Her Majesty upon the Princess of Wales having happily given birth to a Princess, and to assure Her Majesty of our feelings of devoted loyalty and affection to Her Majesty's person and family. MR. GLADSTONE: I rise to second MR. O'BEIRNE said, he wished to ask the Chief Secretary for Ireland, Whether the Motion of the right hon. Gentleman, it is true, as stated in the Dublin Free- to which I am sure that this House will, man's Journal, that the Commissioners for as on former occasions, accede with unaniinvestigating the subject of Primary Educa- mity and with the greatest cordiality. The tion in Ireland have come to the conclusion domestic relations of the members of the that Irishmen are not competent to dis-Royal Family have assumed, to the great charge the duties of Assistant Commis- satisfaction of the country, a position in sioners, and have appointed seven English- recent times which is almost novel with men and three Scotchmen to discharge those duties? THE EARL OF MAYO said, in reply, that the appointment of an Assistant Commissioner did not rest with the Government. He had had a communication with the Chairman of the Commission, who had informed him that, with the unanimous concurrence of his colleagues, he had selected a gentleman who had been lately engaged upon an ecclesiastical inquiry similar to that of the Royal Commission in different parts of the United Kingdom, especially in Scotland, and they were unanimously of opinion that in selecting that gentleman they were selecting a man who was best able to perform the duties to be intrusted to him. PRINCESS OF WALES. ADDRESS TO THE QUEEN. regard to the degree in which the people of the country are permitted to become acquainted with them, and the interest of the people in those domestic relations is proportionately enhanced. All that tends to exhibit the Royal Family, and the various groups of the Royal Family, in the light and attitude before the eyes of the nation of families knit together by mutual affection, and growing and prospering in mutual love, gives cordial satisfaction to the country in all classes and throughout all parts. It is undoubtedly quite true that we derive, as the right hon. Gentleman has said, an additional pleasure from the mercy which has been vouchsafed to the Prince and Princess of Wales upon the present occasion, from observing that no new strain has been imposed upon, no renewed detriment has occurred to the con. stitution of one whose pure and lofty character, and whose gracious manners have, not less than her high station, caused her to be an object of the greatest interest. MR. DISRAELI: I rise, Sir, to move that an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty to congratulate Her Majesty upon the birth of a Princess to the Royal Resolved, Nemine Contradicente, That an Consort of the Heir Apparent. The Prince to congratulate Her Majesty on the Princess of humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, and Princess of Wales live so much among Wales having happily given birth to a Princess, the nation that on an occasion like the pre- and to assure Her Majesty of our feelings of desent it is impossible that such a domestic voted loyalty and attachment to Her Majesty's event should not excite some political feel-Person and Family.—(Mr. Disraeli.) ing. While I am sure that we shall cordially and unanimously assure Her Majesty of the satisfaction with which we hear that by the birth of another member of the Royal Family there is an additional security for the continuance of the dynasty with which are so indissolubly connected the liberties of the country, we can, at the same time, express our feelings of gratification at the restored health of the Princess of Wales—a fact which I am certain must be to the people of this country a source of infinite satisfaction. I move, therefore, that an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty to congratulate SIR ROBERT NAPIER. MESSAGE FROM THE QUEEN. Message from Her Majesty brought up, and read by Mr. Speaker (all the Members being uncovered), as follows:— VICTORIA R. Her Majesty, taking into consideration the important Services rendered by Sir Robert Napier, a Lieutenant-General in Her Majesty's Army, and Commander in Chief of the Army of Bombay, in the conduct of the recent Expedition into Abys sinia, and being desirous to confer some signal mark of Her favour for these and other distinguished merits upon the said Sir Robert Napier, recommends it to the House of Commons to enable Her Majesty to make provision for securing to the said Sir Robert Napier and the next surviving Heir Male of his Body, a Pension of Two Thousand Pounds per Annum. MR. DISRAELI: I shall move tomorrow that the House take into consideration, in Committee, Her Majesty's most gracious Message. Committee thereupon To-morrow. ELECTION PETITION AND CORRUPT PRACTICES AT ELECTIONS BILL. MINISTERIAL STATEMENT. MR. DISRAELI: The hon. Member for Dudley (Mr. H. B. Sheridan) asked me some short time ago what was the course which Her Majesty's Government intended to take with reference to the Corrupt Practices at Elections Bill, which stands as the sixth Order upon the Paper for to-day. I then said I thought it would be more convenient to reserve my reply until I had the opportunity of stating to the House what our intentions were generally with regard to this Bill. The important decision at which the Committee upon this Bill arrived the other night virtually brought back the Bill to the scheme originally proposed by Her Majesty's Government. Therefore, so far as Her Majesty's Government are concerned, that plan has been the result of very deep deliberation. It was of course the decision of the Committee. Although we did not think our selves justified in adopting the course which apparently the House had rejected some months previously-or at least the course which it had not sufficiently encouraged Her Majesty's Government to proceed with-we did not think, considering the position of the House generally, and the approaching termination of the Session, that we ought to run the great risk of assenting to that proposition. We thought, on the whole, that it would be more prudent to adhere to the Bill as it was introduced to the notice of the Committee. The Committe, however, having come to a decision, and by an unequivocal majority expressed an opinion upon the subject, it appears to me it would be a matter very deeply to be lamented if we should allow any difficulties to prevent us from carrying out the proposed legislation) or from fulfilling our promises on this subject. Therefore, Her Majesty's Government have considered whether, notwithstanding the obstacles that apparently present themselves, it will not be possible to legislate upon the subject this Session, and fully enter in the spirit of the Resolu tion of the Committee which was the other day agreed upon. And after deliberation and taking such steps as we thought would be conducive to the success of the proposition which I am now about to make, I will very briefly state the proposition I am authorized by my Colleagues to submit to the House; and I will take care in the course of the evening to lay upon the table clauses to carry out this proposition. What we propose is the following:-We propose that at the commencement of every Michaelmas Term each of the Superior Courts of Common Law should form a rota, and by the decision of the majority one of the Judges of each of those Courts should be selected to try these Election Petitions. We propose that each of the Judges so selected should receive an increase of income of £500 per annum, but that sum is not to be taken into consideration in cal culating the pension to which he would be entitled after a certain duration of service. We propose also that the chief of each of the Superior Courts shall be exempted from this duty. But considering the very great increase of business in the three Superior Courts, and the great pressure which is now experienced in getting through it, we propose that three new Judges shall be appointed to those Courts, and we shall make provision that the services of a Judge of each of the Superior Courts shall be at the command of the other Courts-such as the Divorce Court, where occasionally there is a great pressure of business. We propose that if the three Puisne Judges thus selected and forming a rota are not sufficient to transact the business of the Election Committees, which after a General Election is pecu liarly heavy, to reserve this power-that if the three Judges on the rota should make a requisition to the Secretary of State or other officer of the Government, that a fourth Puisne Judge of the Court of Exchequer should be associated with them for that purpose. I must say, however, I cannot doubt without this provision there would be ample power to transact this business of Election Petitions. I have now stated one provision we propose. The remaining provision is this-After all, this measure must be considered but an experiment; and we therefore propose that if there should be any vacancy in either of the Superior Courts of Common Law it shall not be filled up without the consent of Parliament. These are the principal outlines of the scheme which is embodied in the clauses which I shall lay upon the table of the House in the course of the evening. I think it is a subject which has been well-considered; and, as time is now very pressing, I propose that the House shall meet at two o'clock to-morrow, when it may not be impossible that we may get into Committee, and resume our labours upon this Bill. I therefore propose to take the consideration of these clauses to-morrow. MR. AYRTON desired to know how it was possible that hon. Members could propose any Amendments on clauses which they would not receive till to-morrow morning. Hon. Members would, by the course now proposed, be virtually deprived of the opportunity of proposing any Amendments; and he trusted, therefore, that the right hon. Gentleman would to-morrow proceed with the other portions of the Bill instead of with these clauses. MR. DISRAELI: I should have thought that four or five hours devoted uninterruptedly to the Bill would have been sufficient for all purposes. MR. GLADSTONE said, he felt that this was an exceptional matter; and though hon. Members had, no doubt, a right to demand at the hands of her Majesty's Government time to enable them to propose Amendments which they desired to bring forward, he could not but acknowledge that the question of time was really a pressing one. The right hon. Gentleman, on the other hand, would no doubt give due weight to any suggestions that might He desired, however, to ask the right hon. Gentleman-and if the right hon. Gentleman could not give an answer at present he might, perhaps, be able to do so to-morrow-what it was proposed to do with regard to a point of considerable importance-limiting the duration of a Bill which, after all, was of an experimental be made. character? PARLIAMENTARY REFORMREPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE (SCOTLAND) BILL-[BILL 215.] (The Lord Advocate, Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir James Fergusson.) LORDS' AMENDMENTS. in Lords' Amendments considered. Page 24, line 32, the next Amendment, read a second time. MR. M'LAREN said, the Lords had made an Amendment in the Definition Clause, which enabled him to move an Amendment thereon, within the rules of this House. He should briefly explain the objects of the Amendment. It was agreed, when the Bill was in the House of Commons, that all the words about rating should be struck out. That was done in all the other clauses; but in the Definition Clause, by an oversight, the alteration was not made. The Definition Clause says a house shall "include any part of a house occupied as a separate dwelling, which dwelling is separately rated to the relief of the poor," whereas the clauses of the Bill made it sufficient that a householder should be placed on the Valuation Roll, and not in arrear of poor rates, to In Edinentitle him to the franchise. burgh this definition would disfranchise 4,500 persons who occupied premises of a less value than £4-premises which were have paid the rates of the poor; and he not rated and which, therefore, could not believed there were other burghs which were similarly situated. The effect of the Amendment he had to propose, would be to suspend the operation of the rating sentence in the clause during the present year; and all the parties affected could be rated next year. What he now proposed was merely to add the words, "after the expiration of the present year, and," in the place pointed out after the word "levied." In the city he represented there were 4,500 householders who would not enjoy the franchise under the Amendment during the present year, because the Poor Law authorities did not think it worth while to lay on and collect the small rate they might have obtained from those persons; but he apprehended that the House was most anxious that every man who was a householder should be placed on the register. Amendment proposed, to add to the said | Lords in the clause relating to the voting at Amendment the words "after the expira- University elections by striking out the tion of the present year and." -(Mr. words, "who is personally known to me." McLaren.) Those words made the magistrate declare that he was personally acquainted with the voter who came before him, and they would therefore operate as an additional safeguard against personation. As the omission of the words would lessen the security against that species of fraud, he hoped the House would retain them. THE LORD ADVOCATE said, one of the main principles of the Bill was that no person should be entitled to be put upon the register who did not pay to the relief of the poor. In the course of the discussion, however, it was agreed that the test of being rated to the relief of the poor should not be insisted on that year; but the Lords have made an alteration in the clause, by which that object was to be effected; and the result was that certain parties were not at present entitled to be put on the register because they had not been put to the test of paying to the relief of the poor. There was no doubt, however, that they would be entitled to be put on the register in future years, after they had been put to the test. MR. BOUVERIE said, he thought the hon. Member for Edinburgh had done good service in the Amendment he had brought forward, because the clause to which he had drawn attention was inconsistent with the Amendment which he himself proposed, and which was carried during the earlier part of the discussions on the Scotch Reform Bill. He did not think the matter ought to be passed over in quite so light and airy a manner as that in which it had just been dealt with by the Lord Advocate; and, for his own part, he should support the Amendment of the hon. Member for Edinburgh. MR. CRUM-EWING said, he hoped the hon. Member for Edinburgh would persevere in the Amendment he had proposed, and that it would meet with the acceptance of the House. One disagreed to. Committee appointed, "to draw up Reasons to Amendment to which this House hath disagreed:" be assigned to The Lords for disagreeing to the Mr. CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, The LORD ADVOCATE, Mr. DISRAELI, Mr. Secretary Ga THORNE HARDY, Sir JAMES FERGUSSON, and Sir GRAHAM MONTGOMERY: To withdraw immediately; Three to be the quorum. Reason for disagreeing to Lords' Amendment reported, and agreed to. To be communicated to The Lords. SUPPLY. Order for Committee read. Motion made, and Question proposed, "That Mr. Speaker do now leave the Chair." ARMY-THE HORSE GUARDS. MOTION FOR PAPERS. MR. DARBY GRIFFITH said, he would beg to ask the Secretary of State for War, Whether he is willing to produce & Return of a Copy of the censure passed by the Horse Guards upon the members of the Court Martial appointed to try an acting Sergeant Major of the Grenadier Guards, on account of the leniency of the sentence they had passed upon him, such censure having since been virtually abandoned, but without any explanation or justification of the grounds of such censure upon the members of that Court Martial, one of whom is a Member of this House, and to make a Motion. The hon. Member "That those words be stated that in or about the month of April SIR ROBERT ANSTRUTHER said, the Amendment of the hon. Member for Edinburgh was one to which he trusted he might express a hope that the Lord Advocate would agree. Question put, there added." an acting Sergeant Major of the Grenadier Guards was sent to a Volunteer corps with regard to a quantity of ammunition, on which occasion the Volunteers pressed on him their hospitality, the result of which was the absence of the acting Serjeant Major for six hours and the loss of parade. For this he was tried and sentenced to be reduced to the grade of a simple sergeant, whereby he would lose 10d. a day. The colonel demurred to this finding, on the ground that he could have punished the accused to that extent himself, and that a Court-martial was obliged to inflict a severer penalty than the commanding officer could himself do. The Court, however, adhered to its decision; upon which the colonel appealed to the Horse Guards; and they referred the point to the Judge Advocate, who ruled that the sentence was perfectly legal. On this the military authorities quashed the sentence, re-sentenced the man to exactly the same penalty, and finally sent for the members of the Court to the Horse Guards, where a censure was read to them, of which they were refused a copy. As the President of the Court (Colonel Sturt) was a Member of Parliament, he (Mr. Darby Griffith) maintained that he had a right to bring the subject before the House, and he submitted that the question was one of no little importance, for it was whether Courts-martial were to be independent tribunals, or whether they were to be subject to dictation. He moved for a copy of the censure. ARMY-PROMOTIONS IN THE COLDSTREAM GUARDS.-OBSERVATIONS. SIR PATRICK O'BRIEN, in rising to call attention to the late promotions in the Coldstream Regiment of Guards, said, the complaint that he had to make in connection with them was that the well-known Warrant and rules of the service had been completely disregarded by the military authorities. Some two or three months ago vacancies had occurred in the regiment in question on the promotion of Lieutenant Colonel Clive, and by the rules of the service no officer could be appointed to a company if he did not happen to have served in it two years, it being also necessary that before being made a captain he should pass an examination. At the time of Lieutenant Colonel Clive's promotion there were six or seven of the senior ensigns who had not complied with those conditions. On a former occasion the right hon. Gentleman the Secretary for War quoted the Warrant of the 3rd of February, 1866, setting forth that the vacancies caused by officers being permitted to retire, should be given to the next senior qualified officers, who were prepared to purchase, unless it should be deemed expedient by the Secretary for War to act otherwise, and in that case officers of the same rank should be brought in from half pay, or officers of the same rank in other regiments might be allowed to purchase. These latter words in the Warrant were not read by the right hon. Gentleman, and he therefore supposed that the right hon. Gentleman was not aware of them. [Sir JOHN PAKINGTON: I was aware of them.] He wished to know why the Royal Warrants, which were plain in their language, had not been complied with? ARMY-CONTROLLER-IN-CHIEF. AUDIT OF ACCOUNTS.-RESOLUTION. COLONEL JERVIS rose to put a Question to the Secretary of State for War, respecting the proposed position and duties of the Controller-in-Chief, and to move a Resolution thereon. In consequence of the disasters arising out of the defective military organization during the Crimean War inquiries were made into the state of various War Departments. A vast chaos seemed to exist, Departments being without heads, and heads without control. That came out most clearly in the Committee of 1860 on Organization, and Lord Herbert recommended that they should most seriously consider the importance of introducing the French Intendance system. Lord De Grey, when at the head of the War Office, very properly brought forward the question, and recommended that the Administrative Departments of the War Office, which were under a dozen different heads, should be brought under the control of one chief. They could not over-estimate the importance of such a position. In fact, the officer in that position would bond fide have the control of four-fifths of the whole army expenditure; and it might well be thought that the Secretary of State would regard him as his right-hand man, his chief adviser. Such certainly was the idea of Lord Strathnairn's Committee-such also seemed to be the opinion of the right hon. Baronet (Sir John Pakington) himself when he wrote his letter in December; but between that date and the 29th of June a very extraordinary change of feeling seemed to have come over the Treasury. It seemed then to have been thought that the Controller-in-Chief was by far too important a personage-that, in fact, they were creating a new and great power in the War Office-a sort of control over the Secretary of State. Having secured one of the greatest men in the country, Sir Henry Storks-who years ago was Under Secre |