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Leader (1850-1860), 24th February 1855, Edition 2 of 2, Page 12, Leader Office, Saturday, February 24. HO...

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      Ouk Civilisation. Muui»Kh.-Al,I Ff «Il S...

      interfering " party" had the worst of it , in this case stabbing frith a table-fork being rather promptly followed . up by an attempt with a knife . This young man , whom we recommend to the . guardianship of Mr . Layard or Mr . Catlin , has been remanded . . Shooung ah Auctioneer ^ — -Mr . Leah , an auctioneer , had some property to sell for Mr . Cleary . Owing to some accident it got sold for something less than the sum understood , so Mr . Cleary sought to " take his change" by shooting the auctioneer in his office . He did so , ran out , and discharged a second pistol at Mr . Xeah , who pursued him . Cleary appears to be a very -bad shot , but good enough to warrant his committal for trial .

      The Murder at Chatham . —The girl Elisabeth Avis Law , charged with the murder of Mrs . Bacon at Chatham , has-been examined before the county magistrates at Rochester . Two pawnbrokers proved that the prisoner had pledged dresses and other property belonging to the deceased . The magistrates committed the prisoner for trial on the two charges of murder and robbery . King , the Thief-trainer . —This police officer in . plain clothes has undergone a final examination , in which the evidence of theft at a fancy fair held at a ¦ chapel in the Hampstead-road was completed . He was fully committed for triaL

      , :%$£ Thj Leabeb, [Satukday ^

      , : %$£ THJ LEABEB , [ Satukday ^

      Suggestions For Government Store Keepers...

      SUGGESTIONS FOR GOVERNMENT STORE KEEPERS . Mb . J . H . Elphinstone , writing to the Times , comments on the " stove case" in the Crimea . He says that when officials are responsible for every article under their charge , they are bound to look first at their own interests . " The plain remedy for such a ' state of things is simply , to treat our commanding officers as honest men . If a regiment requires clothing , food , or fuel , let it be

      forthcoming on the receipt of an order from the commanding officer , countersigned , where it is ; practicable , by the brigadier . The same with hospitals —a requisition from the youngest assistant surgeon in the service , if he is in charge of an hospital , ought to place within his reach exery medicine and comfort in store . Better far that a few thousand pounds ' worth of stores should be unaccounted for at the end of the war , than that one British soldier should lose his life for the want of comforts that are within his reach .

      I doubt not that ten years hence a balance sheet will be produced accounting , for every article of food , cloth- ; ing , and medicinejwhich has been sent out to the Crimea . But let the " public judge whether this will compensate for the fearful loss of life caused by an adherence to a system equally at variance with every rule of common sense and practical business !"

      Miscellaneous. The Court.—Her Majesty Ha...

      MISCELLANEOUS . The Court . —Her Majesty has held the Court at Buckingham Palace during the week . Skating has been diversified with sledging . On Thursday the Queen inspected some wounded soldiers of the Grenadier and Coldstream Guards , in the Grand Hall of the Palace . HerMajesty * questioned-every soldier- about his-wounds ,-and received a report of the condition of the wounded from the surgeon-major of each regiment . Several Cabinet Councils have been held during the week ; Lord John Russell has left Paris en route for Berlin and Vienna .

      The Crystal Palace . —We understand that it is proposed to add a court containing illustrations of Indian manners , art , and manufactures to the collections at the Crystal Palace . A nucleus for such a court already exists in a series of Jac simile copies of the remarkable fresco paintings of the Ajunta Caves , which were made for the' East India Company , and have been lent by them to the Palace , where they are exhibited in the gallery over the Assyrian Court . Restoration of Poland . —At a public meeting held at Birmingham , resolutions have been passed recognising the importance of the restoration of Poland as an independent nation .

      Mr . Layard and Admiral Ddndas . —The dispute between these gentlemen has been amicably arranged through some correspondence with Mr . Drummond . Mr . Layard courteously says that he never intended to impute anything against the honour of Admiral Dundas and regrets that his woi'ds should have been capable of such an interpretation . Fatal Railway Accidents . — -Two accidents occurred last week near tho New Holland Station on the Manchester and Sheffield Railway . In one case , a man who had ventured to cross the line was rnn over and killed . In the other , a train was missing at a point where there was only a single line of rails , and on the responsibility of Peacock , a foreman , an engine was sent to inquire after it . A collision occurred , and apiece of wood struck a young man , a passenger , on tho side of tho neck , and killed him instantly .

      Esgapsno ricoM Nbwoate . — Last Saturday tliree con , victs managed to escape from Newgate . It is supposed that they had picked oakum to some purpose , r ntada a rope with it , and eo reached the top of a wall . TlMnop ju > i « Imagined they got on to the roof of a house "A Warfrtek ^ uare , and passed through . When they escaped they did not wear tho prison drosa—but why , la -no * stated . ; . »¦ * . v

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      Leader Office, Saturday, February 24. Ho...

      Leader Office , Saturday , February 24 . HOUSE OF COMMONS . The House was at an early hour filled to the utmost of limits with members , peers , and strangers anxious to hear the explanations both of the Government and of the retiring members of the Cabinet . A fewf minutes before five , Lord Palmerston rose , and moved that the first order of the day be postponed . Upon this , Sir J . Graham said he would take that opportunity of entering into the explanation which the salutary custom of the House expected from persons in his position . He proceeded to urge that the further prosecution of such inquiry of a select committee , was in the present circumstances of the country , highly inexpedient ; and he , therefore , regretted to know that the Government had now adopted the motion—at least , they had agreed to nominate the members—and to that course he could not assent . If the Government had , on the whole , however , made up its mind that the committee should be appointed , he regretted extremely not to find in the names now proposed any of the members of her Majesty ' s Government , included in the list . Now , he had a strong feeling that if that inquiry was to be conducted in a fair and impartial manner , and at the same time with a due regard to the interests of this country , there would have been a great advantage in having a Minister of the Crown present during its proceedings , and if during the inquiry any questions were opened which , from that Minister ' s knowledge of our foreign relations ,

      appeared to him inexpedient , or perhaps dangerous to be disclosed , warning might have been given to the committee to that effect . Although it was not the business of any member of the Government to object to the appointment of a select committee under ordinary circumstances , at the present time the circumstances in which we stood were of a most peculiar nature . The Speaker would bear him out that it was a question open to a majority of that committee—which was to consist of eleven members — to decide whether the inquiry should be a secret one , or open to the public . If six out of the eleven should be of opinion that strangers ought not to be admitted , then it would become a secret committee ; but , on the other hand , if the decision should

      be the-opposite , it would [ of course be an open one . Now , he would regard that committee in this double light . If it be a secret committee ^ all check of public opinion upon that committee would be withdrawn , as its proceedings would not be known ; persons inculpated by the evidence would not have an opportunity of defending themselves—of appearing in their own defence—of crossexamining the witnesses , or of rebutting any false accusations ; in fact , until the . termination of the inquiry , the purport of these examinations would remain a secret . If , on the other hand , it was to be an open committee , the evidence would be published from day to day , the most adverse comments , and of a party character , would be made upon it , and most

      erroneous - Jmpi ^ ssions : jwould Jbe ^ probably , on individuals at a distance , who had no power of defending their character from any unfavourable aspersions , and throughout the conduct of the inquiry , there would be no appeal to that House after this delegation of its power had been made . Ho felt bound to say that considering the deep importance of the subject , and magnitude of the interests involved in it , such a delegation of power to a committee was not only unprecedented , but quite a dangerous course . He was not aware that there was any precedent whatever in Parliamentary history for such delegation . He was aware that one or two rare inquiries of this character had been instituted

      at the bar of the House . He should prefer an investigation of this nature far before a select committee , as the inquiry would then proceed in the presence of the public , ana under the check of the knowledge and intelligence of the House . But , although there had been one or two precedents of this nature , none of them wero applicable to the case in hand . It was true that at one period in the reign of William an inquiry was made at the bar into the conduct of a naval expedition ; and , at a still later period , in reference to the expedition to Walcheren ; but in both these cases the operations connected with them were not pending—they were concluded ' And the generals and the admirals whose characters wero at stake were ' present to defend themselves , and Lord Chatham , in the latter instance , appeared at the bar ,

      and had an opportunity of being heard . But as the matter now stood the question for the committee would bo the condition of our army'in the Crimea , and no instructions of a definite nature as to how they should act , or what course they should pursue , had been given to them . Whilst it was far , very far , from his wish to limit the scope and power of that House , for ho knew of no subject too minute , and no ¦ subject too great to come within the- sphere of its consideration , and whilst ho admitted , in tho - broadest softse , that there was no limit to its power , he felt bound to add that this power ought never to bo incompatible with its functions . He then proceeded to show that the present Government was practically the flame as that which had been censured by tho recont vote of the House , and that they

      were equally bound to resist any further proceeding with if . He explained that when he joined Lord Palmerston he had only inquired as to what the foreign policy of his Government . would be ; and being satisfied on that , he had inquired no further on the question of the committee . He had said the committee was unjust , and he would tell the House why he thought so . The executive government had the power of appointing and furnishing the officers in command of the army and navy , and it was unjust that they should be subjected to the dictation "of another tribunal . But not only was the committee unjust , not only was it unnecessary , but it would , in addition , be mischievous , because it would disclose circumstances and details ¦ which might greatly

      advance the cause of the enemy , while the feelings of our gallant allies , the French , might be so txcitedby the disclosure , as to hurry them on to measures that would place this country in a position of great peril . ( Cheers . ") Take , for instance , our operations in the Baltic ; suppose they were to be inquiredinto by this tommittee , the commander of the fleet would be called before the committee , and he mjght be betrayed into a confession of the advice he received from the Admiralty , which betrayal would do no good to us , whilst it -would assist the enemy and irritate our allies . The other night he appealed to the forbearance of the House not to press him for such details , and the House readily granted him that forbearance ; but what security had they that a

      committee of twelve gentlemen would manifest the same spirit ? Well then , therein lay tie danger of the inquiry . But it might be said that he had deserted hfe colleagues at a critical moment . Well he was quite ready to meet this charge , and he contended that it was his colleagues who had deserted him and not he them , for they had not the courage to oppose a measure which was eminently calculated to endanger the interest of the country . He had been for standing manfully by the guns ^ and resisting the inquiry altogether , whereas the policy of those whom he was said to have deserted

      was first to spike the guns and then to run away from them . ( A laugh . ) He should nevertheless give those colleagues ~ his ~ humble support ; he had acted with them for two years , and although he could not agree -with them in the course they proposed to take with regard to the committee of inquiry , he was yet friendly disposed towards them , and they should have all the conscientious support that he could give them . He would make no further professions , but leave his future actions to speak for" themselves ; and , with that confession , he would resume his seat , thanking the House for the patience . with which they had listened to him .

      Mr . Bright rose and said , he considered the country to be in a very critical position , and recent events ought to induce every man to stand by any Minister who would undertake the Government . We were at war with perhaps the largest military Bower in the world , carrying on the struggle at a distance of several thousand miles from our own shores , and the magnitude of tlie contest could not possibly be overrated . He could not help feeling , however , that too much was expected to result from it ; the terms of peace assented to by the

      late Government only contemplated tho crippling of the Russian power in the Black Sea , but he was surprised to'find that "there were writersinthe press and members of the other House who entertained vague dreams abont reconstructing the map of Europe , and reviving extinct nationalities . Now he hoped the Government would lend no countenance . to such enthusiasts , but confine the countries strictly and honestly to the terms of peace which had already been offered to Russia . Next to our Minister at

      Constantinople , the noble lord at the head of the Government , and the noble lord who had gone on a mission to Vienna , were the most responsible for our present position , and he hoped they would despise out of door clamours , such as that which he had referred to , and use their utmost endeavours to restore peace , upon those terms which should simply destroy or reduce the influence of the enemy in the Euxine . He should like , therefore , to know whether the noblo lord who had gone to Vienna had power to enter into an armistice directly that he saw there was a prospect of the negotiations being

      successful . Hon . members seemed to forget that 40 , 000 lives had already been lost in this struggle . They appcared anxious for an attack upon Sebastopol , which , as sure as it was made , would result in tho loss of 20 , 000 more lives ; but he trusted such sanguinary desires would bo disregarded by the Government , and directly they saw a prospect of tho negotiation terminating successfully , they would lose no time in taking such stops as should immediately stop bloodshed , and ho appealed to Lord Palmerston in tho most powerful and energetic language to lot one of tho last groat acts of his political career bo tbo restoration of peace to Europe . ¦ and

      Mr . SluwBY Hkkbkkt next addressed tho House , stated his reasons for leaving < the Government . They wore mainly the same as those of Sir J . Graham ; but he strongly insisted on tho probability of the motion of Mr . Roebuck being successfully resisted , urging that It . only wanted a man capable of leading tho House of Commons , and who like Sir Robert Peel could induce them to rescind a vote to which they had come ; ana that , ' in fact , like all popular assemblies ^ the Commons only wanted strong men taking strong courses , to be easily managed . He expressed hia regret « t leaving his colleagues , and declared that he had acted in perfect

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Feb. 24, 1855, page 12, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_24021855/page/12/