The Sun.
London, England, 1857-07-14 00:00:00

THE SU LONEON, TU

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF LORDS.--(IEsTER,DAY.)
The Royal asssent was giv,n by commission to the
following bills ; —Turnpike Tru,ts Arrangements; Han-
ley Borough Incorporation; Militia (Ireland) Act (1854)
Amendment; Sound Dues; Sites for Workhouses; Joint-
Stock Corporation A mendment Act ; Wll-nston and
Lawton Roads ; Fraserburph Harbour; North-Eastern
and Hartlepool Docks and Railway Company's Amalga-
mation; Forth and Clyde Junction Railway; Landport and
southsea Improvements ; Wearmouth Bridge, Ferrie
and Approaches ; South Durham and Lancashire Union
Railway ; Ely Valley Railway ; Glasg iw Gas ; St.
Phillip's Church ; Liverpool New River Company ;
West Hartlepool Railway ; Mansfield and Worksop
Road ; Portsdown Water ; Fawnhope and Holmo
Bridge ; North-Eastern Railway ; and Ipswich Water.
The Royal Commissioners were the Lord Chancellor,
the Earl of Harrowby, and Llrd Campbell,
Their lordships adjourned during pleasure.

Their lordships re-assembled at five o'clock.
THE INDIAN REVOLT.
The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH was anxious to put
a question to the noble earl opposite with reference to
the news which had just been received from India, and
with reference also to the course which her Majesty's
Government intended to pursue. It was now three
months since the minds of most men had been directed
to the state of the army in that country, and every mail
which had since arrived bad only tended to increase the
anxiety which was felt. Nevertheless, no official infor-
mation whatever had been given by her Majesty's Go-
vernment to Parliament ; but they bad been lelt to de-
pend upon private letters, and upon articles in news-
papers. The empire was in danger, but they knew
nothing whatever either with respect to the causes of
that danger, or with respect to the measures which had
been adopted by the Government to meet it. (Hear,
hear.) That was a state of things which ought not to
be allowed to c ntinue. They were told by successive
telegraphs that the crisis was past, that the danger was
over, and that things had been at their worst. But that
was not so. In cases like this, when extensive mutinies
bad taken place, things only went on from bad to
worse, until the strong band of power interfered and
established once more the authority of the Government.
(Hear, hear) Those who called themselves the pabUc
instructors of the country were endeavouring to in-
duce persons to believe that this was a passing calamity
to which very slight measures indeed would suffice to
put an end. (Hear.) It seemed to him (he noble earl)
that there were men amongst us like that sagacious ani.
mad which, when pressed by its pursuers, hid its head in
the sand and thought that it was unseen because it could
not see. .(Hear.) But all Europe was regarding with
the deepest interest the conduct which her Majesty's
Government might pursue; for upon that conduct would
depend not only our present character but our future
position in the civilised world. (Hear) He did not be-
lieve there existed in either house of Parliament any in-
disposition to grant her Majesty's Government any
means for which they might ask. Upon them, therefore,
rested the responsibility of the course they would pur
sue, and if they took a false step, the disgrace would be
with them, although the loss would undouhtedly be our.
It depended upon the noble viscount (Lord Palmerston)
whether he would obtain for himself a reputation sitnilee
to that which wee obtained in difficult and dangerous
circumstances by Lord Chatham, or whether his Gevera-
meat should be known to posterity as the most calami-
tous, the most disastrous, and the most disgraceful which
• had matted' in this country since the time of Lord North,
Since the Government had received the last telegraph,
their conduct had .been right:—they could not have ap
p inted a Otter officer than Sir Cahn Campbell. (Chess s.)
He (.he noble. sail) hall at all times had a higher
opinion of that gallant officer—an opinion derived from
the Late Sir Charles.Napier' and confirmed by sutse-
genet observation—than of any other in the Indian
army. (Hear, hear.) But tee give full effect to the ap-
pointment of Sir Colic, two things were necessary. In
the first place, he must be relieved from the threllore
to which it had been too customary to suhjec's the corn•
mender ire the field—the thraldom, namely, of the peli
tical agents. (Hear, hear.) The same powers should
be cominitted to him which were confided to Lord Her-
Tie by Lord Wellesley ; and he need not remind their
lordships what successes rewarded that generous mea-
sure. (Hear; hear.): He perceived, too, with great
satisfaction, that the Indian Government had appointed
Sir Patrick Grants (Cheers.) He would not ask
whether that appointment was justifiable in a strictly
legal point of view ; for ho thought the Indian Govern-
ment w ere bound, in a season of public danger, to welect
the beat man ; and in so doing they had deserved well
of their country. (Cheers.) Bat on the arrival of Sir
C. Campbell, the powers. of Sir Patrick Grant would
cease ; but he (Lord El'enborougb) considered that
it was of the utmost importance that the Governor
General should have Sir Patrick Grant for a mili-
tary adviser. That great object might be effected
by the Court of Directors-appointing Sir Patrick an
extraordinary member of Council. (Hear, hear.)
There was at present at very respectable officer in
the Council, and there was a very respectable military
secretary ; but there was nothing in their previous ser-
vices which would enable them to give to the Governor
General of India that authoritative advice upon which
he mightrely. It: was, therefore, most desirable that
the Council should be reinforced by Sir Patrick Grant.
There were persons in this country who were die:ap-
pointed at not having received by the last telegraph in-
formation of the capture of Delhi; but he (Lord Ellen-
borotsgh) thought that that disappointment was un-
reatoriabb. (Hear, hear.) He (the noble earl) had not
expected it ; nor did he think that they could in any
way justifiably impute blame to those in command, con-
sidering the hot season-of the year and the want of means
. of carriage, because' they had not made a march of 130
miles in the time in which it was calculated it cou'd have
been performed. As far as he could understand the
telegraph, the troops had succeeded in defeating a force
whisk bad been posted to interrupt then. march. Nov
that circumstance brought two things into his mind.
First, that the insurgents mast be very much stronger
than they bad been given to suppose, or they would
never have been induced to go beyond the walls of Delhi ;
and r ex. he rejo'heel tosay it convinced him that they could
not have a man to command them who understood his
business. Ll> (Ale nobleear)happened toknow theground
and ho was, therefore, not in the smallest degree surprised
that they should have lost all their guns, because it was
a position in which, being pressed, it would have been
perfectly impoeeible ter them to carry off their artillery
with them. (Hear, • hear.) Nevertheless, this was a
most:serious matter: They now heard that the di-affec-
tion was becoming very general ; that it hail extended
to 26,000 men, and that the Bengal army—and more
than ,that, the troops in the Punjaub—had been dis-
banded., Amongst the regiments which were included
in these troops were two of which he bad bad reason to
know the history—the 16th and the 26th. The 16N
was one of the finest regiments in the Indian army. It
carrie I upon colours almost as many records of ac-
tions: fought and victerres gained as any regiment in her
Mej-sty's service. Brigaded with her Majesty's 40 le
r liment, it served 'luring the whole of Sir William
Nott's operations. It served at Maharajehpore by its
side, and it equalled it in courage and devotion. The
2601 was with Sir George Pollock, at Peeliewur. Teen,
were there 4,000 men, of whom 2,800 were in the
hospital, by far the larger number on account of their
appreheneiene, rather than on account of sickness. In
that nrety the ordy regiment on which Sir George could
depend was this 46th, which had been disbanded. It
must have been a lentg-continued course of mismanage-
ment—a c .ur-e of misconduct which he could not cornpre-
bend—to have so changed the nature of the soldiers who
a imposed these regiments. There could twirl ly have been a
no ecenimientened native officer—there could not have
been a commissioned one, who had not given proofs of
his gallantry and fidelity under Sir W. Nott and Sir G.
Pollock,. and it Was most melancholy that such regiment-3
should be obliterated from the army in India, or that
eihwumstances should have occurred of any kind what-
ever to .make it necessary to deprive them of arms which
they bad so gallantly and so successfully borne. (Cheers.)
It was pot fer aheir lords, .te look at this mail or at
that mail, but it was fur them to look forward and con-
sider froM the facts which they had before them what
was likely to be our poeitiou in India on the let of
November, at the time when our troops woull have ar--
rived, and when, the rains being over, it would he pow
sible to undertaks military operations. On this point
he had endeavoured to form an upiision. Ile assumed
,that our troops wou'd be able to take and to hold Delhi,
Meerut, arid Allababad. l_le knew the locality of
Delhi ; and he knew that no European regiment had
ever yet been stationed there on account of he sickness
which.prevailed ; for after the rains, two-thirds of the
strength even of the native troops were in the hospital.
If thateferie Our troops should take Delhi and hold it, they
mast not expect that they wcal be in a position after the
rains to do more. All that be could venture to assume
was that the three places he bad named would be
held. We should, in fact, be in the same position
in the Upper Provinces as that in which the
French were placed iu Spain. We should hold that we
.
tedduy:n, but beyond that little or nothing else. It
would b imposale when the army which constituted
our strength was' pee, when the soldiers had become
either rebels or robbers, arid when we lad no reliable
police, it would be impossiblent to collect the revenue or
adm th
iiiister e.gove
Our possessions would, in
facts be confined tp t!te:..utltin.rh three or four places which we
occupied. 'ln the
pupmchaps it
might
be things might be a little
better.
aerstsit le for our troops to
maintain their own there, collect the revenue;
be Who apprehended we shoull noo,bel atilt:to do inure—.
ace heed I not he all, to moveag
irgot:oa.ptleobeiynon)el. Vie bank.
of the Seth j t render any
ports of
thecrtehheewrertet three
Vr'bon this insurrection begAn,
regiments in. Bsrgal, two at Calcutta, we]
Dinapere, 37d mike dikent. Between that pioacdeerwl
A4ra anti Locknow, which were 200 or 300 miles of
there was not anothLr Eur• ran soldier. Two regimetit4
were c ,rniog 1•101) Bonlhaf, and one from Madras, which
bus hoped teed a!reasly arrived. We should therefore hav
siwregimente is Bengal when those arrived. Now the
first thing to cans:der was the protection of the cApitas
of the etriti:w. It was the seat of the Government : the
Treasury iva. c.ntaiaing money to the amount of
- seven:len:None; and theta was an enormous amount oi
teercemile capital. It was the p at which awn: th-
suit r'evebue, ths eustorne, end the opium rovenue could
be- callected. In , therefore, to the three regi-
men's *tie • 1°1)- • • .
it *as proposed to station in Ca.cu.ti,
there ought to lei at lsast six steamers in the river.
(Hear.) Then one regiunnt ehould be rent to Allaha-
bad, another to Lucknow, and third to another sta-
tion. that •
tioD. thil manner he ea'i,
weuld be required fur the eight regiment:::
protection of Bengal • but, le
•adclition these, the three regimens,
*dencieought brought up fr'oni
the other presi a to be sent back at the ear-
liest possible moment. What was actually being done
was to tend out five regiments; but he held that Tice

were insufficient. Nor was this all. There waA no use in

having troops unless they could move them. Now,iheT
could not find horses in Bengal tomount the cavalry, nor
even horse their artillery on the spot. It would
therefore be 4bsolutely necessary to send out horses from
the country, and to give orders at the Cape and in Aus-
tralia, to forward all the animals they could find fit for
the purpose. He would now assume that the five regi-
ments which were being sent out were placed at
Allaha-
bad. They must not expect them to be there on the Ist of
November. They would reach Calcutta on the 1-t of Nc-
vember, but they would not be at Allahabad till the Ist
of January. The force would be utterly insufficient. It
was quite ton much to expect an army of that strength,
without cavalry or artillery, to enter a country contain-
ing a population of 40 or 50 millions, and that the only
military people in India, the Rajpoots. They ought to
send nine regiments of infantry, three regiments of ca-
vslry, and six batteries of artillery. The artillery must
also be sent out from home. It would not do to leave
Calcutta again, as it once had been left, with only six
guns for its defence. The gun carriages, however, must
be made in Calcutta or Madras, for those which we sent
out were quite useless in India. What he had said re-
I ited to the country between the Ganges and the Jumna;
but he did not think it would be sufficient to act upon
that line alone. He thought that they ought also to form
another basis of operations between the Indus and the
Sutlej, for the purpose of connecting the Punjaub with
the line at Allahabad. He thought it most important
likewise to have a reserve of at least two regiments sta-

tioned at AllAhabad for the purpose of proteoting the

supplies that would require to be sent up. We had five
regiments in China, and if al) these five could be sent to
India they would supply the reinforcements required.
The total force that would be necessary, therefore, in

addition to those sent cut, would be eight or ten regi•
tnents of infantry, six of cavalry, and 12 batteries o.
artillery, and with those troops we must send horses
He firmly believed that if Parllament and Government
should determine to reinforce the army of India to the
extent he had suggested, they might with almost abso-
lute certainty—subject, of course, to those accidents of
fortune which might befal all military operations—they
might rely on it with certainty, that by the middle of
April next!, the authority of the British Government
would be firmly re-established in every part of the upper
provinces. But if they acted in a different manner—if
they acted undecidedly—if they thought there was no-
thing in the present crisis, and that it would die of itself
—if they were not disposed to put forth the strength of
this country, they might depend upon it that loss and
disgrace would pursue us until our character and autho-
rity in Indio, were entirely destroyed. He (the noble
lord) did not believe there was any indisposition on the
part of this country to support the Government. He
trusted, therefore, that her Majesty's Ministers would
prove themselves equal to the occasion, and to the great-
ness of the danger in which we were involved—that they
would come forward t o maintain the national character
and the interests of this country in India—that they
would give permanent security to our empire, and do
honour to themselves. He (the noble earl) wished to
know whether the Government had considered what
measures they would take for reinforcing the army in
India, and whethec it was their intention, at the earliest
opportunity—say within three days—to lay the official
information they fh`s,essed before Parliament ? (Cheers.)
Earl GRANVILLE demurred to the noble earl's com-
plaint that the Govern rent had withheld information re-
specting the Indian army, and he challenged him to point
out any occasion in which they had hesitated to answer
any questions which had been put to thorn on the sub
He was quite sure that there would be no objec-
iet.
teion on their part to lay before Parliament the informa-
tion which would-probably be received that evening or
on the following day. With regard to the intelligence
which had already arrived, be really thought that their
lordships were in possession of it all. The Government
had only in ceived three or four telegraphs, some from
Malta, t ore from Marseilles, and some from Trieste, the
whole
.substance of- which had appeared in the usual
sources of information; and he had nothing to add except
that one tslsgraphic despatch stated_ all was quiet in the
Punjaub. He could assure the noble earl that the Go-
vernment would consider well the matter he had brought
before them, and that they would consider it was a
most serious luestion. (Cheers.) But when the noble
earl talked of calamity, disgrace, and disaster, he (Lord
Granville) could not say that her Majesty's Government
shared in that view of the case. (Hear.) He (Gerd Gran-
ville) would not enter into any prophecies, and he thought
that the noble earl, notwithstanding his experience and
knowledge of the subject, would perhaps have acted more
wisely if he had satisfied himself e its giving an opinion
upon the facts which had transpired, and if be had not
gone into speculations which were based in a certain
degree upon imagination, and upon the probability of
what was likely to come to pass. At the same time no-
thing could be more interesting than the noble earl's re-
marks ; and- be could assure him that whatever he sug-
gested on such a subject, though not always adopted,
was always made the subject of serious consideration
by her Majesty's Government. (Hear, hear.) With
regard to military details, he (Lord Granville) was
quite incompetent to speak ; but even if he was
not, ho thought it would be inconvenient to
follow the noble earl into them. So far as her Majesty's
Government were acquainted with what had occurred,
they were perfectly satisfied with every step which had
been taken. With regard to what they were doing at
borne he could assure the house that the most effectual
precaution would he taken to strengthen the hands of
the Government of India. (hear.) There was an in-
pression abroad that her Majesty's Government was in
possession of information as to particular persons, of
whom they bad no information whatever. He was sorry,
however, to say they were informed that General Anson
had died from cholera. Those who knew the character
of that gallant officer were aware that he was a man of
great ability, of sound understanding, and of clear views.
(Hear.) He (Lord Granville) thought the Indian G e
verntnent had acted most judiciously in appointing Sir
Patrick Grant; and he rejoiced to hear the treble earl's
approval of the selection of Sir Colin Campbell. (Hear,
bear.) Every one must be of opinion that they were
most fortunate in having that gallant officer, and that
the greatest credit was due to him for being ready to go
out at absolutely a few hours' notice after the intell'gencs
was received. (Rear, hear.) He (Lord Granville) bad
only to repeat that I a should be ready to give
every information iu his power. He carefully abstained
from going into the subjects touched upon by the noble
earl ; but when the noble earl spoke of the general dis
affection of the country, the fact was, so far as the G .)-
\
vernment were informed, that the disaffection did not
extend beyond the army. (Hear.) Even with regard to
those regiments which the noble lord had spoken of as
having been disbanded, the Government had no intelli-
gence that such had really taken place. Her Majesty's
Government were determined to give every information
to Parliament and to the country. They would deal
with the greatest vigour with the present emergency,
and they would not give way to what he trusted would
prove an unfounded expectation of calamity and disas-
ter. (Cheers )
Viscount MELVILLE said the Bengal army was the
worst of which he had any knowledge. It was, in fact,
the worst in the world ; and certainly he had
never served with so bad an army. (Hear, hear.)
He had never seen such irregularity as existed in the
Bengal army. He was told that the late Gen. Anson,
ever since he assumed the command In India, had repr -
serdel to the Government the indispensable necessity of
increasing the European force in India, and no sort of
attention had been paid to that recommendation. The
system pursued in the appointment of native officers was
one of the reasons that bad led to the mutiny. They were
not selected for their fitness, but ruse as a mater of
course. These mutinies were not altogether new ; this
was not a singular instance of mutiny in the Bowl
army. In 1349, when he was commanding on the fron-
tier, and Sir Colin Campbell was serving there, two Ben-
eat regiments mutinied. When be came borne in 1850 he
was requested to give his opinion as to the state of the
Bengal army. He expreved that opinion, which was one
of strong diSapprobation, hut was told that, however true
it might be, it would be imprudent to express it. No steps
had since been taken to remedy the defects in the discipline
of that army. They could net be unknown and had long been
known to the Court of Directors. Most energetic mea-
sures should have been taken to put it in a proper state
of disciplice, and to have brought it as near as pereible
to the state of the army of Bombay. He had the honour
of commanding the Punjaubdivision of the Bombay army
and he bad the greatest :atisfaction in saying nothing
c uld be more exemplary than its conduct. To give their
lordships one instance of the state of the Bengal army,
he would relate What happened at the rate ofMooltaa.
An officer in command of a company bad a covering
party. One night a tremendous disturbance arose. He
went to see what was the matter, and he found the Fe-
pops of a Bengal regiment obstructing the sepoys of a
Bombayregiceent because they were digging for trenches.
The Bengal sepoys said they would fight but not work-
It was not until the officer told them they should be shot
that they could he induced to retire, and they did
not do one foot of work pointed out by the engineer.
The morning after the assault at the Park Gate
Mr. Lake asked the officer commanding the picket to
place a sergeant and twelve men to prevent any one
coming ou'. Shortly after three officers of a British re-
giment approached the guard, who told them they could
not pass ; they asked them what they had got under a
tarpaulin they bad with them, and they said only sonic
engineering tools and cartridges ; on the guard liftine
I up the cover they found some plunder. As it might be
thought be was acting with jealousy, be did not report
the circumstance; but the things that he saw showed the
Want of discipline in that army, and that the officers did
not do their duty in the way that those of the Bombay
army did. In the Bombay army the native officers were
selected for their activity, zeal and intelligence. II i
hoped her Majesty's Government, seeing what had hap
pened, would enforce on the Board of Directors the ne-
ceseity of reorganising the Bengal army, and putting it
in a proper state, which would secure our Indian empire.
As to saying this mutiny bad occurred in consequence of
anything connected with- the greasy cartridges, he di I
not believe a word of it, but it was to be traced to other
sources.
The Earl of ALBEMARLE said he had a letter in his
agedticctlfrom Dr. Ruist, editor of the Bombay Times, dim.
sel.ictYin tgraeing one of the causes of the mutiny to the
men of high caste, to the exclusion of every
other, to be officers in the Bengal' army In the B wn-
bay army it was quite different—they took' high caste
and low caste men, without distinction.
'
THE SW MON.
The Earl of MALMESBURY rose,then pursuant to
notice, to present a petition from offiviiclresdoftths
thatar thi ce u
gridl arler n 0 late Swiss
lioeg:giohnt.bellpeerssauiadiehde
intentiona ee:olordships whatever
p
The case was simply this : there
to make any attack on her Majesty's mweenrt on
Vie question.
less than forty-seven officers of the late Swiss legion we lanno
cimi lained that certain articles under which they were
enrolled had not been Jai hfutly fulTltd by her Majsty'
Government, and that they bad not received the pay to
which they were entitled. The whole case must, depeLa

on the accuracy of the statement of the petitioners, and
he thought the best course would be to read the prayer
of the petition. The noble earl then read the petition,
which stated that in the months cfMay, June, and

July, 1855, the pAitioners were enrolled (pursuant to
the Foreign Enlistment Act) in the Swiss Lrgion,
under certain ar',,icles of enlistment then printed and

publi,hed at Berne, in Switzerland, dated Schlestadt,
1855, and bearing the signatures of Hans Sulzberger,
colonel ; Charles E. Funk, lieutenant-colonel ; and
John Baumgartner, captain. Such articles contained,
amongst others, the following stipulations :—" That the
tflicers and men should be enlisted for the duration of

the war, and for 12 months after the ratification of peace;
that upon disbandment the officers should receive 15
months' full pay, and the non-commissioned officers and
men the full pay of two years." In July following the
British Government caused certain other articles, with-
out date, to be printed and published, wherein it was
stipulated that the officers and men should be enlisted
for the duration of the war, and for one year after the
ratification of peace, and that on disbandment the offi-

cera should be allowed three months' pay to carry them
home. The petitioners conceived that they would be en-
titled, under either of these articles, to 15 months' pay

-
after the ratification of peace ; that is, that they were. en-
listed for one year after the ratification of peace, and that,
fn being disbanded, they were to receive 3 months' pay.

Petitioners went on to say that on disbandreentthey were
offered three months' pay, which they accepted under
prote,t, and that a further offer of three months' pay had
been made to some of them, which in most instances had
been rejected. The noble earl proceeded to say that it
these men were deceived, it was a question whether Go-
vernment should not be bound to carry out the conven-
tion. It rested on the word of one man against another,
but the question was a serious one, and affected the in-
terests of the country. They should consider the possi-
bility that some day or other we should again want to
enlist foreigners in our service. When the question was
first mooted in that house, he expressed his regret that
it was necessary to enlist foreigners, but the experience
of the last war had shown him that if we were bound to
the voluntary system of enlistment, our armies could
not equal foreign armies or be equal to the exigencies of
the case. Therefore, it was most important that this
country should bear a good name among foreigners.
The Swiss were the best nation that we could have
recourse to, because their morals were not in the least
degree injured by foreign enlistments, as they had for
centuries served foreign,sovereigns, and 1 oked upon it
as an honour to do so. He thought Government ought to
look favourably on the case of the petitioners, especially
seeing it would not makea difference of more than 2,700/.
Lord PANMURE said he thought the fact that out of
the whole body of foreign officers who had taken service
under the British Government, only 47 bad been found
to complain publicly of injustice, proved at all events
that the complaints of the officers were not general.
There wan no indispositiononhispart to settle the claims
both of the officers and men of the foreign legion, and t•
meet all the engagements of the Government, and even
to extend the generosity of this Government beyond
those engagements, in order to show that we appreciated
the services which had been rendered. But of course
in the settlement of these claims many disputes both on
the part of the officers and men must arise, and if
his noble friend had been at all aware of the infinite
trouble they had taken to adjust these claims, he would
bare acknowledged the disposition of the Government
to deal fairly with them. But in the case of these 47 offi-
cers there was a peculiarity. It was asserted by these
officers that they accepted service under her Majesty on
certain conditions. Now, Col. Dickson was the officer
appointed by him to bring into action the Foreign Enlist.
ment Act, so far as it affected the raising of a Swiss
legion, and there was a committee consisting of Colonel
Dickson, Col. Funk, and Major Baumgartner. The
head-quarters were at Schlestadt, inasmuch as toe levy
of Swiss for service in the English army was an act not
recognised by the Swiss law. Certain articles were drawn
by
up the committee, and Ca. Dickson left them to be
printed as so drawn up. They were not so printed, Ma-
jet- Baumgartner not only printed them in a manner that
Colonel Dickson had not approved of, but he forged the
name of his colleagues to the articles he had printed.
Col'mel Dickson, as soon as he saw the articles printed,
took immediate steps to deny their authenticity, and
to explain to the officers who had taken service that
these a ere not the terms on which they had accepted
it, and up to the moment of the disbandment of the
legion they never beard one word of cempleint from
the legion that they were not satisfied. But that
was not all. The spurious articles appeared to have
been issued towards the end of May or the beginning of
June, and there was no doubt but by the beginning of
July it was well known that those articles were spurious.
Now it so turned out that the vast majority of the indi-
viduals who had signed this petition entered the service
after the beginning of July, after Col. Dickson had taken
steps to show them that the articles were spurious. It
appeared to him that this was a case got up by foreigners
placing themselves in the hands of some English lawyers.
Every one of these officers had given a receipt for his
gratuity, and signed a declaration that he had no further
claim on the British Government, and he did not believe
there was any of them who received the money under
protest. He was the more convinced of that as he had
received a letter from Major Baumgartner (as we under-
stood), coyly intimating that this claim would be brought
before Parliament, but that they were open to a corn-
promise. Having regard to the honour of the country
he refused to compromise. He agreed with his noble
friend that it was important no feeling should exist on
the part of foreigners that the British Government had not
dealt fairly with them. He had the gratification to in-
forra his noble friend that one of the officers who had
signed this petition had written to the Foreign-office,
the letter having bee.s received that morning, to say that
having heard of the state of affairs be was willing to
serve again, and that he bad no doubt all who had en-
rolled themselves under the British service before would
readily enrol themselves again. He was convinced that
in parting with the Foreign Legion at the clove of the
late war, we bad left an impression on their minds that
England had dealt fairly with them, and that they had
dealt fairly with England. Commencing in May,
1855, in the month of August of that year 4,000 men
belonging to foreign legions were thoroughly equipped,
armed, and drilled, and in the course of a few months
afearward not less than 6,000 were at the theatre of war.
Ho had received from the officers in command the
highest testimonials of their conduct. With reference
to the enlistment of foreign troops, ao long as we had
no conscription we must treat with such troops in the
event of a foreign war ; and in dealing with them
we must do so honestly and fairly, at the sauce time
taking care that the tax-payers of this country were not
called upon to pay more than the justice of the case re-
quired. (Hear, hear.)
The Earl of M ALMESBURY said this was a matter
which depended upon the word of one man being placed
against the word of another. One of the officers who
had been accused of promulgating false documents, as
he (she Earl of Malmesbury) had been informed, had
commenced ao action against Colonel Dickson.
The Earl of EIARDWICKE thought the cost of these
foreign legions ought to be laid before Parliament.
Lcrd PANMU RE said that had been done.
The Eerl of HARD WICKE believed that if the
proper steps were taken, they could always rely upon
raring men enough to carry on any war that might
arise.

The EArl of CLANCARTY said that no more un-
popular mea-ure had ever been had recourse to than tbat
of calling on foreign aid to carry on a war. A con-
scription at home would be infinitely preferatle.
The subject then dropped.
SLANE TRADE.
Lord BROUGHAM gave notice that on Thursday
he sl,oa'd move-an athlress on the subject of the African
slave trade.

session. He asked the Lord Chancellor not to press the
progress of these bills this session, because their lord-
ships had not had time t ) consider them.
Lord WENSLEYDALE urged the passing of these
bills, which had been produced by the statute law cam-
misiiouers, after careful consideration n their part
After scme remarks from the Marquis of WESTMEATH
and the Earl of DEBBY, the bills were severally read a
second time.

SALE OF OBSCENE BOOKS, &c., PREVENTION
BILL.
Lord CAMPBELL tioved the third reading of this
bill, and in doing so his lordship read a letter from the
secretary of the Society for the Suppression of Vice,
showing tt e inadequacy of the present law to prevent
the sale of obscene books, &c. There had been 150
prosecutions of works of that character in the 35 years
of the society's existence. Of these 5 had been ac-
quitted, and the remainder convicted. The trade was
so profitable that, like the slave trade, the vencleri of
indecent books thrived upon an average of seizures.
Peremptory attacks by policemen and immediate sei-
zures were the only weans of eradicating the evil. He
produced a book, said to Dave been soil at a rail
way eta ion. He had received a letter from Messrs.
Smith and Sons on this subject, stating that they had
used every endeavour to cause all the books sold at the
stations over which they had any control to be as pure
as possible, and if any others were sold it was not with

their consent.
The Earl of SHAFTESBIJRY said that Messrs
Smith had done their best towards supplying proper
literature to the pubic, and the collection at their sta-
tions was as pure as that of any library in the kingdom.
Lord LYNDHURST, after some sharp comments
upon Lord Campbell's last speech, in which he men-
tioned the fact of Lord Campbell's having picked out,
and sent to him as a present the volume of his Lives
of the Chancellors in which he (Lord Campbell) bad
spoken against him, went on to say that his obj-ction
to the bill was its wideness—nothing could escepe it—
no printseller could be safe from its annoyances. A. war-
rant taken out by an informer was t ) open every room
in a man's house, even his wife's bedroom. Lord Camp-
bell said that was not what his bill meant, but this was
what it said, nevertheless. Did Lord Campbell remem-
ber the case of Hetherington, who when in prison for
selling blasphemous works sent to Mr. Moxon's shop,
and bought a copy of Shelley's works, just edited by his
widow, and indicted the publisher for selling irreligious
works! The bookseller was acquitted, but the costs
and law expenses were enormous.
Lord WENSLEYDALE, though objecting on prin-
ciple to domiciliary visits, was nevertheless not opposed
to the bill.
The Archbishop of CANTERBTJRY supported the
bill, which, after a few words from several noble lords,
was read a third time and passed.
THB LAW OF LIBEL.
Lord CAMPBELL said, as chairman of the select
committee appointed to consider how far the privilege
of reporting the proceedings of law courts without being
subject to the law of libel, should be extended to the
proceedings of the two houses of Parliament and to pub-
lic meetings, he had now to lay the report of the eons-
mittee on the table. The petitioners prayed that there
should be an entire immunity for all newspapers for
printing and publishing what was spoken at any public
meeting.. They heard the witnesses who were examined
and they came to the unanimous resolution that the
prayer could not be safely granted in the plenitude in
which it was sought, because a mob might be called a
public meeting, and a member of a mob might utter the
most calumnious attacks on private character. What
was proposed was, that the party should proceed against
the speaker, and not against the journal, but that would
often leave the party without remedy. It had been pro-
posed to make a speaker liable for a printed report of his
speech, but that world be a great and important change
in the law of England,
and, he believed, was inexpedient.
Therefore, they all came to the opinion, as the select com-
mittee in 1843 did, that such a concession was unnecee-
sary, and could not be safely granted. At the same time,
they thought they might, with perfect safety to the
public, grant a protection against vexatious actions.
They thobght that a report of the proceedings in
either house of Parliament when strangers were ad-
mitted should have the same privil-ge as was now
extended to the reports of the proceedings in e ,urts of
public justice ; because they thought, at least the ma-
jority thought, that all the reatons that existed for the
privilege in the one case extended to the other. It was
equally important to the public that the proceedings
in Parliament should be faithfully published as those
of the courts of law, and that those who published
them should not run the peril of an action or an in-
dictment. An objection had been raised respecting the
standing orders of the two houses of parliament, prohi-
biting the publication of any of their proceedings, but
one might hope that these standing orders which he
might call waste paper, woull speedily be repealed as of
no use. The most important alteration recommended
for the protection of the public press was this : A journal
contained an account of a public meeting in which ob-
servations were made, which, in point of law, were libel-
lous. Tee individnal might bring his action, and though
he had suffered no damage, the judge was bound to tell
the jury that they must give him a verdict. Fur the
purpose of remedying that state of things as far as they
cool", the jury found a verdict, with a teething damages.
By a lets act of Parliament the plaintiff recovered no
more costs than damages, and therefore in such a case as
that the defendant was not bound to pay the plaintiff his
costs, but then he was burdened with his own. (Hear.)
In a recent case, which had caused so much apprehen-
sion in all parts of the country, the jury found the report
was a faithful report, and that there was no malice what-
ever, and they thought the plaintiff had suffered no da-
mage ; but the judge told them they must find some da-
mages, and they found a farthing, and the defendant was
obliged to pay the cost of defending himself, which was
said to amount to 4001. To prevent this, it was proposed
that if there was an action brought against a public jour-
nal for that which professed to be a report of a public
meeting, the defendant might plead it was a faithful re-
port of the proceedings, and that the plaintiff had sus-
tained no actual damage, and if the jury were of that
opinion then they were to find a verdict for the defendant,
and the plaintiff thus, instead of receiving damages or
costs, would be obliged to pay the costs of a vexatious
action. So far they thought they might safely proceed to
prevent vexatious actions. A difficulty arose as to what
shoull be considered a public meeting, and they recom-
mended that all ineetingscalled by a lieutenant of a county
or the mayor of a borough, or the meeting of a town
council or a board of health, or any other body meet-
ing under an act of parliament, or which had a right
to levy a local rat .. They recommended that where
there was a faithful report of snot' public meetings, and
the plaintiff had sustained no real damage, the jury
should find a verdict for the defendant, and make the
plaintiff pay the costs. This was a summary of the re-
commendation of the committee, He was afraid it was
vain to think of legi lacing on such a subject during the
present He!eion of Parliament. He personally could not
make the a:-,tempt, becauseearly to-morrow morning he
t
circuit,
but he gave notice, that at the begin-
n
session be should frame a bill in accord-
ances
ng outof
anothero n c iru
with these resolutions, which he should submit to
their lordships, and which he trusted might meet their
approbation and that of the other House of Parliament.
Their lordships then adjourned a fa?, minutes before
nine o'clock.