The Sun.
London, England, 1857-02-21 00:00:00

ORDER OF VALOUR.

Captain SCOBELL asked the First Lord of the Trea-
sury when the Order of Victoria for Valour would be
fist into operation, and whether he had any objection to
the statutes and regulations under which that Order
bad been established being placed upon the table of the
house '1

Lord PALMERSTON said that the navy list of
those entitled to the Order was complete, and that the
army list was nearly so. As soon as it was complete
the list would be published. He would lay on the table
the statute referred to.

THE MEGARA. TROOP-SHIP.
Sir J. PAKINGTON moved the adjournment of the
house to put some questions to the First Lord of the
Admiralty, relative to the ship which left Portsmouth
With 50 troops, and had to put back in a few days
from the vessel having sprung a dangerous leak.
Re said that he had received communications from
some of the officers on board the ship stating that
'when the ship was about ono hundred and forty
Tulles from land she sprung a dangerous leak, and tons
'sf water came in every minute, so that the cabins were
flooded. He gave a detailed account of the state of the
whip from the information which he had received, which,
Ile said, was at variance with the former statement of
the First Lord of the Admiralty, and there was ne-
glect in sending] the ship to sea in such a dangerous
state.

Si C. WOOD denied that he stated or admitted on
former occasion that the ship was sent to sea in a
dangerous state. His information was derived from a
report made to him, which showed that the ship had
been sent to sea in, as was believed, a sound state,
but that on examining her in Plymouth
dock, it was found that two snow holes,
about the size of a man's finger, were open seven feet
below the water line, through which the water came,
but only in such quantities that it could be kept down
by a band-bucket. The ship w" propel ly in.
apected before she went to sea. The right honourable
baronet read the reports of the various officers in re-
ference to this ship, which confirmed his previous state-
ment. Ne pains were spared to render the ship sea-
worthy, and the officers of the ship inspected her before
sailing, and expressed their satisfaction of her condition.
The report of the military officers showed that the
arrangements for the troops were satisfactory. He re-
peated his former statement that she left port in an efficient
manner, but that she met with rough weather, and was
injudiciously pushed against the sea which strained her,
and her leakage was an unavoidable accident from stress
of weather. He did not think the dockyard officers werq
to blame.

PERSIA.
•
Mr. LA.YARD referred to the rumoured treaty that
had been signed between Russia and Persia, by
Which a portion of
was
with a question of
.th regard to our
the Turkish territory bad
been ceded to Russia. It
great importance to this country
Indian possessions, and required an explanation from the
Government ; and if he had asked for an explanation, or
had made remonstrances to the Russian
Minister in
this country' Re asked if the Persian negotiations at
ned of the
Paris had been broken off, and he co
rnyi
delay of the production of the papers relating topersial
.Lord PALISIE
RSTON said that be knew nothing
of
member.
such treaty, except that stated by
lat Paris
It was not true that the Persian negotiations
rea-
had been suspended or interrupted, and he had no
an ,
the bon.
son to alter his former opinion as to the result,
. oa, under.these circumstances he considered a discussion t. the matter in that house must have a very It
jurions effect—(hear, hear)—and he asked for a
little further delay before laying the paper on the table.
It would not have been right for her Majesty's Govern-
ment to interfere, or make any remonstrance with the
Russian Minister' on such information as that given to
the house.

SHIPPING OF GOODS.
VanNEWDEGATE called attention to the present
adopted at the custom-houses relative to the return
of imports and exports of goods at the various ports,
and put a question in reference to it.
Mr. WILSON said that the tables were produced by
tlsile,ll--.oard of Trade. So far as his knowledge went,
knew of no order for any change in this matter. It
might have appeared that where there was a laxity of
infrme.tion,
ve the clerks of the Custom House might
ha called. on the merchahts and desired the,ra
to be mare particular in future,.
- DESTITUTE SOLDIERS' WIVE&
Sir 3 TYRRELL again called the attentioa of the
tinder Secretary for War to the destitute state of the
soldiers' wives and children outside the camp at Colchee-
ter. They amounted to 130 families. The women were
suffering the greatest rsisery. One woman with seven
'children had On One day but a pennyworth of potatoes
and a halfpennyworth of greens to subsist on, and had it
not been for private charity, the consequences must have
been frightful. There were 30 young married females
living on a penny a-day and the women and children
bad to sleep in hovels, and wherever they coull
The misery arose from the stoppage of the soldiers' pay,.
Mr, FREDERICK PEEL said alit instructions