The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-02-19 00:00:00

Thursday the:-house was astonished as well as gratified at
witnessing the noble and daring act of Sir FITZROY KELLY
in offering to undertake that superhuman task—the consoli-
dation of the statute law ! He introduced two bills upon the
subject, prefacing their introduction by a speech of great
length, filled with well digested learning and cogent argu-
ment. The motion fur introducing the bills was seconded by
Lord STANLEY, and, after complimentary remarks from
several members, leave was given to bring in the bills.
Immediately on disposing of this matter, the house was
plunged •
into one of those partizan debates, which have
a tendency to bring scandal upon the usages of Parlia-
ment. Sir JOUN SITELLEY, in moving for returns calcu-
lated to show the manner in which the Irish Judges had dis-
charged their duties, delivered himself of an address in which
he represented the three chief Irish Judges as so old as to be
incapable of rightly discharging their duties; and dwelt par-
ticularly on the fact that, besides being very far advanced in
years, Baron PENNEPA.THER was blind. He declared the re-
tention of the judge's seat by the three judges, Mr. Justice
I LEPROY, Mr. Judge TORRENS, and Baron PENNEPA.TTIER, was
a scandal to the Irish bench, and that the Government should
interfere, and put a stop to it. The speech of Sir JOHN called
forth a vigorous and manly defence of the assailed judges from
Mr. NAPIER, who accused the Government of a want of proper
spirit in not defending these judges from so scandalous an at-
tack, if they knew it was unfounded, or iu not moving an ad-
dress to the Crown for their removal, if they believed the as-
persions to be correct. In indignant terms, he denied the
accusation, and denounced the proceeding as a party manoeuvre
to clear the way to the bench for some of the Government !
sup-
porters. Sir GEORGE GREY admitted that he had made in-
quiries, which had received answers, stating that all the three
judges performed their official duties with regularity and assi-
Iduity ; but, still, it seemed true that Baron PENNZPATHER
was both old and blind, and that the other two were old, and
he should, in consequence, support the motion. This conclu-
sion drew forth the ire of Mr. Drsnima, who, in a strain of
satirical invective, combined with powerful reasoning, severely
flagellated the Home Secretary. Lord PALMERSTON closed
the debate by declaring that the partisan view of the matter
had been started by the opposition. On a division, the motion
was carried by a majority of eleven, in a house containing 253
members.

The subject of Crimean military mismanagement has occu-
pied much general artention, and has also, during the past
week, been oftener than once brought under the notice of
Parliament. The provocative to public discussion has been
the remarks made chiefly in the House of Lords, complaining
of the statements contained in the Report made by Sir JOHN
M'NEILL and Colonel TULLOCII. The terms of that report
have been severely reprobated by the Earls of CARDIGAN and
LucAN, and each of those noble lords has, in his place in
Parliament, gravely impugned the statements of the commis-
sioners. They slander me, says Lord CARDIGAN ; lam calum-
niated, echoes Lord LITAN. The general public, with a
feeling of considerable uneasiness, recals to mind the some-

what similar charges brought mutually against each other by
the noble lords, and remembers, with pain, the attempts of
both to inculpate his commanding officer, in reference to points
which affected the personal character or judgment, or both, of
the immediately subordinate one. What particular portions
of the report these two gallant officers complain of chiefly is
not stated by them, or at least not publicly. Both officers were
connected with the cavalry. One of the chief causes of the
disasters to the army was the loss of horses, the want of which,
for the transport of necessaries, caused the death of numbers,
and exposed thousands to the most agonizing misery. Con-
nected with the loss of horses, the report does not interfere
with the "death ride" of Balaklava, but says Considering,
also, the suffering and severe loss of horses, front exposure to
the weather in the commencement of the winter, there ap-
pears to have been a want of promptitude or ingenuity in de-
vising for them some means of temporary shelter, such as-
saved the baggage-horses of the Sappers and Miners at Bala-
klava. Experience has now proved that even a very moderate
degree of shelter would have been sufficient to save the lives
of many of the horses, if not to maintain them in serviceable
condition ; and it must be presumed that such measure& were
considered practicable, for a proposal to erect, with the
assistance of his men, some sort of cover for the horses of the
corps, appears to have been made by the officer com-
manding the Scotch Greys, but the manner in which it is
stated to have been received by the Lieutenant-General
commanding the cavalry was calculated to deter other
officers from making any similar proposal." The officer
was actually threatened with arrest ! Can it be matter
for wonder that such revelations caused Loan LUCAN to feel
uneasy ? It seems to have been a settled point that the horses
must be starved to death. The report goes on to say :
" When the supply begau to fail, the Commissariat officer
referred to, who appears to have done everything, n his power
to meet the difficulties of the case, proposed, as he knew that
there was plenty of barley at Balaklava, that if a.detachment
of the horses were allowed to go down daily he would engage
to bring up enough for the rest of the brigade. The proposi-
tion appears to have been brought especially under the notice
of Lord CARDIGAN by Lieutenant-Colonel MAYOU; Assistant-
Quartermaster-General of cavalry, who states that his lord-
, ship declined to accede to it, as he had previously done, when
a similar proposition was made to him to send the horses
down for hay before that supply failed." The circumstances
under which these refusals were given may be susceptible of
explanation, and their lordships should, if possible, at once
afford it. Lord PANHURE assured the house,.and most people
will agree with him, that the commissioners had no intention
of attacking Lords LUCAN and CARDIGAN, or indeed of per-
sonally attacking any one; but the cases stated imply grave
charges, and the assurance of Lord Patrasuna,that no derelic-
tions of a secondary nature could detract from the lustre of
those actions for which the noble lords had received decora-
tions, must be looked on as a sorry palliative of the accusation.
The public will not readily acquiese in construing the care of
the men and horses placed under the command of an officer
as matter of a secondary character. They look with pride
upon the display of fortitude, courage, and personal daring as
characteristic of every man in the army, from the drum-boy to
the commander-in-chief; but in officers- of distinguished
position they expect, united with bravery,, presence of mind,
resource, judgment, seizure of opportunity,-7-in a word, the
combination of those high mental and bodily qualities which.
used to be signified in that suggestive expression "conduct in_,
the field."

For a long period the impalicy of exacti duty by Govern—
ment on premiums paid for insurance against fire has been,
a subject of general and well-founded complaint. The ehi
argument as to its being a premium. on improvidence has
been met by the readily used one of the state necessity, and
the impossibility of the CIIANCELLOM; Of the Exenecreeej .
parting with so large an amount of revenue as £1,000,00,
produced by the duty on fire insurances. The matter has
recently assumed a new form, and presents itself to Sir Ge C.
LEWIS, as one of the financial dissolving views which foil:lll242th
frightful phantasmagoria to the eyes, of a finance mirester.
On the Continent, in most countries,,,if not all, no duty is ex-
acted on fire insurance polices, yet the proverbial energy of
British enterprise has induced many of our insurance:com-
panies to establish an agency in Franca. Our Allies, profiting
by the example, and animated by. the reciprocal good feeling
happily established between the- two countries, are.busy in
extending their fire insurance sygem here. La France, a fire
office of some standing in Paris,. has recently openedan, agency
in London, and is busily engagelin planting branchagencies in
Manchester, Liverpool, Glwgew, and other, districts., with
the avowed object of taking ordinary fire risks.at 2e. per cent.,
under the impression that their polices.,, being issued in
Paris, are not liable to British, duty. In this, belief they are
understood to be fortified bee legal opinionseolatained on both
sides of the Channel. If La France is successful, there can
be little room for doubt that other foreign offices will enter
into the competition, tee the great detriment, if not to the
utter ruin of the English.companies. In this state of matters
strong representations have been made on the subject by the
British companies, who have a large amount of capital in-
vested, and now insure in this country property to the
value of about £KeO,OOO,OOO. At first, the Crreerczenoa:
of the EXCIIEQUEA appeared to: treat the matter coolly;
further consideration of the subject, however, seems to
have wrought a change in his, views, and the whole question
has now been referred to the Board of Inland Revenue for
consideration. What may be the result of that consideration
it is not easy to foresee. One thing, however, is clear, The
British Insurance Companies must be diligent in looking to
tlieir own interests, or they may, ere long, behold their
business transferred from this country to the continent ;
while, by the same movement, the CreeNczereen of the
Exculeavas mey--
be denuded of his much-prized million of
revenue derived from the duty on fire policies : his loss being
further aneinteeted by a proportionate diminution of the
111011113 tax, caused by the loss of revenue arising from capital
i invested is British. . Insurance Companies. The question,
II mere part...eularly in its new aspect, is a momentous one for
all partiza, and is creating a great stir in the metropolis.