The Sun.
London, England, 1865-03-07 00:00:00

FITLMER COMMON.

Mr. SHAW LEFEVRE, in the absence of Mr. Doulton,
asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether his attention
had been called to a provisional order of the Enclosure
Commissioners for the apportionment of Fulmer-common,
within twenty miles of London and four miles of the
towns of Slough and Uxbridge, and whether he would
undertake that all further action should be stayed in the
matter until the report of the Committee on Common
'Spaces had been presented to the house ?

Mr. F. PEET. said that the matter had not yet been
decided on.

PORTSMOUTH DOCKYARD.

Mr. BAIRD asked the Secretary to the Admiralty if he
had any objection to lay upon the table copies of the plans
finally approved by the Admiralty for the extension of
Portsmouth Dockyard ?
Lord C. PAGET said it was his intention to lay on the
table the copies alluded to, and place the same in the
library of the house for the inspection of hon. members.
CATTLE DISEASE PREVENTION.
Mr. LESLIE asked whether or not Government intended
to reintroduce the Cattle Diseases Prevention and Cattle,
Om, Importation Bill, as amended by a select committee of
the house last session ?
Mr. BARING said it was not intended by Government
to introduce any such bill during the present session.
NATIVE ARTILLERY IN INDIA.

In answer to Mr. VANSITTART,
Sir C. WOOD said that considerable misapprehension
prevailed on this subject. It had been considered advis-
able to retain a large number of the natives in India
in the artillery, and that no danger was to be
apprehended from the disproportion between the native
and European troops. The right hon. baronet then quoted
some
statistics to show that it was necessary to increase,
not to
reduce the number of natives employed in India,
whether in regard to the military or police force.
THE DEFALCATIONS IN THE PATENT OFFICE.
Lord STANLEY
asked the Attorney-General whether
the inquiry instituted
by Government into certain alleged
irregularities in the accountsh of the Patent-office had been
concluded ; whethet
inquiryreport of the commissioners ap-
pointed to conduct thatewould be laid upon the
table ; or, if that were considered dient, whether he
was prepared to state the conclusion inoenxPt: which they had
come ; and whether it was the intentionußi,eithof Government to
or
forerfohr the recovery
found on such report any proceedings
of the sums alleged to be deficient,punishment
of those who might be responsible for the less.te
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL—In answer to ques-
tion of the noble lord, I have first to state that the inquiry
to which he refers was not strictly instituted by the o
went. It is an inquirtj instituted by the Lord Chancellor-
- and the Commissioners of Patents, in consequence of infor-
=don which reached them as to certain irregularities and
disputes in the Patent-office, which did not in the first in-
stance involve any question of pecuniary defalcations.
Those inquiries, conducted by gentlemen employed for the
purpose, led to two reports—the first in July last, which
was a preliminary report—and a second and final report in
the month of January last. The inquiry, therefore, has
been concluded, and I am perfectly ready to lay those re-
ports on the table but for two reasons which I think will
appear satisfactory to the house. First, the names of
certain officers employed in the Patent-office are affixed
to those reports, in a matter which requires serious con-