The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-08-10 00:00:00

SATI77:I-.,A 7, lU_,,Gl'f7 10, S7S

Their Lordships then adjourned.

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IMPERIAL
; )
In the HOUSE OF LORDS, August 5, the Earl of Northbrook
Presented a petition from Calcutta on the subject of the
recent increase of taxation, and of the public works and
military expenditure. It was not at present desirable, he
thought to reduce the Indian army, but rather to impose
additional taxes on the natives, though the former
was if possible, the better alternative The increase
on public works expenditure was probably wise if it arose
from famine, but it should be watched in order to prevent
undue extension. The Salt Tax did not, he considered, press
Unfairly on the people. His lordship asked whether the
Government proposed to guarantee the Indian revenues as
ecurity for the construction of railways in Asia Minor.
Viscount Cranbrook, without pledging himself on the
Point, could only say that no proposal as to the construction
of railways in Asia Minor would be entertained without due
consultation with the authorities both in India and at home.
He did not see his way clear to propose any appreciable re-
duction of the Indian army, and as to public works he agreed
that too much care could not be exercised as to expenditure,
though there was certain works that must ho maintained and
continued, specially those railways which had been found of
omuch serviee of late years in forwarding supplies to the
amine districts.
Lord Napier of Maskiala thought the Indian army could
not be further reduced with safety, and that it would be
false economy not to complete railway communications so
much desired, or neglect the prosecution of public works
necessary to meet ever-recurring famines. The subject
dropped after a formal motion for papers had been agreed to.
A short discussion took place on the Tenant Right (Ire-
land) Bill, which, on a division, was thrown out by 25
tOB
The Highways Bill and the Duke of Connaught's Annuity
Bill passed through committee, and having agreed to the
Commons' amendment to the Reads and Bridges (Scotland)
Bill, their lordships rose at half-past eight o'clock.
In the HOUSE OF COMMONS, in reply to Mr. • Hayter,
Colonel Stanley said the amount taken in the Supplemen-
tary Estimates on account of the occupation of Cyprus was
£lO,OOO for Staff, £25,000 for works, and £40,000 for stores.
In reply to Mr. C. B. Denison, Mr Bourke said that the
British Ambassador at St. Petersburg has been instructed to
make inquiries of the Russian Government as to the purpose
of the expedition to Balkh.
On going into Committee of Supply, Mr. Gorst called at-
tention to the circumstances under which a native of 'Fauna
was executed in September last on board her Majesty's
ship Beagle and a discussion ensued thereon, in which the
Attorney-General, Sir C. Dilke, the Solicitor-General, Sir
William Harcourt, Mr. W. H. Smith, Mr. Hopgood, and Sir
E. Wilmot took part- Sir G. Campbell also called attention
to the excessive loss in the Indian exchanges by depreciation
In the value of silver, and after Sir M. Hicks-Beach had
answered some questions from Sir C. Dilke relating to the
affairs of Perak, the House went into Committee of Supply.
Lord G. Hamilton, in moving the Education Vote for
England and Wales, stated its amount at £2,149,000, which,
taking into account -the Supplementary Estimate, is an
increase of £178,000 on last year. The increase was due,
he said, almost entirely to the larger amount of grants
earned—viz £168,304, representing an increased attend-
ance in day schools of £140,000 children, and in night
schools of 16,000, although the addition was caused
not merely by increased attendances, but also by in-
creased efficiency. In the last school year the accom-
Modation had increased by 227,000 places, making a total
accommodation of 3,626,000, and the number of schools in-
sPected rose from 14,273 to 15,187. Of these 10,472 were con-
nected with the Church of England, 1,974 were Protestant
Dissenters, 657 Roman Roman Catholics, and, 2,082 Board
schools. He mentioned next the satisfactory progress visible
in the supply of teachers, and, dealing with the agency
by which the improved attendances had been ef-
fected, he pointed out that out of an entire popu-
lation in England and Wales of 22,713,266, about 13,000,000 are
Under Scheel Board jurisdiction and 9,700,000 under School
Attendance Committees, and about 15,000,000 altogether are
Under by-laws of one authority or the other. Only two
School Beards have been dissolved under the Act of 1876, and
Passing to the question of expenditure he mentioned that the
voluntary subscriptions last year amounted to £786,000, the
rates to £447,000, and the school pence to £1,138,000. The
Vice-President next went into a minute comparison of the
cost of maintaining children in Board schools and voluntary
schools, bringing out the general result that a system of
education by which the voluntary schools would be extin-
guished would impose an additional burden on the rates of
between six and seven millions sterling, and concluded
With some remarkable statistics illustrating the great
Increase in every item of the vote since 1870. So
great an advance, he contended, was never before made in
the education of any country, and by pursuing the present
Policy of utilizing and combining the various agencies the
system in a few years might be made equal to the ever-
ncreasing demands of the nation.
After the usual discursive conversation ranging over the
various items, the vote was agreed to, as were also the votes
for the Science and Art Department and other services in
Class IV.
Some other votes having been agreed to, progress was
reported, and the Orders were disposed of.

In the HOUSE or LORDS, August 6, the Duke of Connaught
and of Strathearn (Establishment) Bill was read a third time
and pasted.
The Consolidated Fund (No. 4) Bill was read a second
time, and the Standing Orders having been suspended, was
also read a third time and passed.
On the motion to consider the Tramways Orders Confirms.
Uon (No. 1 and No. 3) Bills in Committee,
Lord Norton spoke in favour of retaining the clauses per-
ratting the use of steam power on the tramway lines, but
the Bills passed through Committee without the clauses
relating to the use of steam power.
The Admiralty and War Office (Retirement of Officers)
Lill passed through Committee.
• - - -

On the motion of the Duke of Somerset, the British
Museum (Transfer of Collection) Bill, the object of which is
to transfer the natural history collection to South Ken-
sington, was read a second time.
The Statute Law Revision (Ireland) Bill was, on the motion
of the Lord Chancellor, read a second time, and after other
tills had been forwarded a stage,
Lord Camperdown asked for information as to the
number of men of the Reserves who had lost their civil
employment.
Lord Bury said this could not be known until all the men
hadreturned to their own districts; but he hoped that em-
ployers of labour would give consideration to the claims of
these men, a hope which was echoed by Lords Cardwell and
Waveney, and by the Duke of Cambridge, who spoke in
laudatory terms of the soldierlike appearance and general
efliciency of the Army and Militia Reserve.
- - - - - -

_ _
In reply to Lord Waveney, Lord Bury replied that the
Mode of dealing with the fines for drunkenness in the
NlMils service was still under the consideration of the
Treasury.

In the 130138 E OF COMMONS. the Chancellor of the
Exchequer, in Committee of Ways and Means, made a
811Ppiement8r7 Financial Statement relating to the expen-
diture incurred on account of the Eastern Question and
the mode in which it is to be met, reminding the Committee
that in his original Budget he had provided for an expendi-
ture of £81,020,000, exclusive of £2,750,000 of Exchequer
Bonds issued last year to meet the charge of the Vote of
Credit, which would fall due in the course of the next
financial year, and exclusive also of an unascertained
amount of gupplemental Estimates, which he hoped
Would not exceed from £1,000,000 to £1,500,000. To
Meet these liabilities a Revenue was provided by
additional taxation of £83,230,000, leaving a surplus over
ordinary expenditure of £2,210,000, so that it the Supple-
Mentary Estimates had not exceeded his anticipations, there
would have been £700,000 left in hand towards the reduction
Of Exchequer Bonds. But the expenditure had turned out
to be larger than was anticipated, and the Supplemental
Estimates now before the House amounted to £2,618,000.
In addition to these £748,000 had already been voted
for the conveyance of the Indian troops to Malta,
40_ that since the Budget there had been incurred
ati additional expenditure of £3,366,895. This changed
the estimated Budget surplus of £2,210,000 into a deficit
of £1,156,000, which was due mainly to what he called
the Vote of Credit Services." It contained, however, a
Mina of £344,000 for the Caffre War, and before the end of
the financial year it would be necessary to come for an addi-
tional sum of £400,000. The general result, therefore, was
that for the current financial year there would be Supple-
thentary Estimates to the amount of £3,767,000,
Which, added to the £2,750,000 unredeemed Exche-
cl, her Bonds, gave a total supplementary expendi-
ture to be met this year of £6,517,000. The Budget
atirpini would provide £2,210,000, so that the actual
deficiency to be met would be £4,307,000. Of the £6,000 000
Vote of Credit granted in February, about £3,500,000 had
,been spent up to March 31, and since that time there had
osen spent on the Army £1,649,000. on the Nary £634,000,
on the movement of Indian troops £741,000, making
%together a total expenditure of £6,427,000 for the
aervices contemplated by the Vote of credit, not
War services, but services intended to prevent war,
which he believed had been mainly instru-
kental in effecting that object. Of this £750,000
tad been met out of surplus revenue of last year,
£4370,000 would be provided out of the surplus of the
Present year, leaving £4,300,000 to be provided. Next year
La addition to the same surplus, £1,370,000, there would be
remanet of £600,000 Income-tax, or about half the four
',Miens odd. Consequently, next year we should be able to
flay off half, and in the year after the remaining half of the
1 t .300,000 left to be provided for. As the Vote of Credit
Was asked for three years, and as the actual sum
%Dent was so little in excess of the original de-
kland of ex,oomoo there was no doubt that the
°Menai pledge would be redeemed, and the Government
eeerefore, did not think it necessary to disturb the revenue
°Yetem of the country at this time of the year by additional
bfation. It was proposed, therefore, to issue Exchequer
'sonde to the amount necessary to carry the process of
redemption over the next two years, and on the present
Occasion he asked for power to issue £2,000,000 of Exche-
quer Bonds. The Chancellor of the Exchequer concluded by
3Fing that he saw no reason for apprehending a falling off
tle the revenue, and by expressing a confident belief that the
atirnates which he had submitted comprised the whole of
be charges.
_ear. Childers complained of the reticence of the Chancellor
Oa Exchequer at the time of the Budget, because he
net then have had in his mind such causes of additional
;•-•:tPendleures as the occupation of Cyprus and the move-
dent of aee Indian troops, to say nothing of the Caffre War.
Ikt of the £6,400,000 spent in two financial years
connectioa with the Eastern Question only £1,440,000
'tad been provided out of the taxation of the two
leers, and the rest had been provided by loans.
'ltch a course, he insisted, was unprecedented, for
ail former Finance Ministers, its he showed by quoting pre-
cedente, had provided for such expenditure within the year
?tit of the taxes. Proceeding then to comment on the
tludget Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure, Mr. Childers
fled that there was a grava probability of the Chancellor
I g left at the end of the year with about £lOO,OOO to
et his deferred expenditure of between £4,000,000 and
eco,ooo 000
Arr. Goldney pointed out that the Chancellor of the Ex-
equer wee following the precedent set by Sir G. Lewis in
and he thought it the proper course. As to Mr,
,hilders's predictions, they had so often failed that they
reduced no effect en his mind.
Gladstone replied that 1855 was a time of war, and
„,„'" Income-tax was then at is. 4d. The Government, he
'-'htended, were sapping all the principles of financial
4s,autrol by concealing expenditure and under-estimating,
ii the practice of "spreading " charges over a noun-
ne of years was a delusive method and contrary to
72.1 the precedents of old British finance. The Govern-
it appeared, had so little confidence in the glory
7tlich they had achieved that they thought it better not to
rY the patience of the people by a small addition to their
• „7-eattee. The Opposition, however, could only protest, and
O doubt the magnificent majority which had supported the
(7,A/eminent hitherto would show the same unflinching
-"Tage in meeting the deficit.
,Mr. S. Lloyd thought that as a considerable portion of the
-4eie,°4eY had been spent on the materiel of the Navy, the
47'4,1:welter of the Exchequer was justified in expecting a
;eithction of expenditure, and sax) in spreading the payment
vet' three years.
Mr. lee. Helms, on the contrary, held that we had entered
('4 a course of policy which would make reduction tin-
-1
he Chancellor of the Exchequer in replying, repented
a,_ettat he had no reason to take a gloomy view of the Revenue
red the only weak branches were spirits and stamps. With
"gard to the charge of under-estimating expenditure, he
k'°lnted out that it WU impossible to forecast the course of
lets, and though the preparation!: of the Government
ea*Lcaately effected their object, they did not succeed as
ee,r,,,u17 as they expected. The policy of spreading a c'iarge
'd
sr, o kind over several years, whether it w.ere agreeable
71;Drecedent or not, was distinctly ereferable to the disturb-
hr'e ef our financial system by imposing taxes for a few
Tatba.
be discussion vas continued by sir S. Lubbock,
:reio veottld have preferred the San Stefano to the Lenin
aty; Mr. 11.11bliard, who Approved the Government
Lopows; and Mr. Itylanda, who condemned the extrava
-
4:t expenditure of the Cabinet. Sir G. Campbell thought the
. (:,.Icaate of military expenditure for Cyprus inzufficient, Sir
Aallour objected to the now charges to be made Upon the
llitry; General Shute, who thought Cyprus would soon
ri4y its expenses; Mr. E. Jenkins, who pressed for explana-
. •e.nis as to how the convention was to be carried out; and
44 11. Havelock, who opposed the whole policy of the
Zernthent in the matter.
eeee"le resolution eilieCtioning the issue 0 Exchequer Bonds
"I then agreed to. .

On the motion for going into Committee of Supply,
Major Nolan called attention to the present inadequate
allowance granted to the wives and children of the Reserve
men, and Colonel Stanley was answering him when a scene
of considerable excitement occurred. Daring his speech
Major O'Gorman persisted in calling "Hear, hear" at fre-
quent intervals in a stentorian voice, and on being at length
called to order by the Speaker, vehemently denied that he
was out of order, and asserted his right to call "Hear,
hear" at every sentence. Upon this the Chancellor of
the Exchequer interposed, and remarked that unless the
sallant Major suornitted to the ruling of the Chair and
ap,lovsed it would be necessary to take notice of his con-
duct. Major O'Gorman again insisted that he was not out
of order, and, though urged by Sir P. O'Brien and others,
refused to apologlze. In the end the Speaker proceeded to
" name " him for having interrupted the proceedings of
the House and for disorderly refusing to apologize when
called upon : and the Chancellor of the Exchequer moved
that he be directed to withdraw for disorderly interrupt-
ing the proceedings and for disrespectful behaviour to the
Chair.

Mr. Lowe having seconded this motion,
Major O'Gorman mice more protested that as he had done
nothing wrong he would not apologize, and left the House.
In the conversation which followed this motion, Sir P.
O'Brienf expressed his belief that the Major was acting under
an entire misapprehension, and Sir IL Havelock and
Dr. O'Leary informed the House that he was labour-
ing under considerable excitement under a sense
of professional wrong, the latter giving an opinion
that he was not quite accountable for his acts.
Major Nolan, Mr. Stacpoole, Mr. A. Moore, and other
Irish members who spoke, while desiring to maintain the
authority of the Chair, wished for a locus penitenttce to be
given to their colleague, who, they all said, had no intention
to behave disrespectfully, and for this purpose Mr. Sheil
moved the adjournment of the debate. The absurdity of ad-
journing the question whether a member should withdraw or
not being pointed out by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, this
motion was withdrawn, and Major Nolan substituted a motion
leaving out the allusion to disorderly and disrespectful con-
duct, and simply recording that he had been directed to
withdraw, because he had refused to submit to the ruling ot
the Chair. The Chancellor of the Exchequer and Mr. Lowe
strongly objected to this alteration and insisted on the
necessity of upholding the authority of the Speaker, and
after some farther discussion, in the course of which Mr. J.
P. Smyth informed the House that he had seen Major
O'Gorman, who declared that be meant no disrespect, the
amendment was negatived and the original motion agreed
to.

A further motion was agreed to, that the conduct of
Major O'Gorman be taken into consideration on Wednesday,
and that he be ordered to attend in his place, and in making
it the Chancellor of the Exchequer expressed a hope that on
calm reflection he would give such an explanation as would
make it unnecessary to take further proceedings.

After this the discussion on going into Supply was re-
sumed, and among other subjects touched on were the
adjutancies of Yeomanry, the salaries of the minor officials
in the House of Commons, and physical competition for the
Army. Shortly before one o'clock the House went into Com-
mittee of Supply, and the remaining Army Estimates were
agreed to, and several Civil Service votes were also agreed
to.

Some other business was disposed of. and the House ad-
journed at a quarter-past three o'clock.

In the HOUSE OF COMMONS, August 7, the first order of the
day was the consideration of Major O'Gorman's conduct to-
wards the Chair. ,

Mr. O'Sullivan asked that the hon. member might be
allowed to come before the House and explain his conduct.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer had no objection to this
proposal, to which the House agreed.
Major O'Gorman entered and took his seat. Then rising,
he said: Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to submit myself to you
and to this honourable House, to express my deep regret at
the occurrence which took place last night, and to hope that
you and this honourable House will accept my apology.
(Cheers.) I trust I may be allowed to add that I acted
under the influence of the greatest possible exasperation.
That, however, is not now the question, and I offer you, Sir,
and the House, the expression of my deepest regret. (Hear,
hear.)
The Speaker said he had interfered with the greatest
reluctance to maintain the authority of the Chair. Was it
the will of the House to proceed no further in the matter,
having now heard the apology and explanation of the hon.
and gallant member?
The Chancellor of the Exchequer paid a tribute to the
consideration with which the Speaker conducted the busi-
ness of the Chair (hear, hear); and expressing his satisfac-
tion with the declaration of his regret so frankly made by
the hon. and gallant member for Waterford moved that
the order should be discharged.
The Marquis of Hartington said every member would
readily acquiesce in this proposal.

The order was discharged.
On the order for going into Committee of Supply, Mr.
Dillwyn moved :—" That in order to facilitate the considera-
tion of the Civil Service Estimates, it is desirable that a
select committee should be appointed at the commencement
of each session of Parliament to go through the details of
such estimates, and report generally upon those particulars
which may appear most to demand the attention of the
House."

Mr. Rylands seconded the motion.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer could not see what good
purpose would be saved by the appointment of the com-
mittee proposed, and the discussion was continued by Sir G.
Balfour, Mr. Newdegate, Mr. M`Laren, Sir A. Lusk, Mr.
Mellor, and Mr. Cowen. The House divided, when the
motion was rejected by 64 to 46.
The House then went into committee on the Supplemen-
tary Army Estimate of £1,845,500. •
Mr. Hayter moved to reduce the vote by £25,000, on ac-
count of the occupation of Cyprus by the Indian troops. In
a speech of some length the hon. gentleman raised the
general question as to the expediency of employing the
adian troops in Europe. The particular sum in question
was the value of the iron huts inhabited by tne troops, and
Mr. Hay ter questioned their suitability for the purpose,
besides referring to the reports of the unhealthiness of the
Island.

The Marquis of Hartington thought it was somewhat re-
markable that no explanation had been offered to the House
of the supplementary estimate. He could understand they
might not think it necessary to enter into any limber ex-
planation of the policy of employing the Indian troops in
Europe ; but he thought the committee had a right to expect
that the Government should place them In possession of all
the information in their power with reference to what had
been done and what was going to be done with regard to
Cyprus. He was totally at a loss to understand what
had been the object of the great military expedition which
has been sent to Cyprus. Instead of an ordinary garrison
of about 2,000 men, 8,000 had been sent. What had they
been sent for? What was there in the state of Cyprus, or
in the state of our relations with any European Powers in
connection with Cyprus, which made it necessary to send
that large force? If it was not necessary, it seemed to him
that there was great disadvantages connected with
the expedition. Great cost had been incurred in
transport, but more serious than that was the fact
that a large number of men had been sent to an Island which
was very imperfectly provided with accommodation to
receive them; and the climate of which was not at all con-
ducive to the health of the troops. There was reason to fear
that very grave sickness would break out if this body of
troops was to be sent without any preparation to Cyprus.
Moreover, it was stated that the Indian troops were to be
sent home, and if that were so, what was the use of sending
them to Cyprus at all?
Colonel Stanley said the information which the Go-
vernment possessed with regard to Cyprus was of a
tentative character; in fact, one of their great duties
was to ascertain what the circumstances of the island
were. He need hardly refer to the circumstances
under which the occupation took place, but when it was
decided upon Sir Garnet Wolseley was appointed High
Commissioner to administer in the name of the Queen the
government of the island. Sir Garnet Wolseley took
out with him certain officers, and a sum of £lO,OOO was in-
cluded in the estimate ior the staff-pay of these officers.
Sir Garnet himself occupied a similar position to the
governors of Gibraltar and Malta, being both civil and
military governor of the island. The cantonments in
which the troops were placed were healthy, and there
was plenty of water at that point. No doubt a cer-
tain amount of prudence and care was requisite there
as in all countries in that climate. It was desirable
to avoid exposure, and to take reasonable precautions
in respect of fever and malaria; but he understood that
on the whole the island was by no means unhealthy.
There had been slight cases of fever, but, up to the latest
telegrams that he had received, he was not aware that any
deaths had occurred, and certainly there had been no general
epidemic, although the weather was extremely hot. The
noble lord said the troops were sent out hastily and imper-
fectly equipped—
Lord Hartington : I said the preparations for their recep-
tion were imperfect.
Colonel Stanley said he was sorry he had misunderstood
the noble lord. As regards the preparations, it was not
thought expedient to make arrangements for the troops
until Sir Garnet Wolseley had had an opportunity of in.
spectieg the island, and of seeing where ho thought the
treops should be distributed. The troops took their
equipment with them, and no difficulty as
in camping them out at once at the station which had
been deciled upon. There was no difficulty in land-
ing, and although there were no harbours, the road-
steads were good, there was good anchorage, and the
facilities for loading and unloading were considerable.
mu noble lord had asked whether it was true that the Indian
troops were to be sent home. The Government hoped the
emergency had passed. There appeared to be no sufficient
reason for keeping these troops longer in the Al editerranean,
and, accordingly, when the weather and other conditions
were satisfied sufficiently to admit of their proceeding on
homeward voyage, those troops would return to India. He
was not sure whether a few horses or a few of the cavalry
soldiers would not be left, but with that exception the bulk
of tho troops would in the course of a month or flee weeks
be ,on their voyage. As to the next question—Why the
troops were sent to Cyprus? In the first place there was no
particular object to be served by keeping them at Malta.
In ,the next place, they carrying their camp equipment with
them, they were as well placed at Cyprus as at Malta;
bap more than all that, he must remind the committee of
what had been taking place elsewhere. It was impossible
to say, however welcome the change of government might
have been, that there would not be disturbing elements
among the population of Cyprus. Her Majesty's Govern.
ment, therefore, thought they were acting judiciously in
sending not only a sufficient but an overpowering force
However, her Majesty's Government did not regard Cyprus
as a fortress, and for the future probably two European
battalions and one battery would be a sufficient garrison to
perform the duties of an internal police.
the debate was continued by Mr. T. Cave, Mr. D. Onslow,
Mr. Forster, Sir W. Barttelot, Mr. E. Jenkins, Mr. Ritchie,
M. Itylands, Mr. Muudella, Sir IL Havelock, and Mr.
Cinders.
12he Chancellor of the Exchequer, replying in detail to a
series of questions put by Mr. Childers, observed that, in
entering into a defensive alliance with Turkey, in order to
render her Asiatic possessions secure, it was found
desirable that some place should be obtained where
her Majesty's Government would be able to place
the troops more conveniently than in the contracted
area of Malta. It was not intended to fortify
Cyprus as a strategic point, but places would be selected
where troops could be sent at any time. A great deal must
remain open, as it would be necessaay to make enquiries be-
fore anything was settled. We accepted the island under
very peculiar conditions. It was necessary that what-
ever arrangements were made we should consult the
views and feelings of the Porte, and what was done
should be done with due consideration, and by ar-
rangements that must be made with the Turkish
Goverment. When her Majesty's Government were
asked to state the precise way in which the island was
to be administered,, he said those were questions of the
highest importance, which could not be resolved offhand,
and communications were now going on upon the subject.
The revenues of the island would be in the hands of her
Majesty's Government, subject to the payment to the Porte
I of a certain sum, based on the excess of revenue over ex-
penditure during the last five years, which had not yet
been ascertained. Ho thought the most convenient course
would be not to pay the revenues of the island into the Imperial
Exchequer, but to organise a system in Cyprus by which
the revenue should he applicable to local expenditure.
Any expenses of an Beglish character, as distinguished
from local purposes, would have to be voted by Par-
liament ; and supposing the revenue of the island
should prove to be insufficient for its administration,
advances would be made chargeable on the revenue.
The department under which the island would be ad-
ministered was an important question. The occupa-
tion was directed by the Foreign Office; the administration
could not be undertaken by the Colonial Office, because it
was not a British possession; and at present it was under
the Foreign Office.

Mr. Hubbard strongly objected to Her Majesty's Govern-
ment entering into partnerehip with an insolvent country
like Turkey.
After some further conversation, tho amendment was
withdrawn and the vote was agreed to.
Further progress was made in Supply, and the House ad-
journed at six o'clock.

The extreme of fashion this year in Paris is to wear
natural flowers in straw hats. A little glass tube, like that
worn by men in the button-hole, is flied on the hat, and
keeps the bouquet fresh. The flowers are chosen to har-
;lionise with the dress worn. Roses, however, with plenty
of foliage, are now I,n vostie. —Court Journal,

THE RUSSIANS BEFORE CON-
STANTINOPLE.

The Daily News publishes a very interesting letter from
their Correspondent at Constantinople, from which we make
the following extracts :
- - -

As the Russians around Constantinople are now
hoping, and expecting daily, to receive the order to
leave, I took the opportunity on Saturday to have
what what may prove a last look at their Constanti-
nople army. The village of Sen Stefano was as unin-
teresting as ever, but bore everywhere traces of
military occupation. It is indeed still occupied by
troops. General Todleben has his headquarters there.
The needs of the soldiers have called into existence a
great number of temporary hotels and restaurants,
from the large houses frequented only by wealthy
officers, to the split-beard shanties which provide the
worst kind of tobacco and other refreshments for the
private soldier. Rough booths during the last three
months have sprang up all about the village, so that
some of the roads about look like the approaches to
Epsom on a Derby-day. In these various booths
Russian soldiers were drinking mild German beer, in
a very few cases rakee, and in far the majority of cases
tumblers of tea. . . .
On leaving the railway station at San Stefano, the
saddest evidence of military occupation was the grave-
yard. This is full of newly-formed mounds, and of
simple wooden crosses newly made, which tell usually
of a number of men who are buried beneath them.
The walls of the burial ground had been stripped of
the wooden railing which had surmounted them during
the cold weather which followed upon the arrival of
the Russians, and when their great want was firewood.
That, however, which struck me most as marking the
difference between San Stefano now and on my last
visit was the comparative order into which the
village had been brought. The excitement, the
hutry, and the confusion of war two months ago
had vanished. There were still to all appearance as
many soldiers about, but each man seemed to know his
work, and to go about it quietly and systematically.
As a fact, however, the number of soldiers in the
village and its immediate neighbourhood is very much
less than it was on my previous visit. When I was
last here the Russians were crowded in confusion about
San Stefano. and the natural result of this crowding
and of the bad sanitary arrangement was of the kind
which I have described, and which made greater havoc
in two months in the conquering army than
the Turks had been able to effect in any battle
of the war. When General Todleben arrived
here, as your readers will remember, he at once
set to work to make a new disposition of his
men. This was said at the time to be partly for
strategic and partly for sanitary reasons. The latter
were quite sufficiently strong to justify all that was
done. Men were dying by hundreds a week, and San
Stefano had become a vast hospital. The village is at
all times unhealthy during the hot weather, and the
overcrowding to which it was subject after the rush
to it of fifty thousand troops and their followers soon
changed it into a pest-house. Todleben, however, has
changed all this. The hospital tents have been taken
away from the feverish, undrained plains, and have
been fixed on high ground, and mostly on sandy or
other naturally-drained soils.
Leaving San Stefano, on Saturday, I passed along
the Russian lines, under a bright sun and with a fresh
breeze, a distance of nearly twenty miles. On either
side of us the army was lodged in separate camps, the
tents of which looked white and clean, and might al-
most have made me fancy that in these July days I
was at Wimbledon instead of in a Russian camp. In-
deed there VMS a good deal in the character of the
ground to remind one of Wimbledon. At one time
we were travelling over six or seven miles of plain
which might have stood for the common from Putney
to the camp. The characteristic difference between
the two scenes is that in the latter trees are every-
where visible, while here the plain stretched for miles
in every direction; range of hills appeared behind
range of hills without a single tree except in and im-
mediately around the two or three isolated villages
which dot the plain. The need of fuel for long cen-
turies and the neglect to plant new trees for those cut
down has absolutely denuded the country around Con-
stantinople of trees.
When we reached the highest ground between the
Marmora and the Black Sea, the character of the
scenery entirely changed. We were on sand covered
with ferns and looking very much like a bit of Devon-
shire or of Yorkshire, about Whitby. The hollyhocks
were in full bloom. The arbutus was in its brightest
green. The gorse bush here and there still showed a
lingering blossom. The whole country around was a
mass of dark green, surrounded by the yellow of the
grass plains, over some of which we had come. The
Russians have made a great number of roads through
the country which their army occupies. A great
trunk road leads throughout theentire lines, and cross
roads bring each of the detached camps into ready
communication with the great trunk. The only
roads in European Turkey which can compare with
them are the two or three short ones on the shores
of the Bosphorus, which were made by the Eng-
lish and French during the Crimean war. "It
requires a war," said a fellow-traveller, "to get
a road made in Turkey, and then it is not made by
the Turks." Sometimes side by side with the main
road, sometimes crossing it in various directions, is the
field telegraph, by which the vanguard is placed in
communication with the rear, and the whole with
General Todleben's head-quarters. The travelling
telegraph carriage at General Skobeleff's head-
quarters, a carriage which constitutes the sending and
receiving station, and contains the transmitting in-
struments, the battery, and everything requisite for
work, looked very much the worse for wear; the pas-
sage of the Balkans and many months' exposure to all
kinds of weather having been fatal to the brand-new
appearance which such carriages possess on parade.
But the tapping of the needle soon gave evidence that
the usefulness of the whole machine remained as great
as ever. The instruments used here are Morse's,
which, indeed, are solely employed throughout Euro-
pean Turkey.
Wherever we passed an encampment of Russian
soldiers we saw that they 114 at length taken those
sanitary precautions which, had they been taken four
months ago, would have saved many valuable lives.
Trenches are dug around the camps so as to drain
off any rain which may fall. The camps which have
been occupied two or three weeks have been changed,
every tent being pitched on new ground. All kinds of
refuse are carefully removed. The virtues of dry
earth as a disinfectant have at last been systemati-
cally turned to account, and huge mounds of lime near
the encampments showed that expense had not been
spared. In several places within ten miles of San Stefano
newly-made graves in thick clusters told of the
havoc which typhus had made among the troops.
Now the worst form of this disease has altogether
gone. Several regiments have hardly any sick, and
everywhere the cases which are under the doctors
hands ate of a much milder type than they were even
a month ago. About three miles from San Stefano
are the typhus hospitals under the care of the Russian
Red Cross. The Red Cross hospital tents form a con-
spicuous object with nearly every regiment. The
Russian sisters take part in the work of these hospitals
and those who have had the best chances of knowing
what they have done speak in the highest terms of
their devotion and the valuable character of their
work.
General Skobeleff's camp is at Buyuk Dervent Han,
about the centre of the famous lines which the Turks
constructed a year ago between Buyuk Chekmeji and
Lake Dercos, but a considerable distance within them.
A hundred yards from his tent is an earthwork belong-
ing to these lines, whence a very extensive view can be
obtained on one side of the Black Sea and on the
other of the Marmora. The British fleet at anchor off
Prinkipo can be seen from the hills above San Stefano
with the naked eye, and can be made out from these
hills with a glass. An undulating country, with deep
valleys between the hills, is around, while at a distance
on every side are plains of grass-covered country
stretching on three sides towards the sea On every
side the hills are dotted with camps
On Saturday afternoon there was a review of a
portion of the troops under the command of General
Skobeleff. The general himself is now in command
of the 4th Army Corps, the position which had been
temporarily assigned to him when hard work had
to be done, and which he ceased to hold after the
signature of the Treaty of San Stefano, having
now been definitively assigned to him. He has
thus nearly 50,000 men under his command. One
do e not require to be a soldier to appreciate that
Skobeleff is one. He would be a remarkable man
from his ability and even appearance, in any
society. The heartiness with which he was
greeted wherever he made his appearance and
the high opinions one everywhere heard of him
in an army where criticism is pretty free, were
remarkable. "Skobeleff seems to be greatly loved
by the officers," I remarked to one. "Loved is
not the word," said he; "lie is worshipped both
by officers and men." I cannot pretend to form any
()Onion of value as to the way the manceuvres of the
troops, and especially of the artillery, were gone
through. I can only say that, to any but a soldier's
eye, they were performed as rapidly and as effectually
as in our own army. . . . It is the custom in the Rus-
sian army for the general, on approaching a number of
his men, say a troop, or even a military band, to wish
them good morning or good evening. This lie does in a
loud voice. He is immediately answered by the whole
of ,the men, addressed in what is evidently a set frm
of,words, repeated in a rapid and energetic manner.
When the review of Saturday was over many of the
men had to march several miles to their camp, and
sang songs to beguile the way, Wonderfully well,
too, did they sing. The tunes were lively; the time
particularly well marked by the Lading singer; and
the whole sung with an energy, though always-well in
harmony,whichwas perhaps more exhilarating than any-
thing that could have been produced by the best brass
hand. One song particularly struck me from the fact
that it appeared to be a favourite with the body of
men who passed before me. The song itself was sung
by one man; the chorus taken up at the end; of
every three or four lines by the whole body. There
was many a merry twinkle of the eye and much enjoy-
ment of the contents, as it was rolled forth by the
powerful voice of the stalwart soldier, Catching the
words Suleiman and Shipka, I inquired and found
that the song narrated the history of the great battle
of the war, and the doings of their great chief
Skobeleff. The red and flaxen-bearded men who were
singing were splendid-looking fellows, under the
command of General Bluefeild. Most of them were
either Swedes or Fins, and could not readily have
been distinguished from Scotch or North•country-
men.

Of course I am ready to believe with every patriotic
Jingo that one Englishmen is always worth five
Bussians. But still I should have been glad if a few
of the noisiest of the Jingoes could have seen the
thousands of Russians whom we saw, could have stood
alongside them, could have made comparative measure.
ments across the chests, or could even have had a
friendly wrestle with them. The Jingoes would have
been surprised at the average height and weight of
these men. Of one thing I am certain, that our own
regiments of Guards and of Artillery would have
looked upon them with admiration and would have
recognized in them foemen worthy of their steel. It
is only the music hall Jingo who would enter into a
war with such fellows with a light heart. "Look,"
said a Russian officer to me, "at that young ass."
He is pretending that he would like war to break out
again. Such as he always clamour for war till it comes,
and then are the first to want to be out of it." It is
satisfactory to know that Russia produces Jingoes as
well as flglancl. The troops before me, however, had

seen too much of war to wish to engage in it again. If
the order were given they would no doubt fight as
valiantly as they have done on a dozen fields. They
had proved their courage in enduring hunger, cold,
disease, and patient idleness, and now, their
terrible march ever, they are rested, are in excel-
lent condition, and would have been ready to obey
the Imperial order to fight with the courage of tried
soldiers. Had England deternained to fight we should
have had need of the best men whom England can pro-
duce. I did my best to leans what was the Russian
soldiers' notion of the war and the Treaty of Berlin.
That, which irritates them most is the notion that
Philippopolis, Senovai and Batak are to be given up
again to the Turks. Their theory, at least, is that the
Emperor, the liberator' as he Is universally called,
sent them to set free the Bulgarians from Turkish
rule, that having set them free, Europe has replaced
the Turks in poEvession
There can, I believe, be little doubt that the Russians
are anxious to get away bottle. It was a bitter disap-
pointment for than that they Could not leave after the
signature of. the Treaty of San Stefano. The weari-
someness of camp life without the excitement of war
will give any army a desire to cut it as short as possible,
and the Russians make no secret of their wish to get
away. The men who have beer. shipped away from San-
Stefano to Odessa on account of sickness have been
envied by those whose duty it is to remain. But the
battle is won; the excitement is over, and the Russian
soldier is as anxious to return to his country as the
Germans were after their victories. If they leave
within the next two or three weeks, as they hope to
do, they will quit the country in a better condition ag
an army than they have ever been while in it. . . .