corvette, and the principle was well known to our professional architects. In their opinion our system was preferable to that of Captain Roux. He might add that the question of coppering iron vessels for some time engaged the constant attention of the Admiralty.

COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH

PORTUGAL.-QUESTION.

they will be able to announce their decision on the subject?

MR. HUNT replied, that the matter referred to by the hon. Gentleman had been under the consideration of the Government, and they had come to the conclusion that they ought not to deal with it separately, but in connection with the whole subject of exemption from rates. The general question, however, was one of great difficulty, and all he could say at present was that the Government were anxiously addressing themselves to its consideration, though he was unable to announce their decision on the subject.

COAL FIELDS OF GREAT BRITAIN.

QUESTION.

COLONEL BARTTELOT said, he would beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether a Treaty of Commerce has lately been concluded with the Kingdom of Portugal, by which the Wines of that country are to be admitted into Great Britain at a reduced Duty-if so, what was to be the rate of Duty, and at what date the new Duty will be levied ? MR. HENDERSON said, he wished to LORD STANLEY: Sir, no such treaty ask the Secretary of State for the Home has either been concluded or determined Department, If he is prepared to give the upon. Much correspondence has passed on House any information as to the progress the subject; but as yet the two Govern-made by the Royal Commission appointed ments have not been able to come to an agreement.

SPIRIT, WINE, AND BEER LICENCES.

QUESTION.

MR. PEASE said, he would beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether it is the intention of the Government during the present Session | to introduce any Measure by which the granting of Licences for the sale of Spirits, Wine, and Beer shall be placed under the same jurisdiction?

in June, 1866, to inquire into the probable duration of the Coal Fields of Great Britain, the waste in production and consumption, and other matters connected with the same; and, if he is able to state when the Commission will make a Report of its proceedings?

MR. GATHORNE HARDY: In consequence, Sir, of the hon. Member's Question, I have directed a letter to be written to the Secretary of the Commission, and I understand that in all probability the Report will be presented in the course of the

next year.

COUNTY GAOLS (IRELAND).
QUESTION.

MR. GATHORNE HARDY: In consequence, Sir, of the great pressure of other business I have been unable to go as fully into this question as I could have wished to do before introducing a measure SIR FREDERICK HEYGATE said, on the subject. I am therefore not in a he wished to ask the Chief Secretary for position to say that any measure will be Ireland, Whether he intends to bring in a introduced; much less can I say that a Bill this Session to consolidate the Gaols measure will be introduced for placing un-in Ireland into districts, instead of having der the same jurisdiction all the Licences referred to in the Question of the hon. Gentleman,

RATING OF CHARITABLE INSTITU-
TIONS.-QUESTION.

MR. BAINES said, he wished to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, Whether the Government have taken into consideration the propriety of restoring to Charitable Institutions the exemption from rating which they formerly enjoyed, and when

one for each county as at present; and when the promised revision of prison dietary in Ireland will take effect?

THE EARL OF MAYO, in reply, said, he hoped that he should be able soon after the Recess to introduce a measure dealing with the whole question of County Prisons in Ireland. With regard to the dietary of the county prisons, he might mention that soon after Parliament rose in August last, a Commission of experienced medical men was appointed to inquire into that subject. The Commission consisted of Dr. Stokes,

one of the most eminent physicians in Ireland; Dr. Hill, one of the most experienced Poor Law Inspectors, and Dr. Burke, Superintendent of Medical Statistics in the Registrar General's Office. Those gentlemen had already made considerable progress in their inquiry, and had received replies in the great majority of cases to the elaborate queries addressed by them to the medical officers of the various gaols. They had likewise received Returns of the dietary of the unions in which the county gaols were situated, and also much valuable information respecting the dietary of the labouring classes, and the rate of wages. All this information had been carefully tabulated, and he trusted that the Commissioners would conclude their labours shortly after Christmas. As soon as their Report was received, he should be prepared to act upon it with the least possible delay.

REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS ON OATHS.

QUESTION.

the present service, which has been so efficiently conducted? He would also beg to ask whether the Government will produce the Correspondence with Mr. Burns, of the Cunard Company, and another between the Postmaster General and the Treasury on the same subject?

MR. HUNT: Sir, it will be in the recollection of the House that an arrangement was come to by the late Government, and adopted by the present one, that at the expiration of the Cunard Contract tenders should be asked for by public advertisement. It was determined that there should be no regular system of subsidy for a term, but that shipowners should be asked to make offers for the conveyance of the mails on particular days of the week, and that they should receive the sea postage, leaving it to the Government of the United States to make a similar arrangement on their side. The answers received to our advertisement did not come up to our expectations. There was an offer from the North German Lloyds for Tuesday, one from the Messrs. Inman's for Thursday, one from the National Steamship Company for Friday, and one from the Hamburg American Steam Shipping Company for the same day; but there was no offer in the terms of our advertisement for that day on which the larger portion of our correspondence is in the habit of being sent

MR. HADFIELD said, he would beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether (referring to the Report of the Commissioners on Oaths) it is intended to bring in a Bill to render it unnecessary in future to impose any Oath except those which all persons may take conscientiously and without difficulty, and especially to abolish such Oaths as are now-namely, Saturday, the mails of which by Law imposed, and which, year after year, are dispensed with by an Indemnity

Act?

leave Queenstown on Sunday. I should add that there was appended to our advertisement a note, stating that parties not wishing to tender in the form specified should be at liberty to tender in any form of their own. Accordingly, Messrs. Cunard wrote that they were unwilling to make an offer in the way that was asked, but that if the Postmaster General would consent they would propose a contract for a period on terms much lower than those on which they had hitherto performed the service. The Postmaster General having expressed his willingness to receive such an offer, they said they would enter into a contract terminable after ten years certain at one year's notice. It was for a fixed sum, and the contractors were to receive no sea postage, but the office was to receive the homeward sea postage from the American Government. An officer was at once sent to the United States to confer with the Government; and communications have been constantly going on upon the subject; but the information Her Majesty's Government have received from America renders it im

possible for them to enter into the proposed arrangement. Under these circumstances, and seeing the great inconvenience to which the merchants would be put if, on the morning after the termination of the contract, they found they had no means of sending their letters on the day on which they prefer sending them, I have entered into personal communication with Mr. J. Burns, of the firm of Cunard. That gentleman has met us in what I must call a public spirit. He has expressed a wish to fall in with the views of the Government, and within the last few hours an arrangement has been concluded for continuing the present service for one year at a fixed sum. I will lay the whole of the Correspondence on the table, so as to put the House in possession of all the facts of the

case.

BANKRUPTCY LAW.-QUESTION.

MR. GOSCHEN said, he wished to ask Mr. Attorney General, What are the intentions of Her Majesty's Government with regard to the introduction of a measure for amending the Law of Bankruptcy?

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL said, it was the intention of the Government to introduce such a measure after the Recess.

ABYSSINIAN EXPEDITION-CONTRACT
WITH MESSRS. WETHERELL.

MOTION FOR AN ADDRESS.
CAPTAIN VIVIAN said, he rose to move
an Address for Copies of any Communica-
tions, with the dates, between the War
Office and Messrs. Wetherell relative to
their Contract for obtaining Mules in Spain
for the Abyssinian Expedition, and of the

IMPORTATION OF FOREIGN CATTLE. Contract.
QUESTION.

MR. SELWIN-IBBETSON said, he wished to ask the Vice President of the

Council, Whether it is his intention to bring in a Bill during the present Session to regulate the importation of Foreign Cattle, carrying out the statement made by the Lord President to a deputation from

the Home Cattle Defence Association ?

LORD ROBERT MONTAGU: Sir, the Lord President has given great attention to the clauses of this Bill, and it is his intention that the Bill shall be laid upon the table without delay, so that it may be in the hands of hon. Members, and the Committee to which it will be referred may be appointed before the adjournment.

ARMY-NON-PURCHASE CORPSREPORT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE.

QUESTION.

MR. CHILDERS said, he would beg to ask the Secretary of State for War, Whether Her Majesty's Government have had under their consideration the recommendations of the Select Committee of last Session on Retirement from the Non-Purchase Corps?

SIR JOHN PAKINGTON said, in reply, that the Report to which the Question of the hon. Gentleman referred was a very important one, and the subject was one of considerable difficulty. He hoped therefore his hon. Friend would excuse him if he wished to postpone a statement as to the course the Government might take until the re-assembling of Parliament.

SIR JOHN PAKINGTON said, he had no objection to lay on the table the contract and the Correspondence at the proper time; but in the present state of the correspondence he hoped his hon. and gallant House was aware that a contract was enFriend would not press for them. The tered into; but owing to circumstances con

nected with the manner in which the contract had been carried out, the Government found it necessary to send an officer to make an investigation. A Report had been received from him within the last

three days, and that rendered further inquiry indispensable. When the investigation was completed he should have no objection to lay the correspondence and the contract on the table.

Motion, by leave, withdrawn.

COLONEL SYKES said, he rose to ask a Question with reference to the routes proposed to be taken into the interior of Abyssinia, and whether information has been received that the King of Shoa has captured Magdala, the place where the prisoners were supposed to be confined?

SIR STAFFORD NORTHCOTE said, in reply, that he could not answer the Question so satisfactorily as he might have done had he received longer notice of it. He supposed the Question of the hon. and gallant Member referred to telegraphic information understood to have been lately received. The only telegram he (Sir Stafford Northcote) had seen was one received during the course of the debate on Tuesday night, and the principal portion of which was read to

"We recommend that the troop ship pier in Her Majesty's dockyard, Portsmouth, be the point of departure and arrival in this country, and it is believed that every facility exists at that port to insure despatch in the embarkation and disembarkation of troops, and in coaling and equipping the two ships."

the House. One passage in it was not read | subject, to the Report of a Committee of because it seemed doubtful. It was to the this House which sat in 1861. At their effect that the ruler of Gobazye had joined recommendation the question of the Indian with others and had taken Magdala, but it transport service was referred to a Dewas added that the report was not credited. partmental Committee composed of offiUnder these circumstances, his noble Friend cials belonging to the Admiralty, the War (Lord Stanley) thought it not right to read Office, and the India Office. In their rethis part of the telegram. A similar mes- commendation I find the following parasage had since appeared in the newspapers. graph:With regard to the other part of the Question of his hon. and gallant Friend, he had no telegraphic information upon the subject. He had several private letters from Colonel Merewether, who was making inquiries respecting all the passes in the neighbourhood of the spot selected for the landing. Some explorations had been more successful than others. One of the last letters mentioned that one of the last routes explored was found not to be available, not on account of the road itself being impracticable, but on account of the quality of the water. On the other hand, there were two routes he had every reason to suppose would be practicable. Colonel Merewether was making explorations every day, and reporting his progress. They were extremely well satisfied with the explorations he was conducting.

ARMY-CONVEYANCE OF

TROOPS-WAR DEPARTMENT AND THE

INDIA OFFICE.-QUESTION. MR. OTWAY said, he would beg to ask a Question of the Secretary of State for War, respecting the reported conveyance of a regiment past Plymouth to disembark at Portsmouth, and its re-conveyance by railway from Portsmouth to Plymouth; and to inquire whether this was due to any absence of proper arrangement between the War Department and the India Office?

SIR JOHN PAKINGTON was understood to say that the facts were quite true, but he was not prepared to admit that there was any want of proper arrangement. There was something about it he was not able to understand, and which required an explanation. Perhaps the Question ought rather to be addressed to the First Lord of the Admiralty than to himself. In all cases Indian transports landed at Portsmouth. He could not help thinking that some arrangement ought to exist by which such an occurrence as that referred to ought to be avoided.

MR. CORRY: Perhaps, Sir, I may be allowed to refer, in connection with this

One of the reasons for this recommendation was this-The Indian transport service is always conducted in the winter months, when westerly gales are very prevalent at Plymouth. In these gales it is difficult to move long ships from the Sound into Hamoaze without risk; and the consequence would be that if, at the time of arrival, these gales prevailed the troops would either be landed in steam tugs, perhaps in rainy weather, to the great inconvenience of officers and men, and of their wives and children, and possibly to the injury of their health, or else remain on board till the gale subsided. That would not only be most objectionable, but it might be fatal to the proper conduct of the service; because

the time allowed between the arrival from Alexandria and the departure for Alexandria is so short that it is with the greatest difficulty that the dockyard at Portsmouth can effect the repairs which are always necessary on the return of the ships from so long a voyage.

The result of putting

into Plymouth might be entirely to dislocate the whole scheme of the Indian transport, and I am informed by the Director of Transports that if allowance had to be made for three or four days' delay at Plymouth it would be requisite to build a spare ship in order that the service might be carried on with the requisite punctuality. I need not say that it would be rather more expensive to build an additional ship than to pay for conveying the troops from Portsmouth to Plymouth.

MR. CHILDERS said, he wished to know, whether it was the case that, although the troops were landed at Portsmouth last Friday or Saturday morning, their luggage was not conveyed to Plymouth till yesterday?

SIR LAWRENCE PALK said, he would beg to ask, why the 4th Hussars

were lately sent from Exeter to Ports- | pose to look beyond the resources of the mouth? year for meeting these £2,000,000. It SIR JOHN PAKINGTON said, he was, of course, open to the Government to would answer these Questions to-morrow.