The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-23 00:00:00

THE SION,I LoivrJoN, SAT URDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY '2B, 1861.

hear.) We lament that so large AB. 'amount of property
should be annually lost on our shore is- That, however, is a
loss which falls on individuals, and they have means of in-
demnifying themselves to a certain extent by insurances
and other arrangements. But we ler sent still more the loss
of most valuable lives—(hear, hear) —the loss of some of
the best seamen of the country, and that is a loss against
which no insurance can be made and. no compensation can '
be obtained, and is, therefore, a dead calamity to the coun-
try. (Hear, hear.) But when we say that we are sensible
of the magnitude of the evil we also cannot shut our eyes
to the magnitude of the remedies which are proposed to
correct that evil, and that which has passed in the short
discussion we have just heard shows to what extent the
demand would go. The hon. member who began the dis-
cussion confined his representations to the harbours of re-
fuge on the north-east coast of England. Immediately
afterwards another hon. friend of mine draws attention to
the state of the Welsh coast. Another hon. member points
I out how necessary it is to have harbours of refuge for tha
Irish coast, and I have no doubt that my noble friend the
mamber for Wick (Lord Bury) would be ready to insist on
the extreme advantage of a harbour of refuge for the place
Ihe represents. But those harbours of refuge would cost a
very large sum of money, and I am sorry to say that her
m-,:,iesty's Government are not at present prepared to pro •
pose t:.l Parliament to advance grants from the public re-
venue at all commensurate to the magnitude of the object
in view. A.-!; the same time it is quito true that last session
we did make a hedge that we would propose some measure
this session, and my right hon. friend the President of the
Board of Trade has a bill ready to be presented to the hou• e
for the purpose of taking the first steps in this matter.
The hon. member who spoke first urged that steps should
be taken to improve existing harbours. That is a suggestion
more within the scope of our means than the construction
of new works, and I agree with the remark made by my
hon. friend behind me with respect to the mistake which
has been fallen into, of making these harbours of refuge too
small. It is quite true that they are so, and that if you
are to make -new hai boars care should be taken to make
them large enough to meet all demands. As our shipping
and commerce increase we must look forward to new de-
mands, but my right hon. friend has a bill ready, I believe,
'o be presented, the object of which will be to enable the
Ex .thequer Bill Loan Commissioners to make advances both
is England and Ireland to those who are willing to take
money or: certain conditions for the purpose of improving
existing harWurs. (Hear, hear.) The committee which
the hon. nuebabe..- who spoke first referred to made a propo-
sition which, I an/ afraid, has not been at all approved of,
namely, that if the Government advanced money for the
creation of harbours of refuge, the interest on part of the
money so advanced should be paid by passing tolls. This
is a proposition which, I belie 70, owners of shipping are not
at all ready to acquiesce in. A bill will shortly be pre-
sented, giving to the Exchequer Loan Commissioners very
large powers, for the purpose of making advances on easy
terms to those willing to draw money from that source with
the object of improving existing harbours. (Hear, hear.)

is the case with regard to Rotterdam, to the consulship of
which I recommended the other day a merchant of great
respectability. The committee -recommended that there
should be a classification of consuls; firstly, of those who
should be never allowed to trade; secondly, of those who
should be allowed according to circumstances to trade;
thirdly, of those who should always be traders ; and
fourthly, of those whose places should be abolished as va-
cancies occurred. I have endeavoured to give effect to that
recommendation. (The noble lord here specified several
appointments to the diplomatic service). Some of these
changes have taken place under Lord Malmesbury and
souse under me, and they show that there is no desire in the
Foreign Department of the State not to give promotion in
this particular service. Since the report of the committee
of 1858 alterations have been made in a great number of
places; 71 consular offices have been improved since July,
18.58. In many of those cases salaries have been given in-
stead of fees, and the fees have been transferred to the
Treasury. This I think is the right principle which should
be applied when places fall in. In 71 cases, therefore, these
improvements have been effected; in 21 the consuls have
been placed on a reduced footing. The increase of salary
has amounted to £13,457; the decrease by abolition is
£5,600, and by reduction, £3,400, reducing the net increase
to £4,457. Well, there is a recommendation by the com-
mittee to which the hon. and learned gentleman seems to
attach much importance. It is that with respect to consular
students. But when the matter came to be considered it was
thought that to appoint students to consulships would be
placing young men of talent in a position in which they
might remain a very long time without any chance of pro-
motion—a state of things disappointing to them and burden-
some upon the public service. We thought it better, there-
fore, not to adopt that part of the recommendation of the com -
mittee ; but, on the other hand, there have been a great
gmany of the lower class raised to a higher position. At
the same time we cannot make an absolute rule even in
this case, because vacancies fall in all parts of the world,
requiring to be filled by persons possessing a special apti-
tude. For instance, the other day I received a deputation
who wanted a consul at Abbeokuta, where a cotton culti-
vation is springing up. I believe my hon. friend the mem-
ber for 'Warwickshire was the chairman of one of the meet-
ings on that subject, and it is my intention to recommend
the appointment of some gentleman to the place in question.
I think I have now stated the main points upon which the
committee reported, and their recommendations, and upon
the whole we have endeavoured to keep to the spirit of
those recommendations rather than follow exactly or ser-
vilely any one of them. I think the recommendations of the
committee will lead to great improvement in the consular
service, and they have already enabled the Government to
do away with trading among the consuls in someplaces, and
in various other places to give them an increase of salary.
Her Majesty's Government desire not to increase the public
burdens, but, at the same time, they wish to promote the
efficiency of the consular or other branches of I he public
service. (Hear, hear.) With regard to the correspondence
which the hon. member for Bradford wishes to obtain, I
have to state that I shall be most willing to give it, and it
will be presented on Monday next, and I may further say
that that correspondence is highly honourable to our consul
at Charleston. He was placed in a position of great difti •
culty, not being able to acknowledge the new Government
which sprang up, but at the same time be did not neglect
the interests of British shipping.
THE CASE OF ANDERSON, THE AMERICAN

plained of. The case was one arising entirely out of a treaty
concluded, not between the colony of Canada and a foreign
power, but between the Imperial Government and the
United States. His noble friend stated in his despatch that
Anderson could not be delivered up under the extradition
treaty by the mere act of the law, adding that the case was
one of the greatest possible importance, and that her Ma-
jesty's Government were not satisfied that the decision of
the Court at Toronto was in conformity with the decisions
which had guided the authorities in this country, and that
in any case Anderson was not to be given up without in-
structions from this country. (Hear. hear.) No commu-
nication had been received from Canada since then, except
the receipt of the answer to that despatch. With reference
to the r, quest of the hon. gaulewan that the papers might
be lid upon the table of the house, Le might say it was
undesirable to produce them in their present incomplete
state. But the question was not in the hands of any
court either of this country or of Canada, but was in
the hands of her Majesty's Government, and he thought
they could not do better than leave it there. (Hear.)
MARINE ARTILLERY VOLUNTEERS.

Mr. NORTH asked the noble lord the Secretary to the
Admiralty whether the Board persisted in their determina-
tion to refuse Marine Artillery Volunteers having facilities
for practice afloat.

Lord C. PAGET, in reply, said the Admiralty were not
behind hand in their admiration of the Volunteers. The
matter had been under the consideration of the Board whe-
ther they should comply with the request theyhad received
to send one or more gunboats out to sea with Volunteers on
board, in order that they might have the benefit of trial
proctice at the great guns. It was fully admitted that that
was desirable; but the Board on consideration declined to
do so, in consequence of the expense that it would involve,
which was very considerable. It would bo well if gentlemen
who took such a deep and creditable interest in this matter
would enc mirage men to enter the Navy Coast Volunteers,
or else the Naval Reserve. The. Gofernment had certainly
no desire to discourage the Volunteer movement.

PACKET SERVICE.

Mr. BAXTER, in calling the attention of the house to
the state of the packet service, said he thought it right to
state that ho was not connected with any party interested
in the navigation of this country, nor with any steamboat
companies; but he felt it was due to his own constituency, in
reference to the very large sums of moneywhich the country
paid for packet service, that the people should get full and
fair value. The Cunard line of packets, for instance, entailed
an expense on the country of £173,000, and the Galway line
of packets, on the other hand, subjected the country
to an annual expense of £78,000; in round numbers, no
less a sum than a quarter of a million sterling, for this
branch of the packet service. Now, that was by
no means satisfactory, and it would be different if her
Majesty's Government were to act with courage
and decision. Then as to the competitive manner
in which those companies performed their contracts, he did
not think that the country ought to be called upon to sub-
sidise them. He was free to admit that subsidies might be
considered necessary in such service in times past; but his
position was this, and he thought it unanswerable, namely,
that whenever they created competition on the ocean, those
subsidies ought to cease. (Hear.)

After a few words from Lord DUNKELLIN and Mr.
GUEGORY,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that
his part was a simple one. He should not enter into a dis-
cussion of the general principles which ought to govern the
conduct not only of Parliament, but of the administration
with respect to this question of naval contracts. He agreed
fully in the clear view of the case taken by the hon. mem-
ber, and on those principles the Government had acted
since they came into office. He was asked what steps had
been taken by the Government to compel the Cunard Com-
pany to act up to their agreement. He had received a re-
port from the Postmaster-General that day,'stating that the
Cunard packet service was being performed satisfactorily.
The vessels employed exceeded greatly the requirements of
the contract, and they arrived and departed according to
the agreement. He was not prepared to state exactly the
sum of money actually paid to the Galway Company. He
had been asked what were the reasons that led to the ex-
tension of time to the 26th of March, and if the company
were prepared with a sufficient number of ships to carry out
the contract at that period. He did not think the Govern-
ment were open to any animadversion on that point. The
first official step taken in the house by the present Govern-
ment was to move for the appointment of a committee to in-
quire into the whole subject, and on the report of that com-
mittee the Government had acted. The Government were
no parties to the original contract. They did not think it
a wise or politic engagement, but after the report of the
committee they thought it their duty to carry it out, and
to extend, irrespective of any view of their own, every in-
dulgence to the company. It would not be fair on the
part of the Government to exclude from their view the fact
that much inconvenience had been endured by the company
owing to the delay that occurred while Parliament was con-
sidering their case. (Hear.) On the 25th of October, the
company made a proposal to the Government, that the ser-
vice should be only monthly until the 12th March, 1861 ; and
that then a fortnightly service should commence. The Post-
master-General said he could only comply with this propo-
sal on certain conditions which the company, not beingin a
position to fulfil, they requested, on the 7th of November,
that the contract might be placed altogether in abeyance
until the 26th of March. That application was considered
by her Majesty's Government, who, although they thought
it to be a very large demand, felt it to be their duty to
accede to it, on condition that if at that period the company
were not prepared to carry out the contract, it should then
cease and determine. On the 24th of January the company
undertook to carry out that arrangement, and they de-
spatched a ship on the 24th of March. As to any rumours
respecting the transfer of the company's contract to some
other company, he was totally ignorant of any such inten-
tion, and believed those rumours had no foundation in fact.
(Hear, hear.)
The motion for the adjournment of the house until Mon-
day was then agreed to at 10 minutes after nine o'clock.