yet got his Report. In order to prevent misapprehension, it should be stated that the Local Government Board have no power to deal with mere individual cases of complaint, in which application can be made to a magistrate. It is only when they receive a Memorial from not less than 20 inhabitant householders of a defective supply that they can take any effective remedial action, and even then they must appoint a person to hold a special inquiry before they can give a notice to the Company to remedy the defect. This will render the Company liable to the penalty of £200, and the subsequently accruing penalty of £100 a month in case of continued default. NEWFOUNDLAND FISHERIES THE ANGLO-FRENCH COMMISSION. CAPTAIN PRICE asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether there are any Reports or Papers from the Joint (Anglo-French) Commission which sat in 1876 upon the Newfoundland question which can be laid upon the Table of the House; whether it is now open to the Governor of Newfoundland to issue grants of land to British subjects on the west coast of that island; and, is there any prohibition to the working of mines on that coast by British subjects? up to the present time, with the same object of postponing any fresh action during the negotiations, which have been again and again renewed. MERCHANT SHIPPING ACT-CASE OF WILLIAM LYNCH. MR. A. M. SULLIVAN asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, If he has further considered the Memorial presented to him in the case of William Lynch, imprisoned at Cardiff for an offence against the Shipping Act? SIR WILLIAM HARCOURT, in reply, said, that he had caused inquiries to be made in this case some time ago, and it being found that Lynch was unable to pay the heavy fine imposed upon him, the sentence was altered, with the consent of the Judge, to imprisonment for six months. METROPOLITAN POLICE-CASE OF MR. MR. A. M. SULLIVAN asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, If no further step will be taken in the case of the two police inspectors and the police constable complained of by Mr. Edward Shiel, of Thurloe Square, beyond the reprimand announced by him on the 5th instant? SIR WILLIAM HARCOURT, in reply, said, that after the very full inquiry which had been made by the Chief Commissioner into the case, he saw no reason to take any further steps in the matter. SIR CHARLES W. DILKE: Sir, Captain-now Admiral-Miller was appointed in November, 1874, to meet Captain de Boissoudy, of the French Navy, to discuss informally the questions connected with the Newfoundland fisheries, on which differences of opinion existed between the two Governments. PROTECTION OF PERSON AND PROTheir meetings were held in Paris from PERTY (IRELAND) ACT, 1881-PRISONS⚫ time to time, but did not result in any MR. HEALY asked the Chief Secrearrangement being come to. These gen-tary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, tlemen were not constituted a Joint Commission with powers to settle any of the points in question, but reported confidentially each to his own Government, from whom they received instructions from time to time. There are, consequently, no Reports or Papers which could be presented. In 1866 the Earl of Carnarvon, in the hope of an early settlement of the questions at issue with regard to the French fishery rights, instructed the Governor of Newfoundland" for the present not to make any grants of land" on that part of the coast where those rights exist; and this instruction has been maintained in force Whether a secret circular has been issued to the officials in all prisons in which suspects are confined; whether it instructs the warders to pay particular attention to what the suspects say in conversation with each other during the two hours of association, when warders. are in constant attendance, listening to what is said; whether the warders are instructed to write down in the evening the impression they may have received, and report to the Governor; and, whether he was aware of the issue of the circular, and approves of it? MR. W. E. FORSTER: Sir, no such communications have been made to the prison officials in Ireland, either by Cir- | Bessborough Commission to show that cular or otherwise. ARMY-ROYAL HIBERNIAN MILITARY SCHOOL, DUBLIN. MR. W. J. CORBET asked the Secretary of State for War, Whether he can now inform the House of the result of the inquiry ordered by Sir Thomas Steele, K.C.B., Commander of the Forces in Ireland, into the conduct and management of the Royal Hibernian Military School, and more particularly with reference to the undue severities alleged to have been inflicted on the boys since the appointment of the present Commandant; whether it is proposed to make any changes in the staff of the institution; and, whether he will lay the Papers relating to the inquiry upon the Table of the House? MR. CHILDERS: Yes, Sir; I have now received and considered the Report of the Governors of the Royal Hibernian School the result of the inquiry by upon the committee appointed by Sir Thomas Steele into the discipline of the school. The Governors adopt the Report of the committee, which strongly deprecated the great severity of the punishments in the school; but they, at the same time, say that the school has so materially improved in many respects under the care and in consequence of the exertions of Colonel Cotton that, while they have altered the system of punishments, notably abolishing cells and bread and water, they express their unanimous opinion, shared by the members of the original committee, that it would not be in the intersts of the institution to remove Colonel Cotton. I have, therefore, though I confess with some hesitation, sanctioned the continuance of Colonel Cotton's employment as commandant for the present. The adjutant is on the point of retiring, and a fresh appointment will be made shortly. I do not see any occasion to lay the Reports before Parliament; that of the committee is of great length. LANDLORD AND TENANT (IRELAND) ACT, 1870-THE BESSBOROUGH COMMISSION. SIR WILLIAM PALLISER asked the honourable Member for the County of Cork, Whether any entry exists upon the Minutes of the Proceedings of the Mr. W. E. Forster the rebutting statements made in writing by the Irish landlords, and contained in Appendix (C), had been officially considered by the Commissioners at any of their sittings prior to the 4th of January, when the Report of the Commissioners was signed; and, whether the statement made in Clause 4 of the Report on the 4th January, that— "The communications received from those who were unable or did not desire to attend are also printed in their proper place (C)," was correct at the time it was made? not possible for me to gratify entirely MR. SHAW: Sir, I am afraid it is not possible for me to gratify entirely the curiosity of the hon. Baronet. The Minutes of the proceedings of the Bessborough Commission are not in my possession; but I presume they are in the possession of the Chairman or Secretary of the Commission. I have not the slightest doubt that if the hon. Baronet writes to either of these gentlemen he will get the information he wants, if it is for any legitimate purpose. As to the second Question, whether the statements made in Clause 4 of the Report of the 4th January were printed at the time of the second Report, I do not suppose they were printed at that time. The general rule is that the first volume of a Report is printed before the second or third, and that happened in this case. SIR WILLIAM PALLISER asked of Cork, Whether the Report of Lord the honourable Member for the County Bessborough's Commission was altered after the 4th of January last, the date on which it was signed, in consequence of the study by the Commission of the rebutting evidence subsequent to that date; and, if so, what alterations were introduced; and, whether he will supply the dates of the "Statements in reply to or in explanation of evidence," as well as the dates at which those statements were received back from the printers? MR. SHAW: Sir, the Report was ticular after the date referred to by the not altered in any very substantial parhon. Member; and I may say also that if the Commissioners met now, after six months' study of the evidence, I am certain it would not be altered. The Report of the Commissioners, I believe, was fully justified on evidence of an independent character, quite independent of any subsequent evidence. Some gentlemen think, when they say the evi dence was rebutted, that that is quite enough; but I have had an immense number of cases brought under my notice where the rebutting evidence was completely rebutted, and therefore the original evidence was not materially affected by anything said afterwards. As to the last Question, whether I can supply the dates of the statements in reply to or in explanation of the evidence, I am informed that these statements were sent in letters without any dates whatever, and they were sent to the printer and very likely destroyed. CYPRUS-PEST OF LOCUSTS. MR. BELLINGHAM said, he would ask, if he might do so without Notice, Whether the conference was not one the holding of which on Swiss territory was prohibited by the Swiss Republic; and whether the gentleman who took the chair was not an active supporter of Her Majesty's Government at the late election ? SIR WILLIAM HARCOURT: Sir, I am not aware of the name of the gentleman who took the chair at this meeting, and I must ask for Notice of the Question, as also of the new Question put to me by my hon. Friend the Member for East Cornwall (Mr. Borlase). I MR. A. M‘ARTHUR asked the Under matter of such importance as this, I put it to hon. Members whether, on a Secretary of State for the Colonies, Whe- should be called on to answer Questions ther he is aware that the locusts have without Notice. Anything about an already inflicted great injury in Cyprus; assassination of the Russian Governor what steps the Local Government is General I have never heard of. With taking to deal with the pest; and, whe-regard to the other Questions of my hon. ther there is reason to believe that the measures adopted are calculated to accomplish their object? SIR CHARLES W. DILKE, in reply, said, that he might answer the first and third portions of the Question in the affirmative. In reply to the second portion of the Question, the steps that were being taken were being adopted, not so much to mitigate as to entirely extirpate the pest. Papers on the subject would be laid before the House. REVOLUTIONARY CONGRESS IN LONDON. MR. BORLASE asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether his attention has been called to the statement in this morning's papers that a Revolutionary Congress has been sitting in London; that a public meeting promoted by delegates thereof was held on the night of the 18th in the Cleveland Hall, Cleveland Street, Fitzroy Square, where all nationalities were represented; that government and capital in every form were emphatically denounced; and, whether, if so, it is his intention to take any measures to suppress for the future, proceedings so clearly subversive of all Law and order? He added that he should also be glad to know whether it was a fact that at this same meeting the assassination of the Russian Governor General was openly advocated by a person who was said to be a Russian subject? Friend, upon considering a Report that POST OFFICE (TELEGRAPH DEPART- MR. LAING asked the Financial Se cretary to the Treasury, Whether, in view of the great inconvenience to important districts and interests, which has resulted from delays in repairing SubImarine Cables forming parts of the Postal Telegraphic system, the Treasury will authorise the acquisition by the Post Office of a suitable repairing steamer to be kept constantly available for restoring any communications which may be interrupted? LORD FREDERICK CAVENDISH: Sir, I cannot deny that very considerabler inconvenience has been caused this year owing to two submarine cables having required repair at a time when no vessel adapted for the purpose was available. The purchase of a cable ship would entail a heavy charge upon the Estimates, and, looking to the large sums provided in this year's Estimates for the Postal Telegraph service for new works and renewals, the Treasury did not feel justified in asking Parliament to make such provision in the present financial year. The question will, however, be carefully considered when the Estimates for 1882-3 are being prepared. ARMY-VETERINARY SURGEONS. MAJOR O'BEIRNE asked the Secretary of State for War, Whether the War Office authorities, when they decided to make no alteration in the Veterinary Warrant of 1878 in favour of those Veterinary Surgeons who entered the Service under the conditions of the Warrant of 1859, had considered the fact that these officers, under the Warrant of 1859, were eligible for promotion to rank of Captain after five years' service, but are now only eligible after twelve years' service, whilst Riding Masters and Quartermasters are promoted to that rank after ten years' service; if he will explain why these Veterinary Surgeons should not be placed on an equality as regards relative rank with Riding Masters and Quartermasters, and why they should be left in a far worse position than that occupied by any other class of Commissioned Officers in the Service; and, whether he will consider the grievance of Officers who were induced to enter and remain in the Service under the conditions of the Warrant of 1859, and find their position and prospects altered to their disadvantage by the terms of the Warrant of 1878 ? MR. CHILDERS: In reply to my hon. and gallant Friend's first Question, I have to point out to him that there is a great difference between being eligible for and being entitled to a particular rank. It is true that the Warrant of 1859 made veterinary surgeons eligible for the rank of captain after five years' service; but, as a matter of fact, vacancies were not taking place in 1878 which admitted of promotion within double that time, and, before long, no veterinary surgeon would probably have become a captain under 17 years' service. The Warrant of 1878 gave them rank absolutely after 12 years' service. The whole arrangements about veterinary surgeons have been so recently settled by my Predecessor that I have been reluctant to re-open the question this year; but I will look into it during the autumn, especially with reference to relative rank. Colonels on half-pay, who have completed fifty-eight years of age, and who by his first memorandum he proposed compulsorily to retire on the 1st of July 1881, on a pension of £420 a-year, but whose age for such compulsory retirement has been extended to fifty-nine years of age, by the recent Royal Warrant, may retire from the 1st July 1881, with the compensations offered to the latter when compulsorily retired at the age of fifty-nine; and, whether it is proposed to keep these Colonels on half-pay till they attain the age of fifty-nine, thereby depriving them of about £198 for that year, which sum they could have obtained under the Warrant of 1877 by voluntary retirement; and, moreover, of the following compensation for that year, viz. the equivalent for the net loss by being debarred from age from succeeding to the establishment of General Officers, and the actuarial calculation of value of the chance of a Regiment? MR. CHILDERS: Sir, in reply to the hon. and gallant Gentleman, I have to say that any colonel entitled under the Warrant of 1878 to retire on his pension of £420 a-year can so retire now. The addition granted by the Warrant of the 25th of June last is only given in cases of compulsory retirement. A colonel now on half-pay must elect between the two courses. INDIA-CHAPLAINS IN THE BENGAL ESTABLISHMENT. MR. BAXTER asked the Secretary of State for India, with reference to his view that the Government of India do not appear to have paid sufficient attention to their promise to revise ecclesiastical expenditure, If it is true that no fewer than eleven chaplains have been appointed on the Bengal Establishment alone in the one year of 1880, being as many as were appointed by the late Government in the four years, 1875 to 1878 inclusive, and greatly in excess of the average of many years? THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTON : Sir, in 1880, nine Bengal Church of England chaplains were appointed, as against six in 1879. From 1875 to 1878 ARMY ORGANIZATION-COMPULSORY inclusive, 15 such chaplains were ap RETIREMENT-HALF-PAY COLONELS. CAPTAIN AYLMER asked the Secretary of State for War, Whether those pointed, making for those four years an average of nearly four per annum. In order to obtain an average of many years, it is proposed to give the number annum. of chaplins appointed since the last re- | of regimental duty, I can only refer to vision of the Establishment in 1859, when the reply I gave on the 20th of June, to the existing number was fixed at 90. the effect that the latest Return in the From 1860 to 1880 inclusive, 107 chap- Office shows that of the 1,058 officers of lains were appointed. The average of the Staff Corps and Indian Services in the these 21 years is more than five per three Presidencies holding regimental No new chaplain is appointed commands, 430 are field officers and 628 except when a vacancy occurs. The Go- are captains. A reference to the latest vernment of India, in reply to my in- "Bengal Army List" shows that throughquiries, recently forwarded a Report from out that Army and the regiments under the Bishop of Calcutta, in which they the Government of India-105 in allstated they generally concurred, to the there are only 21 substantive field officers effect that the number of chaplains was holding positions which should be held not in excess considering the duties to by captains or subalterns, and of these be performed. I have addressed a de- only three are in the actual performance spatch to the Government of India, re- of such duties, the rest being either on questing them to state specifically their leave or acting in higher regimental own opinion whether the number of positions, or on the Staff. It does not chaplains goes beyond the obligations of appear that one of these regiments is rethe Government reasonably understood. duced to one captain and one subaltern. The Scotch chaplains are not included The disproportion, where it exists, is in in the above figures, as it is believed the Armies of Madras and Bombay, that the inquiries of my right hon. aggregating 81 corps. It is purely Friend (Mr. Baxter) were not intended temporary, and will be greatly alleto embrace such chaplains. I may, viated, if not altogether removed, by however, state that on the Bengal Es- the measures with regard to pensions tablishment there are five Scotch chap- and other matters which are now under lains. consideration and will very shortly be announced. There is no establishment of the several Army grades for Native regiments. The duties to be performed by the European officers, who it is to be SIR TREVOR LAWRENCE asked remembered are not troop and company the Secretary of State for India, Whe- officers, justify three field officers with ther his attention has been called to the each infantry and four with each cavalry fact that, in the native regiments of the regiment. The employment of the three Presidencies, there are 625 field existing field officers with corps does not officers to 560 captains and subalterns, add to the cost of the Army, as the offiseveral regiments having but one cap-cers would equally draw their pay, whetain and subaltern a-piece; whether the ther in the performance of regimental establishment for native regiments is not duty or not. two field officers only to five captains and subalterns; and, whether so disproportionate a number of field officers, many of whom are no longer young, and are simply waiting for off reckonings, does not impair the efficiency of the native regiments and add considerably to the costs of the commissioned ranks? He wished further to ask when the revised rules relating to pensions and retirement in the Indian Service would be promulgated? INDIA-FIELD OFFICERS IN NATIVE REGIMENTS. THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTON: Sir, the revised rules have been settled; they are now being put into formal shape, and I trust they will be published in a short time. With regard to the assumed proportion of field officers to captains and subalterns in the performance FRANCE AND TUNIS (POLITICAL AFFAIRS). SIR H. DRUMMOND WOLFF asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether, since July 4th, the date of Lord Lyons' last printed Despatch, any further communication has been received from the French Foreign Office as to "the means of establishing a more satisfactory organisation" in the affairs of Tunis which M. Barthelemy St. Hilaire then promised to consider? SIR CHARLES W. DILKE: Sir, no further communication has yet been received from the French Foreign Office on the subject referred to. |