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Loinbardy , and the expulsion of persons belonging to one of the cantons of Switzerland , the Government did not think it desirable to interfere . The Austrian governor at Milan made a report , in which it was stated that the insurrection was the act of a few individuals , but soon afterwards there appeared a decree , signed by Marshal Badetzky which placed under sequestration the property , not merely of those who left Lombardy with the consent of the Austrian Government but also those who left in 1851 . The Sardinian Government naturally , he thought , looked on that decree as unjust . They said [ that to sequestrate the property of those who were Sardinian subjects was contrary to the treaty of peace with
Sardinia . They made strong representations afc Vienna on the subject , and asked her Majesty's Government to support those representations . Jier Majesty ' s Government had acceded to that request . ( Cheers , ) The Earl of Clarendon had written to the Austrian minister and to her Majest y ^ minister at Vienna to express the sense which her Majesty ' s Government could not but entertain with regard to conduct for which he did not know that there was any precedent . He must say , however , that they had heard very latel y that the intention of the Austrian Government was not to continue the sequestration , as it appeared at first , of the property of all these persons
without any inquiry whether they had any part in the insurrection at Milan or not , and that it was their intention to take off that sequestration , except on the property of those who might be believed to have acted in some way to assist and support that insurrection . Of course , if the measure were thus modified , it would bear a totally different character ; and of course the Austrian government would then proceed by process of law . Therefore he trusted that this , which appeared to be an act to Sardinia of an unfriendly nature , and towards individuals of an oppressive character , would not be persevered in , at least in the form in which it first appeared .
He then announced , followed by very general cheering , that the Government liad received information that the Grand Duke of Tuscany had liberated the Madiai —( loud cheers)—arid that they had embarked at Leghorn , and left Tuscany .
AUSTEIA AND TUHKET . Mr . Disraixi : I will make an inquiry of the Government respecting the relations between Austria and the Porte . I observe in a public journal of great authority that an ultimatum has been presented by Austria to the Porte , containing nine requirements . I have them here ; but I shall not trouble the House with them , except to say that they are all requirements painful in their nature , and perilous , I think , to the independence of the Porte . Two of them I must notice . One of them requires the immediate evacuation of Montenegro ; the second requisition is , that Kleck and Suterina , the only two ports in the Adriatic to which British commerce , at the low rate of the Turkish tariff ,
can pour its cargoes and goods into that part of the world , shall be now closed to our enterprise . This journal also states that unfortunately the ultimatum has not only been presented , but accepted . I wish to know from the noble lord if the Government have received an y official intelli gence of those circumstances ; also , I would inquire of the noble lord whether—if the discussions between Austria and the Sublime Porto sire concluded—her Majesty's Government have received official information to the effect stated in tho journal to which J have referred ; and if the noble lord is prepared to lay upon the table all such papers as may illustrate our rotations both with regard to Austria and the Porto in reference to those proceedings .
Lord John Russia * : Her Majesty ' s Government have received official information from Constantinople as to the final arrangement of the differences between Austria and the Sublime Porte . The demands made by Count Loiningon on the part of Austria were chiefly five ; but I will onl y refer to the two that the right honourable gentleman has referred to . It wins demanded on tho part of Austrin that the former status should bo re-established in Montenegro , and that it should bo evacuated by tho Turkish troops , Count Leiningen undertaking that tho Turkish troops should not bo molested in their march . Another demand was , that the status of those two ports , as it existed for Boino years , should not bo disturbed , and that likewise
was acceded to on the part of tho Porto . Colonel Hose , our Churg ,- d'AHaires at Constantinople , hus obtained a promise , that no proposition with respect to any change of territory shall bo made without the knowledge of hor Majesty's Government . With respect to other conditions of tho trouty concerning tho refugee * now holding service in tho Turkish army , it is supposed that Austria desired fcluit those persons hIioiuM bo confined to the interior ; but tho demand wan modified , and Austria now seems to bo satisfied by the removal of the Turkish urniy from Montenegro . There was an important question with r . 'gard to the protection of tho Christians of 'Itosuin , with respect to which tljo first demand was modified . As to tho demand for
injuries inflicted on Austrian subjects , it has boon satisfied by the condition of paying a certain sum of inonoy . As to hying tho papers on tho table , I bo « -
to say , in the first place , that I believe it is not usual , when there has been a negotiation between two foreign powers , in which this country is not directly and immediately concerned , and when these negotiations have ended satisfactorily , and have not resulted in hostilities , to lay the papers on the table . In the next place , I cannot think that the public interest can be served by laying such papers on the table ; for , in the course of a negotiation of this kind , demands are put forward which afterwards are modified on representations being made , and the laying of papers on the table might occasion difficulties in the attempt to come to the satisfactory settlement of such a question . The noble lord ( who spoke throughout in a very low tone , and -was frequently inaudible ) was understood to say , in conclusion , that her Majesty ' s Government approved of the arrangements that had been made .
Mr . Disraeli : Do I understand the noble lord to say that the ports of Kleck and Suterina are closed ? Lord John Russell : That was the former condition of those ports , and T suppose for the present they do remain closed .
THE UNSTAMPED PR 35 SS . Mr . Miineb Gibson took advantage of a formal revenue bill to bring this question before the House . The law in reference to the tax on newspapers , he said , was in a most unsatisfactory state . The Attorney-General of the late Government ( Sir F . Thesiger ) stated , on the 6 th of December last , that immediate legislation was necessary upon that subject , and the right hon . gentleman obtained leave to introduce a "bill with reference to it . Since that time , however , no further proceedings had been taken on the matter . In November , 1851 , a suit for penalties against the publishers of the Household Narrative of Current Events was instituted in
the Court of Exchequer , which was decided m favour of Messrs . Bradbury and Evans , and against the Board of Inland Revenue . That Board , however , declined to acquiesce in that decision , and the law officers of the Crown were instructed to appeal to the court of the Excheqner Chamber . Subsequently there was a change of Government , and the law officers of Lord Derby ' s Government advised the Crown that the decision of the Court of Exchequer was contrary to law , but that with a view to prevent future legislation , a bill ought to be introduced on the subject . Lord Derby ' s Government went out ; this was now 1853 , and this simple matter was now hung up in suspense . That state of things was not only inconvenient to the parties concerned , but was somewhat oppressive : and he had now to ask the Chancellor of the
Exchequer whether he would promise to use all convenient and possible speed to bring this matter to a termination ? The Chancellor of the Exchequer , said , if any weight was due to the opinions of the legal authorities with whom he had had an opportunity of conversing on this question , it was not so simple as the right hon . gentleman seemed to suppose . The great difficulty was , to give relief to the parties who appeared to be entitled to it , and at the same time to exclude from such relief those whose publications clearly came within tho meaning of the existing statute . He entirely agreed with the right hon . gentleman that it was highly inconvenient to keep this matter in suspense . He believed that the opinion of tho law officers of tho Crown would be in the possession of the Government in a day or two , and no time should be lost in coming
to a decision upon the question , after that opinion hud been received . Mr . Hu : nrrc would suggest , as the easiest mode of getting rid of the difficulties connected with the subject , that the tax should bo repealed altogether . ( Laughter . ) If tho Chancellor of tho Exchequer would permit tho publication in question to he printed without the tax , and only charge those with the duty which were transmitted through tho post , the right hon . gentleman in twelve months would receive an amount of postage equal to that which lie remitted . Sir V . Thkbioeh , said , the case ; was not so free from difficulty as the right honourable gentleman ( Mr . M . Gibson ) seemed to suppose .
When tho last Govormnont enmo into power , there hud boon a decision in tho Court of Kxehoquer , in favour of tho exemption of tho duty ; hut tho other law officers of tho Crown ami himself woro ruthcr disposed to think that Baron Parko , who dissented from tho rest of tho Court , was in tho right , and that tho decision of the ? Court should bo appealed against . With tho viow , howover , to provont futiiro litigation , tho Into Chancellor of tho Kxohoquor was of opinion that , without imy detriment to tho public interns ts , ho might introduce u bill , by which publications lileo tho Ifoustihohl Narrative might ho oxompt from duty ; but tho dillioulty whs , that unless they woro extremely
oaroful in wording- tho bill , they would oxoinpl . from duty a groat number of publications which woro clearly liablo to bo charged under tho existing law . A bill , howevor , wan prepared , find ho ( Sir b \ Thosigor ) asked leave to bring it in , but it ; was objected to by tho right honourable gent Ionian ( Mr . M . Gibson ) on tho ground that , being a bill uHoofcing the rovonuo to Homo extent , it could only bo considered in u eommit . teo of tho whole Houho . lie ( iSir K . Thosigor ) did not therefore attempt to introduce the bill . Tho more ho looked at this question the more ho felt it was surrounded withdiflioultion . Tho lumourahlo inomb < ir for MontroHo had certainly suggested a vory routly way of solving thobo difficulties , but ho ( fc > ir 1 \ TJuoaigor ) should
be much surprised if the Chancellor of the Exchequer acceded to such a proposition . Mr . Cobden said , it did really appear to him that the House was placed in a most humiliating position . They had three Governments bringing their ingenuity to bear on this subject , with the viow to prevent the free diffusion of knowledge . And under what circumstances ? At the very timo when all parties wore agreed to extend the righ ts' of the people in the matter of the political franchise . The House was going to enlarge the franchise , and yet , at the same time , they were exercising all their ingenuity to prevent the people obtaining political knowledge . Suchconduct appeared to him to bo wholly
indefensible . Now , they could not define what news was . He had had an opportunity of cross-examining the law officers and the Secretary of the Board of Inland Revenue , and he tried to find out from them what news really was . Ho would give the House an illustration . Those gentlemen were asked if the Queen ' s speech at the opening of the session was news . They replied that it was . Then they were asked if tho speech of the Chancellor of the Exchequer in opening his budget was news . They said that was not news , and that it might be published in a newspaper without a stamp . ( A laugh . ) Now , could anybody deny that there was far more public interest of importance attached to the budget of a Chancellor of the Exchequer than to a Queen ' s speech ? Now , as Mr . Hume had
suggested , the only question was , whether or not the stamp should not be abolished altogether ? The thing was being practically done already , for they had some forty publications in London , including such papers as the Athenceum and the ' Builder , all publishing news , but which were stamped or not , just at the option of their proprietors . Now , on considerations of revenue , he thought this was a subject which might fairly be left to the disposal of Mr . Rowland Hill and the Post-office ; and if that were doneif newspapers were only subject to a tax on passing through the Post-office , he had no doubt that the Chancellor of the Exchequer would lose very little in the end , whilst he would get rid of a practice which , was a stigma and a reproach to the age they lived in .
Mr . Ricaedo said , it was somewhat remarkable that three successive Governments had confessed themselves unable to deal satisfactorily with this question ; and , as the only way of getting rid of the difficulty attaching to it , the present Government was now about to obtain a judgment in the case from a police magistrate . A constituent of his published a paper called the Potteries Free Press , and—overlooking the Racing Telegraph , Punch , and various other publications—the Government was about to summon that unfortunate man before a police magistrate , with a view to mulct him in a penalty of some 201 ., or to imprison him . That was the case which was to be brought to a hearing on Thnrsday next , and a Bow-street magistrate was to decide a question which had puzzled the law officers ot the Crown in three successive Administrations .
The Attokney-Genekal said , Mr . llicarelo was entirely mistaken in supposing that the case of his constituent and that of Messrs . Bradbury and Evans were at all similar . The question in the ease of the Household Narrative was , whether it was published within an interval of not less than twenty-eight days ; but the Potteries Free Press was published every week , contained regular statements of public news , and was , therefore , a clear infraction of the law . Whether or not it was desirable to repeal the existing law was one question ; but so long as that law remained on the statute-book , he apprehended it was clearly t \ m duty of the Government to enforce it , Here the conversation ended . TJIK " PIG" CALLING CMSK .
Lord Pnhnorston appeared , not wholly in a new character , on Thursday ; as will be seen from his speech , bo has a most delicate stylo of oratory in regard to equivocal women and hot-torn pored magistrates . Sir I ) is L . Kvans bogged to put a question to the noble lord the Secretary of State for the ; Homo Department in reference to a recent trial at tho Middlesex Sessions , at which it was stilted that Mr . Sergeant Adams , who presided , had sentenced Mary Hill to transportation . It appeared that , this woman was charged with stealing a watch from a person she had met in the street , and the police had said that she was
acting in concert with other thieves , whereupon flu assistant judge said that , was mough to satisfy him that ho ought to transport her , and sentenced her to seven yours'transportation . The prisoner had previously gone down on her knees to implore for mercy ; but , on hearing tho sentence , got up in a towering rage , crying out to tho policeman , " You pipf ; you perjured pig . " ( Laughter . ) Tho assistant ju < lf ^ e then said ,. " Tho sentence on you now is that you be transported for ten yours . " Ho begged < o know from the noble ; lord if the facts were as stated , and if the present state of tho law enabled tho Secretary of Stale to correct this description of judicial administration . ( Hear . )
Vinoounl 1 ' a IiMKKHton : I ho case which my gallant friond has referred to is in Nome rcHpocts such us ho linn described it ,, hut in not so in regard to all its circumstances . It . in quito truo that this woman was convicted of a robbery committed under circumstances which 1 am told uro now by no means of unfrcquont occurrence . It uppours thut u system la vory much practised now , by which ludica
Untitled Article
March 19 , 1853 . J THE LEADER , 267
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), March 19, 1853, page 267, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1978/page/3/
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