The Express.
London, England, 1863-04-17 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.—Taur.spAY, APRIL 16.
The Loan Ottumwa took his seat on the woolsack
at five o'clock.
The Foolsobars and Germontli Railway Bill and the Cork
and Hiegela Junction Railway Bill were severally read •
third time end parsed.
Lord CHELMSFORD presented a petition from Bedford
and Luton, and from metals landowners, in favour of the
Xidlaad Eximisioa line ; also from the owners and in-
habitants of houses on Ludgate-hill, and from the Dean sod
Dimple/ of St. Peal's, against the bill for extending the time
for mugging the proposed railway over Ludgate-hill. His
lordship mid he thought their lonishipe would be quite
sotitlad, under the circumstances, to refuse their Ramat to
the bill. And especially en the company might make their
Roe under the street instead of over it.

--
The Earl of RAVEN/WORTH preasntsd petition from
the MAY.* &Ad Corporation of Newcastle, and from the
Tye* Docks Commission against the proposed UleP4llle fur
slwas publiolonses on &today*.

ALKALI WORKS REGULATION BILL.

Lord STANLEY of ALDERLEY moved the evened read-
ies of this bill. He rid it was founded oa the recommenda-
VOW of a committee which eat last year on the subject.
Tar committee took (widowe on the subject, and it was
quite clear that it wee ray to prevent the escape of more
than 5 per cent of the muriatic acid gas evolved in the
stain:Acton of muriatic acid. The bill proposed to
appoint iospetion, and it imposed a penalty of 504 for the
first offers, and SW. or H. a day for the second offence,
the offence being allowios the escape of more thee 6 per
amt of the gas evolved in the manufacture. The bill gave
an appeal from the Court of Quarter Sessions to the superior
courts of law. _

After souks discussion the bill was nod a wood time.
COURT' OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND BILL
This bill was read a wad Siam
MUTINY BILL

This till woo nod a third time sad prood.
MARINE MIITINT BILL.
This bill woo read s third lime and pond.
GREECE AND THE lONIAN INLAND&

The Earl of ILkLYESBIJRY then rose, powsuit to
notice, to inquire whether the noble earl at the heed of
Foreign Affairs. before he ensured the Greeks that Prinoe
William would accept the throne if elected, bad pre-
viously consulted Prince Christian and the King of Denmark
Be also wished to know whether her Majesty's government
bad say intention of mating the lonian lolanda, and above
all, the 'thud of Corfu. He would not argue this point
at this tiros on English grounds, except that, in answer to
ea obserration which was made on a former occasiou
in the house, that one Mediterranean port wee
sufficient for us, he would aurae that we could
sot oontiaue to be • first-rate maritime power
V we had bat one port in the Mediterranean. But
be thought the cession of the lonian Islands would be an
evil to the Greeks themselves. In order that the Greeks
might prosper, it wee requisite that the Greeks should
pursue a prude' policy, but the possession of the fortrem
of Oorfa and of the lonian Islands might induce them to
pursue a policy of aggression which would be a great mis-
fortune to them, and might endanger the peen of Europe.

Fad RUSSELL said he could not give any 'sewer in
lapel* to those points which were now the subject of nego-
tiation, which might be settled in a short time, but
were not settled now. The people of Greece bad
declared that they would no looser live ander King Otho.
That was a matter in which they were the judges, said with
which we had nothing to do. Her Majesty's government
bad frequently told
likely
ft),i,ho that
led t the man
ome canertimn which
i be
w and
thtlyVden'elppgre:Xd the • to the court of Bavaria,
but that opinion was dieregar, and not acted upon. King
Otho withdrew from the throne. The noble earl had stated
that the people of Greene had not shown the same wisdom
he their revolution that the people of France did. But they
destined in the first place that they would be no longer
radar the government of King Otho, and in the next
piss that tray would have a constitutional mo-
narchy. He did not think there was any want
d wisdom in that. Their next step was to elect a
king. Her Majesty's government had proposed to the
Raglan government that neither Prince Alfred, nor the
Duke of Lenehtenberg, nor any of the reigning family of
France should arcept the throne of Greece. but the Russian
goesrumeut refired tonne to that proposition. It wee pot.
thee, far her Majesty's government, not having proposed
Prince Alfred, to say that they would themselves interfere
in the election. The result was that the Greeks, in
electing Prince Alred„ had a point of unity among
them whisk pressed them from anarchy. When
the proper time came they, to conjunction with the other
powers, declared that the protocol of MO was still in force,
and that therefore Prince Alfred could sot awed the throne
of Greece. What was the next occurrence ? Her Ma-
jesty's sweetmeat, having rejected trawl/we of the Greek
people, thought they. were bound to consult certain princes
se Europe who were is favour of conatitutional government
as to whether they were willing to Wows candidates for
the vacant throne. The noble earl had rightly supposed
that in more than one instance they were not
einionsful in itidocieg the prises thus applied
to to become candidates. It wee surasted that
Prises William, the emend son of Prince Christian of
Denmark, would be lately to be a candidate, and would be
raceptable to the Greeks, and he directed her Majesty's
mini
at Copenhagen to rat whether the Rimy of Den-
sest would give his sweat, and he said if Prince Christian
did opt object he should sot. What were the particular
queatione put to Pries Cluirtius it wee eel for him to say
sow, because they won the ethjeet of negotiatioos which
were not ended, bit when these nsseggootiations were
over he would lay the eereeepenaepee on the
table of the boas, and the house would then
be able to see whether he had doss anything undignified or
which was unworthy other Mejesty'sgoveremeekor anything
which was rabeciondsr the minister of a constitutional
country. On
being told that the Kist of Denmark would
place
not obstacles in the way if Prince Christian oconented,
this was oonunneicated to the Greek Assembly, and ewer
member of the seem* stood up and declared with
acclamation that Prince William should be acksowledged as
King of Greece. But with regard to the terms on whirls
Pries Christian and hie erre would agree that the son should
weeps the throne, those were matters between the National
Assembly of Greece and thew prisms. and to be dealt with
in the next place by the three protecting powers, parties to
the treaty grarentesing the Unitary of Greece. That, of
course, was a matter of negotiation ; but he certainly enter-
tained a hope that that negotiation might have • eatisfsetory
termination. He entirely aped in what the noble earl
mid as to its being the laterest of Greece to follow a peace-
ful policy. He believed that the happiesse of Greece de.
peoded on their abstenticiefropeenty ve policy,and that
if they peened a good kw the tenure of land
they would attain a degree of which they would
sever attain if they were to veer to enlarge the boun-
daries of their country by having meows to • policy of ag-
gression. He had only to add that the choice of Prince
William was supported by theßsperorof the French, and
that the Emper,r of Russia, though he would not support
him, would, on the other band, offer no opposition. la
regard to the bean Islands, the sable earl spoke as if the
island and hewer of Code were part of her Majesty's pos-
serape. Bat the wide .it knew well that by the treaty
of 1818 the limbs Wands way eseststuted a tree republic
under the preteetke of the Hiegel Great Britain, and Great
Britain weepted that trust. At Oat time there was soother
Greek nationality; bet in the some et time a revolution
teak pleas Is Greco N which beim= an independent king-
dom, aad tress that time there hod bees an agitation in the
loons lelade in favour of union with Greece; and be
must say that it would not be becoming in the British go.
vestment, with the principles which they profeised, to
*impel the inhabitants of the lonian Islands to
remain, war thew circumstances, under British protec-
ts'. What they propowd, therefore, to do was this—
to awertera whether the lonian Islands wished to be united
to Genera sad if they should formally declare that they did,
then the representatives of the powers who were parties to
the treaty el 1815 meld be called together and shed to
hens a new treaty, by which the lonian Islaads should be.
hug to Greene. Of entree if the lowan Islands were united
to Greece, the forties of Corfu could not be kept fur the
sole pmpos of being a fortress is the hands of England.
If they determin on being united to Greece, he thought
it would be beet for them to destroy the fortifications sect to
devote thentesives to peaceful pursuits. He treated that if her
Majesty's government bad by the course they bad pursued
contributed to the happiness of Greece, if the Greek people
should develop the mower of their *easily, if their
maritime and commercial pursuits should be so successful
se to make them rich and prosperous,—in that case England
wield have muse to rejoice that there was another free and
happy country la the world ensulatieg the example that she
bad set. (Hear.)
The Fart of DERBY considered that her Majesty's go-
vernment bad acted with peat both on the point
of the candidature
of Pries Atilt?, in promising the
cession of lonian Islands epithet first
i oonsulting the
other pewees who wen parties Vi the treaty of 1815.
Earl GRANVILLE mid the noble earl opposite could
not show that her Majesty's government had in any way
eneourerad the Greeks to suppose that Pnnoe Alfred would
adopt t throe* of Green. It wee imporable not to keep
the peopled Greece inheined of the negotiations, and
doubt at ens time the negotiations with regard to tries
Duke d Ceram were very promising, and if it
had 1104 been for the oppoeition of his own people he would
=My hese aseepted the candidature. Theo be must my
e eceskiered the objection to the second son of Plisse
Chirathe eareptiN the throne, lest there should la no ass
in the preset »yal
_lira to succeed to the throne of Des-
merle, wee meth !ILA& swift that there were three sera
who wee d very young. He could answer the wastes
which led been relteested by the Earl of Derby as to
whether t‘l,:erof
of Deraeark had give. hie oases, pre-
vious to the erases being informed that Prince
William noose the threes. The King of Denmark
bed gives his seneent. Th. errata el the lonian Islands had
bees alluded to. it appeased to him that it the inhabitants
of the lodes Islands wiled to be incorporated with
Grows, ad the other pewees ..seated, it was most wise
and expedient that be, Majesty's meet should cgs
sent hi it. It bed been seeps that we should reedit
Coda sod give rep the other elude ; but that would be re.
Isis* what del nee bikes to us.
The subjest then amp&

DIRTROPOLITAN RAILWAY& •
Lewd BYE &THERM inquired of her liajcstia rem-
meet what wares was proposed to be takes with regard to
the Ludgate Station anti Junction Railways Bill.
Berl GRANVILLE said be thought the whole subject
had better be referred to the select committee the appoint-
ment of which he bad gives notice to move. The noble
earl then moved that a select committee be appointed to
inquire whether any, *nil, if any, which of theschemes now
before parliament for the construction of how of railway
within the limits of the ,netropolis, can be proceeded with
in the present session without tie risk of interfering with
railwayum adoption of • comprehensive plea of metropolitan
ail communication ; and to consider what provision can
be made for the securing such • comprehensive system, with
the greatest advantage to the public, and the haat inconve-
nience to the local arrangements of the metropolis.
Lord REDEEDALE said the terse of reference were
likely to lead to a much more lengthy investigation than the
noble eurl seemed to imagine.
The Earl of DERBY said the noble earl intimated that the
committee was to be preliminary to a commission. Would
it not be better to appoint the commissioe at once I Hie
name was placed me the committee, but be wished it to be
withdrawn. _ _

The motion arm then agreed to, and their lordship ad-
journed at ton minutes to eight o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—TRURSDAY, APRIL 16.
The SPLIMER took the chair at 4 o'clock.
At that time the attendance of hon. members was not
large, but in the coarse of the next half hour the benches
gradually tilled until Tery little space remained unoccupied.
The galleries, it is umelles to say, were crowded. Palace
Alfred and Prince Louis of Here had mate behindtheclock,
PRIVATE BUSINESS.
The Bala and Kelley Railway, the Caledonian Railway
=cements, he.), the Flint, Holywell, end Mostya
the Great Western end Welt Midl►nd Railways
Amalgamation, the Great Waiters, West Midl►nd, and
South Wales Railway Companies Amalgamation, the Guild.
ford and Leatherhead Railway, the London, Brighton, and
South Coast Railway (Dorking to Leatherheed), the Lea-
den, Brighton, and South Coast Railway (South Londe°,
Tooting, tic., Junction Railways), the Mesdames Water, the
Manchester Corporation Water, the Mercantile Marine Ser-
vice Association, Liverpool, the Oman Valley Railways,
the Petertimough Cattle Markets, the Bt. Luke's (Middle-
sex) Workhouse and Vestry lien, sad the Southampton
Port, Harbour, and Pier Bills were read a third time and
pared.

- - - -
DISTRESS 1N THE COTTON DISTRICTS
Mr. FERRAND gave notice of the follow* resolution
which he intended to move on the 27th inst..—That it ia
the duty of the government to take heti atitideratios with-
out delay what measures may be neostimuy to relieve the
distress which prevails in the cotton manufacturing dis-
tricts. (Hear, hear.)
SEIZURE OF THE ALEXANDRA.
Mr. HORSFALL gave notice that on the motion for
going into committee of supply on Friday week he should
call the attention of the house to the seizure of the Alex-
soden et Liverpool—{cheers)—and should at the same time
move for the production of all papers arid correepoodease
connected therewith.
ACCOUNT OF THE PUBLIC INCOME AND
EXPENDITURE.
Mr. HANKEY 'eked the Chancellor of the Exchequer
'Lather it would be possible, without public tient.
vesienoe, to give an account of the income end expeditors
of the country from a similar date, and es a supplementary
account to the return at tin national debt from the year
1691, and which was presented to the house on the 11th
May, 1857.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER maid that in
sneerer to his boa. Mead he would MINT to state that it
would be practicable to give an account of the income and
expenditure of the country from the date, or from about
the date, to which hie boa friend referred. Bat that sci-
entist had to be collected oat of a greed variety of deco-
masts, and although the return, when made, would be of
eaetidnahle iatereet and such as would amply justify the
labour expended in preparing it, yet that labour most be of
a very serious character, and must occupy considerable
tints. He thought, however, that the document would be
ow 41 Jest historical value when it should have been
00111

ALLEGED POLICE ESPIONAGE AT LIVERPOOL.
Lard R. CECIL begged to uk the right hon. hermit the
Home Secretary a question of which he had given him
private notice—whether there was any truth in the report
that by his authority spies had been appointed at Liverpool
to attend upon the persous—(cheers)—of those who were
supposed to be Confederate agents, to watch yards, private
dockyards, and see whether any materials could be collected
for the benefit of the Federal embassy. Also, whether
them neesenne, if they had been taken, had been in oppo.
milieu to the wishes of the Mayor and Watch Committee
of Liverpool ; and if so, under the authority of what act
of parliament? and out of what fund the right hoe. teroost
proposed to defray the expeoses of these measures?
Sir G. GREY—Ia reply to the mestion of the noble
Iced, I beg to my that no spies have hoes employed at
Liverpool. (Chem.) The facts are these : I reosived an
official letter from the noble lord the Secretory of State of
the Foreign-ofhoe not long ago, transmitting the copy of one
which had been addressed to him by the United
States Minister in this country, alleging that
certain vessels which he earned were Stain oat
and being equipped at Liverpool in vialatioe of
the Foreign Enlistment Act. The Secretary of State re-
quested immediate inquiry to be made into the truth of
the allegation. Accordingly I transmitted a copy of the
noble lords letter to tee Mayor of Liverpool, totber„
with copies of one or two lateen which I had received eines
from the Foreign-office, with similar instructions, and re-
quested him to muse inquiries to be made according to the
terms of the Foreign Enlistment Act, whether these Teasels
so named were being equipped, furnished, fitted oat, or
armed, and with a view of being employed in the war mar-
ries of the so-called Confederate States. I presoribed no
particular mode in which that inquiry should be instituted.
his not for the Home-office to do so. The Mayor of Livemod
informed me that be bad placed the matter in the ha•ds of
the bead constable at Liverpool, and that the head con-
stable bad employed certain menthe's of the detective police
of Liverpool to inquire into the alleged violation of the law.
(Hoar, hear.) Ido not know any rewash why the detective
police should not be employed in investigating breeches of
the Foreign Enlistment Act, as much as in other mitten.
(Hear, hear.) There is not, in my opinion, the slightest
reason to suppose that the statentest which the noble lord
has shown in me in • private letter, of bribery having been
resorted to by the polio, in order to obtain reformation, is
correct. I have no informative to lead me to suppose that
that is true. Nor has the mayor in any communication
which be has made to me intimated that there was any
&area of opinion between himself and the watch oom-
=Mee es to the mode in which the inquiry was being oar.
fled oat.

_ _
DISEASES IN FOREIGN SHEEP.
Mr. GRIFFITH gave notice that a Tuesday be would
ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department
whether he would lay ma the table the report of the com-
mittee on the diseases of sheep in foreign acentric& (Load
laughter.)
CASE OF LEWIS FRANCIS.
Colonel NORTH gave notice that on Friday (this day
week) he would call the attention of the house to the
return laid on the table on the 20th of March relating to
the ease of the attack made by Lewis Francis on one of the
warders at the prima at Portland.
DISTRESS IN IRELAND.
Mr. SCULLY said that when the hoe. member for
Dew:roped (Mr. Farmed) brought forward the motion of
which he had given Douce, he (Mr. Scully) should move as
an amendment that it was the duty of the government to
take Immediate measures to extend the node of relief
which had been adopted is Lancashire to remedy the &-
tam now existing in Inked. (" Hear," and a laugh.)
WAYS AND MEANS.—THE FINANCIAL
STATEMENT.
' The house having resolved itself into a committee of ways
and mesas,
The Cruttexixori of the EXCHEQUER brought for-
ward his financial statement. He said that the
causes which had given peculiar interest to the
financial statements of the last few years were not
such as it was desirable should be permanent, as
they resulted from unusual pressure on the national
resources. A resolution had beenipassed bythehouse,
that while it was necessary to provide for the de-
fences of the country the burden of taxation should
be dealt with by the executive. His statement
that night, therefore, would be not merely an ac-
count of the national reeourcos, buten answer on the
part of the government to that resolution. Looking
to the average expenditure of the years since 1868,
it would be found that in that year it 11/11
64,164,0001. • in 1859-60 it was 69,562,0001.,
while in 1860-61 it was 72,842,0001., making an in-
crease of over 8,000,0001. from 1868 to that year.
The average annual expenditure from 1869 to 1863,
including the charge for fortifications' was
71,196,0(101., or without the charge for fortifica-
tions 70,678,0001. It was necessary, in order to
arrive at an exact knowledge of the actual expen-
diture of the country, to exclude certain items
which in their nature did riot increase—namely, the
interest of the national debt and the charge for the
collection of the revenue. Excluding these items
it would be found that the charge for the year
1858-59 was 31,621,0001.; for 1860.61, 42,125,0001.,
being an increase of ten million and a half u two
years. Previous to the Russian war, that is in
1853.54, the actual charge was 23,511:0001., while
in 186041 it had risen to 42,125,0001 , being an
increase in seven years of something ke 18, 000,000 f.
He did not say that this increase was without
reason or cause, having been called far by the
public desire to strengthen the defenoes of the
country ; and in 1860-61 there were actual war-