The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-06 00:00:00

tlon of the bar was, however, but a petty question com-
pared to the real question at issue—that of the state of Ire-
land. The people of Ireland would be surprised when they
heard that the right hon. gentleman designated the pre-
sent state of Ireland—where his fellow-countrymen were
being driven off the face of the earth—as one in a
state of transition. The right hon. gentleman had
stated, also, that there were just laws in Ireland ; but
how came it that, every session, the table of that house
was loaded with petitions from the people of Ireland
complaining of the Irish poor law and of the law regu-
lating public instruction? They asked to be put on an
equal footing with their fellow-subjects in England with
respect to those laws. He complained that, with the
exception of the right hon. gentleman (the Attorney-
General for Ireland) there was no one in connection with
the Irish Government that really knew anything about Ire-
land. Under these circumstances, it was not surprising
that the people of Ireland were discontented. One of the
largest proprietors had recently told him that, from all the
reports he had gathered, he had come to the painful con-
clusion that Ireland never had been so much disaffected to
the British Government as it was at the present moment.
The right hon. gentleman had told them of the just laws
and of the perfect harmony which prevailed in Ireland, but
he had avoided one great topic of interest, that of the tenure
of land. That was a question which, with the other two he
had mentioned, lay at the root of the disaffection of Ireland.
Lord Derby's Government had introduced a tenant right
bill, which, if it had passed, would have checked the depo-
pulation of the country—that destruction of the people
which the sight hon. gentleman called a state of transition.
Mr. Stuart Mill said that a Government who saw people
dying off and steadily declining in numbers was tried and
condemned. He had shown, by pointing to the wishes of
the people and to the state of the law, that the Government
was tried and condemned on two points, while on the more
vital point of the flight of the people from Ireland the con-
demnation was even more emphatic. In conclusion, the
hon. member denied that the Catholic party and Liberalism
went together in Ireland, citing, as a proof, the opposition
which that party had shown to mixed education, and to the
alteration in the marriage laws, and all other measures
characteristic of Liberalism.

Sir P. O'BRIEN objected to the attempt to bolster up an
unholy alliance between the Catholics in Ireland and the
Conservative party—men who for years had opposed every-
thing calculated to promote the interests of the Irish
Catholics, whether as regarded reform, social improvement,
or the tenure of land.

Mr. HADFIELD wished to know how far the commis-
sion referred to in the Queen's speech was to extend,
the object of which was declared to be the relief of the
clergy of the United Church of England and Ireland from
subscription. It was a fact that many men were ap-
pointed to livings who held doctrines incompatible with the
conditions of their appointment. He wanted to know whe-
ther the object of the commission was that the doctrines of
the Church of England should be taught and believed by
porsons appointed to teach those doctrines, or whether
they were to be at liberty, like Dr. Colenso, to hold any
principles they pleased.
Sire. GREY said he was happy to relieve the hon.
gentleman from any fears respecting the commission. The
principal object of the commission was to remove the un-
certainty which at present existed, and to secure a greater
agreement among the clergy upon the doctrines of the
Church. He might also state, for the satisfaction of his
hon. friend, that the Ecclesiastical Commissioners would
shortly issue a report, which would be laid before Parlia-
ment, showing how funds accruing from ecclesiastical re-
, venue could be made available in increasing the amount of
11 Church livings at present very inadequate.

the benefits they might from the existing lines.
Excessive tolls and other impediments frequently
prevented that free intercommunication between
neighbou•ing railways which the vast and increas-
ing traffic demanded. The removal of those impedi-
ments by the intervention of some external influence
was necessary. The execution of one half of the
proposed undertakings the engineer believed would
render the drainage of London all but impossible.
The sewers would be cut off, blocked up, diverted,
and destroyed in all directions. However great the
convenience of easy locomotion, the committee con-
ceived that the perfect drainage of a densely popu-
lated area was a yet more primary necessity. In
conclusion, the committe thought it was desirable
to complete an inner circle by connecting the Metro-
politan Railway with the Victoria and City sta-
tions ; and for minerals and heavy goods, as well as
for passenger traffic, additional lines to unite the
northern and southern systems. It was also desir-
able to connect the North Western, Great Western,
Great Northern, and Midland Railways with the
Charing-cross, South Eastern, South Western, and
other lines south of the Thames, by a carefully de-
vised project, and to separate, as far as possible,
local from through and heavy traffic, both for the
protection of the public and the regularity of the
traffic.

On the motion for the adoption of the above re-
port a long discussion took place, and eventually it
was referred back to the committee for reconsidera-
tion, the question of new railways to be discussed
by the board at a future time.
Some other business having been transacted, the
board adjourned.

Mr. W. E. DUNCOMBE wished to say a few words
about the state of foreign relations, which appeared to him
to be in a very critical state. He would not refer to the
question of reform, but leave it to be settled between hon.
gentlemen opposite and the Liovernment. The Govern-
ment had adopted the policy of non-intervention in the
case of America, and he concurred in that policy, but he
thought their neutrality was one-sided. In the case of
Poland they departed from their policy of non-interven-
tion, and urged certain points upon the Emperor of Russia
for the regulation of Poland. He thought after the state-
ment of the Chancellor of the Exchequer last year, that
the Government should take some steps, in conjunction
with the Powers of Europe, for putting an end to the cala-
mitous war in America. He differed from his hon. friend
the member for Norfolk (Mr. Bentinck) with regard to the
course taken by the Government respecting the proposed
European congress. As to the Dano-German difficulty, he
considered that Denmark could n,t, consistently with her
dignity, yield to the demands of the German Powers.
The report was then agreed to.
The house adjourned at a quarter to nine o'clock.

THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, FEIMUARY 6, 1864.

practicable, if he issued a circular to have all outer gar-
ments rendered uninflammable, to carry out such a sugges-

Mr. FRAMPTON observed that ho had provided tb.e ladies
of his ballet with a solution to render their under clothing
uninflammable, and on inquiry after the lapse of a fortnight
found that none of them had used it—the girls laughing
and excusing themselves on the ground that they had not
had time.l

It was also pointed out by several gentlemen that the
solution could not be applied to silk or satin dresses, or
to dresses ornamented with gold and silver, and that even
when it was applied it was utterly useless if the undercloth-
ing was not treated in the same way.
The LORD CHAMBERLAIN then said that another point to
which he wished to call their attention was the question of
ingress and egress at the theatres, suggested by the late
awful occurrence at Chili.

Mr. 'WEBSTER said he had been very much suprised at
the leading article in the Tines; because a church had been
burnt they turned round at once on the theatres. It would
have been more to the purpose if they had directed attention
to the churches of this city, the doors of which were almost
hermetically sealed. Several thousand persons were some-
times in Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's together, and
if a fire occurred it would be impossible for them to get out,
while every theatre had 10 or 12 doors which could be made
available at once for the exit of spectators. A letter had
been written on this subject about the Olympic Theatre by
some person who knew nothing of the subject. Now, he had
been assured that that theatre, when densely crowded, had
been emptied in seven minutes. In his own theatre, if afire
took place, there were five extraordinary exits, besides large
scene doors for the entrance of scenes and machinery, all of
which could be thrown open. Besides those he had two large
doors opening outwards, through which 2,000 people bad
gone out in three or four minutes on a recent occasion on:an
alarm of fire in the next street. There was no music-hall in
London that had any such facilities for exit as theatres. He
thought it unfair that such places should remain unnoticed,
and that people should turn round at once and find fault
with theatres.

Mr. SWANBOROUGH explained the means of exit at the
Strand ; and
Mr FALCONER said the means of exit at Drury-lane were
the best in London.

The LORD CHAMBERLAIN pointed out that he had no
control over music-halls, and then said that it would be his
duty to send them a circular on the subject of lights, and
also as regarded exits, impressing upon them that the
public would hold them responsible for future accidents.
Mr. WEBSTER, in conclusion, suggested that his lordship
should send them a letter, which they could have printed
and placed in various parts of the theatre, calling with
severity the attention of the ladies employed to the neces-
sity of care. If something of that kind were done he was
sure that managers would act upon it. But they had tried
dismissal, and in fact he did not know anything which it
was possible to do which they had not done.
His lordship then thanked them for their attendance, and
the assembly retired.