The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-07-17 00:00:00

DORSET COUNTY EXPRESS

DORCHESTER, TUESDAY, JULY 17, 1860.

lION ESTE A UDA X.

In the House of Lords on Tuesday, Lord Strat-
ford de RetieWe called attention to the recent
massacre of Christians in Syria, and insisted on
the necessity of some decided step being taken
by the British Government on the subject. Lord
Wodehouse said that her Majesty's Govern-
ment had instructed Admiral Martin to take
the Mediterranean fleet to the coast of Syria,
and to adopt such steps as he might consider
necessary for the protection of the Christians.
Her Majesty's Government had also been in
communication with Turkey, Russia, Prussia,
Austria, and France as to the measures which
would become necessary, and that it was the
wish of both the French Goveniment and our
own that Turkey should repress these disorders
herself, and take securities against any repetition
of them. On Thursday the Jews Act Amend-
ment Bill passed through committee. Lord
Mayo moved for a select committee to inquire
into the efficiency of the new Harbour of Refuge
at Holyhead. The Duke of Somerset opposed
the motion, and after some discussion it was
withdrawn.
in the Commons, on Monday, on the order of
the day for resuming the debate on the Report
upon the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Salaries,
&c., Bill, the Attorney-General intimated his
I assent to the recent vote by which the House
I had disallowed the proposal to charge
the compensations on the Consolidated
Fund. He explained the means by which
he proposed to provide a fund for these
compensations, and which consisted principally
in a slight augmentation of the County Court
fees, the salaries of the judges of those courts
being equalised and placed on the Consolidated
Fund. After some discussion the report as
amended was agreed to. The House then went
into committee on the Bankruptcy and Insol-
vency Bill, and agreed to about 50 clauses. On
arriving at clause 77, the Chairman was ordered
to report progress, and the House resumed.
ILord Palmerston then moved that the committee
on the Bill should sit again on Thursday morn-
; Mg. This motion was opposed, but was carried
on a division by 135 to 66. On Tuesday the
adjourned debate on the consideration of the
Nuisances Removal and Diseases Prevention
Bill was recommitted. Some progress was
made in committee on the Savings Banks and
Friendly Societies' Investments Bill. Mr.
Cochrane moved that the House resolve itself
into a committee to consider an address to Her
Majesty to place the officers and men of the fleet
in China on the same footing as the troops with
respect to extra pay and allowances. Lord C.
Paget said that it was his intention in the course
of a few days to propose a vote as an extra
reward to the officers and men engaged in the
last operations in China, and that when the
present operations were concluded a further
reward in the shape of batta would be distributed
among them. Mr. Cochrane thereupon with-
drew his motion. Mr. Wyld obtained leave to
bring in a Bill to alter and amend the law and
practice relating to the taking of votes at
elections for members to serve in Parliament.
The House then went into committee on the Gas
(Metropolis) Bill, when Mr. Staniland made a
statement in behalf of the gas companies and
moved that the Chairman leave the chair.
After some di.scussion the Bill, at the suggestion
of Mr. S. Esteourt, was referred back to the
select committee. The Smithfield Market,
Streets, Alla Improvements Bill passed
through committee. The House then went
into Committee on the Roman Catholic
Charities Bill, when the third and fourth
clauses, after a protracted discussion, were
agreed to, and the Chairman was ordered to
report progress. On Wednesday the House
I went into committee on the Census Bill . for
.

—....—
England and Wales. On clause 4, which raised
the question as to religious profession, Mr.
Baines, in the interests of the Dissenters, moved
as an amendment that the words "religious
profession" be struck out of the clause. Sir 0.
Lewis condemned the opposition made by the
Dissenters to the clause, but said that as the
returns would probably be incomplete if the
words objected to were retained, he would
assent to the amendment. After considerable
debate the anienduient was agreed to, as were
also the rein g clauses. The Bill then
passed through committee. The House next
I went into committee on the Census (Ireland)
Bill, when Mr. Cardwell said it was the inten-
tion of the Government to take the religious
census in Ireland, where the people were unani-
mously in favour of it. All the clauses were
then agreed to, and the Bill paned through
committee. On Thursday, in answer to Sir R.
Peel, Lord J. Russell said that it had been the
policy of Her Majesty's Govermnent during the
late events in Sicily and. Italy to leave the people
of Sicily, Naples, and he would add the Roman
States, to decide for themselves the form of
government under which they chose to live.
On the order for going into committee of supply,
Sir J. Trelawily moved as an amendment that
the House postpone the consideration of further
supplies until the Paper Duty Repeal Bill
should have become law. On a division the
amendment was negatived by 198 to 13. The
House then went into a Committee of Supply,
when Mr. S. Herbert •moved for a vote of
£3,800,000 for the expenses of naval and mili-
tary operations in China beyond the ordinary
grants for the year 1860-1, which included, he
said, the sum of £443,896 due to the Indian
Government for advances on account of former
expeditions to China. After considerable discus-
sion the vote was reduced, at the suggestion of
' Sic H. Willoughby, by the sum of £443,896, to be
voted separately. The vote of £3,356,104 was
then agreed to, and the Chairman was ordered
to report Frogreas. On the order for the third
trading of the Annuity Tax Abolition (Edin-
burgh) Bill, Mr. Dunlop moved as an amend-
. inent that the Bill be read a third time that day
three months. On a division the anieridnient
was negatived by 204 to 17, and the Bill was
r, read a third time and passed.

Accounts from Beyrout confirm the telegraphic
announcement of the massacre of the Christians
of Zahleh, Hassebaya, Rachaia ind Der-el-
liamar, and state that the Christians , f Beyrout,
Damascus, Aleppo, Jerusalem, and other places
in Syria, were in imminent danger of becoming
the victims of similar atrocities at the hands of
the Druses, aided it is said by the Turkish
soldiery. At Beyrout nearly the whole of the