The Sun.
London, England, 1867-12-06 00:00:00

THE CHARGES AGAINST MR. MURRAY.

Mr. WYLD asked the noble lord the Secretary for
Foreign Affairs if ho had seen a statement in the Morning
Post charging the Assistant Under-Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs with malversation of office.

Lord STANLEY said he had seen the statement, and
he was very glad that he had an opportunity of stating
that the assertion that the Assistant Under-Secretary of
State for Foreign Affairs levied tolls upon those with
whom ho came in contact was simply and absolutely un-
founded. (Hear, hear.) If the charge related to the
agency of the Foreign-office, that bad been abolished, and
Mr. Murray received no other emolument than his
salary. He could only say ho regretted that a
respectable journal should have made such a statement
without inquiring. With respect to the statement that
had be,n made that papers had been kept back from the
head of the department was the fact. He was certain
no papers ever carne back from him, and with respect
to the document referred to, Lord Russell must
have seen it, as the cover of it bore the mark of the noble
lord, but it was quite open to the noble earl not to read its
contents.

Mr. LAYARD said he had to bear his testimony to
tho' high character of Mr. Murray. With respect
to the letter in question, ho had never seen it,
and he had spoken to Earl Russell on the sub-
ject. The covering of the despatch was dated 12th
of February. The arrangement of the business at the
Foreign Office was divided between two Under Secretaries,
the permanent and the political, and the letter, he should
imagine, had been sent to Mr. Hammond, as his
duty to dispose of all matters relative to the East. He
could only say he had never seen the letter, and if the
noble earl bad seen it he did not think it required his
attention, and it had accordingly been sent to the India

Mr. OSBORNE said the onus of this business rested
with the Foreign Office, and we had been plunged into au
expensive war through the bungling which had taken place
during the time his hon. friend was Under-Secretary. We
were embarking in war without knowing what it was
about. The war had been brought about because King
Theodore's letter had not receive I proper attention. What
had become of that letter ? Nobody had seen it ; but it
had now been answered ; but by whom ? (Hear, hear.)
The fact was, had there been no Foreign-office there
would have been no war.

Colon 4 SYKES said it was now sought to fix this mat-
ter on the Indian Office, but he had to say on behalf
of Mr. Kay that the letter had been sent
over to the India Office and laid on the
desk, and the presumption was that it had been an-
swered by the Foreign-office, and was only sent to the
India-office for the personal information. No opi-
nion of the officer was asked when the letter
was sent, and therefore the fair inference was,
it had been fully attended. However, after three years
King Theodore had got an answer to his letter, and the
postage of it would cost the country between four and five
millions of money, to raise which the income-tax had to
be increased, and he thought that that circumstance would
make people think more about it than they otherwise
would.

Mr. OTWAY said the great error of the present expe-
ditio'n was that it was b3iug carried on on too large a
scale, and that it would in the end result in failure.
Mr. NE WDEGATE again referred to the statement
the hon. member for Southwark had made respecting Dr.
Beke.

Mr. LAYARD said it was ridiculous to say that the
Abyssinian war had boon brought about by no answer
being sent to King 1 hoodore's letter. It had in fact
nothing to do with it. With respect to the imputation that
he had shown tho utmost indifference to the fate of Mr.
Sterne, because he had had a private quarrel with him, he
could only say that such a charge was most unjust.
With respect to some of the observations ho had
made in the debate, he must say that if he
had made any statement which was unjust,
either as it affected Dr. Beke or Mr. Sterne, he could only
say he regretted it, and he wished to withdraw the observa-
tions, with explanation that if ho had made them he had
been led into it by his endeavour to protect the character
of Mr. Bassani from undue calumny.
Sir G. BOWYER said it was clear Consul Cameron had
no business in Abyssinia. If he went there he was a
wrong-doer, and if he got into prison it was his own fault,
and there was no necessity to send another envoy to pro-
cure his release.

Mr. AYRTON remarked that it was not to be assumed
that the house had expressed an approval of this policy of
the. expedition.
Sir S. NORTUCOTE observed that it was not con-
venient to discuss the general policy of the expedition
without notice, but ho answered one or two of the points
which had been raised, and particularly with regard to the
number of forces which he said the home government had
sanctioned.

The motion was then withdrawn.
Mr. HUNT moved that the contract entered into with
Mr. W. Cunard for the conveyance of mails between Hali-
fax, Bermuda, and St. Thomas be approved. The sum to
be given he said,was £19,500 a year, and power was given
to the Postmaster-General to require another station to be
used instead of St. Thomas.

Mr. Alderman LUSK asked why the service could not
be carried on by the Government vessels.
Mr. CORRY replied that two vessels would have to be
built, and the wear and tear and wages would amount to
£25,000 a year.
The motion was agreed to.
Bills were introduced by Mr. Walpole to make further
provision for the good government and extension of cer-
tain public schools in England; and by Lord R. Montagu
for the establishment of a foreign cattle market for the
metropolis, and for other purposes connected therewith.
The house adjourned at five minutes to seven o'clock.

Foreign Mail Packet List.

MAILS DUE.

n.uatralls. and New Zealand. via Southampton Deo 20
Ditto, via Marseilles •
Dec. 14
Ditto, via Panama Dec. —.
Brazil, Baenos Ayres, and Monte Video Dec. 4.
Ditto, by French packet
Cape Verde. by Brazil paclcet ...... _ Dec. 4.
Cape of Good Elope. Ascension, and St. nacos... Deo 23
China, Penang. and Singapore, via Southampton—Dec.2o
Ditto, via Marseilles .. . • Dec. 14
Falkland Islands Dee. 1.
Gibraltar, via Southampton
India, via Southampton Dec. It
Ditto, via Maned es D. c. 23
Malta, Egypt, &a.
Ditto, Marseilles Dec. Q.
Mauritius, Cape of Good Hope, and -Natal, via
Southampton Dec..o
Ditto, Mareeiaes Dec. 11.
Newfoundla Ld
Portugal Deo. i.

Ditto, by p ie ship to Oporto ..
Ditto t Otto to Lisbon
United States, Canada, California, &c., by British
packet

Ditto, by L i ited States packet
Ditto ditto New York)
Ditto ditto Ntw York)
Ditto ditt( (Baltimore)
Ditto, by Canadian packet
West Coast of Africa, Madeira, and Teneriffo Dec. 17
West Indies and Pacific (except Mexico and Baha-
mas)