The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1850-05-28 00:00:00

prorrttings in Varliamtnt.

HOUSE OF COMMONS-THURSDAY.

Lord NLMERSTON said he felt that what had transpired in
that house and elsewhere, upon the subject of the negocia' ions
respecting the affairs of Greece, required, in justice to himself,
and deference to the house, that he should enter into some
explanation. The noble lord then referred to vvbat he bud
stated on a former occasion in reference to the recall of the
French ambassador, and his then expressed hope that there
irrould be no misunderstanding of an important nature with
the French government. The fact was, that he had placed in
the hands of the French ambassador a number of dispatches
calculated to alleviate, if not wholly remove the displeasure of
Ills government immediately prior to his departure from Lon-
don ; and not being at all prepared for the premature disclo-
sures read by the French Minister to the chamber, he would
mot lie justified in giving to the occurrence a more serious
colouring than he bed done, for by so doing he would have
Tendered matterastill more embarrassing to both governments.
!The grounds upon which France had undertaken the office of
mediator were perfectly understood. The demands of England
mere not to be questioned. the principles on which they were
made were to be admitted, and the friendly offices of France
were to be directed to settling the amount of those demands.
In the negociations, however, between Baron Gros and Mr.
"Wyse, the former raised .questions having reference to the
vrinciple of the demands, which Mr. Wyse said he had no
Instructions to entertain. Baron Gros then said he had better
apply to his government at home for fresh instructions, which
lir. Wyse declined, being already in possession of positive
instructions, and thereupon Baron Gros said his functions
were suspended, and withdrew from further negociations until
be bhould have received further instructions. Notwithstanding,
Ibis, Mr. Wyse‘waited the full time which had been previously
agreed upon, and even then addressed a proposition to Baron
,Gros, which unfortunately the Greek government would not
accede to, and the result was such as they were all aware of.
Ile thought the course pursued by Mr. Wyse was perfectly
justifiable, and that the letter of General La Hitte had been
written under an erroneous feeling which the documents he
bad transmitted were calculated to remove. He much regretted
the misunderstanding that had taken place, not having the
slightest wish to slight the mediation proffered by France. He
loped, however, that harmony would be speedily restored, and
impressed on the house the necessity, in the course of the dis-
cussion, of abstaining from anything which could delay such a
desirable termination of an occurrence which he sincerely
regretted.

fir J. WALSH said that the explanation -of the noble lord
proved beyond all doubt that he had strained a point in the
answers he'had given to the questions put to him on Thursday
iweek . He condemned the whole policy of the noble lord, as
calculated to embroil us with all the nations of Europe. French
alliance had been the keystone of the arch of the ncble lord's
policy, but now he had abstracted the keystone from the arch,
and the alliance with France was as nearly severed as were our
alliances with the other states of Europe.

-T---.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—FRIDAY.
On the motion for the house resolving itself into a committee
of supply,

Mr: 13iimsroNE moved as an amendment for leave to bring
in a bill to repeal so much of the act 3d and 4th Vict., c. 17, as
imposes an additional duty of 10 per cent. on assessed and
window taxes. This duty was laid on to make up a deficiency
in the revenue, and now that they had a surplus it ought to be
Immediately removed.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQTJER resisted the motion
on the ground that the finances of the country could not afford
the loss of revenue which it would occasion ; but even if he
were prepared to make reductions to a considerable extent, it
would not certainly be in the assessed taxes, but rather in
those taxes which pressed upon the great body of the people.
Mr. BANK•ES said the right hon. gentleman had carefully
avoided any allusion to the window tax, which stood upon
grounds wholly different from the assessed taxes,

Sir G. PECWELL hoped Mr. Blackstone would withdraw his
motion, for those who would vote for the repeal of the window
tax might not be willing to take the same course with the

assessed taxes

The house then divided, and the amendment was negatived
by a majority of 130 to 65.

-Mr. IT. Coe FIRANE then called attention to the foreign policy
of the government, which he strongly condemned as having
embroiled this country with foreign states, and having led to
the revolutions in Italy.

Lord PALMERSTON defended the policy which had been pur-
sued, and said Mr. Cochrane was wrong in his assumptions as
to the revolutions in Italy resulting from the mission of Earl
31linto, who was to give his advice to such of those states only
ss might solicit it. As a proof that these revolutions were not
the result of the policy of the government of Great Britain, he
would remind the house that the only country which had fol-
lowed the advice of Lord Minto was in a state of perfect tran-
quillity. C. HAMILTON asked if that advice was that Sardinia,
the state referred to. should commit the aggression of which it
lad been guilty against Austria ?
Loan PALMERSTON absolutely denied that any such advice
had been given by Lord Minto to Sardinia.
The matter then dropped, and the house went into committee
of "ripply on the miscellaneous estimates.
The estimates relating to the new Houses of Parliament occu-
pied the attention of the house during the greater portion of
the evening, and objections were made in no measured degree
to the style, size, accommodations, &c., of the new House of
Commons.

Sir DE LACY EVANS moved, as an amendment to the vote
for the decoration of the houses, that the estimate should be
reduced by the sum of '1,050, proposed to be expended in the
Peers' private refreshment-rooms, with pictures of the chase
by Mr. Landseer.

-A
lengthened discussion ensued, terminating in a division,
when the amendment was carried against the government by a
inpjority of 94 to 75.

The vote for the repairs of Maynooth College also led to some
discussion, Colonel StBTHORP, in the absence of Mr. Spooner,
laving moved its rejection. On a division, however, the vote
was carried by a majority of 124 to 47.
The Exchequer Bills bill (.e8.558,700) passed through corn-
=Mee' and was ordered to be reported on Monday next.
Mr. DISRAELI said that no satisfactory explanation had
been given, and remarked that the noble lord had made no
reference whatever to the convention made in London with
De Lhuys. He pointed out several omissions, particularly
with regard to the part of Russia in these transactions. If
there had been any political blunders, he contended that Lord
J. Russell was responsible for them. He called on the ministry
whose career had lately exhibited a series of diplomatic
SCrtpeS to inform the house whether it had left an ally to us
in —urope. -

Lord J. RATSSELL said the speech of the hon. member proved
the impropriety of debating the question until members had
/tad the documents. The London Convention would be shown
by the papers to have been an after thought of the French
ambassador. The noble lord then proceeded to vindicate the
sincerity of the explanations he had given on Friday last;
that at that time he had not read the letter of M. de Lehitte,
2nd he only spoke from information derived from a despatch
from Lord Normanby, assuming the possibility of all that had
been done by the Foreign Secretary. No occasion of his
official life had given him more pain than the present unbappy
breach of cordiality with France; but ho efforts on his part
should be wanting to restore amicable feeling. (Hear, hear.)
The subject then dropped.
Captain HARRIE called the attention of the government to
the importance of abolishing impressment.
The Stamp Duties (No. 2) Bill was read a second time.
The house then went into committee on wood used for ship_
'building, when

Mr. MITCHELL'S resolution, that it is expedient that a draw-
back be allowed of all duties on such wood, was opposed by the
Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Upon a division, the amendment was carried by 50 against 19,
so that the resolution was lost.