The Sun.
London, England, 1858-05-29 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—(YESTERDAY.)
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE.
Mr. HAMILTON pave notice that on Monday next
the Chancellor of the Exchequer would move that on
every Thursday during the remainder of the session,
Government orders of the day should have precedence
of notices of motion ; and on Thursday the Chancellor
of the Exchequer would ask leave to introduce a bill
relative to the funded debt.
RAILWAY LEGISLATION.
Col. W. PATTEN gave notice that he should, on
Tuesday, 22d June, move an address to her Majesty for
the issue of a commission to inquire into the effect of
recent railway legislation. (Cheers.)
THE LIBERTY OF THE PRESS AT SIERRA
LEONE.
Mr. ROEBUCK asked the noble lord the Secretary
for the Colonies a q eestion relative to the suppression of
a newspaper called the New Era, lately published in
Sierra Leone. The paper in question bad incurred
the displeasure of the Governor of that colony,
in consequence of its criticising his c ,nduct ; and
be, with the concurrence of the Council, issued an
order in Council calling upon every newspaper in the
colony to provide sureties, the same as was adoptt d in
this country. The proprietors of the New Era sent in
the names s f certain persons as sureties, but the Govern-
ment rejected every one of them, and the consequence
was that the paper had been put down for some time.
He asked the noble lord whether his attention bad been
called to this order, and if so, whether he or the Go-
vernment bad done anything upon it, and if it bad,
what ?and further, if they had considered the pro-
priety of recalling the Governor.
Lord STANLEY said an order to the effect stated
by the hon. and learned gentleman was issued
in the course of last year by the Governor of
Sierra Leone for all newspapers in the colony to find
sureties--the Fame as the English newspapers. The
Government, however, con,idered great inconvenience
would result from the working of the order, and they
had desired the Governor of the colony to repeal it.
(Hear, hear.) It was not the intention of her Majesty%
Governmenttorecall the Governor of thecolony. (Hear.)
THE RIVER THAMES.
Mr. GRIFFITH asked the First Commissioner of
Works the following question :—Whether the principle
just put forth by Dr. Odling, the Officer of Health for
Lambeth, that the perpetual motion of the water of the
Thames, and the flux and reflux of the tide, affects the
oxidization of decomposing matters to that extent, "that
he has never been able to discover sulphuretted hydro-
gen in Thames water," may not be well worthy of
further investigation, as offering possibly the means of
escaping the haz rdous and expensive drainage engineer-
ing undertakings that have been under consideration?
Lord JOHN MANNERS was understood to say an
enquiry was now going on relative to this subject.
BREACH OF PRIVILEGE.
Mr. CLIVE brought f eta/aril his charge of breach of
privilege relative to the attacks on him in the Carlisle
Examiner, imputing to him corrupt mot ves as chairman
of the North British and Caledonian Railway
Bill, On a former occasion the hon. and learned gentle-
man brought the but ject under ttse consideration
of the house, when it was ordered that Hudson Scott,
the publisher, and Washington Wilkes, the editor, should
this day attend at the bar of the house. Since that time
he had hoped these parties would have retracted their
charges, and he would have been satisfied ; but instead
of that, they had been repeated in a subsequent publica-
tion of the paper. The hon. and learned gentleman was
proceedirg to read the article in the subsequent publica-
tion, when
Mr. T. BUNCOMBE called the hen. and learned
gentleman to order. The printer and editor of the paper
were in attendance to appear at the bar of the house fee
the complaint made against them on a former occasion.
He thought it unfair that the offence they hal to an-
swer should be exaggerated before they were called to
the bar of the house.
The SPEAKER said the hon. and learned gentleman
was in order.
Mr. CLIVE having read a portion of the second
article, Mr. Hudson Scott aed Mr. Washington Wilkes
were called to the bar of the house.
In answer to a question put to Mr. Wilkes, he /dated
be was the printer, publisher, and editor of the Carlisle
Examiner. He published the article complained of in the
paper of the 35th May, believing the statements, from in-
formation be received, partly from a public and partly
from a private source, were true. Ile eas not then
prepared to withdraw the article or give up the author
from whom he obtained his information, but be thought
if a commission were appointed, the parties who had
given him the information would came forward and sub-
stantiate the imputations contained in the article. He
had the information from a gentleman connected with
the line that was thrown out.
Mr. Hudson Scott stated that he was not now the
publisher of the paper, nor was he on the 345th May last.
They were then ordered to wi.hdraw.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, then
moved three rosolutione, to the effect that Washington
Wilkes had been guilty of publishing a false and
scandalous article, re fleeting on the conduct
of the chairman of the committee (Mr. Clive)
and other members of that committee, and that
the Speaker do issue his warrant for hia committal to
the custody of the Sergeen•-at-Arms.
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL having seconded the
motions,
They were agreed to.
Too CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER then
moved the discharge of the orders fur the further attend.
ance of Mr. Hudsl.%n Scott.—Agreed to.

THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER'S
SPEECH AT SLOUGH.
Upon the order for the day of going into Committee
of Supply,

Lord J. RUSSELL (who was very inditinctly heard
in the gallery) said—l should not be disposed on the
present occa'son to call attention to our foreign relations,
were it not from reports in the newspapers of what ap-
peared to me to be a most extraordinary speech made by
the Chancellor of the Exchequer. (Hear, hear.) If it
were only a speech pronouncing exultation at the result
of a late debate in :thia house introduced by my right
hon. friend the member for Oxford, certainly neither I
nor any one would find fault with the Chancellor of the
Exchequer for even excessive expression of exultation
on that account. But there are other matters which
deeply concern the relations of this house to the Govern-
ment, and the relations of this Government to the Go-
vernments of other countrie.. (Cheers.) In the first
place, with regard to the relations of this house to the
Government, we are informed in that speech that when
the Earl of Derby was called upon by her Majesty to
form a Government, that he stated that not above a
third of the members of this house were attached to the
party of which that noble earl was the head, and there-
fore that that was the only certain support on which be
could rely. I know there are many who at the time,
founding their opinion upon this fact—which it is now
stated has been communicated to her Majesty—thought
that the House of Commons ought not to consent to the
existence of the Government. Those who thought so
might have moved to address her Majesty, as has often
been done, praying that an Efficient Administration
should be appointed representing the majority in this
house. But that was not the course pursued. The
First Lord of the Admiralty told his constituents
some time ago that he believed there were a great
number of independent members in this house who
were not attached to any particular patty, and be
said that although the present Ministers might nut
possess the confidence of a majority of the house
upon their formation, yet their measures might
be such as would conciliate the support of those indi
pendent members, and thereby place them in the consti-
tutional position of having the command of a rnejority of
the home. When 1 real that statement T thought it was
the best defence which could be put forward for the
situation of the minister•, and I thought it was a posi-
tion which might be constitutionally defended by those
who bad taken office. But the house will observe that
in that defence everything depends upon the conduct of
the Ministers. It was for them so to shape the measures
which they brought forward in accordance with the opi-
nions of the majority of this house as to establish a solid
claim to public support. The great majority of this house
I think, accepted that view of affairs, and, so far from
having to complain of attacks, I think the Government
have experienced the utmost forbearance. (Hear.) Differ-
ing as they do in opinion on many subjects from her
Majesty's Ministers, it would have been in the power of
gentlemen on this side of the house to array themselves
in active opposition to the GovErnmeet, They have nt. t