The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-07-24 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-YE6TERDAY,

, Lord FERMOT gave notice that on the motion for going into
committee on the Spirit Duties Bill he should move that it be
an instruction to the committee to insert a clause repealing the
excise duty on paper.

Sir J. Fence:son. having'enquired if the 'statements in the
Trench newspapers were true, to the effect that
.French troops
were about to interfere in Syria by•forc:e of arms; whether her
Majesty's government had given their consent to any proceed- •
ings; whether the action was to extend beyond the coast; •
whether the consent of the 'Porte had been obtained ; and
whether any intelligence had been received of. a pacification
haring been concluded between the contending Powers,
Lord J. Reessr.m. replied that instructions had been already
sent to Admiral Martin to proceed to Syria, and, if necessary,
to land marines, for the purpose of checking the massacre.
•Since that time more distressing tews had been received from
Syria. -The Turkish authorities had behaved in a most shame-
ful manner.. and; the Pasha of Damascus had betrayed a large
number of Cliristians into the.hands of the Druses. There was
every reason to -believe that unless some interference took
place the massacres would probably continue. - It was- the
general improssiOn among the Europeans on the coast that the
Turksliad not done an th,y could to stay the. massacres. . The
event; at pamascus had
_succeeded; and in consegnence the
Troich.aMbassador had called en him, declaring his belief
that Peace Would not be. secured until-a' foreign forne was tient.
to sytia. He had replied that the -Porte had already
sent trOws-there. The
ambal&saiior 'answered that no.depend-
..
*nee .eould be Placed on that report !to further. eniuired if
any. objection would .be made to the intervention. of 'French
troops. He took some time to consider the'proPoSition ; and,
after consulting with the Cabinet,- returned for • answer
that the British government had no objection to offer
but that he hoped the Porte would be a party' to any arrange-
ment. • The other Powers had then been consulted, and had
given their consent, but that of the Porte hadnot been obtained
as yet. No convention had been signed, and nd nothing decided
troops
As French Ds
received
as to, the stay or the mode of operation o
As to the pacification, a short telegram was from Co ;
stantinople; •in which it was stated that on the 10th instant
peace had been signed between the Maronites and the Druse
but of the report her. Majesty's Government had no confirma-

tion.
stated that it was not his intention to proceed
Sir C. Wool,
with the bill of which he had given notice, respecting the cie vil
service and High Courts of Yudicature in India.
The House then went into committee upon fortifications
and works.
Lord PALIttittSTON said that the course he should pursue
iiPon- this subject would probably take the house by surprise.
He traced the progress of feeling after the glorious termination
of the long continental wars, reminding the House that we had
maintained oar naval efficiency so long as maritime warfare
was carried on by sailing ships. The introduction of steam,
however, totally changed the state of affairs. They
altered at once tee character of naval warfare and our
position, by naturally facilitating foreign aggression.
The English. 'Channel had, in fact, been bridged over.
It was under the consciousness of this contingency that
the Duke of Wellington published his famous letters, wherein
he pointed outthe defenceless state of our coasts. So slow are
nations to entertain new ideas that the appeal fell on dead sirs.
Subsequent Governments, especially the late Government ( Lord
Derby's), had, however, awakened to a sense of danger, and
taken active steps towards supplying the defective state of
our national establishment, and latterly very great pro-
gress had been snide towards this important end. A
commission of enquiry had been appointed, and their
report was now lying on the table of the House,
Their recommendations involved an outlay of £11,000,000. He
held that it was essential to the safety of the country that the
recommendations should.be substantially attended to. This
object they might obtain in two ways,—either by carrying on
needful fortifications by slow degrees, out of the annu a esti-
mates of the year, and in completing them in eighteen or
twenty years; or, they might complete them in. two or three
years, by raising money by annuities, terminable in thirty
Tears. This last was the course he should recommend to the
House. If the fortifications were wanted at all, they were
wanted at once. He justified the mode of proceeding, by
qUoting the conduct of Parliament with regard to private
estates, whose proprietors were encouraged to borrow money
for their improvement. The expense would not be much
greater by these means, than by taking many, years for the
completion of the works. The horizon was full of clouds
which betokened a tempest. and it was impossible to say
when it might burst. He alluded (he hoped without offence)
to our powerful neighbours across the channel, to whom
our coasts 'were peculiarly accessible, and presented so
many vulnerable points. France had au army of about
600,000 men, an army far greater than was wanted
for purposes of defence. He would not say that the
army was raised far purposes of aggression. The power
to aggress often gave the wish, and we could never
be safe by mere dependence upon the forbearance of a iival.
Then again, there was aa enormous development of the French
navy, a force which certainly could never be required for her
defences. No one could answer for a day that an unpleasant
question might not arise ; and if one was greatly the weaker,
and one the stronger rower, those qtf4StiOns would be very