The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-06 00:00:00

THE POST-OFFICE.

In reply to Mr. BAZLEY,
The Marquis of HARTINGTON said the ccntracts for
carrying the American mails terminated in December,
1867, and in the August of last year tenders wore sent out
for a renewal of the service. It was not correct to say
that the contracts were renewed by the late Govern-
ment, as the arrangements for carrying the mails
to America by the Cunard, Liman, and North
German Lloyd companies for the year 1868 was
merely temporary. However, the contracts had been
renewed with the before-mentioned companies before the
present Government took office. The only Governmental
act they had to do with the matter was the laying a copy
of the contracts on the table of the house, which
they had dno already. If these contracts re-
mained unquestioned for the period of a month,
then they would be considered complete, and the matter
would be at once closed. He was glad the hon. gentle-
man did not press that part of his question, as to whether
the signing of the contracts was not au infraction of
the promise made by the late Gpvernment
with respect to the establishment in future of
self-supportidg ocean postage. He thought the
proper time to consider the matter would be when the
debate, which he felt would be taken on the contracts he
had mentioned, arose. If the present arrangement was
adhered to, it would render the establishment of an ocean
penny postage an impossibility for some time to come at
least.

ADULTERATION OF FOOD.

On the motion for going into committee of supply,

Lord E. CECIL called attention to the slat) of the law
as regarded the use of false weights and measures and the
adulteration of food, and concluded by moving the follow-
ing resolution—that in the opinion of the house it
was expedient that her Majesty's Government should give
their earliest attention to the wide spread and most repre-
hensible practice of using false weights, and of adultering
food, drink, and drugs, with a view of amending the law
as regarded the penalties now inflicted for th,so offences,
and of providing more efficient means for the discovery
and prevention of fraud.

Mr. URQUHART said the chief cause that led to adul-
teration was the dearness of food generally ; and the
great object of all adulteration was the desire to
sell that which appeared as good au article at a
km price. He thought the best thing tho house
could do was to reduce if they could not altogether
give up, the duty laid upon the importation of articles of
food. He believed all police regulations and inspections
would fail, and therefore the best thing to
do was to remove all temptation to adulteration by cheap-
ening the cost of the genuine article. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. POUCHIN said it was much to be thankful for that
in all the articles of food analysed very few were
found to contain matter antagonistic to human
life. Those articles which contained the most
dangerous adulterations were pickles, sweetmeat; and
Cayenne pepper. (Laughter.) The others being so
adulterated as to make it more an attempt on the pockets
than the bodily health of the public at large.
M:. BRIGHT stated that her Majesty's Government
were inquiring into the question of the standard of weights
and measures, but they could not promise a bill on that
subject this session. If tradesmen—men of business—were
to be dogged by Government inspectors every hour of the
day life would hardly be worth having. Such subjects as
these were the least advantageous that Parliament could
possibly entertain.

After a few words from Mr. BENTIXCK and Mr. H. W.
PEEK, the motion of Lord Eustace Cecil was withdrawn.
Mr. SELWIN-IBBETSON inquired whether the at-
tention of the Board of Trade had been cal►ed to the in-
creased number of railway accidents during the past few
months.

Mr. BRIGLIT denied that railway accidents had in-
creased, and affirmed chat there could be no greater secu-
rity offered to passengers than tho damages so often
awarded by juries, and the acknowledged liability of rail-
way companies in courts of law.

In Committee of Supply the Post-office Packet Service
Estimate (Excess), £6,989 Os. 6d. was voted, and also the
Civil Service Estimates (Excesses), and £400,891 P2s. 4d
On the resumption of the house,

The ATTORNEY-GENERAL obtained leave tc brinc,
in a bill to consolidate and amend the Law of Bankruptcy,
shadowed forth at some length a somewhat complex
scheme. Its more prominent features were that no per-.
son shculd become bankrupt on his own petition ; that al,
post-nuptial settlements made within two years of bank-
ruptcy should be void unless the bankrupt should ,prove
that he was solvent at the time of the settlement ; the
county court judges would exercise more extended
jurisdiction in bankruptcy ; a chief judge would be
appointed, not a fresh one, but a learned member of the
present staff of judges ; his functions would be to form
rules and regulations, to order the practice in his own and
local courts, and to exercise a supervision over the whole
of the officials of the court. There would also be power
to remove causes of great importance, and too heavy for
the county courts, to the superior judge, who would also
have the power of summoning a jury to try issues of facts.
A. new writ was issued for Drogheda.
The House then adjourned.

LONDON GAZETTE-LAST EVENING

WAR-OFFICE, PALL-MALL, MARCH 5.
3d Regiment of Dragoon Guards—Corporal-Major Robert
Steen Gray to be Cornet
Gth Dragoon Guards—John Moore to he Cornet.
6th Dragoons--Cornet Henry Mills to be Lieutenant.
Bth Hussars—Lieutenant Henry Norris to be Captain ;
Cornet James M'Calmont to be Lieutenant ; William
Abbott, Gent. to be Cornet.
18th Hussars—Thomas Hope to be Cornet.
4th Foot —Francis Harrison to be Ensign.
15th Foot—William Franks to be Instructor of Musketry.
27th Craufurd to be Ensign, William Scott
to be Ensign.
28th Foot—Lieutenant Gerard Thorpe to be Lieutenant.
46th Foot—Lieutenant George Thomas to be Lieuten ant.
54th Foot—Ensign Charles Ibbertson to be Lieutenant ;
John Macartney to he Ensign.
70th Foot —Lieut. Augustus Munsey to be Lieutenant.
78th Foot—Staff-Surgeon Valentine McMaster, M.D., to
be Surgeon.
91st Foot—Ensign William Craufurd to be Ensign.,
98th Foot—Ensign Osmond Johnson to be Ensign.
Rifle Brigade—John Mansel to be Ensign.
2d West India Regiment—Lieut. Augustus Rolleston to bo
Lieutenant.

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