OUR HOME LETTER.

Tuapeka Times, Volume I, Issue 25, 1 August 1868, Page 5

OUR HOME LETTER.

(From our Own Correspondent). ' LONDON, 30th May, 1868. Our present Parliament session will long be memorable for the fierce party struggles and sharp personal debates which have characterised it. I cannot do more ' than allude to these, and must content myself with giving an outline of what has really been done during the month. In my last letter I informed you that the first of Mr. Gladstone's resolutions on the Irish Church had been agreed to. Mr. Disraeli, upon this defeat, waited upon her Majesty, and advised her to dissolve the present Parliament ; but at the same time placed his resignation at her disposal. The Queen declined to r accept the resignation, but signified her readiness to dissolve Parliament so soon as the public, business would permit ; and Mr. Disraeli stated to the House that, if expedition were made with the various matters in hand, a dissolution might take place in the Autumn. This acceptance by the Ministry of their position as governing by a Parliamentary minority has brought down upon them the censure of their opponents, and certainly is undignified. On the 7th instant Mr. Gladstone's second and third resolutions were passed through. Committee without a division. These resolutions were as follows : — "That, subject to the foregoing conditions (the preservation of vested rights) it is expedient to prevent the creation of new personal interests by the exercise of any public patronage, and to confine the operations of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners of Ireland to. objects of immediate necessity, or such as involve personal rights, pending the final decision of Parliament." " That an humble address be presented to her Majesty, humbly to pray that, with a view of preventing, by legislation during the present session, the creation of new personal interests through the exercise pf any public patronage, her. Majesty would be graciously pleased to place at the disposal of Parliament her interest in the temporalities of the archbishops, bishops, and other ecclesiastical dignities and benefices in Ireland, and in the custody thereof." After these had been passed, another resolution was proposed by Mr. Sinclair Ayfcoun, declaring that, " when the Anglican Church in Ireland is disestablished and disendowed, the grant to Maynoath and the Regium Donum shall ba discontinued ; " and also declaring that no portion of the funds of the secularised church should be applied to the endowment or furtherance of the Roman Catholic religion in Ireland, &c. This gave rise to a most acrimonious debate ; but the resolution, so far as related to the first portion of it, was ultimately carried. The Queen, having on the 12th instant s"ent a reply to tho address, signifying her assent to the request which it contained, Mr. Gladstone intimated that he should at once bring in a Bill to prevent, for a limited time, »any new appointments to the Church of Ireland, and to restrain, for the same period, in certain respects, the proceedings of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. This Bill was brought in and read a first time on the 14th instant, when it was opposed with great vehemence by Mr. Hardy, the Home Secretary. The Bill will go into committee on the sth June. The Scotch Reform Bill has caused much trouble to the Ministry. On this Bill going into committee, Mr. Baxter moved, that it be an instruction thereto that, instead of increasing the aggregate number of the members of the House of Commons by adding to the Scotch constituencies, they should have power to disfranchise boroughs in England having less than 6000 inhabitants. As there is a general feeling in the House that Scotland is insufficiently represented, there was no disposition to interfere with ! that part of the Bill which adds to the number of Scotch seats ; but there was also a strong disinclination to add to the number of members in the House, which is already too full. There was, however, a difficulty in the way of Mr. Baxter's instruction, as it undid what had been done last session, and mutilated a Bill that had recently received the Royal assent ; but nevertheless it was carried. Then afterwards, in committee, Mr. Bauverie moved an amendment, the effect of which would have been to get rid of the rate-paying qualification in Scotland ; but this was opposed by Government strongly, as, the principle having been established in the English Reform Bill, they were unwilling to discard it in the Scotch one. The amendment was, however, carried by a majority of twenty-two, so that Government sustained two defeats in a few hours. Both these adverse results, serious as they were in regard to the Reform question, could not be lightly regarded by the Ministry ; and Mr. Disraeli therefore announced on the following day that it ■would be necessary for the Government to consider the position of affairs. Two days after this he announced that the Government accepted the first decision against them ; but that the vole on Mr. Bouverie's amendment was a surprise, and did not represent fairly the sense of the House, the attendance being but small at the time ; and therefore he proposed that the vote should be re-con-sidered, a proviso being inserted in the Bill excluding from the franchise persons who do not pay poor-rates. This was amicably accepted by- the Scotch members, and on the Bill being again brought forward the vote was reversed, and the clause, with the -proviso, carried by a majority. A great ecclesiastical meeting, in opposition to Mr. Gladstone's resolutions, was held at St. James's Hall, London, on the 6th instant, under the chairmanship of the Archbishop of Canterbury. It was attended by the Archbishops of York, Armagh, and Dublin, several bishops, deans, archdeacons, <fee, and among » the laity by a large number of peers and members of the House of Commons ; but although so very great in the way of titles, the meeting was certainly not dignified. The rising of the Bishop of Oxford was the signal for a tempest of hisses. One report says — " They roared out ' No Popery ;' they hissed, hallowed, stamped their feet, and for ten minutes

made the hall very much like what Bedlam might be if it were uncontrolled by lunacy commissioners.'' At last some of the "muscular Christians" collared the worqt of the disturbers, and, after a " free fight," turned them out of doors. The meeting then went on quietly for some time, until Dean Stanley began speaking ; but his views were far too liberal for the meeting, and before he had spoken five minutes bis voice was drowned in the tumultuous uproar. The Archbishop of Canterbury vainly endeavored to obtain a hearing for him, even, when at length his voice could not be heard, seizing a stout walking-stick and energetically rapping the table. All was to no purpose ; the dean, had to sit down defeated. Ultimately, resolutions in accordance with the object ' for which the meeting was called were carried by acclamation. Lord Brougham died at Canns on the 7th instant, in his ninetieth year. The verdict of all the press is, that one of the most' remarkable men of this or any othir generation, qf this or any other country., has passed away from among us. History hardly contains the name of any other celebrated personage who was at the same time so conspicuous as a man of thought and a man of action. He was as renowned a statesman as a philosopher, and in either capacity, singly, he. would have been one of ihe foremost men of the age. His extraordinary mental activity was, perhaps, unequalled ; and it may be generally said of him that he did more to promote human progress during the first half of the nineteenth century than any one of his contemporaries, distinguished as many of them have been among the .great benefactors of the human race. Beneath all the ruggedness of his manner and liking for party and personal 'warfare, there was a deep and tender love of mankind ; a.nd no man ever labored more assiduously to raise his fellow-men in the intellectual scale, or advance their happiness in every way. He had many peculiarities and ecceatricities -some of them amounting to positive defects — but certainly he* has not left his equal behind him. Barrett, the man who was condemned to death for his , share in the Clerkenwell outrage, was hung on the 28th instant. He was twico respited, in order that inquiries might be made into, the plea of an alibi set up in his. behalf ; but this investigation merely proved Lhat there was not a particle of .evidence J;o prove that he was, as asserted^ at Glasgow when the explosion occurred. Some apprehensions were entertained that an attempt at rescue might be made at the last moment, and precautions to prevent this were taken ; but there was no occasion, apparently, for this. Fortunately, this is the last public execution that will take place in this country, the Bill providing for the execution 'of culprits withfrv the prison walls having been passed. Fenianism both here^and in Ireland is at present quiescent ; but in America, a Mr. O'Neill, who is styled the " Generalissimo of the Fenian army," is indulging in " tall talk," declaring himself ready to " shed rivers of blood in fair and honorable fight." Captain Nagle and several other Americans have been recently set free, and, passages provided for them from Ireland by the United States Government. These passengers were, however, third-class only, and the notorious Mr. G. F. Train paid the difference between that a,nd first-class fare, accompanying them to the vessel. Captain Nagle, who was the leader of a filibustering expedition to Ireland, declared that he was quite deceived as to the state of feeling in that country. The two men who were arrested near Buckingham Palace, with a quantity of Greek fire in their possession, were ultimately discharged with a caution. It was evident that some felonious intention was connected with the possession of a large quantity of this combustible material ; but the magistrate thought it possible that it was merely in process of removal from one hiding place to another. The charges against Mr. Eyre, the exgovernor of Jamaica, have been occupying a great deal of public attention during the month. The Court of Queen's Bench decided that the Magistrate at Bow-street should hear the charges ; and accordingly, on the 15th instant, the proceedings were opened before Mr. Vaughan. After hearing witnesses and the arguments of counsel on both sides, the magistrate decided that Mr. W. Eyra should be committed for trial ; and he was held to hia recognizances in £1000. Mr. Eyre, upon being asked if he had anything to Bay, spoke with great emotion upon the disgrace which would lie, not upon him, but upon those who brought him there, for the persecution to which he had been subjected during the last two years and a half ; and spoke confidently of the decision of the Court of Queen's Bench being in his favor. It will be a great satisfaction to all parties to have the question finally settled. Meanwhile, great exertions are being made to raise funds for Mr. Eyre's defence, and some Members of Parliament are endeavoring to indce the Government to defray the expenses, but hitherto unsuccessfully. The Queen laid the foundation stone of the new St. Thomas's Hospital, on the 13th. This building, if carried out according to the present plans, will be one of the finest buildings in London.- Her Majesty has now gone to Scotland, a proceeding which has caused comments as to its advisability, when there is such ,uncartainty as to the continuance of the Ministry in office. It is announced that on her return, a series of public breakfasts will be held at Buckingham Palace, the first to be given upon the occasion of the arrival of the Duke of Edinburgh in this country. The Queen will also hold a volunteer review in Windsor Park. about the end of June. It is rumored bhat on recovering from the shock oi learning the attempt upon the life of the Duke of Edinburgh, her Majesty expressed a desire to respite the assassin ; ijut it was- respectfully intimated to her khat the message would inevitably arrive ;oo late to be of any avail. Some still leclare that a telegram has gone nevertheless. A "scene" occurred in the House of Commons on the 22nd instant, when Mr. Hearden, an Irish Member, rose to give lotice of his intention to ask the First Minister of the Crown, " Whether it were rue that the Queen had been compelled, hro*Hih r delicate health, to retire to Scotftndj^jjjg iibm remainder of the season ;

and if so,- whether the Government in-: tended, out of consideration for her Ma^ jesty's health, comfort, and traaquifitT^ and in the interests of the Royal Family and of her Majesty's, subjects, especially of this metropolis, to advise her to abd}? cate in favor of his Royal Highness, the. Prince of Wales." This notice had been previously made public by Mr. Rearden, and he had been requested not to bring it forward, both by the Speaker and by hi* personal friends. As soon as he rose, he was received with cries of ".Order!*' and great impatience was shown as he continued to read ; but when h,e peached the word "abdicate," his words, were completely drowned in the torrent of in» dignation poured forth from all parts of the House. Finally, the Members nearhim actually pulled him down intq hit seat, and after order was restored, tb* Speaker commented upon the language of the motion with great severity, which wa» endorsed by the emphatic cheering qf the House ; and when Mr. Rearden attempted, to apologise, he was received in such a, ' manner as to causa him to precipitately terminate his explanations,. A vote of thanks tq tb,e Abyssinian army will be moved in Parliament next, week. Meanwhile, Sir Robert Napierhas been gazetted a Grand Cross of the Bath, and it is stated that if he does, not offer an objection, he will be made %, baronet, the usual pension of £1000 a. year for three lives being added to. the, distinction. It is also, in contemplation to. present the freedom of. the City of London, with a sword of the value of twa hundred guineas, to the distinguished^ general. The great event of the year m sportingcircles, the Derby, took place on Wed-! nesday last, the 27th. More attentionwas given to it this year- in consequence* of the serious embarassments of the. Marquis of -Hastings, the owner of the favorite. "Lady Elizabeth," It was, understood that if he won, he would be, able to retrieve his position.' The race. was., however, won by\ "Blue Gown,"" the property of Sir Joseph Hawley. Baron Rothschild's "King Alfred "beingsecond, and the Duke of Newcastle's! "Speculum" third. The favorite be-, hayed in a manner which was to those* who were acquainted with her temper,, not entirely unexpected, showing moai, violent temper, and refusing to run.. The Marquis, has, however, won slightly,^ having backed "Blue Gown," which h^a. considered next beat to his own horse. Sir Joseph Hawley had other horses H£ the race, and was confident in theirmerits to such an extent that he elected to win on one of them instead; of " Blue. Gown," and he is therefore an^ actual, loser by tha event. The weather wai most splendid, in fact all through, this* month it has been, remarkably fine and; dry; but yesterday, the Oaks day, $ fearful thunderstorm took place, passing* from Brighton across London, and ex-! tending to Birmingham, dqing_ very great damage, and occasioning loss of life. We have a party of Australian natives, here — an "Australian Eleven," who* have come over to show their proficiencyin cricket. Their first public disgiay tqttf place on Monday and Tuesday last, when they played against eleven gentlemen of Surrey, and were defeated by one innings^ and seven runs. Their play is. good, but," of course, falls, short of their opponents',' who were on this occasion quite first-class players. ' ~ Great disturbances have been takingplace &$ Ashton-under-Lyne, and othor.l places in the vicinity, caused by the feel-_ ings of animosity excited between Pro-. testants and Roman Catholics, by a, man, named Murphy, who has been deliveringa series of lectures, about the. "country," aud he has managed to excite bad feeling, wherever he has been. The riots in Ash-! ton were of quite an unusual charact9¥<-?*-chapels being demolished, houses broken into, and the. furniture smashed, and at one time revolvers being actually used. From the Continent there is nothing ofany importance to record. A great debate, with regard to free-trade has taken place in the French Chamber — ending in a majority for the Government. Experimental trials have been made of the* Mount Cenis Railway, which is to go over the, mountain until the tunnel through it i» finished, and as these have been most, satisfactory, the line will speedily be. opened to the public. M. Boul&fc, a French engineer, has produced a design for a railway bridge from Doyer- to Calais, or, strictly speaking, from Shakespeare's Cliff to Cape Grisnez, a distance of about twenty miles. The emperor has seen the plans of thia undertaking, and has pro-, mised to support the project. Mr. J. O'Neale Neale, a barrister-at-. law, has just presented a petition to Par-. liament, stating that in 1844 he had to, visit the North of Ireland on behalf of ■> railway company, and in the course of his investigations he was struck by the feasibility of making a solid causeway from the Mull of Kintyre, in Scotland, to Tor Point, near Cape Fair, in Ireland, * distance of eleven miles ; that on enquiry he found that no unusual difficulties existed to prevent a set of one or more railways traversing such causeway ; and at. he considers this undertaking would be a source of great' prosperity to Ireland, h« entreats the House to appoint a committee to enquire into its feasibility, and; report thereon.