The Press.
London, England, 1855-03-31 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—FamAy.

New writs were moved for Mr. Bouverie, who bad
accepted the Vice-Presidency of the Board of Trade,
and for Mr. Brand, appointed a Lord of the
Treasury.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER informed the
house that he intended to make his financial state-
ment on Friday, the 20th April, and that on Monday,
the 16th, the second reading for the better govern-
ment of the metropolis would be taken, after which
the house would go into a committee of supply.
On the motion that the house adjourn to the 16th
of April,
Sir J. PAKINGTON rose to complain of the state of
the colonial department. The present confusion
created a feeling on the part of the colonists that
their interests were neglected, and he should feel it
his duty to submit a motion on the subject.
Sir DE LACY EVANS wished to know if active
measures were being taken to supply reinforce-
ments to the Crimea? It was far more important
to obtain recruits for the regular army than to pay
great attention to the militia. It was reported that a
large armament was to be sent to the Baltic. Now,
last year the armament then was too large for its re •
quirements. He urged the necessity of employing
a large number of steamers in the narrow seas of the
Euxine. The real struggle was, in those waters,
and the principle of concentrating our attack was the
surest means of success. He bore testimony to the
admirable manner in which the naval operations had
been conducted in the Black Sea.
Sir G. GREY said that the Government were fully
alive to the importance of sending reinforcements to
the Crimea. They were no longer sent in small num-
bers, but would be despatched in large bodies, in a
state of greater efficiency than heretofore.
A discussion arose on the inconvenience of taking
supply votes after midnight, Lord SEYMOUR and
Mr. WILSON laying the blame on the practice of
bringing forward irrelevant motions before going
into committee of supply.
Mr. BLAND and Mr. BRADY complained of the
sectarian spirit which pervaded the Government
appointments in Ireland, more especially with regard
to the late reductions of poor•law officers.
Mr. HORSMAN explained the principle on which
those reductions were made, to prove that no secta-
rian spirit had or could interfere.
Sir J. PAXTON made some suggestion as to the
construction of the huts at Aldershot.
Mr. MONSEL promised to attend to the suggestions.
Mr. MACGREGOR, after complaining of the reckless
way in which the estimates were voted, said that the
adjournment of the house for so lengthened a period
was unprecedented.
Lord PALMERSTON said that a chairman of ways
and means, in place of Mr. Bouverie, would be pro-
posed on their reassembling.
Mr. SPOONER gave notice that on the Ist of May he
would bring the Maynooth grant before the house.
Other notices were given, after which the %mac'.

THE PRESS.

TOR-GENERAL brought forward his motion for abo-
lishing the testamentary jurisdiction of the ecclesias-
tical courts. His bill was founded on the experience
of past commissions, whose labour he detailed at
length ; it established a district civil metropolitan
court, superseding the local offices. Wills were to be
printed, and stamped, and any number he required
forwarded to the executor. The court was to be a
tribunal, having power of construction as well as of
administration. He entered at length into the ano-
malies of the present system, and he proposed to
avoid them in his own measure. He provided for
compensation to those who might be deprived of their
offices by continuing the present fees for some time
longer, and to the proctors by giving them an an-
nuity of one-half the income they now derived from
their testamentary business.
Mr. NAPIER objected to the fragmentary way in
which the Legislature dealt with reference to the
ecclesiastical courts.

The debate, which became chiefly technical, was
continued by Mr. Matins, who advocated the courts,
and Mr. Keogh, who twitted Mr. Malins with only
desiring that the ecclesiastical courts were more
expensive, and that all other courts were like them.
Dr. R. Phillimore defended the practitioners in
the courts as able and industrious men. Sir J.
Pakington, Mr. Hadfield, and Mr. Bowyer, could
not see that wills required a distinct court, and
thought that they might be dealt with, like other
documents, by the Lord Advocate.
Leave to bring in some bills was given to Sir W.
Molesworth and Mr. Collier.

The house was counted out at half-past twelve.

The official announcement in the Moniteur of the
Emperor and Empress having accepted Queen
Victoria's invitation to England has produced the
greatest possible delight throughout France, because
such visit will bind still more closely the alliance be-
tween both countries, and will postpone, if it do
not altogether prevent, the Emperor's going to the
Crimea.

The Patriotic Fund subscription opened at Galig-
nani's amounts to 1,8001. sterling.

The last despatches from Vienna respecting the
Conferences state that the Plenipotentiaries have
referred to their respective Governments for further
instructions, in consequence of differences on the
third point.

A private letter from Athens of the 21st states that
the young Emperor of Russia took possession of the
private cabinet of the late Emperor, and of his
papers, immediately after his death. It seems that
some interesting documents, containing correspon-
dence with several European statesmen, have been
found, and that they will, out of spite, be published.

A new Belgian Ministry has at length been formed,
as follows;—Viscount Vilain, XIV., Foreign Affairs ;
M. de Decker, Interior; M. de Nothomb, Justice;
General Greindl, War; M. de Dumon, Public
Works; and M. Mercier, Finances.

A telegraphic despatch from Madrid of Thursday
states that an attempt had been made by some of
the militia on the previous night to effect a demo-
cratic change in the Ministry. By the vigilance
and determination of Espartero, however, the
scheme was frustrated, and the city remained
tranquil.

The necessity of having a staff corps, mechanics
in various trades and branches, having been felt
during the winter campaign in the Crimea, it is in
tended to organise a corps similar to that which was
found to be of such service during the Peninsular
war, and which was only reduced in 1824. The
duties of a staff corps are nearly similar to those per-
formed by the Royal Sappers and Miners.
As soon as the Paris Exhibition opens, a daily
steam packet communication will be established be.
tween Southampton and Havre.
A party of 31 Mormonites started from Worcester
a few days since by train to Liverpool, on their way
to the Salt Lake.

At Calcutta and Bombay trade was dull, and
freight low. The price of opium had declined.
The export of tea from Foochoo has reached this
season twenty-six millions of pounds.
The latest dates from China are, Shanghae, Feb.
0 ; Hong-Kong, Feb. 15. Two fresh assaults are re-
ported to have been made by the French upon
Shanghae, in both of which they were repulsed by the
rebels. The country around Canton is in the hands
of the insurgents.
The second February overland mail arrived at
Trieste on Wednesday. The telegraphic summary
of intelligence states, from India, that Hyder Khan,
as representative of Dog Mahomed, had arrived at
Jallalabad, on his way to Peshawur, to negotiate with
the Chbd Commissioner.

gout Sponlantt.

TO THE EDITOR OF " THE PRESS."

307

Sir,—l see that in your last issue some attempts
have been made to impugn the statements made by
me in a previous number regarding two appoint-
ments to the Turkish contingent under General
Vivian, and which have been also commented on in
the Times.

As regards the distinction made by one of your
correspondents between cashiering and dismissal, the
point is of little consequence. The persons alluded
to were expelled the Bengal army some six or seven
years ago by the verdicts of general courts-martial,
confirmed by the commander•in-chief, and they
were expelled on charges which would, on being es-
tablished, have similarly caused their expulsion from
any private circle and from any military or other
club in London. Having been so expelled the ser-
vice, they have never since been restored to the
functions of their commissions ; their names were
not included in the brevet to retired officers of the
Indian army, which was issued in November last;
the name of one of them is not to be found in the
annual list of retired and other Indian officers, pub-
lished at the India-house, in January last; and the
only name bearing a similarity to that of the other
has opposite to it the statement that the officer
designated retired from the service in 1853. So that
it cannot, I imagine, be the same.
Were it, however, otherwise, the mere placing
them on the pension-list would be very insufficient
to remove from them the stigma that a dismissal
from the army on such charges must necessarily
entail. Indeed, as regards the Company's service,
the placing dismissed officers on the pension-list
proves nothing, for many have been so placed as
an act of charity; indeed, most of those who have
served any time are so placed after dismissal, though
their entire guilt may never have been denied. If,
then, these officers are innocent, as "Justus" tells
us, it is of the Directors, and not of me, that they
have a right to complain, for if they be innocent, it
was the duty of the Directors long ago to make mani-
fest their innocence by restoring them to the regi-
ments in India from which they were expelled. But
till the Directors do this the public, I fear, in spite
of all that " Justus " can say, will hold its own
opinion of the matter of their present appointment,
and attribute, not to justice, but to jobbery, the act
which selects for high command in the Sultan's ser•
vice men who have been ignominiously expelled
their own.—l have the honour to remain, sir, your
most obedient servant, HOBOS.
March 28th, 1855.

ENLISTMENT IN THE ARMY.
TO THE EDITOR OF " THE PRESS."

Sir,—Lord Palmerston is reported in the Times
of Wednesday to have made use of the following
words while addressing the house on Major Reed's
motion :

Have we, as represented by the hon. member for Kid-
derminster, found the people unwilling to enlist under the
banner of their Sovereign, to defend the honour of their
country, and to sustain the cause in which we are
engaged ?

It seems odd, but I can state that, on the order
being read to the men of the Worcestershire Militia
this morning that they would be excused duty be
yond the fifty-six days in each year, for which period
they bound themselves to the service, only about 300
men out of the 800 now in training consented to
remain with the regiment, althoughloffered IL a bead
bounty. Some time back about 450 of these men
volunteered upon a promised bounty of 21. a head to
go on foreign service; but as the money was not
forthcoming of course the men were off the bargain,
and so will the 300 be unless better faith is kept
with them. Englishmen do not relish being so
trifled with ; but our Government are regardless of
everything except their own interest and the
patronage contingent on place.—l am, sir, your
obedient sery ant,
March 28.

VOLUNTEER.

THE Melbourne Argus states that one of the Ans•
tralian colonies was willing to grant ]00,0001• per
annum towards steam communication with England.
THE section of the Madrid and Valencia Railway
from Alcazar de San Juan to Albacete, was opened
on the 18th inst. A great number of invitations to
personages of distinction to be present at the open-
ing were issued by M. Salamanca, to whom the line
belongs. As the weather was tine tbere was a large
attendance of spectators. Everything passed off
well, and without the least accident. The distance
from Madrid to Albacete, which is fift. Spanish
leagues (about IY4 miles), was done in sis hour%
forty minutes:

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f i t tr a tit r t.

The Literary Life and Correspondence of the
Countess of Blessington. By R. R. Madden,
M.R.1.41.. London : Newby.
[Second Notloa]

THE story of Lady Blessington's life is not
half so curious as Mr. Madden's manner of
telling it, which would be very inadequately
represented by the Falstathan figure—an
ocean of extraneous people to a pennyworth of
Lady Blessington. It, more closely resembles
Sylvester Daggerwood's stage directions for a
novel moonlight effect, to be produced by con-
cealing the moon behind a cloud. Mr.
Madden's moon is behind a cloud all through
the book. The consequence is that the few
rays of biography that straggle out are re-
markably scant and partial.
According to a memoir written by Miss
Power, and quoted at large by Mr. Madden,
Lady Blessington was born in 1790, at a place
ominously called Knockbrit, in the county of
Tipperary. Her father was a Power, her
mother a Sheehy, both old Roman Catholic
families, and both distinguished by pre-
eminently Irish qualities. Riot and rebellion,
even in Ireland, had few such conspicuous
supporters as they found in the Powers and
Sheehys. Lady Blessington's father is de-
scribed as "a country gentleman occupied
" with field sports and agricultural pursuits."
As a sample of his field sports, we are told
that one of his favourite amusements was
hunting—not foxes, but men and boys ' • and
that on one occasion he " shot a flying
peasant;" which we imagined to be a mis-
print for pheasant, till we found that he seized
the wounded man and carried him bleeding
on the back of his horse to his own house to
regale the eyes of his wife and daughters. On
another occasion he took a shot at a lad at an
angle of a road, and killed him on the spot.
His agricultural pursuits appear to have con-
sisted in setting up country newspapers, for
which he did not possess a single requisite,
and entering into some mercantile business, in
which he ruined himself and his partners by
overdrawing the capital. Mr. Power was
much given to dogs, horses, and wine, wore
white cravats, leather breeches, and top-boots,
was what was called a " Buck " among the
Tipperary bloods, and was familiarly known
as " Beau Power " and " Shiver the Frills."
Nothing in his.life became this gentleman so
well as his leaving it. After a oireer of unex-
ampled turpitude and violence, he was reduced
at last to subsist upon the bounty of his
daughters, and died in great misery and
degradation in Dublin, not, however, without
being able to boast to a friend of the enormous
quantity of punch he had drunk the night
before. Lady Blessington was still more
illustriously descended on her mother's side.
The pedigree of the Sheehys abounds in
famous men. Her maternal grandfather, also
one of the " Bucks " of his day, was hanged
for murder; and his cousin, a priest, under-
went the same sentence for Whiteboyism.
If ever," exclaims Mr. Madden, in a trans-
port of virtuous indignation, "if ever affrighted
" justice might be said to swing from her
" moorings,' and, passion-driven, to be left at
"the mercy of the winds and waves of party
"violence, it was surely in these iniquitous
" proceedings." There may be a difference of
opinion as to the literary taste of this passage,
but most readers will discern a peculiar
propriety in the metaphor of justice and the
" swing."
The kind of fruit likely to be produced by
the graft of these two genealogical trees may
leated • ,rid the heated atmo-
was brought
Too soon
.otten. While
Tmed, was yet
At the task
we find her
len at the
becoming
lle people
im distinc-
re markabl e

attraction lay
for she was

be easily predicated ; and the heat
sphere in which Lady Blessington wa
up forced it into early maturity.
ripe, says the proverb, too soon rotte
Marguerite Power, we arc informed
an infant, a worthy woman undertool
of her e • • • iint pick At..fo.Fteen w
operatin : • • MA gentleml
weekly • •,• '• 7114 clop el, and
so co 0. :le • pgpvipuf)lllp at idl
" gos, ; • liotalmtlove Of 11-roof
" Lion • • •• •y, ons
re
" for : . , '74". flasure.": er attr,
in her •• - • • 'clah g; foi
•
.1 M