The Sun.
London, England, 1857-08-15 00:00:00

pier, and other members, Clause 25 was agreed to,
having occupied the committee during the whole sit-
ting, 1,
and a considerable portion of two others.

On clause 26,
Mr. PULLER moved as an amendment to have
out "presented by a husband," and to insert " for
the dissolution of a marriage on any petition for
a decree of judicial separation on the ground
of adultery being presented." The object of the amend-
ment in connexion with one he had to propose on clause
31 was to provide that every party brought before a
court and found guilty of adultery should be punished
by fine or imprisonment, or fine and imprisonment at the
discretion of the judge. He admitted that this would
be a great innovation upon the existing law, but he
contended tbat it naturally, legitimately, and necessarily
grew out of the changes in the legal process which the
bill effected.
Mr. HENLEY said that the clause as it stood was
one-sided, and required amendment ; but he did not
think that anything about judicial separation ought to
be dragged into it. At the same time he considered
that both parties should have the same facilities for

going into court.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL consented to modify
the clause so as protect the alleged adulteress by giving
to the Court a discretionary power to make her a co•
respondent in the suit,
Mr. Ayrton, Lord Lovaine, and Mr. Bovill having
offered some observations on the clause,
The CHAIRMAN reported progre6s, and obtained leave
to sit again.
Lord PALMERSTON said the bill would be pro-
ceeded with this evening. The house would meet to•
morrow at twelve o'clock, principally to pass certain
unopposed bills a stage, and the Divorce bill would be
proceeded with again at 12 o'clock on Monday.
MILITIA BILL.
This bill passed through committee.
MU rINY (EAST INDIA) BILL.
This bill was read a second time.
At tour o'clock the house adjourned.
At six o'clock the house resumed.
PROBATES BILL. _ _ _

Mr. HADFIELD asked whether it was intended to
make English probates sufficient for all purposes in Eng-
land and Scotland, and vice versa ; also, whether it was
intended to make the Scotch confirmation effectual in
England and Ireland,
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said it was the in-
tention of the Attorney-General for Ireland to introduce
a clause into the Irish Probate Bill to make Irish pro-
bates efficacious in England, and English probates in
Ireland. With respect to the other point of Scotch con-
firmations he was rather irresolute at present.
THE EUPHRATES VALLEY ROUTE TO INDIA.
Mr. T. S. ESTCOURT said he was compelled, by
the pressure of public business, to adopt the only course
open to an individual member to bring forward a matter
which he conceived to be of the greatest national im-
portance, and should therefore conclude with the
formal motion that the house at its rising do ad-
journ until Monday next. In his endeavours to
bring forward this motion he had met with great
and frequent disappointments. Twice when he had,pre-
cadence the day had been changed from a motion to an
order day, and twice he had been prevented from pro-
ceeding with his motion by the unavoidable absence of
the noble lord at the head of the Government. Ho w•
ever, they had at last the opportunity he had so long
hoped for. There were two points on which he wished to
set himself right with the house. The first regarded him-
self. The range of subjects to which he usually turned his
attention in that house was of a humble character, hav-
ing reference to the comfort and wellbeing of his fellow-
subjects, and it might perhaps be considered presum-
tuous in him to advocate a question so important as the
laying down of a line of communication with our pos-
session in the East. One sentence, however, would
explain how it was that be came to take up this ques-
tion. A brother of his, who two years ago lost his life
in the Crimea, was sent 20 years ago to explore the
country through which the proposed line was to pass. He
could nut but know from him something of the locality,
and of many of the main points bearing on this question,
and when his commander, General Chesney, some six
weeks ago applied to him to bring the subject before the
house he did not feel that he had any right to shrink
from it. (Hear.) The other preliminary point to which
he wished to refer regarded the Suez line of communica-
tion. He begged emphatically to declare that, accord-
ing to the best of his understanding, the line by the Ea-
pbrate 3 was not a competing line with that of Suez. The
line of the Euphrates would effect a saving of nine hun-
dred miles in distance, or equal to four or five days in
time. The line would commence at a port on the Orontes,
which would cost nothing, as it would be provided by
the Turkish Government up to Antioch. They would
pass the range of the Lebanon at a height of only about
1,100 feet above the level of toe sea, and they would
then debouch into the great plains of Mesopotamia, and
no plains on the fade of the earth could be so favour-
able to engineering purposes. It might be suffi-
oient to stop at the Euphrates, because upon that
stream we already had ships and steamers. It
would be for after consideration the carrying the line
down to the Persian Gulf. The proposed line would be
opposite to Kurrachee, which, he believed, would be
the great future entrepot for British industry to l3ritish
India. The commercial advantages of the proposition
which he now submitted would be enormous; for the
practical effect would he that India would be brought
from eight t,, ten days neater to the couutuy. ne had
been told that all the shares had been taken, and all
that the company required was security, because the
whole of the proposed line would be laid down on foreign
soil—on Turkish territory—and as this was a national
undertaking ili was but fair that the Government of this
country should see that the • property so created should
not be taken away from those who created. For
about sixty miles the line would pass over the territory
of the Arabs—those hereditary freebooters. For
four thousane. years they had been predatory free-
booters, but it must be remembered that a hundred
years ago the Highlanders of Scotland were as
great freebooters as the Arabs. (Laughter.) These free-
booters were bought off, and he believed that if the Arabs
could be shown that they could get more by protecting
the railway than by robbing it, there would be no ap-
prehension from the Arabs. A contract for making the
line from the Mediterranean to the Euphrates had been
taken for 1,100,000/ , and the capital of the company
was 1,400,0001. The Turkish Government had given a
guarantee of 6 per cent. on that capital, and the security
of that amount would be 80,000/., a year, which would
be the amount of duties on g mds conveyed by this rail-
way to Aleppo, and which would pass through the
hands of the company. What he asked was teat this
scheme should receive 'that support from the State
which would enable it to be carried out. He was not
connected with the company, he spoke of the scheme
in the interests of the country generally. What
was asked of the Government was, that if in making
the line, and one or two years afterwards the means
of the company should not be sufficient to make
a certain return, the Government should assist the
scheme up to a certain amount. The . utmost extent of
deficiency, as calculated by Sir J. Shiel, was 100,000:
in fire years. Let them consider what an enormous ad-
vantage, at this moment, this railway would have been if
it had been constructed five years ago l Why, the rein-
forcements to India could have been sent out in one
month after the rece:pt of the news of the mutiny in
India. At present we could only send these reinforce-
-meats by eailing vessels, and the troops might arrive out
in time oily to grace the triumph of the insurgents. In
a political point of view it was important they should
adopt this railway, because it would have the effect
of binding more strongly India to England. As a com-
mercial speculation it would be free from the mistrust
of other nations, of being a military road kept up by
tha Government for aggressive purposes. A railway
through the Euphrates Valley would open up a coun-
try of great fertility, and in that point of view it
would be superior to the other proposed line by way of
Suez and the Red Sea. All that was asked for to
carry out this line was a little help from the Govern-
ment, and a promise that this c mntry would support it
after it was made. To neglect those two essentials
would be a great dereliction of duty on the part of the
Government. Ho looked upon the present time as be-
ing most favourable for the Government to grant the
assistance asked. By their undertakieg to do so they
would give an earnest of their pluck and constancy to-
wards India, and of their confidence and determination
to hold possession of that country. (Hear.)
Mr. CRAWFORD seconded the motion for adjourn-
ment, to enable the subject to be entertained by the
house. Referring to the remarks of the hon. member,
Mr. Esteourt, he said that that gentleman had failed to I
make allusion to a subject of great importance to In•
dia, the establishment of telegraphic communication be- 11
tween the two countries—the exister,ca of which at
the present moment would have been of the greatest
advantage both to the Government and the relations
of those residing in that country. He looked upon
the establishment of telegraphic communication be-
tween the two countries of far greater import-
ance than the construction of a railway through the Eu-
phrates Valley, which, he thought, would be found not
to find so much favour with the public as the hon. mem-
ber appeared to think. The establishment of telegra-
phic communication with India would be of the greatest
advantage, and if carried out it should be by a company,
as a commercial speculation, and not by the Govern-
ment, who should only be called upon to assist the en-
terprise. The experience obtained relative to the for-
mation of ralways in India was of advantage in con-
nection with the establishment of telegraphic communi-
cation with that country, and in order to establish the
latter, the Government should give its support in a
similar manner to that given by the East India Company
to railways, which was by guaraeteeing a certain part
of the expense for a priority of use of the telegraph and
a representation of its interest at the board of manage-
ment, There were two proposals before the public
for carrying out telegraphic communication with
India•—one by way of the Euphrates Valley, aad
the other by way of Suez, both being identical
Ina one respect, viz., that of taking their &par.
hon,p
os e Iln s
tre from Alexandria and terminating at ICur-
'ache°, where the present telegraphs in India met. The
merits, member then detailed the route of each of the pro-
Red Sea route, said that on examination of their com-
parativethbe preference must be in favour of the
/ would be free of theecase besides other advantages, it
difficulties which appeared to exist
I with reference to the Euphrates route from fear of poli-
tical complications arising in connection with it. The
hon. gentleman condemned what he characterised a
promoters of the Eu-
1, covert desire on the part of the
opinion of that !
1 phrates route to gain an expression f
1 house in its favour, and stated that if Pagreent should 1 '
Persons would be 1
think fit to authorise the Government to
amount of capital,
nSeecae,sstahrayt
to the formation of telegraphic communication ' 1
found
da r
ebayd
lay it down
within twelve months and keep it in repair i
ywatyo aodfvathneceßtheed
for a certain period. I
Mr. GLADSTONE after some •
Introductory remarks