The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-02-16 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

In the HOUsE or Loitias, Feb. 11, Lord Stratheden and
Campbell said he would postpone entering on the notice
Which stood in his name for that evening, which was '• to
call attention to the further correspondence respecting the
affairs of Turkey." He would postpone doing this for two
reasons—first, because he intended to add a motion to his
notice; and, secondly, because of the serious news which
had been received that day.
The Earl of Dunraven asked the First Lord Of the Treasury
whether it was true that a large number of Russian marines
had crossed the Balkans in the direction of the Sea of
Marmara for the purpose of manning Turkish tueuof-war,
which were shortly to be handed over to Russia. He also
wished to know whether, if that rumour were substantially
true, the men-of-war in question were to be used temporarily
as Russian transports or were to become the property of
Russia.
The Earl of Beaconsfield : We have no information—Her
Majesty's Government have none—on the subject respecting
Which the noble earl his addressed your lordships. The
rumour to which the noble earl has alluded has appeared lu
several newspapers, but we have no reason to believe it
authentic.
„Earl Granville : Seeing the noble earl the Secretary for
k °reign Affairs now in his place, I wish to repeet a
question I put to him on Friday last. I then asked him
with reference to the portion of the fleet which had
been ordered to the Dardanelles, whether her Majesty's
Government had obtained the assent of the Turkish
Government to that proposal, and, if there were any
doubts about it, whether any instructions had been
given to the Admiral. The noble earl gave me an
answer to this effect—that the Turkish Government had on
a former occasion given a firman, and he did not anticipate
any objection oa their part. Seeing in the papers to-day
that the detactunent of the fleet had not entered the Dar.
danelles, I wish to ask the noble earl whether, consistently
with the exigencies of the public service, he can give any
' information on that subject to your lordships' Heuse
There is another point on which I should like to. ask for
information. It has reference to the communications which
the noble earl then said had been made to foreign Govern-
ments. Can the noble earl state what has been the result
Of those communications?
The Earl of Derby : I do not think it would be in the
Interest of the public service that I should answer the ques-
tiOns of the noble earl except in general terms. When the
detachment of the fleet which had been sent up arrived
at the forts of the Dardanelles it was found that no noti-
fication from Constantinople had reached the officers in
charge of those forts, and thereupon the Admiral very
Properly declined to take the responsibility of passing
the forts without instructions and returned to Besika Bay.
Communications have passed between Her Majesty's
Government and the Porte. and I do not conceal from
Mu lordships that some difficulty of the kind adverted
,_t° in the public papers has occurred; but I must say I
have the utmost confidence that the difficultir will be
aurilionnted and that in a very short time the intentions an-
flounced by us on Friday last will be carried out. (Hear,
hear.) With regard to the second question, 1 have to say
that in consequence of the communications which we
Made three foreign Powers have instructed their Ambassa-
dors to apply for a firman, but lam bound to say—for Ido
!lot wish to leave any false impression on the minds of your
lorded
other ps—that it does not necessarily follow from the fact of
firmans having been applied for that they will be acted
Inlon at once. I apprehend that those Governments reserve
1,0 themselves the right of considering whether in their
°Pinion the circumstances are sufficiently urgent to require
action on their part. (Hear, hear.)
After some other unimportant business, their lordships
adjourned.
In the HOUSE OF COMMONS, in answer to Sir G. Balfour,
Lord G. Hamilton said he would lay on the table of the
Iloilo an approximate statement of the heads of charges
and amounts shqwing the recent net reduction of the civil
ernenditure in India.
In reply to Mr. Childers, the Chancellor of the Exchequer
aald no decision had yet been arrived at as to the recom-
;uendations of the Select Committee which sat in 1876 and
t,8_77 on the employment of soldiers and sailors in the Civil
Zerrice, the matter involving discussion among the authori-
-1
ties of several departments.
Exchequer Mr. W. E. Forster begged to ask the Chancellor of the
._
, with reference to the very important statements
In the newspapers that afternoon, whether he could give
• anY information as to the passage of the Dardanelles by the
fleet.'
114 , :titan cell or of the Exchequer said there had been
• - delay lin the fleet going up to Constantinople, and he was
ilat able at present conveniently to enter into the subject
13,,eneraDY. Negotiations were going on, hut there was no
,-,."auge in the intentions of the Government on the subject.
tiaotid cheers.)
tb(e)n the Report of the Vote of Credit being brought up,
ra was a short discussion, commenced by Mr. Parker,
amid very decided manifestations of impatience, ex-
lcpamed that, in voting against the Government proposal, he
KI not wi4b. to imply want of confidence in the Government
buf
v unwillingness to sanction an unfortunate financial pre-
eedent.

„ kr. Cowen took the opportunity of repudiating the
aoctrine attributed to him by Mr. Gladstone, that in mat-
ters cid foreign policy the Government ought to have uncon-
trolled authority, and explained that he had simply ap-
roo.ttled to members when national interests were at stake to
sget they were Party men and remember only that they
were Englishmen. The hon. gentleman said—
.. "The general principles of our policy, whether the Ge-
Avertinient, for instance, should act the part of partisans in
- War or should remain neutral, must be settled by the
blitattion •. but that policy being agreed upon, the carrying it
if
they
should be left to the Executive Government.
tin, --ey blundered in doing so, the House of Commons
ght censure, might dismiss, or even impeach them;
ht in a neriod of national peril, they were the best judges
ef tb
h e steps which the national safety demanded. (Hear,
,yea,ar.) In dealing with foreign affairs there were matte's
loiters"&tleh could not be made public, in justice to the public
sts. (Hear, hear.) The right hou gentleman the i
in,eiriber for Greenwich
eenwich himself, when speaking of the vote I
e`
42,000 000 at the time of the Franco-German war, said
that '
a he did not state fully and completely the reasons why
Vl' had asked for that amount, because he could not do
ut
Witho disadvantage to the public service; and was
possible, he would ask, that the present
vernment may have reasons for a particular
-."•ae of action which it would be just as incon-
ve.nient to divulge? (Hear, hear.) Concurring as they
,inight with the great majority of the House on the general
zeri,tniochiples of their foreign policy, when the moment for
came some sudden emergency might arise, some
,
,„W•LifsPer escape, which might supply the circumstances by
-"Leh their course might be determined. Reasonable
Doliticiana recognized the justice of that view, he believed,
ILIA acted upon it. It was then, he thought, to be regretted
that Party feeling should have been to so large an extent in.
reduced into the present discussions. (Loud cheers.) Good
,both inside and outside the House, seemed to have given
o a somewhat intolerant spirit ; but while he tintedappre-
the'u' motives and respected their intentions, he was
11„,°t able to approve their views. While they had been
hot of the action of our own Government, they had
"e' hesitated to put the best interpretation on the conduct
Of Russia asia (Cheers.) The proceedings e f our own Govern.
had subjected to incessant and, he felt bound to
lietzaast criticism. (Cheers.) There was no one in that
, who had voted more consistently or more persistently
' ka•ainst hon. gentlemen opposite than he had done ; but lie
'' ew°A nhi rather, nevertheless, trust Englishmen—his own
--"trYnien—thau either Russians or Germans.” (Cheers.)
OttPistil very lately the integrity and independence of the
,
ror --Man Empire had been as much a cardinal point of our
-ei ,
Policy as free trade had been of our domestic policy,
1• hsa-- no Government could have abandoned it without a
. -"andate.from the peopl, "A considerable change, bad, of
of late occurred" (said Mr. Cowen). "Public opinion
area •
t.est A In a tran n sitio state and its different leanings had been
P-ected within the walls of that House as well as in the
untrY, and had even he believed, found expression in the
. t:signet. But the question remained—Was Turkey to be
iAngled and annihilated by those who murdered for the love
?d• (Cheers,) lie quite admitted that the Government of
,"•',_'‘eY had been bad. In times of peace it had been too weak
i,fe`oot i apathetic to make its will felt, and in times of excite-
ti....nct had enforced its edicts by acts which were soe-
.- atZes
Lruel, of ten capricious, and not infrequently sanguinary.
the r.,n114 they admitted all this, they must recollect that
(Aft "evernment of Turkey was no worse than that of
_ er
11 Asiatic States which we countenanced by England,
that re it was better than the Government of Egypt,
i',l4 eli e
'
4 i,,.. s Turkey
Upported by English influence. Tkey had
1/ v'' . a,.""
Peculiar to an Oriental State, vices which had
ute,4, made worse by contact with depraved systems of
11,7,!tian civilization; and Englishmen ought to make
rilee-"anee for her shortcomings, especially when they
rals?llected the ferocity of their own rule in Ireland in the
.t. 1 atlel in India to-day. It was either partisan bigotry
Lief, 'inPerfeet historical knowledge which led men to de-
Ottthat every Moslem was little better than a wild
—.an anti-human specimen of humanity—and that the
'
(Clae:Ln Government was the foulest in existence.
ttaa--'•a•) The Christians in turkey, it was true, laboured
Were"rea? arms,
Cial disadvantages ; nut, on the other hanchms
they
aaa . ieved of the very onerous duty of bearing ,
So
1
'were absolutely free from Moslem persecution. o
Net"
A tile Turk was concerned, there was not only corn-
hut contemptuous toleration in Turkey. The
a .1 Prosperity of Bulgaria, again, had been proved by
to ttibigd_of witnesses. The Bulgarian peasant was superior
la a attiasian farmer (cheers) c
and equal to the same las
h d-hi ceuntrY. The fact had been so fully attested that
Beat --4,7 not think any one would attempt to gainsay it.
n =was said, even if this statement was
et° correct, it was
~itraient answer to the demands of the Christians for
orth and religious liberty. He quite admitted the justice
Of 13 °,50 demands, but he Wished to point °lst that the case
za.aiLcitgaria was not analogous with that of Italy, which had
bleared 'so much sympathy in England. Italy had
gerie, Y-defined national features—the people were homo-
gletious. they spoke the same language, they had the samethe sills national aspirations. That watt also the case wills
inailLa'v and Serviau nations, with the Latin race in Rou-
ealie -' and with the Greeks; but it was not the
ataa:vith the general population of Turkey proper. One
thirtre was Ma.hoinedan, the next Christian, the
tate ' ,Perhaps, Je a fah. the different sects, in fact,
the rsT'l about in settlements like gipsies. Were
desp,:tViotnedan despotism removed, a Christian form of
the at,,,lnti Would simply take its place. (Cheers) Hitherto,
I ,a.oolnedans had been the dominant race, because they
strongest and the most tolerant. Supplant them
tialis, and otie form of. exclusive rule would be set up
1 O, altota,
'oat r---vulgularly speaking, they would merely put the
444,, ,the other leg; and if Use Christians had been ill -
11,atia.':33" the Turks, the Turks would certainly suffer at the
Ao, Isti-:„%the Christians. We knew how the Servians and the
~leate-a"Lans persecuted the Jews, how the Greek Church per-
Latin, how the Greek hated the Slav, and the
thae,"e Greek. These difficulties, he granted, were not a snf-
titiarjeasen for refusing freedom to the Christians; but he
Prepe"'ent to show that the creation of nationalities in Turkey
• ese,trt, with its heterogeneous population, was a very dif-
getteo,,illog from the creation of nationalities among horno-
italys4„koPulations like those of Hungary, Poland, or
lothitui,k'lleY era.) They had heard a great deal of the inag-
ialid ' of. the Montenegrins, the chivalry of the Serviaus,
niatei.7 Patience of the Bulgarians; but the dispassionate
ra,,ete alidis he believed, would say that the Christians of those
:sue hal— not suffer greatly from their neighbours Indeed,
"ie Telnee of virtue, he believe!, would be on the side of
Were 7,!'a----not the Pashas, but the Turkish peasantry—who
ehri,to
r'a'' equals, not to say the superiors, of many of the
ttead 'e, '.' '; (C .
heers ) It had been said that they were
tlafiltaa-a- ging. but on the spurs and in the passes of the
e -'' wer ,s 3 had recently given striking evidence that
d'osiatecte living. It had been asserted that Turkey
"entita t• °IIIY of a collection of corrupt Pashas at
klia. •I/liin°Ple and a horde of semi-savage brigands from
te, °Pia a•ekwar has shown them that there was a Turkish
'lto, •Loo admirable defence of Plevna, would rank in
dera3,-: With the sieges of Sarragossa, of Antwerp, of Loudon-
-4141 tilt:4n oi liars the name- of Osman would be linked
eet3 ,
ranaes of some of the foremost captains of the age.
,eelf-tae24A ouch complete and utter obedience, such generous
am ia, "nee, such heroic devotion as the Turkish soldiers
(tatee'rry, n at Plevna had vindicated Turkey's right to live.
kbilitatJ Me great failing of the
,Turks had been their in-
-adapt
trn kd'aY • themselves to the incessant
.change of. the pre-
their traditions and their creed alike contributed to
a''s tha„ein stationary B t they must move; if they did
sato' '," would be Crushed by ' • ti • forces at work.
te e 'gent Turk uru'hed by the gigAu "'honestly tried
ti stabil a s recognized this and had
c'l • '''' a ecristitution and to, reform their administrta
tla, t and the
aetkir reie,„
_. gallant stand the Tullis had made kloga. nalsill
etaa,
.. s'e s foe had, he thought, in the eyes I
tite.e?tilltr eleian"P_lo, won, for the remnants. of the race at least
T, .1 were .e. (4..1it ers.) The Turkish Government f
utukieh i..,, no worp.e, hut hotter, thaa wheu we fought for
t4OUt thutilterabLdence in the Crimea. All tnat was now said
414a,tie, for
t'inieity Willa equally true when we made the
it 1 tathruled Or defence in 1856, and whets the late Govel ii-
. and accentuated these treaties in li7l. (Cheers.)
tqere ws4w_._ts to die, she would be allowed to die in peace,
Ittah
t.to Justification for the northern vulture preying
!sire driven `'. celaivering carcass (Cheers.) If the Moslems
hi a pre , a rotas the Bosphorus, their doaliaions would
Itoß frottireatir ys.a) their unrelenting foss,
who were now stream-
Iv rinatiau swamps and Scythian wilds into
°nal a ; and, leaving aideraa ask ti lndia out of the question, lie
Ina 'w the le Liberal party whether they had con-
0411erisi 4_ Political consequences of allowing a vast
a,, he N,,.allotisni to bestride Europe with one toot
ed ta,',.....4, and another on the Amoor. (Cheers.) lie
tin
to consider the effect of the Graek Church
iyna'asetern Pope having one foot on the Baltic and
nstist 1,(.11 other on the Bosphorus. Everybody knew
'''" KO reattit Wilt% au kW:4N flvatod tat 9 a §QuOvall

sea, and would not this political iceberg in the Mediter-
ranean freeze, wither, and destroy the young shoots of
liberty. (Hear hear.) Ile wished .to know whether it was
the duty of English Radicals to encourage the sanguinary
apostles of orthodoxy. He spoke not of the Russian
people, for he believed the Russian peasantry were peaceful
'and inoffensive, although they might be ignorant and super-
stitious. But the generals, the statesmen, and the priests,
with their camp followers, were cruel and unscrupulous.
They had the ferocity of barbarism, with the avarice of
civilization. Their first word was gold, their second the sword,
their third Siberia. (Hear, hear.) He had no wish to speak
unjustly of any nation ; but, with his feelings on this ques-
tion, he must say that he did not think it was part of Eng-
lish Liberals to accord undue sympathy to a Government
which must be and which was antagonistic to liberty,
opposed to peace, and certainly hostile to progress. (Loud
and prolonged cheers.)

Mr. Rathbone deprecated any display of nervous anxiety
at this moment, and exhorted the country to rest confident in
its own strength ; and Mr. Anderson and Mr. Waddy dissented
entirely from Mr. Coweies speech, the latter condemning as
unnecessary the despatch of the Fleet to the Bosphorus.
Mr. Reed expressed a hope that as much support as possible
would be given to the Government in the present difficult
crisis; and Mr. Parnell also made observations.
Mr. Gladstone, after some sarcastic comments on Mr.
Cowen's speech, which he thought ill adapted to soothe
hostile differences or to increase the confidence of Europe
in the sobriety and stability of public opinion, expressed a
hope that if there was a war party it would inquire for what
purposes and with what means arid to what end a war
was to be undertaken, and dwelt on the duty incumbent
upon all of saying and doing nothing to increase an
inflammatory feeling. After the Division on Friday all
responsibility passed from the House in regard to this
Vote, and he was strongly against any proceeding in the
nature of worrying the Government while it was engaged
in transactions of an anxious and difficult kind.

Mr. Macdonald, Mr. Hubbard, Dr. Ward, and Mr. Biggar
also spoke briefly, and the Report was then agreed to.

The House having gone into Committee of Ways and
Means, the Chancellor of the Exchequer moved resolutions
for raising the sum of money Aready granted by the House
by the issue of Exchequer bonds and bills. Sir G. Campbell
inquired whether the amount was to be raised by taxation,
and expressed some objections to its being added to the
National Debt. The Chancellor of the Exchequer replied
that, as only six weeks of the financial year remained, the
imposition of fresh taxes was impossible. He proposed to
defer until the Budget speech his explanation of how the
money would be returned to the Exchequer, but the re-
payments would not extend over a longer period than three
years. The resolutions then passed through committee.

Mr. Cross having moved the second reading of the Factories
and Workshops Bill, a debate ensued, in the course of which
Mr. Tenuant complained that textile fabrics were planed
under exceptional restrictions, while Mr. Mundella sup-
ported the Bill, but regretted that it did not include the
case of agricultural children. Mr. Cross having in reply ex-
pressed his satisfaction at the reception generally accorded
to the Bill, it was read a second time

Several other Bills were forwarded a stage, and Mr.
Wheelhouse was moving the second reading of the Election
of Aldermen (Cumulative Vote) Bill, when the House was
counted out at twenty minutes past ten o'clock.

In the HOUSE OF LORDS, Feb. 12, Earl Granville asked the
noble earl the Secretary for Foreign Affairs whether he con-
sidered it his duty to afford any information with respect to
the state of affairs in the East.

The Earl of Derby: My lords, the question of the noble
earl is one of very general and comprehensive Character; so
much so, that [ scarcely know in what special form he and
your lordships desire I should answer it Perhaps I may
say that with regard to the movements of the British Fleet,
which I take to be the matter of the most pressing
interest at the present moment, I hope that when yoour
lordships meet again, in forty-eight hours, we shad be in a
position to state that the intention which we announced
some days ago has been carried into effect, and that our
ships are at Constantinople. My lords, with regard to the
question of the Conference, there is nothing altered in the
situation during the last few days. All the Powers have
agreed to the principle that a Conference should be held,
and the only remaining difference is as to the place of meet-
ing. I don't think that difference is likely to give rise to
much difficulty. My lords, with regard to the movements of
the Russian Army I can add nothing—nothing that is certain
or authentic—to the statements contained in the circular
telegram of Prince Gortchakoff, which has appeared in all
the newspapers in Europe.
Earl Granville: My lords, my question was of a general
character. I made it so purposely because I did not
wish to press for an answer from the noble earl OP any
particular point if it were not convenient for him to give
one. I now desire to ask a particular question, but I do
not press for a formal answer to it unless the noble earl
thinks fit to reply to it in that way. Yesterday the noble
earl stated that a difficulty had been experienced in respect
of the passage of our ships through the Dardanelles, but
he expected that an arrangement on the subject would
be come to with the Porte. Indeed, he was sanguine in that
expectation. I wish to know now whether he is able to give
your lordships any additional information with reference
to the entry of those ships. The noble earl also stated that
three other European Powers had applied for flrmans. This
also is a point on which further information would be desir-
able. (Hear, hear.)
The Earl of Derby: My lords, with regard to the first ques-
tion of the noble earl, I think it is better that I should
reserve my answer till Thursday, when no doubt I shall
be in a position to speak /sore fully and satisfactorily
than I can do now. With regard to the question respect-
ing the other Powers which aprlied for firmans, the posi-
tion is this—The French and Italian Governments two
days ago authorized their Ambassadors to apply for fir-
mans to admit their ships. What passed between those
Ambassadors and the Porte I do not know with any exact-
ness ; but it appears that, in consequence of their represen-
tations, their Governments have thought fit to suspend
sending their ships up, and consequently, I presume, the
firmans have not been demanded. With regard to the third
Power, as I stated yesterday, a demand was made by the Am-
bassador of that Power, but I know no more. (dear, hear.)
The Duke of Richmond and Gordonjhen presented a Bill
to amend the Contagious Diseases (Animals) Act, and,
before explaining its provisions, explained the nature of
previous legislation in reference to the subject. By the
principle of the Act of 1360 verything was left to the local
authorities, and there existed a total want of uniformity in
the rules laid down. In 1877 there was an outbreak of
Cattle Plague and the disease spread through the country.
It was perfectly clear that the local authorities had
no means of effectually coping with the evil, and the
Government, therefore, thought that the.. time had conic
when the Privy Council should take the Whole matter in
hand, and that stringent measures should be adopted
to stamp out disease. They had not thought it right
to draw any distinction between Cattle Plague and
other cattle diseases; but Cattle Plague would be dealt
with by the central authority. With regard to other
diseases, the Duke of Richmond and Gordon explained
that certain restrictions would be placed on the move-
ments of infected cattle and that all foreign cattle
would he slaughtered at the port of landing, adding that he
did not think that the restrictions would have any material
effect in the supply or price of food. The regulations would
apply to Ireland, and he pointed out that the result of the
Bill would be to consolidate the law on the subject, to in-
sure uniformity of practise, and, as he hoped, to extinguish
the cattle diseases.—ln concluding his speech (of which the
above is a brief summary) the Duke of Richmond and Gordon
said: "In order to give the necessary time for perfecting
arrangerneets the Bill would not come into operation till
1879. The first part of the Bill contained ,genecal prelimi-
nary provisions setting out certain terms and modes of proce-
dure. The second part applied to England, and contained the
principal enactments in the Bill, which were afterwards ap-
plied to Scotland and Ireland. The first part of the Bill
dealt with cattle plagues, and the second with districts and
the places for slaughtering cattle. All the powers contalued
in the Bill were proposed to be vested in the Privy Council.
The Privy Council were to deal with cattle plague, and
compensation in respect of cattle plague would come out of
the Imperial funds. He need not, he thought, go into
details, which, as he said before, would be better dealt with
In committee. The schedule contained yery stringent re-
strictions, which were recommended by the committee,
and which were, in fact, meant to stop the movement of
stock in all infected districts. The Bill contained a new
provision prohibiting removal into infected districts.
Pleuro-pneumonia would be compensated for out of local
rates The Bill contained provisions prohibiting the ex-
posure of infected animals in the market. There was
also a provision for regulating notice of the disease
and other matters connected with compensation and
the slaughter of animals affected with foot-and-mouth
disease. And then there was another matter which the
Bill would deal with which was one of great domestic
interest—One which he thought should be seriously dealt
with—namely, the securing of a greater supply of milk to
this country. (Hear.) A provision was inserted in the
Bill for regulating dairies and matters connected with the
milk trade. (Hear.) With reference to foreign animals, the
Bill would not altogether carry out the recommendations of
the committee. The Government did not tlablk it woul'd be
desirable by statutory enactment to deelair that Russia
should not send any animals to this country, nor did
they think it right by statutory enactments to prohibit
the importation of cattle from Germany or Belgium.
The powers of the Privy Council were at present sufficiently
large Co enable them to prevent the importation of cattle,
and, as a matter of fact, since 1872, by orders of the
Privy Council, no animals had beeu allowed to come from
Russia. If there was any rekson for trusting the Privy
Council in the one case, there was no reason why they
should not be trusted in the other. But other matters
recommended by the committee the Government partially
adopted. A power was given for slaughtering at the port
of landing. The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man were
exceptionally dealt with. He had exhausted the patience
of their lordships—(hear)—but the subject was Of great
importance and ought not to be dealt with lightly, and
he thought that in bringing forward a measure of this
kind he should put before their lordships all the rea-
sons which induced the Government to take the steps
which they thought were necessary. They had three
objects in view. One was that there should be a consolida-
tion of the law; the second, that uniformity should be in-
sured, and the third that, if possible, the disease might be
extinguished, lie thought no one would be found to dispute
the advantage of putting into one Act, and that not at all a
long Act, the ten Acts which now related to the cattle plague.
(Hear.) Then with regard to uniformity, if there was one thing
more than another that was wanted on the subject, it was
that there should be uniformity of procedure throughout
the country. (Hear.) Then, with regard to the extinction
of the disease, he did entertain a hope that lithe Bill were
passed as presented to their lordships and its provisions
were enforced, at a not very distant time the disease would
be stamped out of this country, and he felt certain that if it
were stamped out of the country a very great benefit would
be conferred on all classes of the community. (Cheers.)

After a short discussion, in which Lord Ripon, the Duke
of Somerset, Lord Dunsany, and Lord Kimberley took part,
the Bill was read a first time, and their rurdships rose at ten
minutes to seven o'clock.

In the HoI:9E OF COMMONS some time was occupied at
the commencement of the sitting in a discussion of the
Bill for enabling the Corporation of Manchester to take
possession of Thirlmere Lake for the supply of water to the
district. Its rejection was moved by Mr. E S Howard,
seconded by Mr. W. Lowther, who urged that the scheme
would spoil one of the most beautiful portions of the
Lake District, that Manchester had already a supply ade-
quate to its probable wants for the next ten years, and that
the Bill was in effect nothing more than a gigantic speculation.
On the other side Mr. Birley and Mr. Jacob Bright maintained
that the scheme was needed for the health and the legitimate
wants of the population, and that nothing had been urged
against it to induce the House to depart from the usual
practice of sending the Bill to a Select Committee. Mr.
Rodwell, however, pointed out that the Bill contained two
new principles—permission to a Corporation to enter into
a speculation in water supply, and also the right of ODC
district to resort to another district 109 miles away for its
water. It was impossible, he held, for an ordinary Select
Committee satisfactorilj to investigate such questions, and
he suggested, therefore, that the Bill should be referred
to a hybrid Committee. Mr. Raikes and Mr. Forster
coneurrea in recommending the same course, and Mr.
Sclater-Booth, on behalf of the Government, said that if the
second reading were agreed to he would move that the Bill
be. referred to a Select Committee of nine members, live to
be nominated by the House and four by the Committee of
Selection, with power to examine witnesses and hear
counsel, and also wit h instructions to inquire into the general
subject of the water supply of Manchester and the expe-
diency of allowing Manchester to make use of the lake.
Mr. Howard and Mr. Birley having signified their assent to
this arrangement, the Bill wag read a second time and
ordered to be referred to a hybrid Committee.

Major Nolan asked the First Lord of the Admiralty
whether the order forwarded to detach a squadron towards
Constantinople was of a character sufficiently stringent to
relieve the Admiral commanding the Mediterranean Fleet
from responsibility should the squadron's line of retreat be
seriously threatened.
Mr. W. H. Smith said the orders which had been for-
warded to the Admiral commanding the fleet in the Medi-
terranean were of a clear and distinct charac er. They had
been sent upon the responsibility of the Government, and
it would be inconsistent with his duty at the present mo-
ment to state the ntture of the order.

In answer to Sir li. Wolff, the Chancellor of the Exchequer
said that no answer had been received to the despatch to St.
Petersburg respecting Prince Gortchakoff s declaration that
the "ulterior understanding" about the Straits would be
dropped out of the bases of peace.
In answer to Sir A. Gordon, Mr. Bourke declined to lay
on the table copies of the conditions of peace required by
Russia in July, 1877, which had bean vaildentially cora-
plwalcAtcd 1Y Gnu' 6090414 t 9 Lord DOtOY.
. .

Mr. Leathern called attention to the traffic in Church
livings, dwelling particularly on the shock it occasioned to
the feelings of all religious men and on the demoralisation of
the clergy of which it was the cause, which he illustrated
by numerous quotations from the evidence before the Bishop
of Peterborough's Committee, and he concluded by moving
a resolution, seconded by Mr. Hibbert, declaring that it is
desirable to adopt measures for preventing simoniacal
evasion of the law and checking abuses in the sale of livings
in private patronage.
Mr. Goldney moved as an amendment a resolution recom-
mending a more strict definition of the Law of Simony and
the circumstances under which the sale of livings in private
patronage is legal, and pointed out that the advowsons of at
least one-twelfth of all the livings in the country had been
sold at one time or other under the direction of Parlia-
ment.

Mr. Richard, who paid a high compliment to the energy
and usefulness of the Church as a spiritual institution, main-
tained that the only way of getting rid of this scandal was
by shaking off the control of the State.

Mr. Beresford-Hope considered that the.real method of
dealing with the evil was not so much by altering the law
in its first stage as in producing a machinery by which a man
unfit for the cure of souls might be called to account even
alter he had been presented.
Sir G. Bowyer had just risen to speak when the House was
counted out at twenty-five minutes past eight o'clock.

In the HOUSE OF CommNs, Feb. 13, Mr. Biggar moved the
second reading of the Voters (Ireland) Bill. After a
debate, in whioh Sir Chas. Dilke, Mr. D. Plunket, Mr.
McCarthy Downing, and the Attorney-General for Ireland,
who opposed the Bill, and other hon. members took part,
the House divided on the motion—For the second reading,
98 : against, 134; majority against, 38.

Mr. Ramsay moved the second reading of the Valuation
Bill, the object of which is to assimilate the law of England
and Ireland to that of Scotland with regard to valuation.
Having at some length urged the simplicity, economy,
efficiency, and other collateral advantages of the Scotch
system of valuation, Mr. Ramsay said he did not wish to
press the Bill unduly upon the House, but would suggest
that, with the Valuation Bill to he introduced by the Presi-
dent of the Local Government Board, it should be referred
to a. select committee.

Mr. Pell and Mr. Gregory supported the Bill.
After some remarks from Major Paget, who criticised the
Bill, Mr. Staveley Hill opposed it, preferring to allow
the law to remain as it was.
Sir W. Barttelot thought it unwise to discuss a subject of
so much importance until they knew what the Government
proposals were.

Mr. Storer was speaking when the time arrived at which
it became necessary to adjourn the debate, and the House
shortly afterwards adjourned.