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the order for the second reading of his India Bill , which he has kept upon the paper ever since he resigned office , should be discharged . Defeated competitors usually amuse their friends by assuring them that their successful rivals have stolen their ideas . Lord Palmerston was weak enough to pursue this course on the present occasion . The Government bill was , he said , substantially the same as his own . Recollecting that he liad energeticallyhis friends say obstinately—opposed all the important provisions of the Government bill , his Lordship ' s statement indicates singular perversity . Disraeli half rose from his seat to make the obvious retort , but contented himself with a smile , and leant back again .
On Monday Mr . Hutt proposed a resolution , which , in effect , if not in terms , condemned the employment of forcible means on our part to suppress the slave-trade . This is a question on which the sense of the nation is opposed to its sentiment , and at present sentiment is the stronger . Mr . Ilutt ' s resolution was negatived by a large majority . In the Lords , on Monday , their Lordships' reasons for adhering to the amendment thej * had made in the Oaths Bill were sanctioned by a majority of eight , and , together with the bill , were ordered to be sent to the Commons . Lord Lucan ' s Jew Relief Bill was read a third time , and passed . The . conduct of the " Whigs-with reference to this question is contemptible . As long as
there -was no prospect of settling the question , none were so loud as they in professions demanding its settlement ; but , from the moment when Lord Derby accepted the Lucan compromise , they have , covertly , endeavoured to defeat the arrangement by attempting to excite dissension amongst the noble Earl ' s supporters , and , upon this very last occasion , they divided , against the " reasons , " although they knew , and because they knew , that if they succeeded in obtaining a 'majority ,- Lord Lucan ' s bill would not have passed . The settlement of the question removes an important element of party strife . Hence the mortification of the Whigs . They find themselves deprived of one of the banners which they have been accustomed to flaunt before the eyes of credulous and confiding Liberals .
Lords Granville and Lahdsowne , if they could hot altogether conceal their motives and their mortification , at least did not parade them . " " Willing to wound , and yet afraid to strike , they -were content to " hint a fault and hesitate dislike" —now to appeal to the passions of a bigot , and now to sneer at Lord Derby's consistency . Lord Stanley of Alderley , however , whose training as whipper-in for his party in the Commons has , probably , taught him not to set too high a value on notions of reserve and delicacy , blurted out his spite by coarsely declaring that " the cause recommended to their Lonlslnps by the noble Earl ( Derby ) was perfectly discreditable and hypocritical . " With
equal tact the ncble Lord remarked that the memory of Sir R . Peel was now avenged for the attacks made upon him for conceding Catholic emancipation ! The Duke of Newcastle , as a follower of Sir 11 , Peel , said that that statesman ' s memory required no vindication , and reproved Lord Stanley of Alderley for introducing " bitter and reproachful language , for the first time , during the debates on this question . " The noble Duke did justice to Lord Derby and his colleagues . " Imputations , " he said , " would of course be cast , in and out . of doors , upon their conduct ; but he felt that the noble Karl at the head of the Government had done an act for which he was entitled to great praise . "
Lord Stanley of Alderl « y ' s allusion to the attacks on Sir It . Peel had not the merit of being apposite . Peel was assailed by a portion of the Tories when he proposed emancipation ; but , as soon as the question was sittled , attacks on their part ceased . If Sir It . Peel ' s memory has been uvengccl , it lms been on Lord Alderley and his friends , who never lost an opportunity of taunting that eminent man for what they termed his "inconsistency " with respect to Catholic emancipation and other questions ; just astliey arc now doing in tho case of Lord Derby . As for the members of Lord Derby's Ciovornment , not one of them , we think , was in Parliament when emancipation was carried , except tliu Premier and Lord Salisbury , both of whom voted for it .
On Tuesday , tho Chancellor of tho Exchequer made an arrangement with Lord J . Russell by wliicli the Jew question was to come under t he consideration of tho House on Friday . Lord John undertook to carry Lord Lucan ' s bill through tho House , but gave notice of his intention to move a resolution declaring , in effect , that inasmuch as the Lords have passed Lord Lncan's bill , the Commons do not think : it necessary to pay uuy attention to tho reasons which the Lords have given for ndhering to their amendments of the Oaths Bill . This course has been concerted -with tho Whig Lords of tho upper chamber—indeed , it was specifically suggested by Lord Grnnville ; but wo must regard it as unwiso and impolitic . It is , besides—though this has merely a personal bearing—illogical , unless it could bo shown that tho provisions which the Lords struck out of tho Oaths Bill and those comprised in Lord Luean'a Bill arc- identical which no one will venture- to maintain . '
Lord J . Russoll has himself done whnt lio objects to the Lords doing , a hundred times , and no longer niro than on tho Cardwell and Fitzgerald resolutions , llo counselled tho bringing forward of those resolutions as
an " imperative duty ; " but when defeat stared him in the face , he did not scruple to advise their withdrawal , also as an imperative duty , urging , of course , some flimsy pretences to save his consistency—a word to which some politicians attach no other meaning than this , that change of opinion is wrong except at the right moment . - It is a pity that angry feelings should again be roused , and without any practical object , just as this great question was about to be settled amicably , and even with something like a feeling of general satisfaction . In this respect , Lord John's conduct contrasts unfavourably with that of Lyndhurst , on which we commented last week . We have no means of knowing what view the persons most interested take of the matter ; but we are inclined to believe that Lord Lyndhurst is a more faithful exponent of Jewish feeling than the noble member for . London .
It will be seen that on the same evening the House , in Committee of Supply , snuffed out poor Otto Mundler , " expert de la Galerie Nutionale tie Londres . " The German ' s fate was sealed from the moment that the Chancellor of the Exchequer , in Ins quiet , dry way , expressed a hope that the committee would not " suddenly terminate the career of M . Otto Mundler . " It was evident that no defence could be offered for the job , and the House at once put an end to it . On Thursday morning the Government got through the last of their estimates . In the evening the Chancellor of the Exchequer brought in . his bill relative to the purification of the . Thames . It is precisely the measure which we anticipated two weeks back . It enables the . Metropolitan Board of "Works to borrow money on
the securities of rates , under the guarantee of the . Treasury ; and , further , as we have suggested above , it is provided that , as London is to do the work at its own cost , London shall be perfectly unfettered and at liberty to do it in the way-it thinks best . The Chancellor of the Exchequer stated that the cost of the plan which the Metropolitan Board of Works intend to carry into effect would be three millions sterling . The money is to be raised by a rate , not to exceed 3 d . in the pound , -which is estimated to produce 140 , 000 / . per annum . A portion of this money will be set apart , every year , as a sinking fund , so that at the end of forty years all the money borrowed will be repaid and the rate will cease . It is calculated that the drainage works will be completed in five years and a half . ' ¦ .. . ¦
. 1 he bill was well received , and will meet with little or no opposition . : The Lords read the India Bill a second time without a division , and it may now be looked upon as law .
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ffo . _ , July 17 , 1858 . ]_ T H E L E A I > E H . . 689
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Tins Papeu Duty . —A . conference of gentlemen connected with the newspaper press , and the members of the Society for the Repeal of the-Taxes on Knowledge , was held on Monday . Mr . Milner Gibson occupied the chair . Resolutions pronouncing for a vigorous agitation to effect the repeal of the paper duties , and appointing a committee to co-operate with the Society , vere unanimously adopted . Mr . Balm , the publisher , opposed the removal of the duty , and referring to various countries where fibrous substances were to be found , convertible
into paper , contended that , if they were employed in a manner suitable for the purpose , their introduction would make paper no cheaper than at present , on account of the expense of shipment and other charges before they reach the manufacturer ' s hands . If the duty were taken off , there would be ( said Mr . Bonn ) a . great rush for rugs , and the pa per-makers and publishers of this country would not benefit , because all the available mnteriid would be bought up . ] Mr . Iiohn , however , was tho only person present who took this view ; and tho general impression was that , if tho duty were taken off , tho cheap press would bo forced to give its readers the benefit in the shape of improved liternry contributions . Mr . S . C . Hull , referring to his own publication , thaArt
•/ oMrnn / , saidthatin 1851 it paid 70 , 000 ^ . paper duty , and lliut , notwithstaning its enormous circulation , more than 3000 / . was lost on it that year . " He understood Mr . Bohu ' s objections well . Many a good and expensive book , which had never paid either author or publisher , found its way to Mr . Bolm ' s book-shelves at a price which enabled him to make money ; and the repeul of the pupcir duty might seriously interfere with him . " Several subscriptions wero announced before tho meeting closed . TitK East India Uousb . —A special meeting of the East India- Court of Proprietors was held on Monday , to take into consideration the India Uill as now adopted by the House- of Commons . Sir F . Carrie , the
chairman , presided . Mr . Cruwshny moved tho adoption of a petition to tho lLou . se of Lords , condemning : the bill on various grounds . Some discussion ensued ; but finally an adjournment , to Wednesday wns agreed to : tho noli , tion in tho meanwhile to bo printed . —At the adjourned debate , Mr , Crawdhay ' s petition wns unanimously agreed to . Tho opinion of counsel ( Sir Richard Uctlicll and Mr . Mnino ) on the position of the East Company nftcr Ilia passing of the net wiis made known to the meeting . The counsel uro of opinion that it is doubtful if the Company will bo in a position to discharge any functions whatever . The Court of Directors ia annulled , mul consequently it is incapable of acting as n corpora tion . Tho opinion also states that tho bill leaves tho Company
wholly without the means of fulfilling its pecuniary engagements . The West Coast of Africa . —The officers composing the Niger expedition were all well at their encampment near Rabba , with the exception of Mr . Davey , the surgeon , at the last dates . Bfr . Davey was so unwell that he was compelled to leave for England . Lieutenant Glover had rejoined his companions , much improved in health by his visit to Lagos and to Sierra Leone , and Mr . May h ad returned from Fernando Po . The latter gentleman had again traversed the Youraba country to Ibaddan , with the intention of opening a direct communication between the confluence of the Niger and Lagos , in order to give the establishments
formed at the former locality a direct postal communication with England « £ d Lagos . —A proclamation has been issued at the Spanish colony of Fernando Po to the effect that no public worship but the Roman Catholic should be permitted . The majority of the inhabitants , who are Africans of the Baptist faith , liberated from slave-ships by British men-of-war , memorialized the Governor against this arbitrary edict , which was the work of some Jesuit priests ; but their prayer was rejected . —The . Admiralty Court at Monrovia , in the case of the Kegina Cceli , has awarded six thousand five hundred dollars to the Ethiope . —" But few slavevessels , " says a communication in the daily papers , " have lately been seen in the Bight of Benin ; the last that made her appearance , the Mary Gibbs , under American colours , has been captured by her Majesty ' s
ship Trident . A portion of the crew of this vessel , seeing the vigilance with which she was watched , and the length of time that would elapse before an opportunity might offer for shipping their slaves , disposed in the usual manner of the fictitious American papers and flag , and then gave notice to the commander of the Trident that the Mary Gibbs was without papers . — Captain Protet , commodore of the French squadron -on the coast , has lately returned from a lengthened visit to the King of Dahomey . The object of the commodore ' s visit appears to have been to obtain from the king the exclusive privilege far the French to purchase slaves at Wliydah and the Dahomian ports . Notwithstanding that this application was , it is said , supported hy a present of six handsome brass field-pieces , superbly mountedj the commodore ' s mission proved a complete failure . "
Trade with . India . — -We are enabled to state that the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company have just concluded an arrangement under which shippers of cargoes , &c , by their steamers from the ports of India and China may , by the payment of an additional rate of freight equivalent to the cost of insuring the value of their shipments , be guaranteed against all the risks usually taken by underwriters , in addition to those to which the company are liable as shipowners . —Times . Mr . Avciimvty-Glover has addressed a letter to Major Edwards , the . preset . t member for Beverley , asking whether he is prepared to give up his seat to him ( Mr . Glover ) , its rightful owner , ousted by " abase conspiracy . " The Major briefly answers in the negative ;
on-which Mr . Glover retorts upon him in a letter full of fiery censure . Silk fuom Victoicia . —Hopes , it appears , ( says the Australian and New Zealand Gazette ) , are entertained of a new branch of export of sx rather novel character , for it is stated that a native variety of the silk-worm maybe found in tho bush of . this colony , clinging in countless swarms to the shrub which forms its food . Tho worm is enclosed in a dark-coloured cocoon , the exterior of which is of extraordinary toughness , and encloses a quantity of yellowish silk . The staple of this , both as regards its fineness nnd length , has'bean-pronounced by a manufacturing house in Glasgow , by whom it was tcstol , superior to the product of the best European worms . The cocoons are found in extraordinary abundance .
This MKmoroi , rrAx Drainage . —A public meeting of owners and occupiers of property on nnd nenr tho banks of tho Thames was held on Tuesday , at tho Bridge House Hotel , London-bridge , to consider the course recently adopted by the Metropolitan Hoard of Works in connexion with drainage , and to deliberate upon the state of tho question us r » ffoeeing tho interests of " tho owners nnd occupiers of property on the banks of tho Thames , and upon tho proper stops to be taken to prevent tho adoption of any measure involving reservoirs and outfalls for tho ^ London sevagc into the river likely to be injurious to their interest . Tho . meeting , which , was not very numerously attended , wns presided over by Sir Culling Hard Icy . Itosohitions condemnatory of the plans for making : tho outfiill between Woolwich and Eritu wero passed , und it was determined still to Agitato the question .
Tine Stamkoku Ei . kotion . —Sir Stafford llonry Northcoto has issued un address to tho electors of Stamford , tho scat being vacant by tho elevation of the Lord-Advccato of Scotland ( Mr . Joliu Inglis ) to the ofliee of Lord Juatlco-Clcrk . Sir Stafford promises his support to the present Government . Mrs . C ' hisiioi . m , i \ t the last advices from Melbourne , wns lying dangerously ill , and was not expected to live .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), July 17, 1858, page 689, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2251/page/17/
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