The Sun.
London, England, 1859-03-19 00:00:00

DECIMAI. CURRENCY.

Mr. BEAMISH asked when the report of the royal com
missioners on decimal currency, appointed in 1855, was ex-
pected to be laid on the table?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said he
must express not only regret, but surprise, that this report
had not been laid on the table. There were three commis-
sioners—Lord Monteagle, Mr. Hubbard, and Lord Over-
stone; and he was bound to say, in justice to the latter,
that his report was prepared, and was quite ready to be
laid on the table. He trusted that the inquiry of the hon.
member might lead to the early production of the reports of
the other members of the commission.
HARBOUR MASTERS OF THE THAMES.

Alderman SALOMONS asked if the Board of Trade had
received information from the conservancy board of the
river Thames as to the removal of the harbour-master's
office from the river side at East Greenwich to an office at
Tower-hill ; and if so, on what grounds of public conveni-
ence such removal had been determined ?
Lord LOVAINE said that no official information had
been received by the Board of Trade on this subject. He
understood that there were two harbour-masters, the duties
of one of whom bad been transferred to another office ; and
hence the removal of the office.
CHICHESTER HARBOUR

General CODRINGTON wished to ask the Secretary to
the Admiralty whether the public objection of the Admi-
ralty to the embankment of Chichester harbour, as notified
to this house on 14th February last, had been removed ; if
so, on what grounds,„ and whether he could lay on the table
of the house the written consent of the board ?
Mr. CORRY said the Admiralty had the strongest ob-
jection to the proposal, and it would be his duty to oppose
it on the next stage of the bill.

THE, CASE OF MR. BARBER.
In reply to Mr. BRADY,
Sir S. NORTHCOTE said the Government had the case
of Mr. Barber under consideration for a considerable time,
Mind found great difficulty in dealing with it. In the first
-place, they felt that it would be wrong to lay down a prece-
dent that might prove injurious in similar eases. But on
the other hand, as Mr. Barber's case had been considered
by a committee which made aunanimous report in his favour,
the Government, after weighing various suggestions,
thought the best course to adopt was to propose a vote of
money for Mr. Barber in the estimates, not by way of com-
pensation for what he had suffered, but as some acknow-
ledgment that he had suffered considerably.
WEST INDIAN IMMIGRATION.
On the motion of Mr. BUXTON the following returns wore
ordered :—Returns up to the present date, of all loans made
by the British Government, or guaranteed by it to the seve-
ral West Indian colon 4, British Guiana, and Mauritius,
for immigration purpogrs, and of any amounts which the
colonies have repaid on account of such loans, distinguish-
ing the sums loaned or guaranteed to or repaid by each
colony; and of the amount each of those several colonies
has voted for immigration purposes, specifying the amounts
paid for importation and for back passage.
SUPERANNUATION BILL.
On the motion for (voing into committee on this bill,
Sir S. NORTIICOTE said that as set, oral hon. gentle-
men had put questions to him with regard to this bill, it
would perhaps save time if he were to make a short state-
ment previous to the house going into committee The Su-
perannuation Act of 1834 was based upon this principle,
that it laid down a scale of superannuation allowance to be
granted to officers who belonged to departments named in a
certain schedule appended to the act: There was' a provi-
sion in the act which enabled the Treasury to bring new
departments within the terms of the act, and several de-
parttnents had been brought within its provisions. The
act of 1834 also contained a clause which made it necessary
for officers, before they could become entitled to the benefit
of superannuation, to pay 5 per cent, and 21 per eent.•
towards the expenses of their own superannuation, and in
consequence of the reluctance of officers to pay that deduc-
tion, a considerable number of them had not been browlit
within the act.' When these offieera came to retire, air
were not strictly entitled to compensation, it
w
that
gfeltey
it would be hard to exclude officers who
had
though they
aadosu
served Jong and faithfully from the benefit of the