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August 6 * 1853.] THE LEADEB; 749
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LETTERS FROM PARIS. [fbom ottr own corre...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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The Week In Parliament. Tub Eastern Ques...
the grounds that the real possessor of the property was the father of the Baron de Bode , and . not the Baron de Bode himself—the cession of the property to the son at the time of the revolution being of doubtful legality . A jury had , it is true , decided that the claim was good , but a jury sitting in 1844 on facts that occurred in 1791 were not very competent judges . The claim Would now amount to about a million arid a half sterling , and it would require a special act of Parliament to charge it upon the Consolidated Fundi Lord Lynd-Htrasi pressed the case to a division , bufc was defeated by 16 to 6 . COMBINATION OF WORKMEN ' S BILL .
Lord Kinnaied , last night , moved the second reading of this bill , in favour of which numerous petitions have been presented from the working classes . He did not deny that some persons might think that the bill would give them a greater power to combine ; but he was authorized to state , on the part of the promoters of the bill , that their object was not in any way to alter the present law , but merely to define it more clearly . Different constructions had been put upon the law by high legal authorities , and it Was necessary that it should be well understood . He hoped their lordships would allow the bill to be read a second time , in order that it might be considered in committee .
Lord Tbtjeo denied that the bill was called for to reconcile the different opinions of high legal authorities as to the interpretatibh of the existing acts relating to workmen . No such differences of opinion had prevailed in the legal tribunals , and if they had , there was nothing in the present bill to explain the existing law . The present measure authorized workmen to enter into an agreement binding each other as to the rate of wages , the hours of labour , and so on . They were to be allowed to meet , combine , or associate , for that purpose ; but there was another section which provided that
persons should not , by threat or intimidation , or coercion , obstruction , oa molestation , force , or endeavour to force , or induce other workmen to form a club or contribute to a common fund , or pay obedience to any regulations which might be made by any club . Further on it was enacted , that " peaceable persuasion should not be deemed obstruction or molestation . " Peaceable persuasion might be carried to an extent which might amount to force and coercion . It was impossible to say what form of words would come under the term peaceable persuasion .
The Loed Chancei / lob suggested the withdrawal of the bill . The Earl of Haedwicke also opposed it as offering a premium on combination , for which there were already , it appeared , ample facilities , as they had recently seen a strike to which Parliament itself had had to make concessions . Lord Kinnaied consented to withdraw the bill , and it was accordingly withdrawn . MISCELLANEOUS . Tn the House of Commons , at the morning sitting , the Pilotage Bill passed through committee . The Customs Acts Consolidation Bill passed through committee , and the Betting-Houses bill was considered , and ordered to be read a third time on Monday . The business of the evening sitting commenced with the committee on the South Sea and other annuities ; Provision for Payment bill , which , after a desultory conversation , in which the old topics of discussion were renewed , until the Chancellor of the Exchequer was out of all patience and lost his tomper , the bill passed through that stage .
The House then went into committee of supply , and the rest of the evening was occupied in details and short but smart discussions . Incidentally Sir James Gkakam stated that ho bad increased our naval force in the Chinese Sens , and that happily , whatever the internal disturbances in the Chinese empire there was no probability of conimorco being interfered . Mrtkoi > oi , iTan Polick . —Lord Dttdiky Stuart complainod of the coat , tho inoflicionoy , and the oflbnsivo conduct of this force . Tho cost ; is larger by 1 O 0 . O 00 L than it tow
waa a yours since ; and tho oxpensb to tho metropolitan parishes ia creator now by thirty-nino per confc . than it wns whon tho metropolitan pariahoH wero formed . Tho metropolis ia not now bettor watched than it usod to bo when tho . ro worq fowbr polieomon , and tho oxporiso was a groat doal lighter . The people of Marylcbono contribute ono-filth oi the whole coat ot tho metropolitan force . Tho « £ s' « f wntolnnon in tho pariah of Mnrylebono uhcmI to bo 10 . 00 W . R-yoar , and Sir It . Pool usod to speak of it as a moilol parish m such matters , whoreas tho oxponao of pohoo in now 25 , 000 * . a-year . Formerly thoro woro 251 watchmen m tho parish j there are now 211 policomon , and yet tno oxponno is twico as groat .
1 uiitio Libbai « hib Bii . i ,. —A bill to extend to Irish corporations tho pnvjlogo of founding public libraries out ok a Hpoouil rate has boon PoshoiI through tho Houbo of Xiorda . Steanombb and DiyibIons . — Bkangorn uro now
allowed to be present at the divisions m the House ; and the time allowed for members to enter the House after the announcement of the division is " two minutes . " Election Feasts , Bands , and CoiiOtTBSi—Colonel Sibthobp was in high style on Wednesday . He denounced the bill to prevent music , processions , and dinners at elections , as " a mean , low , dirty bill ; a dangerous , delusive , and entrapping bill . " He might himself be convicted of bribery for . giving a shilling to a sick man . As regards his attachment to the House , he would not much care to be turned out ; but he would not like to part from his constituents . In Committee several members objected to the provisions of the bill , as too stringent against music and bell-ringing ; and a
very general feeling was shown to ^ set the bill aside , without directly negativing the principle it involved . Sir James Gbaham said , drily , that the House had better proceed to the next order of the day—" the treatment of lunatics . " The attempt to defeat the bill was resolutely opposed by Mr . Cbaven Bebkemsy , who appealed to "the common sense of the House—not , ' of course , including the honourable member for Lincoln . " And referring to Sir James Graham ' s defence of music , and objection to flags , asked why the Carlisle folk might not have a banner inscribed , " Jemmy Graham ancL Consistency , " as well as
play the " Black Joke . " ( Roai' 3 of laughter . ) Colonel SifeTHOfip said , he treated Mr . Berkeley with contempt . Sir James Gkaham interposed to hope good humour would be preserved . Addressing Colonel Sibthorp (" my leader on this occasion" ) , he excused Mr . Berkeley— " He loves not music as tho u dost , Antony . " In this jolly way thei debate was continued , members repeating over and over again their objections to the prohibition of the billone Irish member expressing for his countrymen a partiality for music and " all kinds of innocent pastime . " Fjlnally , this persevering opposition carried its point by breaking off the consideration of the Bill in committeethe renewal being fixed , a month , from last Wednesday .
A Depttty-Speakeb .- —In case of the Speaker ' s illness , the Chairman of Committees is to take his place , according to a new rule passed on Thursday , amid the approval of the leading members at both sides of the House . Observations against late sittings , and in favour of winter sessions , were also made .
August 6 * 1853.] The Leadeb; 749
August 6 * 1853 . ] THE LEADEB ; 749
Letters From Paris. [Fbom Ottr Own Corre...
LETTERS FROM PARIS . [ fbom ottr own correspondent . ] Letter LXXXIV . Paris , Thursday Evening , August 4 , 1853 . This week has been signalized by a succession of epU sodes in the Eastern question . After the protest of Turkey against the entry of the Russians into the Danubian provinces—a protest drawn up , it is understood , by Lord Stratford de Redcliffe himself , and considered in Paris tame , spiritless , and wanting in dignity ( peu digne ); after this protest came the project of arrangement proposed by M . de Bruck at Constantinople ,
adopted by the four ambassadors , and accepted by the Sultan . This project , which committed the mistake of arriving after that joint ultimatum of France and England , in which they majestically declared that they should " take further measures" ( qu ' elles s'aviseraient ) , was very ill received by Bonaparte . The Emperor read it aloud on Tuesday last , in the Council of Ministers , and after having commented upon it , expressed himself with considerable vehemence against the concessions which had been introduced into it , adding , " that we had gone far enough in the way of weakness , if not of pusillanimity , and that , for his own part , he positively refused to assent to this arrangement , and never would assent to it . " Just after this stormy sitting , which
created a great sensation in Paris , the Constituttonnel , the journal of semi-official communications , received orders to insert the following note : — " Tho conditions of arrangement brought by the Caradoc are not assented to , either by the Cabinet of Paris or by the Cabinet of London ; nor even , it would appear , by the Cabinet of Vienna . We believe we may guarantee the exactitude of this assertion . " Only imagine tho terror of tho men nt the Bourse when they read this paragraph ! The evening before , they had operated for a rise : all waa over comfortably—with shame and dishonour , what did it matter ? The question was solved , tho result was all they looked at ; " Tho Porto has accepted the arrangement on which tho Emperor of Russia hud been unofficially sounded beforehand . "
The very day after the Bourse said all was over , out comes ono of tho organs of the French Government with tho declaration , that neither Franco nor England , nor oven Austria , accepted that arrangement . Why , the Bourse was panic-struck . Everybody , not excepting tho diplomatists themselves , waa in commotion . M . do KissclofF , tho Russian Ambassador , hastened to tho Emperor to ask for explanations . " Bonaparte ropliod , "that ho was not the editor of tho Conslitutionnel ,
that tho ¦ Moniteur was tho official journal of tho Govornmont , that tho Conslitutionnel wus not , and therefore , it did not concern him . " M . do Kissoleff went away , declaring to Bonaparte , " that ho did not expect to find him ho warm a partisan of tho liberty of tho press . " In tho meantime , iiowh came of tho conforoncoH nt Vienna . On the 2 Gth ulfc ., tho Ambassadors of tho four Western Powers had agreed upon n form of collective ultimatum to bo addressed to Russia , in which , 1 . A part of Russia's domnnda in conceded .
2 . Tho concessions demanded exclusively in favour of the Greek Church are generalized , and applied to all the Christian communions . 3 . These concessions to be made Under ij he collective guarantee of the four Powers of the West . 4 . Russia is called upon to engage herself towards the said Powers not to avail herself of the present concessions for the purpose of interfering in the internal affairs of Turkey , and infringing the rights and the sovereignty of the Sultan . 5 . Three days delay accorded to Russia to decide . 6 . If Russia accepts , she is to evacuate the Principalities by a given day .
7 . If she refuses , the eventual consequences lie with her , the four Great Powers having resolved to proceed to action . Such , I have reason to believe , was in substance this collective ultimatum sent from Vienna . Drawn up on the 24 th it was despatched on the 25 th to St . Peters - burg and Constantinople simultaneously . All the rumours in circulation on the Bourse on Monday contributed not a little to arrest the panic which the Constitutionnel of the day before , and of the same morning , had produced . This accord of the four Powers and their firmness of language reassured everybody . That evening all the men of business were busy calculating the forces which the four Powers
might bring * together against Russia , and at the head of these forces they were hard at work fighting away on a scale more or less colossal their Russian campaign . The next morning ( Tuesday ) matters looked still more promising . They had gone to sleep in the arms of the victory , and the humbled Czar was begging peace ; his courier had arrived that very night bringing the acceptance of the Czar , who implored the gentlemen of the Bourse to spare his life . On this a grand rise , a rise of one franc ! In vain you tried to persuade these maniacs that the Czar could hardly have got the ultimatum by to-day ( August 2 nd ); they wouldn't hear a word . " Nicholas recedes ; he is afraid of trs ;" —such was the answer that fell from elated jobbers upon those who remained sceptical and hinted doubts .
Yesterday the wind changed . News came of the arrogant conduct of Russia in Moldavia and Wallachia . The Hospodars had been forbidden to pay the ordinary tribute to the'Porte ; indeed , they had been gwasi-suspended from their functions ; and a council of three members bad been appointed by the Czar to administer each province in their name . The Russians were about to convoke the national assemblies of the two countries for the purpose of sowing the germs of revolution in those bodies , and thereby preparing for the future frequent pretexts for re-entering the Principalities in case they should be compelled to evacuate
them immediately now . They had promised to pay for all their provisions in cash ; but as the presence of 120 , 000 men , concentrated on certain points of the territory , had created a rise of a third in the price of provisions , they declared that they would only pay for them at the current prices of last June . This giving rise to numerous quarrels between their troops and the inhabitants of the country , the Russians determined at last to take what they wanted without paying anything ; and this system they decorate with the description of " contributions in kind . " All who refuse to pay this heavy impost are whisked off and forcibly incorporated into tho Russian army .
This last news has almost opened the eyes of tho blind to the designs of Russia . It is now clear enough to all that the design of Russia is to render tho government of tho two provinces absohitely impossible for tho future . It begins to bo generally perceived that the acts to which Russia resorts in the Principalities do nofc manifest any very decided disposition to retire from them ; and it is now feared that it may bo necessary to resort to force to compel her to do so . Another symptom : tho Moniteur announced , with a certain
emphasis , that , on Saturday last , there wan a Cabinet Council at London , and that its deliberations wero long and animated . From thin it was concluded that a change of policy waa imminent in England , and that temporising vacillation was to make way for activity and decision . All these rumours and symptoms exercised a startling influence upon the Funds . Tho rise of tho preceding evening had been ono franc ; tho fall of yesterday was ono franc . To-day is occupied with sombre . provisions , and tho Bourse has just cloned with a further fall of fifty centimes . ,
Indeed , tho Eastern question absorbs tho whole of public attention . All affairs nro in suspense : that one crisis is tho solo pro-occupation of all minds , as if no other events wero of possible occurrence . AH is tranquil onough hero in appearance . Tho examination of tho conspiracy of tho Opora Comiquo is being prosecuted , but hitherto with no result , notwithstanding tho great number of arrests which huvo been effected . Thai week thoro haa been a fresh riso in tho price of braad >
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Aug. 6, 1853, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_06081853/page/5/
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