The Sun.
London, England, 1850-02-12 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT,

HOUSE OF LORDS, Feb. 11.
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat upon the
Woolsack at Five o'clock.
The County Cess (Ireland) Bill was read a first time.
The Earl of STRADBROICE presented a petition in
fsvour of the equalization of local taxation.
STEAM COMMUNICATION WITH AUSTRALIA.
Earl TALBOT asked what steps had been taken to
secure steam communication with Australia?
Earl GREY said several tenders had been made for
establishing steam communication with Australia, both
by way of Panama and by other routes, but that nothing
had yet been definitively determined on.
ENCUMBERED ESTATES (IRELAND).
The Earl of GLENGALL gave notice of a motion
fir this day week, fir certain returns connected with
the working of the Encumbered Estates (Ireland) Act.
GREECE.

Lord STANLEY had seen that the papers relating to
Greece had been published in the French papers, and also
that the mediation of France had been accepted. If the me-
diation had been accepted (which he considered preferable
to its rejection), he thought it would have been better that
it had been accepted by the Minister of Great Britain in
Greece. He was sorry to find that the accounts from
France confirmed the statement that Mr. Wyse had
stated that the affair must be settled whether just or
unjust. Ho asked if the mediation of France
had been accepted, and whether it extended
to the important question as to the right of
Greece, or the lonian Islands, as to the possession of
certain islands, and if no attempt would be made to
take further possession cf these islands until the medi-
ation should be concluded.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE assured the Noble
Lord that there would be no delay in the production of
the papers. The Government of this country had ac-
quiesced in the offer made by the Government of France
to interpose its good offices in ;the settlement of the dif-
ferences between this country and Greece. It was not
an abitration, but an acceptance of the good offices of
France in the same manner as France some time ago
had accepted the offer of the good offices of this country
in a dispute with the United States, which had been at-
tended with the happiest effects.—(Hear, hoar.) He
considered that the British Minister in Greece was per-
fectly authorised in refusing to accept the good offices
of the French Minister, as he was not authorised by his
Government. The claim of the territory was not included
in the offer of the good offices of France, because that
was not included in the ultimatum of Mr. Wyse and Sir
W. Parkin', •
Lord STANLEY asked if any measures would be
adopted to take forcible possession of the territories in
dispute ?
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE had no reason to
believe that any such measures would be adopted.
In answer to a question from Lord BROUGHAM,
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE said that the posses-
sion of the island in dispute was not included in the
categorical demand of Mr. Wyse.
The Earl of ABERDEEN expressed his satisfaction
at that acceptance of the mediation of France, as it
would extricate our Minister from a situation highly
embarrassing. But ho could not but observe, that the
mediation of France bad been acoepted in the settlement
of claims which had been said to be indisputable,
whereas it had been refused in relation to the claims
which were admitted to be doubtful, viz., the territorial
claims. If the intentions of the Government to enforce
their claims had been communicated to France, he could
not but believe that the mediation of that power might
have been offered and accepted with much better effect
than after the unhappy violence which had taken place.
They had now taught Greece to consider France as their
protector from British violence, and had held up Repub-
lican France as the: supporter of moderation, with a
Bonaparte at the head of it. He thought it would
have been better to accept the mediation before the
violence had been committed than afterwards. With
regard to the territorial claims he found that the Greek
Minister made no distinction between the pecuniary and
the territorial demands, although he took it for granted
that the distinction had now been made. He admitted
that the territorial claim was one which admitted of
much discussion, but if we had a right to two,
we had a right to twenty. At the same time
it would be satisfactory if the Noble Marquis could say
there was so chance of the forcible execution of that
claim, because it would appear that it was within the
compass of Sir W. Parker's instructions to take posses-
sion of these islands.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE should have sup-
posed, had the Noble Earl been less conversant with
diplomatic proceedings than he was, that he was ignorant
of the difference between good offices and arbitration. The
acceptance of good offices did not bind us to abide the
decision of France as the acceptance of mediation would
have bound us. Had the offer been made by France in
the spirit in which the Noble Earl had suggested it was
made, there would have been a difficulty in accept-
ing it; it was made in a friendly spirit, unaccom-
panied by the tone of complaint in which the
Noble Earl had indulged, and, therefore, it had been
accepted in the same friendly spirit in which it had been
offered,
The EARL of ABERDEENadmitted that the claim to
these islands was a doubtful question, but he said that
it was most unjustifiable to, insist upon the cession of
the islands within twenty-Tour hours after the claim
was made. He denied that he had over made the demand
for the islands during the time that he was in
office. Sir E. Lyons had made the demand,
but it had been by instructions from his predecessor.
lie would advise the Noble Marquis to beware of his
instructions from the Foreign-office. It was time he had
a familiar of the office at his elbow ; but there were
more things in that office than was " dreamt of in his
philosophy." He felt very uneasy as to the instructions
that might be sent out with regard to these islands. The
effect must be to establish French influence in Greece.
Lord EDDISBURY would appeal to their Lordships
whether the Noble Earl did not distinctly state, in the
former discussion, that he had consulted a map appended
to a treaty which he had signed, and which, he said,
convinced him that the lonian Islands had no claim to
those islands, and yet now the Noble Earl admitted that
the right to the possession of those islands was a case
that would admit of great dispute.—(Hear, hear.)
He hoped that when the Noble Earl had further infor-
mation he would still further modify his opinions. He
regretted to find that on every occasion the Noble
Earl took up the cause of those who were, he
would not say, the enemies of Britain, but who
would encroach upon the rights of British subjects.
The encroachers upon their rights were always small
states, because great states would hesitate before they
provoked this country. The questions at issue with
Greece had nothing to do with the protectorate of tint
country, but he would not provoke a premature discus-
sion, as the papers would soon be before the House.
The Earl of ABERDEEN had not seen the map
since the year 1830, but from his copy it appeared that
the Isle of Syra was given to the Greek kingdom. He
admitted that the island was so given without any pre-
vious inquiry or examination, but as a reasonable dis-
tribution of the territory. He thought, however, now,
that the question admitted of fair discussion, because
he admitted that at the time he had no knowledge of
the circumstances.
Lord EDDISBURY thought the demand had been
frequently made as against Greece, and that the claim
was not a new one.
Lord COLCHESTER, as having commanded a ship-
of-war in the Mediterranean for many years, could bear
testimony to the fact that those islands had always been
considered as belonging to the lonian Islands.
Lord BROUGHAM said that the Greek Minister
Londos, had applied for good offices not only to the
answer
French Ambassador, but to the Russian Ambassador, and
the latter had sent to St. Petersburgh for instructions.
medbeia tteiuguv of
give
Could any one doubt but that tat
epte d
France
nfeuel
wpeo
couldwer andn,)t
refusehaving the mediation of Russia.
Yiscount CANNING considered that if there was
any intention in the mind of the persons who drew out
the map alluded to to deal with the Island of Syra, it
was intended to give it to Greece.
The subject then dropped.
Messengers from the Commons brought up a message
requesting to be furnished with copies of certain reports.
ECCLESIASTICAL COMMISSION BILL.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE moved the second
reading of this Bill. Having introduced it without
making any observations, he would now very briefly
state to their Lordahips its nature and scope, Its ob-
ject was to amend the existing Act relating to the Ec-
clesiastical Commission, and to peovide for the more
efficient discharge of the duties imposed by that Com-
mission. It was not necessary for him to detail circum-
stances with which they were all well acquainted. It
was only requisite to state, that in the year 1835, in
consequence of observations made in and out of Parlia-
ment, and inquiries by the Government as to the amount
of distribution of the Church revenues, it was proposed
to establish a Commission to inquire how those revenues
could be more satisfactorily distributed with benefit to
the Church. In the following year that Commission
made a very valuable report to Parliament, and in 1836,
is order to give effect to the recommendations of that
report, a Commission of 13 members was established,
consisting of the heads of the Church as well as of the
State. This Commission proceeded to carry into exe-
cution the recommendations of the former Commission,
and to devise schemes for that purpose, which having
obtained the sanction of the Privy Council, were
forthwith to take effect. A great many of those
schemes were very beneficially carried out, but in
1840 changes wore made in the constitution of
the Commission which, notwithstanding the best inters-
tions on the part of those who made them, had not im-
proved its aptitude for the business committed, but, on
the contrary, had materially detracted from its utility.
The Commission was enlarged from 13 to no less than 49
members, including the whole bench of Bishops—many
of them being persons who could not possibly attend
from day to day, constantly watching the business,
while others might come in at any time, and knowing
nothing of what had been previously done, throw the
whole into confusion. He thought it would be admitted
that such a Commission was unfit to deal with the nu-
merous delicate, important, and complicated interests
submitted to it. Besides which, there were various
subordinate regulations, such as requiring the chairman
for the time being to vacate the chair whenever his supe-
rior in rank entered the room, all of which were mani-
festly calculated to impair the efficiency of a Commission
which bad to deal with such complicated and important
interests. There was now 16,000/. a-year under its
control, arising from the common Episcopal Fund,
besides the revenues from various other sources,
amounting at present to no less than 130,000 L a-year,
and which, within a short time, would amount to the
large sum of 300,0001., derived from all manner of
sources—from leases on lives, leases on years, and from
leases on renewal by fines. It was evident that such
complicated and extensive transactions must require
the closest attention, and that a Commission so en-
larged and' so constituted bad not proved equal to the

HOUSE OF COMMONS, Feb. 11.
The SPELLER took the Chair at a few minutes before
Four o'clock.

COLCHESTER ELECTION.
Lord Jour( MANNERS took his seat and the oaths
for the borough of Colchester. Tho Noble Lord was
cheered on his approaching the table of the House. no
V 111.4 introduced, by Sir John Tyrell, and Major Beros-
ford.

PRIVATE BUSINESS.
The following private Bills were read a second time,
and ordered to be committed:—Aberdeen Railway—
Birkenhead Improvement—Buckinghamshire Railways
—Cambridgeshire Regulation and Improvement Mar-
kets and Fairs—Carlisle Gas-light and Coke Com-
pany—Clerical, Medical, and General Life Assur-
ance Society—Cronford and Newhaven Turnpike-road
—Dubli❑ and Drogheda Railway—East Fife Railway—
Edinburgh and Glasgow, and Bathgate, &c., Amalga-
mation—Godstone and Highgate Turnpike-road—Kent
Waterworks—Liverpool Cattle Market—New North-
road Railway Passengers' Assurance Company—Roch-
dale and Bury Turnpike-roach—Swansea Dock Com-
pany—Surrey and Sussex Roads.
!RAILWAY COMPANY DISSOLUTION OR

ABANDONAIENT BILLS.
Mr. LABOUCHERE moved that no Bill to authorise

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