The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-02-26 00:00:00

LORD'S-DAY OBSERVANCE.

Sir J. WALMSLEY moved a resolution, " That it would pro-
mote the moral and intellectual improvement of the working
classes of this metropolis if the collections of natural history
and of art in the. British Museum and National Gallery were
open to the public inspection after the morning service on
Sundays."
The motion was seconded by Sir J. SHELLEY.
Mr. PELLATT moved, by way of amendment, that more fre-
quent opportunities should be afforded for week-day inspection
of the National Gallery, government museums, and works of
art ; also, that the British Museum should be open five days
in the week.

This amendment was seconded by Mr. I3AxTxR, who argued
that the adoption of the original resolution would be a prelude
to the opening of the theatres, as well as places of amusement
in the provinces, on Sunday.
Lord STANLEY, after suggesting that large deductions
should be made from the weight otherwise due to the vast
number of petitions presented to the house against the object
of the motion—on the ground that they were the result of an
organized movement, conducted by an influential body—ob-
served that the question was not, as had been alleged, whether
the resolution would offend conscientious feelings, but whe-
ther the offence was reasonable. There was a broad distinc-
tion between permissive and compulsory legislation; but those
who resisted the Sunday opening did not ask not to be com-
pelled to go to places of amusement, but to have power put
into their hands to compel others not to go. He denied the
right of the house or of any tribunal to lay down and enforce
the duty which each man owed to a higher power. The re-
solution contained nothing that interfered with religious ob-
servances on Sunday ; it dealt, too, with only national and
government institutions. Excellent as was the institution of
Sunday, he had known instances in which its Sabbatical ob-
servance had been carried to an undesirable extent. There
was no objection to opening the British Museum and National
Gallery that did not go to stop excursion-trains and lay an
embargo upon steam-vessels on Sundays.
Mr. NAPIER warned the House that if the step recom-
mended in the resolution were once taken, it never could be
retraced, and Parliament might put in peril one of our most
venerable and most valued institutions. This was only a small
beginning, but by slow degrees the poison would be infused ;
and, however plausible the resolution. might appear, taken by
itself, it must be considered with relation to its circumstances
and consequences. The Sunday was said to be a day of rest ;
but the rest was to be means to an end—namely, the spiritual
and religious welfare of man. If the foundation of the Lord's-
day were weakened, its religious observance would be im-
paired and eventually sacrificed.
After some further discussion, Lord PALMERSTON said it
was not his intention to support the motion, but the way in
which he looked at the subject would not be satisfactory to
those with whom he shonld vote. He attached as much value
as any to the observance of Sunday ; on the other hand, he did
not think the mere opening two places of resort would of itself
materially affect its observance or infringe its sanctity. But,
those who objected to the motion did so chiefly because they
considered it the first step to something more; and this was
an objection well deserving of attention. Concurring with the
majority of the House, that it was not expedient to take this
step, although not important in itself; considering, on the one
hand, that advantages would be derived from opening these
places, and, on the other, that a great amount of feeling had
been expressed, which was entitled.to the utmost respect, and
that it would have a bad effect on the moral feeling of the
country if the House acted in defiance of these opinions, he
should vote, be said, against the motion. With regaid to the
amendment, he suggested that it had better be withdrawn,
and that the matter should be left in the hands of the trustees
of the Museum.
Upon a division there appeared—Ayes 50

Noes 378

Majority against the motion

The Delamei:e Fo'rea Bill was read a second time, after a
brief conversation as to its objects, between Mr. WILSON and
Sir H. WILLOUGHBY.

The Turnpike Trusts Arrangements Bill and the Commons
Enclosure Bill passed through committee.
The House adjourned at 10 minutes to 12 o'clock.

FRIDAY.

The Speaker took the chair at 4 o'clock.
Petitions against the opening of places of public amusement
on Sunday were presented by Mr. Tollemache, from Smallwood,
Weston Betchton,Dane-in-Shaw, and the Wesleyans of Congle-
ton.

Petitions against the Police Bill were presented by Mr.
Barnes, from the mayor and corporation of Bolton ; and by
Mr. Kershaw, from the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of
Stockport, signed by the mayor.
Petitions in favour of the Local Dues on Shipping, &c., Bill,
were presented by Mr. Wickham, from the mayor, aldermen,
and burgesses of Bradford, Yorkshire, under the common seal;
by Mr. M. Gibson, from the directors of the Manchester Com-
mercial Association; also, from the Manchester Chamber of
Commerce ; and another from the corporation of Manchester ;
by Mr. Brotherton, from the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses
of the borough of Salford ; by Mr. Thornely, from the mayor
and inhabitants of Wolverhampton ; and by Mr. Watson, from
the Chamber of Commerce, Hull.
Petitions against the Bill for Abolition of Local Dues on
Shipping were presented by Lord Henry Cholmondeley, from
the Marine Society; and by Mr. Tomline, from the mayor and
corporation of Shrewsbury.
Petitions in favour of the Medical Profession Bill were pre-
sented by Mr. Horsfall from the Liverpool branch of the
Provincial Medical and Surgical Association, and from the
medical and surgical officers of the Liverpool Northern Hospital.
Cntrncrt PROPERTY.—In answer to an inquiry, Lord PAL-
MERSTON said that it was not the intention of the government
to propose any measure with regard to lessees of church pro-
perty while the inquiries of the committee on the ecclesiastical
commission were pending.
THE KINGDOM OF OIIDE.—Mr. OTwAY put a question to
the President of the India Board concerning the instructions
forwarded to the Governor-General of India, having reference
to the territories of the King of Oude.—Mr. V. SMITH replied
that it was well known that for many years the state of the
kingdom of Oude had excited the attention and the anxiety of
our Indian government; that the home authorities had, in
another despatch, left a large discretion to the Marquis of
Dalhousie in dealing with the question; and to that despatch
no answer had been received. •
FINANCIAL STATEMENT.

The House having resolved itself into a Committee of Ways
and Means, the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, previous
to moving certain resolutions, laid before the committee ex-
planations concerning the state of the national finances, and
the reasons for deviating from the ordinary practice of reserv-
ing these details for the budget. He recalled to the recollec-
tion of the committee the statement he made last April, when
he estimated the amount of the revenue, including the loan, at
£86,339,000, and that of the expenditure at £81,899,000,
leaving, by way of margin, a surplus of £4,440,000, which was
subsequently reduced, by a remission of taxation, to
£4,240,000. Supplemental estimates were afterwards voted,
to the amount of £6,135,000, Which raised the estimated ex-
penditure to £88,034,000. An addition of exchequer bills
and bonds had increased the estimated income to £90,139,000,
which left a margin or surplus of £2,105,000 at the end of the
last session. He then read accounts of the actual receipts of
the several items of the revenue, the result of which was that
there was a deficiency, or an amount below the estimate, of
£1,600,000, while there had been an excess of expenditure
beyondthe estimate of £1,960,000, showing that the actual state
of the finances turned out worse than he had estimated by
£3,560,000. After remarks upon the causes of the deficiency
in certain items of the receipts, and of the excess in the ex-
penditure, he stated what had been the precise sum which the
war had cost, the difference between a peace expenditure and
that of 22 months of war being £43,564,000, including Army,
Militia, Commissariat, Navy, and Ordnance. The result was
that we found ourselves in the position of being about
£4,000,000 less capable than he had estimated last session that
we should be, and the object of the resolutions he had placed
in the hands of the chairman was to enable the Government
to place the finances of the country in the present year in
the position in which they would have been if the estimates
had not proved deficient. The first resolution was for a loan
of £5,000,000, which would provide amply for the present,
and leave some surplus for the ensuing financial year. The
entire sum which had been borrowed in the present year,
including Exchequer bills and bonds, was £23,000,000. If
the resolution were agreed to, there would be a further
amount of £5,000,000, making a total of £28,000,000. He
then entered into statistical details of the state of our trade
and commerce, showing that the resources of the country
were unimpaired. The loan, he said, had been arranged
on terms not disadvantageous to the nation. Another reso-
lution related to the funding of Exchequer-bills. These
securities had been, and continue to be, at a discount,
in spite of an increase in the rate of interest ; it
was therefore necessary for the Executive Government
to resort to one of two expedients—either to fund, or to
make a further advance of the rate of the interest. The
process of funding was simply a conversion of one species of
government security for another. The amount of Exchequer-
bills it was proposed to fund was £3,00000, the total amount
of outstanding bills being £23,000,000. Assuming that the
operation succeeded in raising the price of Exchequer-bills to
par, the saving to the public thereby, in comparison with the
other alternative, of raising the rate of interest, would be
£193,000 per annum. In conclusion, he observed that if the
pending negotiations should produce peace, the government
would have it in their power deliberately to consider the state
of the revenue; but if they should unhappily not so terminate,
it would be their duty to appeal to the House to place the
finances in a position which would enable them to meet the
large estimates that would be required for war purposes.
The resolutions, after a short discussion, were agreed to.
ARMY AND ORDNANCE ESTIMATES.

On the order for going into a Committee of Supply, a dis-
cussion continued for some time upon miscellaneous topics.
At length the Speaker was allowed to leave the chair, and
the House went into a Committee of Supply upon the Army
and Ordnance Estimates.

Mr. MONSELL explained the nature of the votes he pro-
posed—first, the ordnance supplemental estimates for the
expenditure already incurred, and next the army and ordnance
estimates for the present year. In the course of his explana-
tion he showed that the present war expenditure was much
below that at the end of last war; and he gave a satisfactory
account of the condition, moral as well as physical, of the
army in the Crimea, and of the arrangements lately made for
the benefit of the troops. The supplemental ordnance esti-
mates amounted to £1,316,023, for which he proposed to take a
vote on account. The number of land forces of all kinds to be
voted was 246.716 men (an excess of 30,378 over the vote of
last year), including 22,719 foreign troops; the sum required
for the land forces was £10,950,398, and the grand total for
the effective and non-effective services was £34,998,604, being
an excess of £6,328,007 over the votes of last year. He went
through the various items composing the aggregate vote, ac-
counting for the excess in each.
The
alu
etnhtea I
scientific
branch,
forran barrackeb
,amounting s u supplies,
pl i eisn,
wages,
stores,
£1,346,023, were agreed to, as well as the number of the land
forces, and the committee adjourned.
supplemental
The Delamere Forest Bill passed through committee.
The Turnpike Trusts Arrangements Bill and the Commons
Enclosure Bill were read a third time and passed.
Leave was given to Mr. M. Gibson to introduce a bill to
.abolish the Oath of Abiwation,
The House adjourned a twenty•five minutes to one o'clock.

[FEBRUARY 26, 1856.