The Sun.
London, England, 1867-11-27 00:00:00

-- 4.-

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

CONVEYANCE OF TROOPS.

The Earl of AIRLIE asked the Under Secretary for
War whether it was true that the 2d battalion of the Rifle
Brigade, on their return from the Mediterranean, were
landed at Portsmouth and sent thenco by special train to
Plymouth ? and said that this transport had cost some-
thing like, according to newspaper reports, £l,OOO.
Lord LONGFORD said that the noble earl was perfectly
right, that representations had b_.en frequently made to
the Transport Relief, but that they insisted upon making
Portsmouth the port of entry, and therefore the War-
office had to retransport them to their destination. It was
a very objectionable proceeding.
The subject then dropped, and the house adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS—LAST EVENING,
The SPEAKER took the chair at four o'clock.
RATING MINES.

Mr. P. WYNDHAM gave notice of his intention to
bring in a bill for the rating of mines.

ADMIRALTY JURISDICTION BILL.

Mr. NORWOOD asked the Vice-President of the
Board of Trade whether it was the intention of the Go-
vernment to re-introduce the Admiralty Jurisdiction Bill
of last session, or a measure of a similar purport ?

Mr. CAVE said it was not intended to re-introduce that
bill at present, but it was thought that certain clauses
might be introduced into a measure which was to be
brought forward for consolidating the acts relating to
merchant shipping.

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'ERIAL PARLIAMENT resolution he had to put into the hands of the chairman was
Ithat £2,000,000 be granted to her Majesty to defray the
cost of the expedition to Abyssinia. It was hoped by somo
that the horrors of war would yet bo avoided; he hoped
they would, but he could not allow such a hope:to impede
the steps to effect the liberation of our suffering fellow-
subjects.

The vote having been read from the chair,
Mr. LO WE rose and condemned the Government for
declaring war without first consulting the House of Com-
mons. Ho did not question the prerogative of the Crown,
but he contended that the responsible advisers of the Sove-
reign were bound to temper their advice with prudence,
and to enunciate their policy with candour. He charged
the Government with having induced the house to believe
that they were not going to take any decided step against
King Theodore, and that, having created this impression,
they pu lied on their preparations for the war without
communicating their intention to Parliament until the
supreme moment of inaugurating another session. This
reticence and want of candour was treating the House of
Commons worse than if it were a mere debating club. The
house had, of course, no alternative but to vote the money,
iu order to save the honour of the country ; but ho urged
that the Government was chargeable with gross neglect of
duty in misleading Parliament as to their real intentions.
He also took exception to the manner in which the blue
book had been prepared, and argued that although several
hundred pages of it had been devoted to worthless de-
spatches, no information had been vouchsafed with refe-
rence to the routes to be taken, the mode of transit or the
measures to be adopted to feed, maintain, and shelter so
large an expedition in so distant and dangerous a country.
Lord STANLEY, having expressed his confidence in
the strength of the case, and in the impartial judgment of
the House of Commons, defended Ministers against the
attack of Mr. Lowe, and vindicated their proceedings in
making preliminary arrangements wiih a view to the con-
tingency of war, and resolving, after the rejection by King
Theodore of the ultimatum of the British Government,
upon having recourse to the last resort of arms. He held
that wo were bound, in deference to the maintenance
of our own prestige in the East, to undertake the
expedition, and that, in fact, we had no alternative. He
admitted that four or five days before the close of last ses-
sion Ministers might have announced the decision at which
they had then arrived, but at that moment seven-eighths
of the house were absent, and it would have been impos-
sible to have taken a vote on account. The task of invad-
ing a country like Abyssinia was no doubt a difficult one;
at the same time, we knew quite as much of the interior of
it as wo did of that of Bhootan, Burmah, or Scinde. The
population appeared to be in a chronic state of insurrection
against their ruler, and the probability was that he himself
might ROOD be put out of the way. He had been warned
that he would bo held personally responsible for the safety
of the captives, and, as he was not remarkable for personal
courage, he might find it more convenient to give them up
than to take the consequences of keeping them any longer.
The task which had devolved upon the Government was
no doubt a painful and difficult one, but they wore prepared
to take the full responsibility of it, because they were per-
suaded that they .had done no more nor lass than their
duty.

Mr. lIORSMAN commented upon what ho called the
" uncomfortable business" in which we were engaged ; but
reminded the house that the insignificance of the foe was
by no means the measure of the magnitude of the danger
to be encountered. He argued that the blue book fur-
nished abundant evidence that, so long as April last, Mini-
sters had made up their minds to send the expedition ; and
that on the 13th of August they let loose Sir Robert
Napier upon Ring Theodore. This had been done with-
out the knowledge or consent of Patliatnent, and for this
unconstitutional proceeding the Government was culpable.
Mr. AYRTON also deprecated the reticence observed
by Ministers, and expressed his opinion that the better
course would have been to have consulted the House cf
Commons, even within the last week of the last session,
and to have then asked for a vote of money on account.
Captain VIVIAN was of opinion that the expedition was
upon a large and needlessly extravagant scale, and that
great difficulty might be experienced in feeding so large a
force.

Sir H. VERNEY impressed upon the House the neces-
sity of utilising the expedition by obtaining solid scientific
information relating to the history, geography, and
archaeology of the earliest Christian country in the world.
Mr. LABOUCHERE referred to the indefinite nature of
the expedition, and asked whether it was to demand the
liberation of all Europeans who might be in captivity, or
merely those who were British subjects.
Mr. BERNAL OSBORNE twitted Mr. Lowe for not
having concluded his speech with an amendment in the
form of a censure upon Ministers. He regarded the Abys-
sinian expedition as a legacy bequeathed by former Pal-
merstoniau Administrations, and he denounced as unfair
and inequitable the attempt which was being made to make
India pay the cost of vindicating British prestige in the
Dist.

Mr. LAYARD gave a narrative of our political relations
with Abyssinia, and vindicated at considerable length the
policy of Earl Russell in connection therewith, maintaining
that it had been dignified and consistent throughout. He
defended the appointment of Mr. Rassam ns Envoy to
King Theodore; and in reply to a question by Mr.
Osborne as to why lie had not employed Dr. Beke instead,
' described the latter gentleman as a " busy, mischievous,
troublesome, intriguing person," who had written a book
which was " a tissue of falsehood and mistakes."
Sir S. NORTIICOTE was quite ready to admit that
some further information might have been given to Parlia-
ment towards the close of last session, and that the House
of Commons might have been asked to vote the money,
but in that case it would have been necessary to
have prolonged the sitting all through the month
of September. The policy of the expedition
was no doubt under contemplation when Parlia-
ment was prorogued, but it had not been decided upon.
Even at the present moment we had neither declared war,
nor had we gone to war with Abyssinia. Our troops
(whose movements had been expedited more than was
anticipated, owing to the energy of the Indian authorities)
were on neutral ground, and it was not intended that the
territory of King Theodore should be invaded until Do-
comber. With regard to the size of the expedition, he
assured the house that it had not been definitely fixed
until the opinion of the highest authorities, both at home
and in India (including the Commander-in-Chief), had
been taken on the subject.
Colonel SYKES attributed the whole of the difficulty
into which we had got to the disobedience of Consul
Plowden and Cameron, to the instructions given them by
Earl Russell. They had been told not to meddle in politics;
but, instead of keeping quiet, they had interfered in the
internal affairs of the kingdom.
Mr. GLADSTONE observed ,with regard to the vote
that. as practical men, the House of Commons had no choice
but to sanction the expenditure for which the country had
been made responsible. Looking at the entire case, with
all its difficulties, he was not prepared to venture upon
censure or condemnation. Indeed, he thought it no more
than justice to admit that, in the general conduct of the
Government, they were guided by combined and mingled
sentiments with regard to the honour of the country, the
claims and rights of a British Envoy, and a love of peace.
It might, however, have been better, and certainly more
constitutional, if the Government, having on the 14th of
August resolved to send an expedition from India to
Abyssinia, had come down to Parliament, announced their
intention, and asked the House of Commons to reopen the
committee of supply, and agree to a vote of money on ac-
count. The personal inconvenience of protracting the
session fur a few days or weeks was not to be set against
the imperious necessity of taking the consul of the house
before entering upon war with a foreign power.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER brought
the debate to a close after midnight in a short speech, in
the course of which he observed that her Majesty's Mini-
sters, in prosecuting the expedition without the consent of
Parliament, believed that they were acting strictly in
accordance with the constitution and with precedent,
although for his own part he admitted that ho thought it
always desirable when practicable to appeal to the House
of Commons for its support.
After a few words from Dr. WYLD in defenc3 of Dr.
Beke, the vote of credit was agreed to, and the house re-
sumed.
The Drainage and Improvement of Lands (Ireland)
Supplemental Bill was passed through committee.
The house adjourned at a few minutes before one o'clock
until twelve this day.