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Leader (1850-1860), 1st August 1857, Edition 2 of 2, Page 5

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      """" Imperial Parliament. —?— ¦ Monday, ...

      rection ; but , if it ever attained body and . substance , and showed itself in that House , he should be one of the first and one of the last to oppose it . The deductions from the salaries of civil servants were made in lieu of a very large general reduction of the salaries , and he did not think there was any ground for the increase which this bill proposed . The civil servants of the Grown , looking at the old principle of supply and demand , are over rather than under paid . That being so , he hoped the House , looking to the interests of the tax-payers , would not pass the bill , the effect of which would be to increase salaries at the public expense . The bill , too , was a complete evasion of the rule of the House , which forbade a proposition to augment public burdens being made , except on the part of the ministers of the Crown . Mr . Disraeli , while agreeing with a good deal that Mr . Gladstone had said , thought that Lord Naas had taken a proper course in bringing in the bill , and that it was desirable that salaries should be revised . The Government had already sanctioned the principle by introducing a bill on the subject , which had received the general approval of a committee and of a Royal Commission . But tlie Government had since negleeted to move in the matter , and therefore Lord Naas had introduced the present Dill . The Chancbllor of the Exchequer said the question might be considered in three aspects—as a matter of feeling , as one of justice , or as one of expediency . If he consulted his own feelings , he should vote for the second reading ; but , as a matter of equity , he contended that the civil servants were not entitled to what they claimed . The large competition for office is a proof of the adequacy of the existing payment . It had been said that the Bank of England pay higher salaries ; ^ but , for services somewhat analogous , the civil service is better paid than the Bank , Expediency is against an augmentation of salaries without reference to merit . The House then divided , when there appeared—For the second reading 171 Against it ... HI Majority against the Government —;—60 The announcement was received with loud cheering . ELECTION PETITIONS BILL . : . The House having gone into committee on this bill , 111 tv

      Mr . DEBNAL V . / SJ 3 O . KMis BJtprcsseu a f ; i «* ni . u . «* 3 ^ *•* . . « Adderley for introducing the measure ; and entered into a detail of the annoyances which his colleague and himself had sustained in consequence of the petition against their return for Dover , the object of which was to extort a seat . Attempts were made to negotiate a withdrawal of the petition . He treated the offers as a personal affront ; and , had not the insult been offered to him in a Parliamentary way- ——{ Loud laughter drowned the conclusion of the sentence . "; All attempts to induce him to enter on a compromise having failed , the petition was withdrawn . He felt strongly that the present system of election petitions was calculated to bring the House into contempt , and hoped a clause would be introduced into the bill forbidding the withdrawal . —Sir George Grey believed that there was no difference of opinion as to the evil , but he did not think the bill provided an adequate remedy .- —The discussion was shortly afterwards interrupted bj- the arrival of a quarter to six o ' clock , the time at which , on Wednesdays , debates in committee must come to a termination . OATHS VALIDITY ACT AMENDMENT BILL . Lord John Russell postponed the second reading of this bill till Monday , and expressed a hope that Baron Rothschild , who had been re-elected , would be permitted to take his seat before that time , and so obviate the necessity of proceeding further with the bill . —In answer to Sir Fredeuiok Thesiger , his Lordship said ho had no further information to give on the subject . The Court of Skssion ( Scotland ) Bill was read a third time , and passed . ELECTION COMMITTEES . Lord Robert Grosvenok reported from the select committee , that Mr . Price and Sir Robert Garden were duly elected ; but that a voter bad been influenced by an offer of 5 / . to vote for Mr . Price . The Earl of March reported from the committee that Mr . M'Cullagh and Mr . Watkin were not duly elected ; that the last election wan null and void ; that Mr . M'Cullagh and Mr . Watkin were , by their agents , guilty of bribery ; but that it did not appear that this was done with their knowledge . THE INDIAN NEWS . Mr . Hildyard compluinod of the Government being so much behind the newspapers in the receipt of Indian intelligence ; and Lord Pamiickston said he was unable to explain the fact . The House adjourned at seven minutes io six . Thursday , July QOth . THIS SLAVE ! TKADIS . In the Housn of Lords , Lord Brougham expressed the groat gratification ho experienced at learning that the people of Martinique bavo repudiated the favour intended to bo conferred on them by the late arrangement at Marseilles and Nantes for the importation of frco labour into thoir island . Tlio more ho hoard of , and reflected upon , tho subject , the more he felt that n groat mistake , had been committed by tho French Government

      in sanctioning a project , entirely from misapprehension on their part . INDIA . The Earl of Ellenborough , referring to the documents lately issued respecting the Indian mutiny , commented upon the delays which had taken place in the correspondence , and traced them to the circuitous mode in which reports are transmitted to the Governor-General , and to the complex routine by which the most important transactions are hampered . In his opinion , Lord Canning seemed to govern India through clerks and secretaries . He also complained that the proclamation of the Governor-General of the 16 th of May—declaring in strong terms the determination of the Government to adhere to its former practice of nofc interfering with the religion of the natives—was not laid upon the table with the other Indian papers . —Earl Granville claimed for Lord Canning the credit of conducting his administration with vigour and energy . —After some further brief discussion , the subject dropped . The Militia . Ballots Suspension Bill , and the Public Health Act ( Aldershot ) Bill , were read a third time and passed . —The Reformatory Institutions Bill was withdrawn . The House adjourned about seven o'clock . CASHEL ELECTION . At the morning sitting of the . House of Commons , the Speaker announced the withdrawal of the petition against the return of Sir T . O'Brien for Cashel . The House then resumed its sittings in committee on the Police ( Scotland ) Bill , the final clauses of which were agreed to , with amendments . The bill was then ordered to be reported as amended . NEW ZEALAND LOAN GUARANTEE BILL . On the order for the second reading of this bill , Sir John Trelawny moved to defer it for sixmenths , suggesting that , as the Colonial Assembly had not recommended the matter unanimously , it would be better to postpone the bill until next session . —Mr . Labouchere said that the question had been considered by a select committee ; that the security for the loan was ample ; and that the loan was essential to the colony to enable it to place its financial and political affairs on a substantial footing . —The debate was adjourned by the lapse of

      time . THE INDIAN ADDRESS . Lord Castlerosse brought up a message from the Queen , thanking the House for its address on the Indian question . In the evening , Sir John Ramsden brought up the first report of the committee on Military Education . ROMAN CATHOLICS ON IRISH JURIES . Mr . Somers inquired of the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he had received any information respecting the recent trials at Sligo arising out of the late elections , and the systematic exclusion of persons professing the Roman Catholic religion from the juries empannelled to try the traversers . —Mr . Henry Herbert replied that , the prisoners having been expressly asked whether they objected , in the second case , to be tried by the jury empannelled in the previous one , replied that they did not ; and it was noX known whether the jurors were Catholics or not . THE PESTILENTIAL STENCI * AT WESTMINSTER . In answer to Mr . Adderley , Sir Benjamin Hall said that the drainage of the metropolis is not in the hands of the department under his charge . But , on hearing the complaints of the stench which pervaded the House , he made inquiries on the subject , and was informed by Mr . Gurney that it came from the open mouths of the sewers , and that tho whole neighbourhood was infected . Mr . Gurney further stated the great Victoria sewer going up Parliament-street had broken in near Whitehall-yard , the result of which was that a portion of tho sewage was diverted to the Bridgestreot sewer , and this bad caused tho blowing-up of the trapping at its mouth . Ho bad communicated the facts to the Metropolitan Board of Works , and he had no doubt that they would take steps for remedying the evil . But there was another great source of annoyance on the other side of tho river , and that was owing to the offensive trades which were there carried on . CIVIL SERVICE SUPERANNUATION BILL . In reply to Mr . Seymour Fitzgerald , Lord ^ Palmerston said that the Government would not offer nny further opposition to tho progress of this measure , after the House had affirmed tho second reading by so considerable a majority . THE GOVERNMENT ADVIOICS FROM TIIK EAST . Sir Charles Wood , replying to Mr . Stafford , said ho was unable to state tho precise cause of the delay in tli © arrival of the Government despatches from tho East ; but ho believed that no blame was attributable to any servant of tho Government . BUSINIC 8 S OF TIIH HOU 8 I 3 . Lord Palmisrston moved that on next Tuesday , and every succeeding Tuesday during tho prosont ucssion , Government orders of tho day eliall have proccdcncc . — A discussion ensued , in tho course of which , Sir Benjamin Hall aai < l tho Public Offices Extension Bill had passed through committee , on tlio understanding that no further progress should bo made in it till tho vote on

      . —Mr . objected the House being asked to vote 200 , 0007 . or 300 , 0002 . without plans or estimates . Therefore , he hoped the . Government would postpone that measure till next session . — -Lord Palmerston said there -was no : intention to proceed with the block plan , which-would embrace the expenditure of millions . What was wanted were three new offices— -the Foreign Office , the Colonial Office , andL the War Office . The Divorce and Probate Bills the Government considered to be so important that they urged Parliament to pass them at once . The bills from the Lords , on law consolidation , he asked the House to take on trust , and pass without discussion . —Mr . Hardy protested against this ; and the subject then dropped . THE DIVORCE AND MATRIMONIAL CAUSES BILL . The Attorney-General moved the second reading of this bill-, which had been received from the House of Lords , and showed at great length that the measure embodied no new- principle , but only extended that which had been the law of England for nearly two centuries . During that period , married couples had been divorced by special acts of Parliament ; therefore , if divorce was really un-Scriptural , the commands of Scripture had been broken in all those instances . " Yet the spiritual peers were never found opposing any special bill for divorce in the House of Lords , on the ground of the principle involved being contrary to Scripture . The present measure would simply alter the tribunal for administering the existing law , and recognize the right of divorce in cases of malicious desertion . As regarded the question ' as to Avhether the remarriage of separated parties should be compulsorily solemnized in facie eccfesice , he thought that nothing could be more dangerous than to listen to statements , called conscientious scruples , about the objection of the clergy to obey the law of the land . He asked the House with confidence to read this bill a second time . Sir William Heathcote moved , as an amendment , to defer the second reading to that day three months . His belief was that the argument from Scripture was fatal to the bill , and that the practice of the Church , which , in all ages , had been opposed to the remarriage of the guilty parties , ' was also opposed to it . The bill would not settle the question , and , in practice , it would lead to a wholesale persecution of the Established clergy ,

      who , at all hazards , will refuse to celebrate such marriages . Mr . Alderman Cubitt seconded the amendment . —Mr . Drummond , Mr . Lygox , Mr . WigrAm , Mr . Hatchell , Mr .. BowYER , Mr . Mallns ( who contended that the heavy expenses attending a divorce would effectually prevent this from being a ' poor man's bill' ) , and Lord John Manners , followed on the same side , all urging the irreligious character of the bill , and prophesying that it -would enhance immoralitj' . —Mr . Puller feared that the rights of conscience of from six to seven thousand clergyman might be violated by the bill ; but he should vote for the second reading . At midnight , Mr . Gladstone moved the adjournment of the debate . —Lord Palmerston expressed a . hope that the debate might be brought to a close that night . —A division was taken , when the numbers ¦ were— For adjourning the debate 125 Against it 188 Majority 63 Mr . Henley then moved that tho House adjourn . — Sir George Grey speke of the inconvenience and hardship of this course , but mentioned that , should Mr . Henley persevere , be would not oppose the adjournment of the debate . —Ultimately the debate was adjourned till the following day . After a lengthened discussion and several divisions , Clause 1 of the Civil Service Superannuation Act Amendment Bill was agreed to , amidst considerable cheering . Other bills wero advanced a stage , ami tho House adjourned at half-pnst three .

      Such But That It Had Proceededaccount Ha...

      such but that it had proceededaccount had been discussed Briscoe to ? TJn 3 SA . APGtrST 1 , 18 R 7 . 1 THE LEADER . 725

      Election Committees. Ipswich.—The Commit...

      ELECTION COMMITTEES . Ipswich . —The committee having on Tuesday confirmed the election of Hugh Edward Adair , Esq ., on the ground that , although bribery had beon shown to have been committed , there was no proof that it had boon done with tho knowledge of Mr . Adair , Mr . Edwin James opened tho case aguinst tho return of Mr . Cobbold , one of tho Conservative candidates , on the ground of bribery . During the evidence on Wednesday , Robert Symons , a butcher , guid that " on tlio day of tho election , he wont to tho poll with Mr . Butclior ( one of tho agents for Mr . Cobbold ) . He neked Mr . Butcher if there was anything stirring . Butcher roplicd , < Say nothing about that until after the election , and then it ohall bo all right . ' He then voted for Cobbokl und Sclwyn . Mo heard eomo pooiilc remark that he had got a good bullock for his vote . After ho had voted , ho went to Butcher , and told him that , if lie wu « tf ° l «> S to do ^ anything for him , ho might as well do it at once . B «* Je * flftidlio could do nothing then , but at last gave him a asift-ftK va . szuvsna-s

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Aug. 1, 1857, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_01081857/page/5/