POSTSCRIPT.
SATURDAY MORNING.
In the House of Commons yesterday, the Speaker had to take his seat at the clerks' table and wait for Members to make a House. Mr. W. Williams was the fortieth member, and received an ovation as he entered. The House went into Committee of Supply ; Sir JOHN SHELLEY vindi- cated the metropolitan vestries from "the aspersions" of Mr. Cowper ; Colonel DUNNE objected to the vote of 100,440/. for parks ; Mr. BARROW, Mr. Avarox, Mr. HENLEY, Lord ST. LENNOX, Lord FERMOY, all pro- tested against "the horse-ride." Mr. COWPER vindicated himself and the ride. Several Members objected to other items. On a division, there were 15 for and 55 against the amendment. Mr. A. Smith moved to re- duce the vote by 26001. for, Battersea Park, but lost his amendment by 55 votes against 31. Votes for Richmond Park, Court of Probate, and Ambassadors' residences were also objected to, but unsuccessfully.
The House resumed at six o'clock.
Mr. BRIGHT called the attention of the House to the present Excise-duty upon pper q . He said he had no definite ution to put to the Chancellor o
the Exachequer, but he had to make one ores two suggestions to the Govern-
f ment and the House. He would suggest to Lord Fermoy not to press the motion of which he had given notice to a division, unless he had the consent and the support of the Government. He (Mr. Bright) would rather that the House should stay where it was, awkward as it was, than that it should do anything to make it worse. He could not help thinking that the Chan- cellor of the Exchequer was in an inferior position to that he occupied at the commencement of the session, and that he and the House had been subjected to an influence which, if persisted in, would lead to oat difficulties, if not to disaster. After adverting to the course which Lord Chatham and Mr. Can- ning adopted in a similar state of affairs, the honourable gentleman sug- gested that the Government should introduce into the House a bill to sus- pend the collection of the Excise-duty on paper until March or April next, which would give time when Parliament met again'for the introduction of a bill to abolish the Excise-duty for ever. Lord EstmEnsrax said he had hoped that the question had been suffi- ciently discussed. He thought it would have been better if the honourable gentleman had made his suggestions when the matter was under the con- sideration of the House. He did not think that the occasion required more than he (Lord Palmerston) had done, and that the course he had adopted was one which adequately asserted the dignity of the House. Nothing could be worse than such puling lamentations as these in which the honourable gentleman had indulged, more especially when he admitted that nothing public could be done.
Mr. H. SHERIDAN asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether with reference to Syria it is the intention of her Majesty's Govern- mtmt to limit our aid to a naval equadro whether, .n, and whether in the event of the horrible massacres being continued, it is the intention to send troops.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL replied that a naval squadron had been sent to the coast of Syria, and the marines would be landed if their aid was necessary to prevent the recurrence of the massacres. He had been informed by the Turkish Ambassador in London, that 400 persons had been arrested for com- plicity in the massacres, and, an extraordinary tribunal having been esta- blished, several persons had been condemned, and all who were found guilty would be executed. Fuad Pacha had reported that the Turkish troops were behaving with the greatest loyalty in the support of order. He (Lord John Russell) trusted that under these circumstances it would not be necessary to send more troops to Syria beyond the French force already despatched. If this necessity did arise, it would be for the Great Powers to decide what was to be done, but he believed that the energetic steps which were being taken by Fuad Pacha would restore tranquillity in Syria at no very distant date. The House was left sitting when we went to press.
In the Lords, Lord GRANVILLE said the Government wished to proceed with the Clearances Inwards and Liens upon Freight Bill " if the House had no objection." Lord REDESDALE protested as to the mode of doing business ; noble lords had left town. The second reading of the Poor law Relief (Ireland) Bill was moved by Lord WODEHOUSE. Lord MONTEAGLE objected; it contained a bounty to mothers to desert their children. Lord REDESDALE moved an amendment that certain clauses of the bill were not of urgent character. The House divided—For the amendment, 34; against, 30. The clauses objected to were withdrawn and the bill read a second time.
The Chancery Evidence Commission Bill was read a second time. On the motion that the Militia Ballot Bill be read a third time.
Lord DERBY repeated his suggestion that the ages should be from 16 to 35, instead of from 18 to 30. As, however, the Government entertained a different opinion, he would not trouble them to divide the House.
Earl GRANVILLE, in reply, pointed out that this bill was a departure from their general usage, it being a substitution of compulsory for voluntary military service, and therefore it was thought advisable to restrict the inter- val of age as much as possible. The bill was then read a third time and passed.
The Duke of Altos's. moved the second reading of the European Forces (India) Bill. The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH entered his protest against the measure, and pointed out the dangers which would arise from the destruction of the European force in India, which the bill effected. He contended that the proposed changes would not offer inducements to officers to become pro- ficient in the native languages, and acquainted with the habits of the Na- tives, and that its tendency would be to destroy that good feeling upon which alone the future peace of India must depend. The Duke of CAMBRIDGE regretted the couclusions at which the Earl of Ellenborough had arrived. Since the late mutiny of the local troops, he had heard the question carefully discussed among the highest authorities, and the opinion to which he had arrived was, that the time had now come for amalgamating the local European force with her Majesty's Army.
The Earl of DERBY said that he could not shut his eyes to the fact, that this amalgamation of the Indian forces had received the sanction of a large majority, of the House of Commons, and now, after the expression of opinion by the illustrious Duke, and other high authorities, after having arrived at the conclusion that the Government were determined upon making the change, he would not advise the rejection of the measure.
Lord CLYDE, who was almost inaudible in the gallery, but who was most attentively listened to and cheered by the Peers, concurred in what had fallen from the Duke of Cambridge, and said, that in his opinion, such was the laxity of discipline in the local European army, that it was absolutely necessary it should be placed under the authority of Queen's officers. After a few words from Earl GRANVILLE in reply, the bill was read a second time.
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