The Sun.
London, England, 1854-03-29 00:00:00

WAR WITH RUSSIA.

The Noble Lord also gave notice that to-morrow he
would give in the terms of the address which he proposed
to move on Friday in reply to the Message from the
Throne on the subject of the war.

EPISCOPAL AND CAPITULATE ESTATES BILL.
The Marquis of BLANDFOP,D moved the second
reading of this bill, which he said proposed to deal with
property of large annual value, and to provide a new
mode of administering it so that it might be improved
in value, while it was made more available for the spi-
ritual wants of the great body of the people. There
was no subject of more importance than the spiritual
interests and wants of the people, and to none could
Parliament more usefully direct its attention. The
commissioners, which sat upon it a few years ago,
reported that the incomes of the bishops and
working clergy of the Church of England were
most unequally distributed, and shortly afterwards
an act of Parliament was passed for regulating the
stipends of different sees. The property of each see was
transferred to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, and
fixed incomes affixed to each bishopric. It was subse-
quently found that the revenues of these sees greatly
exceeded the stipends which had been allotted to them,
for instance, in the case of Durham, the stipend was
fixed at 8,0001, a year, but it turned out that the an-
nual revenue of the see was some times 20,0001.,
but seldom or never fell short of 15,0001., and an
act was passed in the 13th and 14th Vict. which gave
the bishops definitively fixed income without reference
to the revenues of their sees, the surplus of one see over
the income being applied to making up the deficiencies
of others. In this way the incomes of some ten or
twelve bishops had been provided for, while by another
act the property and incomes of some eight deans and
chapters had been dealt with upon a similar principle.
This legislation, in a like spirit, had taken place with
regard to the property of the Church, and the
object of this bill was to place the episcopal and
capitular estates of the country entirely under the
control of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, and
so relieve the bishops of their management. Thus,
the commissioners would have power to appoint
their own agents to receive the revenues ; but the fees
which the bishop received in his official capacity would
be exempted from the operation of the bill, though it
would provide that he should make an annual return
of the funds he received in that way. A clause in the
bill would prevent the fee of the property being vested
in the commissioners; but in all cases the management
of the property should be handed over to the commis-
sioners, both in the case of bishoprics and deans and
chapters, and they should be required to pay the digni-
taries an annual income calculated at the rate, say, of seven
years' value of their estates. The bill provided a scheme of
enfranchising upon a rack-rent tenure of all episcopal
and capitular property, which would have the effect of
considerably increasing the value of the estates attached
to the Church, and it was proposed that the surplus
revenue so obtained should be devoted to augmenting
the incomes of small livings and endowments. It was
calculated that a sum of 506,641/. a-year, to provide in
this way for the increased spiritual wants of the people,
and by the machinery of this bill an annual income of
not less than 550,0001. would be secured to meet that
laudable purpose. The noble lord concluded by express-
ing his conviction that this bill, if carried, as he hoped it
would be, would conduce to the glory of God and the
good of man.

Sir W. CLAY moved that the bill be read a second
this day six months.
Mr. HADFIELD seconded the amendment.
[LEFT SITTING.]

THE BRITISH EXPEDITION TO THE

EAST.

A. letter from Malta, of March 24th, says, last night,
before dusk, the Christophe Colomb, French Govern-
ment steamer having on board Lieutetant-General
Canrobert, Lieutenant-General Bosquet, Lieutenant-
General Martinprey, 45 officers, 800 soldiers, and 50
horses, and with the French transport Mistral, with 27
soldiers, and 40 horses, in tow, hove in sight, and ran
into the grand harbour of Valetta, about 6 o'clock. As
she passed St. Elmo, the artillerymen and men of the
3d Buffs and 62d Regiment manned the walls, and
gave a thundering round of cheers, which were
returned by their gallant allies. The French sol-
diers, indeed, continued cheering all the time the
vessels proceeded up the harbour whenever a boat
with a redcoat in in it came in sight, and seemed in
excellent spirits. These vessels left Marseilles on
the 19th, and conveyed the first portion of the French
contingent. It is understood that at least one steamer
will arrive here, in Valetta, on each alternate day till
the whole force has passed. General Canrobert, so well
known as one of the most dashing and energetic leaders
of the arincse d'Apique, landed in the course of the even-
ing, and was received by the authorities with all the re-
spect due to his rank and mission. He went to the
opera—for we have an opera here—and was the object
of much observation. An order has been issued for the
brigade of Guards to parade on the Floriana at 11
o'clock to-day, and the Rifles are also to be present.
General Canrobert and staff will attend ; and, indeed, it
is on their account the review takes place. The steamer
and transport, with all on board, sail at 4 p.m. this
evening. Their destination is Gallipoli ; and Gene-
ral Canrobert says, that not only the French, but the
English army will disembark at that favoured
spot. The Kangaroo, with the 77th Regiment (Colonel
Egerton) on board, arrived this morning from Liverpool.
The men disembark in the course of the day, and take
up their quarters under canvas.
The happy arrival of the Simoom, after a voyage of
16 days from Portsmouth, while it eased the anxiety of
the timid, deprived many of an interesting subject of
censure and speculation ; we now learn that her detention
was caused by the utter dislocation of her machinery,
every bit of which came undone, went wrong, or got out
of gear that could by possibility do so. She came into
harbour with the Scotch Fusilier Guards on Saturday
night (18th inst.), and the troops were disembarked the
following day, and landed at their quarters in the
Lazaretto. When one reflects on the passages
made by the Himalaya, the Orinoco, the Cambria,
the Ripon, the Emeu, and even by the little Manilla
—by every vessel, in fact, which had not the
honour of flying her Majesty's pendant—and com-
pares them with the voyage of the Simoom,
he cannot but lament that the engineers, mechanics,
and artisans of the Royal dockyards do not learn a lesson
or take a hint from our great public companies. Of
course, it is scarcely fair to compare vessels like those
above-named with a ship like the Simoom, which is a
man-of-war as well as a transport, carries guns, &c.,
but there is no sound reason why the engines of a
man-of-war transport should be always breaking ; nor do
the considerations suggested by a reference to the ex-
press object for which these vessels were built com-
pletely account for the exceedingly great disparity be-
tween her Majesty's ships and those of the Peninsular
and Oriental and other companies. More than one
screw must be loose to cause all this delay.
The Fusiliers disembarked in excellent order, so have
all the regiments which form this first part of the expe-
ditionary army. The horses were rather fresher than
the men ; for, although the accommodations of the
Simoom were good and spacious, the latter felt the con-
finement, heat, and want of exercise. The Guards,
who occupy the Lazaretto, in spite of the local derange-
ments caused by their " liberty' carousings in acid wine
and fiery brandy on their arrival, enjoy good health,
though the average disease has been rather augmented
by the results of an imprudent use of the time allowed
to them ere they left London to bid goodbye to their
friends.

On Friday Lieutenant-General James Ferguson, C. 8.,
commanding the forces, attended by his staff and a
number of officers in garrison, inspected the 28th Regi-
ment, the 33d, and the Rifles, on the Floriana parade-
ground, at 4 o'clock p.m., and expressed his satisfaction
at the appearance and discipline of the whole of the
brigade. On Monday, the 20th, Lieutenant-General
Ferguson inspected a brigade (not of the expedi-
tionary army), consisting of the 3d Buffs (Lieut.-Col.
Van Straubenzee,) the 41st Regiment (Col. Carpenter),
the 68th Regiment, Durham Light Infantry (Lieut.-Col.
Smyth), on the Floriana parade ground, at 11 o'clock.
The appearance of the men was excellent, and the steadi-
ness of the line and column marching and advance unex-
ceptionable. Brigadier-General Bentinck, attended by
his aides-de-camp, the military secretary, Colonel Drum-
mond, Col. Hay, Col. Codrington, and a number of other
officers were present, but there was a scanty attendance
of natives, probably because events of this kind are
not publicly announced in Malta. It is said that the
brigade of Guards will be inspected by the General
on Thursday, the 23d, and very great curiosity is ex-
pressed by the Maltese to see all these " plenty big
men" together. In fact, there is little doubt but that
all the regiments will undergo minute inspection ere
they leave for service, and that they will have as much
drill and exercise as the nature of the ground will admit.
The island is so swarmingly populous—the surface of
it is so cut up with roads, garden wails, stone enclo-
sures, drainage courses—and the houses so numerous,
that there are few open spaces left sufficient to ma-
noeuvre a company in, except the Floriana and St.
Clement's, and even these are of exceedingly moderate
dimensions. Except a march along a hot and dusty
road, or the drill of the barrack-yard, there is little
opportunity for the commanding officer of a regiment
to get his men through much work.

AN IMPERIAL BOUQUET.—A bouquet to be offered by
the Horticultural Society of Toulouse to the Empress
was exhibited there on Sunday at the Capitol in the
Salle du Trone, where a vast crowd went to see it. Not
less than 10,000 violets and 300 camelias have been em-
ployed in this gigantic bouquet, which is 21 feet in dia-
meter by 3 feet high. It is composed of a dome of
violets surrounded by a circle of camelias, garlands of
these tact running down the dome, on which are to be
seen the initials of her Majesty in orange flowers. A
blue riband, also having the cipher of her Majesty, ties
the stem of the bouquet. This beautiful object left Tou-
louse on Monday, and was to be presented to her
Majesty on Wednesday by M. Duplan, member of the
Legislative Body, president of the Horticultural Society
of the Haute GarQune.