The Sun.
London, England, 1856-03-06 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT,

HOUSE OF LORDS—(This Evening.)
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack
at five o'clock.
The Bishop of EXETER. presented a petition, pray-
ing that Church rates may not he abolished till an equi-
valent had been provided. The right rev, prelate then
alluded to the bill introduced into the other house, which
her Majesty's Government were prepared to sup-
port, on condition that certain clauses, by way
of amendment, be introduced into it in comrn't-
tee. The grounds alleged for this support were,
that a similar measure had been introduced into
their lordships' house last session by the Archbishop of
Canterbury. He (the Bishop of Exeter) contended that
that measure was not sanctioned either by the bench of
bi.hops or by the clergy generally, that it had not re-
ceived a second reading, and that it did not furnish suf-
ficient grounds for supporting the present bill.
Lord PORTMAN presented petitions with a similar
prayer as that presented by the right rev. prelate.
COUNTY COURT JUDGES.
Lord PORTMAN gaee notice that on Monday next
he should call the attention of their lordships to the
question of the salaries given to coucty court judges.
EXCHEQUER BILLS FUNDING BILL.
Lord STANLEY of ALDERLEY moved the first
reading of this bill.
Earl GREY said that though he bad no intention of
opposing such a measure he must express his
disapprobation of the policy of the Government
in adding in this way to the national debt. Already
had the Government added 23,000,0001. within the
last financial year to the national debt, and they
were now called upon to assent to a bill which
would authorise a further loan of 5.000,0041., which
would make the addition of 28,000,000/. within
the financial year to the National Debt. Forty-six mil-
lions of expenses had been already incurred for the pre-
sent war. This was a vast sum. It had been stated at the
beginning of the liar by the late Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer that the expenses of the war would, as far as
possible, be met by the taxation of the country.
Now, most of the members of the present administra-
tion had been also in the Government to which that
Chancellor of the Exchequer belonged, and was respon-
sible for his opinions It had been said that a time
of war was not the proper time for economy.
This he totally denied. He believed that the
strictest economy should be exercised, indeed it should
be practised so far as not to interfere with its vigour-
one prosecution. An enormous sum of money had
been uselessly expended, which, if judiciously
applied would have added greatly to the efficiency of
our regular army. What he objected to in the pre-
sent bill was a sum of 1,700,000 for fortifica-
tions at home and abroad. The expenditure
of such a sum as proposed would be nothing more nor
less than an absolute waste of public money.
(Bear, hear.) Mr. Ferguson and other distinguished
engineers bad criticised the late fortifications that
had been constructed at a vast expense in a manner
which appeared to him very difficult to answer.
He recommended not to proceed with those
works until they bad appointed a commission
of the most eminent civil as well as military engineers
to examine what had already been executed. The
greatest bnlwark of this country were not its fortifica-
tications or even its ships, next to the spirit of its people,
they were its vast resources which should be economically
administered by the Government.
[LEFT SPEAKING.]

HOUSE OF COMMONS—(This Evening.)
The SPEAKBa took the chair at the usual hour.
Several petitions were presented against the abolition
of Church rates, and against the opening of the Crystal
Palace on Sundays.
THE ROAD THROUGH THE PARK.
Sir H. STRACEY asked the President of the Board
of Works, if the possessors of property in Queen-square,
and those on that side of the Bird-cage-walk, apprehend•
big a depreciation of their property in the event of a
road and bridge being carried across St. James's-park,
would receive compensation if that plan was carried out!
Sir B. II&LL said he could give no answer to the
hon. member on the matter. A committee wag sitting
upon the whole subject, and when their report was
received it would he laid on the table. Before
the tenants received compensation they had to
show that the property had been depreciated,
and by an act of the Government. The bridge be men-
tioned had yet to be built, and the question would have
to be raised whether the traffic bad increased so much
as to cause a depreciation of property.
THE CUSTOMS AT LIVERPOOL.
Mr. HORSFALL asked the Secretary of the Trea-
sury whether any commissioner had been sent, or was
intended to be seat, to inquire into the repeated com•
plaints which ha-1 been ma;:e on the part of a large body
of the officers of her Majesty's Customs at Liverpool,
of inadequate remuneration for their services I
Mr. WILSON said no one had been sent from Lon-
don, nor was it intended to send any person from Lon-
don. If they sent anybody at all it would
be one of the surveyors eznpleyed at Liverpool,
as the Government had perfect confidence in the gentle-
men at the heads of the different offices in Liverpool.
More had been done for that place than any other port
—the long room had been revised, and the eala.
ries of the clerks had been increased. [Mr. Horsfall
shook his bead.] The hon member must allow him to
know best, as he had the documents before him.
Mr. HORSFALL said, as be could not reply to the
statement of the hon. gentleman, he should bring for
ward the subject on an early day.
LIFE INSURANCE COMPANIES.
Mr. COWAN asked the Secretary of the Treasury
whether it was the intention of the Government, during
the present session, to introduce any measure affecting
Life Insurance Companies, in conformity with the re-
commendation of the select comet tee which reported
upon that subject in 1853 !
Mr. WILSON said ho was not prepareadntyobsiallyonwthhce-
ther the Government intended to bring in
subject or not.

Mr. DYCE SOMBRE.
Mr. OTWAY asked the Pre,sident of the Beard of
Control whether he had taken the opinion of the law
officers of tke Crown as to the correct interpretation of
the 34th section of the act 3 Will. 4, c. 85 ; and whe-
ther he would sanction an indefinite expenditure from
the revenues of India in the prosecution of a suit in this
country, such as may be entailed by the guAranteee
given by the directors of the East India Company to
Mr. Prinsep, one of their body, and a legatee under the
alleged will of Mr. Dyce Sombre, for all expenses in-
curred by him " in re Dyce Sorulire !"
Mr. V. SMITFI said he had referred to the law offices
of the Crown, and he had only received the answer as
he came into the house. That answer, it appeared t
him at present, was favourable to the question of the
hon. gentleman. With .Ispect to the second part of
the subject, be very much questioned whether he had
the power.

RAILWAYiA,
Mr. E. BALL asked the Vice-President of the Board
of Trade whether it was the intention of the Government
to introduce a bill in the present session, giving power to
the Board of Trade, in case of any line of railway that may
be reported unsafe by their officers, to order all necessary
works to be done for the safety of the public, at the ex-
pense of each railway company, and that the certificate
of the Board of Trade's Engineer shall entitle the patty
having done such works to immediate payment for the
same, from such railway company !
Mr. LOWS said it was not intended to introduce any
' nett bill.
LETTERS BY THE JAMES BA.INES.
11151 r. S. EROWN Itik;:4l the Secetiry to the Tria. 1

CITY COMMISSION OF SEWERS.

The cornmi,ision met on Tuesday, being the first meet-
ing after the appointment of the new members, and the
right hon. the Lord Mayor took the chair upon the
occagioo•

The commission having been road,
Deputy Peacock was unanimously elected chairman
For the ensuing year.

After some preliminary business, the contractor was
summoned for not cleansinz Ninholson's Wharf, accord-
ing to his contract, and Mr. Nicholson attended and
was heard upon the subject. The contractor was ordered
to ciean'e the streets leading down to the wharves in
question.

Mr. Haywood, the engineer, laid before the Court a
letter which be bad received from Mr. Bazalgette, in-
liring why a sewer was at that time being r-built in
}otter-lane, without having first communicated with the
Board of Works, agreeably to thin 6.." th section of their
act.

Mr. baw, the clerk, stated that the 69th section of
the Metropolitan Local Management Act referred only
to district boards and vestries, referred to in the schedules
no t
A'an
menti II inone that act ; and that the city of London was
d in rsuch sehedulee, and that Court was
neither a district board or a vesiry.
Mr. Haywood explained the nature of the works
which were being done, via., the reconstruction of a
part of a dilapidated sewer.
It was then ordered by the court that the engineer
should explain the matter to Mr. Baalgette.
The Skinners' Company were summoned as freeholders
1
of certain small tenements in Skinner-street Diellopg-
gate, upon the certificate of the medical officer of health
that they were unfit for human habitation. The lawyer
of the company attended, and, at his request, was al.
lowed one week within which to take steps for pulling
down the objectionable buildings.
Mr. Morgan attended on the certificate of the medical
officer of health, which charged him witn carrying on, in
Peter-street, a trade injurious to the public health, and
was ordered to discontinue the trade forth with, which
he promised to do aecordingly.
Sundry cases of dangerous buildings were laid before
the Court by the chief clerk, who was instructed he
direct the legal proceedings to be taken in reference
thereto immediately.
The Caurt th;n z'Al,ruccd,