The Sun.
London, England, 1854-05-19 00:00:00

PA RI.LA MEN 7.4 RY COMM 1 TTEE.

tAt
eSeEO,IO, ......--
* "The THE
EmmCi plo'inilleld%olliEnqNußirYe iieStTo(ltt2c:i..?Te eat
a second time yesterday.
Lord Elcho, M.P. fur II 11' h. a Lard
a, . inetenseire, rind s
of
the Treasury
appeared on behalf of tile Government.
The committee now consists
4 of seven members--via,
Mr. Sotheron (chairman), Mr. Milnes Geseell, Mr.
Deedes, Mr. fors tan, Mr. Bonham Carter, Mr. G, a-
Moore, and Lord Elcho, the last two members appear'
ing simply as prosecutor and defendant respective-Vs
with the power of voting,
Mr. Herman Merivale,
permanent Under-Secretary'
for the Colonies, was examined by Mr. Moore, and re-
examined by Lord Elcho. He said that he had long
been acquainted with Mr. Stonor, and should certainly
not have recommended him to the Duke of Newcastle as
a fit person fur the post given him, unless he bad been
satisfied of his fitness. eu the course of October or
November last Mr. Stoner called at the Colonial-office
on the subject of his brother, the Solicitor-General of
Van Diemen's Land, who, having fallen into bad health,
had been obliged to return. He mentioned tiee subject of
1 the provisional appointment then vacant, and said it
would suit him exactly. By witness's advice Mr. Stonor
afterwards applied by letter for the appointment, eieclosing
a number of testimonials and some papers about the Sligo
committee's report, all which went before his geace.
Witness mentioned casually, either to Mr. Roberts,
the Duke's private secretary, or to his Grace himself, ill
the course of one of several conversations that took place
on the subject, that Mr. Stoner was a very fit person,
had. not this business of Mr. Townley been against him.
Whether or not he was jutified in the course he took
was an inference for the committee to draw for them-
selveo. He did not think it necessary to call the Duke
of NeNvcastle's attention mole di.stinetty to circin,vinces
which P.e underst.o.4-to-Le notorieus mid well known to
every one ; he had seen from the papers sent in
beside`,
that three ': members of a committee of the House of Cone•
mons reported a gentleman guilty of bribery, while thei
other two stated their opinion that there was nothing
whatever acainet him. It further appeared that this gen-
tleman had never been called before that committee, nor
bad been asked there to give any explanation; and that,
when the repori.. of that committee was brought-before the
House of Commeons, no prosecution was directed, nor
proceedings of arey 'kind taken upon it. Be, therefore,
could not suppose that it was intended to place that gen-
tleman in the poeition of a man incapable .1 holding a
responsible unite. No friend of Mr. Stonor'e ever made
to witness airy comm unication of any kind on his behalf.
It was not the practice to take the opinion of the law
officers of the CroWn (in the subject of appointments to
be made. In short, bad the Duke of Newcastle's eaten•
tion been particularly called to the Sligo Committee's
report, witness should sety that everything had been done
in the case in queetion that could possibly have been
done to insure a good selection.
Mr. Henry Roberts, private secretary to the Duke of
Newcastle, was the next witness--He said, be had been
for 12 years chairman . of Quarter Sessions and chief
jute of Common Pleas of the Llaild of Jamaica. He
bail held hi- present situation since the commencement
A January 1853. He was in England, on leave of ab-
sence, when it ea: offered Om. Mr. Merivale never
made any statement to him w ith respect to any report
of a comm ttee of the House of' Commons affecting Mr.
Stomme and he (witnes,,) knew nothing whatever of that
eentleolan. Nothing of the kind was ever mentioned
to hint ,by the Duke of Newcastle either, and, as far as
he could know, lie was confident that, had his Grace
known, or even suspected, the true circuinstaeces of
the case, he would immediately have instituted an in-
quiry. Had witness known the circumstances, and not
called his Grace's attention to them, be should have con-
sidered himself guilty of a gross dereliction of duty. In
the ordinary course of routine witness ought to have
read Mr. Stonor's testimonials ; hut, as Mr. Merivale had
accepted the responeibility in that matter, he thought
himself treed from what would otherwise have been a
duty. He understood Mr. Merivale to have satisfied
the Duke on all points relating to Mr. Stonor, and he
diet nit think 11.inself bound to canvass a matter which
was already to a certain extent decided.
In answer to Lord Elcho, witness said, he was quite
sure that, since he had been connected with the Duke
of Newcastle, that nobleman had made no appointment
at the instigation of any Irish member of Parliament, or
of any other member ut Parliament.
The committee then adjourned to 1 o'clock to-day.

11 KRWIANT ,siIIPPING BILL.

—o--•
The Livei-pool Stearn-ship Association have published
a series of rcinarks on the alterations proposed to be
effected by the Merchant Siiippino Bill of 1854 as re-
gards the interests of the owners ofb steam-vessels. Tha
bill is divided into 11 parts, and the association point out
the various clauses of which they approve, or to which
they see no objection, together with those which they
consider calculated to cause injury. Among the latter
the most important is a provision altering the tonnage
allowance for engine room, which, instead of being esti-
mated, as heretofore, according to the actual space occu-
pied, is to be at the rate of three-tenths of the gross ton-
na.4e for paddle-ships and two-tenths for screw. By
th s means, it is contended. a serious addition will be
made to the register tonnage of almost every vessel
sailing from the port of Liverpool, the evil falling most
heavily on ships the power of which is large in popor-
\
tion to their size, and thus operating as a direct dis-
couragement to speed and efficiency, since it will add
materially to all light, tonnage, dock, and other dues.
A number of criticisms are furnished on other parts of
the bill, which seems calculated in some instances to in-
troduce a needless. :system for interference, although,
on the whole, it is regarded with favour. At the
same time it is complained, that while the Beard of
Trade appear disposed to extend their power of decid-
ing with regard to the qualifications of masters and
crews, and of taking, in fact, the entire superintendence
of merchant shipping, they show no readiness to relieve
the shipowners of the responsibility which under the ex-
isting law has to be borne in case of these qualifications
proving in any instance to have been wrongly certified,
111- to have fallen short of what should have been de-
in ended. On this point the association observe :
~' The bill contemplates no alteration in relation to the
responsibilit of shipowners. At present, notwithstanding
all th, care employed by the owner in the selection of a
master and crew, there is a doubt whether, under Lord
Campbell's act, he is not fissile to the utmost penny of his
means to nasseugers and their representatives in the event
of acciilen is which he can in no way control or prevent,
and it is considered that the present time is peculiarly
suited for u rtsing upon the Government the propriety of
settling the ,`aw in this respect, and of freeing the ship-
owner irons th e overwhelming responsibilities to which he
may be liable us the event of accident. Where every care
is taken by the owner that the ship shall be properly
manned and fitteii, auil where, moreover, she is navigated
by masters possessim the certifies' es required by this bill,
and under miss and regulations mace, or emanating from
the Board of Trade, and for the breach of which heavy
penalties are incurred, it appears utterly unjust and un-
reasonsble that a shipow-ner should personally be liabl, in
i a pecuniary point of view, fur the lives of persons whose
i loss he may lament as much as any one, and for whose loss
i it man never be imagined he is amenable to a criminal
court." --