The Express.
London, England, 1864-03-02 00:00:00

IWERIAL P.

HOUSE OF LORDS.-MSIDAY, MAIMS 1.

The LORD Cast:cat-Loa took his seat upon the woolsack
at 6 o'clock.
BORROWING POWERS OF RAILWAY COMPANIES.
The Earl of DONOUOHMORE mid that the other night
the President of the Council had stated that the gowns.
meet had order their consideration the propriety of bring-
ingla a bill for the purpose of carrying out the recommeo.
soes of a committee of last erasion with respect to the
Renewing powers of railway companies. He (Lord
Dentseghmore) had since taken the question into considera-
tion. and he was disposed to think that those recommends-
Mons would be insufficient without a general register of such
transactions.

Earl GRANVILLE made some remarks on the same
sabject, bet they were inaudible in the gallery.

RECRUITING IN IRELAND FOR THE FEDERAL

ARMY.

- .
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE moved for copies of
any reports that might have been received by her Majesty's
government respecting recruiting in Ireland for the North
American army, and asked whether any remoestranoes
against such proceedings had been addressed to the Federal
government. He had no bemtatioa inlaying that if one-tenth
part had been done in this country for the Confederates that
had been done for the Federala within the last two years,
it would have been put a stop to at once. (Hear, hear.)
What her Majesty 'a government called neutrality had in
truth been must partial ; end in that respect he thought
her Majesty's government had not properly maintained the
honour and credit of the country. (Hear, hear.)
Berl RUSSELL said that any attempt to enlist revolts in
Imaged by the Federal agents was a breech of neutrality,
sad was an offence against the municipal law of this
esantry. Wh such an offence could be proved the
offenders deterred punishment, and stringent remonstrances
should be male to the Federal government on the subject.
He had on more than one occasion complained that a system
of recruiting was going on in Ireland oo behalf of the
Federal Suites, but Mr. Adams indignantly denied that
there was any truth in the statement, and on that denial
he (Lord Russell) was obliged to paws until evidence Gould
be obtained of the fact of the recruiting. Lest month •
person was charged with enlisting men for the Federal
army, but the evidence was not sufficient to justify proceed-
ings being taken with any chance of conviction.
The Berl of DONOUGHMORE said he thought very
few of their lordships would consider the reply
of the noble earl at all satisfactory. There was a
society in Ireland which had been so often mentioned that
he wished to obtain some information from the government
as to whether its attention had been directed to their pro-
medley. It was a society called the Fenian Brothers. It
was said that the object of this association was to recruit
in Ireland for the American army, sod to promote a feeling
of hostility to the British crown, and there was a sort of
vague hope held out that when the American cootut was
at an end the American armies, which were now employed
in murdering one another, would torn their arms against
us. These *climes were so chimerical that it was ricliculou
to talk of them, nod of course no man of any sense or pru-
dence paid any sort of attention to the proceedings of thee*
people. to long as their proceedings were confined to ridi-
mikes articles in newspapers he agreed with the government
that it was best to take no notice of them, but when they
game to enlist men for the service of a foreign country, when
men went to the country and drilled men and endeavoured
to give them • military education, he thought that in mercy
to these wretched people it was the duty of the govern-
ment to repress them. He asked whether government bad
not for the last four or rive months been io the receipt of
costume' reports from the police as to the prooeediap of
this society, specially in Dublin, and that officers in Ame-
rican uniform had bees drilling the men. If they did not
teke action in time. they might have to shed the blood of
their own people.
Earl GRANVILLE said be thought the noble lord bad
failed to make out his case that her Majesty's government
had not observed neutrality. There was no doubt that both
the North and the South were constantly making charges
against her Afajeety's government of partiality to the other,
and these charges were also made by persons in this country
who sympathised with one party or the other. He thought
that therm) accusations were the beet proof that her Ma-
jesty's government had not takes part with either one side
or the other. The noble marquis charged the noble earl
with not having taken measures to prevent enlistment
in Ireland for the American armies, and said it
was notorious that the enlistment was constantly
going on. But if it was notorious, why did not
the noble marquis bring forward some *Mesa I' In
one eau, which had excited the attention of the Irish
public, it was said that an American agent hod esgagd
several hundred men to work on an American railr ad bat
that the rat object was enlistment. The government im-
mediately iastituted inquiries, and it was proved by incon-
testable evidence that this railway had suffered en-
treinely from the dearth of labour in the United States,
and that this was • bone fide operation to enable the com-
pany to finish the railway. It was impossible for the go.
veenment to interfere with regard to a transaction of that
sort.

The Earl of DERBY said the noble earl who bad just eat
down h.rl not answered the (plastics' put by his noble
friend, which was whether her Majesty's government had
received information with regard to certain proceedings
carried on at Dublin, Cork, sod other large cities, where it
was stated that penons were in the habit of being dnlled.
Earl I :lIANVILLE was understood to say that the go-
vernment bad directed the attention of the police to the
subject, and be did not think he was jostified in giving
more information at present.
The motion was than withdrawn.
Their lordships adjourned at 23 minutes to 7 o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—TtLDAY, MAR .4:11 1.
The Sru►un took the chair at 4 o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The following hills were read • wooed time :
Tooting, sod London Railway; Manchester sod Milford
Railway ; Rhyniney Railway (Cardiff to Caerphilly, &c.) ;
Shrewsbury sod Potteries Junction Railway.