Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Week.
for Foreign Affairs , and by several members of the Royal Household . In passing through Windsor , ancl again in passing from Paddington Station to tbe Palace , great crowds assembled to see the Queen , and her Majesty graciousl y but heartily returned the respectful courtesies with which she was everywhere greeted . The Prince and Princess of Wales are dispensing tbe hospitalities of royalty at Marlborough House
. ¦ IMPEBIAD PAELIAMENT . —In the HOUSE OF LOEDS on Thursday , the 7 th inst . . Lord Russell , in reply to a question from Lord Shaftesbury , who strongly denounced the Prussian bombardment of Sonderburg , said he had received no official intelligence respecting that event , and must , therefore , decline to express a decided opinion upon the matter . On Friday , the
business was only formal . On Monday , an animated discussion took place on the conduct of the Government respecting Danish affairs . Lord Stratheden submitted a motion strongly censuring Government for the course they had adopted , and called on the House to express an opinion that in the approaching Conference the British Plenipotentiary should take such a
course as to convince Europe that her Majesty ' s Government adhered to the treaties by which Schleswig had been guaranteed to Denmark . The Duke of Argyll said there was no ground for censuring the Government for not having prevented the present war . He approved the doctrine of Lord Derby , that Government should not come to Parliament for a policy , ancl
said he thought they ought to approach the Conference freely , and without impediment . In entering the Conference , their object should be to restore the peace of Europe , to secure , as far as they could , the liberties of Schleswig ancl Holstein , ancl to reconcile them with the integrity and independence of Denmark . Earl Grey regretted that Lord Russell's interference only led to the use of irritating language , and he stronglv
denounced the "barbarous and savage" manner in which Austria and Prussia were conducting the war . Earl Russell said the substance of the accusation against the Government amounted to this—they had not gone to war , and they had preserved tbe country in peace . He traced all the difficulties of the Danish question to the treaty of 1 S 51 . The motion was withdrawn . On Tuesday the Marquis of Westmeatb . moved
the second reading of a bill providing that , in cases where two or more persons have been concerned in the commission of the offence , the lash shall he added to the punishment at present inflicted for outrages upon women . — -Lord Grey complained of tbe inequality of the sentences passed upon criminals by different judges , ancl in this complaint Lord Wensleydale concurred .
The Lord Chancellor , however , feared that any interference on his part with the acts of the Judges would produce more harm than good . The Government offered no opposition to Lord Westmeath ' s bill , which was read a second time . —Lord Carnarvon moved for correspondence relating to the case of Hall , the Birmingham murderer , who was recently respited ,
and complained of the course which the Home Secretary had taken in . this ancl other similar cases . The Lord Chancellor defended the conduct of Sir George Grey in the Townley case , affirming that in reprieving Townley the Home Secretary had acted upon his advice . He urged that under existing circumstances it was impossible to administer the law in reference to
capital punishment otherwise than it was now administered ; but , if their Lordships thought a change was desirable , they should order an inquiry into the whole subject . On a hint from the noble and learned Lord that the production of the papers asked for would be inconvenient to the public service , Lord Carnarvon withdrew his motion . In the HOUSE OB COMMONS , on Thursday , the 9 th inst ., Mr . Gladstone , as Chancellor of the Exchequer , introduced his
budget . He said that the actual expenditure for 1 S 63-4 had fallen below the estimate by about £ 1 , 250 , 000 . The revenue for the same year produced £ 70 , 203 , 000 , so that after deducting a sum of £ 800 , 000 taken on account of fortineations there was a net surplus of £ 2 , 352 , 000 . Coming to the year 1864-5 , the right lion , gentleman estimates the expenditure at
£ 66 , 890 , 000—a reduction of £ 1 , 393 , 000 on that of the last twelve months . This places him in possession of a surplus of over two millions and a half , which he disposes of by a reduction of the sugar duties ; by taking Id . off the income tax ; by lowering the duty on fire insurances on stock in trade to Is . 6 d . per cent , and several other remissions of minor importance . He
declines to touch the malt tax , and insurances on buildings and furniture he proposes to charge at the existing rate . On Friday , Mr . Layard , on the strength of consular reports , confirmed the statements of the existence of a horrible system of kidnapping in the cities of the United States for the recruitment of tbe Federal army . No less than 102
Irishmen had been thus laid hold of in Boston . The attention of the Federal Government had been called to these facts , hut as yet their reply to Lord Lyons ' s representations had not arrived . —After one or two questions of minor importance , Mr . Newdegate moved for a Select Committee to inquire into the allegations contained in the petition of Mr . A . Smee , relative
to the St . Mary ' s , Sydenham , burial-ground , in connection with the Brompton Oratory , in which , it is stated , no register of burials is kept , and no sufficient means is afforded of tracing the graves of deceased persons—and also relative to the spread of monastic and conventual establishments in this country . The motion was opposed by Sir George Grey on the ground that no necessity for such au inquiry existed . Lord Edward Howard ancl the Attorney-General for
Ireland replied indignantly to the statements contained m the petition , and , after some debate , a division was taken , when the motion was rejected by a majority of 33 . On Monday , Mr . Horsman asked whether , considering that the approaching Conference would be held in London , the Ministers of the Crown would consult Parliament on any engagement which might be suggested before it was ratified . Lord
Palmerston said he did not think that any difficulties would arise on such a subject , but he assured the lion , gentleman that if thej' did Government would strictly adhere to the spirit ancl practice of the constitution . —The Annuities and Assurance Bill was referred to a select committee . On Tuesday , Sir H . Willoughby and Mr . Hubbard gave notice of amendments on
Mr . Gladstone ' s resolution relating to the fire insurance duty . Sir H . Willoughby will oppose the proposed exemption in favour of stocks in trade , while the member for Buckingham will move the imposition of a uniform duty of Is . " on all classes of (? fire ) insurance . "—Mr . Horsman gave notice of a resolution to the effect that her Majesty be requested not to give her assent to
any engagements that may be entered into at the Conference on the Danish Duchies until such engagements shall have been made known to Parliament . —Lord Palmerston , in reply to a question from Mr . Darby Griffith , said the Sultan had recently ordered that forced labour should be discontinued in Egypt ; but an extension of time had since been granted . His Lordship ,
referring to the Suez Canal works , expressed his regret that 30 , 000 or 40 , 000 men who might be profitably employed in the cultivation of cotton , should be now occupied in digging a canal " through a sandy desert , and in making two harbours in deep mud and shallow water . "—Mr . Milner Gibson , in reply to a question from Mr . Maguire , said the light at Roche's Point was being altered , and would serve to indicate to ships approaching Cork harbour , the position of Daunt ' s Rock ,
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Week.
for Foreign Affairs , and by several members of the Royal Household . In passing through Windsor , ancl again in passing from Paddington Station to tbe Palace , great crowds assembled to see the Queen , and her Majesty graciousl y but heartily returned the respectful courtesies with which she was everywhere greeted . The Prince and Princess of Wales are dispensing tbe hospitalities of royalty at Marlborough House
. ¦ IMPEBIAD PAELIAMENT . —In the HOUSE OF LOEDS on Thursday , the 7 th inst . . Lord Russell , in reply to a question from Lord Shaftesbury , who strongly denounced the Prussian bombardment of Sonderburg , said he had received no official intelligence respecting that event , and must , therefore , decline to express a decided opinion upon the matter . On Friday , the
business was only formal . On Monday , an animated discussion took place on the conduct of the Government respecting Danish affairs . Lord Stratheden submitted a motion strongly censuring Government for the course they had adopted , and called on the House to express an opinion that in the approaching Conference the British Plenipotentiary should take such a
course as to convince Europe that her Majesty ' s Government adhered to the treaties by which Schleswig had been guaranteed to Denmark . The Duke of Argyll said there was no ground for censuring the Government for not having prevented the present war . He approved the doctrine of Lord Derby , that Government should not come to Parliament for a policy , ancl
said he thought they ought to approach the Conference freely , and without impediment . In entering the Conference , their object should be to restore the peace of Europe , to secure , as far as they could , the liberties of Schleswig ancl Holstein , ancl to reconcile them with the integrity and independence of Denmark . Earl Grey regretted that Lord Russell's interference only led to the use of irritating language , and he stronglv
denounced the "barbarous and savage" manner in which Austria and Prussia were conducting the war . Earl Russell said the substance of the accusation against the Government amounted to this—they had not gone to war , and they had preserved tbe country in peace . He traced all the difficulties of the Danish question to the treaty of 1 S 51 . The motion was withdrawn . On Tuesday the Marquis of Westmeatb . moved
the second reading of a bill providing that , in cases where two or more persons have been concerned in the commission of the offence , the lash shall he added to the punishment at present inflicted for outrages upon women . — -Lord Grey complained of tbe inequality of the sentences passed upon criminals by different judges , ancl in this complaint Lord Wensleydale concurred .
The Lord Chancellor , however , feared that any interference on his part with the acts of the Judges would produce more harm than good . The Government offered no opposition to Lord Westmeath ' s bill , which was read a second time . —Lord Carnarvon moved for correspondence relating to the case of Hall , the Birmingham murderer , who was recently respited ,
and complained of the course which the Home Secretary had taken in . this ancl other similar cases . The Lord Chancellor defended the conduct of Sir George Grey in the Townley case , affirming that in reprieving Townley the Home Secretary had acted upon his advice . He urged that under existing circumstances it was impossible to administer the law in reference to
capital punishment otherwise than it was now administered ; but , if their Lordships thought a change was desirable , they should order an inquiry into the whole subject . On a hint from the noble and learned Lord that the production of the papers asked for would be inconvenient to the public service , Lord Carnarvon withdrew his motion . In the HOUSE OB COMMONS , on Thursday , the 9 th inst ., Mr . Gladstone , as Chancellor of the Exchequer , introduced his
budget . He said that the actual expenditure for 1 S 63-4 had fallen below the estimate by about £ 1 , 250 , 000 . The revenue for the same year produced £ 70 , 203 , 000 , so that after deducting a sum of £ 800 , 000 taken on account of fortineations there was a net surplus of £ 2 , 352 , 000 . Coming to the year 1864-5 , the right lion , gentleman estimates the expenditure at
£ 66 , 890 , 000—a reduction of £ 1 , 393 , 000 on that of the last twelve months . This places him in possession of a surplus of over two millions and a half , which he disposes of by a reduction of the sugar duties ; by taking Id . off the income tax ; by lowering the duty on fire insurances on stock in trade to Is . 6 d . per cent , and several other remissions of minor importance . He
declines to touch the malt tax , and insurances on buildings and furniture he proposes to charge at the existing rate . On Friday , Mr . Layard , on the strength of consular reports , confirmed the statements of the existence of a horrible system of kidnapping in the cities of the United States for the recruitment of tbe Federal army . No less than 102
Irishmen had been thus laid hold of in Boston . The attention of the Federal Government had been called to these facts , hut as yet their reply to Lord Lyons ' s representations had not arrived . —After one or two questions of minor importance , Mr . Newdegate moved for a Select Committee to inquire into the allegations contained in the petition of Mr . A . Smee , relative
to the St . Mary ' s , Sydenham , burial-ground , in connection with the Brompton Oratory , in which , it is stated , no register of burials is kept , and no sufficient means is afforded of tracing the graves of deceased persons—and also relative to the spread of monastic and conventual establishments in this country . The motion was opposed by Sir George Grey on the ground that no necessity for such au inquiry existed . Lord Edward Howard ancl the Attorney-General for
Ireland replied indignantly to the statements contained m the petition , and , after some debate , a division was taken , when the motion was rejected by a majority of 33 . On Monday , Mr . Horsman asked whether , considering that the approaching Conference would be held in London , the Ministers of the Crown would consult Parliament on any engagement which might be suggested before it was ratified . Lord
Palmerston said he did not think that any difficulties would arise on such a subject , but he assured the lion , gentleman that if thej' did Government would strictly adhere to the spirit ancl practice of the constitution . —The Annuities and Assurance Bill was referred to a select committee . On Tuesday , Sir H . Willoughby and Mr . Hubbard gave notice of amendments on
Mr . Gladstone ' s resolution relating to the fire insurance duty . Sir H . Willoughby will oppose the proposed exemption in favour of stocks in trade , while the member for Buckingham will move the imposition of a uniform duty of Is . " on all classes of (? fire ) insurance . "—Mr . Horsman gave notice of a resolution to the effect that her Majesty be requested not to give her assent to
any engagements that may be entered into at the Conference on the Danish Duchies until such engagements shall have been made known to Parliament . —Lord Palmerston , in reply to a question from Mr . Darby Griffith , said the Sultan had recently ordered that forced labour should be discontinued in Egypt ; but an extension of time had since been granted . His Lordship ,
referring to the Suez Canal works , expressed his regret that 30 , 000 or 40 , 000 men who might be profitably employed in the cultivation of cotton , should be now occupied in digging a canal " through a sandy desert , and in making two harbours in deep mud and shallow water . "—Mr . Milner Gibson , in reply to a question from Mr . Maguire , said the light at Roche's Point was being altered , and would serve to indicate to ships approaching Cork harbour , the position of Daunt ' s Rock ,