The Sun.
London, England, 1861-03-01 00:00:00

or a copy of a despatch from Sir W. Denison to the Sae.
retary of State for the Colonies, dated the 14th of August,
1856, on military expenditure, was agreed to ; as well as the
reply of the Secretary of State, dated 11th March, 185 S.

COPPER, &c.
On the motion of Mr. DAVEY,returns of all the exports
of copper and copper ore, &c., to the end of January, 1861,
were ordered.

EAST INDIA PROPERTY TAX.
Mr. CRAWFORD moved an address for a copy of Act
No. 3,332 of 1860, of the Government of India, intituled
" An Act for Imposing Duties on Profits arising from Pi o-
fessious, Trades, and Duties and Offices."—Agreed to.

CONVICTS AT BERMUDA, &c.
Lord NAAS asked the Under Secretary of State fur the
Colonies whether any alteration had taken place in the
treatment of the convicts at Bermuda; whether the hulks
were still used ; and whether there was any truth -in the
report that a mutiny had lately occurred among the con-
victs in that establishment?

Mr. C. FORTESCUE said he was not aware that any
change had taken place in the treatment of the convicts at
Bermuda. • One of the hulks that had bften used for c•in--
victs was empty in consequence of the diminution in the
Lumber of tae convicts, but one hulk was used.
GRAND JURY LAWS OF IRELAND.
Mr. SULLIVAN asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland
whether it was the intention of her Majesty's Government
to introduce this session any measure for the alteration
and amendment of the grand jury laws of Ireland ?
Mr. CARDWELL said that he had no intention of in -
troducing any such measure during the present session.
THE RED RIVER.
Mr. L. PALK asked the Under Secretary of State for
the Colonies whether ary steps had been taken by her
Majesty's Government to open the territory on the Red
River and the Saskatchewan, in British North America, to
colonisation, in pursuance of the recommendation of the
select committee of 1857.

Mr. C. FORTESCUE said this question was attended
with more difficulties than the hon. member seemed from
his question to imply. A bill had been prepared on the
subject, but before it could be brought in, some negotia •
tions that were going on between Government and the Hud-
um's Bay Company must be concluded, which he believed
would shortly be effected.
THE UNIVERSITY OF DURHAM.
Mr. FENWICK asked the Secretary of State for the
Homo Department, whether the attention of her Majesty's
Government had been turned to the endowments in the
hands of the university of Durham, and the educational
results, shown by a return recently presented to this house,
and whether it was intended to take any steps in conse-
quence ?
Mr. CLIVE said his right hon. friend the Home Secre-
tary had had his attention directed to the subject, which,
he believed, was now under his consideration.

THE HARVEST.
On the motion for going into committee of supply,
Mr. CAIRD called the attention of the house to the
serious deficiency of last harvest, and the consequent neces-
sity for increased economy in the public expenditure. He
considered it his duty to bring this subject forward on the
present occasion in consequence of there having been no
allusion to it in the Royal Speech or by the Ministers of
the Crown. There were no certain data to proceed on with
respect to this subject, and therefore they were unable to
ascertain the results of the last harvest. Owing to the
severity of the October of 1859 there had been a
great failure in the crops of the following autumn from
the injury which the seed had sustained, and there was
also a considerable failure both in the corn crop and the
potato crop this year. It was true that the crop in Scot-
land was good, but that crop would not do more than sup-
port the population of the United Kingdom for ten days.
He collected from the Agricultural Gazette that there was
a deficiency in the crops for the last six months even much less
than in the same period for the 15 years preceding. Having
referred to the Custom-house returns to show the vast in-
crease that had taken place in the imports of foreign grain,
the result of free trade, and which alone had been means
of averting the horrors of a famine in this country, he
considered that under the circumstances it was the bounden.
duty of the house to reduce the public expenditure as low
as was consistent with the exigencies of the public service,
and he appealed strongly to hon. members not to pass an.
estimate that was not clearly necessary.

AFFAIRS AT CONSTANTINOPLE.
Mr. S. FITZGERALD asked the noble lord the Foreign
Secretary whether he had received any information as to
a note said to have been presented by Prince Labanoff to
the Minister of Affairs at Constantinople, commenting on
the report made by the Grand Vizier to the Sultan of the
result of his enquiries into the complaints of the Christian
subjects of the Porte, whether that note had received the
support of the French Minister at Constantinople, and
whether the subject of the note, and the demands it con-
tained had been brought under the notice of the Conference
at Paris. He contended that Russia adhered to her old
policy of interfering in the internal affairs of Turkey, and,
therefore, it was most desirable that measures should be
adopted to neutralise the effect of such iatervention. He
did not wish to increase the difficulties of the noble lord
(Russell), but he appealed to him in the name of humanity
to take more immediate and decisive steps than he stated he
would do the other evening on the subject of the unfortu-
nate men who were under sentence of death for the con-
duct of which they were accused in reference to the distur-
bances that broke out in Syria.

FRENCH OCCUPATION OF SYRIA.
Sir J. FERGUSSON called (he attention of the house
to the present position of affairs in Syria; and asked the
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in the event
of the French occupation being prolonged beyond the period
fixed by the convention of July 1860, her Majesty's Go-
vernment were prepared to act upon the right reserved to
the other Powers by that convention of uniting bodies of
their troops with those of France in the occupation ;
and whether her Majesty's Government were in possession
of further information upon the subject, which it would Le
consistent with the interests of the public service to com-
municate to the house ? It appeared that the
French press were now advocating a prolongation of
that occupation. If such took place it would be
difficult to predict when it would terminate. He argued
that, in order to avert the probability of this country drifting
into another Russian war, it was necessary to be prompt
in reference to this question of Syria, The hon. baronet
entered at considerable length into details relative to
the state of Syria some time preceding; and at
the period of the recent insurrections there.
A conviction prevailed in that country that French agency
had been at work to stir up the Maronitea to attack the
Druses, by representing to them that they were dependent on
France for protection, and promising them impunity from
may such attack. He contended, therefore, that the Druses
were not alone to blame for the disturbances in Syria. The
period of occupation by the French had now nearly come
to a close, and he hoped England would see that these
troops were withdrawn. He believed that so long as the
French troops remained in Syria there would be no quiet
in that part of the Turkish Empire, and civilisation would
be injured by their remaining there. The hon. baronet,
having referred-to an order of the day by the French gene-
ral in Syria, which gave countenance to the acts of the
French troops, contended it was the duty of this country:to
disclaim all connection with the acts of the French troops
in Syria, and that steps should be taken immediately to
have the French troops recalled from that country.
Mr. L AYARD said there had been so much in the foreign
policy of her Majesty's Government which he believed
fairly represented the feelings of the large mass of the Eng-
lish people that he should be sorry at this moment to say
anything which might induce her Majesty's Government to
believe that he differed from them in their foreign policy.
Moreover, on the question of Turkey, the noble lord now
at the head of her Majesty's Government had always pur-
sued a policy to his mind wise and consistent, and as he be-
lieved in accordance with English interests. He trusted,
therefore, he should not be misunderstood in the remarks
he was about to make, but he thought the question was of
great importance, and he should therefore express himself
frankly upon it. He looked upon this convention for the
occupation of Syria to be most disastrous—disastrous in the
principles and precedents it had established, disastrous in
the effect which it had already produced, and disastretursowain
the results which were likely to ensue. He said
resentatives
in the principles and precedents it had establishedhredi.saaWhat
were those principles and precedents ?
laidT
aladeoreP
of the great Powers met in Paris, and
ofwn a
aprPlorceiipola
that they could interfere in the internal a Ilya
part of that state
n
state, and not only interfere buttol
occupyd
that Turkey was a con-
sentingwith an army. He might
appealbe
to him that the consent
party. Now it
conse of the individual who
of Turkey was very like the
Cordelier who was thrown out
Dr. Johnson likened to
mthmeended to fall soft. Was
of the the window-and
ntriencgo
party, or was she forced into com-
key really a consenting
knew the gentleman who represented the
pliance P He
Porte at Paris, his opinions that he would
f
and knewrom
his country should be by a
never consent that
Should we have pursued the same policy
foreign army
with other countries ? If so, why did we not occupy part
of Austria? Why did we not occupy Venetia, where he
hesitated not to say there was more cruelty, oppression, and
injustice than in any part of Turkey ? (Hear, hear.) But
mark the principle that was established. If one Power
could interfere and occupy a country with the sanction of
other powers, why could not another power do the same
with another country ? They had had a question to-night
by the hon. member for Horsham of great importance re-
specting what was now occurring at Constantinople. We
might find another Mentchikoff there for anything that we
knew. Thunder had long been rolling on the Danube, in-
trigues were going on, and what did all these things fore-
till ? That before very long we should have another power
bringing about disturbances and massacres in. Turkey in
Europe, and then could we say that that power should not
also send an army to keep down disturbances -which Turkey
could not repress ? He would undertake to. say that in a
few days the agents of Russia might get up a disturbance
in Bulgaria, and what would be the conr,equence ? She
would say France had occupied Syria, and therefore Rus-
sia could occupy Bulgaria. Some persons had expressed
surprise that Russia should have consented to the occup,s;
tion of Syria. He was not surprised. Sale had no inter..._a
in Syria. France had, and the interest that France had`
inin
Syria, Russia had in Bulgaria. But there, was Turkey