The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-03-01 00:00:00

THE DAY'S NEWS.

The House of Commons yesterday, in Com-
mittee on Ways and Means, passed a resolution
imposing, henceforward, on spirits distilled
in the United Kingdom, or at present in any duty-
free warehouse, or in removing such thither, an
additional duty of one penny per gallon proof.
The Qualification for Offices Abolition Bill was
read a second time. The second reading of the
Masters and Operatives Bill was postponed for a
a month, and the bill in the meantime referred to
a select committee.. The remainder of the sitting,
it will be observed, was occupied in discussing
the various clauses of the Adulteration of Food
and Drink Bill.

Spain is pursuing most remorselessly her war
against Morocco. Our latest telegraphic accountd,
it will be seen, announce that the Spanish squad-
ron has bombarded Lariche and Acilla, causing
great destruction of life and property, without
sustaining any material injury in return. It
woxld seem evident, that the Moors can offer no
sufficient resistance to their invaders, and that
they will therefore be under the necessity of suing
for peace upon humiliating terms.
There is reason now to believe, that the rumoured
Austro-Russian alliance is, if not altogether incor-
rect., at least premature. At any rate, the denial
of it by a ministerial organ here at home appears
to be confirmed by the Continental journals. It
is somewhat significant, however, that the London
paper which so unhesitatingly vouched for the truth
of the report is one supposed to be deep in the
confidence, if not actually under the control, of
the French Government.

With reference to the discussion on the subject
of Savoy, the Times of yesterday says,—" We
come back very much to the old position which we
have so often stated, that this annexation of Savoy
would be a robbery under terror of violence ; but
that if Napoleon is determined to undergo the
dishonour of such an act, the theft is not of such
vital importance that we or others would go to
war about it." Perhaps not. But then ought we
not to be careful how we ally ourselves with a
Sovereign who could really contemplate perpre-
trating " a robbery under terror of- violence ?"
There may be no occasion to "go to war about
it,"—it is to be hoped there will not ; and the
phrases " European complications and long periods
of distrust" may, as our contemporary avers, " mean
war estimates, indefinitely prolonged ;" while, it
cannot be denied, that "smarting as we now are
under those thirty millions, we are in a humour
o feel that a long peace, with a war establish-
ment, is almost as great an evil as war itself."
But still the country must not allow even such an
evil as this to throw it off its guard.
There was a great. deal of significance in Mr.
Disraeli's remark in the discussion on the Savoy
question, on Tuesday night, that, although there
was now found, on the part of her Majesty's
Government, an extreme willingness to afford to
the House all the information in their power on
that subject, and an apparent promptitude in the
production of papers, which must be very gratifying
to those honourable members who require informa-
tion, still it was a very unavailing feeling on the
part of the Government, and had it been dis-
played earlier would have been more satisfactory.
No one had a greater right to make such
a remark as this than Mr. Disraeli him-
self; since it may be remembered that nearly
a month ago he received a very unsatis
factory reply to his inquiry respecting the affairs
of Savoy and Nice. That reply certainly went
to show that, as the honourable member expressed
it, " the latter question had died away, and was
not one of that urgent interest which it is now
recognised to be." And the consequence was
that the House was entirely thrown off its guard.
It is only now, as Mr. Disraeli told Lord John
Russell, that they have " found her Majesty's
Government willing to adopt that practice which
I think it is the wisest course on the part of a
minister to pursue—viz., to give the earliest and
most straightforward information to such
inquiries." It is probable, however, that her
Majesty's Government are now making a virtue
of necessity. The matter referred to has now
become too serious to permit them, save at their
own peril, to withhold information respecting it.
The Morning Herald of yesterday is of opinion
that the chief characteristics of the Anglo-French
Treaty may be said to be,. that it " is devoted to
the admission ready made of articles upon which
must
great classes of British subjects are
fernele, ployed,
and the importation of which, duty
proportiGnately destroy the means
living of
the British and Irish artisans, an(l, when the list
amit aricles
of those is exhausted it proceeds
to d
w
which can be of no real use, and y
mapt o r t
sAunpaersietdeis others
for
thisof h
et of
t
h
importance
country
nce and
of
f value."
And s to
be
burthened with an increased and continuous
Income-tax! " Altogether," adds our contem-