The Sun.
London, England, 1867-02-12 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF LORDS--Tnis EVENING.
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on tho Woolsack
at 5 o'clock.

THE LORD CHIEF BARON.

Earl RUSSELL presented a petition praying that the
Lord Chief Baron should be dismissed from the distinguished
judicial functions which li‘‘ has been called on to exercise,
in consequence of his conduct in reference to the sub-
jects conected with the matters relating to Mrs. Dawson..
fie considered that any ono occupying the position of the
Lord Chief Baron should not be open to anything like sus-
picion, and the circumstances out of which the present pro-
ceedings arose were of a nature calculated to excite suspicion.
The noble lord then went into a detail of all the facts con-
nected with the Parliamentary proceedings re'ating to the
inquiry respecting the Ipswich election in 1535, and the
part which Sir Fitzroy Kelly took in regard to the same.
The LORD CHANCELLOR rose, and was
-LEFT SPEAKING.]

HOUSE OF COMMONS—Tins EVENING.
The SPEAKEIt took the chair at four o'clock.
NEW MEMBER.
Sir. J. B. KAUSLAKE took the oath and his seat for
Andover.

A petition was presented from Sir Fitzroy Kelly pray-
ing that before the publication of certain letters concerning
private character, which contain a number of false charges,
the house would institute a searching inquiry into the
whole of the circumstances connectid therewith.
CHARITY COMMISSION.
Sir R. PEEL moved for a return of the amount of funds
in the hands of tho Charity Commissioners requiring re-
appropriation to new charitable uses, with the sources
from whence they are derived, whether from charities
founded for eleemosynary objects or from endowments
founded for parochial or public purposes, with the names
of the several parishes and counties to which the endow-
ments of these foundations or benefactions belong, and all
other local and statistical information respecting them in
possession of the Charity Commission.—The return was
ordered.

HACKNEY CARRIAGES.
Mr. Alderman LAWRENCE asked the Secretary for the
Home Department whether his attention had been di-
rected to the report of the Commissioners of Inland Re-
venue for tho year ending the 31st day of March, 1866, in
which they state their opinion of the condition of
the metropolitan cabs ; and, whether he was pre-
pared to introduce a measure during the present
session to consolidate the various acts relating to metro-
politan hackney carriages; to revise the tariff with a view
of enabling the public to have the option of ob-
taining a superior class of hackney carriages at an in-
creased faro; and to take away the power at present pos-
sessed by the cab owners of imprisoning their drivers in
Whitecross-street Prison in the event of their failing to
pay the daily hiring ?
Mr. WALPOLE said ho did not intend to introduce a
bill on the subject) but the latter part of the hon. member's
question would be dealt with ty a bill which was about to
be introduced into the other house.
Mr. Alderman LAWRENCE asked the Chancellor of
the Exchequer whether he intended to introduce a mea-
sure during the present session for the equalisation of the
duties on metropolitan and provincial hackney carriages,
the duty at present levied upon
metropolitan
cabs being
about three times that charged upon similar vehicles in
any other part of the kingdom.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER declined to
answer questions relative to remission of taxation, which
might lead to groat misapprehension.
NEW ZEALAND.

In reply to Mr. GORST,
Mr. ADDER LEY said the number of troops at present
in New Zealand was 3,190, but it was only proposed to
station permanently there. Orders had been
sent out onutfoe regiment
enumber over 1,000 to return to England.

DISEASE AMONGST SAILORS.
In reply to Mr. TRACEY,
sir s.NORTHCOTE said. he hoped to be able to intro-
duce a bill to prevent:- 'the spread of scurvy amongst
sailors.
THE FENIANS AT CHESTER.
Col. FRENCH said he begged to ask the right hon. gen-
tleman the Secretary of the Home Department whether
t daeascription. His informant said they
any reason to believe that they
he could give the house any 'information relative to the
movement of 800 strangers, at Chester, said to be Fenians,
wore principally roughs going to a prize fight. (Order,
order.)
awnedr ewpheertsho
Mr. WALPOLE said the best answer ho could give was
erns tnhf etrhes w
to state as briefly as he could the nature of the disturb-
ance, and the steps the Government had taken. On Sun-
day evening last he received a communication stating that
there was unusual excitement in Liverpool, occasioned
by the movement
.of a large body of people said to
Lob Fenians. That they had been holding meetings and
making certain movements of a suspicious nature.
lie immediately sent a person down to Liverpool
to inquire into all the matters, and to report to him the
state of things as speedily as possible. On the Monday
morning, as soon as he reached the Home Office, he re-
ceived a telegram from the Mayor of Chester stating that
there was .a large body of strangers in the city, and
he had reason to believe that they wore Fenians,
and that ho was apprehensive that an attack on
the Castle was in contemplation in order to obtain
possession of the arms and•ammunition stored there. He
stated the number of troops at that time iu the town, were,
he thought, totally inadequate to the emergency, and he
stated that additional force was wanted as soon as possble.
He (Mr. Walpole) at once directed that a company of sol-
diers should be sent from Manchester to Chester. Fur-
ther in the day he received another telegram, and accord-
ing to that it appeared that a meeting of Fenians had been
held on the previous Friday, and that a resolution had
been come to to attack the Castle of Chester for the
purpose of procuring the arms he had already mentioned.
This report corresponding with that lie had received from
Liverpool that lie telegraphed to the Mayor of Chester
to forward at once a statement of the condition of
the town, and also of what he stood in need. He
also directed him to telegraph to the Commander of the
North-West Division, who would at once afford him all
the military assistance possible. No answer was received
to that telegram; and he, therefore, after consulting with
his colleagues, communicated with General Peel, and a
division of GtiOrds was at once directed to hold
themselves in readiness for instant removal, and a train
was ordered to be, prepared, with steam up, ready for
immediate departure. He received another telegram at
4 a.m., stating that the Number of strangers had increased
to 1,500, and that they were still pouring in from. Man-
chester, Halifax, Staleybridge, and other places; that ex-
citement was increasing in the town, end that the state of
things was alarming, and that all the local means of pre-

vention of 'disturbance were at an end. He then wrote
to the Brigade-Major of the Guards, and 500 men
worn at once sent off, as it was not thought wise to danudo
the surrounding country of all military protection, On
the ground that prevention was better than cure, ho
thought that a great deal of alarm woutd be prevented in
the minds of the peaceably-disposed inhabitants to find, on
getting up from their bedS, that the Guards had arrived
from London. Ho afterwards received a commu-
nication from the commander of the troops, but
he was happy that he did not take the
gloomy view of matters that others had done. He said the
troops in Chester were quite sufficient to maintain autho-
rity. Later on he received another telegram, asking for
permission to call out the Volunteers. He sent down a
message in reply, stating that the Volunteers ought not to
be called out in their military character; but, like
all loyal subjects, it was their duty to give all
assistance possible to tho preservation of the public peace,
and in case of emergency they would bo justified in using
their arms, but nut fu their military character. TiicwBs
all that was done• up to yesterday. Last evening whilst
tho right hon. gentleman the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer was speaking he received another telegram in-
forming him that 400 more of the strangers
had arrived, making the numbers in the city out
to 1,200, that tho town was in groat excitement,
and that more troops were required. He then conferred
with his colleague as to what was to be done, and as there
was no statement that the strangers were armed, it
was thought that it was absolutely necessary that
some information on that point should be obtained
before extenuating measures were taken. Ho
again telegraphed to the General commanding
asking whether the strangers were armed or not. In reply
to this communication ho received the intelligence that
a great many of the strangers had gone home, and that
several went away last night. Whether they wore
Fenians or not he could not say, but the whole of his in-
formation pointed that way. Ho hoped the steps that
had been taken would be approved by the bombe.
Mrr C. FORTESCUE asked whether the information
required, viz., whether the men were armed or not, had
been obtained ?

Lord ELCHO said he had received no information up
to this morning that the people were armed. (Hear, hear.)
Lord ELCHO said he had received a telegram from Lord
Grosvenor, who loft last night for Chester, he beir.g in
command of a regiment of yeomanry, The message he
had received was as follows: —" Was serious—timely in-
-I.ormation saved the town—all right now." (Cheers.)
UNIVERSITY TESTS.

The house having resolved itself into committee,
Mr. COLERIDGE obtained leave to bring in a bill to
provide for the abolition of Religious Tests in connection
with Academy Degrees and Offices in the University of
Oxford.

Mr. FAWCETT said that on the second reading he
should move that the measure extend to Cambridge as
well as Oxford.

LErT SITTING. I

LONDON GAZETTE—This Evening.

LORD CHAMBERLAIN'S OFFICE, ST, JAMES'S
PALACE, FEB. 4.

Notice is hereby given, that the Queen will hold Courts
at Buckingham Palace on the following days :—Thursday,
March 7; Thursday, March 14; Saturday, March 233
Tuesday, April 2; and on one day during the month of
Juno to be hereafter specified.