POSTSCRIPT.

SA.T17E.ILY.

The House of Commons witnessed, last night, another exhibition of "Ministerial practice in the art of sinking : Lord Jonst RUSSELL brought forth his third or fourth statement on public business, again postponing and procrastinating, and already, before Easter, beginning his "massacre of the innocents" !

Mr. REYNOLDS having asked whether a bill would be introduced for the abolition of Ministers' Money in Ireland, Lord JOHN RUSSELL replied- " It is absolutely necessary that we should proceed today to the considera- tion of the Army Estimates ; and that the House should receive the report of the Committee of Supply tomorrow. I propose to go into Committee of Supply on Monday on the Army and Ordnance Estimates. On Friday, the Chancellor of the Exchequer will state the alterations he proposes to make in the financial arrangements ; and on the same day he will move, in Committee of Ways and Means, a resolution in respect to the continuance of the Income-tax. We can then go into debate on the motion of the right honourable gentleman the Member for Stamford, unless the right honour- able gentleman should think it inconvenient to do so, at a late hour in the evening; when we can take on Monday evening the debate on that motion. The only days, G when the orders of the day take precedence, at the dis- posal of the Government before Easter, will be applied to the financial arrangements and the remaining Estimates. I very much regret that, in consequence of this necessity, I am unable to proceed, as I should wish to d% immediately after the second reading, with the Ecclesiastical Titles Bill. I cannot proceed with it before Easter, and I stated the other night that I should not take it the first order day after the recess. That will be on Monday the 28th of April. I do not wish to press the matter upon that day, but I think it will be perfectly fair to take it the next order day. I propose, therefore, to take the Committee on the Ecclesiastical Titles Bill on Friday the 2d of May. With regard to some measures of which I

have given notice, one of the most important which I stated I should bring forward in the course of the present session is the bill for the abolition of the office of Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland. It appears that upon the proposal for the abolition of that office, which was made last year, strong feelings have been excited, and the general feeling of Ireland is now favourable to its continuance. My opinions of the advantages to be obtained by the empire, and more especially by Ireland, by the discontinuance of the office, remain unaltered. Seeing the important business to come on, it will make it lute in the session before the bill can be introduced ; and seeing the opinion now prevailing, I do not intend to propose that mea- sure this session. With regard to the question which the honourable gentleman has asked as to the bill for the abolition of Ministers' Money, it was my intention, as I stated at the beginning of the session, to bring in a bill for the purpose ; and if I find that there is time to introduce that measure, I shall introduce it. But I am not prepared to fix the time, or to say absolutely that it will be in my power to introduce that measure this session. This is the statement with respect to the course of public business. I should, how- ever, say, that when the House resolves itself into a Committee on the Eccle- siastical Titles Bill, and has again that matter under consideration, it will be desirable to proceed with the remaining stages of the bill, and finish a matter of that importance as soon as possible after going through Committee." Mr. STANFORD having endeavoured to learn from Lord John Russell whether Government would "resist any attempt to enlarge the scope of the Ecclesiastical Titles Bill, and to render its provisions more strin- gent," Lord JOHN RUSSELL intimated his opinion that it would be quite unnecessary for him to add anything to the statement already made by Sir George Grey, that he intends in Committee to propose certain altera- tions in the bill : if before Easter recess any Member give notice of amendments, Lord John will on the 28th April state the course the Go- vernment will take with regard to those amendments.

On the reading of the order of the day for going into Committee of Supply, Mr. OSEORNE and Mr. WILLIAMS made efforts to extort from the Chancellor of the Exchequer some scrap of information as to his new Budget plans; but without the least success. Mr. HUME raised a general objection to going into Committee of Supply before the Budget is brought forward, on the ground of understanding "that the Budget was to be brought forward after a vote had been taken for men in the Navy." "If the Budget is to be postponed in this manner," objected Mr. Hume, "the Navy, Army, and Ordnance Estimates will all be voted before the House knows what the financial arrangements of the Government are." Some of the Metropolitan Members joined Mr. Hume in his objections ; but as Mr.

DISRAELI declared himself " bound to say there was no understanding that the financial statement should be made on Monday," though unquestionably that course would be gratifying to the House, Mr. Hulse gave in. Ano- ther fight preliminary to the main business was raised by Colonel Dtresse, in reference to Iiilmainham Hospital. A specific motion, presuming that the Government is about to abolish that establishment, and affirming that it ought not to do so, was supported by some Irish Members, and rejected on a division by 137 to 105.

Some more objection to proceeding without the Budget was raised by Metropolitan Members, and at last abandoned ; and then Mr. Fox MAuLe made his official statement respecting the Army Estimates.

The first vote which he asks is one for 98,714 men,—a reduction of 414. The reduction includes the large proportion of 101 officers. The vote for

the maintenance of these men is 3,521,070/.—a decrease of 41,3601. below the same vote for last year. The reductions are spread over a multitude of items too numerous for recapitulation. Several items of increase would be interesting : good conduct pay has required an increase of 4599/. ; the money for enabling the married soldier to lodge out of barracks—increased from ld. a day to W. a day—is 80001. in place of 40001. The new allowance will be quite adequate ; but it would be found much more adequate if a hint thrown out by a military paper were adopted, and if philanthropic officers or gentlemen connected with the Army would enter into some arrangement, either by public company or otherwise, to construct model lodging-houses for the married soldiers. That would be one of the greatest boons that the soldiers could receive, and he believed that it would be a most excellent in- vestment.

The Army Schools have flourished beyond the most sanguine expectations. They were established in 1846 by Mr. Sidney Herbert, under the Royal war- rant ; and they had gone on increasing in prosperity during the last five years. Students were first admitted to the /Normal School in 1847. The pe- riod of training was two years or so. The first appointment was made in 1849, and since that period four garrison and thirty regimental schoolmasters have been appointed, with thirteen assistant-schoolmasters. At present there are thirty-four trained masters and eleven assistant-masters in the regimental schools of the Army. The Commander-in-chief has taken some steps to as- certain the quantity of knowledge possessed by those who gain a commission in the Army : Mr. Maule believes that it will soon be necessary to increase the means for acquiring the knowledge demanded by the severe examination. He sees no other way of accomplishing the object except the attachment to each regiment of a captain without a company, who should be called the Captain of Instruction. The Libraries have gone on increasing fill there are now 100,000 volumes in regimental libraries : and there are 16,000 subscribers. In the Savings- banks, the depositors have increased from 1890 in 1844 to 7859 in 1860; and the deposits from 14,8491. to 94,9611. The vote on account of the Staff is diminished nearly 50001. The vote for the Yeomanry or Volunteer corps is decreased 16,0001. ; as the discipline of that body is so admirable that they may be inspected only once in two years. The vote for Half-pay is 90001. less—the number of General Officers receiving Army pay was never less than at this moment. On the Non- Effective services there is a decrease of every item, and the total decrease is 30,5361.

The whole military expenditure on account of the Army and Militia, for 1850-1, is 92,8481. less than for the year 1835-6--Mr. }fume's beau ideal of a. year for low Estimates.

Corporal punishments have decreased from 520 in 1848 to 320 in 1850. The mortality in the Army is so reduced, that with the exception of two or three especially unhealthy localities, and of Canada and the East Indies, the mortality in the British troops abroad has not been greater than it would be at home.

Mr. Hume moved a reduction of 5000 men ; supporting his proposition chiefly by reference to the diminished exigency of the Colonies for mili- tary garrisons, now that they have been more invested with the manage- ment of their own affairs. Sir WILLIAM MOLESWORTH supported the motion with specific reasons of this sort more particularly forcible in the case of the North American Colonies. In 1836, the whole troops of all services in the North American Colonies were 5369 ; they are now about 1,0,000: under the local management the number may be at once re- duced. On a division, Mr. Hume was defeated by 186 to 47 ; and the vote of 98,714 men was agreed to. The next vote, of 3,521,0694 Mr. Hums wished to reduce by 50001. ; but the hour being late—midnight passed—he moved that progress be re- ported. After a division, in which he was defeated by 168 to 29, Mr. Hume's perseverance was rewarded : it was agreed to resume, and report progress next day (today) at noon.

A motion by Mr. ADDERLET, for a Committee to inquire into the best means of effecting a definitive settlement of the relations between this country and the Caffre tribes, had stood for discussion before the order of the day for going into Supply ; but at an early period of the evening Lord JOHN RUSSELL took the matter out of the hands of the independent Mem- ber for Staffordshire, by giving notice that he intended to move, before the orders of the day for Monday next, "that a Select Committee be ap- pointed to inquire into the relations between this country and the Caffre and other tribes on our South African frontier." Sir WILLIAM MOLES- WORTH soon after gave notice, that he will move as an amendment on the Premier's motion, a resolution declaring that it is the duty of the Execu- tive Government take steps to relieve this country as speedily as pos- sible of any expense on account of wars with the Cares and other tribes on our South African frontier."

[Ministers are sedulously pursuing the process which we pointed out on surmise : they are taking the most important money-votes, and put- ting off critical matters • purchasing present toleration by meekness and. an appearance of willingness to accommodate all parties. The urgent Anti-Papal Bill is deferred till May—so that the debates in Parliament can be carried on coordinately with the harangues in overflowing Exeter Hall, and the foreigners flocking to the Exhibition will be enabled to witness that joint display of national characteristics. Having exasperated the Irish by Anti-Catholic reaction, Lord John soothes them by giving up his Lord-Lieutenancy Abolition Bill,—thus continuing the mock court with all its jobberies and "mummeries." Holding over the Anti-Papal work, whichno other statesman will undertake, LordJohn prolongs his own official existence, and thus gains time for completing those nice little arrangements- which are now going on, to the satisfaction of speculators in the good trade of Ministerial support. Meanwhile, all the money affairs will he settled as well as the Anti-Papal nuisance ; and Mr. Disraeli's friendly intervention against Mr. Hume shows how the convenient clearances are appreciated by the Premier-elect, Lord Stanley. Thus all parties are accommodated and pleased.]

The House of Commons met at noon today, received and agreed to the report of the Committee of Supply, read a first time the Mutiny Bill, and adjourned.

The Aylesbury and St. Albans Election Committees commenced sitting this morning.