The Press.
London, England, 1857-03-14 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

Ministers? (Hear, bear.) I admit that on rare occasions
the House of Commons appoints committees of finance,
hut such committees ought to be very rare ; and if select
committees are to do what should be done at Whitehall
and Downing .street, a question may then arise whether the
Administration is not on too large a scale. I fear that, if
we surrender too much of the business that of right belongs
to the Administration, we shall have a Ministry like some
of the indolent Kings of France, and that we shall see
Secretaries of State for the Home Department and Chan-
cellors of the Exchequer who teeny have nothing to do
with the business of the offices of which they are the no-
minal head. It is, iu my mind, the last resource for a
committee to prepare the estimates. I hope the Govern-
ment will profit by the leisure which they will shortly have
and other influences, which may make them wiser and
perhaps sadder, and that when the new House of Com•
mons meets it will have more moderate estimates to con•
sitter; but let them originate with the Government and be
presented by the Government, so that we may know
whether the Government is entitled to the confidence of
the house. Ido not think that the new Parliament, all
crude as it must be, ought to commence its functions by
pouncing upon the duties of the Administration, although
hope it will hold the Government to the performance of
its duties. We want such a Government, and not a Govern-
ment which will be ready to be superseded whenever a ditfi
cult), occurs by allowing its functions to devolve upon a
select committee. (Hear, hear.)
Sir H. WILLOUGHBY reminded the house that
4,500,000/. of the total revenue of the coming
year arose from the war income tax, which must be
regarded as an extraordinary ways and means, which,
if calculated in a future year, would leave the then
Chancellor of the Exchequer in the lurch. If they
did not reduce the expenditure in time, they must
impose fresh taxes or there would be a deficiency.
The amendment was then put and negatived, and
the report of the committee of supply was brought
up and agreed to.
The Mutiny Bill was then ordered to be brought
in, and subsequently was brought in and read a first
time.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.--WEDNESDAY.
NEW :MEMBER.

Mr. WALTER BUCHANAN, the newly elected member
for Glasgow, took the oaths and his seat, vice Mr.
John M'Uregor.
The order for the second reading of the Marquis
of Blandford's Ecclesiastical Bill was discharged, ou
the noble lord's motion.

The second reading of the Imprisonment for Debt
Bill was also negatived without a division.
The house then went into committee of supply on
the vote for 1,5:3:3,2001. for the civil service. _

Sir J. PAKINGTON (in committee of supply) ex-
pressed his concurrence in much thathad fallen from
Mr. Gladstone on Tuesday night, as to the extrava•
gant increase in the votes for public education, but
said he could not agree with the right hon. gentle-
man in thinking that the education of the people
should be left altogether to voluntary efforts.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER withdrew the
Savings-banks Bill, on the ground that too much
difference of opinion existed to admit of the measure
passing into law this Parliament.
The Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Bill, the Customs
Duties Bill, the Indemnity Biil, and the Copybold
and Enclosure Commissions Bill passed through
committee.

HOUSE OF Lonns.—THrRSDAY.
CHIN t.

The Earl of Er.t.r.snoitoron moved for certain
returns connected with the execution by the British
authorities in China of the supplemental treaty of
1847. Those returns related to three articles of that
treaty which aimed at the prevention of smuggling
and illicit trade.
Earl GREY wished to know whether the Govern-
ment had received by the last mail despatches of an
alarming nature.
The Earl of CLARENDON said that Admiral Sey-
mour, as had been already stated on a former occasion,
hail announced to the Government his intention of
abandoning some of his positions before Canton,
owing to the threatening :aspect of affairs at Hong
Kong. With regard to the returns moved for by Lord
Ellenborongh, there could be no objection to pro-
ducing them.
The motion was then agreed to.

HOUSE OF COMMONS......THCRSDAY.
SIR J. lI4NEILL AND COLJNEL TITLJACH.

Lord l'Amtr.r.sTos stated, in reply to a question
from Mr. Evart, that the Government intended to
confer no additional token of approval or recognition
of the services of Sir J. M'Neill and Colonel Tulloch.

The subject was immediately resumed, on the
order for going into committee of supply, by
Mr. Nis, who moved a series of resolutions re-
cognising the important services in the Crimea of
Sir John M.Neill and Colonel Tulloch. In support
of these resolutions Mr. Palk went over the sad
details of the *horrible and heart-rending " sufferings
and the great mortality of the Crimean army, con•
tending that the
,conclusion of the commissioners

SATURDAY,

that they were attributable to departmental ineffi-
ciency had been, by implication, confirmed by the
Chelsea Board. _ _

Jr. BLACK eulogised the services of Sir John
M'Neill and his co-commissioner, whom he thought
had conferred incalculable benefit upon the country,
and he strongly condemned the treatment they had
experienced.
Lord PALMERSTON considered the resolution now
offered to be ill.timed. The period had long passed
when it would have had any practical utility. The
services rendered by the commissioners sent to the
Crimea had, be believed, received all the reward and
acknowledgment to which they were entitled. The
motion was not one to which the house, in his opi-
nion, ought to accede.
General PEEL vindicated the proceedings end the
conclusions of the Crimean Board, of which he was a
member, and urged that Mr. Palk, in his speech as
well as in his resolutions, had cast undeserved impu-
tations upon the members of that board. The
services of the commissioners, in his opinion, had
been somewhat overrated.

Mr. S. HERBERT proposed, as an amendment to
the resolution :

That Sir John M'Neill and Colonel Tunnel' ably ful-
filled the duty intrusted to them of inquinug into the
arrangement and management of the Commissariat Depart-
ment, and, considering the able services rendered by them
and the high testimony in their favour by her Majesty's
Government, that an humble address be presented to her
Majesty, praying that some especial mark of approbation
be conterred upon them.

Sir J. PAKINOTON considered that the services of
the commissioners had not been recognised to the
extent to which they were entitled, and he supported
the proposition of Mr. S. Herbert.
Lord PAI.MERSTON deferred to what appeared to
be the opinion of the house, and, the original
motion being withdrawn, the amended motion was
agreed to.
The house then went into a committee of supply
on the army estimates, when
Mr. F. PEEL said the. money vott s for these esti-
mates were on account for four months only, and, as
the whole votes would come before the ensuing Par-
liament, it would be more convanient not to antici-
pate discussion and explanations upon the money
votes. The case was different with the number or
men, which must be voted at once—namely, 1•26,70.1
men, being a reduction of 119,9:20 upon the vote of
last year, which was for 246,716 men.
The several votes were ultimately agreed to.
RETIREMENT OF TIIE SPEAKER.

Lord PALMERSTON read the reply of her Majesty
to the Address of the House, voted on Tuesday,
signifying her Majesty's intention to confer some
signal mark of her regal favour upon the Speaker,
and gave notice that he should on Friday night move
that. the house do resolve itself into a committee to
consider the subject.
In a committee of ways and means, 21,049,700/.
Exchequer Bills were voted towards making good
the supply.
The Income tax Bill was read a third time and
passed.
The Extraparochial Places Bill likewise passed.

NOTICES OF MOTION.
MONDAY.

W The Earl of At.nelcutr.ti.liat on Monday nest he would
move for • copy of a memorial from the European AIM
other Protestant missionaries residing in or near Calmat', ad-
dressed to the Hon. F. J. Halliday, Lieut.. Governor of Bengal,
alleging that the tortures are inflicted by the native police,
remindars, and others, on the inhabitants of Bengal.