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

IMPERIAL PAIMIAMENT

-
HOUSE OF COADION O—T.
...AST EVENING.
The SPEAKER took the Chair at 4 oVock.
TROOPS IN INDIA.

Sr G. STUGLEY asked the Secretary of State for War
whether it was conducive to the health and discipline of
officers and men to ssnd them from their depots in England
BO that they should arrive it! India during the months of April
or M ty, thus spending their summer expesed to the heat at
Kurraehee or elsewhere, away from the commanding
offi ;ere of their own regi-nents, or occupied in travelling
during the intense host of summer to Join their regiments
in the North West provinces!.

Sir J. PACING PON sal, by SOIII3 delay in the over-
land route the troaps did not arrive as early as was ex-
peted, but. steps had bean taken to prevent such an
arrangement takiug place again. hear.)
THE PRUSSIAN DRAGOONS.

In reply to Sir G. STIJCLEY,
Sir J. PA KiNGTON said that the subject of sabros was
out of his department, but he would take care that the
st•ttement should be subatittod to the Commander-in-
Chief.

Sir T. BATESON inquired whether the attention o
the Government had been drawn to a letter written by Mr.
Gialstone, dated the 23th of May, with reference to the
Eat Worcstershire vlr,etion, iu which (according to tho
honourable baronet) rho right hon. gentlemtn stited that
it was the intention of her M ~psty's G wornmcnt, during
the prey ?nt session to endow the Roman Catholic Church
in Boland, - and also to crea'e a nem In Catholic Uni
versity, plying its expens!s out of the t•lxes of the coun-
try, and he wish-al to know how far such statement WAS
correct.

Mr. DISRAELI Was afraid the hon. gentleman bad
falln into a trap, very
nizely baited. The- attention of
the Cabinet was called to the letter in question. He, as
its heal, believed it to be one of the effusions known as
i 4 squibs," and sometimes as "hoaxes." It was not con-
ceived in the most happy style of the member for South
Lancashire —were it really his ; and under all the circum-
stances ho had -given no further- consideration to the
matter.

Subsequently, on the motion for going into Committee o
Supply,

Mr. GLADSTONE denied altogether the accuracy of
the statement as rna'lo.. Ile would not defend the style of
his letter, although he fully admitted the authorship. He
had carefully avoided saying that the Government had
made any such proposal. IL did not in that communica-
tion hold the Government up to odium because they pro-
posed to endow the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland
All his letter said was that the Government were friendly
to religious equality in Ireland, provided it was done by
endowing other Churches, including the Roman Church.
He had since heard that a direct proposition had been made
to Lord Derby, prior to his retirement from office, to in-
crease the Regiueu Donut; and his reply was simply that
at that period it was impossible, as the estimates were
made out. Ills own letter, Mr. Gladstone maintained, was
a fair and inevitable construction put on the assertions
made, and Ly it he would still abide. He declined to pro-
nounce any opinion on the criticism of Mr. Disraeli ; at all
times he (Mr. Gladstone) was prepared to receive such
small shot, but he still firmly and unequivocally stood by
thelpttor ho had written.

. _
Mr. DISRAELI said that the right hon. gentleman
evidently meant to say that the Government were at one
time seriously disposed to increase the Regium Doaum.
In reference to that, he had onlyrec3ntly received a depu-
tation from the Presbytery of Ulster, and the answer
given was that the suggestion was totally impossible.
Everyone, he told the deputation, agreed that the Regium
Donum was a very poor pittance compared with the other
religious endowments in Ireland, but that the present
temper of the House of Commons could not hold out any
prospect of increase. That was his emphatic reply to the
statement that the Government had any idea of endowin g
every religious body in Ireland, whereas all they said to
the representatives of the Regium Donum was that they
would, but that they could not, increase the amount, as
the estimates were framed. He condemned these charges
as frivolous, and such as the country would not receive.
Mr. CARDWELL said that the Government had held
out the bait of a " Liberal policy" towards Ireland ; but
the only distinguishing feature in it was to propose to
grant a charter to a Roman Catholic university. Its ex-
per-es were to be defrayed out of the taxes; and with re-
gard `o the affiliated colleges, their further consideration
was oned.
The rl of MAYO defended the original statement cf
the Government. With regard to the establishment of a
university ir the Catholics, he had distinctly averred
that it was not intended to propose any endowment for the
colleges to be affiliated. Certainly if Parliament had sanc-
tioned the endowment of the university it would not
logically have refused the amount of the salaries for its
professors. The objection taken by the Roman Catholics
themselves was that the endowment was not satisfactory.
They demanded that Parliament should bo asked to pro-
vide for the establishment of scholarships for the univer-
sity and the affiliated colleges. With regard to any in-
tention on the part of the Government to endow the Ro-
man Catholic Church in Ireland, it never existed. No
man in his senses would over have made such a proposal.
If ever tho time for it existed it must have very long ago
passed by.
After a few words from Sir G. GREY and Mr. SURTEES,
the latter commenting on the political conduct of Mr.
Reardon, the member for Athlone, whom Mr. Gladstone on
a previous evening had disclaimed as one of his supporters,
the subject dropped.
Some remarks from General DUNNE on the positim of
clerks in the eng'neer department, especially in reference
to the right of pensions fur their wide ws, grant ).1 to other
civil officers of the department, followed.
Mr. CHILDERS then wished to know how much Sap-
' ply the Government were going to ask for pending what
had been termed a dissolution "as soon as possible." For
how Many months?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said it was
somewhat inconvenient to have a question of this chanc-
ter put without duo notice. The Reform Bill hal boon
pessed for England, but not for Scotland or Ireland. It
was perfectly impossible to:say when a dissolution was
practicable. He trusted that no doubt existed anywhere
that the Government had the utmost desire to
.bring about
such an event as soon as possibld'. • The Supplies to lie
granted must of course depend on the time at which the
dissolution took place; and under such circumstances 'the
house could hardly expect the Government to say what