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    ¦STo. 472, April,9, 1859.] THE LEADER 45...

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    Imperial Parliament. . Monday, April 4. ...

    not think that to pursue either course would be any disparagement to political honour . He did not offer -mv obstacle to their carrying out the advice they fiad ffiven to her Majesty , but he thought it was very unwise advice . The question that would be ™ it to the country was , hot what men should be m office but what should be the Reform Bill to be brou ght in by the Government . If he were to attempt to prophesy the result , he should say that the Parliament which the present Government would call together would be far more likely than the present to decide that power ought to be transferred to other hands , He entreated them to take the earliest moment to dissolve Parliament great embarrassment and inconvenience

    ; would result from delay . —Mr . Bkight felt with many members that the course adopted by the Government would lead to a large amount of personal inconvenience ; but , under all the circumstances of the case it was impossible for him to come to any other conclusion than' that the Government had taken the constitutional course they were bound to take . But while he applauded the course they had taken lie protested against the attempt of Mr . Disraeli to get up a little political capital by representing that the country had the option between his own measure , conservative in its character , and one that was revolutionary . It was very odd , he remarkedthat his conservative bill should have had

    , more determined opponents on his own side of the House than on the other-. He ( Mr . Bright ) was not afraid of the tribunal before which the Government were about to bring this question . Any measure of reform lie should propose avouIiI be in the lines of that of 1 S 32 ; if that would be revolutionary , he did not understand the meaning of tlie term . He warned the members of the Government , when they went to the hustings , against making such a charge as this ; if they did so , they must take the consequences . He should like to go to this election in a spirit of calmness , and , the Government giving ail the figures , to discuss the question fairly . r—Lord J . RtrssKLi , defended his resolution both a-J to

    its principle and its terms . He denied that by . introducing it he in the slightest degree compromised the interests of peace , inquiring why the Government hail brought forward their bill if the discussion which it was sure to provoKe was so dangerous . The appeal to the country dn the question was , he thought * very injudicious . The present Parliament was quite competent to deal with the subject ; and the ministry ought , lie thought , to have exhausted every means of passing a satisfactory measure before resorting to the extreme proceeding of a dissolution . Lord John then indicated the provisions : of the Keform Bill of which he should have approved , ' which included a 10 , 1 . franc ! use in the counties , and a 61 . in

    boroughs , the introduction of several of what were called " fancy franchises , " the preservation of the votes enjoyed by the freemen , and a large admission of the working-classes to electoral privileges . The question relating to the disfranchisenient of small boroughs and redistribution of seats ought , he considered , to be dealt with in a separate measure . His proposition was to withdraw twenty-six members from that number of the least populous boroughs now returning two representatives . These , with the four vacancies already existing , would give thirty seats for the larger centres of population . To the ballot he still retained his objection , and should vote against every proposal for introducing that system in any scheme of reform .

    A miscellaneous conversation ensued , in which Mr . DituaraioNu , Mr . Horsman , Mr . Duedes , Mr . Njevvdjegate , and many other members took part . The Ci [ ANQEi , i , o of the Exchequer said the prorogation would prooably take place about the time ho should havo moved the adjournment for the holydays . Ho said there was no foundation for tho statement that the ministry had contomplated resignation , and he denied that he had stated that tho opposition to the bill , had endangered tho peace of Europe . The motion for adjournment was withdrawn .

    powers than were included in the bill on the table , during the continuance of the present . Parliament . — Mr . V . Smith complained that no improvement had been effected in the management of Indian financial affairs . —Mr . Vansittart , Mr ; Grawofohi > , Sir H . Wiixoughby , Sir C . Wood , Colonel Sykes , and other members having followed with remarks uppn the financial and political state of India , the bill was read a third time and passed . Some other business having been disposed of , the House adjourned at a quarter to twelve o ' clock . Tuesday , April 5 . In the ilotrsE of Lords the Duke of Mari > borocgii withdrew his Church-rate Bill .

    THE DIVORCE COURT . Lord Campbell called the attention of the House to the insufficient number of the judges in the Divorce Court , and objected to the mode of procedure of the Court , which was , he thought , open to abuses . —The Lord Chancellor agreed with Lord Campbell about the deficient number of judges of the Divorce Court , and characterised it as a mistake in the formation of the Court . He had heard from the Judge-Ordinary of that Court that it was impossible to carry on the present business of the . Court without assistance . In his opinion the judges of the Divorce Court ought to be increased in number . — After a few words from Lord Craxworth the subject dropped . .

    THE IXDUS IOAS BILL . The bill was brought up from the Commons and read a first time . —The Earl of Derby stated that when the bill was brought forward for second readying on Thursday he should move the suspension of standing orders , with the view of passing the measure through all its remaining stages , that it might receive the royal assent before the departure of the India mail of Saturday next , the 9 th instant . The Recreation Grounds Bill was read a second time . The Patent Inventions ( Munitions of War ) Bill passed through Committee ; and the Manslaughter Bill was read a third time and passed . Their lordships adjourned at half-past five o ' clock . ' ¦¦ - . '" In the IIovse of Commons , Mr . Hi Berkeley announced that on Tuesday next he should bring forward a motion on the subject of the ballot .

    Wednesday , April 6 In the House of Commons' on the order for going into Committee of Supply , Lord Palmerston rose to make a personal explanation . Referring , in the guarded manner rendered necessary by the rules of the House , to a charge which , he said , had been made against him "in another place , " on Monday , of unconstitutional conduct , in having questioned the prerogative of the Crown to dissolve Parliament , he > denied that he had ever said anything that would bear that construction . He had only questioned the conduct of the Ministers in advising the Crown to > dissolve Parliament in the existing state of things , it being possible that the House might desire to address

    the Crown to afford the House an opportunity ta consider another Reform Bill , or even an address to her Majesty to dismiss her present Ministers . He utterly repudiated the charge , that he had held any doctrine in the slightest degree repugnant to the prerogative of the Crown or to the principles of the Constitution - He quite concurred in the determination of the House not to interfere in any way , but to leave with the ministry the entire responsibility for the step they had taken . Adverting to the question of reform , the noble lord added that he altogetheragreed with the principles of the scheme indicated by Lord John Russell , although , retaining the opinion he had previously expressed respecting the limits

    within which those principles should be practicaily carried out . —Sir J . Pakixgtojj noticed the altered attitude which Lord Palmerston had assumed towards the Government . In his speech during the debate he had adopted a tone of menace , threatening to stop the supplies if they dared to attempt a dissolution . He rejoiced to "find that this obstructive course was now abandoned . He insisted that the language used in another place ( by Lord Derby ) was not open to the criticism of Lord Palmerston ; he ( Sir John ) had used , he said , similar terms in that House , and he repeated the opinion that the language used by . Lord Palmerston in the late debate was not con- ^ sistent with respect to the Crown . That language

    was threatening , and tended to impede the exercise of the prerogative . —Sir G . Qrey considered that the doctrine of Sir J . Pakington would sacrifice the rights of that House . It might be the imperative duty of the House to interpose between advice given to the Crown , which was deemed : injurious to the interests of the country , and an actual dissolution . He reminded ministers that they had prognosticated serious perils to the peace of IOurope if their policy were hainpered , and the House had therefore , hebelieved done wisely , iii leaving on their shoulders the whole responsibility for the course they had adopted . The comments hazarded " elsewhere " upon Lord Palmerston ' s speech were , lie considered ,

    The Chancellor of the Exchequer moved that Government orders of the day should have precedence of other business on every evening during the remainder of the session . The motion was carried , after some remonstrances from Mr . Spooler , who complained that he was thus deprived of the opportunity to move his resolution for the withdrawal of the grant to Maynobth . Orders of the day take precedence of Notices of Motions on this and all subsequent days until the end of the session , Mr . SrooNEit , with a bad grace , complaining of hard measure received from the Government , withdrew his motion on the subject of the College of Maynooth ( which stood first on the list of notices ) for the present session . The motion , after a short conversation , was agreed to .

    unprecedented and irregular . —Colonel iMtEsrcir insisted that the Government had no right to dissolve except-with the view of strengtheningtheir position as regarded the special question on which they had been defeated . —Mr . Malixs contended that all responsibility for the dissolution lay with the opponents of her Majesty ' s ministers in the late discussion . —Sir G . C . Lewis repudiated this responsibility , and maintained that the question laid before the country was not one of confidence in a particular ministry , but whether a particular reform bill was or was not to be accepted . —Mr . B . Oshorke thought that tho present Parliament hnd nothing further to do with reform ,

    Mr . II . Berkeley stated that , in default of better opportunity , he should introduce his ballot resolution as an amendment on the motion for going into committee of supply . Mr . Dillwyn , on behalf of Sir J . Trelawny , postponed the Church-rates Bill , and Mr . J . D . X ^ itzgeralx ) postponed the Roman Catholic Oaths Bill , until next session . VOTE OIT THANKS TO LORD CANNINC * A > 'D THE INDIAN ARMY . Replying to Mr . V . Smith , Lord Stanley stated that ; on Monday next ho should move a vote of thanks to Lord Canning and other Indian functionaries and officers for their services during the late revolt . The discussion in committee of tho Superanuation Bill was then resumed , and tho remaining clauses passed after some consiik'rable discussion . Tho Public Offices Extension Bill , and the Indemnity Bill , wore read a third time and passed . GAL" \ VAY AND AMERICAN MAIL SERVICE . Mr . IIonsrALL , in moving for some correspond dencc , called attention to tho subject of tho intended mail service between Galway and America , This service , ho complained , had boon assigned to a particular lino of steamers , the Galway Packet Lino , without the usual advertisement for public tenders . —Sir S . NoK'rncoTia explained tho reasons which hail induced the Govornmont to waive some of tho ordinary conditions when granting the contract for a postal service with America to the company in question . —Considerable discussion followed , in which tho merits of tho Giilway Paokot Lino , and tho conduct of tho Govornmont in granting tho subsidy for tho postal service , wore canvassed at much length , chiefly by tho Irish members . ' The subject at lust dropped , the papers moved for having boon orderoil . Tho House adjourned at half-past nine o ' clock .

    and made an inquiry regarding the appointment ot Mr . Dobbs to the vacant office of Judge . of the Irish Estates Courts . —Mr . S . Estcourt said , the Government did not complain of tho course taken by the opposition since the late debate ; but they could not help complaining of the tone em ployed by Lord Pnlmerstbn . The real question to be decided was , he declared , whether the business of the country was to be carried on by the present Government or transferred to another administration . —Mr . Lindsay said , if tho question had . beon n vote of canfldeiioo in tlio present ministers he should not have voted against them , considering that they had conducted business well .

    Sir II . WjixpuannY called attention to the fact that the sum voted and' appropriated for naval servicos in tho yoar ending tho 31 st of Mnrcli ^ 1858 , was 9 , 172 , 290 / ., and tho total expenditure , 9 , 962 , 839 / ., and asked eomo explanation of the expenditure in excess , and what woro the outstanding expenses of the China war '/—Sir J . Pakinoton deferred his reply until iho House whs m eom""" oTd Naas explained , in roply to Mr . o »» o '"™ r , tho circumstances connected with tho appointment of MrDobbs .

    . . .. , , ..,. Sir . F . lJAHiKa , with reference to tho ordor which prohibited a dlroct allusion to proceedings in tho House of Lord * suggested that if attack * j woro permitted there upon members n this Uouho , the order , on principles of reciprocity , and of fun-ness ami justice , ought no longer to oxlst . lla onllart attention to tho contract entered into by tho Govornmont for tho oonvoyanco of tho mails between

    EAST INDIA LOAN BltL . Lord Stanley , in moving the third reading of tho India Loan Bill , entered into various details respecting the previous loans which had boon raised for Indian purposes , either at home or in Hmdostan j the deficiencies in tho Indian Exchequer caused by tho late revolt $ and tho financial exigencies for which provision had to bo made . In the year 1857-8 tho deficiency waa estimated at nine millions , and in 1858-9 at thirtoon millions . These wore mot

    by loans already contracted . During the onsuing year ono million increase was anticipated in tho rovonuos from ( taxation , and a largo saving would , it was hoped , bo accomplished by tho rolcnso of many regiments now . on service in tho country . Lord Canning had taken stops to raise ja . further loan \ n Calou : t » , and had computed that four , or four and a half millions move would suffice to meot tho requirements of tho coining financial yoar . Thore was , liowovor , no intention of nsicing any lnrtror borrowing

    ¦Sto. 472, April,9, 1859.] The Leader 45...

    ¦ STo . 472 , April , 9 , 1859 . ] THE LEADER 453

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), April 9, 1859, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_09041859/page/5/