The Express.
London, England, 1865-04-28 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.—ThumaDay, Aran. 27.
Their lordships met yenewity Puking ler the lot time
sitar the Easter pease. the Loan Csixturtuua taking hie
seat oa the woolsack at 5 oAdock.
Lcrd HAVENSWORTH presented a petition from Dar
ham, complaining of the damage done to property by doge,
sad prayiag for en Paetmeat by which the careen of the
dogs would be made liable for snob damage.
THE ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN.
Fort RUSSELL—My Lords,—l beg to give totes that on
Monday next I shall move that an humble addrees be pre-
sented to the wows, expressive of sor ow and indignation
at the assassination of the President of the United States,
and praying her Majesty to poesy that expression of feel-
ing to the government of the United Swum Thu will be
.he substation of the motion, though the precise terns will

be different.
The Earl of DERRY—I hope that the noble earl arid
her Majesty's government have taken pains to smoothies
that there is nothing unusual—l do not say napreordeeted,
because the cireumatanoes are almost unpreeedested—l
I hope they have taken pains to ascertain that there is
nothing in the form of the motion which as reader it in
the slightest degree doubtful that a unanimous assent will
be given by the howe to the motion when it is proposed.
(Hear, hear.) With regard to the substance of the motion,
I am quite certain that the expression of sorrow and indig-
nation at the atrocious wit which has bees committed in
the United States will not only meet with the ntiasiceous
assent of your loedships' house, but will represent the
°Oak& of every man, woman, and child is her Majesty's
dominion'. (Cheers.)
Eon RUSaF.LL—The sage earl in quite correct in saying
Wit the circumstance. are happily unprecedented, but I
think there will be nothing in the form of the motion to
which any objection can be taken.
DLSTRIUT CHURCH TITHES BILL.
The Duke of MAILLIK)ROUGH, in moving the second
reading of this bill, stated that the object w... to misfile the
incumbents of district parishes, which had been formed
under existing acts, to exchange any portion of their existing
endow:Foote, whether in the form of land or of money, for
any tithes which might arias within their limits.
The bill was read a seeped time.
IMPRISONMENT OF BRSSINIA. ITIsH SUBJECTS IN
ABY
Lord CHELMSFORD ore in pursuance of notice "to
call the attention of the house to the imprieoemeet sad
severe treatment to which a British consul sod other British
subjects have been exposed by the orders of the Emperor of
Abyssinia ; to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
what steps have been taken to relieve our fellow-ceniutry-
men from the severities to which they have been subjected,
and to which, it is believed they are still &object ; and to
move for papers." His lordship commenced by referring to
the amicable nature of the intercourse which the late
Consul Plowden acrid on with the King of Abyssinia
up to the period of his death, when be was
succeeded by Consul Cameron. In the latter part of 188'2,
he said, the king renewed a project of an embassy to this
country and to France, and wrote an autograph letter to
her Majesty, which be entrusted to Captain Cameron.
That latter arrived in this country in February, 1863. Not
long after Captain Cameron, who had assisted the king on
a war expedition, received an order from the consul-general
to return to him port at Marsowah. The fact that no reply
was sent to the autograph letter increased the ill-feeling
thus occasioned, and in November. 1863, Mr. Stere' an ex-
*silent missionary from this country, was be and
rimmed, and a few days after all the Europeans
in Abyssinia, including several other minionartee
and Consul Camaro., were carried to prison and
loaded with chains weighing from lfelbs. to 2//tbs. After
this the prisoners were tried by • great conical of grandee..
Stern, and another mierionary named &menthe', were
charged with having used offensive expressions against the
sovereign. Some of the grandees thought they ought to be
pet to death ; but instead of this they were sent to prison,
where they were chained to an Abyssinian day and night.
Am if to aggravate their position, there arrived at this june.
turn an official letter from England, which, icstead of being
as answer to the autograph letter of the king to her
Majesty, contained an order for Captain Cameron to return
to his poet at klareowah. In • letter which Captious Cameron
costrived to get conveyed to Maaeowah from his prison, and
dated Goodar,l4o of Febniary,lB64. he mid, "Myself, Stern,
Rosenthal, Cairns, Bards], and M'Kilvie are all in chains
here so release till a civil answer to the king's letter."
The most natural step would have been to seed some peeeon
to demand the release of the primers ; but her Majesty's
government seemed to have been afraid that ass, person
who might be sent would share the fate of the consul, and
be imprisoned. la the month of June, 1864, a letter from
the Queen wee sent in reply to the autograph letter of the
King of Abyssinia. U it were right to send it then it
would have been right to send it earlier. No one could
doubt that if an Englishman of rank bad been the bower
of that letter it would have led to the immediate release
of the unfortunate prisoners—(hear)—but instead of that it
was forwarded toe Mr. Remain, an Asiatic gantlet:nee, who
had been assistant to the roperinteedent at Aden, and the
result was that it had never been received by the king.
Under the circumstances, he thought he was entitled to ask
the noble earl for explanations as to the mine which had
been pursued. He would sot move for papers until he had
ascertained what papers the noble earl would be disposed to
grant.
Earl RUSSELL said he felt some difficulty in addressing
their lordships es ibis subject, because it was obvious that
anything said In that house which might give offence to the
King of Abyeeinia would expose Consul Cameron sod the other
prisoners to greater hardship. tbaa they had suffered. He
would shortly refer to the chief circumstances connected
with this question. The late Ooneul Plowden was treated
with great eornideration by the King of Abyssinia, and
when he died his Majesty paid the greatest reepect to his
remains. Hi. summer, Oemml Cameron, west to convey pre-
sents to the king, and a letter from her Majesty thanking him
for his conduct towards Consul Plowden ; but at the mime
time the consul's proper plaos was at Maanowah, and he would
have returned there had be not been violently interrupted
on his journey. The noble lord seemed to think that when
the King had written an autograph letter to the Queen it
would have been • very simple matter to answer it civilly
at osce, Lod to send out some person to deliver the reply.
But many difficulties stood in the way. The letter of the
Ring of Abyssinia asked permission to send an embassy to
this country. The state of Abyssinia was unsettled at that
time, and it had become more unsettled since. The king
uomplaioad that the Turks and Egyptians encroached on his
. territory, and he wanted the English and Fresch to inter-
fere and take part in his wars—a course which
• her Majesty's government thought by no means dem-
' table. It became_ , therefore, matter for consideration what
answer should be given, and the qusetioe blll oce of
Eastern policy, the Secretary of State for India had to be
consulted before any answer was returned. It appeared
that in the meantime the King of Abyssinia had taken great
offence at the conduct of some miasioneriee. On this fact
being officially communicated to her Majesty's government,
- her Majesty was advised to forward a letter to the King,
. replying to certain complaints made, and expressing
regret at the occasion of them. The noble lord seemed to
think that Mr. RISBIM was not a proper penon b. I
charged with this duty. He was a man of consider-
' able experience and importance in the service ; and
- when be (Fed Russell) found that be held the
*See of first assistant-secretary to the Political
Resident at Aden, he thought no better person could be
selected to execute this mission. Mr. Relearn wee accord-
• ingly sent with this letter of her Majesty, and the King of
Abyssinia was informed that he wee the bearer of a letter
from the Queen of England. That was In August, 1864.
By the last accounts it did not appear that the King of
Abyssinia had actually received that letter. It was very
difficult to publish the informatics, communicated by per-
sons residing in the territory without exposing them to con-
siderable danger. He might, however, state that, according
to the moat recent information received from that country,
it appeared that the chains were taken off the arms and
legs of the consul, and that he was not fastened to any
other person. The King of Abyssinia had been all this time
engaged in a war with some of hie own people who were in
rebellion against Lim, and with some of the neighbouring
chief. ' • be bad left his capital In consequence of this war,
and it was said that as sconce b
ete came back he
. would most probably take s to liberate the
missionaries. No doubt endeavours had been ire-
. queetly made to excite the mind of the King of I
Abyesiala against certain persona, sometimes English and
sometimes French subjects. The king was, in fact, told,
that if thew prisoners were liberated no reparation would I
be required. There was, however, no justification for the
conduct of the King cd Abyssinia. Some months ago it was
suggested that some person Is official uniform should be
employed to demand the release of the prisoners ; but be
(Earl Russell) must confess that he was by no means mo-
guls. as to the efficacy of much a measure. He believed
that the real grimiest., felt by the King of Abyssinia was
the fact that no aid bed been given by this country to his
Majesty while he was engaged in the ware to which he had
alluded. The government of her Majesty had used all the
memo in their power to propos the release of
the prisoners. Some poems thought that if we
sent out a magnificent mission with primate to the king, it
would be the means of attaining their object mad necunng
the respect of the people ; but to him it appeared that that
would be like offering a reward for the imprisonment of a
consul. The matter was a very difficult one to deal with,
and it had been considered with great care by the Foreign-
ofd's, and they had pursued the courts which they deemed
v best in reference to the end in view.
: Their lordshipeadjourned at 10 minutes past 6.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—TurasDAY, APRIL 27.
The ULM= took t/a• chair at 4 o'olock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.
I The followini bills wen road • third time and mewed
Bucklsstleigb,Totnes. and South Devon Railway ; Edgware,
Bigligate, and London Railway ; Glaugow and South Weston)
"Railway fOlty of Glargow Union) ; Great Torrington
Reads ; Lomb" Eilsekwall, and 11i1ha11 Eximnioe Bail-
way ; Soottieh North Easton aiikwiar Snoningdale and
Cambridge Town Railway ; and Wl:deliver Junction
Railway Bills.
The following bills ware considered mid ordered to lie
WU tie labia :—Galway Want Halifax Extension and

AL