districts where holdings of £4 and under | fully considered the Memorials of the greatly preponderate? letter-carriers, I procured the assent of the Treasury to the scheme, the substance of which was lately explained to the House, and which, I think, without retrospective payment, meets the merits of the case. MR. TRÊVELYAN: Sir, the point of view expressed in the Question will be carefully kept in mind; but while the Arrears Bill is before Parliament, it is impossible for the Irish Government to commit itself to any statement of the particular course of action it may see fit to take respecting the provisions which the Bill may ultimately contain. - THE MAGISTRACY (IRELAND) MR. ARMY-THE GUARDS' REGULATIONS. EXPLANATION. MR. CHILDERS: I must ask the permission of the House to make an explanation as to an answer I lately MR. JUSTIN M'CARTHY asked the gave to the hon. Member for Dungarvan Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant the Guards' Regulations. I was obliged, (Mr. O'Donnell) about an Article in of Ireland, Whether his attention has been called to a paragraph in the House on Thursday evening, and I unby serious indisposition, to leave the "Dublin Weekly News" of Friday last, derstand that at 2 in the morning some purporting to give an account of a dis-reference was made to my reply by the pute between a farmer named Manning and Mr. Tobias Hill, J.P., and proceedings consequent thereon before the resident magistrate, Mr. Hill. After which Mr. Manning told Mr. Hill that he had an application to make; whereupon Mr. Hill is reported to have said, "I will hear no application from you," and he positively refused to entertain an application that Peyton should also be bound over to keep the peace; whether the conduct of the magistrate is correctly described in this statement; and, whether, if he is not acquainted with the facts of the case, he will cause inquiry to be made? hon. Member. I find, what I did not know when I answered the hon. Member's Question, that the Guards' Regulations, although not a part of the Queen's Regulations, have been printed as an appendix to them. But they stand, footing. They were counter-signed by in a material respect, on a different the senior Colonel of the Brigade, and the Secretary of State was not a party to them. It is undoubtedly in Her Majesty's power to dispense with any of them should She be so advised, and in the case of the appointment of the Duke of Connaught, She has been advised by me to do so. of the noble Lord the Member for Had- | of the Session, to resume to-morrow the dingtonshire, for alterations at Hyde commencement of the Sitting at 4 Park Corner? o'clock. MR. SHAW LEFEVRE: With respect, Sir, to the plan which I have submitted for dealing with the Hyde Park Corner difficulty, I may remind hon. Members that a model of it was placed in the Tea Room of the House for many weeks, and gave, I believe, general satisfaction. An alternative scheme has since been devised by the noble Lord the Member for Haddingtonshire (Lord Elcho), and has also been placed by him in the Tea Room. It is only one of many alternatives, and not the best of them; and it is not one for which I could be responsible if the House should disapprove my proposal. I do not think, therefore, it would be well to circulate it among Members with, and as the only alternative to the official plan. LORD ELCHO wished to state with reference to his plan for the improvement of Hyde Park Corner, which the First Commissioner of Works had spoken of as having been in the Tea Room of the House, that it was still there, and that he should be happy to explain it to hon. Members. He should like to hear from the right hon. Gentleman when there would be an opportunity for discussing the question? MR. SHAW LEFEVRE said, that there would be two opportunities, one on the Motion to go into Supply, and the other on the Vote itself. SIR STAFFORD NORTHCOTE: I do not know whether the Prime Minister would be able now to forecast the Business of the Session, and the time of its probable termination; if not, I will put a Question to-morrow? MR. GLADSTONE: It is proposed to take the Navy Estimates to-morrow, presuming, of course, that we dispose of the Business before us to-night. Further than that, in order to give a more satisfactory Answer, I would rather take until to-morrow to consider the matter; then I will give as clear a sketch as Í can of the probable course of Business. EGYPT (POLITICAL AFFAIRS) — THE CONFERENCE LETTER OF ARABI PASHA, &c. MR. BOURKE desired to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether he had any information as to the Conference at Constantinople; whether there was any truth in the statement that the Russian Chargé d'Affaires had withdrawn from it; whether he had again rejoined the Conference; and whether the proceedings of the Conference were likely to be brought to a close before long? SIR CHARLES W. DILKE: Perhaps the right hon. Gentleman will kindly put the Question down for to-morrow. MR. M'COAN asked whether Her Majesty's Government had any reason to believe that Mr. Blunt was in communication with Arabi Pasha; and, if so, whether it was intended to stop such communication? MR. GLADSTONE: We have no knowledge whatever upon the subject more recent than that which I communicated to the House recently-namely, that the letter bearing the signature of Arabi Pasha came to me under cover of a letter from Mr. Blunt. That was dated as far back as the 2nd of July. I do not remember the date of the covering letter. Since then I have no knowledge whatever on the subject. SIR WILFRID LAWSON asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he could lay on the Table the evidence which led him to MR. GLADSTONE said: It is pro-intimate to the House that Arabi Pasha posed, as is common in the last weeks was guilty of complicity in the pre Mr. Labouchere parations for the attack upon Europeans in our judgment are absolutely essential, at Alexandria on the 11th of June? are still unfulfilled. ARMY RESERVE FORCE. HER MAJESTY'S ANSWER TO THE ADDress. SIR CHARLES W. DILKE: Yes, Sir. The Papers on the subject shall be laid before the House. Of course, they cannot at present be produced in a complete form; but there is a despatch HOUSEHOLD (Lord KENSINGTON) regiving a deposition and names of wit-ported Her Majesty's Answer to the nesses. With regard to the conduct of Address, as followeth :Arabi Pasha generally, I do not know whether the hon. Member has seen a long telegram in the Second Edition of The Times of to-day. MR. BOURKE: Does the hon. Baronet mean to convey that the statements in the telegram in the Second Edition of The Times are correct or authoritative? : I thank you for your loyal and dutiful Address. I feel assured that I can always rely on your hearty support of any measure that may be deemed necessary for the well-being of My Empire, and the honour of My Crown. SIR CHARLES W. DILKE: I can only refer hon. Members to The Times itself. This is the first detailed state- | (Mr. ment upon the subject I have seen. We have had a statement from our own Agents in general mentioning the subject; but we have had no detailed state ment. SIR WALTER B. BARTTELOT asked the Prime Minister, whether all that happened in that House and in the country with regard to the Egyptian expedition was not telegraphed to Arabi; and whether, if such was the case, he would take care that important information should not be conveyed to him in that manner in future; also, whether he could give the House any information as to the Turkish expedition, which, it was stated, had been organized by Mukhtar Pasha, and as to the place at which it was intended that that expedition should land? ORDERS OF THE DAY. 10:0:n CUSTOMS AND INLAND REVENUE Clause 2 (Import duties on tea). Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Clause stand part of the Bill." MR. MACFARLANE said, that when the Chairman reported Progress on Friday, he (Mr. Macfarlane) was calling the attention of the Prime Minister to the question of the duties on tea in reference to a matter which he considered to be a hardship inflicted especially upon the Indian tea importers. The Indian Government-that was to say, the Government of the right hon. Gentleman opposite within the last few years had MR. GLADSTONE: With respect to compelled the Government of India to the telegraphic line, which is a Question give up £1,000,000 which was previof some nicety, particularly as the line ously received in the shape of import crosses the Canal, I had rather answer duties charged upon English goods. It it a day or two hence. I may say, how- formed a very valuable and important ever, that it has not escaped the atten- source of revenue in India, and it had tion of Her Majesty's Government, but been conceded in favour of the English has been carefully considered. With manufacturers by India with no conregard to the Question of a Turkish sideration whatever for the loss susexpedition, the hon. Member not un-tained in consequence. The Government, naturally refers probably to the state-represented by the right hon. Gentlements which he has seen in the news- man, gave up £500,000 which was depapers; but his Question is really somewhat premature, for no matter connected with the despatch of a Turkish expedition to Egypt has as yet reached a stage in which it can be the subject of Questions in this House. The preliminary conditions of such an expedition, which rived from the same source, so that the concession made to the Manchester manufacturers amounted to £1,500,000. That sum was swept away from the Exchequer without a single farthing being conceded to India by the Custom House in return. He wished to put to the The right hon. Gentleman this question-If a Free Trade policy which should be the Government of India had been an real and substantial Free Trade, and independent Government, and not under not such a proceeding as had been the control of the Secretary for India in carried out in the case of India? this country, and Her Majesty's Govern- Government of this country had forced ment proposed to abolish these Customs India into Free Trade; but they deduties in favour of English manufac- clined to reciprocate it on their own turers, what would have been the an- part. He maintained the proposition to swer? The Indian Government would be undeniable that if the Indian ports probably have said that they were quite admitted all English goods free of duty, willing to take the matter into considera- then, subject to the necessities of the tion; but the first question they would Revenue, English_ports should be free naturally ask was, what India was to to Indian goods. He would say, further, get in return? That would have been that if the right hon. Gentleman's a very fair and reasonable question Revenue necessities did not permit him to ask; and, no doubt, if the Indian to make this concession to India, then Government had been an independent he should have postponed the demand Power, it would have been able to come for the concession which had been made to Her Majesty's Government and offer by India to English goods. Hon. Memto make a concession to the manufac- bers who represented Lancashire conturers of Lancashire in return for the stituencies in that House understood concession they required for themselves, one precept, and that was the principle and, no doubt, they would have ob- of "asking and you shall receive." tained it. But it so happened that the They had asked for this concession. He Indian Goyernment was not an inde- did not blame them for the course they pendent Government, and, therefore, was had taken; but it was quite evident they not able to make a bargain with Her had placed Her Majesty's Government Majesty's Government. The people of in a false position. No doubt, the false India were not represented either in the position was originally brought about Indian Government or in the House of by the Government which preceded them Commons. Consequently, they had no in Office, who commenced this system of voice in the matter; and taking, as he confiscating the Indian Revenues. He did, a deep interest in the people of that did not propose to take up the time of country, and feeling that an injustice the House further than to make a prohad been done to them, he thought it test on behalf of the Indian people his duty to raise his voice on their be- against the principle, that the Indian half in that House. He was perfectly Revenue should be played with for the satisfied that if the Chinese had ap- advantage of this country. proached Her Majesty's Government with an offer similar to that which had been made by the Indian Governmentbeing an independent nation-their offer to admit Lancashire goods into China free, would have obtained for them a similar concession with regard to the admission of their tea into this country. Independently of the mere money injury done to India by this arrangement, he would venture to appeal to Her Majesty's Government on the ground of policy. He would state a simple fact in order to show the extraordinary development which had taken place of late years in the Indian tea trade. In the year 1860, the quantity of Indian tea imported into this country was below 1,000,000 lbs., while last year it amounted to 46,000,000 lbs. What he wanted to ask the right hon. Gentleman the Prime Minister was, whether he would practice Mr. Macfarlane SIR GEORGE CAMPBELL said, he fully admitted the importance of the question raised by the hon. Member; but it was impossible for the Chancellor of the Exchequer to take the Quixotic view of the case which was taken by the hon. Member. He did not think the right hon. Gentleman the Prime Minister, with his present obligations, dare to establish Free Trade by taking off the Custom duties on Indian produce. MR. GLADSTONE said, the free import of manufactured cotton into India, and of Indian tea into this country, had really no connection with each other. The hon. Member had taken advantage of this clause for the purpose of raising the question. He did not say that the hon. Member had in the slightest degree gone beyond his right. What the hon. Member contended was that the Government had no right to enforce upon India Clause 5 (Repeal of excise duty on vegetable matter other than chicory, 35 & 36 Vic. c. 20). Amendment proposed, in page 2, line 14, leave out "called by any name of coffee or chicory."—(Mr. Magniac.) proposed to be left out stand part of the Question proposed, "That the words Clause." the abolition of Customs duties upon | cory or coffee, 39 & 40 Vic. c. 36), agreed English manufactured goods unless they to. also abolished the import duties in this country upon Indian tea. Now, as far as the tea duties were concerned and the tea trade of India, he agreed with the hon. Gentleman that it was one of the most astonishing developments of modern times. He had not the figures precisely in his mind, but probably the best mode of referring to the wonderful development of the trade which had taken place, was to say that we now imported from India a greater weight of tea than was imported from China 40 or 45 years ago. These were remarkable commercial facts, and still more remarkable when it was borne in mind that the export of tea from India | was more valuable now than that from China, and had been so enormously increasing, notwithstanding the enforcement of tea duties. So much in regard to the abolition of the Customs duties of India which had taken place during the existence of the present Administration. The hon. Member was correct in stating that the abolition took place under no pressure whatever. He (Mr. Gladstone) was not cognizant of any pressure or effort being made by the Government at home; and he was convinced that if any had been made in the Indian Department, he would have become aware of it. The abolition of these duties took place in consequence of the free and spontaneous action of the Indian Government itself. Although he believed there had been some pressure in other times from the Lancashire cotton districts, he thought the Indian Government was sufficiently enlightened to know that, by abolishing the duties, they were conferring great advantages upon themselves, and that it was a proper and legitimate object to attain, apart from the abolition of any duties upon Indian commodities in this country. He would be very glad, when the proper time arrived, to give further facilities for the introduction into this country of any articles manufactured in India. Question put, and agreed to. Clause 3 (Repeal of customs duties on vegetable matter other than chicory) agreed to. Clause 4 (Prohibition of imitations called by names of or mixed with chi MR. CAVENDISH BENTINCK said, he should like to have some explanation from the Government of the extraordinary position in which the coffee question had got. From the words of the right hon. Gentleman on a former occasion, it appeared that he proposed to do one thing, and now in the Bill before the Committee he proposed to do something totally different. No explanation had yet been given from the Treasury Bench of the reason why this great alteration was proposed; and he confessed that the idea of introducing every horrible mixture under the name of coffee was so obnoxious that he should like to hear from the right hon. Gentleman if the Ministry were responsible for this alteration, and if he would give the reason why, when his mind had been made up, he now considered it necessary to alter it. He (Mr. Cavendish Bentinck) was one of those who had always opposed this arrangement, not because he was connected with the coffee trade, but because he was strongly opposed to adulteration in every shape and form. He remembered some years ago hearing the right hon. Gentleman the late Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Mr. John Bright), when President of the Board of Trade, make a very strong speech in favour of adulteration, and he believed that was the only thing the right hon. Gentleman ever did while he was at the Board of Trade. Unfortunately, Birmingham was still connected with the Board of Trade, and he always looked upon everything that came from the right hon. Member for Birmingham with very great suspicion, especially in this matter of adulteration. There was always in the Birmingham policy in this matter a ring of the buttons they had heard so much about in former times, and which produced so bad an effect upon the industry of the country. It was under |