The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-03-08 00:00:00

antagonistic to us. So that, at present, at any
rate, even in a commercial point iof view,. it is
not a Treaty calculated "to draw closer the ties
of friendship between the two peoples,"—one can
only wish it were. We may take it for granted,
therefore, that the object which the high con-
tracting parties can aloneoffeet, just now, will be
" to draw closer, the'ties of friendship which unite
the two Governmen%"-;--that is, the _ despotic
Gov' eriiment of the Emperor of the French,.
which is, in,fact, himself—and the free constitu-
tional
Government of England. Surely, then,
this country is hot only interested in such a
Treaty of itself, but also in the character and
designs of him, our friendship with whoin is to
be affected by it. -

. It is a notablotsaying, and one which, deserves
to be well weighed in connection with such a
question as this, at such a moment,' that 3,1,11 e
amity which ,wisdom knits not, folly may easily
untie." Arid the. Parliament of England has a
perfect riglit to be assured,—nay, it its duty to
take care and be assured,—that it really is
political wisdom, as well as commercial interest,
AvhialiT is to knit that amity with the French
Emperor, the ties .of which, it is professed, are
to be drawn all the • closer by this Treaty.
And how can it be possible to do so, without a
close examination 01'01 the political points of the
subject ? . As Mr. ICINGLAI;.E so forcibly E,lsServed,
in the House of Commons the Ether night, " the
House would be trifling .with,this grs.:3l; subject,
and would be taking 'Part in the. most vini:lt7
of
.41-maginable•forcis, if. they were-to c_ concur in
going into the queitionproposed to their attention
without having a far more accurate knowledge
than they had: at present of the relation's really
subsisting bet Ween thie country and France.", :It
is this More " accurate knowledge," then, which
has been demanded of Her Majesty's Ministers ;
and until it is furnished to Parliament; so as to
enable both Houses to come to a safe cowl:l49n
upon'the question, it would be manifestly prema-
ture, - and 'therefore most unwise, to present to
Her • Majesty, as it has been proposed,- crtheir
sincere and grateful acknowledgments this
new proof of Her Majesty's desire to promote the
welfare iof -her Subjects." Parliament is asked te)
do this, after- "having considered the Treaty of
Commerce conducted between Her Majesty and
the Emperor of the French." But, we repeat,
they have not yet had the knowledge they require
of the relations really subsisting between this
country and France ; and they are not, therefore,
in a position to consider ,it as it is their' duty to
'do. To all appearance, our relations with .the
Trench .Emperor are not in a very satisfactory
. condition, since he threatens to pursue'a cotur,
as . respects Savoy, which if persevered in
will be running counter to the wishes of .Her
Majesty's Government, and exposing Matadi to
the distrust, if not also to the hostility of Europe-,
-The , Emperor, it must ',be remembered, insists
upon this annexation as a right ; and referring to
the Great Powers of Europe, he says -in 'his
address to the legislature,—" They will doubtless
understand that the important territorial re-
arrangement which is about to take place, gives
us a right to a guarantee indicated by nature her"
self." M. IHOUVENEL, his Majesty's foreign
Minister, in his despatch to the CoUrt of Turin,
sets it forth "as a geographical necessity for the
safety of our frontiers.": Here, then, is .a
prin-
ciple asserted, which may be applied to almost
,any demand for an extension of territory,—at
,any rate where nature can be supposed as indi-
cating a right, or, in other circumstances, as
furnishing " a geographical necessity." Louis
NAPOLEON is thus bent. on a policy of aggrandise-.
ment. •And the Powers of Continental Bor'Fß
have evidently been looking to. England. "to take
the initiative in the resistance of it. But it is
towards England that he has directed all his in-
fluence for the. furtherance of his designs. And'
as regards the Treaty, which doubtless has been
moat cunningly contrived with this object, it may
only be too truly said we think,—
" The prudent sybil had before prepared
"A sop, in honey steeped, to charni the guard!"

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