The Sun. — London, England, 1871-02-18 00:00:00

would .t ur ns moral to the effect Leine hether >essiol land ; and 0 seP3- read,' Zion 0 lertalce l'oreig,o. o - s - it - a t bjec t ° 4 queli ce e tow n mtitie9 en ap p y spi rt sett be, ered to method • other• ; claims LBIS• WI °f re been TUSB I3O 3 r usSio 5 Obi eet ght be uld not oilv no c, ;he Ster .4°' AN D reC eile o i n s to 3 ssi s ° to „too e on to t' Olt tlo eJ aSS tl ea ' c ol I s OW U 1 tarl st ri las :ed for‘. e gt ..1 0 ;e0 tv 1,0 dye a r.) ) 1 1 " - eo ign r for r 0 , tile 0 0 eso cfe j it the ills), 1, 1 ) 4 01 '[or hi d o e t, ter.° t , et °r, rep f°' I'l °14 ; 1111 tO ri t tO De, to ~ipi•oell c ot ir, t o o 11 tbe an`l 1' „0 pr- Air y ' w o ut!' o f atra" ° , ll / le Go 00 cent' • io 0 0 7 il tP io lour " 4/1" as to tfa jot th e / e t 0 sol e rotil a til e t° ba Government ; all he wished to ensure was that the scope of their inquiries should be ample. He did not desire the committee to inquire simply into the finance of India, but into the general administration of affairs in that country, and he desired that, amongst other topics, they should inquire into the present position and future prospects of the revenue, the administration of the law, the relation of the Government with the higher and prim.try education of the country, the cost of the transport service, and, above all, into the expenditure of Indian money in England, where one fourth of the entire revenue was absorbed. The necessity for the committee had been admitted by all sides of the House, and the Prime Minister himself had laid down the doctrine that it was most important that the various departments of the 'State should be pe riodically revised by select committees, and particularly with regard to India, in conse quence of the little attention Parliament had been able to devote to Indian Affairs. There had been no com mittee on Indian Affairs since Parliament had taken upon itself the responsibility of governing them, and if one were not now appointed it would give rise to serious dis content. (Hear.) It had been supposed that he brought forward this motion as a censure upon the present ad ministrators of aflairs in India, but nothing was further from his thoughts. His object was not in the slightest degree to investigate the conduct of Ministers, but to investigate the system which they had to administer. He had no desire whatever to oppose the Government .more than was necessary—(laughter) ; if therefore they thought they would gain anything as to their credit—(renewed laughter) by postponing the question for a fortnight he would assent to it on the distinct understanding that the committee moved for should be as wide in its scope as he had indicated. Mr. R. N. FOWLER seconded the motion, and expressed a hope that the questions of opium and salt duties would be considered by the committee, as a large proportion of the revenue of India was derived from those sources. After a few words from Colonel Sykes, Mr. GRANT DUFF said that the last thing this Govern ment, or any English Government, would do, was to keep the promise to the ear and break it to the hope. (Hear.) It was proposed to examine into the whole system of Indian Finance, but if all the matters alluded to by the hon. member for Brighton were to be brought before the Committee, it would probably have to sit until doomsday. He believed that all persons who understood what ques tions would be opened, would be perfectly satisfied with the committee which it was the intention of the Govern ment to propose. Mr. WINGFIELD announced that an inquiry into the general finances of India, would embrace every subject that it was desirable to deal with under that heading? (Hear hear.) Mr. FAwcErr consented to remove the word " general" from his motion. Mr. GLADSTONE appealed to the hon. member to with draw his motion., The Government had no desire to post pone the matter, and would probably be in a position to move for a committee at the commencement of next week. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Fawcett then consented to withdraw his motion. THE GOVERNMENT AND TERMS OF PEACE. Mr. AIIBERON HERBERT rose for ithe purpose of calling attention to the papers relating to the Franco-German war and to move " That this House is of opinion that it is the duty of Her Majesty's Government to act in con cert with the neutral powers to obtain moderate terms of peace, and to withhold all acquiesence in terms which might impair the independence of France, or threaten the future tranquility of Europe." He said that, deeply as he felt in the matter, there was something painful to him in it, for after reading the papers which had been presented to the House he could not help regretting the tone of the despatches from the Foreign Office. The public opinion of this country and of the neutral Powers, had, during the war, counted for abso lutely nothing. Several strange things had been done, and a new doctrine started called benevolent neu trality. Our Foreign Minister in one document, however, destroyed that, but he in his turn invented another, which, he said, must be modern neutrality. The papers shewed that there had been a want of powerful speaking on our part. The Foreign Office appears to entertain a distrust of itself, and a determination not to act in concert with other nations. He regretted that theth e bGegoivrtnigernnment had refused to act with Italy at of the war, when the French Emperor made further demands after the Prince had retired from the candidature of the Spanish throne. It was true that Lord Lyons had spoken, and that Lord Granville after wards remonstrated, but that remonstrance was not equal to the enormous gravity of the occasion. He felt that this country had not done its duty in not speaking much more plainly and more strongly than it had done. Since then the Neutral Powers had been created into a sort of league, and bound together, but after that league was created it was reduced to a complete state of inactivity. There was not a single thing done by this league to bring about a reconciliation between the two belligerents, though out of it might have grown a new sense *of inter national obligation, a new power against the violence of nations. It might have, further, been found a great defence for all, and in saying so he did not think he was expressing his opinion alone. He must confess he did not always like what Russia liked ; but she had a keen insight into matters, and early in the War she wrote that that league ought greatly to increase the moral influence in any conference which might take Place to restore peace. (Hear.) He should not make th e charge that this country had prevented other countries from taking a more active part to bring about peace. It might be so, but he would not make that charge. A friend of his told him that we had played the part of a detrimental. Now this, in the language of a well-known journal, was brought about by a man who paid great atten tion to a young lady, and had no serious intention—(a laugh) —but thereby discouraged the attention of others. Laughter.) His friend thought that we had not only not exercised an influence, but had prevented others from doing so. He believed that other neutrals would have acted if England had taken the lead, and anyone who read th e printed papers could not fail to be struck with the constant appeals made to us. It must be a matter of regret that we did not give up that stoical attitude Which we had assumed. (Hear, hear). He was not talk ing of war, but he considered we ought to have exercised a grave, a firm, and an unfaltering influence against the violence and against the excesses which were practised either by France or by Germany. (Hear, hear). The hon. member then proceeded to call atten tion to the various appeals which had been made to us from time to time to exert our influence, and said that while other nations had freely expressed their opinions upon the points of the question as they had arisen, England refused to join in concerted action, and the Foreign Office refused to have ,any opinion in the matter. The Foreign Minister had always shewn incompetency to form or express an °Pinion, and only said he thought both parties had been extreme. (A laugh.) If the neutral Powers had been strong enough to express an opinion, peace might readily have been obtained on several occasions during the war. Itmas the duty of the Government not to wait for a basis of peace, but to find it, and the course of events had s hewn that they were wrong in waiting. Sir ROBERT PREL said it was suggested that they B nould act in concert with the neutral Powers, b ut where were the neutral Powers that would a ct with the Government ? He was sure the Publi c opinion of the country did not endorse t he policy of the Government. France was at that foment drinking the cup of humiliation, and Prussia not t :,.. 111 Y despised our Government, but laughed it to scorn. 2e maintained that the conduct of Lord Lyons in leaving 'aria deserved the gravest censure, and was most unbe e°llling. He contended that this country had become ~ :) r e unpopular during the last two years than it had "'lcier any Government during the last thirty or forty 3'ear e• When he saw the way the Government had acted, what they had ventured to do, and what they had not N'eutured to do, he considered the country had cause to 11 5n1 Plaill that the Government had not acted in the ress - and earnest manner which might have been expected. Position of our Foreign Minister was one of selfish isolation, for though he had promised in the first 1 4aeo th a t if e i ther s i de as k e d f or our goo d offices, when P avre invited them, in September, he was told the hehoteraference of the Government would be more likely to th e 1133- than good. The unification of Germany was at d e Pres ent moment being carried on under a military l sl3°tiB ra Which was a matter of the greatest peril to War, r2e... The Fr enc h h a d s hewn noble heroism in the ve4_ and the G ermans f r i g htf u l atrocity, and he was sur -"eu at th e possibility of any country watching all these .ts unmoved 1, , I r. ea • anthe , R TWRIGHT fully sympathised with France, but , gat th e resolution of the hon. mem b er ill-ti me d, t hat it cou ld have no other effect t h an to m i s l ea d. , t r • GOLDSMID maintained that neutrality was the pro - Per Position for the Government to take, for if they had THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1871. LATEST INTELLIGE.NCE SUN OFFICE, 8 A.M. THE GERMANS AT PARIS. VERSAILLES, February 17. There can be no doubt that the German troops will enter and will probably occupy Paris militarily during the peace negotiations. The absence of any cordial expression in the Queen's Speech on the successes during the war has excited disappointment and unfavourable comment, here. The Germans have turned all the external works so as entirely to command Paris, and have completed their batteries. We hear that the Armistice is prolonged to the 24th of February. Fuel is much wanted in Paris. plentiful. Provisions are Cardinal Bonnechose was graciously received by the Emperor William the day before yesterday. The following telegram has been addressed by the Emperor William to the Empress-Queen in Berlin:— " VERSAILLES, February 16. "The Armistice is extended until twelve o'clock noon of the 24th of February. Our troops hold the Departments Doubs and Cote d'Or, and also the greater portion of the Department of the Jura. " WILIIELM." THE CAPITULATION OF BELFORT. The following despatch has been addressed by the Emperor William to the Empress-Queen in Berlin : VERSAILLES, February 16. " Belfort capitulated to-day; the garrison, 12,000 strong, to be allowed to march out. The armistice is extended until the 24th of February." " WILHELM." —Times 7slagrams. The following telegrams come through Renter's agency : LATEST FROM PARIS. PARIS, February 17. The Government intends to stop the daily pay hitherto given to the National Guards and their wives. Work will be provided as far as possible for those who need it. From the 19th of September till the end of the siege there were a quarter of a million of shells and a million of mitrailleuse balls manufactured in Paris. VERSAILLES, February 17 (10 p.m.). The process of destroying the heavy guns in the southern forts and of drawing the mines, as far as they are known to the German authorities, is corn pleted. THE FRENCH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY. EXCITING SCENES. - ELECTION OF PRESIDENT. BORDEAUX, February 16. In to-day's sitting of the National Assembly, the deputies connected with the towns of Toul, Bitche, and Phalsburg, were received with the same marks of sympathy as those bestowed yesterday upon the Alsatian and Lorraine deputies. One deputy complained of the tumultuous manifesta tion with which yesterday Victor Hugo was greeted upon coming out of the Assembly, and demanded the immediate appointment of Questors. A speaker, addressing the Paris deputation, said, " They are covered with the blood of civil war. I adjure them so to act that liberty of discussion shall not be interfeaed with." These words caused great excitement. The President then read a letter from General Faidherbe resigning the office of deputy. On the m ption being brought forward that the House should proceed to elect its bureau; M. Floquet demanded for mally that the elections in the Department . of the Seine should first be verified. M. Simon an nounced that the report of those elections was ready, and the report was adopted verifying the elections of thirty-three of the deputies of the Seine. Some deputies again demanded the imme diate appointment of Questors, in order to pro tect the deputies against insults out of doors. A deputy of the Left cried out " Vive la Repub lique !" when several voices replied " You are only a fraction." Great noise thereupon ensued, which lasted for some minutes, and cries of " Vive la Republique" and " Vive la France" were shouted. The reporter of the elections of the Haute-Loire read a protest of M. Guyot Montpayroux, against his illegai arrest at Brionde, and asked the Chamber to denounce the system of official candi datures. M. Floquet demanded an inquiry instead of a vote dishonouring the Administration. Mr. Wilson admitted that the Government of Paris was not responsible. M. Marie suggested that the Chamber should blame the proceedings of the Administration. M. Arago energetically urged the Chamber not to vote in that manner without know ing the detailed facts. Great disturbances again arose at this, which lasted for some minutes. The House then verified the elections of the Haute-Loire, and the matter was dropped. The Chamber subsequently proceeded to elect the President and the bureaux. The sitting was continued. The hall was very full. M. Rochefort was present, but Gambetta had not come. • BORDEAUX, February 16 (Evening). In to-day's sitting of the National Assembly, MM. DufAure, Gr6vy, Malleville, Vilet, Barthelemy, and St. Hilaire brought forward the following resolu tion :—" That M. Thiera is appointed Head of the Executive Power, which he would exercise under the control of the Assembly, and will select Minis ters who should assist him in his mission. he Assembly elected MM. Bethmont, Barante, and Lemusal as Secretaries, and MM. Buze des Pal lieres and Priscetteau as Questurs. The Assembly has elected M. Gr6vy President, by M 9 votes, out of 538 votes recorded. BORDEAUX, February 16 (Evening). The followinz are elected vice-presidents :—M. Martel, by 417 votes ; M. Benoist d'Azy, by 391 votes ; and M. Malleville, by 285 votes. BORDEAUX, February 17, 3 p.m. The approaches to the building where the National Assembly holds its sittings are surrounded by bodies of National Guards,lnfantry of the Line, and Cavalry, so that it is impossible to get near the Assembly, Before the President opened the sitting to-day, one of the Deputies rose and said : " Citizens, In order to reach this place I have been compelled to pass through several lines of armed men. Henceforth I shall come armed also." M. Greva took the chair at 1.30 p.m., and made a few remarks, in which he expressed his hope and his belief that the Assembly would shew itself equal to its task. The Chamber approved the report of the Committee, which declared all the elections in the Department de la Seine valid. but deep regret. The Rai party are powerless, both as to numbers and influence. BORDEAUX, February 16. The following Ministerial list is being circulated amongst the members of the Assembly :—Prime Minister, without a portfolio, M. Thiers ; Foreign Affairs, C. fierier or L4on de Malleville ; Interior, M. Dufaure ; Finance, M. d'.Andiffier ; War, General Changarnier ; Admiralty, Admiral La Ronciere de Nourry ; Justice and Public Worship, .Jules Favre or Bethmont ; Commerce, Marquis de Mornay ; Public Works, A. Darn ; Public Education, Bar thfilemy de Saint Hiliaro. THE ARMISTICE. IMPERIAL HEADQUARTERS, VERSAILLES. February, 17 (1.35 p.m.) According to the agreement concluded on the 15th instant, an armistice is arranged for the depart ments of the Jura, Doubs, and CBte d'Or. The line of demarcation is south of Lons-le-Sanldier. Besancon and Auxonne, with the surrounding districts, continue in the occupation of the French troops. M. J.ules Favre left yesterday for Bordeaux, and will return on Monday with del )gates from the Assembly empowered to negotiate fcr peace. The contributions levied in different parts of France, if not imposed in the shape of fines, will be calculated in the whole amount of the war in demnity. . IMPERIAL HEADQUARTERS, VERSAILLES, February 16. The capitulation of Belfort, in addition to allow ing the garrison to withdraw on the 17th, with full military honours, reserves also to them the oc cupation of the Departments of Cote d'Or and Jura, and permits them to take away the armament and archives of the fortress. THE TERMS OF PEACE. PARIS, February 16. The Figaro of to-day publishes a letter from Ver sailles, which gives fresh details of the terms of peace proposed• by Prussia. These are: The cession of Alsace and and Lorraine, and some portions of the Department of the Doubs. An indemnity of 11 milliards of thalers. Prussia to keep all the materiel of war acquired. Prussia will not ask for a colony, and the fleet will remain iiitact. The inhabitants of Metz at present in Lille have sent a protest to-day to the National Assembly against the cession of Lorraine. THE PORT OF DIEPPE. DIEPPE, February 16. This port is so full of ships that they have to lie two or three abreast, and wait their turn to unload. Yesterday afternoon three ships of heavy tonnage, consigned here, passed on to Havre. It is said that four or five others actually in harbour intend leaving for other ports. Five trains, carrying 250 tons each, leave daily for Paris. adopted a policy of intervention; and made use of words which they were not prepared to follow up by acts, the safety of the country might have been seriously compro- mised. Lord ROYSTON, though sympathising with the French, believed the Government had assumed a policy which was in every way a sound one, and one which was generally approved by the nation. Mr. HORSMAN hoped the hon member (Mi. Herbert) would not drive the House to a division, as it would com pel the Government to abandon the position they had taken—a position which was in accordance with the feel ings of the country. Sir H. BULWER, while sympathising with the senti ments of the hon. member for Nottingham, deplored the motion. Prussia was determined to act with justice and moderation, and if the resolution was passed, the House would be merely holding out a threat and menace which would frustrate the object it had in view. Sir H. HOARE contended that it was the ,duty of the Government to use all the moral influence it possessed to secure terms of peace for France. _ _ Mr. Baillie Cochrane, Mr. Muntz, and other members having addressed the House, Mr. GLADSTONE thanked the House for the temper in which the intentions and general policy of the Govern ment during the disastrous war had been judged. The speech of the right hon. member for Tamworth (Sir R. Peel) was the only one in the debate which was intended to assail the proceedings of the Government. He did not object to the criticism, and he would venture to remind his right hon. friend that, whether among States or whether among individuals, moderate language was in itself becoming, and would be found upon the whole to answer best. He defended Earl Granville's despatch of the 16th October; and asserted that it was only the un toward manner in which it was received by Russia which precluded the Government from developing the proposals for peace negotiations. He greatly regretted that Lord Lyons's departure from Paris had been designated an un generous and unmanly flight, for it was done under the direct injunctions of the Government. (Cheers.) If, after the iron circle had been placed around Paris, Lord Lyons had been instructed to re main, the Government would have been depen dent for their communications upon the chances of passing through the Prussian lines, which, to say the least, would have been an impolitic course to pursue. The ,hon. member for Finsbury had intimated that the proper time for the Government to intervene in favour of peace was after the battle of Sedan, and that in the event of failure we should withdraw our representatives from Germany. Had the Government interfered and failed, it would have been very difficult indeed not to proceed further. (Hear, hear.) The time might come quickly when the services of the neutral Powers would be required ; but, as he posnted out the other evening, up to this time neither of the belligerents had as yet expressed any wish that the neutral Powers should interfere. It had been asserted that England had lost her influence abroad, but he, on the contrary, thought that in every respect England had reason to lie satisfied with her posi tion. Whenever the good offices of England were required they would be given, and it would be a satisfac tion to the Government if, after this long time of social trouble and disorder, after such great revolutions, Europe would enjoy a period of peace and tranquillity. The motion was then withdrawn. - NAVAL AFFAIRS. Lord HENRY LENNOX drew attention to the conditions in which the administration of naval affairs is now placed, and urged that for six months we had been without any naval administration. Mr. GLADSTONE, in reply, stated that he had refused to accept Mr. Childers's resignation, thinking that the incon uenience the Government would experience from Mr. Childers's absence,for two or three weeks, would not be so great as if he had resigned. There was no period in our history when our naval supremacy was so secure as at present. After some further discussion, the subject dropped. Mr. FORSTER postponed his bill for amending the pro cedure at municipal and Parliamentary elections until Monday. The House adjourned at ten minutes past twelve. THE OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE BOAT RACE. OXFORD, Friday. The secretary of the boat club, Mr. S. H. Woodhouse, (University), who was absent on Wednesday, in conse quence of his College athletic sports requiring his attend ance on that day, retured to the bow seat yesterday afternoon, when the crew were out, as usual, twice over the short course ; the president, Mr. W. D. Benson, Balliol College, and the ex-president, Mr. J. C. Tinn4, University College, alternately coaching from the bank on horseback. The crew is now considered stationary, being composed as 'follows :—first, S. H. Woodhouse, (University), list. 41b.; second, E .Giles, (Christ Church), 12st. Mb.; third, T. S. Baker, (Queen's), 13st. 61b.; fourth, E. C. Malan, (Worcester), 13st. Mb.; fifth, J. E. Moss, (Balliol), 12st. 101 b.; sixth, F. Payne, (St. John's), 12st. 101 b.; seventh, R. Lesley, (Pembroke), 12st. 21b.; stroke, J. W. Bunbury, (B. N. C.), 12st.; coxswain, A. H. Hall, (Corpus), 7st. 61b. This afternoon they make their second journey to Abingdon, a distance of about nine miles. (CENTRAL PRESS TELEGRAMS.) The Oxford crew, as last given, rowed from Oxford to Abingdon, and back to the railway bridge, a distance of about ten miles, yesterday afternoon. • They were coached by the President and Treasurer from horseback, and re turned by rail. Their practice was confined to from twenty•five to thirty strokes per minute, at which rate they rowed very fairly together, although a strong wind faced them. The Cambridge University boat went over the usual course yesterday afternoon, coached during various parts of the spin by Mr. Gawatkin, Mr. Goldie, and Mr. Kisby. The style in which the crew did their work is spoken of favourably. LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND THE STAGE. The Athenceum says :—Mr. Philip J. Bailey, the author of " Festus," has written a poem of about 250 lines in length, called " Life Recluse," which will appear in the Gentleman's Magazine.—Messrs. Hurst and Blacket are preparing for early publication Mr. Labouchere's "Diary of a Besieged Resident in Paris." The volume will con tain many letters that have not yet appeared, some of which were picked up at sea, and others found in balloons which had descended in various parts of Europe, the whole forming a very curious publication.—The following posts at the British Museum have been filled up by the Lord Chancellor and the Speaker :—Mr. Carruthers takes the Keepership of the Botanical Department, recently resigned by Mr. Bennett ; Mr. Edwlrd M. Thompson succeeds to the Assistant-Keepership in the MSS. De partment, vacated by the appointment of Dr. W. Wright to the Arabic Professorship at Cambridge ; Mr. Barclay V. Head is appointed Assistant -Keeper in the Depart ment of Coins ; and Mr. Eugene A. Roy , Assistant - Keeper in the Department of Printed Books. Mr. Roy 's post is a new creation : his special task will be the superintendence of the Catalogue.— "We have news," writes our Paris correspondent, " of the wounding, in the provinces, of M. Ernest Duvergier de Hauranne, a y oung wr it er , whose articles on the United States, published in the Revue des Deux Mondes, attracted considerable attention."—Mr. Seward is said to be devoting his leisure from politics to the preparation of " A History of the Obligations of the World to America." Mr. Charles Mathews is about to visit California. He has recently been playing in Australia Sir Simon Simple in Mr. Byron's comedy, " Not such a Fool as He Looks." —Mrs. Scott Siddons played for her benefit at the Globe Theatre, Boston, "King Rent's Daughter," and " The Honeymoon." Mr. Peter Richings, an American actor of some note, has died from injuries he received while riding. CRYSTAL PALACE. One Shilling Day—Friday, February 17th, 1871. Admission by season tickets, 1,652 ; ditto on payment, 904 ; total visitors, 2,556. The increase in the Army Estimates will not cause a great augmentation of taxes. There is a natural increase of the revenue which will go a long way to meet the extra charges ' • and the addition to the Income Tax, if anything, is not likely to exceed one penny. THE NEW CANON OF ST. PAUL'S.-111r. Glad stone has given Cambridge a turn by appointing as suc cessor to the late Canon Melvin the Rev, Joseph B. Lightfoot, D.D., Fellow of Trinity Col lege, Cambridge, and Hulsean Professor of Divinity there. The new Canon is one of the Chaplains to her Majesty, and Examining Chaplain to the Archbishop of Canter. bury.—Rock. • OUR SMALL ARM AND AMMUNITION TRADE.-- The exports of small arms, as might have been antici pated during a time of war, were larger last month by £116,210 than in the corresponding month of last year. Manufacturers do not, however, get the benefit information which the Government themselves must pos sess as to the countries to which. these goods have been sent. Why the information should be with held it is difficult to see, especially remembering that if the returns are of service to any one they are of service to the manufacturer who -would desire above all things to be informed upon the ports of the world to which goods as a whole are going ; thus they are made aware of the tradethat is being done by other manu facturers as well as themselves. Ammunition is set down at an increase upon last year of nearly £lOO,OOO ; nor have we here either any return as to our customers. The total value of the small arms sent out in January this year was £137,610, against £21,397 a year ago. The ammunition exported last year was worth £136,329, against £37,366. Enginem THE FEELING AT BORDEAUX. Telegrams from Bordeaux on the 15th, state that peace was regarded as certain, the German Govern ment manift sting a conciliatory disposition, and the Government to be elected by the Assembly will comprise largely the conciliatory element, and include Moderate Republicans, Orleanists, and Legitimists. The Gironde, which was the organ of the Delegation, under the editorship of M. Lavertuj on, says the elections made by uuiversal suffrage pronounce a sovereign verdict to which they bow with sadness THE FRENCH PRISONERS. The following address to the National Assembly at Bordeaux is circulating among the French pri soners in Germany :—" We will obey the Govern ment which France shall choose, but if our position as soldiers prohibits us from taking part in the political struggle, we have the right to demand as citizens that the Government to which it will be our duty to give our blood shall be the true expression of the will of the country. We have, therefore, the honour to request you to appeal to universal suffrage, in order to decide the following two questions :-1. Monarchy or Republic. 2. The name of the Monarch. In case of the Monarchy being successtul, we before hand engage upon our honour to submit to the will of the country." The Court of Appeal has given a decision in refe rence to the French prismers interned in Belgium. The Court does not admit that, the Government having acted as a political Power, its acts would be beyond the control of the tribunals, but the measures taken by the Minister of War being essentially military, the civil jurisdiction is incompetent to interfere. PRUSSIAN REQUISITIONS. The Prussians are installed at the Custom House at Dieppe, and receive all payments. An application having been made to the Emperor William at Versailles, supported by the most inflnential members of the department, he has reduced the war contributions for the whole of the Seine Inferieure by two-thirds. A telegram from Havre says the Prussians have exacted 300,0001. at Bernay under a threat to born bard the town. Prussian impositions continue in Normandy, notwithstanding the Armistice. PREPARATIONS FOR THE RETURN OF THE GERMAN ARMY. STRASBURG, February 15. Orders have been received here to make prepara tions for the transit of a large number of troops from France to Germany ; food and quarters are to be held in readiness. ITALY AND ROME. FLORENCE, February 16. An adlitional proposal to he embodied in the bill for guaranteeing the position of the Pope has been signed by eighteen Deputies, and was presented to day to the Chamber. Hs object is to effect the expulsion of the Jesuits from the whole of the Italian territory.— Telegraph Telegram. THE MURDERS AT MARATHON. ATHENS, February 16. The Court of Appeal has confirmed the sentence of the Court of Fi rs t Instance against the accom plices of the Delessi murderers. The Englishman, Mr. Noel, will therefore be brought before the Assizes. (CENTRAL PRESS TELEGRAMS.) MR. GLADSTONE AND THE POPE. The Huntingdonshire Protestant Association has re ceived a remarkable letter from the Premier. In conse quence of Mr. Gladstone's having expressed an opinion that it might be politic to uphold the dignity of the Pope, Le Association asked the Premier whether he . was a Roman Catholic. His private secretary sent the following answer :—"yhitehall, February Bth. Sir,—Mr. Glad stone desires me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the Ist instant, and to inform you that he does not think it necessary to return any answer, direct or indirect, to the inquiry recommended by the Hunts Protestant Association.—l am, sir, your obedient servant, W. N. GIIRDON.—To the Secretary of the Hunts Protestant Association." This letter did not quiet the zealots, for on the 11th inst. they sent another letter to the Premier. In reply to a letter from the Glasgow United Presby terian Presbytery, Mr. Gladstone's private secretary writes "that Mr. Gladstone is unable to admit the con struction that is put upon his letter to Mr. Dease by the Presbytery when they say that he `has expressed himself in such a manner respecting the spiritual independence of the Pope as to produce an impression that he considers it to be the duty of our Government to interfere in behalf of a system which, under the pretext of spiritual rights, is hostile to the best interests, civil and sacred, of man kind.' " EXETER SCHOOL BOARD.-THE BISHOP OF EXETER'S SISTER. It having been resolved to apply for a School Board for the union district of St. Thomas, which comprises the environs of Exeter, Miss Temple, the sister of the Bishop. has allowed herself to be put in nomination as a candidate, A technical informality, it will be remembered, prevented MSS Temple being returned as a member of the city of Exeter School Board. Two men were yesterday fined £6O and £3O respectively by the Liverpool magistrates for being in possession of illicit stills. At the meeting of the Victoria Philosophical In stitute, 8, Adelphi-terrace, on Monday next, the Rev. G. Henslow will read a paper on " Phyllotaxis, or the Ar rangement of Leaves in accordance with Mathematical Laws," illustrated with diagrams, REPUBLICANISM IN PARIS. Writing from Paris February 16, the Daily News corre. spondent with the Saxon Army thus describes a visit to a Republican club :—The night before last I went to a red-hot Republican Club in Belle ville, where, I heard some • remarkably wild speak ing. One of the orators—from the conformation o! his legs I inclined to the opinion that he was a shoe maker—evolved out of the fervour of his patriotic ardour a strategetical scheme that ought, had he I only got an opening, to have made him the saviour of France. Here is the programme, mush in the speaker's own words. " Ah, citizens, the hated men of the thrice accursed William are defiling the casements of that famous fortress to our west, that iron door which, locked, would keep out for ever the brutal barbarian. Val Men is dragged in the mire ; her beauty ravished by the vile Teutons. And it was a Frenchman who deliberately handed over Valerien to the hateful em braces of these heathen hounds. Woe is me for France, that a Frenchman could have dealt this great blow 4 la patrie. Before the shades of the mighty Republican dead I denounce this sham Republican, Jules Favre ; this chicken-hearted, miserable pseudo-patriot ; this vile panderer to the passions of the conqueror. Not now, it may be, is the time for just retribution; but, saere, away in the vista of the future I see a guillotine and the heads of traitors !" Wild cheering followed, led off by a little man so covered with " fluff " that one would imagine he had been tarred and feathered, or was develop ing into an incipient feathered state, but who,l was informed was a journeyman flock-bed maker. I don't doubt but that he may be very terrible in his wrath—this little pluffy advocate for the reign of terror ; but when not in wrath he looks rather insignificant, and has a look as if used to be thrashed by his wife. When the cheers had subsided the bandy-legged orator went on in a practical vein. " Well, traitors have yielded Val4rien ; that dire fact confronts us. Is it to be said that the men of Paris are so nerveless as to sit still and look up, and see the wretched Prussian rag flouting a French sky on the battlements of Val6rien? Perish the thought, No; let 20,000 patriots come forward. We shall select a leader, and he will lead us in the dead of night up the side of Valdrien, and we shall fall upon the dogs, the thrice damnable Prussian dogs, and butcher them as they snore their Teuton snore. `A bas les Prussiens ! A Mont-Valerien ! A Mont-Valerien !" And the bandy legs jumped off the tribune with a tragic wave of his right arm over his head. His views as to the location of Mont-Valdrien were not apparently well defined; or if so, were erroneous. He got as far as the door and had a drink of water; then he came back. Perhaps the virtue went out of him, because those present, on whom he may have counted as the nucleus of his 20,000 recruits, confined themselves solely to cheering, and chewed no anxiety to go out in the Mont Valdrien direction in the damp night air. PROGRAMME OF THE GERMAN ENTRY INTO PARIS. Under date Paris, February 16, the Daily News corres pondent with the head-quarters of the Crown Prince of Saxony writes :—The journals are trying to foment a feeling of irritation on the subject of the German entry into Paris, but as yet they have not, to all appearance, succeeded. Yet this step—this German entry—suggests possibilities so gloomy that I own to a shudder as I try to look them in the face. There can be no question as to the German intention. For a long time I believed it subject to modification, and that it was used only as an argiiment wherewith to awe France into the accepance of harder terms to spare her capital. But there is, it seems, another element in the question. The Emperor is, it is well known, a very devout man, and he is this much of a fatalist that he firmly believes he i 3 an instru ment in the Almighty's hands for humiliating the French. It is with him " the sword of the Lord and of Gideon." The Teutonic Gideon dare not hang back from accomplishing the purposes of Heaven, and Heaven wills it that the sons of the Father land shoUld perambulate the streets of Paris. At table the other night the white-haired old monarch de clared, it is said. with a blow of his clenched fist on the table, that were it to cost his last trained man, the Ger man armies should march through Paris. He is in bad health—breaking fast, I fear ; but Heaven and destiny force him into the Tuileries ; and thither he goes, if he should have to be carried to his carriage. To accomplish the purpose, for the working of which he believes himself the instrument, the Emperor with characterik.fic bravery risks everything involved, in an entry into Paris. And so the preparations are going on. Not the whole besieging army is to be marched through, but every nationality in the great German Em pire is to 1-e represented in the ominous pro cession —Prussian, Pole, Saxon, Wnrtemberger, and Mecklenburger. The programme is all cut and dry. The German road will be from west to east, along the broad boulevards. The houses on either side will be strongly occupied by German troops. Living barricades, composed of strong men with needle guns in their hands, and helmets on their heads, wil stand athwart the cross streets ; no precaution will be omitted that high organisation and extreme caution can devise. The troops, division by division, will march through and through at the rate of a division a-day ; no division to remain in Paris over night. The military occupants of the houses lining the route, and the strong guards at the Tuile ries will, of course, be fixtures, and what will the Parisians have to say to this ? Most, no doubt, having once subdued themselves to submit to the inevit able, will let that curiosity have vent which is so leading a characteristic of the French. Adopting the pleasant fiction that the Germans are treating them to a rare show, they will try their best to see it, and enjoy it in a grnmbling, discontented fashion. But in' the two mil lions which live in Paris, there are for certain some spirits of a more implacable temperament. Reckless fanatics there must be, who, with a stern disregard of consequences, regard assassination in such circumstances as the purest patriotism. No precautions can suffice to avert every risk. Then rises up before me a lurid picture —a flash, a report, a moment's confusion, chaos, through which breaks a wild. yell of rage ; and then God pity Paris. Discipline is nearly omnipotent, but not quite. The rope is very strong ; but when the strain is stronger, the rope inevitably snaps. And underlying the quiet, docile, biddable geniality and domesticity of the German, there is a terrible savagery, so deep down that it has been latent, with but few exceptions, through all the drama of this tragic war ; yet there nevertheless, and to be roused beyond a doubt by that flash and that report. Then it shall be woe, not alone to the men of Paris, but to the women ; yea, even to the tender little ones. Fire and sword, sack and rapine, Badajos, St. Sebastian indefinitely magnified, and their worst features intensified by the fact that the motive causes are not lust and drunken recklessness, but fell revenge and ruthless hate. Let us turn away from the picture with another shuddering exclamation, " God pity Paris !" • The Paris correspondent of the Standard, writing on February 16th, remarks :—From private sources I learn that an order of the day has been read to the besieging army, promising that there should be a triumphal march through Paris. Observe, not an occupation, but a march through, a simple defile. Select troops have been told off for this honour, and are already busy fur bishing up their' arms and appointments. Every means will be employed by the Prussian authorities beforehand to guard against " accidents. " You will understand the word. If a drunken or impassioned communist fired a shot on the soldiers of the German Emperor, it would be pretext sufficient for a barborous massacre, in which the innocent would assuredly suffer most. The 26th, I understand, has been fixed for this holiday tramp through the capital. The Parisians love a spectacle dearly, but I think I may promise you the cavalcade of conquerors will pass that day through empty streets. There is yet time to save Paris from the deep humiliation and possible dangers of this, piece of Gothic pomp, this gratification of a p a lt r y s pi r it of arrogance. Look at the fearful risks that are run by this poor city if one mad fool allows his wild patriotism to get the better of his discretion and throws a cracker into the midst of these solid battalions. He will be fired upon by one, perhaps by twenty men, for the Prussians will not trust themselves to enter with empty pouches ; shots will bring more shots, the cry will run through the faubourgs " The foreign enemy is m assacrin g our brothers," and then there may be—mind, I say may be—such a picture of bloodshed as this world has rarely seen. This is the not unlikely peril that is affronted .s by this spectacular extravaganza Pa ris streets. Pa streets. Is the experiment really worth the terrible probable cost? If Germany is wise and discreet. she will spare her poor beaten sister this final humiliation. st Let Berlin have its ovations by all means, and Munich, utt. gard, Carlsruhe, and every capital of them that pleases, but why insist on degrading stricken and prostrate Paris to the very dust. It is cruel, ungenerous, and impolitic. The Florence Chamber of Deputies has adjourned until the Ist of March. Signor Lanza has declared that he would fix a day for the Guarantees Bill to be dis cussed before the final transfer of the capital to Rome. The Senate at Bucharest has voted a resolution express ing completer devotion towards Prince Charles, and entire co-opeation in acts of his Government. ite The official Vidovdan, of Belgrade, publishes an article seeking to prove that the annexation of Bosnia is a vital question for Servia. The integrity of the East would, it says, thereby be guaranteed. OUR COTEMPORARIES---This Morning THE WAR. -ATTITUDE OF ENGLAND, The Times considers that the most remarkable circum stance connected with last night's debate on the Minis terial policy during the war was the profound silence of the Opposition. The speakers who took part in the dis cussion were numerous—no less than fifteen in all — and the points of view taken were almost as numerous as the speakers. Each looked upon the history of the great struggle under a different light, and the opinions and judgments expressed were, of course, divergent in a corresponding degree. The. Ministry admit that it was possible they had not always recognised the precise moment for action. We all know the rules they . have laid down for their conduct. Lord Granville formulated them, in a speech in the House of Lords at the close of last Session, in words which have been often repeated with little varia tion. To do nothing that did not promise to be effectual ; not to offer to mediate unless both belligerents were desirous of the help of a mediator ; to abstain from expres sing any judgmea which it was not intended to enforce— these were the maxims of their policy. It is only fair to the Ministry to hold that their conduct must be construed with reference to the events that were before them, and so construed their defence is easy. We did ask Russia to join us in proposing terms of peace for the acceptance of the belligerents ; only last month we suggested moderation to Prussia ; at this moment the conditions of peace are, according to the Prime Minister, a matter of watchful concern to neutrals. It is right it should be so. Taking the lowest ground, it is impossible to deny the force of Mr. Bass's observation that no manner of harm can accrue to us from our appealing to Prussia in the cause of moderation, and we are bound from motives of humanity, as well as from consideration for the future peace of Europe, to leave no pains unspared to bring about a settlement between the belligerents that shall be permanently respected by both. Reviewing Mr. Auberon Herbert's speech in the House of Commons on the duty of neutral Powers, the Daily News remarks :—Within the past few days, indeed, the situation in France has undergone a marked change. In that interval Paris has capitulated. A National Assembly has been elected. A new Government has been formed at Bordeaux, and its mission is to negotiate for peace. It is at such a moment, if at any moment, that neutral nations ought to offer their services as mediators. The probability is that France and Germany are far from being agreeed as to the terms of peace which are just and reasonable. It is natural that both should regard the question of Alsace and Lorraine from very different standpoints; and, in fact, on this point there will be no agreement except under the pressure of necessity. If France is to surrender the provinces which she has held for two hundred years, it will be under a more or less enunciated protest. The question of money will present less difficulty. that being a penalty which involves much less national humiliation. The slow process of years will remove it even from recollection, but the presence of Germans in territory which was once French will never be overlooked, or regarded without a pang of shame and a secret hope of revenge. As fcr the temporary triumph of a march through Paris—which has assumed an extracadinary importance within the last few days—that is a matter which no dispassionate neutral can regard with much complacency. The fact is, that if this march takes place, it will have its double origin in national vanity and national jealousy. The German Emperor, who is at once headstrong and nothing but a soldier, may, it is to be feared, flatter his own military pride under the guise of gratifying his troops ; and the remote prospect of such a thing is already driving the Parisians into imprudent, if pardonable, rhetoric. It is under those peculiar conditions that the neutral nations are asked to undertake the difficult task of media tion. If they accept the duty, there is no time to lose. Interference by force of arms is out of the question, and can only be urged by fanatics who have got far beyond the boundaries of common sense. The object of all me diation at this moment is to secure peace by peaceful means ; and we earnestly hope that any action which may be taken by our Government in the matter will be fully and immediately successful. The Standard observes :—lf we assume that a condition of things has arrived in which two belligerents are so anxious for peace that they only want an intermediary, they will not have to wait long, and the services of that intermediary will be very slight. That is not a part which England should consider worthy of her. Her mediation should not be confined within these pitiful limits—within this carrying of letters and messages, and this careful avoidance of any expression of opinion on her own part. It should have considered with Austria and Italy the question what terms were in the general European interests fair to Ger many, possible of acceptance on the part of France, and con sistent with the maintenance of tranquillity and prosperity in Europe. That Germany might not have been particu larly pleased at such an intervention is possible enough, but that does not prove, as some of the advo cates of the Ministerial policy contended, that the step would not have been a just and a politic one. What possible influence can we hope to exercise upon the cha racter of the peace if we are not prepared for Prussian. dissatisfaction with our overtures. If we are to do nothing that is not satisfactory it is quite clear we can do nothing for France, and had better frankly avow that we no longer pretend to be a European Power. That the English Government should not have interfered for the purpose of bringing about peace at a time when both belligerents did not desire any such interposition is a doctrine which has not only a good deal of plausibility, but some small justification. But even in this event of both belligerents refusing our good offices and desiring to continue the struggle. England alone, or with the Neutral Powers, would still have the right to make the attempt to stay a conflict in which interests of a far wider nature than the gains or losses of the belligerents are concerned. But in this case it is not true that both belligerents repudiated the intervention of the British Government. As Mr. Auberon Herbert and Sir Robert Peel shewed by numerous quotations, many ap peals were made to the English Government for the nee of the good offices it had tendered, but they were uniformly rejected, apparently because the Cabinet apprehended, and had not the courage to properly resent, a rebuke from. Count Bismarck. The Telegraph says :—Cheered by the thought that Mr. Cardwell had enabled England to defy the menaces of Count Bismarck, and hence that we might all breathe freely, the House of Com mons let loose its pent-up feelings last night, and treated itself to the luxury of a grand oratorical outburst about the war. Mr. Herbert asks that the English Government shall use its influence to obtain such terms of peace for France as may secure the tranquillity of Europe. He found a vociferous ally in Sir Robert Peel, who denounced the Government for reducing England to a "policy of obliteration." In a few days, or even a few hours, Germany may formally make known the conditions which she 0 , 111 exact from France; and then this country may h.,. • a clear title to inter vene. If Germany should demand a larger in demnity than France can pay, or such a por- lion of the national territory as she will never consent to see permanently alienated, England may pro test in the name of that community of nations to which she belongs, and the tranquillity of which is thus menaced. It is an utter mistake to fancy, as Mr. Herbert does, that we should speak at once, in order to let Germany know what we deem fair terms of peace. The peculiarity of the situation forbids us to take any such course. On the one hand, we cannot recommend France to hand over the people of Alsace and Lorraine to Germany. Such a course is con- demned by the fundamental it principles of English Libe ralism. On the other hand, is useless for us to urge that Germany should exact no territory whatever, for she would laugh such counsel to scorn. But, when the terzi torial demand shall have been made by Prussia, and e pted in principle by her foe, it may t h en b e the duty of this country to join the other neutral Powers on behalf of France. England could not be guided by the philosophic principles of Mr. Auberon. Herbert, or the hectoring principles of Sir Robert Peel, unless her army were the greatest in the world, and she were as eager for war as she is for peace; and the with drawal of the motion last night was practical evidence that the House of Commons approves the wise middle course followed by the Government. The Queen of Spain, on her way to Madrid, was obliged to stop at Allasia in consequence of a sudden in disposition. Sir Arthur Guinness, Bart., was married on Thursday, at Bantry Church, to Lady Olive White, daughter of the Earl of Bantry. The Globe says :—A Baronet and M.P. is likely to be co-respondent in a divorce suit before long. The petitioner is a military man. The London teetotallers contemplate starting a hospital " for the treatment of disease apart 'from acoholic medication." The experiment was tried with considerable success at the Lying-in Hospital, Endell-street, a little while ago. The Count and the Countess d'Eu are expected to arrive in England shortly. The Count is the son of the Duke of Nemours (second son of Louis Philippe), and the Countess is the daughter of the Emperor of Brazil. men ce a 3s of dian Go- oss i. pro ipon with the sear, Ire esent Laws tnded to be local uced, I sea [cable