The Sun.
London, England, 1865-02-28 00:00:00

STEAMERS ON THE RIVER NIGER.

matter last session, but the subject was not at present
under the consideration of the Treasury, and it was not
intended byGovernment to introduce any bill on the subject.

SEA FISHERIES (IRELAND).
Mr. M'MAHON asked the President of the Board of
Trade whether he expected the report of the special commis-
sion on sea fisheries to be presented in time to enable him
to carry, in this session, a bill founded on their recommen-
dations ?
Mr. M. GIBSON said that the report would be ready
for presentation to the house early in May.
IRISH HISTORICAL RECORD.

Mr. M'MAHON asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland
when the Brehon Laws would be published, and whether
he was about to take any steps for transmitting to the
Dublin Record Office copies of those parts of the English
rolls relating to Ireland ?

Mr. F. PEEL, in the absence of Sir R. Peel, said that
the gentleman to whom these interesting records were en-
trusted, and the principle that was being proceeded upon,
was to compile those records which referred to epochs in
history most interesting and most important to the people
of Ireland.

NAVY ESTIMATES.
Sir J. PABINGTON gave notice that, on going into
committee of supply, he would ask the noble lord (Lord C.
Paget) certain questions, but it was not his intention to

put him to any inconvenience, and would defer those ques-

tions if it would not be convenient for the noble lord to

answer them immediately.
Lord C. PAGET thanked the hon. baronet for his
courteous notice, and suggested that it would be more
desirable if he were allowed to make his statement

in regard to the Navy Estimates before he was called on to
enter into explanations such as those to which the right

hon. baronet referred.

THE CONDITION OF IRELAND.

On the motion for going into committee of supply,
The adjourned debate was resumed by Mr. ROE-
BUCK on the following amendment of Mr. Hennessy :
" That this house observes with regret the decline of the

population of Ireland, and will readily support her Ma-
jesty's Government in any well-devised measure to stimu-
late the profitable employment of the people of Ireland."
The hon. and learned member contended that the mendi-
cant tone which had been adopted by the inhabitants of
Ireland when they came to Parliament was most censurable.
He denied that Ireland had any substantive ground of

complaint as regarded the government of its affairs by this
country, and he defended the conduct of the Chief Secre-
tary for Ireland, who, he said, brought a good head and

a kind heart to the discharge of his duties in Ire-
land. He denounced in strong terms the sentiments of
the Fenian party in Ireland, whose object was to dissolve
the connection with this country, and which he was pre-

pared to resist, if necessary, by force of arms. (Hear, hear.)
He attacked the Roman Catholic clergy of Ireland, as being

deficient in those qualifications which were calculated to

elevate the condition of their flocks.

Lord DIINKELLIN differed from the hon. and learned

member, and asserted that many of the evils wifich afflicted
Ireland were attributable to neglect and misgovernment on

the part of this country.
Sir H. CAIRNS concurred in the expression of regret

contained in the motion that circumstances should have

existed which had led to a decline in the population of Ire-

land ; but if, taking Ireland as she now was, he were
asked to regret that there were not three or four millions
more inhabitants in the country, he could not do so.
Turning then to the observations of Mr. Roebuck,
the hon. and learned gentleman disavowed the leadership of
the Protestants of Ireland exclusively. He represented a

town which comprised both Protestants and Roman Catho-
lics, and one as much as the other. He repudiated the idea
that the north of Ireland ever came to the house with a
mendicant whine for the grant of a single shilling of public
money; and denied that public men in that part of the
country ever advocated anything else than a free, just, and
impartial administration of the law, or failed to exhort all
.classes to live together as friends and co-workers in the
great work of regenerating the country.
Mr. LOWE regarded the emigration from Ireland as a
great good, inasmuch as it lifted those who emigrated out
of a position of abject misery and despondency into one of
confidence and hope, whilst it relieved the labour market

for those who remained. He could not, therefore, give his
assent to the first proposition contained in the motion. file
admitted that free trade had inflicted a heavy blow; but
the evil originated with protection, which had fostered the
vicious system of relying upon the crops. The result was
that Ireland was ceasing to be a corn-growing country,
and becoming more and more of a pastoral country. This
was, no doubt, a melancholy change, because its effect was
to displace an immense amount of labour. So far as taxa-
tion was concerned, he did not believe that Ireland was
overburdened ; but the great evils which aggravated her
condition were the Irish Church establishment, the Church
of a minority, the manner in which government had been
administered in Ireland, and the identification of the Lord
Lieutenant with the political party that happened to be in
power at the time. At this moment the question of Ire-
land was the question of questions to the empire, and it
was the duty of all parties to combine to raise her to the
position of Scotland. Ireland was that single drop of bit-
terness in the cup of our otherwise overflowing prosperity,
and it was for Parliament and the Government to see if
there were not means, not perhaps to arrest the present

miserable exodus, but, avoiding all topics that were calcu-
lated to cause irritation, to promise the welfare and heal
the wounds of centuries.
Mr. O'REILLY descanted on the Established Church of
Ireland as a national grievance, and complained that the
system of taxation acted oppressively on the people by
augmenting the cost of the necessaries of life.
The LORD ADVOCATE compared the relative posi-
tions of Ireland and Scotland, and pointed out that the
former country, with a considerably less population, con-

tributed a million and a quarter sterling more of taxation,
whilst its valuation on a less area was two millions more,
and it drew from the Imperial Treasury £400,000, as
against £1,500,000 received by Ireland. The moral he
drew from these facts was that Scotland, though the
pooror country, had been more self-reliant in endeavour-
ing to develop her resources, though he admitted that she
had not experienced the same measure of injustice and
misrule as Ireland.
Mr. IFMAHON supported, and Mr. DUNLOP opposed the
the motion.

Mr. WHITE asked whether it was the intention of her
Majesty's Government to- propose the grant of a subsidy to
the Company of African Merchants (Limited), to enable
them to put trading steamers on the River Niger.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that he
was unable to offer much information on the subject.
Papers had been laid on the table in reference to the

HIE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 28, 186 a.

PILOTAGE ORDER CONFIRMATION BILL.

The order for going into committee on this bill was dis-
charged, and the bill ordered to be referred to a select
committee.

INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITIONS BILL.
This bill was read a second time.
BANKRUPTCY AND INSOLVENCY (IRELAND)

ACT AMENDMENT BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
BANS OF IRELAND BILL.
This bill was also read a third time and passed.
COMMON LAW COURTS (FEES) BILL.

This bill was read a second time.
ELECTION PETITIONS ACT (1848) AMENDMENT

BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
INNS OF COURT.

Sir G. BOWYER moved for leave to bring in a bill to
enable the benchers of the Inns of Court to appoint judicial
committees in certain cases, and to give the necessary
powers to such committees. The bill was, with two excep-
tions, similar to the one he introduced last session. In the
first place he made the biltpermissive, the effect of which
would be that the benchers would form a sort of grand
jury to decide whether a particular case should go before
the judicial committee ; and the second difference was to
meet the objection to the last clause, that a person charged
with any offence would be enabled in the first instance to
go before the judges, which was considered an encroach-
ment upon the power of the Inns of Court.
Leave was given.
The house adjourned at 10 minutes past 12 o'clock.

PARLIAMENTARY DIVISION,

HOUSE OF COMMONS-FEB. 27.

GREAT YARMOUTH BOROUGH, HAVEN, AND
PORT BILL.

Order for second reading read. Motion made and ques-

tion proposed, " That the bill be now read a second time."
Amendment proposed, to leave out the word "now," and
at the end of the question to add the words " upon this day
six months." Question put, " That the word 'now' stand
part of the question." The house divided—Ayes, 129 ;
Noes, 17.

AYES —129.
A.dderley, C. B. Gilpin, Colonel Moor, H.
Ayrton, A., S. Gilpin, C. Morgan, 0.
Baring, H. B. Glyn, G. C. Morrison, W.
Bathurst, A. A. Gosohen, G. J. Mundy, W.
Baxter, W. E. Greenall, G. Murray, W.
Berkeley, C. P. F. Greene, J. Naas, Lord
Bernard, T. T. Gray, Capt. Northcote. Sir S. H.
Black, A. Hadfield, G. Paxtou, Sir J.
Blackburn, P. Hanbury, R. Peel, F.
13..)y1e, G. F. Hankey, T. reel, J.
Bruce, Sir H. Hartington,Marquis Peto, Sir M.
Butler, C. S. nerve), Lord A. Potter, E.
Childers, H. C. E. Hassard, M. Powell, F. S.
Churchill, Lord A. Headlam, T. E. Pugh, D.
Clay, J. Henderson, J. Roebuck, J. A.
Clifford, Col. Henley, J. Rose, W. A.
Clifton, Sir R. Henley, Lord Russell, A.
Copeland, Ald. Hennessy, J. P. Schneider, H. W.
Cox, W. Hodgson, R. Scully, V.
Crawford, R. W. Holford, R. S. Sidney, T.
Davey, it. Holland, E. Smith. Sir F.
Dering, Sir E. Jackson, W. Somes, J.
Disraeli, B. Kekewich S. T. Stanhope, J. B.
J
Dodson, J. U. King, P. .J 1.4. Stanley, Lord
Douglas, Sir C. Knatchbull-Hugess Steel, J.
Doulton, F. Knox, Major W. S. Surtees. H. E.
Duff, hi. E. Lawn, Sir E. Sykes, Col. W. H.
Duke, Sir J. Laird, J. Tollemache, J.
Duncombe, A. Lawson, W. Tottenham,Lt.-Col.
DunkEllin, Lord Leader, N. P. Tracy, C. R. D.
Dunlop, A. M. Leatham, E. A. Treherne, M.
Dunne, Col. Lewis, H. Trelawny, Sir J. S.
Enfield, Viscount Locke, J. Turner, J. A.
Ewart, J. C. Lowe, it,, Turner, C.
Pane, Col. Lyall, G. Walcott, Admiral
Fenwick, H. M'Cormick, W. Waldegrave-Leslie
Fergusson. Sir J. Macdonogh, F. White, J.
Fitzgerald, W. S. Mackinnon, W.(Ly.) Whitmore, H.
Forde, Col. Malcolm, J. W. Winnington, Sir T.
Forster, C. Manners, Lord J. Wrightson, W. B,
Gallwey, Sir W. P. Marjoribanks, D. C. Yorke, J. It.
Gard, R. S. Marsh, M. H. TELLERS.
Getty, S. G. Miller, T. J. Stracey, Sir H.
Gibson, T. M. Montagu, Lord R. Jervis, Captain