The Sun.
London, England, 1870-03-30 00:00:00

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION.

Sir L. PALK asked the First Lord of the Treasury if he
would lay the amendments of the Elementary Education
Bill upon the table before the Easter recess, so that the
public might have an opportunity of considering them
before the House reassembled.
Al ''''..ADSTONE said it was not in his power to give an
answer to the question at present, and be could not see
any advantage in giving an answer until they could see
their way a little more distinctly with regard to the com-
mittee on the Education Bill. He was sorry to say that
at present the time of the committee seemed to recede
rather than to approach. He was not sanguine enough
to hope that they would be in committee on the bill
sooner than between the 15th and 20th of May. Under
these circumstances he did not think it would be advan-
tageous for Government at this moment to bind them-
selves or to make any final announcement to the public
on the subject of the amendments or improvements in the
bill which the public discussion might seem to recommend.
There were one or two points which arose out of the
debate on the second reading, with respect to which he
would certainly endeavour to give a distinct answer in the
course of next week.

THE NAVY.

Ms. RYLANDS, who had given notice of his intention to
call the attention of the House to the present distribution
of our foreign squadions, and more especially to the num-
ber of vessels now stationed on the West Coast of Africa,
and to move that in the opinion of this House the
African squadron ought to be materially reduced
at the earliest practicable date, stated that the
expenses of the navy in 1849-50 amounted to £6,260,740,
being £3,000,000 less than half the expenditure at the
present time. He referred to 1850 because in that year
Mr. Cobden made a most important speech in the House
on the matter relating to the national expenditure, and he
called upon the House to sanction a very considerable
diminution in the expenditure, arguing that
the expenses of the navy and other services
ought to be brought down to the expendi-
ture of 1835-36 when they amounted to no more in
respect of the navy than £4,000,000, or much less than
half of the present reduced estimates of the first Lord of
the Admiralty. In the year 1849-50, the number of men
and boys afloat and ashore was 33,130, and the marines
6,000, making a total of 39,130. The aver-
ages amounted to £1,355,420. and for vic-
tuals and clothing £530,642, making a total
of £1,894,062. This year there were 61,000 men and
marines, and the wages amounted to £2,692,731, and vic-
tuals and clothing to £968,857, or a total of £3,661,588.
The hon. gentleman then went on to question the policy
of continuing the present distribution of the foreign
squadrons. On the North American station there were
no less than 3,000 men, and 20 vessels of war—an amount
of force far more than was necessary, and he thought
it altogether unwarrantable to keep up the present number
of vessels for the protection of the West Indies. In the
Pacific we had ten vessels and 2,000 men—a force entirely
unnecessary. Then there was China. They had
a large force there, and what had we got by
having an armed force there ? Why war ; and
altogether we had so conducted matters in that
country that even the name of an Englishman
was detested. ("No, no.") No, no ; he said yes ; and
further,hekne*that the Englishman there was looked upon
as the representative of brute force. To shew that it was
the opinion of some persons that Englishmen did not stand
in the highest estimation in China, he knew a case of
an Englishman going to that country, and rather than
have it know, he was an Englishman he passed himself off
as an American. To further illustrate the detestation
with which Englishmen are looked upon he would only
point to the proceedings that took place in the island of
Formosa, where a town was bombarded and a great sacrifice
of human life took place on the most unjustifiable ground.
It was some relief, however, to find that the proceedings
of the consul and the commander of the Algerine were
altogether condemned by Lord Clarendon, who to his
honour did all he possibly could to remedy the unfortunate
proceedings that ,had taken place by command of the
officers to whom he bad referred. The hon. gentleman
cited another case in which a British gunboat bombarded
and fired villages because the villagers threw stones at
the crew of the vessel when she proceeded up a creak near
the village. He contended. that the commander of the
gunboat knew that the villagers were hostile,
apd that h!) had :19 right to go there, lie

He had no doubt that a further reduction would take
place.
Mr. J. LOWTHER thought the strictures of Mr.. Rylands
had been misdirected. He had strong opinions as to the

great impropriety of the policy which guided this countiy
in its relations with foreign countries in regard to its dis-

posal of squadrons on foreign stations connected with the
slave trade. He thought that the horrors of the slave
trade were caused by the maintenance of these squadrons,
and attributed the diminution in the trade not so much to
the services of the navy, however gallant they might
have been, as to the fact that slavery was no longer an in-
stitution in foreign counties. Had the demand for
slavery continued there would have been a supply.
Mr. MAGNLAC declared that the wars in China had
caused the merchants ten times more loss than profit ; and
the remarks made by the mover of the resolution were
nothing less than unfounded calumny.
Sir JOHN PAKINOTON defended the conduct
of the naval authorities, and read a -. des-
patch from Admiral Keppel with reference to
Lieutenant Gordon. In the case mentioned by Mr.
Rylands the Chinese vessels were piratical craft, and the
proceedings against them were sanctioned by the mandarins.
The suppression of piracy 'in the Chinese seas would be
seriously retarded if the naval officers were not to take
action under such circumstances as had been mentioned.
Mr. C. BUXTON denied that the maintenance of the
slave squadrons had led to the horrors by which the trade
was characterised. However, the slave trade had now
become practically extinct.
After some remarks from Mr. Read,
Mr. CHILDERS replied, and stated the facts of the case
as they affected the officers. At the present time the
Government had reduced the force on the stations named
by the mover of the resolution to 11,500 men, and he
hoped further reductions could be made. Latterly the
slave trade on the east coast of Africa had increased to
such an extent as to require additional forces.
The combined squadrons of the West Coast
and of the Cape of Good Hope consisted of
two corvettes, five gun vessels, three stationary vessels,
and a small paddle-wheel steamer used as a transport. He
thought he saw his way clear to a further reduction, and
he hoped the hon. member would withdrgi his motion.
Mr. RYLANDS said he had no desire to divide the House,
but would simply state that he had gathered his informa-
tion from blue books. He disclaimed any intention of
attacking an individual.
The motion was withdrawn.
TURNPIKE ROADS.

Sir GEORGE JENKINSON called the attention of the
House to the hardship and injustice inflicted on the rate-
payers of certain parishes by the present system of the
partial abolition of turnpikes ; and moved that in the
opinion of this house, the present system of providing
the cost of maintaining the turnpike roads of which
the trusts have expired is unjust, and inflicts great
hardship on particular parishes, and in all such
rases where tolls have been or may hereafter be
abolished, the area from which the cost of maintaining
Inch roads is levied ought to be extended, and should not
oe limited to those parishes only through which such
roads actually pass : and, furthermore, it is incumbent
Mn the Government to take steps, with as little delay as
possible, to provide a remedy for the injustice and hard-
thip referred to.
Mr. CILILDERS promised, with reference to the motion
before the House, that he would take care that the expendi-
ture for the African squadron should be reduced to the
smallest possible limits consistent with efficiency. Upon
this the resolution was withdrawn.
Mr. NEwDEGATE moved for the appointment of a select
committee to inquire into the conventual and monastic in-
stitutions of Great Britain.
The SOLICITOR- GENERAL opposed the motion, but it was,
on a division, carried by 131 to 129, being a majority of 2.
The long-deferred Conservative protest against the dis•
missal of Mr. Madden from the magistracy of the counties
of Monaghan, Leitrim, Cavan, and Fermanagh then took
place.
On the motion of Colonel STUART KNOX, the debate was

adjourned.
The House then adjourned.

Mr. Fawcett's motion for throwing open Trinity
College, Dublin. which stands for Friday next, will be
seconded by Dr. Ball and supported by Mr. Plunket, both
Conservative members for Dublin University.

The Rock is authorised to state that the Rev.
Henry Cheetham, the vicar of Quarndon, has not accepted
the bishopric of Sierra Leone, as reported, as the
bishopric in question is not yet actually vacant
It is stated that a letter of a mischievous nature,
containing some fulminating compound, was sent to
Lord Strathnairn a few days ago. It lay for some
time without being opened, and got damp, so that
no explosion was produced by the act of breaking it
open.
San Domingo, says a correspondent of the Pall
Mall Gazette consents to an extension of time for the rati-
fication of the treaty. The subject is still under discus-
sion by the Senate in secret session. Both sides are con-
fident of success.
The Irish Roman Catholic bishops declare the
Land Bill to be "totally inadequate to the attainment of
the objects contemplated by it," and several amendments
are suggested. Fixity of tenure, except in cases in which
just cause can be shewn in the Land Court for eviction is
lemanded.

R. 11. the Duke of Edinburgh met Sir Jung
Bahadoor on the Nepaul Frontier, on February 23rd.
Tiger shooting followed. The extreme courtesy of
Sir Jung Bahadoor toward his Royal visitor was
shewn by his sitting behind him in the howdah.
and with his own hand loading and handing him
guns as he required them. Among the presents offered to
his Royal Highness by Sir Jung Bahadoor was a baby
tiger, which made itself quite at home with the dessert on
the table, and allowed itself to be made quite a pet of at
once.

The London correspondent of the Manchester Guar-
dian, writing on the prospects of the Edueation Bill, says
—The secul irists now look forward with confidence to ob•
taming further concessions from Government in com-
mittee. The Church party view with no little anxiety
the signs of resumed agitation on the question, and aro
preparing for the impending struggle. The Dis-
senters throughout London are much divided in
their sentiments, many of them desiring to see the com-
promise accepted which the present measure offers. The
preponderance is perhaps more decided in Parliament than
in the pulpit in favour of the unsectarian rule being made
absolute. lam told that there was a conference of Non-
conformist and Radical members held two days ago, in
which the section led by Messrs. Baines and Morley werq
far outnumbered. _