The Sun.
London, England, 1865-02-22 00:00:00

CASUALTIES ON THE COAST,

Mr. KEKENVICH asked the President of the Board of
Trade whether his attention had been called to the large
number of wrecks which had lately occurred on the north-
west coast of Devon and Cornwall ; and whether it was
the intention of the Government to establish a harbour of
refuge on that coast for the protection of the shipping ?

Mr. M. GIBSON said that there had-been no doubt a
great many casualties on the coast in question, but he was
not aware that the present was a very exceptional year in
the amount of disasters. It was not intended by Govern-
ment to erect any harbours of refuge on that part of the
coast.
LIFE ANNUITY AND LIFE ASSURANCE BILL.
Mr. HODGKINSON asked under what
circumstances
and why the order made on the 13th of February for print-
ing the tables which were on 10th February laid
upon
table of the house, with reference to the Government
Life
the
Annuity and Life Assurance Bill of last session, was sub-
sequently discharged ; and whether, notwithstanding the
discharge of such order, it was intended that such tables
should be acted upon at the expiration of thirty days from
10th February, pursuant to the 6th section of the act, &c.?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that
the order was discharged because the tables were prepared
and would be shortly laid on the table, but they would not
take effect for 30 (lays after their introduction.
DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND ART.
Mr. POTTER asked whether the report of the Depart-
ment of Science and Art for the year 1864 would be issued
previous to the estimates for the Schools of Art and the
South Kensington Museum being moved for ?
Mr. DODSON said that the report in question included
the general report on the subject, and could not be laid on
the table before Easter.
ROYAL SOVEREIGN, PRINCE CONSORT, AND
ROYAL ALFRED.
Sir J. ELPHINSTONE asked the Secretary to the
Admiralty if he would lay upon the table of the house a
list of the alterations and repairs executed on the Royal
Sovereign, PrincetConsort, and Royal Alfred, from the Ist
of
September,Lord ervi till this time, and the cost of the same.
made in the prince Consort report as regarded the alterations
onsort and Prince Alfred was ready,
but the report
relative to the
prepared. Royal Sovereign was not

OPEN SPACES CAETROPOLIS).
Mr. DOULTON moved for a
selectn committee to inquire
into the best means of Preserving fores in and around the
the public use the
forests, commons a
,
metropolis. He contended thlacat the
Infringement on the
of Wimbledon Common would be an iilZP:sed enclosure
rights of the public, by depriving it of its
attractive character, without any public ben Picturesque and
efit resulting.
Alderman ROSE seconded the motion.
Viscount BURY defended the conduct of Earl Spence
in regard to Wimbledon-common, who, he asserted, had Spencer
legal right to make the alterations he proposed, but who
preferred having the subject submitted to a committee of
the house.

Mr. LOCKE advocated the principle of the public at
large contributing to the ornamentation of the metropolis
and the establishment of parks, for those who resided in
the country enjoyed the advantages of them when they
came to London.

s
Colonel NORTH objected to the conduct of Lord

Spencer.
Mr. JACKSON supported the other side.
Mr. COWPER considered that Lord Spencer was judi-
cious in allowing the subject to go to a committee, but he

differed entirely from the views of the hon. member for
Southwark (Mr. Locke).
After further discussion, in which Mr. P 3 Ix( cke, Mr.
Shaw-Lefevre, Mr. Marsh, and Mr. Cox tiJk part, the
motion was agreed to.
RECRUITING FOR THE ARMY.

Mr. O'REILLY called attention to the present mode of re-
cruitingfor the army, and moved an address for the appoint-
ment of a Royal Commission to inquire into the subject. He
urged the expediency of putting the system of recruiting
upon a proper footing, looking at the way in which our
army was raised, and that the present was a fit tine for in-
quiring into the subject. He described the existing mode
of recruiting by crimps and recruiting sergeants, and the
extent of the desertion of recruits, which was carried on
by an organised system ; and he pointed out the vicious
manner in which volunteering from the Militia to the Line
was sometimes carried on. He made various suggestions
for augmenting the sources of supply to the army
and for increasing the inducements to enlistnient, by
modifying the term of service, by localising regiments—
that is, connecting them with particular counties or parts
of the United Kingdom,—and by increasing the pay of sol-
diers after long service.

Mr. CARNEGIE testified from personal knowledge to
the importance of connecting regiments with localities. He
supported the motion.

Colonel NORTH likewise spoke in favour of the motion.
He believed, he said, that recruiting for the army was
almost at a dead lock, and thought many of Mr. O'Reilly's
suggestions were well worthy of consideration.
After observations by Sir G. BOWYER and Sir H.
VERNEY,
The Marquis of HARTINGT ON denied that recruiting
was at a standstill ; on the contrary, it was going on
with remarkable regularity. He admitted the great
importance of the subject, but he did not think the ap-
pointment of a Commission of Inquiry expedient at the
present time. The subject had not been lost sight of : it
was under the consideration of the military authorities.
He admitted that there were evils in the system of re-
cruiting, but he thought the schemes suggested by Mr.
O'Reilly could not be relied upon. He discussed some of
these suggestions, and repeated that he did not think it
desirable to appoint a commission to consider this subject.
Sir J. FERGUSSON differed from Lord Hartington as
to the material of the army which was, he said, losing some
of its bone and sinew.

Mr. Scully and Mr. Whalley having made a few re-
marks, and Mr. O'Reilly a brief reply, the motion was

withdrawn.

Mr. ADDERLEY moved for a select committee on the
British establishments on the western coast of Africa. He
wished for an inquiry, he said, in order to ascertain whether
these settlements were well ordered and well regulated, and
whether they had attained their object, or had not rather
obstructed it. He referred to the state of the four settle-
ments, and the policy pursued by the Governors as fur-
nishing grounds for an inquiry. He said the settlements
were originally intended to protect the slave trade, and
explained the objects for which these establishments were
now maintained, one of which was the suppression of that
trade. He considered how far they had succeeded in check-
ing the slave trade, and the policy of incurring expenditure
for the other objects--the promotion of legitimate com-
merce, and the civilisation of the country. It was upon
these three grounds, he said, that he asked for inquiry.
The motion was seconded by Mr. CAVE.
Lord A. CHURCHILL supported the motion, Mr. Adder-
ley having, in his opinion, shown the necessity of an in-
quiry, for which resources would be at the command of the
committee.

Lord STANLEY thought that Mr. Adderley had done
good service in bringing this subject before the house. The
terms of reference to the committee should be wide, and
embrace the real question—namely, whether or not some
of these settlements served any useful object. The ex-
pense of these settlements was of less moment than the
responsibility thrown upon the Home Government by the
acts of Governors, in whose hands the question of peace or
war was of necessity left. He thought a prima facie case
was made out for an inquiry.
Mr. CARDWELL was happy to accede to the motion,
believing it was quite necessary that there should be an
inquiry, and he was not disposed to limit the terms of the
reference. The object of these settlements was not colo-
nisation, which was foreign to their purpose. Their main
object was to make them ancillary to measures for the
suppression of the slave trade ; to the abolition of barba-
rous native practices, and to the introduction of legitimate
commerce ; and the inquiry of the committee might pro-
perly be directed to the question how far the settlements
were ancillary to these ends.

The motion was agreed to.
BOROUGH FRANCHISE BILL.

Mr. E. BAINES rose to ask leave to introduce a bill for
the purpose of extending the elective franchise in boroughs
in England and Wales. As he understood the motion was
not to be opposed he should of course follow the custom of
the house in not making any observations on the merits of
the question. His object was to effect a moderate and yet
valuable and substantial extension of the franchise to the
class who constituted the great bulk of the people, but who
were now entirely excluded. He proposed to do that by
the simplest of all modes, one proposed in the house on
high authority, viz.—the lowering of the borough franchise
from an occupation of £lO to .£6. He hoped he might, with-
out provoking discussion, ask the Government and the
house to consider one important question before the second
reading—it was, whether the last session of a Parliament
was not precisely that in which the question of an extension
and alteration of the franchise ought to bo settled. (Hear.)
He believed it would be found that there were many rea-
sons in favour of that course. The couittry would be saved
the trouble and cost of a general election if the question
were disposed of at the close rather than the beginning of
a Parliament, because whenever a great extension of the
franchise took place there must be a dissolution, in
order that the new voters might exercise their privilege.
Therefore, in the interest of the country, of the Govern-
ment, and of Parliament, he appealed to them to consider
whether it would not be the wisest and justest course in
the present session to make an extension of the franchise.
(Hear, hear.) He moved for leave to introduce a bill on the I
subject.

Mr. AYRTON, referring to the absence of the Govern-
ment at the moment, Mr. Brand being the only official mem-
ber present, said it was due to the country to take notice of
the condition of the House on this occasion. It was not, per-
haps, to be expected that hon. gentlemen on the other side
should grace the house with their presence at that time.
(A laugh.) It did happen, indeed, that a member of the late
Administration was present, but th At was due to the accident
that a motion in which he was interested had just been dis-
posed of. It was natural, however, that there should be
some curiosity to learn the views of the Government on a
question of such importance. (Hear.) Not long before there
were some members of the Government present, but when
his hou. friend the member for Leeds rose they all fled from
the Treasury bench as if they were going to be reminded of
some crime they had committed. (A laugh.) No doubt it
must be most painful to them to see his hon. friend intro-
ducing this question, to which a few years ago they pro-
fessed to attach so much importance, and which they de-
clared they could not sit another hour on the Opposition
bench without endeavouring to settle. If there were any
members of the Government in or about the house they
ought to be in their places ; but even those who were in
attendance carefully avoided the Treasury bench. This was
a curious illustration of the way in. which the Government
redeemed the solemn pledge on which they came into office.
(Hear, hear.)

Mr. J. J. POWELL observed that there were many
members deeply interested in this question who were not
present because they understood there was to be no debate.
He need scarcely remind the hon. member for the Tower
Hamlets that it was on the second and not;onthe first read-
ing of a bill that the Government and other members dis-
cussed the principle of the measure, and declared their views
concerning it. He thour;ht, therefore, that the remarks of
opinions s
o same the hon. gentleman were uncalled for. (Hear, hear.)
At the
ethtiemGe,ohvlr
trustednment onto t h
he are
next
fxutl ls
tsatga tee
omf e nthteofbtihne.
(Hear.)
_ _

Mr. E. BAINES explained that it was perfectly under-
stool;
on both sides of the house that there was to be no
discussion that evening. (Hear, hear.)
THE LAW OF LIBEL.
Sir COLEJAAN O'LOGHLEN, in moving for leave to
w be permitted said his o
introduce a, bill to amend the h; of libel, and for more
pro-
ifte h d i n cases
poeffsaeci wtuaoll7i;
thatsec nuriongth
the liberty ofthe press,
indictment
should
of libel without the assent of the law officers perreintt
Such *a, course would, ho believed, prevent the e c rown.
indictment from being abused, and would not, powtheers of
time, deprive our law of one of its most salutary provisions.
ame
In rases of indictment, he further proposed that the defen-
dantos should be admissible as a witness. He proposed also
to get rid of the anomaly at present existing, by which the
proprietor of a newspaper was liable for libellous or deft)—
;
matory matter contained in the publication of speeches
made at public meetings, while no action could be laid
against the persons who made those speeches. By the bill,
therefore, the introduction of which he was moving, a per-
son who went to a public meeting, where reporters must,
as he knew, be present, and made such a speech, would be
liable, either by civil or criminal action, in the same way
as if he had published the libel in writing. Such clause,
however, would not affect the privileges of Parliament or
touts of justice. It might be said that there would be
cases in which such speeches: would be made by men of
straw ; and although he would not deny the possibility of
sruecchtnceassseosarising, the party injured would have the power
ofc proceeding against the offender criminally, if such a
He
eurse were sanctioned by the law officers of the Crown.
less than 20
proposed also allorwing the plea of a belief in the cor-
rectness
of
papers a libel to 'be admitted as a defence. As news-
had iwere frequently subject to vexatious actions, he
shoulndseartoetdbea clause providing that a plaintiff recovering
but a s. dan:gsdhoiufld not only pay his own.costs,
also the
the defendant, and that his own costs
above he did not recover damages
40s.

Leave was then givon
introduce the bill.
RAILWAY COMS TitUC T lON FACILITIES.
to
Mr. WHALLEY obtained leave to bring in a bill to re-
Peal so much of the act or the 27th and 28th of Victoria,
cap. 121, entitled " The 14 tilway Construction Facilities
Act, 1864," as prevents the, _Board of Trade from proceeding

on the application of promoters in cases where any railway
or canal company affected in any way by the proposed un-
dertaking may lodge notice of opposition.
The bill was read a first time.
MORTGAGE DEBENTURES.
On the motion of Mr. SCULLY, Mr. Pollard-Urquhart
and Mr. Longfield were ordered to be added to the select
committee on the Mortgage Debentures, &c., bills.
BANKRUPTCY AND INSOLVENCY (IRELAND)