The Press.
London, England, 1854-04-15 00:00:00

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THE PRESS.

bills, or even to use the whole amount he was authorised
to issue. The present state of public credit was, he added,
highly satisfacto►y, as he showed by comparing the present
prices of our public securities with those of foreign
countries, and with those of this country at former
periods. The result of the whole was, that the demands of
the Government upon the Bank for accommodation
(though it was desirable to reduce the amount) were not
calculated to inspire any alarm ; that there had been no
contraction of the resources of commerce; that the un-
funded debt was moderate, and likely to continue so;
and that public credit was in a satisfactory condition,
when the menacing circumstances of the tunes were con-

sidered."
Mr. DISRAELI vindicated his former statement as
regarded the balances in the Exchequer, but declined
to discuss the financial position of the country until ho
should have an opportunity of reading the papers
just laid upon the table, and of which he could only
have a general notion front the remarks which had
fallen from the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Mr. T. BAJuso thought that the right hon. gentle-
man could not take much credit to himself for the
fact that, public credit was good, because the public
credit could only be damaged by the grossest mis-
management, and seriously hoped that the minister
would hereafter display an amount of caution in
dealing with the finances of the country which he
feared he had not hitherto manifested. He protested
against the principle which appeared to be the key.
stone of his policy, that of depending upon the Bank
of England to raise money on deficiency bills instead
of relying upon ready money in the Treasury.
Mr. LAING agreed in most of the observations of
the Chancellor of the Exchequer, but thought it was
a dangerous principle to rely upon deficiency bills
instead of on balances in the Exchequer, and that
any saving made by the reduction of those balances
was by no means an equivalent for the risk to which
it exposed the public credit.
After some observations from Sir H. WILLOUGHBY,
The CHANCELLOR of the ExonEqt:Ext replied, and
the balance-sheet was ordered to be printed.

NEWFOUNDLAND HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY.
The truth of the statement that the House of
Assembly of Newfoundland had lately refused to
proceed with business unless responsible government
was conceded to that colony was made the subject of
inquiry on Monday by Sir J. PAKINOTON, who asked
also whether the Ministry had consented to establish
a responsible Government in that colony, and, if so,
on what conditions?
Mr. PEEL said it was true that the Assembly of New-
foundland, at the commencement of its present session, had
passed a resolution that they would not do any business with
the Council until the decision of the Government with re-
gard to an application from the Assembly, made last year,
praying for freer institutions, was made known. In the
meanwhile,before the Government were aware of the course
taken, by the Assembly, they had forwarded a despatch
to the colony, intimating their readiness to concede a sys-
tem of responsible government to Newfoundland so soon
as certain conditions were complied with. Those conditions
were, that the holders of existing offices rendered liable to
displacement should be indemnified ; that the number of
members of the Assembly should be raised from fifteen to
thirty, not. by doubling the number of representatives of
the different districts, but by a subdivision of those dis-
tricts; and, lastly, it the salaries of members, and the
expenses of candidates at elections, should not be paid ont
of the colonial treasury ; but, if paid at should be paid
by local assessment of the different diettietis:
COLONIAL CLERGY DISABILITIES BILL.
The committal of this bill was commenced on
Monday. The measure is a very short one, compri-
sing only one principal clause, by which the "metro-
politan of any province or the bishop of any diocese"
in the colonies are freed from any disabilities, or in-
demnified from any possible penalties, which they
might incur for attending meetings to regulate eccle-
siastical affairs.
Mr. DI:NLor moved an amendment to substitute
for the above description the wotils " bishops and
clergy." He wished to avoid giving any legislative
sanction to any episcopal organisation, and to guard
against according, indirectly, any preference to the
Church of England over other religious communities
in the colonies.
The amendment excited a long debate, in the
course of which the whole scope of the bill as
well as the character and status of the Church of
England in our colonial dependencies came under
review.
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL endeavoured to effect a
compromise by altering the phraseology of the
clause, so as to meet the objections of Mr. Dunlop,
while allaying the apprehensions which many mem-
bers on the Opposition benches had expressed. A
division was, however, called upon a motion for
negativing the amendment, in which Mr. Dunlop
succeeded in obtaining a majority of 81 to 34 in ,
favour of his propositions. Some other amendments,
conceived chiefly in the same sense, were afterwards
moved, but the Solicitor-General proposed new
modifications with greater success, some of his
proposed phrases being adopted without, and some
after, a division.

SATURDAY,

Five hours' discussion left the clause still incom-
plete, when, on the motion of Lord JOHN RussELL,
the Chairman left the chair, and the thither
progress of the committee was postponed.
BRIBERY , BILL S.
The house having resolved itself on Monday into
committee on the Bribery Bill, it was arranged, on
the motion of Lord J. RUSSELL, that the measure
should be referred to a select committee.
The same course was adopted with regard to the
Controverted Elections Bill and the Bribery Preven-
tion Bill brought in by Sir F. Kelly.

PARLIAMENTARY PRINTING.
Replying to Lord CAMPBELL, on Monday, Earl
GRANVILLE stated that a proposal on the subject of
printing for public use and sale the papers laid on
the table of their lordships' house would be submitted
immediately after Easter.
The Earl of ELLsmioaouou hoped the noble lord would
also take into consideration what was to be done with the
enormous quantity of papers which were printed by that
and the other house. The increase in the printing for the
two houses was monstrous; and at that time, when they
might apply to good and useful purposes all the money
they could save, he trusted the Government. would have
the firmness to oppose, in both houses, the printing of
matter which was likely to be of no material moment or
interest, end which might cost thousands of pounds.
Earl GitAriviur.: said that there was of course a certain
amount of difficulty in carrying that out to the fullest ex-
tent. The Government felt the greatest disinclination,
even when they thought the information was not a valuable
kind, to refuse information on any subject on which it was
required. At the same time he agreed that it was the
duty of the Government to exercise a discretion in that
respect. He also thought that some arrangement might be
made to prevent, what sometimes did happen, the same in-
formation being given iu various forms.
The LORD CHANCELLOR Said that was almost a necessary
consequence of the great amount of papers that were
ordered. There was such a mass of matter printed that
no member either of that or the other house felt it to
be his duty or pretended to make himself master of it.
Seeing that it was a thing which no human strength could
accomplish, the papers where naturally thrown aside and
disregarded. He believed that if a fiftieth part of what
was printed only saw the light, noble lords would have
some chance of making themselves acquainted with it.
VENTILATION OF THE HOUSE.
Mr. SPOON ER on Monday brought up the reportfrom
the committee appointed to investigate the state of
the ventilation of the house. Describing the process
by which, with the aid of three steam-engines, what
was called fresh air was brought into the house, he
characterised the result. as thoroughly disgraceful.
Two hunched thousand pounds had been spent, and
two "ventilation doctors" consulted on the subject,
but every change seemed to make matters worse,
During the Easter recess the committee recommended
that trials should be made upon a new and simpler
principle under the supervision of Mr. Goldsworthy
Gurney, who had promised to erect an efficient ap-..
paratus at a cost of a few hundred pounds. The hon.
member moved that the house should adopt that
report.
Sir W. MOLESWORTII submitted that the committee
had formed their decision upon insufficient evidence,
and deprecated the hasty introduction of new appa-
ratus without some better-founded assurance of its
fitness for the purpose required. He hoped they
would not hastily overthrow the existing system of
ventilation on which so heavy an expense had been
incurred.
Mr. BOLTVERIE vindicated the industry of the com-
mittee, and recommended the adoption of their re-
port so far as to entrust Mr. Gurney with the conduct
of some preliminary trials.
After further conversation that course was agreed
to, and the recommendation ot the committee received
the sanction of the house.
PUBLIC BUSINESS.
Lord J. RUSSELL on Tuesday stated the order in
which public business would be proposed when the
house met again after Easter. The Oxford Univer-
sity Bill would be brought forward for recommittal
on the 27th, and the Railway Bill be committed on
May 1. The Settlement and Poor Removal Bill
would not be proceeded with in the present session,
it being intended to refer the question relative to the
removal of Scotch and Irish paupers to a select com-

mittee.
RETURNS showing the consumption of tea and
tobacco during the last three years have been pre-
sented to Parliament. In Great Britain, in 1851, the
consumption of tea was 47,375,711 lbs.; in 1852,
47,808,622 lbs.; and last year (reduced duty),
51,001,851 lbs.; whilst in Ireland the consumption
was, in 1851, 6,573,278 lhs. ; in 1852, 6,004,412 lbs.;
and last year, 7,832,236 lbs. Of tobacco, the con-
sumption in Great Britain, in 1851, was 23,457,888
lbs.; and in Ireland, 4,457,137 lbs. ; in 1852, in
Great Britain, 23,044 lbs.; and in Ireland, 4,473,600
lbs.; and last year, in Great Britain, 24,940,555 lbs.;
and in Ireland, 4,624,141 lbs.