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    eeived the support of the noble Earl at the head of the Govemrnent , who had observed , after his accession to office , that the proper time to deal with such a measure was 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 leading of the Church of Engla ^ jo Special Skuvices Bill was discharged , on the motion of Mr . Deei > es . The bill is therefore withdrawn .

    THE UWS OF JEKSEV . In answer to Mr . Hadfikld , Avho asked some questions relative to the reform of the criminal laws of Jersey , Mr . "Wali * ole said that tlie recommendations of the commissioners in tliree 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 local 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 csirry out . The only other course that could be taken was to carry into effect the report , of the commissioners l > y Act of Parliament . The House ought to

    be made a ware ,, 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 consequently , if the Legislature were to attempt to effect the object in that way , a collision with the States would be provoked , ami with but little ' effect . - He had great doubt whether the issue of a commission with 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 he had been in office he had . taken ' some means to remedy existing evils .

    ' BAN K 1 SRS CHEQUES . Mr . Xicoll asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if his attention liad been directed to the commercial inconvenience likely to be caused by bankers refusing to honour cheques when drawers have omitted to write their initials on adhesive stamps , but which are otherwise cancelled sufficiently to-accord with the intention of the Act ; and if it were contemplated to enable persons who have given valuable consideration for such cheques to attach or "to cancel adhesive stamps in lieu ot 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 liank of England , and he trusted that every other banking house would follow the example of this establishment . If a cheque was presented to the Bank of England without the stamp being cancelled payment was refused ; , but , if the stamp was virtunlly cancelled , so that it could not be used again , payment was always made . 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 lion , friend . —In reply to Mr . Caiud , the Chancicli . ou of tiik Exciiequkr stated that drafts or orders on bankers in tlie form of " Debit my account 10 / ., " ov " Pay ' myself 1 ()/ ., " but not worded u bearer on demand , ' are liable to the same stamps as were provided for by the old net , which were not at all affected l > y the new . At the same time , lie was advised that sucli cheques , if paid over the counter . to the person referred to in the words upon them , would be legal without tho penny stamp . UNITED STATES MERCHANTMEN- AND UKCLISII CUUISKltS . In answer to Mr . Lindsay , Mr . Skymouu Fitzgiskalo said that . the Government had no ofliciul knowledge of the cases which had been stilted in the papers with rcierenco to the boarding of American merchantmen bv English cruisers . Tho Government regretted as much as tho United States what had occurred ; but the difficulty arose from the fact that slavers almost invariably hoist American colours . Orders had nlready been sent out that the greatest caution should be exercised by our cruisers ; and those instructions would bo repeated . MIC , WASHINGTON WILKS . On the order for the consideration of the petition of Mr . Wnshingtoti Wilks , Mr . Milnius . Gihson moved that ftir . Wuks be discharged from the custody of the bergeant-at-Arms , ns he had withdrawn the particular imputation of corrupt motives . —After a short discussion , the Somcitok-Genkual , considering that tho

    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 be 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 , Sir . Roebuck said he thought that Mr . Wilks ought to remain in prison until he made a complete retractation of his charges . " He had dared to make an accusation of which he 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 jirudent one . The 1 ieence 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 the whole , with incalculable benefit to the country . —The Chancellor of tiik Exciiequeu thought that 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 .

    MIUTARV DEPAUTMESTS , Captain Viviax rose to call the attention of the House to the necessity of more clearly denning 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 ' cf the Horse Guards and War-office should be placed under the control of one responsible Minister . " lie attributed much of the erfl 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 the 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 Cornmarider-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 Gommander-in-Chief , it was true that no authority was exercised by the Secretary fur War , but the Secretary for War was responsible for the exercise of the more important functions of the Ooivimnndcr-in-Chiof . He could not agree to the declaration

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

    Lord A . Vane -Tkmpkst could not agree with the objects of the motion , though he knew that evils arose from the double government of the army . The best course would bo to assimilate the administration of the army to that of the nuvy . —Mr , IIoissman supported the resolution , which would carry still further the reform effected in 1855—a reform productive of great good . — - Mr- -JButleu Johnstoxr also supported the motion , which was opposed by Sir F . Smith and Colonel Nonxir ! -Mr . Sidni' / v IlicniiHUT 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 the Master-General of the

    Or < m « nce , to whom should have been left the immediate control of the matvr ' ul of the army . lie could not support the motion . — Sir William Codkingtox , whilo admitting that the economical theory of Captain Vivian was good , could not consent to placing tho forces under the ' control of a single Minister , and bringing the concerns of the army beneath the notice of that House . —• Lord pALMicitSTox objected to fusing the offices of Secretary of State for War and Commander-in-Chief , A civilian could not be placed «( , 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 tho best attainable . Captain Vivian replied , and the House divided , when tlu'ro appeared—For tin * motion 10 G Against it 104 M aj ority — 2 The result was received with loud applause . SUI 5 Z CANAL . Mr . Uoiaujcic called attention to the subject of the Sue / . Canal , and moved—" That in the opinion of this House , the power and inlhioneo of this country ought not to be used in order to induce the Sultan to withhold his

    in a spirit which those who called him a barbarian would do well to imitate , had given upthelandfor the purpose of promoting the traffic of the world . The Isthmus of Panama was being opened for the purpose of facilitating traffic ; but , whateyer 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 anile- — than the opposition which had been offered to the Suez project he could not imagine . Opening up the Mediterranean and the lied Sea as a great highway of nations would tend vastly to the civilization of mankind .

    assent to the project of making a canal across the Isthmus of Suez . " The question , was bound up with the honour 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 kindl y feeling . The Vicerov of Egypt ,

    Mr . Gkikfiths moved as an amendment to the 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 betaken 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 ditch . ; In his opinion , it would be a most abortive undertaking .

    Mr . Seybiouk Fitzgerald Opposed the motion , arguiug that the-project-would . hot add to the existing means of communication with the East : that a canal througlia 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 Gibson wished for copies of all communications on the subject with foreign countries . The House had nothing to do . with the engineering part of the question . The thing w . as to allow the Sultan to exercise his own free judgment on the matter . - Lord Palmebstonsaid this was one of the greatest

    bubbles that had ever been imposed on the " credulity of the public . All the meetings were got up by the foreign projectors , and he should like to know the amount of subscriptions which the resolutions passed at those meetings liad produced . ( Laughter . ) He denied that the project , which is beset with many difficulties , would ever pay . The . political interests of England are 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 . (// ear , hear . ' ) There was not a State in Europe that did not denounce the opposition—carried on in secrecv and darkness—to tins scheme , as an unwise and selfish policy . ( Hear , hear . ) Had the canal been open twelvemonths ago , they would have had the greatest reason for gratitude to those who had executed it ; and he contended that , if thu canal were made , it would necessarily fall under tho control of India . He would give his vote for the motion of the honourable and learned member for Sheffield . —Tho Chancellor ok

    tiik LxcnicQuifiu denied that there was an undue and illegitimate opposition to this scheme . Ho thought it would be most unwise that the House should coino to a resolution approving of Huh scheme , which , in the opinion of many , is of a very doubtful nature . —Lord John Russkll contended that the opening of tho canal would be advantageous to England . —Mr . Dkujimond opposed the motion . —Mr . Biuqiit asked tho Chancellor of tlie Exchequer if he would lay tho correspondence that had taken place relative to the canal on the table of the House to an extent that -would give

    tho House mi honest idea of the feeling of Turkey on the subject . If he would do that , ho ( Mr . Bright ; would ask the honourable member for Shetlield not to press his motion to n division , but to wait until they had rend that correspondence . —The Ciiancklloh oi <' tiik Kxciuco . UHit said thut , if tho hon . gcntU'inun would ropvnt hU question tiio next night , he would answer it .---After « few words from Sir Jamkh Kli-iiinstonic ngniust the . project , Mr . ltoicuucK . replied . —The Si'KAKKit then put Mr . Griffith's amendment , which was negatived without a division , and tho House

    Untitled Article

    No . 428 , Jtoe 5 , 1858 , ] * THE LEADER . 533

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), June 5, 1858, page 533, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2245/page/5/