The Sun.
London, England, 1868-05-13 00:00:00

THE NEW NATIONAL GALLERY.

Lord HARDINGE asked what were the plans proposed
by the Government with regard to the construction of the
new National Gallery. He said that at most a year had
elapsed since it was announced that the property which
was to form the site of the new National Gallery would
be in the hands of the Government; he thought it very fair
to ask what plans the Government intended to pursue.
He thought that it was highly desirable to know what
the Government intended to do with the barracks and
the building of the gallery.
The Earl of .I%IALMESBURY said that as soon as the
report of the committee was received they applied to the
trustees of the National Gallery for information, and ob-
tained some very succinct advice from them. The plans
were now ready to be inspected, but he could not at that
moment say what was to be done. He would, however,
make inquiries.
Lord OVERSTONE said that he regretted that the an-
swer which had just been given by the Government was so
unsatisfactory. It was a question of the highest import -
tance, both for the preservation of those magnificent pic-
tures, and that the people might enjoy the prospect of
them. He seriously and earnestly hoped that the plans
of the National Gallery would be immediately carried out
The subject then dropped.
THE GUILDFORD BOARD OF GUARDIANS.

The Earl of CARNARVON moved for copy of corres-
pom'ence which had recently passed between the Poor-
Law Board and the Guildford board of Guardians, in
reference to the relief of vagrants. He said that the board
had appointed as the officer of the Union a person who had
once been a policeman. To this there was no ob-
jection, but ho understood—iu fact, it was well
known to the whole neighbourhood that it
was so, that the relieving officer had taken his course of
inquiry into the conduct of the various applicants, and
not granting relief to those who were in the habit of
habitually living upon relief. Now ho (the noble earl)
considered this idea of his duties to be quite erroneous,
though persons who lived on vagrancy were liable
to bo punished, and it was not for the Boar}
of Guardians to decide when application was
made to them. Several communications had been
made to them by the President of the Poor-law Beard
telling them that their course of conduct was illegal, but
by a vote of the majority no notice had been taken of the
communications. He thought that such being the case all
information ought to be given to the house.
The Earl of DEVON said that there was no objec-
tion to the production of correspondence, but he
would ask his noble friend to modify his motion that it
might include the body of correspondence which had
passed not only between the Poor-law Board and Guild-
ford Union, but other boards of guardians. As regarded
the Guildford Union it had done what his noble friend had
said; they had appointed an assistant relieving officer
a man who had been a policeman, and in that he
thought they bad exercised a wise discretion. They
(the Poor-law Commissioners) had told the Board of Guar-
dians, and believed that whatever the character of the ap-
plicant for relief, that if he or she required it, they were
bound by the act to give it. An inspector had had an in-
terview with the board of guardians, and impressed upon
them what was the nature of the law.
Lord OVERSTONE said that this was only a fore-
shadowing of what was coming, viz., a large, full, and
comprehensive administration of the Poor-law. He
thought that every person ought to be relieved without
regard to conduct, character, or the circumstances which
surrounded them.
Lord REDES DALE said that he quite agreed with the
noble lord
a f
ordoepwpoNsvioterdisn
from
mthattheheDhuakdesaoif CLEVELAND, thed.
motion was agreed to.
In reply to a question from Lord DENMAN as to the new
c o u rht se
Lord
of law
T CHANCELLOR explained the very peculiar
eofdoelayn7diensigcnhohoasvininggthbeeepulapnrse.
felrrteda,roasendfrtotrine nthaetuiin•eteorfiothr
exterior of another, a choice with which the contending
competitors disagreed, and the matter had been referred to
arbitration.
Lord FORTESCUE called attention to the report
adopted by the International Conference on Weights,
eeansldmae eansvdbouCurorYi tnorse'phl renderieeldd ti
hauanPt i :here: smhi no
thepjeudn weightsol
r 8
d 6 ,
F t
andoo r
two hs
ei cu he. Lord
sl
du 3
mea-
sures
of this country, leaving the international law to be
dealt with at some future period.
Their lordships adjourned at 20 minutes past 7 o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS—LAST EVENING
The SPEAKER took the Chair at 4 o'clock.
COLONIAL BISHOPRICS.

In reply to Mr. GLADSTONE,
Mr. ADDERL EY said that it was entirely owing to the
information from Cape Town not being as full as that
from Columbia that Kiss Burdett Coutts was not described
in the parliamentary return, No. 575, as the lady who ha d
provided the endowments for the two former to the ex-
tent of £17,530 each, as well as the endowment for the
latter. An amended return would be printed, and laid on
theßotya table a s early as possible.
COLLEGE UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND.
Sir C. O'LOGEILEN asked the Chief Secretary for
Ireland when he would lay upon the table of the House
the draft of the charter her Majesty's Government pro-
pose to grant to the Roman Catholic University of Ire-
land ?

The Earl of MAYO said a correspondence bad been
going on with respect to the subject, which would very
soon be closed, when the subject would be laid before
Parliament.