The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-03-15 00:00:00

SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 1879.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

In the Hem OF Lenin, March 10, Lord Granville asked the
Secretary for India whether he intended to lay on the table
further papers relating to Afghanistan, and, in doing so, to
make a statement as to the policy of the Government on the
Afghan question.
Lord Craabrook replied that at present there were no
additional papers which could be produced, but no unneces-
earY delay would occur in the production of further informa-
tion on this subject.
Loral Ripon then asked for some explanation as to the
authority on which General Roberts had made his statement
res Patting the annexation of a district hitherto under the
rgj of the Ameer.
-Lord Cranbrook, in reply, said that Generals who had to
Conduct an advance like that intrusted to General Roberts
received authority to withdraw from their allegiance to their
°ruler rulers the inhabitants of the districts through which
they had to advance, and to detach them from such allegiance
it was essential to give them an assurance that they would
mot again fall under the dominion of which they had been
aubjects. The noble lord added that without saying which
Orin of government might be adopted for the district occu-
pied by General Roberts, he could state that it was not to be
'Wain under the rule of the Ameer.
Lord Lawrence expressed his opinion that if our frontier
veas to he extended in the way the words of General Roberts
;Indicated the scientific frontier which her Majesty's Govern-
:inent intended to adopt would take a greater number of men
to defend it than were necessary for the defence of the
frontier we hitherto maintained. This advance would mean
an annexation of sixty or seventy thousand square miles.
Lord Napier of Magdala thought it a disgrace to the
British Empire that the state of things existing before the
war had been allowed to continue so long. A war with
Afghanistan had long been Inevitable, and he held that our
boundary ought to be beyond the mountains inhabited by
those tribes who had been backed by Afghanistan. The
battle of India, whenever it might have to be fought, ought
to be fought outside and not inside those barriers; and if
we held the districts of Jellalabad and Candahar, we should
thereby postpone the day when the frontiers of the two
great European Powers which divided Asia should be brought
together.
Their lordships adjourned at twenty-five minutes to six
o'clock.
In the HOUSE OF COMMONS, the Chancellor of the Exche
quer, answering questions standing in the names of Mr.
tOnslow and the Marquis of Hartington, stated that the Go-
vernment have no means of knowing whether the people of
Afghanistan are prepared to receive Yakoob Khan as Ameer,
,but as to the footing on which we should negotiate with
him, as communications were beginning, or might have
begun already, it would be inconvenient at present to make
any statement. He hoped it would not be delayed long,
and it was the wish of the Government to make it at the
earliest possible moment.
Sir G. Balfour asked whether there were documents in the
India Office not yet presented to Parliament relating to the
treaty of 1854 made by General John Jacob with the Khan
of Kelat, to the treaty of 1854 with Dost Mahomed, and to
the proposal made to Lord Canning in 1856 by General John
Jacob to advance beyond the Bolan Pass.
Mr. E. Stanhope said there were a vast number of docu-
ments, but none, so far as he had examined them, of aufil-
cleat importance to lay on the table, especially as the views
of tieneral John Jacob were well known.
Colonel Stanley informed Sir G. Campbell that it was his
?Intention to propose the reappointment of the Select Com-
mittee on the transport and employment of Indian native
'troops abroad.
Mr. 3laclver asked whether the attention of the Govern-
ment had been directed to statements in the London Pre
that foreign trade was as depressed as our own when British
imports amounted to £400,000,000, and exports to about
half that sum.
Mr. Talbot need hardly say that the attention of the
YBoard of Trade was constantly directed to all statements of
importance made in the Press or elsewhere relating to
matters affecting the trade of the country. Not having seen
the statements in question he was unable to say whether the
statistics of the Board of Trade confirmed them. The im-
ports for 1877 were placed at £394,000,000, and the amount
of foreign and colonial produce re-exported, £53,000,600,
IWAIS included in the above.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, in reply to Mr. O'Clery,
add it was perfectly true that the revenue from Legacy and
Succession Duty had declined since the new system of col-
lection came into force at the beginning of the present year,
to the extent of something like £360,000, but there were
fillecial reasons for that decline, which could not be attri-
&cited to the change in collection.
In answer to Mr. Goschen and Mr. A. Mills, Mr. W. H. Smith
%aid that no further news had been received from South
Africa. Although it had not been thought desirable at
Present to employ Marines in the Zulu war, if further
reinforcements were necessary a force of Marines would
be the first to be sent out. Although the Tenedos was
temporarily disabled, the Boadicea and the Encounter were
off the coast, and the Shah, on her return home from the
Pacific, having heard of the disaster at St. Helena, had
mailed with 166 men of the regiment stationed there for the
Cape. As she had a crew of 800 men she could spare a naval
brigade of 400, so that the Commodore would have an ample
2orce at his disposal. Mr. Goschea asked for the name of
the officer who had acted with so much judement, and Mr.
Smith had great pleasure in stating that it was Captain
33radshaw.

On going into Supply the preliminary discussions occu-
`pied several hours. Mr. Gourley called attention to the
Launderer explosion, and put several questions to the First
Lord a the Admiralty—among others whether the injured
gun will be brought home and examined into by independent
authorities not connected with the service.
Mr. W. H. Smith said it was impossible for him to enter at
length into the subject, as he had not yet read the report,
but he repeated that the Admiralty and the War Office were
In consultation as to further experiments, and the uninjured
ran would be brought home. He also deprecated aspersions
on the trustworthiness of the men in the turret, bearing
testimony to the extraordinary care and attention with
Which the guns of the Navy were handled.
Mr. Samuda, who was supported by Mr. Norwood and Mr
Gerst, then called attention to the duties and increased re-
3ponsibilities of ship carpenters; Mr. Vans Agnew dis-
coursed on the stagnation of promotion in the Royal Navy;
Lord Charles Beresford critl3lsed the system of paying off
men-of-war's men into receiving ships, and suggested that
barrack accommodation should be provided. Mr. Hopwood
made some remarks on the Naval Discipline Act (1866),
Pointing out certain provisions which he regarded as objec-
tionable and requiring amendment. Mr. A. Egerton replied,
and after some observations from Mr. Goscheu,
The House went into Committee, and Mr. W. H.
Smith made his exposition of the Navy Estimates for the
year 1879-80. He stated that the saving upon the previous
year was 2467,000, and that without any sacrifice of
efficiency. On January Ist the number of ships in com-
mission was 164, of which 125 were seagoing fighting ships,
and the remaining 30 were transports, store and despatch
'vessels. The number of men was 58,800, a reduction
of 1200,, but the amount paid to the men showed a
slight increase. In the Royal Marines there was a reductlon
from 14,000 to 13,000. With reference to shipbuilding it had
been intended to produce 19,768 tons of armoured and un-
armoured ships during the past year, of which 13,408
tons were in the Government dockyards; the total
actually produced was 18,051 tons, of which 11 968
tons were executed in the national establishments. Four
new irenclads of the Dreadnought and Northampton
class were ready for sea, and nine others, including
ships of the Neptune class, would be lit for service in the
course of the year. Several of the first-class ships had been
supplied with torpedo boats. During the coming year the
weight of hull built would amount to 15,278 tons, of which
nine armour-plated ships and eight ironclad corvettes,
amounting to 12,151 tons, were advancing in the Royal dock-
yards, Mr. Smith concluded by recommending the Esti-
mates as calculated to secure for the country a Navy
adequate for all its purposes.
In the customary discursive discussion which followed,
-Mr. Brassey paid a well-merited tribute to the services
rendered by the Navy during this year, and re-
peated his recommendation of a smaller class of iron-
clads. Sir W. Barttelot referred to the position of the
Marine officers. Mr. Shaw-Lefevre examined the ship-
building performances of the present Government, and.
contrasted them with the results of the preceding Adminis-
tration. Mr. A. Egerton replied to this; IClr. Rylands in-
veighed against the extravagance and blunders of the
Board, and Mr. Bentinck regretted the want of reserves of
heavy ironclads. Mr. Goschen complained that the First
Lord's statement, though business-like and practical, did
not convey sufficient information as to the naval policy of
the year, and Mr. Smith, in the course of his reply, men-
tioned that the fleet is expected to return from the Sea of
Marmora to the Mediterranean in the course of a few days.
The Votes for Men and Wages were then agreed to. Some
other business was transacted, and the House adjourned at
ten minutes past one o'clock.

In the HOUSE OF LORDS, March 11, Lord Lifford proposed
the second reading of the West Donegal Railway Bill.
After some time had been spent in discussion respecting
the proposed gauge for the line, the second reading was
azreed to without a division.
On the motion for the second reading of the Medical Act
(1858) Amendment Bill, Lord Ripon, while thinking that the
rheasure might be improved in committee, would not risk
its safety by insisting on objections applying to minor
Points. He hoped the committee of the other Rouse on the
composition of the Medical Council would be appointed
With as little delay as possible; but he thought the Lord
President was right in keeping that question separate from
the important one with which the Bill was intended to
deal.
The Duke of Richmond and Gordon said that the com-
mittee on the composition of the Medical Council was to be
appointed in the course of next week.
The 33111 was then read a second time.
Their Lordships adjourned at half-past six o'clock.
In the HOUSE OF COMMONS, the Liverpool Lighting Bill
Was read a second time, and, on the motion of Mr. Raikes, it
Was referred to a committee with power to inquire into the
expediency of authorising schemes for lighting by electricity,
either by local authorities or by public companies.
Colonel Stanley informed Earl Percy that in consequence
of the limited time to be afforded this year for the training
of militia, there would be no objection, on proper applica-
tion, to sanction the omission of the usual musketry course
where such omission was deemed desirable.

Mr. Chamberlain asked whether, since the receipt of Sir
Bartle Frere's last despatch, the Government held that
further delay was necessary before discussing the causes of
the Zulu war, and Sir Michael Ricks-Beach said he would
give an answer on Friday, when he expected that the de-
'Matches by the coming mail would have reached the Colonial
Office.