The Sun.
London, England, 1867-03-23 00:00:00

SCOTCH BUSINESS.

Mr. BAXTER called the attention of Government to the
inconvenience arising in the transaction of business in the
house in consequence of the absence of the Lord Advocate.
Colonel Sykes and several other hon. msmbers also com-
plained of the inconvenience.
VENTILATION OF MINES.

Mr. CLIVE called attention to the-report of the Com-
missioners appointed to inquire into the condition of all the
mines in Great Britain to which the Act 23d of Victoria
did not apply.
A motion by Mr. BRUEN for a select committee to in-
the justice of a claim for compensation to the
late inspecters'of weights and measures in Ireland for the
loss of their offices was resisted by Lord Naas on behalf of
the Treasury, and on a division negatived by 134 to 41.
The intrepid conduct of the Irish constabulary during
the recent Fenian attempt at insurrection was brought
under notice by Mr. DIONSELL, who inquired whether there
was any intention to confer special rewards on those mem-
bers of the force who had distinguished themselves by
meritorious services. He suggested that the men who de-
fended their barracks against great odds should get the
Victoria Cross, and that stops should be taken to make the
outlying barracks defensible against any sudden attack of
an armed mob.

Mr. BAowELL:and Mr. C. FORTRSCUE having bomb tes-

timony to the bravery and loyalty of the Irish police during
the late critical conjuncture,
Lord NAAS observed that ho thought the country
ought to be deeply indebted to the constabulary for having
nipped the insurrection in tho bud, and that it was pro-
posed to ask the houge to vote a sum of £2,000, to be placed
at the disposal of the Inspector-General of Constabulary
for rewarding the men who had specially distinguished
themselves. With regard to the barracks, they would be
placed in a state of defence without delay, and the force
would in future be armed with the breech-loading rifle.

Among the other subjects discussed was the report of
the commissioners appointed to inquire into the condition
of mines in Great Britain, the alleged outrage committed
on fishermen on the Lower Shannon by the Knight of
Glin, and the circumstances under which a pension was
granted to a certain Mr. Robert Young, of Fermanagh, do-
scribed as an " agricultural and historical poet."
The latter subject led to considerable discussion, Mr.
O'Reilly contending that the pension of .£lO awarded to
this illiterate person was a gross abuse of the public money,
as he had devoted the greater portion of his life to abusing
and maligning the groat majority of his fellow-country-
men.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER took the
opportunity of removing a misapprehension widely enter-
tained with regard to the nature of the fund from which
pensions are granted to literary and scientific persons. He
explained that the Sovereign, with tho consent of Parlia-
ment, had the power of distributing pensions to the amount
of £1,500 per annum, but they wero not devoted to literary
or scientific purposes. It was only indeed by the consi-
deration of the Crown that a largo part of this sum had of
late years been apportioned to these purposes, and he
thought that on the whole the pensions for literature and
science had been granted with much taste and discretion.
The house eventually went into committee of supplypro
forma, and Mr. Corry announced that the navy estimates
would be taken on Thursday evening, after the Mutiny
Bill.
The other business on the paper was disposed of, and
the house adjourned at five minutes to one o'clock until
Monday.