, but, as a public man, I believe I am expressing , the convictions of a very large portion of the public when 1 characterise as scanda lous' the promotion by purchase of a, regimental officer .who has seen long and arduous service, and the promotion imme diately afterwards, without purchase, of the two officers next to him, one of whom is your own son, and both of whom have been serving on the Staff. Similar instances are, unfor tunately, too numerous to lead to any other conclusions than those to which I have come. , It is asserted that Col. Wilson's promotion• took place in accordance with an invariable rule of the. service. In other cases, I have reason to believe such rules have been distinctly violated. 'such being my convic tion,. I have nothing to retract from the statemeut tmade - at Liverpool—a statement, I may add, for which Colonel Wilson is in no way responsible.—l have the honour, dze,, " A. LAYARD. . • " The Lord Hardinge." TO this his lordship replied:— " 45, Great Stanhope•street, April 26. " Sir,—l have this evening received your letter of this date. "I must remind you :that h rdo not complain' of your . opinion that promotion in the army ; by , purchase is scan• dalons. " You accused me in your speech at Liverpool of having promoted my son without purchase, to the injury of Lieu tenant-Colonel Wilson, who had been made by me to pur chase his promotion, and that my conduct in doing so was most scandalous. " This charge you decline to retract, although your friend Lieutenant-Colouel Wilson admits that be attaches no blame to the Horse Guards authorities. " Your assertion that the rule applied by* me in Lieuterinit- ColouerMackinnon's case has been violated in others, is con trary to the truth. "It is a waste of thno to hold any further correspondence with one who makes such unfounded accusations, and who obstinately persists ther,in.—Your obedient servant, "A. Layard, Esq., M P." " HARDINGE. (Loud cheers.) He would now proceed to put the house in possession of the precedents upon which the course taken in Colonel Mackinnon's case was founded. "In 1847, a majority by purchase having become vacant in the 73d Foot, stationed at the Cape of Good Hope, Cap tain Baker, the senior captain of that regiment for purchase, was promoted to the vacancy on the 12th of November, but was killed in action on the 13th of that month ; his promotion was accordingly cancelled in the Gazette of the 11th cf February, 1848, on the ground that it could not be known at the Cape at the time of Captain Baker's death, and Captain Brown, the next senior captain for purchase, was promoted to the majority t)ms vacant by purcha se . L or d Fitzroy Somerset's letter of the 23d of September, 1848-, to the Lieutenant-General commanding at the Cape. at the time was as follows The vacancy was filled by purchase in strict accordance with the regulations of the service, the de ceased officer not having known of his promotion, and conse quently not having been in a position to exercise the flinctions of-the superior commission."' There were even still later precedents.: " In August, 1854; the retirement of Captain - Saunderson (who was brought in to sell) from the 4th Foot, having-created . a vacant company by p urc h ase, Li eutenant Skinner, the • senior of his rank-for pirehase it: that --regiinent; was pro moted to the vacancy. This officer, - however, died on the 14th of August, 1854, and the 4th Regiment being then sta tioned -at Gallipoli, at that date _no intimation,of, his pro motion had been in auy manner received there ; on which ground the appointment was cancelled in the Gazitte 'Of the 15th of September, 1854, land Lieuten a nt C oc k s, the next senior lieutenant for purchase, - was gazetted to the vacant company ))y purchase on the 11th September, 1854. In evidence of this promotion being iu strict accordance with the rules of the service, the military -secretary drew up the following minute, dated - the Bth September, 1854 ;-a copy . of which was transmitted to the officer commanding 4th Foot::---•- On searching for ,precedents as to such a case, that of Ca'utain Baker, who had been promoted -to a m jority iu the 73d Foot on the 12th of'November;lB47, - was discovered. That officer having been promoted on that day, was killed on the 13th of 'November (the 'following day) by a party of Kafirs. His promotion was in consequence cancelled, on the ground, that, never having heard of his - promotion, he had consequently never, been in a position to. exercise the functiong of the superior commission, [See the letter from the Military Secretary of the 23d of September, 1848.] The same course is, therefore, to be taken in the case of the promotion of Captain Skinner, which it is accordingly to be submitted to the Queen shall be cancelled, and the next senior lieutenant for purchase recommended for the succession.'—C. Yogis. Sept. 8 , 1848." " Ensign and Lieutenant Disbrowe was promoted by pur chase ou the 3d of November, 1854, in succession to Captain and Lieutenant-Colonel Cumming, who retired. It haying, however, been reported that Mr. Disbrowe .was killed on the sth November, before ho could have knovin of his promo tion, 'an officer was brought into the regiment'from the stifle Brigade, by purchase, and the money was returned to Mr. Disbrowe's family." • He would now proceed-to state' what occurred in the case of the promotion of Lord Burghersh. • " Horse-Guards, 25th of April, 1855. " Colonel Crombie, of the Coldstream Guards, returned to England in October, 1854, on the recommendation of a medi cal board, having been seized with a serious illness in the camp near Varna in the month of August, " On the 18th of December he fer Warded to Lord Strafford a certificate from Dr. Fergusonto the effect that he ,was still labouring under 'the consequences Of his former illness, and expressing au opinion that a return to the arduous duties d pi er the East might be considered as certain death to him. un_ these ciratimstances he applied to be placed - upon lialf-p a,. ! ayor a time, statink that he had served thirty years on full I " Lord Strafford, gf i ar n hnot fo t r h wa us r b d a ath h a o t pe th that ehat lieutenant-colonel vacancyo e arrangement m h e a n l f t - amighthalf-pay who b e wouldmade . of sell t ion iott i e giment. This, however, could not be done, dhisbypo application orb expressed t colonel•on half- licutenan - place, there was at that time n full a , reair far value who had applied to be brought on the next, there to was a l similar value of his commission; and,aa, in the h fi ea r :. s lld t - . I tl e /Titofficers of that re anxious to be placed on half-pay, -serviccs, had a prior claim to nt from the length of then the stepof lieutenant case of the lieutenant colonel of 'n e 51§t Regient, who was gime , e in fi g lle t viz., the regiment, instead of a offer ht from the half-pay and no lieutenant-colonel being brought colonel what is gcooinnsgidbeyrepduarnchaadsveatnhtuPg, h pro motion taking place. however, in both cases stood over for " The applications, a 1' 1 • halfPlneo-fPaaby should I Y. 0 give to sell, advantage might be taken of the opportunity i time, that if any lieutenant-co °ne e ha.lf-pay, had by that however; Colonel Crombie renewed pro " nr th ti t o h n e i 2 n , b t o h t . J h al ilg a i r m y e , nts. his application, and applied for takes auyfurther delay was likely to take place.. absence, in case towards the tim..,eLaireit:ltieeldiatnot-sCeolll,mbicultilittawckabs.unrout; on old officers of the 51st Regiment toiliallnogwiattfhaeirpromotion to. promotion go of : 1 7 1 e_tsh to remain aaiinidinpuitt,isnanadn Looffir been espedially indisposed to 4o a; 'tart 4ill o g'e- nld w ha ou y l e d ha be v en e -for the apparent benefit of hihatat, there being at the time wh g at . might beon th h e av i!l pi te so, n , ti t o: na ; cf colonel no the Uptono: 4 7: , f ton - as to reniaining till g h previous to obtainiu he wag's general officer ; or going !.41!‘941:44! auk cu cu have repftteil fr y. . • . • • - one: 'Lieutenant-Colonel Blackburn was therefore ptseed on full pay i n th e 51 s t R eg i men t on th e 13 t h of Februstry, and immediately sold o u t, th e p ro moti on go i ng th roug h the regiment. on " Lieutenant -Colonel Lord. Burghersh, on the staff pay unattached, was brought into the Coldstream Guards,•vice Cronibie, - on the 9th of February, and remains in the regi ment. . . gze s u tr o ea f ta Lo a rd uar ßu ds rgh r e ice rsh cr 's v reln b o ie v , a w l from as - "It may be added that the date of the submission to the 1855. th t e l'l 7 e th tafr of P;e•Ybrutoazythe,- "At that tim e th e only death of a general officer which had be en' reported at the Horse Guards was that of General t T.E.E e n. wereCt Capes, p b e ro l e , who ciau mire li fr e o_ d rg et o nh lt ii;), 7 o; of m 3d tohtei os these February. occurred, co t H h 9 e ,n, H .TAw o n o. . Upton lon ' el o t;ie e on. the 7th and - the other onthe o f 9th February , via Sir Patrick - Stuart and - Lieutenant-Gener a l Sir William " Eustacei . but there was no idea at the time of • • the probability of the. . death of either of theiie officers,. and it so happened that by Lord turghersh having b een b rought in as he was Lielut.-, Colonel the Hon. A. Hardinge lost a step." ' That brought him to the case of Lieutenant-Colonel Hors di ngo ,. By a rule of the service, when three general officers diwt the senior colonel was promoted. N OW , it so hap. penei that after all these promotions to which he had just refeWed, three generals died in one week. The senior - colonel then on the list was Colonel Upton, of the Cold- , stream Guards, who was promoted to the major -general ship, and then in strict course, Lieutenant-Colonel Har diuge-obtained his promotion. He would not add a single'. word to this Statement. It was for the house to decide to whom the charge of "scandalous conduct" applied. Mr. F. PEEL said that, after the statement of his gal. lant relative, the house could not 'hesitate to come to the conclusion that there had hardly ever been a stronger in stance in which a disposition to damage and discredit a Government had led an hon. member of that. house to, dis tort the view which he had taken of a case, and to blind himself to the-j net and true merits of a. question. With regaialto the first question that had been put to him by his hon. friend the member for Dnmfries (Mr. Ewart), the house would recollect that the hon. member for Aylesbury stated"at Liierpool that only one officer who had obtained a ceificate o f merit at Sandhurst was now serving on the staff' in the Crimea, and then said, " I hope h was not appointed to the st aff in he e of Parliamentary in fluence," leaving it to consequence • ta by the influence of h' e inferred that he was appoi nted by hon. friend behind him, whose views on- publio those of the presen?titions generally harmonised with way in which he orr 'Prnment. In most cases, the only would have been b it. P ee l) could have met such a change that, the appointmeynt flample denial, and by the assertion the distinction that the offi in question had gained was due to and by his peculiar fitness fo r eer ill question had gained, But he was able in this instance the discharge of its duties. so happened . that. Major zw to go further, because it co pointed by the influence of any cou ld not have been ap one in that house, because he was not placed, n the staff b country. (Cheers. Wh en the I re rly authority in this went out to the East, Lord Hardin g e, in of 10,000 men Lord Raglan, selected the officers dogela l conjunction with but the subsequent appointments were left in in t ced he the staff, ands of the Commander-in-Chief, and Captain Ewart, th e taM lathe 93d Regiment, was appointed deputy aqua cap master-general master-general by Lord Raglan on the 26tla Seniemarberr. 1854. On the 29th December he was promo to the rank of regimental major, and on the 12th February he was ordered to rejoin his regiment, and he accordingly did so, and then ceased to be on the staff. Therefore, th e Government at home had nothing to do with the appoint ment of Capt. Ewart. (Cheers.) Besides, the fact was, that the hon. gentleman had fallen into an error in stating that only one officer who had obtained a certificate of merit at Sandhurst was now serving on 'the staff. The facts were these. On a return (moved for by another gen tleman) stating the numbe of officers who had obtained certificates at Sandhurst, and had subsequently filled staff appointments, being placed upon the table, the hon. mem ber for Dumfries (Mr. Ewart) called his (Mr. Peel's) atten tion to the omission of his relative's name. That being so, he caused a supplemental return to be prepared, in which, of oourse, only the name of Capt. Ewart appeared. The;previons return showed that at least ten or eleven officers who had obtained certificates of merit at-Sand hurst were now serving in the Crimea. (Loud cheers.) He now came to the question adverted to by his gallant relative. In his speech at Liverpool the hon. member for Aylesbury stated that the officers who had most distin guished themselves in. the Crimea were regimental officers ; and then, asking what was the nature of their reception here, he said that the Government treated them with in difference, and that the only reward they got was the sym pathy of the' people of this country ; thus contrasting the indifference of the Government with the sympathy of the people: He then proceeded to refer to the case of Colonel Wilson as an illustration. Now, every one at first supposed th a t th e two officers above Colonel Wilson to whom he referred as having been promoted while in this country were Dawkins and Strong. The lion, member, however, had since said that he said " officers above Colonel Wilson," and not "'next above;" andit turned out that two officers named Burdett and Newdegate were meant. They were, it was true, promoted to supply the vacancies created by the deaths of two captains killed out in the Crimea. They were, it was true, in this country, but not by their own fault. Some officers—who no doubt felt their separation from their comrades as .a great hardship—must remain here; but if it were laid down as a rule that all vacancies that occurred at the seat of war must be filled up by officers on the spot, so as to exclude those who remained at home, he certainly thought that the latter class of officers would be treated with great injustice.. (Cheers.) He now came to the case of Colonel Wilson. Now Col. -Wilson was not compelled to purchase. On : the contrary, he was not desirous to purchase till he heard that Dawkins and Strong had withdrawn their names for purchase ; and he then wrote home to his friend 4,0 purchase, being desirous of getting promoted over the heads of Dawkins and Strong. The battle of Inkerman soon after occurred, and they obtained promotion. And he understood that Col. Wilson now said that he thought he had a right to be promoted without purchase, in the same manner as they- were. But could any one, after the precedents laid before the ho use by hi s gallant relative, doubt that the usual course had been followed on this oc casion,. and that it had always been the rule that when an officer who had purchased a step was killed before the notification of his promotion reached the head-quarters where he was serving, the price paid for his step was re paid to his relatives, and'of course that that step which he had never enjoyed was resold (Loud cheers.) As he had already said, Col. 'Wilson was not obliged to purchase. Had he not :lone so, Cal. Hardinge would have been glad to do it. But one thing was quite) clear—that whether Col. Wilson had obtained his step. gratuitously or not could not possibly have affected Col. Hardiuge. Now, whatever might ho rho merits of Colonel Wilson, could any one say they swassed those o f Lieut.-Col. Hardinge: He had gone through the campaign of the Sutlej, and had been present at the battles of liobraon, Ferozeshali, and Mood kee. He, was not obliged to go to the Crimea, but had volunteered to go, and while there had been present at the Alma, Balaklava, and Inkerman, and had there obtained his step according to the rules of the service on the promo tion of Colonel Upton. (Cheers.) The hon. gentleman had said " Honesty is the best policy." (Vehement cheer ing.) He (Mr. Peel) believed that the Government of this country had long been carried on upon the princiOes of perfect honour and honesty. He gave the hon. member credit for being an honest man. ( L ou d cr i es of `f oh.") He thought it would be the part of an honest man, and. one he expected; the hon. gentleman to perform, that now it had been proved that the statements he made at Liver pool was not in accordance with the facts of the case, he should come manfully forward and admit that he had made a statement injurious to the public men of this country, who were as honest and as honourable as he was, and who were quite as ready as any honourable gentleman there to lay open their conduct without reservation to public scrutiny. (Loud cheers.) Mr. LA.YARD—I will address myself first to the ques tion placed on the paper by the hon. member for Dumfries. I had no intention to make any reflection upon his relation, nor do I think any person present believed that I had any such intention. On the contrary, what I stated was rather a matter of praise to him. (Oh, oh.) I meant no reflection on him. (oh, oh.) Indeed, at the time I - did not know that he was a relation of the honourable member, (Oh, oh, and laughter.) What the honourable Under-Secretary has stated is true. I did fall into an error with regard to that return. But I think the Government.are a good deal to blanie for the error into which I fell. (Oh, oh.) If their returns areeo ill drawn up that names are omitted from them, and then, on account of their gross omissions, ques tions and returns are then prepared, I say Government is to blame.. (Renewed cries of " oh, oh.") I did net see the first return. The second return alcne fell into my hands ; and although it is a- supplemental return, itisi notso headed. on the. sheet. Mr. PEEL—It is headed "Supplemental return." (Cheers.) - ' - . Mr. LAYARD (as we understood)—lt was not on the face of the return. - Mr. PEEL (showing the return)—Yes ; it was on the face of the return. (Cheers.) . Mr. LAYARD—That was my mistake. I did not see the ,first return. (Oh, oh.) If the house had heard what I have heard within the last few days, they would know how re turns arc cooked and made up to suit the purposes of the Government. (Oh, oh.) Gentlemen may say 'Ol4 e h , " but the time may come when they will have to cons' that subject. (Oh, oh.) Now, with regard to the sec ond .... statement. These matters are, no doubt, of e n very tii honed l) i ful and delicate nature. • There are.few men t (Laud who dare get up to speak the truth on su bject- thie who. when such laughter.) There are very few officers th truth with questions is these are mooted, dare speak ge ntlernen had seen respect to them. (Laughter.) If lio•en.received during the the letters on this subject that I h n s o i I shall not - ( cries of last few- days—(cries of " read")— . _ , . — h) to name the wri ters name")—nor shall I nanie--(on, officers, and yea know ruin to those myself the respon sibilityters here, Would be take upon . it. I stand here prepared to . . ed I shrink not from it. of what has occur!' the various rules that apply I had no knoivlndg° P in the army. (Ironical cheers.) I to promotions facts, forming my' own opinion upon gated ' nothing buttindirect evidence and information on them. I may ge y own judgment ; but I am not going which I. may guide m y have given me that information, here to betray them e be ruined if it were known whence and who perhaps w (Oh, oh!) Now, in the fi rst information came. pl ace In Y t to the use of the word _" staff," in the letter o f with respe c t been referred to, I did not 'mine which has mean by it to reflection. (Loud and continued 1 hte cries of ironical aug r i cries . oh. oh " and cheering.) I had a l is t • ' inan, and that I hav e • given me _b y a military , prin t e d . 1 certainly wish I had added a statement of the services ofthe officers who have been referred to. With re , ' d Colonel :Hardinge, I have had ._ _bar to Lieutenant aconaintance with him, I, beletvileil9a°ar of a Per's°nal Meritorious officer does not live ' . ? that a inure gallant and. know that he has (heat 0.. i h in her Majesty's service. I bloody field, and there isg s ed himself on more than one more heartily welcome. no one whose promotion I would question of persons. Ido (Ironical cheers.) This'is not a promotion. But that not grudge Colonel Hardinge his Colonel Hardin • promotion which was extended to havealso.distingo night have been extended to others who hed th emselves. • The gallant general Lord Hardinge. I 8 'which passed between myself and will read the fourth, which closed the correspondence. The hot] etl man then read the fol lowing l e tt er : . g n e 1,, , swerely. Irddia—nlo "9, Little Ryd er - s t ree t ; April 27, 1855. e t a s n t n at o e t , permit y h o y u o r u le h tle v r e t ai o p re ng th b a t in;t ro ma p n e ; so to assert that ' the rule applied by you in .Lie utenaut- Colonel 141` Kinnon's case, had been violated in others.' What 1 Clid- state was, that ' such rules, that is rules of a similar Character, had been distinctly violated. I referred more particularly til, of theh o cae same regiment,sesofCaptain Heneage and. . Captain Lord although I am assured one who at such a that similar cases are most nuinerous. " After the tone of your letter. and my.convictions, .I per fectly agree with you that it is a l waste ,of time to hold any of ludienatioa in the ftiamrteheasr thiscorr correspondence, justifydet th es e pe c c a ia s y with th which I have alluded, a p i: ib d i w io lli m e in h d h , ave created s o deep a feeling • .., , y o ur lordo l l 3 0 V4f_'41 . 4 15 .07 to pubiii4 tigg- corn , . , ... . ____ • - • ..-. . . ....". cr dAr. .004 /~ / /