The Express.
London, England, 1866-04-21 00:00:00

THE OATHS BILL

The report of amendments was received.
The Earl of LONGFORD suggested that the unrepealed
portions of the acts referred to in the schedule should be
consolidated.
Earl RUSSELL said in reply a few words, which ware
inaudible in the gallery.
THE CATTLE PLAGUE.

The Duke of BUCKINGHAM said that power was
given to the Privy Council to reserve cattle for experi-
mental treatment ; and he regarded that provision, if
judiciously carried out, as an extremely valuable one.
But it appeared that by en order in council of the
3rd of March, which, however, did not appear to have
been putted, the Privy Council had delegated that power
to the royal commissioners; and that those commlisioners,
without any communication with the local authorities, had
authorised the reservation of 12 animals in the county of
Buckingham. It appeared that they were kept in a yard
which drained into the common watercourse of the pariah,
and which was in close proximity to one of the most im-
portant highways in the county. He desired, there-
fore, to ask the noble earl what arrangements had
been made for carrying out this provision, what was
the number of animals that had been reserved, whether
the assent of the local authorities had been obtained, or
whether any communication had been made to them!
Earl GRANVILLE was understood to say that the
royal commissioners bad not thought it wiae to communi-
cate to the Privy Council how their experiments were pro-
gressing, but they would make • full report at the end of
the month. Some applications had been made to the
government to allow private persons to reserve cattle for
experiment. Amongst those was one from Mr. Nichols
in Scotland, to which the Privy Council did not think it
right to accede, and in that conclusion they had been
somewhat oonfirmedby the secretary of the Aberdeen Asso-
ciation, whomaid that hehad inspectedthe animals supposed
to have been cured by Mr. Nichols's system, and that the
treatment appeared to consist in giving them hardly any
food. They seemed to be veq nearly exhausted, but
there appeared to be no proof that they had had the
plague. The other application was from Baron Roth-
schild, in order to give Mr. Worms a full opportunity of
trying his plan, and the result did not show that Mr.
t orms' treatment was euceessfuL He (the noble earl)
would make a point of inquiring into the came referred to

by the noble diike.
The Marquis of BATH suggested that the order in
council of the 24th of March should be amended, by insert-
ing a provision referring to calves, which at present were
obliged to be killed, as the farmers could neither keep
them nor send them sway.
The Earl of CARNARVON doubted whether the order
in council of the 3rd of March, not having been published
in the Oa.-:ette, was valid.
Their lordships then rose at half-past six..

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-FRIDST, APRIL 20.
The SPEAKER took the chair at 10 minutes to 4 o'clock.
ROYAL COMMISSION.—THE SPEAKER'S ILLNIMS.
The SPEAKER announced that the royal assent would,
at 4 o'clock. be given by commission to certain bills, and
be regretted that it would not be in his power to accom-
pany the house to the House of Lords, but with the per-
mission of the house he would vacate, the chair when the
Deputy-Speaker could take his place, and then, on the
return of the house from the House of Lords, he could
resume his Beat.
Mr. WALPOLE begged leave to call the attention of the
Louse to the practice in such cases. There were provisions
made to enable the Deputy-Speaker during the compulsory
absence of the Speaker to take the chair and to discharge
the dutie,, of the office. That was done under the standing
orders of the house, but it was also competent to the house
by a resolution to enable the Speaker to vacate the chair
for a limited period, and the Deputy-Speaker to take his
place. He would therefore move that Mr. Speaker be
allowed to vacate the chair temporarily, and that Mr.
Deputy-Speaker do take his place, and the motion was
agreed to.