committed, with which common humanity, General in Syria which are not only most and a regard for our fellow Christians unfounded, but are without even a shadow should call for our immediate intervention. of foundation ; for, although it is generally Generally speaking, I fear, it would be a supposed that England has espoused the vain attempt, indeed, to establish anything cause of the Druses, and France has taken like such a government as would be satis- the Maronites under its protection, yet, to factory to ourselves and the public in any show how little truth there is in that opinprovince ; but in this province we are com- ion, I may mention that, very recently, pelled to interest ourselves, in consequence Colonel Rose, Her Majesty's Consul, having of the engagement into which we have en- been informed that a body of Maronites tered. It has happened in this and in were in prison and in danger of losing their other provinces where there are two parties, lives and property, got up at twelve o'clock that one has been supposed to be an Eng. at night, mounted his horse, and proceeded lish, and the other : French party, and on a long and dislicult march to the place thus we are set in a sort of opposition to where these people were confined. He each other, quite contrary, as I believe, to found 600 persons, men, women, and chil. the intention of both Governments; for Idren, and by his exertions and the inbelieve the object of the French Go- tluence he exercised, at the head of a convernment is precisely that of the English siderable column, under a burning sun, in Government, viz., without reference to a two days' march, he brought them safely Maronites or Druses, to see something like to Beyrout, and thus liberated these Maorder, tranquillity, and peace, established ronites from danger in which they were in the country. There is no sort of founda- placed. Therefore, your Lordships see that, tion for the notion which the noble Lord though other gentlemen may write moving seems to entertain, of the French Govern- and pathetic despatches, the English Conment intending to withdraw itself from its sul General exposed himself to actual alliance in this case with the other Powers. fatigue and to some danger in rescuing The noble Lord should recollect that the these persons, who approached him with an Five Great Powers of Europe are acting appeal requiring his aid as their friend. together at Constantinople and in the pro- This is the only feeling upon which I should vinces, by their Consuls: and, although in always wish to sec English agents act. a case of such difficulty, and where there While others indulge in eloquent descripare such various interests, it is possible that tions of the sympathy they felt, yet so long a difference of opinion may more or less as the English agent did the sufferers real prevail, as to what may be the best mode service, I think your Lordships will be of restoring peace to this unhappy country, satisfied with the comparison which his I should say that, generally, there has been conduct may bear with any other friendly concert between all the Powers respecting Power. Such was the manner in which the measures which ought to be pursued; Colonel Rose acted towards the Maronites. and there is no reason to suppose that on And as 10 supporting the Druses against the part of France, or of any other Govern- the Maronites, and encouraging their dement, there is any wish not to act in con- struction by the Druses, that must clearly cert. I think it is quite unnecessary to be an absurd imputation, hardly worthy of occupy your Lordships' time any more on refutation. But so far from the Druses this subject. It appeared to me to be quite being protected by us, so far as I am aware unnecessary to refer to the debates in the of any motive that could influence our conFrench Chambers upon the subject. Gen- duct, it would be most natural for us to tlemen there say what they please, as we protect the Maronites; they are Christians take the liberty of doing here. But I do and Roman Catholics; they are persons not feel myself bound to answer accusa- who have many claims upon us, and who tions which were made without any founda- acted zealously in support of our measures tion whatever. I have not seen any re- in freeing the country from the Egyptians, port of the debate to which the noble Lord whereas the Druses have no claim upon us has referred, and I am not aware that any whatever. Their religion is neither authority has been given by the French Christian nor Mahomedan ; it is some suGovernment to such accusations; and, perstition which nobody knows anything therefore, it is quite unnecessary to occupy about ; some say it is the worship of the your Lordships time by adverting to them. Golden Calf; but, be that as it may, the But I will say that there have been accu- others are certainly Christians, and dea sations made against the English Consul serving of our sympathy. But our object is to establish justice; that whether there. The expense incurred there for Christians or Druses, justice may be ad police and gaols, was 36,0001. per annum, ministered without partiality, or predilec- whilst the rest of the expenditure was tion, or interference with the Turkish Go- only 70,0001. ; thus one-third of the whole vernment. I hope we shall never do that expenditure of the Colony was entirely which will not be justifiable towards an taken up by the police and the gaols. It independent State, as it is our object to ob was proposed by this Bill to retransfer to tain the improvement of the condition of this country the proceeds of land sales, the people with as little interference as which had dwindled down to almost nopossible with the sovereign rights of an in- thing ; 10 take into the hands of the Godependent State—a State which, however vernment the proceeds of the sales of imperfect may be its government and its lands, after they had been improved by condition in many respects, we have an in-convict labour, and to release the Colony terest in preserving and strengthening by from the gaol and police expenses. It was all the means in our power. As there is no proposed to allow ihe best-conducted conobjection to produce the Papers, I do not victs to become renters of Government see that it is necessary for me to trouble land in Van Diemen's Land: whereas in your Lordships any further.

New South Wales, the object was to give Lord Beaumont said, he wished the

a certain permanency of tenure, and enanoble Earl had read the debate in the ble the free occupier to surround himself French Chamber, because he would have with some of the comforts of life. He seen thal M. Guizot did not abandon the (Lord Stanley) believed the Bill would be principle of acting alone, and was pre- found satisfactory to many of those who pared to act in favour of the Maronites; had presented petitions to Parliament. and that there was a difference of opinion

The Marquess of Lansdowne was not between England and France, not as to prepared to oppose the Bill in its present the object, but as to the remedy. He was, stage. He thought a case might be made however, glad he had given the noble out for legislative interference. But when Earl an opportunity of making the state- entering upon so large a subject, he conment which their Lordships had heard. sidered it was absolutely necessary that Motion agreed to.

the noble Lord should make out a case of

most urgent necessity before their LordWaste LANDS (AUSTRALIA) Bill.] ships consented to pass a Bill of this Lord Stanley moved the Second Reading of nature, especially as they were the Waste Lands (Australia) Bill, in doing coming to the close of the Session, and which the noble Lord explained the state when many important measures, which of the law as it stood at present in the had undergone great consideration, had Australian Colonies with reference to waste already been deferred to another period. lands. One object of the Bill was to au- Many of the clauses of this Bill might be thorize the Governor of New South Wales of value, and among the rest, he thought to grant leases of waste lands within or the system of granting licenses for the ocwithout the limits of the Colony,on the same cupation of waste lands might be attended terms as the other lands were disposed of, with beneficial effects; but there were namely, by auction. It was proposed, provisions in the Bill, giving to the Goverhowever, to restrict the leases to twenty- nor such arbitrary powers, that he was one years at the outside. The produce of entirely opposed io them. By the 6th the revenue to be derived under the Bill Clause, persons who had already occupied was to be applied in part to raise a fund parts of the waste lands under licenses, for the encourageinent of immigration of were to be made liable, at the pleasure of free labourers;—but this regarded New the Governor, to an amount of taxation South Wales only. In Australia there almost indefinite, assuming the shape of an was no want of capital, but there was a agistment tax. It authorized a tax upon deficiency of labour. In Van Diemen’s cattle, paying a certain sum per year for Land, on the other hand, there was a every horse, sheep, and head of horned superabundance of labour seeking for em- cattle depastured upon the waste lands ployment. This, resulted, in great part, which Her Majesty's Privy Council or the from the excess of convict labour. We, Governor might decide upon. To this he moreover, imposed a heavy tax upon the most strongly objected. Their Lordships Colony on account of the convicts we sent were aware of the effect of a law of agist

now

a

ment in Ireland; and he thought it would I was clearly impossible, at this period of be a rash, inconsiderate, and ill-judged the Session, the measure could be well measure to introduce into Australia. He considered; and it was more than probawished to impress it upon their Lordships, ble that, if considered, it would not be sathat they were now, in fact, laying the tisfactory. foundation of a principle of property which Lord Polwarth expressed a hope that would affect two thousand miles of terri- the provision which made some amends to tory and vast millions of acres of land, and Van Diemen's Land for the expense inthat without giving the measure such con-curred by gaols and police might also be sideration as its importance demanded, extended to Australia. and which if brought on early in the next Bill read 2a. Session it would of course obtain.

Lord Stanley observed, that the noble Marquess seemed to suppose that the license conferred a permanent right upon the party obtaining it. But that was not the case. It was an annual license to pasture stock.

The Marquess of Lansdowne: Was it not a license to occupy?

Lord Stanley: No; it was merely a license to depasture stock within a certain district. The Governor was at the present moment perfectly free to fix from year to year the amount to be paid by each party obtaining a license.

FOREIGN LOTTERIES BILL.] Moved that the Bill be now read 3a.

Lord Monteagle said, he wished to have a clause inserted which should provide for and insist upon the enforcement of the tices in newspapers relative to foreign lotlaw with regard to the publication of noteries. As all newspapers and periodicals came under the inspection of the Commisopinion that that body should be entrusted sioners of Stamps and Taxes, he was of with the enforcement of the law in this respect, and he should propose the insertion of some such clause as the following:

"Be it enacted, that whenever it shall appear to the Commissioners of Stamps and Taxes, from the inspection of newspapers and periodicals, that there has been inserted any advertisement or notice of foreign lotteries, they shall take the necessary proceedings to

Lord Monteagle objected to the 6th and 13th Clauses, which he believed had excited the greatest possible apprehension and alarm. He objected to their provi. sions as perfectly without precedent. In 1842, an Act was passed regulating the sale of Colonial property; but the pro-enforce the law." posed Bill, which extended to the whole of the Australian Colonies, suspended the operation of the existing Statute law of the land so long as any Colony should continue to be a place to which felons might be conveyed for punishment. The noble Lord stated that he meant it to apply only

to Van Diemen's Land; but an Order in Council, by sending even as few as ten felons to New Zealand, or any other Colony, would extend the provisions at once to those places.

Though he wished, however, to have a clause inserted, he should be satisfied if the noble Lord would give him an assurance that the law was to be enforced, and that these great frauds and nuisances should be put down by the strong hand of the

law.

Lord Stanley assured the noble Lord that it was not intended that the law should become a dead letter in this respect. He did not think it would be necessary to Lord Stanley explained, that the Bill introduce a clause; but he would take could not apply to any existing Colonies, care that such instructions should be given as their charters would not permit the as should secure the enforcement of the sending of felors there; but if new Co-law to its fullest extent. lonies should be established, and it should be deemed necessary to found new penal settlements in such places, but for the provision referred to, those Colonies would be subject to the old Land Sales Act.

Lord Monteagle, in continuation, expressed his regret that the Bill had been introduced at so late a period of the Session, not only on public grounds, but also for the sake of the noble Lord himself. It

Bill read 3a.

FIELD GARDENS' BILL.] The Duke of Richmond moved the Second Reading of this Bill.

The Earl of Radnor objected to the Bill, both in principle and detail. He wished to know whether the Government approved or not of such a measure, as in the former case it ought to be left to the