Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-12-14 00:00:00

TKPERIA.L PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.-SAVIRDAY.
The House met to-day, for the purpose of the royal assent being
given by commission to the Bank Issues Indemnity Bill.
The commissioners were the Lord Chancellor, the Marquis of
Breadalbane, and Earl Granville.
The House of Commons having appeared at the bar, the royal
a sent was duly given to the Bank Issues Indemnity Bill in the usual
form.

LORD CANNING AND SIR COLIN CAMPBELL.
Lord Panmure : Before the house adjourns I wish to perform
what I consider a public duty, and which would have been performed
by the illustrious duke at the head of the army, had he not unfor-
tunately mistaken the hour at which the house was to meet. He
supposed it was five o'clock instead of three o'clock, and appointed at
the latter hoar a levee which he cannot leave, and which has
prevented him from being present on this occasion. It was his
intention to set right before the public a distinguished and gallant
officer of the army, and to have made to your lordships the statement
which lam about to make. He has authorised me to make it for
him in justice to that gallant officer. Sir Colin Campbell ; and, I, on
the other hand, nut only make it in justice to that gallant officer,
but, as a member of her Majesty's Government. and a colleague of
Lord Canning, I make it in justice to him. Your lordships mutt be
well aware that, for reasons I shall attempt not to divine, ce,tain
persons hay: attempted most industriously to persuade the public
that disagreements existed between Sir Colin Campbell and Lord
Canning. It is almost in vain to give a distinct denial to this an the
part of Her Majesty's Government. Such denials have, however,
been made, and they have been generally believed. Bat what I shall
now read to your lordships, which is an extract from a lette: from
Sir Colin Campbell, will put the matter beyond a doubt, and must
quench for ever in the public mind the malicious intentions of those
who invented this story. It is an extract from a letter from Sir
Colin Campbell to His Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief,
dated Octoter 26th, 1857, and written upon the occasion of that
gallant officer's quitting Calcutta to take the field at tha head of
these troops that I hope that there is every prosp3ct of his leading to
victory. The following is the passage :
Now that I am on the point of leaving Calcutta I would beg, with
the greatest respect to the Governor-General, to record the deep
sense of obligation I entertain towards his lordship the Governer-
General. Our intercourse has been most cordial, intimate, and un-
reserved. I cannot be sufficiently thankful for his lordship's confi-
dence and support, and the kindly manner in which they have been
afforded, to my great personal satisfaction. One at a distance, not
acquainted with the ordinary mode of transacting business in this
country, cauld hardly esti nate the gain to the public service which
has thus been made. Bat I new a'lade principally to my own feelings
of gratitude.
Thus the gallant general boars testimony that Lord Canning, setting
aside the ordinary mode cf transacting business in that country, has
afforded him a support which has tended to the advantage of the
public service. I thought it my duty to me Won this statement to
your lordships and the public before parliament adjourns, in order
to vet at rest at once and for ever the calumny that has bean circu-

lated, that between the Governor-General and the Commander-in.
Chief disagre3menti have existed. (Hear, hrar )
The house then adjourned at a quarter past three o'clock.

HOUSE OF COONS-SATURDAY.
The Speaker talk the chair about three o'clock.

NEW "WRIT FJK BUCKINGHAMSHIRE.

On the motion of Mr. Hayter a writ was issued for the election of a
member for Buckinghamshire, in the room of the Hon. C. Ca.ven_
dish, who had ac,:epted the stewardship of her Majesty's manor of
Northetead.

THB DIBATE ON THE FINANCIAL CRISIS.
Lsrd Palmerston having moved the adjournment of the house ti
the 4 la February,
Mr. Spooner begged permission of the hops e to reply for a worthy
friend of his, who had been very unfairly dealt with in the debate of
the previous night by his (Mr. Spooner's) right hon. friend the
Chancellor of the Exchequer. The right hon. gentleman read to the
house a portion of the evidence given by Mr. Twells before the Bank
Committee ; however, the portion selected by the right hon. gentle•
man consisted of answers given by Mr. Twells to what might, by
some, be called his (the Chancellor of the Exchequer's) " leading
questions," bat which he (Hr. Spooner) should call his " misleading"
questions. (Lauehter.) Thus a different complexion and bearing
altogether was given to the evidence to those which it would bear if
quoted in extenso, or even in part, but consecutively. His right
hon. friend had not only contented himself with portions of the
answers given to the misleading questions, but had further omitted
to quote intervening passages, and had in this way made Mr. Twells
appear to be the advocate of an unlimited inconvertible paper cur-
rency. Now, Mr. Twells did not advocate anything of the kind. His
views on the currency question were precisely Hole which he (11r,
1 Spooner) himself held. He w s for a paper currency, guaranteed by
1 the State, and convertible into everything but gold, which paper
currency should be taken in payment by, as it would be given in pay-
i ment from, the Government. This currency to answer all our
f• home and domestic purposes ; while a paper currency, convertible
it into gold would answer for our foreign payments and exchange!.
These were the two currencies which *Mr. Twells would wish to see
established; bat his evidence in respect of the former was made
by the Chancellor to apply to Bank of England notes, which
' his worthy friend land never intended. For instance, his statement,
that it would be necessary to remove from the face of the note the
words " payable on demand" was not meant by Mr. Twells to apply
I to the Bank of England, but to the suggested State paper or Exche-
quer Bills ; yet, by the manner in which his evidence was cited by
the Chancellor of the Exchequer, hs was made to appear as if
speaking of Bank of England notes. (Hear, hear.) When Mr.
Twells had stated to the committee his opinion in favour of a State
1 paper currency, he was asked by the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
`' What do you conceive to be the adynntsge of an inconvertible
note of that kind over a convertible note p tyable on demand ?" To
which Mr. Twells replied—" It would prevent the drain of bullion,
when it is required for our foreign trade. It w :uld be very deairesle
to have a domestic currency which would not be influenced by any
foreign transactions whatever. If France or America want a supply
of gold, that ought not to interfere with our domestic trade ; our
merchants and traders ought not to be burdened for America's want
of gold." Now these expressions were applied isy the Chancellor of
the Exchoquer to the notes of the Bank of England, while such an
opinlon was never, in regard to the Bank of England, held by his
worthy friend, (Hear, hear.) Mr. Twells was an experienced and
high•minded gentleman, and one net at all influenced by political
views on the question of the currency, and it was rather hard that
his valuable evidence should have been held up to are amusement
of the house during a dull debate, and a turn given to it directly the
contrary to what it really bore. (Hear.) He (Mr. *Spooner) fa t
obliged to the house for having given him an elope:Welty of making
this explanation. (Hear, hear.)
The speaker accompanied by several hon. members, having pro-
ceeded to the House of Loris, on the usual intimation from the Usher
of the Black Rod, heard her Majes'y's assent given to the Indemaity
Act, and on his return raper' ed the same to the House. 3

CHURCH RATE 1.
Mr. T. Duncombe inquired of the noble for 1 at the h.ad of the
Government, whether it was his intention, daring the present
session, to bring in a bill em the subj act of Church Rates, and also
ve,ether he intended to take any steps towards mekieg the Corrupt
Pratt ces Prevention Act more effective. If any acclthnt happened
that would put a sudden termination to the existence of the present,
Parliament, it would be most desirable to have this act effective.
Lord Palmerston : Sir, in reply to my hon. friend, I have to say
that her M jesty's Government hops to be able to submit to Par-
liament a bill cn the subject of Church Rates; but I cannot make any
positive engagement, as our coarse must depend on the state of other
business. With regard to the other measure alladed to by my hon.
friend, I announced last session that we intended to go on till the end
of the present session with the Corrupt Practices Prevention Act as it
now stands, and because we thought that the inquiries of election
committees last session might teed to throw light on the matter,
we postponed the appointment of a committee to inquire as to what
alterations may be required in the act. Of corers we shall carry out
-the intentions which we then expressed, and move for the appointment
of a committee this session. (Hear, hear.) But, with regard to the
contingency which my hon. friend anticipates, namely, an appeal to
the country—l should hme from what has passed in this house, that
there is not any likelihood of such an event coming on so suddenly.
(Hear, hear, and laughter.) •
Sir J. Trelawney thought that after the answer given by the noble
lord on the question of Church-rates, it was hopeless to expect any
measure on that subject from the present government. For the last
two years they had been making promises Cu the subject, and so far
from having fulfilled them, the pledge just given by the noble lord was
much less binding than bis promise of last session. The question had
been before the country since 1833, and it was full time it was settled.
The noble lord should at once say what horse he intended to name
as winner. If he were the head of a Conservative party, let him say
so ; if of a Liberal party, let him declare it. He had a large majority,
and he ought to come forward like a men, and not suppose that the
country was going to be gulled in the way that the neblo lord's treat-
ment of Church rates would seemto indicate. The house was laughed
at, and the people of the country treated like children.
SEWAGE OF LONDON.

Mr. Wingfield not having been present on the previous day, when
the First Commissioner o` Public Works was making his ztatemen t
with respect to the swage of the metropolis, wished to sal that, in
his opinion, while care was being taken of the metropo.is, regard
should be paid to the health of those near whose habitationsit was
proposed that the outfalle should be. (Hear, hear.)
THE COMMERCIAL DISTRESS.
Mr, Newdegate said he wished, before the house separated, to
mention he had reason to beleve that distress was increasing amongst
the operative classes, and that he was sure every member of the house
would be h-ppy to give his sanction to any measure which might b 3
adopted by the a)vernment to relieve that distress.
Sir G. Grey said that it had been stated in her Majesty's Speech
from the throne that a great deal of local, and he trusted what might
turn out to be temporary distress, had been:occasioned by the
commercial failures, which had had the effect of throwing a large
portion of the population either altogether out of employment, or
out of employment on full time. (Hear.) He was bound to say that,
notwithstanding that melancholy circumstance, the conduct of the
working classes had entitled them to the strongest sympathy of that
house, and the sympathy he was eve they had. (Bear, hear.) He