Lords Sitting of 10 July 1873

MINUTES.
PUBLIC BILLS—First Reading—Public Schools (Eton College Property)* (204); Highland Schools (Scotland)* (205).
Second Reading—Petitions of Right (Ireland)* (180); Indian Railways Registration* (164); Blackwater Bridge (Composition of Debt)* (199).
Select Committee—Report—Colonial Church (No.202).
Committee—Prison Officers Superannuation (Ireland)* (192); Local Government Provisional Orders (No. 6)* (157).
Committee—Report—Tithe Commutation Acts Amendment* (171); Statute Law Revision* (174); Canada Loan Guarantee* (183); National Debt Commissioners (Annuities)* (191).
Report—Colonial Church* (118–203).
Third Reading—Slave Trade (East African Courts)* (187); Ecclesiastical Commissioners* (200), and passed.

AFRICA—WEST COAST SETTLEMENTS—THE ASHANTEE INVASION.

  QUESTION.
  THE EARL OF CARNARVONasked whether certain statements published in The Times of this morning as to hostilities on the Gold Coast were correct, and

  139
  whether the Government had received any despatches containing such information. If the statements were well founded, they tended to confirm the fear he recently expressed that Colonel Harley's estimate of the position was too sanguine, and that we should find ourselves engaged in another long and costly African war.
  THE EARL OF KIMBERLEYsaid, no Department of the Government had received any information of the nature described by the noble Earl. He was, therefore, unable from any official source to inform him whether the information contained in the letter which had appeared in The Times was correct; but he was bound to say that he believed it would turn out to be substantially true. The latest information in his possession was dated the 4th of June, and arrived on the 28th. At that time the Ashantee forces were near a place called Donquah, in the Denkera country, and it was expected that a battle would come off between them and the Fantee tribes. The statement in The Times corresponded as to the locality, and he feared, therefore, that the battle had resulted in the defeat of the latter as was stated. It was due to Colonel Harley to say that though on one unfortunate occasion he under-estimated the Ashanteo force, he had by no means erred in the sense of taking a sanguine view of the position, having always represented it as of a serious kind. The noble Earl had not, apparently, noticed another letter, which stated that two African mail steamers, the Yoruba and the Nigritia,had been lost. He conjectured that this might be the cause of his not receiving correspondence regularly. A considerable quantity of military stores and provisions had been sent to the Gold Coast, and some, but by no means the larger portion, had been lost in those steamers. To remedy this loss a special steamer would be sent out immediately, with provisions and stores; but a considerable quantity had already arrived, and he had no serious apprehensions on that head. Papers giving a complete history of the matter up to a comparatively late date would be in the hands of Members of both Houses on Monday or Tuesday. These Papers would contain much information respecting the state of affairs at these Settlements, and he would communicate further information hereafter.
  THE EARL OF LAUTDERDALEsaid, he had no doubt that the account in The Times was correct, for by the last account Donquah was closely besieged by the Ashantees, and the King had written to the Administrator that, without immediate assistance he could not hold out. He feared the Administrator was under a delusion or was fettered by instructions, for he had seen a document in which he stated that he had given the protected tribes no assistance, except a small supply of powder. A gentleman also arrived by the last mail who was in the last action, and who said the Fantees were quite able and willing to beat back the Ashantees if they had some assistance. Unfortunately, our protected tribes at Cape Coast Castle and the Settlements had not been adequately supplied with arms and ammunition, and the result was that the whole country was now in a state of disorder, and had been completely devastated by the Ashantees.
  THE EARL OF KIMBERLEYthought the noble Earl should await the despatches before condemning an Administrator placed in a very trying position.

STATUTE LAW REVISION BILL, 1873.
(The Lord Chancellor.)
STATUTE LAW REVISION BILL, 1873.

  (No. 174.) COMMITTEE REPORT.
  House in Committee (according to Order).
  THE LORD CHANCELLOR,in reporting the Bill, which had passed through Committee without Amendment, explained that it continued the expurgation of the statutes from the 42nd George III. to the commencement of the reign of William IV. He moved the omission of the reference to the section of the Emancipation Act with reference to the assumption of territorial tithes. The framers of the Bill had construed the Act of 1871, repealing the Ecclesiastical Titles Act, as having repealed that section, but he doubted whether it went quite so far.
  LORD CAIRNSalso thought that, though the Act of 1871 had very much narrowed the operation of the section, it had not repealed it.
  Amendment made accordingly.
  Bill to be read 3a To-morrow.

NAVY—PEBBLE POWDER—THE REVIEW AT PORTSMOUTH.

  QUESTION.
  THE EARL OF CARNARVONasked, Whether in firing a naval salute in honour of the Shah of Persia pebble powder was used; and, if so, to move for the amount now in store, and the price at which it is manufactured for the Government. The reason which had induced him to put this question was that he understood that out stock of pebble powder was small, that its manufacture was very costly, and that ordinary powder answered quite as well for saluting purposes. Moreover, the sad accident which occurred to a yacht on the occasion of the visit of the Shah of Persia to Portsmouth had been attributed to the great force of this powder. He had been informed—though he could scarcely believe it—that each of the three salutes had cost the country£1,000.
  THE EARL OF CAMPERDOWNsaid, that the noble Earl was quite correct in presuming that pebble powder was used in the salutes on the occasion of the visit of the Shah of Persia to Portsmouth. It was considered by persons best qualified to form an opinion on the subject that the large guns used on board such vessels as our great ironclads could not be properly fired with the ordinary powder, and the pebble powder was consequently used on the occasion in question with the 18 and 25 ton guns. In ordinary salutes it was customary to fire 12 pounders with ordinary powder. With regard to the other Question of the noble Earl, the quantity of pebble powder in store in the United Kingdom on the 31st March last was 49,411 barrels, 42,578 barrels of which were in loose and 6,833 barrels in cartridge. The cost when manufactured at Waktham Abbey was £3 3s. 5d. per barrel; when obtained from Belgium,£3 9s. per barrel; and when supplied by English manufacturers,£4 15 s. per barrel. He was not in a position at present to show the difference between the price of pebble powder and the price of ordinary powder.
  THE EARL OF CARNARVONhad been given to understand that ordinary powder answered quite as well for saluting purposes for the large guns.
  THE EARL OF CAMPERDOWNrepeated that the best authorities on the
  142
  subject, the officers in charge of the naval artillery, regarded pebble powder as the only powder that should be used with the large guns.
  LORD VIVIANremarked that some blame must attach to somebody in connection with the accident to the yacht. He believed it was unprecedented, or nearly so, to fire salutes from gun-boats, and the officers in command should have taken due precautions. Seven persons were injured on board the yacht, one of whom, a connection of his own, was so much injured that he had not been able to leave his bed since then until Wednesday last. He believed that the misfortune was occasioned by the use of pebble powder. In his opinion sufficient precautions had not been taken.
  THE EARL OF LAUDERDALEconsidered that pebble powder should not be used on such an occasion as that at Portsmouth the other day, as he thought it had been proved beyond doubt that for saluting it was very dangerous. He believed that common grain powder would have answered the purpose quite as well. All that was wanted on saluting occasions was to make as much noise as possible at as little expense as possible—pebble powder when fired without shot was half thrown away, as a large portion was blown out of the gun without being ignited.
  THE EARL OF CAMPERDOWN,admitting that firing a salute by gunboats was unusual, replied that it was not usual for Portsmouth to see a Shah every day. The Admiralty regretted the accident to the yacht, but a notice had been issued, and appeared in The Times on the 21st of June, prohibiting yachts and private vessels from passing between the line of iron-clads during the inspection, and from closing round Her Majesty's yacht. These orders were contravened, two or three steamers bumping into Her Majesty's yacht considerably to their own inconvenience. Had those in charge of the yacht in question respected the rules issued by the Admiralty no accident would have befallen them. He protested against the accident being attributed to the officers of the Fleet.
  LORD VIVIANsaid, the yacht went close to the gunboat on account of the well-known rule that gunboats did not fire salutes.
  THE EARL OF CAMPERDOWNrepeated that the gentleman had only himself to thank for what occurred.

  PUBLIC SCHOOLS (ETON COLLEGE PROPERTY) BILL [H.L.]
  A Bill to amend section twenty-four of the Public Schools Act, 1868, with respect to the property of Eton College—Was presented by The Lord LYTTELTON; read 1a. (No. 204.)
  House adjourned at Six o'clock, till To-morrow, half past Ten o'clock.