The Express.
London, England, 1862-08-05 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, TUESDAVY EVENING, AUGUST .!, 1862.

Sir C. C. LEWIS said that in January, 1861, a girl
between fifteen and aixteen years of age received corporal
punishment in the schwl under the management of the
commissioners of the Patriotic Fund. The punishment was
indicted by the lady superintendent, in the promos of two
schoolmistresses. The ladies' committee, who had a por-
tion of the auperiotendence of the school, did not take any
notice of the occurrence at the time, but latterly they had
raised a question about it, and the executive committee
had decided against them. In ounsequence of that decision
• portion of the ladies had resigned. He believed that the
Patriotic Fund Commiasiouers had made • report on the
subject which would shortly be presented, and it would
contain a full narrative of all the circumstances.

FISHERIES (IRELAND) BILL.
This bill went through committee.
THE LAW OF MARRIAGE.
. .

Lord PALIiERSTON h►ving moved that the house at
its rising adjourn until Thursday,
Mr. HENNESSY called attention to the anomalous state
of the law of marriage, as illustrated by the Yelverton
111110.
Mr. WHI'IIISIDE also spoke on the same subject, and
urged the necessity of some improvement of the existing
law. . .

The 8011CITOR-GENERAL thought the law of
Englund wee in a satisfactory state, and he should be con-
t-nt to Ice it adoptcd throughout the United Kingdom ;
but to force it upon Scotland or Irel.thd without the general
consent would be impossible.
SERVI A.

Mr. D. GRIFFITH expressed a hope that the representa-
tive of this country at the conference which was sitting at
Constantinople would enter that conference without any
spirit of partisanship. Since the Turkish government had
obtained funds from this country they had conducted them-
selves in a much more demonstrative manner, and they had
made a new attack upon Montenegro. Ile could not help
regarding it as a great anomaly that the Porte should have
fortresses in a couotr► where it did not otherwise pains a
single acre of territory.
■AIIFTRIA.
Mr. B. BEAUMONT wished to ask if the noble lord
would state whether there was any ground for hoping that
• commercial treaty would be ratified between this coun-
try and Austria. The matter was of the more impor-
tance, bonnie after the manner in which our commercial
relations with America had been compromised, the govern-
ment could not perform a greater service to the mercantile
community than to open up new markets. (Hear.)
REFORM.

Mr. COX wished to know if during the recess the
government would turn their attention to reform. He
would ask the noble lord to be good enough to look
into the bill which was introdueed by the right
honourable gentleman the member for Buckingham-
shire, and that at the mine time he would also read the
resolution which was proposed by Lord John Russell,
and which affirmed that that bill would not be satisfactory
to the house or to the country unless it went a great deal
further. With those two documents in his hand the noble
lord would have no difficulty in coming to a right oonclusion.
MINISTERIAL REPLY.

Viscount PALMERSTON was sure it was none
to remind the honourable gentleman who
rdilast spoken that the subject to which he
had adverted was not only a highly important one,
but was also one beset with great difficulty. The house
would see that now, on the last day of the session, it would
not be advisable for him (the noble lord) to express any
opinion as to what course the government might or might
not see fit next scallion to adopt. With regard to what had
fallen from the hon. member opposite (Mr. Griffith), the
hones might be aware that the two representatives at
Constantinople of the powers which were parties to
the treaty of 1&56 bad been authorised to mos:,
in conference upon the question to which the hon. member
had referred. He could assure the hon. gentleman that the
representative of her Majesty's government would be, sod
indeed had been. instructed to bear in mind not only the
engagements which the six parties (including England) bad
entered into with Turkey under the terms of the treaty,
but also the just rights of the Sultan, and what was
due to the welfare of the Christian inhabitants of Servia.
Wore than that he could not say. The Sultan bad un-
doubtedly the right of maintaining troops in the towns of
Servia, Belgrade and others. It would be a matter for
him, in ocomert with his allies, to decade whether any mili-
tary occupation which be at present posteesed in those
towns could be withdrawn, but he (Lord Palmerton) did
not think the Sultan would be disposed to withdraw his
garrison from Belgrade. Those, however, were the in-
structions which had bees given her Majesty's represse-
tatives, and those were the pnociplis on which they were
acting. With regard to what had fallen from his hon.
friend behind him (Mr. Beaumont), he (Lord Palmerston)
did not think it would be advisable to state at present any-
thing respecting the communications which were passing
between her Majesty's government, and the government of
Austria in commercial matters. But he could assure hie hoe.
friend, her Majesty's government were extremely desirous
to meet the Austrian government in any proposals from
them respecting a more liberal commercial policy. The Aus-
trian government, as his hon. friend had well said, had
entered upon a course far more liberal than bad heretofore
been adopted. The Emperor had given proofs of &disposition
towards a liberalizing policy, but at the same time habits of
protection of native industry, however ill founded in reason,
were very difficult to eradicate ;and upon the recent propo-
sition for the admission of Austria into the Zollverein, con-
ditions were proposed by Austria which it was thought
were founded too much upon protective prieciplea. Those
cooditions had prevented Austria from entering the Zollve-
rein at the present moment. Therefore people must not be
over sanguine as to changes being suddenly made in the
principles of Austrian commerce. There was no
doubt, as his honourable friend had stated, that
the Austrian empire abounded in natural re•
sources ; and if by a wiser course of action they were to
encourage the exchange of commodities with those of other
nations, they had wealth beyond description wherewith to
purchase the commodities which other countries produced
at a cheaper rate than they could produce them themselves.
Such a system of exchange, not only with this country, but
with others, would no doubt be highly advantsgeous ; and
he did not despair that the Austrian government would ul-
timately see the wisdom of adopting the course which be
had suggested.
The motion for adjournment was then agreed to ; and the
house adjourned, at five minutes past eight, to Thursday
next.