The Week.

hands of members , and he implored the House not to waste time while discussing them in suggesting motives which bad never existed . He promised further to lay on tho table amendments in the latter part of the bill which had been made accessary by the extension of the franchise . There was a short discussion after Mr . Disraeli had -sat down , in which

Mr . Laing indicated his disappointment tbnt his proposal for grouping had not been adopted . Mr . Caldwell pressed for some definite information as to where the additional members for Scotland were to come from . In winding-up the discussion . Mr . Disraeli answered this question by stating that the Government proposed to increase the total number of members of the

House . Progress was then reported . —On the motion for going into committee of supply , Mr . H . Baillie called attention to the ordnance branch of the AVar Department . He moved for a select committee to inquire into its constitution and working At some length ho contended that tiie amalgamation of the department with tbe AVar Office had boon productive of much

evil . He especially found fault with the manner in which the Ordnance Committee had done its work , and contended that there had been much of favouritism shown to Sir AA . Armstrong and others . Sir J . Hay endeavoured to controvert some of Mr . Baillie ' s statements , which were defended by Lord Elcho . Sir J . Pakington mildly defended the department , and urged that

the motion for a committee should be withdrawn . Mr . Baillie consented to withdraw his motion . —The House then went into committee of supply , and on the first vote in naval estimates , Admiral Erskine called attention at some length to the condition of the Royal Jfav . il Reserve , which , he contended , was far from satisfactory . An interesting discussion followed . The Speaker with his usual punctuality , was iu attendance on the 14 th inst . at tii o o'clock , but lion , members were not so

particular , and consequently ten minutes elapsed before a House was made . The leader of the House was not in his place when the chair was taken , but the Home Secretary was on the Treasury bench , and the front Opposition bench was in the sole occupation of Mr . A . Bruce . A question was put to Mr . G . Harpy by Mr . 0 . Stanley for the purpose of ascertaining whether it was the duty of Colonel AA'ilson to assist the police in

restraining the outrages of the mob during the recent march of the City of London militia through some of the streets of the metropolis . Mr . G . Hardy explained that no information had been given to the police authorities that the march was to take place through the streets , and in that way they accounted far a sufficient force of police not being in attendance . He was

unacquainted with the military law , but looking to what had occurred with respect to the volunteer force , he did not think the soldier so put off the duties of citizenship that he should not assist civilians when he saw felonies committed in his presence . The Report of Supply was brought up and received . The remainder of the morning sitting was occupied by

the consideration in committee of the A ' accination Bill . — At the evening sitting , ou the motion for going into committee of supply , Major Anson brought forward a motion for striking out of the records of the House a petition which Mr . Bri ght presented some time ago from Mr . Frederick Harrison and others as to the Fenians . Major Anson and his supporters , Mr .

Baillie Cochrane , Mr . Darby Griffith , Colonel JNTorth , etit genus omne , seeing that Mr . Bright was not in his place , made furious attacks upon him . Mr . Forster , Mr . Mill , Mr . Ifeate , and other gentlemen did not think Mr . Bright needed any defender , and as to the motion , ridiculed it . The discussion was warm . ¦ Among the questions in the House of Commons on the 17 th inst . was one by Mr . AV . E . Forster , in reference to the recent order affecting volunteers and popular disturbances . He wished

to know whether , if under these instructions the volunteers were required to act , they would be under the orders of their commanding officers . Sir John Pakington , with some reservation , said that they would not . Another question was , whether when acting to quell disturbances the volunteers would use the arms served out by Government , ancl , if so , under what

regulations . Sir John thought they would use the arms , but there were no regulations on the subject . A third question was , whether the new instructions abrogated tho orders issued by Lord Herbert some time ago . Sir John Pakington said they did not .- —The other topic of interest in the business of the night was the Reform Bill . First , the Chancellor of the Exchequer

made known that the Government intend to break their promise about a Reform Bill for Ireland . That bill was promised for after AA'hitsuutide . Now it is postponed indefinitely—the only thing certain about it being that it will not be brought in this session . The plea for this delay is tho disturbed condition of Ireland . That is to say , a measure which it may fairly be

hoped would , if carried , help materially to lessen discontent in Ireland , is postponed because discontent exists in Ireland . The Speaker took the chair at ton minutes past two o'clock on the ISth inst . The Chancellor of the Exchequer and other leading members were in their places , so were Mr . Bright and Mr . Lowe , or rather , Mr . Lowe sat on the front Opposition

bench , on which were also seated Sir George Grey , Mr . AV . E .. Forster , Mr . Headlam , and Mr . Knatchbull-Hugessen . Mr . Gladstone subsequently took his place as Opposition leader . There were certain indications about the House that the proceedings would be rather lively , and that some of the fire c £ the evening debates would be imported into the morning discussion . The Serjeant-at-Arms was besieged by a crowd of members seeking for admission orders to the Ladies' Gallery ,.

and the earnestness with which they pressed their claims gave rise to the suspicion that the impulse under which they acted was of a very irresistible character , —Mr . Bright presented a petition from Birmingham praying for increased representation for that town , and Mr . Lowe presented a petition from the Vice-Chancellor , etc ., of the University of London against the

association of that University for electoral purposes with the University of Durham . —Iu reply to Mr . Monsell , Mr . Hardy stated that ho had received a letter from the Mayor of Birmingham with respect to the rioting in that town , and tho Mayor stated ho had received additional military aid , and had called out thirty pensioners , and that at the time he wrote

everything was perfectly quiet . —At the evening sitting Mr . Fawcett brought forward his motion declaring it to be expedient that Trinity College , Dublin , should not be confined to members of the Established Church . On the I 9 th inst ., in reply to questions put by Colonel Biddulph respecting the famous march of the London Militia through the metropolitan

streets , and tho outrages of the attendant roughs , Sir John Pakington explained it was the duty of the AVar Office to lay down rules for her Majesty ' s regular forces while they were on march , but it was no part of their duty to lay down rules for the militia , who were under the authority of the Lord Lieutenant of tho county to which they belonged . Sfo

communication had taken place between the Lord Lieutenant and the AA ar Office ou this subject . Except on some points immediately connected with duties of the Secretary of AVar , it was no part of the duty of the AA ar Office to preserve the peace of London . In reply to another question addressed to hira as to whether the law laid down by Archbold on the subject was correct , he suggested that the inquiry shonld rather be addressed to the law officers . He had no reason to doubt the correctness of the law as it had been laid down .