was termed a "minor emergency." A Bill, he understood, was on the Table of the House of Commons for that purpose; and knowing the admirable spirit with which the Reserve men responded to the call which was made upon them last year, it seemed to him they might now have a Force available by which they might expand their battalions when they wanted to send out a foreign expedition, without going to the length of compelling the Reserve men to rejoin the Colours. These steps proceeded on the principle of the system of 1872, and he rejoiced to hear that the Government were considering the propriety of having recourse to them. Up to now nothing had been done; not only had none of the steps referred to been taken, but the system had been tried under extremely disadvantageous circumstances. The Afghan War broke out about the time of the relieving season; and so it came to pass that Reserves went out to India, and regiments did not come back again. Then came the Zulu War, which kept 10,000 White men in South Africa, and, besides all this, although the Memorandum of His Royal Highness provided for increasing the strength of the 18 battalions next for foreign service, he (the Marquess of Lansdowne) had not been able to find out that 18 battalions of increased strength were in any part of the United Kingdom when the war in South Africa broke out. There were several battalions at an increased strength; but these were, he believed, at Malta at the time. If only the first stress of the emergency were met by such means as had been indicated, he believed the system of 1872 would work well; and he hoped the Government would not lose a moment in introducing into Parliament the necessary Bill, which would receive the friendly consideration of every Member of that House. VISCOUNT CRANBROOK: My Lords, I should not have taken part in this debate were it not that some remarks have been made which seems to require a little explanation on my part. It will be borne in mind that I inherited this scheme from the noble Viscount opposite (Viscount Cardwell), and I think it will be generally admitted that I did everything in my power to make it succeed. The noble Marquess (the Marquess of Lansdowne) has just said that it was part of the scheme that 18 regiments should be kept up to their full strength; but when I came into Office I only found four regiments of that strength, and they were kept ready for the purpose of Indian relief. In order to keep 18 regiments up to their full strength, the Army had to be increased. The events of the last two years have, no doubt, caused considerable confusion in the system; and I am bound to agree with the opinion of the noble Lord (Lord Truro) that the system is not well suited to the present circumstances under which small wars arise. I am sure we shall all be glad if a remedy can be obtained. With reference to the passing into the Reserve of men of three years' service, that course was taken in consequence of the increase in the number of recruits, which rose, on an increase being made by me to the pay of the Army, from between 17,000 and 18,000 to between 29,000 and 30,000, making the Army for a time 2,000 or 3,000 men in excess of what was authorized by Parliament. Two courses were open to me-either to stop recruiting, or to fill up the Reserves. There was a complaint throughout the country that the Reserves were not being filled up, and I thought their more rapid progress very important, and I made an effort to fill them up. The consequence of my doing SO was that they made a substantial appearance last year; whereas, two or three years ago, they only amounted to 2,000 or 3,000 men. Of course, I could not keep an excessive number in the Army without invading the rights of the House of Commons; but, by what I did, I secured two men for one-one for the Reserve, and one for the Army. In that way I got the Army full, and we had available for a foreign war a number of serviceable and seasoned soldiers. The Afghan campaign commenced, and though those who conducted it did not draw largely on British Forces, only retaining two additional regiments which were coming home, still drafts were continually going out from regiments at home, and when there was a sudden call for the services of these regiments elsewhere, having sent out their best men to India, they had to be filled up with what are called boys. I agree that there is nothing more unfortunate than that a boy who is hardly fit to carry his musket and knapsack should be sent out to hard service abroad, and as that was never meant to be done, a number of the more youthful recruits were sent to the depôts. I do not, however, despair, as some do, of the fighting qualities of young men. If you read the annals of the English Army, you will see that young men between 20 and 25 have done as good service as those between 25 and 30. You will find, as a matter of fact, from the Indian Returns, that there is a degree of health and fitness on the part of men who go out at 20 years of age which you cannot find in men who go out at any other age. I admit the importance of having noncommissioned officers fit for their work, and of offering high inducements to efficient men to remain in the Army at the period when they have to consider whether they shall do so or seek some other occupation; but one of the great misfortunes that accompany short service is this-that it is difficult to persuade men who have become non-commissioned officers, after being about four years in the Army, to continue in it when their term of six years is completed. A man who has served a number of years in the Army naturally desires to have something to look forward to in the future; and although it may be more expensive, I cannot help thinking, seeing that non-commissioned officers are the back-bone of the Army, that it would be worth while to incur the expense of offering inducements to retain a limited number of non-commissioned officers, instead of being thrown back, as in many instances, upon young men of insufficient position for the work pressed upon them. The only way to have an Army fit for foreign service is either to form and maintain an effective Army of old soldiers, taking your chance of going into the open market to recruit it, or to enlarge your Reserves by passing men gradually through the Army into it. The proposition was that there should be 25 per cent of old soldiers in all the regiments; but if you cannot get people to enlist for long service, you must take them for short; and, in fact, we have had to fall back on the system of recruiting entirely for short service, with the provision that those who go in for short service should be able at a certain period to go in for the longer service. We are all animated by the same object, and I trust that the recommendations of the Committee Viscount Cranbrook which is to be appointed will lead to an improvement in the working of the present system. on the VISCOUNT CARDWELL was glad to acknowledge that the noble Viscount (Viscount Cranbrook) had given the plan of his Predecessors most cordial support; and the Report of the Brigade Depôt Committee, which he appointed, contained much information of value to all interested in the subject. He agreed with all that had been said by his noble Friend opposite (Viscount Bury), and concurred with the illustrious Duke (the Duke of Cambridge) that there should be statutory power to volunteer from the Reserves into an Army like that now engaged in Colonial service, if statutory power was necessary. That appeared to be a proper way of meeting the difficulty. There was now Table of the other House a Bill to effect that object. There were now 38,000 men in the Reserve, and they might be confidently appealed to to increase the Army. He would be delighted if the new Committee, composed of such able men, should be able to suggest other means than those which had been suggested by the Committee of 1876. All he could say was that he relied upon the Government to support the scheme of which they had now testified their approval, and he hoped they would never see a return to that state of things which existed in the time of the Crimean War, and of which the Commission appointed in 1867 gave such a lamentable account. The youth of the recruits in Lord Raglan's time, and also in Lord Dalhousie's time, everyone knew. But the recruits now were of a very different quality, and, as his noble Friend opposite had said, they were material upon which they could rely for splendid service. The difference between having men too old and men too young was this-that men too young had a great deal of vitality and activity in them, which could not be said of men too old. However, by availing themselves of volunteers from the Reserves, they might fill the ranks with older soldiers than they had at present, and then they would have a powerful Army. LORD TRURO said a few words in reply which were inaudible. House adjourned at Eight o'clock, till HOUSE OF COMMONS, Monday, 19th May, 1879. - wwwww MINUTES.]-SELECT COMMITTEE - Report— Hall-Marking (Gold and Silver) [No. 191]. SUPPLY-considered in Committee-CIVIL SERVICE ESTIMATES, Class III., Votes 1 to 15. PRIVATE BILL (by Order)—Second Reading Teign Valley Railway Extension *. PUBLIC BILLS Ordered First Reading Terms of Removal (Scotland) [189]; Costs Taxation (House of Commons) * [190]. First Reading-County Courts [191]; Railways and Telegraphs in India [192]. Second Reading Customs and Inland Revenue [150]; Great Seal [180]; Indian Marine [182], debate adjourned; Metropolis (Little Coram Street, Bloomsbury, Wells Street, Poplar, and Great Peter Street, Westminster,) Improvement Provisional Orders Confirmation [175]; Local Government Provisional Order (Cartworth) [158]; Local Government Provisional Orders (Castleton by Rochdale, &c.) [160]; Consolidated Fund (No. 3)* * Committee-Report - Public Health (Scotland) Provisional Order (Bothwell) * [152]; Valuation of Lands and Assessments (Scotland) [144]. PERSIA RETIREMENT OF THE BRITISH MINISTER.-QUESTION. GENERAL SIR GEORGE BALFOUR asked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Whether the Minister at the Court of Persia is about to retire; and, if so, whether the Government will, in any new appointment, provide for the duties of that Mission being carried on by an Officer in direct communication with the Viceroy of India, and by an Officer experienced in Asiatic life and action? THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER: I understand that the Minister at the Court of Persia has retired, and that his successor has not yet been designated. The late Minister was always in direct communication with the Viceroy of India. PRISONS (IRELAND) ACT, SEC. 27-THE PRISONS BOARD-MEDICAL OFFICERS. QUESTION. MR. ERRINGTON asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland, Whether it is true that the Irish Prisons Board has, by declaring vacant the office of medical officer in various prisons, virtually dismissed from that office those surgeons of county infirmaries who have up to this filled it and performed its duties hitherto without remuneration, and in many cases for a great number of years; though now for the first time the office is to be made remunerative; whether this is in accordance with either the letter or the spirit of the Prisons Act (Ireland), s. 27; and, in any case, whether he will urge the Prisons Board to reconsider or modify an order which may entail great hardship on a most deserving class of county officials? MR. J. LOWTHER: Sir, I have always understood that the intention was to re-appoint the former holders of these offices. As, however, I find there is some doubt as to the law, I have referred the matter to the Law Officers for their opinion. IRELAND-RELIGIOUS DISTURBANCES AT OMEY ISLAND, COUNTY GALWAY. QUESTIONS. MOTION FOR ADJOURNMENT. MR. ERRINGTON: Sir. before the hon. Member for Tyrone (Mr. Macartney) puts the Question which stands in his name on the Paper, I would ask you, Whether it is in accordance with the usage of the House and the public convenience that Questions should be asked bearing closely on matters which are at present the subject of criminal proceedings, at the risk of prejudicing those proceedings? MR. SPEAKER: There is no positive Order on this matter; but Questions are not usually put in this House on matters which are the subject of criminal proceedings. There may be occasions, however, when such liberty should be given, and I leave it to the discretion of the hon. Member for Tyrone whether he will put the Question. con MR. MACARTNEY: I do not wish to do anything contrary to the Rules of the House. I understood that the criminal proceedings had been cluded. [Major NOLAN: No.] Yes. But my Question does not bear on the facts of the case thus investigated, but is with regard to matters which took place before and since the riots, and in reference to which nobody is accused. MR. O'DONNELL: I also have a Question to ask, and it is unnecessary to say that I ask it without any sectarian I beg to ask the Chief Secretary for Ireland, Whether it is true, as stated in the "Dublin Daily Express" of April 21st, that on the 15th of April, when thirty-feeling. I wish to ask the Chief Senine persons were summoned before the cretary for Ireland, with reference to magistrates at Clifden, in the county of the Question of the honourable Member Galway, for riot and unlawful assembly for Tyrone, Whether the Government is near Omey Island, on the 2nd, 4th, aware that the so-called "Irish Church and 23rd of March, the fact was elicited, Missions to Roman Catholics" in the on cross-examination by Mr. Henderson West of Ireland are conducted by means (the priest's solicitor), that the magis- of the publishing of placards and the trate had actually asked the same distribution of tracts in which Catholics Roman Catholic clergyman who was are invited to become "Christians," and summoned for riot on March 2nd to the deepest convictions of a Catholic assist in preserving peace in the district people are grossly insulted; whether on April 3rd; whether it is true, as his attention has been called to the constated in the "Dublin Evening Mail" duct of the agents of these Missions, of April 18th, that during the trial Dean who, it is complained, thrust upon the M Manus and several priests, sitting Catholic peasantry statements that the together below one of the jury benches, Sacrifice of the Mass is "a sacrilegious repeated in an audible tone the evidence mummery," the respect paid to Saints to be taken down by the clerk; whether "a blasphemous idolatry," confession it is true that, since the discharge of the a system of vice," and similar provopersons accused of said riots and unlaw- cations; whether it has been brought to ful assemblies, the Protestant children | his notice that these agents are in the attending the National Schools in that habit of seeking out needy peasant famineighbourhood have been hooted and lies, and offering victuals and money as pelted with stones, and that Miss the price of conversion; and, whether Walshe, the Irish Church Mission teacher the Government will cause an investigaat Errismore, was assaulted on her tion to be made, for the purpose of preway home on the evening of the 1st of venting conduct designed to provoke to May by a number of women with their breaches of the peace, although ostenfaces covered who were lying in wait sibly pursued under cover of zeal for for her, who seized her, tore her clothes, religion? and cut her head, leaving her in a fainting condition; and, whether any steps have been or are intended to be taken to prevent Her Majesty's Protestant subjects in that part of Ireland from the persistent persecution to which for some time past they have been and still are exposed? MR. ERRINGTON: Before that Question is answered, I wish to ask the Chief Secretary for Ireland, with reference to the question of the honourable Member for Tyrone, Whether, in taking steps for the due protection of Her Majesty's Protestant subjects in Connemara from the persistent persecution to which," as alleged, "they have been and are still exposed," he will consider the justice of also protecting Her Majesty's Catholic subjects in that part of Ireland from the provocation to which they have been long exposed from the proceedings of certain proselytising societies, which wound the religious feelings of the population and tend to produce breaches of the peace? Mr. Macartney MR. J. LOWTHER: Sir, it is manifestly impossible to deal fully with this subject within the limits of a reply to Questions; but, as far as I have been able to ascertain, the facts of the case are given with substantial accuracy in the Question of my hon. Friend the Member for Tyrone (Mr. Macartney). With reference to the Questions of the other hon. Members, I believe that in some instances placards of a very objectionable character have been made use of by some of the agents of the Church Missions, though I am glad to learn that this practice has been discountenanced by the responsible heads of the movement. Now, as to the course pursued by the Government, I must point out that we have no jurisdiction over what is termed proselytizing, or the distribution of alms. ["What?"] I see I must spell the word alms, and explain that we have nothing to do with gifts of what are alluded to as victuals and money; and, therefore, our duty is simply to put down disturbances by whatever party they may be created. | Dominions; and they are now called With this object, a force of 100 constabulary was sent into the district, and will be maintained there at the cost of the inhabitants as long as its presence may be deemed necessary. Legal proceedings were instituted against the leading participators in these discreditable proceedings, and a similar course will be adopted against any persons who may be guilty of any attempt to disturb the public peace in future. MR. CALLAN: Can the right hon. Gentleman state whether these objectionable placards have in any one single instance been publicly discountenanced by the leader of the Irish Church Mission party; and, if so, when and where? MR. J. LOWTHER: I have reason to believe that the exhibition of any placard of an irritating character has been discountenanced by those persons who are responsible for the conduct of the Mission. MR. MITCHELL HENRY: I am sure the House will indulge me for a moment, for I live in the immediate neighbourhood of the place where these occurrences took place. I beg to say to the House, and to the right hon. Gentleman, that to my certain knowledge the zeal of certain persons ostensibly connected with this Society-or, at any rate, sympathizing with it-has led them to undertake the distribution of tracts. ["Order!"] I will conclude with a Motion, Sir, for this is really a very serious matter. The locality in which these events occurred is inhabited by some of the poorest of Her Majesty's subjects. They are almost every one of them Roman Catholics, and there is carried on in their district a system of distributing tracts of the character mentioned in the Question of my hon. Friend the Member for Longford (Mr. Errington), which tracts, and post-cards as well, are systematically sent to the priests as well as to the people; and when it has happened, as unfortunately occurred on a recent occasion, that there have been disturbances through these poor people finding their religious feelings outraged, they are subjected to all the pains and penalties of the law, as the right hon. Gentleman says they are to be now. They are the poorest without exception, the very poorest-individuals in Her Majesty's - upon to bear the expense of about 120 police, who have been distributed through these wilds. I will take an early opportunity of asking the sense of the House of Commons as to whether it is just or right that these expenses should fall on these unfortunate people. It is the duty of the Executive to keep order in all parts of the country; and it is a new law, which is not carried out in this country, that the expense should be thrown on the people of the district for keeping up the police, who ought always to be maintained there if their protection is needed. I beg, in conclusion, to move the adjournment of the House. MR. SPEAKER: Does any hon. Member second the Motion? MR. CALLAN: I will second it. I wish to ask the right hon. Gentleman the Chief Secretary to say specifically if he has any authority for the statement which he has just made; and, if so, what authority? Within the last three months of my residence in Dublin, three placards were put in at my door as I was standing at my library window. They were put in the letter-box. I saw the man do it, and then I saw him go and place a similar three in the letterbox of the late Mr. Butt, and I saw him put three more in at the door of the Loretto Convent. I then collared the vagabond, and inflicted summary chastisement on the spot. I have the placards in my possession; and I would like to know whether the hon. Member for North Warwickshire (Mr. Newdegate), who supports the Irish Church Mission, will disavow and disown these discreditable and disgraceful practices. Motion made, and Question proposed, That this House do now adjourn."(Mr. Mitchell Henry.) MR. NEWDEGATE: I have no information on the subject, except such as has reached me through the Press, or by means of Questions asked and discussions raised in this House. If the hon. Gentleman desires to know what is the impression produced on my mind by this information, I can only say that I think that what has happened will be remembered when hon. Gentlemen opposite again put forward, as I have heard them urge, pleas on the score of religious liberty. |