Mah. 2,] 



THE NEWSPAPER. 



[181*. 



filled by butlers and other servants of influential individuals; 

 and also of the want of a sufficient fund to provide a "retired 

 list M for old officers, and thus, by the equitable promotion of 

 younger men, enable the navy to be kept in >n efficient state. 

 He also pleaded for a proper rating' of the important class of 

 masters who at present rank in an inferior grade below the 

 youngest and junior officers. The changes which he proposed to 

 introduce into the Board of Admiralty were intended to effect 

 such a subdivision of duty as would secure an efficient perform- 

 ance of it, from the First Lord downwards.— Mr. Sydney Her- 

 bert (Secretary to the Admiralty) was favourable to the employ- 

 ment of naval men in the civil service of the Admiralty, and was 

 instrumental in promoting it. But old men were inefficient, and 

 young men as soon as they had learned their business were apt 

 to be taken on active service, by which an inconvenient change 

 of servants would be coutinually maintained. He did not see 

 what was to be gained by a change in the Board of Admiralty; 

 st present there was a responsible officer at the head of each 

 department ; there was a fair day's work for each, but not more 

 than any industrious man could undertake, though he admitted 

 that in time of war an increase might be necessary.— Captain 

 Pkchkm, thought that no sufficient answer had been made to the 

 statement of Sir C. Napier. He therefore went into various pro- 

 fessional details in order to prove that the defect of due super, 

 vision in the building of men-of-war, the manning of the navy, 

 &c M rendered a change necessary.— Dr. Bowring made some 

 observations upon the mode of keeping the accounts and 

 making- the payments of the various naval departments.— Cap- 

 tain Pllwi ridge said a few words in favour of the masters- 

 After which, Sir C. Napier withdrew his motion.— The House, 

 having resolved Itself into committee, Mr. S. Herbkrt rose to 

 propose the Naval Estimates. As great a reduction had been 

 effected as was consistent with the efficiency of our navy and the 

 protection of our interests in all parts of the world. It is the 

 intention of Government to re-establish Deptford as a building 

 yard; schools are established for the instruction of youths in 

 naval architecture ; and various changes have been made in 

 order to render the whole of our naval yards more effective, and 

 maintain our ship-building superiority. After running over the 

 different classes of items, explaining where there had been in- 

 crease and where reduction, be moved a vote of 36,000 men and 

 2000 boys for the naval service.— Mr. Williams questioned the 

 reason of the large number of Marines employed on shore, which 

 was 2500 more than in 1835-38. — Sir G. Cockburn explained 

 that the Marine force on shore was extremely valuable, from the 

 readiness with which they could be shipped in case of any sud- 

 den emergency of war. — Sir C. Napirr agreed in the propriety 

 of maintaining our navy fully manned.— Some conversation fol- 

 lowed on professional and other points, after which the vote 

 was agreed to, as was another, after which further progress with 

 the Estimates was suspended, and the House resumed.— The 

 further consideration of the Horse-racing Penalties Bill was then 

 brought on, and Mr. C. Berrri.by proposed a clause to extend 

 the protection of the Act to all games and sports.— Dr. Bownixo 

 seconded the motion, not understanding the exclusive legisla- 

 tion which would protect one fashionable sport and leave others 

 open to penal action. — Mr. J. Wortley saw no analogy be- 

 tween cock-fighting and other cruel sports and betting at horse- 

 racing. The bill, too, merely suspended certain actions till a 

 committee, now sitting, had reported on the gaming laws, with 

 a view to their revision. —Mr. C. Berkeley withdrew hisamend- 

 ment, and the bill passed through this stage of its progress, 

 r Tuesday. — In answer to Mr. Hixdlev, Sir R. Peel said that 

 there was every reason to believe that the French Government 

 had deliberately, and of their own voluntary feeling, disavowed 

 the proceedings of the French admiral, Dupetit Thouars, in tak- 

 ing possession of Tahiti; and that, therefore, our Protestant 

 missionaries, to whom so much was due, would be freed from 

 all apprehensions.— Sir J. Graham, in reply to Mr. Bortiiwick, 

 said he was not prepared to make any alteration in the discre- 

 tionary and responsible power now vested in the Poor-Law 

 Commissioners, with respect to the appointment of chaplains to 

 Poor-Law Union workhouses. — In answer to Mr. Tuhnkr, Sir 

 R. Peel said that the Government had no intention of Intro- 

 ducing any legislative measure on the subject of duelling. Bat 

 the Government were practically discouraging duelling. In the 

 melancholy case of Colonel Fawcctt — a brave officer— his widow 

 was refused the pension to which otherwise she would have 

 been entitled, if her husband had not died in a duel; and Lieut. 

 Munro, who had not come forward at the end of the usual time 

 allowed him, was superseded.— Mr. T. Di/ncombi* asked if, in 

 that case, the practice of the army in trying officers for not fight- 

 ing duels was to b- discontinued ?— Sir R. Peel begged that all 

 discussion might be postponed till the formal introduction of a 

 motion, of which Mr. Turner had given notice.— Mr. Wallack 

 brought forward a motion for reforming the Scotch Law Courts, 

 ■which he prefaced with a lonsr speech, but as he could find no 

 hon. member to second him, the motion fell to the ground.— 

 The Spbakkr announced that the petitioners against the return 

 of Mr. Bright for Durham had declined to prosecute their peti- 

 tion.— Lord John Manners moved an address to the Crown, 

 representing to her Majesty that the detention of Don Carlos and 

 his family, in a town belonging to her Majesty's ally, the King 

 of the French, is opposed to justice and the honour of 

 this country, and humbly praying her Majesty to intercede 

 with the Court of the Tuileries for their deliverance 

 therefrom. The noble Lord quoted the declaration of Mr. Pitt 

 that when the justice, the hooogr, or the policy of this country 

 was implicated, it was bound to interfere in case* similar to the 

 present. He described the injustice to which In his opinion Don 

 Carlos has been subjected by the late Government, which left 

 the consummation of their persecutions to the Government now 

 in office. The interference of a British Government had lost 

 D^nCailos his crown; that interference had forced him to take 

 refuge in France, it also deprived him of liberty ; and now, after 

 five years of a cruel and rigorous imprisonment, was it too much 

 to ask another British Government to interfere to have him re- 

 stored to his liberty ? —Sir R. Pkkl criticised the terms of the mo- 

 tion, which censured the detention of Don Carlos as being op. 

 posed to u the hhnour and justice," not of France, but u of this 

 country." The French Government had formally intimatedthat 

 the detention of Don Cailos originated, not in the conditions of 

 the Quadruple Treaty, or from the representations of England, 

 but from an exclusive view of French interests and policy. D:in 

 Carlos, though an illustrious prince, was still a refugee; and 

 having claimed French hospitality, was amenable to the French 

 Hvis applicable to refugees, of whom there were no less than 

 12,000 Spanish, including Cabrera, in the French dominions. 

 We could not interfere with the free action of independent 

 countries ; were we to do so, it would afford at once a dangerous 

 and an unlimited precedent. Looking to the distracted state of 

 Spain, he was willing to give his own individual opinion, that 

 the French Government, if they acted on their own established 

 law, were quite justified in preventing Don Carlos from return- 

 ing to that country and adding a new element of discord to its 

 affairs. At the same time, he deprecated any harsh exercise of 

 power towards an illustrious member of the House of Bourbnn. 

 But, so far from being imprisoned, Don Carlos had a ranee of 

 four leagues round Bourges, and no other restraint was laid 

 upon him than was consistent with preventing his return 

 to Spain ; lie would be set at liberty if he would give an 

 engagement that he would retire to any other part of Europe 

 Mr. SMVTim spoke warmly in support of the morion, and Lord 

 Paj.mkrsto.v vindicated briefly the policy of the late Govern- 

 ment in Spain, which he contended was consistent with sound 

 policy and true humanity. He concurred with Sir It. Peel in 

 opinion as to the absurd and undignified position In which the 

 motion would place this country, and the danger which would 

 result from the return of Don Carlos to Spain. It was the inte- 

 rest of England that Spain should be independent, prosperous, 

 and national j and htr support should be given not to any fac- 



tion, but to the party which was most likely to achieve these re- 

 sults.— Mr. B. Cochrane stated that he had been lately at 

 Bourges, and found Don Carlos lodged in a miserable room, his 

 whole accommodation consisting of three apartments for himself, 

 with a pittance of about 700/. a-year. And this was the treatment 

 given to a Prince whom it had been stipulated to regard as an 

 Infante of Spain. Wherever he went he had four gensd'armes 

 and two agents of police to follow him, and to watch his move- 

 ments; and the feeling of the Prince was, that the manner in 

 which he was treated was sanctioned by England. — Sir C. Napier 

 and Sir H. Douglas opposed the motion.— Mr. Borthwick and 

 Mr. M. Milnes supported it. — Mr. M. Gore suggested that, as 

 all the practical purposes of the notice had been sufficiently 

 served, and the cause of humanity vindicated by the expression 

 of sentiments which the question had evoked, the Noble Mover 

 would do well not to press it to a division.— Lord J. Manners 

 acquiesced, and the motion was negatived without a division. — 

 Capt. Berxal moved for the copy of an address presented to the 

 Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, from the Dublin Protestant Opera- 

 tive Association and Reformation Society, dated the 14th day of 

 Oct., 1 843 ; together with the official reply of the Lord Lieutenant, 

 dated Vice-Regal Lodge, Oct. 16, 1813 j and divided the House— 

 For the motion, 84 ; against it, 105 ; majority, 71. — On the third 

 reading of the Horse Racing Penalties Bill, Mr, Christie moved 

 the third reading that day six months— For the third reading, 87; 

 against it, 21 ; majority, 65. 



Thursday.— Mr. V. Smith gave notice, for the 14th inst., to 

 move that an alteration be made in the oath taken by Roman 

 Catholics on entering Parliament.— Mr. S. Crawford gave an- 

 other notice for stopping the supplies.— In reply to Mr. Wat- 

 lace, Mr. Gladstones stated that, in all cases where railways 

 were brought before Parliament by Bill, in which any new powers 

 were to be given, it was the intention of Government that those 

 railways should be brought under the operation of the clause re- 

 commended by the railway committee, subjecting them to any 

 general law that might be passed this session.— The Earl of Lin- 

 coln moved for leave to bring in a Bill to regulate the construc- 

 tion of buildings in the metropolis and its neighbourhood. The 

 Act now in force was passed 70 years ago, and therefore many 

 of its provisions were inapplicable to the existing state of the 

 metropolis. The present Bill was similar to that introduced, but 

 not passed, last year, with the exception of the general drainage 

 regulations ; the only regulations in this Bill being that, for the 

 future, no house should be erected without a proper provision 

 being made to secure adequate drainage. He also proposed a 

 clause to prohibit the carrying on of trade likely to occasion loss 

 by fire, and also of trades dangerous to health in crowded locali- 

 ties.— After a complaint by Mr. T. Duncombb of the dilatoriness 

 of the Commissioners of Woods and Forests, in not rebuilding 

 houses and streets which had been pulled down to make room for 

 improvements, leave was given to bring in the Bill.— Mr. Rick 

 called the attention of the House to the report of the committee on 

 shipwrecks, with reference to harbours of refuge, and moved an 

 address to her Majesty, praying that a commission of scientific 

 and competent persons might be appointed to consider and 

 advise the best means of carrying into effect the recommenda- 

 tion of That committee. The hon. Member recommended the 

 port of Dover as one which could be marie the very best harbour 

 of refuge in the world.— Sir J. R. Rkid spoke warmly in favour 

 of making Dover a harbour of refuge, offering to overcome any 

 oruples of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, by raising on ad- 

 vantageous terms any loan that the undertaking might require. 

 — Sir R. Peel thought it rather odd that the two members for 

 Dover should be so earnest on the subject. The east and the 

 west coasts had also their claims; and a report had been made 

 recommending three harbours, each of which would cost two 

 millions. For himself, were he called on for an opinion, he 

 would name Holyhead, by reason of the character of the western 

 coast, and the importance of maintaining prompt communication 

 with Ireland. He did not undervalue the claims of Dover; but 

 looking to the great progress making in steam navigation, and to 

 the vast importance of a harbour of refuge, both for offensive 

 and defensive purposes, in time of war, the subject was deserving 

 of serious consideration. The Government, therefore, intend to 

 appoint a commission for its full and sufficient examination, the 

 members of which shall be composed of the most eminent mem- 

 bers of the profession, well acquainted with the action of tides, 

 currents, sea deposits, &c, and all the other considerations con- 

 ncctcd with a matter of so much importance to this country, 

 looking to the protection of its trade, the security of the 

 country, and so forth. Some further conversation followed, 

 and Mr. Rice having thanked Sir R. Peel for his announce- 

 ment, withdrew his motion.— Sir V. Blakk brought forward 

 a motion for a select committee, to inquire and report 

 how far it may be practicable, expedient, and useful, to pro- 

 mote a more speedy intercourse between Great Britain and 

 America, by the establishment of steam-carriages (in connection 

 with a ship canal also to be executed) across Ireland, and thence 

 by steam communication across the Atlantic— Sir R. Peet. was 

 not ready to accede to the motion, particularly as it went to 

 commit the House to an opinion that Galway was the most 

 eligible terminus of the railway across Ireland, an opinion at 

 variance with those expressed by the Commissioners, who had, 

 in their report, recommended the continuation of two great lnes 

 of railway through Ireland as the preferable means of communi- 

 cation. The first was the south-western, and the other the 

 northern line; and they stated very strong reasons for preferring 

 Cork as the terminus of the great south-western line. They said 

 if a frequent and regular steam communication between England 

 and the United States he established, it appears to us that Cork, 

 as a s'eam-packet station or port of call, would be in every way 

 the most convenient. The Commissioners stated also that Gal- 

 way would derive its full share of advantage from the adoption 

 of the south-western line, as the communication between that 

 place and Dublin would be materially shortened in poiut of time,'; 

 and further, they do not recommend any line of railway that 

 would interfere with the traffic of the two great canals— the 

 Grand Canal and the Royal Canal. If the proposition of the Hon. 

 Member were entertained, the Member for Cork might reasonably 

 ask for a special inquiry on behalf of that city, and the Member 

 for Waterford might corr.e forward and demand a special com- 

 mittee to investigate the peculiar advantages which the place he 

 represented offered as the point of communication. With regard 

 to the interference of the Government in the formation of these 

 propose-d lines of railway, he had that day had an interview with 

 a deputation of gentlemen, who were disposed to construct a 

 railway which would form a south-western line of communica- 

 tion in Ireland, and of which Galway would have its share of 

 advantage, and these gentlemen had informed him that if they 

 had been In time to have served the notices, according to the 

 standing orders, in November last year, they would have been 

 enabled to raise the necessary deposits and capital to complete 

 the line of railway communication between Dublin and Cashel. 

 lie therefore considered that there was no necessity what- 

 ever for Government interference, for it was evident that 

 there were persons in the field ready to undertake the 

 line as a matter of private enterprise and speculation.— Mr 

 sergeant Mukpmv expressed his gratification at ascertain- 

 iug from the deputation to which the right hon. baronet had al- 

 luded, that there was every probability of the line of railway be- 

 tween Dublin end Cashel being speedily carried out; and the 

 statement of Sir R. Peel would have, he was convinced, very 

 great influence in carrying out the proposed enterprise— Sir V. 

 Blakk in reply contended that Galway was the best terminus 

 and therefore he had proposed the committee, lie would how- 

 ever adopt the right honourable baronet's suggestion, and with- 

 draw the moti >n.— The motion was then withdrawn.— A motion 



proclamation of the Irish Government, intended to prevent tt. 

 assembling of a meeting announced to be holden ut «. h * 

 Clontarf on the 8th day of October, 1843, that a risk of ^^ 

 collision was incurred, and a precedent thereby create ,f 0Us 

 ous to the lives and liberties of her Majesty's subjwte^*?' 

 went largely into detail, derived from the information of wSn 

 viduals. in order to show the inconvenience f alarm and ^l 

 which the lateness of the prohibition had caused, and the r 

 quences of which were only obviated by the exertions of *!?* 

 O'Connell, and the peaceable disposition of the people who hn 

 ever were determined on obtaining equal justice.— Mr V Sti a 

 seconded the motion, commenting on the tardiness of theissiii* T 

 the proclamation, and the nature of the indictment against «2 

 traversers. He also expressed an opinion adverse to the maim? 



a rallying 

 sWhig or 



some useful Iiish object.— Lord Eliot recapitulated those tooiS 

 of Government defence with which the public have been maS 

 familiar during the late Irish debate. The prohibition of the Clon 

 tarfmeetingwasfoundedonthepcculiaritythatitwasuistirienishpH 



8 instructions from the 

 Government in England. The proclamation had not been de- 



have suffered the Clontarf meeting, would have sanctioned the 

 defiance of all law and authority ; and there was no blame to be 

 attached to the Government, which had fearlessly and humanely 

 discharged its duty.— Mr. Sowers, Mr. S. Crawford, and Mr 

 E. B. Roche supported the motion. The latter remarked that 

 it was the misfortune of every party to be burdened with brain- 

 less blockheads, whom nothing can control, and one of these 

 was the author of that " repeal cavalry " notification, on which 

 the Government grounded their determination to interfere with 

 the Clontarf meeting.— On a division there appeared, ayes, 62 • 

 noes, 90; Majority 23. — Lord Wors ley moved for leave to bring in 

 a Bill to facilitate the inclosure and improvement of commons and 

 lands held in common. It was his opinion that if the manage- 

 ment of the waste lands were placed under a board properly 

 constituted, the result would be, that in many places where there 

 WM now great difficulty in finding employment for the poor, 

 there would be, in the course of eight or ten years, a larg* 

 number of persons employed in draining the land and inclosing 

 itj that additional encouragemeut would be given to the poor 

 to cultivate the land, to say nothing of the increased produce they 

 might expect to obtain from it. He was connected with a county in 

 which agricultural improvements had been carried into effect to a 

 very great extent. Looking to the state in which that county now 

 was, and its condition thirty years ago, and to the facilities 

 which modern science placed in their hands for further im- 

 provemeuts, he did not despair of seeing a very large portion of 

 England, which was capable of being cultivated, brought into a 

 high state of tillage, and that, be it remembered, by employing 

 persons w r ho were now lamentably in want of employment. He 

 had obtained much information from persons well acquainted 

 with the great changes which had taken place in the course of 

 the last generation in the agriculture of this country, and had 

 received communications from persons well entitled to be con- 

 sidered as authorities on this subject, which all tended to con- 

 firm his views. It might be said, Why do not parties now come 

 to Parliament for power to inclose lands capable of improve- 

 ment ? The answer was, that the expense of passitig an act 

 for that purpose through the House was so great as very ge- 

 nerally to deter them from doing so; and he believed that 

 this was the reason why parties did not oftener apply for in- 

 closure bills. What he wished to propose was, that commis- 

 sioners should be appointed as inclosure commissioners, and 

 that some such plan should be adopted, as that if two-thirds of 

 the parties interested la the land, either as common land or land 

 in common, should wish to have it inclosed, there should be a 

 meeting called, and that then they should make an application to 

 the commissioners, who would send down assistant commis- 

 sioners, who would take into consideration not only the interests 

 of the parties, but the locality and the general advantages to b» 

 derived from the inclosure. Then if they should be of opinion 

 that it would be advantageous to have the inclosure, they would 

 so report to the commissioners. A day would then be appointed 

 for hearing the claims, and after award should have been given 

 upon them, a certain notice should be given to enable the parties 

 to object. Then if one-fourth of the parties objected to the in- 

 closure being proceeded with, they should petition the House of 

 Commons, and give notice to the commissioners not to proceed 

 until six weeks after the meeting of Parliament, or alter the date 

 of the notice. He thought that plan would prevent all hard- 

 ship upon the parties, by giving power to that House to adopt 

 the inclosure if they thought it right, and if not it would 

 prevent great expense and loss. He assured the House that 

 he had endeavoured to form the bill with a strict regard to the 

 rights of the poor, also considering well whether it would be 

 advantageous to the parties to whom the property belonged, as 

 likewise to the population of the surrounding districts; and he 

 hoped the House would allow him to bring in the measure. 

 Much evil had arisen from local acts not having in some instances 

 been fully carried out, and in others unfairly, the consequence of 

 which was, that many persons holding common lands, but really 

 having no title, had been put to great inconvenience in the sale 

 or transfer. He proposed, then, that instead of putting them to 

 the expense of applying to Parliament for powers, an application- 

 to the commissioner! should be sufficient. Some hon. member* 

 were anxious that provision should be made for allotments to the 

 poor; and he conceived that a general inclosure measure was 

 so much wanted, and would be of so much benefit to the country* 

 that if a majority of the House should be of opinion such a clause 

 ought to be added, he would not abandon the hill on that account, 

 although he might not approve such an addition. The nooie 

 lord concluded by moving a "Bill to facilitate the inclosure aj a 

 improvement of commons and lands held in common; ti 

 exchange of lands, and the division of intermixed l ands jVf 

 provide remedies for the defective or incomplete executions, an 

 for the non-execution of the powers of general and l° can "' 

 closure acts, and to provide for the revival of such powers 1 

 certain cases. "—Colonel Sibtijouf, giving evciy credit to Lor 

 Worsley for his desire to uphold the landed interest, was so 

 alarmed by all the innovations on foot, from the Reform BIU ' 

 railroads, that he could not permit this bill of M0 clauses to com 

 Into the House. He was jealous of the host of commissioner 

 which the Bill proposed to create, of the expense of wor *[ D |A e . 

 machinery, ana so forth ; and he was determined to try the s 

 of the House" by a division.— Lord J. Manners should supP^ 

 the Bill in this first 

 anxious to insert such 



of the poor, which if n CT — r . 



Crawford opposed, Mr. Bright, Mr. Trelaw.vky, and a " -^ 

 Borrku supported the Bill.— Colonel Sibtiiorp withtlrew 

 amendment, and leave was given to Lord Worsley to bring 1 

 hi* mil.— The Lord-Advocate obtained leave to bring *" * liu0 

 to amend the law with respect to prisoners and prison Ui^cip 



in Scotland. - A * t vje 



Friday.— Sir W. IIkathcotk moved the second reading w 

 Salisbury Branch Railway Bll.-Mr. B. Wall said he b»" 

 not object to the second reading, but if material alterations ^ 

 not made in committee, he should oppose the Bill on \ ^ 



reading.— After a few word* from Sir W. "katiicotk tnc 

 was read a second time and ordered to be commitu a : ^ oft 

 York and Scarborough Railway Bill, and the Severn i\a>)S» 



