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Leader (1850-1860), 8th August 1857, Edition 2 of 2, Page 2, IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. ¦' —- ? Monday, Aug...

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      ? F Iver Did Government More Easily And ...

      the faet $ have the faintest bearing against Mazzini , none against XiEimu Roixtn . The whole chain rests upon the confession of the incredible raggamuffin Baktolotti . The Emperor visits our Court at a time when DTir journals are making the most of the intelligence from India . He will be afefey therefore , to st » dy . tbe details of our Indian difficulties , and the policy of our journalism , both together . The ampler accounts supplied by ' the heavv . mail' do not add to the force of the narrative received on Saturday , but together they certainly present a state of affairs somewhat different from that described by the

      imperfect telegraph . It is now tolerably clear that some persons in Delhi , collected there after the first arrival of the Meerut . mutineers , suddenly got up a plan for a more combined action than any hitherto attempted . It was to inplude the dispossessed or dissatisfied Mussulman princes . One of the keys to this combination consists in a proclamation issued in Delhi , but seized in Calcutta . It states that the new Mogul Emperor had been established on condition that the Sepoys should slaughter the British and become ' the servants of Delhi ; ' and while they should form a new army , receiving ' double pay , '

      persons bringing supplies for it should receive ' double prices . ' The submission of Oudc was pointed out as an example to be avoided . The approach of the rainy season , was a formidable prospect for the British , but in the meanwhile forces were gradually advancing from . Lower Bengal , Bombay , and . the Punjab , upon the disturbed districts of Upper Bengal ; and thus on the 16 th of June we leave Sir Henby Babnakd firing away upon Delhi , repelling sorties , and awaiting reinforcements .

      Officially ,-the most cheerful aspect is taken of Indian affairs ; yet it is quite evident that we have not . estimated , and shall not for months to come estimate the real enemy with whom we have to contend in that empire . The Bengal army has ' disappeared ;' it will be necessary to recreate a new army ; it will foe necessary to reconsider the composition of that army , and the relation of many semi-independent states to the British . All tliis _ will require money . India has a chronic deficiency in her revenue , estimated in good years at one million sterling ; in . bad years at three millions . Business in Calcutta was

      entirely suspended * even in Bombay it was comparatively slack . The disturbed districts produce indigo , the trade in which is almost annulled for the present ; and in short , the productive and commercial powers of India are suspended , either by the disturbance in Bengal , or by the want of confidence in the great centres . Already they are asking in ' the City' whether the British Government wul be called upon to give a guarantee of an advance in aid of the Indian finances P No ! says Precedent : but Precedent has rather failed in recent

      events . Meanwhile our diplomacy is rather troubled by a storm at Constantinople , where the Ministry h « s given way under the threat of the French Ambassador that ho should demand his passports . On what ground ? Several of the representatives of the Allies hold that the elections in Moldavia and Wallachia , especially the former , have been iobbed by the local Governments . The ground of their dissatisfaction is , that the elections have gone in favour of continued separation "; the majority of the allied Powers wanting S ^ that union which Russia wants , and as a . means of coercing Turkey , the servant of our nearest ally , threatening to withdraw his passports , has brought down the Turkish Ministry .

      The Lath S * n Ojiarles Napier ' s Indian Memoir . —Lioutenant-General Sir " W . Napier writes to the dally papers ;—" Lot mo cnll attention to the exceedingly ridiculous conduct of Ministers about a memoir of the late Sir 0 . Napier moved for by General Wyndham and by Mr . Disraeli : it lias been rofusod as tending to public injury ! Meagre scraps , cooked and garbled , have boon given , indeed , to Mr . Disraoli , but they do not contain the twentieth part of the memoir . The ridiculous part of tho matter is this : —Throe years ago , I published It

      this mysterious , dangerous memoir in ext ^ nso . will bo found in the Appendix No . 1 to Sir C . Napier ' s posthumous work culled . Indian Jifisgovernment , now bolng ropubllshcd by Weatorton , St . Georgo ' s-placo . As a climax to this absurdity , it is said that when General WyndHain first moved for tho moinoir ho -was privately asked from 'whom ho got an intimation of its existence , because , said tho questioner , Lord Pamnuro says there is but ono person in England besides himself who is cognizant of it 1 His secret Intelligence must bo admirably managed !"

      746 The Leader. [No. 385, August 8, 1857...

      746 THE LEADER . [ No . 385 , August 8 , 1857 .

      Imperial Parliament. ¦' —- ? Monday, Aug...

      IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT . ¦ ' — - ? Monday , August 3 rd . . EMBODIMENT OF THE MILITIA . In the Hqbbe of Lords , Lord Panmure brought in a bill to enable the Government to embody eeatain regiments of the Militia , aboald the- requirements of the public service render such a step necessary during the recess . —After some discussion , in the coarse of which the Government was taunted by Lords Debbt and Habzwvickjb with having changed its mind cm this matter ( inasmuch as ike Ofy ? aaition had suggested the same ccrarse a month er two fcack , without effect ) , the bill was read a first time .

      THE COMING EKFORM . Lord Brougham moved , as a preparatory step towards fh" - measure of Parliamentary Kefoxnx expected next session , for returns of the number of electors in every county , city , and borough in the United Kingdom . He wished to see a certain amount of reform , though protesting against the representation being made any more democratic than the reform of 1832 had left it . But he would give skilled artisans a vote , if it could be managed ; and he proposed the establishment of class voters , consisting of the clergy ( rectors and curates ) , medical men , physicians , apothecaries , officers of the

      army and navy , retired officers of the army and navy , literary men of different kinds , men having degrees from universities , men belonging to scientific bodies—in a ¦ word , the class that was generally called the scientific , literary , and well-educated class . He should object , however , to admitting the votes of 101 . householders in counties , as that would swamp the vote 3 of the proprietary body , and thus destroy what he conceived to be a fixed element in the constitution . — -Lord Granville , on the part of the Government , had no objection to the production of the returns , which weije accordingly ordered .

      THE AUSTRALIAN POSTAL CONTRACT . Lord Haedwicke called the attention of the Government to the subject of the Australian postal contract , and declared that , the company with which the existing contract was made having failed to fulfil its obligations , the contract itself was void , and the Government free to enter into a fresh one . —The Duke of Argyll contended that the performance of the contract had not been hitherto so unsatisfactory as to wan-ant the Government in throwing it up , especially as an element in that contract was the enforcement of certain penalties . —The Earl of Derby thought the system of penalties one of very doubtful expediency , and warned the Government against continuing what was understood to be a very extravagant contract .

      The Banking Bill , and the Boundaries of Land ( Ireland ) Bill , wore read a third time , and passed . The House adjourned at a quarter to eight o ' clock . SLIGO BOROUGH AND HUNTINGDON COUNTY ELECTIONS . In the House of Commons , the Clerk of the Crown attended at the table , and amended the returns for the borough of Sligo and the county of Huntingdon ; on which , Mr . Fellowes and Mr . Wynne took the oatha and their Beats .

      LIABILITIES OF MONTE VIDEO . In reply to Mr . Wyse , Mr , Wilson said that the exact amount granted to the Monte Videan Government was 50 , 909 ? ,, of which 37 , 395 ? . were advanced from the Civil Contingencies Fund . The advance was made for the benefit of the Monte Videan community , and nothing would be left undone to induce them to repay tho money . CONPEllBNOE WITH THE LORDS . On the motion of Mr . Massev , a conference was appointed with the Lords upon tho subject of an address to her Majesty under tho provisions of the Act 15 and 16 Vic , c . 57 , and with reference to the cases of bribery at the Galway election ; and the proceedings of tho House wore suspended during the conference . —On tho return of the members of the conference , Mr . Massby reported that an address had been delivered to Lord Granville , to which the concurrence of the Lords was required .

      MILITIA EXPANSES . Supplementary Army Estimates having boon laid on the table , Lord Palmerbton explained that they wcro for ouch portions of tho militia as her Majesty might bo advised to embody during tho yoar . THU LATE SIR CHARLUS NAI'IER ON INDIA . In reply to Mr . Disraeli , Lord Palmkrsxon statod that anothor letter had been found at tho Horse Guards from Sir Charles Napier , not to tho Duke of Wellington , but to Lord Dulhousio . It was dated in June , I 860 , and it related partly tp tho Quoan ' a army , and partly to tho nativo troops of tho Eaut India Company . Tlio latter portion ho would lay before tho Ilouae . —Mr . Horcnucrc : " Sir William Napier says this letter was published throe yours ago In his brother ' s posthumous work on tho Miagooernrnent of India . "

      ADMISSION OV JEWS TO l'ARLIAMKNT . The orders of tho clay having boon postponed on tlio motion of Lord Pal . mkr 8 ton , Lord John Russule , moved that a select aonnnittoo bo appointed to consider whether tho 5 th and Cth William IV ., o . 62 , bo apnlicablo to oaths appointed by law to bo tulcon by

      mombers of that House at the table previously to their taking their Beats , and in what manner the said act can be so appliedyand to report their observations thereupon to the House . His Lordship observed that his Oaths "Validity Amendment Bill stood for the second reading that night ; but Baron Rothschild had been advised that , under the act referred to in the motion , the House might ' , by an order , enable him to make a declaration in lieu of the Oath of Abjuration , and that , if the House took that course , he was ready to make such a declaration . On the strength of Mr . Pease ' s case , and of various authorities , the House , if it pleased , might omit the wards ' on the true faith of a Christian . ' A . vexatious obstacle would thus be overcome .

      Sir Frederick Thesigerj while intimating- that he would not oppose the committee , unless it did not include a sufficient number of those members who object to the admission of Jews to Parliament , accused Lord John Russell of inconsistency in his present course , as in former years he had resisted the admission of Jews in any other way than by an act passed by both Houses . According to a well-known rule of construction , the House of Commons could not be include I in . the term ' other bodies , ' which could only mean corporations , quasi corporations , and other bodies ejusdemgeneris ,. ani that , according to another equally well-known rule , the enumeration being from a higher class to a lower , the general words , ' other bodies' could not include anything

      snperior to the enumeration , as in the phrase ' parsons , vicars , and others - haying spiritual promotion , ' which is held not to include bishops . But , even if a declaration could be substituted for an oath , the words , ' on the true faith of a Christian , ' which had been decided to be the essence of the oath , could not be omitted . The supporters of Baron Rothschild quoted the seating of Mr . Pease as a precedent in this case ; but Mr , Pease was not seated by a resolution . By the act 8 Geo . I ., an affirmation was allowed to be made by Quakers in every case where an oath was required to be taken . The affirmation which was to be substituted for the oath of abjuration omitted the words ' on the true faith of a Christian , ' and this was confirmed by the act 22 Geo . II ., under which Mr . Pease took his seat .

      Colonel French supported the committee ; but "Mr . Garnett , though he had voted for the bill removing Jewish disabilities , said he would oppose any attempt to effect that object by a resolution of the House . Lord Palmerston said he concurred in the motion , considering the matter to be of sufficient importance to justify its reference to a select committee . ^ -The motion was agreed to . A good deal of discussion then arose upon the next question , the number of the committee ; and it was at length ag ; reed that it should consist of tventj' -five members , to be nominated by-tbe House , and all gentlemen of the long robe members of the House . The nomination of the committee produced another discussion , and , Mr . Newdegate having moved that the debate be adjourned , Lord John Russell consented to defer the motion for the nomination until the next day . This was agreed to .

      BEVEBLBX ELECTION . The Chairman reported from the Beverley Election Committee , that Edward Auchmuty Glover was not duly elected for Beverley ; that the said E . A . Glover had signed the declaration respecting his qualification , not holding the necessary qualification ; and that the Attorney-General should be directed to consider what slops should be taken in consequence .

      PROBATES AND LETTERS OF ADMINISTRATION BOX . The House went again into committee upon this bill , and discussed at much length the compensation clauses and certain new clauses , including one moved by Mr . Malins , giving to proctors , by way of compensation , an annual payment during life equal to one half of their net proctorial profits . Mr . Malins stated that this clause was identical with ono inserted in tho Government bills of 1855 and I 860 , and that the proctors woro willing-, if it should be adopted , to relinquish tho qualified monopoly of business secured to them by the bill . under

      Tho Attorney-General said that , upon the - standing that tho proctors gave up their monopoly of business not only in the Testamentary Court , but in the Marriago and tho Divorce Court and tliQ Court of Admiralty , so that all the Courts might bo thrown open , ho thought tho Government was pledged to tho proposal of last year , from which ho would not retire ; but ho suggested that , nt the expiration of throe years nfter the Actcnmo into operation , an account should bo t . ikon of the professional gains of tho proctors , and , if ' should turn out that they had diminished during those throo years compared , with tho three years procedintf tho Actfor that loss they should bo compensated .

      , Mr . JUuks elected , on behalf of the proctors , tho former alternative ; and upon tho understanding mat tho clauses necessary upon this alteration should " ° Ridded to tho bill on recommitment pro / brmA , which tlio Attornoy-Gonoral undertook to do , ho wlllulrow tlio clause . —The bill waa then ordered to bo roportod as amended . Tho auNKitAL Bqau » of Health Continuance Dill , and tho Suphuannuation Act Amicndsuisa Bill , woro road a third time , and pasaoil . —Otlior lulls wore advanced a stago , and tho Houso was cowntod out . at half-past two o ' clock .

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Aug. 8, 1857, page 2, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_08081857/page/2/