The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-08 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAVTI

HOUSE OF LORDS—This Evening.
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his scat on the woolsack AI
five o'clock.

THE DANO- GERMAN WAR.
The Earl of DEttl3Y, without wishing to raise a dis-
cussion, or to offer any remarks upon the question, wished
to ask the noble earl the ti.e retary of Foreign Affairs if it
was the intention of her Majesty's Government to give any
information to Parliament of a later date than that given
by the correspondence already published. Events were
succeeding one another so rapidly as to cause rho greatest
anxiety in the public mind.
Earl RUSSELL reminded the noble earl that Austria
and Prussia had refused to accede to proposals made to them
by the other European powers, and had engaged in a most
unjustifiable war, and ho considered the Danish Govern-
ment quite justified in resisting the demands made upon
them. He did not think, in the present condition of affairs,
that it would be fur the public advantage that all correspon-
dence that had taken place in each step of the negotiations,
illustrative of the courao of events and the conduct of her
Majesty's Government, should be published. At the and
of the week her Majesty's Government expect to receive the
reply of the Danish Government in answer to the invitation
to the Congress, When that answer had been received
there would be a break in the negotiations, and that
would be a favourable opportunity for making known
the progress that had ben) made up to that
time. lie hoped that when the answer of the belligerents
had been obtained, if that decision were favourable. there
would be little difficulty in obtaining the assent of France,
Russia, and Sweden to an invitation to going into consi •
deration of the question in the proposed congress.
Earl DERBY asked the noble earl if he could say, for
certain, whether the papers would be laid on the table pre-
vious to the Easter recess.
Earl RUSSELL said the clerks in the Foreign-office
had been so hardworked, in consequence of the number of
papers required of them, that he could not promise the
papers would be in the possession of their lordships before
the Easter holidays.
Lore STRATI ORD DE RED'OLIFFE hoped that her
Majesty's Government would be in a position before the
adjournment for the Easter holidays to state definitely
what course they intended to pursue with respect to the
whole question.
In reply to further questions from the Earl of ELLEN-
1101t01.1GII.
Earl RUSSELL said ho believed that Austria and
Prussia would require some modification to be made in the
treaty of 1852, but what they wished precisely it was im-
possible for the Government to say,

PRIVATE BUSINESS.
The Anglesey Central Railway Bill was read a third time
and passed.

SIR J. LAWRENCE'S SALARY BILL.
This bill passed through committee, and was reported
without amendment.

STEERING AND PROPELLING STEAM SHIPS.
The Earl of lIARDWICKE presented a petition from
Mr. W. J. Curtis on the subject of propelling and steering
steam ships by an improvement of his own. The noble
earl read a number of testimonials relative to the efficiency
of his inventions and concluded by asking the Government
to state the grounds that led to its rejection by the Govern-
ment.

The Duke of SOMERSET said the two eminent autho-
rities to which he had referred tho invention had come to a
conclusion adverse to the merits of the invention,
and, therefore, he did not foci justified in put-
ting the country to the expense of making
a trial, but be had placed a vessel at the service of Mr.
Curtis, and the improved rudder had been fitted to her at
his expense. When, however, the trial took place, the
ordinary gunboat completely triumphed over the vessel fitted
with the improved rudder. Tho inventor afterwards said
that there hid been a combined opposition against him, and
having been atthcked by everybody, said the Admiralty had
acted with great injustice towards him. He considered
that is what had taken place the utmost fairness had been
awarded to Mr. Curtis.
THE SECRETARY OF THE POST-OFFICE.
Lord TRURO asked her Majesty's Postmaster-General
whether the rumour of Sir Rowland Hill'■ resignation was
well founded, and if so whether he had any objection to
state the circumstances under which it took place.
Lord STANLEY of ALDERLEY said it was true Sir
Rowland Hill had resigned his office in the Post-office in
consequence of ill health. He was sure their lordships
would agree with him that the withdrawal from the public
service of so eminent a person was a great and serious loss
to the country.

THE AUSTRIAN FLEET.
The Earl of SHAFTESBURY rose to ask the Secretary
of State for Foreign Affairs whether he could give the
house any information respecting the movements of the
Austrian fleet towards the Baltic.
i.[LEFT SPEAKING.]