The Sun.
London, England, 1865-03-28 00:00:00

POSTAL SYSTEM IN SCOTLAND.

- -
Sir R. ANS TRUTHER asked the Secretary to the Trea-
sury whether any measures were about to be taken to
remedy the defects in the postal system of Fife so frequently
complained of ?
Mr. F. PEEL said the arrangements of the Post-office
were not satisfactory in Fife, but one thing necessary to
remedy the matter was that the North British Railway
should run more frequently trains. This, however, they
were not disposed to do, but the matter was stilli n progress
and he hoped the result would be satisfactory.
THE CASE OF ALEX. CASEY.

Colonel VANDELEUR asked tho Chief Secretary for
Ireland whether any, or what, disposition had been made
of the property of tho late Alex. Casey, of the county
Clare, forfeited to the Crown, his alleged will having been
set aside by the Court of Probate in 1863 ; and whether it
was true that the late Attorney-General for Ireland had
recommended the reversion of the property. to be left away
from the wife of the deceased and to be given in fee to a
stranger; and whether he had any objection to lay all the
papers and memorials connected with the case upon the
table of the house ? _ _

Sir R .PEEL said the property had been disposed of; the
widow will receive the proceeds, and at her death it will
be paid to the relatives of the deceased.
THE RIVER THAMES.

Colonel FRENCH asked the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer what decision had been come to by the Treasury on
Mr. Bateman's report on the works left unfinished on the
River Thames ?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the
views of the Treasury were embodied in a letter from the
Board of Trade, and if he wished to have that letter he
could do so by moving for it in the ordinary way.
NAVAL ORDNANCE.

M.r. HANBURY-TRACY asked the Under Secretary of
State for War, whether it was the intention of her Majesty's
Government to take advantage of the change in the Ord-
nance Select Committee, occasioned by the retirement of
Colonel Gallwey, to associate another naval member with
that committee.?
The Marquis of HARTINGTON said Colonel Gallwey
was the only engineering officer on the committee, and it
had been found necessary to fill it by the appointment of
Captain King.
LUCKNOW PRIZE MONEY.
Mr. SCHOLEFIELD asked the Secretary of State for
India whether there would be any further distribution of
Lucknow prize money ; and, if so, when it is probable the
distribution will take place ?
Sir C. WOOD said there would be another distribution.
It had in fact been advertised in India. There would be
no unnecessary delay in the matter.
THE DEBATE ON THE lONIAN PENSIONS.
Mr. B. COCHRANE rose to make a personal explana-
tion. He said that on the occasion of his making his
speech on this subject the other evening the Chancellor of
the Exchequer impugned two of his statements respecting
the late Duke of Newcastle. He had since received a letter
which would prove that he (Mr. Cochrane) was perfectly
right.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that as
the statements made were not made on Mr. Cochrane's own
authority, his personal veracity was not impugned, and as
to his having used any strong language, all he said was
that the assertions of the hon. gentleman were inaccurate.
Mr. ROEBUOK, in moving the adjournment of the
house, said that all the Chancellor of the Exchequer had
done in withdrawing the charge of want of veracity in
Mr. B. Cochrane, was to impugn the conduct of a gentle-
man in that house. He was opinion that the transaction
was one disgraceful to the British Government, and the
Chancellor of the Exchequer in particular. He felt that—
The SPEAKER informed the hon. member that ho was
trangrossing the rules of the house in referring to a former
debate. (Hear, hear.)
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER rose, but
was met with loud cries of " Oh, oh," and " Hear, hear."
Mr. ROEBUCK, amidst renewed cries of " Hear, bear,"
" Order, order," said ho hoped the Speaker would enforce
the orders of the house. lie had shut his mouth in sub-
mission to his authority, and he did hope now that the
right hon. gentleman the Chancellor of the Exchequer
would not be allowed to reply to what he (Mr. Roebuck)
had not said. (Hear, heal, and laughter.)
The motion for the adjournment was then withdrawn,
and the' subject dropped.
THE POST-OFFICE.

Mr. D. GRIFFITHS moved for a select committee to
inquire whether the practice of appointing a peer of the
realm exclusively to the office of Post-master-General is
one whichis directed or required by any legal enactment or
constitutional principle, and whether the continuance of
such practice is of advantage to the public service. The
hon. gentleman took the opportunity of reviving the cir-
cumstances connected with the Post-office from a very
early period. He contended that the practice of appointing
none but peers to the Post-office ought to be discontinued,
because their aristocratic postmasters-general had never
been amongst them, who had improved the postal system ;
on the contrary, they had been always opposed to changes
of every description, and when Sir Rowland Hill's scheme
was first made known the aristocratic postmasters were
against those who ridiculed the plan which had led to
such beneficial results, and which had induced the country
to confer a very handsome pension on that distinguished
person.
Mr. F. PEEL thought the committee proposed would be
useless trouble. There was no law to prevent a commoner
holding the office of Postmaster-General, but there was an
act of Parliament which prevented a Postmaster-General
sitting in that house. He could not see that there would be
any advantage in having the person filling the office of
Postmaster-General in that house, especially as the officers
of the Treasury at present in the house were quite equal
to the trausactien of auy matter§ of detail.

The motion, after a few words from Mr. D. GRIFFITH,
was withdrawn.

THE CONDITION OF THE POPULATION.

Mr. BAINES moved an address fO'r returns relative to
the condition of the people in England and Wales for the
years 1831 and 1864 respectively ; for the number of regis-
tered newspapers published in 1831 and 1864 ; number
of letters delivered by the Post-office in 1839 and 1864, and
number of pounds of paper which paid duty in 1831 and
1860 ; number of depositors and amount of deposits at
savings banks (general and Post-office) in 1331 and 1864 ;
and computed number of enrolled or certified friendly
societies and number of members thereof in 1831 and 1864 ;
length of line of railways open for traffic, and amount of
paid-up capital of Railways in 1831 and 1864, and the total
value of imports and of British and Foreign exports in 1831
and 1864 ; and total quantities of tea, coffee, raw sugar,
wine, malt, and British and Foreign spirits consumed in
1831 and 1864.—Ordered.

CHURCH ESTABLISHMENT (IRELAND).
A great number of petitions on this subject having been
presented,
Mr. DILLWYN rose to move that, in the opinion of
this house, the present position of the Irish Church Esta-
blishment is unsatisfactory, and calls for the early atten-
tion of her Majesty's Govennment.
(LEFT SPEAKING )

LONDON GAZETTE—Phis Evening.

WAR-OFFICE, PALL-MALL, MARCH 28.

The Queen has been graciously pleased to give orders
for the following appointments to the Most Honourable
Order of the Bath :

To be Ordinary Members of the Military Division of the
First Class, or Knights Grand Cross of the said Most
Honourable Order ; viz.:—
Admiral Sir Edward Harvey, K.C.B.
Admiral Sir Fairfax Moresby, K.C.B.
General Sir William Rowan, K.C.B.
Admiral Sir Houston Stewart, K.C.B.
General Sir William John Codrington, K.C.B.
General Sir George Augustus Wetherall, K.C.B.
Admiral Sir Henry Ducie Chads, K.C.B.
General Sir James Frederick Love, K.C.B.
General Sir James Jackson, K.C.B.
Lieut.-Genertil Sir John Cheape, K.C.8., Royal (late
Bengal) Engineers.
Lieut.-General Henry, Viscount Melville, K.C.B.
Vice-Admiral the Honourable Sir Frederick William
Grey, K.C.B.
Vice-Admiral Sir James Hope, K.C.B.
To be Ordinary Members of the Military Division of the
Second Class, or Knights Commanders of the said Most
Honourable Order ; viz. :
General William Wood, C.B.
General Thomas Kenah, C.B.
Admiral Sir George Rose Sartorius, Knt.
General Abraham Roberts, C.B.
Lieut.-General Thomas Monteath-Douglas, C. 8., Bengal
Army.
Lieut.-General William Cator, C.B.
Lieut.-General Patrick Montgomerie, C. 8., (late Madras)
Artillery.
Lieutenant-General Thomas Reed, C.B.
Lieutenant-General John Scott, C.B.
Lieutenant-General William Wyllie, C.B.
Lieutenant-General Charles Ash Windham, C.B.
Vice-Admiral Thomas, Earl of Lauderdale, C.B.
Vice-Admiral Robert Smart.
Vice-Admiral John Kingcome.
Vice-Admiral Horatio Thomas Austin, C.B.
Lieutenant-General John Edward Dupuis, C.B.
Lieut.-General Fortescue Graham, C. 8., Royal Marines.
Rear-Admiral Sydney Colpoys Dacres, C.B.
Major-General Lord William Paulet, C.B.
Major-General the Hon. Augustus Almeric Spencer, C.B.
Major-General Robert W. Homier, C. 8., Bombay Army.
Colonel John William Gordon, C.B.
Colonel Edward Harris Greathed, C.B.
Colonel Charles William Dunbar Staveley, C.B.
James Brown Gibson, Esq., M.D., C. 8., Director-General
of the Army Medical Department.
William Linton, Esq., M.D., C. 8., Inspector-General of
Hospitals on half-pay, and
William James Tyrone Power, Esq., C. 8., Commissary-
General-in-Chief.

DOWNING-STREET, DeLutcll 27.
The Queen has been pleased to appoint John Lloyd,
Esq., to be a Non-Elective Member of the Legislative
Council of the Virgin Islands.

BANKRUPTS,
The following-are the only bankrupts of commercial im-
portance in the Gazette :
Samuel Cooper, grocer, Woolwich
John Price. dairyman, Pentonville
John Boutcher Foster, farmer, Loughton
Robert Bell, watchmaker, Norwich
• Henry Coomber, grocer, Mottingham, Kent
Henry Holmes, clergyman, Coram-street, Middlesex

COURSE OP EXCHANGE—This Evening.

♦msterdam Short. 11 17 11 18
Ditto 3 Months. 11 191 11 19;
Rotterdam
Antwerp — 25 52k 25 57
Brussels
Hamburg • 13 9 13 9}
Paris Short 25 20 25 30
Ditto 3 Mouths. 25 40 25 52i
Marseilles
Frankfort on the Maine —120 k
Vienna — 11 40 11 45
Trieste — 11 40 11 45
Petersburgh
Berlin
Madrid
Cudiz
Leghorn
Milan
Genoa
Naples
Palermo
Messina
Lisbon

47i 471
471 47*
25 57f 25 62
25 571 25 62f
25 57 25 571
25 57 25 62
25 57f 25 62
25 5! 25 62
51 51i

Oporto sl} 51/
Foreign Gold in Bars (Standar) per oz. £3 17 9

FOURTH EDITION

SUN OFFICE, HALF-PAST 7 O'CLocK.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE—This Day.

CHELMSFORD RACES-THIS DAY.

ABBOTS STAKES.

Kangaroo
Forester
His Royal Highness

Five ran.
HYDE-PARK PLATE.

Fickle
Frileuse

Ten ran.
Kingmaker came in first, but was disqualified.

YORK RACES-THIS DAY.
HUNTERS' STEELECHASE.

The Beau
Bay Kathleen 2
Roan Kathleen 3
Nino ran. First and second horses objected to.
HUNTERS' SELLING PLATE.

Esca 1
Mark Tapley
Bendigo

Eleven ran.
LATEST BETTING.
TWO THOUSAND.
3to 1 agst Liddington (taken)
DERBY.
22 to 1 agst Zambesi (taken)

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

GREAT NORTH OF SCOTLAND.

The report of the directors states that the revenue
for the half-year ending the 31st January amounted
to £48,850, and the expenditure to £18,643, the in-
terest on loans to £11,028, and the balance of re-
venue to £19,178. From this was deducted £10,846
for dividend on the first 41 per cent. preference
shares, and £7,277 for dividend on the 5 per cent.
preference stock, leaving a balance of £1,055, to
which was added a balance of £2,761 from the
preceding half-year, making £3,816. From this
was deducted £1,889 for loss on working the Strath-
spey line, and £1,254 for interest to bankers, leav-
ing £673. Out of this was deducted £545 for
dividend at the rate of per cent. per annum on the
second 4 per cent. New shares B, leaving a balance
of £l2B. The directors deeply regretted the posi-
tion of matters, which necessitated not only a
temporary suspension of dividend on the original
shares, but that the B shares must also suffer in the
present half-year. The result was due to a duninu-
tion in the company's net receipts arising from the
opening of the Highland line, the withdrawal-of the
through mails, the great disappointment in the
traffic of the Strathspey, Keith, and Dufftown, and
Morayshire railways, and the loss of interest on un-
productive capital invested by the company in those
lines, together amounting to nearly £15,000 for the
half -year. The high rate of interest recently
charged by the banks had further increased the
amount of net loss. The traffic derived by the main
line from the branches south of Keith—namely, the
Formartin and Buchan, Alford Valley, Aberdeen
and Turriff, Banff Extension, and Banffshire lines
—last year amounted to £29,654, while the interest
at 5 per cent. on the productive capital invested by
the company in them amounted to £8,273, leaving
a surplus of £21,381. The Strathspey, Keith, and
Dufftown, and Morayshire lines in the same period
yielded a traffic Ito the main line of only £7,000,
while the annual loss sustained by the company in
working those lines and interest of capital invested
in them amounted to double that sum. The exten-
sion of the Formartin and Buchan line to Fraser-
burgh (16 miles) would be opened next month, and
yield a further revenue to the main line between
Dyce and Aberdeen. The capital account showed
that £1,708,670 had been expended, including
£599,689 subscribed to and expended on undertak-
ings, leaving a balance of £99,870.