The North Wales Chronicle and Advertiser for the Principality

I Imperial parliament f HOUSE OF LORDS.—FRIDAY. In reply to Lord Normanby, Earl GRANVILLE said there was no correspondence which could be considered official in the possession of the Government as having taken place between the British Ambassador at Paris, Lord Cowlev, and Count Walewski. He could not undertake to say there had been no conversation be- tween the Ministers on the subject of Savoy and Nice, but certainly nothing that could be considered official existed on the subject. Viscount DVKGANXOX postponed his motion with respect to the performance of Divine worship in the minor theatres of the metropolis until Friday, the 24th instant. Lord PORTMAN suggested the withdrawal of the motion altogether. The LORD CHANCELLOR thought that if the services were conducted with piety, they ought not to be inter- fered with. The Archbishop of CANTERBURY said these services had been instituted by private individuals, and as they tended to the promotion of religion and piety, no difficulty ought to be thrown in the way by the House. After a short conversation, Viscount DCNOAXNON refused to postpone his motion further than Friday, 24th. Their lordships then adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS. Mr. MAOUIRE asked the First Lord of the Treasury whether he had any objection to produce the papers reo lating to the mission of the Right Hon. W. E. Glad- stone as High Commissioner to the Ionian Islands; and, if it was the intention of the Government to produce them, at what time they were likely jo be laid on the table of the House. Lord PALMERSTON said it was not intended to pro- duce the papers, as such a proceeding was quite un- necessary (laughter). Lord J. RUSSELL laid on the table the-commercial Treaty with the Emperor of the French. Lord Henry LENNOX asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention had been directed to the contents of a letter from the Rev. Mr. Lee, published in the Times of Wednesday, the 8th inst., detailing certain acts of outrage and violence attempted against the person of the officiating minister and others during the performance of Divine service in the church of Samt George's-in-the-East on Sunday last; and whether the Home Secretary would take efficient steps to prevent the recurrcnce of such outrages, on Sunday next. Mr. HENLEY asked the Secretary'of State for the Home Department if the House was to understand that the law does not arm the police with the power of summary interference in the case of noisy disturbances or interruptions of silence and order during public wor- ship and that police constables are not authorised and required, when requested by the proper authorities, to apprehend persons wilfully disturbing or interrupting public worship. Mr. CLIVE, in the absence of the Home Secretary, said the letter in question had not escaped the notice of the Secretary of State o- the Commissioner of Police, and a letter had been addressed to Mr. Lee, but that gentleman had not replied to it. He (Mr. Clive) did not think that any further precautions were necessary than had been taken. For six successive Sundays the Chief Commissioner had employed a body of police to attend the church, and they reported that there was nothing of which they could take notice, and since that time men in plain clothes had attended, but they had not taken any one into custody. With regard to the question of Mr. Henley, he said he did not apprehend that the law armed the police in such caees. Mr. HENLEY said he should renew the question, as the answer was not definite or satisfactory. THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT—THE COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH FRANCE. The House went into committee on the Customs' Acts, and The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER proceeded to make his financial statement at three minutes before 5. The right hon. gentleman said that the year 1800 had long teen marked out by public expectation as one in which a great reduction of the national taxation might be anticipated, the interest upon the National Debt amounting to no less a sum than £ 2,146,000 falling in, while the tea and sugar duties imposed in eonsequensc of the Russia" war, and the income-tax, would lapse, unless it should be the p.easure of Parliament to renew them. Another matter was the commercial Treaty with France, which had made every heart thrill throughout the country. He had an extensive field to traverse and many subjects to discus; but he would not make any wanton trespass upon the patience of the House. He reminded the House that circumstances had occurred durin,? the latter period of the financial year which n".? ?nn3ideraMe(!iS'<°—'?'" ?'? Old" nese expedition had occasioned some addition to the military force of the country, while the Treaty with France, if assented to, would affect the Customs' revenue for the residue of the yei r. The right hon. gentleman proceeded to contrast the state of the revenue with his previous estimates, the result being that whereas he estimated the revenue at E69,460,000, it would produce £ 70,578,000. Taking th expenditure of the country, thete would have been a balance in hand of E 1,625,000 had it not ben for the disturbing causes. Soon after the meeting of Parliament it was found necessary to send an expedition to China; and then came the Treaiy with France. But deliverance had come in from a quarter in which it was at lea3t expected; and a friend and ally of England had come forward to pay a debt at the very time she was at war, and when Sle might rea- sonably have preferred a claim for time. Spain had paid on bills coming due a sum of E500,000, of which ""0." would come to the credit of revenue before the 31st of March. If the committee would take the trouble to compare the figutes, it would be seen that we set out with probable surplus of £ 1,625,000 adding to that surplus the E250,000 of which he had spoken it becomes 91,875,000, against which we have chargeof £ 1,810,000, a state of account which would leave the Chancellor of the Exchequer with a surplus—undoubtedly—one of th9 narrowest on record, but still a surplus, not a de- ficit. (Hear, hear.) He now came to the charge and expenditure of the coming year, 1860-1. Theestimated funded debt stood at £ 25,200,000, and this it was pro- posed to reduce by £ 2,433,000. The consolidated fund, commonly so called, stood at 92,000,000, exhibiting an increase of £ 40,000. The army and military, including a vote of credit for the Chinese expedition, amounted to £ 15 800,000. The navy and packet service stood at '113,900;0001. The miscellaneous estimates might be taken at 7,500,0001, exhibiting a decrease as ompare with the estimates of last year of 325,000/. These and other items would make a total of 70,100,000/. He an- ticipated that the customs of the next year would yield 22,700,000; the excise duties, 19,170,0001; stamps, 8,000,0001 j taxes, 3,250,0001; income-tax (that was one half-vear outstanding), 2,400,000/. Post-office, 3'406?' 0001 Crown lands, 280,000/ miscellaneous, 1?00?000? making a total of 60,700,0001. while the i?ar?e upon it would be 70,100,000/. leaving an apps- re? deficit of 9,400,0001. That had to be provided for, quite irrespective of any remission of taxation. If they determined upon taking off the war duty on tea and sugar and kept up the peace duties upon tlose articles, they might easily settle the deficit, if they pleased, by an income-tax of a shilling in the pound. That would be an easily stated and easily understood way of solving any difficulty which the deficit presented. The suc- cession duty had failed to produce what was expected of it, and at the present time they stood one million worse than they should have done under the succession duty, which was partly to be accounted for by the war, which had made a difference of 320,0001, party by the debt contracted by the Russian war, and partly by the stoppages of the surpluses applicable to reductions. It would be unfair to speak of the expenditure of the country without speaking of the means by which that expenditure was borne. This country was richer than it was in 1853, and to a degree which was really as- tonishing. The right honourable gentleman then insti. tuted a comparison between the increasing wealth of the country and its increasing expenditure, showing that from 1842 to 1853 wealth increased at the rate of 12 per cent., and expenditure at the rate of 8t per cent., while, for 1853 to 1859, wealth grew at the rate of 16i per cent and expenditure at the rate of 58 per cent. Eut the real question was, how to meet the contemplated deficiency of 9, !OO,OOOI. for the coming year and he submitted that there could be no radical elear, and he estimates of expenditure, whether the House aeed to all their details or not. It was the opinion oft?e Go- vjniment that it was the duty of Parliament, during the present year, to make a step forward in that career of commercial legislation and improvement which had brought the country to its present prosperous condition, and would tend to keep it so. It must be taken that the country had attained a level of public expenditure, and that for some time it must remain at that level, but this was rather a reason for advancing in the path of commercial reform than for standing still and doing nothing in that direction. (Cheers and counter cheers.) Hon. members on the other side of the House might murmur, but if one fact in connection with finance was more clearly demonstrable than another, it was that by the regular relaxations and restrictions on trade and commfrce, Government had received the power of im- P?ng new taxes, and the people the power to pay them. (Hear,) The taxes on tea and sugar were no doubt desirable to be repealed if it could be done; but on the other hand they were simple Customs duties, ?not hard to be borne, and easy of collection, and although they might press upon the working man, recent legisla- tion had so materially improved his position that he must find such duties no burthen. He did not hesitate to say that it was a mistake to suppose that the best mode of giving benefit to the labouring classes is simply to operate on the articles consumed by them. If we want to do them the maximum of good, we should rather operate on the articles which give them the maximum of employment. The Government would theiefore ask Parliament to continue those duties, as they stood, being Is. 5d. per lb. on tea and on sugars as classified,for one year or rather till the 1st of July, 1861. (Murmurs). He would now refer to the com- mercial Treaty with France, the provisions of which he confidently recommended that House to sanction. The right honourable gentleman here recited the provisions of the Treaty as they have already been made public, and expressed his conviction that the Government of France was earnest and cordial in connection with that Treaty, and that the Treaty, on the partof France, was a long step in the direction of commercial reform. IVith reference to the covenants on the part of the English Government, he said they were-That Customs duties on all manufactured articles were to be all swept away; that the duty on French brandy was to be reduced from 15s. to the Colonial duty of 8s. 2d. per gallon, and on wines from 5s. IOd. to 3s. per gallon. The motive which led her Majesty's Government to conclude such a Treaty, was for the public benefit; and with reference to the hints which had been thrown out, of subserviency to the Emperor of the French, he was assured that no Government could hold power in this country for a single session upon terms of subserviency to any foreign Power whatever. (Loud cheers.) The Treaty gave nothing to France which was not equally an advantage to the country, and which, at the same time, was not calculated to combine in friendship two great nations whose contests had often shaken the world. There could be no union between England and France which was not for the good of the world at large, by putting an end to jealousy between the two and check- ing a thirst for aggrandisement on the part of either Power. It has been asserted that a commercial treaty was a violation of the principles of Free-trade; but this Treaty, so far aslit went, was rather an abandonment of Protection, since the duties given up by this country were protective, and in many cases even prohibitory. As to the effect of the Treaty, he computed the relief to the consumer by the reduction of the duty on wine at E830,000, and the loss to the revenue, allowing for increase of consumption, at X515,000 the relief to the consumer by the reduction of the duty on brandy he estimated at 9446,000, and the loss to the revenue at £ 225,000. On silk the repeal of duties would give a loss of £ 18,000. The entire amount of duties to be re- pealed would be about £ 1,727,000; the loss to the revenue for the first year E 1,190,000. It was true that France was a foreign country; but it was separated from England by a channel less narrow than that which separated her from Ireland, and such was the diversity of soil, climate and productions, that probably there were no two countries on the globe between which free commercial interchange could be so beneficially carried on (hear, hear); and if no such Treaty had been made in former years it was only because it could not be made owing to the false basis upon which preliminary negotiations were conducted. Fifteen years ago Eng- land made great concessions to French trade, and France replied by increasing the prohibitory duties on English manufactured goods, although the Government of France at that time was a friendly one. He would not stop to argue whether by the present Treaty France would not gain greater advantage than ourselves, for even on the occasion to which he had referred, despite the increase of duty, the export of British goods to France had increased. (Cheers.) But independent of the Treaty, it would have been necessary very shortly to reform the tariff on wines, for colonial wines were on the point of driving all other wines out of the mar- ket. The duty on colonial wines enabled the colonies to carry on a flourishing trade, but the same duties ex. eluded 999-thousandths of the wines grown in Europe, in fact, by prohibitory duties, the English people had actually been beaten out and starved out of their taste for French wine, for in 16S0 they consumed upwards of 3,000,000 gallons of French winces, or nearly two- thirds of all the foreign wines imported into the country last year. The reduction of the wine duties he had no doubt would cause a great increase of con- sumption, and put an end to that extensive adulteration which was practised. Taste was mutable. It-was idle to talk of the taste for port and sherry and the highly- brandied wines as fixed and unchangeable. There was a power of unbounded supply of wine if they would only alter their law, and there was a power, he would not say of unbounded demand, but an enormously in- creased demand, for this most useful and valuable commodity (hear). Now, he thought cause enough had been shown for an alteration in the present system of wine duties. But he besought the committee to remem- ber the immense masses of evil which were connected with that system. Look at the fraud and adulteration to whien u guvu (Hoar). Many of the houses en- gaged in the wine trade bore as high a character as any in England; but those gentlemen woud tell them of the difficulties they had no encounter in holding their ground against persons of inferior character entering that trade. And why did persons of inferior character embark in it ? Because the law invited them to do so. Because the restrictive operation of their tariff was so severe that it afforded temptations which they could not resist to counterfeit the article on which they had laid such heavy duties. That was the way in which the wine duties worked; and let him in concluding his remarks on this subject, ask the committee to consider one thing more. They had heard of the rich man's luxuries and cf contemplated reductions of duty upon articles which the poor man did not consume. Now, he made his appeal to the friends of the poor man. There was a time which came to all of them-the time, he meant, of sickness-when wine became a common necessary (hear, hear). What kind of wine was administered to the poor man in this country? They had got a law which made it impossible for the poor man when he was sick to obtain the comfort and support derived from good wine, unless he was fortunate enough to live in the immediate neigh- bourhood of some charitable and rich friend (hear). Consult the medical profession ask what sort of wine was supplied to boards of guardians in this country; go on board the Queen's ships and see the wine supplied there. Some time ago he had the honour of being on board her Alatsty's ship Scourge, at a time when an accident had happened to one of the sailors. He went to see the man when he was recovering from the effects of an operation. What wine do you give him ?" he asked. We are forced to give him the wineofour own mess," the surgeon told him; "we cannot give him the wine supplied to the Queen's ships." The surgeon insisted on his tasting the ship wine, and certainly it was with great difficulty he succeeded in swallowing part of a glass (a laugh). Now, this wine was taken out of bond, and paid no duty; but theirsysttm of duty vitiated the entire trade, and, except with regard to the higher and most expensive class of wines, made it almost impossible to obtain a sound or wholesome article (hear, hear). Well, he himself did not think that, under these circumstances, the Government could require much authority for making proposals which would lead to an effectual diminution of those duties (hear). In quitting this part of the subject, he could not avoid expressing his sense of the sincerity of the Emperor of France, and of the arduous way in which Mr. Cobden had laboured to bring the treaty to a con. clusion, by doing which he had undoubtedly conferred a signal service on his Sovereign and his fellow-country. men (cheers). It was a great privilege for any man who, having fifteen years ago rendered to his country one important and signal service, now enjoyed the singular good fortune of having had it in his power- undecorated, bearing no mark of rank or of title from his Sovereign, or from the people-to perform anothre signal service in the same cause for the benefit of, he hoped, a not ungrateful country. He had now to bring forward a supplemental Customs reform, by whichtthe revenue would lose about L910,000, and the consumers would gain £ 1,040,000. He proposed to repeal the duties on butter, £ 95,000; tallow, L87,000 cheese, 944,000 oranges and lemons, f32,,000 eggs, £ 22,000; nuts, E12,000-; nutmegs, Cll,OOO; and other articles, making a total of £ 382,900. lie proposed to reuuce tfie duty on timber from 7s. 6d. and 15s. to the colonial rate of Is. and 2s. (cheers). This would be a relief of E400,000 to the consumer, but a considerable recovery byinereased consumption. The next article, the duty on which he proposed to reduce, with the approval of the House, was the duty on currants (hear). The duty on currants ought to have been reduced many years ago, but it was impossible in consequence of the almost entire failure of the crop, which made it impracticable to act upon the ? duty. The duty consumption by the reduction of the duty. The duty on currants was now 15s. 9d. He proposed to reduce it to 7s. per cwt., which would involve a loss of £ 170,000. This, however, would be compensated by increased con- sumption. He proposed to reduce the duty on raisins from 10s. to 7s.; on figs from 10s. to 7s. He also pro- posed to reduce a duty with regard to which he should ave to give a further explanation-the duty on hops. He proposed to reduce the duty on hops from 45s. to 14s, (cheers). The total amount of these reductions would be X650,000, and the amount of the abolitions 9382,000. He proposed, also, a duty on chicory and all substances imported to mix with coffee, from which he expected to reap £90,000, making an increase of Cus- toms of £510,000. He also proposed a stamp of Id. on brokers' notes, of 3d. on dock warrants, and a license for eating-houses, at a low rate, with an option of dealing in wine or beer, but with a double duty if the houses are kept open after 12 o'clock at night. A stamp was also to be proposed oncost-book transfers, and an alteration in the duty on game certificate, of which, at the present time, only 34,000 were taken out a year. Instead one certificate costing about 41., one might be taken out in August for 31. in October for 21.; and in December for 11. which would give a relief of a sum amounting to about 50,0001., at a very .light loss to the Government. There would be levied on fall packages of imported articles a tax of one penny each, which would produce 300,0001. a-year. Moderate charges were to be laid 011 operations in the system of ware- housing, a process which would simplify the :system of idtoå;sS Th:c:u'idl:dfYI0:Õte1'h: stamp on cheques was to be extended to the drawer himself, and some alterations were to be made on other stamps, but to no great extent. These changes would altogether give to the revenue 896,0001.?, and a saving on Customs establishments would be effected to the extent of 86,0007. There would then be about 1,000,000/. of remission which the Government considered to be due to the trade and industry of the country; and sur- prised as the House might be, he was about to propose to it the abolition of the Excise duty on paper (cheers). That duty had already been condemned by a resolution of that house, and he had never heard any good argu- ment against its repeal, while the repeal of the duty would render paper applicable to an enormous quantity of manufacturing purposes; in fact, the paper trade would be open to boundless expansion, and a great im- petus would be given to rural industry all over the country. The duty was to cease on the 1st of July. with a drawback oil stocks; and the loss to the revenue would be one million a year, but the repeal "o uId? effct a saving of 20,000?. a year in Excise expenses, ana enaoie uovernment to do away with the impressed stamp upon newspapers, leaving them to use adhesive :tamps in the ordinary way of documents "passing through the post; so that the newspaper would not pass again and again through the post; as under the Impressed stamp. The system of hop credit was, aecording to his plan, to be abolished, and the duty to be paid on the 1st of January instead of in May; but there would be a reduction of the duty on hops, amounting to 105,0001. Reviewing the effect of these changes, he said the number of articles on our Customs' tariff would be reduced to 41; while, in 1843, the num- ber was upwards of 1,100. There would be a relief in indirect taxation to the amount of four millions; and nothing would be left on the tariff of a protective or a differential character. They had now to consider how to make up that deficit. A shilling income-tax would completely fill the void without the retention 'of the war duties on tea and sugar; and with a retention of those duties they could not escape an income tax of lod. (Sensation). He would propose that the income tax be lod. in the pound on income above 1501. and 7d. on income below that amount. The tax would be taken only for a year; and only three-quarters would be taken this year, leaving the other fourth payable after the 1st of April. The righthon. gentleman con- cluded as follows I have endeavoured to bring fairly and clearly into view the most prominent features of the plan which the Government proposes (cheers). We think it proposes' an ample provision for the public service. It gives sanction to the use of some sub- sidiary resources, in consideration of the great demands made upon the public, in aid of the ordinary revenue of the year. It involves a high rate of income-tax. It abandons all endeavours to make a settlement for a term of years of the finances of the country, which we do not think suited to the existing state of affairs; and those especially who cherish a hope of material reduc- tions in our expenditure, and some partial return to- wards an earlier and more thrifty scale, will, I think, concur in the wisdom and propriety of this view. It involves great reforms-I think no one will deny that they are great reforms-in the law, and a very large re- duction of duties. Last, but not least, it involves that commercial treaty with France, to which objections may be taken from one point of view or another, but which we confidently recommend to your acceptance, and consider worthy of your approval and support on moral and social, on fiscal, commercial, and on political grounds; and I must say I entertain a hope, which amounts to a r, um,on, that whatever may happen, :lso :ilr:u t or:d: ing by means of resolute and courageous reforms, un- dertaken on behalf of the masses of the people. and not on behalf of one, but on behalf of every class of society -on behalf of the Throne -on behalf of the institutions of the country-I say I feel convinced that this House will not refuse now to venture on a bold and onward step in the direction in which they have already reaped such honour and reward. By such a course you will scatter blessings among the people, you will be enlarg- ing their means and giving value to their labour; you will be appealing to their sense ofresponsibility and not impairing their honourable self-dependence (cheers). There was a time of old, when Sovereigns made pro- gresses through the land,And at the cry of heralds heaps of coins were scattered among them. That may have been a goodly spectacle but it is also a great spectacle in the altereYcircumstances of the times when the So- vereign is enabled by the great council of Parliament to pass wise and beneficial laws which give new incentives to hononrable toil, and which entitle more than ever the institutions of the country to the gratitude, the con- fidence, and love of a happy and united people (cheers). And let me say to those who are justly anxious on the subject of national defences, that what hinds men to- gether and gives them increased confidence in their ruler3, and makes them feel that they are treated justly, and that we who represent them are labouring honestly and earnestly f, or their good, all that I say forms no small, no feeble, no Jtransitory part of the national defences (cheers). We commend then this plan to your impartial, your searching inquiry. We do not presume to make a claim upon your sympathies; but neither do we ask your compassion-we ask nothing but a searching and impartial inquiry (hear). We know our proposition will receive that inquiry at your hands, and we confi- dently anticipate it will receive the confidence of the Parliament and the people. The right hon. gentleman, who spoken four hours, sat down amidst loud cheering from all parts of the House. A formal resolution having been put from the chair for adjourning the debate till Thursday. Mr. DISRAELI suggested that ample time should be given for consideration before the finance scheme was discussed. The Chancellor of the Exchequer had spoken of next Thursday, but he (Mr. Disraeli) thought the House ought to have a fortnight at least to consider a scheme so extensive and so comprehensive. The coun- try also needed time for consideration, for the scheme could not be dealt with in detail, but only as a whole. Mr. ELLICE (Coventry) protested against the repeal of the duty on foreign manufactured silks. Mr. NEWDEGATE said that when Mr. Pitt submitted to the House a commercial treaty he gave five months for its consideration, and the present treaty ought not to be hastily disposed of. Mr. GLYN intimated his approval of the scheme ge. nerally, and urged the Chancellor of the Exchequer to bring it under discussion without delay. After some further discussion, Lord PALMERSTON said it was quite impossible to postpone the discussion for a fortnight, but if Thursday was too early a day he had no objection to say Friday (laughter). The subjects embraced were very impor- tant to the trading interests, and it would be very bene- ficial that no delay should take place. He hoped, there- fore, that the house would consent to Friday, and that then they could go on from day to day. Mr. EGERTON stated that the silk manufacturers of Macclesfield were not afraid of competition from the silk weavers of France. In reply to Mr Bentinck, LordJ. RUSSELL saidhe was not aware of any report that a rejection of the Commercial Treaty would endanger the friendly rela- tions with France. Its adoption would certainly strengthen those relations. With respect to the Reform Bill he should not bring it on until the financial mea- sures had passed the house. The discussion on the Budget was then fixed for Monday next. M= some further business the house adjourned. HOUSE OF LORDS.—MONDAY. LORD CHELMSFORD moved the second reading of the Indictable Offences Bill, which is a measure for the abolition of grand juries within the metropolitan dis- tricts, and went at length into the arguments which hate been used on a former occasion. No opposition was made, and the bill was read a second time. Lord EnURY presented a petition from the inhabitants of St George's in the East, its object being to ask the adoption of some means of putting an end to the dis- turbance which existed in that parish by means of some cheap and summary remedy of the grievances com- plained of The Bishop of EurEII defended Mr. Bryan King and the conduct he had pursued, urging that he had done nothing contrary to the law. The Bishop of LONDON said he was glad to say that the services in St. George's had passed off quietly on last Sunday night. The proceedings of Mr. King had been left to his discretion by the late Bishop of London. He expressed his opinion that the present ecclesiastical law was suiffcient to meet any case with regard to the use of vestments by clergymen of the church, and if the clergy would place the matter in his hands he felt con- fident that he could bring the church back to a satis- factory condition. The house then adjourned. I HOUSE OF COMMONS. Lord PALMERSTON, in answer to Mr. Horsman, said that there was no item in the army estimates which applied to the plans recommended by the commission on the national defences. On the motion for going into supply, Mr. B. COCHRANE called attention to the state of the relations of this country with China. Referring to the attack on the Peiho, he stated that on the day before that attack an accredited functionary had arrived to conduct Mr. Bruce in all dignity to the court of Pekin; and yet he did not make the slightest effort to prevent hostilities. There was no treachery on the part of the Chinese; it was known that they were fortifying the Peiho, and Lord Elgin knew it, and said they were per fectly justified in doing so. He admitted that there must be some demonstration made in China in order to restore our prestige in that country, but he would have it great in moderation as well as in extent, and he would urge that the demand for a resident minister at Pekin should not be insisted on. Sir M. SEYMOUR entered into a statement explana- tory of his conduct when in the command of the naval forces in China on the breaking out of the hostilities arising out of the dispute of the lorcha, the Arrow, giving a personal narrative of his proceedings then and suDsequently, especially defending himself against stric- tures which had been passed on him; his observations, which were very straightforward, being received with approbation by the house. He believed that the expe- dition now in progress would be successful, but he trusted that the question in dispute might be settled without hostilities, for really China was not a country with which this country ought to go to war. Lord J. RUSSELL doubted whether this was an oppor- tunity when the question of China could be properly discussed. He quite agreed that the Chinese should be treated with all justice and moderation. It had been under consideration whether some person of higher au- thority than Mr. Bruce, and unconnected with the re- cent occurrences, should be employed in carrying on future negotiations, and as soon as the next mail arrived he should be prepared to state the course the govern- ment proposed to take. Mr. W. WILLIAMS characterised the estimates as the largest ever brought forward in time of peace, and as calculated to confirm an impression that the government anticipated a war. He took the opportunity of criti- cising the estimates generally. After some further discussion the house went into committee of supply. Lord C. PAGET brought forward the navy estimates. He expressed his sense of the responsibility of moving estimates nearly as large as those during the Russian war. Apart from the navies of other countries, it was necessary for this country, with her colonies and com- merce, to keep up for the police of the seas a consider- able naval service, andno disarmament of other countries would justify our denuding ourselves of a naval force. But still we must also consider the state of the navies of other nations; nor should it be forgotten that the navy was in a state of new creation, in order to regain the superiority which the introduction of steam deprived us of. The French navy consisted of 32 ships of the line afloat and 0 building, 34 frigates afloat and 13 building, 5 iron-cased ships building, 17 corvettes afloat and 3 building, 3n gunboats afloat and 29 building, 4 floating batteries afloat and others building, besides a large force of transports ready and in preparation. The total force was 244 steam ships, for every one of which they could call men together in a month, so that none of .them were actually ;in reserve. Russia had 187 steam vessels afloat and 48 building. England had long endeavoured to to establish reserves of seamen, the last being the Volunteer reserve, which had not been very successful. Our own force in commission was 27 line of battle ships, 43 frigates and corvettes, 94 small ves- sels and gunboats, making 164 steamships manned, being an increase of 46 this yeta. There were also the guardships, making a total 01 244 in December last, since which one Une of battle ship and two frigates had been added. We had at home and in the Mediterranean 27 line of battle ships, 14 frigates and corvettes, and 49 sloops and gunboats-total, 90; besides which we had 10 block ships, with their tenders, all of which might be considered as for the defence of our coast. There were 55 vessels in China, .besides which a large force was spread all OVJr the world, including three line of battle ships. There were of vessels not in commission -48 sail of the line afloat and 11 building, 34 frigates afloat and 9 building, 9 block ships afloat and 4 iron cased ships building, 16 corvettes afloat and 5 building, 80 sloops afloat and 15 building, 27 small vessels afloat. 129 gunboats afloat and 9 building, and 8 floating bat- teries afloat. It was intended to launch this year 10 line of battle ships, 12 frigates, 4 iron cased ships, 4 corvettes, 23 sloops, and 23 gunboats. The vote for men asked for an increase of 8,000 seamen, 1,000 ma- rines, 200 boys. and 700 coast guard men, making 11,700 in all, which were only just sufficient to man the ships in commission, and retain a reserve of seamen in the home ports amounting to 10,000. Having entered into the details of this vote, and passing over that for victualling, the noble lord passed to vote three, which showed an increase of E 14,000 for the Admiralty, prin- cipally caused by the employment of extra clerks. The Admiralty would be ready to grant an inquiry into the expenditure of the dockyards, which were not in a satisfactory condition. With regard to the volilnteer reserve of seataen, there was a delusion on the part of sailors that they were to be kidnapped and sent into the navy; but there was no intention of calling them out except in case of emergency. But even if there was such an intention they were not required, for the com- plement of our ships was full, and there was no want of sailors for manning our fleets. The noble lord went minutely through each vote, pointing out the increase in each. Among other things he showed that in the last year the Admiralty had built in the dockyards 36,278 tons of ships of war, and they proposed to build this year 39,934 tons. They were building steam- engines to the extent of 18,200 horse power. There were four iron cased ships building; two of them of 6,039 tons and 1,200 horse-power, and two smaller, of 3,268 tons each. The total cost for building by con- tract £ 1,355,807, including machinery, over and above the ships building in the dockyards. He concluded by moving the first vote, that of the number of seamen yll,lOO men. After a discussion in which Sir 1. Pakington, Sir C. Napier, and Mr. Whitbread took the principal part, Mr. W. LN?s.iy moved that the chairman report progress, urging that the question against whom those L. rdg e -moLt" were directed should be put, diacussed, and answered. The vote for the number of men was, however, agreed to as was the vote for their wages and vic- tualling. tutuse then resumed; the other orderv of the day were disposed of, and the house adjourned. HOUSE OF LORDS.—TUESDAY. The Earl of MALMESBURY, in reference to a statement of Lord John Russell in the other house, on the pre- vious night, on the subject of Mr. Bruce's having di- rected the forcing of the passage of the Peiho in accord. ance with instructions from him, dissented from the statement, and gave notice that on Tuesday he would state the exact instructions he had given. The Marquis of NORMANBY moved an address to the crown, asking for any instructions given by the Secre- tary for Foreign Affairs to the English Charge d'Affaires at Florence, who is not accredited to the provisional government, directing him to attend the reception, on 1st January, of Signor Buoncompagni, who is now acting as Governor General of Tuscany, without any sanction on the part of the Tuscan people; and also a return of the dates of all communications between the Foreign Office and our ambassador at Paris on the sub ject of the annexation of Savoy and Nice to France up to the 1st January. In doing so he referred at length to the state of Italian affairs, and reiterated the argu- ments with which he has on several occasions already favoured the nouse. Earl GRANVILLE, after a general defence of the con- duct of the government, designated the motion of Lord Normanby as irregular, if not unprecedented, but at the same time there was no objection to granting the returns. The Edrl of MALMESBURY was sorry that the govern- ment had not, as their predecessors had done, laid fully before parliament, during their progress, statements of the mode in which the affairs of Italy had been dealt with. He trusted that the government would adhere to the policy of non-intervention which had been adopted by the late government. It was his desire to see Italy formed into a great power, but he hoped that such an object would never be attained if it was gained at the expense of the annexation of Savoy to France. The Marquis of CLANRICARDK expressed his decided belief, looking to the course of recent events and the strong expression of public opinion in England, that no attempt would be made to annex Savoy and Nice to France. The Earl of DERBY was of opinion that events on the Continent were assuming an aspect of the greatest gra. vity. He wished to know if the papers laid before the House of CommoM relating to the annexation of Savoy to France contained the latest information on the sul. ject. Earl GRANVILLE said he had nothing further to com- municate. The Earl of ELLEN BOROUGH expressed strong doubts whether the King of Sardinia had any right to cede Savoy to France without the consent of the Powers which gave Savoy to him. After some remarks from Lord Wodehouse and the Marquis of Normanby in reply, The motion was agreed to, and their lordships ad- journed. HOUSE OF COMMONS. Mr. W. Cowper took his seat for Hertford, and Mr. Air ,??,.t,,?,d, on their re election after accepting the offices of Chief Commissioner of Works and Vice- President of the Board of Trade. Mr. A. KINOLAKE postponed his motion with re- ference to the annexation of Savoy to France until this day fortnight. Mr. H. BERKELEY gave notice of a bill for establish- ing the ballot on an catty day after the introduction of the Reform Bill. Lord J. RUSSELL, in answer to Lord Burghley, said that the amount that Spain had agreed to repay this. country was £ 493,000. The negotiation for its repay- ment was begun by Lord Malmesbury in 1858, and he had continued it. The Spanish government had be- haved with great fairness and propriety in the matter. Lord J. RUSSELL, in answer to Mr. E. James, said he should endeavour to bring ill the Reform Bill on Thurs- day, 1st March. Mr. SpooNEn (who was received with some cneermg, ironical and otherwise) rose to move that the house re- solve itself into committee to consider the acts for the endowment of the College of Maynooth, with a view to the withdrawal of any endowment out of the consolida- ted fund, due regard being had to vested rights and in-- terests. The hon. gentleman's address consisted prin- cipally of documents, which he read to illustrate his main argument, that the teaching at the College of Maynooth was founded on religious error, and calculated to engender disloyalty and disaffection among its re- cipients. Mr. R. LONG seconded the motion, urging that the grant to Maynooth was one of the first of those yieldings of principle to expiency by which Sir Robert Peel broke up the conservative party. A division was taken, and the motion was rejected, the numbers being-For the motion, 128; Against it; 186-68. Mr. POLLARD UROUKART moved that an humble ad- dress be presented to her Majesty, praying that she will be graciously pleased to withhold her consent from certain portions of the stautes of Trinity and St. John's Colleges, Cambridge, now before parliament, relating to the compulsory ordination of the college master, the compulsory celibacy of the senior fellows, the removal of fellows who may have openly seceded from the churclt of England, the filling up of the vacant places in the seniority by the master and the remaining seniors, and the delegating to the master and seniors exclusively all rules respecting the attendance of the undergraduates who are not members of the church of England at the college chapel; and that her Majesty will be graciously pleased to give such directions as to her may seem fit, to refer the above mentioned statutes to the Cambridge University Commissioners. Mr. BAINES seconded the motion; he urged that dissenters should be allowed to enjoy the fellow- ships whinh were intended to be the reward of merit, and which were unconnected with ecclesiastical func- tions. Lord STANLEY said that the commissioners of Cam- bridge University had no competency under the act of 1856, under which they were instituted, to deal with the question of the exclusion of persons other than the members of the church of England. The only mode of settling that question would be by a bill in parliament, as by act of parliament the exclusion was created. If it had been proposed by any of the commissioners to give a license for non-attendance at chapel, on the I nd }C::c[ti-tj: i:¡eo;: been within their power to have carried their object. He had no alternative but to oppose the motion. Mr. WALPOLE said that the question involved in the motion had been deliberately brought before parlia- ment, discussed, and distinctly negatived, and it was very inconvenient to raise them again in the form of the present motiou. After a few words from Mr. BRISCOE and Mr. NEW- DEBATE, the motion was withdrawn. The house adjourned at half-past eight. HOUSE OF COMMONS.—WEDNESDAY Mr. MELLOR moved the second reading of the Cor- rupt Practices Prevention Act (1854) Amendment Bill. Since the bill was introduced he had received a large correspondence upon the subject from various parts of the country, and all his correspondents disagreed with the noble lord at the head of the government when he said the house was more anxious to stop bribery than the country. Having adverted to the disclosures before the election commissioners, the hon. and learned mem- ber proceeded to say that the bill contained provisions to prevent improper expenditure at parliamentary and municipal elections. He did not pretend to say that the bill was complete; but he did say that it struck at the root of the evil, and he therefore hoped the house would not hesitate to pass it. Mr. HUNT supported the bill. The provisions in- creasing the punishment and compelling the payment of all expenses through the election auditor were ex- ceedingly valuable. The bill was no doubt, open to improvement, but the alterations could be:made in com- mittee. Sir F. GOLDSMID entertained a strong objection tothe penal clause of the bill. It was based upon antiquated principles of legislation. For the last fifty years the system of suppressing crimes and offences by severity of punishment had been gradually abandoned. To his mind the only correct mode of legislating for bribery was to make the punishment certain and the temptation to commit the offence less. If bribery was a crime, which he did not mean to dispute, why did not the house apply to the same principles of legislation that it applied to other crime? The only effectual and certain remsdies for bribery were the loss of the seat and the lossoftbevote. For that purpose the existing law was sufficiently stringent if it was properly and strictly car- ried out in every case. He would give the seat to the pure and honest candidate who successfully petitioned against an opponent returned by corruption. Mr. COLLIER generally supported the bill, and was of opinion that the punishment of imprisonment with hard labour was a proper one for such an offence, but pecu- niary penalties would be ineffectual, as thoagh they might be ruinous to the poor, they would not press upon the rich. He was inclined to insert a provision that any candidate paying money except through the election auditor shou Td, ipso facto," lose his seat. He thought that the hire of committee-rooms at the houses of doubt- ful voters was only a colourable system of bribery. No measure for the prevention of bribery would be com- plete without putting an end to paying for the convey- ance ofvoters. He was of opinion that the offence of bribery was peculiarly one for the action of public pro- secutors, and he should suggest the appointment of such officers. Sir G. GREY said that all he had heard that day had confirmed an opinion he had formed that, before legis- lating on the subject of bribery, there should be a searching inquiry into the operation of the Corrupt Practices Prevention Act, and that a select committee would be the proper tribunal to suggest a remedy, especially as there was another bill (Sir F. Kelly's) be?or,- the house, the object of which was the same as that now under discussion. He did not think that adding hard labour to the fine and imprisonment which were now the penalty for bribery, would have any great deferring effect, while probably it would prevent juries from convicting, and other persons from instituting prosecutions. He suggested that the second reading of the bill should not be pressed, but the whole matter be referred to a select committee. The motion for the second reading having been withdrawn, Mr. E. JAMES moved for a select committee to con- sider and report on the operation and effect of the Cor- rupt Practices Prevention Act (1854), and the acts con- tinuing the same, and also upon the operation and effect of the Election Petitions Act (1848), and whether any further measures are necessary for the prevention of corrupt rractices at elections. After a short discussion the motion was agreed to. The Adulteration of Food and Drink Bill was read & second time. The Tramways Ireland Bill was referred to a select committee. The Charitable uses Bill was referred to a select committee. Colonel DUNNE moved for a copy of the commission for an inquiry into the conduct of Mr. Balfe. a magistrate of the county of Roscommon, accused of having com- mitted a criminal offence together with report of the commissioners appointed to make the inquiry, and the correspondence connected therewith. He contended that commissions of this sortwere illegal, and no such tribunals existed 'm En land. tria:n e1lilie were numerous prece- dents for an inquiry of this kind; but he made n. objection to the motion. Mr. WHITESIDE denied that there was any lep right to issue commissions of this kind. Mr. B. OSBOBNB protested against so unheard of and despotic a proceeding as was involved in this case. After some further discussion, the motion was agreed to. The house adjourned shortly after five o'clock.