The Sun.
London, England, 1865-05-03 00:00:00

HOUSE OF LORDS-LAST EVENING.

The LORD CHANcwzon took his seat on the woolsack
at five o'clock.

GRANTS TO SCHOOLS.

Mr. ADDERLEY said he had a question on the paper
to ask the Vice-President of the Committee of Council on
Education, whether it was his intention to introduce a
now minute which would remove the distinction between
rural and other schools in the minute of March, 1864, re-
lating to the reduction of grants to schools by the amount
of any endowMents, but as he had heard that the Govern-
ment intended to introduce in the course of a few days the
new minutes, 1p would not proceed with the motion which
stood on the paper in his name that evening.
Sir G. GREY said the right hon. gentleman had heard
what was quite correct. The new minute would be made
known very shortly.
THE OFFICERS OF THE INDIAN ARMY.

Capt. JERVIS rose to call attention to the petitions
presented to that house by the officers of the late Indian
armies, and moved that an humble address be presented to
her Majesty, praying she will be graciously pleased to re-
dress all grievanceffi complained of by them, as were admitted
by the commission on the memorials of Indian officers to
have arisen by a departure from the assurances given by
by 21 and 22 Vic., c. 106, 23 and 24 Vic., c. 100. The hon.
and gallant gentleman took the opportunity of entering at
some length into the great services performed by the officers
of the Indian army, which, he said, were marked by the
greatest bravery and heroism. Ho said it was their
gallant deeds alone that had been thought quite sufficient
to amalgamate them into the British army ; but 'he felt
there was scarcely a military man in that house who would
now say the Indian officers had been treated in a manner
their great merits deserved. The granting of brevet
rank without pay was not the sort of thing that ought
to have been given to many of those officers. The
granting of brevet rank to an officer for services in the
field was an honour of which the recipients felt the
full weight. They were looked upon by their
comrades as men of mark and undoubted bravery,
but when it was doled out wholesale officers looked upon it
as mere trash. They had a few bits more gold put upon
their collars, for which they had to pay. He felt the house
would take the services of these officers into its considera-
tion, therefore he confidently left their case for its disposal.
He concluded by moving the address of which he had
given notice.
Sir C. WOOD said he quite agreed with all that had been
said by the hon. and gallant gentleman with respect to the
services of the officers of the Indian army ; but so
far from the position of those officers having been in
any way injured, he felt that he should be enabled
to show that quite the contrary was the case, and that
those officers had never been in a better position both with
respect to pay and promotion. A great stress had been laid
on the circumstance that a great many petitions had been
presented by the officers, praying for a redress of grievances,
but certain cases had come to his knowledge where the
names of officers who did not complain had been attached
to petitions, the prayer of which was the redress of
grievances.
Capt. JERVIS wished to know the names of such
officers.

This bill was read a third time and passed.
SEWAGE UTILISATION BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
The house adjourned at 25 minutes to 9 o'clock.

The Assassination of President Lincoln.

LEEDS.

Sir C. WOOD said he would not shrink from giving the
names of the officers. The right hon. gentlemen then read a
letter he had received' from Col. Cherry, of the Madras
Army, the effect of which was that the gallant gentle-
' man had received intelligence that his name had been
affixed to a petition for redress of grievances without his
sanction, and that so far from it being his desire that such
should be done, he was quite satisfied with his position.
The formation of the staff corps was a matter of absolute
necessity. Next came the question of promotion, and the
commission presided over by the noble lord opposite re-
commended that promotions to the staff corps should be
governed by length of service. That was what the go-
vernment exactly did. They offered to all officers of the
Indian army the option of going into the staff corps, and
they offered the same thing to officers of the line. Nay,
they went one step further, and thought it right to give
the older officers the benefit of promotion, as if the staff
corps had been formed at the time they entered the ser-
vice. In justification of the course they had taken, ho
might state that the same thing had been done by the East
India Company; and when the hon. and gallant member
behind him (Col. Sykes) had spoken of the " indisputable
rights" of the Indian officers, he seemed to forgot that on

several occasions the East Indian Company had not ad-
mitted those rights. The government had not in the
slightest degree interfered with regimental seniority. A
cadet who went into the army in December, 1860, and who
never saw a day's service, might rise to the rank of colonel
or general officer just as if no change had been made.
When the Royal Artillery were sent out to India,
the East India Company thought it desirable to promote
all the majors by giving the substantive rank and pay of
lieutenant-colonels. They had done nothing of the kind,
but on the contrary they had issued a positive prohibit ion
against officers being placed in command of a regiment in
which there were senior officers. He would admit, with
the hon. and gallant gentleman, that the simplest course
would have been to cancel all the appointments of the staff
corps; but, with the exception of the hon. and gallant
member, he never heard an officer advocate such a course.
He should have shrunk from depriving those officers of
their rank. From the date of the formation of the staff
corps every officer possessed the same right of seniority he
enjoyed at that time. The report of Sir H. Rose showed
that the scheme of the government was the most effective
that could be adopted to remedy the alleged grievances.
That being so, he thought it unnecessary to say any more
on the subject. The three cases on which the ccmmission
reported that there was just cause of complaint were in-
directly remedied by the measure which her Majesty's Go-
vernment had taken. In two of the cases the officers them-
selves admitted that the grievances had been remedied, and
in the third case he had shown that a remedy had been ap-
plied. Coming to the last measure which had been taken,
no one would pretend to say that, under the circumstances,
it would not have been the right and the duty of the East
India Company to reduce the Indian army. That right
and that duty equally devolved on her Majesty's Govern-
ment. If it was necessary to reduce the army itself, it was
only following a course always adopted to reduce the num-
ber of colonels. Though 101 regiments had been reduced,
they had not reduced any colonels. They proposed only
to reduce the number of colonel's allowances so as to drop
three out of four. If a reduction was to be effected, and it
was not to be effected by some system of retiring allow-
' ances, he did not know how it could be done except by
some system of retarding promotion. Their measure pro-
vided an extraordinary number of retirements. They had
offered the boon of a retirement to three hundred, and they
had not filled up more than half the lieut.-colonelcies. The
immediate effect of that measure was to give promotion at
once to 49 lieut.-colonels, 87 majors, 128 captains, and 190
lieutenants. He contended, therefore, that they had shown
generous consideration for those gentlemen. He had stated
the amount of increased pay given to the artillery and en-
gineers. The whole increase of promotion, pay, and pen-
sions had had the effect of imposing on the revenues of In-
dia a sum exceeding a quarter of a million of money. He
did not see how, in the face of such an increase, they could
be accused of having shown any niggardly spirit in this
matter. The right honourable gentleman having dwelt on
the increase of pay which had been given to the Indian
army, referred to figures to show how promotion had been
accelerated, and to what an extent the term of service had
been diminished which qualified an officer for the rank of
lieut.-colonel in the Indian army, concluding by claiming
for the measures of the Government great benefit for the
officers, instead of having prejudiced their position, and by
expressing a hope that after his explanation discussions in
that house would cease.

The Rev. Dr. ATLAY, vicar of Leeds, seconded
the resolution, saying that he was not present in
any sense as the mouthpiece of any party, but as a
townsman of Leeds among his fellow-townsmen—a
Christian man among Christian men—to express
the horror and detestation they felt at an act of
most barbarous and dastardly murder. (Hear, hear.)
It was a very great privilege that they should have
the opportunity of testifying to the world their deep
feeling of horror at the crime which had been com-
mitted on the other side of the Atlantic, and that
by their presence they should convey what was,
alas ! but cold comfort, but such comfort as only
they were able to express—their entire sympathy
with their brethren at the great calamity which had
overtaken them—(hear, hear)—•and he should be
surprised indeed if there was a man or woman in
England, who was capable of forming a rational
judgment, who would not express their sympathy
with the resolution. (Applause.)
Mr. GLOVER JOY supported the resolution, and
made a deep impression on the meeting by relating
various incidents of an interview he had with Presi-
dent Lincoln at a time when Lee and Longstreet
were so near Washington, that he (Mr. Joy) felt it
very doubtful whether it would be safe to venture
there from New York. He quoted various remarks
which were made on that occasion by the illustrious
man now departed, and said they certainly left a
very pleasing impression, and a strong conviction
that Abraham Lincoln, with all the weight of his

Colonel SYKES said that when the right hon. baronet
maintained that the condition of the officers, from a cadet
to the highest in the army, was precisely the same as it was

under the East India Company, he had unfortunately dis-

regarded the ono important point—that the cadet rose to
be lieutenant, the lieutenant to be captain and major, until
he got a colonel's allowance to retire upon in his old age.
That was while lie was under the East India Company.
What was he now ? He was only on paper. When ho was

with his regiment ho was entitled Co succeed to the com-

mand, and ultimately to the allowances. Now, his regiment
was converted into an irregular troop, in which any one
might servo who thought fit. That alone was a breach of
the guarantee of the house. The house guaranteed the
continuance of the rights and privileges that wero in force
at the time of the passing of the two acts, and the house
was bound in honour to see that its obligations were ful-
filled. The hon. and gallant member then traced the
course of the policy pursued by the Secretary of State for
India during several years past, and cited the results
arrived at by the various committees that had considered
the question. If the staff companies had not been estab-
lished, there would have been few complaints to make of
the transfer of the East India Company's interest to her Majesty's Government ; for, so far from that Company
wishing to have the officers withdrawn from active service,
one of their last acts while he was chairman was to provide

'BEAL PARLIAMENT permission was granted to play in that spot previous to the that no officer should be withdrawn in the manner that
act passing, and as it was only granted annually it had had since been adopted by her Majesty's Government. Out
not been given this year. There was no correspondence of 715 petitions which had been presented to that house,
on the subject, therefore he had none to produce. only one had been proved by the right hon. baronet not to
Major S. KNOX would like to know whether the right be genuine. And what did that amount to ? The right
hon. gentleman was aware that the privilege was worth hon. baronet had also alluded to the excessively rapid pro-
about £l,OOO to the Commissionaires. He would grant motion of individual officers, but that proved nothing as
them the use of another piece of ground in St. James's- long as the average rate of promotion was slow. The
park.
creation of the staff corps would lead to an immense accu-
Mr. W. COWPER said he would consider the matter. mulation of field officers, as the head officers would not be
CARRIAGE OF TREASURE. got to retire from the service. The result would be they
Mr. H. TRACY asked whether it was the intention of would have officers of the rank of major and lieutenant-
her Majesty's Government to:make any alteration in the colonel doing the duties of lieutenants and captains. Was
carriage of treasure on board of her Majesty's ships, and that judicious—was it economic ?
in the distribution of the freight money arising therefrom. Mr. SMOLLETT said the recent changes in the con-
Lord C. PAGET said it was the intention of the Go- stitution of the Indian army had been marked by immense
vernment to make certain alterations, and in a few days profusion and great cost to the State. At the same time
the precise terms of the alterations would be made known. they gave no satisfaction to the parties most concerned in
DRAINAGE WORKS. them. A great error had been the formation of a most
Captain STACPbOLE asked the Secretary to the Trea- exorbitant and most unnecessary staff corps ; but the
sury if it was his intention to introduce a bill to amend greatest mischief of all had been the Amalgamation Act of
the 38th section of the Drainage Act of 1863, which limited 1860. That act had annihilated a most admirable service,
the power of the Board of Works in Ireland to make ad- and it had been made to do so simply because of a mania
vanes to any drainage board to one moiety of the amount which afflicted the Horse Guards and the Government of
proposed to be expended by such board? India at the moment. People imagined that India was to
Sir F. PEEL said the Board of Works in Ireland had be governed henceforward by a force of 100,000 English
now the power to lend half the amount to be expended in bayonets ; but that plan of governing the country by brute
certain works, but he did propose to take steps to enable force broke down from financial considerations. It was
them to advance the whole of the sum necessary for those found India could not afford to pay 100,000 Europeans.
works. Therefore, sounder opinions came to be formed, and at that
moment they had a vast native force in the pay of the In-
dian Government--some 125 regiments he believed. The
arrangement respecting the staff corps had necessitated a
heavy charge upon the revenue of India, while there was
not the smallest necessity to justify its adoption. The
Government in India then proceeded to form a staff corps,
which consisted of 1400 officers, whose names were retained
in the cadres of the regiments from which they had been
taken, and they continued to perform no duty. When the
staff corps was formed hundreds of officers in regiments
found themselves superseded by their juniors in the same
regiments, who had been appointed to the staff corps. The
officers of the army, of course, murmured at such whole-
sale supercession, but they could obtain no redress. The
only course now open to the Secretary of State for India
was to give substantive rank to all the officers who had
been superseded in their own regiments pari passe with the
officers promoted to the staff. No doubt that would make
a large charge upon the revenue of India, but it must
come to that at last.
The house then divided. The numbers were—
For the motion 49
Against it
Majority —l3
The motion was therefore carried.
BANK NOTES (IRELAND) BILL.
Sir C. O'LOGHLEN moved, in committee of the whole
House, " That the Chairman be directed to move the house
that leave be given to bring in a bill to make Bank of Eng-
land notes a legal tender in Ireland, and to authorise banks
of issue in Ireland to make their notes payable only at the
places in Ireland at which an account of gold and silver
coin held by such bankers is taken by the Commissioners
of Stamps and Taxes."
The motion was agreed to and the house resumed, when
leave was given to introduce the bill, which was subse-
quently read a first time.
MORTGAGE DEBENTURES BILL.
This bill. as amended, was considered and agreed to.
ISLE OF MAN DISAFFORESTATION (COMPEN-
SATION) BILL.
This bill passed through committee.
LANCASTER COURT OF CHANCERY BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
OXFORD UNIVERS ITY(VINERIAN FOUNDATION)
BILL.

The inhabitants of Leeds met on Monday even-
ng, under the presidency of the mayor (Mr. Luccock),
to express their horror and regret at the assassina-
tion of the President of the United States, and their
sympathy with the people of that country in sus-
taining so great a loss at so critical a period of their
history. The leading members of the corporation,
and most of the clergy, bankers, and merchants,
were present, as well as several hundreds of the
tradesmen and operatives. A letter was read from Mr.
Baines, M.P., explaining the circumstances which
prevented his being at the meeting. "With reference
to the late lamented President, and the object of
the meeting, he said, " His name and memory will
be venerated throughout the world, and the best
wish that we can cherish for our American brethren
is that they may still be governed by his spirit, and
may carry his work to its glorious consummation."
The ALtroll, expressly declared that this was a
meeting of men who had been divided in opinion
upon the subject and policy of the war that had
raged in America, and though they still entertained
their own particular opinions upon that subject, they
were met unitedly to express their horror and in-
dignation at the murder that had been committed
in the theatre at Washington. He had heard that
the wretch who did the deed thought of making
his home in England. England the home of the
assassin ! Such a monster they could not bear
among them ; they should at once spurn him ; they
would trample him to dust. (Cheers.)
Mr. W. B. DENISON (banker), after some re-
marks tending to show that the recent assassination
in Washington was more beyond the range of pro-
bability than one or two of the very rare cases
which had been heard of in modern times, proceeded
to eulogise the public conduct and demeanour of
Mr. Lincoln. 'Through a turbulent and blood-
stained sea of strife for the last four years the late
President had steered his ship with such calmness of
demeanour, such firmness, and such steadfastness of
purpose, as could not fail to win the admiration of
all those who were on his side. That such a man,
who had held the rudder of the ship through the
dangers of the open sea, just at the moment when
apparently he was approaching the haven, and when
his firm and cool hand was wanted to guide the ship
through perhaps greater difficulties--that such a
man should have been struck down at such a time,
not by the hand of an open enemy, but by the in-
famous hand of a dastardly assassin, filled his (Mr.
Denison's) mind with such deep regret and intense
horror that he had hardly power to give utterance
to his ideas. (Cheers.) He had no doubt that the
people of the South had no connection with the com-
mission of such a crime, for it was hardly possible
to believe that the country which had produced the
heroes which have filled the armies of the Southern
States could have any sympathy with the work of a
dastardly assassin—(cheers)—and he had the full
expectation that the people of the Southern States
would rise with such unanimity and earnestness in
reprobation of the atrocious crime as would go far
to effect that reconciliation which the people of this
country looked for and longed to take place. (Ap-
lause.) He moved the following resolution :—" That
the inhabitants of Leeds, in public meeting assem-
bled, would emphatically express the feelings of
horror and intense regret with which they have
heard of the atrocious acts by which the United
States of America have been suddenly deprived of
their President, and the life of his Chief Secretary
has been endangered ; and that they recall with
melancholy interest the friendly feeling invariably
displayed by the late President Lincoln towards
this country."