The Sun.
London, England, 1858-03-13 00:00:00

PUBLIC BUSINESS.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER—I will
also take this opportunity, with the permission of the
house, to indicate the course which we propose to take
with respect to public business. The requirements of the
public service are at this moment so urgent that we shall
have to appeal to the cordial assistance of the house to
enable us to carry even those measures which are abso-
lutely necessary for the service of the country. There
are at this moment supplies to be granted for the service
of the present expiring financial year, and it will also be
necessary to go into committee of supply with reference
to what will be immediately necessary for the financial
year ensuing. The house will remember that at the close
of last session of Parliament, in the month of August
last, in consequence of the rebellion in India, a bill was
passed, permitting her Majesty to embody the militia
under circumstances different from those which were
contemplated by the then existing law. By the then ex-
isting law her Majesty could not embody the militia un-
less the country was in fear of an invasion, or was actu-
ally at war. In August last we were not at war, but the
house thought that under the circumstances of the case it
was necessary to give her Majesty power to embody the
militia without reference to the conditions imposed by
law. Now, the state of affairs in India are not such as
to render it prudent to withdraw that power from her
Majesty, and we therefore propose to ask the house to
continue the act of last year. One consequence of the
passing of that act in August last, however, has been
that a considerable expenditure was incurred beyond that
contemplated in the estimates when they received the
approbaticn of the house. A vote of 200,0001. was taken
for the militia ; but the expenditure which has been in-
curred in consequence of the act of August last I should
take to be about 700,000/. ; and it will, therefore, be as-
cessary to pass a supplementary vote for the present
financial year, in order to meet the increased expenditure
on account of the militia. That vote has been presented
to you to-night, hut, of course, we cannot pass it in a com-
mittee of supply till Monday. With regard to the supplies
to be granted to her Majesty
fer the coming financial year,
they must be voted before the Mutiny Bill can be in-
troduced ; and what we propose, therefore, to do, is to
take the course which has been usual under extraordi-
nary circumstances like those of the present year—viz.,
to ask the house to let us take the votes on account for
the great services of the country. It would, however,
be extremely difficult to pass the votes of ways and
means that would be the result of agreeing to those votes
on account, and also to pass the Mutiny Bill before
Easter. I trust, therefore, that the house will on Tues
day permit orders of the day to have precedence over
notices of motion..
I hope also that hon. gentlemen
will on this occasion forbear from any discussion on the
estimator,. Of course it is not, and never will be, our
desire to curtail discussion on the estimates, and if the
house will take the course I have
pointed out, will per-
mit the votes on account to be taken,
my right hon.
friends will postpone their exposition of the state of
their respective departments until the estimates are regu-
larly brought before the house, and then hon. gentlemen
will have an opportunity of proposing
those motions
which now appear upon the paper, and which, under
other oircutnstancee, they ht bare thought it their
duty at once to bring forward I trust the house will
consent to this proposal, by which, according to my
calculation, the votes of ways and means might be in-
troduced on Wednesday next ; but with the utmost for-
bearance on the part of hon. members, and by availing
ourselves ef every opportunity of pressing it forward,
we should not be able to carry the Mutiny Bill till the
end of the month. I hope that the suggestions I have
made will be agreeable to the house—that they will
allow us to go into supply and obtain thissupplementary
vote for the militia, to take votes on account for the
army and navy, and to permit orders of the day to have
precedence on Tuesday ; and then, I think, we shall be
able to accomplish before April the passing of those
measures which are absolutely necessary for the public
service of the country. (Hear.) I now take the liberty
to move that this house at its rising do adjourn to Mon-
day next.

THE OATHS BILL.
Mr. NEWDEGATE gave notice that in consequence
of the elevation of Sir F. Thesiger (now Lord Chelms-
ford) to the woolsack he should take upon himself the
noble and learned
lord
of
rde
to oppositionthe
ooathpursued
Oaths Bill
Bdloft by
henobtiha l
noble lord the member for
London.
et
es tnYd 's
ed t o Governmentcond u c
tot
the government of the country, seeing that
THE POLICY OF THE GOVERNMENT.
Mr. RICH
policycalleodn upon
onhetrhe Majesty's
learned gentlemen connected with the Government had
sod the house, calling
made different statements to their constituents on mat-
ters of great political importance. The country had a
right to such a statement from the peculiar circum-
stances under which the membersEofohAerGALl
public attention.
(Hear, hear.SY 8 Pre
on the Government to state their views on conspiracy,
pre-
seat
Mr.G opv.eron,muerznitEoNbtaailnsoedaodffidreees.
education, reform, church-rates, and many other ques-
Mr. KINGLAKE rose to call the attention of the
tions oTfHimEpocrAtanpcTeuthßatEwoerFe occupyingTH
house and of her Majesty's Government to the facts
which have now transpired respecting the capt`• 1 of the
Cagliari on the high seas by Neapolitan cruisers, to
the continued imprisonment of the English engineers,
Park and Watt ; and to ask the Under Secretary of
State for Foreign Affairs whether there wore any further
papers on the subject which without detriment to the
public service could be laid on the table of the house.
He trusted that he should be saved from the difficulty of
being regarded as .
disrespectful to the King of Naples.
able that He thought it very tmadvis
guale should be used in thathouse. At all events, he
it. The right he was endeavouring
would be no party to
that might be
to assert on the part of these
menSwtaas one
Europe. He
justly asserted by the humblest Englishmen te in
more than
did mot ask for any privilege for
others, but merely for that justice which was duo to a
iat
jAhaeßstili°.: and