DISEASES (ANIMALS)

ACT, 1870-FOREIGN SHEEP.

QUESTION.

issued would depend upon the time taken | 500 sheep from Monte Video, called at by the Treasury to sanction the scheme. Southampton about the end of April; but He was bound to say that the Warrant being unable to land there, as there was did not, in his opinion, meet the no foreign animals' wharf, the vessel grievances of the officers; but the ar- went over to Havre, and ultimately to rangements that were made in conse- Plymouth. The only foreign animals' quence of it would, he hoped, tend to wharf in Plymouth is one established for remove some of the difficulties, though victualling purposes in the Royal Viche should be sorry to say that it would tualling Yard. An application was then redress every grievance. made to the Admiralty to allow the animals to be there landed for slaughter; CONTAGIOUS but the Yard being entirely occupied with stores, the Admiralty were compelled to decline. The shippers then asked for permission to slaughter the animals on board and land the meat at Glasgow, and this has been done under the superintendence of the Inspector of the port. Any inconvenience which may have occurred resulted from this cargo of sheep being taken to ports where there is no foreign animals' wharf. If the local authority of any port consider that the cattle trade of that port is sufficient to justify them in incurring the expense of establishing a foreign animals' wharf, the Privy Council will always be ready to entertain any such proposal. There is no regular trade in animals between Uruguay and this country, and the Plymouth local authorities have not offered any eligible site for a foreign. animals' wharf.

DR. CAMERON asked the Vice President of the Council, Whether it is a fact that five hundred sheep brought from the Allan steamer "Nestorian " from Monte Video to Plymouth were prevented from being landed, and ultimately obliged to be slaughtered on board; whether there are not three authorized places for the landing of foreign animals at Plymouth; whether it is true that the "Nestorian " was prohibited from landing her sheep at one of these places, when it would have been necessary to employ boats or tugs, by the refusal of the Board of Trade to allow boats or tugs to be employed; whether the Board of Trade refused to allow the sheep to be landed at a second place, on the ground that it was reserved for horned cattle; and whether, and if so on what ground, the authorities of the Royal Victualling Yard refused to permit the debarkation for the sheep at the third landing-place; whether he is aware that this consignment was the first of an intended series of shipments of sheep from Monte Video to this Country; and, whether any steps have been taken to remove impediments presented in this case, and which threaten to prove fatal to a trade tending to cheapen the meat supply of Great Britain?

LORD GEORGE HAMILTON: Sir, as the allegations contained in the Questions of the hon. Member do not tally with the facts reported to the Privy Council, perhaps I may give the information which the hon. Member wants, by telling him exactly what occurred rather than by answering seriatim the Questions which he has put. Under the provisions of the Contagious Diseases (Animals) Act, 1878, animals brought from Uruguay can only be landed in this country for slaughter at a foreign animals' wharf. The Nestorian, with a cargo of

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT - LONDON
SCHOOL BOARD-MR. GEORGE

POTTER.-QUESTION.

MR. ONSLOW asked the Vice President of the Council, If his attention has been called to the fact that Mr. George Potter, a member for the Westminster Division of the London School Board, has committed an act of bankruptcy by entering into a statutable composition with his creditors; and, if so, whether he is not thereby disqualified from voting any longer as a member of the London School Board?

LORD GEORGE HAMILTON: Yes, Sir; my attention has been called to this by the London School Board forwarding to us a statement to the effect that Mr. George Potter has entered into a composition with his creditors, and that, therefore, his seat at the Board is vacant.

TREATY OF BERLIN - THE GREEK

FRONTIER.-QUESTIONS.

MR. W. CARTWRIGHT asked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, If he will

The

woman charged was the aunt, not the mother, of the child. The child beaten was not naked

merc

previous translation, which, as I said | The same statement applies to this case.
before, was inaccurate. But I do not
think anybody will say that the subse-
quent translation was inaccurate. With
regard to the last Question of my hon.
Friend the Member for North Stafford-
shire, I have to state that the evacuation
of Eastern Roumelia will take place with
all reasonable despatch. I think I may
also say that if my hon. Friend will refer
to historical precedents upon subjects of
this kind, he will find that this is as com-
plete an answer as can be given by the
Government.

but was in her usual dress; and no turpentine
or salt was used. In deciding the case, I was of
opinion that the girl had received no
punishment than she really deserved, and I
hesitated whether or not I should dismiss the
living several miles off, and had taken out a
summons; but as the mother was a poor woman
summons, influenced by the fears of her daughter
and some falsehood which had been told her, I
ordered the costs to be paid, and inflicted a

SIR ALEXANDER GORDON said, he was not aware that an explanation had been made last Session, or he should not have put his Question.

CRIMINAL LAW-ALLEGED CRUELTY

AT HANLEY.-QUESTION. EARL PERCY asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether his attention has been called to the case of Hannah Martin, a farmer's wife, who is reported to have been charged before the stipendiary magistrate at Hanley, on the 7th of April last, with having, for a trifling offence, beaten her child of nine years old while naked, and afterwards rubbed turpentine and salt into the wounds; the child being in consequence of this treatment 'one mass of wounds from neck to feet"; and, whether it is true that

"The magistrate, taking a lenient view of the case, cautioned the woman and inflicted a nominal fine and costs, which amounted to one guinea?"

MR. ASSHETON CROSS: Sir, this is an instance of a newspaper paragraph grossly misrepresenting the facts of a case, so far as I am able to ascertain them. I only wish that, in reporting these cases, the persons responsible would be more careful in being accurate; because I am sure that, unintentional though it may be, such a representation of the proceedings of a Court of Justice is calculated to have a very bad effect throughout the country. The magistrate

who dealt with the case writes to me

"It will be in your recollection that, a few weeks ago, I was in communication with you relative to another case which I tried at Stokeupon-Trent, a report of which, as it appeared in some of the London papers, was a sensational one, and the invention of some local reporter.

Mr. Bourke

nominal fine of 1s."

I may add that a Question was given Notice of the other day with regard to another case. I presume the hon. Member found the statement untrue, and accordingly has not put the Question.

DOMINION OF CANADA FORTUNE BAY, NEWFOUNDLAND.—QUESTION. MR. MACDONALD asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, If there be any further papers in respect to the occurrences which took place in Fortune Bay, Newfoundland, January 1878, than that which closed with a letter from the American Ambassador, date 9th November 1878; if so, will he lay them upon the Table, or if the matter has been arranged, will he state the terms of the agreement?

MR. BOURKE, in reply, said, no communications had taken place between the British and American Governments since November 9 on the subject mentioned in the hon. Gentleman's Question.

ARMY-COMMISSARIAT AND TRANS

PORT DEPARTMENTS.-QUESTION. SIR HENRY HAVELOCK asked the with reference to the replies given by Secretary of State for War, Whether, the War Department during the last organizing the Commissariat and Transthree years, the promised Warrant rePort Departments is yet decided upon; when it is likely to be issued; and, whether it will meet the grievances of the officers to which consideration has so often been promised?

the promised Warrant re-organizing the COLONEL STANLEY, in reply, said, Commissariat and the Transport Departments had been decided upon; and he had reason to believe, if it had not already gone to the Treasury, it would go to them in the course of this week. As to when the Warrant was likely to be

CONTAGIOUS

DISEASES (ANIMALS)

ACT, 1870-FOREIGN SHEEP.

QUESTION.

issued would depend upon the time taken | 500 sheep from Monte Video, called at by the Treasury to sanction the scheme. Southampton about the end of April; but He was bound to say that the Warrant being unable to land there, as there was did not, in his opinion, meet the no foreign animals' wharf, the vessel grievances of the officers; but the ar- went over to Havre, and ultimately to rangements that were made in conse- Plymouth. The only foreign animals' quence of it would, he hoped, tend to wharf in Plymouth is one established for remove some of the difficulties, though victualling purposes in the Royal Viche should be sorry to say that it would tualling Yard. An application was then redress every grievance. made to the Admiralty to allow the animals to be there landed for slaughter; but the Yard being entirely occupied with stores, the Admiralty were compelled to decline. The shippers then asked for permission to slaughter the animals on board and land the meat at Glasgow, and this has been done under the superintendence of the Inspector of the port. Any inconvenience which may have occurred resulted from this cargo of sheep being taken to ports where there is no foreign animals' wharf. If the local authority of any port consider that the cattle trade of that port is sufficient to justify them in incurring the expense of establishing a foreign animals' wharf, the Privy Council will always be ready to entertain any such proposal. There is no regular trade in animals between Uruguay and this country, and the Plymouth local authorities have not offered any eligible site for a foreign animals' wharf.

DR. CAMERON asked the Vice President of the Council, Whether it is a fact that five hundred sheep brought from the Allan steamer "Nestorian" from Monte Video to Plymouth were prevented from being landed, and ultimately obliged to be slaughtered on board; whether there are not three authorized places for the landing of foreign animals at Plymouth; whether it is true that the "Nestorian" was prohibited from landing her sheep at one of these places, when it would have been necessary to employ boats or tugs, by the refusal of the Board of Trade to allow boats or tugs to be employed; whether the Board of Trade refused to allow the sheep to be landed at a second place, on the ground that it was reserved for horned cattle; and whether, and if so on what ground, the authorities of the Royal Victualling Yard refused to permit the debarkation for the sheep at the third landing-place; whether he is aware that this consignment was the first of an intended series of shipments of sheep from Monte Video to this Country; and, whether any steps have been taken to remove impediments presented in this case, and which threaten to prove fatal to a trade tending to cheapen the meat supply of Great Britain?

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT - LONDON
SCHOOL BOARD-MR. GEORGE

POTTER.-QUESTION.

MR. ONSLOW asked the Vice President of the Council, If his attention has been called to the fact that Mr. George Potter, a member for the Westminster Division of the London School Board, has committed an act of bankruptcy by entering into a statutable composition with his creditors; and, if so, whether he is not thereby disqualified from voting any longer as a member of the London School Board?

LORD GEORGE HAMILTON: Yes, Sir; my attention has been called to this by the London School Board forwarding to us a statement to the effect that Mr. George Potter has entered into a composition with his creditors, and that, therefore, his seat at the Board is vacant. TREATY OF BERLIN - THE GREEK

LORD GEORGE HAMILTON: Sir, as the allegations contained in the Questions of the hon. Member do not tally with the facts reported to the Privy Council, perhaps I may give the information which the hon. Member wants, by telling him exactly what occurred rather than by answering seriatim the Questions which he has put. Under the provisions of the Contagious Diseases (Animals) Act, 1878, animals brought from Uruguay can only be landed in this country for slaughter at a foreign animals' MR. W. CARTWRIGHT asked Mr. wharf. The Nestorian, with a cargo of Chancellor of the Exchequer, If he will

FRONTIER.-QUESTIONS.

inform the House whether there is on | under the Treaty of Berlin, and that record merely the general affirmation by they also agreed that that mediation. all the Powers of the principle of me- shall be conducted by the Ambassadors diation in reference to pending terri- at Constantinople. torial questions between Turkey and Greece which is implied in their subscription to the Berlin Treaty without reservation as to any of its articles; whether, since that subscription, the principle has been specially affirmed again by all the Signatory Powers in respect of putting in force the mediation which by Article twenty-four is contemplated for ensuring the rectification of frontier between Greece and Turkey on the basis of the line recommended by the Congress; and, furthermore, if such reaffirmation had occurred, whether he can state to the House that the acquiescence of Her Majesty's Government in the contemplated mediation has not been accompanied by any views suggestive of cession, by the Porte to Greece, of territory that does not comprise the whole country which the Plenipotentiaries at Berlin recommended in Proto

SIR CHARLES W. DILKE: May I ask, Whether by the Ambassadors at Constantinople, singly or collectively? MR. BOURKE: Perhaps my hon. Friend will give Notice of that Question. SIR CHARLES W. DILKE: My hon. Friend asked whether there is to be a Conference of Ambassadors, and the hon. Gentleman said that mediation was to be exercised by the Ambassadors. I wish to know whether singly or collectively?

col thirteen should be ceded to Greece?

THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER: Sir, I am afraid that the only answer I can give to the hon. Gentleman is this-that there has been a good deal of diplomatic Correspondence upon this subject since the signature of the Treaty of Berlin, and that communications are still going on. It is impossible for me to enter into detail upon these questions; but I may say that Her Majesty's Government have expressed their readiness to join with other Powers in mediation in conformity with all the provisions of the 24th Article of the Treaty of Berlin.

MR. BOURKE: If my hon. Friend will give Notice of his Question I will endeavour to answer it.

CRIMINAL LAW-CASE OF EDMUND
GALLEY.-QUESTIONS.

SIR EARDLEY WILMOT

asked

the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether he has any objection to lay upon the table in the Library the Documents and Papers relating to the case of Edmund Galley, who, with Exeter in 1836, was afterwards reprieved, one Oliver, was convicted of murder at and is now a shepherd in New South Wales?

MR. ASSHETON CROSS: Sir, I may state, with reference to Galley, that he is not now undergoing punishment beyond that of being kept abroad. With regard to the main question, this case was decided by Earl Russell when he held the Office I have the honour to hold, and he had a great deal of communication with the late Mr. Justice Williams and the late Lord Denman on the subject. Papers passed not only between. MR. MONK subsequently asked the him and these Judges, but also between Under Secretary of State for Foreign Af- them and my other Predecessors. All fairs, Whether the English Government these communications, invariably on the has acceded to or rejected M. Wadding-ground of public interest, have been conton's proposal for a Conference of Am-sidered as confidential, and I certainly bassadors at Constantinople, with a view am not inclined to depart from that rule. to the settlement of the Græco-Turkish Frontier Question.

MR. BOURKE: Sir, I am sorry that the answer I gave the other day was not sufficiently intelligible to the hon. Gentleman. My right hon. Friend has already answered one part of this Question; but I may say, in answer to the whole Question, that in pursuance of a proposal made by the French Government, Her Majesty's Government have consented to offer to exercise mediation

Mr. W. Cartwright

SIR EARDLEY WILMOT asked, Whether the sole surviving juryman who heard the case had not addressed upon the subject? a strong appeal to the Secretary of State

[No reply was given to this Question.]

PRISONS ACT-PERTH PRISON.
QUESTIONS.

MR. MACDONALD asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department,