POSTSCRIPT.
SATURDAY.
The labours of the House of Commons in Committee on the Bribery Bill were resumed last night, and five hours were spent in debating the matters in connexion with the new election-officer. This arose in con- sidering clause 17, which provides for -the appointment of election- officers to audit the expenses of candidates. The candidate must not pay a farthing of the legal expenses except through the election-officer; and all bills must be transmitted to him by the candidate within a month, under the respective penalties of 501. and 20/. for every week of default. The officer is to be appointed by the candidates, or if they cannot agree, by the returning-officer; and he is to receive 10/. from every candidate and 2 per cent upon all payments. The main questions debated by the Com- mittee were, who should appoint this officer—the candidates, the judges, or the returning-officers ? and whether he should be appointed before or after the nomination ? Sir Sons SHELLEY moved an amendment, to the effect that the officer should be appointed after the nomination ; so that the bona fide candidates might settle the matter. But he withdrew this amendment ; because the result of the long discussion on the question as to who should appoint was an amendment suggested by Sir FITZROY KELLY, and adopted by the Committee, to the effect "that once a year, in the month of August, the returning-officer of every place returning a Member or Members to serve in Parliament should appoint an election- officer, to be called Auditor of the Election Expenses, to act at the election during the year next ensuing, and to serve until another election- officer be appointed." Thus amended, the clause was carried by 133 to 74.
On clause 21, enacting that no payment shall be made except through the election-officer, and except personal and advertising expenses, Mr. J. D. FITZGERALD noticed that, by a proviso to the clause, proof of pay- ment of any unauthorized expense involved the loss of a seat ; and he moved an amendment, substituting a penalty of 10/. instead thereof. Lord Joule Russet', and Mr. WALPOLE agreed that 10/. was too severe a penalty for an accidental payment. Finally, the words making void the seat were struck out, but the amount of the penalty was reserved. Lord ROBERT GROSVENOR divided the Committee against the clause; but it was carried by 148 to 67.
On the motion of Lord DUDLEY STUART, the Russian Government Se- curities Bill was read a second time. The object of the bill is to render the purchase or dealing with securities issued by the Russian Govern- ment, during the present war between Russia and England, a misde- meanour. Although lending money to the enemy is high treason, yet there is no law to prevent the purchase of securities. Lord PALMERSTON said, before the bill arrived at the next stage, the Government would con- sider whether its provisions could be adopted.
In reply to Sir GILBERT HEATHOOTE, Mr. SIDNEY HERBERT stated, that hospital-waggons have been prepared and sent out in a steamer to accompany a corps formed for the express purpose of removing the sick and wounded from the field. With regard to the clothing of the troops, as our army is dispersed all over the globe, it is necessary to make the clothing long before it is wanted, and therefore any change in the dress will not come into operation before next year. But, by the desire of Lord Raglan, orders have been given that all the clothing for the troops in Turkey, should be made much larger and looser than customary, with a view to enable the men to wear, during the winter, woollen under their clothing ; of which a large supply has been ordered, and will be sent out. As regards equipment, there is a misapprehension abroad. It is supposed that the English soldier carries a greater weight than the soldier of any other service: but officers declare their astonishment at the enormous weights the French carry ; the expression used to him by an officer of great distinction was, that the equipment of an English soldier is as a feather compared with that of the French.
On the motion for going into Committee on the Poor-law Commission Continuance (Ireland) Bill, Colonel DUNNE raised an opposition, and said he would divide the House unless the limit of the Commission were re- duced from five years to two. The Heim decided to go into Committee, by 82 to 45. In Committee, Colonel DUNNE moved that the Chairman should report progress. Negatived by 90 to 28. The bill then passed through Committee.
In the House of Lords, moving for returns, the Earl of SHAFTESBURY defended the Board of Health from attacks made in another place. It was asserted that the Board of Health had by its misconduct com- pletely checked sanitary improvement, and had disgusted the whole country by its despotic behaviour. In disproof of these assertions, he stated, that out of 182 places wherein the act has been applied 168 had petitioned for it according to law, and in 14 it had been applied on the representation of Town-Councils. He read letters from provincial au- thorities, offering to refute these accusations from their own experience. He flatly denied that the Board bad acted in defiance of the Govern- ment. He described Lord Seymour as lax in his attendance at the Board during his tenure of office ; and defended Mr. Edwin Chadwick and Dr. Southwood Smith from the dirty imputation made by Lord Seymour that they only thought of their salaries. The Bishop of LoNnoss the Earl of CARLISLE, and Lord BROUGHAM, bore testimony to the characters of Mr. Chadwick and Dr. Smith. The returns were ordered.
On a motion for returns of instructions, not already laid before Parlia- ment, from the Secretary of State to the Governor of New Zealand, Lord LrrrezroN made the opportunity for raising "one voice," as some satis- faction to the colonists, in denunciation of the arbitrary and unjustifiable proceedings of Sir George Grey. In its general tenour Lord Lyttel- ton's bill of indictment was much the same with that advanced in the House of Commons by Mr. Adderley, less elaborate in its multiplica- tion of details, but larger in its application to the managing policy of Governor Grey, and dwelling principally on two points—the arbitrary anticipation of a legislative act in reducing the price of land, and the de- lay in convening the General Assembly ; with some glance at the servile position of the Judge before whom the land question was brought, and at Sir George Grey's hasty departure from the colony. Yet in spite of this conduct he bad been rewarded, and promoted to the Governorship of the Cape. The Duke of NEWCASTLE adopted the defence put forward by the representatives of the Colonial Office in the other House; dwelling much on Sir George Grey's assiduity and ability ; describing him as a man invidiously pursued with accusations; insisting that he had fulfilled the law, with no more than an exercise of just discretion ; and appealing to addresses from the Natives in proof of Sir George Grey's humanity and tact in treating that part of the colonial population. Into this technical defence the Duke threw the frankness and heartiness of his own disposition; and, vindica- ting the Governor's departure from the colony, be rested much on his natural anxiety to see his dying mother, after a protracted service abroad. It was a gratification to the Duke to reward and promote so excellent an officer as Sir George Grey : he who has been so eminently successful in ame- liorating the Natives of New Zealand is the best man to send to the Cape, for the prevention of such costly and inglorious wars as those against Zulus and Caffres.—There was no opposition made to the production of the returns.
Previous page
