The Sun.
London, England, 1862-02-25 00:00:00

TIIE REVISED CODE OF EDUCATION.

Some petitions were presented against the Revised Code
of Education.
THE CHURCH RATES ABOLITION BILL.

Mr. S. ESTCOURT asked the hon. member for Ban-
bury (Sir C.lDouglas), in the absence of Sir J. Trelawny,
whether it was intended to proceed with the second reading
of the Church Rates Abolition Bill on the day for which it
was fixed, as that was Ash Wednesday, when it was under-
stood the house would not sit.

Sir C. DOUGLAS said that certainly the bill would not
be proceeded with.
OFFICERS IN THE BOMBAY AND MADRAS
ARMIES.

Col. SYKES gave notice that on Friday he would ask
the Secretary of State for India for some information in
reference to this subject.

ECCLESIASTICAL MANORS.

Mr. LYGON asked the Secretary of State for the Home
Department when the return relating to Ecclesiastical
Manors, ordered by this house 15th June, 1860, and 25th
June, 1861, would be laid upon the table ?
Sir G. GREY said that the retinas, with the exception
of that which related to one manor, were ready, and when
complete would be laid on the table.

SIR ROBERT PEEL AND THE O'DONOGHUE.
Lord PALMERSTON said that he hPd to call the atten-

tion of the house to a breach of privilege which had been
committed by an honourable member. It was ne-
cessary, in order to enable the members of
that house to exercise their functions, that there should be
the most perfect freedom of speech in debate. In course
of the debate which took place on Friday even-
ing his right hon. friend the Secretary of State for
Ireland (Sir R. Peel) had made some remarks which the
hon. member for Tipperary con,idered personally offen-
sive to him. The course which should be pursued by an
hon. member when he considered himself insulted by any
remarks made by another hon. member was to cell on the
Speaker of the house to interpose at the time. But
the honourable member for Tipperary had taken
a different course, and had sent a challenge to the right
hon. baronet the Secretary for Ireland. As the head of the
Government, he thought it right to communicate with the
right hon. baronet. The noble lord then read a letter
which he had addressed to Sir Robert Peel, which was to
the effect that it had been suggested to him that the
0' Donoghue contemplated sending him a hostile message,
and that his acceptance of the same would be a breach of
privilege. He also desired him to refer the O'Donoghue to
him. (Great laughter.) He was accordingly waited on by
a friend of the hon. member for Tipperary (renewed
laughter), and he told him that he would bring
the subject before the house at half-past four o'clock
that evening. (Hear, hear.)' lie had done what he con-
sidered was his duty, and he now left the matter in the
hands cf the Speaker and the house. (Hear, hear.)
The SPEAKER explained that the hon. member for
Tipperary had been guilty of a breach of privilege, and
called on him to apologise to the house, and promise that
the matter should not proceed further.
Major GAVIN said that he had acted as the friend of
the hon. member for Tipperary. He agreed with that hon.
member that the language which the right hon. baronet
(Sir R. Peel) used to him in the debate of Friday required
to be explained. He did not recollect the exact terms, but
the right hon. baronet spoke of mannikin traitors, and
alluded to cabbage garden heroes, which was in-
tended to be offensive to the honourable member
for Tipperary. He had been in the army 20 years, and he
arrived at the conclusion that, as a gentleman, his hon.
friend (The O'Donoghue) had taken the only course open
under the circumstances. He had waited on Sir R. Peel at
the Irish office, and endeavoured to induce him to make an
explanation that would satisfy hid friend. However, the
right hon. Bart. refused to make any retractation or to offer
any explanation, and refuted him to Lord Palmerston.
(Laughter.) He had an interview WI h the noble lord.
The noble lord stated to him the course which he intended
to pursue in bringing the subject before the house,
and the matter terminated so far as ho was concerned, be-
cause he had discharged his duty in the only way it was
competent in an affair of this description. (Hear, hear.)
The O'DONOUHUE, who was called to order twice
during his speech, then addressed the house, and vindi-
eated his conduct. He contended that, as a gentleman
he was bound to demand the explanation which he re-
quired, and taunted the right hon. baronet (Sir R. Peel)
with having sheltered himself under his official position,
and availed himself of the technicalities of the house in re-
fusing him the satisfaction to which he was entitled. He
made some personal allusions to Sir Robert Peel's speech
at Derry.
The SPEAKER called him to order, and reminded him
that he had not made the apology or the promise that was
required.
The O'DONOGHUE said that after the course pur-
sued by the right hon. baronet, he thought it quite unne-
cessary to state that he would not carry the matter fur.
ther. (Hear, hear, and laughter.)
THE NAVY ESTIMATES.

On the motion for going into committee of supply on thd
navy estimates,

Lord C. PAGET, in reply to several questions, said he
was much obliged to the right hon. baronet the member for
Droitwich for alluding to the difficulties in which he (Lord
C. Paget) was placed, from the fact of his having to answer
a variety of questions concerning the navy before he had an
opportunity of making his statement on introducing the
estimates. (Hear, hear.) He trusted that hon. gentlemen
would not think it disrespectful to them if he asked them to
allow him to make his statement in the first instance, as he
believed they would then be put in possession of the infor-
mation which they were anxious to obtain. He would,
however, proceed to answer those questions which had been
put upon the paper; but before he did so, he would con-
gratulate the hon. baronet the member for Portsmouth
(Sir J. Elphinstone) on the fact that the reports which he
had heard with respect to the bad health of the cadets on
board the Britannia, in that harbour, were altogether un-
founded. The truth was, that the health of those cadets

wt sin a satisfactory condition. It was stated in one of the
journals of that day that they were suffering very much;
but the Admiralty, in reply to a telegram they had sent,
asking for information upon that subject, were in-
formed that the number of cadets on the sick list
was only fourteen ; and that could not be considered a
large number at the present season of the year.
To the question of the hon. and gallant member for Christ-
church (Admiral Walcott) as to whether the Royal Marines,
which were to act in conjunction with the French in
Mexico, were to be supplied with field artillery and tents,
he had to reply in the negative, because it was not intended
that the troops should leave the neighbourhood of their n
ships ; and the Government were fully alive to the necessity
of the troops leaving before the unhealthy season set in.
With regard to the disposition of the surplus of £lOO,OOO, if
that sum had not been expended it was not the failialrtof_thee
Admiralty. That sum would pass to the Excheqhou
hThhe
question of disposal was one for the Treasury, alt g
believed that at the end of the financial year the sum would
go to the diminution of the vote of credit for the hostilities
in China. As to the question of the hon.
the Government had
hon. baronet the mem-
ber for Evesham, ho had to say that
not the slightest objection to the
reappointment of the Ad-
miralty committee. On the subject of dockyard accounts,
he might inform the hon. baronet that the Accountant-
General had written to him to say that he had personally
visited each yard, and had formed an inexpensive Audit
Admiralty Office out of the resident clerks. He had at
present limited his charge to the verification of the expenses
of building iron ships. The Accountant-General added,
fthatorm thetha
than
wasaccountswould in future be kept in a more simple
adopted in private firms, and that the audited
results would be laid before Parliament. lie (Lord C. Paget)
believed that in the course of a year the dockyard accounts
would be kept as satisfactorily as the personal accounts of
the navy, which were well known to be the pattern accounts
of all the departments. (Rear.)
The SPEAKER then left the chair, and the house went
into Committee of Supply,
Lord C. PAGET rose to move the Navy Estimates for
the year. He said,—Before I lay these estimates before the
_ house, I must briefly notice the allusions of my two hon.