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    -No. 428, June 6, 1858.J THE LEiDEE. 533

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    Imperial Parliament. » ¦ ¦ - ¦ . ¦ 3fo?I...

    ceived the support of the noble Earl at the head of the Gov-ernment , who had observed , after his accession , to office , that the proper time to deal with such a measure Tras after a fitting answer had been returned to the despatch of Count Walewski . Their Lordships then adjourned at a quarter to eight . In the House of Commons , the order for the second reading of the Ghurch of England Spkcol Services Bil « l was discharged , on . the motion of Mr . Deedes . The bill is therefore withdrawn .

    THE LAWS OF JERSEY . In answer to Mr . Haj > fielz > , -who asked some questions relative to the reform of the criminal laws of Jersey , Mr . Walfole said that the recommendations of the commissioners in three respects ought to be carried out by orders in Council , and , upon the suggestion of the Governor and law-officers of Jersey , on the 11 th of February , 1852 , three orders were prepared— -to establish a court of summary jurisdiction for criminal proceeding in small cases , to establish a small 3 oc . il debts court , and to provide a better system of police . The States of Jersey resisted these orders in Council , and upon consideration the Privy Council came to the conclusion that it was doubtful whether the prerogative of the Crown exercised in this manner was consistent with

    the rights of the State and people of Jersey , and that the orders in question should be revoked . About the same time , the States of Jersey proposed of their own accord six acts , which , embraced in some respects the points contained in the orders in Council , and they had come into operation . More than this , however , required to be done for the administration of justice in Jersey ; but any alterations in this respect could not be successfully made by orders in Council emanating from the Crown : they must be left to the States and people of Jersey to carry out . The only other course that could be taken was to carry into effect the report cf the commissioners by Act of Parliament . The House ought to

    be made aware , if they were not already aware , that no Act of Parliament could have any operation in the island of Jersey until it had been duly sanctioned by the States ; and consequentl y ^ if the Legislature were to attempt to effect the object in that way , a collision with the States would be provoked , and with but little effect . He had great doubt whet her the issue of a commission wit Ii respect to criminal proceedings would not be productive of more harm than good . The attention of the Government had been directed to the many and grievous defects in the administration of justice in Jersey , and since be had been in office he had taken some means to > remedy existing evils .

    BANKERS CHEQUES . Mr . Nicoll asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if his attention'bad been directed to the commercial inconvenience likely to be caused by bankers refusing "to Iionour cheques wlien drawers have omitted to write their initials on adhesive stamps , but which arc otherwise cancelled sufficiently to accord with the intention of tlie Act ; and if it were contemplated to enable persons wlio " have given valuable consideration for such cheques to attach or to cancel adhesive stamps in lieu of the drawers . - —The Chancellor , of . the Exchequer observed that the commercial inconvenience to which the question referred was not absolute , but only probable . He would

    allude to the practice followed by the Banlc of England , and he trusted that every other banking ; house would follow the example of this establishment * If a cheque was presented to the Hank of England without the stamp being cancelled payment was refused ; but , if the stamp was virtually cancelled , so that it could not be used again , payment was always inadn . Under such an arrangement , he imagined that the eviL alluded to by the hon . gentleman could not occur . It was not contemplated by the Government to make any alteration in the new act , or to introduce any further provisions to meet the views of his hon . friend . —In reply to Mr . Cairo , the Chancellor ok this Exchkquer stated that drafts or orders on bankers in the form of " Debit

    my account 10 / ., " or " Pay myself 10 / ., " but not worded " bearer on demand , " are liable to the same stamps as ¦ w ere provided for by the old act , which were not at all affected by ¦ the new . At the same time , lie waa advised that sucli cheques , if paid over the counter to the poison referred to in the words upon them , would be legal without the penny stamp . UNITED STATES IlEllCHANTMlSN ANI > ENGLISH OKUISlCltS . In answer to Mr . Lindsay , Mr . Sky . mouu Fitzgicrald said that the Government had no official knowledge of the cases which had been stated in the papers with reference to the boarding of American merchantmen by English cruisers . The Government regretted as much as the United States what had occurred ; but the difficulty arose from the fact that slavers almost invariably hoist American colours . Ordeva had already been sent out that the greatest caution should bo exercised by our cruisers ; nnd those instructions would be repeated . MIC . WASHINGTON WILK 8 . On the order for the consideration of the petition of Mr . Washington Wilks , Mr . Milnku Gibson moved that Mr . Wilks be discharged from tlu > custody o-f the Sergeant-at-ArmB , as he had withdrawn the particular imputation of corrupt motives .- —After a short discussion , tno Souicitoh-Gknickal , considering tliat the

    retractation in Mr . Wilks ' s petition was guarded and limited , and the apology illusory , moved , as an amendment , that the order for the consideration of the petition le discharged . —This amendment , after further debate , was agreed to , with the understanding that Mr . Wilks might , if he thought fit , present another petition , containing a fuller and less restricted retractation of the charges . — -In the course of the debate , Mr . Roebuck said he thought that Mr . Wilks ought to remain in prison until he made a complete retractation of his charges . " He lad dared to make an accusation of which lie had no proof , and he was a coward as well as a calumniator . "—Mr . Gladstone thought that the course the House had taken was not a prudent one . The licence now complained of was ,

    after all , one which did not exceed that which is daily exercised by the newspaper press of England—often exercised , perhaps , without sufficient caution , and without regard to private feelings , but . exercised , on tlie whole , with incalculable benefit to the country . — 'The Chancellorof the Exchequer thought tbat the House should insist on a retractation of the whole libel . It was not the hon . member for Hereford who was the principal In the affair ; the charge affected the tribunals of the House , in which it was desirable that the public should continue to place their confidence , and therefore such attacks should not be treated lightly .

    MILITARY DEPARTMENTS . Captain "Vivian rose to call tlie attention of the House to the necessity of more clearly defining the responsibility and duties of the various military departments , and to move " That , although the recent consolidation of the different departments of Ordnance , Commissariat , and Secretary-at-War has to a certain extent improved the general administration of military affairs , a divided responsibility still exists ; and that , in order to promote greater efficiency , the departments of the Horse Guards and War-office should be placed under the control of one responsible Minister . " lie attributed much of the evil that prevailed in the Crimean war to the want of unity of action at the heads of the war departments .

    General Peel admitted the importance of defining tlie duties and responsibilities of offices in order to facilitate the transaction of public business , but denied that any difficulties existed in reference to the duties of the offices of Commander-in-Chief and Secretary for War , which required any definition more clear than that which at present existed . In regard to certain appointments , which rested with the Commander-in-Chief , it was true that no authority was exercised by the Secretary for War , but the Secretary for War was responsible for the exercise of the more important functions of the Commander-in-Ghief . He coiild not agree to the declaration

    in the resolution that the divided authority in respect to military affairs should be terminated , and the two offices placed under a responsible Minister of the Crown . The patronage of the army is exercised b } r tlie Crown through the Commander-iu-Chief , and the result of vesting this power in a Minister of the Crown would "be that the Minister would be liable to be charged w 5 th making appointments for political purposes . Then again he was of opinion that no greater evil could occur than that the discipline and command of the army should be tlie subject of constant investigation , and this he thought a sufficient ground for refusing his assent to the motion of the lion and gallant gentleman .

    Lord A . Vane Tempest could not agree with the objects of the motion , though he knew that evils arose from the double government of the army . Tlie best course would be . to assimilate the administration of the army to that of the navy . ^—Mr . Hoksman supported the resolution , which would carry still further the reform effected in 1855—a reform productive of great good . Mr . liuTLKit Joiinstonh also supported the motion , which was opposed by Sir F . Smith and Colonel North . —Mr . SiDNi'JY Herbert denied that there is at present a divided responsibility in the army . On the contrary , he thought there was too much consolidation , and he blamed the abolition of tlie Master-General of the

    Ordnance , to whom should liave been left the immediate control of the materiel of the army . He could not support tlie motion , —Sir Wilt , i am Codhinqton , while admitting that the economical theory of Captain Vivian was good , could not consent to placing the forces under the control of a single Minister , and bringing the concerns of the army beneath the notice of that House . —¦ Lord Palmerstox objected to fusing the offices of Secretary of State for War and Cominiindcr-in-Cliief . A civilian could not be phiced at the head of the army ; the habits of military men do not in . general fit them for being members of a Cabinet ; and a board would not bo a good instrument of administration . It resulted that the present arrangement is the beat attainable Captain Vivian replied , and the House divided , when thore . appeared—For the motion 10 G Against it 101 Majority 2 Tlie result -was received with loud applause . BUKSS

    assent to the project of making a canal across the Isthmus of Suez . " The question was bound up with the honouT of England , and that honour had been compromised by attempts to make the Sultan refuse his assent to the making of the canal in question . Facilities of transit are for the benefit of mankind at large , and therefore for the benefit of England ; and the formation of this canal would promote intercourse between Europe and Asia . He believed that much of the feeling against the canal arose from the fact that the originator is a Frenchman ; and our opposition is regarded by the French with no kindly feeling . The Viceroy of Egypt , in a spirit which those who called him a barbarian would do well to imitate , had given up the land for the purpose of promoting the traffic of the world . The Isthmus of Panama was being opened for the purpose of facilitating

    traffic ; but , whatever advantages were to be obtained by a canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific , far greater would result from the Suez Canal . Anything more puerile—he was going to say anything more anilethan the opposition , which had been offered to the Suez project he could not imagine- Opening up the Mediterraneaa and the Red Sea as a great highway of nations would tend vastly to the civilization of mankind . Mr . Gbiffiths moved as an amendment to tlie resolution to add , " That , in any course that this House may sanction in furtherance of the construction of such . canal , it is expedient that care be taken that the despotic

    powers of the Egyptian Government be not allowed to be made use of by the promoters of such project to obtain the required labour from the fellah at an . inadequate remuneration , by those compulsory means familiar to the practice of that Government , so as to produce the effects of slavery under the guise of paid labour- "—Lord Haddo spoke highly of the Pacha of Egypt ; and Mr . Stei'henson pointed out the physical and moral difficulties in the way of forming the canal , which , owing to the two seas being upon a dead level , would have no current , and -would be in fact a ditcn . In . his opinion , it would be a most abortive undertaking .

    Mr . Seymour Fitzgebalu opposed the motion , arguing that the project would not add to the existing means of communication with the East : that a canal through a foreign , country , which could be easily closed , would be a very precarious channel for commerce ; that important political considerations are involved in the scheme ; and that it is impossible to deal with the matter on commercial grounds alone ;— -Mr . Milner Gibsox washed for copies of all communications on the subject with foreign countries . The House had nothing to do with the engineering part of the question . Tlie thing was . to . allow the Sultan to exercise his own free judgment on the matter . — Lord PALMEKsroN said this was one of the greatest

    bubbles that had ever been imposed en the credulity of the public . All the meetings were gat up by the foreign . projectors , and he should like to know the amount of subscriptions which the resolutions passed at those meetings had produced . { Lauy liter . ~ ) He denied that the project , winch is beset with many difficulties , would ever pay . The political interests of England aTe against the scheme , and the commercial men . of this country had repudiated it . — Mr . J . C . Ewart said the general opinion of Liverpool was that the scheme was a bubble . ; —Mr . Gladstone said it was not intended that the House should make itself responsible for the scheme : the question was whether the House should make itself responsible for countenancing the opposition to the

    scheme . The scheme on the face of it is beneficial to mankind . If it is a bubble scheme , allow the bubble to burst ; but let them not have ex-Governments giving their opinion as to commercial projects . ( Hear , hear . ' ) There was not a State in Europe that did not denounce the opposition—carried on in secrecy and darkness—to this scheme , as an unwise and selfish policy . (/ 7 e « r , hear . ) Had the canal been open twelve months ago , thoy would hsvve ha * d the greatest reason for gratitude to those who had executed it ; and ho contended that , if the canal were made , it would necessarily fall under the control of India . He would give his vote for the motion of the honourable and learned member for Sheffield . —Tlie Chancellor ok this Excukquisr denied that there was an undue and illegitimate opposition to this scheme . Ho thought it

    would be most unwise that the House should come to a resolution approving of this scheme , which , in tlie opinion of many , is of a very doubtful nature . —Lord John Russicll contended that the opening of the canal would be udvantageoua to England . —Mr . Drummono opposed the motion . —Mr . Brig ht asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he would lay the correspondence that had taken place relative to the canal on the table of the House to an extent that -would give the House an honest idea of the feeling of Turkey on the subject . If ho would do that , ho ( Mr . Bright ) would ask tbo honourable member for Sheffield not to press his motion to a division , but to ¦ wait until they had read that correspondence . —Th « Ouanckllor ok xiiu KxcnicyuiSH said that , if the hon . gentleman would repeat his question the next night , ho would answer it . -After a few words from Sir Jamk-s Eijl'IIINHtomk againat the project , Mr . Uokuuck replied . —The Si'KAkkr then put Mr . Griffith ' s amendment , which was negatived without a division , and the Houso

    -No. 428, June 6, 1858.J The Leidee. 533

    -No . 428 , June 6 , 1858 . J THE LEiDEE . 533

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), June 5, 1858, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_05061858/page/5/