452 



GEEAT BKITAIN AND IRELAND. 



COLONIAL STATISTICS. 



toral rearrangement in large towns, and a fair 

 consideration of fresh claims. By common 

 consent, subjects likely to agitate or divide 

 public opinion were set aside, to be dealt with 

 after the general election, when the judgment 

 of the country on conflicting principles and 

 schemes may be ascertained. 



The Army Discipline Bill will hold a promi- 

 nent place in the Parliamentary annals of 1879. 

 It was introduced on the 27th of February, and 

 read a second time on the 7th of April, with- 

 out any indication of serious opposition. It 

 got into committee on the 1st of May, and du- 

 ring the whole of May and June, and the early 

 part of July, the discussion of the details of 

 the measure absorbed the attention of the 

 House of Commons. The greatest excitement 

 was aroused by the controversy touching cor- 

 poral punishment. At first the Government 

 took up a strong position, in which they were 

 supported by the leaders of the Opposition. 

 They contended that flogging was, in the opin- 

 ion of the highest military authorities, indis- 

 pensable to the maintenance of discipline in 

 the army. When the bill had been seven weeks 

 in committee, Colonel Stanley was apparently 

 worried by the persistency of the opponents 

 of the " cat " into a series of concessions. 

 'While the Secretary for War was considering 

 in what form and limits his concessions should 

 be couched, the opposition to the bill increased 



* The commerce of Gibraltar, Hong-Kong, and Labuan is 

 with the United Kingdom only. 



and became more violent. The progress of 

 the bill was considerably obstructed by amend- 

 ments proposed by Mr. Parnell and some of 

 his Irish colleagues, so that when it passed the 

 third reading, on the 18th of July, it was al- 

 most too late. The Mutiny Continuance Act 

 was to expire on the 25th, and the House of 

 Lords was compelled to run the measure with- 

 out debate through all its stages, in order that 

 it might receive the royal assent in time. In 

 the House of Commons the measure spread 

 discord in the ranks of the Liberals. Lord 

 Hartington reproved Mr. Chamberlain and the 

 Kadical opponents of Hogging, and cautiously 

 supported the Secretary for War; and Mr. 

 Chamberlain revenged himself for this dissen- 

 sion by calling Lord Hartington the late leader 

 of the Opposition. A week later, however, 

 Lord Hartington came round to the conviction 

 of Mr. Chamberlain. On July 14th, in com- 

 mittee upon the Army Discipline Bill, he an- 

 nounced that, having reconsidered the whole 

 question, he was prepared to support the total 

 abolition of flogging in the army except as a 

 substitute for the penalty of death. On July 

 17th Lord Hartington moved a resolution for 

 the abolition of flogging in the army, which 

 he justified by the indecision of the Govern- 

 ment in respect of the military necessity for 

 that punishment. Mr. Gladstone supported 

 the resolution, which was opposed by Colo- 

 nel Stanley and Lord Sandon. The resolution 

 was negatived by 289 to 183. The "Times" 



