of the National Portrait Gallery was not | illustrated English history; but with resatisfactory, and that the suggestions of spect to the arrangements connected with the hon. Gentleman opposite (Mr. C. Ben- the national pictures, the axe ought to be tinck) were deserving of careful considera- laid to the whole system. Looking at the tion. The difficulty about moving these several different places where those pictures portraits to a home of their own was, that were now kept, the matter was at the prethe question of the final constitution of sent moment in something like a mess, the body responsible for the Portrait Gal- and he complained of the Trustees of the lery would thereby be prejudged when it British Museum keeping apart from the was not yet ripe for adjudication. The collection of pictures the original designs present condition of the Portrait Gallery and drawings of the great masters, which was provisional, and was not unconnected it was essential to study in connection with the final destination and develop- with the paintings. In his opinion, the ment of the National Gallery itself, which Government should take into considerawas in its turn connected with the other tion the question of providing a fitting dequestion of sites for the national collec- pository for the whole of the national coltions. It was probable these portraits lections of pictures, which at present were might find more satisfactory accommoda- very unworthily accommodated. The Intion at South Kensington; but he was ternational Exhibition at Kensington had unable to give any assurance or pledge shown them the way in which a Gallery on this subject, except that the sugges- should be provided; and he would suggest, tion deserved, and should receive, con- that if the portraits could be transferred sideration. No doubt the portraits would to similar galleries at Burlington House, there be seen by a greatly-increased num- they would then be placed in a central ber of persons. His hon. Friend had position, acceptable to the community at quoted the prices paid for some of the large. portraits some time back; but great care had been taken by the Trustees not to pay extravagant prices. The difficulty about laying the prices of the pictures before the House as they were bought was, that the Trustees would thus be raising the market against themselves. He had attended a great number of their meetings, and he could conscientiously say THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEthat they appeared to consider with all QUER said, it might afford his hon. Friend care the amount of money to be paid for some gratification to know, that as there pictures. Whether a statement of the was a balance to the credit of the Histoprice given for each picture should be pro-rical Portrait Gallery, it would only be duced, or whether, instead thereof, the necessary to take a vote of £1,000 this judgment of the Trustees on the point should be acquiesced in, was a matter which it must remain in the discretion of the House to determine.

MR. THOMSON HANKEY said, that public money was spent uselessly in maintaining the establishment of the Portrait Gallery, for all the pictures might be sent to the South Kensington Museum. He thought the Chancellor of the Exchequer ought to say what the ultimate destination of this Gallery ought to be.

year. At the same time, he could not hold out any hope that the expenses of the secretary's office were capable of diminution. Two entirely different kinds of knowledge were required for the selection of portraits and general works of art. It would be absurd to expect that Sir Charles Eastlake should possess this special kind of talent.

MR. AUGUSTUS SMITH said, he was convinced, that if this collection should be sent to South Kensington, in another year the House would be called upon for a vote for additional officers. The best place for these pictures was in that House. They MR. CONINGHAM thought a Director might be placed on the walls of the cor- of the National Gallery ought to be quite ridors, and no expense would be incurred. competent to determine the value and auMR. GREGORY disagreed from the sug-thenticity of portraits. He was opposed, gestion to stow away the portraits of the on principle, to the distribution. of collecgreat men of the country in the badly tions, because in time the fragments grew lighted corridors of that building. Re- into great establishments. For that reagarding these pictures apart from their son he believed the suggested removal of artistic merit, he thought it of importance pictures to Burlington House would be to be able to form some notion of the ap- attended with great expense. The true pearance of the great characters that had way to obtain space sufficient for all the

pictures would be by turning the Royal Academy out of the National Gallery. They would never go unless they were compelled; and at present they were rather in straits, having taken to holding 6d. exhibitions in the evening, with a view of popularizing themselves.

THE "CIRCASSIAN."-QUESTION. MR. CLAY said, in the absence of the hon. Member for Sunderland (Mr. Fenwick), he would beg to ask the Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Whether the attention of Her Majesty's Government has been called to the repeated inBritish vessels trading to the West Indies, and particularly to the case of the steamer

terference of United States cruisers with

MR. LOCKE said, the Royal Academy gave a conditional promise some years ago to remove from the National Gallery, provided they could obtain accomodation suitable for carrying on their school of paint-Circassian in neutral waters, when bound ing. But from that time to the present nothing whatever had been done.

MR. TITE held that it was a mistake to condemn an important collection like the National Portrait Gallery, and to determine that it should proceed no further, simply because it had outgrown its present site. If it were not so already, it would one day become one of the most interesting collections in the kingdom.

MR. CAVENDISH BENTINCK wished to know whether the Government intended to take away the portraits from the zoological gallery of the British Museum and add them to the others?

from St. Thomas's to Havannah, and within twenty miles of that port; and what steps it is intended to take in consequence?

MR. LAYARD said, in reply, that as the case of the Circassian was now before the Law Officers of the Crown, he could not give an answer to the question.

THE GALWAY CONTRACT.-QUESTION.

to ask the First Lord of the Treasury, If LORD DUNKELLIN said, he would beg the Government have considered the Memorial of the Royal Atlantic Mail Com

THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHE-pany; and if they have determined on QUER replied, that that was one of the objects of the British Museum Bill.

MR. CONINGHAM said, he should certainly move to omit the entire amount of £2,000.

THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER said, the Government only asked for £1,000, there being a balance in hand. Vote agreed to; as were also the following:

(12.) £7,640, Magnetic Observations Abroad, &c.

(13.) £500, Royal Geographical Society.

(14.) £1,000, Royal Society.

House resumed.

renewing postal communication between Galway and North America?

VISCOUNT PALMERSTON: Sir, a representation was made by the Company, and is under the consideration of the Go

vernment. The Government have not as yet come to a decision upon the subject.

MR. GREGORY said, he wished to ask the noble Lord when it is likely the House will have the decision of the Government on this question. Large expenses are being incurred in making preparations to carry out the contract in the event of its renewal.

VISCOUNT PALMERSTON: It is impossible to say beforehand what the decision of the Government on the subject may be.

LAW RELATING TO COAL MINES.

QUESTION.

MR. DILLWYN said, he would beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether it is the intention of Government to introduce any measure to amend the Law relative to the working of Coal Mines?

SIR GEORGE GREY said, a Bill was in preparation which would be ready in a few days, the object of which would not be so much to interfere with the general working of mines, as to provide for the construction of a second shaft, in cases where that was practicable.

QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY AND QUEEN'S

accommodation for docking Her Majesty's ships of the larger classes at home and abroad. The hon. Gentleman regretted that he had been prevented from bringing forward the Motion for a Select Committee of which he had given notice for the 13th of last month, more especially as his absence from the House on that occasion had been connected with the expression of certain opinions which had been expressed on that (the Opposition) bench with respect to the amount of our Military Esti

COLLEGES IN IRELAND. — QUESTION. MR. HENNESSY said, he rose to ask the Chief Secretary for Ireland, Whether the only Candidates who obtained the degree of LL.D. at the last examination of the Queen's University in Ireland were at that time Professors in the Queen's Colleges and Examiners at the University; whether Charles P. Reichel, whose name appears in the recent Report of the Queen's University, page 23, as receiving the de-mates. He wished to state that there was gree of M.A. in 1861, is the same Charles not the shadow of a foundation for such a P. Reichel whose name appears at page 20 report. The sole and simple cause of his of the same Report as receiving the same absence was his inability to attend in his degree (M.A.) in 1860, and whose name place in consequence of a severe cold; and appears at page 26 of the same Report as finding that he could not come down to the the Examiner in Latin to the same Uni-House, he placed himself in the hands of his versity; and whether the same gentleman friends, who thought that at that already has not been since 1849 a Professor in advanced period of the Session the course Queen's College, Belfast? he was now adopting was the most adSIR ROBERT PEEL said, that the Go-visable for him to pursue. He trusted the vernment had nothing to do with the granting of degrees and diplomas in any of the chartered Universities of England, Scoland, or Ireland. The granting of degrees was wholly regulated by Statute. With regard to the degrees of LL.D. at the last examination of the Queen's University, it was true that the three only persons who took that degree were professors-two at the Queen's College, Belfast, and one at Galway. But it must be remembered there were two sorts of degrees, one of which was conferred upon students and the other upon distinguished persons who had taken degrees elsewhere, and who were desirous of becoming graduates of the Queen's University in Ireland; and the gentlemen in question were of the latter class. There was a clerical error in the Report with regard to the repetition of the degree of Mr. Reichel. That gentle-a very inopportune moment for proposing man took a degree of M.A., he believed, in Trinity College, Dublin, in 1860, and afterwards an ad eundem degree of M.A. was granted to him in 1861 by the Senate of the Queen's University.

SUPPLY.

Order for Committee read.
Motion made and Question proposed,
"That Mr. Speaker do now leave the
Chair."

DOCK ACCOMMODATION.

OBSERVATIONS.

MR. CORRY rose to call the attention of the House to the necessity of increased

one in

answer he should now receive from the
Government would be satisfactory to those
who concurred with him in thinking that
the subject was one which deserved the
earnest consideration of Her Majesty's
Ministers. The question was
which he had long felt a great interest,
having taken an active part in respect of
it many years ago, when he served as
a Lord of the Admiralty, having the
superintendence of the Department of
Works, in the Government of Sir Robert
Peel; but he was almost afraid, that at a
time of financial pressure like the present,
and when the opinion of Parliament had
been expressed in favour of applying as
large a portion as possible of the means
available for naval purposes to the con-
struction of an iron-cased fleet, some hon.
Gentlemen might think that he had chosen

the provision of further dock accommoda-
tion, and deem it to be a question of second-
ary importance which might be considered
at a more convenient season. But he was
speaking in the presence of many Gentle-
men who were practically acquainted with
the wants of a steam navy, and more es-
pecially of a steam navy built of iron; and
he was sure they would agree with him
that it was the necessity of increasing our
iron-cased navy which invested the ques-
tion with its most pressing importance,
and that unless they took it up in time,
the money spent on our gigantic ships of
war would be found in the hour of need to
be, perhaps, one half of it thrown away.

"I do not hesitate to say it is a national danger we are incurring in being so badly provided with dock and basin accommodation for our large steamships. After a naval engagement the coun try that can first repair its ships damaged in action thereby doubles its force. In that case, one ship with proper dock and basin accommodation is equivalent to two."

In confirmation of this view he would might tell him that the present Governventure to read to the House the opinion ment had given sufficient proof of the of Admiral Robinson, who, in reply to a importance they attached to the subject question put to him by the Chatham Dock- by the plan they had proposed for the yard Extension Committee, said- enlargement of Chatham Dockyard; but he must say the Admiralty did not appear very eager to give effect to their intentions in that respect, for the Navy Estimates for this year provided only £20,000 towards that work, the entire estimate for which amounted to £900,000. Besides, however important it might be to provide basins and docks at Chatham, it was in the Channel where the want of proper accommodation for the repair of our large ships would be felt the most sensibly in the event of war, and he trusted he should not hear from his noble Friend, that the Admiralty had nothing more comprehensive in their mind in respect of the Channel dockyards than the conversion of two short docks at Devonport into one long dock, and the completion of the north dock out of the steam basin at Portsmouth-which formed part of the original plan, so long ago as the year 1846

He (Mr. Corry) therefore hoped the House would not think that he was occupying its time upon a matter of little moment. He had no intention whatever of imputing the smallest blame to the present Board of Admiralty. It would be extremely unfair in him to do so, considering that the deficiency in such accommodation had been accumulating for many years, during which, as Admiral Robinson said

"Although great efforts have been constantly made to keep pace with the increased size of our ships, yet the magnitude of the ships has gone on so much more rapidly than was anticipated, that the dock and basin accommodation, although it has been year by year increased, falls infinitely

below the necessities of the service."

He must, however, observe that although the increase in the length of ships of war within the last three years had been greater than during the previous sixty years, yet smaller provision had been made for docks and basins in the three Estimates proposed by the present Government than in any Estimates since the year 1845, when the growth of the steam navy first compelled the Government of Sir Robert Peel to give attention to the subject. Not only had a smaller amount been taken for new works, but a smaller proportion of the sum voted had been applied to the construction of docks and basins. His noble Friend would find, that in 1845, 1846, and 1847, for the two former of which years he had himself moved the Estimates, one-half the money voted for works was expended on docks and basins. In the years 1860, 1861, and 1862, the proportion had been less than one-sixth, and he confessed that this suggested two questions to his mind-first, whether sufficient importance was attached to the subject by the present Board; and, secondly, whether, by postponing works of less pressing importance, as in 1845, a much larger amount might not be applied to the construction of docks, even without any increase in the aggregate amount of the votes for works? His noble Friend

for which works provision was made in this year's Estimates. He doubted whether it was generally known how unsuitable to our present navy our dockyards were, even at so recent a period as 1849; from which year he dated the complete success of the screw propeller as applied to the larger classes of ships of war (as instanced in the trials of the Arrogant, 46 gun frigate, and the block ships), and the great increase in their length which had resulted from it. In 1849 the length of our two longest docks was 264 feet, one at Chatham and one at Woolwich. We now had wooden frigates of 280 and 300 feet long; so that in 1849 there was no dock in existence which could contain even the largest wooden frigates of the present day. In that year there were only five docks of 240 feet and upwards in the whole of our dockyards combined, and these were all in the Medway and the Thames. The longest dock at Portsmouth was 228 feet, and at Devonport 234 feet. Since then, ironplated ships had been built up to 380 and 400 feet, and we now had built, or building, 22 ships of the line, 25 wooden frigates, 17 iron-plated ships, 6 troopships, and 1 yacht, or 71 vessels altogether, which could not have been docked at all at Devonport or Portsmouth in 1849. In short, the reconstruction of our docks ought to have been carried on as