The Sun.
London, England, 1867-05-03 00:00:00

The Government Defeat Last Night.

The defeat of the Government in the House last
evening has formed the subject of much conver-
sation at the West-end Clubs this morning, and
various political rumours are afloat ; some, indeed,
going the length of stating that steps will be taken
by the Government to induce the House of Com-
mons to reconsider its decision, but such a state-
ment is altogether groundless. From the best
sources of information we can state that the
Government will accept the decision of the
House on the question that twelve months
be the time of residence prior to claiming to
be put upon the register of voters, although
adopting that course will render some further al-
terations necessary in the bill. Up to the present,
the Government, it is said, feel quite confident of
passing the bill, as two of the most important por-
tions of the measure have been settled by the
House. The result of the division, of course, will
form the painful subject of discussion at the Cabi-
net Council to be held this afternoon ; but all ap-
prehensions as to anything affecting the existence of
the present Government, arising from the amend-
ment of Mr. Ayrton, need be entirely disregarded.

The Appearance of the House Last Night.

The Commons were apparently fully marshalled
in
on both sides, and the haour of the house seemed
to be lively and impressionable. It was to a very
large assemblage that Mr. Gladstone presented him-
self, and glided unostentatiously from behind the
Speaker's chair to his usual seat. He was greeted
with loud and prolonged cheers from the Opposi-
tion, which sounded hearty and genial. Some of
the notices were interesting, for they related to the
anticipated Hyde-park demonstration.signified
First,
Mr. Bright, with some severity oftone,
that he should to-day call attention to the course
pursued by the Government in this matter; every
one of his few words indicating that he means to be
scourging. A compensating notice instantly came
from the Ministerial side, for Sir Charles Rus-
sell threatened 'a sort of impeachment of the
president of the Reform League, and more
particularly of the vice-presidents, amongst
whom he said would be found no less personages
than Mr. T. Hughes, M.P., Mr. Thomas Potter,
M.P., Mr. P. A. Taylor, M.P., and The O'Do-
noghue, M.P. The hon. member was so grave and
solemn in his demeanour that the House accepted
him from a comic point of view, and laughed at Fold
cheered him in a negative sense. Next uprose Mr.
Walpole, and in his most potent and most reverend
manner announced that he should bring in a bill
to secure the Parks from the devastating feet of
Reform Leaguers and their like, as distinguished
from those whom he designated " her Majesty's
subjects." After the movement and buzz and
demonstrativeness which accompanied the prelimi-
nary proceedings, the House settled down into a
business attitude to further consider the Reform
Bill in coinmittee. The subject-matter being still
Clause 3, precedence was the right of Lord Gros-
venor, who had the first amendment, which was
intended to establish a £5 rating franchise. This
the noble lord incontinently gave up as now hope-
less, and then proceeded to vindicate his pretensions
to be a true Reformer, bringing forward his recent
vote with the Government as palpable proof of
his truth in that particular. Soon Mr. Ayrton
had the floor, to bring on his new-found amend-
ment for reducing the residential qualification
from two years to one. Of course he demeaned
himself in the manner in which he deemed
equal to the occasion, but he only roused up Sir
John Pakington, who apparently was put forward
as a representative of a section of the Cabinet, and
who proceeded to pooh-pooh the question as being
not one of principle, insinuating that it was not of
importance enough to decide the fate of a Ministry ;
and, while distinctly refusing to yield the point,
urged that the Government had made so many con-
cessions in regard to the bill that they ought to be
compensated by the houseceding this matter to
them. The right hon. gentleman was rather caus-
tically handled in a spirited and argumentative
speech by Sir Roundell Palmer, who more than
hinted that he was the Parliamentary father of
household suffrage. The moment being favourable,
up rose Mr. Bass to pronounce a palinode, or rather,
as he would have had it, to vindicate himself
against charges of apostacy from his party which
had been made against him by sundry persons, and
Mr. Bright in particular. The House laughed
much, but whether with or at the hon. member it
is not quite possible to say; and Mr. Bright, in
a happy colloquial vein, comforted his dejected
friend, and then, passing on to the matter in
hand, spoke powerfully in favour of the amend-
ment. The three or four hundred members present
preferred going into the lobby to listening to the
Solicitor-General, and most of them having come
back, roared at Mr. Denman, who interposed be-
tween them and a division at a little after seven
o'clock. The appearance of things quite justified a
supposition which was general, that the Govern-
ment would be defeated ; and so it proved, by the
rejection of their enactment of a two years' resi-
dence by 278 to 197. Before the amendment, which
had then become the substantive motion, could be
put, Mr. Disraeli rose, and very calmly, and by no
means with an air of discontent, intimated that he must consult his colleagues before going further,
and moved to report progress. Some of the Oppo-
sition, somewhat jubilant, as was natural, cried out
to go on, and it seeming that the idea was likely to
be pressed, Mr. Gladstone intervened, and urged
forbearance. His appeal was instantly accepted,
and the larger part of the House dispersed at once.
Some few members remained, and Mr. Disraeli got
his Corrupt Practices Bill through its second read-
ing without a discussion. The rest of the sitting
was employed chiefly in chattering as to how to
arrange for future stages of the other bills on
the paper ; but by nine o'clock the adjournment
was reached.—Telegraph.

LAW OF MASTF.It AND SERVANT.—Lord Elcho's
bill has been printed. It proposes that, with the
exception presently stated, proceedings between employer
and employed for neglect or refusal to fulfil the contract,
or on any dispute as to the rights or liabilities of either
party under the contract, shall be of a civil character, and
instead of an award of imprisonment in the 'louse of
Correction the justices who hear the case are to deter-
mine the amount of compensation to be paid by the de-
faulter ; on non-payment a warrant of distraint may be
issued against his goods, or in case of their insuffi-
ciency he may be committed to the common gaol
or House of Correction for a term not exceeding
throe months, and at the expiration of the term of impri-
sonment the compensation is to be deemed discharged.
Wages are not to be assessed to the amount of compensa-
tion under any warrant of distraint. But if it shall appear
to the magistrates on the hearing " that the injury to the
person or property of the complainant has been wilfully
and maliciously inflicted, so as to amount to a criminal act,
and not to be remedied by pecuniary compensation," the
case is to be sent to a court of criminal judicature (in
England the quarter sessions), the punishment to be such
as by law is awarded for crimes and misdemeanours of a
like nature. Both parties to the contract are to be compe-
tent witnesses, except in cases thus remitted to a court of
criminal judicature.

SERIOUS CHARGE AGAINST A COLLECTOR OF
INCOME-TAX.—Some two years ago a man named
Benjamin Warburton, who had been employed as collector
of income-tax for the township of Litchurch, absconded,
taking with him a large suns of money to the amount of
£470 or thereabouts. A warrant was issued two days after
he had absconded for his arrest, and placed in the hands
of the police. Superintendent Whieldon went to Liver-
pool and obtained the assistance of the dock detectives and
overhauled all outgoing vessels for several days, but was
unsuccessful ; other officers were despatched to other ports.
On Monday last Superintendent Whieldon, from informa-
tion he received, went to the house where his wife resided,
at Litchurch, and found Warburton upstairs in a forlorn
condition. He informed the superintendent that he had
been the most miserable man iu existence since he ab-
sconded; he further said he went direct to London,
Southampton, Isle of Wight, and had been wandering
about ever since. He was conveyed to the county ga01...
Derby Mercury.
THE SHOCKING DEATH OF A LITTLE BOY,—
Yesterday the adjourned inquest on the body of J. Willmer,
aged three years, who was found dead in a privy in nigh
Holborn, was brought to a conclusion by a verdict of acci-
dental death, the jury adding that they desired to call the
attention of the Board of Works to the disgraceful condi-
tion of this privy, and urged the necessity of a house to
house visitation of all houses in the parish, in order that
such disgraceful nuisances way be got rid of,

HER MAJESTY, &c.

WIKDSOR CASTLE, May 2.

The Queen, accompanied by their Royal High-
nesses Princess Louise and Princess Beatrice, drove
out yesterday afternoon.

The Queen, accompanied by their Royal High-
nesses Princess Louise, Princess Beatrice, and Prince
Leopold, loft the C:Astlo to-day at 10 minutes past
three o'clock for Osborne. The suite consisted of
Lady Churchill, the lion. Flora Macdonald, Major-
General Sir T. M. Biddulph, Col. 11. Ponsonby,
Mr. Legg, Mr. Sahl, and the Master of the House-
hold.

TIIE QUEEN OF DENMARK AND TIIE
PRINCE OF WALES.
His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales stood
as sponsor to the infant son of Colonel Hon. IL
Byng, at the Chapel Royal St. James's, yesterday
morning.
The Queen of Denmark and the Prince of Wales,
attended by Madame de Bille, Gen. Sir W. Knollys,
Major Teesdale, and M. de Castenschiold, visited the
Royal Academy in the afternoon.

'DEPARTURE OF THE QUEEN FOR OSBORNE.--
Yesterday afternoon her Majesty, with their Royal
Highnesses Princesses Louise and Beatrice and Prince
Leopold, attended by Lord Charles Fitzroy, General Bid-
dulph, Colonel Ponsonby, and Lady Churchill, left Wind-
sor Castle at 10 minutes past three o'clock for Osborne.
The Royal party drove to the Windsor Station of the
Great Western Railway, and departed by special train,
which started at a quarter after three, and arrived at the
Clarence Victualling-yard at half-past five o'clock. Her
Majesty, on the arrival of the train, was conducted on
board the yacht, which immediately afterwards left for
Osborne.

THE PRINCESS OF WALES.—We have little to re-
port respecting her Royal Highness's condition, and the
account is, therefore, satisfactory. There has been during
the past week a steady continuance of amendment in every
particular. More than this it would be unreasonable to
expect. —Lancet.

The Duke and Duchess of Cleveland and Hon.
Misses Primrose are expected to arrivo daily at their resi-
dence in St. James's-square, from Paris, where they hav3
been passing the Easter recess.
The Duke of Hamilton will return to town to-
day from Chester.
The Duke of Newcastle intends to return to
town to-morrow from attending tho race meeting at
Chester.

The Earl of Dunmore left town last night for
Fincastle, Isle of Harris.

Lord Hotham, M.P., has arrived at his re3i-
dence in Grosvenor-street from his seat in Yorkshire.

The Marquis and Marchioness of Normanby and
family havB arrived at 22, Mansfield-street, for the season•
The Earl and Countess of Minto have left town
for a tour on the Continent.

Lord Elcho, M.P., has arrived at his residence
in St. James's-place from Cannes.

Lord and Lady Foley have arrived at their resi-
dence in Grosvenor-square from Worksop Manor, Notts,
for the season, accompanied by their family.

SOUTH COAST LIFEBOAT FUND.