The Express.
London, England, 1864-03-18 00:00:00

THE DOE-PARK RESERVOIR.

Mr. ?ERRAND asked the Home Secretary to communi-
cate to the house the reply he bad received from the Mayer
of Bradford relating to the state of the Doe-park Reser-
voir. Whether other store reservoirs belonging to the
Bradford Waterworks had oot been and were still in a leaky
and dangerous state when filled with water. And whether
the Sheffield Rea/Ivolt, which had just burst, and the Brad-
ford store reservoin had not been oonstraeted by the same
engineer?
Sir G. GREY said he had communicated with the Mayor
of Bradford on the subj,ct, and received a reply by return
to the effect that the Mayor would see the engineer and
surveyor of the corporation. Since then the Mayor had
come to town, and had stated in an interview with him (Sir
G. Grey) that the description@ of the hon. member had been
mach exaggerated ; that repairs were going on, bat that in
the meantime the water would be drawn off to prevent such
an accident as had cccurred at Sheffield. Mr. lee was the
engineer of the Bradford Corporation, and he had had
nothing whatever to do with the Sheffield reservoir.
Mr. FERRAND announced that to-morrow (this day)
on the motion for supply, be should make a statement with
regard to the alarming state of this reservoir. (Hear.)

DENMARK AND THE PROPOSED CONFERENCE.
Load R. MONTAGU asked the Prime Minister whether
any ananpment had been come to with the leading Euro-
pean power with regard to the proposed conference upon
the Danish question ; whether it was likely that such con-
femme would sit, and if so, whether it would proceed upon
the basis uti possidetis, or the basis proposed io the despatch
of Earl Rumen towards the end of the fourth part of the
papers or. the Danish question? (Hear, hear.)
Lord PALMERSTON—Her Majesty's government, as is
well known, have obtained the consent of Austria and
Prussia to a conference, and we are awaiting an official
answer from Denmark upon the mime question. We have
good reason to believe, however, that Denmark will con-
sent to a conference. (Hear, hear.) But we have not as
yet received any official information to that effect. With
respect to the basis which the noble lord mentions, that
has reference rather, I apprehend, to an armistice than a
conference oti poesidetis. It was found impossible to bring
the parties to agree to an armistice upon any terms, and we
proposed a conference without an armistice, trusting that
when the coafereineaanambles the first question to be con-
sidered will be the establishment of an armistice, though
what the basis will be is of course matter for subsequent
consideration. The state of the nutter, therefore, at pre-
sent is, as I wish the bowie to understand, that we have
good reason to hope that we shall get from the Danish
government their consent to a conference. (Hear, hear.)
MR. SHERIDAN AND THE CHANCELLOR OF THE
EXCHEQUER.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQCER, referring to
the exceptious taken by Mr. Sheridan, the member for
Dudley, to certain statements which he had made on a pre-
vious evening with respect to the history of the defunct
British Provident Institution, observed that, upon ► minute
examination of the documentary and other evidence on
which be had made those allegations, he was persuaded of
their substantial arcane., and that he had nothing to with-
draw, and no apology to make either to the house or to the
hoe. member for Dudley. The right hon. gentleman read
an extract from the report of the trial of an issue in which
the jury had found that certain words had been isterpo-
lated in a deed prepared by the British Provident Institu-
tion after the execution of the instil:meet, and be repeated
his allegations with regard to the manner in which that
society (of which the hoc. member for Dudley was an au-
ditor) had conducted its business.
Mr. H. B. SHERIDAN, in animadverting upon the
statement of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, denied
seriatim the whole of the charges which had been brought
by the right hon. gentleman against the British Provident
lostitutioo, and inquired why it was that he alone had been
singled out for the scathing and virulent attacks of the
Chancellor when there were many other members—some of
them occupants of the Treasury bench—connected with
assurance Whom which might also have been brought under
the purview of the right hon. gentleman. Mr. Sheridan
complained that his name had been paraded before the
public in a most unwarrantable manner in connexion with
traosictious described as grossly fraudulent, and be chal-
lenged the Chancellor of the Exchequer to abandon the
protecting shield of his privilege as a member of parlia-
ment, and repeat out of doors charges which could be made
the subject of a civil action in a court of justice.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER—Sir, it
appears to me that the hoe. gentleman lies considerably
widened the field of the discussion. I do not complain of
that, but I do not intend to follow him into all the matters
be has brought forward. (Loud cries of "Order, order,"
and "Spoken!" chiefly from the opposition.) I feel I am
justified in rising to reply to the hon. member—(Cries of
" No, no," and "Order!").
Mr. ROEBUCK—I rise to order. If the right hon.
gentleman is allowed to address the house a second time I
think we ought in justice allow the bon. member for Dudley
to reply. (Hear, hear.)
The CHASCILLOIL of the Excite...lmm again rose amidst
loud cries of "Chair!" which induced Lim to resume his
seat.

The SPEAKER—The tight hon. gentleman can make an
explanation, but not reply. (Hear.)
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER—I bad not,
air, the least intention of entering into a reply. My only
object is nails, was to give an answer to the two questious
which the boo. member has pat to me. He has asked me
why I did not notice the other societies he has mentioned.
I can only asv that as remade those societies, so far as I
am acquainted with then., they did not appear to me to
bear the character of fraudulent institutions. Witb respect
to the British Provident, I do not disguise that my reason
for *electing it was, that I thought it my duty
not to make anonymous and vague charges, and
particularly against societies many of which I be-
lieve present one of the greatest disgraces of the age.
I quoted the British Provident, because I considered it the
use of a society which was necessary to justify the de-
scription which I gave. I thought it a more manly course
upon my part to choose a society with which was connected
in some manner the name of a member of this house —(loud
cries of "Oh t")—than to deal with societies having here no
representative. (Renewed cries of "Oh !") But, air, the hoe.
gentleman has asked ma a third question, why I connected
his name with that of Mr. John Sheridan ? What I did was
simply this! I detailed to the house the history of that
society so far as I have been able to learn it ; and as to the
particulars, not one of them has, as I maintain, been @hakes.
(Cries of "Oh ! oh !") I then stated the hos.
geotleman's eonnexsou with that society, and I certainly
was io hopes that the hon. gentleman could have explained
it, and he has explained it in a manner as to which I must
leave the house to judge. I express my concurrence with
the hon. gentleman when he says that some apology is
due to the home. (Hear, hear, from the opposition
benches In answer to that cheer from the boa. gentle-
may, I began by stating that if the allegatioos which I
had made were not maintained not only would an apology
be doe from me, hut t!_at I should deserve the severest
censure of the boom ; and upon that issue I wish to stand
or fall. (Hear, bear.)