The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-04-04 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

In the Rouse tif Lords on Monday, the Duke of Richmond,
In moving • vote of thanks to the Naval and Military Forces
recently engaged in the operations on the West Coast of
Africa, said he would not touch on any points of a contro-
vinsuil nature as to the policy which had been adopted in
that quarter of the globe, but would only refer to the
brilliant nature of the services performed, mid he erpreseed
his opinion that one of the most marvellous circumstanees
connected with the war had been the rapid manner iu which
it had been brought to a suesessful isoue, mainly owing to
the met energy and soldierlike qualitim of Sir Garnet
Wolseley, to whom the conduct of the operations was com-
mitted, and who, with his victorious troops had overcome
all the difficulties resulting from the almost impassable
Maitre of the country, the pestilential climate, and the want
incajia of trausport Ifer Majesty's Naval Force engaged
in the operations had shown that they could fight as well on
bind as on board ship, and the Marines had also maintained
their ancient prestige. After noticing in terms of praise the
conduct of the Artillery, of the Engineers, of the 42nd Regi-
ment. and of the Rifle Brigade, the Duketif Richmond 0 bserved
that lie should be sorry to pass unnoticed the conduct of those
who unionised Native forces upon the occasion, and particu-
larly referred to the valuable ant thus given by Commander
Glover, of the Royal Navy. He added that unfortunately,
there wan on all such occasions a dark side to the
• picture. hut he felt sure that the sympathy of their Lord-
ships soulduot be withheld from those who were now mourn
lug the loss of some dear relatives or friends. Ile concluded
by moving a formal vote of thanks to Sir Garnet Wolseley,
to Commodore Commerell, Commodore Hewett, Captain Fre-
mantle, Colonel Fasting, Ste A. Alison, and all the other
officers and men of the Navy, Army, and Royal Marines who
took part in the operations on the Gold Coast and to Com-
mander Glover for the energy and ability with which he led
considerable Native force from the River Volta to Coo-
muscle. To this/notion was appended an acknowledgment
of the distinguished valour alai conduct of those who
perished in the operation, coupled with an expression of deep
sympathy with their relatives and frienthi.
Lord riransille, in seconding the mition, said that It was
one of time iligheat privileges of Farhoment, and certainly
one of its most agreeable duties, to acknowledge on behalf
et the country the great services rendered by if cc Ma-
jesty* Military anti Naval Forces. The description given
the Duke of Richmond of the services of the forces cc-
mu in the Ashantee War wm marked by no exaggeration.
ai whole conduct of the British officers had been admirable,
and a circumstance which must never be forgotten was
the cordial co-operation if tile land and sea service, lie was
glad to notice the tribute paid to Commander (tlover, and he ,
T*uld not avoid alluding to the extraordinary feat performed
by Captain Sartori.. With regard to loss of life, there wits ,
sonic consolation in the reflection that it was less than had
heea expected when the Expedition first went forth, and it
was also a satisfaction to know that many lives had been
saved by the care bestowed on the wounded.
The Duke of Cambridge ewpressed his admiration at the
manner in whim-ft the operations had been conducted by Sir
tiarnet Wolseley and the forces under his command. The
number oi those forces was small, but the difficulty they had
to encounter wits great, and they had proved that British
troops, If they only had confidence in their officers,
might lie relied on to do anything. Ile was glad to
hear the moms of Colonel Feeling and Captain Ire- I
mantle mentioned, and he would also add the name 1
et Captain loiter, who always took the meitiun
which Sir Garnet tiulseley indicated, to him, and whose ser-
vices were ver) effective, as were also those of every officer
engaged. It was evident that now, as ever, the feeling of the
Army and Nov) wasaound at the core, and Sir Garnet Wolseley
had displayed, wherever he had been, the true spirit of a sol-
dier and the true instinct of • Commander.
The motion was theta agreed to unanimously.
The Attorney and Solicitors Bill pawed through Committee,
and the House then adjourned until the 14th of April,

The folltoviniz is the tent of the Desolations moved in the
flowa of Commons, by Mr. Disraeli :- -

' That the thanka of this Howe be given to Major-General
Sir Garnet J wolseley, C li. K C SIG., for the exemplary
shill with which he planned, and the distinguished courage,
energy. and r-'rseverance with which he conducted, the
veoent expediti..n into Ashantee, resulting in the expulsion
the enemy',.. army from the British Protectorate, the
,lefeat, by her Majesty's forces, of the army of the King of
Ashantee, and t :ie capture and destruction of Coomassle.

" That the tiuulks of this House be given to Commodore
John K Commorell, C.B. , RN, Commodore Wm. N.
W. Hewett, v U. R.N., Captain the Honourable E. It.
Freemantle, II N., who was in temporary command of the
squadron, and colonel Francis W. heating, R. M. A., who was
in temporary Lynnwood ot the troops in the Gold Coast, for the
distinguished gallantry, indefatigable zeal, and grea ability
whkh they displayed in cooductiog the operations on the
Bold Coast, and to all the above utliceps for the cordial Co.
which they allorded to her Majesty's land forces'.
" That the thanks of this house he given to Brigadier-
General Sir Archebold Alison, Bert, C 8., and to all the
other officers of the Navy, Army, and Royal Marinas who
have taken part in the operations on the Gold Coast and the
expedition to Aslantee, for the energy, gallantry, and ability
with which they have executed the various servi,es which
they have been called on to perform in a most unhealthy
climate.

•• That this House cloth highly acknowledge and ap-
prove the discipline, gallantry, and endurance dis-
played by the petty officers, non-commissioned officers,
and men of the h avy, Army, and Marines, whether
employed in the front, on the line of communications,
in reserve on laud, or all the coast ; and that the same
he signified th them by their respective commanding
officers.

" That the thanks of this House be given to Commander
John Hawley Glover, R N., for the energy, courhge, and
ability with which, as hoc Hajesty's Special Commissioner to
the Eastern tribes of the (told Coast, and with the aid of
other gallant otileers of the army and navy, he led a consider-
able native force from the River Volta to Commissie, there-
by largely conducing to the success of the main operations
under the Major-General commanding.
" That this House atignowledges with admirateon the dis-
tinguished valour ;obi conduct of those Wilk, have perished
during the operations against the Ashantecs, in the serVice of
their country, and desire to express its deep sympathy with
their relatives and friends"

This Vote of Thanks to Sir Garnet Wolseley and his Force
attracted a very large audience both in the House and the
galleries. Mr. Disraeli rose to move that the thauks of this
House be given to Major-thtneral Wolseley. Commodore ,
Commerelt Commodore Hewett, Captain Freemantle. Colonel
resting, Sir A. Alison, Commander Glover, and the other
officers, together with the petty officers, non-commissioned
officers, and men of the Navy. Army, and Marines, who have
taken part in the Ashantee Expedition, for the energy, gal-
lantry, endurance, and ability which they have displayed.
Mr. Disraeli prefaced his motion by a succinct narrative of
the operations, dwelling first on the gloomy period
immediately preceding ifir Garnet is olseley's arrival,
and describing in terms of warm praise the valiant energy
of the small force of Blue Jackets who, under Colonel Festing
and Captain Fremantle, had checked and controlled the
Ashantee ievasion, Whth Sir Garnet arrived it was with
an efficient Staff, but without troopa - because at that time
it was intended to carry on thins war by means of Native
levies. But the General, who possessed great knowledge of
human nature as well as of military science, very
SOOO after his arrival wrote to the Government that
the business cmild not be done without white troops
'Me Goverument, with commendable promptitude, de-
tailed three distinguished regiments for the service. These,
however, could not arrive under two mouths ; and in the m-
terval Sir Grimed, with the small force at his disposal, at-
tacked and destroyed sect-cal villages in which Me enemy was
harbouring, and made some progress in a military road
towards the Prate In describleg this operation, Mr. Disraeli
drew a picture of the Bush, and of the enormous labour re-
quired to penetrate through it. Passing to the actual cans-
reign. he described the march to Cotimassie, the battles in
the forest against an invisible foe, the desperate struggle at
Amoaful, the dash on Coomassie, and the successful and
umuolested return to the coast, hearing testimony to
the important influence of Commander' Glover's opera-
tions, and expressing a decided opinion thee, though
the Treaty had red yet been signed, it was not
hopeless. Sum,ming up the general results of the cam-
paign, he declared it to be a feat of arms which the country
would not easily forget—protesting against the notion that
military glory could be connected only with large armies.
On the contrary, some of the greatest military achievements
had been performed by small annies, and In modern history
he instanced the conquest of Mexico by Cartes, and Welling-
ton's Peninsular canipaign. Speaking, in conclusion, of the
energy and coma e displayed by the troops, he described
as of the kind which thrills through the households of a
country. and sustains andistrengthens the tone of a nation.
Mr. Gladstone, in seconding the motion, took exception to
Mr. Disraeli's statement that it hail ever been intended to
carry on the war with Native levies. On the contrary, when
General Wolseley was sent out, at a time when our informa-
tion was deplorably scanty, the regiments were told off for
service and the transports were prepared, to be ready if the
General should require them. For himself and his late col-
leagues he expressed his high admiration .1 the manner
in which the British Force had defended the honour and in-
terests of the country, bidding the House to bear in mind the
courage, craft, and ferocity displayed by the enemy, the
nature of the country, and the limited time in which the
Expedition could be carried on. There never was a case in
which a plan of campaign had been so completely laid nut
beforehand, or in which the execution had no closely corres-
ponded with the design.

Colonel I,yd Lindsay trtipperted the motion, and Dr. Lush
complained that no mention was made In the Vote of the
Medical (Mincers Mr Hardy pointed out that they were
covered by the general language of the Vote, and that it ivais
contrary to the Rule to mention any officers by name who
had not been in command. Sir K Witmot was it opinion
that the Government ought to have known from the ling that
our native allies could not he relied oil, and earnestly en-
treated the Government to bestow the Victoria Cross on
Colonel Pealing for hit gallantry in resetting from the
Ashantees the bed!: t,f his son, Lieutenant a ilmot, killed
near Durum/Ili

Mr. Goschen repeated that it never was intended to carry
on the war with native troops alone, but the white troops
could not be sent out with safety to their health until the
time at which they aidually arrived. Colonel North brought
the conversation to a close by suggesting that the I,ooooz. of
gold sent down by the Ashantee King should be given to the
troops as prize money.
The Resolutions were then agreed to amid much cheering,
and the Speaker was directed to coulmunicate them to Sir
Garnet M olseley and the other officers.
The House having gone into Committee of Supply, Mr.
Hardy moved the Army Estimates, which he said were sub-
stantially the Estimaies prepared by Lord Cardwell. The
usual desultory discussion of the details of the Estimates was
'defaced by a Retrenchment amendment moved by Sir W.
Lawson, who proposed to reduce the nuinber of men by
10,000. Quoting Mr llisraelEs remark, that " expenditure
depends upon policy," he based his motion entirely on policy
and demanded dud the Government should tell Parliament
against what Power tins large Army Wlao to he kept up. He
believed it quite unnecessary, tor the present Ministers were
as little likely to get us into war as the last.
Mr. Butlee.lohnstone made some observations in reply to
Sir W. Lawson's amendment.
Sir 0. Balfour, Colonel Gilpin, Captain Nolan, and Mr.
Halsey offered [some comments on various items in the Votes,
after which Sir Wilfred Lawson's amendment was negatived
by 258 to aa The Votes if 128.984 men arid of £1,434,500 for
their pay and allowances were then agreed to.
lathe Navy Estimates. a Vote of 80.000 men and boys, In-
cluding 14,000 Marines, Was agreed G. without debate, in
order to facilitate the passing of the Marine Mutiny Act ;
and Mr. Hunt promised to make his statement on the 60th
of April.
Several bills were brought in by prilate members and read
a first time, and the House adjourned.

MR. WHALLEY'S COMMITTAL YOR CONTEMPT.
In the House f Commons on Tuesday evening, Mr. Walpole
brought up the report of the select Committee on Privilege,
to whom was referred the letter of the Lord Chief Justice
of England, sent to this House upon the subject of the
committal of Mr. Whalley for contempt of court, in order
that they might consider whether the matter demanded the
consideration of the HOUK'. The committee stated the facts
of the case in their report on the committal of Mr. Whalley
for the letter which appeared fn the I)rtily Kew upon his re-
fugal to pay the fine, and recommended as follows: "Under
all the circumstances your committee are of opinion that the
matter referred ti them does St demand the further in-
vestigation of the !Tooso. antlyour committee also desire to
express their opinion thee the boot chief Justice hailed hi,
duty when he informed the noose that a member of the
House of Commonn had been imprisoned for contempt of
court '' (Hear, he.tr.)

M y Whalley the q presented a petition from the inhabitante
of Peterborough, which be desired might he read at the table.
It expremed the ,tisfaction of the petitioners that the sub-
ject of the commitment of My is bailey bad been referred to
a Select Committee of the Rouse for the purpose Of enquiry
and report thereon 3lr Whalley waa at the time one of the
members for the 1 orategit. end Ali been since returned hy a
larger rnajorit, it any preolcii . ,0
Moen: bubmitteil Lie great importance to the qui,ti
whether a man could he coaanitted from tbe court of QueMi%
Bench without a trial by jury.
DR. 1117T1fORONE—THE ADfOrENIIENT DE THE llousaq
Mr. Disraeli moved that this House upon its rising do ad
bourn until Monday, the 13th of April.

•
Mr Russell Gurney expressed hie regret that he had not had
an opportunity of commenting upon the subject to which he
was about to refer, and wished to draw the attention
of the House to the expected arrival of the body of
Tv Livingstone in this ,tnintrt A very general (Intro
Was upraised Mei the body lOWA be burled la

-
WeTtminster Abbey, and the authorities had signified their
readiness to do everything in their power to further this end
by every means in their power. Ile now found that there
were no means of carrying the general desire into effect, as
neither the family nor the Geographical Society, who sym-
pathised with the object, had any met... It would be a great
disappointment if the general wishes could not be carried into
effect, and ha could not help thinking that it would be some
discredit to Us as a nation it such were to be the case. The
expense would be small, and if borne by the Govern-
ment it would be hailed as a graceful act throughout the
cinuitry.

Mr. Disraeli said there was some inconvenience in ,1110.1-
Huns of this kind being brought before the House without
notice. There could be in the House of Commons but one
feeling, a desire to du honour to the memory of the great
discoverer, jut at the seine time it would be seen at once
that y 1103410116 of this kind required investigation and con-
sideration on the part of the Government The body had
been brought to this country at the public expense, but the
circumstances connected with the voyage and other ques-
tions might have been satisfactorily answered if notice had
been given. At present all he could do was to ask his hon.
friend to allow the Governuient to take a note of the con-
versation of this evening, and to give it their best considers'.
The motion for adjournment was then agreed to.