The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-03-06 00:00:00

DORSET COUNTY EXPRESS

DORCHESTER, TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 1860.

HONESTE AUD AX.

Tee Emperor Napoleon opened the French
Chambers on Thursday with a speech from the
Throne. His Majesty commenced by assuring
the Legislature that he "sincerely desired peace,
and would neglect nothing to maintain it." He
could not therefore but "congratulate himself on
his friendly relations with all the the Powers of
Europe," After a brief reference to China, he
proceeded to discuss at great length the progress
and results of the negotiations on the Italian
question. He stated that he had declared to the
King of Sardinia his inability to follow him in
a policy which appeared to Indicate a wish to
absorb all the States of Italy. He had, however,
advised him to reply favourably to the provinces
which had offered themselves to him,
but to maintain the independence of
Tuscany, and to respect in principle the rights of
the Holy See. These arrangements, he said,
would elevate Piedmont to a kingdom of more
than nine millions of souls, and would give her
all the passes of the Alps ; he had, therefore,
felt it his duty to claim the French side of the
Alps for the safety of his frontiers. He next
referred to the agitation of the Catholic world in
regard to the temporal sovereignty of the Pope,
and expressed his opinion that he might now be
permitted at least to hope for a speedy solution.
He then proceeded to describe the Treaty of I
Commerce with tngland, stating that the alight
favour shown to such a treaty in France had
induced him "to take upon himself the re-
sponsibility of that great measure." The treaty
he said had only "advanced the period of
salutary modifications, and given to indisrensable
reforms the character of reciprocal concessions,
destined to fortify the alliance of two great
nations." In conclusion he declared that
"France menaces no ono," and will be the last
to awaken those irritating susceptibilities which
impede civilisation, for "the more a country
becomes rich and prosperous, the more it con-
tributes to the wealth and the prosperity of
others."

Lord John Russell on Thursday brought in
the Government Reform Bill. The leading
features of the measure are the reduction of the
£lO occupation franchise in boroughs to £6,
thereby adding 194.199 to the number of voters
in cities and boroughs, and the reduction of the
£5O franchise in counties to £lO, the values to
be flied, not by the rating, but by the rental.
It does not propose to adopt what had been
called "fancy franchises," or totally to dis-
franchise any place, but to take one member
froze 25 towns with a population under 7,000
(of which Dorchester is one), now returning
two members, and to distribute the seats thus
made vacant by giving two additional members
to the West Riding, one additional member to
North and South Lancashire, North and South
Essex, Middlesex, West Kent, South Devon,
South Staffordshire, the North Riding, the
Lindisay district of Lincolnshire, West Norfolk,
Bast Smaerset, and %Vest Cornwall ; one addi-
tional member to Manchester, Liverpool, Bir-
mingham, and Leeds; one member to Birken-
head, Stalybridge, and Burnley; two members
to Chelsea and Kensington united, and one
member to the London University. Mr. Card-
well and the Lord Advocate subsequently intro-
duced Reform Bills for Ireland and Scotland.
The Irish Bill establishes a similar town and
county franchise to that proposed for England,
valued by the rating; gives one additional
member to Cork county and Dublin city respec-
tively, and permits Irish Peers to sit for Irish
constituencies. The Scotch Bill establishes the
same franchise as the English and Irish; gives
one additional member to Glasgow and a member
to the four Scottish Universities, abolishes the
present registration system, and substitutes the
valuation roll in its stead. The four members
thus given to Ireland and Scotland are taken
from the seats of the two English boroughs dis-
franchised on account of their corruption—Sud-
bury and St. Albans.
On Monday the House went into Committee
on the Customs Acts, when the Chancellor of
the Exchequer moved his resolution for the
reduction of the wine duties, and for regulating
the amount of the new duties by the alcoholic
test. Mr. Milnes moved as an amendment
that a drawback should be allowed upon all
wine which could be proved to have paid duty
within two years before the 10th of February.
On • division, the amendment was negatived by
a majority of 111, the numbers being 183 to
72. The resolution was then agreed to. On
Tuesday Mr. Kinglake's motion for papers in
relation to the alleged annexation of Savoy and
Nice to France, was assented to by Government
and agreed to. Mr. Cowper obtained a Select
Committee to consider the means of effectually
cleansing the Serpentine. The House then
went into Committee on the Customs Acts, when
the several items in the list of articles to be
exempted from duty were agreed to, down to
the article "cork," which gave rise to a long
discussion. Mr. T. Duncombe moved as an
amendment, that corks to be admitted ready
made as squared for rounding, should be "the
produce of countries from which the export of
corkwood is free. The amendment was opposed
by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and was
negatived on a division by 191 to 118. The
Chancellor of the Exchequer then consented to
introdnos words confining the admiation of corks

to such as were the produce, or manufacture of, /
or imported from France or Algeria. On Wed- '
nesday the Chancellor of the Exchequer's resolu-
tion imposing an additional duty of Id. per
gallon on British spirits distilled after the 29t11
February was agreed to. The Qualification for i
Offices Abolition Bill was read a second time. I
Mr. Mackinnon withdrew his motion for the
second reading of the Masters and Operatives
Bill on the understanding that it will be referred
to a Select Committee. The House then went
into committee on the Adulteration of Food
and Drink Bill, and, after a long discussion,
agreed to two of its clauses. On Thursday, in
committee on the Customs Acts, Sir J Paxton
moved as an amendment that the reduction of
the duties on silk should be confined to those
countries which permit the free introduction of
the silk manufactures of the United Kingdom.
On a division the amendment was negatived by
190 to 68.

The Russian and Prussian Goveniments have
repudiated the principle on which the English
proposals for the settlement of the Italian
question are founded, and have suggested a
Congress of the Great Powers as the best mode
of obtaining a settlement of the question.—A
despatch from Tetuan states that at an interview
with Marshal O'Donnell on the 23rd instant,
the Moorish ministers refused to cede the
occupation of Tetuan. The armistice was there-
fore declared to be at an end, and Marshal
O'Donnell immediately issued orders to the fleet
to bombard the ports of Morocco.

Is our foregoing summary of political intelli-

genco and of the progreu of legislation we have
given an outline of the main features of Lonl
JOHN RUSSELL'S new Reform Bill. With regard
to the necessity of this important measure, we
cannot, in common with many of our oantempo-

. _
raries--especially those who may ho designated
_ .

the blind adher-ente of Lord DERBlC—find any-

thing whatever objectionable in the introduction
and diactisision of this great question simply