The Sun.
London, England, 1865-06-20 00:00:00

LORD A3iBERLEY.

Mr. HENNESSY drew attention to a correspomlenco
with respect to the position in which Viscount Amberley
travelled on board one of her Majesty's vessels. Ho was
called an "attache." Now, if that was so, he should like
to know whether he passed the civil service examination,
the date at which he did so, and whether he received a
certificate from the civil examiners.

Mr. LAYARD said it was a mistake of the officers
of the ship to call Viscount Amberley an attach&
He travelled as private secretary to Mr. Elliott, who had
been appointed to a special mission, and there was
nothing out of the usual course in so doing. The whole
thing was a very simple matter, and a great deal more had
been made of it than there was any occasion for.
On the order for going into committee of supply, Mr.
GRtrirm asked the Premier whether ho was prepared to
take into consideration the great disadvantage to the har-
monious co-operation of military authority and constitu-
tional government which arises from tho absence of the
Secretary for War from the House of Commons, and
moved that it would be convenient, under present circum-
stances, that the Secretary for War should be a member of
the House of Commons.

Lord PALMERSTON, who opposed the motion, con-
tended that, according tot the constitution of the Govern-
ment, it was impossible to concentrate all the heads of
departments in the House of Commons, as the hon. mem-
ber seemed to desire. There were certain members of the
Government who must be in that house ; there was one,
however, the Postmaster-General, who could not sit
there. With regard to the others it depended upon the
particular qualifications which the members of the Govern-
ment displayed in their respective departments, whe-
ther they should have seats in that house or in the
House of Lords. There was •a constitutional power
in the former to investigate and judge of the
conduct of every member of the Government, whether he
was in one house or the other. And so far as the War
Department was concerned, every one who had observed
the masterly way in which the Marquis of llartington
treated all military subjects would agree that no such
change as the one proposed was necessary in that depart-
ment. The same observation was applicable to the navy ;
he was not, therefore, prepared to agree to any motion that
would introduce a new principle and limit so seriously
the discretion of those upon whom the responsibllity of
forming a Government devolved.
no motion was negatived.

Colonel DUNNE having called attention to the state of
the ancient records of Ireland, Mr. Peel briefly explained
tho steps which had been taken for their preservation and
publication.

Mr. HUBBARD brought under the notice of the house
the sth clause in the commericial treaty with the German
Zollverein, to the effect that the contracting parties engaged
not to prohibit the exportation of coal and to levy no duty
upon such exportation, and pointed out that the precaution
had not been taken of inserting a provision that the parties
would also abstain from levying an import duty upon the
article so exported free of duty. Why, he asked, Mould
England herself give her coal and iron, those essential
elements of her commercial superiority, manufacturing pre-
eminence, and warlike greatness, to other countries, with-
out any consideration whatever. For example, the Zoll-
verein levied a tax of £5 a ton upon the exportation of
rags ; and one would have naturally expected that in con-
cluding a treaty to let them have our coals duty free we
should ask them to give us their rags upon the same terms ;
but no such engagement had been entered into. He ob-
jected to this kind of treaty, because it created an embar-
rassment that would continue for years to come. For 12
years the treaty would bind our hands from dealing with
the important article of coal, and he thought the Govern-
ment should have been satisfied with extending to the
Zollverein the same indulgence which had been accorded
to France—namely, ten years, and to which, indeed, they
would have been entitled under the favoured nation clause
of the treaty.

Mr. GIBSON reminded the hon. member that Parlia-
ment had deliberately abandoned the export duty on coal
as impolitic in a national point of view, and as an impost
that was oppressive to a considerable branch of industry ;
for coal was only valuable after having been got out of the
pit by the application of human labour. By admitting this
clause into the treaty with the Zollverein this country ob-
tained the benefit of all the concessions which the Zollve-
rein had made to France, Belgium, and Austria, after many
years' negotiations. Those concessions were a reduction
on tho import of cotton, woollen, and linen goods, hard-
ware, earthenware, and many minor articles. The treaty
was altogether commercial in its nature, and in no respect
affected the belligerent rights of the Crown.
In reply to a question of Sir E. DERING,
Lord C. PAGET said there was no ground for the state-
ment that the Government contemplated abandoning the
dockyard at Sheerness.
Tho house then went into committee of supply, and
agreed to the estimates for the Post-office packet service,
and the Office of Woods, and to the supplementary esti-
mates for Landguard Point Works.
Mr. COWPER, in moving a supplemental vote of
£20,000 for the enlargement of the National Gallery, ex-
plained that the amount asked for was intended for the
purchase of that portion of the space in the rear of the gal-
lery which was now occupied by St. Martin's workhouse,
Archbishop Tenison's library, the parochial offices and
schools. No plan, he observed, would be complete unless
it included the reconstruction of the facade, which might
be done in two ways—one by removing that most offen-
sive object, the dome, and adding an additional floor to the
centre of the building; the other by making anew facade
in front of the present, thus giving an additional gallery of
30 feet. To enable the pictures to bo seen with advantage
it would also be necessary to establish a system of perfect
♦entilation, and the safe introduction of gas. At that
moment he was not in a position to say what all this
would cost ; but he believed that £lOO,OOO was the maxi-
mum sum, beyond which it would not be requisite to go. If
the house acceded to the vote the next step would be to
make an agreement with the vestry and the trustees for
the purchase of the site, and when that had been settled
the £20,000 would be paid to them as a deposit, to enable
them to procure land for a new workhouse and premises
elsewhere. Next year Government would be prepared
with a plan and estimate for the proposed works.
Lord ELCHO urged that if the existing site was to be
retained a fire-proof building should be constructed, capable
and worthy of containing the national collection, together
with such bequests and additions as might from time to
time be reasonably expected, and that any money that
might be required for the purchase of land at the back of
the gallery should be voted on the understanding that
plans for its reconstruction should be forthwith obtained,
by competition or otherwise, and laid before Parliament
early next session.

Mr. TITE agreed that it would be better to reconstruct
the building, but at any rate the house ought to have the
plans and estimates for the proposed enlargement before
making any grant of money.
Sir G. BOWYER condemned the project of the Govern-
ment as a mere piece of patchwork.
Mr. LOCKE was of the same opinion. A part of the
proposal was to put on a new face to the present wretched
structure without improving the interior. It would, in
short, be no improvement at all, for the same miserable
entrance and low roof would be still retained.
Mr. 11. SEYMOUR suggested that the plan to be pro-
duced next year should include a scheme for inadequate
approaches to the building.

GREGORY hoped tho plan would be submitted to