The Sun.
London, England, 1860-07-14 00:00:00

entirely change the contract. By the original contract
between the Government and the Galway Company it was
agreed that if the contemplated improvements in Galway
harbour were not made, or turned out ill, it was in the
power of the parties either to insist on the improvements
being carried out, or to remove the packets to some other
Irish port ; but a private stipulation was now made between
the two contracting parties that to Galway in any case the
ships should go. He believed that a bill was now before
Parliament enabling certain local parties to make improve-
ments in Galway harbour. 'These parties, it might be as-
sumed, would carry out the improvements if in the event of
their failure to do so the packets might be removed, but as
soon as this stipulation came into force these parties might
say, "You are bound to run your ships to Galway under
any circumstances, and we would rather that some one else
should pay for any improvements in the harbour." He
wished to press the Government so far to respect the recom-
mendation of the select committee as to wait until they had
given the house an opportunity of discussing the circum-
stances of the contract.

Mr. LAING was glad to have an opportunity of explain-
ing the precise state of the negotiations with the representa-
tives of the Canadian Government relative to this transfer.
It was quite true, as the hon. baronet (Sir S. Northcote) had
stated, that the general idea of the fusion of the Galway
with the Canadian lino was by no means new. It was can-
vassed last session in the committee. Many members felt
that a hardship had been done to Canada by the arrange-
ment originally come to, and that it was very desirable the
hardship should be remedied. The matter was repeatedly
under discussion, and a division took place in the committee
on the subject. His own opinion as an individual member
was that there would be a propriety and advantage in such
an arrangement if it could be settled on fair terms. It was
however, incorrect to suppose that the precise arrangement
by which the fusion would be carried out was under the
consideration of the Government. In fact, the arrangement
in question came upon the Government by surprise on Wed-
nesday last. The original arrangement having fallen to the
ground, and two Canadian Ministers, Mr. Galt and Mr.
Smythe, having arrived in this country, the negotiations
were renewed. The matter had to go through several stages
before it was ripe for the decision of the Government. It
was first necessary for the parties to come to terms, and
then a convention was necessary with Canada to regulate
the terms of the service. Without a convention of that
kind the purchase of the Galway contract by the Canadian
Company was useless, because the British Government had
to give its sanction to the substitution of the ports of Que-
bec and Portland for the ports of New York and Boston,
originally named in the contract. The whole question of
the arrangements to be entered into between the Canadian
Company and the British Government having teen in the
first instance only casually broached in cinversation, it was
deemed necessary that the proposal which was made on
behalf of the former should, in order to give effect to any
assignment of the Galway contract, be reduced to writing.
Under these circumstances he had had a conference with
Mr. Galt and Mr. Smythe, the two gentlemen who repre-
sented Canada in this country, and had stated to them that,
while individually favourable to the principle of the con-
templated transfer, if it could be carried into effect, he had
no sort of authority to bind the Government in the matter,
and that he could not undertake to procure their decision
until the terms of the transfer had in writing been duly
submitted to their consideration. He had added that he
would render all the assistance in his power in getting rid
of mere matters of detail, and in the endeavour to frame a
definite proposition on the subject. Such was the state of
things on Tuesday last, and on Wednesday the terms of the
transfer were to have been reduced to writing ; but, to his
great surprise, he had on that day received a letter, stating
that Mr. Galt and Mr. Smythe were obliged to take their de-
parture for Canada that ver, night or the following morning;
that they were not in a position to leave anybody behind
them with power to represent them in the transaction in
question; and that, under the circumstances, unless they had
the distinct confirmation upon the part of the Government
of the arrangement which they had proposed, the whole
affair must fall to the ground. The letter conveying that
intelligence had reached him on the afternoon of Wednes-
day, when the house was engaged in discussing the Census
Bill. His right hon. friend the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer was confined to his house by indisposition, and
could not be seen, while the noble lord at the head of the
Government was detained in the house till 6 o'clock. A
Cabinet meeting had then to be held, at which important
matters were coming on for discussion. The noble lord,
however, made an appointment to meet the two Canadian
representatives on the rising of the house, and it was under
those circumstances, and with only a few minutes for con-
sideration, that the Government were asked to sanction an
arrangement not free from difficulty, and likely to excite
much discussion and opposition in Parliament. (Hear.)
That being the state of things, the Government had taken
the only course which, in his opinion, was open to them,
and—the representatives of Canada having stated their in-
ability to allow any further time for deliberation—inti-
mated that they did not see their way to an approval of the
arrangement. Since then, however, Mr. Galt and Mr.
Smythe, thinking that a strong feeling of disappointment
might beexperienced in Canada if matters were left in their
present unsettled state. bad decided upon staying a week
in rams country. Official appn,..tin, bay ..60, he be-
lieved, been made to have their proposal dealt with with
the least possible delay, and under these circumstances it
was, he thought, iesirable that he should abstain from en-
tering into the merits of the question. Any decision at
which the Government might arrive on the matter would,
he took it for granted,:be subject to the opinion of the house,
which must be invited in the course of a week or two at
furthest, when the subject of the Galway contract came on
for discussion. (Hear.) In answer to the question which
had been pu' by his hon. friend behind him, with reference
to the regulations by which men engaged in the Inland
Revenue Department in Scotland were precluded from
marrying while in the service, he could only repeat what
he had stated on a former occasion, upon the authority of
the chairman of the Board of Inland Revenue, that although
there was no positive rule on the subject it was found from
practical experience that unmarried men were more efficient
than married men in wild and exposed parts of the country.
He might add that his hon. friend appeared to him tolabour
under a mistaken impression in supposing that to the cir-
cumstance of unmarried men being preferred for such
service was to be attributed the immorality which he
said prevailed in Scotland, as evinced by the large number
of illegitimate births, and for which he seemed to imagine
the Lords of the Treasury were responsible. (A laugh.) Me
had been informed that the reorganisation of the preventive
force in Scotland was now under the notice of the Board of
Inland Revenue, and that, while dealing with that ques-
tion, it proposed to consider how far it was necessary to
employ in it unmarried men exclusively.
IRISH BUSINESS.

Mr. SCULLY called attention to the system of legislat-
ing for Ireland at inconvenient hours and at an advanced
period of the session, with the object of asking the First
Lord of the Treasury whether he would adopt means to
remedy or mitigate the evil. They were kept up night after
night and morning after morning till they could endure it
no longer. The Government should fix a particular time for
the discussion of Irish measures. The present system kept
them there every night to the last, and day after,day they
were kept there from 12 o'clock in the day till three or four
o'clock the next morning.
Lord PALMERSTON said he did not think the hon.
and learned gentleman was just in his complaint that Irish
affairs did net occupy a sufficiently large portion of the time
of the house. What had passed that evening was an ex-
ample to the contrary. Eight gentlemen had addressed the
house in pursuance of notices previously given, and on
questions, four of which were purely Irish. (Hear, and
laughter.) They had brought before them the questions of
the Irish volunteers, of the Galway contract, of the alleged
outrage in a chapel in Ireland, and now the general ques-
tion of legislation for Ireland. His hon. friend appeared to
apprehend that Irish members were subject to such con-
tinued pressure from their Parliamentary duties that th©y
must inevitably fall asleep upon the benches or die upon
the floor of the house—(laughter)—but those who were
there at four o'clock that morning could not but be aware
that those hon. members displayed a wakefulness, a vita-
lity, and a vigour that must have relieved their most anx-
ious friends of all apprehension that they would fall into a
state of torpor, or end their lives at any one sitting of the
house. (Renewed laughter.) It might, indeed, be true
that bills of great interest affecting the several portions of
the United Kingdom were taken at advanced hours of the
morning, for the pressure of urgent public business would
frequently give rise to inconveniences of that kind. Those
who had watched the business of the session, however,
would be ready to admit that there was no indisposition on
the part of the Government—and certainly there was none
on the part of the house—to give the fairest consideration
to Irish business, whether it happened to come on at a
morning sitting, or, when possible, at an evening sitting.
(Hear.) Now with respect to the question put to him con-
cerning the Irish volunteers, he had only to say that her
Majesty's Government did not think it expedient, in the
present state of things, to recommend an alteration of the
law so as to organise a volunteer force in Ireland similar to
that which existed in Great Britain. That was no impeach-
ment of the Irish people, however. It did not arise from
any doubt of their loyalty; but, without entering into any
great details, he might say, in reference to the statement
made by the hon. member for Dangarvon, showing the
state of mutual feeling which now existed between diffe-
rent sections of the community in Ireland, that were the
volunteer system extended to Ireland, it might lead to con-
sequences that every one would regret. (Hear.) Of this,
however, he was certain, that if any sudden national dan-
ger should threaten us—should there be any sudden neces-
sity for arming and enrolling the population of Ireland for
the common defence of the country—the whole community
of that -country would immediately merge all differences •
into one common reeling, and that we should have every
Irishman to whom a weapon could be given, arrayed in one
rank against the common enemy. Those who knew the Irish
character were well aware that there were no men who
could be more easily or more readily converted into discip-
lined troops, and should the necessity arise he had no
doubt th© Irish people would vindicate their former na-
tional renown. lie wished next to say a word with re-
ference to the Galway contract, in order to confirm what
had betn.i said respecting it by his hon. friend the Secretary
of the Treasury. The fact was, that between five and 44
o'clock on Wednesday, he was told that the gentlemen had