The Express.
London, England, 1853-03-16 00:00:00

AGGRAVATED ASSAULTS BILL.

On the second reading of this bill,
Mr. HENLEY hoped the government would t keinto

consideration the cases of persons who had soine:i.ncs been
imprisoned, on the warrant of a single justice, I . as lung
a period as two years, for not finding sureties to Keep the
peace.
Mr. H. BARROW had the greatest objection to ,o 3 severe
a punishment being inflicted by a summary jur;Wict.on
without a power of appeal.
Mr. FITZROY said a few words in reply, and
The bill was read a second time.
JEWISH DISABILITIES BILL

This bin wi amended was considered, and or.kred to be
read a third time.

UNIVERSITIES (SCOTLAND) BILL.
Tile house went into committee, and leave w e given to
bring in a bill to regulate the appointment of pr lessors to
lay chairs in the Scotch universities.

THE CONSOLIDATED LOAN FUND.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, in laying
on the table the accounts of this fund, observed that, how-
ever doubtful some of the undertakings might hive been
which had been assisted by it, it would be imp usible to
withhold their tribute of admiration at the skill and ability
with which the commissioners had conducted their opera-
tions, by which they had made a profit amounting to nearly
a million and a half. These commissioners, it should be
borne in mind, were unpaid, and were assisted by the able
services of Mr. Brickwoud, the secretary, and Mr. Barton,
the solicitor. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. DISRAELI said it had been his lot to censure some
of the undertakings of the commissioners, but he had
always borne his testimony to the officers of tne commis-
sion. (Hear, hear.)
The house then rose at eleven o'clock.

Zhe eicoreb:l.

h tto r inked to leave as soon as they have
o..ligh 01 buth. They arrive in India without any
otaiation which would direct their conduct in the
fib be whi h thee might reach some points of
sc
,y'raFely with thC. natives whom they have to
Thor oie datiosi them from
poem.
!in,: themselvttesuel to acquirep reventk the nwl oedge of
apperleo'l they ought to have been in possession before
huultd. They are content to take upon trust
volition* left as a Lame,' by predecessors as ignorant
• itaaotties, and they leave the country as wise as
when they et:tired it.
lien., the evil. What is the remedy ? Evidently
a oupp. ls. tier informed functionaries begetting
a blotto r mode of governmeet. Instead of sending
vet, to India the j•rot;g:s of Directers, fit for little
or nothing at home, it is our duty to sup-
ply ledi.e with a selection of the ai?.: of
ear I owls. This, bin ever, under the present system of
woollier ernitut be effected; nor could it be done
by the tianefer of that patronage from Leadenhall-
sEnot to Downing-stro rt. Whilst the Directors
bpse ,he right of mominatiag the great majority of
cos futetiomaries in India. we must necessarily
espfet to see relationship to such Directors held to
tic goat test of ss. Abolish this at MCP.
Adopt Lurd suggestion, to throw open
apioirtments to India, to the public competition of
boss out exceeding a fiat d age. 'lhe present one
of pate 'weir is one of the Curses of India, and one of
the, greuto st difficulties in the way of Indian reform.
Dwrey the plesent ~stem, and we may yet atone
to tl,a, country for the miseries our rule has
int!,.t.l upon it. Give Cadetships to the
best men of the universities of Oxford, Cam-
London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, and
Ofkr Indian appointments as objects of
comp, iition amongst the boys of Eton. Harrow,
Rugby, and other foundation schools. Let the nation
base what the Lotion has won. 1)o away with the
glaring injustice of allowing a largo empire con-
won t. by England, to be kept down merely that a
few supra-ann.: :ted Directors in Leedenhallostreet may
have the privilege. of inundating India yearly with
youthful functional...no, who do nothing to elevate the
wtet;.'aeol subjects of their rule. Do this, and we shall
hoe nu mire "Rat mails." The people of India
%ill occupy some of that space in the pub-
lic Mto lic.;irre which has hitherto been monopolised
by ihi it eonorierors; and, in the carrying out the
eivilboation in that magnificent country by
a new class of governors, we shall have the best
gtaruntee fur the stability of our Indian Empire.
Oote oof the greatest wants of India is a race of
talented and high-minded admiuistratorc.

TnE return of the steamer "Australian" for the third
time—and on this last oectision in amoredangerous con •
ditiun than ever—fully justifies the remarks we have
kit bound to make on the management of steam com-
panies. Shipowners of all classes are a very compact
&alb sin gi oar ly deaf to the complaints of helpless land-
Mlle's, who. atter paying their money, have slight
mesas of obtaining compensation for any breach of
enetract ; but the Directors of the Australian Royal
Mail seem to have improved upon the proverbial
irreiousibility of sea-carriers.
'Hwy hive contrived in a very short period to
incur more accidents, more delays, and to inflict
more disappointment and injury on their passengers
than have occurred in the steamers to New York,
whether British or American, during the several
years of their existence. There may have been ori-
nally reasonable excuses for the breakdown of the
Melbourne and the Adelaide. We know perfectly
well that iron ships cannot be turned off with the
rapidity of the PAXTON gutters for the Crystal Palace.
We know that through the culpable negligence
and intliffercuce of Earl GREY and Sir Cusates
WOOO Australia was without steam communication
at the critical period of the gold discoveries, although
for year after year the Legislative Council of New
South Miles and the Australian merchants of the
City of London had pressed the subject on the Colonial
Minister and the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER.
The rapid action of the United States in the case of
Caiifornia taught no lesson to those Dromios of offi-
cial delay. It is much easier to write plausible
despatches or to givesmart House of Commons answers
than to conclude a practical work like the establish-
ment of steam communication : much easier to find

hucdredsOf thousands of pounds to pay Government
env/v."4 in colonies, which have neither popu-
lation nor exports; Governors and Chief Justices,
and a long line of officials, for dots of islands in the
West undies; three Governors and an army for
New Zealand, with less than twenty thousand
inhabitants ; five thousand • year to the barren
Falkland Islands; a large loan to keep above water
for a few more months the bubble .New Zealand
Company—easier long ago to do one and all of these
things than to start a line of steam-ships to Aus-
tralia. It was for years impossible to obtain a Govern-
ment guarantee for securing a steam rat with our
finest cluster of dependencies; and when the time came
that further delay was impossible, nearly all our
mercantile navy was fully employed in the Ame-
rican trade. There were few spare steam ships,
and the Government contracts, which were so much
needed to support a line of mail steamers before
the gold discoveries, became a positive disoou-
ragement to private enterprise. In this posi-
tion a company, without • ship, obtained the
contract—to fatal that contract they bought one
ship and ordered two.. The disaster. of the Melbourne
—the ship bought—are well known to the unhappy
passenger. who went on board that vessel. The two
ordered by the Company, the Adelaide and Australian,
were so hurried in building, that they were never
pmperlygpmpleted. They were sent to sea unfinished,
but well d, no doubt—the sole risk being borne
by the passengers and crew.
The letters of passengers by the Adelaide from
St. Vincent have informed us how delay, confusion,l
and neglect, extended to every department, from the
passengers' cabins to the coal depots. Yet after thel
receipt of such various and ample evidence on the
shortcomings of the Directors and their responsible
officers, when the annual meeting of shareholders
took place the other day, those who ventured to
question the perfect wisdom and prudence of the
arrangements of the Directors could scarcely obtain
a hearing, and were treated with almost as much
impertinence as if they had been passen-
gers. Indeed it is doubtful if any remarks, dis-
agreeable to the Directors, would have been listened
to if one of the shareholders had not also been a pas-
senger from Sydney, and able to give personal evi-
dence of the gross mismanagement which had
throughout prevailed.
But surely we may say in the case of the "Amara-
ban" steamer the last failure is the worst of
all. In the first false start the mail begs were
soaked, and property to an unknown amount de-
stroyed, a delay fatal to the plans of many
of the passengers was incurred, while cob-
bling. and trial tripe were performed that ought
sever to have been needed ; and now, after perform-
ing 250 miles, and reaching the skirts of the Bay of
Biscay, where she lay for hours almost waterlogged,
the " Australian" has returned with all her passengers
in a state of misery that defies description, with
four feet of water in her hold, only preserved from
sinking by constant exertions at the pumps of all
the able-bodied passengers, in addition to those of
hkr zealous officers and crew.

If the Company had shown themselves willing to
meet the representations of the passengers, whom
they have so deeply injured, in a fair spirit, many
of our remarks might have been spared, but we can-
not help noting, that while the meeting of passengers,
reported by us yesterday, passed a resolution" warmly
sympathising with Captain HOIWASON, his officers,
Crew, as well as with the chief engineer, his en-
(peers, and stokers, under the harassing duties
unposed on them by the bad management of the Com-
Puy." they also expressed their indignation at the
want of courtesy shown and the unwarrantable lan-
Page used by some of the Directors', the Secretary,
and the Agents of the Company, to passengers making
the .J(inplaints in person. M'e cannot avoid the con-
e:tenon that in the present active state of com-
merce between this country and the Australian
colonies, the subsidies needed at one time are now
an Injury rather than a benefit, and that the steam
Post to Australia may safely be left to private enter-
ic*. From n hat was said in the House of Corn-
sass list night it appears that the Government in-
tetd to do their duty.

V.GOW AND SOUTII WEST UN RAlLWAT.—Traffic
4? the week ending March 12, £4,4G6 179.9 d. Currerposd
'Li •Wk last lea, L 3,092 94. Inueme, SAN 84. 91.