The Sun.
London, England, 1860-03-30 00:00:00

PRIVATE BUSINESS.

On the motion of Lord COLVILLE the Great Western
Railway and Liskeard Water Bills were read a second time.
The Athenry and Tuna Railway, West of Fife Mineral
Railway, and Morayshire Railway Bills were read a third
time and passed.
CONSOLIDATED FUND (L 850,000) BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
THE CHINESE EXPEDITION.

•
Earl GREY moved for an estimate, as nearly as the same
can be made out, of the cost of the expedition to China up
to the year 1860-1, the same estimate to include the
pay and supplies for her Majesty's naval and land farces
(whether regular or Indian army), and if they should con-
tinue in China to the above date, together with all charges for
transport freight, military stores, and coals. The noble
earl took the opportunity of referring to the military opera-
tions last year, and said the large expense had been in-
curred without the concurrence of Parliament. In the
estimates this year the sum of £2,500,000 had been put
down as the cost of the impending expedition to China,
but he thought it was altogether impossible to
say what sum would be sufficient to meet the
expenses up to the close of the financial year.
Even if the operations were brought to a conclusion
in the shortest possible time, the house ought to have, at
least, an approximation to the cost. It was all the more
necessary, because tho Government had entered on a great
expedition, in a distant country, without consulting Parlia-
ment on the point. It was said the other house had been asked
for £850,000 for expense already incurred, but no formal
application had been made by tho Government for the
sanction of Parliament to the course they had taken, and it
was as unjust to the nation as it was to Parliament thatit
should be saddled with an expensive war without being at
all consulted. The course that had been pursued might be
a convenient one for the Government, but it was one he
could not approve of. We were told that this expedition
had been undertaken to enforce the observance of treaties and
to obtain from the Emperor of China an apology for what '
had taken place at the mouth of the Peiho, but if an apo-
logy was all that was required, he could not help thinking
it could have been obtained without any such „expedition,
and if the apology was received he put it to the house whe-
ther it would not have been pail for very dearly by the outlay
of between five and six millions of money. Ho felt convinced
that every blow that was struck at China would sooner or
later be felt by ourselves ; and even if our successes were
quite complete, and the Government of China was over-
thrown, he for one thought such a result fraught with the
greatest calamity.

(LEFT SFEAKING.)

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-THIS EVENING
The SPEAKER took the chair at four o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The following bills were considered and ordered fat third
reading :—Consett District 'Water, Lincoln Heath and
Market Decping Roads, Stourbridge Railway, Wellington
(Salop) Water, and Inverness and Aberdeen Junction
Railway.

THE RECENT DEATH ON THE NORTH KENT

RAILWAY.

Mr. DEEDES moved an address for copy of a letter
(with its inclosures), from the Admiralty to the Home-
office, dated the 6th day of February, 1860, relative to the
death of a boatman on the North Kent Railway.—Ordered.