BY THE RAKAIA.

West Coast Times, Issue 265, 30 July 1866, Page 3

BY THE RAKAIA.

The first English Mail by the new Panama Contract Service, has been re-

csived by the Rakaia, which arrived at Wellington at midnight, on the 23rd instant, having left Panama on the 24th June. By this channel we have, in addition to much later and very important American intelligence, English papers to the 2nd June — one week later than our files received by the Suez route, although, of course, not bringing actual 1 news so late as the dates covered by Reuter's telegrams. THE CONGRESS AND THE CRISIS. (From the Home Ncivs, June 2.J Although the eyes of Europe are at the present moment directed with prospective anxiety to the Congress which is about to be assembled for the discussion of the difficulties that are agitating it, it seems to be doubtful, so strained is the situation, whether some sudden outburst of popular feeling may not precipitate events before the meeting of the diplomatists. The Florence correspondent of the "Debats," for example, writing on the 29th of May, says :—: —

There are military, political, and financial considerations for not wasting time. The last, as everyone knows, are becoming more serious every day. Tho 250 millions borrowed from the bank are being rapidly exhausted. A new issue will be required next month, and if tho .present state of things continues, war will have tcbe commenced with a* paper circulation enormously depreciated. In -a military point of view, it is dangerous to maintain an army concentrated and inactive during the hot Beason, and politically it is extremely difficult to keep a country in which tho national movement has been so decided as in Italy without division and distrust breaking out and destroying the unanimity which has hitherto existed, xn times like these action is the essential condition of concord. The government is well aware of this state of things, and will not be unveigled into a protracted negotiation, at the end of which is certain ruin. Whether the Conference meets or not, be assured that the prolongation which is anticipated at Paris will not take place. Yesterday a notice appeared in the " Official Gazette 'ordering the volunteer officers to join their corps in 24 hours. Tins order induces people to look for the speedy arrival of Garibaldi, whose appearance will be the war signal. The government is doing all that the party of action ask for, and between both there is now entire harmony. There are 20,000 volunteers in the depots waiting to be equipped. 50,000 have inscribed then 1 names, and there is little doubt that when once Garibaldi appears on the continent the number of volunteers will reach jiear 100,000. Nobody anticipated such a general and continued movement. In Naples likewise the war feeling is spreading. A son of Prince d'Angri, a son of Duke Cinelli, and a son of Signor SpineUi, the last president of the council undeiv Francis 11., and other members of the aristocracy, have entered the cavalry as simple soldiera. The first batch of the Garibaldi volunteers left on the 24th ; the Venetian and Roman emigrants have also left for the army ; the students are under drill, and. deserters from the Papal army are constantly arriving.

"Italy, Austria, and Prussia," says the "Avenir National," "have consented to a Congress, but they arc at the same time continuing their war preparations with, redoubled energy." It has been definitively settled that the Conference is to be held in the Salon dv Congrcs, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and it is supposed the first meeting will take place in the course of next week. In the meantime, and during the deliberations, Prussia, Austria, and Italy have consented not to make any further military movements. PABLIAMEXTABY PROCEEDINGS. On the 28th, May, in tbe House of Commons, the Representation of tho People Bill and the Redistribution of Seats Bill were referred to the same Committee, on the motion of Mr Bouverie, with the assent of the Government. _ Sir R. Knightley then moved an instruction to the committee to insert clauses in the bill for the better prevention of bribery and corruption at electious. The Government opposed the motion, on the ground that it would needlessly impede the progress | of the l ills. There was an animated discussion, and eventually Sir R Knightley's instruction -was carried by 248 votes to 238. Thereupon, the Chancellor of the Exchequer expressed a hope that the hon. baronet would be ready at the proper time to produce the clauses he wished to have adopted. Captain Hayter then moved i his amendment, declaring the Government Distribution of Seats Bill to be immature and wrong in principle. He spoke at some length in support of the motion, and was followed by Major Anson, who seconded it. After some more discussion the debate was adjourned to May 31. May 29— The evils of bribery at elections formed the subject of the first and only set discussion. Mr Hussey Vivian proposed two resolutions, de1 claring that those who bribed or offered bribes at elections should be for ever disfranchised and disqualified to sit in Parliament, and that those who received bribes should also be disfranchised. Mr Buxton sought to add to these propositions another to the effect that, where there was sufficient evidence, the Attorney- General should prosecute all those against whom acts of bribery were reported. Mr Powell urged that something should be done, and Mr Bernal Osborne charged the Whigs with having originated bribery. He had no great faith in the motion, and strenuously urged that the examination into disputed elections should be taken away from committees of that House. The Attorney-General expressed doubts 89 to the advisability of carrying the

resolutions proposed. In the discussion which followed Mr Lusk pointed to the ballot and large constituencies as the only means of preventing bribery. Mr Vivian offered to withdraw the motion after what had been said by the Attorney-General. The motions were then withdrawn. — Several notices having been disposed of, Mr. Whalley was proceeding with a motion in re ference to Roman Catholic lotteries in Scotland, when the House was counted out at 10 minutes past 8 o'clock. May 30.-— At a morning sitting, Mr Clay moved the second reading of nis bill for conferring the elective franchise on those who pass a scholastic examination, Mr Gladstone moved that the bill be read a second time that day six months, and argued that it would be impossible to devise any simple and satisfactory mode of determining the intellectual fitness of applicants for the franchise. He succeeded in eliciting a capital illustration of the the foolishness of the proposed tests. One of them was the division of money. How many members asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, could divide L 1330 17s 6d by L 2 18s 8d? Lord Robert Montagu promptly declared it could not be done, whereupon Mr Gladstone remarked, amid the laughter of the House, that one illustration was worth a thousand arguments. He gave numerous reasons why the bill should not pass, and moved its rejection. An animated debate ensued, which occupied th« whole afternoon, and was not concluded at a quarter to 6 o'clock, and so the bill become a dropped order.

May 31. — Among those who had assembled to hear the Reform debate were the Chinese Ambassadors and their suite. In reply to a question asked as to their standing in the country, Mr Layard stated that, though they were not regularly accredited to this Court, Her Majesty's Government had been asked to give them every facility in seeing the country. — The adjourned debate on Captain Hayter's amendment on going into committee on the Representation of the People Bill and the Redistribution of Seats Bill was then resumed, and a long discussion ensued. The mode in which the proposed grouping of boroughs was to be effected constituted the principal topic of the debate, which was again adjourned. June I . — In reply to a question, Sir George Grey said the Government had not determined what compensation should be given to owners of stock for less on cattle ■ slaughtered by order of inspectors previous to the passing of the Cattle Plague Acts. Mr Fortescue, in answer to another question, said there had been only seven cases of rinderpest in Ireland, and these had been confined to three farms. As no case had appeared since May 22, he was led to believe that the plague had been stamped out by the measures which had been taken. — After Mr Whalley had moved for a select committee to inquire into the origin f»nd extent of the Fenian conspiracy, which motion, he withdrew at the suggestion of the Speaker, the adjourned debate on the Refoim Bill was resumed by Sir 11. Cairns, who said that he had endeavoured to discover the principle of tho bill for the redistribution of scats, but failed. The mode proposed of grouping was new in itself, and vicious in its effects. Seventy-nine seats would be disturbed by the bill, only thirty were occupied by Liberals, and 49 by Opposition members ; while taking 8000 population as the line of disfranchise - ment, there were several boroughs with scarcely greater population retaining two members, and these in the main were supporters of the Government. No less than 39 members could have been got from boroughs with less than 10,000 population, returning two representatives each, without destroying their identity. He objected and argued against the giving of three members to large constituencies, and to the apportioning of seven English members to Scotland, urging that no reason had been shown for depriving England of any of her members. He contended generally that the bill would unsettle much and settle nothing. The debate was carried on by several members, some of whom advocated the Government measures, while others as strenuously opposed them. The Lord-Advo-cate put it that long as had been the time during which the House had been discussing the question of Reform, it would not be easy for the country to come to a conclusion as to what their opinions really were on that subject. In the present debate there had been no consideration of principles, but' details, which ought to have been dealt with in committee, The question of the grouping of boroughs did not involve any vital principle, but was, in fact, a matter of detail. He controverted the insinuation that in disturbing the existing system of seats the Government had exhibited partiality to the constituencies which returned members of their own political persuasion. As to giving a third member to large constituencies, there was a Dew found alarm that it was a step to universal suffrage, whereas the plan was not new, and had in practice not worked badly. He argued in favor of an extender! franchise ; saying, in reference to the objection, that it would lead to democracy or government by numbers, that the Homo of Commons was the embodiment of democracy and government by numbevs. Tho debate was then adjourned.