Lords Sitting of 28 April 1884

MINUTES.
PUBLIC BILLS—First Rending —Benefices (Tiverton Portions) Consolidation Amendment * (72); Public Health (Confirmation of Byelaws) * (73).
Royal Assent —Bankruptcy Appeals (County Courts) [47 Viet, c. 9]; Isle of Man (Harbours) [47 Viet. c. 7]; Dublin Museum of Science and Art [47 Vict. c. 6]; Trustee Churches (Ireland) [47 Vict. c. 10]; Army (Annual) [47 Vict. c. 8]; Local Government Provisional Orders [47 Vict. c. iv]; City of Norwich (Household Heath) Provisional Order [47 Vict, c, iii]; Metropolitan Commons Provisional Order [47 Vict. c. ii].

EGYPT (EVENTS IN THE SOUDAN)— RELIEF OF BERBER.—QUESTION.
THE EARL OF GALLOWAYsaid, he wished to ask the noble Earl the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs a Question of which he had given him private Notice. The Question was as to the correctness of a Reuter's telegram, dated Cairo, April 26, 8 P.M., which he (the Earl of Galloway) had seen in The Observer of yesterday, and in that morning's papers, to the effect that the reply of the British Government had been received to the proposal to send an expedition for the relief of Berber, and stating that such an expedition would not be possible at the present time, and could not, in fact, start for four months hence; that this decision had been communicated to Hussein Pasha Kalifa, Governor of Berber; and, at the same time, he had been told that he might withdraw from the town if he was in a position to do so. If that telegram were correct, would the noble Earl have any

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objection to state to the House what ground there was for saying that such an expedition was deemed by the Government to be impossible?
EARL GRANVILLE, in reply, said, it would be very inconvenient to answer the Question until the Government had received official intimation of the receipt of the reply. He hoped, therefore, that the noble Earl would postpone the Question.
THE EARL OF GALLOWAYsaid, he would postpone the Question until tomorrow.

NAVY — LIEUTENANTS OF OVER TEN YEARS' SENIORITY—HALF-PAY.

  QUESTION. OBSERVATIONS.
  THE EARL OR BELMOREasked the First Lord of the Admiralty, with reference to the promised increase of pay to the lieutenants of the Royal Navy of ten years' standing and upwards, How it is proposed to extend the benefit to those officers when on half-pay? He thought he might say, on behalf of those whose cause he had advocated, that the increase promised by the Admiralty to these officers when on full pay was substantial, and, as far as it went, satisfactory. He hoped that if the noble Earl held his present Office much longer, he would see his way, before he left it, to extend the benefit to lieutenants of eight years' standing and upwards, who ranked as field officers.
  THE EARL OF NORTHBROOK, in reply, said, that lieutenants of over 10 years' seniority who had seven years' service in that rank, three of which had been at sea, would be entitled to the highest rate of half-pay—namely 8s. 6d. a-day. He would add that that rate was the same as that allowed to Commanders, with the exception of the first 100 on the list.

HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE DUKE OF ALBANY.

  REPLY TO THE MESSAGE OF CON DOLENCE.
  THE DUKE OF RICHMOND AND GORDONreported, That his Grace and the Duke of BEDFORD waited on Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Albany with the message of the 31st of March last, and that Her Royal Highness had returned the following answer, viz.:—
  MY LORD DUKES,
  I beg you -will express to the House of Lords my true gratitude for the message of condolence on the death of my beloved husband, which has been transmitted to me through your Graces.
  The House may rest assured that I find great consolation in such an exhibition of their sympathy.

  BENEFICES (TIVERTON PORTIONS) CONSOLI DATION AMENDMENT BILL [H.L.]
  A Bill to amend certain provisions of the Acts third and fourth Victoria, chapter one hundred and thirteen, and thirty-second and thirty-third Victoria, chapter ninety-four, in relation to the consolidation of benefices called "Medieties" or "Portions," and to extend the same to the parish of Tiverton in the county of Devon—Was presented by The Lord Bishop of EXETER; read 1a. (No. 72.)
  House adjourned at Five o'clock, till To-morrow, a quarter past Ten o'clock.