The Sun.
London, England, 1854-02-13 00:00:00


Mr. WISE wished to ask the Commissioner of Works
whether be had recently received any report of the state
of the stone-work of the Houses of Parliament and
whether he had any objection to lay upon the table of
the house any communications made to him by the archi-
tect respecting the defective condition of some of the
materials used for the external walls
Sir W. NIOLESWORTH replied that he had received
no such report. The materials used in the external
walls of the house were not defective.
THE CIVIL SERVICE.
Mr. W. WILLIAMS wished to ask Lord J. Russell
whether he had any objection to lay on the table of the
house the report of Sir Stafford Northeote and Sir Chas.
Trevalyan, on the civil service of the Crown ?
Lord J. RUSSELL was understood to promise that
the report should be laid on the table.

TREATMENT OF THE TROOPS.
In reply to a question from an HON. MEMBER
The SECRETARY-AT-WAR stated that anew ar-
rangement was about to be made, by which the soldier
would cease to have any interest in the market
price of
meat, and clothing would be always sun-
food. Bread,
plied to the troops at fixed and the system which
now prevailed of making the charge to the soldier for
these articles depend upon their price in the market.
According to present price, this arrangement would con-
siderably increase the costs of the troops to the National
Exchequer.

THE BRITISH FLEET.
Sir H. WILLOUGHBY wished to ask Lord John
Russell, whether he c house
place on the table of the ouse
a copy of any despatch, or extract of despatches, in an-
swer to the instruction forwarded by the Earl of Claren-
don to Lord Stratford de Redclitfe on October 8th, 185
(No. 134), "ordering that Admiral Oundaa should in-
form the Russian Admiral at Sebastapol, that if the
Russian fleet should come out of that port for the pur-
pose of landing troops on any portion of the Turkish
territory, or of committing any overt act of hostility
against the Porte, his orders are to protect the Sultau's
dominions from attack."
Lord J. RUSSELL said the intimation referred to
was not made to the Russian ambassador, but there
would be no objection to lay the despatch on the table.

BURIALS IN ST. GILES.
Mr. T. DUNCOMBE wished to ask the Secretary of
state for the Home Department, whether the order, or
any part of it, issued in July last, for discontinuing, after
the 15th of August last, burials in the vault and church-
yard of the parish church of St. Giles' in the fields, has

been withdrawn ; and, if so, at the request of whom,
above one hundred interments having taken place since
that period ?
Lord PALMERSTON said the order had not been
withdrawn, but a portion of it had been misconstrued.
THE ARTILLERY.

Sir DE LACY EVANS wished to inquire whether
sufficient practice is afforded to our artillery troops at
Woolwich, to enable that force to serve their guns with
due effect, if required to take the field immediately,
and if means do not exist there to enable the officers to
give this degree of instruction to the gunners, whether
the Ordnance department will propose a remedy for this
deficiency Ion the presentation of the estimates now
1 about to be brought under the consideration of the
house ?
Mr. MONSELL answered the first question in the
negative and the:second in the affirmative.
OATHS.

Mr. A. PELLETT wished to ask Lord J. Russell if
it was the intention of her Majesty's Government to in-
troduce any bill this session to authorise persons enter-
taining conscientious scruples to taking an oath, and not
authorised by the acts already existing, to make affir-
mations instead

Lord JOHN RUSSELL said, a recommendation
had already been made by the Common Law Com-
missioners to that effect, and it would be adopted by
the Government in a bill they were about to introduce.