The Sun.
London, England, 1866-04-17 00:00:00

THE PROBATE COURT.

Mr. MONK asked the Secretary to the Treasury whe-
ther the proposals submitted to the Treasury by the Judge
of the Court of Probate for the future regulation of the
salaries and emoluments of the clerks and officers of that
court embraced the district registries.
Mr. CHILDERS said the proposals related to the prin-
cipal registry

Tll E ROYAL ACADEIIY.
Mr. GREGORY asked the First Commissioner of Works
whether he had received any communication from the
President of the Royal Academy on the subj set of changes
in the constitution of the academy ; whether that corn-
munic-ition had been approved of by the Government ; and
whether be would order it to be laid before the house ?
Mr. COWPER said a letter had been received from the
President of the Royal Academy, announcing- that the
Council of the Academy had determined to make certain
alterations, in accordance with the opinions expressed by
Government, to render it more in accordance with the
-ivuts of the present time. The proposals of the Academy
wore approved
te l
ayo
the
hbeythe correspondenceG over nmenntn. t
hHeesho table.ul d have no
Mr. BEAUMOPNR
objection
TUSaaSklAnd AtnNeDunldTeAr ITALY.
for Foreign Affairs of State
statement to besubstantially
whether he had reason to believe the
Liam as to the alleged
correct inithe Neues Frentden-
fensive, between ed treaty of alliance, offensive and &-
Mr. LAYARD had Prussia and Italy ?
was correct. The no reason to believe the statement
Government had received no such in-
formation.QUEEN'S UNIVER
11r. S. AY TOUN asked the
(IRELAND).
Home Department whether iteN Secretary of State for the
vernment to bring in a bill vas the intention of the Go-
the purpose of granting a duringnewetke present session for
University in Ireland, or of altering treter to the Queen's
senate • and, if so, whether the bill composition of the
an early period of the session ? would be brought in at
Sir G GREY said he hoped to be able to introducethe
bill at an early day. There were certain matters to be
in-
quired into which at present prevented hire doing so. THE STATE OF DUDE.
Colonel FRENCH asked the Under Secretary of State
for India whether, with reference to the pledge which had
been given to this house that all the public and bona fuze
claims against the State of Ou
de would • be•paid out of the
revenues of the country, it was the intention of her Ma_
jesty's Government to support the report of the commission
appointed by the Governmeht of India to investigate end
report upon the cases of the several claimants, or what
steps were intended to be taken for the purpose of adjust-
ing the same ?
Mr. STANSFELD said the report of the cases Was not
yet complete, and therefore he was precluded from giving
the hon. gentleman a definite answer.
THE DOCKYARD ARTISANS—THE REFORM
BILL.
.. . _ _ _

Mr. OTWAY asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer
whether the Government adhered to its intention of dis-
franchising tho artisans iu her Majesty's dockyards,
arsenals, and factories ?

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said it was
inexpedient to give answers at the present moment as to
what course the Government proposed to take upon cer-
tain clauses of the bill now under the attention of the
house.

THE MALT TAX.
Sir P. KELLY rose to move the following resolution :
—" That upon any future remission of indirect taxation,
this house will take into consideration the duty upon malt,
with a view to its immediate reduction and ultimate re-
peal." The hon. and learned gentleman took the oppor-
tunity of going at some length into the question of the
repeal of the malt tax. He said the Government had re-
duced the duties on bricks, timber, glass, cotton, wool, corn,
flour, soap, cattle, and provisions of every description, yet
the poor man's only comfort, if it could not be called a
necessary, was still subject to an oppressive and unjust
tax. The duty on wine, an article of foreign produce,
and consumed only by the rich, had been greatly
reduced, yet,malt, three-fifths of the whole manufactured
was consumed by the poor, and still maintained a high and
unjust figure. The effect of a reduction of the tax would
be to give the poor man good beer instead of bad, and that
fact alone, he thought, ought to weigh greatly iu favour of
his motion. If the malt tax was repealed, he believed
he was quite correct in stating that beer could be pur-
chased at one-third less than the price now paid.
[LEFT SPEARINGI