The Sun.
London, England, 1865-03-20 00:00:00

[(LEFT SPEAKING.)

HOUSE OF COMMONS-THIS EVENING.
The SPEAKER took the chair at 4 o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.
The following bills were read a third time and passed :
—Glasgow Markets and Slaughterhouses ; Mistley,
Thorpe, and Walton Railway; Sheffield Water; White-
chapel and Holborn Improvement; Great Eastern Rail-
way (Somersham to Ramsey) ; Ilfracombe Railway; Lon-
don and South Western Railway (New Lines in Surrey);
Merthyr Tydfil Local Board of health ; and Preston and
Wyre Railway, Harbour, and Dock.
The following bills were read a second time :—Chipping
Norton, Banbury, and East and West Junction Railway ;
East and West India Dock Company; Ely and Ogmore
Valleys Junction Railway.
PETITIONS.
Mr. Cox presented a petition in favour of opening the
British Museum and other public institutions on Sundays.
Mr. A. SMITE presented a petition from certain Indian
officers praying for redress.
Mr. HUNT presented similar petitions.
Sir C. O'LOUGHLIN presented five petitions in favour of
the bill for the amendment of the law of libel.
Mr. Locis presented a petition from the stage-coach
proprietors in the metropolis in favour of a reduction of the
mileago duty.
Alderman SALOMONS presented a petition from Deptford
in favour of a reduction of duty on fire insurance.
Mr. LONGFIELD presented a petition in favour of the bill
for the amendment of the law of libel.
Mr. ROEBUCK presented a petition in favour of the con-
centration of the courts of law.
EAST INDIA (TROOPS AND POLICE).
Mr. ADAM moved an address for copy of all correspond-
ence between the Government of Bombay, the Supreme
Government of India, and the India Office, relative to the
grant of the medal to the troops and police employed in
suppressing the mutiny and rebellion in the Bombay
Presidency.—Ordered.
THE CAWOOD CHARITIES.

Mr. HADFIELD moved for a copy of the report of the
inspector of charities, F. 0. Martin, Esq., on the Cawood
Feoffment Estate Charities, in the West Riding of the
county of York ; returns from the charity commission of
the religious denomination of the schoolmasters under the
trust during the last 40 years ; from the charity commis-
sion of the scheme now proposed for the settlement of the
Cawood Feoffment Estate Charities ; copy of a memorial
presented to the charity commissioners by the Wesleyan
Methodists and other inhabitants of the parish of Cawood
against the said scheme.—Ordered.
THAMES EMBANKMENT.
Mr. TITE moved for a copy of a report from Messrs.
Hawkshaw and Harrison to the Metropolitan Board of
Works, dated the 26th day of October, 1864, relative to the
Thames Embankment.—Ordered.

NIGHT REFUGES IN LONDON.
Mr. HANBURY asked the President of the Poor-law
Board whether he had received a return concerning some
of the night refuges in London, similar to that ordered (on
the 10th February last) to be made from each workhouse
in the metropolis; and whether he would be willing to lay
that return upon the table of the house.
Mr. C. VILLIERS said it had been received, and if the
house desired it, it would be laid on the table. He, how-
ever, did not know from whom the document proceeded.
THE WHITWORTH RIFLE.
Sir F. SMITH asked the Under-Secretary of State for
War if he would lay upon the table of the house the reports
of the officers of the Rifle Brigade in reference to the Whit-
worth rifles, with which the men of the brigade are armed.
The Marquis of HARTINGTON said there would be no
objection to lay the substance of the reports referred to be-
fore Parliament as soon as they had been received. Up to
the present time only five out of the eight colonels of bri-
gades poposed to be so armed had sent in reports.
MAIL CONTRACTS.
Mr. CAVE asked the Secretary to the Treasury when
the two new contracts with the West India and Pacific
Steamship Company, for carrying mails to Jamaica, &c.,
would be laid upon the table.
Mr. PEEL said there was no necessity. for laying the
contracts on the table, as they were terminable by a six
months' notice.
EDMUNDtS
EDMUNDS.
Mr. Treasury
whether he would lay upon the table of the house the offi-
HODTGHSEINCSAONSEasOkeFd the Secretary to h
offi-
cial report made to the Treasury in January last by Mr.
Hindmarsh, Q.C., and Mr. Greenwood, the commissioners
appointed to institute inquiries in reference to the Patent
Office accounts ; and in the event of his declining to do so,
then, on an early day, to call attention to the case, and to
move that the above-mentioned report, and the evidence on
which it was founded, be laid upon the table of the house.
Sir G. GREY said there was no objection to the produc-
tion of the papers. There were other documents connected
-with the matter that the hon. gentleman might have if he
wished for their production.
BRITISH PROPERTY IN THE SOUTHERN
STATES.
Mr. GREGORY asked the Under Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs whether any, and what, steps were being
taken to protect the property of British subjects, purchased
and paid for in the Southern States of North America be-
fore the commencement of the war, where proof had been
afforded of the bond fide nature of the transactions ?
Mr. LAYARD said ho supposed the question referred
rather to property than persons, and that property was
cotton. With respect to foreigners having cotton in those
States, if it was destroyed for a bond fide purpose, they had
no right to complain, as they were aware of the risk they
ran. With respect to the second question, which he sup-
posed referred to the seizuro of cotton at Savannah, no full
and reliable report had yet been received by the Govern-
men'

ROADS IN SCOTLAND.
Mr. LESLIE asked the hon. member for Haddington-
shire whether he indended to introduce during the present
session of Parliament a general road bill for Scotland; and
if so, when ?
Lord ELCHO said it was his intention to move for leave
to introduce such a measure.
WATERWORKS BILL.
Mr. FERRAND asked the Board of Trade when the
clauses for the protection of life and property, to be in-
serted in Waterworks Bills, would be laid upon the table
of the house ?
Mr. BARING said he hoped to lay the clauses referred
to on the table before Easter.
THE RIVER THAMES. _

Mr. D. DAMER asked the Secretary of State for the
Home Department whether he was aware that, at a short
distance below Hampton Court Palace, there was last sum-
mer hardly four feet of water in the River Thames, and
that when the waterworks near Kingston were pumping
the river ceased to flow over the weir at Teddington during
the period of such pumping ?
Sir G. GREY said he had no information in the matter.
The hon. gentleman had better put his question to the Pre-
sident of the Board of Trade. There he was in his place.
GREENWICH HOSPITAL,
Sir M. PETO asked the Secretary of the Admiralty what
were the intentions of the Government with regard to
Greenwich Hospital.

Mr. CHILDtRS said last session a commission was
appointed, and amongst those gentlemen one unfortunately
had been unwell, but a report had been agreed to and for-
warded to the Admiralty and Treasury, and he hoped to

Sir H. WILLOUGHBY deprecated the policy of discuss-
ing such a question at the present moment.
Mr. H. BAILLIE said the great want of the service was
a gun capable of firing a steel prejectile ; but great as the
country was in other matters, it was still behind other
countries in this. Even the Danes had guns for firing steel
projectiles, and as it took a considerable time to perfect one
of these much-vaunted weapons, he supposed that if the
country was unfortunately to be involved in war, it would
take twelve months before we could have a supply of effi-
cient guns for the army.
Mr. MONSELL thought it highly necessary that the
experiments at Shoeburyness should be pressed forward
with greater activity, because it was of the highest im-
portance that the superiority of one gun or the other
should be known as soon as 'possible.
The Marquis of HARTINGTON said he did not think
there was any possibility of this country being involved in
a war with America. (Hear, hear,) It had been said that
the coast defences of the country were not sufficient
to meet the attack of a hostile enemy ; but he did not
agree with that assertion. (Hear, hear.) True,
it was that the new fortifications were not fully armed yet
auwfif
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contendedted . Twheer yet
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cope with wooden ships. With respect to the inquiry
whether we had yet got a good gun with a steel barrel,
he might say for our land defences we had, but it had
been thought necessary to pause before a great supply
of the guns were made for the navy. With respect to
delay in the experiments, he must admit that there had
been very great delay between Sir William Armstrong and
Mr. Whitworth, but he believed he was carrect
in saying that the delay was occasioned by
Mr. Whitworth, who had not produced his gun at
the specified time. He hoped in a short that
the report of the commission would be received,
and then the most active steps would be taken
to put its recommendatfons into effect. With respect
to the assertion that it would take 12 months to make a
600-pounder gun, he doubted whether such was
exactly the fact. - As far as Captain Palliser's
gun had yet been tried, he might say at once it had given
the greatest satisfaction, as it had stood some very severe
trials with perfect success.
I LEFT SITTING. I