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ment of Militia, who on the 5th of June was sentenced to one month's imprisonment for having applied for and obtained a night's lodging and relief in the Glin Union Workhouse. The noble Earl said, about a fortnight ago he asked a Question on the subject, and the noble Duke (the Duke of Richmond) said the matter was still under investigation. The Limerick Militia was called out for training on the 17th June. John Lee was working in the town of Tralee when the notice was published, and he set out for Limerick early in the month to join the regiment, in which he was a private. On the 3rd he slept at Listowel, where he paid for his lodging. On the night of the 4th he reached the borders of the county of Limerick, and being unable to obtain a lodging, he applied for and obtained a night's lodging and relief in the Glin Workhouse. On the morning of the 5th he was taken before a justice of the peace, and under the provisions of an Act passed in the 10th and 11th years of the Queen was sentenced to a month's imprisonment in the Limerick County Gaol. He disclaimed any personal feeling with regard to the magistrate who passed that sentence and who was not personally known to him. The interest he took in the case was that he had the honour of being Colonel of the regiment in which the poor man served; and he submitted that the Act was intended to apply to professional_tramps, and not to such persons as Lee. The unfortunate man died while undergoing his month's imprisonment, and was buried as a prisoner. He begged to ask, Whether, in the opinion of Her Majesty's Government, such sentence was legal and proper; and, if not, what action has been taken or is contemplated towards the justice of the peace who passed such sentence?

THE DUKE OF RICHMOND said, he was not prepared at the moment to say whether the sentence inflicted in this case was a legal and proper one; but he could inform the noble Earl as to what action was contemplated towards the justice of the peace who passed that sentence. The whole matter had been laid officially by the Irish Government before the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, and was under his consideration. Until the Lord Chancellor came to a conclusion on the case it would be impossible for him to give a more satisfactory answer to the inquiry of his noble Friend.

THE EARL OF LIMERICK regretted that the answer was not more satisfactory. The time that had elapsed since the matter was brought under the notice of the Irish Government was surely long enough for them to have made up their minds upon it.

THE DUKE OF RICHMOND repeated that the subject was under the consideration of the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, whose duties were very important and numerous, and it was impossible to compel him to give an opinion upon a case of this sort within a limited period. The noble Earl was rather unreasonable in complaining that a decision had not been come to before now.

WEST COAST OF AFRICA.
OBSERVATIONS.

THE EARL OF CARNARVON rose to call the attention of the House to the position of certain parts of Her Majesty's Possessions on the West Coast of Africa. The noble Earl said: I had intended, considering the interest which has been felt for some time in the affairs of the Gold Coast, to have made a full statement to the House before the close of the Session with regard to the general progress of the West African Settlements; but, looking to the period of the Session at which we have now arrived and to one or two other circumstances, I do not think this would be necessary at the present moment. At the same time, I may go so far as to say that affairs on the Gold Coast are in a very satisfactory state. Notwithstanding the fact that the climate has always been, and always will be, a permanent cause of difficulty, the political and financial condition of those Settlements has certainly not stood still. The trade has increased-increased, I may say, beyond my expectations. The revenue has greatly enlarged itself. When Sir Garnet Wolseley was there he estimated the revenue of the Gold Coast at £50,000 a-year. In 1873 it was £65,000, and last year-1874it had reached £74,000. The revenue of Lagos, in 1873, amounted to £30,000; last year it amounted to £39,300. So flourishing, in a financial sense, has that Colony become, that it has been in my power to repay the Treasury a loan of £10,000, which had been advanced at a time of greater difficulty than the present. Besides that, in the country itself

MERCHANT SHIPS.

MOTION FOR AN ADDRESS.

EARL RUSSELL: My Lords, I rise to move

"That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying Her Majesty to give special directions that every precaution be taken from the Prorogation till the next meeting of Parliawho may be employed in merchant ships, which ment to secure the safety of merchant seamen may obtain clearance during that period, from dangers arising from the want of repair or decay of the ships in which they may be engaged as

the process of pacification has gone on mere handful it is-of British subjects steadily. The Ordinances for the aboli- in the colony of Gambia, I can only tion of the slave trade work smoothly hope, whenever the time comes, that and well. Advantage has been taken those interests will receive every conof them in various parts of the country; sideration which Her Majesty's Governand the opportunity of emancipation, if ment can possibly give to them. They desired, is within the knowledge and are, strictly speaking, a mere handful, reach of every slave throughout the for I believe the English population country. The main difficulty which there does not amount to more than 20 does exist is one which has existed for souls; but, at the same time, whether some time past-the conflict of juris- they be many or few, it is the duty of dictions, so to speak, along the West Her Majesty's Government to see that Coast of Africa. As the House is well they are protected. In saying these few aware, the French have stations along words my desire has been to remove any that coast, and these stations are inter- misapprehension, if such there should mixed with ours. The result of this, be, on the subject which, I think, is one very often, is considerable difficulty in of considerable importance. the political administration, and very great loss in all our fiscal arrangements. I frankly say that I hope the time may come, and come before long, when this anomalous state of things may be removed, and some arrangement may be come to with the French Government, by which, on fair and even terms, an interchange may be made which will enable us to carry out that process of development and improvement which has already been so largely effected. I am not sorry to have this opportunity of saying two words on a matter which has created some interest. I allude to the excitement in "another place" arising from the telegram in a French paper to the effect that negotiations for an exchange of territory not only had been on foot, but were concluded. The telegram was wholly inaccurate. Negotiations have been and are on foot; but these negotiations are very far from having come to a conclusion. I will frankly say it is my wish, and my hope, that before any definite conclusion is arrived at, Parliament may have a full and ample opportunity of expressing its opinion on the subject. If there be any apprehension on this subject, I can readily give an assurance to your Lordships that nothing final or conclusive shall be done in the matter till the meeting of Parliament next year. I can only add further that it must not be supposed that the proposal which is now before the two Governments for negotiations is a proposal identical with that which formed the subject of negotiations in former years. In most of its leading features it is distinct, and it rests upon new and wholly different grounds. As regards the interests of a mere handful-for a

crews."

For some years it has been asserted that very many lives have been lost owing to ships being sent to sea in an unsound and unseaworthy condition. Now, my Lords, I shall not go into the various statements that have been made on both sides of the question, and which have engaged so much of the attention of the other House of Parliament, because there can no longer be any doubt that, to say the least, there is a great deal of suspicion with respect to some of the vessels which are sent to sea. What I wish more particularly to call your Lordships' attention to is this-that many seamen have been sent to prison for a violation of their contract, because they refused to sail in vessels in which they had taken service. It appears also that in many instances it was believed that the ships in which those men had refused to sail were really in an unsafe state, and that seamen would have risked their lives by embarking in them. It may be that the owners of such ships may sometimes be not altogether in fault. They may be imposed upon occasionally, and ships that are registered as A 1 at Lloyd's

himself said, the President of the Board of Trade has power already to stop sailors going to sea in unseaworthy ships; and, in the next place, the subject is one of such paramount importance that the Government have introduced a Bill dealing with it, which measure is still under discussion in the other House of Parliament. I do not think it would be convenient at this moment to discuss the provisions of that measure. We hope that it will reach this House very shortly, when your Lordships will have an opportunity of discussing clauses intended to provide against the evils which all of us deprecate quite as strongly as the noble Earl who has brought forward this Motion.

may not always be of that valuable cha- | in ships in which seamen have engaged racter which, generally speaking, I to sail, because, as the noble Earl has believe they are. But whoever may be in fault it is hard, when the necessity of more vigorous action in the case of unseaworthy ships is now so generally admitted, that those seamen should be kept in prison for a violation of their contract. By an alteration in the law which will soon become an Act of Parliament, the workman who violates his contract with his employer will not be sent to prison, unless he refuses to pay a money penalty and is able to pay it. Recently the Home Secretary interfered to discharge from prison a little girl who had been sent there for taking a plant. I hope, therefore, he will interfere to discharge seamen committed under the circumstances to which I have referred. No doubt the President of the Board of Trade, who has the power to stop unseaworthy vessels, will himself see the importance of this question, and so do away with an evil affecting a most valuable body of men who ought to be protected with the utmost care, not only for their own valuable services, but for that of the future Navy of England.

Moved that an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying Her Majesty to give special directions that every precaution be taken from the prorogation till the next meeting of Parliament to secure the safety of merchant seamen who may be employed in merchant ships, which may obtain clearance during that period, from dangers arising from the want of repair or decay of the ships in which they may be engaged as crews. (The Earl Russell.)

THE DUKE OF RICHMOND: My Lords, I am sure every noble Lord in the House will concur in the sentiment embodied in the last sentence spoken by the noble Earl-that of the paramount importance of taking all the measures that are practicable for the preservation of the lives of the merchant seamen to whom this country is so much indebted, not only commercially, but also in connection with the Navy. No one can doubt the importance of this subject, and no one can be surprised that the noble Earl should have brought it under the consideration of your Lordships' House. But I trust the noble Earl will be satisfied with having called attention to the subject, and will not press his Motion, because it appears unnecessary to give any special instructions on the subject with respect to the want of repair

EARL RUSSELL: If the noble Duke will give me the assurance that the matter will have the close attention of the Government during the Recess I shall be happy to withdraw the Motion.

THE DUKE OF RICHMOND: I can have no hesitation in giving the assurance required by the noble Earl. The subject is one of such importance that it now occupies the attention of the Government, and will not cease to occupy their attention during the whole of the Recess.

Motion (by leave of the House) withdrawn.

COOLIES IN JAMAICA.-QUESTION.

MOTION FOR A RETURN.

LORD STANLEY OF ALDERLEY said, that in putting the Question of which he had given Notice, there were many considerations of which he might remind his noble Friend the Secretary of State for the Colonies, and which might induce him not to give his sanction to any increased expenditure out of the colonial taxation for the importation of Coolies; but not to take up the time of the House, he would limit himself to entreating his noble Friend, in case any request should be made for an increased grant for the importation of Coolies, to give the same answer that he would give if a deputation of agriculturists were to wait upon him-let them suppose from Cheshire-to ask Her Majesty's Government for a grant from the Consolidated Fund to assist them to import Irish mowers and reapers for the harvest. He

It was

cost

begged to ask the Secretary of State for | fell upon the planters of Jamaica, but in the Colonies, If there has been any pro- that year a change was made. posal from Jamaica to increase the pro- proposed that one-third of the portion paid by the Island Exchequer should be defrayed by the general refor the importation of Coolies since that venue of the Island, but that the Home proportion was fixed during the ad- Government refused, and the planters ministration of the Government by Sir were met in this way-that where the J. P. Grant; and he begged to move for- back passage was not claimed by the A Return of the number of Coolies im- Coolies, the money was paid to them as ported in 1873 and 1874 into the colonies bounty for the purpose of inducing them of Mauritius, Trinidad, Jamaica, and to settle in the Island, and it was afterBritish Guiana; showing their total cost wards proposed that the public purse in each Colony, and the proportion of should relieve the burden of the planter such cost which is defrayed from the to the extent of that bounty, but not upon colonial resources. the ground of inducing immigrants to come. In 1874 two proposals were made. The first, which was retrospective, was agreed to; but the second was so unreasonable a proposal-that the whole of the expenses of immigration should be thrown upon the general revenue-that it was declined, and at this moment the condition of the Jamaica planters was as he had described. This was much too large a question to be discussed at the end of the Session and in such a thin House; and he would only say that he was quite sensible of the great difficulties which the West India planters had to deal with. They had not only to contend against a great dearness of labour, but also with the cheapness of sugar. The French Convention had recently come to an end; but it would, perhaps, be kept in force till March next. The season had been bad, and there had been peculiar depression in the Island, and any assistance that the Government could render must be what was reasonable under the circumstances. migration of the Coolie would be of great advantage to him, provided he could be properly protected, and receive a fair remuneration for his labour by allowing him to leave a country that was overpopulated and pauperized for a country where he would be able to obtain labour. The question was, however, one of great difficulty. He was now in communication with his noble Friend the Secretary of State for India, and his noble Friend was in communication with the Indian Government on the matter. Whatever was possible to be done in reference to the commercial interests of the colonies it would be their duty to do. He believed also that it would be for the interest of the Coolies that a fair and reasonable solution of the question should be arrived at.

THE EARL OF CARNARVON said, that so far as the Return, for which the noble Lord moved was concerned, he thought there would be no difficulty in giving it; but it would be necessary to apply to the Governors of the various Colonies, who would, no doubt, furnish the information which the noble Lord desired. The Question with which the noble Lord had prefaced his Motion was rather a difficult one to answer. It must be stated, touching cursorily upon this question, that it would be very unfair not to point out that Jamaica was placed in a different position from the other two great sugar-growing colonies of Trinidad and British Guiana. The prosperity of the sugar-making colonies depended upon the importation of labour, and in both of them the expenses of obtaining it were borne by the general revenue of the Colony, but in Jamaica no assistance was given from the public purse for this particular purpose. The difference was therefore considerable; the ground of that difference being the maintenance of labour. But whereas sugar was the staple industry or product, so to speak, of British Guiana and Trinidad, in Jamaica there were other interests on which the prosperity of the Colony more or less depended; consequently it had not been thought necessary that the State should make to the planters in Jamaica contributions of public money which had been made to those of Trinidad and British Guiana. He would not stop to discuss how far it was a sound or unsound principle, but to point out simply the difference that existed between these Colonies. When, however, it was stated there had been no change in favour of the planters he could not quite subscribe to that doctrine. Up to 1873 the total expenses of the emigration of the Coolies

The im

Address for Return of the number of Coolies | the subject of Copyright, of which notice imported in 1873 and 1874 into the colonies of has been given by the Secretary of State Mauritius, Trinidad, Jamaica, and British Guiana; showing their total cost in each colony for the Colonies, and the names of the and the proportion of such cost which is de- persons who are to compose the Comfrayed from the colonial resources.— -(The Lord mission? Stanley of Alderley.)

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PUBLIC BILLS-First Reading-Department of
Science and Art* [283]; Foreign Jurisdic-
tion* [284].

Second Reading-National School Teachers Resi-
dences (Ireland) * [279].
Committee Report-National School Teachers
(Ireland) * [223]; Statute Law Revision
[278].

*

Considered as amended-East India Home Go-
vernment (Appointments) * [272].
Considered as amended-Third Reading-Chimney
Sweepers [208]; Sanitary Law (Dublin)
Amendment [268], and passed.
Third Reading-Expiring Laws Continuance*
[262]; Public Health (Scotland) Act, 1867,
Amendment [230]; Local Government
Board's Provisional Orders Confirmation

(Abingdon, Barnsley, &c.) [271]; Local Go-
vernment Board's Provisional Orders Con-
firmation (Leyton, &c.) * [261], and passed.

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SIR CHARLES ADDERLEY: Sir, it is the intention of the Government to take Her Majesty's pleasure as to issuing a Royal Commission on the whole question of copyright, and as soon as such Commission may be issued I will immediately give information of the terms of appointment and the members of the Commission. I hope it will be before the end of the Session.

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WEST AFRICA-ALLEGED TRANSFER
OF TERRITORY-THE GAMBIA
SETTLEMENT.-QUESTION.

MR. KNATCHBULL-HUGESSEN asked the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, Whether, in accordance with the statement of Lord Granville upon the 15th July 1870, that Her Majesty's then Government had informed the French Government that no transfer

of the British territory at the Gambia tion of Parliament," Her Majesty's pre"could be completed without the sancsent Government will undertake that such transfer until Parliament has had the country shall be committed to no an opportunity of expressing its opinion upon the subject?

MR. J. LOWTHER: Sir, no final action will be taken in this matter until ample opportunity has been afforded to Parliament for an expression of its opinion.

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