The Express.
London, England, 1863-07-08 00:00:00

AUGMENTATION OF BENEFICES BILL.

In reply to Mr. EADIIILD,
Sir G. GREY stated that the second reading of this bill
would be mond on Thursday.
MR. ROEBUCK. AND THE EMPEROR OF THE
FRENCH.

Mr. S. BEAUMONT said that he had placed a motion on
the paper to ask the hon. member for Sheffield whether
the conference in the palace of Fontainebleau, which took
place on Tuesday, the 30th of June, was recorded by any
memorandum made on the same or the following day ; ard,
if so, to ask the hon. member and the hon, member for
Sunderland whether (having regard to the amnion in re-
ference to that conference which the French government has
thought St to insert in the Afortiteur) they would have any
objection to lay it upon the table of the house. He bad
just received a private communication from the hon. mem-
ber for Sheffield, in which he stated that he should not be in
the house in time to answer the question, but that all the
evidence in his hand would be adduced on the occasion as
future discussion.
OFFICE OF PUBLIC WORKS.

Mr. B. COCHRANE rose to move the following regain-
tion :—" That the large sums annually voted for public
buildings and improvements in the metropolis are not en-
peoiled in a satisfaztory manner; and that., with a view to
the efficiency of the Office of Works, it should be constituted
on a different basis." Were they to go on for ever in the lame
way discussing works and undertakings which were a disgrace
to the country, and for which there appeared to be no r.•
medy Did the house know of the enormous sum of money
which pawed through the Office of Works Every year
it was nearly a million. On arts and science, since 1847 or
1848, there had been three millions expended, and the
only return they had got were the Brampton toile's, the
Na:ional Gallery, and an addition to the British Museum.
It was not for him to am what should be done. The
boo. member for Finsbury had proposed that there should
be a body of men, instead of having only one commissioner,
in whom the bowie and the country would have confidence,
and if that body had misted they would rot have witnessed
arch ascents u that which occurred the o:her night. The Office
of Works bad not authority enough, and I•ei thought be had
proved that a change in its constitution ought to take place.
Of one thing he felt certein,that the buildings at South Ken-
nington would under a proper supirvision have been well
constructed at first, and would rot hove required the sum of
384,000. to be laid out upon them to male them perma.
rent. The hon. gentleman concluded by moving the reso-
lution.
Mr. FERRAND seconded the motion.

Mr. COWPER said his horn friend was well known as •
man of cultivated taste, and that it was no doubt distressing
to him to see so many buildings in this metropolis which
were offensive to it. But he wished his boo. friend bad
gone in.o the matter • little more closely. He supposed
his bon. friend desired to point out the shortcomings
of the Office of Work., but that office was in no way re-
sponsible for those works which his hon. friend had oorn•
plainest of. There was no office which wee conducted
upon a better method, and the system of keeping
the accounts was considered shakable. The secretary and
assistanteecretary were permanent. There were • surveyor
sod 15 assistant surveyors, and many other officers,
and when necessary the office consulted Professor
Faraday, Sir R. Morchnoo, and Professor Airy. Mr.
Scott was the architect of the New Foreign-offin,
and Megan. Banks sod Barry at present superintended any
alanrations or additions at the Houses of Parliament. Mr.
Fowler was the eogineer of the office, and Mr. Leslie was
the ornamental gardener. Other professional gentlemen
were employed by the Office of Works whenever it eras
thought desirable, and the hoarwould see that the Office
of Works was not confined to the opinions of one or two
gentlemen, but that it resorted to the highest talent which
the country could produce. Requite admitted that if there
should be • large sztanion of haziness, the Office of
Works would not be able without an addition of per-
manent officers to discharge it satisfactorily. (Hear, hem.)
He mold not agree that the head of the aloe should be
made pernent, but if any alteration were made in the
constitution of the office it should be by bringing in more
professional men, for if the Treasury should be required to
decide upon all new works, as they would not have time to
go into all the details, there would be a number of capricious
decisions—more than at present, when the responsibility
was placed in a parliamentary head who did not change
the orders which had been made by his predecessor in office.
Besides, that could not be done, for all the
large works were let under • contract in gross.
Why was it that so many public offices had remained so
long in abeyance ? It was that there had been so many
committees, the members of which had conflicting views,
and every one was obstinate in upholding his owe opinion.
The arrangements of the Foreign-office had been hung up
ever since 1839, and that delay was attributable to the fact
the; three committees had successively sat on the question.
Four had sat on the National Gallery and two COOIII36MODI
and as to the British Museum he could not tell how many
commissions and committees had been appointed. Even if
lit were possible he thought there would be great hazard
in turning the Office of Works into a board not
having any person in that house to represent it.
He thought tbs better way would he to give more power to
the Office of Works than it bad at preeent, no matter who
might hold the office of Chief Commissioner.

The house divided :
For the motion 24
Against it
CRITRCH RATE RECOVERY BILL.

Lord A. CHURCHILL moved for leave to bring in a bill
to amend the laws relating to the recovery of church rates.
The noble lord stated that the principle which be wished to
establish waa, that there should be no penalty attached to
the nonpayment of church rates. He would leave the
machinery for levy as it at present existed, but would for.
bid the levy on any person who objected on principle to the
payment of the rate for any reason. As the question had
been so often discussed in that horse, he hoped that every
moderate member would accept what he thought was a
reasonable arrangement.
Mr. NEWDEGA'IT did not think that the bill offered
any chants* of a settlement of the church rate question, and
should oppose any bill the object of which was to deprive
the parish of the right to levy for nonpayment.

Sir G. GREY said that his noble friend did not ask the
house to assent to the prioeiple of his bill, but merely for
leave to lay it on the table for consideration during the
MOM

Leave given.
TIIE NAWAB OF THE CARNATIC.

Sir F. KELLY rose to more fee a select committee to
inquire into the claims of his Higbee... Amerce Jab to the
title and dignity of Nawab of the Carnatic, and otherwise
in respect of the treaty entered into between his highnese's
father, dream ul Dowlah, and the East India Company, on
the day of , 1801, and the circumataeme
attending the same.

Mr. SDIOLLETT seconded the motion, and wee proceed-
ing to addrees the house, when an bon. member noticed that
there were not 40 members present. Upon the Speaker
proceeding to count. 34 members only were found to:4 be
preeent, and the house was counted oat at 2G minutes to
nine.

Krs. Davey has paired with Mr. Way for the remainder of
the wim.

AN INCIDENT IN THE House OF COMMONS.—
, Yesterday at the morning sitting a somewhat curious inci-
dent occurred in the House of Commons, involving a viola-
tion of one of the standing orders of the house. It is known
to those who are in the habit of attending the House of
Commons that immediately after prayers the Speaker takes
his seat at the clerk's table, and sits there until forty mem-
bers are present, that number being aexissary to make " a
house." During that period of waiting no member who has
entered the house must leave it until the forty are present,
sad if a member through ignorance or forgetfulness of the
standing order ventures towards the door he is politely
requested by the sergeant-at-arms to retire to his seat.
Yesterday, at 10 minutes past 12, there were not more than
20 members present, when Sir William Dunbar, one of the
Lords of the Treasury, hastily left the ministerial beech and
went oat of the homes unperceived by Csptsis Gossett, the
deputy-sergeant, who was to attendance. Mr. C. Forster
and Colonel Preach oommunicsted what had occurred to
Captain Coirett, who bad been conversing with the Marquis
off Hartington, and off went the captain in search of the
fugitive Lord of the Treasury. In the comes of a few
minutes Sir William Dunbar, much to the amusement of
the members present, made his way back into the house by
a side door, Captain Gossett having missed him in the lobby.
Soon afterwards a house was formed, and the Speaker, who
apparently enjoyed the affair as well as the other members,
was sot officially informed of the mistake which the incau-
tious Lord of the Treasury bad made.
THE OUTWARD CAPE MAIL—The mail steam-
ship Cambrian left Plymouth yesterday morsiog for the
Caps, with the nisi* consisting of 93 bags o papers, 14
bap of lettere, 10 bags of books, and 67 psonagers.
Fell beuellt of reduced duty obtained by pur-
chasing gorniman's Pare Tea: very choke at Is. 4d. sad 4a.
Blob Standard" at 4. 4d. (fouvearly M. ad.), Is the
and most dallies Imported. Avant la every Loma 5a:4791417:
paehrita—tactrarthatamt.l