The Sun.
London, England, 1855-07-24 00:00:00

DECIMAL COINAGE.

In answer to Mr. G. A. HAMILTON.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the
commissioners for inquiring int) the subject of decimal
coinage would be Lord ?lonteagle, Mr. Hubbard (late
governor of the Bank of England), and Lord Overstone.
The commission had not yet been prepared, but as soon
as it was completed there would be no objection to lay
a copy of it on the table.
PENSIONS TO OFFICERS' RELATIVES.
Colonel LINDSAY asked the, Under Secretary for
War whether it was the intention of the Government to
extend to the mother or sister of an officer who died
from illness contracted in the field the same allowance as
was proposed to be given, under special circumstances,
to the mother or sister of aniofficer who had been killed
in action
Mr. PEEL—Under the pension warrant the-mother
and sister of an officer were entitled to receive a pension
only in case of that officer being killed in action ; but in
the event of the ufficer dying from fatigue, or under
the circumstances supposed in the question, and if the
claims of those relatives in other respects were pecu-
liarly strong, in any such instance special consideration
would be given to it, aLd the Secretary at War had
power to do so.
Colonel LINDSAY—That is, if he dies from fatigue.
Does the rule also apply to officers who may die from
cholera, or other disease ?
Mr. PEEL—Yes ; in the event of any such special
claim being made.
KINGSTOWN AND HOLYHEAD HARBOUR.

Mr. H. HERBERT asked the Secretary to the Trea-
sury whether any orders had been actually given for the
recommencement of the steam-packet pier in Kingstown
Harbour, and whether any arrangements had been made
or were' in contemplation with the proprietors of the
Dublin and Kingstown Railway for the extension of the
railway from the Kingstown terminus to the said pier ?
and a similar question with regard to the contemplated
peer in the New Harbour of Refuge at Holyhead.
Mr. WlLSON—Orders had been given to recommence
the pier at Kingstown Harbour, and he believed it had
been already begun. An arrangement had been made.
though not finally completed—that was, the agreement
had not yet been signed—whereby the railway should
communicate with the landing point of the pier, not
from the terminus, but by a curve which would go off
the main line to the landing point. With regard to
Holyhead, the plans for the landing place were all pre-
pared, and the engineer was about to submit them in a
few days to public tender.
In reply to a question from Lord NAAS,
Mr. WILSON added that he had no doubt the money
voted this year for Holyhead Harbour would be applica-
le to the works referred to.
CHURCH RATES BILL.

In reply to Lord R. CECIL,
Sir W. CLAY said it was his intention to proceed
with this bill tomorrow.
GOVERN NIENT CONTRACTORS.

Mr. T. MITCHELL asked the First Lord of the
Treasury whether, under existing circumstances, it was
the intention of the Government to introduce this ses-
sion a bill for the purpose of repealing the act of 1782,
which disqualified certain contractors from sitting in
Parliament, and rendered them liable to heavy penalties
in the event of their doing so I
Lord PALMERSTON had been informed that the
committee to whom the question was referred bad re-
ported, or were about to report, that contracts for loans
lid not fall within the law ; but in any case he thought
it would be tight to wait until that report was in the
hands of members before any further step was taketi.
There was, however, no intention on the part of her
Majesty's Government at this period of the session to
Lake into consideration whether it was expedient or not
to propose a bill on the subject.
NEW NATIONAL GALLERY.
Mr. SPOONER put a question to the Secretary to
the Treasury as to the manner in which the sum of
150,0001. surplus from tie Exhibition of 1851, and the
sum of 175,5001. granted by Parliament for Kensington
Gore National Gallery, bad been invested or otherwise
disposed of, and what interest it produced
Mr. WILSON said that with regard to the 150,0001.,
the surplus of the Exhibition fund, nod the 150,0001:
voted by this house at the end of 1352, making together
300,0001., that sum had all been expended in the pur-
chase of the property atKensington. The greater part
of it had been actually paid, and that which had not
been paid remained duemerely because smite difficulties
in the completion of the deeds bad rendered delay neces-
sary. The proportion if the Exhibition fund, which had
not been paid_in conseGuence of this circtitistance, was
invested in Exchequer Bills at the interest which such
securities commanded n the market. With regard to I
25,0001., the sum votes last year for the purchase of a
' small piece of ground vhich ran like a wedge into the
main property, that pircbase had not been completed,
hut was in process of :lompletion, and the third report
of the Royal commissim upon the subject would be pre-
sented to Parliament very shortly.
THE AFFAIR' AT MALLAGT4E-A.
In reply to Mr. BRIGHT,
Lord PALMERSTON said he believed that some
account had been received at the Colonial-office relative
to this affair. None tad been received at the Admiralty.
In the course of to-morrow he would inform himself as
to the nature of the communications, and let the hon.
member know if they were sufficiently full ,and explana-
tory to enable him to lay them upon the table of the
house.

THE
BTIGDHITA, N BUDGET.
In reply to
Lord PALMERsroN said there were bills before the
house which it was cesirable should not be delayed, and
which be was anxious should be sent to th
House of
Lords. The Indian budget could be taken as well after
those bills were passed ; and his right hon, friend (Mr.
V. Smith) was read. to make his statementat the earliest
opportunity that presented it=elf.
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY TILL.
attoerrdaPt AthLatiMmEotTnOt.NA—lll thwe
Mr. STIiUTT asked when this bill would be pro-
Ehat he
eeded with ?
sclett!,o give an
was anxious to go on with it if there were time afforded
for its discussion.
alinlidPsTysibt
AUSTRIAN TACTICS.
Mr. DISRAELI would take that opportunity of
addressing an inquiry to the noble lord the member for
London with respect to a statement which the noble
lord made on Thursday night in his speech on a subject
of great importance, and a statement which had created
great sensation. The noble lord was uederstood on that
occasion, in accounting for the expedition to the Crimea,
to have stated that one of its principal causes was the
refusal of Austria to cross the River Pruth ; and the
noble lord would allow him, perhaps, now to inquire
what was his authority for making that statement?
Lord J. RUSSELL said his authority was his gene-
ral recollection of the communications which at that
time had passed between the Government of Austria
and the Government of her Majesty. There was not
a request immediately from the Government of this
country to the Austrians to pass the Froth, and a
refusal of the Austrians to do so, but a series of
communications with regard to the operations which
Austria was ready to undertake, and those ope-
rations consisted in causing the evacuation of the
principalities by Russia. More Subsequently there was a
communication from Austria, to the effect that the Aus-
triam armies, being in the principalities, if the armies of
the allies should enter the principalities for the purpose
of crossing the Froth, the Austrian army would remain
in the principalities, and allow the passage of the allied
armies through their posts, for the purpoue of crossing
the Pruth. He spoke only from recollection ; but the
whole of the correspondence produced an impression on
his mind that the Austrians were not at that time pre-
pared to cross the Pruth.
Mr. DISRAELI could not, of course, know that the
noble lord spoke from memory ; but as the subject was
one of great importance, he might perhaps be permitted
to inquire of the First Minister if he could state to the
house whether it was in his recollection that, under the
circumstances to which be (Mr. Disraeli) had refeired,
Austria refused to cross the Pruth, and that one of the
reasons for the expedition to the Crimea was that refusal
on the part of the Austrian Government
Lord PALMERSTON could not answer questions
like these, picked out piecemeal from a long course of
negotiations between her Majesty's Government and the
Government of one of the Sovereigns in alliance, to a
certain degree, with her Majesty. All he could say,
with regard to himself, was, that he had always thought
the Crimea was the place where the most effective blow
could be struck at the preponderance of Russia in the
Black Sea ; and if there nad been no other reason that
would, in his mind, be amply sufficient for the expedition.
THE VIENNA CONFERENCES.
Mr. LAING asked if it was the intention of the Go-
vernment to invite discussion on the papers relative to
the Vienna Conferences, which had been laid upon the
table of the house ?
Lord PALMERSTON—CertainIy it is not my inten-
tion to do so. (Laughter.) We have had a great deal of
discussion already, but the hon. member has been away,
I believe. (Hear, hear, and laughter.) If he had beeu
here he would have had ample opportunity for dis-
cussing those papers. At present we have public busi-
ness of great urgency before us, which it is my desire to
press forward as rapidly as possible.
Mr. LAING gave notice that he should take an op-
portunity of submitting a motion to the house, with a
view to the discussion of the subject, and he should be
glad if the Government would give him an early day for
the purpose.
Lord PALMERSTON—The hon. gentleman must
excuse me. I can give no day. (Cheers and laughter.)
A. day may be forcibly taken, of course ; but I can give
none willingly. hear.
PUBLIC BUSINESS.
Lord NAAS said that on the 4th of May the House
of Lords came to a resolution not to take any bill which
was brought up from this house for a second reading after
the 24th of this month (to-morrow). Deducting the
Chancery bills of his hon. and learned friend (Mr White-
side), he found that there were now 12 bills before the
house waiting for second reading, 8 of which were Go-
veroinen t bills ; 17 bills were in committee, or waiting
to go into committee, and twelVe of them were Govern-
ment hills. Four stood for a third reading, three of them
being Government bills. It would be convenient if the
noble lord could state what course he proposed to take
with those bills, and if it were likely that the resolutitn