The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-27 00:00:00

lii ERIAL PARLIAXENT

HOUSE OF LORDS—LAST EVENING.
The LORD CHANCELLOR. took his seat on the woolsack at
fivo o'clock.

PRIVATE BUSINESS.
Sevenoaks, Maidstone, and Tunbridge Railway, Dun-
dalk and Greenore Railway, and Devon and Somerset
Railway (Extension) Bills were read a third time.
THE SKIPTON GRAMMAR SCHOOL BILL.
Lord CRANWORTH, in resuming the adjourned debate
on Lord de Grey's amendment on the third reading of
the bill, said that he would move a clause which would
provide that no appointment made under this act should
give a ♦ested interest so as to interfere with future legis-
lation.
Earl DE GREY still expressed himself dissatisfied
with the bill, and thought that it ought to have been ad-
journed for the report of the royal commission.
After some further discussion the bill was read a third
time, with the addition of the insertion of the clause pro-
posed by Lord Cranworth.
THE STATUE OF MR. CANNING.

Lord STRA.T HE DEN moved that an humble address
be presented to her Majesty, to give instructions that
the statue of Mr. Canning may be removed to its original
site, or to a spot not more remote from the House of
Commons. He complained that the statue had been re-
moved to a spot where it could not be seen, and ques-
tions had been asked by several noble lords, " where is
the statue of Mr. Canning gone to ?" It was removed
he knew to carry out a design which was now before their
lordships elaborated and carried out. The whole trans-
formation could, however, have been made, and left the
statue of Mr. Canning still standing. The question was
whether their should not be a restoration, and he wished
for a petition to pray her Majesty that it might be re-
stored to its site. It appeared that the spot on which the
statue stood formerly belonged to the Dean and Chapter of
Westminster, but it was afterwards granted to the
Crown, and by it granted to the subscribers, and
therefore there was no difficulty in restoring it.
Mr. Canning had died shortly after coming into high
office, and he had been buried with the utmost honours ;
his remains were deposited in Westminster, and this spot,
this site, was consecrated to his memory. Upon this point
he principally founded his motion.
Lord STRATFORD DE REDCLIFFE said that, as a
near surviving relative of the late Mr. Canning, he must
inform their lordships that although 40 years had elapsed
yet still he had the same feeling towards that great man.
Whether the statue be removed, or, like all other perish-
able things perish, it would not alter his feelings towards
him. The object in placing the statue where it was was that
it should stand near the arena where his great abilities were
well known, and his eloquence so often heard. If there
was a necessity for its removal, no one would be mole
ready to agree to it than himself, but it appeared, from
what had fallen from his noble friend, there existed no such
necessity under those circumstances, and having no other
information, he thought that it would be better that me-
morials of that kind should remain where they were. It
was now completely in the shade, and in the future other
statues might be placed near which would completely hide
it. He therefore agreed with the resolution of his noble

friend.
Lord MALAIESBURY, observing that the arrangement
objected to had been made by the late Government, under-
took that the subject should be reconsidered by his col
leagues and himself.
Upon the question for going into committee upon the
Railway Companies Bill,
Lord REDESDALE took exception to several of the
clauses, especially those relating to arrangements to be
made between the shareholders and debenture holders of
insolvent railway companies, which he intended to move
should be omitted.
A brief discussion followed, in which Lord Overstone
expressed a strong opinion against the authorisation of
pre-preference stock, which he considered would be un-
just towards the debenture holders and injurious to the
shareholders, by indisposing persons to advance money
for the purposes of railways.
The house then went into committee upon the bill, and
the various clauses were agreed to, a motion to omit Clause
6 being defeated upon a division.
In reply to a question from Lord LICHFIELD,
The Duke of BUCKINGHAM announced tho intention
of the Government to introduce speedily a bill upon the
subject of public agricultural gangs, requiring the masters
of such gangs to be licensed, and prohibiting the employ-
ment of mixed gangs.
The sitting was closed at eight o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS—LAST EVENING.
The SPEAKER took the chair at 4 o'clock.
GOOD-SERVICE MEDALS.
Mr. M'LAREN asked the Secretary of State for War
why cavalry soldiers were obliged to serve for twenty-one
years to entitle them to the good-conduct medal, whilst
all other branches of the service had only to serve

eighteen years to qualify them for that distinction.
Sir J. PAKINGTON said the circumstance arose from
the difference of the times of enlistment, and also to the

fact that the medals had been given to infantry soldiers

three years before the time they would become entitled to
them. However, from the steps that had been taken in
the present session, both branches of the service would

receive them at the same time.

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.
In reply to Mr. WHALLEY,
Mr. HARDY said ho had not received complaints from

Petersborough and other plaza respecting the mode of
enforcing the law adopted by the police in regard to
the violation of the Act 25 and 6 of Will. IV., c. 63.
There was some difficulty, it was true, existing in conse-

quence of the standard weights in some parts of the coun
try not having been sufficiently tested, but ample protec-
tion was afforded to the traders in those localities.
COUNTY PRISONS IN IRELAND.
On the motion for going into committee of supply,
Mr. BLAKE called the attention of the house to the
state of the county prisons in Ireland, in some of which
the food given was quite insufficient to keep the prisoner
in a state of bodily health. He concluded by moving a
resolution, affirming it to be the duty of the Government to
increase the dietary tables now in existence in all cases
where the prisoners ware confined for more than two
months.
Mr. BRADY said the treatment of the prisoners
in the county prisons in Ireland was cruel in
the extreme. Instead of receiving the sort of
food ordered by the inspectors of prisons, they received
eight ounces of Indian meal for breakfast, and 14 ounces
of brown bread for dinner. The meals were served at 9in
the morning and 3 in the afternoon, so that for 18 hours
the poor creatures were left without food or drink. When
the men left the prisons they were quite unable to perform
the ordinary duty of life. In Gibraltar the food given the
prisoners was altogether sumptuous compared with that in
Ireland, and when the house for one moment considered
that the charge per diem for the keep of each prisoner
in Ireland was only 3d., he was sure it would be at once
seen that the diet such a sum cost was totally inadequate
for the support of health. He condemned the practice of
making men sent to prison endure more hardships than
the law inflicted on thorn.
Lord NAAS said some time ago, prior to 1849, it was
discovered that the dietary given iu prisons acted as a sort
of premium to crime, and therefore it was thought proper
to reduce it; but even then it exceeded that given in
the workhouses. In 1850 it was still further reduced,
soup being substituted for milk. In 1851 another
alteration in the dietary tables was made, and from that
time to the present no further alterations took place. He
admitted that the time had now arrived when the subject
should be thoroughly i quired into, with a view of making
such alterations as might now be considered necessary,
and he was also of opinion that some change in the
dietary tables was required, but they must be careful they
did not go too far. In some prisons in Ireland an increased
quantity and quality of diet had already taken place, but
before the session closed he should introduce a bill on the
subject with a view to its being fully considered during the
recess. He did not think the deaths in the Irish county
prisons were greatly in excess of those confined in prisons
in England.
After a few observations from Mr. NEATE the motion
was by leave withdrawn.
STATE OF IRELAND.

Sir C. O'LOGHLEN called the attention of the house
to the state of Ireland, and the legislation for that country
proposed during the present session by her Majesty's Go-
vernment. In one part of the country in Scotland all was
quietness and comfort. Scotland had no grievances,
and if she had they were not heard of in the house.
In Ireland, however, the laws with respect to the land
and the Church remained in the most unsatisfactory state,
and it was the opinion of those best able to give an opinion
that the land laws formed the groundwork of the wide-
spread disaffection which unfortunately existed in Ireland.
The Chureh question was another subject of disquietude.
In Ireland they had two churches, one the Church cf the
State, which was alien to the people and the Church of
the people alien to the State, and he felt quite certain that,
whoever might be the occupants of the Treasury bench
next session, that question would have to be taken ear-
nestly and seriously into consideration. With re-
spect to the manner in which Irish affairs had been
camducted by the Lord-Lieutenant and the noble lord
who filled the office of Chiet Secretary, he bad
no fault to find ; on the contrary, the nobleman
who filled the office of Lord-Lieutenant had con-
ducted matters with dignity and prudence, whilst the
noble lord the Secretary for Ireland had acted
throughout a most trying period with the utmost
discretion, and had treated the whole of the Irish mem-
bers with the greatest courtesy. (Hear, hear.) When
the greatest pressure was put upon them during the
Fenian outbreak, and every one who did not advise acts of
coercion was nearly looked upon as one implicated in the
disturbance, the noble lord, amidst all this, determined to
depend upon the
he had been aucraceassjefsutly: the
elaw, and in that course
He thought he was entitled
to the hearty thanks of that house for the energy
he had displayed; but then something else was
IntlirtAt lii the Sv.te from the Throw) Uzi Govern.