Lord Palmerston said he had given notice of an amendment of the ninth clause, by inserting the words" until Parliament shall have otherwise provided," although his first impression was to move the omission of the clause; but, considering the struggle made before the Committee by private interests in favour of it, and the lateness of the Session, to avoid the loss of the Bill, he had proposed an amendment which would give Parliament an opportunity hereafter of removing the restriction. He must, therefore, vote against Mr. Locke's amend

ment.

Mr. Locke's amendment was, however, carried upon a division by a majority of 149 to 109, thus restoring the original proposition of the Bill, and over-ruling the decision of the Select Committee.

Lord Palmerston thereupon withdrew the amendment of which he had given notice, and the Bill, which had excited a lively interest both in Parliament and in the public mind, passed the House of Commons.

It was anticipated that some further opposition to the continuous roadway might be raised in the House of Lords. The course taken by the Duke of Buccleuch, however, which was entirely in accordance with the honourable character of that nobleman, speedily removed the apprehension that private interests would obtain an undue sway in that assembly.

On

the second reading of the Bill being moved by Lord Stanley of Alderley, on the 22nd of June, the noble duke, in a frank and manly speech, stated that he had

He

no intention of resisting the Bill, and never wished to oppose the Embankment of the Thames, which he considered was a work of very great importance. entered into a long explanation regarding the lease of Montaguhouse, and strongly objected to the mode in which Mr. Pennethorne's plan had been treated by the Select Committee on the subject. Mr. Pennethorne's plan for not prolonging the Embankment beyond Whitehall, but to carry it through Whitehall-gardens, was not only not opposed by the petitioners, but had the advantage of not cutting an important roadway at right angles, which would be done by the present scheme. The Crown lessees had petitioned, not against the Embankment, but against the line of roadway which it was proposed to carry between their houses and the river.

Some remarks were made by the Earls of Granville, Derby, and Malmesbury, and by Lords Redesdale and Llanover, in which those noble lords paid a just tribute to the honourable feeling and public spirit which on this, as on other occasions, marked the conduct of the Duke of Buccleuch.

The last debate of the Session took place upon the 1st of August, when, upon a motion for the adjournment of the House, Mr. Cobden took occasion, having given previous notice of his intention, to offer some observations upon the administration of affairs by Lord Palmerston's Government in relation to the legislation of the year, and the state of parties in the House of Commons. The criticism to which Mr. Cobden subjected the policy of the Pre

mier on this occasion was somewhat keen. Premising that he expressed the opinions of many members, present and absent, he asked what had been the professed principles of the so-called Liberal party? They were economy, non-intervention, and reform. Of these three principles he called attention to the first, economy-the other two being means to obtain that end. Now, he asserted that the present was the most extravagant Government known in this country in time of peace during the present generation. He proceeded to show this by the rate of expenditure per head, and by comparing the expenditure for the last four years with the Estimates of the Derby Administration in 1858. He put the whole of this increased expenditure, he said, to the account of Lord Palmerston, who himself represented a policy, and who had cost the country no less a sum than 100,000,000l. His policy, founded upon a phantom of French ambition and French aggression, had not only put Reform out of people's heads, but had blinded them to the monstrous mismanagement of our armaments. He read extracts from French and American publications to prove this mal-administration of our naval resources. The country and the House, he said, did not seem to be fully aware of the manner in which money had been wasted in these armaments and upon our fortification scheme, which laid a ground for future expense. He adverted to the wars with China and to the intervention in that country upon which we had entered, and which, with all its possible disastrous consequences,

he charged to the idiosyncrasy of Lord Palmerston, whose policy with respect to America and the Trent affair he arraigned. He then discussed the state of parties in that House, which, he observed, was not an honest state. Lord Palmerston was not governing the country by his own party, but with the aid of his political opponents, who were thus in power without the responsibility of office. He analyzed Lord Palmerston's liberality by his acts. The Ballot, and other questions in which members on that side of the House took an interest, were going back under the noble Lord's leadership. Rather than continue as they were, he would prefer being in opposition. Comparing Lord Palmerston with Mr. Disraeli, he thought the latter would be quite as desirable upon the Treasury Bench.

Lord Palmerston, after a few playful introductory remarks, observed that Mr. Cobden complained that the present Government had departed from Liberal principles, instancing the question of Reform. But if that measure had for the moment been set aside, it was not owing to the Government, but in a great degree to the feeling of the House of Commons, and the general feeling of the constituencies, and eminently to the course of proceeding of Mr. Cobden himself and Mr. Bright, which had tended to wean the people from reform. With regard to economy, Mr. Cobden seemed to consider that it consisted in not spending money; whereas he judged that it was true economy to provide to provide for the country's wants at the cheapest rate,

and the charge of wasteful expenditure was not to be made out by comparing different periods, when the exigencies of the country were different. If Mr. Cobden considered the expenditure at this time was greater than the wants of the country required, his opinion was at variance with that of the House and the country. He then proceeded to defend the general policy and the measures of the Government, at home and abroad, in respect to the fortifications, to China, and to America, contending that the grounds of the censure which Mr. Cobden had cast upon him converted that censure into a greater compliment than he deserved. With respect to the state of parties in that House, in their divided condition at present, it was quite impossible for a Government to act upon the selfish and jobbing principle of former times of buying support. A Government must act upon what it considered to be its duty to the country, according to the dictates of their conscientious opinion; and this the present Government had done.

Mr. Disraeli said he had no desire to interfere with the gradual but rapid process of decomposition which was the inevit able consequence to the Government of the influence and votes of the Liberal party; but, as this subject had been brought before the House, he could not refrain from making a few observations. He reviewed the conduct of the Government upon the question of Reform; inveighed against the pretexts upon which they had opposed the measures of the late Government, and severely censured the levity with which Lord

Palmerston had trifled with the question, and the studied contempt he had shown towards Reformers. Looking at their course of proceeding upon this subject, and their policy towards France, he was not surprised, he said, at the disappointment and dissatisfaction felt by the Liberal party at the manner in which the conditions under which they took office had been fulfilled by the present Government. Apart from these considerations, were our finances in a state of prosperity? On the contrary, he asserted the fact, without entering into causes, that our financial condition was as dangerous at this moment as in 1840, and most critical. He denied the pretensions of the present Government to confidence on the ground of their care of the defences of the country. They had expended 12,000,000l. in our dockyards, the results of which had shown the expenditure to have been thoughtless, wasteful, and inefficient. Of their foreign policy, the only fact was the war with China, commencing in most rash and improvident acts, the results of a rash and improvident system of policy. After a rapid criticism of some of the less prominent deficiencies of the Government, he, in somewhat magniloquent terms, claimed credit for what had been done during the Session by the Conservative party.

Mr. Lindsay agreed that the pledges of the Government to the Liberal party, in relation to reform and economy, had not been redeemed; he complained of the waste of money in the dockyards, and denounced the plea of danger from France,

under which extravagant votes were obtained from the House.

Mr. Newdegate offered some remarks upon the state of parties in the House, the distress in Lancashire, and the prospects of a further cotton supply.

Sir M. Peto called attention to the administration of naval affairs by the Board of Admiralty, making some sharp criticisms on its management.

Lord C. Paget replied to the last speaker, defending the practical working of the Board of Admiralty, and disputing the accuracy of the statements made against them. He complained of the vague grounds upon which the attacks the Admiralty were made.

After some further discursive observations the debate terminated.

On the 7th of August the Session was brought to a close, being prorogued by Commission. An earlier termination had been expected, in consequence of the unusual forwardness of the Government business this year, but various incidents occurred just at the last to cause delay which brought the prorogation nearly down to its usual time. The Royal Speech was read from the Throne by the Lord Chancellor, in these terms:

"My Lords and Gentlemen,— "We are commanded by Her Majesty to release you from further attendance in Parliament, and, at the same time, to convey to you Her Majesty's acknowledgments for the zeal and assiduity with which you have applied yourselves to the performance of your duties during the Session now brought to a close.

"Her Majesty commands us to inform you that her relations with Foreign Powers are friendly and satisfactory, and that Her Majesty trusts there is no danger of any disturbance of the peace of Europe.

"The civil war which has for some time been raging among the States of the North-American Union has, unfortunately, continued in unabated intensity; and the evils with which it has been attended have not been confined to the American continent. But Her Majesty, having, from the outset, determined to take no part in that contest, has seen no reason to depart from the neutrality to which she has steadily adhered.

"Disturbances have taken place in some of the frontier provinces of the Turkish Empire, and Her Majesty has instructed her Ambassador at Constantinople to attend a Conference to be held in that city, by the representatives of the Powers who were parties to the Treaty of Paris of 1856. Her Majesty trusts that the questions to be dealt with in that Conference will be settled in a manner consistent with the treaty engagements of the Allies, and in accordance with the just rights of the Sultan, and the welfare of the Christian inhabitants of his dominions.

"Her Majesty's forces in China, together with those of the Emperor of the French, have lately been employed, in co-operation with those of the Emperor of China, in protecting some of the chief seats of British commerce in China from injury by the civil war, which is laying waste portions of that vast empire.

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Her Majesty commands us

to inform you that she has concluded a Commercial Treaty with the King of the Belgians, by which the trade of Her Majesty's subjects in Belgium will be placed, generally, on the footing of the most favoured nation.

"Gentlemen of the House of Commons,-

"Her Majesty commands us to convey to you her warm acknowledgments for the liberal supplies which you have granted for the service of the present year; and Her Majesty thanks you for having also made provision to wards placing Her Majesty's Dockyards and Arsenals in a permanent state of defence.

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My Lords and Gentlemen,"Her Majesty commands us to express to you the admiration with which she has witnessed the undiminished zeal and the patriotic spirit which continue to animate her Volunteer Forces, as well as the military efficiency which they have attained.

"Her Majesty has observed with satisfaction the kindly intercourse which has subsisted between Her Majesty's subjects and the numerous foreigners who have been attracted this year to the United Kingdom,and Her Majesty trusts that the interchange of mutual courtesies will strengthen the foundations of international friendship and good-will.

Her Majesty has given her ready assent to an Act for carrying into effect the Treaty which Her Majesty has concluded with the President of the United States for the Suppression of the Slave Trade; and Her Majesty trusts that the co-operation of the United States' navy with her own may

go far to extinguish the desolating crime against which that treaty is directed.

"Her Majesty earnestly hopes that the steps which have been taken for rendering more effectual the aid provided by Parliament for the Extension of Education among the poorer classes of her subjects will tend to promote an object of great national importance.

"Her Majesty has given her willing assent to many measures of public utility which you have submitted to her during this Session.

"The severe distress which prevails in some of the manufacturing districts has inspired Her Majesty with deep concern and warm sympathy, mingled with admiration of the manly bearing and exemplary fortitude with which the pressure has been endured. Her Majesty trusts that the Act for enabling Boards of Guardians to provide Additional Means of Relief will mitigate that distress.

"The Act for rendering more easy the Transfer of Land will add to the value of real property, will make titles more simple and secure, and will diminish the expense attending purchases and sales.

"The Act for the better Regulation of Parochial Assessments will tend to a more equal distribution of local taxation; while the Act for the better Administration of the Highways will, Her Majesty trusts, improve the means of communication in many parts of the country.

"The Act for Establishing a Uniformity of Weights and Measures in Ireland will apply a remedy to inconveniences which