The Press.
London, England, 1856-07-12 00:00:00

WILLS AND ADMINISTRATIONS BILL.

The SoraciToa-GENERAL, in answer to Mr. Malins,
intimated that it was not his intention to proceed
further with this bill.

ITALY.

Lord JOHN RUSSELL, in reply to Mr. Disraeli, said
be was in the hands of the Government so far as
bringing on his motion on Italy.
Mr. DISRAELI : May I ask the noble lord at the
head of the Government whether the discussion
upon the affairs of Italy will take place to-morrow
or not?
Lord PALMERSTON : My noble friend can, if ho
please, bring forward the question on the motion
for the adjournment of the house. But there were
several bills which it is desirable to move on a
stage tomorrow. Perhaps Monday next would be
preferable?
Lord J. RUSSELL said it certainly was inconvenient
to bring on such a motion as his on the question of
the adjournment of the house, and he would prefer
Monday next.
Lord PALMERSTON : Very well.
Lord J. RUSSELL : To have precedence of the
orders of the day?
Lord PALMERSTON : Yes.
CONSOLIDATION FUND (APPROPRIATION) BILL.
On the order for going into committee on this
bill,
Mr. Wltsox, in reply to various inquiries, gave ex-
planations relating especially to the power given to
the Treasury, under a proviso in this act, of appro-
priating the surplus or excess of one vote to supply
the deficiency of another in the same service. It
was quite true that all the money voted for the army
services could be rendered available for the purposes
of the army under the authority of the Treasury.
The same principle applied to the navy and the
other services. The power thus intrusted to the
Treasury• had been exercised for years past by that
department with great advantage to the public inte-
rests, especially in time of war. The army and the
ordnance had this year, for the first time, been
treated as one service; yet all the analogous items
for ordnance purposes, such as artificers' wages,
forage, tuel, stores, Jtc., were classified under their
respective heads. The power vested in the
Treasury was strictly limited, and did not admit of
the diversion of the money voted to defray a specific
charge to the general purposes of the army. It had
been said that a distinction ought to be made be-
tween the militia and the regular army ; but, how-
ever just this observation might have been in former
times, it certainly did not apply to the last two years,
during which the house had voted large sums mainly
in order that the militia might be rendered an effec-
tive army service. The allegation that more than a
million had been taken from the militia votes and
used for army purposes had been made without any
show of authority. At the close of last year a balance
of 2,100,0001., applicable to the army service, re-
mained unexpended.
The house then went into committee upon the
bill, when the proviso before referred to underwent
much discussion, and the CHANCELLOR of the Ex-

655

CHEQUER promised that there should in future be
laid betore the house, at the commencement of each
session, and from time to time, statements of the
transfer and appropriation of these balances, and it
was understood that a rule to this effect should be
embodied in the proviso.