The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-25 00:00:00

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SOUSE OF COMMONS-LAST EVENING.
The SPEAYER took the chair at 4 o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS

The following bills were read a third time and passed:
—Barry Harbour, Brynmawr Gag, Chester and West
Cheshire Junction Railway, Edgware, Highgate, and Lon-
don Railway, Hounslow and Metropolitan Rail-
way, Launceston and South Devon Railway, Leeds Im-
provement Acts Amendment, Ryde Gas, South Devon
Railway, Stourbridge Improvement, Thetford and Wat-
ton Railway, and Wivenhoe and Brightlingsea Railway.
NEW MEMBERS _

-
Mr. M. CHAMBERS and Lord Emort took the oath and
their seats for Devonport.
Lord 0. FrrZGERALD took the oath and his seat on his
re-election for Kildare.
COLONY OF VICTORIA.

In reply to Lord R. MONTAGU,
Mr. CARDWELL said he would be happy to lay the
papers on the table so far as they go. There had appeared
in the newspapers an intimation that the difficulty had
met with solution, but the Government had not yet received
information to that extent.
GOVERNMENT BALANCE SHEETS.
Sir J. HAY asked the Secretary of State for War whe-
ther he was aware that the " balance sheet" submitted by
the Royal Gun Factory to a committee of the late Parlia-
ment +' on Ordnance" had since been found to be erroneous;
and if he would lay upon the table of the house a cor-
rected balance sheet of that date, to be appended to the
report of that committee ?
The Marquis of HARTINGTON said he had given an
answer some evenings ago to a similar question. It was
quite tine that an alteration had been made in the manner
of drawing up of the balance sheets, but he could not go the
length of saying that the balance-sheets already presented
were erroneous. He did not therefore think it expedient
to make out fresh balance-sheets in place of those referred
to by the hon. and gallant member, therefore he had none
to lay on the table man.
COLONIAL BISHOPRICS BILL.

Mr. WALPOLE said the Colonial Bishoprics Bill was at
present fixed to come on on Thursday next, but he thought
that was too early for the discussion to be taken ; he there-
fore had to ask the right hon. gentleman that he would
arrange to postpone the matter, and that on that day, in
place of moving the second reading, he would state the
day on which he intended to do so.
Mr. CARDWELL said he would not bring forward the
measure on Thursday next, and he would endeavour to
comply with the desire of the right hon. gentleman.
CATTLE DISEASE IN IRELAND.

On reply to Sir A. AGNEW,
3lr. BRUCE said the Privy Council was now in com-
munication with the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and he
had no doubt an order would soon be issued to prevent the
spreading the disease in Ireland.
CHURCH RATES.

On the motion of the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHE-
QUER, the bill for the abolition of compulsory church
rates was read, for the purpose of being postponed until
Wednesday next.
THE PROPOSED CONGRESS.
Mr. DISRAELI asked whether her Majesty's Govern-
ment had any communication to make to the house with
respect to the proposed Conference at Paris, and whether
it was true that her Majesty's Government had acceded to
the invitation to take part therein. There was also a
statement in an evening newspaper which had hitherto
been looked upon as a semi-official organ, to the effect
that the great difficulty, viz., territorial compensation to
the Powers of Austria, Prussia, and Italy had been ar-
ranged.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said he
should have been glad to have given a more perfect and
concise answer to the question had he received notice from
the right hon. gentleman of putting it. Up to that morn-
ing ho had not received an: communication by which he

could add anything to the statement made by his
noble friend the Secretary for Foreign Affairs in another
place. The Government had entertained the proposal for
a conference of the great Powers in Europe in order if
Possible to prevent the calamities of war, and their earnest
desire and sanguine hope is that such a result might be
brought about. He could not say the terms of congress had
been adjusted, but he did not see any reason that diffi-
culty would arise as to the adjustment of those terms.
With respect to the statement published in a newspaper,
referred to by the hon. gentleman opposite, according to
his information, it went beyond the state of facts.

CUSTOMS AND INLAND REVENUE BILL.

In reply to an Hon. Member,

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, in refe-
rence to the motions of the hon. member for Buckingham
on the Customs and Inland Revenue Bill, and the hon.
member for Dudley on the Terminable Annuities Bill, with
a view to obtain a reduction of the fire and marine
insurances, said that if the house did not determine the
question on the motion for the hon. member for Bucking-
ham, the hon. member for Dudley ought to have an oppor-
tunity of raising his question onthe Terminable Annuities
Bill.

On the motion that the bill be read a. second time,
Mr. HUBBARD moved that it was inexpedient to retain,
as part of the inland revenue for the service of the year, the
present
duties on fire and marine insurances, which wore
unjust in their incidence on property, and injurious to
thi national industry. The hon. gentleman took the
opportunity of going into the Government profits, and
said that ho considered. that the fairest and best manner of
devoting the small surplus was by remitting 6d. of the
fire duty, and reducing the duty ou marine insurance to
3d. per £lOO.

Mr. MARSH seconded the resolution. He said the mo-
tion opened up the whole of the Government proposals
contained in the financial statement made by the right
hon. gentleman the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Some
of the proposals he thought would be very beneficial,
especially that for equalising the duty on foreign
wines in cask and also in bottle, because he
anticipated the best results. With respect to the plan for
the paying of the national debt, that was a matter of the
highest importance, and he thought the house ought to
pause before it tied itself down to a particular project for its
gradual reduction. The proposal of the Chancellor of the
Exchequer, it seemed to him closely allied to the old sink-
ing fund return, which had resulted in thorough and com-
plete failure. He did not think the house would be acting
wisely if it finally determined to pay £1,000,000 a year for
a very long period, let whatever crisis arise.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, although
admitting that the marine insurer had an urgent claim for
reduction of duty, did not think that the fire insurer had
the same claim, inasmuch as it was a tax upon property.
The revenue returns would, however, not admit of any re-
mission of insurance duties at present.
After a few words from Mr. WHITE and Mr. HENLEY,
the motion was negatived without a division.