The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-01-22 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

In the EIOUSE OF LORDS, Jan. 17, Lord Fortescue asked•the
Government, with the view of saving time in a case where
every day was of importance, to introduce into their Lord-
alliPs' House the Bill for the Better Protection of Person and
Property in Ireland.
. Lord Granville, while prepared to accept with gratitude
any suggestion having for its object the progress of the Bill
in the matter most agreeable to Parliament, declined
to accept the recommendation of Lord Fortescue, which
he thought would defeat rather than insure the
object in view. Successive Ministers had observed that
the Commons did not look with such favour on Bills
going down to them from their Lordships' House as they
did on Bills originated in their own, and this feeling would
be enhanced in the case of a measure to give the Govern-
!tient extraordinary powers. He mentioned that in 1846
Lord St. Germans introduced such a measure in the House
orLords and it went down to the other House, which, after
four months, rejected it.
Lord Galloway expressed his opinion that the promised
Bill might well be entitled a "Bill for the Suppression of
Coercion" rather than a Coercion Bill.

Lord Redesdale thought that nothing-hut au act of " con-
, stitutional despotism" could cope with the system of ob-
struction which in the House of Commons was putting re-
presentative government on its trial, and seriously endanger-
f it. He suggested that on a message from the Crown
both Houses should give a single reading to a Bill for the
"Uspension of the Habeas Corpus Act, and that the Govern-
raent should then, pending the further progress of the Bill,
. .

proceed as if it wer-e law zinc.' trust to aliAcit of Indemnity.

The Lord Chancellor pointed out that, while in other cases
the Executive Government had sometimes properly exceeded
the law and trusted to a Bill of Indemnity, no such course
had ever been taken by any Government in the case of the
Habeas Corpus Act. The Judges must obey that Act while
It was ithrepealed or unsuspended by Parliament, and for
the Government to do what Lord Iledesdale suggested would
be to at once set up a contest between them and every Court
and Judge in the country.
Lord Inchiquin thought that there had not been suffi-
cient promptitude manifested in dealing with outrages in
Ireland.
Lord Dunraven suggested that the Land Bill might be in-
trodueed in their Lordships' House.
The Augmentation of Benefices Act Amendment Bill was
read a third time and passed; and Lord Spencer laid on
the table and "obtained a first reading for a Bill to prevent
floods.
Their Lordships adjourned at half-past six o'clock.
In the HOUSE OF COMMONS there were 42 questions on the
Paper, most of them relating to various phases of the Irish
question, and it was close upon six o'clock when the orders
Of the day were reached.
Lord G. Hamilton asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer
Whether the whole of the drawbacks on malt payable under
the Act of last Session had been paid ; and, if so, whether
the Excise receipts shown in the weekly revenue accounts
may be taken, so far as the drawback is concerned, as net
receipts.
Mr. Gladstone replied: In the sense of the question of the
noble lord, the whole of the drawback on malt has been
Paid. I only make that qualification because there are two
or three trifling cases in which the accounts are still out-
Standing; but the whole of the drawback except the slightest
Possible sum has been paid. That being so, it is quite -correct
that the figures published may be taken as net receipts.
That is strictly true ; but it is also true that those figures
do not afford by themselves a safe means of comparison
With the revenue of the corresponding period of previous
Years, which I presume the noble lord has in his view. And
for this reason one of the changes effected in the trafisi-
UM from the malt duties to the beer duty was that the
Mode of collection by the Excise was altered • and for the
weekly rounds in the year monthly roands were sub-
att4uted. The consequence has been to bring a larger
44*, Unt of receipts in respect to the duty charged between
..•'e•t, ober 1 and December 31 into the account. Considering
'le /Peat novelty of the matters with which the officers of
the DeVartmeatt had to deal, I may point out the singular
ke'respondence between the estimate of what would be the
Pre.bable amount received from the ditty within the first
e months and the actual result. The estimate framed
tl 'ern in the month of August, 1880, that is, in the
second
month before the expiration of the malt duties,
7:tali that for the months of October, November, and
December there would be a revenue charged—not wholly
received—amounting to £.2,210,000. The actual net pro-
duce was £2,198,000.
Mr. Alderman Lawrence asked the First Lord of the Trea-
8Y Whether he would recommend the House to take some
l'e.Pa to prevent the continuance of a practice which had
grown to be exceedingly inconvenient—namely, that of any
Member at the time of questions initiating a debate with-
ont notice by simply stating at the commencement of his
sPeech that he intends to conclude with a motion, such
1.?lrot100 being understood to be the adjournment cf the
IDL°llse, and after a speech of any length, having made the
motion, then another member may in a speech, also of any
tellgth, second it, and the debate be continued by any num-
berof the members, for any length of time, to the preven-
tion of the progress of public business.
—llr. Gladstone replied: The practice described in the ques-
tion of my hon. friend has undoubtedly attracted the attention
of the Government as well as, I believe, the attention of every
1
lember of this House. There is a great and, I fear, a grow-
tng inconvenience felt from the practice; and if I do not
LnManunicate any specific answer with respect to the ques-
„ °lst which has been put to me by my hon. friend iit s be-
cause it it may be the duty of the Government to take rather a
ider view of the whole subject. I must defer all particulars
Instil that view can be taken.
the
answer to Sir B. Leighton, who asked him to consider
!Ine expediency of postponing the debate on the Address
until the other urgent business before the House had been
(~,,`uaPosed of, Mr. Gladstone said he was not surprised at the
estion ; but, speaking for the present only, the Govern-
ment_ thought the most expedient course was to encourage
Lne.House to proceed with the debate, which lie hoped was
approaching its termination. •
Mr. It. Power asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieu-
tenant of Ireland whether the attention of Her Majesty's
I*_overnment had been directed to the desirability of teach-
lag the rudiments of agriculture in the national schools in
A,and ; and, if so, whether they were prepared to insert
as a class-subject in the same manner as they were pre-
vared to do in England.
a Mr. W. E. Forster said the hon. member must be under
_ appzehension. Agriculture was already an obligatory
nelect in the 4th, sth, and 6th classes in rural National
''
Zenools, there were special result payments for each
°Y.Passing an examination in that subject.
Grant asked the right lion. the member for the
It'versity of Cambridge, as one of the trustees of the British
useuum Whether any steps had been takeis towards
s,!•iling the main portions of our great national collection,
n'ea to allow it to remain open to the public until ten
u lock at night every week-day throughout the year.
dir. W I
a pole, who spoke in a low voice and was indis-
rnetlY heard, was understood to say that the trustees had
Considered
the subject of the hon. member's question • but
that to carry out the hon. member's suggestion woad in-
Zifift great expense and a complete reorganization of the
In answer to Mr. Biggar, Sir' C. Mike stud that no repro-
-I,!lntation had been received by the Gevernment from the
,V,qted States or from any other foreign Power as to the con-
41t100 of many of the Irish people. (Hear, hear.)
Colonel Barttelot having asked for information as to the
Salford outrage and the reported atttempt to blow up
another barracks, Mr. Childers appealed to him and other
members to consider the inconvenience of such questions at
"Is present time—seeing that the Government were well
aware of the circumstances in which they were placed and
Were taking all due precautions.
In answer to Mr. Norwood, the Attorney-General said it
Was proposed to appoint a committee consisting of a certain
nanaber of Judges, two members of the Inner Bar, and two
Of the Outer, and two solicitors to consider the possibility of
diminishing the costs of litigation, and he promised to
ennsider how it could best profit by lay assistance.

In answer to Sir D. Wedderburn, Mr. Gladstone said that
110 representation had been received from thq Dutch Govern-
Lrient or any other friendly rower in reference to the
4ransvaal.

•
...The-a-d-jOurned debate on the Address was resumed by Mr
~.aa'Curthy, who moved to add a paragraph praying her
-majesty to refrain from using the naval, military, and con-
stabulary forces of the Crown in forcing ejectments for non-
DaYinent Of rent in Ireland, until the proposed measures
i
with respect to the ownership of land n- that country had
been decided upon by Parliament.
'tr. Gladstone replied, amid much cheering,
.that the hon
reenaber and his amendment were most effective obstacles
obestacles
to such a settlement being approached. He
em-
eatPhaicatly against the prolongation of a debate
ld to no useful or practical result, andcoul protested
which
only end in
raising feelings in this country very much to be deprecated
zNiad in delving the application of remedial measures. It
had hitherto been the rule, he insisted,
.to councdluifdetthliaet
debate on the Address as speedily as possible,
h instead of being
Practice were broken the Queen's SP'e.c.,-,
,a convenient mode of initiating public . business,
eeeetne a public nuisance. The ricuse,
was not "a mere debating
assembly;
reasons in order to
assembly. : i t i i s a Gladstoneid' ee
sl
si
deliberative
asoatuii vldde
it
is
an
assembly
which
has the right to ex-
eonclude and to act, and the
.House
Peet from its members that, instead of prehvenatriongchiatrgfieild-
witillkeg this function, they shall assist those
in- '`o the oonduct of the business who are
endeavour-
-4? to dispose of that grave and L complicated dotfatshkoNmvitahttaelrl he despatch which the difficulty gravity
- aY admit of. Let us see what the
mover
tosreelfr
hiass.
h°4-11 I heartily rejoice that the speech o
.4een heard, not merely with patience,
amendment
tience, butwittlitsreu i
respect
such
ttention, yet the nalure of c 'flat it is very difficult, if we examin
military, an
eitms
ttlettrams, tobdeloieonve.
ary forces of the Crown cTr own eyes and ears.
l';‘,abulirwhn
enaval,
aretheo other es thanenottihrefofrocreesatthe
`CePosal of Her Majesty; she has n '
""e ' and the recommendation of the
be
madeendm use ft
enntisotht
lllene Of the forces of Her Majesty shall
breland during the time specified for the enforcement of
_oart form of civil obligation which i sassociated with the
e
o which the hon.
.7_rent.' And the proceeding s one lintleman desires should be taken by the Executive Govern-
Ma I It would he sufficiently astonishing f he asked the
;uu%e i to proviae by a summary Act that there should be a
sPension of•eviction and a suspension of the legal remedy
or the recovery of refit for a certain time ; but he does not
l
as. k that at all; he makes his appeal to the
po the law.
Executive Go-
f 'ir,nrnent, which is charged with the execution
ct teey do not execute the law-and for what other purpose
0 they exist? (cheers)-they must fall a% once under the
Isdeer
gent',
eaemlauridgment and censure of this Ho
that which in
House. But the hon.
fuel, . not content with recommending a
ould be entirely inadmissible, actually-proposes to the
lib,'" of Commons that they shall pray the Crown de-
et rately to renounce the doing of that for which alone
any
i exists. I greatly doubt, sir, whether you or
4 Isur Predecogiors ever put a motion more extraordinary
wat.ProPosal that the Executive Government shall
_sysetne:
faroLeallY refraia from the execution of the law for th
by t}i'llent of a civil obligation, and that. a proposal me
and
inacot„hPu• gentleman, not in the character, distinct
.a.
the 7,""ent, of a writer of books but as a member
.f
Commons ; and he proposes that this
aus,-;.,', ,3.101 the Crow should exercise thq power of
sholilduTg the law, and that the House of ' Lordsein-
arinoe ththe only part of the Legislature n
What e 1011 y and criminality of the proceeding.
Us to ,rove e the arguments which the hon. gentleman gave
takti, ? that this most extraordinary course should be
teorimeneteT Ile says that evictions are the main cause of Ireland. (Hear, hear.) It is not necessary for me
IPin r. p.o,s,(...:ciai :‘'..et.
isoi. 1 t.,?.00tt
t2erts4 deny it, anidf it be so and for the present
In cetren circumstances, n.
'night have been disposed to support.it ,
iintlefiltro, at be so-if evictions are-the main cause of
of the lar.d laws (1, let Its proceed to legislate on. the subject f lion. " (Loud cheers.) But that is exactly what the
ehee4nentlenian will not permit us to tl9. (Continued
siousieh_eregi) e
il:tetuhltionm.ligicehn,tleman and his friends have-
to no
Practical orrs
eight nights with debates which will lead t
ex it rr ee dm ae gemr aPPeal front the Thwrohneensethtteinlignrorethhatsherece
circumstances and the'urgeneY
refus'Y of the
es to allot of the time, he
Practical .v Rs the opportunity of dealing with. i.u. any
Mane e
some criticisms
.upou the poin er• (Cheers.) After
Moceeded :_...,..ti,h0f Mr. alctarthy' speechs Mr. Gladstone
-09.ertbig the sit:lithe:tn.
V-ouse of Commons
and
higjsttlteeme,aano,omtheesrefdoorwe,n without
and its I must say-though I
sorry to use the word askst
lc' US to insult the Throne
'f-gilft and continued cheeri-ngi)e llsy carrying to the foot of the
to gi:P PruPosal that the Queen-sworn at her t coronation
:e,ruig)-a allw ti of
!Atain and thee la f the land-(continued
t h, by her own arbi a will, refuse to execute . postTv of the land), in obedience to this extraordinary lu.o
'0-
. alallizs;aindiworhich has becn proposed by the hon. member' v!'ll
at no inconvenience will be experienced except that
d will not get his rents so rapidly and that there
Z_",'!gat be in some few cases some small arrears." Mr. Glad-
iwaunehconcluded by saying : "_I must say the hon. gentle-
alrac, as "xed with very serious considerations an element
. st ludicrous-that the British House of Commons
tip:al:id be the receiver of proposals like this, and that the
liberty of speech which is its highest and dearest privilege
-apaliogrfeoartest ornament is capable of being mistakenly aP:'
litheehhasond. such a purpose. It is impossible to suppose that
gentleman ean be serious in making the suggestion
ca_ n havenirn.y. Ile cannot suppose that the bulk of the House
hesitation in emphatically rejecting it. (Loud
cheers,) It is a proposa not fo the character of the House that such
more tha l should li:
of those precious hours e used as the engine of the waste
(cheers which we are now under a
n solemn
ourselves, with obliation to employ, without sparing
what is r ired and•
oue n•fear or favour, in considering both
equ for the peace and order of Ireland, and

what are the principles of justice that ought to be intro
duced into the land law of Ireland." (Cheers.)

Lord J. 31anners expressed the entire concurrence of the
gentlemen near him in Mr. Gladstone's remarks.

Mr. Dillon, however, taunted the Prime Minister with
having thrown to the winds the compassion which he ex-
pressed last Session for the Irish tenants threatened with
eviction. It was the probosed Coercion Bill which was the real
obstacle to progress, and he warned the Government that
when it was passed outrages would be increased tenfold.
Thelon, member was called to order several times by the
Speaker for irrelevancy and a remark that the law of the
Land League was supreme, and a boast of the forces it
had arrayed against Her Majesty's forces was objected
to by Sir H. Tyler as treasonable and seditious. The
Speaker said that as the words had not been taken down no
action could be taken on them ; but Mr. Dillon withdrew
them, and concluded by saying that he supported the amend-
ment because he feared that the use of the military and con-
stabulary at evictions would provoke resistance and lead to
bloodshed. '

Mr. Newdegate protested against Mr. Dillon's language,
and Mr. D. Grant exhorted the Irish members to allow the
debate to come to a close.

31r. Daly expressed the opinion that coercion would lead
to reprisals, and M. T. D. Sullivan repeated his denuncir,
tions of the practice of evictions and rack-renting.
M. A. O'Connor, in dwelling on the mischiefs of eviction,
warned the Government that it would deprive them of Ire-
land as a recruiting ground for the Army.
Mr. Healy expressed his determination to resist legisla-
tion which would increase the facilities for driving the
people from their dwellings,
.and, twitting the Liberal party
with its tergiversation, declared that if such a proposal had
been made by a Tory Government tlip Birmingham Caucus
machine would have been set to work and meetings would
have been held all over the country to "Boycott" the
Government.

Mr. Macliver commented on the characteristic perversity
of the Irish members in delaying the production of the
Ministerial measures.

Mr. O'C. Power contended that the Irish members were
not open to Mr. Gladstone's charge of wasting time, and
retorted on him that he himself had spoken for hours and
hours on the grievances of distant peoples for whose mis-
government Parliament was in no way responsible. Dilating
on the bitterness provoked by these evictions, he denied
that the enforcement of the law was always the absolute
rtuty of the Government. There were occasions when it was
wiser to refrain from.enforcing the law, and this was one of
them.

Mr. Parnell also comrrlained warmly of Mr, Gladstone's
unjust and ungenerous tone towards the Irish members, and
pointed out that out of the whole seven nights' debate the
Irish members only occupied twelve hours. Adverting
to the charge that he was using the land question
as a lever for the disintegration of the Empire,
he admitted that isolated sentences in his speeches
might seem to have that meaning. But he explaina
his meaning to be this—that if landlordism in Ireland were
abolished (and no settlement of the land question could
be satisfactory until the landlord's interest was extin-
guished or transferred to the tenant), if the antagonism
between landlord and tenant could be got rid of, if
the landlords could be persuaded to throw in their
lot with the people, there would be no longer any
considerable class in Ireland interested in the main-
tenance of English rule, and Ireland would peaceably and
without violence obtain her legislative independence,
linked to Great Britain by the bond of the Crown. At the
same time, though he had always held that it would be
criminal to plunge the Irish people into a hopeless struggle,
lie had never concealed his belief that if a fair chance of
success presented itself it was the duty of every Irishman to
shed his blood for his country. Jestifying the amend-
ment, he pointed out that, as the Land League had
prevented evictions and as the Coercion Bill was
intended to put down the Land League, something
must be done to restrain the power of eviction which
the landlords would be certain to exercise to revenge
themselves on their tenants. He warned the Government
that if they commencea by coercion the settlement of the
land question would be taken out of their hands. The first
arrest under it would be the signal for a general refusal to
pay rent. The movement would become much more for-
midable than at present, outrages and murders would in-
crease, and if the Habeas Corpus Act were suspended it
would be necessary to arrest 15,000 persons.
Sir S. Northcote expressed surprise that no member of the
Government had risen to take notice, not only of Mr.
Parnell:B language, but also of the tone in which he had ad-
dressed the House, assuming, as it were, the tone of an equal
power treating with the Crown. The House was ready to
give a full ^onsideration to the measures proposed by the
Government, but it insisted that the first thing done should
be the restoration of law and order.
The Solicitor-General for Ireland said that the reason why
no member of the Government had intervened was a desire
not to prolong the debate and a belief that Jr. Parnell's
views refuted themselves. The Government fully admitted
that the maintenance and execution of the law was their
first duty, and he denounced as a libel on the Irish tenantry
the suggestion that there would be a general refusal to pay
rent.

Mr. T. P. 0 Connor spoke at length, in an impatient House,
on the miseries inflicted by the practice of eviction.
Mr. Lalor moved the adjournment of the debate, and
Lord Hartington, in resisting the motion, warned the Irish
members that they wore raising a dangerous feeling of irrita-
tion throughout the country. Their tactics, he said, might
postpone for a time the restoration of law and order, and
must certainly lead to a considerable postponement of
remedial measures, but which of the two they desired he
would leave it to the House to judge.
Mr. Parnell warmly replied to this that before many
months the Government would bitterly repent their refusal
to allow' the Irish members adequate time to lay their
case before the country. After some further discussion
the motion for adjournment was negatived by 223 to 40.
Another adjournment being moved by Mr. Molloy, Lord
Hartington agreed to it, intimating: however, that the time
might shortly corna when it would be the ditty of the
Honse to submit to any inconvenience to facilitate the pro-
gress of business.
The debate was then adjourned, and the House adjourned
at half-past one o'clock.

In the HOUSE OF LORDS, Jan. IS, there was no business
on the paper ; and Lord Cork having laid on the table
further papers relating to Afghanistan, their Lordships ad.
journed at a quarter past five.
In the 1' OUSE OF COMMONS, in answer to Mr. Ritchie, Sir
William Harcourt slid he hoped to be able to bring iii a
Water Bill for the Metropolis this session.

Sir D. Wedderburn asked the Under-Secretary of State for
the Colonies whether it was true that several months ago a
numerous enibm,sy from the Zulu nation, including men of
the highest rank, was sent to the Natal Government to
intreat-that their King, Cety way°, might be rest ored to them
r.pon whatever conditions the British Government might
think proper to impose, and whether any condition had been
proposed to the Zulu people for their acceptance with a
view to the release of Cetywayo and the conciliation of his
former subjects.

Mr: Grant Duff: In reply to my hon. friends first ques-
tion, I have to say that Sir Bartle lerere, in a despatch
printed on page 76 of the South African papers, marked
C 2,695, and presented in September of last year, mentions.
an unofficial rumour of some such transaction, speaking of
as many as 200 natives ; and, again, at page 86 of the same
volume, in a despatch of Mr. Osborn's, the Residentin Zulu-
land, I find the following words : -
" With reference to the application lately made by
Undabuko, Panda's son, for th,g release of his brother' the
ex-king Cetywayo, I understand-that it has been alleged In
some of the colonial newspapers that several of the ap-
pointed chiefs joined in or supported the prayer. I wish to
remark that I have reason to believe that there is no truth
In the latter allegation, and I do not think that the chiefs
desire to see Cetywayo back in Zululand."
In reply to my hon. friend's second question I have to say
that no conditions have been proposed, that there is no in-
tention whatsoever of proposing any,.. and that'll° embassy
of the kind came or could have come from what he des-
cribes as the Zulu nation, which is now divided into 13 quite
independent chief tainships. Such moves on the part of in-
dividuals are to be expected from time to time. I never yet
heard of any exiled ruler who was so unlucky as not to leave
some Jasobite to regret him. (" Hear," and a- laugh.)
Mr. Sheridan asked the President of the Local Govern-
ment Board whether his attention had been called to the
statement in the public Press that 40,000 miners who refused
to contract themselves out of the. Employers' Liability Act
had been "locked out in Lancashire, and whether, con-
sidering the pressure' which was being put on working men
by employers to contract themselves out of the benefits of
this Act, he contemplated any amendment of the Act in the
interest of the working men.
Mr. Dodson I have observed with regret statements in
the Press to the effect that a difference has in this in-
stance arisen between employers and employed, but I
have no further knowledge of what pressure, if any, haa
been brought to bear by one party upon the other. I trust,
however, that the parties, if they have not already
virtually done so, will soon arrive at a friendly agree-
ment, either to remain under the Act or. to enter
into some just and satisfactory arrangement in lieu thereof.
The Act of last Session, as I repeatedly pointed out while it
was under discussion, imposed no restraint on freedom of
contract. l'pe Government have no intention, at all events,
before full experience of the working of the Act, to propose
a•Bill to amend its provisions. I especially hope that the
power of free contract will, if resorted to, be used with such
good sense, fairness, and moderation by all concerned that
no occasion will arise for curtailing it in the interest of any
party. (Heal', hear.)
• Mr. Rankin asked the Vice-President of tbe Council
whether, under the provisions of the Elementary Eductition
Act of 1880, children who are above the age of 13 years, but
under the age of 14 years, can obtain a certificate to enable
them to go to work if they have made 250 attendances for
five years in not more than two schools, even although they
may not have passed the standard of proficiency laid down
in the bye-laws; and whether children above ten years of
age who have passed the Third Standard may be employed
as half-timers until I'4 years of age without further examina-
tion.

• Mr. Mundella.: In.reply to the first question of the hon.
member, I hard to state that children above thirteen years
of age can obtain a labour certificate if they have made 250
attendances for five years in not more than two schools,
even although they may not have Passed the full-time standard
of the by-laws of the district. In reply to the second ques-
tion, I may say that children from ten to thirteen
years of age may be employed as half-timers if they can pass
the half-time standard of their district, but that standard
varies. It is generally, however, the Third Standard.
Children between 13 and 14 who have not passed the
standard of the local bye-laws must pass the Fourth Standard,
or have made the 250 attendances required by the Act of
1876. (Hear, hear.)
The adjourned debate on he Address was resumed by
Mr. Molloy, who gave a warm 'support to the amendment,
because he believed that the landlords would use coercion
to clear their estates..

Mr. Mennerhasset warned his colleagues in the Irish re-
presentation that by their present course they were awaken-
ing resentments which would retard the measures required
by Ireland.
Mr. Gray replied to this that the Trish members of the
Third Party believed that they faithfully represented the
feelings of the tenant-farmers, aMi therefore were justified
in taking a strong course in opposition to coercive measures.
He pointed out that if the amendment were carried it-would
only place the landlord in the same position as other creditors.
Mr. Labouchere opposed the amendment because it gave a
dispensing power; but urged that before the Coercion Bill
was brought in something in the nature of the Disturbance
Bill should be passed to prevent eviations while the Land
Bill was being passed.
Mr. Bryne supported the amendment; and Mr. M. Henry,
while annotmcing his intention to vote against it because it
had been injudiciously pressed, hoped that the Government
would take some steps to put an end to evictions. The
policy of exasperation, he pointed, out, was the least likely
of all to obtain justice for Ireland, but at the same time,
he discerned so many signs of improvement in the state of
Ireland since the Government had woke up to the powers
they possessed and had put them in operation that he
thought they might withdraw their Coercion Bill altogether.
The O'Donoghue, Mr. Marum, Mr.O'Donnell, Mr. Leamy,
Mr. O'Shaughnessy, and Mr. Errington having taken part in
the debate,
Mr. M'Carthy proposed to withdraw the amendment, to
the form of which, he said, grave but unexpected objections
had been taken, for the purpose of substituting another
for it.
The debate was continued by Mr. Biggar, Mr. Finigan,
Mr. Gill, Mr. Sexton, and Mr. Barry,
,and on a division Mr.
M'Carthy's amendment was negatived by 201 to 37. The
debate was then further aujourned on the Motion of Mr.
Dawson.

The House adjourned at twenty-five minutes to one
o'clock.

• The Lords Justices decided on Saturday, in the
appeals of Mr. Dale and Mr. Enraght, that while the objec-
tions to the prohibition had failed, the objection to the
arrest had succeeded. The writ was defectively issued
from the Court of Queen's Bench, and Mr. Dale was there-
fore entitled to be discharged. The consequence would
follow with respect to Mr. Enraght that he would be en-
titled to his rule for a habeas corpus in order that he might
be dischargod.-=-The Rev. R. W. Enraght was released from
Warwick Gaol on Monday morning. He was received out-
side by a deputation from the Birmingham branch of the
Working Men's Society, and upon his departure from the
railway station for )3ordesley he was enthusiastically
cheered. The rev, gentleman appeared in excellent health
And spirits,

A MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE IN
AUSTRALIA.

(From Wednesday's Times, Jan. 19.)

The Australasian (Melbourne, November 13) says
that no success has attended the investi,Ations made
into the disappearance of Mr. -Lamont Young, the
Government Geologist, who was sent to report on
the Bermagui gold field, and of:the party by whocnhe
. .
was accompanied. "It is not.: only an unsolved;
but a perplexing mystery, which urges itself
the more peremptorily on attention from the shade
of suspicion of crime which hangs over the matter.
The case is one of an extraordinary character. Mr.
Young went on the day of his arrival at Bermagui to
cross the bay in a centre-board boat. Two
days afterwards the boat was found jammed among
rocks on the coast, about ten miles to the northward,
and no trace could be discovered of its occupants.
Among the hypotheses that were devised for their dis-
appearance was, that they had been drowned, and the
boat had drifted ashore. Later and closer examination of
the spot, however, appears to dispose of this conjecture
and to demonstrate that the boat was carefully navi-
gated to the shore between the rocks, and that the party
had a meal on shore after landing. The discovery of
some bullet-holes in the boat and of a copper cartridge
case on. the sand suggested the thought that the party
had been attacked andmurdered. This, again, seems to
be refuted by careful examinption, which fails to dis-
cover any traces to support such a theory—traces which
might confidently be looked for if such a crime
had been committed. There remains the fact that
since that time, the 9th of October, 1880, all the
members of the party, five fir number, and all traces
of them, have utterly disappeared. The coast has
been searched, the country inland has been searched,
but nothing can be learnt of the missing men after
that landing at Corunna Point. The country inland
is inhabited by settlers, and is fenced for some miles
back from the shore, so that the loss of men in
the bush seems to be a most improbable supposition.
At present the earlier suspicion of foul play seems to
be dissipated, and absolutely no suggestion can be
made to take its place. The case is a most Mysterious
and uncomfortable one, and it is to be hoped that the
Government will not relax its endeavours to throw
some light on the strange problem involved."
Correspondent writes that since the date of this
article a telegraphic reply from Lord A. Loftus,
Governor of New South Wales, dated the 20th of
December, to the Colonial Secretary, Lord Kimberley,
has been received, stating that every effort to clear up
the mystery at Bermagui (which is on the coast, 180
miles south of Sydney) has proved fruitless; and a,
private telegram of still later date, the 27th of Decem-
ber, shows that still no traces had been discovered.

t A- gentleman of the Mines Department was at once
and specially deputed to thoroughly investigate all
the circumstances, of the case on the spot, and
was engaged for Inany days in his task with the
aid of efficient police officers and black trackers.
The Government at Sydney have also offered a reward
of £2OO for such information as will elucidate the
matter and lead to the conviction of persons who
may have been guilty of any violence. Paragraphs
in the Australian papers show that the practice
of crimping seamen had been brought to the notice of
the Governments at Sydney and Adelaide. This fact,
joined to the evidence of the party having been sur-
prised, and the impossibility of otherwise satisfactorily
explaining this mysterious occurrence, has led to the
strong belief on tile part of those most deeply in-
terested that
.the whole five. persons have been kid-
napped and taken off in some vessel.
It is hoped that the wide circulation of this narra-
tive in The Times may, by drawing attention in foreign
parts to vessels arriving there from the coasts of Aus-
tralia, lead to the unravelling of the mystery and the
restoration of the missing persons to their wives and
families. Their names are Mr. Lamont Young, Go-
vernment Geological Surveyor, Sydney, Associate
Royal School of Mines, and F.G.S. ; Mr. Max
Schneider, Government Mines Department, Sydney;
and three boatmen, named Casey, Towers, and
Lloyd.