latimirs nub Vrnmittugn in Varlinnuut.

PRINCIPAL BUSINESS OF THE WEER.

Hoosa or COMMONS. Thursday, June 12. Irish Workhouses ; Employment of Paupers in Manufactures—M`Manus, O'Doherty, and O'Donolme, the Political Con- victs in Van Diemeu's Land—Navy Estimates, considered in Committee—Pharma- ceutical Chemists ; Mr. Jacob Bell's resolution for a Bill, agreed to in Committee. Friday, June 13. Business of the House ; Resolution that after the 1st July Orders of the Day shall have precedence of Notices of Motion on Thursdays—Chan- cery Reform; the Government measure explained by Lord John Russell, and leave for two bills granted—Ennistymon Union; Motion for a Select Committee negatived —Caffre War ; in Committee of Supply, the Vote of 300,0001. debated, but agreed to—Income and Property Tax; Mr. Hume's Select Committee nominated—Colonel Sibthorp's Bill against Barrel-organs and Advertising-vans, thrown out on second reading—Pharmacy Bill, read a first time.

TIME- TABLE.

The _Lords. The Commons. Hour of Hoar of Hour of Hoar of

Meeting. Adjournment. Meeting. Adjournment.

Om Adjourned to Monday, June 16. Thursday 4h .(u) 111

Friday dh (m) lh Om Sittings this NN eea, 0; Time. Oh Om Sittings this Week, 2; Time. 18h Om — this Session, 61; — 108h Om — this Session, 75; — 530h Lam

THE NAVY ESTIMATES.

The sitting of the House of Commons on Thursday, when it reassem- bled after the short Whitsuntide recess, was chiefly occupied in the dis- cussion of the Navy Estimates. Sir FRANCIS BARING proposed the vote for half-pay officers in the Navy and Marines ; stating that it included the additional sum of the supple- mentary estimate of the cost of carrying out the new plan of retirement, which was explained in our news columns some weeks since. The prin- ciple of that plan is " the reduction of the Navy-list to something that shall be commensurate with the wants of the service " ; and for that pur- pose, the removal of those who are not able to be employed. The mode of removal proposed is chiefly the promotion of only one inferior officer on the occurrence of three superior vacancies, till the desired reduction has been accomplished, under the strict condition that the promotions be made only out of officers who have seen a certain period of actual service. In addition, brevets are to be abolished. Objections were raised to the plan by Sir DE LACY EVANS, Sir GEORGE B. PECHELL, Mr. SIDNEY HERBERT, and Sir G. TYLER; chiefly on the grounds that the measure will not produce economy, and that it will act with very great hardship on the class of Admirals.

Mr. SIDNEY HERBERT thought that, so far from diminishing the num- ber of flag-officers, the plan would increase them. There are now 110 active and 40 inactive officers on the list ; and of the active officers we are going to buy off 10, so as to leave only 100 ; and on a vacancy occurring, it is to be filled up from the Captains' list by seniority. But suppose there be at the head of the Captains' list five men, the first four not having served six years, and therefore not eligible, but the fifth having served that period : the fifth will go up to the active list, and will carry his four seniors up to the inactive list, so that instead of being only 50 there will then be 54 upon that list. There must be retirement in the Captains' list, because there promotion goes by seniority and not by selection ; but in the lower ranks of Commanders and Lieutenants, retirements are not neces- sary, for there promotion goes by selection. It would be bad economy to establish retirement where it is not absolutely necessary. The abolition of the somewhat gambling system of promotion by brevet as well for the Navy as the Army is good, and it is to be hoped that hereafter promotions will bring in a steady stream of young blood from the lower ranks. Still, if Sir Francis Baring had given more time to the question, he might have much improved his plan. Sir GEORGE Pnounss. quoted two cases of hardship under the new plan of compulsory retirement. Captain Sir G. Westphal served under Lord Nelson; he was First Lieu- tenant of six line-of-battle ships in time of war, and served under Sir George Cockburn. There are only four persons in the Navy List who have been so frequently mentioned in the Gazette ; and he has been appointed Naval Aide-de-camp to the Queen for his services. He complains that the Ad- miralty should declare him unfit for service, and only asks to be allowed to take his chance of being employed. Admiral Watts has received seventeen wounds in action against the enemy. He is now told that he cannot be em- ployed. For thirty years he has asked for employment in vain. Sir FRANCIS BAniNo was prepared, when he should lay his plan on the table, to meet from all quarters an admission of the evils, and a great many compliments for good intentions, but the greatest disinclination to pass anything which should affect a certain class of those who must be touched.

He was asked to reconsider his plan, and told that he would be sure to produce some less objectionable scheme ; but no gentleman giving that ad- vice ventured to give a plan of his own which he thinks would be effectual. It is not to want of consideration that the faults of this plan, if it be faulty, are due. It is a project that has long occupied his attention ; that he re- fused to bring forward last session, because he was anxious for further inform- ation ; and that has been under consideration at the Admiralty from the middle of last year : there is not one objection now raised that has not been over and over again considered and weighed. He was not prepared to take the plan back : if the Committee desire to leave things as they are, be it so ; but to be frank, if they mean anything effectual, they could not avoid dealing with officers of high rank. If there be any parties who have a right to complain, it is the Commanders and Lieutenants; and for them he would have been glad, if circumstances had enabled him, to propose a plan more generous ; because they have been the most hardly dealt with in the ser- vice. Commanders who have not served twenty years are to be placed on permanent half-pay, but he had heard not one single word of objection on their behalf.

Mr. HERBERT—" Upon higher half-pay." Sir FRANCIS BARING —" No ; on the same half-pay as at present. No-

body has complained of that ; and yet it is among that class of officers that the grievance most materially exists of having frequently asked for service and been unable to obtain it: but the moment you come to touch those who in another place are supposed to be unrepresented and to have no in- terest whatever—the higher classes of the service—then the hardship is spoken of, and you find every sort of objection and difficulty raised." He would not consent to deal with the lower class of dfficers, and to remove them upon permanent half-pay because they had snot served for a certain time—having in many instances most constantly applied at the Admiralty forisersice—andtlw leave the higher class of ,officers untouched. That was his Sian deteamination. Mut in this case no pecuniary hardship will be done. Retired Admirals will receive exactly what they now receive ; they will visa just ea they novrwill aisle; andthey will lure exactly the same ex- pectstion of being employed. Touching lightly on the particular cases mentioned by Sir George Pechell, Sir Francis stated that Admiral Watts was a most gallant officer ; he had been thirty-four years a Captain, but during that time he had never been afloat. Could the Admiralty think of sending him in command of a fleet ? Sir George Westphal has been thirty-two years a Captain and three years afloat ; he served under Sir George Cockburn ; and if he had been anxious to go afloat he could scarcely have been constantly applying and been unable to get a ship, for Sir George Cockburn would have found him a ship on public in addition to private grounds. Mr. Hums was desirous that the recommendations of the Committee on Naval Expenditure should be more exactly carried out ; but as all seemed agreed on the evil, and desired to apply the remedy with as little hardship to individuals as possible, he would not divide. Mr. COBDEN seemed to give the same qualified approbation to the general endeavours of the Admiralty ; but he desired some " security "—such as a vote or resolution—for the future benefit of a change of system. The resolution was agreed to. The vote for naval stores, repairs, and steam machinery, brought for- ward Mr. HOME with a motion for reduction by one-third, supported by his usual economic and peace-assuming arguments ; and backed by Mr. M'Crasooa with a prodigious array of figures, to prove that our naval power is already so enormous in comparison with that of all other nations, that we ought not to lay down any more ships for the next two or three years. Sir FRANCIS BAIUNG stated, that since 1849, the Admiralty has not ordered a single sailing-vessel to be laid down ; all their orders have been for screw-steamers. Mr. HENLEY thought there might be further economy in the store department ; but did not consider that Mr. Hume's case justified his motion for reducing the vote by a third. Mr. COBDEN remarked, that in the last three years the Chancellor of the Exchequer has taken credit for 1,500,0001. on account of the sale of old stores : it is not too much to say that the country has lost 2,000,0001. on that transac- tion. If Government had ceased to be manufacturers, and trusted to pri- vate enterprise, they would have avoided that evil. The amendment moved by Mr. Hume was negatived by 106 to 38, and the vote was passed.

The other votes raised no discussion of importance.

MESSRS. Mg,fANCS, &DOHERTY, AND O'DoNoonns. Before the House went into Committee on the Navy Estimates, Mr. ANSTEY brought forward grievances suffered by the political convicts M'Manus, 0' Doherty, and O' Donoghue, at the hands of Sir William Deni- son, Governor of Van Diemen's Land. Tickets of leave had been granted to those gentlemen by order of the Home Government, on the condition that they should not make use of their com- parative liberty to escape from the colony. Mr. Smith O'Brien having come on his parole within a moderate distance of his former associates, they left the police districts in which they were located, in order to have the pleasure of shaking hands with him ; and having done so, they immediately returned into their respective districts. For this act Sir William Denison revived some obsolete regulation which applied to ticket-of-leave men prior to the 6th and 7th of Victoria, under which tickets of leave are now granted ; re- voked the liberty of those three gentlemen ; and brought them before the Magistrates for punishment. All the lawyers of the colony, except the Crown lawyers, were unanimous that it is illegal to revoke the tickets on the alleged ground; inasmuch as the obsolete regulations are no longer binding, nor observed in practice with any other prisoners : the Magistrates, feel- ing at least great doubt, offered the gentlemen a compromise, which they accepted; and took their undertaking not to act again in the way which Sir William Denison had disapproved, without deciding on the question of legal right. Sir William Denison reproved the Magistrates for this step ; reversed their decision ; and by his extraordinary power sentenced the three gentle- men to be degraded to the rank of convicts under punishment, and sent them to the penal settlement of Port Arthur. Sir William Denison avows as his motive for this illegal act, that too much sympathy has been manifested.for these unfortunate gentlemen ; and he evidently shows a determination to remember not the character of their offence, but the infamy of their condi- tion. Mr. Austey moved a vote of censure on Sir Edward Denison. Sir GEORGE GREY briefly told the House, that the Government has no information whatever in reference to the allegations beyond what ap- pears in a single despatch of Sir William Denison : the House would not act on statements to which Mr. Anstey no doubt feels himself justified in attaching credit, without having more precise information. Mr. HUME thought that the House could not vote as asked without sight of official documents; and he suggested a motion for documents. Sir Luerus O'BRIEN made statements with the object of showing that Sir William Denison is harsh and crueL Mr. ANSTEY said, he would adopt Mr. Hume's suggestion. The motion of censure was therefore negatived without division.

MAN1TFACTURE8 BY IN-DOOR PAUPERS.

In reply to questions by Sir DENHAM NORREYS in reference to the Cloghcen poorhouse, it was stated by Sir WILLIAM Sostaavissz, that the Irish Poor-law Commissioners have always opposed themselves to the conversion of workhouses into manufactories ; but the rule cannot be car- ried out to such an extent as to put an end altogether to industrial em- ployment in workhouses.