nature deemed to be unfavourable to the physical development of the boys had been curtailed. It was proposed to substitute a larger amount of instruction in seamanship, and additional instructors had already been appointed. Additional accommodation had been provided for the sick by the erection of a new wing to the Infirmary, capable of holding 25 beds. As a measure of precaution, a subway had been formed connecting the east and west sides of the establishment. The present Board were fully resolved to maintain the efficiency of this valuable School, and to support the officers and teachers of the School in the important task of training the boys committed to their care. MR. W. H. SMITH said, they were to understand, therefore, that no radical change in regard to the Hospital and School would be made-no change in the number of boys--without the House having an opportunity of expressing an opinion on the point. SIR THOMAS BRASSEY said, that was so. Vote agreed to. Resolutions to be reported To-morrow. Committee to sit again To-morrow. SUPPLY.-REPORT. Resolutions [31st July] reported. which they had made in previous years with reference to the neglect of the Irish Fisheries. In the last Report on Irish Fisheries it was stated that it was absolutely necessary that a steamer should be employed to prevent the attacks which were made by French fishermen on the coasts of Kerry and Cork. Under the circumstances he hoped the Secretary to the Treasury would see his way to redeem the promise which the late noble Lord, his Predecessor, made. MR. COURTNEY said, since last night he had made inquiries in this matter, and he had found, as he had suggested, that the matter did not rest with the Treasury. It was a question for the Irish Government to examine into. He had communicated with the Irish Office, and they had undertaken that the matter should have their attention. Resolution agreed to. Remaining Resolutions agreed to. POOR LAW AMENDMENT BILL. MR. WARTON said, he hoped that, at that late hour (2.40), they would not be expected to go on with the Bill. MR. DODSON said, he must really ask the House to be good enough to Resolutions 1 to 5, inclusive, agreed to. go on with the Bill. He would not Resolution 6. MR. ARTHUR O'CONNOR said, that in Committee on this Vote he asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether the Government were prepared to accede to certain suggestions which had, year after year, been made to them with regard to the appointment of a Fishery Board for the protection of the coast fisheries in Ireland, in order that the Scotch might not be treated with exceptional favour in this matter. He reminded the Committee that the late Lord Frederick Cavendish promised last year that if he found the representations made on the subject were true, he would see that the suggestion was acted upon. He (Mr. Arthur O'Connor) had consulted the Reports of the Inspectors of Fisheries for 1879, 1880, and 1881; and he found that in every one of those years the Inspectors reiterated the recommendations ask the House to go forward with the Bill if it were one which contained any disputed matters. It was a Bill to amend certain admitted flaws in the law, to provide for certain omitted cases, and to remove certain contradictions which existed in the law. It was a Bill that raised no contested points, and it had been before the House for some time. He had no Amendments to propose in the Bill himself; it had been very carefully prepared for the purpose he had stated, and he hoped the hon. and learned Member for Bridport (Mr. Warton) would not object to go into Committee. If there were any points on which the hon. and learned Gentleman required explanation, he would be very glad to give it. MR. WARTON said, that, as the right hon. Gentleman had so kindly appealed to him, he had no objection to go on as far as Clause 12. Bill considered in Committee. (In the Committee.) the Local Government Board had no desire to take upon themselves in this matter more power than was necessary; but it appeared to him that what was now proposed was the simplest way of dealing with the difficulty. Clauses 1 to 12, inclusive, agreed to. Clause 13 (Mode of consent by guardians and managers). MR. WARTON proposed to leave out all the words after "as," in line 35, and also the whole of line 36, in order to insert the words "may be sanctioned by the Local Government Board for pauper children sent to such school." This was a very serious matter, because, under this clause, power was given to the Local Government Board to sanction any scale of expenses it might think fit. The Local Government Board might sanction a rate of payment to certain persons which was not in accordance with the Act to which other people had to submit. He knew perfectly well that pressure had been put upon the right hon. Gentleman by Gentlemen (Irish Members) below the Gangway. Amendment proposed, In page 3, leave out all the words after "as," in line 35, and also line 36, and insert " may be sanctioned by the Local Government Board for pauper children sent to such school."-(Mr. Warton.) Question proposed, "That the words proposed to be left out stand part of the Clause." MR. DODSON said, he believed he was strictly right in saying that the proposal was intended to remedy admitted flaws in the present law. In the 25 & 26 Containing five or more acres of arable land, held from the same proprietor, for not less than seven years, or by tacit relocation following on such occupation, shall be liable to be removed or ejected from his holding, or entitled to leave the same, and to be relieved of his obligations from the proprietor of said holding, or his factor as tenant, unless such tenant shall have received or agent, or have given to the said proprietor, or his factor or agent, not less than two years', and not more than three years', notice of removal; and in page 1, line 16, after "there," by leaving out to end of Clause, and inserting Vict. c. 43 it was said the Guardians might pay for the maintenance, clothing, and education of children when they were sent to a certified school; but in a later part of the same clause it was said that the Guardians might pay, for that purpose, an amount equal to the maintenance of the child in the workhouse. These two parts of the clause were in-houses, or part of them, the notice of removal "Are separate ishes as regards lands and consistent, because it was obviously in- shall be given not less than two years, and not tended by the first part of the clause more than three years, before the ish which is that the Guardians should pay for the first in date, and such notice shall be in substimaintenance, clothing, and education of tution for and not in addition to the notice now the child; and the second part of the be in writing, and shall be sufficiently given by required by law. Such notice of removal shall clause-apparently by an omission on the person entitled to give the same, by sending the part of the draftsman-only used to the known residence or place of business of the word "maintenance." The consethe person entitled to receive such notice, or to quence was that when a child was sent his last known address, a registered letter by post, unless the person to whom the notice is to a certified school there was only sent shall prove that such letter was not left or power to pay the cost of maintenance. tendered at his known residence or place of He could assure the hon. and learned business, or at his last known address." Member for Bridport (Mr. Warton) that Clause, as amended, agreed to. Clause 4 (Saving clause as to bank- | after being printed and circulated in rupts). the usual way. On the Motion of Sir ALEXANDER GORDON, Amendment made in page 1, line 19, after "the," by leaving out to end of Clause, and inserting "Estates of the tenant are sequestrated under The Bankruptcy (Scotland) Act,' 1856,' and Acts amending the same, or where the tenant has become notour bankrupt, or has granted a disposition omnium bonorum, or a trust deed for behoof of creditors, or where the tenant has executed or agreed to execute a renunciation of his lease, which shall have been accepted or agreed to be accepted by the proprietor. Nor shall anything in this Act prejudice or affect any right competent to a proprietor to terminate by irritancy or otherwise the lease or leases, and to remove the tenant from the holding on the ground of any failure to implement, or breach of, any stipulation of such lease or leases on the part of the tenant, or any right competent to the tenant to leave the holding, and be relieved from his obligations as tenant on the ground of any failure to implement, or breach of, any stipulation of the lease or leases on the part of the proprietor." Clause, as amended, agreed to. Bill reported; as amended to be considered upon Thursday, and to be printed. [Bill 259.] MOTIONS. 1906 REVENUE, FRIENDLY SOCIETIES, AND NATIONAL DEBT BILL. LEAVE. FIRST READING. Considered in Committee. (In the Committee.) Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Chairman be directed to move the House, that leave be given to bring in a Bill for amending the Laws relating to Customs and Inland Revenue, and Postage and other Stamps, and for making further provision respecting the National Debt, and charges payable out of the Public Revenue, or by the Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt; and for other purposes."—(Lord Richard Grosvenor.) MR. R. N. FOWLER said, he presumed that this Bill would have some explanation. It was a late hour; but, early in the afternoon, the Prime Minister, when asked, stated that it would be | explained. It was to be hoped that this explanation would be given at the next stage. THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir HENRY JAMES) said, as the Financial Secretary was in the Chair, he had to say the Bill would be fully explained means of at once refuting the extraordi- | corporal and the six men in charge of nary statement that has appeared in the outpost merely carried out the orders reference to the supposed attack on our they had received. forces in Egypt? If no answer can be given to the Question at the present moment, I hope one will be volunteered in the course of the day. LORD RICHARD GROSVENOR: I regret, Sir, that the right hon. Gentleman the Prime Minister is not present. I fully expected that he would have been here by 20 minutes past 12. I regret, also, that on this Bench now we have no information on the subject; but I will take care that information is obtained at the War Office, and that on going into Committee of Supply some Gentleman is here who can make the announcement to the House. Subsequently SIR ARTHUR HAYTER: Sir, the noble Lord the Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Richard Grosvenor) promised the right hon. Gentleman the Leader of the Opposition that a statement should be made on behalf of the War Office, on the Motion for going into Committee of Supply, in regard to the alarming telegram which had appeared in a daily paper as to the misconduct of an advanced picket of the 60th Rifles last night in Egypt. My official information on the subject is merely negative; but I think that the House will be glad to know that we have absolutely no confirmation whatever from Sir Archibald Alison of the truth of this report, although we are in constant communication with him. Immediately on seeing the report in the paper, the Adjutant General telegraphed to Sir Archibald Alison mentioning it, and asking for details. I have ascertained that up to 4 o'clock no reply has been received. When it arrives it will be laid before the Secretary of State and the Commanderin-Chief. But, through the courtesy of an hon. Member of this House, I have been supplied with a telegram from Alexandria which explains the whole matter. It is as follows: "Wednesday. In the middle of last night the foremost picket or outpost of British troops at Ramleh, consisting of a corporal and six men, was attacked by about 100 Bedouins. The outpost fell back and fired on the enemy as they retreated. At daybreak [not immediately it will be seen] a company was moved up, but the Bedouins had disappeared." Therefore, I have no doubt that the EDUCATIONAL ENDOWMENTS (SCOT. CONSIDERATION. Order for Consideration, as amended, read. MR. MUNDELLA: Sir, in moving that this Bill be now considered, I will take advantage of the opportunity to state to the House the names of the Commissioners as approved by Her Majesty. I find that there is a Notice on the Paper in the name of the hon. Member for Stafford (Mr. C. M'Laren) that it is undesirable to proceed further with the Bill until the names of the Commissioners have been given to the House. As I received late last night Her Majesty's Assent to the Commission, there is no object in withholding the names, and I have much pleasure in now stating them to the House. The Members of the Commission are seven-namely, Lord Balfour of Burleigh, the Earl of Elgin, Lord Shand, Mr. John Ramsay, M.P., Mr. J. A. Campbell, M.P., the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, and the Lord Provost of Glasgow. The House will see that the Commission is composed very differently from the last one in one or two important respects. I heard no complaints about the Commissioners nominated in 1880, except that there were no Representatives of the municipalities on the Commission; that the mercantile element was not sufficiently represented, while the legal element and the University element were too largely represented. It will now be seen that the Lords Provost of the two principal cities in Scotland are both on the Commission, and that, so far as the mercantile element is concerned, there are no less than four Members of the Commission who have been largely engaged in mercantile pursuits in Scotland. We have the advantage, too, of a Member of the Scotch Bench, Lord Shand, who, like the other six Members of the Commission, has, all his life, taken a considerable interest in popular education in Edinburgh, and I think that City can hardly complain of its share in the Commission, seeing that the Lord Provost, who has always been foremost not only in promoting education, but in promoting the objects which the Edinburgh Town Council have in view, is on the Commission, and that Lord Shand, who is closely identified with popular educational institutions in Edinburgh, is also a Member. I may say, for the whole of the Members of the Commission, that they are appointed because, in the opinion of my noble Friend the Lord President (Earl Spencer), they are all Gentlemen who take a real interest in education. I had the advantage last night of meeting Lord Moncreiff, the Chairman of the former Commission, who stated to me that on that Commission, although there were men of varied politics and varied creeds, politics never interfered in any way with the work of the Commission, and that they knew nothing, as Members of the Commission, about politics and creeds, because every one of them was an educationist, and anxious to do good educational work. I believe it will be so now. Lord Moncreiff further wished me to say, with respect to the name of Lord Balfour of Burleigh as Chairman, that there was no man more fair, or less disposed to introduce politics or creeds with reference to educational questions, than the noble Lord, and that he believed it would be difficult to find anyone who would more ably fulfil the duties that would devolve upon him than that Nobleman, who was his right-hand man on the former Commission. We have considered whether it would be possible to institute a Judge or other judicial authority as Chairman; but it was found, in the first place, it would be unjust to the noble Lord; and, in the next place, it would be wholly impracticable, because this Commission will have work for many years to come, the duties will be very arduous, they will be performed gratuitously, and will require to be performed by Gentlemen who can give a large share of their time, much more than any Judge could give to the work. I hope I have been able to shorten the day's proceedings by this statement, and I move that the Bill be now considered. Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Bill, as amended, be now considered."(Mr. Mundella.) MR. RAMSAY said, that, so far as any testimony of his could have weight, he had great pleasure in concurring with Mr. Mundella what had been expressed by the right hon. Gentleman the Vice President of the Council (Mr. Mundella) regarding the services of Lord Balfour of Burleigh upon the Endowed Institutions Commission of 1878. He (Mr. Ramsay) had the honour of acting with his Lordship on that Commission, and every word that had been uttered by the right hon. Gentleman as regarded the opinion expressed by Lord Moncreiff, who was President of the Commission, was quite warranted by the facts of the case. The noble Lord had the opportunity, on several occasions, of acting as Chairman in the absence of Lord Moncreiff, and he never saw anyone better fitted for that position by freedom from political or sectarian bias. MR. BUCHANAN said, the statement made by the right hon. Gentleman (Mr. Mundella) about the Commissioners would give very great satisfaction. He was of opinion, however, that it was very much to be desired that the Chairman of such a Commission should be a person of legal training. An Executive Commission rested very much upon the Chairman, and when they had a man accustomed to taking evidence, they soon got at the true facts of a case. gard to Lord Shand and the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, he wished to say that he recognized, as much as anyone, the great services that had been performed by Lord Shand in connection with the Watt Institute, as well as by the Lord Provost in connection with educational matters in Edinburgh. In re DR. CAMERON asked whether the Lords Provost of Edinburgh and Glasgow were to be appointed ex-officio or personally? MR. MUNDELLA: They are appointed personally. Both Gentlemen have been greatly identified with education, and it was considered that they should be appointed personally and not ex-officio, so that they will not have to change at the expiry of their period of office as Lord Provost. Question put, and agreed to. Clause 1 (Interpretation of terms). On the Motion of Mr. MUNDELLA, the following Amendments made:-In page 1, line 19, after "not," insert “ except with the consent of the governing body;" i |