improvements had recently taken place. He hoped that
no Germanic system, or Germanic crotchets would be
introduced into our ancient, and hitherto, flourishing
universities.—The Duke of WELLINGTON said, that as
far as he could understand, there was no desire to
introduce any Germanic system into the University of
Oxford. But while that University was anxious to
introduce every requisite improvement, that which it
could not do, was to repeal the statutes by which it
was governed. He hoped that no proceedings would be
taken which would have the effect of forcing some of
the most respectable, faithful, and loyal of her Majesty's
servants to choose between their duty of obedience to
her Majesty's commands and their duty with respect to
the execution of the law.

Lord STANLEY announced his intention of calling the
attention of the House to the Affairs of Greece, and
requested to know when official accounts of the late
transactions would be laid before the House?—The
Marquis of LANSDOWNE promised that the requested
information should be speedily furnished. The French
negotiator, he said, had broken off the negotiations on
a single point: it was owing to an "accident of the
winds," which occasioned a delay of three or four days,
that the accommodation was not brought about by the
instrumentality of the French Governnient, which would
have been more satisfactory. The terms only differed
from the French terms in one particular, and in that
particular they were more favourable to Greece; "so
that, in the exercise for its free discretion, Greece has
obtained terms, in a pecuniary sense, much better than
those the French Minister here thought her entitled to."
—Lord STANLEY thought that the Marquis of
LANSDOWNE had a strange idea of "free discretion," when
the Greek Government had only submitted under a
threat of bombardment by the fleet of the most powerful
maritime state in the world.—Lord LANSDOWNE, in
making an announcement on another subject soon
afterwards, added: "I am reminded by my noble friend near
me to inform your Lordships, that the threat of
bombarding the Piræus, just adverted to by the noble Lord,
is entirely an assumption of his own."

On Thursday the 16th, Lord BROUGHAM asked an
explanation of a fact, which had just come to his knowledge
—the Departure of the French Ambassador, by
command of his government, on her Majesty's birth-day.
—The Marquis of LANSDOWNE said, that the
circumstance was purely accidental, and in no way connected
with any design to manifest disrespect either to her
Majesty or this country.—Lord BROUGHAM: "I can
hardly ascribe the absence of the Russian Ambassador
to accident also; I wish I could."

On Friday, Lord BROUGHAM returned to the subject,
with considerable vehemence, and required explanations
respecting the "inauspicious fact" of the French
Ambassador's Recal.—The Marquis of LANSDOWNE
said, that when the French Ambassador left this
country he presented no letters of recal, and up to that
moment no such notice of recal had been left with
her Majesty's government. The Ambassador had left
London, furnished, for the purpose of explanation, with
documents that could not be known to the French
Government. The noble Marquis expressed his earnest
hope that the result would be such as to prevent any
sort of interruption to the friendly intercourse of the
two countries.—Lord BROUGHAM insisted that General
La Hitte (the French Foreign Minister) directed M.
Drouyn de Lhuys to "read" his despatch to Lord
Palmerston.—The Marquis of LANSDOWNE replied that
no letters of recal had been "presented."

In the HOUSE OF COMMONS, on Thursday the 25th
April, the Australian Colonies Bill was proceeded with
in Committee, and its remaining clauses were passed with
little discussion.—Mr. Vernon SMITH objected to the
clause establishing a Federative Assembly, as being
useless and uncalled for by the opinion of the colonies; and
Mr. ROEBUCK (Mr. DISRAELI concurring) objected to
this measure as being contrary to the principal of
federation—the equality of the constituent parts.—Lord John
RUSSELL defended the proposition as being practically
useful.—Sir W. MOLESWORTH supported Mr.
Roebuck's objection: and on a division the clause was carried
by 64 to 10. The remainder of the clauses were passed
and the bill reported.

The debate was resumed on the second reading of the
Securities for Advances (Ireland) Bill. Lord NAAS
objected to it as an interference with the present
Encumbered Estates Act, and as being injurious to the
Irish proprietors.—Mr. BAILLIE contended that the
measure would depreciate the currency, by forcing ten
millions worth of mortgage paper, of the nature of
Exchequer bills, into the market.—The SOLICITOR
GENERAL replied to these objections; and after
observations in support of the bill from Mr. Fagan, Mr.
Sadler, Mr. H. Herbert, and Mr. Stuart Wortley, its
second reading was carried by 186 to 41.

On Friday the 26th, the motion for going into
Committee on the Distressed Unions Advances (Ireland)
Bill was opposed by Colonel Sibthorp, who moved that
the House should go into Committee that day six
months; but his amendment, after a little discussion,
was lost by 132 to 12. The bill then went through the
Committee. The further business of the House that
evening was obstructed by a long discussion originated
by Mr. DISRAELI, who, on the motion for going into
a committee of supply, made an attack on the financial
arrangements of the year.—Lord John RUSSELL defended
himself and his colleagues, and exposed the
inconsistencies of Mr. Disraeli's own conduct. When this
ended, the House went into committee; but it was now
midnight, and too late to proceed to business.

The subject of the New Houses of Parliament
was brought forward on Monday, the 29th ult., by
Mr. OSBORNE.—Mr. GREEN as one of the
commissioners, said that the commissioners had been unable to
reconcile the differences between the architect and the
ventilator, and that in the meantime they were
endeavouring to carry on the work the best way they could.—
Mr. OSBORNE gave notice of a motion with the view of
getting rid of both Mr. Barry and Dr. Reid; an intimation
that was received with cheers and laughter.

Mr. COCKBURN called attention to the case, at the
Thames Police Court, of the black steward of a British
vessel who had been taken out of the ship at Charleston
and imprisoned for two months, simply because he was
a Man of Colour.—Lord Palmerston said that the
case was not new; that such a law as that mentioned
existed in the State of Carolina; and that our government
had remonstrated against it as a violation of the
principles of international law, as well as of the treaty
of 1815: but the reply had been that the Federal
government was unable to revoke the law, and that, if
England insisted, the American government would be
compelled to terminate the treaty of 1815. The English
govemment, therefore, had not thought it expedient to
press the matter further; but it should be remembered
that the law is known, and that those who go there
expose themselves to it voluntarily.

A Bill to amend the law as to Savings Banks was
brought in by the Chancellor of the EXCHEQUER. He
gave a sketch of the history of these establishments,
which now hold the deposits of the poor to the amount
of twenty-eight millions, and pointed out the necessity
of remedying the evils caused by growing laxity of
management. One of the chief evils (he said) is that
exemption from any liability which was extended to
trustees in 1844: it is proposed to restore this liability
for wilful or neglectful losses. Neither the Government
nor the trustees are now liable for loss by the treasurers
of the savings-banks; the Government cannot be
answerable for the officers it does not appoint, and the
trustees are unanswerable for anybody or anything. It
is proposed to place these officers in the appointment
of Government, and to make Government responsible
for their acts. Fraud is frequently occasioned by the
treasurer or actuary receiving monies at his own house.
It is intended that the treasurer alone shall receive money,
and he shall attend at certain stated times for that
purpose. The Government will generally appoint a local
banker to fill the office; and the duties shall no longer
be wholly unremunerated. It shall be a misdemeanour
for any other person than the treasurer to receive money
as a savings-bank deposit. Daily accounts shall be
rendered to the Commissioners of the National Debt;