The Sun.
London, England, 1861-07-17 00:00:00

BANKRUPTCY BILL.

Lord PALMERSTON rose to state what were the inten-
tions of Government respecting the Bankruptcy Bill. There
were three main points on which the House of Lords had
made amendments. One was the appointment of the judge,
another the substitute of official for creditors' assignees,
and the third related to the retrospective action of certain
clauses. What the Government meant to do was to recom-
mend the house to disagree to the Lords' amendments re-
specting the judges and the creditors' assignees, and with
respect to the third point they had no proposal to make.
They intended to have a morning sitting on Thursday next
for the purpose of going into supply, and he trusted hon.
members would forbear preliminary motions.

Mr. DISRAELI asked when the Lords' amendments to
the Bankruptcy Bill would be taken?
Lord PALMERSTON—Thursday evening.
COLONEL HENRY.

Col. NORTH moved that an humble address be pre-
sented to her Majesty, that she will be graciously pleased
to grant the pension of a major, in place of that of a cap-
tain, to Lieut.-Col. Henry, Royal Artillery, who lost his
arm when in command of an important battery before Sebas-
topol, he holding at the time the rank of brevet-major,
which rank had been conferred upon him for distinguished
conduct in the field ; and to assure her Majesty that this
house will make good the same.

Sir DE L. EVANS had never heard a similar case which
better deserved the attention of the house, The War-office
warrant was, on the whole, a very fair one, but he believed
that the duties performed •by Col. Henry were more than
those which would ordinarily be performed by a major of
artillery. When they considered, also, that he had gained
his brevet rank by distinguished conduct, and had been re-
commended for the Victoria Cross, he thought that the
house could well assent to the motion now made.

Xi% BARING said that the case of Col. Henry had
frequently been under the notice of the Secretary for War,
who, after mature consideration, had come to a decision on
the matter. He rather questioned whether the form of the
notice was in strict order. As regarded the substance
matter of the notice, it was extremely undesirable for the
house to express opinions on individual cases, contrary to
the rules of the service. At the time Col. Henry received
his reward he was acting as captain of artillery, and under
the warrant was only entitled to the pension of a captain,
not of a field officer. It might be a question, but certainly
not one to be raised in the address, whether the duties of
officers of artillery were of so much more importance than
those of other officers, that the warrant should be altered as
regarded their claims. As regarded the present motion, he
could only say that there was no disposition at the War-
office to underrate the services of Col. Henry, but at the
same time, under the warrant, he had only a right to claim
the pension of a captain.
The SPEAKER said that in point of form the motion of
which the hon. and gallant officer had given notice could
not have been put to the house. He would not say that the
alteration might not be sufficient, but from its wording the
hon. member would proceed under some disadvantages.
Capt. JERVIS strongly supported the motion, arid denied
that too much importance had been attached to the mere
wording of a warrant. It was not a question of money, for
Col. Henry was in no want of money, but it was a question
in which the whole corps of Ordnance took a great interest.
They objected when they performed services of more im-
portance than a field-officer of the line, even though they
held brevet rank, to being treated not as field-officers, but
as mere captains of artillery.
After a few words in reply from Col. NORTH,

Lord PALMERSTON—I hope the house will consider
well before it agrees to the motion. It is not the province
of this house to administer the business of any department
of the Government—least of all of the military department.
If once it is understood that an officer whose claims to hon-
ours or allowances has not met with the approbation of the
responsible Minister might apply to some influential mem-
ber of this house, who, either by his position or his power
of speaking, might give effect to his appeal, the house will
see that there would be an end of all proper discipline in the
army, and next there would be no limit to the expenditure
of public money. Colonel Henry, in the letter read by
the hon. and gallant member, states that he was serving
only as a captain at the time he was wounded, and it was
impossible for the Secretary of War to assume that he was
performing the duties of a higher rank. I hope the house
will see that a bad example will be set if we have to inter-
pret the regulation in question, instead of that being done
by the public officer who is responsible for such matters.
(Hear, hear.)
Colonel DICKSON denied that it was irregular for an
officer to bring his grievances before that house, or that his
doing so was a broach of discipline.

The house then divided—
For the motion 34
Against it . 63
Majority against the motion
CONSULSHIP AT PESTII.

Mr. T. D UNCOMBE moved that a humble address be
presented to her Majesty, praying that she would be gra-
ciously pleased to direct that steps should be taken to enable
her Majesty to appoint a consul at Pesth. Mr. Dunlop,
who had been withdrawn at the request of Austria, had
been at Pesth for seven months, and that was prima facie
evidence that some diplomatic intercourse with Pesth was
desirable. If Mr. Dunlop remained, he should not have
brought forward the present motion. He could well believe
that Austria did not like Mr. Dunlop's reports. The pre-
sent population of Pesth, and of Buda, on the other side of
the river, was at least 300,000, and our nearest consul was
at the mouth of the Danube, some 300 miles distant. We
had a consul at Jassy, who might be well transferred to
Pesth. It had been said that we had had something to do
with the sending back of the Hungarian address by Austria.
He hoped that that was not the case. He could assure
Austria that until she placed Hungary in the position in
which she was in 1848, not a concession would be made by
Hungary. He was authorised to say that nothing would
give the Hungarians greater satisfaction than the estab-
lishment of some diplomatic intercourse with them.
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not correct in supposing that the British Government had
1 anything to do with the sending back by Austria of
the address cif the Hungarian Diet. That did not appear to
him to be a question upon which foreign Governments were
likely to be consulted. He was, however. certain that if an
address had been sent to her Majesty by any portion of her
subjects in which her title of Queen had been designedly
left out, neither he nor his noble friend at the head of the
Government would have received it. (Hear, hear.) Hun-
gary was a rich and prosperous country, and at some future
period, when matters were in a more settled state, it might
be advisable for us to have a consul there ; but he did not
think it would be advisable at present.
After a few words from Mr. HADFIELD,
Mr. DUNCOMBE replied, and said he did not mean to
press the motion to a division.
Mr. LAYARD was glad that his hon. friend had with-
drawn the motion, but he thought that his hon. friend had
misunderstood what was said by the noble lord. The hon.
member seemed to assume that the noble lord had contended
that there ought to be no consul at Pesth. That was not so,
but we could not have consuls anywhere without the con-
sent of the Power in whose dominion the place was situated,
and if Austria wished us to withdraw our consul from Pesth
we had no choice but to do so.
The amendment was withdrawn.
MARKETS AND FAIRS (IRELAND) BILL.
Mr. CARDWELL said that as this bill had not yet been
sufficiently circulated in Ireland, he should postpone it to
that day week.
CROWN SUITS LIMITATION BILL.
The house then went into committee on this bill.
After several clauses had been disposed of,
Mr. ROEBUCK called attention to the fact that the law
officers of the Crown were not present.
Shortly afterwards, however, the hon. and learned gen-
tlemen entered the house.
Several new clauses were added, and the rest agreed to,
and the bill passed through committee.
The house then resumed.
METROPOLIS LOCAL MANAGEMENT ACTS
AMENDMENT BILL.
This bill was read a second time.
METROPOLIS LOCAL MANAGEMENT AMEND-
MENT (No. 2) BILL.
Mr. TITE moved the second reading of this bill, and
said that he wished it to be referred to a select committee
immediately in order that the parishes of Camberwell and
Wandsworth might be heard upon it, touching certain
grievances of which they complained.
Mr. AYRTON opposed the second reading, contending
that if the bill were sent to a select committee it would in-
volve the metropolitan parishes in immense expense.
Sir G. C. LEWIS advised that the bill should be with-
drawn.

Mr. BRISTOW said the Metropolitan Board of Works
were the principal promoters of this bill, believing that its
provisions were most essential to the proper management of
metropolitan affairs.
Mr. LAYARD moved as an amendment that the bill be
read a second time that day six weeks.
Mr. T. DUNCOMBE seconded the amendment, and said
it was preposterous that a measure of this kind, involving
great parochial considerations, should be brought in at the
close of the session, and brought in, too, not by a metropo-
litan member, but by the hon. member for Bath.
Mr. TITE consented to withdraw the bill, and the bill
was accordingly withdrawn.
SUPPLY REPORT.
The report on supply was brought up and agreed to.
The house then went into committee of supply.
On the vote of £12,134 for the National Gallery,
Lord H. LENNOX reiterated the complaint which he
had last year made against a further occupation of the Na-
tional Gallery by the Royal Academy.
Lord PALMERSTON said that the Government had
selected that plan for the alterations in the National Gal-
lery which they thought would afford great improvement
without much expense. Many thought that a handsomer
building might have been erected on a site which all ad-
mitted was a very fine one. He thought it was better for
them to avail themselves of the accommodation which they
had at present.
The vote was agreed to.
' £2,000 for the Historical Portrait Gallery was agreed to.
£3,000 for the Soltykoff Collection was agreed to.
A vote of £6,620 for magnetic observations abroad was
also agreed to.
The vote of £4,500 for defraying expenses in Bermuda
was agreed to.
A vote of £6,278 for the ecclesiastical establishment in
the British North American provinces was agreed to.
£1,600 for the Indian Department (Canada) agreed to.
£17,800 for the colony of British Columbia.
Mr. ADDERLEY took objection to some items of this
vote, particularly that for the Royal Engineers employed
in the colony.
Mr. FORTESCUE defended the vote, which he said was
justified by the colony being in its infancy, and unable as
yet to support itself.
Mr. WHITE said they had been assured by the right
hon. member for Hertford, when he was Colonial Secretary,
this colony would be self-supporting.
The vote was agreed to.
£14,728 salaries of Governors and Lieutenant-Governors
for the West India and other colonies.
Mr. ADDERLEY protested against this vote, and com-
plained that the promise given some years ago, that certain
vacancies in tile governorships of our colonies would not be
filled up had not been kept.
Mr. FORTESCUE was not aware that such a promise
had been given.
The vote was then agreed to, as were also the following
votes, viz. :
£5,706, stipendiary justices in West Indies.
£15,230, civil establishment West Coast of Africa.
£5,945, charge for St. Helena.
£7OO for Orange River territory, Cape of Good Hope.
£15,000 for British Caffraria.
£960, charges for Heligoland.
£3,986, charges for Falkland Islands.
£8,014, for Labuan.
£6OO, Pitcairn's Island.
£l,BOO, Fejee Islands Inquiry.
£10,090, Emigration Office.
On £125,098, for Treasury Chest,
Mr. DILLWYN moved that the Chairman report
progress.
The motion having been agreed to, the house resumed.
OFFENCES AGAINST THE PERSON BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
MUNICIPAL CORPORATION ACTS AMEND •
MENT BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
SALMON FISHERIES.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
PAROCHIAL AND BURGH SCHOOLS (SCOT-
LAND) (No. 2) BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
The other orders were disposed of, and the house ad-
journed at half-past one o'clock.