company. On some matters of this kind | I think that I may even say that the prolegislative interference would be desirable. vidential change in the weather in the The DUKE of MONTROSE thought co- course of yesterday was no light circumoperation between railway companies hardly stance, not only in adding to the comfort to be expected, unless a controlling power of the vast multitude assembled to witwere vested in Government. To show the ness that solemnity, but also in diminishnecessity of an improved system, they had ing, to a great extent, the amount of risk, only to look to the frequency of accidents of confusion, and of danger which all cereat present. He remembered on one occa-monials of this kind must necessarily more sion travelling to Scotland by express train. An accident occurred; but as no lives were lost, he supposed for that reason the circumstance was not noticed in the newspapers. The cause was, that trains of several different railways passed along one line; and while such a state of things existed, it was fraught with the greatest danger. He understood that an inspector from the Board of Trade went down to examine the line, and that he recommended the erection of a bridge; but the recommendation was disregarded by the railway, and the Board had no power to enforce it. LORD COLCHESTER, alluding to the case referred to by the noble Duke, said that it was but just to the engineer of the railway, Mr. Stephenson, to state that when the matter was represented to him, he undertook to make a bridge sufficiently wide to prevent accidents.

FUNERAL OF THE LATE DUKE OF
WELLINGTON.

or less involve. But it would be most unjust if I were to withhold-and if I did so your Lordships, I am sure, would consider that I was committing an injustice—if I were to withhold the tribute of my applause and satisfaction at the perfect organisation, the admirable arrangements, the entire discipline with which the whole of that great ceremony was marshalled and conducted, and at the discretion and the judgment which were manifested by all those civil and military authorities who took a part in carrying out this national testimonial. My Lords, nothing could have been more admirable than the temper and the patience with which both the troops and the police conducted themselves the troops under arms, and the police on duty, for a period of at least eleven or twelve hours, and engaged during the whole of that time in unremitting exertions in preserving order. But, my Lords, we must not omit to do justice also to another class, without whose signal co-operaThe EARL of DERBY: My Lords, I tion and admirable conduct the best arwill, by moving the adjournment of the rangements might have been marred—I do House, put myself strictly in order in ad- not say that the efforts of the military and dressing a few observations to your Lord- the police would have been unavailing— ships on a subject to which I am anxious but which doubtless rendered that task, to call your Lordships' attention. My arduous as it must have been under any Lords, I desire to express the deep satis- circumstances, a matter of comparative faction and the deep thankfulness which I ease and safety. My Lords, I allude to have experienced, and which I am sure your that upon which we may look with pride Lordships will have experienced, at the and gratification-I mean the admirable more than satisfactory result which at- temper, patience, forbearance, and good tended the great solemnity of yesterday. conduct which was manifested by the whole My Lords, I think it is matter of humble of these incredible masses. When we conthankfulness to Almighty God that an sider how large a proportion of the populaevent which brought together such masses tion of these United Kingdoms was for that of persons as never before have congregated, single day crowded together in the streets of under any circumstances whatever, in this this metropolis; when you remember, as great metropolis, should have passed over, those at least remember to whose lot it not only without any signal calamity, but fell to take part in the procession, and without being attended by any-or rather who saw it throughout its whole length and attended by so few of those casualties breadth-when you remember that on a which are contingent upon every great con-line of route three miles in length, extending gregation of persons, even upon a much smaller scale, but which in this case were rendered more probable by the necessarily hasty and hurried manner in which many of the preparations were made for the accommodation of that great multitude. My Lords,

from Grosvenor-place to St. Paul's Cathedral, there was not a single unoccupied foot of ground, and that you passed through a living sea of faces, all turned to look upon that great spectacle-when you saw every house, every window, every

housetop loaded with persons anxious to proached-when, amidst solemn and mournpay their last tribute of respect to the ful music, slowly, and inch by inch, the memory of England's greatest son-when coffin which held the illustrious dead deyou saw those persons (those, at least, scended into its last and honoured restingwithin the streets) remaining with entire place, my Lords, I was near enough to see and unflinching patience for many hours the countenances of many of the veteran in a position in which movement was companions of his labours and of his trihardly possible, and yet that scarce a umphs-near enough to hear the labouring single accident occurred to the most feeble breath which scarcely checked the tears woman or child amid that vast mass- which would not have disgraced the cheek when, throughout the whole of that length, of England's hardiest warriors, as they not only was a perfect decorum preserved, looked down for the last time upon all that and a ready assistance given to the efforts was mortal of their late mighty leader. of the police and the military, but there was Honour, my Lords, to the people who so exhibited no unseemly desire merely to wit- know how to reverence their illustrious ness that magnificent spectacle, no light and dead! Honour to those friendly nations thoughtless applause at the splendour of who, renewing their old companionship in that spectacle; when you saw how the people his triumphs and his glory, joined in the of England, in the awful silence of those general tribute of respect to him whose vast crowds, testified in the most emphatic renown was not English, nor European, manner the sense in which every man but world-wide, and who associated their among them felt the public loss which own countries for the last time with the England had sustained-I know not, my name and the glories of Wellington! And, Lords, how you may have looked upon my Lords, honour-let me say it also-to this manifestation of public feeling and that great and friendly nation, our relagood sense and order, but I know this, tions with whom in times long gone by, and that as I passed along those lines it was I trust never to return, incapacitated her with pride and satisfaction I felt that I from participating in the national triumph was a fellow-countryman of those who with which we celebrated his military fame, knew so well how to regulate and control but who yet, my Lords, in joining in the themselves; and I could not help enter-public mourning over the departed hero, taining a hope that those foreign visitors who have done us and themselves the honour of assisting at this great ceremonial might, upon this occasion, as upon the 1st of May, 1851, bear witness in their own countries how safely and to what extent a people may be relied upon, on whom the strongest hold of their Government is their own reverence and respect for the free institutions of their country, and the principles of popular self-government controlled and modified by constitutional monarchy. My Lords, when we had passed over the long line of the procession, and had entered into that magnificent edifice, I think that few who were present can, to the latest moment of their lives, forget the scene which they witnessed there. Who will forget the effect when, throughout the length and breadth of that vast cathedral, the pealing anthem swelled the note not of praise, but of sorrow? Who will forget the effect when, in ready acquiescence to the request publicly communicated, within that immense edifice 16,000 voices joined simultaneously in the responses to the common prayer of every Christian man? And, my Lords, when the close of that impressive solemnity ap.

forgot for a time their old national prejudices, and by the presence of their representative testified their respect and their veneration for his memory! If they thought of him as a foe at all, it was as one who had been so in the discharge of his duty to his country-it was as a foeman worthy of their steel; and they remembered, perhaps, with pardonable pride, that never were his military talents and abilities more highly tested, and more severely tried, than when opposed in the field to the valour of their troops, and the science and the skill of their commanders. My Lords, we have paid the last tribute to our illustrious hero's mortal remains; we have consigned him to the grave; but in so consigning him, I trust we shall not forget, in the burial of our greatest warrior, that we have buried perhaps the man among us who had the greatest horror of the miseries of war:-that every effort, every energy of his mind, in the field, in the camp, and in the senate, was directed not to the mere attainment of victory, of fame, or of glory, but that the hope to which he always looked forward was, that the victories for which he struggled would be the means of securing to his country and

LORD STANLEY said, the subject to which the hon. Gentleman alluded had attracted much attention, but he thought the House would agree with him that it would not be expedient to lay upon the table papers relating to it at a period when it could hardly be said that the proceedings had terminated. He had no objection, however, to state in a few words a general outline of the case. It was well known that the Turkish Minister charged with the negotiation of the loan in question had departed widely from the instructions he had received, and contracted in the name of his Government a loan which no judicious adviser of the Porte could have recommended the Porte to ratify. The consequenee was, that, after a trifling delay, the Porte refused to ratify the loan, and at the same time immediately announced its intention to repay the portion of the loan already received, together with interest thereon. Further than that, he could only state that from all the information the Government possessed, it appeared that the Turkish Government were acting in a most fair and honourable manner; and they entertained a confident expectation that the affair would be speedily and satisfactorily dealt with.

to the world the blessings of lasting peace. I was any objection to lay the papers before My Lords, I trust that in burying him we the House? have not taken leave of and buried the recollection of the principles which he supported and advocated. I am sure that I am speaking in the spirit of him whose loss we all deplore when I say (and I feel confident your Lordships agree with me), that I look upon war in itself as the greatest curse with which a country can be afflicted, and upon unnecessary war as the greatest crime of which a statesman can be guilty. I am sure, my Lords, that the great and paramount object of this country is the maintenance of a firm and honourable peace; but I am no less convinced of the necessity of that principle which it was his constant duty to inculcate upon successive Governments-namely, that in order to maintain the security and permanence of peace, every nation must have within itself those means of self-defence and self-dependence which should not provoke aggression by its weakness, more especially if to that weakness be added the possession of unbounded wealth. My Lords, I trust that we shall bear this in mind, not in words only, but in our actions and policy, and that setting aside all political and party considerations, we shall concur in this opinion-that, in order to be peaceful, England must be powerful; but that she ought to be powerful, only to be more securely peaceful.

House adjourned to Monday next.

HOUSE OF COMMONS,
Friday, November 19, 1852.

THE TURKISH LOAN.

THE MARITIME LAWS.

MR. J. L. RICARDO: I beg, Sir, to ask the right hon. Gentleman the President of the Board of Trade, whether any despatches have been transmitted to that Department from the Foreign Office containing information or statistics bearing on the working of the Maritime Laws of the United Kingdom, and if, so, whether he will have any objection to lay them on the table of the House; also, whether any inquiries have been made by the Board of Trade of the British Consuls through the Foreign Office?

MR. HENLEY: I think, Sir, I had better answer the last question of the hon. Gentleman first. There was a letter ad

MR. LAYARD begged to ask the noble Lord the Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs the question of which he had given notice. The public was aware, though not through any official source, that a loan effected by the representative of the Turkish Government at Paris was either rejected altogether, or not ratified, and that repay-dressed from the Foreign Office to the ment of the money advanced, with a certain amount of interest, was offered. He did not desire by anything he said to encourage British subjects in speculating in foreign loans. But he wished to ask the noble Lord if he had any objection to state to the House the information that had been received by the Government as to the repayment of the loan, or whether there

several Consuls, directing them to make returns in the form suggested. Returns from some of those Consuls have been received. There have not been many received in reference to 1850; those received have reference principally to 1851, therefore they do not contain much information that would enable us to make a comparison with respect to what the trade has been at

different periods. The hon. Gentleman | for Foreign Affairs, if any steps have applies, I suppose, to the indirect trade been taken for the examination or other that has grown up since the repeal of the Navigation Laws, and the returns do not afford much information on the subject. In a portion of the despatches some of the Consuls give an opinion one way, and some another; but they do not contain any facts of importance so far as the returns at present go. If the hon. Member wishes to see them, there is no objection to put them on the table of the House; but perhaps he would be good enough to look over them first, and see if they are worth printing.

the language of the country in which he | Convocation, and the mode of proroguing exercises his office, are sufficient qualifica- it. Now I may, perhaps, be allowed to tions for a Consul.

NATIONAL SYSTEM OF EDUCATION

(IRELAND).

MR. BERNAL OSBORNE: I beg, Sir, to ask the noble Lord the Secretary for Ireland whether it be the intention of Her Majesty's Government to propose any alteration in the system of national education at present established in Ireland?

LORD NAAS: I was certainly not aware, Sir, that any intimation had been given by any Member of Her Majesty's Government, that it was their intention to propose any alteration in the system of national education in Ireland, and I am bound to say that it is not the intention of the Government to propose any such alteration. I have further to state that they would view with considerable regret any alteration in that system that would interfere with its efficiency, and deprive the people of Ireland of the benefits of education, which are now so largely extended amongst them. If it shall seem to any hon. Gentleman on either side of the House, either that the object for which that system was originally established has not been fully carried out, or that by an addition to, or the amendment of, any of the existing rules, conscientious scruples might be avoided, and extended spheres of usefulness given to the system, it would be the duty of Government not only to acquiesce but to assist in such an inquiry to the utmost of their power, and to give any proposal that was made of that nature all the care and consideration which the difficulty and delicacy of the subject demand.

say that the usual course observed with reference to the Convocation is to leave it, not to the Crown, but, according to law, to the Archbishop of Canterbury, either with or without the consent of his brethren (for that is a question that is not yet determined) to prorogue Convocation when the Address is presented. That course the Government has not interfered with, nor could the Government be required to interfere at all unless the licence of the Crown was required, permitting them to meet to make canons or ordinances, or continue their sittings for such a purpose as that. What I said the other night was, that the Archbishop of Canterbury had never made any application with reference to this subject, either to me or the other Members of the Government, and, as far as I am aware, that statement is perfectly correct. Until to-day I never saw the Archbishop of Canterbury on the subject. I stated, also, what is perfectly true, that, as far as I am concerned, I was determined never, on the part of the Government, to allow any deviation from the usual course relative to the sittings or powers of Convocation. The Government has strictly and steadily adhered to that determination. I have taken no part whatever in the matter, nor was I likely to be called upon to do so unless the Convocation required the licence of the Crown, or unless I had reason to believe that a different course of conduct was about to be pursued from that which was pursued on previous occasions. The only deviation that has taken place on the present occasion is this-that the Address has been debated upon three days instead of upon one, and that a Committee has been appointed. The Government had nothing to do with the appointment of that SIR JOHN SHELLEY: I wish, Sir, Committee. The Government could not to put a question to the right hon. Gentle-interfere. [Sir JAMES GRAHAM intimated man the Secretary of State for the Home dissent.] My right hon. Friend shakes Department, with reference to an observaBut I think I am right. If I tion which fell from him on a former occa- am wrong, it is from some misconception sion as to the sitting of Convocation not of the power of the Government which being continued with the sanction of the the novelty of the subject may have thrown Government. The question I have to ask some doubt upon. To the best of my is, whether, as we perceive the Convoca- belief, however, the Government has no tion is postponed to February next, the power to interfere at all until it comes sitting is then to be resumed, or whether to a question of prorogation. That quesit is adjourned in the usual way ? tion could not arise before the Address was answered, and the Address, as yet, has not been presented. Great interest has been manifested on this subject; and, therefore, perhaps I may be permitted to add, that after much thought I have formed a deli

CONVOCATION.

MR. WALPOLE: I am much obliged to the hon. Gentleman for asking the question, because I think a misunderstanding has prevailed with reference to the onduct of the Government as regards the

his head.