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s o TIE LE AD E R. [Saturday, AQiJi . . ...
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IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. lar the House of .L...
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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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Ttienista Speaketli Not—Although The Ple...
less boasting on this occasion , and we trust the result will be more commensurate "with the hopes . Sir John Pakington has manifested in the House of Commons the same tender anxiety which Lord Debby had displayed in the House of Lords , for the dignity , sensithianess , and ^ convenience of out coloniesoiwingclfce jrbsew »< 4 f Ia » rd John Russexi ,. It is shaweful , cry tke 3 V > ry leaders and journals , to appoint a Colonial-Secretary , and thea send hina tto transact firaeign business at Vier ** ! Nowrthe fact is , tlfcat the Colonial difficulties which really exist are not likely to be settled by Lord John ' s return to London .
The prospect of a Cape disturbance appears to have been exaggerated . According to theTecent accounts , Pr ^ etobius , the chief of the Dutch Transvaal Republic , and the colonists of Natal , had inflicted severe blows upon the Kaffirs and the cognate tribes , -while A » TA * nd Saotmio . i were threatened with a demonstration by the Governor-General towards the Amatolas . Should the savages have been growing confident , these checks ¦ will keep them in order .
The gold-seeking disturbance in Australia appears to be really put down ; though the question of convict exclusion , -which interests a much larger and more influential class , still remains open ; and the local Government is evidently afraid to . carry out * k ® instructions sent to it from Downing-etreet , which would facilitate the passage of discharged convicts from Van Diemen ' s Land . The island Government of Cuba , apparently with the sanction of that at Madrid , is endeavouring to supersede the chances of revolution . and
invasion by giving a constitution to the island with a representation in the Cortes . We should hail such a measure on every ground . If Cuba were to remain Spanish , it would be a manifest advantage to the inhabitants-and to all countries with whom Cuba is in commercial relations ; for it must develop the resources of that island , and so strengthen it to co-operate in the advances of civilisation . Should Cuba ultimately prove to be destined for annexation , the constitution will
afford the means of effecting that change peaceably . For the present , the outward signs are rather against any effective invasion of the island . The Know-nothing movement is swallowing up every other in the United States , and concentrates the attention of the citizens almost entirely upon a species of political Protestantism , while incidentally it is swallowing up Abolitionism , Southernism , and every " ism ; " suspending- while it lasts the two immortal parties of Whigs and Democrats .
S O Tie Le Ad E R. [Saturday, Aqiji . . ...
s o TIE LE AD E R . [ Saturday , AQiJi . . , : : — . I , — - _
Imperial Parliament. Lar The House Of .L...
IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT . lar the House of . Lords , on Monday , Lord Lucan again brought forward his case , and read certain letters bearing reference to his renewed application for a court-martial , and to the second refusal of the Commander-in-chief to grant him one .
8 BCRBTABIES Of STATE BILL . On Lord Gbanviuue moving the second reading of the Secretaries and Under-Secretaries of State Bill , the object of which is to make it legal for more than two Secretaries or Under-Secretaries of State to hare seats in the House of Commons at the same time , a rather desultory debate ensued , in which Lord Grey , Lord Panmdwb , the Earl of Elaen-BOROtTGir , tho Earl of Ellesmebe , and other peers , took part . —Lord Grey observed that he understood this to be a bill arising from tho consolidation -of the former war-office with tho new department of
Secretary for War ; but ho conceived that tho measure fell very far short of -what was required for tho reorm of the military deportments . Ifo objected to the large vote which had recently been taken in the House of Commons for barrack accommodation , and for fortifications at home . The latter had been pro * nounced by competent military authorities to be worse than useless . Tho Government , he thought ; would do well to take tho advico of our civil engineers , rather than that of officers wedded to rour ^ iue ^—Lord Panmurb stated that he agreed with a gjsatfteid of w-Uat ; Lprd Qj $ y liad Uttered , and
assured the House that all Ordnance works which could safely be s « sp « rfed had been s ^ nted Nevertheless , he tboughtat necessary that the works for the defenceolPthe country should proceed ; and he hoped cfce should be able in a few days to bring forward , * comprehensive scheme for the consolidation ofilfce military departments .-The bill was read
a * seeewl twae . « HBB COLOSSI ! ' SECRETARYSHIP . ' In the Hanse of C «« mon « , on the order far > going into Committee of Sppply , * ir . Jo ™ Pa « ncton catted attertaon to the * tate ef the Coloniallllepart me ** , ^ wade stro (»« l ) Je * ttons to the fi **« fXord Johir'lfeissell holdmg tliatoffioe while he is absent on a diplomatic mission , in consequence of which the Home Secretary has to perform the business of the <«© k > nies as well as his own . At the present moment —with the Cape of Good Hope threatened with a frontier war , and S < Juth Australia in a-state of insurrection—the presence of a Colonial Minister is more than usually required ; and neither Sir George Grey
nor anybody else could discharge at the same time the duties of two such departments as the Home and the Colonial . He also dwelt upon the evils arising from the delay of the Colonial Constitutional Bills . Mr . Addehley took the same view of the matter ; but Sir Geobgb Gkey denied that any public inconvenience had been suffered from the temporary absence of Lord John Russell , asserting that he felt himself equal to the two offices for a short time ; and Lord Palmebston observed that himself and the Government generally were responsible for the proper management of the Colonies , which could not , therefore , be said to be neglected . —Ultimately the House went into Committee of Supply on the
Commissariat Estimates , when Mr . Peel said the amount voted last year was 600 , 000 / , but the Committee would now be asked to vote four times that amount , namely , 2 , 400 , 000 / . The fact was , the sum lastyear represented merely the commissariat charge for the army in our colonies , and about the same amount would be required this year for that department ; 600 , 000 / . would also be required for the commissariat service of our army at home . Mr . Peel explained that up to last year the soldier had to pay « varying price for his rations , according to the fluctuations of the market ; but , as the Government fixed the
firis was a great hardship , stoppage to be taken from the pay of the soldier at 4 id . The cost for the militia was about 500 , 000 / . The remainder of the vojte—1 , 200 , 000 / . —represented the cost of the army in the Crimea . With respect to the transport service , Mr . Peel alluded to its being henoeforth divided from the commissariat ; and , speaking of the largeness of the vote for transport , he said the men employed upon the Balaklava railway would be paid out of it . He also stated that a large addition had been made in the rations issued to the soldiers at the seat of war . —After considerable discussion , the votes were all agreed to .
EXCHEQUER BILLS ( 17 , 183 , 000 / . ) BILL . In the House of Lords , on Tuesday , Earl Granville moved the third reading of this bill ; and Lord Monteaom drew attention to thefact-that this was not , as it professed to be , an ordinary ^ Exchequer Bill , but a covert return to a principle which had been abandoned last session . He was glad that Government had made the change , but he thought they should have done it openly . Last session , the Chancellor of the Exchequer had resolved to meet all the extra expenses of the war by direct taxation ; but as some of the ways and means then voted would not come in course of payment for some time , he had issued Exchequer-bills that might be held to discount
the future taxation . The sum thus required was 1 , 750 , 000 ? . It was stated that the Exchequer-bills then raised differed from ordinary Exchequer-bills in simply anticipating by a few months the supplies which had been voted ; and that they would be paid out of those supplies , and no more would be heard of thorn . He now found , however , that without a word of explanation these Exchequer-bills had been converted from short bills chargeable on the revenue into a permanent debt , although tho obligation of renewing them continued from year to year . Thus , it was now sought to add 1 , 783 , 000 / . of Exchequer-bills to the national debt ! He had taken the liberty of warning their lordships last year that the course then pursued , coupled with a disclaimer of any intention to ed
contract a permanent debt , was not to be justifiby common sense . It was peculiarly impolitic to condemn tho ueo of credit in conducting the financial affairs of a country like this , because , aupe » ior as was tho wealth of England compared with that of other countries , her credit was immeasurably higher . They ¦ were not , however , to have recourse to a loan in every conceivable case—that would be a gross perversion of an otherwise sound principle ; but if a national exigency arose , so greatly exceeding tho existing taxation of the country that additional revenue to meet the wants of the State had to bo obtained by tho imposition of enormous and opprowivo new burdons , then they ought to consider whether , oven for the interests of tho remotest posterity ,, it would not be infinitely wiser that the money , or a portion of it ,
should be raised by a permanent or a temporary loan ttumdth & t they should crush the resources of industry hymms ztaxation . In conclusion , Lord Monteaele expressed ainope that the Government would not afeandoa the penny stamp on newspapers an im poTtanteastd ; improving branch of the revenue- and " above lilJ , Jjetirusted that , whatever their policy might fee , thej ; would avow it openly and pursue it boldly .. > Eascr ( SaiA . NviLLE denied that the late Chancellor of the Exdh «) quer had laid it down as an inflexible rule never io . have-recourse to a loan . Mr . Gladstone it hacbfc en thesevils in loansthat they
iBttnte ^ ^ — have artendency < p wnake Qflft'ernments and Parliaments more lavish than they --would otherwise be of the public expenditure , and that they throw the debt incurred by the present generation on the future-He believed that among eminent political economists it is a maxim that these loans injure trade and labour , by diminishing the capital available for ordinary business . It was impossible for him to anticipate what budget the present Chancellor of the Exchequer might propose ; and he declined to gfre any information with respect to the Stamp Bill .
The Earl of Derby said that what Lord Monteagle had complained of was , that & departure had been secretly made from a specific promise held outlast yeai > and that it was no answer to say that the late Chancellor of the Exchequer had not bound himself at all future periods to adhere to the plan of payment within the year . —The Duke of Akgyix defended the conduct of the Government . It seemed to him a trivial dispute to contend about the question whether the million and a half which Mr . Gladstone had borrowed was a loan or not , since , even if they
proved that it was , it would afford no ground for charging the right hon . gentleman with a departure from the principle he had laid down . —Earl GitEr considered that Parliament had not been dealt with candidly ; and that , instead of the taxes imposed defraying the sums borrowed , we had incurred a debt which he believed would be found to reach , if not exceed , 7 , 000 , 000 / . Bills were drawn for a year or two , and then renewed , at large interest ; and yet the country was told that it was , to have no debt . —Eventually the bill was read a * . third time , and . passed .
MARRIAGE WITH A DECEASED WIFE ' S SISTER . In the House of Commons , on Tuesday , Mr . Heywood moved for leave to bring in a bill to amend the law as to marriage with a deceased wife ' s-sister or a deceased -wife ' s niece . He referred to the statute of the 32 nd of Henry VIII ., and believed that , if that were recognised by the judges , the marriages in question would be perfectly legal . In 1835- —owing , as he believed , to the desire of the Duke of Beaufort to have his second marriage sanctioned—an act was passed , by ¦ which all preceding marriages with a deceased wife ' s sister were rendered legal , while those to be contracted in future were ¦ to be illegal .
Since the passing of that act , no less than 12 , 000 such marriages had taken place . The restriction , he thought , should be removed . Neither in the United States nor in Germany did ^ any such prohibition exist ; and-Dr . Adler , the chief . Rabbi , held that these marriages were not opposed to the Jewish law . That accomplished Hebrew scholar , Sir William Jones , had expressed Ms matured conviction that the 18 th chapter of Leviticus had . nothing to do with the law of marriage . The law had its origin , during tho fourtli century of the Christian era , in the Greek and Roman canon law ; and it was irreconcilable with natural affections .
Sir F . Thesiger opposed the introduction of the bill . He denied that the violations of the law had been so frequent as Mr . Hey wood alleged , and protested against the precedent of legislating for the relief of deliberate offenders against tho law . He insisted that the precept of tho 18 th chapter of Leviticus was part of the moral law ; that the Hebrew marriage-law was binding upon Christians still more stringently , if possible , than upon Jews ; that it was the Papal abuse of dispensations that had placed tho Romish Church in a dilemma with respect to these marriages ; and that , if once the limits of the marriage-law were extended , they would only end by abrogating all the degrees of affinity , and confining the prohibition to relationship by blood . He disapproved of the compromise of 1835 , nnd opposed tho present bill because it was against the law of Goil , and tended to tho introduction of discord into
families . The motion was supported by Mr . Bowvnit , Mr . E . Ball , Mr . Milnes , Mr . Spoonkr , Lord Palmerston , and Mr . Cobijen ; and was opposed by Mr . B . Phillimoke , Mr . Duummond , Admiral Walcoxt , and Mr . Walfole , tho last of whom observed that the measure was repugnant- to tho goneral feeling ol Ireland and Scotland , and , as ho contended , to a large , if not tho largest , portion of tho pcoplo ot England . At tho close of his remarks , Mr . Duujumond advised Mr . Spooncr to " got rid of tho prohibited degrees altogether , and marry his grandmother like a man . ( Z « M Afer . ) Ho had better do this than sneak about in lanes . Tho lion , member had better set aside the word of God as contemptible in tho code
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), March 17, 1855, page 2, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_17031855/page/2/
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