The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-29 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS-(YESTERDAY.)

The SPEAKER took'the chair at four o'clock. '
PRIVATE BUSINESS. •
The following bills were read a third time and passed :
Abergavenny Improvement ; Buckingham and Towcester
Road ; Guild of Literature and Art ; Rossall Sea Waal ;
South Staffordshire Railway; West Hartlepool Improve-
ment. _ _ .

The following bills were considered, and ordered to lie
on the table and Maybole Junction Railway ; Hors-
monden and Mantel' Roads ; Saint Mawes Port, Harbour,
and Pier ; South Shi.lds Roads.
The Cornwall Railway Bill was read a second time, and
ordered to be committed.
PETITIONS.
Petitions were presented, by Mr. Corbally, from New
Ross, against the inspection of nunneries ; by. Sir J.
Walmsley, from Leicester, against public-houses being
opened on the Lord's day ; also a petition praying that the
universities may be thrown open to all classes of her Ma-
jesty's subjects ; by Mr. D. Seymour, of Hull, complain-
in., of prosecutions by the Stamp-office against a paper
published by him, and praying for the repeal of the Stamp
Act). by Mr. Pollard Urquhart, from Westmeath and
Longford, against the inspection of nunneries; by Lord D.
Stuart, from the inhabitants of Carnarvon, expressing
satisfaction at the energy displayed by her filaj esty'sGovern-
ment in respect of the ,dar ' • by Sir J. Trollope, from the
Board of Guardians of Boston, against any alteration in
the law of settlement ; by Colonel Blair from various
places in Ayr, against the Scotch Education Bill ; by the
Lord Advocate from the Free Synod of Stirling and va-
rious other places in Scotland, in favour of the Scotch
Education Bill ; by Sir A. J. Cockburn in favour of the
Bribery "at Elections Bill, and 'a petition from the Town
Council of Cambridge with a similar prayer ; by Mr. W.
Patten from Lancaster, against any alteration in the laW
of settlement, as regards Irish and Scotch paupers; by Mr.
Blackett from Newcastle-on-Tyne, praying for the admis-
sion of Dissenters to the universities ; by Mr. J. Ball, 2
petitions from the county and borough of Carlow, against
any inspection of nunneries.
TRANSPORT OF THE FORCES.

Sir J. WALSH wished to ask whether, considering that,
.he combined action of infantry, cavalry, and artillery, is
essential in modern warfare, and that the, period required
for the transport of the two latter arms is the measure of
time of all effective military operations, her Majesty's Go-
svernment are prepared to adopt any plan by which steam
power may be generally applied to the conveyance by sea
of these two branches of the service.
Sir j. GRAHAM said he thought his best course, in
answering the hon. beronef, was to state to the house
what the Government had accomplished since the Bth
February by the means, such as they viere,, at the dis-
posal of the Government. They' had sent to Turkey,
since the Bth of February, t3O officers, 21,119 men, 2,259
horses. ,They had sent in addition 2,300 lbs. of provisions,
and of commissariat and ordnance stores, 8,300 tons. They
had employed 92 transports, 20 steamers, and 70 sailing
vessels ; and considering the distance- which this force
had to be moved, and the short time, as already stated,
within which the work had been accomplished, and the_
number of men and horses that had been moved, he was
confident that at no former period of the history of this
country, had the same amount of work been performed in
so short a time. (Cheers.)
• METROPOLITAN LETTER CARRIERS.
Mr. T DUNCOMBE asked, why the report of the com-
missioners appointed last year by the Treasury to investi-
gate the complaints of the district letter carriers of the me-
tropolis has not been laid upon the table ; and whether any-
thing has been, or is likely to be, clone towards the removal
of the grievances of which they have so long complained ?
Mr. HAYTER said no commission had been appointed
to inquire into the complaints of the letter carriers, but a
commission bad been appointed to inquire generally into
the subject of the delivery of letters in the metropolip, and
the report of that commission would shortly bo laid on the
table.

THE BLACK SEA FLEET.
Mr. DANIEL O'CONNELL asked the First Lord of
the Admiralty if Catholics serving in the Black Sea fleet,
or in the Baltic, or on board any of her Majesty's ships at
present in commission, are compellei to attend Protestant
divine service, when read on board, either by a chaplain,
naval instructor, or other officer ; and, if such be the case,
whether the practice of compelling them will be allowed
to continue, when- Catholic soldiers are not in any case
compelled to attend Protestant service ; whether the Ad-
miralty will consider of allowing Catholics on such occa-
sions to assemble wuidae forecastle apart from the rest of
the ship's company, tinder charge of a warrant or petty offi-
cer of their own communion.
Sir J. GRAHAM said this subject had already been
discussed in the house once this session, and he stated then
what the Admiralty had done in the matter. Divine ser-
vice was constantly celebrated in the fleet, according to
the provisions of the Act of Parliament, and he was not
aware that the Roman Catholic sailors in the service. had
made any objection of thcir religious wants being neglected.
There was consequently no intention whatevpr to alter the
law in this respect, though it was right that he should add
that he was now in communication with the admiral and
commander of the fleet, upon the subject of giving Homan.
Catholic sailors increased facilities for observing and per-
forming their religious duties.
Lord D. STUART asked the First Lord of the Admi-
ralty whether it be true, as stated repeatedly in the public
papers, that subsequently to its having been notified to the
Russian 'Government that the English and French fleets
had received orders to enter the Black Sea, and to require'
and if necessary to compel every Russian ship they might
meet with to re-enter a Russian port ; and notw-thstand-
ing that notification, that Russian ships of war have crossed
the Black Sea, and have removed a considerable number
of Russian troops from the coast of Circassia to the Crimea,
any impediment whatever in the per-
portant operation from any of the
ships of the allied fleets?
e
Sir J. GRAHAM was not. aware of any occurrence in
fwoirtmhoannte:xopfertihenactinigin
the Black Sea to which the question could refer, except it
was the casa of the Samson. which, on visiting the Cir-
cassian coast on the 16th of March, found a few small Rue-
Isiah steamers engaged in the destruction of a number of
and the English commander had no other
Calitrecrausas Forts,
tive iha n
to order them into the nearest Russian
port, war not having then been declared by England
against Russia, though a notice had beon sent to the go-
venturing out of port they would be e°11:1P611hil by the
vernor of Sebastopol, that in the event of Russian ships
combined fleets to return into port. .
AUSTRIA ,AND SERVIA.
Porte and the. Ginvernment of Servis have consented-that
Lord D. STUART asked Lord 3. Russell, whethtr the
1 the Territory of Servie, 'shall be occupied by Austrian

troops ?
10'4 J, PADEN/ 90 viamt ;_o 4004 an troops at ins-
,