The Sun. — London, England, 1857-02-13 00:00:00

MONEY MARKET AND COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE. CITY, Two o'CLocK. Letters from Liverpool state that the Cotton Market yesterday was very steady, and the demand more active. Brazilian were gd. , and Egyptian Icl• per lb. d earer . The sales were estimated at 2 ) 00 0 bales, 4,000 of which were taken by the !Peculators. The Railway Share Market was very b uoyant at a considerable advance on Wednes daY's rat es . In the F ore i gn an d Colonial Produce Mark et this Week a fair amount of business has been tram acted, and th e quotations of all the princ i p al sta p les :nave remained buoyant. The disposition to enter in to speculation is still manifest. Sugar has been in active request at previous values, and the im porters evince much firmness. Native Ceylon coffee has advanced, and also plantation, but very little has been offered at auction. The market for tea bas remained quiet, but yesterday a good business was done in common congou at is. Madras rice, early in the week declined lid. to 3d. per cwt., but since then there has been a more active inquiry owing to the French Government having Permitted distillation from white rice. Cocoa is quiet ; rum Id. per gallon lower, and saltpetre ra ther. dearer. In spices th e dealings have been limited, and there is no particular movement in prices to report. Tallow has further improved. The indigo sales, which commenced on Wednesday, were rather thinly attended, and the biddings were by no means active. The superior qualities only realised an advance of about 3d. per lb. on the rates current at the last sale, while the inferior declined about 2 & The periodical sales of colonial wool are fixed t° commence on the 26th inst., when about 35,000 hales Will probably be offered, chiefly Cape, and Prices are generally expected to rule very high. There was a half-yearly meeting held this day of t he Northern Counties Union Railway Company, at which it was stated that arrangements were being made with the Bedale and Leyburn Railway Com pany for an amalgamation, which it was hoped W ould be success f u l. The balance remaining in ha nd was 9,0001. After some discussion, the re port was adopted, and the meeting was adjourned ler three months. The thi g ordinary z neral meeting of the Char. t ered Bank of India, Australia, and China was also held to-day. The report stated that the residue of t he shares bad been disposed of to influential par es, and the calls paid in full. The sum subscribed Was 1 45,3201., which, with the two calls now made, Would suffice to fulfil the conditions of the charter. the pay men t o f t h e ca l ls t h e di rec t ors wou ld _cc,raence business in a field of considerable pro mise to th e s h are h o ld ers. A f ter a s h or t di scuss i on 'no report was adopted. c A t a special meeting of the Commercial . Dock to °lll PanY, just held, the Directors were authorised eff ect a sale of a plot of ground called Barnard's Y ard, for 20,000/. ila T he Bank of France return, completed to yester- Y, i is Consid ere d sa ti s f ac t or y. Besides a decline 11 the secu r iti es h e l d b y t h e es t a bli s h men t, th er e i_ an increase in the " cash in hand." Although a r g° sum has b een expen d e d in the purchase of gold, the general results exhibited by the balance sheet are indicative of improvement. There is a good demand for discounts to-day, at P r evious quotations. No further improvement has occurred in the -r-inglish Stock Market, but the prices are well Maintained. The advance has now been rather co nsiderable, and the effect of the Budget anticipated, but no disposition 'is shown to realise profits, and the tendency may still be t old to be in a favourable direction. Consols have %en 93i to 94 for transfer, and 94i for the ac eOlint. The New 3 per Cents. were 944 l ; and t he Reduced 941 Bank Stock is 216. Ex chequer Bills are is. to 3s. premium; and the Bonds are 981 In Foreign Stocks there is very little variation. Turkish cents. 6 per Cents. are 951 Spanish 3 per uents. are firm at 401, and the Certificates are 61 The following are the nominal prices of Foreign stocks :—Grenada Deferred Bonds, 61 7 ; Mexi can, 21121; Peruvian, 79i 801; ditto 3 per Cents., 6 4 561; Portuguese 3 per Cents., 43 5 ; Russian 6 per Cents., 108 10 ; ditto 4i per Cents., 95 7 ; Spanish 3 per Cents., 40 ; ditto New Deferred, 24 1 ; ditto Certificates, 61 ; ditto Passive, 6. _ _ . Messrs. D. Bell, Son, and Co. state that during the week the market for American Securities has been quiet, and the prices of both State stocks and railroad bonds are without alteration. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES. Redeemable. Per Cent. Vnited States 6 per Cents. 1867-1368_104i 105{ United States per Cent. Bonds 1863...101i 105 i STATE SECURITIES. Alabama 5 per Cent.. Ataryland 5 per Cent. (Sterling Bonds) M assachusetts 5 per Cent. (Star!. Bonds) ...1003 1013. Mississippi 6 per Cent. Pl. Bk Bond s lB4l-1871— 43 45 Mississippi 5 per Cent. Union Bk Bonds ... 16 18 P en usylvania 5 per Cant. Stock " nusylvania 5 per Cent. Bonds 1877... 79 81 Tennessee 6 per Cent. Bonds Virginia 6 per Cent. Bonds 1886... 83 84 Virginia 5 per Cent. (Sterling Bonds) 1888... 83 85 TiOANS OF . Montreal 6 p er C en t. B o nds CITIES 1856-1865... 82 84 New Orleans 6 per Cent. Stock 1883... 75 77 - RAILROAD BONDS. Illinois Central 7 per Cent. Ist Mortgage, ....not Convertible 1875... 89a 90a Jilinois Central 6 per Cent 1875... 85 87 Illinois Central 7 per Cent. Freeland Bonds lB6O-107; 108 a Illinois Central (Shares), $25 paid.... 2Ba 29ap Michigan Central Bp. Cent., Convert 1860... Do. do. do. 1869... 9la 95a New York Central 7p. Cent., Convert 1864... 92 94 Nei' York Central 6 per Cent., not Convertible 1883... 80 82 New York and Erie 7 per Cent. 3d Mort gae ... 87 89 N. Yo g rk and Erie 7p. C en t. Convertible-18 18 62 83 ... 80 82 N. Yo r k and Erie 7 per Cent. Sinking Fund 1875... 83 85 Panama 7 per Cent., Ist Mortgage (Ster ling Bonds), not convertible 1859... 92 94 Panama 7 per Cent., Ist Mortgage 1861— 93 -- Pennsylvania Central 6p. Cent.. lat Blort 1880... 89 90 An active business has been done in the Railway Share Market this morning, an d i n most instances at improved pr ices. Caledonian advanced 10s. ; Eastern Counties, ss. ; Great Northern, 1/. ; Great Western, 55.; Brighton, 1/. ; North-Western, about ss. ; Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincoln, N s . • Midland, as. ; North Blitish, 10s. ; N orth Easter n Berwick, 1/. ; and North-Eastern York, 15s. ; Scot tish North-Eastern, 1/. ; and South-Eastern, 12s. 6d. The French lines are at nominal values, no dealings having been reported in them thi s morning. Dutch Rhenish have improved 55.; East Indian, Great Western of Canada, and Great Indian Peninsular are at yesterday's rates. Very few transactions have taken place in Bri tish, Foreign, or Colonial Mining Shares. Tin Croft were dealt in at 41, Great Wheal Vor at 6 k, Great Wheal Alfred at 111, North Frances at 19 4, Linares at 8, and United Mexican at 41. Joint Stock Bank Shares rule steady. London and Westminster have improved 55., and Union tr Australia 'ss. Commercial of London and union_ of London were dealt in at former values. Micellaneous Shares are active, and realiso full values. BRITISH FIINDS.—CLOSING PRICES—THIS DAY. (From the Officull List ) Bank Stock R us ines z dons, 218 3 per Cont. Reduced Annuities 94h 3 per Cont. Consols Annuities 93i 431 4 New 3 per Cent. Annuiti es India Bonds .C.lOOO 94i Consols for Account . ...": ** • *************** 0 1 4 Bxehequor Bills, 24d. ************** •••••• • • -14 £lOOO5OO ** ** *********** . small Ditto Bonds, 1858, 34 p er c .. Ditto, 1859 ••................... . 984 PRICES OF FOREIGN FUNDS —THIS DAY. Grenada Now Active, 21 per Cent. ......... 22 4 Peruvian Bonds 4i per Cent .................. --- Ditto Account ............. . - ..... 80 P or t ugu ese Bonds, 5 por Cent., Con. 1 ..... Ditto 1853, 3 per Cent .............. ... . .... 44i Russian Bonds, 1822 , BSt., 5 per Cent.... Ditto, 44 per Cent. 9( 74 Sardinian Bonds, 5 por Gent. ............... Ditto Account ....... . 9Ol Spanish Bonds, 3 per Cent. Ditto Account Spanish Committee Cert. of Coup. not fun 6s i Varkith Bonds, 6 par cent 94/ i Ditto Account Ditto Guaranteed, 4 per Cent. bitto Account ni‘ideads on the above payable in Lone& n. rrench Rentes, 4i per Cent. Ditto 3 per Cent. THREE CLOCK. Consols, money 93 i O' Ditto, Account (Marsh 5) .... 94 i TIIE SUN, LON DON, FRIDAY EV E"NING, FEBRUARY 13, 1857. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS.—(YESTER.DAY.) SECONDARY PUNISEIMENTS. The Marquis of SALISBURY rose to move for the appointment of a select committee to consider the question of secondary punishments. The noble. earl entered at some length into the stihject, and concluded by moving the appointment of the committee of Which be bad given notice. The moicti was negatived without a division. The Select Committee on the Second Report of the Statute Law Commission was named and appointed. Their lordships adjourned at half-past seven.. HOUSE OF COMMONS.-(YESTERDAY.) SIR R. PEEL'S LECTURE. Mr. STAFFORD.—I rise to ask thJ hon. baronet the member for Tamworth whether tha report of a speech of his, made on the 7th of January, at Saltby, near Birmingham, which appeared in the daily journals, be correct, especially those passages which referred to the Grand Duke Constantine of Russia, M. de Morny, and the Prince de Ligne ? Sir R. PEEL—My hon. friend has asked me a question, and I hope the house will allow me to say a few words in Explanation. (Hear, hear.) It is said that a has been "arranged"—and the word is a heavy one—to put a question to me whether a speech reported to have been delivered by me at Saltby, and reported in the daily journals, is correct ? Now, I do not think, perhaps, that this is quite the tribunal in which I ought to be called to account for expressions used in another place, and totally unconnected with the business of this house. (Rear, hear.) At the same time lam quite ready to accept the challenge of the honourable gentleman, and I am quite prepared to give him every facility in obtaining the most accurate information on this most important subject. (A. laugh.) The hon. gentleman asks me whether I delivered the speech at Saltby which appeared in the daily journals. I beg to say that [ did deliver that speech as the guest of the hon. member for Adderley—(laughter)—for North Staf fordshire. He invited me to - attend that meeting on the occasion of a jollification (laughtei), and I addressed that meeting. I admit that lam not in the habit of reading reports of speeches of mine after they are delivered. I generally rest satisfied with the favourable impression that I produce at the time. (Laughter.) It is, therefore, rather difficult for me at this distance of time to plsdge myself to the exact accuracy of every word that appears in that report. I believe I spoke for nearly two hours and a half without notes, so that it is rather difficult for me to say whether that report is precisely correct. But this I am prepared to say, that such is the ability, the acknowledged ability, and impartiality with which the leading journals report the proceedings of public meet ings that I am quite prepared t) accept the entire responsibility of every single sentence, except a particu lar phrase, which I do not think I used, but which if I had used I should have been equally prepared to accept the entire responsibility of. Bat I am sure that the house, as a great deal has been said about this speech, will give me ten minutes for a few remarks on it. (gear.) I shall be very gild indeed to offer some explanation, as my phrases have been tortured a good deal from their true meaning, and a meaning has been given to them that I never intended to convey. I did address the rneetirg at Saltby, and, as a great deal of comment has been made on my words, it will perhaps be right, as I occupy a public situation, to put them in their true and proper light. (Ilear, hear.) I am Bony, and I do regret that any inconvenience should have arisen from any txpressions that may have s fallen from me, and which have been misinterpreted on that occasion. It is very far from my wish, and I think I may say from my nature—and I am known to many members of this house—to cause unnecessary pain to any one. :General cheering.) But these sentences have been very greatly twisted ; and, first, with reference to the Count de Morny, the Grand Duke Constantine, and the Prince de Ligne. (Hear.) As regards the Count de Morny, I absolutely repudiate having said anything about him which might not have been said by any gentleman with reference — to his friends or acquaintances. (Much laughter.) I said that he was le plus grand speculateur de l'Europe. (Cheers and laughter.) Now, I did not intend to imply anything detrimental to his honourable character—(continued laughter)—and immediately on my arrival in town, when I heard that these expressions bad been noticed, I wrote to Count de Morny to say that certainly envy and malice had done their best to twist these expressions of mine into something odious to him, but that I repudiated saying a single word against his character or the position he occupied. Now, I could not say more. (cheers.) As regards the Grand Duke Constantine, that is another mat ter. I certainly said that the Grand Duke Constan tine did not quite impress me with the feeling of a "frank and open-hearted sailor." (A. laulh.) I said that ; but the words were not mine ; they were used by the gallant admiral sitting there (pointing to Sir Charles Napier, a►nid much laughter). I never said one word against the Grand Duke Constantine, or any other member of the Royal family of that country. On the contrary, when I said that he did not give me tae impression of being "a frank and open-hearted sailor," I meant that he gave me the impression of being a man of great powers of mind. (Roars of laughter.) What I intended to convey was, that he was not inertly a simple sailor—(continued laughter)—but a man of greater grasp of mind. (Great laughter in which Sir C. Napier heartily joined.) As regards the Prince de Ligne, I accept the responsibility of every phrase that I used. I certainly did say—l should be sorry to cause any unnecessary pain to any one—but I was talking in a familiar way, and I did use the expression that he was as stiff and starched as the frill of Queen Riza, beth." (A laugh.) I cannot accept the responsibility of every word in the report. I see my hor. friend opposite (Mr. Adderley) who was present, and Lord Lyttleton was also present, andl appeal to him to say whether a single word fell from my lips that might not have found an echo and expression from the most straight-laced gentleman in this house. (Laughter.) All I can say is that if, in the opinion of the hon. gentleman who may have considered this question—if, in the at• tempt, the innocent attempt, I made to paint a few light and airy sketches of character—(laughter)—tl, as Pope said, " ho!cl the mirror up to nature"—(continued laugh ter)—to "catch the manners living as they rise"—(much laughter)—if I have erred in the good opinion of those whose good opinion I honour and value, and whose judgment has weight, I beg to say, on this public occa sion, as an earnest of the sincerity of my feelings, that, though I do not feel that I did err, still, if I did err in their opinion, I now offer the most ample expression of regret—(cheers)—and that is the most fitting amende honorable that I can offer. (Cheering from all sides of the House.) THE " SECRET TREATY." as a Au3l Lord PALMERSTON—I wish to set myself right with the right hon. gentleman opposite with regard to an asser tion I made on Tuesday night with respect to the mili-' tar) , convention to which I referred. I said that I had been iwformed that that convention had not been signed and my belief was that it had not been signed. But I think it right to state that, on further inquiry, I find that in point of fact it was signed—(cheers from the Op position benches)—but that, being in its nature more Of a military than a political convention, and having for its object the regulation, the mutual regulation, of the French and Austrian troops which might be in Italy in the contingency of Austria declaring war against Russia, and Austria never having declared war against Russia, that convention; although signed, became a dead letter, and never had any application or effect whatever. Mr. DI SRAELI—Although there is no question be fore the house, yet I hope I shall be allowed to make a few remarks, and they shall be of extreme brevity. The house will recollect that I mentioned on the first night of the session that there was a secret treaty between France and Austria. That statement received a direct contradiction from the noble lord. ("Not" from Lord Pal merston.) It was "a ro mance. " (Opposition cheers.) The noble lord said I was distinguished for my powers o f imagination, that this was a complete invention, that I had produced some works of imagination, and that this was another " romance." (Cheers.) A week elapsed, and I took the earliest opportunity of the noble lord's reappearance in the house to make a statement, which I hope from a sense of justice is still in the recol lection of the house. I stated that what I had said on a previous occasion was perfectly correct—that there was a treaty between France and Austria, and that the object of that treaty was to guarantee the security of the Italian provinces of Austria. I said that that treaty was signed—(Opposition itcheers)—thaatcted o wna, fo sa r the cted on, that it was indeed extensively of that treaty ; th at at a su troops of Austria were w ithdrawn from. Italy e t period in con sequence esequn alarm was felt by the Italianwithdrawal of those troops, andGtohvaetrnthmeeynrtseqautestthede the permission of Austria to communicate in con fidence the existence of the treaty in order to tranquillise their subjects. This was the treaty we were never acted upon. (Cheers.) What was told was the an received on th e sec ond occasion ? The noble lord declared on the fi rs t occas i on t h at i t was a r omance. He was then, d d s c w la er re i d after the details I gave, obliged to own that there . was a a s written document in existence, the object of which Ito accomplish that which I explained. The noble . lord w said it was not a treaty but a convention. But, said the noble lord, "That conventioa was neversigned. (Che.ere.) I have been in active communication with those who can give me the best information on the subject. I have received information, and the fact is that the affair never was in operation, and so I was justified in my statement that there was nothing of the kind, and that the whole thing was a romance." Now comes the third act. NNe now have au acknowledgment from the noble 1 ird, not merely that there is a written docu ment in ex stence in the shape of a convention between those two Po Kers for the object I stated, and that it is a secret document, but that the only statement which the other night raved the noble 1 ird from substantial refuta tion namely, that the convention was not signed, is incorrect, and that the convention was signed. (Hear.) After these two admissions from the noble lord, I stand here to state again that which I stated on the first night of the session. I say it was not a convention, it was a treaty—l say it was not only signed, but extensively acted upon—l say that every expressien the noble lord used in describing that instrument so lit'la applies to its real nature, as it has been represented to me, that I really believed at the end of the debate the ether night that there must have been some mili tary convention in existence, founded upon the treaty, which had not been signed, and that the noble lord was entirely misleading the house. (Cheers.) I state again that there is a treaty—a secret treaty—between France and Austria, the object of which is to guarantee the se curity of the Italian possessions of Austria—that it was executed on the day I mentioned—that it has been ex tensively acted upon—that to the best of my belief it contains, on its surface, no limitation of the period of its operation—and that the character given of it by the noble lord the other night is entirely incorrect. (Loud &leers.) Lord PALMERSTON—I have no right to trespass again upon the indulgence of the house, but I hope I shall be allowed to say a few words after the observations of the right hon. gentleman, by which he attempts to cover his ignominious retreat from Lis first position. ( fronical cheers from the Opposition, and counter cheers.) The right hon. gentleman has misstated what he said on a former occasion. (Cheers and counter cheers.) He has entirely misrepresented his own expressions—his own statement. What was the right hon. gentleman's state ment ? His statement was that there was a treaty be tween Austria and France for guaranteeing the Italian possessions of Austria—(hear)—that it was now in exist ence—that it had been recently quoted by Austria in coosequence of the discussions between France and Eng • land on the one hand and Naples on the other—and that it had been executed at the instigation of the English Government—(loud cries of " Oh, oh," and cheers)—that it had been executed not only with the knowledge, but at the instigation of her Majesty's Government. (Con tinued cheers and counter cheers.) Mr. DISRA.EI,I—At the " instance !" Lord PALMERSTON—No, "instigation." But the right hon. gentleman cannot rest his statement upon syl lables. However, I heard the word, and I recollect it. I am sure he made use of the word "instigation." Mr. DlSRAELl—"lnstance" or "advice." Lord PALMERSTON—WeII, advice. (Cheers from the Opposition ) Oh ! but I heard the word " instiga tion" distircly. (Renewed cheers and counter cheers.) Mr. DISRAELI—You say it is instigation. Lord PALMERSTON—What the right hon. gentle man meant was that the treaty originated in advice and counsel given by the English Government to the Govern ments of France and Austria. I denied the whole of that statement at the time it was made, and the whole of that statement I again deny. To the best of my know ledge and belief no such treaty exists or ever was exe cuted. I state most distinctly that the British Govern ment has no knowledge cf such a treaty, and therefore cannot have instigated it. I said the other night that if the rigs t lion, gentleman bad seen such a treaty, and could aqsert, its existence on his own knowledge, of course I would bow to hi 4 assertion, and although I knew nothing of it I wouLI take for granted that it did exist. I also said that a conven ti on o f a t o t a lly different . . _ kind had been negotiated —a convention regulating the mode of action of the French and Italian troops which might happen to be in Italy at the time, in the event of Austria declaring war against Russia and fighting in concert with England and France, as Austria naturally wished h3r rear to be secured while she was fighting in the van in concert with the allies. I said that convention was founded upon the assumed case of a declaration of war by Austria against Russia, and such a declaration never Laving taken place the convention became a dead letter, and, whether signed or not, had no effect, and never could take effoct. These assertions I still maintain, and I say the right hon. gentleman, notwithstanding the vapouring manner in which he has been pleased to follow up his statement—(cries of " Oh !" from the Opposition, and cheers fro.ii the Ministerial benches) —has been im. posed upon. (Continued cheers.) I beg your pardon I the right hon. gentleman used hard words, and I shall express my opinion, . whatever he may think _ of my mode of ticprebsioo. (Cheers.) I Day; then, that the . . . right hon. gentleman has, to the beet of my belief, been grossly imposed upon ; that a military conven- tion, which never came into operation, because that which was to have been the basis and foundation of it never took place, has be en represented to him as being that which it never was, and was never intended to be, permanent guarantee of the Italian possessions of itria by France —I Hay that it is utterly impossible that the military convention could have been made use of in the manner he described, because Austria could not have said to Naples, " I have a permanent guarantee from France for my Italian possessions," seeing that the only thing signed, as far as I am aware, was a con vention providing for a case which never had any exit ence, and that the military convention Ihave described was not signed at our instigation or by our advice, but was communicated to us as an arrangement already settled between France and Austria ; and the only ques tion with us was whether on the whole, France was bound in honour to make such arrangements as would render the position of the Austrian armies in half secure• So far, therefore, from that which I have stated bearing out the Etaternent of the right hon. gentleman, it shows that my own statement was perfectly true, and that the right bon. gentleman is entirely misinformed as to the facts of the case. (Loud cheers and counter cheers.) justice could not interfere with him in anything with which he had properly to do ; and on that the question came to one of the proper distribution of work %Well must or ought to be done by somebody, and which the existing departments could not do. Then it was said that it would interfere with the Irish executive. Now, he wanted to in terfere with the Irish cxecu'ive ; and he believed that no part of the United Kingdom would be benefited' so much by the appointment of a Minister of Justice as Ireland. In that country what was wanted both in the administrl ' tion of the law and the appointment of the judges, was the introduction of Eaglish principles ;and the putting an end to all that went on at the castle. He wanted to see uni formity of legislation for the whole kingdom, and that the administration of the law should be as imperial as pos sible. In France the Minister of Justice published every year a report giving a full account of all the proceedings in and the state of all the courts of that country. If we had such a thing in this country could we have got into such a mess as we have with regard to the Incumbcred Estates Court in Ireland ? It was also said that this de partment would interfere with the freedom of Parlia ment. Ho denied that the having a minister of justice in Parliament to tak e c h arge o f an d explain all matters re lating to the law could in any way interfere with the freedom of Parliament. In the proposition he had made for the appointment of a minister of justice, he did not desire to fetter the Government as to the way in whic h the matter was to be worked out. He knew that there were difficulties to be met in arranging the details of such an establishment ; but he did not think that they were insuperable. All he wished was that his motion for an address to the Crown should be carried, and then let the Government take the matter into their serious conside ration, and he was coaviuced that if they had the will they would find the way to effect the object desired. He hoped the house would support him in carrying the motion. Mr. COLLIER seconded the motion. He lamented the unsatisfactory progress of law reform, which he at tributed in great measure to the indifference with which both the great parties regarded it. ThePremierwas no doubt willing to forward the progress of legal measures, but he did not regard there with great anxiety, for he knew well enough that the right hon. gentleman opposite was not likely to oust him on a question of law reform. But the real fault lay in the present s ystem. Neither the Lord Chancellor nor the Attorney and Solicitor -General could act as that Minister of Justice which Mr. Napier desiderated. The remedy lay, he believed, in the sug gestion made by Mr. Napier, and, therefore, he had no hesitation in seconding his motion. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said that his right hon. friend the member 'for the University of Dublin had added to his distinguished reputation by bringing forward this motion. Unquestional ly the subject was one which had not escaped the attention of the Govern meet. The terms of the earlier part of the resolution showed that it had received the consideration of Minis ters; but the rest of the motion might be said to be the property of the right hon. gentleman, inasmuch as he had brought it forward in the year 1845. It must be distinctly understood that in accepting, with a slight modification, the resolution of the right boo. gentleman, the Government did not see in the language used by him, nor would it recognise as a consequence of the adoption of the res lotion, the necessity of any such plan as that which had been spoken of by him —namely, the establishment of a separate Minister of Justice. He did not conceive that at present there was any necessity for the introduction of any such officer. (Ffear, hear.) He thought that all the objects of the resolution might be more effectually carried out by means of the essisting machinery than by introducing the change recom mended. There were abundant means at disposal for effecting all that was required without the addition to the Cabinet of any each Minister. It would be utterly impossible to introduce into the Cabinet the addition of a _Minister of Justice whilst they had the Lord Chancel lor there, and whilst they had the Secretary there, with out introducing discordant elements, the possibility of contention, and an absence of that unanimity which was essential in order to carry out just and proper views. S one years ago, when bills were introduced in 1852, for what had been called the reform of the Courts of Chan cery, hou. members would recollect that a new tribunal was constituted, called the Court of Lords Justices of Appeal. This court having relieved the Lord Chancel lor of a considerable portion of his judicial duties, it would be in the Lord Chancellor's power to discharge the duties which would devolve upon him under this pro posed measure, without the nomination of a Minister of Justice. It was certainly within the power of that dis tinguished officer, if he were only assisted by an effi cient staff, to accomplish, in a most complete manner, the three great objects which they desired to attain— viz., the effectual administration of justice in all its departments ; secondly, the superintenden ce and effec tual carrying out of the process of the amendment of the law ; and, thirdly, the giving prompt, effectual, and complete assistance to the conduct of the business of current leeislation. With the omission of some words in the resolution, which he considered unnecessary—viz , " an urgent measure of administrative reform," the rest of the resolution might be accepted in the language of the right Lon. gentl-man, and the Government would certainly give the subject all that attention which the right hon. gentleman desired. (Hear, hear.) They had in this country one very great peculiarity which he believed was not possessed by any other—they Lad the misfortune to have a great number of courts proceeding, several of them upon ant-igonistic princilles. They had a great number of tribunals, none of which were armed with the power of dealing complete justice on any given subject—(hear, hear)—and there was the necessity im posed upon individuals to resort to a - great number of tribunals to obtain justice. They obtained a little por tion of justice at one tribunal and a little at another. (leer.) That state of things must st , ll continue for a considerable length of time. The apa'hy of the peop!e with regard to any alteration in the shape of reform was so great that it would be idle to expect any complete re construction at once without the process of patching. If this system continued therefore, as he apprehended it would continue, it spoke plainly enough in favour of having some great department charged with the duties of carefay watching over and superintending the work ing of our nunaeroue tribunals, and endeavouring to in troduce harmony and conformity into a system which hitherto, in theory and practice, was in many respects in congruous. They had a portion of the laws in insolvency dealt with by an Insolvent Court ; another portion was committed to a Court of Bankruptcy ; a third portion was committed to a sort of statutory tribunal, under the Wind ing-up Acts ; and a further portion still was assigned to the Court of Chancery. They had also courtsof law, which were in a great measure opposed altogether to courts of equity. Again, they had a great number of county court judges, and they had a defective system of crimi nal procedure—prosecutions were instituted and con ducted without any control. There was no adequate super intendence in point of judicial authority over the sen tences and procedure of the county courts. In point of fact, the whole system stood in such a position that the only hope of order and unity would be to charge some groat and responsible department with the duty of super intending- it ; of collecting the details of its working, and the duty of pier enting them in a great report to Parlia ment. With regard to the manner in which prosecu- Moue were conducted, what war; the present s y stem / There was no machinery at all for improving it in a n y effectual manner ; and, therefore, when an emergency arose, no means of meeting it were at hand. With re gard to the amendment of the law, the house must un questionably recollect the difficult position in which they had been placed on various occasions during the last two or three sessions. To what was it due that there was no department to which could be committed in a satisfactory manner the consideration of any great subject of legal reform It a measure came before the house with the authority of s uch a department, they would then be . able to receive a report of it. The effects of the present system he would illustrate by the following tzempl e :- -He had the ho• flo ur of proposing a bill on the su bj ec t o f th e Courts of Testamentary Jurisdiction, and for providing a chief and c p h r oairegeetd wasby t b h i e . uecclesiasticalthe h c e o urt house,s . T t la h e e efficient mode of conducting th e procee d ings now dis mhoonin.egntentthlaet. man the member for Suffolk brought forward another competing plan ; he (the A ttorney-General) recommended his proposal, and the right hon. gentleman recommended his, and to this t eo contending remedies there was a third difficulty added—a third bill was introduced, and the house had before it then three projects at one and the came time. Another argument to be brought for ward was with regard to the written and unwritten law. The written law consisted of -a great variety of statutes which were frequently obscure and inconsistent, and it was difficult to ascertain what the law was. The un written law was in a worse condition. They had to find it in a hundred volumes of reports, added to without any sufficient authority, and any gentleman of the bar who published a volume of reports and affixed his name to it added to the law, and these reports were being produced year by year in very considerable numbers, and when cited in courts of justice judges felt themselves bound to act upon them as authority ; but it was impossible to al low that the law of the country did not require consoli dation, and if the written law required consolidation, the unwritten law required it much more. In the observa tions which lee bad made as to the necessity of immediate attention being given to the subject, it must be under stood that he had merely stated his own opinion of the matter, and that the Government must not consider him as being pledged to it. Lord J. RUSSELL thought the whole argument of the Attorney-General was in favour of retaining the clause to which the Government objected. He strongly objected to vesting the controlling power alluded to in the hauds of the Lord Chancellor, whose hands he be y occupied. It was attribute the other- ao l i ln e r v ley e a d doy w n a e t r vh e eer wo alreadyrked that more suppositionh a t t hh t than a t c u t fullahueLord Cha nce llor was ld wise unanswerable fact that, in proposing to reform the law of marriage, the present Lord Chancellor omitted to sweep away the abominations of actions for seduction and for criminal conversation. He rallied the Attorney General on the difference of opinion that existed be• t w een him and the Lord Chancellor, comparing them to the physician and the c ook of Sancho Panza, the one of whom produced most savoury dishes, which the other forbade him to taste . lie wou ld rather Minister of Justice, perly belong to h im. He had no hope of any great re thheim Home of o S th e e c r retary s a duties which did not pro forms of the law being ca rr ied without the formation of a separate and res p onsible de p artm ent of justice. Mr. KEATIN G ho p ed the At torney -General wou ld appoint t g not insist on the omission of the clause. He thought the proper and natural bead of such a department as was referred to was the Lord Chancellor, and not the Home Secretary. The ATTORNEY -GENERAL said rather than raise any discussion he would accept the elause recotn• mending the motion as an " urgent measure." He only objected to it as unusual, if not unnecessary, in an ad dress to the Crown. The discussion was continued by Mr. Ingram, Mr. Swart, Sir E. Perry, Mr. M, Chambers, Mr, L. King, t r and Mr. Warren, who supported the motion, mid Mr. Matins, who contended that it wool I produce no good l effect. Lord PALMERSTON promised the liou-e that the . measure should receive the serious attention of Guyer:- . ment, and iu reference to the different opinions esresseo, whether the new department would I f quire a new Mini. - ter, or whether it might to be attscbed t) some one of the present functionaries, he expressed his own prefer ence for budding upon the old foundetions. A fter a few words from Mr. HADFIELD, Mr. NAPIER replied, and the motion was agreed to. CHURCH RATES. Sir W. CLAY rose to move for leave to bring in a bill for the abolition of Church rates, the bill to lie limited to the total abolition of such rates, and a provision say. ing existing legal obligations. The bill, he said, had not only the seine object, but was identical in terms with the measure which he had introduced on the same subject during the last session of Parliament, and the only dif ference was that a portion of the former measure was omitted from the present bill. He therefore felt it un necessary to trouble the house with any observations, but when he moved the second reading ho would ceialitiu the reasons which•had induced him to make the omission to which he had referred, and he would also feel it his duty to comment upon the important returns relating to the subject which had been laid upon the taSle in com pliance with the motion of a noble lord opposite. Mr. SPOONER said that, although he and his hon. friends on that side of the house would not oppose the motion, it must not be supposed that they nave any assent to the bill which the hon. baronet asked leave to introduce, and which provided for the simple, ab -elute, and unconditional abolition of Church rates. He thought it would be convenient to the house and to the country to learn what course her Majesty's Government intended to take on this subject. They had already stated that they did not themselves intend to bring in a bill, and that they were not prepared to say that they would move amendments to any measure which might be in troduced. Mr. LABOUCHERE observed that his right hon. friend the Secretary for the Home Department had stated on a former occasion that the Government had no inten tion of introducing any measure on this subject during the present session ; but he said that when the question was brought before the house that would be the proper time for the Government to declare what course they intended to pursue. He (Mr. Labnichere) hoped the hon. gentleman would not expect the Government now to go out of the way to express their opinion, but when the second reading of this bill came on, no doubt his noble friend (Lord Palmerston) or the Horne Secretary would state the views entertained by the Government. Leave was then given to bring in the bill. GENERAL POLLOCK. Captain L. VERNON moved for a copy of all cor respondence relating to the removal of General Poilock, G.C.8., from the direction of the Hon. East India Com pany. The hon. and gallant member gave a sketch of the brilliant services of Gen. Pollock from his first victories in India down to the time he received the thanks of Podia. ment, and quoted " Kaye's History of the War" in sup port of his statements. When it came round to the Go vernment to appoint three directors, of course Sir George Poll )ck was placed at the head of the list, because no man had better led the Indian army ; but while he was only nominated for two years, his colleagues, who had never saved an Indian army, were nominated for four and six years. Everybody expected that the gallant general would have received the appointment for the longest period, but he did not ; and on the (20::h "March, 1856, he received a letter from the India Board intimating that he would not be re-appointed, the only reason given being a subterfuge, that the act of 1853 required, not a re-appointment, but a new appointment, whereas two clauses in the act expressly contemplated re-appointments. (The hon. and gallant member read the correspondence between Gen. Pollock and the India Board.) He was an Indian officer, and of course his advancement was cavilied at by the Horse Guards, and he (Captain Vernon) con sidered the general had been very unworthily dealt with. (Hear.) He expected no redress in making these state ments to the house of the treatment txperiencod by that distinguished soldier at the bands of the Presi dent of the Board of Control. He knew what the answer would be. The right hon. gentleman, if he made any reply at ell, would thank him for the opportuniq of explaining the transaction. His (Captain Vernou'e) only object was, to complete the general history from the time he received the thanks of that house until the time when his great services were so unworthily ignored by the Government. The records of that house would show to posterity the history of his great deeds, and they would likewise testify to the small esteem in which those great deeds were held by the Beard of Control. Mr. VERNON SMITH said there was no such offi cial correspondence in existence as that for which the hors. member had moved, as to the removal of General Pollock, and further than that, Sir G. P. hock never had been removed from the office of director, nor had such a thing been ever contemplated. With regard to the tette' s that had been read, everybody who knew anything of Government patronage was aware that those communica tions were always considered to be private. That was the first time he had known letters of that kind to be read in that house, and he did not believe the general bad ever sanctioned their being read. He was quite ready to ac knowledge Sir G. Pollock's services, and no one could have felt more pain than he did when he felt it to be his duty to eluse to re-appoint the gallantgeueral. His reason for refuting was the conviction in his mind that the spirit of the act required new blood to be infused into the di rection of Indian affairs. Ile considered Sir E. Ra wlin son, whose diplomatic and military character was well known al! over the world, a better person to fill the ap pointment, and by, the advice of the noble lord at the head of the Government Sir Z. Rawlinson was appointed. Shortly after, on the vacancy caused by Mr. Melville's retirement, Gen. Vivian was recommended for similar reasons. Ile hoped the house would observe the difficul ties by which the Government were surrounded. Oa one side were a number of gentlemen who .announced their intention of watching every appointment that was made, in order to see that the right man was put in the right place, while on the other side wore gentlemen who, on every occasion when this principle was acted upon, brought charges against the Government of neglecting distinguished services, But Gen. Poilock f ad never been dismissed. His term had expired, and be ceased to boll his appointment when his time was out as a matter of course. He bad only to say that he did not regret the appointment he had made, and never shoal as long as he lived, and with regard to official correspondence, there was none in existence. Mr. DISRAELI opposed the Indian 8.11 in 1353, be lieving that it would not work satisfactorily or improve the administration of our Indian affairs. And ail that had occurred since had confirmed him in that impres sion. And be believed that on this point the Presi dent of the Board of Control concurred with him. He had at that time been somewhat reconcileh to the measure by the manner in which the Government power of appointing directors was exercised. Ile was not surprised that Sir George Pollock should wish to have his case brought under the consideration of Parliament. But in what a strange pos.tion did they find themselves ? He gave the President of the Board of Control full credit for having acted con scientiously in not re-appointing General Pollock ; but in vindicating himself he had virtually censured his colleague (Sir C. Wood), who had appointed the gallant general. It could not be that in three years the great abilities which he was said to have possessed, and must have possessed, could have passed away. The letter which he had written, and which had been read to the house, was manly and dignified, and struck him as the produc tion of a man fully competent to the discharge of the duties of an Indian director. He believed the appoint ment of Sir G. Pollock three years ago was a satisfactory one ; he had heard nothing which caused hint to think that the gallant general was less able than at any previ ous period to discharge the duties of the direction, and therefore, although he was not prepared to contest the right lion, gentleman's exercise of his responsibility, he nevertheless must declare his regret that Gen. Pollock was not a director, and that he (Mr. Disraeli) entertained for him that respect which he believed was entertained for him by the people at 1 .rge. Lord PALMERSTON said it was quite a misrepre sentation to describe the course pursued by the Presi dent of the Board of Control as derogatory either to Sir G-. Poll mk, or implied that Sir C. Wood was wrong in appointing him three years ago. He hoped the hon. gen tleman would net plAce on the records of the house a statement contrary to fact, for Gen. Pollock bad not been dismissed. He was appointed by law for two years, and was capable of being re-appointed: But it at that time his right hon. friend thought that another person was, from age or other circumstances, capable . t more efficiently filling the office, he u as only doing his duty in appointing him. Nor could he admit that the high professional character of Sir G. Poll ock was at all dis• paraged by the step which was then taken. Captain L. VERNON would withdraw the word "removal." As to the manner in wbich be got posses sion of the letters he had read, it was sufficient to say that they fell into his hands, and he thought he had a right to use them. As, however, there were no other documents in existence save those which he had read there was nothing for which to move, and he should therefore withdraw his motion. The motion was then withdrawn. . WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. Mr. L. DAVIES submitted to the house the neces sity for legislation to prevent the gross inequalities in the weights and measures of the United Kingd ern. The present law was quite inadequate to meet the evils which arose from the great inequalities of weights and measures which prevailed in different parts of the coun try. If the Government would not bring in a bill he would himself introduce a measure rendering it compul• sory that in every part of the kingdom sales should be made by imperial weights and measures alone, and by no others. The loss caused by the present system amounted to hundreds of thousands per annum between the producer and the customer. He begged leave of the house to introduce a bill to amend so much of the sth and Gth Wm. IV. as related to weights and measures. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that no doubt could exist as the desirableness of having an uniformity of weights and measures, but hitherto legislation bad in vain contended with the inveterate habits which bad fixed the adoption of varying weights and measures in different parts of England. He did not know whether in regard to corn it would not be better to discard bushel and quarter altogether, and sell only by weight. But then the tithe commutation rent charge was fixed by the bushel and quarter, and if the change were made it would be necessary also to alter our legislation on this subject. When the bid of the hon. member was introduced it should have his best atten- Mr. ADDERLEY contended that nothing of any im portance had yet been done to entorce an uniformity of weights and measures. The act of Wrn. IV. was practi. cally rendered inoperative by a proviso which defeated the rest of the measure. The evils of the present aye tern were very gnat. It ought to be undertaken by the Government, but as they vAld not bring in a bill, be svai glad th , i hon. gentleman (Kr. Davies) had done so ; and he hoped that the feeling of the country and the epinion of that house would suppor'.; him, and either enable him to carry his measure through or force the Government to 1 Oeate. All that was wanted was that a stone, pound, bushel, yard, or foot should be the same, and shoul I be a fixed quantity in all Faits of the country, 'i'bet was iinrely a simple thing, and one that could be easily cif cted. All that was requisite was to repeal the provi,o in the Act of Win. IV., I y which it was enacted twat sales should not be void if tne mea sures used, though not imperial, were yet what they professed. If this were done, and if some machinery were provided for enforcing the penalties imposed for the use of illegal weights, he believed that the imperial weights and treasures would soon be in general opera tionthroughouL, the country. Mr. APO" ANN suggested that the difficulty might be solved by insisting that dry goods should be sold by weight, and liquid gootls by measure, allover tLe empire. Mr. L. DAVIES having replied, After a few words from Mr. ROEBUCK and Mr. BASS, Leave was given to introduce the bill. MOLDAVIA. AND WALLACHIA. Lord C. HAMILTON moved an address to her Ma jesty for a copy of the treaty concluded by his Majesty Vie . Einp,iror of Austria with the Sublime Porte, on the 14th of June, 1354, rtlltiva to the military occupation of the above Principalities. He cJmplAined that owing to long•established habit, unless her Majesty's name ap peared as one of the high contracting parties, no treaty, however important it might be to the general state of Europe, or ho sever it might affect British interests, was printed url , 2ss some member of that house went through the process of moving an address for that purpose. It was to that point he wished to call the attention of the house, because treaties which were of much impor.ance, and in actual force, were not to be found in the library. The object in 'oohing the motion was to get over a pre• cedent which exist e d, accor di ng to wh i c h no treaty was printed unless moved for a private member. The last official statement of treaties was published in 1830, and there was no more recent list in the library for members to refer to. There were several other treaties which ought to be printed for the convenience of members, and he hoped the Government would give attention to the subject. Lord - PALMERSTON—I suppose my noble friend having made his statement, will hardly press his motion, because the treaty to which he refers has been already laid before Parliament. (A. laugh.) With regard to the general anestion, I apprehend the case to be this—that the Government lays before Parliament all treaties, it being fitting that Parliament should know what engage ments the country has entered into ; but, with regard to engagements ent2red into with other Powers between themselves, we have no official knowledge of such, and 1 therefore they are not laid before Parliament. If a par. ticular treaty is concluded between two foreign Powers, ani it is thought to be one that by its nature bears in some degree upon the policy of England, a member moves for it, and application may be made for it to that foreign Government, and it may then be had officially and laid before Parliament. But what I apprehend my noble friend to mean is that all European, or rather all international, documents and engagements of general interest should be collected and placed in the library. Will, if it is thought fit to make arrangements for that purpose, and assign a remuneration toa person responsible for doing it, it might be useful to those gentlemen who may wish to consult those documents. But that will tie a question for the house to determine, and my noble friend is aware that there is now a periodical collection made and printed for sale, containing all the documents, not merely of treaties, but every European document of general interest, and made up in volumes for each year ; and a very large number of volumes are now published. This is a work of great labour and research. Those documents are collected from all sources —foreign news papers, and the acts of foreign Governments—and it takes a considerable time to collect them with accuracy. With regard to the other question, if the house thinks it worth while to charge any responsible person with the duty of coil, c kg, for the use of members, all treaties and documents of international operations, I do not ap prehend that the Government would be at all opposed to such a step. (Hear, hear.) Mr. DISRAELI—I think the house must feel obliged to my noble friend (Lord C. Hamilton) for bringing the matter before them. There is a want of many docu ments of international interest in our library, but I am mire my noble friend meant no censure upon the gentle man who now Manages the library, for I believe no one could di=charge that duty with more ability and ac curacy. (lear, hear.) What my noble friend says is, that the collection at the Foreign•office is made with ample knowledge and proper research, and in every way satisfactory, except one, and if our representations were made to the Foreign office that there should be a little more energy employed in the production of the valuable collection of documents there, they should all have the information which it was eo desirable to possess. (Hear.) The motion was then withdrawn. BANK ACTS. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER rose to move the appiintllent of the Committee on the Bank Act. He said—l will trouble the house with a few remarks relating to the nature of the committee I pro pose to appoint--namely, a Committee of Secrecy. The actual difference lottween an ordinary committee and a committee of secrecy is not, in fact, very wide. It is competent far a Et I , 3ct committee—and it often exercises the power—to exclude the public during the reception of evidence. All select committees exclude the public during their deliberations, which constitute the only part of their proceedings f which an authentic report by a, shorthand writer is not preserved. To a committee of the sort I now propose it is not probable that the public would be admitted during the ezimination of witnesses ; but a complete report of the evidence would be taken, and the committee would have the power of laying it on the table of the house. The only difference between a select committee, not admitting the public daring the examination of witnesses, and a conmittee of secresy is this—that it is the privilege of members not belonging to the c immittee to be present at an ordinary se ect committee, if they so think fit, while the public are excluded. But, if the committee be a committee of secrecy then members unconnected with the committee have not that privilege. That is the whole extent of the difference. In looking through the series of committees appointed to inquire into the Bank charter and other questions of a titular nature, I find it to have been the invariable practice to constitute them committees of secresy. In 1319 the committee on the Ex ; itliency of the Bank resuming cash payments was a secret com mittee. In 1832 a secret committee was appointed to inquire into the expediency of Renewing the Bank charter. In 1836 the committee of joint-stock banks was als) secret, and the committee on com mercial distress in 1848 was likewise a committee s.ecresy. With respect to the arrangements between this Government and the Bank of England there is nothing which, as ftr as I am aware, might not be. published to the whole wadi, and as far as Government is cincerned there is no rsaeon to wish that any departure shoal take place from the usual mode of examination in committee. But the house must be aware that, in a committee of this sort, questions may arise affecting the credit of par . commercial establishments, will respect to which it might not be desirable that any publicity should oc cur ; and tha', I apprehend, is the principal reason why this course Las been invariably pur,ued with respect to committees of this kind. Therefore I have thought it desirable to adhere to what seems to have been the in variable practice, and I propose that this should be a committee of secresy. With respect to the members of the committee, it has been my study to propose as fair a list of names as po4siblo, and one which would insure a complete and searching investigation of the matter re ferred to the committee. I think the house will admit that there are scarcely any discussions so disagreeable to the feelings as those which arise with respect to the preference of one member to another for appointment on a committee, and if the house should be of opinion that, on the whole, the list I propose is a fair one, I trust that, without going into the merits of other members, it will be disposed to adopt the list I submit. Two gentle raen—the hon. members for Wallingford and Perthshire (air. Malins and Mr. Stirling)--have intimated their inability to serve on the committee, and I should there fore give notice of a motion to substitute two other names instead of theirs. The right hon. gentleman con cluded by making the following motion : "That the committee be a committee of secresy, and do consist of 22 members—viz., the Chancellor of the Exibequer, Mr. Disraeli, Sir J. Graham, Mr. Spooner, Mr. Gladstone, Mr. G. A. Hamilton, Mr. Cardwell, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Hildyard, Mr. Glyn, Mr. Beckett, Mr. Hankey, Mr. Pollird-Urquhart, Mr. J. L. Ricardo, Sir C. Wood, Mr. Ca} ley, Sir F. Baring, Mr. M. T. Smith, Mr. Wilkinson, and Mr. Fergus." Mr. PEA.COCKE rose to protest against the fairness of the proposed committee. Opinions upon this subject were entertained by two schools, if be might call them so, which were diametrically opposed to each other. There was the school which wished to preserve the Bank Act in its present integrity, and which bad on its side the high authority of Lord Overstone. There was the school which wished to introduce considerable modifica tions in the act, and which had on its side the still higher authority of Mr. Fullerton, Mr. Tooke, and Mr. Wilson. The last-mention e d gentleman, indeed, bad almost de luged the country with the variety of pamphlets, articles, and publications which he had issued on this subject during the last 14 sears. On looking at the names that composed the committee, be (Mr. Peacocke) found one or two members of what he might call the Birmingham school, and he found one or two of what he might call the Overstone school. He found the names of some members who, he believed, had not expressed any opinion on this subject, if, indeed, they entertained any. But he did not find a single member of what he might call the school of economists, which had the very high authority of Messrs. Tooke, Fullerton, and Wil son. He listened to a great portion of the not very lively or instructive debate on this subject th e o th er evening, and of the portion of which he had not the f e li c ity of hearing, he read a r e p or t t h e next day. found tbat during the whole of th e debate therewas He but one hon. gentleman who broached hon, doctrines at all ap proaching to that sch oo l. The ongentleman, who was the hon. member f or Wick Bu . rgh (Mr. Laing), spoke most ably, but his name oi was not on th e commit tee. Perhaps, h o w ever he r. Peacocks) might be told, as he had been reminded by his right hon. friend 1 the member fo r Buckinghamshire, that the name of the hon. member f or W estbury upon the co mm i ttee ; but h (Mr James t W he i l l i s b o e n r ) ty W9 O s f asking whether he was a Wilsonite—(lau g hter)—for he a was probably no more Wileonite than Wilkes was a Wilkite. He (Mr. Peacocke) was rather inclined to be lieve that th e h on. member for Westbury was i nc l i ned, like Wilkes, to repudiate his disciples, and he there fore begged to ask whether it was really his intention to take hi s pl ace upon the comm itt e e, and,if b e I should do so, w h et h er h e wou ld do so as the author of " Ca, iial and Currency," er as the Secretary fur tie Treasury ; becauoo with the single exception of tt e honourable gentleman himelf, there was no represeeta tive of the school cf which ho was once the apos''e, but of which he (Mr. Peacocke) believed he was no I,m era , lisciole (Laughter.) If there was one question rric,ro th another to which the attention of the !aommittee ought, to be directed it was that of coun try issues. On lo'.-king over the debate of the other evening he found that that subject was alluded to by only one geritismato vi z ., his him. friend the member furlnvernese-shire. But that hon, gentleman's name was not on the c intnittee. Th ere was another most impor tant point, He believed that it was a very general opi nion that it was the i n t en ti on of the Bank Act that the bullion in the is.tre department should be exclusively for the purpose of securing the convertibility of the note and that, the eel er of the bank note should have a spe cial lien upon it. Now, if the ba n k s h ould break , was the holder of such a cote to be paid pari passti , with every other credilor ? That the Chancellor of the Exche quer must admit was a very important question for the consideration of the committee, but not one of those hon. gentlemen whose names had been proposed bad al!uded to it. And so he (Mr. Peacocks) was told that this was a fair and impartial committee for the purposes of inquiry. He declined to propose any alteration of it. H e thought that the play was amusing as it etood, and he did not wish to interfere with the performance or the distribution of the parts in this most solemn comedy. (Laughter.) Mr. DISRAELI begged to repeat the appeal which he made the other evening to the Government, to intro duce a bill at once without the intervention of a oom mittee, as he thought that all the information that might be needed c ou ld b e f urn i s h e d d ur i ng the discussion of the bill in its several stages in the house. The Govern ment bad rnatured their opinion on the subject, and he thought it was most unadvisable to appoint a committee to investigate a subject with respect to which the Go vernment was prepared to undertake, on its own respor sibility, the introduction of a bill, He (Mr. Disraeli) was nut disposed to divide the house upon the appoint ment of a committee unless he should receive more en couragement than he then anticipated. But there was another point which was scarcely less important which he would urge upon the Government, and that was the expediency of not only changing the names, but reducing the size of the committee, which was unwieldy. All the opinions that ought to be represented might be repre sented by a committee exactly half the sizs. Why not have a committee of 11, as they chose 11's at cricket (Laughter.) The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said it appeared to be the general wish of the house that a se lect committee should be appointed on this subject, and although he thought there was no necessity for one yet he would yield to that desire. Even if he had deter mined to introduce a bill in the first instance he believed that the majority of the house would have referred it to a select committee. There was a general faspectation, both within the house and out of doors, that the sub ject should undergo investigation before a com mittee. On referring to former committees upon this subject he found that they were generally composed of 26 or 28. The last committee was composed of 26. In proposing, therefore, a com mittee of 12, he did not choose an unreasonable num ber. The many applications which had been made to him by hon. members dedrous of being appointed on the committee induced him to believe that it was the general wish that the committee should be composed of at least 22 members. Mr. lIADFIELD complained of the absence from tie list of every hon. gentlemen representing the manufac turing districts in the north of England. _ _ Mr. TITE expressed his approval of an inquiry by a se!ect committee as a preliminary step to the introduc tion of a bill. All the names preceding that of Mr. PLllard-Urciutiart having been put trJui the chair and agreed t Mr. GROGAN proposed the substitution of Mr. Vance's name for that of Mr. Urquhart, on the ground that the latter represented an agricultural, whih the former represented a mercantile, constituency. After a few words from Mr. NEWDEGATE, The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER thought that it was not the first time that the hon. gentleman had made a motion of a similar nature with respect to his colleague ; and he also thought that his colleague bad made a similar motion with regard to himself. (Laughter.) He himself would adhere to the names which he bad set aown, and, as among those names were the name of the hon. member for the University of Dublin, an accomplished financier, and of .the hen. member fur Westmeath, who had on previous occa sions eashibited considerable acquaintance with the sub ject, he did not think that Irish commercial interests were not fairly represented. Mr. VANCE disclaimed any intention of placing himself in antagonism with the hon. member f.)l. Westmeath, but at the same time he begged, in reply to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to state that he had never proposed his colleague to serve on any committee, and he hoped that his hon. colleague would now with draw his motion. The motion wa; then withdrawn, and the remaining names cc ere agreed to. L.° Commons Enclosure Bill and the Royal Marine Furces Bill were read a second time. The house adjourned at I'2 o'clock. MARKS NEWS.—(This r a y.) LEGAL REFORM. Mr. NAPIER rose to move, " That an humble ad dress be presented to her Majesty, pray ing that she will be graciously pleased to take into consideration, as an urgent measure of administrative reform, the formation of a separate and responsible department for the affairs of public justice." But the noise occasioned by mem bers leaving the house, and the buzz of conversation which prevailed for some time after the exciting seene of personalities above reported, rendered it impossible to gather even the purport of the right hon. and learned gentleman's observations. Ho was understood to de plore the confusion, the inconvenience, and the inefficient administration of justice, arising from the want of an efficient central supervision of all matters relating to judicial procedure, by some person armed with autho rity who should be in constant communication with the judges and those who administered the law, to ascertain what difficulties they experienced, and to suggest reme die3, and to devise and superintend the framing of acts of Parliament, and the expurgation, classification, and consolidation of statutes. The right hon. gentleman proceeded to urge, that if we bad one department of the State for taking charge of the details of legislation and of the administration of the law, and it was properly or ganised, all that he had spoken of as defective in our system would be remedied, and, just as you had a de partment of finance, of trade, of war, of the colonies, you shoull have one of justice. Lord Bacon suggested that there should be commissioners of both houses whose business it should be to keep their eyes on the law. His (Mr. Napier's) object was only to get something done, to get an efficient remedy for the existing state of things, and he was confirmed in the course proposed by the opinions of many eminent men. The right hon. gentleman then read I x racts from aspeech of Lord Langdale in 1836, and also from the last speech the same noble and learned lurd made in the House of Peers, in which he advocated the appointment of a Minister of Justice; and especially in alluding to the extension of local jurisdictions by the establishment of the county courts, he said that that that circuwstsnce had rendered more necessary both the appointment of a Minister of Justice and the simpli fication of the law. Fortified by these opinions, and also by that of the noble lord the member for London, he (Mr. Napier) had thought it desirable to bring this subject again before the house. The law of this country was now in a transition state; and he believed that the law had declined in public opinion. He therefore urged the necessity of legal education ; the reform of existing law and a better mode of law-making for the future, alt carried out on the most enlightened principles. This he believed could best be done by Parliament giving to the country a separate department for the affairs of justice, and he was sure that it would tend to give the law and the administration of the law a better position iu the eye b o op ,ei t jen h eu e msi tt p iac u wde b ea l l eitcowa. asked N eee N d i wi principleitfeh wg r o e e g i nwagredrteoto of his hgh t ao h iivs e neg o ma b not j ot e oi c of th t n i a i e s iwaa w i tm h thh i c ieao h ifie h tr a es d rt f law, he would say that, • con tinental name ? He did not care about the name—he wanted the thing ; although, as ;regarded continental h C e ()111 h munications he had had with continental jurists, learning, like, let there be a department (for B". and ad th f?und that they were Then another objection was on the s with the best principles i l ef; law knowledgee affair ff a ir of justice.imbued teh u enr t te ca o l f l e i x t p w en ha se t . you e any expense for the establishment of a really i siJoub . l grudge h w a a n s ce s l a lo id r ; t: b a tit ty t i et a fh swt cient de partmentdid not think, however, that the country o h u e l d in terfere wi with bf the r justice.rights t Again, e it c mat ter now stood, it was admitted th a t th e C hancellor without such an organisation of a body o f assistants as to was e nalsle him to perform the functions of a Minister ofJustice; and, indeed, the Chancellor could not do every thi ng. As to interfering with theliQ)32o Secretary, si department of CORN EXCHANGE. The show of English wheat in to-day's market WAS very moderate, and in poor condition. The attendance of mil lers was far from numerous, and the demand for all kinds of wheat of home produce was in a sluggish state, at Mon day's currency. Only 2,120 qrs. of foreign wheat have come in, yet the show of samples, ex-granary, was extensive. Only a limited business was passing, but we have no change to notice in the quotations. Fliating cargoes commanded very little attention. There was a slight improvement in the demand for bar ley, but malt met a doll inquiry, on former terms. The show of oats was only moderate. The trade, how ever, was inactive, at Monday's prices. Beans, peas, and flour moved off slowly, on former terms. The imports o f American flour have ben large. ARRIVALS THIS WHIN. Wheat. Barley. I Malt. Enguala .. 1,050 I 720 1,340 Irish Foreign , 2,120 I —. 0 Its. F onr. . 430 I 1,610 5,110 15,170 3,260. barrels METROPOLITAN CATTLE MARKET. The supply of beasts here to-day was very moderate. The demand, however, for all breeds ruled somewhat heavy, at Monday's quotations. We had a limited show of sheep, yet the mutton trade was in a sluggish state, at about stationary prices. The general quality of the stock was superior. There was a slow sale for calves, but no change took place in their value. Pigs moved off heavily, at late rates. Mulch cows commanded scarcely any at tention. Per Slbs to sink the offais. s. d. s. d. I s. d. I. Inferior Beasts.... 3 4to 3 6 Prime Southdown 5 4 5 6 Second quality.... 3 8 4 i 'Argo crse. calves 310 5 0 Prime large oxen 4 2 4 8 Prime small do 5 2 5 Prime Scots, tire. 410 5 OiLarge hogs Inferior Sheep ...4 0 4 4,Small porkers Second quality ...4 6 4 10!Suckling calves 23 0 30 0 Prime crse.-wlled.s 0 5 21Quarter old pigs 21 0 28 TOTAL SUPPLY. I FOREIGN SUPPLY. Beasts .. .............. 1.015 i 8ea5t5.................: . 9 8 Sheep .......... 2,900 i Sheep ....... ••••• • • 200 Calves •••••••• • •• •• •... 249 i CalveS••• ••••••••••• •• • • • • 190 PISS •••• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• 300 Pig 5.......... NEWGATE AND LEADENHALL. The trade generally was steady, at our quotations. Per 81bs by the carcase. s. d. a. d. Beef, Inferior 3 0 3 4 Do., middling 3 0 310 Do. prime large 4 0 4 2 Do., do. small 4 4 4 6 Pork, large 3 8 4 4 s. d. a. 4. Mutton, Inferior 3 6 3 10 Do., middling 4 0 4 4 Do., prime 4 6 4 10 Veal 3 10 5 0 Pork, small ...... 4 6 5 4 BOROUGH HOP. Our market is well supplied with all kinds of hops, both pew and yearlings. Fine qualities are iu fair request, at hill prices, but other kinds command very little attention. Mid and East Kent pockets, 3/ 15s to 51 12s • Weald of gents, 31 5s to Si ; Sussex, 31 3s to 4 10 s ; Worcester, 41 4s to Si 58 ; yearlings,. 11108 to 3115 e. per cwt. COLONIAL. the receipt of further operations until realises is. id. per lb. A large quantity TEL—The market is inactive, specula n to e rs we de f f r e e rr m in cli g their Common congoa n r e s i n v t e , demand b It nw for in g British t theis h public competition on Tuesday next. has full b r ai beent is advertised for p plantation, an • small quantity on offer, very little business has been done. a a r n e ex cu te r SIIIIAR. —T h d er f a n - Afajitius, East Indian, and foreign descriptions have been firm, at exti eme prices. in the refined market prices rule steady, but the demand has rather decreased. CoFFEE.—The demand continues very active for planta tion and native Ceylon, chiefly for home consumption, and higher quotations are current for all qualities. Mocha realises full rates, lircE.—This article has been in rather better demand, and prices have been steady. RUN,—A. few sales have been effected in Demerara, at about late rates, but the market generally rules fiat. SPIC EEL—There is little change to report in either pepper, mace, cinnamon, or cloves, the transactions hav ing been unimportant. COCHINEAL. —The market rules dull, and prices w ithout any alteration, INDIGO.—At the public sales of this article r t w h il n ie a h t e t : n m i. menced on Wednesday last there was a rathehinguid, only ance of buyers, and the biddings were vt r l rps h a advanced the superior qualities were in demand. _R" about 3d pee lb, and Madras (..m.' — 'il compared with the rates realised at i SALTPETRE. —Business has been firm. TALLOW.—Tho market P.Y.C., on the spot n 6 , 1 to 68s, and 54s to 5 has e d for springtive, but prices rule edt sales. 2d per lb, thibited much firmness. delivery is quoted 676 and 3d for the last three months. committedfor yesterday personati f n o g r trainal absent y se tb n e t clgyEis.trteE SHILLING DAY.—TgunaDAY, A man w p al law fu a l Svootnetrhaamt thteonelection in that tows on Tuesday last. FEB. 1Z on payment, 882; ditto, by season tickets, 530 ; total, 1,212. REBUILDING OF WALLASEY CHMICH.—A public meet ing has been held at the Egremont Hotel to set in motion means for the raising of funds to rebuild Wallasey Church, near Birkenhe a d, w hi c h was destroyed by fire early on Sunday morning, the let inst. The Lord Bishop of Chester occupied the cbair. The attendance was numerous and influential. Subscriptions were handed in to the amount of 2001,, the bishop heading the list with a donation of 1001