The Express.
London, England, 1867-08-03 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—FRIDAY, Amon 2.

ix the Hot;sx of COMMONS, after our report left
yesterday, a lungthened discussion followed on the
motion for going into committee on the Artisans'
and Labourers' Dwellings Bill, which ended in the
motion being withdrawn, and the house went into
committee and was engaged in the discussion of
the various clauses, up to clause 19, till 10minutes
to 4, when further progress with the bill was post-
poned.
The Public Health (Scotland) Bill passed through
committee.
The sitting was suspended at 4 o'clock.

The house re-assembled at six o'clock.

The SPILAKILR, in reply to a question from Mr.
Mulkey, stated that his attention had been called
to a meeting of gentlemen, not members of the
house, having been held in the tea-room on Monday,
at which speeches were made in reference to a bill
before the house. Such a proceeding was not in
accordance with established rule. The Deputy
Berjeant-at-Arms went to the room and informed
the gentlemen assembled that their proceeding
was irregular, and they immediately dispersed.
The members who were instrumental in ob-
taining the room had stated that they were not
aware of the breach of order, and had expressed
their re,,,ret that an irregularity had taken place.
azAIWY in reply to Mr. Neate, who asked
what steps he intended to take in consequence of
the notice given by the Reform League to hold a
monster meeting in Hyde-park on Monday next,
replied that it would be his duty to see that peace
and order were preserved.
On the order for going into committee of Supply
Mr. H. SLy‘iotia called attention to the conduct
of the authorities in India, in reference to the
famine in Oriasa last year, by which 750,000
persona perished. He referred in great detail to
the papers which had been published on the sub-
joet,showing that the attention of Mr. Ravenshaw,
the commissioner in Orissa was called in November
to the approaching famine by the reminders, but
that he refused to believe it and went to the bill
country for his health, and did not return till the
31stJanuary.ltlethensomewhatchanged hisopinion.
and made applications to the Board of Revenue for
rice, but they, persistently refused to send rice, on
the ground that their doing so would interfere
with the ordinary course of trade and be against
the principles of political economy, and they did
not send any until the 29th of May, and then of the
easels employed only one was a stean.er, and some
of the others were bound for (line, and were to
bring rice on their return. The relief always came
too late, and the rice imported was scarcely enough
to feed a twentieth of the population on full rations
for six months. He moved for the production
of certain correspondence and documents connected
with the subject.
Mr SmoLterr seconded. He regarded this famine
and its attendant mortality as the most awful oc-
currence that had taken place for 1800 years.
Mr. H. A. Bisect addressed the house at sonic
length in palliation of the conduct of the authori-
ties in India, urging the great extent of the
country Sir Cecil Heade'', the Lieutenant-
Governor of Bengal, had to govern ; and that the
famine came upon them unexpectedly, Orissa being
generally an exporting country.
Lord W. HAY contended that a great portion of
the blame was attributable to the Lieutenant-
Governor of Bengal, and not to the Governor-
General, who was in fact bound to listen to his
advisers, and who was told by his counca that Sir.
C. Hendon, who had known the country for more
than thirty years, had recently been in Orissa, and
that he did not apprehend a famine. Nor was it
fair to attempt to shift the blame on the Revenue
Board, which was, in fact, a mere department.

Sir J. FmtnrssoN admitted that ii was natural
that the house should feel disgust that under
the vaunted British rule so little was dune at the
critical moment to avert the impending calamity.
He urged that the blame must be 'prowl widely ;
but that some consideration must be extended to
men who had spent a long and honourable life in
the public service.

After some observations from Mr. II rurssax and
Mr. STANNIFILD,

Lord CRAWBOZNE said the whole question was,
was there laid before the lieut.-governor sufficient
information to have roused in the mind of an
ordinary man the feeling of probability that such
a calamity as had oecurr".t.l would occur. There
were three classes of witnesses—the natives, who
were unanimous in their opinion that famine was
impending ; the unofficial Englishmen, the persons
connected with the railway and other c ,rka, the
merchants and the missionaries, who warned the
government of what was coming ; and then there
were the officials, who, with one or two exceptions,
appeared to have been walking in a dream, with a
superb unconsciousness of what everyone else was
aware of. He believed the fact was, that
Sir Cecil Beadon was in ill health at
the time, and was in fact incompetent, though
he had been in times gone by very competent ; but
no consideration ought to have induced him to
continuo in his office when his strength was not
sufficient to enable him to fulfil its duties. He did