The Sun.
London, England, 1866-02-13 00:00:00

SUEZ CANAL.

Mr. SANDFORD asked the Under Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs whether the award of the Emperor of the
French in the affairs of the Suez Canal had been definitively
accepted; and, if so, whether her Majesty's Government
adhere to that award, and whether they would lay the
papers relating to it upon the table of the house ?

Mr. LAYARD said the award of the French Govern-
ment 1,, was not yet complete, and therefore e could not at
the present moment give the hon. member the information
he required.
TUE ELECTION FOR KING'S COUNTY—BREACH
OF PRIVILEGE.
3vl:z;.,,_'ZltTON called attention to what he considered
very grave breach of the privileges of Parliament.
rights of
The:
members elected to seats in that house had
been greatly violated, and some very stringent notice
ought to be taken of the matter. At the last elec-
tion for the, King'sa County, at which there were
throe candidates,d
made a return that for which the returning officer
Sir Patrick O'Brien had been selected,
u
it afterwards turned
ion
il the poll books being counted
p t h t
ad
That gentleman was prevel:Pon Mr. Pope Hennessey.
house in consequence of his ntla taking his seat in the
rno not having been re-
turned at the top of the poll
Under-Sheriff of
the county, who acted as returningyetffihe
mitt:carbon the occasion.
by the returning
Be characterised the blunders committed
and
imagined, tnextent of the
officer as a disgrace to a schoolboy,
evil, he said, could not be fully
hisPOsSeSaltblie
the mistake of a returning officer, it Was because, through
for a
Prime Minister to be kept from taking
sequence of the blunder of one of the returning °fan con_.
He moved that the Sheriff for King's county be' `'re•
called to
the bar of the house, and be examined with respect to the
matter.
The motion having been seconded,
Sir P. 0. BRIEN pledged his honour as a gentleman
that he believed that he had a majority of votes on the
occasion of the last election for the King's county. Ho
would say no more, but leave the house while the matter
was under discussion.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL thought the house
ought not to agree to the motion of the hon. member,
because there were rules laid down for their guidance,
which it would be unwise to depart from. In the matters
Of disputed elections a petition was to be presented
and recognisances entered into, and then a thorough in-
vigation was made into all matters connected with the
said.s eleetion. He did not think it would be advisable that
Practiceae ti should be altered and its place taken by an
axami. ct . race at the bar of the house. He thought
aft,r 4 an "°ll. member of that house had pledged his honour

that he believed he had been duly elected, the hon. mem-
ber for the Tower Hamlets would withdraw his motion.
Mr. AYRTON said, after the declaration of the hon.
member, he should not persevere with his motion.
The motion was then by leave withdrawn.
THE CATTLE PLAGUE BILL.

Sir G. GREY, in rising to bring in this bill, said it was
unfortunately but too true that the cattle plague had be-
come so prevalent that some action on the part of Parlia-
ment was urgently and immediately required. The right
hon. gentleman having alluded to the various efforts that
had been made to stay the plague withoutocuccess, said
meetings had been held all over the country, and one
of the last resolutions passed at the Council of the Royal
Agricultural Society, and which had been placed in the
hands of the Government that day, was that "no method
of dealing with the cattle plague at the present time
will be of any avail unless it provides for the immediate
slaughter and burial at least 6 feet deep of all cattle suffer-
ing from the disease ; making compensation to the owners
in such mode and extent as shall be considered advisable.''
That was the opinion of various important bodies, amongst
which was the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scot-
lane ; and as all efforts to arrest the progress of the disease
had signally failed, and all suggestions had failed to effect
a cure, it appeared to the Government that
the only way of stopping the dangerous disease was the
immediate slaughtering of all animals affected with the
terrible disease. (Hoar, hear.) It had been strongly
urged on the Government that during the exist-
ence of the cattle plague all imported cattle,
sheep and swine should be slaughtered at the port at which
they might be landed, and that their hides, skins, and fat
be disinfected there, but he might as well mention that
Ireland would not come under the general bill, but would be
dealt with in a separate measure. The bill of the Government
directed that the local authorities of counties and boroughs
should at once order that all animals affected by the dis-
ease should be slaughtered, and that adequate compensa-
tion be given. The scale of compensation would be lower for
animals affected in comparison with those not at present
visibly so. The scale of compensation would be two-thirds
of the value of the animals slaughtered. On the subject
of the removal of cattle the bill laid down statutory restric-
tions applicable to the whole of the country, leaving it open
to the local authorities to apply them. For a limited period
the removal of cattle by night would be entirely prohibited,
and there would be a general prohibition to move cattle at
other times except by licences given by the local authori-
ties under certain conditions. Instead of a penalty of £2O,
the driver would be liable to arrest, and the magistrates
would be empowered to direct the slaughter of the cattle
without compensation. The local authorities would be
empowered to declare a district infected, and upon their
notice being issued to that effect no further removals in
that district would be permitted under any circumstances.
The public sale of lean and store cattle would be prohibited
for a limited period, and no market for fat cattle would be
allowed to be held except with the licence of the local au-
thorities. No beast once brought to market should be re-
moved before being slaughterd, and in small boroughs the
ccncurrent licence of the county magistrate would be ne-
sary to holding a fair or market. The bill further provided
that foreign cattle should not be removed from the port of
entry before slaughter—with the exception of cattle from
Ireland, if they were immediately sent forward from the
port without passing into a market where they might meet
with infected cattle. On the difficult question of compen-
sation, which was to be retrospective, Sir George proposed
that two-thirds of it should be provided from the county-
rate, the remaining third by a cattle-rate net exceeding
five shillings per head, power being given to borrow
money from the Public Works Commissioners on secu-
rity of the rates, and a discretion being also vested in the
magistrates to remit tho whole or part of the rates in
cases where farmers had suffered severe losses. It was
also 'proposed to confer facilities for convening general
sessions for the purposes of the act. (Hear, hear.) Great
inconvenience had arisen from transferring these matters
from the special sessions to the quarter sessions.. It had
been suggested that the magistrates should have some
power vested in them of adjourning, from time to time, for
the purpose of dealing with this subject. He had a letter
addressed to him immediately after the holding of the
quarter sessions, telling him that the magistrates believed
they could not give effect to the law. To meet this diffi-
culty, it was now proposed to give power to two magis-
trates to sign a notice to the clerk for convening general
sessions, and that two days after such notice the sessions
should be held, and that session should have power to per-
form all the duties imposed on the local authorities in coun-
ties, by virtue of the present act. It was also proposed that
the local authorities should have power to appoint com-
mittees tergive effect to these provisions. These committees
were to assist the magistrates, and to give effect to the re-
gulations they had made. It was suggested that there should
be associated with the magistrates other persons—such as
tenant farmers, who might co-operate with them. (Hear,
hear.) The Lord Advocate would prepare a clause on
this subject as regarded Scotland, and they also thought it
desirable to give power for combined action between the
different local authorities. That principle was recognised
to some extent already, and they proposed to give the par-
ties in question the power of combining for this purpose,
and that the joint committee should have jurisdiction over
the combined district they represented. He now came to
one of the most important and one of the most difficult
subjects connected with the matter, namely, the fund which
was to be raised for compensation for animals slaughtered
by the local authorities, and for paying the expenses of the
county in dealing with the sui.ject. On this point they
had not been very much assisted by the expressions of
opinion en the part of those bodies who had given them
some really valuable and important information with re-
gard to the principle on which they ought to legislate, and 1
it was but natural that they should not commit themselves
to any specific propcsal. The deputation which he had re-
ceived from the conference held last week in St. James Hall,
and representing 44 counties in England and Scotland, dis-
tinctly said they had no opinion on the subject, but left it
to the consideration of the Government and the wisdom of
Parliament. But the Royal Agricultural Society, in their
4th resolution, distinctly pointed to the county rate as the
source from whence this fund should be derived. The
Scotch Chamber of Agriculture suggested that a portion of
the fund should come from local sources, and a portion
from the public funds. (Hear, hear.) The objections to
going on the consolidated fund appeared to him to be con-
clusive. Coming, then, to the local film], they had the
opinion of the Royal Agricultural Society that the county ;
rate should be the fund. The Scotch Chamber of Agricul- I
tura and the Highland Society were in favour of dividing
the burden, and they had the proposal from Scotland that
the rata should be levied on the lands and hereditaments,
which was, in fact, similar to a county rate, and that it
should be divided between the owners and occupiers. The
proposal made by the hon. member for Lincoln the other
night the Government thought was perfectly sound. It
was not the losses occasioned by the slaughter of those
animals, but the expense of carrying those provisions into
effect which were necessary for checking the disease which
ought to be borne to a certain extent by the whole com-
munity, because the whole community were interested in
checking the disease, though there ought to be a special
burden borne by those on whom the losses primarily and
immediately fell. (Hear.) The Government principle was,
that in the counties the county rate should furnish part of
the funds, and in boroughs the borough rate or borough
funds should furnish its propel tion, and that the proportion
in which the burden should fall upon these two funds should
be, as far as possible, two-thirds of the whole, leaving one-
third to be borne by the cattle owners. (Hear, hear.)
They had proposed clauses to carry out this suggestion.
What we propose with respect to a cattle rate is this, that
it shall be imposed on all cattle above one year old, that
it should not exceed in any one year ss. a-head for six
cattle, that it may be levied at intervals of six months, and
that power should be given to the local authorities, when
the rate exceeded a certain amount, to borrow money on
the security of the rate, either from private sources, or,
through the Commissioners of Public Works, from the
Treasury, repayable by instalments extending over a period
not exceeding seven years. With respect to the cattle rate
we think the provision should be made to prevent its fall-
ing too heavily on those who may have already suffered
by the plague, and that it should also fall not too heavily
upon occupiers of farms. He had now gone through the
main provisions of the bill, which, he hoped, would receive
the sanction of the house. There were several clauses in
the bill relating to Scotland ; but as he was not so con-
versant with the law and practice of Scotland as he was
with the law and practice of England, he had left these
clauses to be explained at a future stage by his right hon.
and learned friend the Lord Advocate. He bad been in
frequent communication with the Irish Government on the
subject, and though the disease, happily, had not existed
in Ireland, he thought it right that a bill should be pre-
pared for Ireland also, and his right honourable friends the
Attorney-General and the Solicitor-General for Ireland
were engaged in preparing a bill for Ireland. (Hear, hear.)
With regard to the second reading of the bill, he was in the
hands of the house. (Hear, hear.) The Government were
desirousl that the bill should be read a second time at the
earliest possible moment, and with that view he should fix
the second reading for Wednesday. (Hear, hear.) If, after
seeing the bill, it should be thought that further time was
required, it would bo impossible for the Government to
refuse it. (Hear, hear.) Their intention at present was to
proceed with the measure de dien in diem, as it was important
that the essential provisions of the bill should be passed at
the earliest possible period consistent with duo considera-
tion of so important a measure. (Cheers.)
111 answer to Mr. BRIGHT,
Sir G. GREY said that the fund for compensation would
beTleheaolly raised and locally administered.
HUNT having gone
geo.vneeinthtoateiot was mmittee,
clear from the state-
ment of the Home Secretary thatr, he had been educated by
of the last few days, and thwat.
the deputations which h waited upon him in the course
Still he was not satisfied with the stringency magnitude of the evil with which e wasth
at last awake to the
ne,yi:f the mea-
sure was afflicted.
sure now proposed, and should therefore
the bill of which he had given notice upon the tvltloe place
the same time he should consider the proposal of the. AGo-
vernment impartially with the view of converting it into a
measure that would make it effective for the purpose con-
templated ; and if lie found that it could not be improved
it would then be his duty to ask the house to reject it. lie

believed that if Parliament had been called together two
months earlier and a measure brought in by the Govern-

ment to stop the movement of cattle altogether, and stamp
out the disease wherever it existed, the cattle plague would
not have prevailed to half the extent that it now did. For
his part he would prohibit altogether the movement of live
stock by rail and road. The hon. member also criticised
the leading provisions in the bill of the Government, and
shadowed forth the details of a scheme which he thought
preferable for meeting the circumstances of the crisis.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER assured the
hon. member that Ministers would regard it as a great ad-
vantage to have his bill laid upon the table, but he pointed
out the inconvenience and delay that must arise if indivi-
dual members pressed their own peculiar views upon the
house. He exhorted them, therefore, not to lose precious
moments, but to render their assistance to the Government
in adopting effectual measures for putting a restraint upon
this great calamity.
Mr. NEWDEGATE was not disposed to cast unde-
served imputations upon the Government, but admitted
that in August, September, and October, notwithstanding
he had endeavoured to raise a note of alarm in his own
county, he was not responded to by his friends, and there
was no doubt that public opinion was at that time very
much divided on the subject. After the issue of theßoyal
commission, however, Ministers certainly showed less
promptitude and energy than the country had a right to
expect from them. With regard to the scheme before the
house, as it was designed not only to meet an emergency,
but comprehended provisions that were to last for years,
it would have been better if the Government had proposed
resolutions with regard to the cattle traffic and cattle im-
portations, and issued orders in Council upon such resolu-
tions without one day's delay. As he viewed the bill it
fell short of its purposes by reason of its not proposing to
regulate the cattle traffic by railway ; and the provision
with respect to the ports was defective, inasmuch as it did
not limit the number of ports at which cattle might be
disembarked, or provide for the establishment of a system
of quarantine.
_ _ _ _

In reply to a question of Mr. LEEMAN,
Sir G. GREY explained that the bill would provide
that the tenant should be permitted to deduct half the
amount of the special rate levied upon him from his rent,
and so divide the burden with his landlord.
Mr. C. BRUCE mentioned several points in respect of
which the bill was susceptible of improvement, especially
he thought that more improvement might bo derived from
the adoption of a proper system of disinfection than the
very rude method of pole-axing.
Mr. LIDDELL urged the danger likely to arise from
allowing the removal of town manure into the country.

Lord J. MANNERS blamed the Government for not
having convened Parliament for a winter session, and
concurred with Mr. Newdegate in thinking that it would
have been bettor to proceed in the first instance by resolu-
tion instead of by bill.
The discussion was continued by Lord R. Montagu and
Mr. Marsh.

Mr. G. HARDY admitted all the difficulties of the ques-
tion, and pitied those whose duty it was to initiate a mea-
sure relating to it; for to whichever side they turned there
were conflicting interests to be reconciled, and he thought
the way in which to reconcile them was this. The house
should bear in mind that they had to deal wit* question,
he alluded particularly to the movement of cattle—which
must be decided within a period of from four to six weeks ;
and on that ground he trusted the house would take upon
itself to say imperatively what should be done in that
period, and not leave the power proposed to be created by
the bill in the hands of the local authorities.
Sir C. RUSSELL spoke in favour of the establishment
of dead meat markets at railway stations, and mentioned
that the Great Western Railway Board had expressed their
readiness to provide facilities for the sale of the carcases
carried by them at the Paddington terminus.
Mr. AYRT ON hoped the Government would take into
consideration how the metropolis was to be dealt with—
whether it was to have a special authority conferred upon
it, or the justices in quarter sessions were to exercise a
divided authority over it.

Sir F. KELLY believed that oven now, by adopting
three distinct and intelligible measures, binding and com-
pulsory upon the whole kingdom, within ono month the
cattle plague would be at an end. These were, first, the
destruction of all stock infected; secondly, the isolation of
all animals suspected of being infected ; and, thirdly, the
absolute and immediate stoppage for one month of the
passage of all beasts from one part of the country to an-
other.

After a few remarks from the Lord Advocate, Mr. B.
Stanhope, Lord Burghley, and Colonel Barttolot,
Sir G. GREY, in reply, said one of the questions that
had been put to him was, who were the local authorities
who were to take charge of the act ? The local authorities
were the quarter or general sessions of each county. It
had been said that there was a want of unanimity in the
regulations made by the justices, and to a certain extent
that was true ; but it had been pointed out to the chair-
men of quarter sessions in October that it would be advis-
able for them to ascertain the opinion of the county for
the purpose of obtaining as much uniformity as possible.
Ho (Sir G. Grey) had also been asked for information in
regard to the proposal that committees should be formed.
The proposal was that the sessions should have the power
of appointing an executive committee, associating with
them a number of persons qualified, as the sessions should
determine, but possessing the essential qualification that
they should be rated occupiers of the district in which they
were to act. The hon. and gallant baronet the member for
Berkshire (Sir C. Russell), remarked that he (Sir G. Grey)
had asserted that an absolute prohibition had been en-
forced in no county. He (Sir G. Grey) did not think he
had quite gone to that extent. The hon. and gallant
member for Berkshire stated that in the county he repre-
sented an absolute prohibition had been enforced, but he
(Sir G. Grey) believed that so strict a prohibition had not
been adopted in any other county. And shortly of ter the
absolute prohibition was adopted in Berkshire the quarter
sessions met by adjournment and qualified that order by
certain exceptions which they found absolutely essential.
(Hear, hear.) They made exceptions for the purpose of
breeding, and exceptionsin the case of cattle removedfrom
one farm to another.

Sir C. RUSSELL—That was because the disease had
been stamped out of the county.
Sir G. GREY continued—The hon. and gallant baronet
had said that great facilities might bo afforded for substi-
tuting a dead meat market for a live meat market, and he
(Sir G. Grey) admitted that it was most desirable that that
change should be made ; but it would take a long time to
enforce it all over the country. He did not thinkit would
be possible to do it in a week or a month. There had been
some misunderstanding, too, as to what he had said with
regard to cattle from Ireland. What he meant to say
was, that cattle coming from Ireland were to
be subject to the same restrictions as other cattle coming
to the country. It had been said again by the hon member.
for Northamptonshire that they must have absolute, un-
conditional, immediate prohibition throughout the whole
of Great Britain, but after making this large assertion he
began to make exceptions, observing with regard to the
counties in Wales which were quite free from disease, that
it would be unreasonable to subject them to the same
regulations. (Hear, hear.) He thought they might trust to
the intelligence, the good sense, and the right feeling of
the magistrates to whom the execution of the act would be
committed as to the exceptions to be made. It was im-
possible to lay down rules that would be applicable to the
whole country, for what would suit one country might be
unsuited to another, and it was better to leave a discre-
tionary power with the local authorities. With regard to
what his hon. friend the member for the Tower Hamlets
had said, he might be allowed to remark that that district,
for the purposes of this act, was comprised in the area
known as the Metropolitan Board of Works district, which
was different to that comprised in the Metropolitan Police
district.

The ATTORNEY-GENERAL obtained leave to intro-
duce a bill to amend the law relating to the granting of
pensions to persons holding certain offices connected with
the administration of justice.
Mr. CHILDERS also obtained leave to bring in a bill
enabling the Public Works Loan Commissioners to make
advances towards the erection of dwellings for the labour-
ing classes in populous places.

Mr. HUNT obtained leave to bring in a bill to check the
spread of the cattle plague in Great Britain.
Lord PnonY, the Comptroller of her Majesty's House-
hold, brought up the reply of the Queen to the Address of
the Commons in answer to the Speech from the Throne.
The house adjourned at five minutes to 12 o'clock.

A COMPLIMENT OF THE STREETS STREETY.—III
the neighbourhood of the Strand, George-street, Villiers-
street, Duke-street, Of-alley and Buckingham-street —were
selected to commemorate the style and title of George
Villiers, Duke of Buckingham.
ADYERTISEMENT.I -Avoid medicines: they always aggra-
vate chronic complaints, but Du Barry's Delicieus Health-
Restoring Revalenta Arabica Food, which yields three times
the nourishment of the bat meat, saves fifty times its cost
in other remedies, and invariably restores perfect digestion.
strong nerves, sound lungs, healthy liver, pure blood, re-
freshing sleep, functional regularity, and energy to the most
disordered or enfeebled. We extract a few out of 60,000
Cures :—Cure No. 58,216, or the Marchioness de Brehan,
of seven years' liver complaint, wastin ; away, debility,
nervousness, Voith a nervous palpitation all over, bad diges-
tion, constant sleeplessness, and the most intolerable nervous
agitation.—Cure No. 1.771. Lora Stuart de Decies. Lord
Lieutenant of Waterford, of many years' dyspepsia.—No.
49,832. "Fifty years' indescribable agony from dyspepsia,
nervousness, asthma, cough, constipation, fiatulen y,
spasms, sickness, and vomiting.—Maria Jolly."—Cute No.
16,270. Mr. James Roberts, of Frimley, Surrey, of thirty
years' diseased lungi, spitting of blood, liver derange-
ment, and partial deafness.—Cure No. 47,121. Miss Elizabeth
Jacobs, of extreme nervousness, indigestion, gatherbgs, low
spirits, and nervous fancies.—Cure No. 54,816. The Rev. Jas.
T. Campbell, Fakenham, Norfolk, "of indigestion and torpi
dity of the liver, which had resiste i all medical treatment.'
In tins, 11b, 25 9d; 21b, 4s 61; Mb, ils ; 121 b, 225; 241 b,
10s.—Barry Du Barry and Co., No. 77, Regent-street, London ;
also Phillips, tea dealers, 8, King William-street ; likewise
at 61, Gracechurch-street ; 4, Cheapside ; 49, Bishopsgate-
street Within ; 63, 150, and 298, Oxford-street ; 330, Strand ;
54, Upper Baker-street; 103, ottenham-court-road ; 96,
Upper-street, Islington, N.; Harvey, Notting-hill; Close
Brothers, 65, High-street; and Stubbs, Queen's-terrace, St.
John's-wood, London; and all respectable grocers and che-
mists.—Beware of spurious imitations.