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LONDON, FRIDAY, JULY 17, 1868.

The House of Commons was yesterday the scene

of most factious opposition on the subject of the
Metropolitan Foreign Cattle Bill, and the style
adopted by the Opposition did them no credit. It
avas not till after several divisions had been taken

that the bill got into committee. By this stage so

much time was wasted that it was necessary to ad-

journ, but the large majorities carried against the
opponents of the bill prove that they did anything
rather than express the opinion of the House collec-
tively on the matter. A more paltry device than

this of perpetually adjourning can hardly be ima-
gined, and it shows that those who persist in it are
very badly off for argument, since they rest their
chief hopes on such a stratagem. It is really too
bad that at the close of a harassing Session, if it
has not done too much, there should be so much
pertinacity displayed in the postponement of a
measure which is intended for the benefit of the
community at large. First of all an energetic
attempt wasmade to—stbstitute the Corrupt Prac-
tices Bill and other matters for the Cattle Bill, but
Mr. DISRAELI very properly refused to accede to
the request, but informed Mr. GIBSON that the
Parliament would not be prorogued until the Cor-
rupt Practices Bill hai been completed. The Me-
tropolitan Foreign Cattle Market Bill came on for
discussion at the evening sitting, and was lame-
diatdy assailel wi.h great rancour. It would se,nn,
indeed, that the spirit of discord which was so rife at
the middle period of the session, and was for some
weeks laid dormant, had suddenly revived, in con-

sequence of this particular measure being advo-
cated. A " protectionist device," and other signifi-
cant terms were given to it, and when Mr. HAD-
FIELD proposed to adjourn the debate soon after it
had begun, a most striking scene took place, in
-which personalities were the order of the day.
First of all, Mr. HADFIELD declared that the Minis-
ters were nearly all absent, and took no interest on
the subject. Lord R. MONTAGU answered this
attack in a spirited manner, and said that the oppo-
sition to this bill was of a most factious character,
while those who desired to pass it had before them
the desire to cheapen butchers' meat, and referred
to the dodges empl led in order to circumvent its
passing. Mr. AYRTON, of course, had his say,
and tried to show that the Ministers were ignorant
of the subject. Mr. FRESHFIELD, who had been a
member of the select committee, referred to it very
forcibly, and dwelt upon the inconsistencies of Mr.
WILSON, and referred to his idolatrous love for
free trade, which began and ended abroad, however
" his love fur the foreign ox, and the foreign sheep,
was very great, but the centre of his affections ap-
peared to be the foreign goat; the only animal, in-
deed, for which the right hon. gentleman had
neither affection nor sympathy was the genuine JOHN
BULL of our oTn native island." This is more true
than satirical hits of ten are for Mr. GLADSTONE, and
many others, of whom Mr. GIBSON is conspicuous,
are certainly putting the claims of foreigners befor
those of our own people. Free trade is all very
well in its way, but it has its abuses as well as its
uses ; and it bhoves the Legislature to see that it
is not misled by apt teachers, who have made up
their own minds and do not care very much if
in carrying out their project it is pleasant or pro-
fitable to others. As for the arguments often made
use of, that this measure was only for a portion of
the community, that is fully answered by the ob-
servation that the mass of foreign cattle are landed
at London, and it stands to reason that if foreign
cattle are admitted there in an unhealthy state the
plague must be disseminated over the, whole
country.

Mr. GLADSTONE'S grand objection was one of a
finance nature, and he declared that the question
must be considered of getting m oney before any-
thing definite was d one. As for the Privy Council
part of the argument, which the right lion. gentle-
man specially alluded to, Mr. DISRAELI said that as
for this case the Council could not meet it, and that
London must be dealt with by legislation. Mr.
HADFIELD withdrew his motion for adjournment,
on the advice of the Premier, who urged the House
to pronounce a decided opinion on the merits of the
bill, and not to evade the responsibility by ad-
journing. It would have been well if this excellent
counsel had been taken on it the evening before.
When the Opposition found straightforward plans
failed, they had recourse to stratagem in order
to serve their turn. Throughout the whole of
the evening the majorities against the faction
were large, and they cannot congratulate
themselves on the effect their oratory produced.
II short, persuasion, pathos, aid invective alike
Bailed to convince the general holy of the hcmse ;
n Mr. GmsoN's r s.)lutioa that any me tsure of
this kiad ought to be general wa.3 rejected by a
majority of 109. Mr. GLADSTONE again renewed
his financial objections, to which the Chancellor of
the Exchequer repl e 1, and sail that the Metropoli-
tan Board of Works and the Corporation of Lon-
don would undertake the responsibility. Sir C.
RUSSELL and Mr. DE GREY advised the Govern-
ment to put off the prorogation until this bill be
passed, and very likely the_ advice _will be takelij. No
doubt, had not such bitter hostility been mani-

feted, the Goverument would have got the bill

through Committee yesterday.
Mr. lIEXLEY'S decisive remarks on the subject are
worthy of notice. The right hon. gentleman very
truly said that there was a time when the people of
the metropolis paid as high a price for their meat
as they do now, and when there was no greater dif-
ference between the price paid to the producer and
the price paid by the consumer. Mr. HENLEY
wound up by saying that if they had been allowed
to go into Committee all the difficulties would be
speedily removed ; and, in reference to the
argument that they were now a dying body in
this Parliament and could not pass the bill, why
the right hon. gentleman the member for South
Lancashire, did not regard that as an insuperable
objection when he dealt with the Irish Church.
Notwithstanding the appeals made in all direc-
tions to the opponents of the bill, they persisted in
dividing the House again and again. Mr. DISRAELI
declared that it was the usual practice of minorities
to defer to majorities, especially when they were in
so large a majority as they had been that evening.
Major JERVIS also said that those in favour of
going into Committee would not give up if
it took them all • night to withstand the
attacks made. Seldom has a more factious exhibi-
tion been seen, and it is little to the credit of those
who persisted in the attempt to stifle discussion.
If any more of this takes place, we hope that the
Prime Minister will declare on the part of the Go-
vernment his fixed determination not to let the
session close without passing the bill, for it would
be a pity to give way to such manifest prejudice
as that which has been shown from the outset about
this measure in certain quarters. It makes it the
more unsuitable, as the public have always been so
inconvenienced by the high price of meat, and
people are tempted to say that any change must be
for the better, and are quite inclined to take their
chance of the proposed alterations.

The new arrangements at the War Office gave
rise last night to a prolonged discussion iu the
Lords. The conditions affecting the appointment
of Sir HENRY STORKS were regarded with some sus-
picion, and even the Duke of CAMBRIDGE expressed
himself dissatisfied on the ground that constant col-
lisions would be likely to arise from a divided au-
thority. It is very certain that whatever may be
the result of the changes in prospect, no one is satis-
fied with our military system, as it has hitherto
been falling very short of the mark. Lord
NORTHBROOK probably expressed• the general
feeling when he said that no one could
have had dealings with the War Office
without feeling the necessity of extensive but judi-
cious changes. Even his Royal highness the Com-
mander-in-Chief admits that the "modifications
required by the War-office are so important that
they cannot b 3 delayed any longer. The Duke of
CAMBRIDGE expressed au earnest desire that there
should be no unnecessary delay in carrying out
whatever reforms were decided upon with prompti-
tude, since the uncertainty which hung over offices
when reforms are in contemplation could not be
otherwise than mischievous both within and
without." It is essential that it should
be clearly understood that whenever changes
are thought desirable and are determir►ed
upon they should be at once commenced ;
and although they should be carried out
with the greatest forbearance for those concerned,
yet it should be with as little delay in carrying out
a great measure of reform as possible. This re-
minder is by means superfluous to any Govern-
ment, for too often matters are delayed until half
the good to be effected by the changes proposed is
sacrificed, the public attention is wearied, and the
work remains in a most unsatisfactory state. The
question last night was 'opened by Earl Du GREY,
who asked the Under Secretary of State for War
whether the arrangements for the establishment of
the new Department of Control in the 'War-office,
and for the closer union of the civil departments
of the army, were completed ; and if so, whether
he would state their general nature. Sir lIENRY
STORKS was appointed to the office of Controller at
the close of last year, and entered upon his duties
on the Ist January, an appointment which seems
to have been received on all sides with satisfaction
and approval. Earl DE GREY, however, was not
fully satisfied with
.the position occupied by the
new Controller, and there seemed to be an ap-
prehension in many quarters that he might be
called upon to resign his office before the
reforms which he set on foot wore ac-
complished. The Commander-in-Chief looks
with some jealousy on the appointment of a re .v
military adviser to the Secretary of State, a post
which has hitherto belonged to the Commander-in-
Chief. 'Chen the management of the finances gave
rise to a goof deal of discussion, but it appeared
after the Earl of LONGFORD'S explanations that
many of these fears were groundless. There is no
intention, according to the Under Secretary for
War, either of removing Sir HENRY. STORKS from
his office, or of interfering with the functions of the
Commander-in. Chief. Lord LONGFORD promised
that there should be no needless delay, but admitted
that there was some hindrance owing to the neces-
sity of consulting the vested interests affected in
the different departments. Lord LONGFORD does
not seem to be very confident of the effect of the
changes proposed, which, he says, have been rather
exaggerated in their importance by the public.
"The measure should be taken," he says, "for what it
is—an important interior re-arrangement, and not
a panacea against all future shortcomings." We
scarcely need his assertion that we must still ex-
pect to find traces of red-tapeism, but it is something
that the work should be a little cleared and simpli-
fied, and if, as we are told, the Chief Controller is
now to be the sole authority over departments
which have hitherto been under four or five diffe-
rent heads something has certainly been gained.
One of the greatest evils of our military system has
always been the multiplicity of departments, the
subdivision of authority, and consequent loss of
individual responsibility. We are all too painfully
familiar with the effects of this in the Crimea; but
the evils which bore such bitter fruits then are still
extant among us, as Lord STRATHNAIRN'S remarks
on Sir ROBERT NAPIER'S difficulties with his
transports abundantly proved. Their lordships
might be surprised' to hear that one of the
great difficulties which Sir R. NAPIER had lately.
to encounter was a total disorganisation of the
transport for the Abyssinian campaign. That dis-
organisation had been the cause of the delay of the
operations for one month at Bombay. hundreds
of mules were landed on the sea shore, and there
was no one to take care, of them. They ate up 15
fathoms of rope to which they were attached, they
were badly tethered, and the whole arrangements
were so bad that the officer in command was
obliged to name an officer from the 31 Dra-
goon Guards to have the commonest attention
paid to the animals." Could any stronger
proof be wanting of the imperative necessity for
a thorough change iu the controlling departments.
The mules played a most important part in the cam-
paign, and were not the least costly of the requi-
sites for the expedition, and yet there was an entire
lack of the simplest forethought and commonest
care in providing for them. We earnestly hope

that Sir HMI' STORKS will be able to " change all
this," and if he does nothing more than effect a
thorough revision of our transport service, he will
be entitled to the lasting gratitude of the public.

THE issue which will be presented to the House of
Commons on the Telegraphs Bill is a very plain
one, and the subject will be readily understood if
the real question be put before the House. Parlia-
ment is called upon to determine whether it is
worth while to purchase the business of the tele-
graph companies on terms which have been agreed
to,,subject to their approval. The amount to be
paid for this business is not an arbitrary one, but
it will be deter Mined by what the profits of the
telegraph companies are actually proved to be.
Twenty times the amount of their annual
net profits will be paid if the business be pur-
chased by the Government. Whatever the
amount of the purchase-money, it will represent a
proporticnate revenue equal to 5 per cent. on the
purchase.' On the face of it, the purchase does not
apleear to be a bad one for the public, but there
are some ccumstances which render it in a money
point of view more advantageous than it seems
at first sights By the amalgamation of the existing
companies iEhas been estimated that a saving of
expense woad be effected equivalent to £45,000
annually ; but by placing the business in the
hands of the Post Office a much larger saving
can be effected, as in very many instances
existing post offices and post-office clerks will be
suitable for the work for which special offices and
clerks are now engaged. Again : the continuous in-
crease in telegraphic receipts is an important element
of the bargain, and if the question had gone to
arbitration there can be no doubt that an arbitrator
would have awarded to the companies a large sum
on this account. This increase is, however, included
in the twenty years' purchase which the Govern-
ment have arranged to give. At the present time
the increase is going on at the rate of £50,000 a
year, so that when the Government take to the
business this time next year they may
fairly expect to receive an income greater by
£50,000 than that for which they are
paying. If, therefore, the Government chose to
carry on the business which they propose to pur-
chase on the same terms as have hitherto been
maintained, they would at once obtain an income
equal to 7 per cent. on the purchase-money. The
additional 2 per cent. accrues from the saving of
expense inconsequence of amalgamation and the
improved income arising from the natural increase
of the business. The Government will, therefore,
receive more than double the rate of interest on
the purchase-money which they will have to pay
for it. It is true that it is not proposed to deal
with the business precisely in this way, as it is
thought to lie more advantageous to the public
interest that sn' siantial reductions should be made
in the cost of •telegraphy. The result of this policy
will probably be that the public will gain a double
advant: g: ; obtaining at the same time cheaper
telegraphy and a good interest on the money
invested in the business.

• .
Some objection has been raised to the term
offered by the Government, on the ground that they
are highly advantageous to the shareholders in the
telegraph companies. No one need regret that
they will be benefited. If the Govern-
ment have made a good bargain for themselves,
it is all the better if the bargai i is a good
one for the shareholders also. It is a satisfactory
element in the transaction that it allows of a large
advantage to both parties. The several telegraph
companies have undertakings which may be
made much more profitable by united working.
The Government can bring about this unity, and
they have made a bargain for doing so, subject to
parliamentary approval, which seems to have
advanCed the value of the shares about 2,0 per
cent., and which may make a still further improve=
meat in their value. It is right that the substan-
tial profit and the intrinsic increase in value which
will arise upon the whole transaction should be
divided between the shareholders and the Govern-
ment. This appears to be the case, as the share-
holders Will obtain an advanced price for their
shares, and the Governmtnt will get double
interest for the money invested in the purchase.
It is to be hoped that the course which has
been taken by the opponents of the will in
the committee will not be renewed i i the
House of Commons. The parties interested in
telegraphic communication had a right to appear
before the committee to oppose the bill. All the
chief telegraph companies did so appear,
but they stated their willingness to waive their
right if suitable terms could be arranged. The
Government then agreed upon the terms we have
named as the price to be paid to the telegraph
companies if the measure received the sanction of
the
liolse ;
The companies then withdrew their
opposition
and it was with the knowledge of this
i
agreement, and after a full discussion of its terms,
that the committee passed the preamble of the bill.
Under these circumstances, the passing of the
preamble involved a sanction of the _ terms pro-
posed ; but, to the astonishment of the promoters
of the measure, after the preamble was passed,
Mr. GoscuEN again raised the question of terms,
and proposed to give the companies sixteen years'
purchase instead of twenty. Well might Mr.
DENISON declare, after such a proposition was
made, that some men were "inconvincible." The
proposition was only one of the many schemes
which have been devised for delaying the measure,
in the hope that it might become impossible to
present it to the House this year. The Govern-
ment, however, appear to have determined that
Parliament shall have an opportunity of expressing
its opinion on the measure during the present
session, and, if necessary, to prolong the sittings of
the two Houses for that purpose.