Part 24 (1/2)
29. Lord John Russell.
30. Rt. Hon. W. E. Gladstone, Chancellor of the Exchequer.
31. Rt. Hon. Sir George Grey, Secretary of State.
32. Rt. Hon. Sir Charles Wood, Bart., Secretary of State for India.
33. Rt. Hon. Sir George Cornewall Lewis, Bart., Secretary of State for War.]
[Sidenote: A Const.i.tutional Problem.]
Ministerialists were very indignant; the House of Lords had violated the Const.i.tution; they had refused to sanction the repeal of a tax ordered by the House of Commons, and thereby infringed the privileges of that Chamber. The next step would be that the Lords would claim the right of imposing taxation--the cherished monopoly of the House of Commons. It was certainly an awkward question, but Palmerston was equal to the occasion. He averted a popular storm by moving for a Select Committee to examine and report on the degree, if any, in which the Lords had exceeded their powers. The Committee sat for two months, and reported that no breach of privilege was involved in the refusal of the Lords to ratify the repeal of a tax. It was not the re-imposition of a tax, for, although the Lords have no power to impose taxation, a tax can neither be repealed or imposed without the concurrence of both Houses. In the end the difficulty was got over by Palmerston, who moved certain resolutions affirming the exclusive right of the House of Commons to impose or remit taxation.
[Ill.u.s.tration: _Commander A. T. Thrupp._} {_From Sketches made on the spot._
ATTACK ON FORTS ON THE PEI-HO RIVER, May 20, 1858.
The Chinese had completed batteries and earthworks armed with eighty-seven guns, and had obstructed the river with junks chained together. The British and French squadrons forced a pa.s.sage, and the Plenipotentiaries (Lord Elgin and Baron de Gros) proceeded to Tien-tsin and opened negotiations. The Treaty then obtained was to be ratified at Pekin within twelve months; but the Plenipotentiaries appointed in accordance with this clause met, in June 1859, a still more determined resistance.]
[Ill.u.s.tration: HONGKONG AND ITS HARBOUR.
Hongkong is the princ.i.p.al centre of British trade with China. Ceded to Great Britain 1842.]
[Sidenote: War with China.]
Serious trouble had broken out again between Great Britain and China.
Mr. Bruce, brother to the Earl of Elgin, had set out for Pekin as British Plenipotentiary, in company with the French Plenipotentiary, as provided by the Treaty of Tien-tsin. They were escorted by a squadron, chiefly consisting of gunboats, under Admiral Hope; but on arriving at the mouth of the Pei-ho they found the pa.s.sage obstructed by booms and defended by recent fortifications. As the authorities at Tien-tsin returned evasive answers to the Admiral's remonstrances, he determined to force a pa.s.sage. The gunboats advanced up the Pei-ho on June 24, when suddenly a tremendous fire was opened on them from masked batteries in the forts. The _Kestrel_ was sunk, the _Lee_ had to be run ash.o.r.e to avoid sinking, the _Plover_, which carried the Admiral's flag, was disabled, so that he had to s.h.i.+ft his flag to the _Cormorant_, and the Admiral himself, being severely wounded, had to hand over the command to Captain Shadwell. It was determined to make an immediate attempt to carry the forts by a.s.sault. A body of 1,000 men, including sixty French, were landed at 7 p.m., but, owing to the mud, which was knee, and even waist-deep, only about fifty men succeeded in reaching the furthest of three ditches surrounding the south fort. Their ammunition was wet, all the scaling ladders, except one, either had been broken by the tremendous fire from the fort or had stuck in the mud. Ten brave fellows rushed forward with this one, but three of them were shot dead at once, and five were desperately wounded. There was nothing for it but retreat. The loss in this disastrous affair was eighty-nine officers and men killed and 345 wounded.
[Ill.u.s.tration: _From a Photograph_} {_by Notman & Sons, Montreal._
MONTREAL.
This is the largest town in Canada; population (1891), 216,650. On the extreme right of the picture can be seen three or four spans of the Victoria Tubular Bridge, nearly two miles long, crossing the St.
Lawrence river.]
[Ill.u.s.tration: _From a Photograph_} {_by Notman & Sons, Montreal._
QUEBEC.
The Capital of the former province of Lower Canada is largely inhabited by people of French descent, and French is currently spoken.]
[Ill.u.s.tration: THE CANADIAN HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, OTTAWA.
The government of Canada is (under the Sovereign) vested in a Governor-General and a Privy Council, and the legislative power is exercised by a Parliament of two Houses, called the ”Senate” and ”House of Commons.” Canada has an area of 3,315,000 square miles, and a population of over 5,000,000 (4,833,239 in 1891).]
[Sidenote: Wreck of the ”Malabar.”]
[Sidenote: Occupation of Tien-tsin.]
[Sidenote: Murder of British Officers and others.]