The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-03-25 00:00:00

iiPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

In the House of Lords. March 20, Lord Celt., In moving
the second reading of theJ natio. Procedure 11th, alludwl to
the imPortance and magnitude of the task of preparing if,
and the desirability of consolidating the whole of the laws
admlntstered by justices, on the principle of Jervis's Acta,
and mentioned thet such a conaolidatiou bad been eiteCted
In Ireland and Scotland. Ile disclaimed being the author of
the bill, which be sabi had been prepared under the superb.
tendeime of Mr. .ke, the clerk at the Mansion House Police-
court, a gentleman alio wa well versed In a subject of this
sand. no ,e pc d read the bill n second time, and refer
I I. e soled comralttot.

Tbe Lord chancellor did not °prole the second reading of
the bill, but alluded to the failure of this bill when it wu
before the flouts of Common. in 1665. lie added that no
serious difficulty or impediment had been felt in the carrrng
oot of Jervis's Acts, and complained that in this bill care had
not bun taken to preserve the language of the old bills, as
was most desirable.

The Marquis of Salisbury saw uo reason why the bill
should be referred to a 'sleet Committee, since, considering
the number of noble lords who usually attended when a bill
of this lind MY being discussed, the Homo was the more
select body of the two. (Laughter.)
...•

The bill was then read a second Moe.
Lord Granville, in Ammer to Lord Rosebery, promised to
Icy on the table further papers re,pecting the (;reek
massacre, and Lord Camarvun took the opportunity of ex-
pressing his diasatisfaction with the jutiLlal proceedings at
Athens and the attempt of the Greek Government to make
a scapegoat of Mr. ord.

Lord Granville, replylna to a quaation put by L ,rd
canto, stated that the Finite cf Common!. Committee on
the state of Ireland were likely to report at a very early
date.

Their lordehips then adjourned.
In the Mouse of commons, Sir D. Salmons inquired
whether it would not be for the public convenience for the
Mint authorities to make a fresh issue of halt crowns.
Mr. Lowe said that sell was very Inconvenient to have
coins similar to each other as florins and hall-crowns in circu-
lation It Was not his Intention to issue any new balf.crowne,
and he should take step. to accelerate the process of disap-
peartuce of those now mu existence.

•
Mr. Kavanagh anted whether it sem true that her Ma-
leety's Government had determined ford.he future upon
gluing the appointment of postmasters of the country Post.
offices to pensioners from the army and navy
The Marquis of liartington replied that the matter had
been under the consideration of the Government, but no
decision had yet been arrived at.
The Chancellor of the Kxchequer, In answer to Mr. Cand-
lish, stated that the Budget would be Introduced at the
earliest possible day after Easter.
Mr. Gladstone, replying to questions, said that Lcerd Lyons
had acceded to the wish of the French Government, and had
retired to Versailles A. to the alleged order from Berlin
c,.iiiitermanding the departure of the German troops, the
Government had received no official Information.
in the motion for Supply,

Mr. "Preveiyan moved a resolution declaring that, In '
order to check the creation of vested interests which it
would be necessary to consider in arranging a sound and
oquitable system of retirement, no appointment should in
future be made to honorary colonelcies. Entering to stalls.
tics of the Prussian army, he drew from them the conclusion
that we had too many Generals in our army, and he sag.
tested that their number should be limited to 60, with an
average pay of £l,OOO each, and that there should be no
honorary Generals.
Mr Cardwell thought that Mr. Trevelyan had raised thi,
mieetion prematurely. The House was about to sanction a
liberal scheme of retirement, and they ought to leave them.
selves perfectly free ti deal in the stung manner with those
Citicorp who, indeed of selling out, had remained lu the ser-
vice in the hope of obtaining the highest rank.
After a brief discussion, the Rouse divided, when Mr.
Trevelyan's motion was negatived by 25l vote. against 111.
The Rowe having gone into Committee of Supply,
Mr. Baxter moved the Civil Service (Supplementary Esti-
mates, amounting to £211,642 On the vote of A;76,00) for
the purchase of the collection of paintings of the late Sir it
Peel, the Chancellor of the Exchequer gave explanations In
regard to the pictures, which, he said, gave completeness to
the National Gallery by supplying masterpieces of thegreateet
Dutch painter.. It was probable that the acquisition of this
collection would involve no permanent change. as it was not
intended, unless some work of conspicuous merit presented
itself, to continue the annual vote for the present.
The vote was attacked by Mr. Lentinck and defended by
Mr. W. 11. Gregory, who did justice to the public spirit
manifested by the present Sir It. Peel. hi r. Hunt entirely
differed from Mr. Itentlock In thinking this &waste of public
money, and thanked the Government for purchasing the
Peel collection. the vote was unanimously agreed to.
Explanations were demanded and given on various Items,
including the affair of Prince K assa and the plans for the
proposed Thames Embeohment for the biew I 'meta of Justice,
after which the aggregate wee was agreed to.
_ .

-oo o
Mr. Stansfeld Mittly stated the provisions of the Panper
Inmates' Discharge and Regulation LW, which was then read
a second time.

The Committee on the Education (Scotland) Bill was pat-
Polled until next Monday, the Government being unable to
tato whether it would then be the first order of the day.
The other husineat wee quickly disposed of, and the liotuie
adjourned.

In the House of Lords, March 111, Lord Cairns moved the
second roadie g of two bibs, the object of which, he explained,
was to enable the Presbyterians and the Perult me Methodists
of Ireland to vest their property in tro.stees—a power already
possessed by Episcopalians under the Act of Co 9 The in ••
lion was agreed to on the understanding that the bills should
he referred to a Select committee, to whom It would be open
to dead with some points of detail objected to by the Lord
Chancellor.

The Benefices Resignation Bill was reported, and some
further changes were made in It. the bar being twice cleared
for a division, but the Bishop of Winchester in both instances
giving way at the last moment and allowing the amendments
to pall,

The Prison Ministers Bill passed through Committee,
being so amended as to preclude the Home Secretary from
requiring the erection of new buildings for religious worship
Lord Houghton haying called attention to a contoured
statement by the Russian Minister at Washington that
England was only Prevented by the influence of his G 'cern-
meat from recognizing the Confederate States, Lord Granville
expressed a hope that no such statement had been made,
the feet being that no proposal of recognition was ever con
skier.' by the Government of the day, and that no record
existed at the Foreign Other of any Damian intervention in
the matter. The Duke of Somerset, as another member of
Lord Palmerston'. Cabinet, also stated that no proposal of
recognition was ever mode.

The Sequestration Bill of last sassicn having been re-
introduced by the Bishop of Winchester, aud read a first
time, their lordships adjourned.
The Rouse of Commons met as usual, the Speaker taking
the chair shortly before tour o'clock.
Prior to entering upon the questions of which notice bad
been given, Mr. Iliall intimated his intention to ask leave,
on the 18th April, to bring In a bill which would further ex-
tend the principle of the Irish Church Act, by disestablishing
the other Established Churches in Great Britain.

Lord Enfield, in reply to s unestion put by Mr. Cedogar,
stated that Lord Lyons had received instructions to
follow the Government of France to Versailles, and that his
lordship would take the necessary reps to secure the pro-
tection of the lives and property of British subjects in Earls
during his absence.
Mr. Gold amid asked whether the owners of the sir English
veteods sunk by the Crusdans in the ',eine had received com-
pensation, and Lord Enfield replied that the payment of
compensation had not yet been made, owing mainly to the
abs,ence of the German consul from Suntlerlfunt, and that r

the earliest possible moment representations would be made
to the North i.erman Ambassador, who was most anxious for
the settlement of the matter, and a demand Made for pay-
ment.
Lord C. .T. Hamilton, In moving an address praying that
the recommendations of the Harbours of Kling° Commis.
stoners of 10-3 S, oi far as related to the construction of a
harbour of refuge at Filey, might be carried Into effect, forti-
fied his motion by the report. of two Select Committees, a
Royal c ,mmissbm. and a vote of the House Itself. After
giving the history of the question, he succinctly advo-
cated his motion on the several grounds of the saving
of life and property, the development of our North
Sea fisheries, and lastly the importance of klley, In a strate-
gical point of view, as a harbour and naval station Pro-
bably not fewer than HO lives had been lost during the pre
sent year on the Eastern coast, and the disastrous results of
the storm on the 10th of February last of which he gave !
some thrilling particulars had revived a strorg feeling in
the North-Eastern ports in favour of a harbour of refuge.
lie asked the House no longer to hesitate to sanction the
comparatively paltry expenditure necessary to avert these
oft-repeated calamities.
The motion was seconded by Mr. Wheelhouse and sup-
ported by Mr. H. Johnstone, and after expressions of opinion
from several hon. members,
Mr Gladstone, after some hurnorowi remarks oaths silence
of Sir I. Pakington when in nitice, commented on the dis-
crepancies in the speeches of the supporters of this motion.
tie next examined the question antler two asi,cts—as an
isolated vote, and am the reversal of a policy. The amount
required to construct this harbour had been spoken
of as paltry, but £2,000,00 would be nearer the mark
than i,000,0G0, In addition to the expense of mainte-
nance. Nor could this motion be acceded to with•
out claims of the same kind being mode from other
portion. of the coast. Protesting against demands
for public money being made by local repreeentatives for
most purposes as full of danger, he argued that it would he
unwise to reverse the policy of the last ten years. He
claimed for Lord Palmerston's Government, and especially
for Mr. Milner Gluon, that, Instead of mating widows, they
had kept husbands alive by making vessels more seaworthy.
They had also stimulated Improvement in the harbour. of
the North by Pans of money, which were now In course of
repayment. The more our shipping improved the greeter
was the objection shown either to entering harbours of
refuge or to contributing, by means of passing tolls, to their
maintenance. He hoped the House would not follow the
mover of this resolution in the dangerous path Into which he
now Invited them to enter.

Lord C. J. II amtiton having replied,
The House divided, when Lord t. J. Hamilton's motion
was negatived by 124 votes against 29.
The other orders were disposed of, and the Rouse ad-
journed.

lii the House of Common., March 22., Mr. Carnegie, in
moving the second reading of the itypothec Abolition
(dootland, Bill, eald that the law of hypothec had been so
fully discussed throughout the country, that it would
not he necessdry for him to enter into the sub-
ject at any length. Ile maintained that the select com-
mittee appointed two years ago by the House of Lords to
examine Into the question had been c .moosed of those who
were in favour of the Palatine law, and that therefore It was
entirely one-sided. The difference between the law of
hypothee In Scotland and the law of distress In England
-instated mainly In the power which the landlord tu Scot-
t dot had of preventing a tenant chap...nig of his crops
before the rent became due, which power did not exist
in England. The existing law, he contended, was indefen-
sible in theory and Injurious in practic., and he therefore
moved the second reading of the bill for Its almlition.
Sir B. Monh ornery objected to the provision of the
bM which made rent a personal debt, and placed
a landlord in the position of an ordinary creditor.
It the existing right of the landlords were taken
away, some .111 dent means of getting rid of node-
arable tenants thouid be provided In If. stead. The pre-
sent law was one if the causes of the flourishing state of
agriculture hi Scotland, and ninny small tenants owed their
advancement In the world to It . and under these circum-
stances he thought that It would be Injurious to abolish it.
tie therefore moved that the bill be reads second time that
day six months.
Lord (tulles looked upon the rnesoure as beMg promoted
by the most wealthy class of tenants, In weer to prevent the
competition of smaller tenants with them The passing of
the bill would impede the proper cultivation of the land,
and mold slidct the abolition of the system of long leases,
to which Scotland owed 50 much of her agricultural pros-
perity. He seconded the amendment.
. • • - •- • •

--- •
Mr. Cranford supported the measure, and hoped It would
receive the support of the Government.
- •• •

Mr. It Cochrane and Mr.Orr-Erdeg opposed the MIL whilst
Mr. at'Com hie supported It.
- - -• • • •

After • long discussion the House divided on the second
.p.• the following result .—For the second readlog,
Against It, 184 , Majority, 79. The bill was therefore
leek
111 e County Courts Jurisdiction and Procedure Bill and
the Adulteration of rood, &o, Bill, were read • second
time. The Workshop Regulation Act 11,.67 Amendment
17111 was advanced a stage, and the Elroy, j mrmd.

A Goon SCSOGEbTION.—A petition from the
letter•oarrieni of England is in contemplati ,n to the
liouse of Commons, in which, after allusion is made to
the enormous increase in their duties owing to the
postal cards and half penny stamps, the petitioners pray
that an Act of Parliament should be passed to came
all persons living in citi.it and towns to hem, "ietter•
boxes- or 'letter-hole" Mad@ in their doors. Should
such a measure he enforced, they further state, letters
would be delivered in half the time now taken.