The Sun.
London, England, 1866-04-25 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, APRIL 25, 1866,

aid not know how the hon. gentleman manufactured such

charges out of such slender materials. With regard to the
point of courtesy he felt some difficulty (a laugh)— for the
hon gentleman's standard was really so high that he must
candidly confess his inability to come up to it. (Laughter.)
Mr. FERRAND wished to explain. (Cries of " Order.")
The right hon. gentleman misquoted him, in attributing to

him the statement that the working people as they entered

the mill were required and ordered to sign the petition.
These words wore reported in the morning newspapers.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said tho
hon. member told them a short time ago that what ho had
said was that he understood the hon. member to say so and

so. The hon. member introduced the word "understand,"

and having made that tho ground of a separate and distinct
charge against him (the Chancellor of tho Exchequer), now

came forward and said he never used the word at all: Tho

hon. member dwelt very much upon the difference between
" intimation" that they should sign, and then being
" ordered and required" to sign, and then dragged head and
shoulders into the discussion another sto.ry of which ho
would say nothing of the propriety of introducing, except
that it was told for the purpose of proving that in the

opinion of the hon. member an intimation coming from so

harsh and austere a character was equivalent to an order.

(Hear.) Yet the hon. member did not see the inconsequence,
the solecism, the mistake, the error, the misapprehension
—(laughter)—into which he fell, and upon which was
founded the whole of this imputation, this mighty house of
_ _

cards, and with regard to which he had nothing to do but
give a single puff and the whole fell to the ground. Ho
believed the hon. member made his statement in perfect

good faith, but ho was anxious to know whether he was
ready to support it before the committee. It was a serious
allegation ; and, courtesy or discourtesy apart, the hon.
member ought either to amend his motion so as to include
an inquiry into the charge that the petition was tendered to
the working people with an intimation that they should sign
it, or he ought to withdraw the charge. (Hear, hear.) One
of these things he put positively and pointedly before the
hon. member, and he appealed to hon.members on the other
side as to whether that was not a fair alternative ? (Hear,
hear.) The hon. member found fault with him for neglect-
ing to eulogise the statement of the accuser. When the
allegations were proved before a committee he should be
prepared to agree that the hon. member had done service to
Parliament; but it was a mistake to give credit to an accuser
before his accusations were substantiated. The petitions
from Manchester and Salford stood upon a different foot-
ing to that from Harden, and the hon. member would do
well to consider the position in which he stood, before ask-
ing the house to appoint a committee in regard to those
petitions. It would be a very difficult thing to institute an
inquiry with regard to the genuiness of the signatures to a
petition, when that petition bore between 70,000 and
80,000 names. When they appointed a committee to exa-
mine into a charge of misconduct, they ought to have
before them somebody or other who was ready to take the
responsibility ; and though the hon. member derived his
information, as he had stated, from creditable persons, ho
had neither given their names nor stated that he would
undertake to prove the allegations. In the case of the
Harden petition, however, it was different. In that case
the hon. member said he had made personal inquiries, and
was prepared to take the responsibility of substantiating
the charges he made before a committee. The Govern-
ment, therefore, had no objection to accede to the motion
of the hon. member as far as that petition was concerned.
Mr. FERRAND rose to explain, amidst loud cries of
" Order, order."
Sir G. GREY said ho understood the hon. member had a
right.
The SPEAKER said ho thought the hon. member had
already made his reply. The hon. member had spoken
twice. (Laughter.)
Mr. FERRAND said he had drawn up his motion with
the full intention that every inquiry should be made to the
satisfaction of both sides of the house, and with that view he
had searched in the library for precedents. If the right hon.
gentleman was under the impression that the words were not
sufficient to secure the fullest inquiry, ho was quite ready to
amend his motion. His statement was confirmed by the
hon. member for Bradford, who admitted that the petition
was laid in the counting-house, and that when the people
went for their wages they were required to sign it.
Mr. FORSTER —I did not admit that it was signed when
they went to receive their wages. I know nothing on that
point. I distinctly contradicted the statement of the hon.
member, that there was any intimation that the workpeople
should sign it.
Mr. J. HARDY understood his hon. friend to say that it
was intimated to the workpeople that they might sign it.
Colonel EDWARDS suggested to his hon. friend that

the motion should be withdrawn—(laughter)—both on
account of the time it would require and the expense it
would entail, with very unsatisfactory, if not useless results.
Sir G. GREY said the hon. gentleman must take his own
course as to withdrawing or persevering, but the Chancellor
of the Exchequer must not be understood as recommending
the withdrawal of the motion as far as it regarded Harden,
with regard to which the hon. member had made specific
statements amounting to a breach of the privileges of the
house. As to that part, his right hon. friend had said
merely that the motion should be amended so as to include
the charge made by the hon. member against the millo wners.
Mr. WHITESIDE also urged his hon. friend to with-
draw the motion so far as it related to the Manchester and
Salford petitions.
Mr. FERIIAND was anxious to meet the wishes of the
house, and strike out all relating to Manchester and Salford.
The AT T OHNE Y-GENERA L suggested that the motion
should be amended by requiring the committee to inquire
whether the petition presented to the house on the 12th
April, 1866, purporting to come from the inhabitants of
Harden in the West Riding of Yorkshire, was the genuine
petition of the persons who signed it, and if so, under what
circumstances these signatures were affixed.
The original motion was withdrawn, and the amended
resolution was then agreed to.
HABEAS CORPUS.

number
re followingf
persons returns
confined
wereOn othrdeerati:ofßoefturnAir.
of 8Y
theN uAin the gaol of the county of Limerick up to the 18th day of
lt
April, 1866, under the provisions of the Habeas Corpus
Suspension (Ireland) Act; stating whether all or any of
said prisoners have been kept in separate confinement and
treated under the silent system since their committal ;
and, if so, specifying the number of hours they have been
confined in their cells, and the number of hours they have
been allowed for exercise each day ; and whether, during
such exercise, the silent system had been imposed;
whether said prisoners, or any of them, have been al-
lowed to communicate with their professional advisers, or
friends, relatives, or men of business ; and if so, whether
in the presence of the officers or governors of the prison,
and subject to their or his approve' or otherwise.
TRANSUBSTANTIATION AND DECLARATION
ABOLITION BILL.

On the order of the day for the second reading of this
bill,

Mr. 'WHALLEY wished to know what it meant. If
its object was what he understood it to be, it would in
effect recognise the power of the priests in a most im-
portant portion of the Roman Catholic Church service,
and thus at the same time the supremacy of a foreign
potentate in this country. (Oh, and laughter.)
Sir C. O'LOGIIEN hero interposed, to state that as there
was some misaprehension he should postpone the motion.
'lho motion was withdrawn accordingly.
SUPERANNUATIONS (OFFICERS, METROPOLI-
TAN VESTRIES AND DISTRICT BOARDS) BILL.
This bill was considered as amended, and after somo
further amendments was ordered to be read a third time.
PROSECUTION EXPENSES BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
EXCHEQUER AUDIT DEPARTMENTS BILL.

The house went into committee on this bill upon its re-
committal.
Mr. CHILDERS moved to omit the word "vouching"
in Clause 9, in deference to the opinion expressed on a for-
mer occasion by the right hon. gentleman the member for
Oxfordshire.
The amendment was agreed to.
The remainder clauses, with- amendments, were agreed
to, and the bill passed through committee.
:DRAINAGE AND IMPROVEMENTS OF LANDS

(IRELAND) BILL.
This bill passed through committee.
PARLIAMENTARY OATHS AMENDMENT BILL.
The consideration of the Lords' amendment to this bill
was postponed until Thursday, Mr. WHALLEY giving
notice that on that day he would move the insertion of tho
words " being Protestant" after the words " her Majesty,
her heirs, and successors."
CONTAGIOUS DISEASES (EXPENSES).
This bill passed through committee, the usual resolution
being agreed to that the moneys necessary for carrying
out the act should be provided out of money voted by Par-
liament.
The house adjourned at half-past ten o'clock.

A FOOLISH VISION.—Some time in the autumn
of 1864 two madmen and a dog understood to be sane
sailed from New York in a tiny two-masted vessel, named
the Vision, for England. Provisions for the crew to last
some two months were, if we remember rightly, taken on
board the Vision, which from stem to stern measured just
16ft. Once, and once only it appears, was anything hoard
of the voyagers after they set sail from New York ; the
Vision, it is said, was spoken to by another vessel in mid
Atlantic. A contemporary now announces that "an
empty barrel, with the name Vision' painted on it, has
been picked up between the coast of Africa and South
America"—which is rather a wide description. But no
doubt, we are assured, exists that this barrel belonged to
the little vessel in question ; so that, perhaps, more has
come back to the world from this foolish enterprise than
any reasonable being imagined would come back.
rADVERTISEMENT.I—HoIIoway's Ointment and Pills.—
Redemption from Disease.—The hidden cause, the un-
suspected source of many a wasting sickness and failing
strength, have been developed. by these admirable Pills,
phlasicartieesncueodf tmhaenyoinvtamlueanbtletolivtla,es malady thus
thus
discovered has rescued many valuable lives from a con-
forms-under which they afflict mankind, such as fistulas,
torture and premature end. Piles,. in all the many
d-to lasting cure.
stdaitninr:diuccoetti.ivt.hireeer inflammations, ulcerations, internal, external,
both
are ointment and pills are innocent in composition.
a state recent orof chronic,ease,
and are
thence thus
.sacfoenlyduacntpd speedily
helping, never
in operation, and assist each other, ever
are healing, purifying, and comforting: bot are 'gentle
harming, Nature's acknowledged laws. 13'
. brought to

RAILWA'

PERNAMBUCO,

:GENCE,

The 21st half-yearly general meeting of this com-
pany was held yesterday at the London Tavern;
Mr. Benson, the chairman, presided.

The report, an abstract of which has already ap-
peared, was taken as read.
The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the
report, said it detailed the various steps that had
been taken by the directors since the special meet-
ing held on 23d January last. They had sent out a
copy of the resolutions passed at that meeting,
through the kindness of Captain Medeiros, to the
Brazilian Government, and they had every reason to
believe they bad reached their destination. The
next step they took was to present a memorial to
the Emperor through the British Minister at Rio.
It explainedthat there existed a clear and recognised
contract with the company to grant the promised
additional guarantee, and also provided for the set-
tlement of the just and legal claims of the memo- j
rialists in respect of the works executed by them.
The memorial had been received by the Emperor at
Rio Janeiro on March 10, and the Emperor had
promised the British Minister that he would take the
matter into his consideration. So far as Captain
Medeiros was concerned, when he ceased to repre-
sent the Brazilian Government the Board went into
communication with the Baron du Penedo on the
subject, but it did not lead to anything. The next
step was to send out a special agent to represent the
company in Brazil. They prevailed on Mr. Bramah
to accept that office ; he was well acquainted with
the country, had on a former occasion been pre-
sented to the Emperor, and knew the members of
the Government. Mr. Bramah went out by the last
mail in the beginning of the present month. The
directors hoped the proprietors would approve that
step. (Hear, hear.) The directors had done every-
thing they could, and they must npw wait patiently
for the result, which would be communicated

to the shareholders as soon as possible, or they
would call a meeting to consider any question re-
quiring their consideration. The important ques-
tion of the railway had come before the Provincial
Assembly in Pernambuco, in the course of which it
was stated that the Government could not long
delay some arrangement for providing more rolling
stock to carry the increasing traffic and for extend-
ing the line into the city ; that this would have the
effect of greatly increasing the receipts and saving
the Government from all loss in respect of the gua-
rantee. It was stated that the traffic and general
management of the railway deserved commendation,
and gave great satisfaction to the public. The Pre-
sident, in his address on the Ist of March to the
Provincial Assembly at Pernambuco, stated that it
was of the utmost importance to the province that
the railway should be extended into Recife. Already
the traffic receipts on the line had exceeded all ex-
pectations, and were increasing; and no delay
should take place in the development of the line by
the construction and opening of important district
reads to the railway, and in providing additional
rolling stock. The extension of the railway into
the city of Recife and to the harbour was indispen-
sable for the accommodation of trade and com-
merce in the province, and for the development of
the traffic on the railway. He thought the Govern-
ment would see the necessity of those works being
immediately commenced. The heavy rains had
caused the third and fourth sections of the line to
be rather more expensive, in consequence of extra
repairs and renewal of sleepers. The stations on
the line were in a good state, but the terminal station
was wholly inadequate for the requirements of
the railway. The chairman said it would be
a folly to spend any more money on that
terminal station, which was merely a temporary
structure. lle said the Provincial Assembly
had passed a law for authorising the making of
tramways for the railway, which was a most im-
portant matter for the company. Ile would be
glad to answer any questions. The dividend on
the present occasion would be at the rate of 4 per
cent. per annum, which was to some extent the re-
sult of accumulations from previous half-years ; the
sum actually available to the company being at
present only a little over 3 per cent. per annum.
Major VEREKEII, seconded the motion for the
adoption of the report.
Mr. AUSTEN said he fully approved the course

adopted by the directors. He believed the Brazilian
people were quite aware of the honest claim of the
company on the Government for the extension of
the guarantee. He was glad that an honest and

straightforward course had been adopted by the
directors towards the Brazilian ',Government, and
he trusted it would have the proper effect. He
wished to know the amount of capital that would
be required for the extension of the railway into the
city and to provide the requisite rolling stock.
A long discussion then ensued, in the course of
which various suggestions were made as to what
I should be done with a view to urge the company's
claim on the Brazilian Government, but the general
feeling appeared to be entirely in favour of the
course which had been adopted by the directors.
The report was then unanimously adopted.
Dr. PEARL, seconded by Mr. GoEz, moved a re-
solution to the effect that external or internal bonds
of Brazil be accepted in exchange for the shares of
the company, but after an explanation by the chair-
man that a similar resolution had been rejected by
a special general meeting of the company in
January last, the resolution was withdrawn.
It was stated that about £200,000 would extend
the line into the city of Recife and to the harbour,
and provide ample rolling stock for a large traffic.
Mr. VALPY proposed a formal resolution to the
effect that while the shareholders regretted that the
mission of Capt. de Medeiros had been brought to
an end without any result, they fully approved the
course adopted by the directors, and especially that
with reference to the appointment of an agent in
Brazil with full powers to represent the company.
The motion was seconded and carried unani-
mously.
A dividend at the rate of 4 per cent. per annum
was declared for the half-year ending Dec. 31 last ;
and the proceedings concluded with a vote of thanks
to the chairman and directors.

Cork, Cork and Bandon, &c., Bill was adjourned
till the Bth of May.

In group 1 the preamble of the Metropolitan
:additional powers) Bill was proved.

In group la the preamble of the London, Chat-
ham, and Dover (various powers) Bill was proved,
and the clauses were gone through. Appearances
were taken in the case of the Croydon, Mitcham,
and Kingston, and the Bill was adjourned ; and in
the case of the City, Kingston, and Richmond Bill
it was reported that the parties did not intend to
proceed.

In group 5 the preamble of the Bristol and North
Somerset (Deviation) was proved.
In group 7 the preamble of the East Gloucester-
shire was proved, and the clauses were gone
through ; and also that of the Wrexham, Mold,
and Connah's Quay (Additional Powers) Bill.
In group 10, in the case of the Craven Junc-
tion, the referees reported that the estimates were
insufficient. The Fleetwood, Preston, and West
Riding was proceeded with and adjourned; and ap-
pearances were taken in the following bills, and
they were adjourned :—London and North-West-
ern (new works, &c.) ; Manchester, Sheffield, and
Lincolnshire (Central Station and Lines) ; Shrews-
bury and Potteries Junction.
In group 13 in the Great Northern (additional
powers) the preamble was proved, and the clauses
were gone through.