The Sun.
London, England, 1867-03-09 00:00:00

CASHMERE.

Lord W. HAY asked the Secretary of State for India
whether the Indian Government had appointed an Eng-
lish officer to reside at Leh, the capital of Ladak, in the
dominions of the Maharajah of Cashmere ; if so, in what
capacity, and whether the appointment had been made
with the approval of the Maharajah ; and whether the
Indian Government had decided to despatch a commercial
Mission to Turkis'an and Thibet.

Lord- STANLEY said no information of the appoint-
ment of such an officer by the Governor-General of India
had reached England ; neither was there any intention to
appoint a mission to Turkistan.
THE ORNAMENTAL WAR IN REGENT'S-PARK.
Mr. T. CHAMBERS asked the First Commissioner of
Works when the works at the Ornamental Water in the
Regent's-park were to be commenced, and how long they
were to occupy.

Lord J. MANNERS said it was proposed to commence
the works in the autumn, and they would occupy about
six. months.

THE FENIAN OUTBREAK.
In reply to an Hox. MEMBER,
Mr. WALPOLE said the only telegram received was to
the following effect :—" No event of importance except
the meeting of a number of persons at a place eight miles
from Limerick Junction. Military gone to disperse them.
Neighbourhood around Dublin and Drogheda quiet."
(Hoar, hear.)
THE VOLUNTEERS.

Mr. W. FORSTER called the attentioa of the house to
the uncertainty as to the position of the Volunteers conse-
quent on their late employment as an armed force at
Chester; and asked the Government what steps they
intended to take to remove that uncertainty. He
said the feeling that had led to the great success
of the Volunteer force was the understanding at the
commencement that it w tuld never be called upon to ail
the civil power. Tile circumstances that had occurred at
Chester rendered it imperative that the views of Ciovern
me
went
t thecalling
should
i a p
at
upon the volunteers clearly
stated,bec
oughtautso bethe last e lie
w4s
aof
opinion
resource. The police, the special constables, and even the
yeomanry cavalry ought to be made available before the
volunteers were called upon to aid the civil force. He
hoped there would be no ambiguity about the explana-
tion which would be given by the Government. If the
volunteers were called upon to act in their military capa-
city except iu the event of actual invasion, the result
would be, in a great measure, to destroy the popularity of
the force, if not ultimately to bring about its entire dis-
solution.
Earl GROSVENOR and Colonel BARTELOT were of opinion
that nothing short of invasion ought to render volunteers
liable to be called upon for active service.
Sir G. GREY did not think there was any necessity for
an alteration of the law, which was quite sufficient to
protect the whole of her Majesty's well-disposed subjects.
LATEST TELEGRAM.

Mr. WALPOLE said he had received a tele-
gram from Ireland within the last few minutes,
which was as follows :
" Accounts come in since the morning from Clare
and Limerick state that a large number of farm-
houses have been entered in the dark, and all
arms found taken away.

" Uneasiness in the South not subsided."

The right hon. gentleman then proceeded to answer the
question put to him with respect to the volunteer force
He said there had been no employment of volunteers as
volunteers at Chester. There was a felonious at-
tempt to take Chester Castle, and under such
circumstances it was the duty of every loyal
person to aid the civil brce. He thought instructions
ought to be drawn stating clearly the circumstances under
which the civil power could call for military assistance.
He did not intend to propose any alteration in the law.
Mr. BRIGHT thought the explanation just given added
nothing to the previous knowledge of the house on the
question; for the right hon. gentleman seemed to say that
the volunteera might, and that they might not! When
the force was first constituted it was certainly understood
by the public that they could never, under any circum-
stances, be called out for the purpose of suppressing inter-
nal tumults. There was no real need for so employing
them, and his reason for saying that was, that as a general
rule in such cases they would have to be employed against
their neighbours, and that it was preferable to use the
regular army for that purpose.
Remarks were also made by Cal. L. LINDSAY and Mr. T.
HUGHES; after whom
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL rose and stated the law
to be perfectly clear that volhuteers could not be called on,
as a military body,to assist the civil authorities for any pur-
pose, whilst they were not released from the duties that
devolved upon them in common with every subject of the
Crown. But although this was plain, it was useless to
attempt to define what were the duties of citizens in every
variety of emergency that might arise.
The Marquis of HMITINGTON suggested that the
instructions proposed to be issued by the Home Office
should be placed on the table of the house in the first
instance.
Lord ELOHO presumed, that as the Executive would
be responsible for calling out the volunteers, they would
arm them in a manner that would be suitable to the emer-
gency.
The discussion was continued by Mr. 0. Stanley, Mr.
Akroyd, and Mr. Scourfield, and then the matter dropped.
Mr. AYRTON, reminding the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer of his promise to acquaint the house when the Cabinet
had been reconstructed, expressed a hope that the right
hon. gentleman was able to inform the house that he was
now a member of a complete Administration, and to give
an assurance that on the 18th inst. he would bring in a bill
for Reform largo and comprehensive in its character,
simple in its provisions, and likely to be satisfactory to the
country.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER had the
satisfaction of stating that the Government was complete
at present, and that he hoped by the end of the week it
would be completely represented in both houses. The
writs which had been moved that evening sufficiently in-
dicated the arrangements made as they affected the House
of Commons. In the other house the Queen has been
pleased to confer the seals of Secretary of State for the
Colonies on the Duke of Buckingham; the Duke of Marl-
borough had been appointed Lord President of the Council ;
and the Duke of Richmond had accepted the office of Pre-
sident of the Board of Trade. Under these circumstances
ho had great pleasure in stating that he had no doubt he
should be able to fulfil his engagement for the 18th inst.
by introducing a measure of Parliamentary Reform.
Mr. B. HOPE moved that, as the customs revenue is
now derived from an exceedingly small number of articles,
the prices of most of which in London and Paris aro equal,
this house considers that no appreciable injury would be
inflicted upon the income of the country were the present
practice of the search of the baggageof travellers at Dover,
Folkestone, Newhaven, and in London, suspended during
the period of the French Exhibition of 1867.
Mr. WATKIN seconded the motion, which was op-
posed by
•
Mr. W. RUNT, who said that it the. Government could,

without loss of revenue, see their way to conceding the
boon asked for, they would have gladly dune so. But,
after goirg fully into the cons7deration of the question, and
e, Netting all the information posiible, they had arrived at
the conclusion that it would not be consistent with their
duty to allow the right of se, rch to bo done away with.
With the object, however, of lessening the ineonvenienee
and annoyance to travellers to and front the Paris Exhi-
bition a greater number of 'muds would be rut on at the
different stations to save delays, and in the selection of
these pm-sons the utmost care would he taken.
Mr. CIIILDETIS hopad the house would not accede to
the motion, the facts adduced by Mr. limit being, in his
judgment, incontrovertible.
Mr. GLADSTONE believed the apprehensions enter-
tained as to the effect upon the revenue of abolishing the
right of search were well founded, and feared that what-
ever plan was adopted-during the Exhibition would have
to be continued afterwards.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER assured the
house that there had been every disposition on the part of
the Government to meet the wishes of their countrymen in
this matter; but they were convinced that they could not
do so consistently with their duty. Various schemes had
been suggested, anti should be considered, but at that mo-
ment the point at issue was whether.the house was pre-
pared to support the Government in their endeavours to
defend the revenue.
Mr. HOPE thou withdrew his motion.

The only other subjects discussed on the order for sup-
ply wore the condition of the Rnyal Irish Academy, and
the transfer of the Straits
.settlement from the India to
the Colonial Government.

The'remainder of the .siting was occupied chiefly with
the consideration of the Metropolitan Poor Bill in commit-
tee. Some unopposed hills were forwarded a stage ; and
The house rose at 20 minutes to one o'clock.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

GREAT WESTERN.

The half-yearly meeting of shareholders was held
yesterday at the Pa'ldington terminus of the com-
pany. The meeting was very numerously attended.
The directors upon entering the room were greeted
with mingled cheers and hisses. Sir. D. Gooch, Bart.
M.P., was in the chair. The advertisement conven-
ing the meeting having been read by the secretary,
the report was taken as read.
The CHAIRMAN said it was with very great regret
that he was not able to offer a report more consol-
ing and showing the concern in a more prosperous
state ; but he felt that if they looked carefully at
the report they would see much in it-that still spoke
well of the future of the undertaking. He had on
the previous day an opportunity of discussing, with
some 50 of the largest shareholders of the company,
the question as to the best policy to be pursued
at the preient meeting, and the board quite con-
curred with the views of those gentlemen that the
meeting should be adjourned till the :.;9th of the
present month, when the directors hoped they' would
be able to give the shareholders more perfect infor-
mation as to the finances of the company. The
shareholders knew that the financial position of the
Great II estern had been brought into some difficulty
—not from the fault of the directors or proprietors ;
and this difficulty first of all arose from other rail-
*ay companies getting into a serious state of em-
barrassmept, and throwing discredit on all parties.
But it had been brought about chiefly by the want
of confidence on the part of the public in the security
of debentures, and that confidence had been still
more weakened by the recent decision of Lord
Cairns, which had really caused the embarrassments
with which the company now had to deal. They
knew that the Great Western had a large amount of
money in temporary loans. He took the opportu-
nity on both occasions, when he had presided, of
impressing upon the shareholders that if difficulties
occurred in the money market, their position as to
those lo fns would be a very hazardous one. Twelve
months since, when he addressed them, he did not
imagine the difficulty was so near, and when he saw
them in October he urged on them that they should,
as shareholders, look to themselves for relief, and
that it was idle to go to the public to help them if
they did not help themselves. There had been but
a slight response to the appeal which had been made
to the shareholders, and if they could have got out
£1,500,000 of the 6 per cent. stock they would have
been in a very good financial position. During the
last year they had reduced their temporary loans to
something like £BOO,OOO, those loans having pre-
viously been £1,300,000. To that extent they had
been relieved from embarrassment. This was a
pleasing feature in the accounts, but they all knew
how much of the capital of a railway company con—
sisted of debentures ; it was part of the capital au-
thorired by Parliament, but there was no special
provision iu the parliamentary powers granted
to meet the debentures when they became due
if the holders did not renew them. Now,
when he told them that the public had practically
ceased to take up the company's debenture stock,
they must feel that, with respect to financial mat-
ters, the company required some other aid than that
which they might receive from any renewal of de-
bentures,
and on which they had hitherto relied. As
to the security afforded to the debentures and pre-
ference claims by the revenue: it was very ample.
During the past year the net revenue of the com-
pany was £1,800,000 or £1,900,000, while the de-
benture and interest, including rent charges, was
something under £900,000, and the interest on the
preference claims £700,000, so that they had a quar-
ter of a million sterling for ordinary dividend above
all their other liabilities. If they could have re-
newed their debentures, which would not have been
difficult if the shareholders had taken up the 6 per
cent. preference stock, the directors would have
been able to pay off the temporary loans, and, in-
stead of being now in any difficulties, or asking the
shareholders to accept asomewhat reduced dividend,
which he could, if necessary, show had been honestly
earned, they would have been placed in the position
which, speaking, for himself, he bad no reason to
doubt would give a sound dividend for the future.
During the last six years they had had revenue bur-
thened with extra claims to the extent of nearly
£400,000, and the company had been able to meet
the whole of those claims, With respect to the fu-
ture revenue of the company, if they took into ac-
count all the liabilities of the company—he meant
those lines with which they had agreements, but
which were not yet opened, and the lines of which
they had leases—it would be found that those lia-
bilities for the next five years would be something
less than £125,000 per annum. With a growing
revenue to the extent of £150,000,
he could not
look to the future with respCct to the progress of the
undertaking as likely to be embarrassing; but what
he wished to impress up)n the shareholders was that
they could meet the financial difficu!ties of the com-
pany only bygetting rid of theirliabilities by taking
up the 6 per cent. preference stock, which would get
rid of their temporary loans and put them iu funds
to pay dividends on other note With regard
they could tell from day to
to- the debentures,
d4y what the condition of them would be, as they
did not know until they were due whether they
would be renewed or not, and ha might repeat that •
since the decision of Lord Cairns the supply of
money f rom that source had been almost shut against
the company. He could not tell the result of this,
but they must be prepared to meet it boldly. The
directors wished that there should not be any dia._
cussion that day, but that the meeting should be ad-
journed to the 29th in t. He then moved the ad-
journment of the meeting.
Mr. WOOD, the depaty-chairman, seconded the
motion.

Mr. TAYLOR said the course now recommended by
the chairtuan and the board of raising money them-
selves to pay off temporary loans was one which be
had advocated years ago, and his only regret was that
it bad not been then adopted instead of its now being
forced upon them by inevitable necessity. Ile was
sure they would have avoided many difficulties and
escaped much loss if such a policy had been pursued.
However painful and embarrassing it might be to
many- of them to subscribe to the proposed stock, he
believed it was the only way they had left them to
bet tlitiwelyee hOneet with the *odd, wild to add