The Sun.
London, England, 1857-05-13 00:00:00

THE KING OF DUDE.

Mr. FAGAN aiked the President of the Board of
Control whether it Wag intended to apply any portion
of the money borrowed by the Government of India
front the King of Oude to VIP payment of public and
bona fide deb's atilt unpaid and payable to the creditors
of that Prince ?

Mr. V. SMITH Raid that tho matter wag under inves-
tigation, and all bona fide claims would be'paid out of
the revenue of that country.

SUPERANNUATION FUND.
Mr. MACARTNEY asked the Chancellor of the
Exchequer when the report of the Civil Service Super-
annuation Commissioners would be lad upon the table ;
and whether the Government contemplated introducing,
at an early day, a bill to alter the system under which
the superannuation allowances were at present provided.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said
thAt he had beau informed that the report would be pre.
Rented to the house next week. Until that was done
he could not state what would be the intention of the
Government relative io it.

PASSING TOLLS.
Mr. HUDSON asked the Vice-President of the Board
of Trade when he intended to introduce a hill for the
abolition of the passing tolls ; also, whether he proposed
to introduce auy bill for the abolition of the charges on
shipping.at Liverpool and other places, and also for
taking away
the power of the Trinity-house at New-
castle in the appointment of pilots for the port of Sun-
derland ?

Mr. LOWE said that it was the intention of the Go-
Yernmento when the state of public business permitted it,
to bring in a bill founded on that report.
ECCLESIASTICAL COMMISSION.

Lord R. CECIL asked the Secretary of State for the
Home Department whether it was his intention to bring
In a bill embodying such of the suggestions of the com-
mittee of last session upon the Ecclesiastical Commis-
sion as required the sanction of Parliament. •
Sir G. GREY said it was the intention of the Govern-
ment, to do so, and he hoped shortly to be able to intro-
duce it.

RETURNS.
Several unopposed returns were granted.
AGGRAVATED ASSAULTS BILL.
?Jr. DILL%VYN moved for leave to introduce a bill to
repeat the Act 16 and 17 Vic., c. 30, and to make better
provision far the prevention and punishment of
aggravated assaults upon women and children, and
for preventing delay and expense in the admid
nistration of certain parte of the criminal law.

lie said the present law had been a failure, and that was
his reason for re-introducing this bill, which he laid be-
fore the house list session. The hon. gentleman read vari-
ous statements relative to aggravated assaults committed
on women and children from the police reports of the
metropolis and other parts of the country. It was a
crime of frequent occurrence, and the present law did not
tend to its decrease. From returns be found that iu
1854 and 1855 there were 877 convictions in the metro-
polis alone fur aggravated assaults and in the last year
it amounted to 374. The diminution he contended did
not arise from the operation of the present law, but from
accidental circumstances, because he found that many of
these men had been convicted over and over again. He
proposed as a remedyto diminish the period of imprison-
ment and subst►tute flogging for it. (Hear, hear.)
He did not look upon th%s question as one between
man and wife, and therefore a difficult one to deal with,
but as brute force against helpless weakness, and be bad
no doubt that his remedy would have the desired effect,
for it was invariably found that the men who committed
these assaults were great cowards.
Mr. BENTINCK seconded the motion.
Sir G. GREY said that though he had no confidence.
in these remedies, he should not oppose the bill. He did
not consider the present law so -defective as,the- hon.
mover believed, but rather that it had been beneficial.
The number of cases that now came before the public
arose from the summary procedure of the present law.
Leave was accordingly given to bring in the bill.
SALE OF BEER.

On the resolution of Air. HARDY, the house went into
committee to bring in a bill to amend the laws relating
to the general sale of beer by retail and to regulate certain
places of public resort, refreshment, and entertain►nent.
All must agree that this subject required alteration, after
a careful scrutiny, and be considered there were facts
sufficient before the house to enable them to legislate
with satisfaction to the public. He referred to the
anomalous state of the law as regarded public
houses and beer-shops, under the law of 1830.
He had no wish to disturb the licensing of the
present public-houses, but to compel beer-shops to apply
to magistrates for licenses as a check on the conduct of
the keepers. He proposed also to put in force the Tip-
pling Act, and prevent the recovery of debts for beer,
&c. He wished to put coffee•sbops, where they sold
spirits, under the control of the police. He reserved
any further remarks till another stage of the bi.il, as
he understood there was to be no opposition to its in-
troduction.

Mr. KER SEYMOUR regretted that this had not
been made two bil!s instead of one, by separating the
beer-houses from the coffee-shops. He considered that
magistrates were not the proper persons to grant
licenses, because they had no means of judging of the
requ rements of a district.
Sir J. PAKINGTON regretted that Government had
not taken up the question, and asked the Government
to consider the report of that committee, and ultimately
bring in a bill. Should the Government adopt that
course, he would suggest the withdrawal of the bill
from the doubt of its being passed through tne house
thin session. _

Sir G. GREY doubted if the bill was a sufficient
remedy for the evils complained of. When they con-
sidered the amount of capital invested in the trade it
required careful consideration. He saw no such difficulty
relative to beer shops and coffee-shops. He could not give
any hope of bringing in a bill on an early day on this
suti!ct. He thought great benefit would arise from a
discuSsion of the question,, but he should be obliged, on
the second reading of the bill, to oppose it.

Tne resolution was agreed to, and the house resumed.
PROPERTY QUALIFICATION. '

Mr. LOCKE KING moved for leave to bring in a bill
to abolish property qualification for members of Parlia-
ment. He considered that this was an appropriate time
for bringing on this question, and observed that in Scot-
land there was no property qualification ; eldest sons of
peers, the members for the university, and the eldest
eons of knights of the shire sat without any qualification
being required of them ; but the latter, when they suc-
ceeded to their father's property, must have a property
quAlification.
Lord PALMERSTON did not intend to oppose the
introduction of the bill, but he thought It was nude!.
stood that all questions of reform were to be in abeyance
till next session. At a future stage of the bill he should
oppose it, unless it was allowed to remain on the table
of the house for consideration till next session.

Leave was given to bring in the bill.
ADJOURNMENT FOR WHITSUNTIDE.

The Marquis of BLANDFO2,D said that, cmsidering
the state of public business and the probable shortness of
the session, it would be convenient if the noble lord the
Prime Minister would state on what day be prop3sed
the house should reassemble after Whitsuntide.

Lord PALMERSTON would, if the house permitted,
rather postpone giving an answer until Whitsuntide had
nearly arrived.
The Marquis of BL&NDFGRD said he would put
the same question again at a later period.

THE UNITED STATES AND NEW GRANADA.
Mr. WYLD—I wish, sir, to put a question to the
noble lord the First Minister, of which I have given him
notice. I believe it is well known at this momant that
an expeditio❑ has been fitted out in the ports of the
United States, the destination of which is said to be the
coast of Central America and the territory of New Gra-
nada. The question which I wish to put to the noble
lord is, whether her Majesty's Goverunient intend t.)
establish a naval force on those shores and coasts for the
protection of British interests.
Lord PALMERSTON—In reply to the question of
my hon. friend I have to state that her Maje,ty's Go-
vernment have stationed, or are about to station, on the
coat of Central Ameic I, at both sides, such a force as
they think necesQary for the protection of British interests.
(hear.) Bull think, considering the interest, and I may
-ay the anxiety, which the rumours which my bon. friend

has referred to may probably create in the public mind,

it may be agreeable to the house that I should give a very
short explanation of the state of matters to which the
question relates. (Hear.) My hon. friend and the house
are aware that some mouths ago there occurred a very
deplorable scene of violence and outrage at the Isthmus of
Panama. That quarrel began nobody knows how ; same
seem to think that it arose simply from a dispute between
a passenger and a native about a water melon; but no mat-
ter what l,he cause of quarrel was, it acted like a spark
thrown into a smouldering fire and burst into a flame, and
the resentment which had been created reciproca'ly by
previous disputes led to acts of great violence and scenes
of bl )odshed which every one must deplore. The Ameri-
can Governineat appl'ed for redress for the past, and for
security for the future. I am sorry to say that the Go-
verpment of New Granada, which is not particularly
celebrated for accurate recollection of duties and for the
performance of obligations, refused compliance with those
demands. Then arose negotiations and communications
between the Governments of the United States and Ni-
caragua, which have not yet led to any satisfactory ter-
mination. It is quite clear, I think, that that which is
true with regard to private property is also true with
respect to public property—namely; that it has attached
to it duties as well as rights, and that the Government
of New Granada is bound to make arrangements for the
security of persons and property passing along the rail-
ways through its dominions. The excuse given for re-
fusing compensation to those who suffered by those out-
rages was, that the high-handed proceeding:sof passengers
for a long time before had created a feeling of exaspera-
tion, and therefore it was not wonderful that a slight
cause should have produced such a result. If they telt
that this exasperation existed, it was their duty to take
measures to prevent outrages either by foreigners on
their own subjects., or by their own subjects on foreigners.
We have, however, been in communication with the
United States Government upon this matter—a matter
which not simply concerns the interests of the citizens of
the United States, but the interests of every other nation
who are in the habit of traversing this isthmus. I am
glad to say that the United States Government profess
the most just and honourable intentions, and that they
disclaim aoy intention to occupy or take possession of
any portion of New Granada, or of the railways. All
they ask is that which they are entitled to expect, viz.,
security for their citizens going or coming across the
isthmus, and they naturally require some redress for the
injuries sustained onthe occasion to which I have allude6l
But I am gird to say their intentions are such as would be
those of any Government in a similar position, and they
entirely disclaim any intention of taking part in this
quarrel for the purpose of putting forward any unjust of
aggressive action against the Government of New Gra-
nada. (Hear.)