The Sun.
London, England, 1860-08-15 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS—(YESTERDAY.)
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack
at five o'clock.

PRIVATE BUSINESS.
The Forest of Dean Central Railway (No. 2) Bill was
read a third time and passed.
EXAMINERS OF STANDING ORDERS.
Lord REDESDALE moved that Samuel Smith, Esq.,
and Charles Frere, Esq., be appointed examiners for

standing orders for the ensuing session.—Agreed to.

THE AFFAIRS OF SYRIA.
Lord STRATFORD DE REDC LUTE took the oppor-
tunity, before the house proceeded to the orders of the day,
to ask an answer to the notice he had privately given whe-
ther orders had been given to one of the vessels of her Ma-
jesty's squadron in the Mediterranean to proceed at once
to Smyrna, and to other large towns of the
• ♦rchipelago, with the view of providing for the
safety of British subjects during the present distressed
state of Syria. The noble lord read letters from persons
of respectability and local influence at Smyrna and else-
where, expressing their serious anxieties for the future
state of the country. He said there was a general feeling
in the East that England did not really intend to insist on
Turkish reforms, but he warned the Government that a very
serious responsibility rested on them if the most strenuous
measures were not taken to ensure this object. He did
not think that at present they ought to go at length into
the matter, but he thought he should have neglected his
duty if he had not brought the subject under the atten-

tion of the house.
Lord WODEHOUSE said, with regard to orders being
given to send vessels of war to Syria, he was not able to
say that positive instructions had been given to send a ves-
sel to Smyrna. What had, however, been done was that
Admiral Martin had been despatched with a squadron to
the Syrian coasts, with directions to give all the assistance
in his power for the restoration of tranquillity, and
he had received fall power to despatch vessels to
places he thought stood in need of protection. Had
any directions been given him to send vessels to particular
places, he thought such directions would weaken rather
than strengthen Admiral Martin's endeavours. He agreed
with the noble lord that it was most desirable that great care
should be taken, observing the state of affairs at Smyrna, and
he had no doubt that would be done. There were at present
nine line-of-battle ships, amongst which were the Marl-
borough, the Victor Emmanuel, the Exmouth, and the
Neptune, together with several frigates and gunboats.
The Marquis of NORMANBY expressed his gratification
that the noble lord had brought the important subject under
the attention of their lordships.
Lord STRATFORD DE REDCLIFFE thanked the
noble lord the tinder Secretary of State for the direct answer
he had given to the question. He thought it would have
been better if the Turkish Government had been in •
duced to put down the disturbances themselves, which
might have been done in the first instance. As it was,
however, it was gratifying to find that some steps
had been taken. With these remarks he would
pass to another portion of his notice, which
related to Greece. Ho wished to know whether the
papers connected with the Financial Committee appointed
to inquire into the finances of Greece could be laid on the
table.

Lord WODEHOUSE said the most important part of
the report of the Commissioners appointed to examine the
present position of Greece had already been laid before the
other house of Parliament, so he could have no objection to
lay it on the table of their lordships' house. The other papers
reforred to were of so voluminous a description that it had been
undesirable to incur the expense of printing. The commis-
sioners were most minute in their inquiries, and if atten-
tion was paid to their recommendations, and they were to
carry them out, a lasting benefit would be conferred on that
country.
After a few observations from Lord STRATFORD DE
REDCLIFFE the subject dropped.
GAS (METROPOLIS) BILL.

Lord LLANOVER moved that the report of the
amendments to this bill be received; and, in reply to the
observations of Lord Wynford he said the difficulties of
passing any measure of this description through the House
of Commons were very great. If it was found to interfere
with proceedings of gas or water companies great pressure was
put upon members, so that it was next to impossible to get
any measure through that house which would be of
the slightest benefit to the general public. Such
great alterations had been made in the bill that it
was now of a very different description to that in which
it was first introduced.
Lord TORRINGTON moved that the report be read this
day six months.
Lord TRURO said the subject had keen very much dis-
cussed, and he denied that while the commissioners had
done the best thing they could for themselves, they had
done anything which would injure the public at large.
Lord STANLEY of ALDERLEY suggested that the

amendment should not now be pressed ; but he had strong
* objections to the bill as it stood. It actually gave the
Board of Works—the only proper function of which was to
regulate the sewers of the metropolis—power to raise money
by a rate in order to defray the enormous expense of the
gas companies in opposing the bill.
Lord REDESDALE said that but fur the great exer-
tions of the noble lord who had charge of the bill it would
never have come before the house. It came up from the
Commons on the 26th of July, and the 27th was the last
day for reading bills a second time. If, therefore, it was
intended to oppose the bill, it would have been better to let
it die a natural death by allowing it to be referred to the
examiners in the usual way. (Hear.)
After a few remarks from Lord TORRINGTON, the amend-
ment was withdrawn, and the report was agreed to.
CHANCERY EVIDENCE COMMISSION BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
EUROPEAN FORCES (INDIA) BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
POOR-LAW BOARD CONTINUANCE BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
EAST INDIA STOCK TRANSFER, &c., BILL.
This bill was also read a third time and passed.
MARRIAGE WITH A DECEASED WIFE'S
SISTER.
Lord CLARENDON presented petitions from the Lord
Mayors and Corporations of London and York, and 150
other towns, in favour of the legalisation of marriage with
a deceased wife's sister, in the prayer of which he (Lord
Clarendon) entirely concurred. Ho believed a great change
had taken place in public opinion on this subject, and that
there was a growing conviction that these marriages were
not forbidden by the Divine law, and he trusted the time
was not far distant when such persons would not be treated
as transgressors of the civil law. (Hear, hear.)
The LORD CHANCELLOR thought it was a mistake
to suppose that there had been a change in public opinion
on this subject, for in Scotland and Ireland almost all the
male population and all the female population were against
it. (Cries of "No," and laughter.)
Lord WODEIIOUSE also presented a petition in favour
of legalising marriage with a deceased wife's sister, and
as the Lord Chancellor had said that nearly the whole of
the ladies were against it, he surely could not have been in
the house when Lord Dungannon presented a petition from
the ladies of Aylesbury against this alteration of the law, he
(Lord Wodehouse) the next night presented a petition from
the ladies of the same place in favour of it. (Laughter.)
TELEGRAPH COMMUNICATION WITH INDIA.
Lord STANLEY of ALDERLEY called the attention
of the Government to the telegraphic communication which
now existed between this country and India, and the failure
of several schemes which had been set on foot. The line
by the Red Sea to Aden, and on to Bombay had failed, and
the Euphrates line, from Constantinople to Bassorta, was
not to be depended on, because going inland it was likely
to meet with many accidents, especially from the wild tribes
who inhabit those regions. The only communication now
open was through Italy, by the way of Sicily, to Corfu and
Alexandria, and that was not to be dependei upon. Under
these circumstances, he thought something should be done
to secure a proper communication, or at least that no more
public money should be expended on those undertakings.
Lord WO DEH OU SE agreed with his noble friend on the
importance of having a telegraphic communication direct
with India, and regretted as he did the failure of so many
plans, especially that of the line from Suez to Aden. A
great many difficulties presented themselves in establishing
a proper line of telegraphic communication to India, but he
trusted they would be ultimately got rid of.
Lord STANLEY of ALDERLEY in reply said that he
understood the French Government were considering the
propriety of laying down an electric line from Algiers to
Tunis and Tripoli, and so on to Egypt, and it was well
worth consideration on our part, whether it would be de-
sirable to make a line from Malta to Tripoli, so as to form
a connexion with the French line. The noble lord had
answered all his questions satisfactorily, and he hoped upon
the whole that there was some prospect of an attempt being
nlade to complete these communications, which were so
essential to the best interests both of this country and of
India.

After a few words from Lord WoDEHOUSE,
Lord P-EDESDA.LE said that in a military point of view
the Government ought to consider how far it was possible
the Government
their communications, in the event of a war
breaking out. The first object of an enemy would be to
destroy tho wires in connexion with our fortresses in the
Mediterranean, and probably an overland communication
through those countries with whom we were likely to be
upon friendly terms would be preferable to a submarine
Mediterranean line. The Government were giving guaran-
tees to companies for deep sea telegraphs, the success of
which was doubtful, and if wires were laid down in shallow
waters, they could e wily be dragged and destroyed by an

ad
enemy.
The subject then dropped, and their lordships journed

HOUSE OF CO3DIONS.--(YEsTERDAN.)
CORPORAL PUNISHMENT IN HOUSES op
CORRECTION,
Colonel NORTH drew the attention of the house to the
report of corpora/ punishment inflicted in the gaols and
houses of correction in the United Kingdom for the last
three years. Me contended that the punishment inflicted 4