MR. BIGGAR seconded the Amend- I put the hon. Member for Plymouth ment, and expressed his wish to see the right with the country, and, to the best House act with something like common of my ability, I am trying to do so. sense. Amendment proposed, to add, at the end thereof, the words "and unsupported by evidence."-(Mr. Monk.) Question proposed, "That those words be there inserted." MR. WHALLEY said, these words would be a serious rebuke to the hon. Member for Derby. "Without evidence" would imply that he had an opportunity of bringing evidence. He neither had the opportunity, nor was he called upon to do so. MR. MONK: I can assure the House that I never conceived there would be As it evidently does not meet with the any opposition raised to my proposition. assent of the House, I beg to withdraw it. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Main Question, as amended, put, and agreed to. Resolved, That, in the opinion of this House, no stain rests upon the character of the honourable Member for Plymouth in consequence of the statements made in this House by the honourable Member for Derby on the 22nd of this instant July. (IRELAND) BILL. to afford facilities for the Erection, Enlargement, Improvement, and Purchase of Dwellinghouses for Residences for Teachers of certain National Schools in Ireland, ordered to be brought in by Sir MICHAEL HICKS-BEACH and On Motion of Sir MICHAEL HICKS-BEACH, Bill Mr. SOLICITOR GENERAL for IRELAND. House adjourned at Eight o'clock, till Monday. THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER: I cannot understand how the House can think of destroying the grace of what has been done on both sides in NATIONAL SCHOOL TEACHERS RESIDENCES all parts of the House within the last two or three minutes by such proposals. Consider what the position really is. My hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth was singled out and made the subject of charges which remain unsubstantiated. He lost no time in offering, on the spur of the moment, a refutation of them, and subsequently, in the presence of the hon. Member for Derby, by whom the charges had been made, he took occasion, in the face of the House, to deny the charges made against him. It is not because those charges are not supported by evidence, but because they have been refuted by evidence, which would have been more complete if the opportunity had been given which the hon. Member desired of going before a Select Committee, that we are passing this Resolution. That is the reason why I object to this Amendment, and why I object to having others put in the same category. MR. E. J. REED: I certainly join the right hon. Gentleman the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the appeal he has made to the hon. Member for Gloucester to withdraw the words he has moved. I think it is only fair that we should place the hon. Member for Plymouth in the same honourable position which he occupied before these charges were made. The Resolution does that. If it reflects on anybody it reflects upon the hon. Member for Derby, and the man who gets excited and loses control over his language is the person who ought to suffer in such a case. We are bound to HOUSE OF LORDS, Monday, 2nd August, 1875. MINUTES.]-PUBLIC BILLS-First Reading— Committee-Report-Department of Science and firmation [38 & 39 Vict. c. clxvii]; Ecclesiastical Commissioners (Fen Chapels) [38 & 39 Vict. c. clxxii]; Elementary Education Provisional Order Confirmation (London) [38 & 39 Vict. c. clxxiii]; Elementary Education Provisional Order Confirmation (London) (No. 2) [38 & 39 Vict. c. clxxiv]; Local Government Board's Poor Law Provisional Orders Confirmation (Oxford, &c.) [38 & 39 Vict. c. clxviii]; General Police and Improvement (Scotland) Provisional Order Confirmation [38 & 39 Vict. c. clxxi]; Salmon Fishery Act Provisional Order (Taw and Torridge) [38 & 39 Vict. c. clxx]; Gas and Water Orders Confirmation [38 & 39 Vict. c. clxix]; Local Government Board's Provisional Orders Confirmation (Aberdare, &c.) [38 & 39 Vict. c. clxxv]; Local Government Board's Provisional Orders Confirmation (Abingdon, &c.) [38 & 39 Vict. c. clxxvi]; Chelsea Bridge 38 & 39 Vict. c. clxxvii]. SUMMARY PROSECUTIONS (APPEALS) (SCOTLAND) BILL-(No. 191.) (The Lord Steward.) THIRD READING. Bill read 3 (according to Order). THE DUKE OF BUCCLEUCH moved an Amendment to the effect that the appeal should be limited to the cases in which it existed now-namely, where corruption or malice was alleged. He thought the measure was unnecessary in Scotland, where there were already special appeals by various Acts of Parliament. Amendment moved, line 21, after ("Judge,") insert (" and by law subject to review."(The Duke of Buccleuch.) EARL BEAUCHAMP could not accept the Amendment, and explained that it was only intended to give an appeal on points of law where a case was given by sheriff substitute or magistrates. THE DUKE OF BUCCLEUCH said, that he should have moved the Amendment in Committee had he been present, but he would not now divide the House on it. THE LORD CHANCELLOR said, that to pass the Amendment was to simply reduce the Bill to a nonentity. On Question? Resolved in the Negative: Amendments made; Bill passed, and sent to the Commons. CONSPIRACY, AND PROTECTION OF Amendment moved, in Clauses 4 and 5, page 2, lines 10 and 36, to leave out ("of service").—(The Earl of Rosebery.) THE LORD CHANCELLOR opposed the Amendment, which, he observed, proceeded upon a misapprehension on the part of the noble Earl. The Bill was not framed, as the noble Earl appeared to suppose, on the principle of in the same position as other persons, placing employers and workmen exactly for it gave to workmen benefits which other persons did not possess. A contract of service was different from other contracts, because a man could carry on a large business only through trusted hands and the betrayal of the trust by the person employed might be attended with the most serious results to the employer. In other kinds of contract there. was no position of trust. Again, in respect of those other kinds of trust the world was open to the contracting parties; while in the case of contracts of trust the employer must fix on some particular person and hand over to him the control or the partial control of his works. On Question? Their Lordships divided: -Contents 17; Not-Contents 24: Majority 7. Resolved in the Negative. LORD PENZANCE suggested the omission of the word ("maliciously ") in Clause 5, and other clauses providing against offences under the Act. THE LORD CHANCELLOR said, that in the Malicious Injury to Property Act the word "maliciously" was used in analogous cases. In that Act, however, a clause was inserted which stated that the provisions of the statute were Amendments reported (according to to apply, whether the injury had been Order). inflicted out of malice against the owner of the property or otherwise. Before the third reading, he would consider whether some such declaratory clause might not be inserted in this Bill. Further Amendments made; Bill to be read 3a on Thursday next; and to be printed, as amended. (No. 249.) MILITIA LAWS CONSOLIDATION AND (The Earl Cadogan.) SECOND READING. Order of the Day for the Second Reading, read. EARL CADOGAN, in moving that the Bill be now read a second time, said, the Amendments it contained were not very serious, and he thought it would be more convenient to discuss them in Committee, should discussion be considered desirable. Moved, "That the Bill be now read 2a." -(The Earl Cadogan.) LORD WAVENEY said, he had no objection to the course proposed, if it were understood that it would be open to him on the Motion for going into Committee to discuss the principle of the measure. Motion agreed to:-Bill read 2", and committed to a Committee of the Whole House on Thursday next. CATHEDRALS AND CHURCHES PUBLIC BILLS-Second Reading-Statute Law * Committee Report-Unseaworthy Ships [274- * PRISON REGULATIONS-CLERICAL VESTMENTS.-QUESTION. MR. PARNELL asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland, Whether it is true that the Board of Superintendence of Trim Gaol recently refused the request of the Chaplain that they would provide new vestments and other requisites for Divine Service, though the old vestments had been in use for upwards of twenty years, and had been condemned by the Bishop of the diocese; and, whether, in view of the fact that these Boards are LORD HAMPTON inquired when the Returns would be completed and pre- intends in his proposed legislation on nominated by the Grand Juries, he sented of money expended upon the the subject of the Irish Grand Jury restoration of churches in the various Laws to provide on these Boards for the dioceses of England? Last Session he representation of the cess-payers? moved for these Returns, when he was SIR MICHAEL HICKS - BEACH, told they were incomplete, and he pre-in reply, said, he could not state whether ferred to wait until they were all received. RETURNS.-QUESTION. EARL BEAUCHAMP said, he could not answer the Question without Notice; but he could assure the noble Lord that every effort would be made during the Recess to get in all these Returns, which, he might add, were made gratuitously, and involved considerable labour and expense. House adjourned at Six o'clock, the vestments used by the Roman Catho lie chaplain to the gaol in question were had been condemned by the Bishop. He 20 years old or not, nor whether they believed the Board of Superintendence had refused to supply new ones, because it had not been the custom of the goverfor the chaplains of religious denominanors of most gaols to provide vestments tions in gaols. With reference to the second part of the Question of the hon. Member, which appeared to have no connection with the first, it would, of course, be his duty to consider what METROPOLIS-QUEEN ANNE'S STATUE QUESTION. MR. GORST asked the First Commissioner of Works, Whether his attention has been directed to the dilapidated condition of the statue of Queen Anne opposite St. Paul's Cathedral; and, who is responsible for keeping that statue in a proper state of repair? LORD HENRY LENNOX: Sir, my attention and that of my Predecessor has been called to the dilapidated condition of Queen Anne's statue, which is placed opposite the Western façade of St. Paul's Cathedral. It has been computed that the sum necessary for its complete restoration would amount to about £500 or £600, besides a small sum for its annual maintenance. I may inform my hon. Friend that the early history of this statue appears to be enveloped in some mystery. No one knows who placed Her Majesty in her present position. No one appears to know whether Her Majesty has ever been repaired since she was placed there; and, worse than all, no one has yet been found with sufficient loyalty to claim the ownership of Her Majesty. I may add that as the statue is not within the area of the Metropolitan Police District, I fear I have no statutory power to take Her Majesty under my charge. records of the Horse Guards furnished no account of such an occurrence, and he could learn nothing of it from the Judge Advocate General, with whom he had been in communication upon the subject. The alleged occurrence was an impossible one, because the sentence of a court martial was never given in Court, and no one knew anything of it until after it had been confirmed by the Queen and remitted to the Judge Advocate General. CRIMINAL LAW-CASE OF SAMUEL MR. MACDONALD asked the President of the Local Government Board, If his attention has been directed to the case of Samuel Dawson, an agricultural labourer, who was sent to Bedford Gaol on the 11th of June for two months, from the Tharm Brook Petty Sessions, county of Bedford, because he was unable to pay the sum of one pound sixteen shillings that he had been ordered to pay, at the rate of one shilling per week, for maintenance or support of his parents; whether he is aware that Dawson's goods had been previously distrained for debt, and that they were of too little value to meet the liability; whether Dawson is in the gaol compelled to pick oakum as if sentenced to hard labour; whether, considering that Dawson was unable to pay, that his being sent to prison was not illegal; and, whether he will place upon the Table of the House the names of the committing magistrates? MR. SCLATER BOOTH, in reply, said, he had been in communication with his right hon. Friend the Secretary of CRIMINAL LAW-SENTENCE ON JOHN State with reference to the matter. O'BRIEN.-QUESTION. He had to inform the hon. Member that it MR. PARNELL asked the Secretary was within the power of the Guardians of State for the Home Department, to institute such proceedings, although Whether he will direct an inquiry to be he did not intend to offer any opinion as made into the circumstances connected to the way in which they had dealt with with the sentencing of the military pri- the present case. When it was proposed soner John O'Brien, independently of to distrain on the goods of the person in the reference to the record of the mili- question it was found that they had tary proceedings, with the view of re- already been disposed of by a bill of sale. commending the extension of the Royal With reference to the other portions of clemency to him, in case it should be the Question, it would, of course, be the found that his sentence had been ex-duty of the governor of the gaol to tended from ten years to life in consequence of his exclamation when leaving the dock? MR. ASSHETON CROSS, in reply, said, he had formerly stated that the put him to the employment which the class of prisoners to which he belonged generally performed. He could not place the names of the magistrates on the Table. DOMINION OF CANADAIMMIGRATION AND COLONIZATION. QUESTION. MR. A. PEEL asked the President of the Local Government Board, If he has received any explanation from Mr. Andrew Doyle in reply to the Report of the Committee on Immigration and Colonization to the Dominion of Canada; and, if he has received such explanation, whether he has any objection to place it upon the Table of the House? MR. SCLATER - BOOTH, in reply, said, he had received the explanation referred to. He had also received further information on the subject from the Colonial Office, and he hoped to lay the Papers on the Table before the end of the Session. say what action we are likely to take upon it. ARMY-ADJUTANTS OF MILITIA. QUESTION. COLONEL NAGHTEN asked the Secretary of State for War, If he will Militia who retired since the appointrecommend that those Adjutants of ment of those officers has been invested in the Crown, shall receive the benefit of the increased retiring allowance granted by the new warrant ? Patent of the 26th of March last was MR. GATHORNE HARDY: Sir, the not intended to be retrospective, and I am afraid I cannot make it so. CUSTOMS AND INLAND REVENUE BONDED WAREHOUSES. — QUESTION. LORD FREDERICK CAVENDISH asked the Secretary to the Treasury, Whether the inquiries instituted by the late Government into the regulations of the Customs and Inland Revenue Departments under which goods liable to duty are warehoused have yet been concluded; and, whether it is the intention of the present Board of Treasury to take steps to secure uniformity in the practice of the two departments, and to place all bonding warehouses in district under one department, with the view of affording increased facilities to trade, and of diminishing the charge on the Exchequer ? any ARMY-WINCHESTER BARRACKS. QUESTION. COLONEL NAGHTEN asked the Secretary of State for War, Whether, having regard to the fact that the Staff of the 40th Depôt Brigade is now at Winchester, and that the Depôt of the Regiments belonging to that Brigade is now, and for some time past has been, at Port Elson, Gosport, it is the intention of the Government to build Barracks at Winchester, or to make such arrangements there as may enable the Staff and Depôt of the said Regiments to be quartered together? MR. GATHORNE HARDY: Yes, Sir, it is intended to make some additional buildings at Winchester Barracks for the purpose the hon. Member alludes to. -LEGISLATION.-QUESTION. COLONEL EGERTON LEIGH asked the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether a Bill for the better protection of women and children from gross and violent assaults and illtreatment will be introduced as one of the earliest measures of the next Session? MR. W. H. SMITH: The inquiries, ASSAULTS ON WOMEN AND CHILDREN Sir, instituted by the late Government into the bonding systems of the Customs and Inland Revenue Departments have been continued under the present Government, but the Report of the Committee has not yet been received, owing partly to the length to which their inquiries have extended, and partly to the dangerous illness of one of the MR. DISRAELI: Sir, the subject in Members, which necessitated a suspen- which my hon. and gallant Friend takes sion of their labours for some months. so much interest-which is shared in, I I understand, however, that they expect may say, by the majority of the House to be able to send it in in the course of-will not be lost sight of by the Goa week or so, and as soon as it is re-vernment; but on the whole, as a geneceived it will be duly considered by the ral principle, I do not think it is conTreasury and the Boards of Customs venient to pledge the Government as and Inland Revenue; but until we have to the introduction of any particular had it before us, it is impossible to measure. |