years in which to offer optional con- MR. MUNDELLA: I have received versions of Debt. I have no communi- a reply from the Treasury to the Memocation on the subject to make to Par- rial presented in July last. It has liament at this moment. As to the already been laid on the Table of this second part of the Question, I have to House, and, I understand, will be issued remind the hon. Member that the in- to-morrow. The Treasury have agreed trinsic value of the silver coins which to reduce their rate for loans, and to the recipient of weekly wages is bound charge 3 per cent up to 35 years, the to accept for a payment of 108. is not period for the currency of loans, which, quite 78. 5d. I do not think that, under should, in their opinion, be normal. In such circumstances, any sensible reci- loans up to 40 years the rate will be 33, pient of weekly wages requires his mind and up to 50 4 per cent. They are also to be relieved on that subject. prepared to accept repayment of loans up to 30 years in the form of a fixed annuity, instead of by equal annual instalments as heretofore.

LORD JOHN MANNERS: Is it intended to re-introduce the Coinage Bill?

THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHE

QUER (Mr. CHILDERS): As the noble PUBLIC MEETINGS-THE RIOTS AT Lord is well aware, I am not in a position at this moment to state whether or

not the Bill will be re-introduced this

year.

ARMY (INDIA)-BOUNTIES TO

SOLDIERS.

GENERAL SIR GEORGE BALFOUR asked the Under Secretary of State for India, To state the nature and extent of information which the India Office Records can supply in regard to the amount paid in bounties to induce men of the European garrison of India to volunteer to remain in India, and the rates of bounty paid, the annual cost and number of men who have volunteered from the different branches of the service in each year from 1869-70 to latest year?

MR. J. K. CROSS: The India Office Records do not afford any means of giving the information required; but I shall be glad to furnish my hon. and gallant Friend with Papers showing the cost and effect of the special grant of bounty during the last 18 months.

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT-LOANS TO

SCHOOL BOARDS.

MR. JAMES asked the Vice President of the Committee of Council, Whether he has received any communication from the Treasury with respect to the Memorial presented to the Education Department in July 1884, on the terms of the rate of interest and annual instalments made to the Public Works Loan Commissioners by School Boards, for the purposes of school buildings in poor and populous localities.

ASTON HALL, BIRMINGHAM. SIR FREDERICK MILNER, who had given Notice of a Question relating to the Aston riots, said, he thought he might save some time and anxiety to the right hon. Gentleman the President of the Board of Trade if he were to state that he put the Question with no animus whatever. "Oh, oh!"] He had not been instigated by, nor been in communication with, any members of the Conservative Party at Birmingham, and he unearthed the hatchet, if it could be so called, entirely on his own responsibility.

MR. SPEAKER interposing, said, the hon. Member must confine himself to putting the Question.

SIR FREDERICK MILNER then asked the President of the Board of Trade, If his attention has been called to the trial and conviction of Peter Joyce, alias Larry Mack, at Birmingham, on March 2nd, for uttering a false, scandalous, and malicious libel against Mr. R. C. Jarvis, a gentleman of Birmingham; whether his attention has further been called to the summing up of the learned Judge, who stated that

"They had heard Mr. Jarvis was a very respectable gentleman in Birmingham, and he had no doubt that he was; but, if he had been guilty of the conduct charged upon him, all his respectability of character would not avail against truth; ' and, again

"He also thought they would have no hesitation in coming to the conclusion that the libel was as false as it was wicked, scandalous, and malicious;"

and, whether he is now prepared to retract and apologise for an allegation put forward by him concerning

the character of an honourable gen- | truth of the declaration was made the tleman, which has been proved before subject of another inquiry held before Judge and Jury to have been a scan- the stipendiary magistrate, when a man dalous and malicious libel? He also named Reed was prosecuted by Mr. wished to ask a Question of which he had Jarvis for libel. On that occasion, Mr. given the right hon. Gentleman private Jarvis denied the truth of the statements Notice-namely, Whether the right hon. contained in the statutory declaration, Gentleman's attention had been further but he admitted, in cross-examination, called to the expression of opinion on that he had given tickets to roughs to go the part of the learned Judge that the to Aston, and that numbers of these affidavits of these roughs had been taken roughs had come to his shop the day by the solicitors to the Liberal Associa- after the demonstration, declaring that tion without due caution such as should he had engaged them, and claiming have been shown by payment for their services to the Conin the case of one man he had sent him He also admitted that servative Party. to Mr. Barton, the secretary of the Conservative Association, with his private card. After hearing that and other evidence for the prosecution, the stipendiary dismissed the charge without calling for evidence for the defence. Under these circumstances, I have nothing to add to an answer which I gave to a similar Question by the hon. Baronet on 23rd of February last.

"Officers of this High Court, and persons in whom the country reposed great confidence; and, further

"that unless there was some responsible person, who had not been produced at the trial, who vouched for all these people who had made affidavits, then Messrs. Norton and Redfern's

conduct was deserving of great blame?

RUSSIA AND AFGHANISTAN-SIR

COMMISSIONER.

MR. CHAMBERLAIN: I can well believe the statement of the hon. Baronet, that he has not put the Question at the request of the Conservative Party at Birmingham; for I believe the local leaders of that Party much regret PETER LUMSDEN, CHIEF BOUNDARY that this matter should have been again raised. The addition which the hon. SIR HENRY TYLER asked the Baronet has made to it was only com- Under Secretary of State for India, municated to me after I came to the Whether Sir Peter Lumsden, feeling House. It consists, as far as I can aggrieved at the position in which he gather, of an additional extract from the was placed, tendered his resignation to summing up of the learned Judge. I Her Majesty's Government; whether have had no opportunity of comparing it he has since received such assurances of with the reports in the newspapers, and support as have induced him cordially I cannot say whether it is correct or not. to consent to continue his duties; and, In any case, however, I should not think whether the Ameer of Affghanistan, it my duty to make any comment on the after having expressed alarm, has been remarks of the learned Judge in his reassured as to the intentions of Her summing up. The hon. Baronet appears Majesty's Government to maintain and to be incompletely informed as to the support the integrity of his terricircumstances referred to in his Ques-tories? tion. It appears that the defence in the case of Peter Joyce was that he was not the person who made the declaration which was the subject of the prosecution; and, under these circumstances, no evidence whatever was tendered on his behalf as to the truth or otherwise of the alleged libel. I do not know how the learned Judge arrived at his conclusion; but I assume that, in the absence of any evidence to the contrary, he accepted the denial of Mr. Jarvis, the person referred to in the declaration. As the hon. Baronet has thought fit to revive this matter, I have to point out that the

Sir Frederick Milner

LORD EDMOND FITZMAURICE: I stated on Tuesday the instructions which had been given to Sir Peter Lumsden and the advice by him tendered to the Afghan authorities; but I must decline to answer the Question which the hon. Member, under a misapprehension as to what has passed, has asked as to the alleged resignation of Sir Peter Lumsden. There is no reason to doubt that the Ameer, after the assurances he has received, reposes perfect confidence in Her Majesty's Government, and his approaching visit to India is the best evidence of it.

GENERAL GORDON'S DIARY.

MR. STEWART MACLIVER asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, If the Diary of General Gordon, which is now on its way to the Foreign Office, will be laid upon the Table of the House, after it has been received? MR. W. H. JAMES asked the following Question, of which he had given private Notice:-Whether, in view of the publication of these Diaries, the Government would put themselves in possession of the views of General Gordon's nearest relatives?

THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTON : Perhaps I may be allowed to answer these Questions. I think I have already stated that, until General Gordon's diaries are received, it will be impossible for us to give any absolute pledge as to what will be done with them. I may add, in explanation, that we really do not know what will be the character of those diaries. If they were, as was the diary of General Stewart, which was prepared under General Gordon's direction, a sort of substitute for despatches, they will, of course, be treated in the same way as other public documents, and the Government will be responsible for the disposal of them. If, on the other hand, it appears that they are of a private character, of course the relatives of General Gordon will be consulted. But, as I have said, until the documents have been received, it will be impossible to state in what manner they will be disposed of.

EGYPT (WAR IN THE SOUDAN)-MILI

The only doubt ever entertained or ex-
pressed was as to the date at which,
from a military point of view, the
offers could best be availed of.
As an
epitome of how the matter stands, I
will read an extract from a telegram,
the last of a series, which has, a few
days ago, been sent to Victoria, South
Australia, and Queensland-

"Her Majesty's Government are carefully considering the patriotic offer of troops. While the disposal of further contingents during the summer heat in the Soudan would be most difficult to arrange, if Colony, either independently, or acting jointly with others, can despatch force in August to arrive in Egypt in September, Her Majesty's Government will most gladly receive it."

SIR H. DRUMMOND WOLFF: Will my hon. Friend lay on the Table that despatch, with the date on which it was sent?

MR. EVELYN ASHLEY: Yes, cer

tainly.

EGYPT (MILITARY EXPEDITION)—
LORD WOLSELEY'S ADDRESS
TO THE TROOPS.

SIR HENRY TYLER asked the Se

cretary of State for War, Whether he would telegraph to Lord Wolseley, asking him to forward the text of the speech recently addressed by him to the troops of General Gordon at Korti?

THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTON : In reference to this subject, I stated, the other day, that we had no official Report as to the observations said to have been made by Lord Wolseley in addressing the Native troops at Korti. I do not propose to telegraph to Lord Wolseley, asking him to forward the text of his speech, or otherwise to call his attention to the matter. He is, as I MR. A. M'ARTHUR asked the Under said before, in receipt of the InstrucSecretary of State for the Colonies, If tions of Her Majesty's Government, and he will lay upon the Table of the House we have full confidence in the manner a Copy of the answer sent to the Austra-in which he has carried out and will lian Colonies, in reply to their offer of Troops for the Soudan?

TARY CO-OPERATION OF THE
COLONIES.

MR. EVELYN ASHLEY: I hope that in a few days all the Papers connected with this matter will be in the hands of hon. Members. With reference to what has fallen from my hon. Friend behind me, I will not anticipate what these Papers will show beyond saying that, nowhere will it be found that at any time, or on any occasion, were the offers of Canada or of any of the Australian Colonies declined.

continue to carry out those Instructions. I do not think it would be desirable to indicate any want of confidence in Lord Wolseley by calling upon him for constant explanations of statements made by newspaper correspondents.

EGYPT (EVENTS IN THE SOUDAN). SIR GEORGE CAMPBELL asked the Secretary of State for War, Whether there is truth in the following items of recent news from the seat of war in the Soudan:

"The so-called friendly tribes are rapidly becoming very unfriendly since they do not see immediate prospect of farther gain by friendliness."-(Several Papers.)

"The destruction of property by British troops has caused a feeling of intense hostility on the part of the tribes between Korti and Abu Hamad."-(Times, March 2nd.)

"The weather at Korti is becoming hotter and hotter, and several cases of typhoid have already occurred."

"Lord Wolseley's eyes have been affected by the climate of the Soudan."-(Standard, March 3rd);

and, whether, in view of the great losses which must necessarily occur when the real hot weather shortly sets in, Her Majesty's Government will consider the expediency of bringing the troops back by water in comparative comfort without delay, and dealing with the Mahdi by peace or by war at a more convenient season?

cifically alluded to by the noble Marquess with 1,000 rifles?

THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTON: That may have been done some time ago. I have no recollection of the matter having occurred recently.

PARLIAMENT - PRIVATE BUSINESS -
RAILWAY RATES AND CHARGES
BILLS.

MR. R. H. PAGET asked the Chairman of Ways and Means, Whether he has had under his consideration the Bills promoted by nine of the principal Railway Companies, proposing important changes in the incidence of Railway Rates, which are exciting public attention throughout the Country; and, whether he will, in concert with the promoters and opponents of these Bills, fix a day, as soon as practicable, when these important Bills may be fully discussed on Second Reading?

SIR ARTHUR OTWAY: The Bills to which the hon. Gentleman refers have been brought to my notice here, and I have received several communications relating to them which show the great interest and importance attached to them elsewhere. The practice of the House with regard to such Bilis is as follows:-When Bills promoted by a Company already constituted by Act of Parliament have been read a first time they are referred to the Examiners, under Standing Order 62, who report to the House that the requirements of the Standing Order relating to the Wharncliffe meeting have been complied with or other

THR MARQUESS OF HARTINGTON: We have no information to the effect that the so-called friendly tribes are rapidly becoming very unfriendly, although Lord Wolseley has intimated that there is some doubt as to the disposition of the tribe of which Hussein Pasha Kalifa was Chief. Lord Wolseley said that Chief was in the Mahdi's camp; and it would be unwise, in those circumstances, to rely upon them. We have no confirmation of the report that the destruction of property by British troops has excited a feeling of intense hostility on the part of the tribes between Korti and Abu Hamad. As to the statement that the weather at Korti is becoming hotter and hotter, and several cases of typhoid have al-wise. In the event of non-compliance, ready occurred, we have received no report to that effect. In fact, almost all the sickness that has taken place for a considerable time past has consisted of cases of enteric fever; but we have not heard that the prevalence of that complaint has recently increased. We have received no report as to the alleged statement as to Lord Wolseley's eyes being affected by the climate of the Soudan; and, in regard to the last part of the Question, for reasons stated more fully in the recent debate, Her Majesty's Government do not think it would be expedient to bring back the troops by water from the positions they now oc

the question is referred to the Committee on Standing Orders. Under Standing Order 204, the Bill must be read a second time not later than seven clear days after the Report of the Examiner or of the Committee on Standing Orders, as the case may be. There is, however, no rule fixing the time for the Examiner to hold his inquiry, and, in fact, it depends entirely on the notice he receives from the promoters requesting him to hold it. Under these circumstances, it is not in my power to suggest any day for the second reading of these Bills; but I am of opinion that it is very desirable they should all be discussed together, in order to save the time of the House. The same principle, practically, is involved, and the judgment of the House would, I apprehend, govern the