The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-03-23 00:00:00

NEW MEM}ER.

Considerable amusement was caused in the house by the
Speaker rcquesting new members to attend at the table and
be sworn. After a short delay The 0' D ,noghue, recently
elected as member for the county of Tipperary, in the room
of James S idlier, expelled the house, attended and took the
oaths and his seat. The hon. member was introduced by
Mr. Bowyer and Mr. M'Evoy.

PURCHASE OF PICTURES BY THE GOVERNMENT.

Mr. Vernon called attention to a return recently pre-
sented to the house, which stated generally that a sum of
£2,800 had been Riven for a coil, ction of the Fagel pictures
for the National Gallery—that 10 of those pictures had
been sent to Dublin—the remainder were sold by public
auction at Christie and Manson's ; and the return states
that £226 wai received for these refuse pictures, subject to
a deduction of 7 per cent, for commission. There was
evidently some mistake in the return, and he expressed a
hope that greater care would be taken in future respecting
returns presented to parliament.

RENEWAL OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH NAPLES.

Mr. I'. Duncombe inquire,' whether since the with-
drawal of the French and British Legations from Naples,
any overtures had been made by the King of Naples to
France and England for the return of these legations,
and whether these overtures were likely to be acceptable
to the two countries, as it appeared, according to a
statement in one of the public journals, that an en ,toy had
gone to Paris with the view of settling, in a satisfactory
manner, the differences which existed between the Nea-
politan Government and the Governments of England and
France ?

Lord Palmerston : No overtures, properly so
called, have been received by the French or
English Governments from the King of Naples since
the discontinuance of nur relations with that
Government. But an indirect intimation has reached
us to the effect that the Neapolitan Government
wishes to know whether, if the King of Naples were to
carry into execution a convention made with the Argen-
tine Confederation, by which the political prisoners now
detained in the prisons of Naples were to be banished to
the territory of the Argentine Confederation, that would
be considered by the two Governments as a substantial
conclusion of that more moderate system of government
which we wish to see established at Naples. I speak only
of the British Government ; but we do not think that
clearing the prisons of Naples by sending the prisoners
into banishment to South America, for the purpose of

replenishing those prisons by [fresh arrests, would be
that sort of change of system which would be considered
by us as accomplishing the purpose for which diplomatic
relations were,broken off with the Government of Naples.
(Hear, hear.)
TREATY OF COMMERcE WITH THE EIVIrEROR OF MJUOCCO.

Mr. Wilson Patten inquired whether there was any
truth in the report that our minister had ratified a treaty
with the Sultan of AtoroccD, by which great facilities were
to be granted to British subjects in his dominions? Ha
wished to know if this were so, whether the Government
would have any objection to make the provisions of that
treaty known as soon as possible, in order that advantage
might be taken of them by the mercantile and commercial
interests, during the ensuing spring.
Viscount Palmerston said that the most satisfactory
answer which he could give to the question would be to lay
the treaty at once on the table [The noble viscount
immediately after presented, by command of her Majesty, a
copy of a treaty concluded between her Majesty an' the
Sultan of Morocco ]

INDIAN TELEGRAPH.

Mr. Bowyer inquired whether her Majesty's govern.
meat had any estimate of the number of troops which
would be required to protect the line of telegraph from
Seleucia to Bassora, and who was to pay for the m
sinte-
nance of such troops ; also, whether her Majesty's govern-
ment had any estimate of the amount of subsidies which
must be given to the Arab tribes to forbear from injuring
or interfering with the telegraph.
Viscount Palmerston said that the protection of the
line of telegraph through the Turkish dominions was part
of the system of poi ce which the Turkish government
would establish in that portion of the Turkish empire,
and he 117.1 no reason to sup•pose that the government
would nit take proper modes for maintaii,ing the security
of the line -

Mr. Bowyer asked whether the noble viscount was aware
that there were Arab tribes on each side of the Euphrates
who made regular incursions, and carried away the crops
of the country, and, in point of fact, there was no
government at all iu that country, and the telegraph would
be in considerable danger.
_ _ _

- The Chancellor of the Eitehequer said, that all that the
Government had done was to give a inaratitee in certain
contingencies. When the company had completed the
telegraph certain payments were to be made to them, but
the Government was in no respect answerable for the
construction of the telegraph, and it was entirely an affair
of the company to arrange with the Turkish Government
as to its preservation. The Government of this country
was neither called upon to furnish troops, nor to prevent
the Arabs from interfering with the work. That was a
matter resting entirely with the Government of the
country through which the line passed.

CIVIL SERVICE SUPERANNUATION FUND

Mr. T. Dancornbe presented a petition, signed by
1,200 civil servants of the Crow❑ attached to the Customs,
praying for an amendment of the present superannuation
system._ soLniEno WIVES.

In reply to a question put by Sir De Lacy Evans,
Vicount Palmerston said that there was every disposition
on the part of his, noble friend at the head of the War
Department to make every arrangement that was prac-
ticable for alleviating any distress or discomfort which
existed in respect to the position of soldiers' wives.

VIE' PRoROGATIog.

F..l;r Augustus Cliff Ird, shortly after two o'clock, appeared
at the liar, and sumnionel the house to attend the house
of Peers, to hear the royal assent given by commission to
several bills, and to attend the prorogation of the present
parliament.

The Speaker, accompanied by the members present,
accordingly proceeded t,) the Lords, where a number of
public bills (for a list of which see Lords' report) were
Fiznified as having received the royal assent. On returning
to the house, the Speaker read the speech from the Throne,
proroguing parliament. The members present then took a
final leave of the Speaker (now Lord Averslie, and a
member of the Upper Thine.)