The Sun.
London, England, 1852-02-18 00:00:00

lONIAN ISLANDS.
BUME also postponet ha motion on tho subject
of the loaian Islands.

THE ARTY.

Colonel CHATTERTON.asked the Secretary at War
JI he intended to recommend the discontinuance of the
deductions to which officers of the cavalry are subject in
paying for the forage of their regimental chargers, kept
for the public service, whilst other mounted officers in
the service received an allowance for that purpose. The
Gallant Member also put other questions respecting the
pay of officers in the cavalry and other regiments.'
Mr. VERNON SMITH, in reply, said he had been
so short a time in office that bis attention had not yet
been directed to the subject, but he could assure the
Gallant Colonel that his best energies and abilities
should be given to all questions affecting the comfort
and interest of the army.
LOSS OF THE AMAZON.
Lord C. HAMILTON asked the President of the
Board of Trade, if he had any objection to lay on the
table of the House a copy of the report and of the evi-
dence taken before the Committee appointed by the
Board of Trade to inquire into the circumstances at-
tending the lose of the Amazon strain-ship.
Mr. LABOUCHERE said the report as well as the
evidence were in the hands of the printer, and he hoped
to lay them on the table in a day or two.

CABUL WAR.
Sir HENRY WILLOUGHBY tasked the President of
the Board of Control whether he would place on the
table of the House copies of the entire dispatches of
Captain Burnes (Sir Alexander Burnes) to Vir•
Macnaghten, Esq., the Secretary, with the Governor-
General of India, dated from Cabul, the 4th day of
October 1837, sth day of October 1837, 31st day of
October 1837, 26th day of January 1838, sth day of
March 1838, 13th day of March 1838, 24th day of March
1838, 25th day of April 1838, and from lalalabad 30th
day of April 1838. He intimated that his reason for putting
the question was that it been stated in a work recently pub-
lished that the dispatches previously laid on the table
had been garbled.
Mr. FOX MAULE said it was never pretended
that the dispatches as laid before the House were
entire ; only such extracts from them were given
as the Government thought would inform the House
with reference to the policy pursued at Cabul•
Already two discussions had taken place on the sub-
ject in the House, and it was not his intention to.
lay the dispatches in extenso before the public, and
again raise up a question which, with all its iteptlieti
faults and realised misfortunes, was now a
matter
of history, and ought not to be revived.
EXTENSION OF THE CAPE TERRITORY
Mr. ADDERLEY asked the Under Secretary of
State for the Calonies whether the Government had in
preparation the Bill for the extension of British jade-
diction in South Africa to the Equator, which Earl Grey
stated his intention to introduce this session, in s dis-
patch to Sir Harry Smith, given in the papers on the
assumption of the Orange Sovereignty, presented to this
House on the 19th day of May last?
Mr. FREDERICK PEEL said Earl Grey did sn'
nounce to Sir H. Smith that it was his intention to pro-
pose an Act for extending the British jurisdiction to thd
Equator, but he had not thought it advisable to Prece;,,,,
with the measure while war continued at the no
t!
frontiers. As the war was not yet terminated no sieP
had been taken for the preparation of the measure.

THE MEGIERA.
Admiral BOWLES moved for copies of all reports
received by the Board of Admiralty or the Com
in-Chief, stating the condition of her Msje ship
for the
Meg atter having embarked troops at Dover
Cape of Good Hope. minder-
Sir F. BARING said he should have no objection tc).
the return, but he thought after the attacks which /21.1 a
been made on the Admiralty on the subject, that
ought to have au early opportunity of making sot"
answer to them.
Mr. ROEBUCK said that baying bad some commut
cations with a Gallant Admiral, the colleague of the
Hon. Baronet, he wished to p mut certain question?.oa.
this same matter, and if the Hon. Baronet had no ew
tion, he would put them now.
Sir F. BARING said that he should shortly have,_ ic;
make some statements on the subject, and would rata!!
the lion. and Learned Gentleman waited until then.
The return was then agreed to.
THE METROPOLITAN CENSUS RETURNS.. r
Sir G. GREY said that he wished to state, in spell! ._
to a question which had been put to him the other Big"!
that having made inquiries from the Registrar-Genera
he had ascertained tnat the returns of the Metropolita n
Census laid upon the table of the House were incorreg
as regarded London. The copying clerk who prepareof
them had inserted the male population only, instead,
the gross amount of male and female. An amenclea
turn would very shortly be laid on the table.
MILITIA SUBSTITUTES.

In answer to a question from Mr. M. GIBSON, tblj
Mr. FOX MAULE said that by the provisions of ,s.
Bill introduced last night substitutes would be Pt
mitted under certain modified circumstances.

SAVINGS BANKS.
Mr. HENRY HERBERT rose to move the
ing resolution, of which he had given notice:. ---
" That this House has observed with regret the lee sl-
- neglect of her Majesty's Government "
fufil their promise of introducing a ''''''' fl
r
the regulation of the Savings Banks, by which thole er
folio, a re
important institutions may be enabled to preserve thai
hold on the confidence of the country, and a due enoott
ragement be thus given to the industry
of the working classes." He said that, consideringdtf:
important nature of the subject to *which he wisbe hi ;
call the attention of the House, it might be thoug
that it would have been more expedient had it been irti
and providenpe ),
troduced by some Member of greater experience who hare 1.
stronger claims upon their attention. The peculiar sir
cumstance in which the subject stood must, howeYe.r9.l ~
his apology. In 1848 a Select Committee was appoin!ir2
to inquire into the subject, and at the end of the sees
_el
reported that it had not had time to pursue their ineitilrL !....
as far as was necessary, but recommended that Vie r 1.
quirt' should be continued in the ensuing session; P_
commended, also, that some measure should 1 r
introduced into the House on the subject._ ._O,
1849 propositions were brought forward _to
renew the Committee, which the Government oPlor ri.,
but on two occasions they were left in a minority.
.n• ee.
1850 the Government did bring in a Bill which corm!
0/7.1.
did not encounter any opposition in that House, body
from some cause or other, was never proeeeb:4
with; and since that time no steps bud eeca.
taken by the Government to legislate on the 080 ..
The first establishment of savings' banks dated 40 ye. 4 1::
four in
ago, but it was not until 1817 that the Legislature ll_ 5
fared with them, at which time there were 70 in Engl,l_ it
establishment the trustees were responsible for the
thewho re
Wales, and four in Ireland. On their
.10__ to
depositors, so that as long as they were solvent
con ii=
could be no loss. The enactment of 1844, hovrereri'bilik y.
pleted an entire change and destroyed their rope:
Mr. Tidd Pratt stated before a Committee of 80010 14
sh
trot Or 31.
in 1848, that the Government had no more oeuthey hied
the trustees and actuaries of savings banks thtll3; of his
over a private gentleman in the manitge`u., who, elll
own private affairs. Thus these bodies of ret,e",.hequere
the admission of the Chancellor of the e'4l" rotetil
habitually neglected their duty, were eat .he,
with enormous amounts of the savings of :I:A
poor, and yet au Act of Parliament
..1!'17..
been passed to absolve them from all responsibility
in the law. The
some amendment was necessary
These few facts, he thought, were sufficient to show thet‘.
the leading`
parties Membewrhnzhtecscarcidi: means of
Ihsaindrd of the conduct of Mr..
Tidd Pratt,
expense theand"elliitigation,to sari''
ous todepositors. He had been
ous injury
like a breach ofprivilege
guiltygreatand
of something
banks. Ho had, t
elxoss of
in regard to several
inquiry . in the first
instance, opposed an into the Cuffe-street'
Bank, though the balance-sheets sent to the National.
Office showed a
Debtgradual decreasing National.
pt though
ficiency, when it failed in
1848, the defalcations amounted
- to no lees a
sum than 64,6891. There had beenf "lures at
similar al
Rochdale, Brighton, Hull, Aylesbury, and other town&
In some cases the trustees had
generously and
nobly ,
made good the losses; but
bad been the sufferers,
and
hadhin others the depoasiw_s_ .
ness of the misery and wretchednesshe
himself been
s battik
failures had occasioned which the
ositore.
It was, therefore,among the unfortunate.dep
the public 9 perfectly obvious that the interests or
wiled for some protection protection against the
management and i bent
the kingdom. insecurity of savings banks throug
The CHANCELLOR stated,
in of the EXCHEQUER
in reply
to the Hon. Member's observations respecting
the
_ personal character and responsibility of Dir.
Tidd r? P
--a•11 that he was not a Government officer,
but eas simply named in the Act of Parliament as a
person whom the trustees or depositors might call in 10
examine into the affairs of a bank, or to arbitrate
between them, and without he was so called oa
he had neither power to visit a bank, nor had the
Government power to send him. As regarded
the Cuife-street Bank, when he was called in
.by the de
positors in 1831 be was utterly deceived as to the star
of its affairs, but on that occasion he gave 0°3413
advice which, if followed, would have preventeeui d her
catastrophe which ensued. The Honourable hite
blamed him for not altering the law, but --
introduced a Bill last session which would have "While.
died many of the defects now complained of, --t
it was opposed by a groat portion of the Uouse.
What was asked for was, that the entire nianagewe°
of these banks should be in the hands of the trustees
and managers, and that Government should be re;
sponsible, and to that he could not consent, spa
on that account no agreement could "'
come to with those who were 8E1%1°116
to have some enactments on this subject. It would be re-
membered that in 1850 Government was obliged to abar
don many of the Bills which it had introduced, in Oa?
r
sequence of the press of business at the end of the seasi
and he thought it was scarcely possible to ha"
passed a Bill of this nature. Since that time
additional information had been obtained of gr€ll/
importance relating to this subject, which 06
was convinced would tend to improve all
measure submitted to the House. He could assure the
Home that he was quite as anxious as any one could 11
to see some beneficial measure passed, and he hope
before the end of the session to introduce and pass One
which would give full satisfaction to all p the
arties.
Mn. REYNOLDS thought that the House and
country had some right to blame the Government for
the delay which had occurred in the introduction of seine
measure on the subject of savings banks. Be Wit..!
glad, however, to hear that the Right Hon. Gentse lem eti
the Chancellor of the Exchequer had pledged him
110 t°
bring in a Bill this session, for so he had Understood,
the Right Hon. Gentleman's speech. He enndernr!ulal
We couno taken by the Government, in not giviogJ___
remuneration to the depositors in the Cuffe-street 707,
ings Bank, for the losses which they had it) ourred,..4
also strongly disapproved of the conduct of
1111% 1:l„
Fran with reopeot to that 624 other Nor boor ,