The Sun.
London, England, 1868-07-16 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF LORDS—THIS EVENING.
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack
at four o'clock.

The royal assent was given by commission to the Re-
formatory Schools (Ireland) Bill, the Muswell Leasehold
Conversion (Ireland) Act Extension Bill, the Registration
Bill, the Bank of Bombay Bill, the Consular Marriage
Bill, the Curragh of Kildare Bill, and several private
bills.

The Commissioners were the Lord Chancellor, and the
Earls of Malmesbury and Devon.

RAIL WAY FARES.

Lord REDESDALE moved that the standing orders
No. 179 be amended by inserting, after section 3, that no
bill should be introduced which proposed to increase the
rates payable for conveying goods and passengers, should
not be read a second time until a report froM the Board of
Trade on the subject, made after the bill had been read a
first time in the house, should be laid upon the table.
The motion was agreed to.
ECCLESIASTICAL COMMISSIONERS BILL.

Lord RAVENSWORTH, in moving that this bill be
committed, remarked that its essential quality was to meet
a want which had been long felt.
The bill was then committed and passed.
The Entail Amendments • (Scotland) Bill was brought
up and received.

The Land Writs Registration (Scotland) Bill was read
a third time and passed.
The Contagious Diseases Bill Amendment Act of 1866
was read a second time.

The Metropolitan Police Funds Bill was read a third
time and passed.

The Fair Metropolis Bill was read a third time and
passed.

_
The report of amendments on the West India Bill was
received.

The Poor Law and Medical Inspectors (Ireland) Bill
was committed and passed.
The Clerk of the Peace (Ireland) Bill was committed
and passed.
The Petit Juries (Ireland) Bill was committed and
passed.

The Lunatic Asylum Bill and the Assignees of Marine
Policies Bill were considered and passed.
The University Election (Voting Papers) Bill was read
a third time and passed.

The Turnpike Trusts Arrangements Bill was read a
third time and passed. •

(LEFT SITTING.)

HOUSE 'OF COMMONS.—Tats DAY.
The SPEAKER took the Chair at 12 o'cl ck.
NEW MEMBER.

Mr. ASSUETON took the oath and his seat for Clitheroe.
SOUTH EASTERN, LONDON AND BRIGHTON,

AND SOUTH COAST RAILWAYS,

On the order of the day for considering the Lords
amendment to this bill,
Mr. WATKIN moved to disagree with so much of the
amendment as related to the omission of clause 88, issuing
of preference and deferred ordinary stock by the South
Eastern Company. The amendment was carried by a very
small majority, and over 5,000 persons being affectad by it
he hoped some opportunity would be given for it consi-
deration.

The motion was agreed to and, a committee appointed
to draw up the reasons for disagreeing.

BREECII-LOADING CANNON.

Mr. S EIE RI D A.N called tae attention of the house to the
petition of Mr. Goddard, who had sac ;seded in construct-
ing a cannon on the above principle, which had been suc-
cessfully tried at Shoebaryness. 113 had overcome the
great difficulty, viz., that of properly closing the breech
and preventing the escape of gas on discharge. That dis-
covery had been a lopted by the Government, but the
inventor had never received the slightest compensa-
tion, although he had made application for it. IHe
should be quite content if the right hon. bart. (sir John
Pakington) would read the petition, in order to see what
could be done under the circumstances.
THE ROYAL GUN FACTORY.

Maj,)r ANS O.N. moved th Lt a co.ualitt33 of five members
be appointed by the comhittee of selectiiu to iuluire into
the folowing a:logations: —Taat in 13,i1 the royal gun
factories, on being applied to by ch.) Oi d iaaca select c Jlll-
- for estimates fur cheaper 9-inch guns than those t
were being made at that time, seat in erroneous camparativo
estimates, on the strength of which ail Ordnance Select
Committee decided in favour of the gun proposal by the
Royal Guu Factories; that a simple 9-inch gua was thea
made by the Royal Guu Factories, the details of the cost of
which, on being compared with the details of the cost of
similar guns manufactured two years afterwards, show
great and apparently inexplicable discrepancies ; and that
like errors have been made by the R )yal Gun Factories with
regard to the comparative cost of new wrought-iron and
converted guns, thereby entailing a heavy and unneces-
sary expense upon the country.

Captain VIVIAN moved to acid to Major Anson's mo-
tion—" That Sir John Pakington and Major Anson be
added to the committee, for the purpose of examining wit-
nesses and taking part in the proNedings, but without the
power of voting."

Sir J. PAKINGTON said ho had no objection to the
nomination of the committee, but he must decline to serve
on it on the ground of his public duties, and also he
thought, if the house decided to have the investigafion, it
was but fair that Colonel Campbell, the head of the gun
factory, whose conduct was in some degree impugned,
should be added to the committee as assessor, as he was
not a member of the house.
Lord HOTHAM thought it objectionable to appoint
persons on a committee and relieving them of the respon-
sibility of taking part in its decision. He did not think the
committee ought to be appointed by the committee of se-
lection, but that, as the matter was a public one, he
thought a committee of seven members, including the Sec-
retary of War and Major Anson, ought to be appointed by
the house, and that the sittings of the committee should
be continuous.

The suggestion of the noble lord was agreed to.
SOLDIERS' DAUGHT ERS.
Col. NORTH moved an humble address to her Majesty,
that she would be graciously pleased to direct that au
institution should be established to receive and educate
the orphan daughters of non-commissioned officers and
soldiers of the army. The honourable and gallant gentle-
man said an institution supported by the Government for
the support of soldiers' daughters was urgently required.
The institution referred to in the motion had done incal-
culable good, and there were now 176 inmates therein. It
was not because that former efforts to provide for the
daughters of soldiers failed that further efforts should not
be made. He hoped that the Government would be dis-
posed to contribute to the funds of the Soldiers' Daughters
Home until an institution could be founded.
Sir J. PAKINGTON said that there was an institution
now in existence at Wandsworth, established under the
Patriotic Fund, in which 300 daughters of soldiers and
sailors were carefully attended to. He thought it better
to give further trial to the institutions at present in exist-
ence before any final decision was come to with respect
to the formation of an institution such as that suggested
by the hon. and gallant gentleman.
The motion was withdrawn.

THE COMPTROLLER OF THE WAR DEPART-

MENT.

Colonel JERVIS moved an Address for copy of the
draft regulations for the Control Department originally
sent in by the War-office to the Treasury, together with
any memoranda thereupon by the Assistant Under-
Secretary of State for War, together with re-
ply thereto by the Controller-in-Chief. The honour-
able and gallant gentleman defended the observations
ha had made relative to the setting aside of Sir H. Storks,
who was at first to be the Controller-in-Chief at the
War-office. The whole of the object of Lord Strath-
nairn's committee had been set aside, and he
wished the country to know by whom that had
been done. It was generally supposed that Parliament
through the Secretary of State governed the country, but
that it appeared was altogether a mistake, and it was
but right to know who pulled the strings at the War
Office. He denied that the language he used
the ether evening was either wild or unjustifiable,
although he admitted he had not the art the right hon.
baronet possessed in such an eminent degree of
wrapping up his fulminating powder in silver
paper. (Hear, hear.) The report of Lord Strath-
nairn's committee with respect to the appointment of
the Controller of the War Department had been set aside,
and ho was determined to use his utmost to obtain infor-
mation as to who had set aside the decision so arrived at.
Lord MACHO also condemned the system pursued with
respect to the setting aside of the appointment of Sir
Henry Storks. He thought it was quite time Parliament
at least should know by whom the military department
of the country was governed, since it appeared that the
Secretary of State was all but a mere non-entity. He had
had the pleasure of a conversation with Lord Strathnairn,
and as the matter was to be brought forward that evening
in another place he should be very much surprised in-
deed if Lord Strathnairn supported the argument that was
now proposed. lie (Lord Elcho) thought Sir H. Storks
and General Balfour had boon most unjustly treated, and

he hopc,d that something would transpire to prertnt a
system to which they were opposed being forced upon
them.

Sir J. PAKINGTON denied that he had anything bul
the highest respect for Sir H. Storks, and when the hon
and gallant member for Harwich mid the Government
having used Sir H. Storks, were anxious to get rid a
him—

Capt. JERVIS said the words he used were —" it would
appear so from the papers."

Sir J. PAKINGTON accepted that, and he was not pre-
pared to withdraw one word of his former speech, when
he characterised the observations of the hon. and gallant
gentleman as " wild, unfounded, and unjustifiable." He
denied that he was anxious to got rid of Sir H. Storks,
it was an imputation that he retorted in the strongest
language, and he should be quite unworthy to fill the
office he held did he not do so. It was to be regretted
that hon. gentlemen repeated gossip that was heard in
different places in that house, as it showed a total
ignorance of the interior arrangements of the War-office.
He denied that there was any rival authority in that de-
partment; but with respect to the production of the papers
moved for, he must object to their production as detri-
mental to the public service.

Mr. DISRAELI also said it would be much to be re-
gretted if the house insisted for the papers after the decla-
ration of his right hon friend.

A division was called for, but, on the Speaker finally
putting the question, the member for Harwich did not
persevere, and the motion was negatived without a divi-
sion.