The Sun.
London, England, 1868-05-06 00:00:00

THE REFORM ACT.

Mr. SCHREIBER asked the First Lord of the Treasury,
with reference to his answer of the 18th February upon
the same subject, when he would state what recommenda-
tions he was prepared to make for the enfranchisement of
compound householders in parishes not within existing
borough boundaries, but which must bo wholly or in
part added to boroughs, and of whom the Boundary Com-
missioners report that " they will be precluded from quali-
fying as voters in the year 1869, unless some special pro-
vision is made for their protection."

Mr. DISRAELI said the matter was not included in the
Boundary BM, because it was proposed that he should
bring up a clause when the report was made, and the
reason it was not embodied in the bill was because such a
course might be rendered unnecessary.
THE MINISTERIAL STATEMENT.
Mr. GLADSTONE said he had to move the adjourn-
ment of the house, in order that an opportunity might be
given to the right hon. gentleman (Mr. Disraeli) of ex-
plaining the declaration he had made in the second
edition of his speech which he made when he
(Mr. Gladstone) had no opportunity of asking for
an explanation. The right hon. gentleman had informed
the house that, having had an audience of her Majesty,
and explained to her Majesty the position in which the
Ministry stood by the result of the vote that had been
come to in that house, that if her Majesty preferred to
adopt a different course to that suggested, viz., a dissolu-
tion of Parliament, they were quite ready to place their
resignation in her hands. Her Majesty, the right hon. gen-
tleman informed them, had thought it right not to receive
the resignation of the Ministry, but to adopt the suggested
dissolution of Parliament as soon as the state of the public
business permitted. (Hear, hear.) Tho statement of
the right honourable gentleman, according to one of
the members for the Tower Hamlets, made her
Majesty the suggestor, not the acceptor or rejector,
of advice, and he felt that that was altogether a now posi-
tion to place the Crown in. The'explanation given by the
right hon. gentleman opposite was that her Majesty
had • given her sanction to a dissolution without
reference to either the old or the new constituencies.
But a statement had boon made in another place by the
Duke of Richmond to the effect that the Premier bad
tendered to her Majesty the resignation of the Ministry on
Friday, but her Majesty took time to consider, and on
Saturday the right hon. gentleman again saw her Majesty,
and then the suggestion of the dissolution was accepted
and the resignation of the Ministry refused. The statement
of the noble duke did not accord with the communication
made by the right hon. gentleman to the House of Com-
mons, and he wished to know whether the dissolution was
to be made and Parliament elected by the old or new con -
stituencies. (Hear, hear.) The term that dissolution was
to tako place as soon as the state of the public business
permitted was a very vague statement. He wished to know
whether the Duke of Richmond spoke the feelings of the
Government as a whole ? (Hear, hear.)
Mr. DISRAELI said he had no wish last night to

address the house a second time, but questions had
been put to him in such a pointed manner that ho could
not remain silent. With respect to the statement of the
right hon. gentleman that ha hal no opportunity of
replying to the statement which ho had made, he
begged to remind the hon. gentleman that the
adjournment of the house had been moved, which rendered
it quite open to the right hon. gentleman to have addressed
the house at the time had he felt so disposed, so that his
statement that he had not the opprtunity had
no foundation in fact. (Hear, hear.) It was for the
convenience of both sides .that no misunderstanding
should
_exist, and in thus referring to the two ad-
dresses he had ma le he could not see there
was the slightest difference. (Hear, hear.) After ho had
waited on her Majesty and obtained au audience, he re-
commended a dissolution of Parliament. (Hear,
hear.) He did certainly state to her the per-
sonal claims of the
.Government, but that if a
step different from that recommended was thought ad-
visable, the Government were quite ready to tender their
resignation.
Mr. BRIGHT would like to know whether the appeal
would be made to the present constituencies.
Mr. DISRAELI did not think that he had anything to
do with the explanation he was then giving, which
related to what took place when he was at Osborne.
He reconsidered the dissolution without any par-
ticular reservation, as soon as the state of the public
business pe►mitted, and that advice her Majesty was
pleased to adopt. Her Majesty was quite aware of the exact
position of affairs, and he thought as soon as the supplemen-
tary measures of reform were concluded the business might
be so forwarded as that the appeal might be made to the
now constituencies, but that had nothing to do with his
visit to Osborne. On that occasion he.did recommend a
dissolution, and he did tender the resignation of the
Government. Ho thought his statement as the Premier
ought to be taken as authentic—(hear, hear)—and if a
different impression prevailed with respect to the state-
ment made by the noble duke in another place, he thought
the logical conclusion was that he (the Duke of Richmond)
should be called upon for an explanation. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. BOUVERIE said the great point had not been
answered, viz., was the appeal to be made to the old or
new constituencies. (Hear.) The Government certainly
did not possess the confidence of the House of Commons
on the subject of the Irish Church.
Mr. CARDWELL wished to know whether the advice
given to her Majesty was direct or contingent, and was
any threat to be held over Parliament ?
Sir S. NORTHCOTE said the advice given was direct,
and there was intended to be held out a menace of dis-
solution.

Mr. AYRTON thought the name of the Queen had been
.used in a most unconstitutional manna; and he felt that
the house bad not had a frank explanation cf what had
taken place between the right hon. gentleman and her
M.ajßsty.

Mr. GRAVES said the business of the country was
being sacrificed to make way for a bitter party warfare.
He thought rather than help on such a state of things the
duty of all was to throw oil on the troubled waters.

Mr. B. OSBOR:KE said there was ono kind of petroleum
oil that was not at all calculated to calm the troubled
waters, and everything that he had seen only showed him
that the great thing to be effected was delay.
Mr. lIORSMAN condemned the conduct of the Pre-
mier, and he demanded to know whether the right hon.
gentleman bad the power to dissolve the Parliament
at any moment. (Immense cheers.) Ho felt ho had a
right to a distinct answer to that question, and would
have it. (Loud cheers.)
After soma remarks from Mr. J. GoLnsurrn and Sir IL
EDWARDES,
Mr. WHITBREAD joined in deploring the introduc-
tion of the Queen's name, and refused to believe, until it
was so stated explicitly, that she bad armed the Minister
with a general power to dissolve whenever he pleased. He
urged the Premier to state whether this power existed, and
for what purposes it was to be used.
Mr. LOWE, "for the third and last 'time," as he said,
asked for a plain answer to this—Do the Government
adopt tho Duke of Richmond's language ?

Mr. DISRAELI denied that he had been the first to in-
troduce the Queen's name improperly into the discussion.
All his references to her Majesty had been made in the
spirit of the constitution and with her Majesty's permis-
sion. Complaining of the constant repetition of tho ques-
tion in a new form as it was answered in another, and de-
precating these attacks on the Government without notice
on the simple authority of newspaper extracts, he stated
that his advice to her Majesty was confined entirely to the
question of the Irish Church, and that her permission to
dissolve was also confined to that question. If any other
difficulty arose it would be necessary for him to seek
another audience and to take the pleasure of her Majesty.
To those who taunted the Government with not dissolv-
ing at once he pointed out the unprecedented circumstance
of the case, and that everybody knew it to be for the pub-
lic interest that as wide an iuterpcetation as possible should
bo given to the words "as soon as the state of public busi-
ness will permit." Referring to a remark of Mr. Whit-
bread, he denied that the course lie had indicated for
the Government on the second and third Resolutions
pledged them not to oppose the bill Mr. Gladstone meant
to bring in.

Mr. LIDDELL expressed his regret that the Govern-
ment had not resigned, and appealed to Mr. Gladstone
now that he had carried his first Resolution, not to
continue what could lead to no practical result this
session.

Mr. Crawford and Mr. Whalley made some remarks, and
the discussion was brought to a close by the Speaker de-
ciding-, in answer to an appeal from Mr. Griffith, that
though it was technically irregular to refer to debates in
the Lords, exceptions were occasionally allowed, especi-
ally on Ministerial declarations affecting the position of the
House of Commons.

Lord E. CECIL moved for a Royal Commissicn to in-
quire into the present state of military education in this
country, and more especially into the training of candi-
dates for commissions in the army, and in the constitution,
system of education, and discipline of the Royal Military
Academy at Woolwich, and of the Royal Military College
at Sandhurst.

Sir J. PAKINGTON readily acceded to the motion,
admitting that the present system of military education
was defective in many respects, and must be considerably
improved if the army was to be made more of a profes-
sion.

Before the motion was formally carried there was a long
and desultory conversation, in which Mr. O'Reilly, Col.
North, Mr. M. Chambers, Colonel Sykes, Mr. Alderman
Lusk, General Herbert, and others took part.

Mr. FAWCETT moved a resolution in favour of ex-
tending the system of competitive examination to India,
and sketched a plan by which simultaneous examinations
might bo held, not only in London, but in Calcutta, 89111-
bay, and Madras. From this he anticipated a larger em-
ployment of natives in the Government of India, and ho
showed also that it would be a great boon to the Anglo-
Indian s .

Mr. TREVELYAN opposed the motion, on the ground
that it would introduce into the service a crowd of natives
whose precocity of intellect would enable them to pass
these examinations, but who would be entirely deficient
in the manly morale of our present Civil Service. As a
more judicious means of admitting the natives to a share
in the Government of India, he recommended that those
who have proved their superior fitness for situations at
present held exclusively by members in the covenanted
service should be appointed to them without undergoing
competitive examinations, and he moved an amendment
to th•it effect.

Colonel SYKES and Mr. NEATE spoke in favour of em-
ploying the natives in larger numbers, and in more im-
portant posts.

Sir S. NORTHCOTE expressed his general concur-
rence in the substance and aim of the motion, but pointed
out several important practical difficulties in the working
of a system of simultaneous examination. Though a
warm friend to the competitive system, he doubted
whether it would obtain for us a class of natives fit for all
the duties and responsibilities of high administrative
offices ; and this, ho intimated, was the opinion of great
Indian authorities, who wore extremely anxious to em-
ploy natives more generally in the Government of the
country. Both at home and in India the Government was
extremely anxious to introduce the natives into the highest
class of offices, and the principle of Mr. Trevelyan's
amendment which was embodied in a clause of the India
Government Bill he had just brought in, was a better
mode of a selectiouthan a competitive system. Under the
circumstances, he begged Mr. Fawcett to withdraw his
motion, which he ultimately consented to do.
The amendment was also withdrawn.

Mr. MILL bronght in two bills for the creation of
Municip•J Corporations within the metropolis, which, ex-
cept in a few unimportant particulars, are identical with
those he introduced last year. They propose that there
shall be a municipality for each Parliamentary borough (the
Corporation of London being preserved), all grouped
round a central municipality, in which the -Board of
Works would be merged, and to which the management
of the general affairs of the metropolis is to be com-
mitted.
Some other business was disposed of, and the house was
counted out at 20 minutes to one o'clock.

THE TEA DUTY Is REDUCED --ifornintan's Pare Tea iS
sold Bd. per pound Cheaper. This interesting 'hot will, when
fully known, even further increase the demand for these
Choice, long-approved Teas. They are not sold loose, but
only in Packets, signed "Horirliiian," London.