The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-23 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS—Last Evening,

The Speaker did not take the chair until 23 minutes to
one on account of there not being 40 members present until
that hour.

PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The following railway tills were read a third time and
passed :—Lancashire and Yorkshire (Blackburn, &c„ lines)
—Caledonian (Glasgow II ar bour)—lltracombe—Lancashire
Union—London, Brighton, and South Coast—Rhymney
(Extensions)—Rickmansworth, Amersham, and Chesham
—West Sussex Junction—Redruth and Falmouth Junc-
tion—Kilkenny Junction —Much Wenlock and Severn
Junction and Wenlock Railway, The Stock District Water
and the Sheila' Charities Bills were also passed,
Ardea's Estate Bill was read a second time.
CONSOLIDATED FUND (APPROPRIATION)
BILL.
This bill was raid a third time and passed.
IN,DIAN MEDICAL SERVICE BILL.

On the order cf the day for the consideration of this bill,
as amended,

Mr P. HENNESSY moved the addition of the following
clause, "Any person, being a natural born subject of her
Majesty, who may be desirous of being appointed as assis-
tant in the said forces, shall be admitted to be examined as
a candidate for such appointment." The bill as it at pre
sent stood entirely put an end to the competitive system ;
and, although it had been said by the Secretary of State for
India that the system of open competition would,
to a pertain extent, remain, he preferred to have it
expressly laid down in the bill. The hon. gentleman then
read an extract from the _Lancet, which stated that the mea-
sure, if passed in its present form, would entirely destroy
the efficiency of the East Indian medical service.
Col. SYKES seconded the amendment. He did not see
how the right hon. gentleman the Secretary for India could
object to the words of the proposed addition to the bill be-
cause they were part of the Queen's proclamation to the
people of India. The refusal of the clause was, in effect,
to refuse that to the people of India which had been pro-
mised them by her Majesty's proclamation.
Sir C. WOOD said it was a mistake for any one to
suppose that he was opposed to the competitive
system, because he was the very person who introduced it.
The bill, therefore, was not to abolish the competition, but
it was to enable him to form a staff medical corp for India
from amongst those medical officers in her Majesty's army
who have entered it by competitive service. The Indian
Medical Service was at present very deficient, and he be-
lieved that the Queen's army would be benctiqed by that
which he now proposed to do. He did not is the slightest
degree wish to interfere with the regulations at present
in existence in the Queen's army.

Col. NORTH was in favour of the amendment.

Mr BRADY said it was entirely owing to the illibera
treatment the medical men received that there was any:diffi-
culty in the matter. The medical man's pay was much less
than that of other officers of a similar position, and whilst
that state of things existed, it was impossible to suppose
that gentlemen would enter upon duties of great responsi-
bility without being a(:equately remunerated for the labour.
The position of the surgeon in the army, as far as rank was
concerned, was that of a captain whilst he only reached the
pay of a lieutenant.
Sir C. WOOD said that that state of things had been
altered by advices taken out by the last mail.
Sir J. TRELAAVNY opposed the amendment.
A division then took place, when there appeared—

For the amendment , It
Against it
Majority against the amendment —2o
The amendment was negatived, and the bill ordered to
be read a third time on Monday.
FORTIFICATIONS (EXPE NSES) BILL.
This bill was ordered for a third reading on Monday.

CRANBOURNE•STRE T BILL.

This bill passed through committee.

PILOTAGE ORDER CONFIRMATION BILL.
The bill was read a third time and passed.
BANK FOST BILLS (IRELAND) BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
POOR REMOVAL BILL,
This bill was read a third time and passed.
STAMP DUTIES ACT (1861) Bill.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
EAST INDIA REVENUE ACCOUNT.

Mr. MASSEY brought up the report, which was agreed

RAILWAY (IRELAND) ACT AMENDMENT BILL.
The Lords' amendments to this bill were considered and
agreed to.

DRAINAGE, &c. (IRELAND) BILL,
The Lords' amendments to this bill were also considered
and agreed to.
DEFENCE ACT AMENDMENT BILL.

This bill passed through committee.
The sitting was then suspended.
The house resumed at six o'clock.
THE ABERDEEN ACT.
Mr B, OSBORNE gave notice that next session he
should move to bring in a bill for the repeal of the Aberdeen
Act of 1845, the object of which was the suppression of the
Brazilian slave trade.

SEIZURE OF THE CHINCHA ISLANDS BY THE

SPANIARDS.

In answer to Mr MAGrIRE,

Mr LAYAR 0 said that the seizure of the Chincha
Islands by the Spaniards had occasioned great excitement
and sympathy among several of the South American States,
wad Venezuela and o'her States had declared that if these
islands were retained in the possession of Spain, they were
prepared to give their material aid to Peru ; but it appeared
that the Spanish Government disavowed any such inten-
tion, and had stated its readiness to restore the islands as
soon as its claims on Peru had been satisfied. lie believed
that the Republic of the Equador had proffered the use of
their harbour to the Spanish authorities.
VANCOUVER'S ISLAND.

In reply to Mr A. MILLS,
Mr LAYARD also stated that he had received a despatch
from the Governor of Vancouver's Island, conveying a re-
solution of the Legislature, to the effect that the offer ct the
Imperial Government to transfer the Crown lands to the

colony did not afford an equivalent for the civil list asked.
This was coupled, however, with the expression of a desire
to be more or less united with British Columbia in sharing
the expense. What the answer of the latter was to the
proposal he was not yet aware, but he had no reason to be-
lieTe that it would be a favourable one.
TELEGRIPIIIC INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS.
Replying to Sir C. DOUGLAS,
Mr LAYARD said he had not seen the circular which
was reported by the newspapers to have been addressed by
the French Government to various Powers inviting them
to participate in an int<znational congress for the purpose
of regulating telegraphic communications in Europe. No
such circular, however, had been sent to her Majesty's
Government, for the simple reason that in this country
the telegraphic lines were in the hands of private
companies,
In answer to ➢ir. G. DUFF,

Mr LAYARD stated that neither her Majesty's Govern-
ment nor the British Ambassador at Constantinople had
directly or indirectly expressed approval of the recent coup
d'etat of Prince Conza.