POSTSCRIPT.

SATURDAY.

The House of Commons alone sat last night ; the House of Lords having adjourned from Thursday to Thursday next. A great variety of business was transacted in the Lower House.

Early in the evening, Mr. DtsaAau drew from Lord Palmerston an explanation of our relations with the United States, by inquiring why the treaty with that country regarding Honduras had not been ratified, and whether negotiations are still pending ?

Lord Pszscraisro's stated, that two treaties were concluded last summer —one with Honduras, the other with the United States. In the treaty with Honduras, we ceded to that state Ruston and other islands, providing that the wellbeing of British settlers should be secured, that the islands should not fall into the hands of any great maritime power, and that they should not be fortified. No official notice has yet been received of the ratification of this treaty by Honduras. The treaty with the United States divides itself into two distinct portions : one relates to the settlement of the differences in Central America and the future regulation of the Mosquito Indians, the other contains an engagement between England and the United States. One of the articles states, that whereas Great Britain has ceded the Bay Islands to Honduras on certain conditions, both Great Britain and the United States agree to acknow

ledge islands as part of the territory of Honduras. In that treaty the United States Senate made several alterations, some of considerable, one of very great importance ; and then ratified the treaty so amended. "But the ratification of a treaty by a sovereign power means that that sovereign power adopts and ratifies by its signature the engagements taken in its behalf by authorized diplomatic agents ; and to ratify a treaty which, having been altered by another power, is no longer the treaty that was concluded by an authorized diplomatic agent, would be against all rule and against all the principles of diplomatic usage. Therefore, even if the British Government agreed to adopt the alterations in the treaty made by the Senate after its signature, it would be necessary that a fresh treaty should be concluded adopting those changes, and that this new treaty should be ratified by the sovereign powers of the two countries.' The British Government were prepared to adopt all the changes except one. The American Senate proposed to omit from the recital of the convention between Great and Honduras all reference to the conditions of the cession, so that "the article should simply stand that England and the United States acknowledged these islands as part of the territory of Honduras. Now, the obvious effect would have been, by implication, and indeed directly, that we were making an unconditional cession of these islands to Honduras, divested of those steps which we thought necessary for the wellbeing of the colony and the future political interests of the country. Her Majesty's Government therefore expressed their regret that they could not adopt that alteration ; but they proposed an addition to the article as it was amended by the United States, which would have made the cession of these islands conclusive only upon the acceptance by Honduras of the conditions and stipulations we proposed. That proposal was sent to the United States, and the matter is still under negotiation." If the treaty be ratified, it will be laid on the table ; and the House will probably be content, without inquiring into the differences between the two countries. If not, then the Government will be bound to lay before the House the ground of the stand which they have thought proper to make. In reply to a further question, Lord PALMERSTON said that the probability of some alterations being made had been communicated by our Minister at Washington, but that our answer had not been sent until the result of the deliberations of the Senate was officially communicated. The consideration of the Princess Royal's Annuity Bill in Committee gave rise to further debate. On clause 1, Mr. BOWYER moved that the annuity should cease in the event of the Princess becoming Queen Consort of Prussia, but revive should she be left a widow. Mr. Bowyer found only one supporter—Mr. WILLIAMS; whose reasons for his support greatly amused the House. A King of Prussia could not allow his Queen to be a pensioner paid out of the taxes contributed by the people of England : a man of so little spirit could hardly he a desirable husband for our Princess Royal ! In opposition to the motion, were the CHANCELLOR of the Exam:trim, Mr. DISRAELI, Sir FRANCIS BARING, and Mr. ROEBUCK. Mr. DISRAELI spoke at some length on the folly and extreme injustice of placing the Crown in the position of making this application to the House ; on that unwise compact the Civil List of 1832; and on the propriety of restoring to the Crown its hereditary and patrimonial estate. "The Sovereign should fill the natural position of being the chief landed proprietor in this country." Sir FRANCIS BARING and Mr. ROEBUCK engaged in the controversy, pointing out the inaccuracies and misapprehensions contained in Mr. Disraeli's statement.

The amendment was withdrawn, and the bill passed through Committee.

On the motion for going into Committee of Supply, Mr. EDWARD Exams called attention to what he described as a "horrifying document," the Report of the Commissioners of Inquiry into the state of Lunatics in Scotland. This report was due to an American lady, Miss Dicks, who, having privately investigated the Scotch asylums, imparted the result to the Duke of Argyll and Lord Shaftesbury. They intro&iced her to Sir George Grey, and the Government immediately appointed a Commission of inquiry. Mr. Ellice entered into the matter in detail, and stated many facts showing the truly horrible way in which pauper and other lunatics are treated.

Six GEORGE GREY said that the allegations in the report cast the utmost discredit on Scotland. There are great defects in the law, and he ' had lost no time in consulting with the Lord Advocate as to what ought to be done. The attention of the Board of Supervision has been called the allegations of cruelty ; theoLord Advocate has sent a copy of the report to the Sheriffs of counties ; and the Government intend to bring in a bill to amend the law. Lord Rutherford, when Lord Advocate, brought in a bill which if it had passed would have remedied all the evils now complained of. Mr. DauSMOND and the LORD ADVOCATE confirmed this last statement ; and several Scotch Members expressed their satisfaction that the subject would be dealt with. The House having gone into Committee of Supply on the Army Estimates, a long debate arose on the vote of 261,2381. in addition to 125,000/. for the manufacturing departments, military storekeepers, &e. Lord PALMERSTON had to do battle With MT. SPOONER and MP BEWDEGATE in behalf of the Enfield gun-factory. Mr. DISRAEL/ raised the question, was Enfield a " competitive " establishment or not, and then the debate turned on that question. A variety of other votes were agreed to, but no division took place.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER withdrew his Savings-Banks Bill, in order to make some alterations which the forms of the House would not permit him to make otherwise. The bill as amended was reintroduced, and read a first time.

On the motion of Mr. Lows, a bill to cure certain difficulties that have arisen in the technical working of the Joint-Stock Companies Act of 1866 was read a first time.

Lord RORERT Gaosvmsoa obtained leave to bring in a bill to extend the law for the protection of young females between the ages of twelve and fourteen and of young females of unsound mind. It was read a first time.

The House adjourned, after midnight, until Thursday next.

BUSINESS OF THE ROUSE OF vOMMONS.—SoM0 questions of interest stand on the notice-paper for next Thursday. Mr. ATHERTON is to move for a Committee of the whole House on the Licensing System. Lord ROBERT CECIL proposes to move for a Select Committee to inquire into the expediency of collecting Votes at Elections in Counties and Universities by means of Voting-Papers. On this Mr. M'CuLtson is to move "the previous question." Mr. RORSFALL is to move for a Select Committee to inquire into the origin, constitution, powers, and duties, of the Board of Trade. Sir Joins TRELAWNEY proposes to move for leave to bring in his bill on Churchrates.

A great deal of business is set down for Friday,• including _a Committee of Supply on the Army Estimates, and the introduction of Mr. Wasost's bills affecting the Insurance Companies. Sir DE LACY EvAsrs's notice of motion with respect to Military Education stands last on the list for the 11th June.

There is an official ignorance as well as a "judicial blindness." Last night, in replying to Mr. Disraeli, Lord Palmerston spoke as if he did not feel himself at liberty to know the fate of the convention arranged between our Government and the Plenipotentiaries of Honduras on the 23d of August last, ceding the Bay Islands to that Republic ; whereas we have known for some few days that the convention has been rejected by the Government of Honduras. This was the convention mentioned in the second separate article of the Dallas-Clarendon treaty, which was so altered by the United States Senate as to exclude the reference to the convention of August 23,—the very alteration which, as Lord Palmerston Rays, induced our Government to decline ratification.

A commercial convention between this country and Honduras, we hear, has been ratified.

A very large deputation of the "Heads of Houses" of the medical profession, led by Dr. Mayo, President of the College of Physicians, waited on Sir George Grey yesterday, to support Mr. lleadlam's bill. The Lord Mayor entertained her Majesty's Judges, and a large circle of legal, military, and civic personages, at the Mansiouhouse last night. An influential meeting was held at Richmond yesterday, Mr. John Labouchere in the chair, for the purpose of impressing on the inhabitants of the county of Surrey the benefits that they would derive from giving support to the Surrey Society for the Employment and Reformation of Discharged Prisoners.

The Reverend Dr. Thomas G. Sutber, incumbent of St. Andrew's Aberdeen, has been elected a Bishop in room of the late Bishop Skinner, by a majority of the clergy of the diocese ; thirteen voting for Dr. Suther, and nine for the Reverend Patrick Cheyne. The new Bishop belongs to the Evangelical party.

The Mon iteur of this morning announces the dissolution of the Legislative Corps. The new elections are to commence on the 21st June,. and will last for two days. The number of the Deputies for the now Chamber is fixed at 267.