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Scotch Universities , is a measure that has been long wanted , but is not for that reason less creditable to the present regime . The nature of the change is , to substitute an obligation ; OjKra thosg entering the Universities , not to tea ^ li counter to the established faith of Scotland , having the question of the professor ' s own belief untested . The reform of Ecclesiastical Courts * with some other measures of a cognate kind ., U thrown over till next session ; Mr . Hadfield ' s bill on Probate Duties being a part of the general subject .
Prison reform is in the same position .. The Lord Chancellor ' s bill to authorize the substitution of " penal servitude" for transportation , is necessary for the development of the Government plan of abolishing transportation ; it conveys , indeed , the Parliamentary authority for it . But Mr . Adderley ' s bill to establish reformatory prisons for young offenders , introduced in the House of Commons , and Lord Shaftesbury ' s Juvenile Mendicancy bill , will inevitably stand over till next session .
Mr . Milner Gibson has prudently withdrawn his County Rates bill , leaving Ministers to introduce a measure on the subject of a County representation next session : Lord Palmerston at least has promised to do so . The most signal exploit of the Opposition has been to hazard an attempt which would have been mean had it succeeded , and is ridiculous having failed . The House now sits all day and all the evening , with a couple of hours before six o ' clock for dinner and relaxation . If the
members do not run out into Palace-yard for a game at prison-base or leap-frog , probably it is because they are too tired ; for their desire to escape from confinement must be extreme . At six o ' clock they drop in again by degrees j the foremost are those who have petitions , questions , or other important business of their own on their minds , and they generally occupy the better part of an hour , public business then commencing . Soon after six o ' clock , however , Mr . Edward Ball , backed by Mr . Disraeli and a considerable number of the
Tory Members , stood ready to take advantage of the absence of the other side . Mr . Ball moved a resolution , making encroachment ^ on the Malt duties , by authorizing the farmer to malt barley " for'his own use ; " and the plan was , to move and second that resolution in a hurry , and carry it in the absence of the House . Mr . Gladstone , however , suddenly appeared , and spoke until the members could assemble . The Opposition had had their trick , but it was defeated .
The service which they did for the farmer in that petty manoeuvre will scarcely be prized as it once would have been ; the farmer is not now the uninformed animal that he was when he took the lodgers at 17 , Bond-street for his " friends /' Read the speeches at the Gloucester gathering of the Royal Agricultural Society , —observe the truly exalted , and yet practical philosophy there expounded as the rationale of agricultural knowledge ; notice the statement that the British *
farmer , availing himself of scientific acquisitions , discovering that every additional improvement enables him to employ more labour with profit , is now pronounced to be a producer who can defy the world ; and then ask yourself if the new and true British farmer is likely to mistake men with little pettifogging manoeuvres like that of Mr . Ball and other similarly peevish Protectionist perverts for genuine representatives of enlightened agricultural constituencies ?
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THE WEEK IN PARLIAMENT . THE EASTERN QUESTION . IiQJiD LYNDntjRST put some questions with regard to the Russian not © . Ho first pointed out to Lord Clarendon some reported differences between the Ruhsian original and tho French translation , and then interpreted one passage uo a pledge that Ruugiri would not withdraw from tho Principalities until tbe Port * hiw Bathed its demands , end until the French and ¦ ftS 5 ?* " witudl ' from tho " Turkish waters . " ^ orfl CMiwwrooif » ald , thftt tho original documont
" kept for home cowHxmpttoix' * ior circulation among the Russian people , differed somewhat from that sent abroad— -particularly with respect to the word " perfidious , " as appli 04 to the Sultan ' s word . With respect to the interpretation , of the paSsftga referred to , Iiord Clarendon / saidI : — . , ¦" ¦ ¦ ' . . " : « »• I do not entirely take the same view as my noblo and learned friend appears to do of whfrt is stated in that note . I certainly can have no hesitation in saying that we do not consider that tiift presencepf tfi 0 British and French fleets in the Bay pfBesika is at all similar / or can in any way be compared / to the occupation of the Danubian certainl condition
principalities . ( Loud cheers . ) And y no with respect to the departure of the one or the evacuation of the other will be made . " ( Renewed cheers . ) Lord Fitzwtlxiam pointed out that the document not only said that the fleets should retire from " the Turkish waters , " but " from within sight of the Turkish capital . / ' and Lord Ltndhttest re-quoted the words as follows : — " As soon as the British fleet shall remove from within sight of Constantinople we will retire /' Lord Olabendon said it did not matter , as at any rate the statement is incorrect ; the English and French , fleets are neither within the Turkish waters nor within
sight of Constantinople . With reference to the same subject , Lord Jomr RtrsSEMi said , on Monday ( in answer to Mr . Disraeli ) that the Russian Government could not substantiate the fact that the entry of the Russian troops into the principalities was caused by the sailing of the English fleet to the Turkish waters . Lord John added , that he did not understand from the document that there was a declaration that matters could not be arranged between Russia and Turkey unless the English fleet left the Turkish waters .
On Thursday Mr . DiseaeU reiterated his interrogatories . Referring lightly to the difference between him and Lord-John on the previous evening as to Count Ijfesselrode making the withdrawal of the allied fleets a condition of the evacuation of the principalities , he continued : — " Assuming as I do that these negotiations are now only formally , and not virtually , pursued —assuming that they have arrived at what is called a dead lock- —and believing , as I do , that it would be a great advantage to the public service , in that case , that there should be a discussion on this important question in both Houses of Parliament —( hear , hear)—I wish , therefore , to know if the noble lord has any objection to fix a day on which the honourable member for Aylesbury ( Mr . Layard ) may bring forward the question in the House of Commons ? " ( Hear , hear . )
In reply , Lprd JoHNRTTSSEMiaccountedfor his former misstatement by the cursory reading he had had of the document , and added : — " I also thought it impossible jthat two things so totally unlike should be put on a par , or that the Russian government should deem themselves at all justified in demanding that the fleets of the English and French should leave the Turkish waters before they evacuated the principalitiesbecause in the one case the English and French fleets were in tho waters of an allied power , and were there , not for the purpose of putting any pressure on that power , or of injuring it in any way , but only to bo ready in case that power should feel itself justifiod in calling for tho
assistance of its allies on the invasion of its territory . In the other case , that of an actual occupation by the Russian troops of principalities belonging to Turkey , I could sco no similarity or comparison between thorn , and I could not think that a person of the experience and sagacity of Count Nesselrode could affix his signature to a document declaring that that was the determination of tho Russian Government . Admitting , then , that the words boro on the face of them tho interpretation which the right honourable gentleman gave to them , I come- to the question which ho has just asked me . I have to state that no is mistaken in hie supposition that the negotiations on this subject have come to a dead lock . On the contrary , both tho English
and French Governments have considered that there are propositions might be acceded to both by Russia and Turkey , which might consequently be the moana of obtaining a pacific termination for this unfortunate occurrence . Whether or no those hopes may bo justifiod cannot be known immediately ; it must tako somo timo boforo wo can learn from St . Petersburg what is the view taken of any mode of adjustment which England , Franco , or Austria may approvo . " While suoh is the state of tho negotiations I think it would not bo desirable that tho honourable member should bring hia motion before tho House . " The rumoured occupation of Bosnia by tho Auetrians has been also reform ! to . Lord CijAKENDON statea
tlmt he- doubts , tho correctness of tho report . Tho English Minister at Vienna has' said nothing of it , and the Austrian Minister at this court doubts it—bolioving that the rumour may have arisen from the movement of'Austrian troops to Peterwardbin ; a town in the Austrian territory .
THH MALT TAX—A NIGHT flUBrHISB . The Opposition made a novel movement on Tuesday . Tho House mot at « ix , after having sat during tho day from twelve to four , and the general expectation waa that the Houwe would be counted out . No Minwtor » appeared , and the MinUterial benches wore almost dofierfced— - » few Radical members only Hitting on the back banolio * , But on tho Opposition benches Mr .
Disraeli and a select party were arrayed . A member moved that tfee House be counted , but more than forty were present . The opportunity for an attack seemed fair , and Mr . Ba 23 * who had given notice of his intention , rose and moved the following resolution on the Malt Tax : —" That this-House , resolve itself into a committee for the purpose of considering the duties on malt , with a view of malting such , alteration in those duties that the farmer may be exempt from the malt duty on such quantity of malt as he may require for his own use , made from barley of his own growth . " Instead of making a speech Mr . Ball read the resolution and sat down , his party calling out eagerly for a division .
Sir John Sheli / ey rose and seconded the motion , using some discontented language against the Government for their conduct in not coming down to meet the question , and declaring his resolve to vote with Mr . Ball . The Opposition seeing themselves so strong , called out , " Divide , divide . " Then followed " Withdraw , " and the division between forty or fifty Tories and " no" Ministerialists was about to take place , when suddenly
Mr . Gladstone appeared in his place . Roars of laughter greeted him as he rose to speak , the object of his oratory being understood . He first apologised for his absence ; he had not expected the motion to come on so soon ; and then entered at great length , and with purposed elaboration , into the merits of the question : He argued that if the motion meant that farmers should he allowed to drink beer free of duty the
concession was unusual and injurious to the revenue ; that as food for their cattle science and experiment had shown that malt was not as wholesome as barley ; and that if the concession be given you should have the excise carried into every farm house , for the revenue officer should supervise the amount manufactured . The difficulty of this undertaking would cause a serious injury to the revenue , and even on that ground alone the motion should he resisted .
" The great question , whether to tax malt or beer , Jias been open for a quarter of a century , and it is still an open question . If it were possible to hit upon some compromise , which , if it did not establish exact justice , would establish an approximation to justice , and then reimpose the beer duty , it would be a great public benefit , and confer a great advantage on the agriculturist and on all trades connected with the preparation of molt . The great difficulty is how to levy a duty on pr ivate brewers . The offensivenesa of the anomaly which permitted the greatest nobleman in the land to nil his magnificent cellar with malt liquor , and to keep a great quantity in store for the t
purpose of display ing his princely hospitality , whilsa large duty was imposed on the commonest person , was the sole cause which led the Government in 1830 to abandon the beer duty and retain the duty qn malt . A great deal of discussion has taken p lace as to whether that was the right course . The question turns almost entirely on the anterior question , whether something like a tax con be levied on the private brewer without the annoyance of private restrictions . I do not think any gentleman could better employ his time than in considering the point at which I have just glanced ; and I should feel greatly indebted to any one who can assist me in the solution of such a great question . "
With much unnecessary verbiage , but with hia usual fluency , Mr . Gladstone repeated these arguments , and then sat down . While he had been Epeaking Mr . Hayter , the whipper-in , was duly active , and the Ministerial bench soon filled . The House divided , and there appeared for Mr . Ball ' s motion 69 ; against it 73 . So that Ministers won by a narrow majority .
INDIA BILL ; The clauses of this Bill have been discussed in Committee . Mr . Vernon Smith proposed an amendment providing that instead of the six Directors of ten years Indian service , nominated by the Crown , that number should bo elected by the Court of Directors , subject to the approval of tho Crown . " Nominees" are objectionablo in every way . They have bpcoifto odious in , tho colonial legislatures , and in tho working of the new Act they will confuso responsibility and introduce rivalry into the Court , If thoy are activo they will override tho Court , if they are inactive the Directors will call themselves the real representatives , and treat
them as mere ' nominees . " Besides , tho Board of Control would find itsolf awkwardly placed in having to differ , as it may have from , votes carried by it » own nominees . Pointing out , in pafisingy tho inferior pp /> ition in tho Cubinot of tho President of tho Board of Control ( " his office has becomo either a Btopping-stone or a refuge" ) , and quoting Mr . Macaulay against " nominee" Directors , Mr . Smith denounced tine appointment by tho Crown as unconstitutional and unadvis ** bio . Tho amendment ho proponed was , that " the six " Directors shall be olectod by a majority of not loan than ono-foprth of the Directors—that each of "tho six" shofl hftvo served iu India , and have returned from it'for » certain term—ftnd that no Direototf or ek-Dlrector ( pt tho other twelve ) shnH be eligible ft * th « Wtufttlfliw .
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Mi THE LEADER . [ Saturd ay ,
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), July 16, 1853, page 674, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1995/page/2/
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