The Press.
London, England, 1854-03-04 00:00:00

Cart an sastion.

The Queen on Tuesday morning looked from the
balcony of Buckingham Palace while the first batta
lion of Scots Fusilier Guards were paraded just
before their departure for the Mediterranean. Prince
Albert, the Prince of Wales, and some of the younger
members of the Royal Family stood beside her Majesty
while the troops presented arms and defiled past the
windows of the Palace en route for the Waterloo-bridge
station.
In the evening of the same day the Queen visited
the Haymarket Theatre, and on Wednesday paid a
visit of curiosity to the Tower.
The aged Duchess of Glcucester has been again
seriously indisposed, but was sufficiently recovered on
Tuesday to receive a visit from the Queen.
The official banquets continue to run their course.
The Speaker gave his third parliamentary dinner on
Saturday. Viscountess Palmerston held a reception
that evening. Lord John Russell entertained some of
his colleagues and supporters on Wednesday. Countess
Granville bad an evening party on Thursday, at which
the French Ambassador, Countess Walewski, and many
of the other foreign envoys and their ladies were
present.
THE MARRIAGE OF LORD GEORGE PAOET, M.P.,
youngest son of the Marquis of Anglesey, with his
cousin, Miss Agnes Paget, daughter of the late Sir
Arthur Paget, G.C.8., was solemnised on Monday
evening, by special licence, at St. James's Church,
Piccadilly.
HE DUKE OF SUTHERLAND has forwarded 2001. to
Lieut.-Colonel Ainslie to be applied to the relief of the
wives of the soldiers of the 03rd who have been left
at home.

THE MEMBERS OF THE ABBEY AND NAVY CLUB are
subscribing for the purpose of sending back to their
homes, providing with employment, and otherwise
befriending the wives and families of the soldiers now
about to sail for Turkey. A sum of 1121. 17s. dd. has
been already contributed.
LIEUT.-GENERALJANE HAY, C. 8., died at Kelburne,
near Longford, on the 24th ult. The colonelcy of
the 70th Highlanders has become vacant by this
event. _ _ _ _

LADY ELIZABETH LASCELLES died at Goldsborough-
hall, Yorkshire, on Sunday, in her 28th year. The
deceased was the eldest daughter of the Marquis of
Clanricarde, and granddaughter of the celebrated
statesman George Canning. She married only three
years since Viscount Laseelles, eldest son of the Earl
of Rarewood.

MARCH 4, 1854.

THE BISHOP OF SALISBURY was seized on Wednes-
day morning with a violent bilious attack, which as
night approached began to assume a somewhat
alarming character. His lordship has kept his bed
since his illness commenced, but was reported as being
rather better on Thursday afternoon.
THE MEMBERS OF THE REFORM CLUB intend to give
agrand dinner to Sir Charles Nilpier, previously tohis
departure to take the command of the fleet. Upwards
of 160 gentlemen have already subscribed their
names.

THE Dui OF SAXE COBURG GOTHA has setout on a
journey to the Courts of Berlin, Brussels, and Paris.

Volitual auls etntrai.

THE CONDUCT OF PRIVATE BUSINESS IN PARLIA-
MENT is the subject of a letter just addressed by
Lord Stanley to Sir J. Pakington, the chairman of
the recently-appointed committee entrusted to con-
sider the present system and suggest improvements
upon it. Lord Stanley describes the present mode
of discussing and deciding private bills in the House
of Commons, and thus sums up his objections
thereto :

" The proceeding is rather judicial than legislative, and
is nevertheless conducted with an entire departure from
judicial forms. The tribunal before which it takes place
is uncertain in numbers, and irregular in attendance ; its
members are indifferent for the most part to the matter in
hand, and do not act under any sense of personal judicial
responsibility. I have known members vote in ignorance,
not only of the merits of the case, but of the very name
and purport of the bill which they were helping to carry or
to throw out. It follows that there is no real security either
for a good bill being allowed to go to a committee, or for a
bad one being stopped."

While indicating the grievance, his lordship does not
propose any precise remedy, but suggests, as a step
towards it, that a preliminary inquiry into the merits
of every private bill should be made by a select com-
mittee or appointed functionary of the house, and
a report founded on that inquiry be presented to the
house prior to the second reading of the bill. This
process, he urges, might guide, without controlling,
the opinions of members ; and as the inquiry would,
at all events, elicit whether the measure contained
anything contrary to precedent, public policy, or pri-
vate rights, the private-bill list would be winnowed,
and the house relieved from much of its present
trouble and responsibility, through unfair or imprac-
ticable projects being checked at the outset.

CABINET COUNCILS were held on Saturday and
Wednesday last. On Sunday the Ministers assembled
at Lord Clarendon's, and remained in consultation
nearly three hours. This unwonted meeting was
caused by the receipt of important despatches
brought by Mr. Townley from the east of Europe.
Mr. Blackwood was sent off with the resolve of
the Cabinet in reply on Sunday night to Constan-
tinople:
A PLAN OF SELF-REFORM has been drawn up by
the Court of Common Council of the City of London,
in compliance with the invitation of the commissioners
appointed to inquire into the affairs of the corpora-
tion. By this scheme it is propssed to give the right
of voting for aldermen, councilmen, or ward officers,
to occupiers of premises, whether shops, offices, or
residences, who are rated to the police rate at 101. per
annum. All such persons are to be eligible as alder-
men and councilmen, bankrupts and insolvents
being disqualified. The Lord Mayor to be elected in
common-hall from the aldermen who have served as
sheriffs, and the election to be absolute. Aldermen
to be elected by the wards for life, and without liabi-
lity to veto. The number of councilmen to remain
as at present. Aldermen becoming bankrupt and
compounding with creditors or absenting themselves
from duty to lose the office. The Court of Lord
Mayor and Aldermen to remain a separate court for
some special purposes, but to have no power over
the City cash; and the legislative power to be in the
general Court of Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Com-
mon Council. The laws forbidding non-freemen to
trade to be repealed, and the City street-tolls
abolished. The powers of the several City courts to
be consolidated and amended, and there to be only
two such courts for the trial and hearing of civil
causes within the City—namely, the Mayor's Court
and the Sheriffs' Court, as regulated by the Small
Debts Act.
CoLosin. W. B. SYKES, H.E.1.C.5., was on Wednes-
day elected Lord Rector of the University of Aber-
been for the current year. Colonel Sykes has
commended himself to the favourable notice of the
university by placing at the disposal of the senators
an appointment in the medical department of the
East India Company's service which is under his
patronage.
VICE-ADMIRAL SIR CHARLES NAPIER, K.C.8., having
been appointed to the command of the fleet intended
for operations in the Baltic, proceeded to Woolwich on
Saturday last, and hoisted his flag onboard the Figgard
flag-ship at that port.