On this page
-
Text (3)
-
Untitled Article
-
nnmwAw im n^ TTvTArrTuv J.Jiiu CKiM.ii.AiN buaicu uti LJXWJLUY
-
Untitled Article
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.
-
-
Transcript
-
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.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
Untitled Article
pointing out the great importance of the question , introduced Mr . Wentwortb , a colonist in New South Wales , who said he Lad passed the greater part of his life in Australia , and could conscientiously aver that one feeling of indignation and disgust prevails throughout the colonies at the want of proper steam communication with the mother country . He complained that when , after an interval of six jears from the first promise , steam communication was commenced in 1852 , the service was split up between two companies—the General Screw , and the Peninsular aad Oriental ; that the service was inefficient , and the speed not equal to what was promised or what might have been performed : that , on the breaking out of
the effect that it appeared to that meeting that , provided the usual postal speed of ten knots , or nautical miles , an hour could l ) e attained , the transit of letters between London and Melbourne might be easily effected in f orty-four days . This resolution , with an addition , insisting on the necessity of adopting the shortest route , was passed with scarcely a , dissentient voice ; and , after a few more observations from various speakers , the meeting broke up .
THE CITY O 1 T THE CORPOETIOH RETORU BILL . A . " Common Hall" was held on . Tuesday for the purpose of considering the provisions of the Government measure for the reform of the Corporation . The Lord Mayor presided , and Mr . J . Lawrence—after a speech in . which he denounced Sir George Grey as having exhibited in the bill the " moderation " the border plunderer , the pickpocket , and the housebreaker , and accused him cither of uttering deliberate falsehood , or of being deficient in common understanding—moved the following resolution : —" That
the bill lately introduced into the House of Commons purporting to "be for the better regulation of the Corporation of the city of London , although professing to abolish sneh customs and privileges as injuriously affect trade , ignores the whole body of the livery , is destructive of its pr ivileges , extinguishes its municipal existence , and is otherwise subversive of the ancient rights , properties , and liberties of the Corporation , and that this Common Hall determines to give the most earnest opposition to the passing of such bill . " ( Gheei'sJ )
Mr . Finden seconded the resolution , which , was opposed by Mr . Bennoch , who , while acknowledging that " the history of the Corporation of London is the history of civilisation and of liberty all over the ¦ world , " asserted that it had fallen into partial decay , and maintained that the Government bill only undertakes to effect that reform which tie city had been vainly endeavouring to inaugurate for the last twenty years . " It does not , " said Mr . Bennett , " destroy a single privilege enjoyed by the livery , and actually extends privileges to others of the citizens ; " He called attention to that " gigantic piece of extravagance , " the spending of 56120 , 000 for the administration o the
city affairs , with a population of only 128 , 000 . His only objection to the measure was that it was too moderate . ; and he therefore moved an . amendment pledging the Common Hall to support the bill . Mr . Bennoch ' a remarks were received with great uproar , and the Lord Mayor was ob l iged to request for him a patient hearing . Mr . Alderman Sydney and Ir Clark spoke in favour of the original motion , contending : that . t . bfi bill cossesses a- dangerous centralising 1 tendency . —The amendment waa then negatived almost unanimously , only three hands being held up in its favour . The first resolution , and others of a similar character , were afterwards adopted ; and a petition to Parliament against the bill was agreed to .
the war , the ships were taken away , on the pretext that they were wanted for transporting the troops and material , though to his ( Mr . "Wentworth ' s ) own knowledge , one of them was immediately sent into the opium trade with China , and he had heard of others being similarly employed ; that it was decided , about that time , to carry on the steam communication with China twice a month , and to drop the Australian service altogether ; and that it is now proposed to make the colonies pay half the expense of the communication with the mother country—a system not carried out with any of the other dependencies , excepting the East Indies , and not fair , becauae the parent state benefits more than the colony .
He concluded by moving a resolution condemnatory of the present state of the postal communication with Australia . The resolution having been seconded by Mr . Ravenshaw , it was put and carried unanimously . The next speaker was the Earl of Hardwicke , who urged upon the meeting the necessity of at once pressing the . Government to abandon their intention of consulting the colonies before settling the question . The consumption of British produce by the colonies , and especially Australia , he showed to be immensely larger than that of foreign countries .
With regard to route , he should recommend that the Mauritius be first taken , with the ultimate view of establishing some necessary facilities at Diego Garcia , and that the ships should pass King George ' s Sound to Melbourne , and then deliver the mails , leaving the colonists themselves to distribute those mails . Lord Hardwicke concluded by moving that it is expedient that immediate steps be taken to establish a steam postal service suitable to the vast commerce and growing importance of Australia . Mz \ Ker Seyzner , M . P ., seconded the resolution ; which was adopted without any opposition .
Lord Stanley then addressed the meeting . He thought there had been culpable carelessness on the part of those in power in a matter deeply affecting the interests of an important portion of the eniDire . Our exports to-China , with its 300 , 000 , 000 of population , are just one-sixteenth of those to Australia with its 700 , 000 people ; yet China had been favoured at the expense of our colonists in the south . He would only aBk whether , if preparations had been commenced earlier , the whole of the routes would not have been supplied without interruption . He would not ask how niciny steamers were lying idle in the harbours of Balaklava and Constantinople when the suppression of this postal communication with Australia took
place . ( A laugh . ) At that time , the Duke of Newcastle—aud he wished to speak of him with all courtesy as a gentleman eminently fitted for private life ( a laugh )—was in office ; and . it was rather remarkable that afc that time , when every order that emanated from that department of the public service went to the wrong person or the wrong place , and when every act was either left undone , or , done , was done six months after it was directed to be put in force ( a laugh ) , the one act that was well and effectually done was that of stopping the Australian postal service . { Hear , hear . ) In a moment of emergency the Government might reqxiiro the services of every steam-vessel on which they could lay
hands ; but the war , though it lasted but two years , might have lasted ten , and during its continuance no step was taken for replacing that w hich in a moment of tomporary exigency they had taken away { hear , hear );—a fact whioh could only bo explained by a inference to that inveterate habit of politicians of the old school of giving a disproportionate share o f attention to questions alfeoting foreign courts or questions of diplomaoy , and overlooking tho more important interesta of the British colonies . ( Hear , / tear . ) Governments , moreover , had always boen too much in tho habit of acting towards colonists aa though they wore iioprotiathiff with a hostile Deonlo .
instead of dealing with them as Mends and fellow countrymen . The principle of self-government is not much a faahion at the present period of tho world ; but self-government had been the wholesome characteristic of the English race : and they might depend upon it that every English colonist who locates himself in tiny of our distant dependencies , and every acre of land that lie reclaims from tho wilderness and waste , will bo a guarantee to E \ iropo for tho recognition of that principle and for tho ultimate triumph throughout tho wholo of tho English dominions of free speech , froo thought , and froo action . ( Loud checra . )—Tho noble Lord thou moved a resolution to
Untitled Article
THE PEACE . " The Moniteur announces tliat tho Congress of Paris has terminated its labours . The closing sitting was held on Wednesday at the hotel of the Minister for Foreign Affairs . After the signing of the Treaty , the Plenipotentiaries had still to occupy themselves -with different questions of a nature to consolidate and complete the work of peace . The ratifications will be exchanged at the end of the month . Immediately after the promulgation of the general Treaty , tho protocols will be published ,, and will make known the labours of the Congress in their detail . A telegraphic despatch from the Vienna correspondent of the Times states : — " One of the most important conditions in tho Treaty of Pence is that tho forts on the Circassian -coast of tho Black Sea arc not to bo rebuilt . Iu short , the atatua quo on tho coasts of tho Black Sou ia to bo maintained . This is authentic . "
Nnmwaw Im N^ Ttvtarrtuv J.Jiiu Ckim.Ii.Ain Buaicu Uti Ljxwjluy
taken place , it would have been a great advantage . Lord Lucan , he added , frequently visited the camp of his regiment , looked at the works which had been done , and made inquiries . The next witness , Major-General Beatson , -was of opinion that it was impracticable to erect shelter for the horses in the autumn and early winter , because of the uncertainty as to their removal to a new position . He would not have placed his horses under canvas on the plateau ^ as the first gale of wind might have blown down the canvas and injured the animals .- — Colonel Griffi ths , being recalled , said that , to the best of his recollection , the average number of men available by him for putting up shelter , during November
and January , was about seventy . The reason why he did mot dig a drain about his horses , as he had suggested on a previous day , -was tlmt he was uncertain how long he was to occupy his then position . —Mr . Rawlinson , civil engineer , gave testimony at some * length with respect to the nature of the ground about Kadikoi , and remarked : — " I cannot say whether there was a want of promptitude and" ingenuity in the cavalry in providing temporary shelter for their horses , even if sail-cloth , were obtainable , as I do not know what were the exigencies of military men on service before the enemy ; but , speaking as a civilian , I feel certain that no railway contractor or person having to do with horses would , if placed on the same ground , have lost one-twentieth , of the time in providing the necessary shelter !"
Having referred to the French and Sardinian armies , and being asked hy Lord Lucan whether the Sardidian . army had any field duties to perform on its arrival , and at what season of the year it arrived ^ Mr . Rawlinson answered : —" I don't remember the date of arrival of the Sardinian troops . I saw them arrive , and I saw the ground they occupied two days after they had taken it up . As soon as they occupied the ground , they Bet men to -wort to mend the roads , with which we Lad never meddled , and also to make drains and to search for springs ; and within a week , as far as I could learn , the Sardinian army was comfortably settled- —the . officers , in-small bell tents , in the tents d ' abri , or under temporary covering formed of the brittle timber of the district . The same kind of covering had been thrown over their horses . "
Mr * Bracebridge , who had been in connexion with the army in the East for ten months , said lie thought that shelter formed of spars and sail-cloth might have been erected at Kadikoi and on the plateau . One hundred and five topsails are necessary to cover two thousand horses ; and he thought that double that number could have been procured at Constantinople . It would nave taken a transport thirty hours to go fro m Balaklava to Constantinople , thirty hours to load , and thirty hours to return ; so that the canvas might have been procured hx ninety hours . He thought that , if money were no object , carpenters and materials to a lmost any extent might also have been obtained from Constantinople in a few days . ( He d t
afterwars admited , in answer to Lord Lucan , that about sixteen English carpenters were sent to Constantinople for the repair and construction of hospitals and barracks at Scutari ) . With regard to tha subject of food fo r horses , he had heard at Scutari that linseed given with barley prevented the scorbutib effects arising from barley being given alone to the horses , and he "believed that linseed might have been obtained to any extent at Constantinople . To' a question from Colonel Tulloch , who asked whether ingenuity was exercised by the cavalry iu providing shelter for their horses , Mr . Bracebridge replied : " The only ingenuity I saw was as to certain trenches made by the Sardinians for the protection of their horses . "
Mnjor-General Sir Richard Airey was then examined . He said that , about tho Sfch and 12 th of November , he issued orders to Lord Lucan toprovide shelter for his horses ; and , in answer to Colonel Tullocb , he stated that " generally , " when orders aro issued from so high an authority , it ia supposed that the officer to wliom they are addressed has the means to obey them . Ho agreed with somo of the previous witnesses in thinking that the uncertainty as to position pro vented tho speedy erection of Btabling for tho horses . After some fu rther statements , of a technical nature , the testimony of Sir ltichard was interrupted by the rising of tho Bonrd .
THE CRIMEAN BOAltD OF INQUIRY . LOUD LUCUN ' S CASE . The Board reassembled on Saturday , and tho first witness examined waa Colonel Low , of the 4 th Light DmgooixB . Ho stated that it was perfectly possible that materials mifjht have beon got from Constantinople to oroot Btabloa within three or four weeks ; and that he did not know wha . b oiroumstanoeB prevented this being done . The stabling foi 1 Iri » regiment was not complotod till the end of February or tho beginning of Maroh , at -which tirao ho had only thirty-nine horaea alive out of one hundred and thirty , or one hundred aud fifty , in November . In anewor to n question from Colonel Tullooh , as to whother , provided that Hail-oloth could have boon obtained from Constantinople , it would have boen an advantageous mode of getting the horseB under shelter till more pormanenfc stabling oould have been erected , Colonel Low replied that , in hin opinion , if ouch a thing had
On the reassembling of the Board on Monday , tho examination of Goneral Airey was continued , and Colonol Tullooh asked ;— " Wore not written queries addressed to you by tho CommiBaionerH after leaving Bulnklava , calling fo r explanation as to what was done regarding shelter for the cavalry , and is not this your answer to one of them ' /— ' I , however , obtained all tho planking and timber noceaBary from Sinope and Constantinople , and prooured tho assistance of 200 Turkish troops from ltustom Pacha , who encamped within the cavalry lines , for the purpose of constructing huts for inon and horses of the cavalry , and an engineer officer was placed at tho disposal of tho Ear ] of Lucan on tho 12 th of November , 1854 , to superintend the work . '" " Yea , that ia my answer to the question put to mo ; but I should like to say that I
Untitled Article
A . pril 19 , 1856 / 1 THS LEADER , 3 & 5 _
-
-
Citation
-
Leader (1850-1860), April 19, 1856, page 365, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2137/page/5/
-