The Press.
London, England, 1858-02-13 00:00:00

reasonably and properly required —a demonstration in the
face of Europe and the French people—the people who
had been misled by calumniators— a warm and lively
evidence of respect and sympathy on the part of the Par-
liarnent of England.
Nothing of that kind has been proposed. All we are to
do is to modify the old law of Ireland on the one hand,
and to retrograde the law of England on the other. j
cannot suppose such a project can give any satisfaction to
the Emperor of the French. (Hear, hear.) The object
he has in view is an honourable satisfaction. It is very
well for gentlemen who have declaimed in the course of
this debate to make reflections upon the Emperor of
France and the policy he pursues, but that is not really
any part of this question. When a man has been elected
by millions in a great country he is above petty criticism
of that description. If he were indeed a tyrant who was
established in a stronghold supported by Praetorians, such
criticisms might injure him, but he has appealed over and
over again to the people of France, and the people of
France have ratified his election as their chief, and it
would be the most unneighbourly arrogance on our part
to criticise that chief or the policy he adopts. What the
Emperor really required, I apprehend, was a plain demon-
stration on the part of this country which would put an
end to the misconceptions which unfortunately pervaded
France. I cannot believe that a bill such as the noble
lord has proposed will at all tend to that most desirable
end—( Hear, hear)—but I think, as far as I am concerned
in the unfortunate position in which we are placed, this
opportunity having been so mismanaged by the Govern-
ment in a manner which has alarmed England, and has
not pleased France,-1 cannot but think we should be
taking a course that might tend to prolong the mischie-
vous misconceptions which prevail if, because we disap-
proved the clumsy and feeble manner in which the (io-
vernment have attempted to deal with the difficulty, we
seized the opportunity to inflict a check upon that Go-
vernment, and it is therefore my intention to vote
for leave to bring in this. bill. ( Cheers.) I am not
prepared, as at present advised, to take any further part
in its defence. I reserve to myself the right of consider-
ing the principles upon which it is founded, and I shall
listen to any arguments which may induce me to believe
what I do not at present believe—that it will accomplish
the purposes which it is intended to achieve. But because
I am desirous of showing to the ruler of France and to the
French people that at this moment, when a horrible enor-
mity has been perpetrated in their metr)polis, when the
life of that ruler has been endangered, when every attempt
has been made to excite the passions of the French people
and to misrepresent the feelings of England; because I
am desirous of proving to the French nation that there is
in the British Parliament a genuine and generous sympa-
thy with them, therefore I shall vote for leave to introduce
this bill, and I believe it is a course perfectly consistent
with the entire maintenance of the law of England and the
privileges of Englishmen. (Hear, hear.)

Ur. SIDNEY HERBERT said he wished to know
what was the real state of the law ; whether it was
true or not that the existing law was sufficient to
reach aliens conspiring here against aliens abroad ;
whether it was the practice of the English Govern-
ment, when it received information from our police,
to give notice to that of France ; and what would be
the effect of converting a misdemeanour into a felony
upon the powers ot' the police. He did not refuse to
entertain the measure, and he should be ready, after
due deliberation, to express his opinion of its merits
on the second reading.
Lord PALMERSTON, in the course of a general reply,
said the measure was founded on a too notorious
fact, the concoction in England of a conspiracy to
assassinate the Emperor of the French, and observed
also that the measure rested upon two grounds,—
first, that it was an improvement of our own law ;
second, that it was calculated to prevent the re-
currence of a crime abroad highly injurious to the
interests of this country, as well as derogatory to its
honour.

lEtwow.wz having withdrawn his amendment,
the house divided upon the original motion, which
was carried by 299 against 99, and leave was given
to introduce the bill. _

_ .
Lady Havelock and Sir Henry Havelock's
Annuities Bill was read a second time, after some
remarks by Sir W. CODRINOTON and Mr. GRIFFITH.
On the motion of the CHANCELLOR of the Exam-
QUER, a select committee was appointed to inquire
into the acts relating to savings-banks.
After some further business, the house adjourned
at a quarter to two o'clock.