The Express.
London, England, 1861-07-13 00:00:00

THE TURNER AND VERNON COLLECTIONS.

Earl GRANVILLE gave notice of a motion on an early
day to consider the proper measures to be taken in respect
of the gifts and bequests of pictures by Turner and Vernon,
and any future gifts of the same kind.

RAILWAY BI LLB.
Lord REDESDALE rose, pursuant to notice, to move
that the standing order, No. 185 (formerly 223), be con-
sidered, in order to its being amended in the following
manner : after paragraph 2, to insert,—" 3. That uo pro-
vision authorising any company to raise money, or to sub-
scribe towards, or to guarantee any money in the under-
taking of another company, shall be introduced into any
bill which is not brought in by the company thereby
authorised to raise money or to subscribe or to guarantee,
or of which such company is not a joint promoter with the
other company, and shall have been named as such in
all the notices required by the standing orders of the
house prior to the introduction of the bill to parliament."
He said that the practice which had grown up of intro-
ducing into railway bills provisions authorising other com-
panies to advance them money, rendered some resolution of
this sort neceseary. Notice ought to be given to the com-
pany whose money it was proposed to empower the other
company to take ; and there was no reason why the lending
company should not, as well as the borrowing company, be
promoters of the bill Their lordships would observe that
another noble lord (Lord Portman) had placed a notice of
motion on the paper having the same object in view as he
(Lord ltedesdale) had, but he did not think the noble lord's
proposition was so well adapted to the purpose as his own.
The subject was referred to a committee accordingly.
TURKEY.

Viscount STRATFORD DE REDCLIFFE rose to move
that an humble address be presented to her Majesty for
copies or extracts of any correspondence which had passed
between the Foreign department and her Majesty's Embassy
at Constantinople in the last and present years on the sub-
ject of financial or administrative reforms in Turkey, eon!.
daily of such as were proclaimed in the late Sultan
hatt-i-boasayoou of the year 11it56, and more particularly
since the accession of the reigning Sultan. It was of
great consequence that the country at large should under-
stood what was the real nature of our relations with regard
to Turkey, the policy which we had pursued for so
many yeses, and the obligations under which we now were
placed. That was the only means by which the government
could expect to receive the support of the country if
a time should WON when they might be called
upon to make sacrifices. In the present state
of the world, the crown and parliament had a great duty to
perform, and be could not shut his eyes to the responsibility
which must attend any indifference in the execution of
that duty.
Lord WODEHOUSE thought the present moment was
not peculiarly opportune for a discussion on reforms in the
Turkish empire. (Hear, hear.) He agreed with his noble
friend as to the general necessity for reforms in that coun-
try, but so he had on more than one occasion expressed his
opinions on the subject he was reluctant to repeat them
now. Whilst he agreed with his noble friend generally on
the necessity of reform in Turkey, ho thought that at the
present moment, when a change had recently taken place
is the reigning sovereign, and when the present
Sultan had given every proof that he was
disposed. to inaugurate his reign with salutary reforms, any
advice to regard to those reforms from foreign powers
would be premature, and would, io the eves of Europe and
his own subjects, seem to deprive him ot the credit which
he would naturally be entitled to for having commenced
his reign in such a manner. Now the Batten had pro-
claimed his intentions in the most authoritative manner in
what was called a hatti sheriff, and he would
read two sentences from it to their lordships :
" I am firmly resolved on what all the world knows is with
the help of God my most earnest desire, to increase the
prosperity of the state and the welt-being of all my subjects
without distinction ; and I have confirmed in their entire
fulness all the fundamental laws which have up to the pre-
sent time been promulgated and established with a view to
promote this happy end, and to insure to all the inhabi-
tants of my dominions life, honour, and the enjoyment of
their property. I also firmly proclaim that my desire for
the prosperity of my subjects will know no distinction, and
that those of my people who are of different religions
or races shall find in we the same justice, the
tarots solicitude, and the same perseverance in assuring
their prosperity." It was impossible that a more distinct
assurance could be given of the intention of the present
Sultan to maintain those laws which wereestablished by the
late Sultan, and what was still more to the purpose, his
intention to carry out those laws. It was obviously. too
early to judge as to tho probable result of those promises,
because it was only a few days ago that the Sultan
ascended the throne ; but at the same time it was only
due to him to say, that the measures he bad
actually taken gave an earnest that he would
not confine himself to mere words. The government
bad necessarily not much information as to eveLts so recent,
but measures had already been adopted to put an end to the
great extravagance which existed under the late Sultan, and
to destroy one of those abuses which brought the most dis-
credit on his reign. Although he was not prepared to lay on
the table the statistics of the late Sultan's seraglio, he might
say that the present Sultan shared with his Christian sub-
jects the advantage of having only one wife, sad also shared
with his hiussulman subjects that peculiar temperance in
wine which was a part of their religion. (Laughter.)
AA regarded the late Sultan, nothing reflected so
much credit on him as the manner in which he
had treated his brother the present Sultan, be-
cause it was undoubtedly due to the late Sultan that
the present Sultan was allowed more freedom and inter.
course with the world than any previous heir to that throne
had ever enjoyed. The present Sultan was a man of consi-
derable energy, and he had expressed in a most distinct and
earnest manner his detennivation to apply his mind to re-
*" ' .

forming the abuses which prevailed id his empire. and if
time were given him, so that his subjects might see that his
reforms emanated from himself and not front the pressure
of foreign powers, his throne might be firmly established.
He agreed that this was a most important crisis in the
Turkish empire, and be thought it was also an important
crisis in the relations of foreign powers to that country.
lie had no objection to produce the papers which bad been
moved for, with the exception of thaw of a date since the
accession of the present Sultan.
The Earl of HARDWICKE said that however much he
might feel disposed to answer the direct appeal which had
been made to him personally by hie noble friend, vet after
the statement of his noble friend the Under Secretary for
Foreign Affairs, be was satisfied that it would be had
policy to pursue a discussion of this nature. His
noble friend hail said that the Sultan was to be
allowed to conduct his affairs as an independent sovereign,
in whom great confidence was placed ; and if the Sultan
showed that entire *tics and toleration to Lis people
which he declared to be his intention, it was to Le Loped
that Le would have the greatest possible support from her
Majesty's government.
Lord STRATFORD DE RELk7LIFFE exprested himself
satisfied with the papers as limited by the noble lord the
Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs.
The motion, as amended, was then agreed to.