On Thursday Mr. Chamberlain admitted very reluctantly that there was
no hope of carrying his Merchant-Shipping Bill against the continued hostility of the Clyde and the North- Eastern shipowners, though many of the most powerful of the London and Liverpool shipowners have now withdrawn their opposition to the Bill. Later, when it was hoped that Sir William Harcourt would move the second reading of the London Government Bill, Mr. Storey (M.P. for Sunderland) interfered with a motion for adjournment, that he might draw the atten- tion of the House to the case of the unfortunate crew of the Nisero,' detained by the Rajah of Tenom in Acheen,—which is under the Dutch Government,—and kept the House till half- past eight on a debate which, though no doubt it did draw attention to a very hard case, could not have helped the British Government to settle that case half as much as a discussion brought forward with the ordinary notice to the Foreign Office. So far as we can judge, the British Government have shown very considerable energy in the matter ; and it is pretty clear that any attempt to adopt those peremptory methods of relief so dear to Nelson and Blake, could only have ended in the sufferers being sent far into the interior, where they would have been even worse off than they are now. Mr. Storey is not a judicious LiberaL
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