arise, it was hardly probable, under the will of Providence, that he should live to witness the unhappy results of this measure; but he heartily hoped the noble Earl (Earl Grey) might be spared, and when he saw a tenth annually of 72,000 men, being the average of our colonial force, having the right of their discharge in the colonies, and who must be brought home, he hoped the noble Earl might do him the honour of remembering his prophecies, when he or some less theoretical Minister would then, or probably long before, return to the unlimited service, which was far more in unison with the duties of the British Army than the enlistment for limited periods, which had so often been tried, and had always failed. He was ignorant whether the noble Earl had cast his eyes on Earl opposite for his having postponed, at his request, the third reading of this Bill from Friday to this day. It was rather sharp work to carry it the first day after the Adjournment, and many officers and noble Peers interested not in the House. However, he found that that short delay would have no effect in relieving the Army from deserters or the mischief of this Bill, which he had ever thought so mistaken and injudicious in principle, that he would not attend during the Committee upon the Bill, being satisfied that no change would be accomplished to make it palatable to the profession to which he belonged. He understood that, in the Committee, some important and valuable changes affecting our troops in India, were introduced by a noble Earl (the Earl of Ellenborough) greatly competent to judge of the question; the able speeches of Sir H. Douglas in anand that had determined him, and probably others, no longer to oppose the measure. He confessed, therefore, under those considerations, that it would be unbecoming in him, having so often trespassed on their Lordships on the subject, to force another division against the opinions of those who had become more reconciled to the Bill, and probably be subject to a smaller division. It appeared also, in Committee. that the noble Duke (the Duke of Wellington) adopted a tone more conformable to the views of the Government than he did in the commencement of this discussion. Still, he must say his Grace's opinions were of a variegated hue; and he did not think he would show or hold any ill-will towards him for respectfully but pointedly protesting against this measure. No argument had been adduced in answer to the great points he had alleged against the Bill. Destruction to the discipline of the Army at the period when the men approached the end of their servitude, when they would become insolent and insubordinate, and would make the good steady soldiers so also, while there was also a great injustice done to the old men; and, as to inducing a superior class to enlist, it was perfectly absurd, and one of those pow other place: they were printed, and in a Bill read 3a and passed. HOUSE OF COMMONS, Monday, May 31, 1847. Stage Carriages, &c. Duties; Soap Allowances. 2o Trust Money Investment (Ireland); Out-Pensioners (Chelsea and Greenwich). 3o Punishment of Vagrants, &c. (Ireland); Copyhold Commission; Loan Societies; Cemeteries Clauses. erful theories on which his noble Grace's legislation seemed to be founded. It was preposterous, surely, to hope that they would remain in the Army if they could get equally good means of living out of it, PETITIONS PRESENTED. By Sir William Clay, from the any more than school boys would stay happily at school. But all those and innumerable other objections had been so much dwelt on, that he would not trouble the House further. Whatever mischief might Parishes of St. George and St. Matthew, London, for Alteration of the Law of Registration of Voters.-By Mr. C. Bruce and other hon. Members, from many places, against the Marriage (Scotland) Bill.-By Sir J. Hope, from Commissioners of Supply and Justices of the Peace for the County of Edinburgh, for Alteration of the Law relating to Exciseable Liquors (Scotland).-By Lord R. Grosvenor, from Finsbury, respecting Remuneration to Tax Assessors and Collectors.-By Sir G. Grey, from London, for Extension of the Baths and Washhouses Act.-By Lord A. Paget, from Brighton and Wakefield, for Regulating the Qualification of Chemists and Drug gists. By Mr. Cardwell and other hon. Members, from a great many Catholics, for Alteration of the proposed Plan of Education.-By Sir J. Hobhouse, from Nottingham, for Repeal of the Game Laws.-By Mr. T. Duncombe and other hon. Members, from several places, in favour of the Health of Towns Bill.-By Mr. Moffatt, from many places, in favour of the Medical Registration and Joseph Henry, of South Street, Finsbury Square, London, for Inquiry. By several hon. Members, from a great Medical Law Amendment Bill.- By Viscount Ebrington, from Members of the Chamber of Commerce of the Port of Plymouth, against the Repeal of the Navigation Laws. Alteration of the Police Clauses Bill.-By several hon. Members, from a great many places, against the Registering Births, &c. (Scotland); and Marriage (Scotland) Bills. By Mr. Masterman, from the Master, Wardens, and Assistants of the Company of Butchers, of the City of London, against, and from several Persons, in favour -By Dr. Bowring, from Retail Beersellers of Bolton, for of, the Removal of Smithfield Market. INTERVENTION WITH PORTUGAL. MR. BERNAL OSBORNE wished to put to the Foreign Secretary a question, of which previous notice would probably not be required—whether the protocol was authentic, which appeared in that day's newspapers, respecting the arrangement entered into by this country with France, Spain, and Portugal, for an armed intervention in Portugal; and whether the noble Lord was ready to lay that protocol on the Table? VISCOUNT PALMERSTON: I hold in my hand a note which I have received from a noble Lord whom I do not now see in his place the noble Member for Lynn -giving me notice that he meant to ask that question, and to follow it by two or three other questions upon the same subject. I have no difficulty in answering the question of the hon. Member, by say ing that, as far as a hasty perusal enables me to judge, the protocol which appeared to-day in the papers is a fair and proper translation of that which was signed on Saturday week. The hon. Member asks whether there will be any objection to lay the protocol on the Table; and I answer, none whatever. It will be the duty of Her Majesty's Government to lay it on the Table. MR. BERNAL OSBORNE wished also to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty, whether it were true that the Geyser war steamer had sailed with shot, shell, and other ammunition; and whether it were for the general service of the fleet, or for the reduction of Oporto? CAPTAIN F. BERKELEY: Whatever had been sent out was for the service of Sir W. Parker's squadron. LORD G. BENTINCK (who had just entered the House): I understand that my first question is answered. My second question to the noble Lord is, whether he is now in a condition to give a history to Parliament of the events, and transactions, and circumstances, which, in the opinion of Her Majesty's Ministers, have justified this armed intervention in the domestic affairs of Portugal? The third question which I have to ask my noble Friend is, whether he can state to the House of Commons the nature of those solemn declarations made in the course of the last summer by the Queen of Portugal to her people, the alleged infraction of which is set forth as the justification of the Portuguese people for rising in arms against the Government of their Sovereign? The last question I wish to ask is, whether the Government are possessed of any new information to the effect that the insurgents, already in possession of the whole country, up to the walls and gates of Lisbon, have been prevented only by the presence and interposition of the British and Spanish fleet from taking possession of the city of Lisbon itself? last paper my VISCOUNT PALMERSTON: In reply to my noble Friend, I have no difficulty in stating that Her Majesty's Government will lay before Parliament, with all possible expedition, papers setting forth the grounds have deemed themselves justified in taking upon which Her Majesty's Government what I admit to be the exceptional course which they have thought it their duty to will lay before the House any papers that adopt in the present state of Portugal. I I can, bearing upon those transactions of to which year though I cannot call to mind any particular noble Friend refers, which will distinctly show what he inquires about. With regard to the last British naval force, and a Spanish vessel question, I can only say, that there is a or two, in the Tagus; but there has been no collision between them and the insurgent forces south of the Tagus; but as to that question, it really must be left to my noble Friend to inquire what it was which prevented the insurgent forces from making that attack. I may as well observe now, that my hon. Friend (Mr. Hume) has given notice of a Motion for to-night upon this subject, probably imagining that the House would go into Committee of Supply; I believe that if there is any supply proposed, it will necessarily be at a late hour-too late for beginning a discussion of such magnitude and importance-and, as papers are to be laid upon the Table, perhaps my hon. Friend will postpone the Motion till the House is in possession of them. MR. HUME had no doubt the House would be in a better condition to judge of the conduct of the Government when those papers should be laid on the Table; but he was unwilling to postpone the discussion beyond Friday, with the understanding that it would be the first business of the afternoon, by which time he should hope the papers would be in the possession of hon. Members. His only object was a fair discussion, and to see whether the Government could justify their proceedings. He would, therefore, postpone his notice, taking it for granted that the Government would proceed with Supply the first thing on Friday. LORD J. RUSSELL had already stated that he should take the third reading of the Loan Discount Bill on Friday. LORD J. MANNERS wished to call the attention of the Foreign Secretary to the circumstance that there had been rumours in town that a collision had taken place between Her Majesty's naval forces and the insurgent troops in or near Oporto; had the noble Lord received any information leading him to believe that there was any foundation for those rumours? VISCOUNT PALMERSTON had not received any information on the subject. MR. HUME must press his Motion that night, unless he had some assurance that a Committee of Supply should be moved on Friday; otherwise, the Motion would be thrown over into the next week. LORD J. RUSSELL should be quite ready, when the papers were in the hands of hon. Members, to bring on Supply immediately, or in any mode to allow the discussion to take place, and forward it in any manner in his power, but would not commit himself to a day for bringing forward this question if the papers should not be before the House. MR. HUME asked whether the noble Lord the Foreign Secretary would state what papers there were that could not be prepared in a couple of days? VISCOUNT PALMERSTON could promise that all possible expedition should be used; but the hon. Member might have an impression that more rapidity could be used in the way of preparation of papers than was really possible in transactions of this kind. A good deal of correspondence had of course passed in the last six or eight months; the matter should be condensed in as small a compass as possible, but it would not be just to the House, any more than to the Government, not to produce the papers necessary for enabling Parliament to form a fair and correct judgment upon the case. MR. HUME was understood to say, that he should be satisfied if he had the protocol alone. VISCOUNT PALMERSTON would certainly lay the protocol on the Table. LORD G. BENTINCK: And also, I hope, the declaration or proclamation of the Queen to her subjects in June, I think, last year. LORD J. RUSSELL: There is no objection to lay the protocol on the Table; but when other papers are asked for, I must say that the House could not come to any opinion upon this subject without knowing, not only what has taken place between the Queen of Portugal and her subjects, but also what has taken place with reference to appeals made by the Queen of Portugal to other Powers, and offers made by them to interfere in the affairs of that country. Unless the whole is laid before the House, the House cannot form an opinion, and I do not wish merely to lay on the Table the papers that suit the particular views of hon. Members. MR. BERNAL OSBORNE wished his hon. Friend the Member for Montrose to give some pledge that the question relative to Portugal would be brought forward on Friday night. The House was left in ignorance whether the hon. Gentleman was resolved to proceed, or whether he might not listen to the persuasive tongue of the noble Lord the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and postpone his Motion. The armed intervention which was intended, would lead to most disastrous consequences; and it was neither more nor less than an intervention in the cause of despotism. It was all very well to speak of waiting for the production of papers; but British subjects at Oporto were exposed to the greatest risk, even to the sacrifice of their lives; and it was announced in regard to the Viscount Sa da Bandeira, that unless he immediately agreed to a suspension of arms he should be excluded from the amnesty. Was not the question, then, one which required to be dealt with immediately? He begged to call upon his hon. Friend to give some guarantee that the question would be brought before the House as soon as possible. MR. HUME had already expressed his determination to bring forward the question on Friday. He had asked the Government to let him do so on going into Committee of Supply; but, if they refused, he should avail himself of another mode of bringing the question forward; though he regretted that in the latter case he would not be able to take the sense of the House. Nothing would prevent him from taking the course he had proposed; and he had only to put it to the right hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether, on Friday, one of the first Motions would not be that the House go into Committee of Supply? LORD J. RUSSELL could assure his hon. Friend that Her Majesty's Government had no wish at all to avoid the discussion. The better the facts were ascertained, the better would stand the case which Her Majesty's Government had to present. But it was not desirable that the House should enter on the discussion without becoming acquainted with the whole circumstances. The noble Lord the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs had said, that though it was necessary to give certain papers, he had no wish for delay. There were, however, some papers of very great importance, which ought to receive the attention of the House; and if these could be delivered in time, the right hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer would move to go into Committee of Supply on Friday; but he (Lord J. Russell) could not say that he wished to provoke a discussion unless the House was in possession of the requisite information. MR. HUME, documents or no documents, would bring forward the question on Friday. MR. OSBORNE expressed his intention to resist all Motions for Supply till the question was brought before the House. MR. BORTHWICK thought one reason for not letting the matter lie over, was the tremendous effect which delay would produce in Portugal. The statement of the noble Lord (the Secretary for Foreign Affairs), that the document which had appeared in the public journals, quoted from the Paris papers, was a faithful transcript of the protocol, would produce a greater effect, and probably a more disastrous effect, than any armed intervention. The noble Lord had described the case as exceptional. It might well be called so, when they found England taking the side of a Queen who had re-established the Inquisition in a form more odiously terrible than that which existed in the middle ages. The noble Lord would, he hoped, hasten the printing of the papers. LORD G. BENTINCK inquired whether the noble Lord could not let the House have the papers in detached portions? If they were so voluminous as the noble Lord the Secretary for Foreign Affairs had hinted, hon. Members could not otherwise expect to get them perused. LORD J. RUSSELL could only state that the papers would be produced as speedily as possible. DOCKYARD REGULATIONS. VISCOUNT INGESTRE, after referring to the new dockyard regulations, requiring the men selected for certain offices to undergo an examination in mathematies, &c., inquired whether Mr. Wallis had been appointed assistant master shipwright at Portsmouth, and, if so, whether he underwent that examination? MR. WARD had stated, when he announced those regulations, that they were not intended to be applied so strictly as to debar the old and faithful servants of the Crown from that promotion which they merited; in fact, they were intended to have rather a prospective than a retroactive or even a present effect. The person alluded to had been thirty years in the service, had the highest testimonials from the officers under whom he served, and perhaps had taken a more active part in the construction of ships of war than any man now living; he ought not now to be debarred from promotion by the new regulations. (SCOTLAND); ECCLESIASTICAL COMMISSION BILL, ETC. MR. DIVETT inquired what was intended to be done with (as we understood) the Health of Towns Bill. LORD J. RUSSELL: In answering that question, I beg to remind the hon. Member that I stated on Friday, after having given notice what would be the business I should propose to take in the present week, that I would state further on this day what course we intend to take with respect to other Bills which are on the Table; and I think it will be better that I should take those different Bills in the order in which they now stand, than answer at once the question which the hon. Member has put. One of MR. E. DENISON had heard with great regret that the Ecclesiastical Commissioners Bill was to be withdrawn, and it made it necessary for him to prefer a request to the noble Lord. He had expressed his anxiety for a reform with the consent of the Commission, or through the intervention of Her Majesty's Government; but, as he had no hope of such a measure in the present Session, he trusted, con had taken place to meet the noble Lord's views, that the noble Lord would still give him an opportunity of bringing forward his Motion for an inquiry into the composition and management of the Ecclesiastical Commission. the first Bills in the Order of the Day is | House; and this disposes of the time up to the Registering Births, &c. (Scotland) Bill. the 14th of June, and answers the quesI stated with regard to that Bill, and an- tion of my hon. Friend. He asks whether, other which is connected with it, before that Bill being liable to many objections the holidays, either that they should come in its details, we mean to persevere with forward this day or be taken into con- it? My answer is, that we do think that sideration next Monday; but what I now Bill of very essential importance; and I propose to do is, seeing the state of busi- trust that, although it may create a good ness, and seeing the great objections that deal of discussion in this House, the objechave been made to these Bills in Scotland, tions do not affect the principle of the Bill, to fix them for Monday next as the first and that we may be able to arrange the thing to be taken, and that my right hon. details in Committee; and I do hope to see Friend who brought them forward should it carried in this Session. then state their general purport, and the reasons for which he thinks they are not liable to the objections which have been made to them in many quarters, and state also what is the shape in which we should wish them to stand; and, after that, we propose not to proceed with them during the present Session of Parliament, but leave them for further consideration in Scotland. With respect to another Bill which stands for to-night- the Ecclesias-sidering the frequent postponements which tical Commissioners Bill-I think it absolutely necessary for the duly carrying on the business before that Commission that some amendment should take place in the composition of the Commission; but, at the same time, I find that the particular mode in which we have proposed that that amendment should be made, has met with strong opposition from persons of the greatest authority in the Church; and, therefore, I mean likewise to leave that Bill for further consideration, and to see whether I connot by some other mode, or, if necessary, by persevering in the present proposition, carry, in a future Session, a Bill for the purpose of amending the mode of conducting the business of that Commission, affecting, as it does, not only the property of the Church, but affecting great numbers of laymen in this country. Next, with regard to a Bill which has excited a good deal of discussion out of this House, and to which many objections have been stated, but which has been now put into another shape-I mean the Railways Bill -we propose to take the second reading of that Bill on Monday next, unless this urgent question respecting Portugal should interfere. On Thursday, in next week, we should propose to proceed with the English Poor Laws Administration Bill, which is already fixed for that day; and on the Monday following, the 14th, we propose to go into Committee on the Health of Towns Bill. Those are the principal Bills which now remain for the consideration of the LORD J. RUSSELL, when there was so much business before the House, could not give the hon. Gentleman a day for the purpose of making that Motion; but he would afford the hon. Gentleman an opportunity of stating his views, if the hon. Gentleman thought proper on a Notice-day to bring the subject before the House. ADDITIONAL BISHOPS. MR. J. COLLETT wished to know whether Her Majesty's Government intended to bring in a Bill this Session for the appointment of an additional bishop or bishops; and, if so, whether the said bishop or bishops would have seats in the House of Lords? LORD J. RUSSELL begged to state, that it was the intention of Her Majesty's Government to introduce a Bill in the other House of Parliament repealing part of an Act by which the bishoprics of St. Asaph and Bangor were united, and making provision for the appointment of a bishop of Manchester. By that Bill it was not intended to enact that any additional seat should be provided for the bishops so constituted; and it was not intended that any part of the funds for the support of these new bishoprics should be derived from any |