The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-02-13 00:00:00

it is still in use ; if not, what causes have led to its
abandonment.

Laboochere said the deed of settlement was estab-
lished in 1842 by the then governor. S.) far from being
abandoned, it was then in active operation, and it was
now under consideration whether it could not be made
available for other purposes.
SIC. It. DEEL's LATE sPEROIT.

Mr. Stafford asked the hon. baronet the member for
Tamworth whether the report of a speech of his (made on
the 7th of January, at Saltley, near Birmingham) which
appeared in the Times newspaper, was correct, especially
those passages which refer to the Grand Duke Constan-
tine of Russia, M. de Moray, and the Prince de Ligne.
Sir R. Peel said it had been arranged (he knew the
term was a hard one) that the hon. gentleman should be
put forward to ask the question which had just been
proposed. (Laughter.) He did not think that the House
of Commons was quite the tribunal where questions.
should :;be put to him Upon business totally tincohneeted
with the house—(hear, hear)—but at the same time he was
ready ti accept the challenge which had been thrown cut.
He would give the hon. gentleman every facility to obtain
.the most accurate information upon this most important
subject. (Laughter.) He delivered the address alluded
to while he was the guest of an honourable member
on the other side of the house. lie admitted that
ha was not in the habit of reading reports of hie
own speeches after he had d' livered them, inasmuch as he
generally rested satisfied with he favourable impression
he made at the time. (Loud laughter.) After so long a
lapse of time, therefore, it would be difficult for him to sly
whether any report that had. appeared was correct. This,
however, he had no hesitation in saying, that the leading
journal so ably and so faithfully reported all public pro-
ceedings, that he willingly accepted the responsibility of
anything that had appeared in its columns. (Hear, hear.)
A great deal had been said about the speech on the occasion
referred to, and many of its phrases had been misinter-
preted or distorted. it was very feel from hi 4 with Or his
nature to cause unnecessary pain to any one; and his re.
marks had been improperly hoisted so as to apply improperly
to the three persons who had been named. Witn regard
to Count Moray, he bad never said anything to him that
• might not have been said by his most intimate friend or
acquaintance. He certainly said of him, that he was
—•' Le plans graup speculateur de l'Europe,"—(laughter)
but he never meat to insinuate anything again his character.
(Renewed laughter.) !He had written to the count to that
effect, and he could not say more. (Hear, hear, and
continued laughter.) With regard to the Grand Duke
Constantine, he did certainly say that he did not quite
Impress him with the idea of a " fiauk aid open
hearted sailor ;" but these were not his words, but those
of a gallant admiral then in the house (Sir C. Napier).
So far from wishing to say anything in disparagement
of the Grand Dube, he meant to say that he was im-
pressed with the idea that the Goand Duke had great
powers of miud—(loud laughter)—that he was not a
simple sailor, but a man of great ability (renewed
laughter). With regard to the Prince de Line, he
oertainly did say that he was as stiff and starched as the
frill of Queen Elizabeth (laughter), but he did not remem-
ber the exact words. He would appeal to any 2eneeman
who 'happened to be there at the time whether he said
anything that might not have proceeded even from the
most straight-laced member of that house. (Laughter.)
All he attempte 1 to do was to paint a few light airy
sketches—to hold the mirror up to nature—to catch the
living manners as they Ily—and not to- say anything
offensive to any one. At the same time, if he had given
pain to any one, he begged to offer the most ample expres-
sions of regret. That was the most fitting amends honorable
he could offer. (Hear, hear,)

"THE SECRET TREATY."
Lord Palmerston said he wished to put liinrelf right wirh
the hon. gentleman the member for Buckinghamshire in
reference to a remark which he made the other even-
ing about the military convention. He stated on
that occasion that he had been informed that the
convention had not been signed, and at the time
he believed it had not been signiid. Upon furtner
enquiry he had ascertained that the convention hid
been signed (loud cheers from the Opposition). Bat
that being in its nature more of a military than a political
convention, and having for its object the snutual relations of
the Fi doch and Austrian troops that be in Italy in
the contingency of Austria declaring war against Russia,
and nothing of the kind having taken place, the convention
became a real le .!er, and never had any effect whatev r.
Mr. Dime i said that on the first night of the session he
mentioned the: there was a treaty in existence, executed
and signori Co. a certain object, and that it was a secret
trea'y, :tod 'ne received from the noble lord a direct con •
tradictien (cries of "No, no," from the Ministerial side of
the 11,iuse.) He maintained that he was strictly accurate
in what he stated—the noble lord characterised it as a ro.
mance (cheers fi om the Opposition). The noble lord paid
him the compliment of saying that he was distinguished
for his powers of imagination—that he had published som 3
works of imagination, and that this was another of the same
class. (I.9llghtor.) A wok uleapcsod, and Ac. (air. vlsLacli)
tot k the earliest opportunity of bringing the matter
before the house. (The right. hen. gentleman gave a rapid
sketch of the arguments he had advanced in the
course of the previous deb :tea.) He now maintained
that the instrument referred to was not a convention,
as the noble lord had stated, hut a treaty,—.hat it had
riot only been signed, but that it had been extensively acted
upon. It was a secret treaty between France and Austria,
the object of which was to guarantee the Italian provinces
of Austrii, and to the best of his belief the sesface of that
treaty bore no limitation of action, and that the description
given of it by the noble lord was entirely incorrect. (Loud
cheers from the Opposition.)
Lord Palmerston said the right hon. gentleman was
attempting to cover an ignominious retreat (cheers and
dountea cneeis from both sides of the house.) The right
hsn. gentleman had rnistated what he had originally
stated to the house. Ilis statement was that there was a
treaty between Austria and France guaranteeing
the Italian provinces of Austria—that it was now
in existence that it had been recently quoted
by Austria to the King of Naples in consequence
of the communications which had passed between
Frauce and England on the one hand, and
Naples on the other; and that it had been
concluded, not with the knowledge, but at the instigation
of her Majesty's government in England. (Cries of No,
no.) He was quite sure " instigation" was the word the
right hon. gentleman used. (Cheers from the ministerial
benches.) Some one said " advice," but he was quite
sure " instigation" was the word. (Renewed cheers.)
At all events, what the right honourable gentle-
man meant was that the treaty or convention
was originated by the advice or counsel of
the English government to the governments of
France and Austria. Now he (Lord Palmerston) denied
the whole of that statement at the time, and he denied it
now. (Loud cheers.) To the best of his belief no such
treaty existed, or was ever concluded. (Hear.) The
British Government had no knowledge of such a treaty,
and it could not therefore have existed. He stated in
the course of previous debates that the convention was
entered into in the event of Austria fighting against
Russia in combination with the English and French
armies, because in such a case Austria would naturally
be anxious that her rear should be protected. fie said
that that convention having been founded upon an assumed
junction between the two countries—no such Junction
taking place, it fell as a dead letter whether it was signed
or not. (Hear, hear.) That he still maintained, and not-
withstanding, the vapouring manner. (Cheers, counter
cheers, and great confusion.) The right hon. gentleman
used hard words, and he must not be surprised. (Cheers )
He (Lord Palmerston) believed the right honourable gen•
tlexnen had been grossly imposed uon with regard to
a military convention which nrver had any operation
because the foundation of it never took place. Thie
military convention had been representd to him
as a permanent guarantee of the Italian provinces
to Austria by France, and it was impossible that
any treaty could have been quoted from by Austria
to Naples, simply b3cause there never was any such treaty
in existence. (Lau liter.) It was merely a military
convention, not signed at the instigation of the English
Government, but drawn up on terms at reed to between
France and Austria. The right hon. gentleman, he again
repeated, bad been entirely misinformed with regard to his
facts. (Cheers )