The Sun.
London, England, 1855-08-01 00:00:00

a committee of the House of Lords had recommended a
plan which would require a legislative enactment in a
future session. Consequently, with regard to England,
nothing 1c ould.be done during the present year, and no
expense would be incurred. As to Scotland, the plan
resorted to last year had been eminently successful, and
t would be continued ; and also with regard to Ireland,
he existing system, which was satisfactory in its resultq,
would be adhered to.
After a few words from Mr. THORULT,
Mr. ALCOCK expressed his regret that we had been
so long without any system of collecting agricultural
tatistics in England.
Mr. STAFFORD observed that 4,0001. was included
in this vote for collecting the agricultural statistics of
England. If it was not be expended, why vote it ?
Mr. BOUVERIE repeated that the estimate was
framed under the supposition that the system in opera-
tion last year in regard to England would be continued.
The money would not be spent though it might be voted.
Colonel NORTH thought it should be made impera-
tive on the growers to furnish the necessary returns.
Mr. BOUVERIE replied that that was in effect the
recommendation of the Lords committee, but to enforce
i t would require an act of Parliament.
The vote was then agreed to.
On the next vote, 14,0001. for salaries and expenses of
the Board of Fisheries in Scotland.
Mr. WILLIAMS considered the continuance of this
vote in the estimates a gross job. The plea upon which
it was first brought forward—viz., distress in the High-
lands and islands of Scotland—no longer existed ; and
how places of commercial importance and wealth like
Leith, Glasgow, and Greenock could have the face to
come to the public taxes for money to promote their
fisheries he could not understand.
Mr. J. WILSON admitted that the subject was one
that deserved consideration, and promised that the atten-
tion of the Government should be directed to it. He
thought it would not be desirable to withdraw the money
altogether from Scotland, but conceived that it might
be applied to a more useful purpose.
Mr. LABOUCHERE protested against the doctrine
of the Secretary for the Treasury, that if the money was
not wanted for the object for which it was originally
granted, viz., the promotion of the Scotch fisheries, that
it must be necessarily voted and applied to some other
purpose for the benefit of Scotland.
Mr. DUNCAN, as a Scotch member, must admit that
this, and every other branch of trade in Scotland, ought
to stand upon its own footing, and not come for assist-
ance to the public taxes. (Hear.)
Sir J. ANDERSON agreed entirely with his hon.
friend, and believed that there was not a Scotchman in
the house who wished to see an estimate like this. The
system ought to cease entirely.
Mr. SPOONER inquired how it came that there were
throe new appointments, namely, two supernumary offi-
cers and another superintendent ?
Mr. WILSON said that the board bad under its super-
vision the piers of a large portion of the fishing ports of
Scotland, and he supposed that the appointment of those
officers was necessitated by the duties connected with
the piers. It had been thought that this vote might be
made to apply to other objects, such as schools of design
in Scotland ; but the officers, who had been appointed
for life, could not be deprived of their retiring allowances,
and the present vote would be required for that purpose.
After a few words from Sir G. PEcHELL and Captain
SCOBELL, _

Mr. W. WILLIAMS urged that this vote ought to
be withdrawn. The discovery of this sum was one of
the fruits of the excellent measure introduced by Mr.
Gladstone two years ago. It used to be formerly charged
on the Consolidated Fund, and no one knew anything
of it. (No, no.)
Mr. JAMES M'GREGOR urged that the vote should
be postponed till some better explanation was given with
regard to it.
Lord PALMERSTON said his hon. friend had given
sufficient reasons why the vote should be agreed to this
year, while the Government had it under consideration.
Mr. GLADSTONE admitted the vote could not be
withdrawn, but urged that in any new arrangement no
vested interest should be retained, as, greatly to their
honour, many Scotch members wished the matter to be
considered on its own merits.
Mr. W. WILLIAMS said this was the first time he
had seen the vote. and he supposed it was brought for-
ward under Mr. Gladstone's Act.
Lord DUNCAN assured the hon. member that the
vote had already been before the house, and had often
been discussed.
The vote was then agreed to.
On the vote of 5,0001. for the Commissioners of High-
land Roads and Bridges.
Lord J. MANNERS asked why the vote for the
Board of Manufactures, Scotland, was passed over?
It was stated that it bad already been passed.
Mr. W. WILLIAMS ,aid it was absurd to have euch
a board. With regard to Highland roads and bridges,
the government ought to pledge themselves to consider
this vote, with a view t.) its discontinuance.
Mr. BLACKBURN did not see why such votes
should be objected to for Scotland, when they had similar
ones for England, for they had just passed one for Chel-
sea Bridge. At the same time he wanted to see the
whole of them done away.
Mr. F. SCULLY said if such votes were granted to
Scotland, why were'they not granted to Ireland ? He
should like some explanation,
Mr. WILSON said that the origin of this vote was
the formation of
*military and other roads in the High-
lands for public purposes. The hon. member (Mr.
Scully) seemed to forget the large sums which had been
spent on the road to Holyhead and on the Menai Bridge
to facilitate communication with Ireland. The vote was
for the purpose of maintaining roads in the Highlands,
which would not otherwise be kept up, and which were
often useful for public purposes. Any new roads were
made and kept up by the counties.
Atter a further conversation, the vote was agreed to.
The vote of 12,0001., for bounty on slaves and tonnage
bounty on slave vessels captured, was agreed to.
68,5001. for difference of dues payable by British or
foreign vessels under treaties of reciprocity, and 17,8501.
for remuneration to revising barristers, were agreed to
after a short discussion.
On the vote of 3,8001. for salaries of inspectors and ex-
penses of corn returns,
Mr. WISE said that the corn returns were very in-
complete, and he asked the Vice-President of the Board
of Trade if he had received any communications with re-
ference to those returns? An immense quantity of corn
was sold without any return being made at all.
Mr. BOUVERIE said no doubt the returns were in-
complete and unsati ifactory, much corn being sold which
was not returned, and what was returned being ()Len
returned twice over. It was proposed—if the recom-
mendation of the Lords' committee with regard to a sys-
tem of agricultural statistics was adopted—to combine
the corn returns with them.
The vote was agreed to.
3,0001. for quarantine expenses was agreed to.
The vote of 5,7591. for erecting and furnishing new
consular offices, British seamen's hospital, and prisou at
Co ,stantimple was agreed to.
On the vote for 4,5781. for furniture and fittings for
the British ambassadors at Constantinople,
Mr. WISE said that sums for this purpose, to the
amount of 80,0001. had been already voted. He wished
to know whether this was really the last vote that would
be required for this purpose ?
Mr. WILSON believed that this would be the last
vote of a permanent kind. (A. laugh.) It was partly
composed of items which would continually recur, be-
cause it included the wages of servants required to
watch over the safety of the building, and also for casual
• repairs. But this completed the furnishing and fitting
of the house. •
The vote was agreed to.
A vote of 1,550/, fur the police of the Isle of Man was
agreed to.
On a vote of 90,000/. for the erection of new offices
for the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs,
Mr. J. BELL asked whether in according this vote
the house was to be considered bound to an expenditure
of above 500,0001., recommended by a committee which
had only sat once, and had had no detailed plans before
them.

Sir W. -MOLES WORTH—In consequence of the de
lapidated state of Downing-street, the Government
tnhie-
cae
to the conclusion that it was necessary to rebuild
whole street. Plans were therefore prepared fur that
purpose. The house would not by this vote be pled
c-'edt
to rebuild the whole street, but me7ely to the rebuilding
of the Foreign-office, which was in a very dangerous
state. Indeed, it was impossible to use the upper rooms.
The scheme to which reference had been made was use
of a much more extensive character, and embraced ar-
rangements for providing new offices for the whole of the
public departments. That was now under 'the careful
consideration of the Goveanment.
Mr. BANKES thought that 90,0001. was too large a
sum for the house to vote at the present time. He believed
the Foreign-office might be put into a tenantable state
for a much smaller sum. There were many parts of the
scheme which embraced the provision of fine rooms in
which the Cabinet Ministers might entertain foreigners
and others. Most of our Cabinet Ministers had large houses
of their own, which were most liberally thrown open to
their friends and foreigners of distinction ; but he did
not think that this was the time for undertaking expen-
diture merely for purposes of show and ostentation.
Sir F. BARING would not object to this vote if it was
necessary for the purpose of securing land in the neigh-
bourhood of the present public offices, because it was de-
sirable that any new offices erected should be built in the
!lame district. But he objected to vote a sum for building
it, the present year. There were, besides, many parts of
the Plan on which it was proposed to build of which he
isapproved. He quing tite a reed with the right hon. gentl3-
man opposite in th* g
State a hat it was undesirable
to pro-
videPartments for the Ministers. He had met
many foreigners who
were favourably struck with the
simplicity with which
matters were conducted
here. and
he was himself of that
hear.) He thought that 31-fashioned opinion. (Hear,
before
.the house agreed to 1)3-
gin building on the plans
which the Government had
r fliiili
adopted, they should have examination of them,
they
and be quite satisfied thateere the best, b -
fore they committed themselvesto them. For if they
agreed to this vote, they would in fact do so. He thought
that it had not been shown that it was absolutely neces-
was certainlyof • •
sary to build at all now. And he
that the Government were censurable in not b opinion
this
subject before the house at an earlier period
session,ofrning
when the house might have had an opportunity
e vote
neeYtt.f exa-
mining the subject. Ito should propose to red
to 30,0001., the SUM needed to secure the land required for
building.
Lord PA.LMERSTON said that the Foreign-office nosy
consisted of four small houses in the worst possible condi..
tion. The walls and floors were propped up, the house was
very ill-arranged for public business, and was in a very dan-
gerous condition, insomuch that the printinc, press was
obliged to be placed in the cellar, and books which ought,
for the convenience of the office, to be placed in the upper
rooms were forced to be deposited inthe ground floors. It was
therefore urgently necessary to provide better accommoda-
tion. It was not intended, as had been said, to provide state
apartments for the Ministers. All that was proposed was t
have two rooms of large size, that might be available on f