The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-16 00:00:00

BILL.

The report of the amendments to this bill were brought
up and agreed to.
SELLING AND HAWKING GOODS ON SUNDAY

BILL.

Lord CHELMSFORD moved that the house should go
into committee on this bill.

Lord TEYNHAM moved that the bill should be com-
mitted that day six months, and presented several petitions
against the measure. He said that in the metropolis no
less than 20,000 were dependent for support on Sunday
trading, which prevented them going to the workhouse.
The injurious effects of the bill throughout the
country would be most injurious to the inte-
rests of a very poor and industrious class, who
were almost solely dependent on their dealings, on the
Sabbath. Practically regarded Sunday trading was a
necessity, and he contended that the argument of the
noble and learned lord who introduced the bill derived
from the fact of wages being paid on Friday, and the half
holiday on Saturday, in no way affected the classes who I
were interested in the continuance of Sunday trading.
Lord CHELMSFORD, after protesting against what he I
described as the unusual course of opposing the committal
of a bill which had passed its second reading without a
division, remarked that the objections of Lord Teynham
were contradictory and inapplicable. The suggested cases
of possible hardship could be dealt with in committee,
where power could bo given to magistrates to award at I
their discretion penalties under a certain maximum amount.
The bill sought to create no new law, but to render effi-
cient the law which had existed in this country for two
centuries. Its aim was not to oppress any class of indivi-
duals, but to relieve large bodies of tradesmen who were
now compelled in their own defence, against the selfish'
greed of a few, to forego the enjoyment of a day of rest,
which was so useful and so beneficial to all mon.
The Bishop of CARLISLE, while approving the object
of the bill, could not give it his support, because, in his
udgment, with the numerous exceptions it contained, the
passing of this measure into law would be giving a legis-
lative sanction to all those exceptional tmdings on the
Sabbath. . .

Lord HAREOWBY pointed out the absolute necessity
of making somo exceptions to a general prohibition of
selling on Sundays in the interest of the poor dwellers in
London and other large cities.

The Duke of ARGYLL supported the bill, and, after a
few words from the Bishop of OXFORD,
The amendment was negatived, and the house went into
committee upon the bill.
The various clauses of the bill underwent considerable
discussion, and several divisions took place, but no material
changes were introduced.
Several other bills also passed through committee.

Lord CARNARVON, upon a formal motion for corre-
spondence, called attention to the recent outbreak of
cholera at Liverpool among German emigrants, and, ex-
pressing an:opinion that the orders issued by the Priry
Council were insufficient, recommended that measures
should be taken by providing hulks for the aceommoda-
tion of the emigrants arriving. from Germany to isolate
them from the inhabitants on shore.

Lord GRANVILLE pointed out tho difficulty of estab-
lishing at once a complete system of quarantine, even sup-
posing that such a system would be an effective preventive
to the spread of cholera. He stated the various steps that
had been taken, and especially that the Government had
instructed the British Consuls to make known that ship-
owners here would not receive German emigrants on board
their ships.

The Duke of SOMERSET added that the number of
hulks at the disposal of the Admiralty suitable for hospital
purposes was very limited, but one had been placed at
Cork, another at Plymouth, and a third in the Thames.
The returns moved were then agreed to.
THE BOMBARDMENT OF VA.LPARAISO.

Lord HOUGHTON askM the first Lord of the Admi-
ralty what instructions were given to Admiral Denman
with respect to the blockade of the Chilian ports ? Serious
hostilities had for some time existed between Chili and
Spain,which had resulted in the bombardment of Valparaiso
by a Spanish fleet. The bombardment had occasioned a '
great destruction not only of Chilian, but of British and !
other foreign goods. With regard to the act itself, it did I
not become him to offer any remarks. It might be within I
the rules of war, but he thought it was not usual to bom-
bard a city that made no defence. His question referred to
the conduct of a British admiral who was well known in
this country, and whose conduct on the West Coast of
Africa, when placed in a position of great difficulty, had
certainly not erred on the side of want of enterprise. The
British merchants at Valparaiso, having lost a large
amount of property, were naturally annoyed, and seemed
to imagine that the conduct of Admiral Denman had not
been what it should be. They had held a meeting after
the bombardment, in which they passed resolutions con-
demnatory of his conduct, alleging that he had given some
assurance that the British and American fleets would inter-
fere to prevent the blockade. He believed that Admiral
Denman had but one ship, and that a wooden ono, while
the flagship of the Spanish admiral was an ironclad. The
ultimate fact was that the British admiral had declined to
interfere, even with the support of the American commo-
dore, who had an ironclad turret-ship, in any defensive
manner between the Spanish fleet and the Chilian authori-
ties. He desired that justice might be done to all parties,
and therefore he would abstain from all comment, and I
simply put the question which he had submitted to the I
First Lord of the Admiralty.
The Dake of SOMERSET said he would state what were
the instructions originally given to the senior officers in
Chili. The present instructions were sent out as early as the
17th November, when her Majesty's Government first
heard that there was a blockade on the coast of Chili.
The Lords of the Admiralty then communicated with the
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and sent out to the
officer in command tha
t me instructions which the Fo-
reign Office had sent out the British resident in Chili.
Those instructions were toe this effect :—" Her Majesty's
Government rely on your using
your utmost exertions for
the protection of the lives and property of British subjects,
but you will be careful not to transgress
rrteaslss the limits of in-
tervention admissible to strict n
Government will be prepared to approve' the Her Majesty's
any friendly influence which you may bring to bearexe within
those limits to bring about a cessation of hostilities e
till
reference can be made to the Spanish Government." That
was sent to the naval officer on the station. At that time
Admiral Denman was not on the coast of Chili. He was
in the North ; but on his way down, while at Panama, in-
structions were sent to him from the Admiralty drawing
his attention to the fact that the neutrality hitherto ob-
served by Commodore Harvey with regard to hostilities
had been fully approved by their Lordships, and desiring
him in like manner to observe the strictest neutrality, and
at the same time to give all the assistance in his power to
the British Charg6 d'Affaires in Chili, in endeavouring to
protect British interests and settle a dispute which had
been so prejudicial to them. Their lordships would see
that
be
atby those instructions Admiral Denman was ordered
strictly neutral between the contending parties. If,
therefore,
he had proposed to prevent the bombardment of
the city, it was
obvious he would have been taking an ac-
tive part on one
contravention of side,th and would have been actingin direct
occurred was ti)shistructions given to him. What had
communication IhwzAdthmiral Denman had been in
American force, who head senior officer of the
that similar instructions to
his own ; but they thought bombardment of the
town, if done suddenly, Nvouldbetheattended with so much
cruelty and loss of life satt
arrange-
made notice
ment that if the attack wreme: made- an
without
and children
being given to the town, so that
prevent the
might be removed, they would interfereeut
bombardment. Even that measure of o
humanity was be-
yond the instructions of Admiral Denman. Four days,
notice, however, was given of the bombardment •
havethe
conditions, therefore, which in his
,pinion
would.
justifi.el fere,' no longer existed, end
"" I by the
letter of his instructions, he enuld not do anythin; but
witlelriee, and ellcw the Spanish vessels to fire Upon the
town if they threight proper. In conseenence of the
withdrawal of the inhabitants there had been little or no
leas of life. Oely two persons who had remained to look
after some property were killed. The bombardment was
principally directed against the Custom House; but being
in the midst of a vast amount of foreign property, great
loss, he was afraid, had fallen on foreign merchants. With'
-regard to that he might observe that the English Charg6
d'Affaires recommended the removal of foreign goods from
the Custom House, and had communication with the
Chilian authorities, who had agreed-to allow the goods to
be removed on certain conditions. The niorchAnts, how-

ever, considered these conditions were vexatious, and as
they believed no attack would take place on a defenceless
town, they left their goods in the Custom House, where
they were destroyed.
After a few words from Lord DI7NSANY, and a brief
reply from the Duke of SOMERSET, their lordships ad-
journed at a quarter to nine o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS--LAsT EVENING.
The SPEAKER took the chair at 4 o'clock.
THIRD READINGS.
The following bills were read a third time and passed:—
Swindon, Caine, and Cucklorde Roads ; Weardale and
Sheldon District Water.
THAMES AND SEVERN CANAL NAVIGATION