The Sun.
London, England, 1860-03-17 00:00:00

CHINA,

Lord J. RUSSELL laid on the table of the house papers
relating to China.
THE ARMY ESTIMATES.
In reply to an HoN. MEMBER,
Mr. S. HERBERT said that the army estimates would
be brought forward same day before Easter.
ADJOURNMENT OF THE HOUSE.
Mr. LAING moved that the house at its rising do ad-
journ until Monday.
THE DEAD BODY DISCOVERED IN KENT.
Mr. T. DUNCOMBE asked the Home Secretary if his
attention had been called to the fact that the body of a man,
of the name of Thomas E. Kean, recently found dead in the
woods near Seal, in Kent, was interred without any inquest
being held upon it ; and what steps had been taken in con-
sequence. The hon. member entered into a statement of
the circumstances alreadypublished relative to the deceased.
Mr. MILDMAY drew attention to the differences that
prevailed between magistrates and coroners in reference to
the fees of the latter, which he contended operated injuri-
ously in respect to the holding of inquests as in the present
case.
Mr. CLIVE explained that the Home-Office had power
to compel coroners to hold inquests. In any difference that
arose between them and magistrates, all that Government
could do was to introduce a bill on the subject, which they
had done, and that bill had been referred to a
select committee. The coroner for the district where
the event in question took place had been written to, and
replied that the man had wandered in the woods, having
preyiogily left lus boots at A lime yawn he WM ottiyint

and there was reason for believing that he had died of a
fit. The last statement he believed to be a gratuitous
assumption. The coroner also alluded to the uncertainty
of coroners receiving their fees in the county of Kent.
Mr, DEEDES defended the %.,onduct of the magistrates
it Kent, and e-ontt nded that no difficulties were thrown in
the way of inquests in that county.
INDIAN PRINCES AND INDIAN GOVERNORS,
In answer to Mr. SMOLLETT,
Sir C. WOOD said he had no objection to lay on the
table all the papers on the subject, and vindicated the con-
duct of Lord Dalhousie.
WINE LICENSES.

• Mr. E. JAMES had the following question on the paper :
—Whether, in the bill introduced by the ( hancellor of the
Exchequer for the grantine•of wine licenses, it was intended
to exclude houses licensed for the sale of beer, under the
provisions of the acts regulating the sale of beer, from the
right of obtaining licenses for the sale of refreshments ;
and, if so licensed, then from theright of obtaining alicense
for the sale of wines under the provisions of his bill.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER then pro-
ceeded to answer it. He observed that of course be had no
authority to construe the language of the bill beyond any
other person, although he was its framer; but he would
describe in a few words the intention of the bill, and he
was the more willing to do so because he had seen a sort of
convenient analysis in the public papers, from which he
did not think the effect of the proposed enactment was
rightly apprehended. (Hear.) The bill had three prin-
cipal objects in view—he would not mention secondary
ones. The first object related to refreshment houses, as a
class, without exception. The object with respect to re-
freshment-houses universally was to remedy an evil much
and justly complained of—that they were exempted from
the supervision of the police. If it pleased the house to
give its assent to the provisions of this bill the effect of it
would be that all occupiers of such houses would be com-
pelled to take out licenses at a low rate, with the excep-
tion of certain small houses in country places. They would
be thus under the supervision of the police, and subject
to penalties and restraint: (Hear, hear.) The other ob-
ject of the bill had reference to these refreshment-houses
which might properly be termed eating-houses; and an
attempt had been made in the bill to define what was the
true nature of an eating-house, in order to ensure a faith-
ful and just definition in practice. As defined by the bill,
the keepers of eating-houses would have the privilege to
apply for licenses which would enable them to sell foreign
wines. The hon. member asked whether it was meant to
exclude houses which sold beer. His answer to this ques-
tion was that he desired by the bill not to touch in any
manner what was known as beer-houses, that was to say,
drinking-houses kept for the sale of beer and holding
licenses under the Beer Acts. To a further question,
whether salicense for the sale of beer would, ipso facto, be
a disqualification for the sale of wine, he must say that that
was a point upon which the house would have to exercise

its own judgnient ; but as the bill stood, and in the inten•
tion with which it waS framed in the case of eating-houses
licensed for the sale of beer, it was not meant that that of
itself should constitute a disqualification for the sale of
wine.

FRENCH FORTIFICATIONS ON THE ISLAND OF
ST. PIERRE.

Mu. HALIBURTON wished to ask the Secretary of
State for Foreign Affairs if his attention had been called to
the fact of the French Government having erected fortifi-
cations on the Island of St. Pierre. T 134 hon. and learned
gentleman commenced by saying that in former years it
was well known that the people of almost every country in
Europe used to resort to Labrador and Newfoundland for
the purpose of fishing, but by degrees the fishing became
confined to three countries—England, America, and
France. England, which possesssed Newfoundland
and the coast of Labrador, was the largest ;
America, from having a right of fishing three leagues
from the coast, and from having large casements for curing
fish on the shore, was the second ; the third was France,
which possessed two small islands, St. Pierre and Miquelon,
which became the centre of a very large fishery which had
flourished very much of late years. With these islands
they claimed the use of that portion of the shore of New-
foundland which was uninhabited. Almost at any peace
that had taken place for a century and a half those, islands
were generously restored to France. The last time those
islands were so given up was in 1814. For some years little
notice was taken, but of late years successive French Go-
vernments had given large bounties on the catch of fish,
which were so large that no less than from 30,000 to 40,000
men were engaged in these fisheries. The purpose of
France was in this way to create a nursery for her seamen ;
and the result was that the French fishermen could under-
sell all competitors in the Halifax market, and even their '
own countiwmen in Quebec. They had of late yeampushed
their claims so far as St. George's Bay, and had given notice
to 2,000 British subjects to remove or they would pull their
houses down. All the population, in fact, of that part of
Newfoundland were under warning. (Hear.) The truth was,
this fishery was of more importance to France than the coal of
England. The proceedings of the French in the neighbourhood
of the Straits of Belleisle had occasioned so much bad blood
among the British subjects there that it was much feared a
conflict would occur. The other point to which he wished
to direct attention was the fortifications which had been
erected by the French on the island of St. Pierre. The two
little barren islands of St Pierre and Miquelon were, owing
to their position, of great political and geographical im-
portance. They were situated at the larger outlet of the
Straits of Belleisle, they commanded the entrance to the
Gulf of St. Lawrence, and they were not 40 hours' sail (not
steamers) from the shores of New Brunswick and Nova
Scotia. In addition to the fortifications which the French
had erected, they had made the island a naval station. He
had seen two steamers in the harbour of Cape Breton.
under the pretence of receiving the mails from the Cunard
boats. Whatever the object, there they were ; and in the
event of a war a great portion of the commerce of the
country might be swept away by the privateers and war
vessels lurking about those waters. By the 6th article of
the Treaty of Paris it was provided " that the King of Great
Britain cedes the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon to his
Most Christian Majesty, to serve as a shelter for the French
fishermen, and his said Most Christian Majesty engages net
to fortify the said islands (hear, hear), is to erect no build-
ings upon them but for the convenience of the fishing, and
and to keep a guard of 50 men only for a police." In spite
of this provision he knew of his own knowledge that the
islands were made a naval station—there was a large coal
depot there, and a large number of armed men, sailors and
marines, who in a short time could take possession of the
neighbouring coast. He begged earnestly to call the atten-
tion of the noble lord to this subject. (Hear, hear.)