The Sun.
London, England, 1863-05-19 00:00:00

BRITISH CLAIMS ON PORTUGAL,

Mr. AYRTON asked the Under Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs, whether her Majesty's Government had
made any representations to the Government of Portugalwith
regard to the claims of various British subjects who invested
their money, by request of the Minister of Public .Works
of that country, in an undertaking called the Union Mer-
cantile Company, the stock of was guaranteed by
royal decree, and by acts of the Legislature; if so, what had
been the result of 'hose representations, and whether there
would be any objection t i lay any papers upon the table
connected with those claims.

Mr, LAYARD replied that her Majesty's Government
had made representations on the subj-ct to the Government
of Portugal. Certain British subjects invested a consider-
able sum of money, ace neither principal nor interest was
paid. Her Majesty's Government had urged the propriety
of an early settlement on the Portuguese Government ; and
he trusted, for the credit or that Government, that steps
would be taken to liquidate those claims.
THE CASE OF CAPTAIN WHITE.
Col. FI{EN)H asked the Under Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs what *lewdly power he meant to propose
as arbitrator to decide on the compensation Capt. Melville
White was en'itled to for the treatment he had received
from Government officials in Paru. He explained that the
sum of £290,000 demanded was named as an equivalent,
bared upon an estimate of compensation by the French
Government for similar injuries
Mr. LAYARD replied that his statement was strictly
correct, and based upon Capt. Whi'e's own letter. Corre-
spondence was ther, goine- on with the Government of Peru
on the subject, and as yet no arbitrator had been selected.
PURCHASE OF THE INTERNATIONAL
EXHIBITION•

Sir 11. VERNEY asked the thancellor of the Exehe•
quer, whether he could inform the ho .se for what sum the
hulloing of the Internatknal Exhibition of 1862 could be
put chased, with a view to convert a portion of it into a
Museum, or a Gallery for Works of Art, or some institu-
tion for the encouragement of those objects to whic`i the
late Prince Consort
,devoted his efforts, and to bear his
name I
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER intimated
that he was not yet in a condition to give a practical snawer,
as the commissioners of 1851, with whom the matter rested,
had not yet come to a deolsion. The commissioners would
meet on Thursday, when he anticipated a final decision
would be arrived at. Alter the holidays he hoped to be in
a position to answer the question satisfactorily, and to inti-
mate the in►entions of the Government with respect to the
bui ding. It acquired by the Government it certainly would
be devoted to the purposes indicated in the question.
PROTECTION OF LIFE AND PROPERTY FROM
FIRE IN THE METROPOLIS.
Mr. CRAWFORD asked the Secretary of State for the
Home Department when he would bring in hie bill for the
better protection of life and pr.•percy against fire in the
met ropol s ?
Str G. GREY replied that, as the details of the bill had
not yet been settled, he could not name the exact period
when it would be introduced. But it would be introduced
at the earliest possible moment,
SMALL PDX IN TH E METROPOLIS.
General BUCKLEY asked the President of the Poor
Law Board, whether he was aware that fresh cases of
small pox were brought into the workhouse of St. George's,
Hanover-fquare parish, and other workhouses in London ;
and whether some arrangement could not be it ado to pr
vent fresh cases of small pox tieing brought into the popu-
lous part of London 1'
Mr. VILLIERS replied that the parish anthori ies, in
response to a circular from the Poor Law ,Board, had pro-
vided ample accommodation. The disea-e was greatly on
the decline, not only in the parish specified, but in other
parts of the metropolis.
THE CHINA WAR VOTE.
_ _

Sir S. NORTHCOTE asked the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer whether it was the intention of the G .v.-rnment to
surrender into the Exchequer the balance of £526,104 re-
maining unissued from the vote of cr-dit for the (.lina war.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER replied
that the time had not arrived when it would be practical to
surrender this balance. The money w•uld be surrendered
to the Exchequer when all the contingencies connected with
the war had been definitively Nettled.