The Sun.
London, England, 1866-02-07 00:00:00

he world. He expressed a hope that the relations
between this country and the United
States would continue on a permanent basis.
He congratulated the house on the treaty
concluded with the Emperor of Austria
and our friendly relations with foreign Powers. The
outbreak in Jamaica was a matter to be deplored,
but under the circumstances the Government had
adopted the best course that was open to them
by the appointment of a commission com-
posed of members whose character was a
guarantee of the manner in which they would dis-
charge their duty,and whose appointment must give
satisfaction to the country. He did believe that
there was a deeply-rooted and widely-organised
conspiracy amongst. the native population in Ja-
maica against the white population, and that the
Governor acted wisely. He adverted to the other
points in the Royal Speech.
Lord MORLEY, in seconding the motion for the
Address, paid an eloquent tribute to the memory of
the late venerable Premier, and, above all, dwelt
upon the heartfelt gratification with which the
country hailed the cessation of the civil war in
America, and which now allowed one of the greatest
branches of the Anglo-Saxon race to peacefully de-
velope their almost boundless resources and cement
the perfect freedom of their institutions. While de-
clining to express a definite opinion on the recent
events in Jamaica, he still could not help regretting
that a numerous class in this country had, on the
most insufficient evidence, prejudged the whole
question, and, without waiting for his defence, vir-
tually condemned Governor Eyre. He was not in-
clined to treat the Fenian conspiracy either with
contempt or alarm, and the attitude of all the re-
spectable classes in the sister country was calculated
to inspire the well-wishers of Ireland with every
ground of reasonable hope for its future. After a
brief allusion to the necessity of a well-considered
Reform Bill, and an urgent appeal to their Lord-
ships to adopt most stringent measures for stamping
out the cattle plague, his Lordship concluded by
seconding the Address.
The Duke of RUTLAND wished strongly to call
the attention of their Lordships to the last portion
of her Majesty's Speech, which referred to the cattle
plague. All that was yet known about that terrible
disease was that they had no remedy for it, and
that the only chance was trying prevention, for trying
a cure seemed hopeless. He contended that the
Government had full information of the approach
of the rinderpest, and also of its dreadful nature,
yet they took no steps against its coming here, nor
had they taken any proper precautions since it had
come. Even at this late hour, however, it might not
be too late to induce her Majesty's Government to
wake from their slumbers, and, by utterly prohibit-
ing the movement of cattle, either stop its spread,
or at least confine and limit its ravages to places
already infected.
The Duke of RICHMOND also condemned the
supineness of the Government in the same matter,
and showed by the Report of the Royal Commis-
sion that the Government were aware that the
plague was steadily coming as far back as 1859.
Since it broke out in the country, Professor Symonds
thought that the Orders in Council had tended to
spread the disease more rapidly than it would have
naturally progressed had it been left alone.
Lord FEVERSHAM blamed the Government in
very severe terms for not having taken a more de-
cided course in dealing with the cattle plague. It
wasa grave national question, and he felt bound to
move a resolution declaring that it was the duty of
the Government to assume the responsibility of en-
forcing uniformity of action onthe subject through-
out the country.
Lord ESSEX heartily agreed with what had been
said by the previous speaker, and called upon the
Government to say what they were prepared to do
in the matter.
Lord WINCHILSEA thought the plague was due
to the introduction of cattle from abroad without
proper precautions, and in a lively speech maintained
that the Government had mismanaged the matter.
Lord GRANVILLE vindicated the course taken
by the Government. Did any one mean to say that
it was possible as early as last July to stop both the
importation and traffic of cattle ? It was not until
late in July that the existence of the rinderpest was
known in this country. From that date the Govern-
ment and the Home-office took the most stringent
precautions to prevent the spread of the disease, and
every step they took was heartily approved by the
late Lord Palmerston, who, up to within one week
of his lamented death, employed all ;the energies of
his active mind in considering various schemes and
measures to avert the spread of the calamity with
which they were threatened. The example of foreign
Governments had been held up to her Majesty's Mi-
nisters, but Austria had utterly failed in stamping
out the disease. Prussia, it was true, succeeded, and
so had France, but under the Constitution under
which we lived no Government or body of Ministers
had the power which was exercised individually by
the Emperor of the French or the King of Prussia.
With regard to the course which the Government
intended to pursue, he might state that at the earliest
period they meant to bring in a bill which he thought
would meet all the requirements of the case as to
the traffic in cattle, though, of course, he did not
feel at liberty to anticipate the disclosure of the
enactments it was intended to propose.
Lord CARNARVON thought that the defence
of the Government was worthless. If they lacked
constitutional powers to enforce such rules as might
have checked the course of the disease, they should
have called Parliament together to apply for them.
Instead of that, however, Parliament had been called
later this year than it had been assembled for many
years before. The cattle plague was the greatest
national calamity which had fallen on the country
for years, and the Government had done absolutely
nothing to check or mitigate it.
Lord ABERCORN censured the Government
for flat having acted earlier, and with more rigour,
against the Fenian conspirators. He thought that
the undue leniency shown to some who had recently
been tried, but who had previously been convicted
of sedition years ago and pardoned, was one among
the many causes which had raised such a crop of
conspirators as now seemed spread throughout the
lower classes of Ireland.

Lord GREY, reverting again to the subject of
the cattle plague, strongly blamed the Government
for their extraordinary laxity in not having taken
greater precautions than they had done against its
spread. When they saw, as they soon could have
seen, that there was no cure to be depended on but
prevention, they had ample powers to have placed
such restrictions on the traffic and sale of cattle as
might, if done two months ago, have averted the
dreadful evil which was beyond all doubt becoming
worse with the lapse of every day. He felt it his
duty to say that both the want of judgment and
the want of vigour displayed by the Government
had laid them open to the severest censure. With
regard to the proposed Reform Bill, he confessed he
had been much alarmed at the rumours that Lord
Russell had been induenced and guided by the
advice of a distinguished member of the House of
Commons. If the changes which that hon. member
in his speech at Rochdale enumerated as necessary,
and as stepping stones to others still more radical,
were ever submitted to Parliament and the country,
he was confident they would be scouted by both alike.
If the proposed reform merely meant a reduction of
a
the franchise, and no other change, it would be a
sham and delusion, unless it was only meant

-
lever with which hereafter to effect other and more

dangerous changes.

The Duke of ARGYLL wished to recall the at-
tention of the house to the real question before it,
which was that of the cattle plague. The Govern-
ment, he maintained, had been rather ahead of pub-
lic opinion than behind it in their adoption of pre-
ventive measures. They had certainly gone nearer
to a uniformity of action than those who now sought
to censure them, each of whom came forward with
a different plan, and each of whom seemed to think
that the local laws which answered well in their

• • -- -- ---
own counties would be equally applicable to—all
England.

The Earl of DERBY—My lords, I can scarcely hope to
see the practice adopted here which prevails in some neigh-
bouring countries, of considering an Address in answer to
a Speech from the Throne paragraph by paragraph ; but it

must be admitted that, according to the practice we pur-
sue, it is extremely difficult to enter on a fair discussion of
the topics introduced in the Speech. Their multitude and
variety render the diecuesion of each &mot TleCeo6arily