National Schools those members of the established church
who have hitherto been prevented by conscientious
scruples from availing themselves of the aid so afforded.
—The Marquis of LANSDOWNE complained that no
intimation of the intention of the government to make
this alteration had been given to the House of Commons
before the grant in question was voted.—After some
observations from Earl Grey, the Earl of DERBY
expressed his readiness to promise that no money should
be applied under the minute until parliament should
have had an opportunity of expressing its opinion on the
subject.

In Committee on the Surrender of Criminals Bill,
the Earl of MALMESBURY proposed a new arrangernent,
which he hoped would remove the jealous fears expressed
in a former sitting of the house as to the liberty of the
subject. Having conferred with the French Ambassador,
he proposed that no prisoner should be surrendered to
the French Government till our Secretary of State
should first have the piéce d'accusation or mise en
accusation, with a certificate from the Juge d'Instruction
—that officer being a judge independent of the Executive.
—Lord CAMPBELL suggested, doubtingly, that the Juge
d'Instruction is removeable.—Lord BROUGHAM observed,
that they did not know the real effect of the mise en
accusation, or the process by which the judge issued his
mandat d'arrêt on the piéces d'accusation. Other
Peers—the Earl of ABERDEEN, Earl GRANVILLE, and
the Duke of ARGYLL—made critical observations on
the measure. At last it was resolved to agree to the
amendments, that they might be printed, and seen as
they would affect the bill.

Lord LYNDHURST presented a Petition from the
Baron de Bode, and moved for a Select Committee to
inquire into its allegations. The Earl of DERBY, who
himself brought forward the wrongs of the Baron
twenty-four years ago, assented to the Committee. It
was opposed by Earl GREY; but the house granted it.

On Monday, June 14th, on the motion for committing
the Corrupt Practices at Elections Bill, the Earl of
DERBY objected that the bill allowed an investigation
into alleged corrupt practices in any borough to be
instituted on a vote of the house of commons instead of
an address to the crown, concurred in by the house of
lords. He also intimated that he should move amendments
exempting counties and universities and limiting
the power of inquiry into consecutive elections to cases
where the bribery was practised continuously, and
excepting those where a pure election intervened. He
should also oppose that provision which placed treating
on the same footing with bribery. In committee the
noble lord's first amendment requiring the assent of the
house of lords to the issuing of any commission of
inquiry was carried, after discussion, by 78 to 34 votes.
Another division was taken against the provision which
classes bribery and treating together, and Lord Stanley's
amendment was carried by 68 to 35 votes.

The Earl of MALMESBURY informed the house that
the government had determined to withdraw the
Surrender of Criminals Bill, on the ground of a serious
alteration which has just taken place in the law of
France. Under that law as it now stands, the French
government would seem to have the power to reclaim
any criminal from any part of the world wherever he
committed the offence,—though it were not committed
on French ground, and though the party were not a
Frenchman.—Lord BROUGHAM—"Yes; an Englishman
in London."—Lord MALMESBURY considered that to
pass such a bill now would be extremely dangerous; and
he announced that the government has for the present
suspended the further progress of the measure.

On Tuesday, June 15th, the Earl of DERBYy moved
the second reading of the Militia Bill, and having
explained its provisions, expressed his confidence that
their lordships would give effect to a measure which had
come up to them backed by such overwhelming
majorities of the commons. He disclaimed any
apprehension of immediate attack from foreign powers, or of
hostile feelings on the part of the President of France,
as justifying the measure, but seeing the numerous
changes of government that had taken place in France,
and the large number of persons there who were opposed
to order and tranquillity, and actuated by feelings of
hostility to England, it would be folly and madness to
wait for the contingency, however remote, of invasion
before making the necessary preparations for our
defence and security.—The Duke of WELLINGTON
said he was the last man to hesitate as to the relative
merits of well-disciplined and half-disciplined troops.
The things were not to be compared at all. You could
have confidence that the disciplined troops would
perform what they were ordered to do, while with
undisciplined troops the chances were that they would do the
very reverse of what was expected from them. But on
this occasion the state of the country must be
considered, which, though at peace with all the world, had
never, so far as its army was concerned, maintained a
proper peace establishment. Let us, then, while we
are at peace, make a beginning and return to the militia,
our old constitutional peace establishment.—After
some observations from Earl GREY, the bill was read a
second time.

On Friday, June 18th, the Navy Pay Bill was read
a second time.

Lord BEAUMONT moved for a copy of the information
on which the warrant had been issued for the apprehension
of the Baroness Von Beck.—The LORD CHANCELLOR
said he had received a communication from the mayor
and magistrates of Birmingham, expressing their
anxiety to have the whole subject investigated.—The
motion was agreed to.

Earl FITZWILLIAM moved for a return of the entire
sum awarded to the claimants upon the French
Compensation Fund, and of the sum remaining in
hand after the payment of the last award, and the
manner in which that sum was appropriated.—After a
few words from the Earl of DERBY the motion was
agreed to.

The Duke of ARGYLL presented a petition similar to
that presented to the commons on the preceding day,
from the legislature of New South Wales, claiming
Self-government and the sole control of all matters of
Finance and Land.—Earl GREY was of opinion that
the constitution possessed by the colony was in all
respects as free as in its present state it had a right to
demand.

On Monday, June 21, Lord BEAUMONT brought
forward the Case of Mr. Mather, and a discussion ensued,
similar to that which had taken place in the house of
commons. The Earl of MALMESBURY defended his
own conduct; and the Earl of DERBY declared that
he shared in Lord Malmesbury's responsibility, having
all along been cognisant of his proceedings.

On Tuesday, June 22, the Earl of DESART moved
the second reading of the New Zealand Bill, which
was agreed to without a division, after some observations
from the Duke of Newcastle, Earl Grey, and
others.

On Thursday, June 24, the Earl of DERBY, in answer
to Lord Torrington, intimated that a Treasury minute
was about to issue prohibiting the Mixing of Chicory
with Coffee, but allowing its separate sale.—A discussion
took place on the standing order which requires
four-fifths of the shareholders to assent to any measure of
Railway Amalgamation. It was urged by the Marquis
of Clanricarde, the Marquis of Lansdowne, Lord
Lyndhurst, and others, that the order gave a minority power
to defeat projects of great public advantage, as in the
recent case of the proposed amalgamation between the
Shrewsbury and Birmingham and Shrewsbury and
Chester companies, by which the Great Western chain
of communication was sought to be completed.—Lord
STANLEY OF ALDERLEY suggested that the remedy
might be met by requiring that no shareholder
should vote unless he had held his shares for a
certain time before the voting. Ultimately the question
was referred to the consideration of the standing orders
committee.

On Friday, June 25, the Earl of MALMESBURY being
interrogated by the Marquis of Clanricarde, stated that
no correspondence had taken place with the government
of France, in reference to the withdrawal of the
extradition bill, but that government, acting in the friendly
spirit which had characterised them in their relations
with this country since the present ministry had come
into office, had stated, when they found the opposition