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    No. 382, .Tttly 18. 1857.1 T H E L E A D...

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    ¦ — I 4kperial Parliament. —?—- 3fondny,...

    in regard to the property of married women , and concurred in the suggestion that this bill should be referred to a select committee . —Mr . Spoonbr observed that the bill would render wires liable to be sued for the debts of their husbands , and that was a principle which he did not think the House should be asked to assent to . —Mr . Bagwell did not see why , if English married women were to have their property secured to them , their sisters in Ireland were to be excluded from the privilege . —Sir Ebskine Perky ( with whom the bill originated )

    consented to Mr . Massey ' s suggestion . —Mr . Miles thought that legislation on the subject should be postponed to next session . —The Attorney-General for Ireland consented to the second reading of the bill , but under protest , as he considered it to be a rashly-constructed measure . It was an attempt , not to amend the law , but to revolutionize it . —Mr . Roebuck defended the bill , and Mr . De Vicke opposed it ; and , upon a division , the amendment was negatived by 120 to Co . —The bill was then read a second time .

    The House then went into committee upon the Scientific ani > Literary Societies Bill , the early clauses of which underwent alterations so important that at length Mr . Hutt , who had charge of the measure , moved that the Chairman leave the chair . On the motion of Mr . Headlam , the order for the second reading of the Medical Profession ( No . 1 ) Bill -was discharged . The report of the Committee of Supply was brought up and agreed to . "ELECTION COMMITTEES AND PETITIONS . Mr . Ingham , chairman , reported from the Lambeth committee that Mr . Roupell was duly elected , and that the petition against his return was frivolous and vexatious . The Speaker reported that he had received a letter , intimating that it was not intended to proceed with the petition against the recent election for Peterborough . He also stated that he had received a letter intimating the abandonment of the petition against the recent return for Totness . Thursday , July 16 th . In the House of Lords Lord Ellenborouoh again brought before their Lordships the prospects of India , and recommended that the Government should at once contract a loan for 5 , O 0 O , OOOJ . to relieve her finances of

    the burden which the present mutiny , with , all its unfortunate consequences , would cast upon them . —Earl Grakville repeated an assurance he had already given that the Governor-General has ample funds at his disposal ; but he promised that the suggestion should be attended to by the Home Government . He protested against a remark of Lord Ellenborough ' s implying that the President of the Board of Control did not pay attention to his duties . —To this , the Earl of Ellenborouoh replied that he communicated very extensively with persons connected with India , but never met one of them who had not a thorough distrust of the gentleman who is now at the head of the Board . ( Laughter . ' )

    GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY CAPITAL BILL . On the motion for the third reading of this bill , Lord St . Leonards objected to the measure , and complained that Redpath should have been allowed to commit forgeries to an enormous amount without the directors taking the trouble to inquire about the matter . At a recent meeting of the company , his . ( Lord St , Leonards' ) name had been prominently brought forward by the chairman ; but he had never uttered a single word that would bear the meaning attributed to him on the

    occasion . He proposed the omission of certain words for the purpose of restoring the bill to the state in which it was when it came from tlie House of Commons , so that the rights of the preference shareholders should be preserved . —Lord Wensleydalk hoped this bill would not preclude the preference shareholders from taking any steps they might be advised to adopt against the directors .- — After some further discussion , Lord Stanley of All > erlicy said the preference Hharoholders were about onehalf of the entire body , and were subject to ull the conditions of ordinary shareholders .

    The House divided on the mution that the words proposed to be omitted by Lord St . Leonards should stand part of the bill ;—Contents ... ... ... ... 48 Non-contents ... ... ... ... 7 Majority aguinst the amendment ... —3 G The bill was then roml u third tiiuo , and passed . The Cuowdicd Dwicu-incis Pkkvkntion Bill , of Lord SiiAUTUsnuuY , was ro-cominitted .

    JOINT STOUIC COMPANIES HILL , Tho House went into committee on this bill . —Lord Wenblisyjdalii : propOHcd the introduction of a proviso to tho effect that tho depositors and uhureholdera of tho Newcastle Bunk should bo allowed to retuin their priority ns judgment creditors . —The Loiti > Chanokllor opposed the proposition , which was nog . itivod , and the bill pusoed through committee . TII | fl NATIONAL HUUVKV . The Duke of Buoolisuuh moved an nddross to tho Queen , praying that u royul com mission should bo issued to inquire into tho whulu subject of tho national survey , and tho aonlo or eoales cm which it should bo made and publleuod . —Lord Panmuuih concurred in tho object of

    the motion , which was agreed to . —The House adjourned at five minutes to eight o ' clock . At the morning sitting of the Hodse of Commons , the Huntingdon Election Committee was discharged , on account of the inability , from ill-health , of Sir Edward Dering ( one of the members ) to attend on it . To testify to the indisposition of Sir Edward , Dr . Latham was examined at the bar of the House ' . Sir Edward Dering also appeared , and asserted his inability ta undergo the labour of the inquiry . It will now be necessary to appoint a new committee . THE RECENT ELECTIONS . Mr . Cobbett called attention to a petition presented by him on the preceding day , from Mr . Merry , M . P ., member for the Falkirk Burghs , complaining that the recognizance in connexion with the petition against his return had not been properly entered into . He moved that a committee of five members should be appointed to investigate the matter . —Sir George Grey said the complaint was not made within the proper time , and the House could not interfere . —After some discussion , the motion was withdrawn . Mr . Butt presented another petition from Mr . J . P . Somers , to the effect that bills of indictment had been preferred against the Mayor of Sligo and the poll-clerks , founded upon the transactions referred to in the petition against his return , and that such proceedings were calculated to prejudice him ; and he prayed that the House would take the matter into their consideration , the proceedings being against a resolution of the House , passed in 1703 ( which was read by the Clerk ) . —It was ordered that the petition should lie on the table . —Mr . Butt then moved " that the proper officer of the Queen's Bench in Ireland return to the House a copy of all the proceedings in the action mentioned in the petition presented on the preceding day from Mr . Somers . " He suggested that further proceedings in the ease should be postponed to next Monday , when he would propose that a committee should be appointed to investigate the subject , and report on the course which the House of Commons ought to pursue . —Sir George Grey , considering that they were bound to proceed with caution , mcved as an amendment , " That both petitions be referred to a committee to be appointed to inquire into the subject , and report to the House how far in their opinion the privilege of the House had been interfered with by the proceedings in question . " — Mr . Butt accepted this amendment . He wished to ask whether it was true , as stated in the papers that morning , that the Crown Solicitor had been directed to prepare bills of indictment against the Mayor of Sligo . —The Attorney General for Ireland said he had given instructions to the Crown Solicitor that there should be no Crown prosecution unless for a breach of the peace . He apprehended the statement alluded to had reference to bills of indictment preferred by a private individual . —The amendment was agreed to . The House then went into committee on the Lunatics ( Scotland ) Bill , when progress was made up to the 16 th clause . queen's county election . In the evening , the Speaker announced the receipt of a letter , stating that it was not intended to proceed with the petition complaining of an undue return at the late election for Queen ' s County . INDIA . Sir Charles Napier inquired of tlie First Lord of the Admiralty if , in the event of the Government deciding to send troops to India by steam , he had one screw ship in commission either at Shecrness , Portsmouth , or Plymouth , fit to carry troops and ready for immediate service . ' : —Sir Chaiilks Wood : " Certainly not ; not a single ship in commission is fit to carry troops to China . Tho ships are calculated for home defence , not for conveyance of troops . They are screw ships of tho lino . "Mr . Vansittart inquired whether it was true that the Lieutenant-Governor of the North-western provinces of India had issued a proclamation offering nn amnesty to all the Jiuitiucers who might lay down their arms , and that thcsrSrovernor-Ueiierui , disapproving of the offer , had recalled'Tr . —Mr . Vicrnon Smith replied that such a proclamation was issued , nnd disapproved ; nnd that the . Governor-General liiul rescinded it . lie had not heard thnt Mr . Colvin had been recalled or that ho had resigned , and ho hoped not , for Mr . Colvin was a valuable ofheer , and , with this exception , had always acted with decision and prudence . NATIONAL KOUCATION . Sir John Paklinoton gave notice that , as soon as tho Government would give him a clay , ho intended to move an address to her Majesty , praying for tho issue of a commission to inquire into tho state of national eUuontlon . ISKW WRITS . Colonel Fricmch moved thnt the Speaker do issue lils uric to tho Clerk of tho Crown in Ireland to mnko outu now writ for tho electing a burgesa lor the borough of ( jiiilway in tho room of Mr . Anthony O'Flahorty , unsoutetl . —Lord Lovainh moved , by way of amendment , thnt tho writ bo suspended till next Thursday . —Tula was agreed to , tho motion being withdrawn . Sir . Souoi . icfiici . i ) Lhou moved that tho Speaker do not issue hia warrant to tho Clerk of the Crown in

    Ireland to make out a new writ for the electing of a knight of the shire for the county of Mayo before next Thursday . —After a short discussion , in which an attempt was made to discuss the report of the committee , the motion was agreed to . . THE MILITIA . In answer to Mr . Disraeli , Lord Palmerston said that , notwithstanding , the recent disastrous news from India , the militia would notJbe called out this year . THE ASSIZE CIRCUITS . In answer to Mr . Warren , Sir George Grey said the Commissioners on the Assize arrangements were considering their report . — Sir John Pakington , as one of the commission , said the report was agreed to , though not yet framed . He added that Mr . Warren had been misled by rumour with respect to certain alterations in the circuits which were said to be contemplated .

    THE PERSIAN WAR . Mr . Roebuck moved the following resolutions : — " That the war with Persia was declared , prosecuted , and concluded without information of such transactions being communicated to Parliament ; while expensive armaments were equipped without the sanction of a vote of this House . That it is the opinion of this House , that such conduct tends to weaken its just authority , and to dispense with its constitutional control over the finances of the country , and renders it requisite for this House to express its strong reprobation of such a course of proceeding . " No doubt , said Mr . Roebuck , it is the prerogative of the Crown to declare war ; but the House of Commons is called upon to defray the expenses , and

    therefore has a right to be heard on the question . The course now taken was calculated to injure the character of the House in the eyes of the country , and the charge he was making against the so-ealkd Liberal Premier was that he had done what no Minister had ever dared to do before . The Governor-General of India had declared war while the home Parliament was not sitting ; troups were withdrawn , to send to the Persian Gulf ; and he believed that in consequence of that denuding of our Eastern Empire the present revolt had burst out . It was reported that the Government had been warned of the danger of that step ; but it was taken . War was declared and carried out without the sanction of the people ' s representatives ; and in the

    March of the present year a peace was concluded . The first intimation that Parliament received of the circumstance was the demand to pay the bill . Had anything of the kind ever taken place before ? They were now called upon to supply nearly a million of money for that war , and he would say that never had the House of Commons been treated with such contempt . If they were prepared to put up with the insult—for it was nothing else —they might as well at once go back to their constituencies . The noble Lord had obtained a majority in the country , God knew how . ( A laugh . ) He was allowed to do more than any other man , but he ( Mr . Roebuck ) felt it his

    duty to lift up his voice against the course of proceeding that had been adopted in the case of the Persian war . They might lose India through the conduct of the Prime Minister . ( Cries of " No , no . " ) He understood that cry ; it was thoroughly English . What it meant was that they were able to meet any emergency , and he agreed to that assertion ; but they would not deny that the mutiny in India is a great emergency . ( Hear , hear . ") The noble Lord had dealt with the House of Commons as if it had no existence , and had chosen for so doing the time the most dangerous for England that had occurred since tho declaration of independence by America .

    The Chancellor of the Exchequer contended that there was no doubt of the power of the Crown to declare war without the sanction of Parliament , or of the right of the Governor-General of India to commence hostilities in the East . No notice had been given to the House of the former expedition to Bushiro and Karrak . Mr . Koebuck , therefore , had no ground for maintaining that an irregularity bad been committed or a slight offered to Parliament . It was also incorrect to assert thnt tho withdrawal of troops from India

    to the Persian Gulf had led to tho present state of things in India . No disaffection had appeared in Bombay or Madras , tho presidencies nearest to Persia . If tho native troops liml been hontilo to tho British Government at tho time of the war , they would have had an opportunity of showing it ; but , on the contrary , they had fought bravely against the Persians . As to the disaffection in India , there was little doubt that it would very shortly bo crushed . —Mr . Nishkt attributed the mutiny to tho employment of high castes in the army , and to the pnucity of oflicers .

    Mr . IIjiNitY Baillik believed that the House of Commons was to bo looked upon ns the guardian of the public purse , and yet , as appeared by tho paper in tho hands of members , a large expenditure wiw being incurred while Parliament wuh Bitting without tho llouso of Commons having been consulted . It was clear from tho correspondence that tho wur arose from tho refusal of tho demand for tho disiniHaul of tho Persian Prime Minister , forin all other points , iiifliidiiurcompcntmfion to tho inhabitants of Herat , Persia had nlrondy yielded . ' 1 lie wur Logan } then followed tho negotiation * , and at last a treaty of peace was concluded Jby tfio surrender of t ! : o demand for the dismissal of tho 1 ' oralan Prime Minister , by tho abandonment of tho compensation offered , and by the expen-

    No. 382, .Tttly 18. 1857.1 T H E L E A D...

    No . 382 , . Tttly 18 . 1857 . 1 T H E L E A D E B . 677

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), July 18, 1857, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_18071857/page/5/