The Sun.
London, England, 1859-04-09 00:00:00

IMPERI.

AMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS—(YESTERDAY).
Their lordship assembled at half-past 4.
ROYAL ASSENT.

The royal assent was given by commission to the follow-
ing bills :—The East India Company Loan ; the Oaths Act
Amendment ; the Patent of Inventions (Munitions of War);
Common Rights (War Department) ; the Shepton-Mallet
Water ; the Wimbledon and Dorking Railway, and several
other private bills.
The Lords Commissioners were the Earl of Ilardwicke,
the Marquis of Salisbury, and the Lord Chancellor.
Their lordships adjourned during pleasure.

The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack
at five o'clock.

TICKETS OF LEAVE.

Viscount DUNGANNON gave notice that on Monday
next he should move for returns of the number of convicts
who had been discharged with tickets of leave during the
years 1857 and 1858, and also the number of those who
who had been recommitted for subsequent offences.

Railway ; Travellers and Marine Insurance and Accidental
Death Insurance Companies Amalgamation (No. 2).
The Lords' amendments to the Findhorn Railway Bill
were agreed to, and the bill was ordered for a third reading.
The London and South Western Railway and the Lym-
ington Railway Bills were considered and ordered for third
reading.

ROYAL COMMISSION.
The Usher of the Black Rod summoned the members to
the House of Lords to hear the Royal assent given by
commission to a number of bills [for which see Lords' re-
port].
WESTMINSTER NEW BRIDGE BILL.
Lord J MANNERS moved that in the case of this bill
the examiners have leave to sit and proceed forthwith.
Sir H. WILLO UGHBY said he understood that
£138,000 had already been spent on the werks and that
£178,000 more would be required. He wished to know
how the deficiency would be supplied, and whether a report
as to the engineer, contractor, and surveyor being the same
person was true ?
Lord J. MANNERS said that as no notice was given
of the motion, he was not prepared with the figures neces-
sary to give a full answer to the questions of the hon.
baronet. He believed that there was appended to the
report of the commissioners of last year an account of the
expenditure incurred, and that a further vote would be
required. The contractor, engineer, and surveyor, were
three different persons.
MIL CHISHOLM ANSTEY.
- - - • - -

Mr. E. JAMES gave notice that on Thursday next he
would move for the correspondence and other documents
relating to the dismissal of Mr. Chisholm Anstey from his
official position in Hong-Kong.
THE STATE OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said he
trusted the noble lord the member for Tiverton would not
bring forward this evening the motion of which he had
given notice with reference to the state of foreign affairs,
or make those observations on the subject which he stated
it was his intention to do last evening. He could assure
the noble lord that it would be most inconvenient to the
public interest to bring forward this evening the question
of the relation of this country with foreign Powers. It was
his intention, on Monday or Tuesday evening next, to
make a complete statement of the position in which this
country was placed with regard to any negotiations that
were pending. That course would enable the noble lord
to make' those observations on the question, to which the
house no doubt would listen with great pleasure,
Lord PALMERSTON said it was impossible for him
not to comply with the request of the right hon. gentleman,
and his (Lord Palmerston's) object was merely that the
public might be put in possession of the position in which
this country at present stood with regard to foreign. powers.
(Hear, hear.) At all events the course pursued by the
right hon. gentleman would give him and other hon. mem-
bers an opportunity of making some observations
(Laughter.)
Lord J. RUSSELL hoped that the right hon. gentleman
(the Chancellor of the Exchequer) would bring the subject
forward in the form of a motion, so that hon. members
would have an opportunity of making some remarks.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that
he would put the subject in the shape of a motion, of which,
perhaps, he would give notice on Monday next.
MAIL CONTRACTS.

Mr. DAVISON asked the Secretary to the Treasury
whether any renewal of the subsisting mail contracts to the
Royal Mail Steam Packet Company for the West Indian
and Brazilian Mail Service had been granted or promised to
that company without advertising for competitive tenders ;
whether her Majesty's Government had had under
their consideration any complaints of colonists or
passengers or other persons respecting the irregula-
rities, inconvenience, or mismanagement of the said ser-
vices, and whether any investigation as to the inconveni-
ence or management of the present service was contemplated
previously to the renewal of such contracts ; and whether
itjwas intended that Ruch renewals shall be opened to com-
petition ?
Sir S. NORTHCOTE said that there had beaiilio Rhea-
tion in the contracts, and he had heard of no coMplaintan
the subject.
EXCLUSION OF ROMAN CATHOLICS FROM
JURIES IN IRELAND.

Viscount CASTLEROSSE asked the Chief Secretary for
Ireland, whether his attention had been called to the fact
that at the late trial at Tralee of Daniel O'Sullivan, con-
victed of being a member of the Phcenix Society,
the eleven Roman Catholic jurors (including a gentle-
man lately appointed a magistrate of the county) who
were called and answered to their names, were directed to
" stand by" by the Crown; and, if so, whether such a
course had been adopted with the approval of the Govern-
ment ?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the
Government had given no instructions for the exclusion of
Roman Catholics from juries in Ireland.
After some discussion the subject dropped.
COMMISSIONS IN THE ARMY.
Captain VIVIAN asked the Secretary of State for War,
a question relating to the appointment of Mr. Cunningham
to an Ensigncy in the 13th Regiment of Light In-
fantry, and drew attention to the advertisements
pit forward by certain parties, stating that they
possessed peculiar facilities in procuring commissions
for persons who were desirous of entering the
army. Commissions should be given without purchase
only to relatives of those persons who had rendered emi-
nent services to the country, for such gifts were
the same as giving so much money; and he wished
to know what Mr. Cunningham's claims were to a commis-
sion without purchase.
General PEEL said with regard to the general question
of commissions in certain cases having been obtained
without purchase, he thought it would be most in-
convenient to enter into any statements on a question on
which an inquiry was being instituted. With reference to
Mr. Cunningham, he was the son of a distinguished officer
in the Bengal army, and his grandfather had been a general
in the British service. That gentleman had received testi-
monials from Sir S. Steele and Sir Robert Vivian. (Hear.)
MR. BARON BRAMWELL ON THE NORTH
• WALES CIRCUIT.
Mr. SALISBURY called the attention of the house to
remarks said to have been made by Mr. Baron Bramwell,
at Bala and other assize towns in the North Wales circuit,
and asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department
if he had any explanation to offer to the house on the con-
duct of the learned judge. The hon. member denounced
the observations made by the learned judge in question as
most uncalled for and injudicious.
DISMISSAL OF MR. SANFORD FROM THE
EMIGRATION OFFICE.
Mr. HOPWOOD asked the Secretary to the Treasury
for an explanation of the recent dismissal of a gentleman
who had been employed for two years and a half in the
Emigration Office, and had subsequently passed a satis
factory examination before the Civil Service Commis
sioners ?
THE INDIAN OFFICE.

Sir E. PERRY asked the Secretary of State for India
what steps had been taken for removing the political
establishment of the Indian Office to the neighbourhood of
the other public offices of Government ?
CARRIAGE ROAD BY THE SIDE OF BERKELEY
HOUSE.

Mr. KINNAIRD asked the Chief Commissioner whether
the Government would make up their minds by the meet-
ing of the new Parliament (seeing that Berkeley-house is
now pulled down) as to making a carriage road by the side
of Berkeley-house, from Cockspur.street and Charing-
cross, into St. James's Park ?

Loid J. MANNERS said he could not answer the first
part of the question, but he certainly would take no steps to
prevent the new Parliament from expressing an opinion
on the subject.