The Express.
London, England, 1860-08-21 00:00:00

(Stamped, Id. AdditionaL)

resolution was coneismat with tie prerogative of the
grown. He should now merely give notice that be would
call the attention of thalouse to the subject in the sett
session of parliament

IMPROVEME.NT AND VICTORLk-

STREET.
ffir W. GALLWRY wished to ask the First Commis-
sioner of Works whether the government would grant a com-
mittee next mica for the purpose of inquiring into the
Westminster Improvement Commission.
Mr. WWPERsrsed with the hon. baronet that the pre-
sent condition of Victoria-street was a most lamentable indi-
cation of the mismanagement and misconduct of the build-
ing society called the estminster Improvement Commis-
sion ; but UN government had nothing at all to do with the
matter. If the hon. baronet should feel tlisposod next ces-
sion to make out a case, and should make out a good case,
and satisfy the house that there were good grounds for
appointing a committee, ho (Mr. Cowper) for one should not
feel disposed to offer any objection to it.

PUBLIC EXPENDITURE, &c.
Yr. LINDSAY wished to call the attention of the house
to the enormous Runs of money voted sway by the house
this year, amounting in the whole to no less than
78,400.0001. He feared that during the winter we
might have discontent in the country owing to
this law expenditure, and consequently we might have
greater danger. from within than from without.
_ TH?DE MARES. .

Mc BASS regretteicaZihTgov ernmenthad not brought
in a bill tli.i.s ear to te trade spixtes.,.. He hoped tlmy
}ld do
Mr. M. 7 'llillS7/N said, with regard to trade marks, the
government had a bill prepared on the subject, and if they
had seen any probability of passing it this they cer-
tainly should have brought it in. With regard to the
Compliance Bill, the government had a serious intention
to proceed with that bill. The utmost labour bad been
bestowed upon it, and those persons whose time and labour
were bestowed upon it would be much disappointed when
they found it was not brought in. It bad been suggested
that some part of it might be left out and the rest pro-
ceeded with ; but as this was considered in connexion
with a consolidation of the law, it waste ought better to
abandon it altogether for the present, and bring it in at
some future period. With rep,rd to the remarks of the
hon. member for Sunderland Iffr. Lindsay) when he pro-
posed, against the wishes of the government, that they
should undertake an expenditure of 4,000,0001. on harbours
et refuge, he (Mr. M. Gibson) did not think he was actuated
by thaw strong feelings of economy which he now pro-
fessed. (Hear.)

.... .
Mr. MONSELL wished to know what was the meaning of the
noble lord the other evening when be said that it was the
Marmites and not the Druses who commenced this war—a
statement which was utterly coati-my to all other sc..ounts,
and especially to those in the papers which the noble lord
himself bad laid on the table, and how it was that he could
exonerate the Turkish governmest from complicity in
those occurrences.

Lord PALMERSTON—I °oaten I must regret that the
right hon. gentleman has again transferred to this house the
disputes which unfortunately exist in Syria between the
Drums and the Maronites. He has referred to extracts
from the papers laid before parliament, which have been
read two or three times already, but which do not seem to
have anything whatever to do with the question which he
has pretended to put to me. (Hear.) I regret that the
right hon. gentleman has on this occasion become an &deo.
ante for the dismemberment of Turkey, but he is bound to
state to which of the European powers he would entrust
that country. He did not say that he would entrust it to
England; and I think that be must see that them are great
objections to entrusting any one of the European powers
with such a charge. Great complaiata no doubt are to be
made of the Turkish rule, and it is from no predilection tor
the Turkish race that I think it 4h:enable to
maintain the Turkish empire ; but anyone who
loss paid the slightest attention to the •übject
must see that the Turkish empire cannot be partitioned
without involving a general European conflict, in every way
detrimental to the interest' of this oountry. (Hear, bear.)
lam therefore surprised that the right hon. gentleman
should have raised this question without having the frank.
DIMS to tell as to which of the European powers it is that
he is desirous of giving Syria. Perhaps he will also favour
us by telling us to which of the other powers he desires to
give Constantinople. He tells us that the arrangement by
which the internal administration of the Igaronite districts

was committed to• rotTite chief, and oitl;e Briea4l;
I trick to a Drum chief, bad made them both become utterly
1 eel:nerviest to the Turkish Dachas. The right hon. gentle-
mans utter' mistaken. It is in erosequenoe of the weak-
: nese of the Ilsrttsh officials that these feuds break forth.
I do not dispute that the papers which have been
laid on the table prove that the Turkish officials, whom
the right boo. gentleman confounds with the Turkish go-
vernment, have behaved iufamously. I say behaved infa-
mously, and that the Turkish moldier' acted abominably,
but Fuad Pacha, who was at once sent by the Turkish
government, arrested not less than 400 of the principal de-
linquents. Kureohld Naha and Osman Paths were sent to
Constantinople, where tier were degraded of their honours
in the presence of a large body of the military, and then
sent back to Beyrout, to be tried on the spot, and condemned,
as I have no doubt they will be, and punished adequately,
ma I sincerely hope, for their crimes. (Hear, hear.) The
right hon. gentleman wants to know why I stated that I
had mason to believe that the Maronites were the first ag-
gressors. lam very reluctant to advert to these thifigv at
all. Ido not think that there is any use in inquiring into
questions of this sort as to which party struck the first blow,
and I am sorry that the right hon. gentleman the
other night forced me to give an opinion at all.
The facto of the cam are these : For several months there
were circulated amongst all Christian communities rumours
that such occurrences as these would break out in Syria in
the spring. Large supplies of European arms were fur-
nished to the Maronites—l do not ask wherefrom,
or by whom, but others certainly reached them besides
those which were sold openly at Beyrout. The British
consul at Beyrout said the conflict began by an attack by
the Maronites upon certain villages in which resided mixed'
=cations of Drupes and Maronites for the purpose of ex- 1
the Druses, and it was believed that a Maronite
committee, presided over by a bishop of their church, was
mining at Beyroat, and that the object of their deliberations
was to incite the Maronites to take advantage of and to ex-
pal the Druses from the district. My right hon. friend
says a report now is prevalent that the British
government would bear the Drums harmless for
any atrocities which they might commit. I can.
not tell where my right honourable friend has
gathered that information. I have never heard of it be.
fore, arid I may say that such information is totally base-
less, and not founded upon any truth whatever ; and I may
say further that the British government never had any par-
ticular oommunication with the Drums, though it is true
that other governments have had communication with the
limonites. lam at liberty to state to the house that not
long since Lord Cowley, in conversation with M. Thouvenel
upon this subject, expressed an opinion that the first auras
non had been committed by the Maronitei, and M.
Thouvenel said he believed the priesthood of thine
people had excited them to this conflict, be-
cause the Druses had committed certain aggressions
upon them. But even if that wore so, it was so palliation
for the enormities which had recently_ been perpetrated by
the Druses. My right hon. friend will see at page 6of the
papers now presented to parliament • statement of the
attack upon the mixed population of villages of Christians
and Druses, and that the opinion of M. Thouvenel was that
the awn:mord were the Maronitea. There have been no doubt
from time to time partial contlicta between these two races,
and therefore it would be difficult to make out which
people were the original ampessore. But the question now
waewhich race began the recent war between them. (Hear.)
the figures mentioned to the house by the hon. member for
Saaderisuid with regard to the strength of the line-of-battle
2s in this country and in Franco. The hon. member
from a French pamphlet, which was not official,
and =mitre they were not bound to accept it as stating
the true strength of the French line-of-battle chips. The
statement was that this country hail 63 line-of-battle ships
afloat, whereas in fact they had only 53 screw-ships and
nine block-ships, which, though they might be made very
valuable in cases of emergency, yet it was not lair to give
them as efficient lineaf-battle ships. There was one thing
omitted to be mentioned in the pamphlet, and that was the
French government were now building ten iron-cased
frigates, while the British government were only building
four frigates. The statement that the British government
were making undue naval preparations and that the French
Urn'eat were doing nothing wasnot borne out by the
. (Hear' hear.)
The subjects of the excessive expenditure and the short-
comings of the session were revived by Mr. SCULLY and Mr.
________. -

THE NATIONAL TiLLERi.

On the vot;ior the Natkmal
Mr. CONINGHAM renewed tsneZjections to it, and
urged the postponement of the consideration of the whole
question to soother year.
Lord PALMERSTON said that what was now proposed
was absolutely necessary in reference to the national collec-
tion, without predicting any future arrangements.
Some discussion followed before the report of the vote
was received. _ . .

On the vote for civil contingencies,
Mr. E. JAMEB called attention to an item of above
3,0001. paid to certain parliamentary agents for drawing the
reform -bill of 1868, complaining of such a charge ; there
was a regular selaried (dicer of the government whose duty
it was to draw all bilk. He also complained of a charge of
2,62 W. f 31. a return of the male occupiers of house* at 61.
rental, which had proved so fallacious. He caused much
amusement by referring to two charges of 561. and 661. for
estertainnsanta to Mr. Gladstone on his way to the lonian
Isknds, and to the King of the Sandwich Wands.
Mr. EAU O explained that the return alluded to was
ordered by the home. From time immemorial it was the
custom to pay for the entertainment of distinguished per.
one having pussies on board her IllAjesty's ships. Its to
the charge for the preparation of the reform bill, that con-