The Sun.
London, England, 1860-07-21 00:00:00

moral obligation of the country was full and absolute to
return the savings banks both principal and interest, which
was recorded in acts of Parliament ; but there was no legal
machinery to enable the Government to give effect
to that obligation. If they supposed the extreme
case that all the savings banks required their
money at the same time, the Government would
not be in a position to evade its payment. The Com-
missioners of the National Debt had no further power than
merely to realise their assets and hand them over towards
making up any deficiency, but by this bill the whole funds
of the country would be answerable for any money bor-
rowed from savings banks. It was admitted that there
was a deficiency between liabilities and assets at present
which by this bill it was proposed to recover. The
deficiency to be dealt with amounted to £3,500,000 which
had to be filled up, and he did not consider that he was
justified in asking the public to assume that burden, in
addition to those heavy burdens under which it was at
present labouring. The right hon. gentleman made some
further observations in support of the bill.
Mr. HANKEY opposed, and Sir F. BARING supported the
bill.

Sir H. WILLOUGHBY said that the Chancellor of the
Exchequer had described the Government as a banker in
regard to the fund now in question, but it assumed far
more extensive powers than those exercised by any other
banker in the kingdom. By the bill the Chancellor of the
Exchequer had a right to change the securities, and a most
important innovation was attempted to be introduced. He
concluded by expressing a hope that the committee would
reject the clause.
After a few words from Colonel SYKES against the bill,
the committee divided—
For the clause .. 78
Against
Majority —3B

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER—Sir, I
have only to move that you leave the chair, as the loss of
the first clause entirely destroys the bill. (Cheers from the
Opposition benches.) _

The Chairman then left the chair and the house resumed,
but immediately went into committee.
REFRESHMENT HOUSES AND WINE LICENSES
(IRELAND) BILL.

Clauses 1 to 5 inclusive were agreed to.
On clause 6,
Lord NAAS moved an amendment to the effect that the
clause should not apply to night houses of a humble class
and a concession was offered by Government to exempt
'houses under a rental of £2O a-year, in towns with a popu-
lation not exceeding 10,000.
Mr. HENNESSY moved that the Chairman report
progress.

The committee divided on this motion, and there ap.
peared—

Ayes .. 28
Noes
Majority —sl
It being four o'clock the sitting was suspended.

The house resumed at six o'clock.
EDUCATION ESTIMATES.
Sir J. PAKINGTON asked when the education esti-
mates would be brought on. He had a motion on the sub -
ject, and it would be a convenience to himself and other
members if they had notice of the time when the estimates
would be brought on.
Mr. LAING said he was afraid that in the present state
of public business it was impossible for him to give a de-
finite and satisfactory reply as to the exact day on which
these estimates would be brought on, but he would give
due notice, and endeavour that they should be brought on
at an early period of the evening.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA ACT AMENDMENT
BILL.
Mr. VANSITTART gave notice that on the hon.member
for Portsmouth. (Sir J. Elphinstone) asking leave to bring
in his Government of India Act Amendment Bill, he
would take the sense of the house upon the propriety of in-
troducing any such measure at this period of the session.
MANUFACTURE OF MUSKETS.
Mr. H. VIVIAN asked the Secretary of State for War
what number of rifled muskets had been manufactured at
the Government establishment at Enfield during the twelve
months ending 30th June last, and at what rate the manu-
facture was now proceeding; and what number of rifled
muskets have been received from contractors during the
same period, and what number the Government were still
liable to receive under contract.
Mr. S. HERBERT said the number of rifles made at
Enfield during the year ending the 30th June was 90,707,
which gave a weekly average of 1,744. But the weekly ave-
rage had since been raised to 1,900, and when the new
machinery was brought into operation, it would be still fur-
ther raised to 2,000: 30,416 muskets had been received
from contractors, and there were still due from contractors
99,626.

DISTRICT PROBATE REGISTRARS.
Mr. HADFIELD asked the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer whether it was intended by the Government that the
payment of district registrars appointed under the Probate
Act (21 Vic., c. 77) by fees should be continued; or
whether the Government would take into consideration the
extent of services performed, and order payment for the
same (under the 11th section of the said act) by salaries,
and carry the fees to the Consolidated Fund account, and
make a reduction of fees payable by the public.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said Go-
vernment had already acted on the principle to which the
hon. member's question pointed. Some time ago a minute
of Treasury was passed placing those officers on salaries,
under the powers given by the act of Parliament, and re-
quiring that after receiving their salaries they should ac-
count for the balance of the fees to the public. But the
the officers affected, or some of them, made objection to that
measure, and made an appeal against it, which was still
under consideration.
EXPENSES OF THE BONDING OF GOODS.
Mr. HADFIELD asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer
if his attention had been called to the loss sustained by the
revenue in consequence of certain small ports and creeks
where goods for bonding were not imported at all, and in
other places to insignificant amounts and the duties collected
were disproportionate to, and in some cases below the cost ;
and whether he proposed to revise and correct the same.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said no one
on reviewing the comparative charges and receipts of the
different ports of the country could fail to be struck with
the extreme disparity, but it would be amistake to estimate
the charges of each of those ports exclusively by a reference
to the amount of revenue received there, because there were
many services to be carried on by the customs department,
and there was the whole business of prevention of fraud
and smuggling. These were utterly unproductive in them-
selves, but at the same time must be sustained, but after
making due allowances on these grounds, he was sensible
that this was a fit subject for the attention and considera-
tion of Government. He mentioned at an early period of
the session that the Government were engaged in the con-
sideration of what steps should be taken to diminish these
charges. He was afraid it was impossible to do anything in
the present session.
RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION IN WORKHOUSES.
Mr. KINNAIRD asked the President of the Poor-law
Board whether a letter, dated 18th February, 1860, was
not addressed by the Poor-law Board to the secretaries of
the committee of guardians, in which it was stated that
the Poor-law Board had notified that the document in
question (i.e., Order of 23d August, 1859, relating to reli-
gious instruction in workhouses) was not compulsory upon
the guardians in its provisions; and to what unions, and in
what manner, and when, such notification that the order
was not compulsory, was made.
Mr. VILLIERS said the letter referred to by the hon.
member was sent by the Poor-law Board to a gentleman of
the name of Potter, signing himself honorary secretary to a
committee of guardians, and the substance of that letter
was made known to other parties who made application
with regard to the order to which it referred. The letter
had been subsequently inserted in the appendix to the last
report of the board, which was in the hands of every mem-
ber, and a copy of which was sent to every board of guar-
dians in the country.
ROMAN CATHOLIC SEAMEN IN THE ROYAL
NAVY.
Mr. BELLEW asked the Secretary of the Admiralty if
there were any objection to carry into effectthe suggestions
contained in paragraph No. 7 of the memorial presented to
the late Government respecting the treatment of Catholic
sailors in the royal navy.
Lord C. PAGET said the paragraph alluded to was to
the effect that the religion of every seaman should be stated
as part of his description in the office of the Admiralty, and
that every man should be obliged to subscribe his religion.
The Admiralty did not think it desirable to adhere rigidly
to that regulation.
THE DISTURBANCES IN SYRIA.
Sir J. FERGUSSON begged leave to ask a question of
the noble lord the Secretary for Foreign Affairs of which
he had not given him notice. He wished to ask him if he
could inform the house whether her Majesty's Govern-
ment were in possession of any information affirmative of
the reports which had appeared in the newspapers that
troops had been placed on board French men-of -war with a
view to their going to the coast of Syria; and secondly,
whether he would state if her Majesty's Government in-
tended to join with the French Government in any active
intervention on the coast of Syria. He asked also what
was the nature of the papers which her Majesty's Govern-
ment had promised in the House of Lords should be pro-
duced, whether those papers would be despatches from her
Majesty's representatives in the Levant, or merely a narra-
tive of events. He also wished to ask him whether he would
produce copies or extracts of all despatches addressed byher
Majesty's Consul-General at Beyrout to the Foreign-office
in the years 1858, 1859, and 1860, which referred to past or
apprehendeci disturbances in Syria.
Lord J. RUSSELL said Government had no information
that any troops had been placed on board French ships with
a view to interference in Syria, but the French Government
were in communication with the great Powers of Europe,
and he believed with the Porte, with a view to consider
whether intervention should not be made for the purpose of
as3istizig in putting down the authors of those massacres in
Syria, and that matter was at present under the consideration
lof her Majesty's Government as well as of the French Go-
verrrnent. He did not believe there was any intention of
the French Government to act alone in the affair. With
I regard to any interference to take place on the part of her