GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. 



403 



which he considered had been committed by 

 the treaty-making prerogative of the Execu- 

 tive. This prerogative was an anomaly to be 

 endured only so long as it was used with mod- 

 eration, with a regard to precedent and the 

 rights of Parliament, and to the sense and con- 

 victions of the people, but which when not so 

 used became intolerable. In this case it had 

 been used to make in secret a treaty entirely 

 novel and beyond the line of the ancient policy 

 of the country. The line pursued by the pres- 

 ent Government would bring the prerogative 

 into question, and he feared a constant recur- 

 rence of these novelties unless they were 

 checked by the voice of the people. In con- 

 clusion, he condemned the policy of the Gov- 

 ernment as an increase of responsibility with- 

 out any additional strength, a loss of national 

 character, a shock to constitutional usage, and 

 a grievous addition to the burdens of a con- 

 fiding people. The debate was continued for 

 several days, the Home Secretary and the Chan- 

 cellor of the Exchequer appearing as the prin- 

 cipal defenders of the Government, till August 

 2d, when the vote on the resolution of the 

 Marquis of Hartington resulted yeas 195, nays 

 338, showing a majority of 143 against it. Mr. 

 Plunket's amendment was then agreed to. 



Parliament was prorogued August 17th. The 

 Queen's message of prorogation referred to the 

 more important questions as follows : 



MY LORDS AND GENTLEMEN : When, in a critical 

 condition of public affairs, you assembled at tho 

 commencement of the year, I pointed out to you 

 that, in the interests of my empire, precautions 

 might become necessary, for which I appealed to 

 your liberality to provide. At the same time I as- 

 sured you that no efforts in the cause of peace should 

 be wanting on my part. Your response was not am- 

 biguous, and contributed largely to a pacific solution 

 of the difficulties which then existed. The terms of 

 agreement between Kussia and the Porte, so far as 

 they atfected preexisting treaties, were, after an in- 

 terval of discussion, submitted to a Congress of the 

 Powers ; and their councils have resulted in a peace 

 which I am thankful to believe is satisfactory and 

 likely to be durable. The Ottoman Empire has not 

 emerged from a disastrous war without severe loss ; 

 but the arrangements which have been made, while 

 favorable to the subjects of the Porte, have secured 

 to it a position of independence which can be upheld 

 against aggression. I have concluded a defensive 

 convention with the Sultan, which has been laid be- 

 fore you. It gives, as regards his Asiatic empire, a 

 more distinct expression to the engagements which 

 in principle I, together with other Powers, accepted 

 in 1856, but of which the form has not been found 

 practically effectual. The Sultan has, on the other 

 nand, bound himself to adopt and carry into effect 

 the measures necessary for securing the good gov- 

 ernment of those provinces. In order to promote 

 the objects of this agreement, I have undertaken the 

 occupation and administration of the island of Cy- 

 prus. In aiding to bring about the settlement which 

 has taken place, I have been assisted by the disci- 



people in the colonies, and by the proud desire of 

 my Indian army to be reckoned among the defend- 

 ers of the British Empire, a desire justified by the 

 soldierly qualities of the force recently quartered at 

 Malta. The spontaneous offers of troops made by 



many of the native Governments in India were very 

 gratifying to me, and I recognize in them a fresh 

 manifestation of that feeling toward my Crown and 

 person which has been displayed in many previous 

 instances. 



My relations with all foreign Powers continue to 

 be friendly. 



Although the condition of affairs in South Africa 

 still affords some grounds for anxiety, I have learned 

 with satisfaction from the reports of my civil and 

 military officers that the more serious disturbances 

 which had arisen among the native population on 

 the frontiers of the Cupe Colony are now termi- 

 nated. 



The most important domestic measure passed 

 during the session was the act for the promotion 

 of intermediate education in Ireland, called the 

 Intermediate Education (Ireland) Act. It was 

 introduced in the House of Lords June 21st, 

 and was finally passed in the House of Com- 

 mons on the 12th of August. It appropriates 

 1,000,000 out of the property accruing to the 

 Commissioners under the Irish Church Act, 

 and establishes a Board of Intermediate Edu- 

 cation charged with the duty of promoting its 

 objects by instituting public examinations of 

 students, by providing for the payment of 

 prizes and exhibitions to students, and by pro- 

 viding for the payment to school managers of 

 fees dependent on the results of the public ex- 

 aminations. Two educational acts were also 

 passed with reference to Scotland. The Edu- 

 cation (Scotland) Act, 1878, prohibits the em- 

 ployment in factories of children under ten 

 years of age, and restricts the employment of 

 children of between ten and fourteen years 

 of age, except upon condition of their having 

 certain educational qualifications or being em- 

 ployed according to some subsisting lawfully 

 recognized regulation ; and also prohibits the 

 casual employment of children after certain 

 hours of the night except upon similar condi- 

 tions. The Endowed Institutions (Scotland) 

 Act, 1878, is in effect a measure for the pro- 

 motion of secondary education, and defines the 

 conditions under which endowed institutions 

 may secure provisions for their better adminis- 

 tration and government, or for the transfer of 

 their endowments, so as better to promote edu- 

 cation in the higher branches of knowledge in 

 public and state-aided schools. The Contagious 

 Diseases (Animals) Act empowers the local au- 

 thorities in the case of the home trade in cattle 

 to take summary measures with respect to ani- 

 mals suffering from cattle disease, pleuro-pneu- 

 monia, or foot-and-mouth disease ; and requires 

 all cattle imported from abroad (except from 

 Canada and the United States) to be slaugh- 

 tered at the port of debarkation. The compul- 

 sory slaughter may, however, be suspended by 

 order of the Privy Council, for reasons which 

 they must submit in writing to Parliament. 

 The Additional Bishoprics Act, which received 

 the royal assent on the last day of the session, 

 after a recital in the preamble that it is expe- 

 dient to provide increased episcopal supervision 

 in certain parts of England, provides for the 

 foundation of four new bishoprics, whose bish- 



