The Express.
London, England, 1853-07-26 00:00:00

PUBLIC BUSINESS.
ENTRY OF SEAMEN BILL.

On the motion for going into committee on this bill,
Captain SCOBELL submitted that there ought to be
some explanation of its object. The bill was introduced at
a late hour of the nijfht and read a second time between
one and two o'clock in the morning without any discus-
sion, aad although they had the report before them upon
which it was founded, the subject was one of too mach
importance to admit of its being proceeded with further
without some statemeat from the minister.

Sir 0. PECHELL said the object and intention of the
bill were well understood by the service. The bill in fact
was considered to be the charter of the British navy, and
since it would be most beneficial to the interest of the
seaman it was of the utmost importance that the details
should be disposed of as soon as posible.
Sir J. GRAHAM stated that by the Act of 1835,
power was given to the Queen in council, in the event
of any impending danger, or great emergency, to tune
a proclamation offering a bounty of one-fourth for
seamen to enter the navy I'm the specified period, with en
Increase on that bounty, even if the seaman agreed to serve
for a longer period. Objection, however, was taken Ito this
proclamation on account of its being general, and it we;
therefore proposed by this bill to give the Queen in council
power to limit the proclamation to certain classes, to be de-
signated in the document, or the registered seamen, instead
of ceiling upon all seamen universally to come in and enter,
as was now the use under the act of 1835. (Hear, hear.)
The bill also left the responsibility of advancing or regu-
lating the bounty to the executive, giving them power to
double or treble it as the danger or emergency might re-
quire, but that in ordinary caste, instead of a bounty of
one-fourth of increased 'pay, the amount should
unpin of an additional 2d. per day. (Hear, hear.)
There were other provisions connected with the bill, but they
were more of a minor character, affecting the details rather
than the principle of the meunre, and without detaining
the house further he would at once move that the Speaker
do now leave the chair. (Hear, hear.)
84 G. TYLER thought the house ought to bo in posses-
sion of the evidence taken before the commission before it
was called upon to dispose of the bill, at least such portions
of it es could be produced without detriment to the public
service.

Mr. A. STAFFORD said if his memory served him
rightly, he believed an arrangement wee come to that this
evidence should be considered as confidential, and therefore if
the right hon. baronet now at the head of the Admiralty took
upon himself the responsibility of withholding it the late
Board of Admiralty must share that responsibility with
him. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. WILLIAMS said that there would never be
any difficulty. in manning the fleet provided the sailors
bad more inducements held out to them for en-
tering the service; but at present, although they did not
always get better paid, they preferred the merchant ser-
vice to entering one other Majesty's thips,where they would
be subject to the system of corporeal punishment. He sug-
gested that instead of ado& commander being invested with
the power of ordering corporeal punishment, which it should
be remembered was far more severe in the navy Una the
army, from the difference in the nature and sire of
the lash, naval courts-martial should be established
similar to those in the army, and then instances
of men being punished in this dreadful manner to
satisfy the temper or caprice of their commander would be
of rare occurrence, while able and efficient seamen would
have far less objection to entering the service. (Hear.)
Mr. MACKINNON wished to take that opportunity of
drawing the attention of the house and of the right hon.
baronet the First Lord of the Admiralty to the manner in
which the French navy was recruited. They all knew that
the army of France was recruited by conscription, but with
the navy it wu different. In France every indivi-
dual who lived by or was employed upon the water,
no matter whether fresh or salt water, had his
name inscribed upon a roll by the authorities of
the district in which he resided, and whenever
men were required for the navy those who were engaged
in vessels going to sea were called upon first, and if they
were not sufficient to supply the demand then the men
employed upon fresh water were had recourse to. At first
the system of volunteering was applied to the lista, sad if
that failed the men were drawn from the two lista as they
appeared upon the inscriptions. Now, could not some
plan of that sort be adopted in this country ?
After some further conversation,
The house went into committee on tho bill, and agreed
to the clauses with some unimportant amendments.
NEW MEMBER.
Mr. WILLTAII9, the newly-elected member fear West
Cornwall, took the oaths and his seat.
The sitting was then suspended at four o'clock until six
o'clock.
_ . .

The iouse resumed at 6 o'clock.
THE CASE OF STEPHEN MOUNT.
On the motion of Mr. L. King, the evideaca taken on
the trial of Stephen Moent, ordered by the house to be
prosecuted for perjury, together with the summing up of the
judge, was laid on the table of the house.
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE.—THE INDIA BILL.
Mr. DISRAELI said he wished to make a isavary

spooling the conduct of the India Bill. Ile understood that
in case it was finished in committee to night, it was in-
tended to bring up the report to-morrow. Now it was a
very unusual course to bring up the report on-what via
not a government day. But there was 4 speak' circum-
stance which induced him to make an appeal to the Presi-
dent of the Board of Control not to bring it up to-
morrow and that was that his right hoe. friead the
member, for Droitwich had a motion of very considerable
interest which he intended to make en bringing up the
report, and, irrespective of to-morrow being a motion day,
there was a domestic circumstance which would make it
impossible for his right hon. friend to 'be in his place
to-morrow. If the report were brought up on Thursday
his right hon. friend could be in his place.
Sir C. WOOD said he should be very glad to meet the
convenience of his right hon. friend. It was a mistake,
however, to suppose that it was not usual to bring up re-
ports on bills on what was not a government day. Looking
at the state of business before this and the other house it
was exceedingly desirable to send up the bill as early as pos-
sible, or they should give the other house just cause of
complaint that delay had taken place if they did not bring
up the report to-morrow. There was no conceivable reason
why the right hon. gentleman should not move the clause
on the third reading. It they got through committee to-
night they proposed to take the third reading on Thursday.
Mr. DISRAELI—It is desirable that the bowie should
know when the question of the salt monopoly will be
brought before them.
Sir C. WOOD—It does not appear to me that there are
any notices which will occupy much time to-morrow.